. . . flower of the field. . .

A Very Long Story

2011-09-26T17:40:00.002-04:00

Saturday morning, I woke up to my alarmat 3:30am. By 4:00 I was out the door and on my way to Grand Rapids,MI for Civilian First Responders' Training, where I hoped to learnmore about human trafficking and how to respond to it here in theU.S. The training was excellent, and I learned a lot aboutrecognizing the signs of trafficking and how normal, everyday peoplecan intervene. That, however, is not the topic of this particularblog post (though I'm sure you'll be hearing more about it soon). The story I want to tell begins after I started my journey home.

I left the church where the trainingwas held at about 4:00pm. My plan was to get well on my way beforestopping for dinner. I got on the highway and headed out. Aboutfifteen minutes down the road, I heard a loud bang. It sounded likea large rock had hit my car, and then it started sounding likesomething was dragging on the ground. It did not sound good, so Idecided to pull over to take a look. However, this was in aconstruction zone, so there was only one lane open and no shoulder tospeak of, and the next exit went to a street with no shoulder at alland just lots of houses. After a couple of blocks, I found a churchdriveway to pull into. All this time, it seemed like the car wasgetting harder and harder to drive – not a good thing when you knownothing about cars and are four hours away from home.

Well, once I got into the churchdriveway, I hopped out to take a look. Yep, there was a majorproblem: multiple holes in one of the rear wheels. Great. So muchfor getting home early. After calling home and calling the roadsideassistance service my insurance provides (so thankful I got thatplan!), I was able to get a guy out there to change out my tire forme. (Hey, no laughing at me! I didn't think it would be wise tofigure out how to change a tire on my new car four hours from home indress clothes and in the rain. Plus, why have roadside assistance ifyou never use it, right? Right.)

Dad helped me find a tire place, so after getting two new tires (andspending $225 I wasn't expecting to have to spend), I headed outagain. Strangely enough, the tire place was near the traininglocation, so I was going the exact same way I was before. Yep,there's the construction zone again. Oh, great. Stopped trafficahead.

About the time I stopped, I realizedthat while the car behind me stopped just fine, the two cars behindhim weren't stopping fast enough. Of course, I'm a bit paranoid, andhave thought before that cars would crash into me, so I wasn't toopanicked (it's never happened before, why should it now?). But Iturned my steering wheel so I wouldn't crash into the car in front ofme...just in case.

Wow, they really are coming fast. *Crash* Oh, I guess they stopped...with a bit of help from me andthe guy behind me. To be honest, at about that point, I just startedcry-laughing. Itwas so ridiculous, and I was so tired (I'd been up for over 12hours at that point) that I just couldn't help myself. Thankfully, Iwas able to pull myself together after a few minutes (thanks in partto a phone call to Mom...who by now was wishing she'd taken my caraway and tied me up at home before ever letting me drive alone toMichigan).

Anyway, to make a long story short(yes, it's too late, I know, but the title of the post warned you!),I was perfectly fine. My car was perfectly fine besides a few scuffmarks (at least, it's fine as far as I know...). The other people'scars didn't fare so well, but nobody seemed too seriously injured. After waiting around to make sure thepolice had all the information they needed for the accident report, Iwas able to head out. Again.

You may not believe this, but Iactually made it home without further incident (albeit three hourslater than planned)! This was probably due to my mom and her friendsall praying hard! Which leads me to the last thing I want to saybefore I wrap up this extremely long post. There are just so manyways that I can see God's hand protecting me in all of this. 1) Ididn't cause an accident when my tire blew. In fact, the car didn'tswerve at all (which is why I didn't know what had happened). 2) Avery fast response from the roadside assistance guy. And he evenasked how far I would be traveling and gave a suggestion of where togo for new tires. 3) A very close tire place...and one that waseasy to find! 4) The apples I found on my way to the tire place. Mmmm! Michigan apples! 5) I was not the one who caused theaccident. 6) I have insurance! 7) No one was seriously injured inthe accident. 8) My car was hardly even damaged in the accident. 9)Friendly people from the other cars in the accident to talk to whilewe waited. 10) Safety the rest of the way home. (Though I have toadmit I was a lot more concerned when people tailed me!) Andfinally, I'm thankful for the opportunity God gave me to learn totrust Him more...even when things don't go the way I plan.

Tips for Building a Healthy Relationship with Your Landlord

2011-08-16T21:38:00.000-04:00

A lot of attention is given these days to having healthy relationships. I haven't really heard anyone address the relationship between landlord and tenant, though. And since I recently started a job at a property management company (basically doing the landlord's job), I thought I could give some tips on this special relationship.

#1: Pay your rent. Duh. But really, you don't want the accounting department to know you by name...trust me, that's not the kind of relationship you want.

#2: Read your lease. While this may seem obvious, apparently most people will sign their lease without taking the trouble to understand what they are agreeing to. This makes for some very difficult moments in the landlord/tenant relationship. To avoid any frustration, simply read through your lease and realize that it's a contract...so you should keep your end of the bargain.

#3: Remember: You're not moving into a luxury hotel room. Apparently, a lot of people expect to be moving into a luxury hotel room or a brand new house. Well, I've got news for you, folks: this is a college town. You are moving into an apartment that dozens of college students have lived in before you. So it might not be perfect. That's life. Deal with it. (And don't complain to your landlord about it - this puts unnecessary tension on the relationship.)

#4: Don't call on Monday. It seems that most people use the weekend to think up problems and questions for their landlord. The phone is ringing off the hook and there are lines of people waiting to be helped. So if no one answers the phone on the first ring, don't get mad - just realize that there is probably a legitimate reason (and no, we don't just ignore phone calls from people we don't like...however sorely we are tempted).

Tune in later for more tips on building a healthy relationship with your landlord!

Wedding Cupcakes

2011-07-03T16:56:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was the wedding of some dear friends. They asked me to make 300 cupcakes for their wedding, and, in a moment of insanity, I agreed. So, last week I did a practice run (one batch of cupcakes), and settled on the design. A couple of friends met at the church kitchen to help out. Twelve hours, fourteen boxes of cake mix and two pounds of fondant later, we were done. Here is the process in pictures:

Baby Blanket

2011-06-24T13:02:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of the blanket I made for my nephew, Reed. I got the idea from Nikki at Nikki, In Stitches and I really like the way it turned out. The top is knit all in one piece, in a way that makes it look woven. Then I 'quilted' it onto the soft brown backing and added a silky binding to it. It took quite a while for me to make, but it wasn't difficult.

Looks like Reed likes it. :)

A Paradox

2011-05-08T22:48:00.000-04:00

Content with being single. . .yet longing for a family of my own
Excited about the goals I have for my future and the path that my life is going down. . .yet yearning for someone to share it with.
Thrilled to watch my friends get engaged and married. . .yet aching for my own time to come.
Joyfully celebrating with new mothers. . .yet desiring to have little ones of my own.
So thankful for opportunities to teach and interact with young children. . .yet desiring to have children of my own to teach.

I truly am content with where I am in life. I am so grateful for the time I have to serve the Lord. I am eager to continue working to my goals. Thankfully, most of my days are on this side of the spectrum. For the most part, I am content and even joyful about being single.

Yet at times there comes this intense longing to be a wife and a mother. I want to have someone by my side. I want to have little children to care for and love on.

It's a paradox that I can't explain.

My Busy Life

2011-03-26T21:45:00.000-04:00

So, what have I been up to recently? Just a few things...

Working full time at Purdue as an Administrative Assistant (a temporary job)
Planning, organizing and more planning as the VBS Director (a VBS where we are creating our own curriculum, no less!)
Teaching a class of 8-12 energetic two year olds each Sunday
Studying God's Word and enjoying fellowship with a small group each Monday evening
Babysitting two adorable children on Tuesday nights
Leading a small group of 3-5 year olds in Awana Wednesday evenings
Preparing a talk on human trafficking for a class at church
Knitting a blanket for a special baby boy arriving sometime in late May
Thinking about the 300 cupcakes I'll be making come July for a wedding of some dear friends

I am so thankful to God for the opportunities He's given me to serve! But I have decided that while it is nice to be busy, I miss the times I had to sit and think or to spend time reading books that made me think and the long times I was able to spend alone with God. It's not that I've completely cut these out of my schedule, but it's much harder to spend time reading, thinking and praying when it means getting up an hour earlier. I like my sleep too much. Then again, the problem really starts the night before, when I'm too lazy to go to bed. (I'm not really sure how that works, but...) Am I committed enough to studying God's Word and to prayer to discipline myself to go to bed on time so I can get up on time? If I am not doing this, it really is showing that I don't think it is vital - that I think I can live without it. I am being reminded again that this is not true. I need to be alone with God - to talk to Him and to listen to Him. My time in the Word is not some optional only-if-you-have-time activity, but it is essential to my busy life.

If

2011-02-04T10:28:00.000-05:00

by Amy Carmichael

"If I am perturbed by the reproach and misunderstanding that may follow action taken for the good of souls for whom I must give account; if I cannot commit the matter and go on in peace and in silence, remembering Gethsemane and the Cross, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

"If I am afraid to speak the truth, lest I lose affection, or lest the one concerned should say, 'You do not understand,' or because I fear to lose my reputation for kindness; if I put my own good name before the other's highest good, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

"If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love.*
*For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water however suddenly jolted.

"If I am inconsiderate about the comfort of others, or their feelings, or even of their little weaknesses; if I am careless about their little hurts and miss opportunities to smooth their way; if I make the sweet running of household wheels more difficult to accomplish, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

"If interruptions annoy me, and private cares make me impatient; if I shadow the souls about me because I myself am shadowed, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

"If I want to be known as the doer of something that has proved the right thing, or as the one who suggested that it should be done, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

"That which I know not, teach Thou me, O Lord, my God."

Me Time?

2011-01-14T20:58:00.000-05:00

"Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick." ~ Matthew 14:13-14

John, Jesus' cousin and friend, had been put in prison for speaking the truth to King Herod. Herod's wife, Herodias, hated him, so when Herod offered their daughter anything she wanted, Herodias realized she had her chance to get rid of John. She prompted her daughter to ask for John's head on a platter. So John, whose only crime was telling the truth and proclaiming God's Word, was brutally killed - his head carried around on a plate for all to see. What must Jesus have felt on hearing this news! We know that when Jesus went to Lazarus' tomb, He wept, even knowing that Lazarus would be raised from the dead. How His heart must have ached at the news of John's death. He needed to have some time alone, so He "withdrew...to a secluded place by Himself."

However, the people heard of this. They didn't take into account His need for some time alone. They wanted to see Him. They wanted His help. They wanted to talk to Him. So they followed Him, and coming ashore, Jesus saw them - a large crowd of people all wanting to talk to Him. All asking for His help. All calling out to Him.

If I were in His place, what would I be feeling and thinking? "Ugh. Don't these people know that I need to be alone? Don't they realize that I can't deal with them right now? Don't they know that I'm mourning the death of John? Why can't they wait a couple days? Surely it wouldn't hurt them to wait even just a few hours! Who do they think I am? Do they think I am here just to cater to all their needs? When do I get time for myself? Do they just think I'm some kind of servant - only here to help them?"

But what did Jesus do? What did He feel? He "felt compassion for them and healed their sick." He didn't grumble and complain. He didn't think about His need to be alone. He didn't throw up His hands in despair and leave. He felt compassion and love for them. He showed them kindness and care. He took time to talk to them, to heal those who were sick, to show love to them.

What an example to us! And what a challenge. If I am a follower of Jesus, that is how I must respond to people who interrupt my plans or my "me time." Instead of responding in frustration or anger, I should respond in compassion and love. I must unselfishly consider their interests as higher than my own. This is the kind of love that Christ had for me. Can I do any less than my Lord and Master?

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men." ~ Philippians 2:3-7

Encouragement from 2 Thessalonians

2010-12-29T13:03:00.000-05:00

I have been encouraged lately by reading through 2 Thessalonians. It has reminded me of God's great love for me (I am His beloved! He chose me!). It reminds me that He is the one sanctifying me - I don't need to rely on my own efforts. What a relief! It encourages me to keep pushing on - to not grow weary of doing good, even when other people may be taking advantage of me. It reminds me of the peace, comfort and hope that God provides.

In the hope that one or more of these verse will encourage someone today, I have listed the ones that have been the most helpful to me here.

"We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure...."

"To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ...."

But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth....

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word....

May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ....

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good....

Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

Reflections

2010-12-07T10:44:00.000-05:00

In my reading pile...

2010-12-01T10:27:00.000-05:00

A Chance to Die, by Elisabeth Elliot
No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting, by Anne L. Macdonald
Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens
Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis
Philippians, by Paul and God

And today is a great day to admire the snow, cuddle up in front of a nice fire, and read! What are you reading?

Giving Thanks

2010-11-24T22:04:00.000-05:00

During this time set aside to remember our blessings and give thanks for what the Lord has given us, I am thankful for:

...the vast kindnesses of God.
...the grace God showed to me on the cross.
...the grace God daily shows to me as He changes me into the image of His Son.
...the riches of His grace that God is planning to show me in the future (Ephesians 2:7).
...my wonderful family God gave me.
...the freedom I have in this country - to worship, work and live the way I choose to.
...the beautiful creation God made.
...music, cozy fires and good books.
...the knowledge that God is in control and reigns over this world - that He knows what will come in my future, that He will reward the righteous and punish the wicked.
...the little Hoagie-bun!!
...being able to use the creative gifts God has given me.
...my little children's class at church!
...being able to be with family and friends during this holiday time.

And so much more! It's so easy to forget all that God has done for me, but when I stop and think about it, I am overwhelmed with how much God has given to me. I am so unworthy of the great kindness He has shown to me. My simple thanks seems so inadequate, but what else can I say? Thank You, Lord!

Walk in a Manner Worthy

2010-11-23T09:44:00.000-05:00

"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:1-3)

What if we as believers actually lived this out? What changes would we see if we all began living in humility - recognizing that we have done nothing to deserve any of the grace God has shown to us? What if we responded to each person we met with gentleness - realizing that they are people in need of a Savior just like we are? What if we were patient instead of impatient - showing to others the same grace shown to us? What if we were tolerant of one another in love - not condoning sin, but overlooking offenses or differences in love? What if we were really diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit - focused on Christ and His priorities rather than making sure that our personal cause is advanced? If we actually lived this out in our daily practice, what a difference it would make! It would be a glimpse of Heaven.

Reflections on Ephesians 1:3-14

2010-11-17T11:55:00.000-05:00

How easy it is to grow complacent in considering the gift of salvation God has offered to us. "Oh, yes, isn't it great that we were enemies of God and now through the cross we can have a good relationship with Him." But that doesn't even cover all that God in His wondrous grace has done for us!

First of all, yes, we were His enemies - we were in outright rebellion against God, shaking our fists at Him and wanting to follow our own desires and passions rather than humbly seeking after Him. Then, in His great kindness and mercy, God provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him - and not just to "become friends", although that would be incredible, but to become family. In love, He adopted us into His family. And this wasn't some kind of last minute decision - "Oh yeah, I have to do something about those people...". God planned this before He even created the world.

He didn't do this grudgingly - just doing "the bare minimum" - the least possible amount of help He could give us. Instead, He lavished (gave without limits) His grace on us. He freely and unstintingly gave it to us. He "blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." Not just a couple of them, or fifteen of them, but every spiritual blessing. He didn't just adopt us halfheartedly, either. He gave us an inheritance - we have the full rights of sons.

How can I view what God has done for me with complacency? How can I shrug, thinking, "I've heard all this before"? How can I go through my days, weeks, years, life without having every aspect of my life affected by these truths?

Socks!

2010-10-22T23:38:00.000-04:00

I just finished knitting a pair of socks for Maria. They are made out of a sweater that I bought at Goodwill and then unraveled to use the yarn. I think they turned out pretty well - and Maria likes them. :)

Book Review: Choosing Gratitude

2010-10-05T16:57:00.003-04:00

How often do we complain rather than give thanks? Whine instead of worship? Nancy Leigh DeMoss, in her book, Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy, challenges us to respond to life with a grateful spirit - even during challenging situations. As Christians, we have so much to thank God for: His grace, the gift of salvation, His holiness and faithfulness, His many blessings. And Nancy also challenged her readers to respond to trials with thanksgiving. As an example, she told about Dr. Helen Roseveare, a medical missionary to the Congo who endured horrible things at the hands of guerrilla soldiers. In her crying out to God, "the question that came to her heart was: 'Can you thank Me for trusting you with this experience, even if I never tell you why?'"

Nancy points out the differences between worshipers and whiners. Here are some of them:

A grateful person is a humble person, while ingratitude reveals a proud heart. A grateful heart is God-centered and others-conscious, while an ungrateful person is self-centered and self-conscious. A grateful heart will be revealed and expressed by thankful words, while an unthankful heart will manifest itself in murmuring and complaining.

At the end of her book, Nancy includes a 30-day devotional guide to help you begin the habit of gratitude. In reading this book, I have begun to realize how many times I choose to complain rather than give thanks. It has challenged me to be thankful and express my gratitude more often - not only to God, but to other people in my life.

Some favorite quotes:

Seek to cultivate a buoyant, joyous sense of the crowded kindnesses of God in your daily life. - Alexander Maclauren

Gratitude is learning to recognize and express appreciation for the benefits we have received from God and from others.

A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves. - Henry Ward Beecher

The grateful heart that springs forth in joy is not acquired in a moment; it is the fruit of a thousand choices.

God's will is not so much a place, a job, or a specific mate, as it is a heart and a lifestyle.

It's Autumn!

2010-10-05T11:38:00.000-04:00

Candles.

Cozy sweaters.

Hot apple cider.

Creamy, frothy hot chocolate.

Yellow, orange, brown and red leaves.

Gourds, pumpkins and corn stalks.

Crisp, clear, cool days.

Spicy pumpkin pie.

Flickering fires.

Apples.

Book Review: Isobel Kuhn

2010-09-04T11:26:00.000-04:00

Determination. Courage. Sacrifice.

After reading the biography of Isobel Kuhn, I am left asking myself what sacrifices I have made in serving God. Born in Canada in 1901, Isobel, also known as Belle, grew up in a Christian home, but rebelled against the thought of simply accepting what her parents said as truth. After tough break up, she fell into depression and when she was at the end of her rope, called out to God. Immediately, He answered her prayer, and she began to seek after God. Soon she understood the Gospel from the Scriptures and put her faith in Christ. Her early walk with God had its struggles, but she continued to grow. In 1923, Belle decided to go wherever God would call her. The next summer she first heard of the Lisu people in China from J. O. Fraser of the China Inland Mission. Over the next few years she continued her education and God continued to teach her and provide for her. She met a young man named John Kuhn, who was also going to China and soon they became engaged.

In 1928, Belle sailed for China. During the 22 years she lived there, she had the joy of seeing many of the Lisu people turn from serving demons to serving the living God. She continued to grow and mature in Christ. She saw many prayers answered and many miracles that God performed. She gave birth to two children who grew up loving God. She saw the completion of the Lisu New Testament. She successfully carried on a Bible school program for the Lisu. And she was able to go in to Thailand later for three years where she also saw many people put their faith in Christ.

But all this didn't come without discouragement and pain. She struggled with the primitive living - bed bugs, no plumbing, filth. She was often very sick - sometimes on the verge of death. Traveling was dangerous - not just from robbers, but from nature - landslides, steep drop offs. She had to send her daughter to boarding school a long ways away. While she was there, Japan attacked China, and Communism began to take over. She had to deal with soldiers and rebels. The Japanese captured the school her daughter was in - and it would be six years before Belle would ever see her again. Her young son was sick - and almost died. She was often separated from her husband for months at a time as they both ministered to the Lisu.

But Belle wasn't the only one with trials. The Lisu who became Christians were also willing to sacrifice their desires in order to serve God. One man, after being away from his fiancé for two years evangelizing, came back only to be asked to go on a six month mission to another tribe. Unhesitatingly, he agreed. God came first. Another man was needed to go help a missionary couple. He promptly agreed to go - even though his first child had just been born. Others died - sharing their faith with their family and friends right up to the end.

Despite all the trials, Belle pushed on, determined to obey God no matter the cost. Her story is a challenge to me. Am I willing to follow God no matter what it will cost me? Even if it means sickness, threats, separation from my loved ones? I'm thankful for the stories of those who have gone before us, who were faithful to their God. Who put His desires above their own. They are an example to us.

"Few, without the hope of another life,

would think it worth their while to live above the allurements of the senses."

~ Francis Atterbury, 17th century

"What are men to rocks and mountains?"

2010-09-03T19:47:00.000-04:00

"'My dear, dear aunt,' she rapturously cried, 'what delight! what felicity! You give me fresh life and vigour. Adieu to disappointment and spleen. What are men to rocks and mountains? Oh! what hours of transport we shall spend! And when we do return, it shall not be like other travellers, without being able to give one accurate idea of anything. We will know where we have gone - we will recollect what we have seen. Lakes, mountains, and rivers, shall not be jumbled together in our imaginations; nor, when we attempt to describe any particular scene, will we begin quarrelling about its relative situation. Let our first effusions be less insupportable than those of the generality of travellers.'" ~Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice

Mini-Lessons from Counseling

2010-08-31T20:38:00.001-04:00

(No, not actual counseling that I received, but from the counseling training I had over the summer.)

Just some short snippets of things I learned over the summer:

Idols of the heart: When does a desire (that could be perfectly good in and of itself) become an idol and sin? When you are willing to sin in order to get what you want or when you are willing to sin if you don't get what you want.
Don't minimize someone's problems. If they say, "I'm the worst mother in the world," don't immediately tell them they're not and show them why you think they're great. They have some reason for saying that, so ask them about it. It won't give them hope if you just gloss over their problem. This also includes people who feel guilty about something when what they did is not wrong according to the Bible. If they feel guilty, even if Scripture hasn't been violated, they have disobeyed what they thought God said, and should repent in the same way as if it was actually sin. (Of course afterwards, there needs to be teaching about that issue so they can understand what the Bible says.)
The goal of counseling is not to change behavior, but to change the heart - "to glorify God by becoming like Christ and learning to apply biblical principles to the circumstances and challenges of everyday life."
Good relationships will still have problems, but it's in how you deal with it that determines if it's a good relationship. So here are four rules of communication:

Be Honest (Eph. 4:25)
Keep Current (Eph. 4:26-27)
Attack the Problem, not the Person (Eph. 4:29-30)
Act, Don't React (Eph. 4:31-32)

Marriage involves weaving - two unique people with two unique backgrounds becoming one.
If the parents are too busy to explain things to their children or think that they can't understand, why be surprised when teenagers don't want to talk or think their parents won't understand. They are simply following their parents' example.
Ultimately, self esteem is a prideful stance toward God and others - when you don't feel good about yourself because you think you deserve better.
Don't make assumptions! Don't assume you know how they are thinking or feeling. Don't assume you know the facts. Ask questions!
Deception -> Doubt -> Desires -> Disobedience -> Disgrace/Shame -> Disguise -> Death
God is still sovereign, even in suffering. He knows about it and allowed the suffering. He controls the amount of suffering. He is actively involved in your life when you're suffering.
Forgiveness is a promise not to bring up the offense again to the person sinned against or other people or to dwell on it yourself. Feelings are not required in extending forgiveness - it'a choice you have to make.
In responding to the pain and illness someone is going through, your goal should be to turn the attention from the pain and discomfort of the illness to what God is doing through it. God could have prevented it, but He chose to allow it for their good.

Good quotes:

On the importance of clarity in assignments and teaching: "People cannot change in fuzzy land."
"Questions convict the conscience; accusations harden the heart."
"It's easy to be busy; it's hard to be effective."
"You are not the Holy Spirit." (I.e. You can't change a person on your own.)
"Hard is not bad - hard is just hard."
"We're just animated dust."

Quiz:

1. When is a liar not a liar?

(When he stops lying and starts telling the truth.)

2. When is a thief not a thief?

(When he stops stealing and starts working and giving.)

And finally, just some of my own thoughts: Are we setting an example for the people around us where it's okay to admit that you were wrong? Where it's okay to talk about your sin and ... *gasp* ... admit that you're not perfect? Not just in a general - "Yeah, well, we all sin, you know!" but in specific terms - "I've really been struggling this week with impatience toward my family. Would you please pray for me?" If we in our churches were more open and honest with people, would there be so many people in the counseling room, or would we find out about problems sooner and be able to help people when the problems are small?

New from Old

2010-07-29T20:21:00.001-04:00

In cleaning up my room in preparation for a new house guest who will be staying with us while she attends Purdue, I came across this gem:

Sally, do you remember making that? :) Well, I decided that while I needed it for hanging up hats and such, it needed a bit of work first. So I took out the pegs (which were originally blue, by the way...and also glued in...) and spray painted them with some leftover spray paint (from VBS last year maybe?). Then I took some scrap fabric and stapled it on the board. Once the pegs were dried, I cut little notches in the fabric where the original holes were and stuck the pegs back in. Result? A cute little coat/hat rack that cost me nothing but time and energy. :)

(Sorry about the last picture, but I'm not sure how to rotate it...)

Summertime!

2010-07-21T17:50:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's summertime here in Indiana. Heat. Humidity. Thunderstorms. Lots of garden produce. Extra time to spend with family and friends. Fireflies. Grilling. (Of course, sometimes we do that in the winter, too...) The almost constant buzz of cicadas. Sunshine. What more could you want?

The Latest in the Craft Department

2010-06-03T16:17:00.004-04:00

I've been keeping busy so far this summer with cooking and cleaning at home and completing various crafts that I had started but hadn't had time to finish. One thing I recently finished was a sock. (Yes, just one.) I started it several months ago, and just finished it this past week. Why did it take so long? Here's why:

The next thing I worked on was to finish up some aprons I had started. My aunt Katie designs patterns (you can see her website here), and for Christmas one year, she gave all of us girls patterns for an apron plus material to make it! Sally made hers already, but I hadn't done too much to the rest of them - just cut out the material and done a bit of prep work. But, I have them all finished up, now! Here are some pictures:

If you like these aprons and just happen to want your own...they're called "Short Stack Aprons" ... and you can buy the pattern here. :)

Day One!

2010-06-01T08:12:00.000-04:00

It's Day One of the time of prayer for human trafficking! Keep up with the suggestions for how to pray on the Hear the Call blog.

"O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear to vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror." ~ Psalm 10:17-18

Praying

2010-05-25T14:31:00.001-04:00

Over 27 million men, women and children worldwide suffer as slaves today. The problem seems overwhelming at times, but as Christians, we know that our God is all-powerful and is able to do something, even if we cannot. So, I am calling on you to join me in praying daily for two weeks about this issue of human trafficking. Whether it's for an hour or only a couple minutes, will you pray with me? I will be posting specific things to pray for each day on the "Hear the Call" blog to help you as you think of what to pray for and how to pray. If you are interested, this is also an event on Facebook (click here to see).

Moving

2010-05-24T15:29:00.001-04:00

Well, it's time. I am moving my blog over to Blogger. I was planning to keep it on Wordpress, as there's a lot I like about Wordpress. But, I decided that it would just be easier to have everything (email, blog, etc.) under one thing, so I'm moving. You can see my new blog here: http://bethwilson90.blogspot.com/.

Special thanks to Sally and Adam for helping me figure out how to move all my old posts over! :)

Bits and Pieces 12: 1 Corinthians and Christian Worldview

2010-03-28T15:48:00.000-04:00

This past week, we had two classes: 1 Corinthians and Christian World View. Both were challenging. Challenging is good, but it can also get overwhelming when you have 18+ hours of challenging per week. That doesn't leave much time for processing and putting into practice. :) But hopefully the lessons are getting tucked into my head somewhere so they can come out when I need them and have time to process them. And that's partly what these posts are for. So, onto the bits of wisdom from this week:

John MacMurray taught on 1st Corinthians. I thought he did an excellent job. It almost seemed like a continuation from Galatians the week before.

Be teachable: take new ideas and allow them to examine your grid - don't simply assume your grid is correct and allow that to examine the new ideas.

The fundamental truth about God is that He is a relational Being. He is one God in three Persons. He is, at a fundamental level, a Being in relationship, and He has invited us to join in that relationship.

Eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ. We don't know the Father - unless Jesus gives us that knowledge. That's our fundamental problem. So we need to help people get into a relationship with God by showing them who God is through our lives.

1 Corinthians 1:1-9 - Paul doesn't thank them for what they've done, but for what God has done in them. He thanks God for what He has done. The foundational problem the Corinthians had is pride and arrogance.

Today in America, the most important thing to Christians is being right. What happened to loving your neighbor?

We think that we can earn our way back to God because our thinking about God is wrong. When we sinned, we turned and walked away from God, but God hadn't changed. What changed? Our perception of God changed. There's no way for us to able to get back to God - God is the one who has to initiate it, because we are blind and lost.

The problem of sin is organic. Our very nature is 'rotten' - it's not just something external that we can fix. Sin isn't just something we do, but who we are. Jesus didn't come just to forgive our sins, but to change us - to give us a new nature.

1:31 - Paul's quote assumes we know the whole section of that text. Taken from Jeremiah 9:23-24: "...let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me..."

The true Judge is judged by broken humanity (speaking of Christ's crucifixion).

"The wrath poured out on Calvary didn't originate in God's heart, but in ours. ... What sin could be more heinous than hating and then murdering God?"

Read the Gospels over and over so you can get to know God in Jesus. See what God is like in how Jesus treats people. He spent 30 years in a neighborhood and no one knew God was there - He didn't come with fireworks, parades, etc, but lived as one of them. He shows most prominently what God is like in how He interacts with people. When Jesus came, He didn't go to the middle class of Israel, but to the people on the fringes - lepers, tax collectors, prostitutes. You aren't better than anyone else, so stop boasting and care for others. What are we doing to reach people not like us?

3:10ff - It's not a doctrinal statement, a creed, or even the Bible that is your foundation; it's not information, but a person: Jesus.

On a side note: Why is so much of nature so unnecessarily beautiful? Why does everyone see it as beautiful if we just evolved? It's not just that nature is beautiful, but that we have the ability to perceive it as beautiful. This is evidence for a Creator.

Pride is the attitude the Corinthians had; reliance on human thinking was their thinking process, and the result is division.

God's wisdom is the way of humility, the way of stooping.

Do you want to be humble? Why? So people will see that you're humble? Humility is when you say, "Lord, I'll take the low seat - and I'll stay there." Are you staying in the low seat until Jesus calls you up higher? Or are you trying to manipulate your way into something? We've bought into this idea that we need to 'be all that we can be' - grab as much as we can. But everything we need we already have because God has given it to us.

6:7 - "why not rather be wronged?" It's the way of the cross. What causes conflict? You think you have been wronged and fight for your rights. Do you want the conflict to be resolved? Why not rather be wronged and cheated - follow the way of the cross.

6:12 - "all things are lawful for me..." the slogan of the Corinthians. This isn't wrong, but they were abusing that freedom. Don't let your freedom become your master. And don't let things you can do in your freedom become your master. Christ is to be Lord over everything you have. Paul's freedom is governed by: is it beneficial? Does it build others up? Will it master you?

A disciple is a learner - one who follows the way of the master. Jesus' way is servanthood and sacrifice. So, our way should be the same: servanthood and sacrifice.

The picture he gave for the Trinity is three people facing each other in a circle. When a person becomes a Christian, he is brought into that circle and loves them (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) like they love each other, and they love him like they love each other. When another person becomes a Christian, she joins the circle and so loves him and them like they love each other. So we love other believers like the Trinity loves each other (see John 17:20-23). God loves us like He loves Jesus. There is no love in the universe like the love God has for Himself - and He invited you to join them!

If people knew the way God loves them, wouldn't they want a relationship with Him? Most probably would. So why am I not spending my energies entering into their darkness and problems and loving them like Christ does so they see His love through me? Instead we often try to put on a big show so people will be impressed with Jesus. That's irrelevant to people. What would happen if we got into their messes and started to really love them?

The second class this week was on Christian World View. Mostly, this class opened up my eyes to the people around me - their problems and fears. How the promises of modernism have failed, and people are much more depressed, suspicious, apathetic, uncertain, etc. So, anyways, I just wanted to share two videos that they showed in class:

"United States of Whatever" - be careful with this song...it just might get stuck in your head! It's a kind of funny song...until you realize that it really is representative of what people think today - that nothing really matters. "Whatever."

"Happy Birthday" - a song written by a rapper to his child that was aborted.

Bits and Pieces 11

2010-03-28T14:49:00.000-04:00

The first two weeks of spring term have just flown by! The first week back, Brian Reese taught the class on Galatians. It really challenged my thinking in what it means to have freedom in Christ. There's a lot here, but it was all so good I didn't know what to cut out. :) On to the lessons from Galatians:

If your focus is trying to obey or trying not to do certain things, you will be hypocritical - because it's all about the outward things, sooner or later, you're going to fake it. Man cannot be made good by law. Our mistake is in thinking that what God wants from us is obedience. He wants to change us into the kind of person who would obey Him. He wants to change the kind of person I am.

There are three "gospels" that are prevalent today:

Social gospel: we're free to do whatever we want; the focus is on poverty and problems in society

Ecclesiastical gospel: stay in good standing with your church and you'll be okay

Forgiveness gospel: sin management; a gospel entirely about forgiveness. If you profess to believe, you won't get the punishment you deserve, so you'll get to go to Heaven. Since this has happened, you should want to obey God - if you don't, you haven't proved by your life that you were forgiven.

In these three "gospels", the Gospel becomes simply about justification - it's all about what you are going to do with your sin and how you are going to get to Heaven. The Gospel is: Trust Christ. Trust that He will pay for your sins - you can't do anything about it. Trust that He'll live His life in you now. Trust Him to teach you how you can live.

The Great Commission: to make disciples and immerse them in the reality of the Trinitarian God and teach them to put into practice what Jesus taught.

What you really think of Jesus is going to show when you find out you don't have to do anything to earn His favor.

Why is doctrine important? Because if you know that the Virgin birth took place (for example), it changes your view of the world. It's understanding that if you believe miracles can happen, your life is no longer just secular.

Christ didn't die on the cross so you wouldn't have to. He died on the cross so you could join Him there. He wants to change us into the kind of people that want to do what's right. He likes us and wants to teach us the best and most exciting way to live.

The reason most people haven't changed is because they don't see the use of it since they are going to Heaven. What is your intent? Are you choosing to become like Christ? We default to the easy choice of following our high moral rules instead of being transformed inwardly.

Does the literal, glorified body of Christ live in me? We become the hands of Jesus to do what He would do. We become the mind of Christ to think the thoughts He would think. What He did and taught while living on the earth, He wants to continue doing and teaching through us (2 Corinthians 4:6,11; Galatians 2:20, 4:19). He wants to make us into the kind of beings that spontaneously live out His life.

You don't start with Jesus and then graduate to your own efforts - it's all of Him.

What is the evidence of salvation? To give to the poor (Galatians 2:10; Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 4:17-21). Ironically, the one thing we most often neglect. Remembering the poor - practical, financial compassion to the poor right where they are. It should be the number one commitment of the church. We are not more like Christ because we do this, but we do this because of His life manifested in us.

Legalism produces an attitude of pride. Grace produces an attitude of humility. When you serve the poor, you are serving people who can't do anything in return.

We forget who we once were; we think we deserve Jesus and forget where we would be without Him. Review the Gospels. He served the poor, outcasts, sinners, the losers and misfits, those entrapped by sin.

God has never once bestowed His grace and mercy on anyone who deserved it.

Christians are not those without failure, but those with the understanding of how often we fail. We refuse to let those failures keep us from trying again, and our failures make us more compassionate toward others.

We need to pick up our cross and follow Him. The cross is for death. Death to my dreams, desires, ambitions, myself. But knowing what I'm like, it's a good trade - to die myself and live Christ's life.

Now Christ lives in me. So embrace the truth (no longer I, but Christ lives in me). Abide in Him. We are undertaking to do what we have the power to do so He can do in and through us what we can't do on our own. You're not aiming at obedience; you're trying to become the kind of person who would obey. What did you do to be saved? Nothing. It's all of Christ. The fruits of the Spirit are just that - of the Spirit. It's not your fruit that you have to produce.

The reason we don't take on the character of Jesus is simply because we don't intend to.

We need more than simply a list of rules to keep us above the amoral world we live in; do we just need to work harder at it? No. Do we need to exhort Christians to obey? Tell them that it's better to strive to obey out of fear than to not obey at all? The assumption of legalists is they forget the indelible mark of a Christian: believers love to obey God's commands because they are not burdensome. We are literally indwelt with the person of Christ. Instead of me proving myself to God, God wants to prove Himself to me. He wants me to love Him and delight in Him and be satisfied with Him. Because that's when He is most glorified. He will perform in you everything that He has demanded of you.

We should be the kind of people where others see our lives and thank God for God.

You never live contrary to your beliefs, though you may live contrary to your professed beliefs.

Christ did not come and die to keep you from having a bad conscience, or to simply wipe out past sins, but to also clear the deck for Divine action.

Are we so foolish as to think we can change ourselves by ourselves? Can we go on to maturity in a different way than we came to Christ?

God could have given very clear proofs that He exists and that Jesus is God - He gave sufficient proof, but the Bible never seeks to prove the existence of God, because God is concerned about whenter or not we believe Him, not whether or not we believe in Him.

The teachers coming in to the Galatian church taught that trusting Christ wasn't enough. If you wanted to stay in a good relationship with God, you needed to obey the Law - or at least the parts they thought were more important. If you keep the Law by trying to keep the Law, you focus on only outward performance, rather than transforming the kind of person you are. Trying not to kill anyone isn't a way to become Christ-like. Becoming Christ-like makes it so you don't have to worry about trying to not kill anymore. If you are striving to become more like Christ and to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, you will do these good things naturally.

It's His promise, not my performance. When we believe Him, we find that not only are His promises good, but they are the only things that satisfy us. We begin to see sin as the absolutely foolish choice that it is.

So how can we become like Christ?
1. Get a vision that what God has planned for you is a good thing; form a vision that the life that God has created for you is the absolute best thing that is out there for you. This is the best bargain ever - giving up yourself in exchange for the wonderful life of Jesus in you.
2. Have an intention, a decision to do so. If you don't have the intention, nothing will happen.
3. Implement the means. God's grace is what helps you to become like Christ. What are the means to becoming Christ-like? (We don't have the means to be patient, but we do have the means to do some things. Also, we're not being legalistic about this. You're simply attempting to do what is in your power. If it doesn't work, that's fine - that's the freedom we have.) The means - some things we can do: memorize Scripture, pray, fast, celebrate and remember what God has done for you, serve others without recognition or return, read the Bible, find a mentor/discipler. Do the things you are able to do so that He can do in you what you can't do by your own direct effort.

Grace isn't opposed to your efforts - it's opposed to your earning (an attitude).

The church is not here to teach people how to die. The church is here to teach people how to live.

People won't remember what you teach, but they will remember how you live.

Paul is not saying obedience is legalism. But just not murdering someone isn't indicative of what's in your heart. It's a freedom to actively engage with the living Christ in me. I should actively seek righteousness, not actively seek not to sin. I begin to see the foolhardiness of sin.

You will not drift into spiritual maturity - methodical practice and training is required.

Discern between what you do and who you are. You are His child and He is the one who produces fruit in you. The genuine fruit in your life is a result of the Spirit - but it comes because of direct effort on your part - but it's not your effort that produces it. (In other words, you can't just do nothing and expect God to give it to you, but you can't earn it, either.)

What Jesus found necessary in His life, you will probably find necessary in your life. For example, rising early to spend time alone with His Father.

If we saw the truth, we would see that sin is like sticking a pencil in your eye. There's no need to have a rule about it because no one wants to do it.

Fighting Slavery

2010-03-26T14:55:00.000-04:00

For anyone who reads this and doesn't know yet, I have started up a blog for our group at school that is involved in raising awareness of modern day slavery. You can view it here.

Bits and Pieces 10

2010-03-10T10:35:00.000-05:00

*Note: I wrote this up yesterday, and it was a really nice, long post - including almost everything from the class. But, somehow when I posted it, only the first paragraph showed up (and not even all of that)! I was not able to retrieve any of it, and I didn't want to spend that much time typing it all out again, so I'm only doing part of what I had before. But it's still good material. :)

The last class for Winter Term was Apologetics. This was a kind of crazy week, since it was the last week of school and we finished Thursday morning, with a test at noon on Thursday. Plus, I had my usual outreach on Tuesday morning (helping with a Good News Club), we had our once a term banquet Tuesday evening with a Film Festival directly following, and a time of Communion and Prayer on Wednesday afternoon. In addition to all that, we had to get our homework (a 2-3 page essay critiquing the statement: That may well be true for you, but it is not true for me) done by Wednesday morning. And, we didn't find out about that till our first class Monday evening! So basically, I had two chunks of time to work on the homework: after dorm meetings (which end around 9:30 PM) on Monday till whenever I decided to call it quits for the night, and after the Film Festival Tuesday night (which ended around 9 or 9:30 PM). Well, the paper got done, but it wasn't one of my best. Anyways, this was a pretty intense class; the teacher was Dr. Robert W. Evans. He is a very intelligent man (which also added to the pressure of the paper) and has two Ph.D.s!! This page lists all his many accomplishments. Now on to some of the main topics of the class:

Principles of Reality. (This is pretty deep...get your thinking caps on!) There are twelve basic first principles:
1. Being is: The principle of existence.
  - To deny this establishes my own existence.
2. Being is Being: The principle of identity.
  - A thing must be identical to itself. If not, it's something else.
3. Being is not Nonbeing: The principle of noncontradiction
  - Because those are opposites - it either is or it isn't - it can't be both.
  - Opposite statements cannot both be true. If you say they can, you can't say that the statement you just made is true. You can't have two mutually exclusive things both be true.
4. Either Being or Non Being: The principle of the excluded middle.
  - If opposites can't both be true, only one can be true.
5. Nonbeing cannot cause Being: The principle of causality
  - If something doesn't exist, it can't make something else.
  - If the universe always was, we wouldn't be here (infinite regression), so at one point there was nothing (this means the universe is a contingent being), which means at some point there had to be an eternal being to create us.
6. Contingent Being cannot cause Contingent Being: The principle of contingency or dependence
  - Something that could not be anything can not create something else that could not have been. (A contingent being is something that doesn't need to exist.)
7. Only Necessary Being can cause a Contingent Being: The positive principle of modality
  - Only something that must necessarily be can create everything that could not have been.
8. Necessary Being cannot cause a Necessary Being: The negative principle of modality
  - A necessary being must be, so it can't be caused, or it would have not been needed, so it would be a contingent being.
  - (Thus God is the only necessary being and you can't have more than one God.)
9. Every Contingent Being is caused by a Necessary Being: The principle of existential causality
  - All contingent beings need a reason for existing.
10. Necessary Being Exists: The principle of existential necessity
  - Because of (9), a necessary being must exist. Because contingent being exist, thus a necessary being (God) must exist to create all the contingent beings.
  - "I think, therefore God is."
11. Contingent Being Exists: The principle of existential contingency
  - If there wasn't a God, we wouldn't be here.
12. Necessary Being is similar to similar Contingent Being(s) it causes: The principle of analogy
  - A necessary being must itself possess what it creates. (E.g. It must have the capacity for love in order to create love.)
  - So does God have sin? No. We share the freedom to choose. God chooses not to sin; we have freedom to choose to love Him (coerced love is not love).
  - Argument for the Trinity: God would have to have the capacity for relationship in order to make humans with that capacity, but it has to be contained in Himself or else He would be dependent on something else and thus not God.

Reliability of the New Testament:
- Julius Caesar's Gallic War has 9-10 copies; the most documented piece of ancient literature (other than the Bible) is the Iliad which has 643 manuscripts. No one calls their fidelity into question. The New Testament (Greek copies alone) has 5,686 partial and complete manuscripts copied by hand. If you include manuscripts from other languages, there are more than 14,000 copies. And if you include all quotations of the New Testament there are 36,000 in the first 200 years. You could reconstruct the entire New Testament (except for eleven verses) from these quotes.
- Older manuscripts are better because they are closer to the original. A distance of 1000 years is considered good in ancient literature. It's rare that there would be a copy within 500 year (for example, Homer's Odyssey). Most of the New Testament (NT) manuscripts were within 200 years - some within the first 100 years, and some within 40 years! The entire NT in book form is found within 100 years of the original!
- The NT is also the most accurate of ancient literature. Homer's Iliad is 95% accurate, while the NT is 99.9% accurate. Most of the errors are variants in readings that get perpetuated by copies (each copy is counted as an error instead of one error faithfully and accurately copied). Nearly all these mistakes are grammatical errors. According to Philip Schaff, of about 150,000 variants, only 400 actually changed the meaning of the passage. Only 50 of those were significant, and of those, not even one has any doctrinal importance.

Miscellaneous Items for Your Consideration:
- "Far more people are going to be loved into the kingdom of God than will be argued in."
- When you get into a debate with someone, first restate their argument to ensure you correctly understand their position.
- The statement: "There's no such thing as truth" is a self-defeating statement. You have to exclude that statement from your claim.
- The naturalistic explanation for the universe is that given enough time it could happen. But the problems with that: where did the original elements come from? Where did matter, space and energy come from? Even granted those, with more time (unless there's design), there's just more chaos. It gives more time for things to go wrong.
- We have to give science a break. It is trying to get the most plausible, naturalistic explanations to explain observable events. They can't do naturalistic investigations and end up with a supernatural explanation. They are trying to explain how the universe began without being allowed to say that God created it. It's kind of like asking someone to tell you what 2+2 is if there is no such number as 4.
- There are two central tenants of the gospel (1 Cor. 15:3-5): Christ died (Scriptural evidence: the Bible; scientific evidence: he was buried); and Christ was raised (Scriptural evidence: the Bible; scientific evidence: he was seen by many people).
- In the last class, he referred to the multiple choice exam as a "multiple guess" exam. :)

Well even this turned out pretty long, so you can imagine how much I left out! Now that I'm finally caught up, I get to finish up my taxes and enjoy the last few days of spring break, while looking forward to learning more from God's Word starting Monday!

Bits and Pieces 9

2010-03-09T19:47:00.000-05:00

John and Hebrews both in one week! How exciting!! Before the week even started, my roommates and I agreed that this would probably be the best week of classes, and for the most part, we weren't disappointed. So, here are some tidbits from those classes. (By the way, just to be clear, I am not writing this all down from memory, but looking back through my notes to find what caught/catches my eye. :) )

Dr. Rich Hall taught the Gospel of John.
- John can give us the clues of how to have a close, intimate relationship with God - he knows from experience, and it shows in his writings.
- "Martin Luther once said, 'This is the unique, tender, genuine chief Gospel... Should a tyrant succeed in destroying the Holy Scriptures and only a single copy of the Epistle to the Romans and the Gospel According to John escape him, Christianity would be saved.'"
- "Augustine said, 'Thou hast made us for thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.'"
- "John R. W. Stott says that unbelievers need to be confronted with authentic Christianity: 'Authentic Christianity - the Christianity of Christ and the apostles - is supernatural Christianity. It is not a tame and harmless ethic, consisting of a few moral platitudes, spiced with a dash of religion. It is rather a resurrection religion, a life by the power of God.'"
- We need to be "restfully available, instantly obedient."
- There's no impact on others without contact.
- God knows the kind of test you need and what the best time for that test is.
- Notice how Jesus accepted Judas and loved him, even though he know - for three years - what he would do.
- "William Barclay has some fine insight: 'It is the place of Judas at the table that is of special interest to the reader. ... He must have been sitting on Jesus' left... And the most revealing thing about all this is that the place on the left of the host was the place of highest honor, kept for the most intimate friend. For the host to offer the guest a special tidbit or morsel from the dish, was again a sign of special friendship.'"
- "Ray Stedman: 'When our Lord says, "abide in Me," He is talking about the will, about the choices, the decisions we make. We must decide to do the things which expose ourselves to Him and keep ourselves in contact with Him.'"
- "If my life is fruitful, it doesn't matter who criticizes me; if my life is fruitless, it doesn't matter who praises me."

Bryan Hurlbutt (as he said, "Yes, that is my name") taught the book of Hebrews. He did a wonderful job, and is probably one of the teachers that I will want CDs of his classes. He didn't try to edge around the truth, but spoke it out clearly and boldly - kind of like Pastor Whipple. :)
- The only place in the Bible we have a definition of eternal life is in John 17:3, where it says that eternal life is to know God. This knowledge is not just a mental ability to recite facts, but an interactive relationship, interacting on an appropriate level of thought and experience. Knowing God involves living out the 'facts' you know. Knowledge and belief are degreed properties - you don't just know it or not know it - you can keep growing in these areas. In fact, discipleship is growing in degrees of belief and knowledge.
- Hebrews is about the supremacy of Christ.
- This letter "serves as a call not merely to make a decision for Christ (i.e. receive Him as your savior, receive the gift of eternal life, etc...) but to subjugate your life to His supremacy and align your purpose and plans with His person and principles."
- If you're coming to God for something (i.e. for peace), you're misunderstanding it. God should be ultimate, not a means to an end.
- The recipients of the letter were "Jewish Christians or at least perceived Christians.... I call them [this] because as a good preacher, the author operates on the assumption that they are what they say they are, namely Christians. But really he is not certain, and so the point of the letter is really to press them to live out that faith and so authenticate it."
- Hebrews is a letter, but it's form is really a written sermon.
- The warnings in the book of Hebrews are like a parent's warning of danger to their child. They are not intended to be assessments, but "rhetorical devices that serve as a means of perseverance and obedience." If they ignore the warnings, they are showing the state of their souls, not changing the state of their souls.
- The Bible was not written to me, although it was written for me.
- God is in control - He has His best in mind, which sometimes/often results in our felt needs being met, but not always - that's not His main goal.
- The Puritans had a saying: "God loveth adverbs." Why? Because we are a people consumed with verbs - what we do. God cares about how and why we do what we do. Adverbs give meaning to verbs. Do things for God's glory and to enjoy Him forever.
- 2:9 - He died for everyone - "for" implies substitutionary atonement. He bore my sin in my place (see Romans 3:21-27 also). One of the problems of the Emergent Church is the idea that substitutionary atonement is divine child abuse. If you reject this, you reject the whole gospel and it is reduced to morality, which doesn't save you.
- 2:14 - "...destroy the one..." - destroy -> rendered useless - not completely annihilated. Its power over you is not now what it once was because of Christ's death.
- 2:15 - now that we are no longer slaves to sin, we are free to please God - we are free to do what we ought. It's impossible to exult in this if we don't understand the chains we were in before. How should you respond to your sin? "God, thank You for showing me the sin, and thank You that You still accept me and love me. Please give me the grace to live. Help me see what I need to do with Your strength." Sin is a diagnostic tool to show what is hidden in your deep.
- What are the implications of Jesus' supremacy in your life? 1) Renewal - a change from the inside out (one of the unique things about Christianity) 2) Resources - He has all the resources you need to please Him. 3) Responsibility.
- "Reading romance novels is emotional porn."
- "The New Testament knows nothing of believers who are not involved in community - in a local church." Communal life is a life of accountability with transparent, even brutal honesty. You can't fulfill all of the New Testament commands without being in a local church
- Are you going to hold firmly to what you profess? (Not what you possess - implying that you can lose your salvation.)
- Grace is God's power working in your life. What does it show up as? As a sinner, to rescue me from punishment; as a believer, to change my life. So we are always in need of grace. "I come to Jesus Christ by grace, and I live the Christian life by grace."
- We run into the danger of getting distracted from the focus on glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. Are you spending your life pursuing things other than the Gospel? Turn your life to the Gospel - everything else will burn.
- 5:14 - the mature have formed habits. We need to form healthy habits - they affect our soul. "Trained" is used of athletes who were focused on the goal and stripped of any encumbrances. The mature lay aside encumbrances or distractions in a singular focus on God.
- God should not be your "number one priority" (a linear list with God at the top) - this makes it seem like you can "do God" and then "do family." Instead, your whole life should be focused on God (a circle with God at the center).
- The Hebrews weren't ready for this discussion because they had been lazy with their souls. If we aren't training our souls, there are things we won't have the capacity to understand. You must do the spiritual disciplines today so that you can one day accomplish by direct effort what you cannot now accomplish by direct effort.
- God's will is a moral question, not merely a directional question. Form your soul before you ask what God wants you to do with your life so that you will be ready to hear.
- 6:4-12 - The question is not, "If you're in Jesus, will you stay in Jesus?" because it doesn't depend on you, but on God and His power. Instead, the question is, "Are you really in Jesus?" If you can lose your salvation, then you have to work to keep your salvation. It's all a gift. In this passage, the writer is saying that it looks like they have all these things, so he's encouraging them to make their profession their possession. Some important observations:
  - Your salvation is secure (John 6:39; Romans 8:30, 35-39 etc.)
  - Your practice says something about your profession (John 14:15).
  - True Christians will not completely abandon the faith by rejecting Christ (1 John 2:19).
  - Those who do not press on in faith evidence the fact that they were never true Christians (the whole point of Hebrews).
  - The author's warning is from a pastor who is assuming that their profession is true but is using the warning as a rhetorical device of the strongest means to urge them to press on in their faith.
- Hebrews 7:4-10 - Bryan brought up the interesting idea that the soul is descended from our ancestors - similar to how physical attributes come from our ancestors. In this case, the 'soulishness' of Levi is descended from Abraham.
- The Law was set aside because it couldn't rejuvenate the soul - it can't make perfect. The Law can't renovate the heart, but Christ can.
- 7:22-25 - Because Jesus lives forever, all our sins are forgiven - past, present and future. If we could lose our salvation, then our future sins aren't forgiven. Also, since Jesus lives forever, we are assured of eternal security.
- Work from our theology down to our life, not vice versa.
- We must ask for forgiveness because the quality - not the existence - of our relationship with God is affected.
- The Old Covenant was a bilateral agreement. The New Covenant is a unilateral agreement; it is simply granted without any requirement from the other party. All of it is contingent on and comes from God.
- "The chief end of man is not to save his own skin and do the best he can."
- It's important to note what we are being saved to (serving God) and not just what we are being saved from.
- "True love doesn't let people swim in sin."
- 12:1-2 - The crowd of witnesses are not watching us - their eyes are on turned to Christ. Why would we run better for them anyway? We run for Jesus.
- A lot of times in our lives, we're ready to do the "big" things for Christ, but we aren't serving Him in the little things.
- Whatever is in your life, God allowed to come into it - so we should ask ourselves and God why He allowed it in.
- Conclusion: Keep the supremacy of Christ constantly before you. Don't take your eyes off of Jesus. He's the only reason you should do anything in your life.

As you can see, there was a lot in the Hebrews class. Really, too much to grasp well in one week...which is why I want to get the CDs for that class. :) Okay, just one class left from Winter Term.

Bits and Pieces 8

2010-03-08T14:35:00.000-05:00

Week six of Winter Term was 1 Peter and Joshua, Judges, Ruth. (Yes, it was a lot to cover.) Here are a few bits and pieces from those classes:

Chris Thomas, international director of Torchbearers, Int'l, taught 1 Peter. He had a tendency to take lots of long rabbit trails, and he also had a nice, British accent. :)
- "I can't, He can; He never said I could, He always said He would, so let Him."
- Prayer is a miracle - that God listens to us and responds.
- An ambassador (which is what we are - representing God) has no innate authority - it's all derived from the ruler; our authority and our message is His.
- Be careful in systematic theology not to systematize it to death; there is mystery involved in Christianity.
- Mercy is the attitude of God toward mankind; grace is the action of God toward mankind; peace is the atmosphere of those who have accepted God's grace and mercy.
- Our old life was hopeless and condemned: "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." Our new life has hope in the future: "Stop, think and act wisely, for tomorrow we live."
- Before our new life in Christ, we were trying to appease God; now we do what's right in order to please Him; grace overcomes condemnation.
- Consider suffering pure joy: because you can see it from God's perspective - that it develops character.
- We need to have convictions and passion. (The current generation seems to be all passion but no conviction, while the generation before was the opposite.)
- Loving God is not conjuring up emotion, but it's an act of the will (John 14:21).
- As you get to know God, you grow to love Him; and to love Him is to increasingly desire to serve Him.
- Five qualities God expects of a Christian wife:
  - Be submissive to her own husband. If a woman takes over his position because the man left it, it's very difficult for her to leave it again.
  - Faithful to her own husband. Physically, emotionally, spiritually and socially. Lift up her husband in his spiritual leadership. If she humiliates him in the hope he'll respond, he'll become hostile.
  - Without talk. Don't nag or tell him what to do; it undermines his confidence. A man's greatest weapon is silence. A man's identity is in his position (a woman's is in her person).
  - Quality of Behavior. Purity and reverence. Focus on making her soul attractive.
  - Inner Beauty
- Three qualities God expects of a Christian husband:
  - Think. What can he do to lift up his wife's person and be considerate?
  - ...there must have been more, but either I didn't get a chance to write them down or else he had to skip it in order to finish as much of the book as possible.

Wendall Grout, who has taught at Ecola since the school began, I believe, taught us the books of Joshua, Judges and Ruth. (Interestingly enough, we finished everything on the syllabus for these three books, while we weren't able to finish the book of 1st Peter.) Pastor Grout was very gentle and gracious, and you could tell he really knew the Word well.
- Joshua:
  - Joshua was a soldier and a servant - he learned to be a good follower before he ever became a great leader. He learned the importance of role-filling - we all have unique roles to fill - we shouldn't compete with each other, but complement each other.
  - Joshua was 85 years old when he took leadership of the people of Israel. God is not in a hurry. Hurry, rush and stress don't characterize a life filled with the Spirit. He served for 25 years.
  - When God writes history, it isn't revised - it's all in written - warts and all.
  - The delays of God are not His denials.
  - Unbelief exaggerates the problems and minimizes God's power.
  - Egypt: bondage; Desert: boredom; Israel: blessing
  - Every spiritual battle must begin at the feet of our all-conquering God.
  - Faith in God does not relieve us of personal responsibility to take action. The way to victory and success is faith and obedience.
  - Hard situations are easy when we are right; easy situations are hard when we are wrong.
  - You're not strong enough to stand on your own; thinking you can do it on your own is the first step to failure.
  - "The greatest heresy is 'Jesus plus'..." (I'm not sure if this was a quote from the teacher or someone else.)
- Judges:
  - All the judges were raised up in response to the prayers of the people - God responded when they called out to Him.
  - More is said about the Holy Spirit in this book than in any other historical book.
  - Israel was delinquent in parental discipline (Judges 2:8-12). A generation grew up who didn't know the Lord - because their parents didn't teach them about the Lord. What the parents tolerated, the children admired.
  - God blesses people to bless people.
  - God has a way of matching people with need. There's a need somewhere in the world today where your gifts and abilities are a perfect match.
  - People's true character comes out in a crisis.
  - God's power is always equal to His promises. What He promises, He is able to perform.
  - God's call is always elevating. We are being called from a life that would not have mattered at all to one with eternal consequences.
- Ruth:
  - We can see God's grace in people's lives
  - We can't redeem ourselves but must depend on Jesus.
  - Just as Boaz paid the full price, we have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19)
  - God has blessings for our lives that we can't even imagine - that we aren't planning for.

Bits and Pieces 7

2010-03-08T13:10:00.000-05:00

My second of three terms at Ecola is completed. It's hard to believe that this year is almost over. Here are some bits and pieces from my classes on 1st Thessalonians and Christology.

Bill Sherman taught on the book of 1st Thessalonians.
- Two ways to be like Paul: Make a lifetime commitment, and step out of your comfort zone and take more risks.
- If you are following God, what is the risk? Isn't God big enough to take care of you?
- If you are growing in your relationship with Christ, God can and will use you.
- "Come as you are, but God loves you too much to leave you that way." (the motto at his church)
- Humility is a proper understanding of how you relate to God and others.
- In ministry, you experience hindrances and defeat, as well as victory.
- "Adversity doesn't build character, it reveals character."
- "I'm not called to be successful, I'm called to be faithful." - Mother Theresa
- The idea that "it's alright to do this, because God will forgive me," is not the point - God has called us to a holy life, and if we disregard this, we are disregarding God, who gave us His Holy Spirit.
- "I know I have holes in my doctrine, I just don't know where they are." - John MacAurthur
  - If you have all the answers, God is a small god.
  - Our whole life should be a life of learning
- Why do we accept some sins as "less sinful" than others? Sins such as apathy, laziness and gossip, we see as "okay" instead of as sin against a holy God.
- A sign of how well you are walking with the Spirit is how patient you are with everyone.

A man from northern Ireland, Ken Needham, taught on Christology. This was one of my favorite classes - our whole focus was on Christ - magnifying and exalting Him. What an encouragement! And to top it off, Mr. Needham had a wonderful accent! :) Here are some of the highlights, and if you want all my notes, click here.
- Satan is in the business of representing a distorted and wrong view of God - ignoring the good things God has given us, and focusing on what we don't have.
- The Old Testament is an amazing book: it is accepted by three major religions. It has no influence from Christians, but it's all about Jesus. He's the only one who can pull together all the parts.
- "Yes, I have never been able to change water into wine, but that is one reason I believe in Jesus. Since He is able to do it, He is at the least, supreme in this area. He is unique.
- Real suffering happens to Christians. God would not be good if He allowed His followers to go through suffering and not experience it Himself.
- Wherever you go, you are representing Christ. Are there people who think that Jesus doesn't care about them because you don't care about them?
- Jesus cared for the leper. He went against His culture and upbringing and touched the leper. Do you just go with the culture or are you radically different like Jesus?
- "A kingdom is not a democracy."
- Jesus was a carpenter for 30 years in the "nasty little town" of Nazareth. Most of what Jesus did was probably repair work and simple, basic items - hard, monotonous work. It didn't use His intellect or leadership skills or benefit society. But what was His attitude about it? Every bit of work He did was an opportunity to worship the Father by presenting to Him a job well done.
- Jesus spent three years trying to teach His disciples two things: "I will die" and "three days after I die, I will rise." None of them learned it. But what was Jesus' response? "...having loved His own ... He loved them to the end..." It's not your job to remodel the people we live/work with. That's Gods' job. Jesus loves "that person" as much as He loves me, and He wants to love them through me. If I don't, it stifles my spiritual growth. Ask: what is it in me that gets annoyed? Then they become a great blessing, because you grow because of them.
- Why are we so tired? It's not that we are working so hard, but that instead of depending on Jesus, we depend on our training. We are pouring out ourselves from our soul - just draining the soul and getting exhausted. But all the time, we have an infinite resource that we are not drawing upon. Ministry done in the power of the Spirit doesn't drain you - it energizes you.
- Rest from your own work, and rest in His sufficiency
- You can't walk on the water unless you leave the boat. To walk on water, you must: leave the boat (all material things), leave the oars (all control), leave the other disciples (other relationships).
- And finally, a good quote from Mr. Needham: "There's light at the end of the tunnel - and it's not a train coming the other way." :)

Spring Break

2010-03-06T19:48:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that two terms of school are done and there is less than two months left till the end! Currently I am midway through my spring break, enjoying some time out in the country at my aunt and uncle's home. I have been keeping busy, though, too, by baking, knitting, researching slavery and reading some books I wouldn't normally have time for. I also have plans for updating my blog with some summaries of what I have been learning in my last few classes. I have a lot to catch up on, so we'll see how much of that happens. Click here to see pictures of my break so far.

It's Springtime!...Wait, what?

2010-02-05T17:55:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know it's early February, but flowers have been popping up all over the place, trees are budding, and I have even seen a dandelion or two. Crazy! I am not used to this! It shouldn't be spring until April! I have to admit, it's kind of nice to have warmer weather...but at the same time, I've missed the snow. I only saw a couple inches while I was at home...and that wasn't even the full time I was home, since I was in Tennessee for about a week. I am a bit jealous of Sally and Adam, as they have a huge snowstorm in the forecast for this weekend.

But, I'll take the flowers, and be content. :) Here are some pictures I took today of Spring showing her face in Cannon Beach, OR.

[gallery]

Bits and Pieces 6

2010-01-31T19:40:00.000-05:00

Well, there have been six classes since I last posted about what I've learned in class. So, here are some of the highlights from those six classes:

Jim Amandus taught the book of Psalms. He did a great job teaching the "intellectual" aspect of the psalms as well as emphasizing the poetry and the artistic aspects. At the beginning of each class (except for the first two), a group of students got up to lead us in meditating on a psalm. There were a lot of creative ideas. Most of them involved power point presentations, reading the psalm or singing a song. One presentation, though, really did an amazing job. They acted out the skit "Everything" (you can see one version here) and they did a superb job of acting it out. I think it was at least as good if not better than the original one. Anyway, here are some things I learned from that class:
- To encounter a psalm, you must take time in reading it to feel what the author is feeling - to understand the emotion - and to appreciate its beauty and message.
- In reading through the Psalms (and other of the wisdom literature in the Bible), it's important to understand that the ancient wise man reasoned from life to show people why it makes sense to follow God - they operate in the realm of natural revelation. In addition, it's also important to note that ancient wise men have no problem with generalizations or with emotions. In other words, while Psalm 22:1 asks why God has forsaken the psalmist, the psalmist knows that in reality God has not forsaken him and is indeed with him during his trial. However, he is writing about how he was feeling at the time, and thus does accurately reflect his emotions.
- The importance of confessing your sin: be honest about it, confess to those you have offended, and confess the root causes of your sin to God.

During the same week, Dave Childers taught a class on World Religions. It was helpful to learn more about Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Chinese Religions. I appreciated the perspective of the class. The "theme" of the class was "A vision of the heart of God breaking for the lost." The purpose for our study was to gain an understanding to provoke informed prayer, and to prepare us to share Christ. In addition, he pointed out that "we desire to study without being overly critical and yet recognize that there is truth."

"Marriage and Dating" was taught by Dave Duff, the director of Ecola. There was a lot of information in this class. A lot about marriage, how God designed marriage, roles in marriage, the differences between men and women, dating, and even children! I particularly enjoyed hearing about the differences between men and women...some of it fit in with what I already knew, and some of it was new to me. I found it fascinating how the differences that we have complement each other and how a husband and wife can really work well together because of those differences.

Chris Adsit (who, by the way, worked at Cannon Beach Conference Center with my mom in the summer of '76) taught a class on Personal Disciplemaking:
- "Christianity is perceived by most Americans as...irrelevant. It's losing influence because we don't merge faith and life outside of church" ~George Barna
- "Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ." ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- We can' t just convert people and leave it at that. We must help them mature - disciple them.
- Definition of a disciple: "A person-in-process eager to learn and apply the truths that Jesus Christ teaches him/her, resulting in ever-deepening commitments to Christ and to a Christ-like lifestyle."
- "A disciple is a 'person-in-process' moving toward ever-deepening commitments to Christ. The state of being a disciple is an attitude that involves a growth process. If you are not learning and growing, you are not a disciple."
- Disciplemaking is "any time one person intentionally helps another person learn a little more about or become a little more like Jesus Christ."
- Discipleship can happen in a large group context, a small group context or in one-to-one context. Or in all three. Each have different strengths and weaknesses, and it would probably be best if a disciple was involved in all three.
- "Never attempt to make anyone become like yourself. God knows and you know that one of you is enough." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Prayer is vitally important in the process of making disciples. As Chris Adsit said, "Partner with the One who can control the hearts of men."
- "We are no more able to cause growth than we are able to cause conversion. Pray early, often, long and late. Prayer isn't part of the ministry, it is the ministry; everything else is mop-up. Most of the actual, effectual work of the ministry will be accomplished on your knees."
- The relationship between disciple and discipler is also important: "Most things of importance are better caught than taught."
- But, "many other important things must be taught before they can be caught." Content is also very important.

This past week, we studied the book of Proverbs with Dr. Mike Roth.
- He talked about the two main themes in the book: Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly. Both of them are calling to us - which one will we follow? Following Lady Folly results in death, but following Lady Wisdom results in life and understanding.
- We discussed how we need to be teachable. Am I wise when someone corrects me, or am I a scoffer? Do I dishoner the one who corrects me? Do I make excuses or insult the one correcting me? Instead I should love the one correcting me, become wiser and learn more.
- Proverbs 10:19 - one way to avoid sin is to talk a lot less.
- Proverbs 18:13 - we must listen - really listen - to what others have to say; and we should not make a judgement before hearing both sides (Proverbs 18:17)

And finally, we had Mark Burch teaching Ephesians:
- "If you can change what someone believes, you can change everything. If you don't change their beliefs, you won't change anything else, either."
- "A productive Christian behavior system is the product of a solid Christian belief system, not the other way around!"
- "What's the big deal about grace? It challenges most religious assumptions and changes the focus from me to God - not 'what can I do to earn God's favor?' but ' what has God done?'"
- "In the gospel, we discover that we are far worse off than we thought, and far more loved than we ever dreamed." ~Steven Curtis Chapman
- "The greatest deception of the enemy is to tell us that God cannot use us until we have our own act together." God uses weak people; we are more useful to God when we're weak, because then we have to rely on God.
- "The unified, trained body of Christ is the most powerful expression of God on teh face of the earth." ~Bill Hull
- If you are a believer and you are not using your gifts, you are hurting other believers.
- Money - materialism - is probably our biggest idol; it is the only area of life we are told to test God in, and most people are not willing to do it.
- "Biblical submission: a willingness to yield my life, my desire, my plans, to God's design - to His will and His Word."
- We are living in a war zone - why are we living for fun and entertainment?
- We equip ourselves for the battle on our knees. Prayer is the work of the church.
- Every single great revival began with prayer.
- The enemy has us deceived that prayer won't work.
- What are you living for? What is your purpose in life? When you get to the end of your life, will you wish you had done more?

I know these are all kind of random...they are just some various thoughts that stick out to me as I go back through my notes. But, I'm doing this more for my own sake - to think through the classes again and have another copy of the things I've learned - than for anything else. Looking forward to next week's classes: 1st Thessalonians and Christology! Should be good! Oh, and the Day of Prayer for Ecola is on Tuesday! Definitely looking forward to that!

The Tragic Issue of Slavery

2010-01-23T15:31:00.000-05:00

Slavery.

It brings to mind appalling, gruesome, hideous crimes committed against people made in the image of God. And it's over now. William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln and many others worked hard and diligently - sometimes at great cost to themselves - to free the slaves. We still have some repercussions to deal with, even years later, but for the most part the issue of slavery is a shameful part of history that we can look back on as an example of the atrocities that one human can commit against another. It's over now, though, right?

Wrong. Slavery, repellent and horrifying as it is, is still in full force. In fact, there is evidence to suggest that there is more slavery in the world today than there was during the time of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. It is estimated that there are more than 27 million slaves around the world. On Wednesday, Ecola Bible School brought in a guest speaker from International Justice Mission to present the film "Call and Response." While I knew a bit about this problem of human trafficking and slavery, I didn't know the extent of it. There are children being forced into the military in Africa, people taken as slaves and forced to work without pay, girls being kidnapped, raped and sold as sex slaves. And it's not just happening in other countries, but even right here in America. The statistics are horrifying:

In 1850, the average slave in the south cost about $40,000 in today's money. Today, a slave costs an average of $90. Since buying a person is so cheap, they are considered "disposable" - there is no real concern for their well-being because it would be so cheap to replace them (info taken from Free the Slaves website).

"Nearly 2 million children are exploited in the commercial sex industry." (taken from International Justice Mission's website)

Human trafficking is the world's third largest criminal enterprise, after weapons and drugs (from IJM)

With the earthquake in Haiti, the door is wide open for many of the women and children there to be kidnapped and forced into slavery (see this article).

To get a good idea of the widespread problem of human trafficking, read this report from the US Department of State. I highly encourage you to read through this report. At the very least, skim through the stories in the introduction. Here are a couple stories and some other info that really struck me. (Not for children to read.)

Marlena traveled to the Persian Gulf to earn money for her family as a domestic servant in a wealthy household. Instead of a room of her own, Marlena slept on the kitchen floor and worked 20 hours every day of the week serving the family. The employer’s wife confiscated her passport the day she arrived and forbade her from ever leaving the house. The family locked her inside whenever they left. The employer’s wife beat her and called her names when she did not work hard enough. When Marlena tried to run away, the employer told her that she would be arrested for leaving the house without permission. Though the recruitment agent promised her $200 per week, Marlena was never paid by her employers. After eight months, Marlena escaped, but once on the street, the police found and arrested her for running away from her employer. She sat in a deportation center for two years, waiting for her sponsor to grant her permission to leave the country.

. . .

At just 17-years-old, Maryam dreamed of a better future than her life in Kazakhstan. A man paid her parents $300 and forged a passport so that she could work in Russia as a shop assistant. When she arrived in Russia, the shop turned out to be a locked cell with barred windows and a metal door. After the armed guards told her she would be used as a prostitute, rather than a shop assistant, she said: “I refused by saying that they could do anything they want, but I wouldn’t be a prostitute. I was punished for that. I was beaten up, raped, and starved. In five days I gave up.”

. . .

The explosion of the Internet and the growing use of digital cameras and cell phone cameras have given perpetrators additional tools to victimize children. Predators are going online to share stories, trade child pornography, and plan sex tours. Sex tourists use chat rooms, message boards, peer-to-peer file-sharing servers, news groups, and specialized Web sites to obtain information on potential destinations. One disturbing activity is the establishment of “cyber-sex” dens where some children may be sexually abused by a foreign pedophile and the images beamed via a webcam to the Internet. Payment to watch these live “shows” is often made by a credit card via an Internet connection.

There is so much information...so much to process...and where do we even start to make a difference in this? Well, I have a few suggestions, and will hopefully have more in the coming weeks, as I meet with some friends to pray and research how we can help. But please, whatever you do, don't just go away and forget all of this. We must do something. Every little bit helps.

While this is all overwhelming to us, we have access to the One who can make a change. God is all-powerful and able to do anything, and we have the privilege of being able to come before Him with our requests. To get ideas of how to pray, you can sign up for the IJM weekly prayer update here.

Put this phone number in your cell phone: 1-888-3737-888. This is the National Human Trafficking Hotline that you can call anytime you suspect a case of human trafficking. Go to their website to learn more.

Talk to others about it. The more people are aware of the problem, the more we will be able to do to help, and the more effect we will have.

At this point, I'm in the "depressed" stage: I have been learning all this information about modern slavery and the horrific things being done to people, who are made in God's image, and I don't really know what to do. I feel overwhelmed, and my heart breaks for the people, especially the children, and all the women forced into prostitution. Please pray with me for the many people in slavery, for the victims who have been rescued, for the people working to free them, and for justice to prevail.

"Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters"

2010-01-23T14:08:00.000-05:00

He forms the mountains and creates the wind.

He declares to man what is his thought.

He makes the morning darkness.

He treads on the heights of the earth.

The LORD, the God of hosts, is His name!

He made the Pleiades and Orion.

He turns deep darkness into morning.

He calls for the waters of the sea,

And pours them out on the surface of the earth.

The LORD, the God of hosts, is His name!

The LORD God is the One who rescued you

and delivered you

and redeemed you

out of the land of Egypt.

The LORD God is the One who led you,

and protected you

and provided for you

during forty years in the wilderness.

The LORD God is the One who went before you

and fought for you

and drove out the Amorites

so you could possess the land.

You, O Judah, and you, O Israel,

Alone are the ones that God has chosen.

From among all the families on earth,

The LORD, the God of hosts, has chosen you.

Yet you, O Judah, have rejected the law of the Lord.

And you, O Israel, sell the righteous for silver.

You trample the head of the poor into the dust.

You commanded the prophets not to prophesy.

"I sent famine on the land, yet you did not return to Me.

I withheld the rain, yet you did not return to Me.

I struck you with blight and mildew, yet you did not return to Me.

I sent the locust to devour your crops, yet you did not return to Me.

I sent pestilence among you, yet you did not return to Me.

I killed your young men with the sword, yet you did not return to Me.

"So I will send a fire upon Judah,

And it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.

No one shall be able to escape,

An adversary shall surround the land

And bring down your defenses

Your strongholds shall be plundered.

"I hate, I despise your feasts.

I will not accept your burnt offerings.

I will not accept your grain offerings.

I will not even look on your peace offerings.

Take away from Me the noise of your songs.

I won't listen to the melody of your harp.

"But let justice roll down like waters,

And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."

Seek good and not evil that you may live,

That the LORD, the God of hosts may be with you.

Hate evil and love good and establish justice.

It may be that the LORD, the God of hosts will be gracious to you.

"I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob.

The days are coming when I shall restore

The fortunes of My people Israel

They shall rebuild the ruined cities and dwell in them.

They shall plant vineyards and drink the wine.

They shall make gardens and eat their fruit

I will plant them on their land

And they shall never be uprooted."

This is a poem I put together from the book of Amos in the Old Testament. I was reading through it recently and struck with how it shows how great God is and how the Israelites flagrantly disregarded His laws. It really shows the justice of God in punishing them. Some of this is directly quoted from Amos, while some is a paraphrase.

Personal Evangelism and Ancient Hebrew Apocolyptic Literature (Bits and Pieces 5)

2010-01-10T22:19:00.000-05:00

This past week we had two classes: Personal Evangelism and the book of Daniel (also known as the study of Ancient Hebrew Apocolyptic Literature). The classes were wonderful - I learned so much. Now it's time to process the classes a bit by dumping it all out on you, my readers.

Personal Evangelism (taught by Dr. Dan Clausen):

Evangelism is:
- (according to a former student of the teacher), "the awkward duty that none of us wants to do."
- proclaiming the good news of life in Christ and telling what Christ has done for us.
- the "winning" part of making disciples
- clearly communicating the good news of Jesus Christ and leaving the results up to Him.
- being a witness of what Christ has done in your own life.
- sharing your love for God with someone who does not yet know Him.
- bringing life to dead people.

We don't go into marriage asking what the minimum is to do to stay married. Why do we do that when we get into a relationship with God?

Why should we tell people about Christ? Because we love God. If we love God, we will care about the things He cares about.

Evangelism is moving people toward Christ, and discipleship is moving people closer to Christ.

"You impress people from a distance; you influence them from up close."

"God wants us to understand and accept God's grace so we can give it to others."

"Only 6% of young people [my generation] go to church."

"Our role in witnessing is to clearly and concisely present Christ; God's role is to convict the spiritually lost of sin and convince them of their need for Him."

"Our role in witnessing is to call people to respond to the message; God's role is to draw the spiritually dead to Himself and give them life."

Daniel (taught by Josh Duff):

As a random fact, Josh told us that defenestration is "the act of throwing a thing or especially a person out the window."

In Daniel 1:2, it says that God gave Judah, along with some of the things from the temple, into Nebuchadnezzar's hand; how ironic, that Nebuchadnezzar probably took those things from the temple to show that he had conquered God.

Why do we call Daniel's three friends by the pagan names that the Babylonians gave them? We should practice calling them by their Hebrew names, which have significant meaning (e.g. Hananiah means "Lord, show us grace") instead of by their pagan names that refer to pagan gods (e.g. Shadrach means "under command of Aku").

Did you know that Daniel was probably 18-20 when he interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's first dream? You know, the time when Nebuchadnezzar was going to have all the wise men of the kingdom killed (including Daniel and his friends) and Daniel saved all their lives? Wow. Talk about impressive. Especially when you look at what 18-20 year olds are typically doing today.

I love what Josh pointed out in chapter three about the fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar prepared this event to glorify himself; instead, God used it to magnify Himself greatly - and in front of hundreds of people, too!

Daniel 4:17 - "The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind" (NASB) - the theme of the book of Daniel.

In Daniel chapter 6, Josh pointed out that prayer is a regular part of Daniel's life. The first thing he thought to do when he heard about the law was to pray about it - the very thing that was illegal to do!

Throughout the book, there are a couple of things that really stood out to me. First of all, God's sovereignty - He knows what is going to happen in the future (see all the prophecy in the book - so much of which has already taken place), and is in complete control of all situations. Secondly, the courage of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azaraiah. They didn't compromise in anything, but followed their God whole-heartedly. May I follow their example.

Bits and Pieces 4

2009-12-16T12:22:00.000-05:00

Dr. Chittick taught Creation, and did an excellent job. He is so gracious and kind...even in talking about the people who argue against him. There was a lot of evidence that he presented in class regarding Creation, the Flood, dinosaurs, the Ice Age, the age of the earth, etc. Here are some of the main points from his class:
- When you argue with someone, don't argue about the evidence; we all have the same evidence; instead, discuss worldviews.
- "The correctness of an explanation can be discerned by checking it against reality."
- "Time magazine says that humans and chimps have 98-99 percent identical DNA. By using a percentage, it ignores the fact that there is still 125 million DNA base pairs that are different. According to DNA percentages, mice are more closely related to man than are chimps."
- He also talked a lot about how advanced ancient civilizations were. For example, there is evidence of solar powered hot air balloons in Peru. Nicotine was found in Egyptian mummies, but it was only grown in South America - evidence that there was trade over the ocean. "Newer archaeological evidence from South America indicates early advanced skull surgery." Also, there are 20,000 ton stones that they moved...compared to the 2000 ton stones that our best machines can move today.

Dr. Joey Dodson taught the book of Philippians. He was a great teacher...entertaining (he has a great ping pong ball disappearing act), but also able to be serious and teach God's Word well.
- "The heart loves what the mind thinks about; the will does what the heart loves."
- "Before Paul talks to men about God, he talks to God about men."
- "If I had only three years to serve Christ, I would spend the first two in study." (Billy Graham quoting Charles Spurgeon)
- Don't look for validation from people; don't take your eyes off God; don't compromise to fit in with others; don't worry about what people say.
- Realize that people are made in God's image, so we must treat them accordingly.
- There's a difference between serving and being a servant. Being a servant:
  - Embrace the ministry of the mundane
  - Ministry of interruption - allowing people to interrupt your plans/schedule
  - Holding your tongue - listen
  - Bear others' burdens.
- If we're argumentative or if we talk a lot, we're probably not humble.
- What Paul does as a leader, and what we should do:
  - Communicate
  - Appreciate privately
  - Recognize publicly
  - Encourage (not just by letting people know what they're doing well, but also telling them what they need to know)
- Forget the past and press on towards the future...what's distracting you from pursuing God?
- Paul still even cries for the lost - even though they are the ones who have been persecuting him; he has great passion and heart for the lost. Do you love Christ? Do you cry for the lost?

Traveling Home

2009-12-16T11:16:00.000-05:00

Well, I made it home! While school ended on Friday, it was much cheaper to fly home during the week, so I stayed at my roommate's home for a few days. Her family and mine are friends from Ecuador, so we have known each other for several years now. It was nice to hang out with her family for a while and relax.

On the flight home yesterday, I got into a deep conversation with a gentleman on the airplane. I told him I was going to Bible school, which began a discussion about studying the Bible. Apparently, his way of studying the Bible is to look at the parts that give good moral sayings or present some principles to live by and then ignore the parts of the Bible that he finds "hard to swallow." We discussed whether Abraham was just hallucinating when he "heard a voice" telling him to sacrifice his son or whether God was actually talking to him. He also brought up homosexuality as an example of something he can't believe...while the Bible says that practicing homosexuality is a sin, he can't believe that because he thinks that science shows that it is natural. And since it is natural, it cannot be a sin. Since that is such a complicated subject, I just tried to point out that other sins, such as disobeying your parents, are also natural and yet still considered sin. I also had a chance to tell him a bit about my personal experience with God - how God has changed my life and how He has answered my prayers. I don't know how much this conversation helped him...I pray that God will somehow use it in his life to draw him to Christ...but it was at any rate, a good experience for me. It was the first time I've had a deep conversation like that while traveling...hopefully I'll have more chances! :)

On a lighter note, apparently you are not allowed to carry items without your knowledge in the airport. An announcement in the Cincinnati airport alerted me to that fact...causing me to laugh aloud...and wonder how to know if I'm carrying things without my knowledge.

Bits and Pieces 3

2009-11-29T20:52:00.000-05:00

So, I started putting up some things I wrote down during Brad Buser's class on Acts, and decided it really needed its own post. So, here are the challenging quotes from that class. Obviously it was a wonderful class - very challenging and I definitely learned a lot from it.

"You are not the supreme issue. It's not about the people you are going to, either [in ministry]. It's about what God has said to do."

"At the end of your life, will you look back on how you followed God passionately, or on how your followed your own dreams and plans?"

"Is following God's will what you really want? Or are you just curious to know it?"

"'That's just the way I am' isn't a good excuse. We are new creatures in Christ. Set that aside for the sake of the kingdom."

"What kind of example are you setting for the people around you? Do you encourage them to pursue God passionately? Or do you distract/discourage them?"

"What is your credibility? You have to earn the right to share the gospel by the way you live your life so others see they way you live and will then listen to you."

"How much stuff do you really need? How generous are you? ... It's not what you're giving, it's what you're holding back that matters to God."

"To whom much is given, much is required; what are you doing with what you have and what you know?"

"Will you have the courage to speak up for Christ even when told not to?"

"The centrality of the message is the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

"What are you going to give your life for?"

"Is everything in our your life subject to Christ? Even your schedules and plans?"

"Learn how to respond rather than react. Learn to speak without generalizations. Learn to speak accurately. Learn to compromise in non-essentials."

"How you look matters - how you carry yourself, your body language, what you wear, etc. Everything about you is negotiable for the kingdom's sake."

"How do you respond to people opposing you? Are you addicted to affirmation?"

"You can leave your family and friends for the sake of the kingdom - you have all eternity to spend with them."

"You don't have the right to have roots aside from those in heaven."

"You're going to give your life for something - what will you live and die for? Don't live for yourself."

Bits and Pieces 2

2009-11-29T20:51:00.000-05:00

I haven't been doing this weekly like I was hoping to, but here are some more things I've been learning at Ecola.

So, we had a class on missions. It was wonderful!! I learned so much. But at one point he talked about marriage and how instead of looking for someone who is cute/handsome/beautiful/smart/funny, etc, we should be striving to form a "strategic alliance for the kingdom." "With whom can I 'join forces' so that God will be most honored and His will most done?"

Suffering (from the Missions class with Dave Burdette):
- Suffering does not equal a closed door; it just means that we are in a war.
- How we face suffering is perhaps our most powerful witness.
- We are only passionate about what we are willing to suffer for.
- Do we make decisions based on the risk or danger involved or the glory that God will get?

"The 6.78 billion people in the world are made up of 10% practicing Christians, 20% nominal Christians, 30% reached, and 40% unreached. There are about 24,000 people groups in the world today. Of those people groups, 8,000 are still unreached. But, the sad truth is that of all the missionaries in the world today about 90.% work with the reached or the reachable while only 9.6% work with the unreached." (Dave Burdette)

"You are a goer or a sender or disobedient" (Dave Burdette)

One thing that stood out to me from the Old Testament Survey class with Nate Foreman was about Israel:
- First, it is in a very strategic location as a thoroughfare - everyone would have to go through Israel. It is a very strategic location for Israel to be able to tell the nations about God.
- Secondly, it is a very weak place. The Israelites would have to depend on God for everything, from protection (there are no natural defenses there) to rain (Deuteronomy 11:10-17). It's all centered around God. (In the same way, God uses the weak today [see 1 Corinthians 1:26-29]. "Rejoice in your weaknesses, because God can work through you, and He can be glorified.")
- The religious cycle of festivals and holy days was also all focused around God. The point was to remember what God had done for them and that God comes first.
- Even in the animal sacrifices, the Israelites showed that their trust was in God - they were to bring Him the best of their flocks, showing that they trusted Him to provide for their future (which was tied up in their flocks).

In talking about pride in the Genesis class (taught by Dr. Bill Spear), he said, "People pretend they're pursuing the glory of God, when they are only pursuing their own glory."

He also said, "Stop asking God to get you out of hard situations. He knows you're in them. Ask Him what you can learn from the trials."

And later in regards to marriage, "In our relationships, we make up an idea of what we think the other person is or should be; then when we're married we try to force them into the mold we've come up with. Try to be open and honest ahead of time so you get to know the real person. Don't believe the lie that you can change him into the man you want him to be (or that God wants him to be)."

Schedule, Classes and Homework

2009-11-20T14:16:00.000-05:00

So you might be wondering how this Bible school thing works. I thought I would write up what a typical week's schedule looks like and also what classes we have this term and what the homework looks like. You'll notice that we have two classes each week; each class generally meets twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening. Here's the schedule:

Monday:
- 9:00 Devotions
- 9:30 Test over the previous week's classes
- 10:30 Break
- 11:00 Class
- 12:00 Lunch
- 5:15 Dinner
- 7:00 Class
- 8:00 Class
- 9:00 Dorm Meetings

Tuesday:
- 9:00 Devotions
- 9:30 Class
- 10:30 Break
- 11:00 Class
- 12:00 Lunch
- 1:30 Help at the Good News Club (my area of ministry)
- 5:15 Dinner
- 6:30 Singing/Worship
- 7:00 Class
- 8:00 Class

Wednesday:
- 9:00 Devotions
- 9:30 Class
- 10:30 Break
- 11:00 Class
- 12:00 Lunch
- 1:30 Class
- (sometimes another class at 2:30)
- 5:15 Dinner

Thursday:
- 9:00 Devotions
- 9:30 Class
- 10:30 Break
- 11:00 Class
- 12:00 Lunch
- 5:15 Dinner
- 7:00 Class
- 8:00 Class

Friday:
- 9:00 Prayer Groups
- 9:30 Class
- 10:30 Break
- 11:00 Class
- 12:00 Lunch
- 5:15 Dinner
- 6:30 Singing/Worship
- 7:00 Class
- 8:00 Class

Here are the classes we've had so far with the homework assignments, and the rest of the classes for the term:

Week 1:
- Orientation
- Romans (taught by Prof. Corey Miller):
  - Read through Romans at least twice
  - Write a 3-page paper reconciling Justification in Romans with that of James. Lay out the key texts, reveal potential problems and attempt a solution.

Week 2:
- James (taught by Bill Blank):
  - Read through James five times
  - Write a paper about your purpose
  - Look up given scriptures (from James and Matthew 5-7) and explain the similarities between James and the teaching of Jesus for each set of verses.
- Matthew (Dr. Louis Barbieri)
  - Develop a lesson on Matthew 2:1-12; identify the audience, write an introduction, outline your main points, write a conclusion

Week 3:
- Christian Life (Ken Smith):
  - Read a book of the Bible you have never read or haven't read for a while
  - Pick a verse from that book to memorize
  - Make a list of things you are thankful for
  - Make a list of things you are trusting God for.
- Bible Study Methods (actually focused on Hermeneutics; Dr. Dave Reid):
  - Examine the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15
  - Write out points in favor of the conversion of an unbeliever in application today
  - Write out points in favor of the restoration of a believer in application today
  - Write your conclusion and the key factors in your decision

Week 4:
- Missions (Dave Burdette):
  - Write a paragraph explaining the place adn purpose of Genesis 1 to 11 in the context of the whole Bible. Do you agree with the position presented in class? Why or why not?
  - Write a paragraph explaining one of the following:
    - Your basic reason for not being a cross-cultural missionary (if you are not planning on being one)
    - Your biblical rationale for planning on being a missionary (if you are planning on it)
    - Your biggest question/confusion/issue if you are undecided
- Old Testament Survey (Nate Foreman):
  - Take 2.5 hours to get all by yourself and work on meditating on God's Word and praying
  - Write down what God has been teaching you here, where you are in life, who you fail to pray for
  - Re-write the experience - how it helped you and the highlights of it - and turn this paper in

Week 5:
- Acts (Brad Buser):
  - Read the whole book of Acts
  - Find where Luke joins up with Paul
- Genesis (Dr. Bill Spear):
  - List 10 aspects of the character and attributes of God that you see as you read in chapters 1-3 of Genesis
  - Write a paragraph explaining where you think God came from
  - Explain the primary reasons people will not accept God's plan of salvation and what those reasons have to do with pride and/or humility
  - Explain what we mean when we talk about the difference between having faith in God and having faith in faith
  - How many chapters of Genesis you read

Week 6:
- Creation (Dr. Donald Chittick):
  - Summarize and evaluate an article from Institute for Creation Research
- Philippians (Dr. Joey Dodson):
  - Write a letter to a fictional friend who is an undercover missionary in an undisclosed location in Asia encouraging her as persecution is increasing and there is increased pressure on her from the government. Also, there is some division between two of the leaders in the church. Use Philippians as your model and email this friend your prayer for her and the church as well as a note of encouragement and advice. However, since the government monitors all her emails, you must be creative and not speak in obvious Christian terms.

Week 7:
- Ecclesiology (Dr. Brad Harper)
- Soteriology (Dr. Keith Krell)

Week 8:
- Eschatology (Dr. Keith Krell)
- Doctrine of God (Dave Jongeward)

Week 9:
- Life of David (Darrin Ratcliff)
- 1 John (Mark Canady)

Well, I just previewed this post...it's really long, and I probably wouldn't read it if it were on someone else's blog. But, just in case anyone really wants to know what goes on over here, there it is. And if you actually read the whole thing (especially if you aren't directly related to me), I'm very impressed. You deserve some kind of prize. I hope to post again soon with some things I am learning from the classes as well as write about some of the "extra-curricular" things I've done.

Cannon Beach

2009-11-15T14:43:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures I've taken over the past week or so. Enjoy!!

[gallery columns="2"]

Bits and Pieces 1

2009-10-27T14:47:00.000-04:00

I've been learning a lot over the past couple weeks, and I want to "vent" a bit, so will be trying to write down what I'm learning in some posts like this. There usually isn't enough to write a whole post on, so a "bits and pieces" post will work best for it.

We as the church have begun to really realize our need to care for orphans in the world - through adoption, foster care, etc. But how much do we care for the elderly? We see the evils of children growing up in an institutionalized environment, but what about the senior citizens who live in group homes or state run nursing homes? Who cares for them? We are told to care for the orphans and widows, but it seems like it's so much easier to care for some cute little kids than for some old people who have so many health problems and dementia, and other "weird old people problems". I'm talking as much to myself as to anyone else; I get really excited about adoption: several families in our church have adopted, my family has adopted, I would like to adopt once I'm married and starting a family. But I don't do much to care for the elderly; I need to do more in showing love to this people group.

Monday night, the teacher said that when Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the gospel, He didn't say anything about coming back. Not everyone who goes out to make disciples will come back. This really hit me as I think about what God has for me in the coming years, and praying about possibly going into full time ministry, either here or overseas.

Also on Monday night, he pointed out Ezra 7:10 in talking about God's Word. It gives a great summary of how we should approach God's Word: "For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel."*

Tuesday morning we discussed prayer; this was really convicting. We saw Jesus' example: after a long day, Jesus was physically and emotionally spent, and yet He got up early the next morning to go off alone to pray (Mark 1:35). Colossians 4:2 gives a good summary of how we are to pray: "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving."*

Now all I have to do is put all of this into practice! :) Please pray for me, that I will be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer. I don't want to come away from this year with just head knowledge of what the Bible says, but I want my life to reflect God and to glorify Him by doing as His Word says.

*All quotes from the Bible are from the English Standard Version. I just started using that version once I came to Ecola, and have really loved it. It's nice to read over passages I am familiar with in other versions and see a different way the text could be translated.

School, Work, Ministry and Fun!

2009-10-17T19:24:00.000-04:00

So much has been going on that I don't really know where to start. Well, to start with, I left Indiana on October 7th to make my way to Oregon. I had a wonderful time visiting my aunt, uncle and cousins for a few days. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable time, just hanging out on the farm.

On Sunday after church they drove me down to Cannon Beach, Oregon, where Ecola Bible School is, so I could register for school. I moved into my dorm room, said goodbye and started getting to know my new roommates. One of my roommates, Rebecca, is an old friend from Ecuador...we haven't kept in touch much (the last time I saw her was probably seven years ago), but it was nice to know someone here. All three of my roommates are really nice. Tina and Rebecca are the more outgoing, fun-loving ones, and Laura is quieter, but definitely warming up. We all get along together really well and enjoy hanging out together.

After dinner on Sunday night, and a time of getting to know some other students and staff, we all took a walk down to Haystack Rock on the beach. It was about 9:00 by that time, so it was dark and we couldn't see it very well, but it was a nice walk. Monday morning, school started. We had two classes this week: one on the book of Romans, and the other was an Orientation class. We have one of each class each morning and each evening. Corey Miller taught Romans; he was from Lafayette, Indiana. He studies philosophy (I think he has a PhD in it or is studying for one) and is a former Mormon, so he had some interesting perspectives as he taught through Romans. He had us read through Romans two times before class Tuesday morning, and then write a three page paper on Justification based on Romans 3-4 and James 2. One of the main things he emphasized was reading Scripture in context. Not just in that specific section of Scripture, but through all of the Bible. He had two favorite sayings. One was: "Context, context context!" And the other was: "A text ripped from its context is just a pretext for someone's proof text." It was really great for me to learn (and have to put into practice) how to look through Scripture to find out what a passage means. Another of his points was that our focus should not be on trying to follow the Law...trying to make sure we do what we're supposed to and not do what we aren't supposed to...but that our focus should be on God and loving Him. If we are doing that, we will naturally follow the Law. The Law is there to help guide us, but it should not be our main focus. Next week, our two classes will be on Matthew and James.

Each student is required to be involved in at least one hour of ministry each week. This week we were given the various choices and had to sign up for at least one. I have signed up to help with a conference for disabled people. The conference will be at the end of this term, but leading up to then, we'll meet each week to pray. Then during the conference, the volunteers will stay with the people coming to help them however they need help. (They will have some attendants coming with them, but we may need to help out a lot, too.) The other ministry I will probably do is teaching at the local Good News Club.

I am also working at the Cannon Beach Conference Center. (Ecola Bible School is a "retreat" group that stays at CBCC.) I will probably work 10-12 hours a week in housekeeping, serving food (putting food on the plates), waiting on tables, dishes, etc. Each week will be different, depending on what groups come in. Thursday was orientation, Friday I was trained in housekeeping, and today I worked in housekeeping (cleaning out a couple dorms), and serving for dinner. So far I enjoy serving the most.

Believe it or not, there is actually still time for some fun activities. We had a dorm activity night on Wednesday; our dorm and another dorm got together to color over sized coloring book pages and talk. We got four nicely colored posters for our room from it (Toy Story, and a couple of cute little animals)! :) Thursday night was a Retro Party, so we all dressed up in our retro outfits and hung out at the coffee shop. Tina, Rebecca and I have also played ping pong with a couple other guys. So far it's been more entertaining and more of a workout for our abs (from laughter) than anything, as Rebecca and I are both pretty bad at it, and the ball goes all sorts of places besides the table. It's all fun, though.

Tomorrow (Sunday), I'll be going to Cannon Beach Bible Church. A lot of the students go there, and it seems like a good church from what I've heard. I haven't seen any of their doctrinal statements yet, but hopefully I'll learn more about them tomorrow.

I'll end with a few pictures. Enjoy!

[gallery columns="2"]

Trip to Virginia

2009-10-02T11:24:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, I returned from a week long trip to Virginia to visit Sally and Adam. It was a nice relaxing time, just hanging out with them. We were able to drive up through Shenandoah National Park one day, went to IKEA and the mall another day, visited with friends I made during my trip out to D.C. on spring break, visited historic Occaquan, played games, watched a couple movies and celebrated my birthday a few days early. I really enjoyed getting to see their new place, visit the church they are considering joining, and see the area they live in. I have a few pictures up from the trip here.

This is probably my last blog entry in Indiana for a while. On Wednesday, October 7th, I will be leaving early in the morning to fly out to Oregon for Bible school. I'm excited about this new phase in my life, and also a bit nervous - partly because I'll be living so far from my family, and partly because I'm not sure I can get everything I need for a year into two 50 lb suitcases plus one carry on and one "personal item". :) I'd appreciate your prayers as I transition to a new place and begin school and work, and as I take this year to dig deeper into God's Word.

God's Great and Undeserved Love

2009-07-12T11:55:00.000-04:00

I've been following a "read through the Bible in a year" plan, and I recently read several psalms in a row. This is rather rare, as I usually read one at a time or maybe two at a time. I'm so glad I did, though. The first one I read was Psalm 104. This psalm describes God's creation of the world and His care for man and the creatures in the world. The next psalm describes what God has done on behalf of Israel - how He remembered His covenant with them, rescued them from Egypt and provided for them during their journey to the Promised Land. Now, I didn't study the psalms long, but just read through them thoughtfully. But God's love and kindness and care for His people is very clear. This makes the contrast of the next psalm so much greater, as it talks about Israel's rebellion against God. Despite His provision and His protection of the Israelites, they grumbled and complained, they worshiped other gods, joined with other nations (thus learning their evil practices and directly disobeying God's instructions). After all that God had done for them, this was their response. (I can't help but think how often this is our response as well. God protects us from one thing, we complain about something we don't have; God graciously provides for that desire, and we flippantly thank Him and continue on our way...as if we deserve it from Him. And not only that, but we then deliberately disobey Him!) After reading through these three psalms, I come to the last verses of Psalm 106 (verses 40-46):

Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against His people [very just and very understandable...I don't think any one of us would have put up with it for that long!] and He abhorred His inheritance. Then He gave them into the hand of the nations and those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were subdued under their power. Many times He would deliver them; they, however, were rebellious in their counsel, and so sank down in their iniquity.

Nevertheless He looked upon their distress when He heard their cry; and He remembered His covenant for their sake, and relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness. He also make them objects of compassion in the presence of all their captors."

What a great and awesome God...He shows compassion and love even when we are in direct rebellion against Him! What amazing grace and love! How can we ever thank Him?

The End

2009-05-14T16:56:00.000-04:00

Well, tomorrow is my last day as secretary/intern at KSBC. It's kind of a bittersweet time, as I am looking forward to what's coming next, but I will definitely miss doing what I do now as well as all the people I work with. I think the hardest part of leaving is not being able to hang out as much with all my current coworkers. Sure, I'll see them at church and other events, but it's not the same as working side by side. The other thing I'll miss is being able to go to staff meetings where I can hear how God is working in people's lives...and laugh at all the jokes and side comments of the interns and pastors.

So, after tomorrow, my official last day of intern/secretary, I will be working as a nanny. I'll be watching two kids (newborn and preschooler) from 7:30-5:30, Monday - Friday. It will definitely keep me busy, but I think I will enjoy it and it works out great as I need a summer job until the fall, when I will be going to Ecola Bible School. Ecola is out on the coast in Oregon and is a one year Bible certificate program. It's the same school Mom went to when she graduated from high school. And I found out after I applied that a friend will also be going to Ecola! It will be nice to have someone I know out there (even though I haven't seen her for 7 years or so). I have other family and friends out in Oregon, too, which will be nice for the holidays in case I can't afford to fly home.

There's definitely a lot of change coming up. Besides all this change in my life, Sally just got engaged and will be getting married in September! And then moving to Washington D.C.!! That will be a big adjustment for our whole family.

Through all of this, though, I know that God is working out His plan and that He will use these circumstances to stretch and grow me and teach me to trust Him more. It's hard to let go sometimes and let Him take control instead of me trying to control everything for Him. Which seems really stupid, since He does such a better job of controling things than I do. :)

Trip to D.C.

2009-03-26T05:32:00.000-04:00

Over Purdue’s spring break, I had the privilege of traveling with a group of international students to Washington D.C. This is the most popular activity that SLCF International* offers. There were twenty international students and three Americans, including my dad and myself, on the trip. It was my first time ever to visit D.C. so it was quite an experience. We only had three and a half days to tour, so we crammed a lot in, but it was well worth it. We left early Saturday morning, traveled all day and arrived in D.C. in the evening. While we were there, families from a church hosted us, two or three students in each home. Their kind hospitality to complete strangers really impressed the students. After church on Sunday, we were supposed to go to the Arlington National Cemetery, but since it was raining, we visited the beautiful United States Botanic Garden and one or two museums instead. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we visited many more places: Arlington National Cemetery, Ford's Theatre, the Capitol building, the National Museum of American History and also the many memorials and monuments. In addition, we were able to visit with a Representative from Ohio.

While we had a lot of fun visiting all the various tourist spots, the most important parts of the trip were the times spent in the evening Bible studies in the pastor's home and in discussions with the students. As I sat in on the Bible studies, I was encouraged by the many questions that came up and the discussions during dinner afterwards, indicating that the students were really thinking about the Bible’s message. Besides the times as a group, I was able to talk with one student in particular. What a joy to be able to talk to her about the simplicity of the gospel and how all that is necessary to do is to believe in Christ and trust in Him alone for salvation. I was also able to talk to some students and explain what God's Word has to say on a variety of topics. I am looking forward to continuing our discussions now that we are back in Lafayette. Please pray with me that the interest shown in God’s Word would remain high as these students continue to investigate the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Since I have so many pictures, I put them up on Google's Picasa Web Album, so if you want to see them, go here. I will probably add more later.

*In case you don't already know, SLCF International is the group from our church that works with international students at Purdue. I have a one year internship with this group.

Beautiful Day!

2009-03-07T15:24:00.000-05:00

Today was such a lovely day outside! It's so nice to have these days - even when you know it's going to get cold again the next week - as it gives us hope that spring is really coming.

I was so glad to be able to spend some time outside today: a long walk with Maria and Shep in the morning and then some time out in the barnyard later. Days like today are when I love living in the country.[gallery columns="2"]

Creation Museum, Lantern Festival & LD

2009-02-09T14:45:00.000-05:00

Wow. This blog is beginning to look like my diary. Long intervals with nothing written interspersed with long entries where I try to catch up on everything that had happened in the meantime. I'm afraid to put up another post summarizing the last couple months. I would probably have a drop in my readership as it would bore all my many readers to death. But so much has happened in the last month or so, I want to at least give a very quick summary of some things I learned/enjoyed/did.

First of all, it was fun to go ice skating with my two sisters. It was Maria's first time, and while she fell quite often, she did a really great job and improved quite a bit by the end of the night. Her favorite part of the experience was watching me fall down (only once, mind you) and laughing hysterically about it - then and whenever she remembered it for the rest of the night.

I also made a couple hundred chocolate chip cookies with my office-mate and fellow intern, Sarah. Let's just say that it helped point out our different approaches to things.*

Over MLK weekend, I traveled with a group of international students to the Creation Museum. It is a really great museum, full of interesting facts and amazing displays (one of my favorites was the contrast between the beautiful garden of Eden before sin came, and the room right after sin came, where everything was dark, ugly and painful - it really helps to see the effects of sin like that) and they do a really good job presenting the gospel. Not only did I enjoy it myself, but I enjoyed interacting with the students while we were there as well. And I had fun feeding the camel...in the bitter cold.

The next weekend, I judged at the homeschool Speech and Debate Tournament. Between judging one round of debate Friday night and two rounds each of speech and debate on Saturday, I was pretty busy. It's really fun, though, to hear all the different speeches (especially the humorous - some very funny ones this year!) and to try to follow the debates and remember the little I learned in debate class years ago. I couldn't get out, though, without hearing the popular Casey at the Bat poem. Seems like every year there is at least one of those. I also judged my first Lincoln Douglas debate...really hard to follow.

Last weekend was the Chinese Lantern Festival our church hosts. I was in charge of decorating and being scorekeeper. Being scorekeeper is a kind of dangerous job...for some reason, people don't like it if you forget to mark the points they earned or if you accidentally give their points to a different team. Thankfully, I came out unscathed.

Okay, I eased my conscience. Now I will resolve to keep my blog up to date...and hopefully will actually have time to follow up on that resolution.

*Do not read anything bad into this! We appreciate and enjoy each others' differences!

New Year's Day

2009-01-01T17:06:00.000-05:00

So, you are probably all wondering what Beth does on New Year's Day. You were celebrating the holiday with your family and friends and suddenly you thought, "I wonder what Beth is doing today? What does she do to celebrate New Year's anyway? I know, I'll check her blog later tonight to see if she wrote anything about her day!"

.

.

.

Or not

.

.

.

But I'm going to tell you about my exciting day anyway. :)

Okay, well it probably isn't that exciting, but I enjoyed it. Besides, I think I should write on my blog more often, and this is what's going on right now. You don't have to read this, you know.

But if you are still reading and really want to know, here goes:

First thing this morning, at 8:00 AM (which is usually sleeping in, but is early since I went to bed at 1:30 last night, er, this morning), one of our foster kids woke me up...she didn't stay up late last night. So, I got up to get her and myself ready for the day. After breakfast (yummy pancakes, compliments of Dad), I spent some time in the Word and doing laundry (not at the same time...).

Then, to start out the new year right, I went out for a walk/jog/run with Maria on her bike. We didn't go far, but it was far enough for me. :)

After lunch I headed to campus for a Bible study with a student. After that came the really fun part of the day: moving Sarah into my office and rearranging the furniture!!

To begin with, picture a smallish office with plain white walls (except for the yellow sticky tack stuck in various places on the wall, remnants of some former poster that has been long gone), a sectional couch that wraps around half the room, various boxes and bags with supplies, a desk and an empty bookshelf.

After a couple hours of talking, moving furniture (including a really heavy desk that we had to scoot, one side at a time, across the room and turn around - this would be the second part of my excersise for the day - a really great workout; we figured that desk weighed at least 200 pounds), talking, setting out books and papers, talking (hey, we're girls; what can I say?), hanging up pictures and having a deep theological discussion, Sarah was officially moved in. Yay! Now I have an office mate! AND the office now looks a lot greater!

Now picture this: a smallish office, still with plain white walls (except for the spots where we accidentally took some paint off when we peeled off the ancient sticky tack) but walls that now have lovely pictures, a huge painted Chinese fan (covering up most of the peeled paint and ancient sticky tack spots) and Chinese knots hanging on them, two desks (neatly organized...or at least the tops are), a small end table with a Christmas basket full of pinecones and other appropriate decorations (some of which are cinnamon scented so the room smells better, too), a nice bookshelf with some books and small decorations and instead of a big couch, we have only two small chair sized sections of it. The room looks so nice and cozy now! And best of all, I have an office mate to share it with!!! (We'll try not to spend all/half our time talking, I promise!)

At home again, I did some more laundry, had dinner and then visited with a family friend who was in town for the weekend. Now it's time for a bit more laundry (there's a lot of laundry in a family with eight people in it!) and then bed.

That was my New Year's Day. What did you do on yours?

My Road

2008-12-29T07:08:00.000-05:00

Right now my life looks about like this:

I can see ahead a bit - I know (as much as anyone can know) what will happen in the next few months. Then there's a curve around which I can't see.

What is ahead?

What should I do next?

What is going to happen one, five, ten years from now?

I wish my life would look like this:

It would be so much easier to see straight ahead to the horizon and know what I should do next and what is going to happen. That's the way I like things - planned out so I know what will happen and when. I don't like all the bends in the road where I can't have the end in sight to know what to do right now.

It's so hard to try to decide what I should do next year - there are so many choices.

Bible school? If so, which school? How should I earn the money?

Get a job? What kind of job? Christian ministry or secular? What would I enjoy doing?

Is there something else I should do?

And of course I want to serve God in whatever I do - but which choice would be the best for that?

What is coming around the next bend in the road?

There are too many decisions and not enough preview of what is ahead. But then if there were no bends in the road and everything was just laid out for me, there would be no need to trust God. I would be able to simply do my own thing and have God on the sidelines. But that's not what God wants. He wants me to depend and wholly rely on Him. And I can't learn that if I don't have some bends in my road. Looks like God knows what He's doing after all. :)

So I'll use this time in my life to learn to trust God and to rely on Him for the wisdom I need in making these decisions. And then I'll trust Him to handle the outcomes of those decisions - whether good or bad, He can use them in my life to make me more like Him.

I also need to learn to not tell people what I plan to do next year since my plans keep changing...

Cookie Overload

2008-12-18T05:44:00.000-05:00

Working at church definitely has its perks. Around Christmastime, we are innundated with treats - from people in the church, from people who use our church, leftovers from Christmas programs at church; cookies, popcorn, candy. Of course we really appreciate all of these - they are delicious!

The problem, though, is that my job at church is pretty much a sedentary job. With all these (scrumptious) cookies sitting not 10 feet from my desk, it's easy to pick one up whenever I walk past (which is often - the walking past, that is). But except for these little trips (which do have a purpose other than cookie collecting) I just sit at my desk working on the computer. It doesn't take an expert to figure out that the calorie intake is much larger than the number of calories I burn.

It's not that I am a cookie monster, always stuffing my face with these treats. It's just that between cookies at work, cookies at home, cookies at Christmas parties and cookies at Christmas programs, there are just too many opportunities to eat them! And cookies at work are probably the most difficult to resist because the cookies and I spend all day together.

What's the solution? I could make up reasons to run around the church - upstairs and downstairs and in-between-stairs to burn off the calories.

I could move the cookies to the intern office (wouldn't they love that) or to the kitchen, which would require intentionality to get a cookie.

I could just enjoy them while they're here and work off the extra calories beginning in the new year (that's what New Year's Resolutions are for, right?).

Or, I could use this as an opportunity to practice self control. I guess that would be a good idea, huh? It's something I need to work on in other areas of my life, so I can use all the practice I can get.

So onto the rest of my cookie-resisting day.

Laundry

2008-11-17T09:33:00.000-05:00

One of my responsibilities at home is keeping up with the laundry. It's amazing how much laundry eight people can come up with in a week! It seems like I just get the laundry room emptied out and then there's another huge pile. Or I get caught up on the laundry and think I am done for the day and the baby spits up all over himself, his blankets and someone else, so I have to put in another load.

I've heard before that laundry is a never ending job, but I really understand that now...it's kind of like washing dishes...

But, it could be worse. Could you imagine having to do eight people's laundry at a laundromat?! It would take a whole day!

Or how about having to wash all those clothes by hand and then string them up between buildings to dry?

If I had to do that, I wouldn't let anyone in my family have more than three outfits!

JWs and the Bible

2008-10-23T08:32:00.000-04:00

A student that I study the Bible with has run into a Jehovah's Witness, prompting several questions about what I think about them. I had never really thought about them except as people who teach things not found in the Bible and who do not believe that Jesus is God. So I got a book from Paul's famous library called Jehovah's Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse, by David A. Reed. It is a great book, written by a man who is a former JW elder and so knows a lot about what they think and believe. He gives an overview of what they believe and then goes through the main verses they use to "prove" their points and gives arguments against them. He also gives his testimony and a guide to talking with JWs (the main point being - don't argue just to "win" - be empathetic and kindly point out what the Bible actually says). Below are some of the main things they believe compared to what the Bible says.

Jesus

JWs do not believe that Jesus is God. They think He is just an angel. In contrast, the Bible states very clearly that Jesus is God. In Hebrews chapter 1, you will see that it compares Jesus with the angels; it talks about how much greater Jesus is than the angels (verse 4); it says that the angels are to worship Jesus (verse 6); it says that Jesus is God (verses 8 and 10). From this passage it is clear that Jesus is not just another angel that God created (even a greater angel than the others); He is in fact, God. There are many other places in the Bible where it clearly says that Jesus is God.

Jehovah

Since the JWs do not believe that Jesus is God, they say that there is only one God, Jehovah. Because of this, they have changed their Bibles inserting the word Jehovah even when that is not the word used. The Bible does teach that there is only one God, but it also says that there are three persons in that one God: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. This is something that is a bit hard to understand, but it is what is clearly taught in the Bible. For example, see Mark 12:29-32 (there is only one God); then look at Matthew 3:16-17 (Jesus is baptized, the Holy Spirit, or Spirit of God, comes down from heaven, and there is a voice from heaven - God's voice; this shows that there are three persons). There are many other examples, too.

144,000

JWs also believe that only 144,000 people can go to heaven. That number was filled up in 1935, so now anyone who becomes a JW can only hope (if they are good enough) to live on the earth forever (instead of going to heaven). The Bible teaches, though, that anyone who believes in Jesus (believing that Jesus' death paid our punishment for sin) can be saved and go to heaven; there is no limit on the number of people who can go to heaven. For example, in John 14:1-3, Jesus talks about going to prepare a place for us (no mention of it being only for some people); in John 17:20-24, Jesus prays that all who believe in Him will be able to go to heaven to see His glory.

Salvation

JWs say that believing in Jesus is the only way to be saved, but in practice, they also think that you have to obey the Watchtower Society (their organization) and do a lot of good things to be saved. But the Bible makes no mention of this at all. The only thing you have to do to be saved according to the Bible is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (see Acts 16:31 and Romans 10:9).

Birthdays

An interesting thing that JWs believe is that it is a sin to celebrate birthdays - if a JW sends a birthday card to someone, he can be "disfellowshipped" (which means no other JWs - even family members - can associate with that person anymore). However, there is nowhere in the Bible that it says it is bad to celebrate birthdays. (JWs get this rule from the fact that the only times birthdays are mentioned in the Bible is in connection to Pharoah and Herod, who both had someone killed on their birthdays. This seems ridiculous to me - the celebration of birthdays has nothing to do with killing people, and it's not like Pharoah and Herod killed people only on their birthdays.)

Blood Transfusions

Another thing they believe is that it is a sin to recieve a blood transfusion - even if they would die if they didn't get it. If they do get a blood transfusion, they will be disfellowshipped. The closest thing to this rule in the Bible is when it forbids eating blood, but there is nowhere that the Bible says you cannot use blood (and it's quite a stretch to say that having a blood transfusion is the same kind of thing as eating blood).

This is just a brief summary of some key points. By no means does it cover everything, nor do I claim to be an expert in this. My best recommendation to you if you are considering what JWs believe, is to compare it to the Bible. What does the Bible say? Even JWs believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, so it should technically take precedence. No one should believe something just because their organization told them that's the way it is. Go back to the Truth (Jesus).

Prophetstown Pictures

2008-10-07T16:04:00.000-04:00

As promised, here are some pictures from my "bummel" to Prophetstown.

[gallery]

Birthdays, a Bummel and Babies

2008-10-06T12:21:00.001-04:00

Well, the past few days have been pretty busy. To begin things, Friday was my birthday. We didn't do too much to celebrate, but several people remembered my birthday, which was very nice, and then we had some good family time that evening over a game of Settlers. Guess who won? Wrong! It wasn't me, it was David. You'd think he'd let me win on my birthday, wouldn't you?!?! :) (Just kidding, David. It was fun.) Then I got to fold some laundry while watching a movie. (Some chores still have to be done, even on birthdays.)

Saturday, I went to Prophetstown State Park with some Chinese friends - they cooked some delicious Chinese food for our picnic! It was very relaxing: walking the trails, observing nature (we even saw a turtle!) and looking at the historic farmhouse. The weather was gorgeous - sunny, but not hot - and we stayed there for about five hours. I'll try to get some pictures here from that trip soon.

Back at home, Mom had gotten a phone call from a social worker, asking if we would take two children in for foster care! (We are a licensed foster care family, but have not had any foster children since Maria came home.) After a quick discussion with Dad, she agreed, so we now have two kids under one year! So Saturday evening, I acted as babysitter, while Mom went shopping. Having babies around sure changes things! :)

Sunday was busy with church and trying to adjust to the babies and figure out schedules (when are they used to eating and napping? they didn't come with many instructions!). Now we're on to a new week. Hopefully we'll be able to get the babies onto a schedule soon.

[By the way, if you are wondering what the "Bummel" in the title is referring to, it is referring to my trip to Prophetstown. Here is the official definition of a bummel according to Jerome in Three Men on the Bummel, written by Jerome K. Jerome: "'A "Bummel"...[is] a journey, long or short, without an end; the only thing regulating it being the necessity of getting back within a given time to the point from which one started. ... But long or short, but here or there, our thoughts are ever on the running of the sand. ... We have been much interested, and often a little tired. But on the whole we have had a pleasant time, and are sorry when ’tis over.'"]

It made my day...

2008-10-06T12:21:00.000-04:00

Do you know how easy it is to make someone's day? Very. Not convinced? Here are some real life ways you can make someone's day:

Remember when someone's birthday is and then wish them a happy birthday that day!

Or, you can find a bracelet that someone was desperately looking for.

Or, you can simply take the time to stop and talk to someone. Ask them how they are doing and then really care about the answer.

...If it's so easy to make someone's day, then why don't I do it more often?

Isaiah: Justice and Mercy

2008-10-06T12:19:00.000-04:00

In Isaiah chapter 2, Isaiah talks about how the people of God are worshiping other gods and following pagans, rather than following God. In response to this, God is going to humble mankind. He will punish pride and arrogance. People will be fleeing from the "dread of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty" and will leave their idols behind them. What must it be like to have a fear of the Lord like this? One response is definitely to "stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?" Of what account indeed. If God is coming in all the splendor of His majesty, why should we care about man? Yet all too often, I care more for what people will think of me than for what God is going to think of me. Thinking logically, this does not make sense at all, since people are not going to determine where we spend eternity, and they are not the ones we should be striving to please! But it is so easy to forget about the splendor of God's majesty and to forget the dread of the Lord. Oh, that we would keep that in our minds at all times! How much easier it would be to do good and forsake evil if we continually had before us a picture of God in His majesty and splendor.

And, lest all this talk of the fear of God start you thinking that, "Wait a minute! God is a God of love! Love casts out fear!" etc, Isaiah also has a lot to say about God's mercy. We can't throw out God's justice simply because we don't like it. I think Isaiah does a good job of portraying "both sides" (if there are two sides) of God's character: the justice and mercy. Throughout Isaiah, there are passages that point to the hope that is coming in Jesus: the prophecy of a virgin who will be with child (Isaiah 6:13-15); the prophecy of a light coming to shine on the people who live in darkness (9:1-2); the prophecy of a Child who will be born who will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace (9:6-7); and then of course the passage in Isaiah 53 that describes Jesus, who was "pierced for our transgressions" and "crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed." Besides all of these "spotlights of hope," there are numerous references to God's mercy; times when God said, "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more."

What a God we serve! The mighty and awesome God of the universe, who is holy and perfect and cannot tolerate any sin in His presence, but who, in His mercy, makes a way for us to be right with Him through Jesus Christ!

Mariaisms

2008-09-18T11:44:00.000-04:00

"A Hamburger!"

"Look!" exclaims Maria, "A hamburger!" She eagerly points out the window toward the deck.

[Quick thought process to figure out what she is trying to say] What? Is someone grilling? No, it's not even dinner time. Does she just see the grill and wants us to make hamburgers? No, she's pointing in a different direction. Where is she pointing, anyway? Oh, toward the... Ooohhh, I see.

"Maria, that's a hummingbird."

"Will Shep Die?!"

"Maria, you have to remember to feed the cat," David reminds her. This is one of her chores: to make sure Kitty has food and water. "If you don't feed the cat, she'll die."

Tears pop into her eyes. She doesn't want Kitty to die!!

"All animals have to eat or they will die. Everybody has to eat. If we didn't feed you, you would die, too. But it would take some time. Kitty won't die because she missed a meal. It takes a while - ten days or longer. You just need to make sure she has food to eat."

Then she does some thinking. I can almost recreate her thought process based on what she says later.

"Kitty would die if she doesn't eat? Everyone would die if they didn't eat? *gasp!* We don't feed Shep anymore! Is Shep going to die?!"

"Mom! Is Shep going to die?! We don't feed him!"

"Oh, no. David does feed Shep - out at the barn when he feeds all the other animals. We just don't feed him any treats anymore because he was getting too fat. He still gets to eat; he won't die."

Don't worry, Maria. We aren't trying to starve our animals. Especially not Shep or Kitty.

[caption id="attachment_48" align="aligncenter" width="176" caption="Shep"][/caption]

New Hair Style

2008-09-18T11:13:00.000-04:00

[caption id="attachment_42" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="My New Hair Stlye "][/caption]

Well, what do you think of my beautiful new hair style? Think it will work with my formal evening gown? Or maybe it's more of a casual style to wear on days when I'm going on a picnic. On the other hand, it may be a great style for me to wear to work someday.

If you are interested in imitating this lovely work of art, you just need to divide your hair into small sections and then braid it with a pipe cleaner in each section. I used the sparkly kind of pipe cleaner and tried to let a bit of it hang out at then end, and then curl it a bit to add some glamour. I found that smaller sections work best - the section on top of my head was a bit too large, and the braid didn't stand up as well as I wanted it to. But then again, it added a nice touch to have it hanging low over my face. What do you think?

A Picture Post

2008-09-08T07:13:00.000-04:00

To help you get a better idea of how big the Furniture Give Away was, I thought I'd post some pictures.

[caption id="attachment_26" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="This shows almost all of the furniture, spread out on the lawn before the students arrived."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_27" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Another view of the furniture"][/caption]

: Line of students

[caption id="attachment_34" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Another view of all the students in line."][/caption]

"Serving Christ Enthusiastically"

2008-08-19T16:18:00.000-04:00

This last week was crazy busy! We had two teams of people, one from Ohio and one from Pennsylvania, come to help us prepare for our Annual Furniture Give Away. During the week they had a pretty busy schedule, and I was right in there with them. Our theme for the week was "serving Christ enthusiastically," based on Colossians 3:23, where it says to "do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men." I had been thinking about that idea lately because of Sally's experience at Gull Lake Ministries, where she has been working for part of the summer. It really challenged my thinking and helped me realize that it's a choice I can make, no matter how I feel, I can choose to serve Christ with enthusiasm. I encouraged the team to do the same and to keep it up through the whole week and to not peter out at the end.

So what did we do with so much enthusiasm? Well, in the mornings, we had some time for devotions and then I had a chance to talk a bit about the Furniture Give Away (FGA, for short) and enthusiasm. Then, while they had a chance to learn from Paul and then to learn about various cultures (China, Korea, Japan, India and Indonesia - one per day), I would work on details of the FGA, help prepare lunch and get ready for the afternoon. During the afternoon, we would work on cleaning our campus house and sorting through the household goods that we were going to give away at the FGA. (I guess the men on the team actually went out to pick up furniture and repair some furniture, too.)

It was very interesting being the go-to person. I don't think I have ever heard my name so many times in one week before! It seemed like it was always, "Beth, what can I do now?" "Beth, what should we do with this pot?" "Beth, is there anything else I can help with?" "Beth..." "Beth..." Well, you get the idea. It was a good experience, though, and I learned a lot:

I learned that leaders need to know where they are going before they can help the people following.

I learned that maybe deciding to major in management wasn't such a bad idea...I kind of like being able to boss manage people.

I learned a lot about people and relationships.

One part that I really enjoyed was working with all the teens on the team. There were about 5-7 teens at any given time, and they were usually around to help me. They were pretty hard workers and, while it took some encouragement to get them going after lunch, they did a great job helping. Besides that, they provided quite a bit of entertainment, both at meals and while working.

Overall, it was very encouraging to have such a diverse group of people here serving the Lord however they could. If you have thought about going on a missions trip and decided not to because it might be too hard on the missionaries, go anyway! Being on the other side this time, I can tell you that it is extra work, but it is well worth it to know that someone cares about the work we are doing and to see how the team members become excited about our work.

Well, about the actual FGA. I came at about 6:00 AM. By the time I parked and got to the house, there were already about 5 students sitting on the front porch waiting! So all the volunteers rushed around to get everything set up, all the way from bringing the furniture from the storage units to setting up the registration table. At 9:30 we started registration. The students came through and were able to choose two pieces of furniture, along with a household item, such as a bag of dishes. We had about 340 students come through: 300 of them were able to get furniture, and the rest got lots of household items and were put on the list to get furniture if/as it comes in. Besides all the students, there were about 100 volunteers helping. I heard my name a lot that day, too. First of all when the volunteers were trying to figure out what they needed to do, and then later in the day when problems came up. By God's grace, we had perfect weather and no one was seriously injured. We were even able to finish up delivering the furniture by 5:00 that evening! God showed His sovereignty over everything in several ways that day, too, even using my "mistakes" for good.

I could say so much more, but I am off to prepare for the Welcome Picnic for new international students for this coming weekend! Guess I'll have to wait to take my vacation. :)

It's Been a Month Already!!!

2008-07-10T17:03:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been more than a month now that I have been in my internship. While I don't really have a routine yet, I am enjoying it all so far and am using it as an opportunity to learn flexibility. I have actually accomplished quite a bit, looking back over the last month, though it didn't seem like much at the time. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays are my days for the internship (with the international student ministry at our church) and Wednesdays and Fridays are the days for my job as church secretary (with the same church). My secretary job, while very busy and stressful, isn't very exciting or interesting (usually). But with the internship, I am able to study some books on Christian living and worldview, study the Bible one-on-one with a couple gals from China and plan some big outreach events for the fall. This is also busy and sometimes stressful, but it is at least somewhat more interesting to talk about, so...

Studies:

I have been reading "Let the Nations Be Glad!" by John Piper, a really good book about, as the subtitle says, "The Supremacy of God in Missions." I have been taking notes from the book as well as writing down some really good quotes, two of which I want to share. The first one really challenged my thinking: do I do "my utmost" to show people God and His glory and infinite worth? If I do not, do I really value God as infinitely worthy? Or am I just saying that I do, with no proof of it showing in my life, behavior and attitudes?:

If I don't do my utmost to show the nations 'the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ,' I will in effect be saying, 'It is not infinitely valuable. It is not absolutely necessary for eternal life....' But if I say this, then I do not believe in 'the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.' And if I do not believe, I lose everything." (page 7)

The second quote was interesting because I guess I had never really thought about the ultimate goal of the church, and if I had, I would probably have said missions. But it makes sense that:

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man." (page 11)

I am very thankful for the opportunity I have in this internship to study and think through these kind of issues.

One-On-One Bible Studies:

These one-on-one Bible studies also really help me think through some issues. Since I have to explain things in simple English (no cliches or complicated "Christianized" language), I have to really think through what I say. Sometimes I am able to answer the questions in a way that I feel explains the issue well, other times I have to simply say, "I don't know," and other times I finish the study and just have to pray that God will make things clear to them because I feel like I completely messed it up. Praise God He can use me even in my weaknesses!

Outreach Events:

These events include the Annual Furniture Give Away for new international students and the Welcome Picnic at the end of Orientation Week for new international students. There is an incredible amount of detail that goes into planning these events, and I am thankful for my coworkers and family members who are able to help me think through things and plan out how to do everything, from coordinating volunteers to purchasing the necessary supplies to making sure the furniture goes to the right student (for the FGA). And it's all happening in about a month! Sometimes I feel a bit stressed about all that. Stress certainly doesn't end after the last final!

Maria Update

2008-07-10T17:02:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update: Maria had her transplant and it went very well. This week she had a minor surgery to remove the tube used for dialysis. Now we are just trying to figure out what is causing her knee pain. It probably starts with the hips, but the doctor hasn't been able to pinpoint anything yet. When the pain is at the greatest, she can hardly walk and has to be carried most of the time. When she says it doesn't hurt, she still walks like a little old lady or a penguin. We're praying that we can figure out what is wrong with this poor gal! She's such a trooper, hardly ever complaining, and pushing herself to do what she can alone.

Become an Organ Donor

2008-05-27T16:59:00.000-04:00

I would encourage you to seriously consider becoming an organ donor. It's as simple as indicating on your drivers' license or telling your family/friends that you would like to donate your organs (any or all) if you die. You aren't going to need them after you are dead, and the surgery to get them out won't even hurt you! You can even have an open casket funeral if you want, since they are able to fix you up so you still look good.

Here are some facts from the United Network for Organ Sharing:

Donated organs such as the heart, pancreas, kidneys, liver, lungs and intestines restore life.

Tissue donations replace bone, tendons and ligaments to improve strength, mobility and independence.

Corneas restore sight.

Skin grafts help burn patients heal and often mean the difference between life and death.

Heart valves repair cardiac defects and damage.

Nearly 84,000 people are waiting for life-saving organ transplants.

Seventeen people die each day because organs are not available.

Every organ and tissue donor can save and enhance the lives of up to 50 people.

(taken from "What Every Patient Needs to Know." 2004. United Network for Organ Sharing.)

Every little bit counts. Become an organ donor today.

For more information, visit www.donatelife.net.

Shingles and Kidneys

2008-05-27T16:55:00.000-04:00

"The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

Last week our family was busy re-roofing our house. In case you have never done this before, it involves scraping off the old shingles (two layers in our case), fixing/replacing sections of the roof, laying down tarpaper, and then hammering on the shingles. It also involves carefully analyzing the weather: you don't want rain if the old shingles are off but the tar paper isn't on yet; if it's too hot, the shingles are really sticky and it is almost unbearable on the roof; but if it's too cold, the shingles are very hard to cut. In addition, you must take into account the "Wilson factor." This refers to the fact that anytime a Wilson (in our line of Wilsons, anyhow) undertakes a project, there is bound to be complications prolonging the process, due to finding or creating other projects along the way.

Thankfully, God protected us, including the various people who helped, from serious injury and the weather cooperated for the most part (only one day of rain). Also, the "Wilson factor" didn’t seem to come up much except for the time when it rained and a lot of rain water leaked into the wood stove chimney, watering the stove pretty well. After a bit more than a week at this project, we have new shingles on two thirds of the house and tar paper on the rest, so we should be able to finish it up rather quickly now.

Since we had been working on this project pretty much full time for the past week or so, we were all looking forward to getting back to a normal schedule. However, God had other plans for our lives…good plans, but not "normal schedule" plans.

Maria, my youngest sister, has been on dialysis, waiting for a new kidney. Yesterday evening, as we were all preparing for a relaxing night, we received a call from the hospital saying that there was a possible transplant available. Even though we weren't sure she would be able to get it, they wanted her down there so that if it didn't work out for the other person, she could be down there already. This morning we found out that she will be getting the kidney, and she is having the operation this afternoon. How long she will be in the hospital depends on how well she does and how quickly she recovers.

Although this is not what we had planned for this week, we are very excited about this transplant, as we were expecting to have to wait six months to a year for a kidney to become available. As it is, it has been about six weeks since she was put on the waiting list for a transplant! Please pray with us that the operation and recovery would go well and that Maria would have peace about it, as she is a bit afraid right now (who wouldn't be?).

Graduation

2008-04-18T15:09:00.000-04:00

I am going to graduate! Yes, I know that's such a surprise. J I went to the graduation fair today. If you ever get a chance, you should go to a graduation fair. You get to fill out all kinds of paperwork - half of which you aren't exactly sure what it's for, but that just adds to the excitement. Also, you get to practice juggling - holding stacks of various sized papers, pens and ID card in addition to your coat, backpack and the big bag they give you to hold everything, but which you can't really use until the end, because people keep requesting miscellaneous papers from you and you never know what they'll want next! Not only that, but you get to juggle and fill out the paperwork at the same time!!!

Then you can have your picture taken, but there isn't much information about what it was/how to do it and there was a long line, so I decided to skip that pleasure (who wants to dress up in a cap and gown in front of a bunch of people anyways).

And finally, at the end, you get to go to another room, where they have popcorn, pop, pins and more papers. Anyways, the end result (I think) is that I got to eat some popcorn to supplement my breakfast, got a can of pop to supplement my lunch, ordered a cap and gown, and requested an extra ticket so that my whole family can come to the ceremony - which will be another exciting event, involving sitting through long, boring fascinating speeches, waiting for people you don't even know to get their diplomas, getting to shake the president's hand (I think), etc.

It's so exciting.

[Update: Insignificant undergraduates don't get to shake the president's hand. And it doesn't pay to be conscientious about going through the correct process to request tickets: you don't get them anyways, because anyone who has extra tickets is selling them to the people who don't follow the rules. *sigh*]

Helen Keller on Exams

2008-04-18T14:53:00.000-04:00

"But the examinations are the chief bugbears of my college life. Although I have faced them many times and cast them down and made them bite the dust, yet they rise again and menace me with pale looks, until like Bob Acres I feel my courage oozing out at my finger ends. The days before these ordeals take place are spent in cramming your mind with mystic formulae and indigestible dates - unpalatable diets, until you wish that books and science and you were buried in the depths of the sea.

"At last the dreaded hour arrives, and you are a favored being indeed if you feel prepared, and are able at the right time to call to your standard thoughts that will aid you in that supreme effort. It happens too often that your trumpet call is unheeded. It is most perplexing and exasperating that just at the moment when you need your memory and a nice sense of discrimination, these faculties take to themselves wings and fly away. The facts you have garnered with such infinite trouble invariably fail you at a pinch.

"'Give a brief account of Huss and his work.' Huss? Who was he and what did he do? The name looks strangely familiar. You ransack your budget of historic facts much as you would hunt for a bit of silk in a rag-bag. You are sure it is somewhere in your mind near the top - you saw it there the other day when you were looking up the beginnings of the Reformation. But where is it now? You fish out all manner of odds and ends of knowledge - revolutions, schisms, massacres, systems of governments; but Huss - where is he? You are amazed at all the things you know which are not on the examination paper. In desperation, you seize the budget and dump everything out, and there in a corner is your man, serenely brooding on his own private thought, unconscious of the catastrophe which he has brought upon you.

"Just then the proctor informs you that the time is up. With a feeling of intense disgust you kick the mass of rubbish into a corner and go home, your head full of revolutionary schemes to abolish the divine right of professors to ask questions without the consent of the questioned."

~ Helen Keller, in "The Story of My Life" ~