On Mission: Day One and Two

We arrived safely Saturday night and enjoyed a meal provided by our host church- Rancho Village Baptist Church. We also spent some time getting beds made and meeting some of the other groups. At our location, we have about 75 kids and sponsors. There is another location in Norman that has an additional 120 kids and sponsors. Plus, this is the second LIT Mission trip for the summer. Overall, realize that 400+ pre-teens and leaders have chosen to serve Him this summer. Glory!  

The girls are staying in a room with a church from Wichita Falls while the boys have a small room to themselves. In the girls' room there are 5 girls, 4 leaders which is unusual but even more unusual is the fact that 3 out of the 4 of us have the name Julie!

Sunday was an intense day of final training for us all.  From dealing with the logistics of things to a deep look inward in regards to our own spiritual growth, yesterday was a very rewarding preparation day.  One thing that struck me was how awesome it is to see the body of Christ at work. We all came from different churches and backgrounds, but He is here...alive, active, and at work Niall that is taking place.  It is beautiful the way strangers become family, united by a common Savior. 

Please pray for us today as we go out to 22 different apartment complexes to minister and serve. Pray for the children as they share their testimony, share the gospel and teach about His coming to save.  Satan has already attempted to stop what is happening, but our God is greater and we trust in His perfect will. Please pray for a hedge of protection around us as we go and share. 

I hope to update again tomorrow. Blessings!

Today is the Day

Today is the day.  We are packed and will soon load our bags and supplies and head to Oklahoma to serve Him in that great state.  First thing this morning, the nerves started and I began to go through all the reasons why I might need to stay home.... just kidding, but I think you can relate!  I like being comfortable in my house with my stuff and so forth.

 As I spent some time praying and reading His scriptures, I realized that serving our Savior is not an option.  We are called to minister and care for others around us- all of us- no one is excluded.  Service becomes part of our DNA when we become a child of the King.  This is not as hard as we tend to make it.  Needs abound in our world.  Lonely are across the street as they are across the world.  Hurting people exist in our churches, cities, and sometimes in our own home.  We can serve in areas close and far, but the act of service is not optional.

As I have pondered this, I have grown in excitement and anticipation of this week ahead.  It has been a privilege to be called to go and minister to outside of my comfort zone.  Perhaps as I witness needs that exist a state away, I will come to see the needs that exist within my comfort level.... in my county, in my town, and down my street.  It is my prayer that I will new eyes to see the needs and ears to hear the heartbreak, hands ready to hug, and feet ready to move.  God grant me "newness" in You.

Please pray for us this week!!!  I will update as I can.....

Blessings!

On Mission

Seventeen years ago, I found myself in the hot west Texas heat spending my summer traveling between Lubbock and Amarillo serving in one church after another.  I was a part of a team of three college students that would travel all summer leading youth revivals in a different church each week.  The process leading up to that summer had been tedious and not just due to the training and preparations.  It had been a very emotional decision for me.  I had never been away from my family for such a long period of time, and it meant a summer without work or income.  This particular mission opportunity would allow us to get a portion of what was given in the love offering donations.  However, I had no idea if it would be enough to help me pay for school in the fall.  I loved my family and found it so difficult to consider leaving them with little to no communication over an entire summer.  Remember, this was before cell phones, texting and e-mail.... shocker, I know!  Regardless, I knew that God was leading me to "sacrifice" a summer to be a part of His will and plan.

At the end of the summer, I fell on the alter of a church as tears flooded by being.  I realized that I had been given so much more in that summer of serving than I could have ever given up.  I learned about service, love and unity.  I learned about independence and dependence on Him.  I learned about pains buried so deep and the freedom in healing.  I learned about different families- both in the home and in the church.  I learned about trust and faith by living in constant unknowns.  So many times, people would voice how awesome it was that I had been willing to give of myself for the entire summer....each time, my heart would crack a little.  How could I express the lie in that statement?  The riches of that summer far outweighed my paltry offering.  I felt like the widow who placed all she had in the offering and walked away with the blessing of Christ.

This is partly why Reagan and I have longed for our boys to have the opportunity to serve and minister to others.  We believe, even as children, they can serve and see what a beautiful thing it is to be a part of the service of Christ.  This week, as Caleb reflected on his mission experience of last year, the tears fell.  He gets it.  He gets that lives are changed for eternity and the broken walk away healed. Being even the smallest part of that, is an honor- privilege- and never a sacrifice.

Tomorrow, we will pack up a church van full of bedding, bags and children and head to Oklahoma.  It is my prayer that hearts and minds will be changed - from those being ministered to and those doing the ministry.  Let us not walk away the same, but with a new perspective- an eternal one.  Today, I read this Beth Moore quote, "We are never a more beautiful display of God's splendor than when willing to empty self for the lives of others."  Oh Lord, let us empty and pour ourselves out for you this week!

Please pray for us each time God brings us to mind.  I hope to blog at least a few times while I am there, but I do not know what to expect.  It is my hope to "pack" you in my bag and allow you to journey this week with us.  Please pray for the write words to be spoken, soft hearts, and His Spirit to be at work-even now- preparing the way.  Pray for physical healing for me as I have been battling a cold the past 24 hours and desperately want to feel well.  Please pray for our group to draw closer to each other during the week.

Thank you for your love and support!  Blessings!

When the Trip is Over

You know that feeling when you have been on a trip and the time comes to return home?  There has been so much fun and joy in your travels that there is a tinge of sadness at going back to "normal" and yet, there is a little joy in it as well as you will be returning to all that you know and all that is familiar.  It is a weird mix, huh?  I feel a little like that today as this is the last post on my study of Abraham.  At the end of his life, I wondered if her reflected on all that God had done in and through him.... did he feel at tinge of sadness at leaving Isaac behind?  Was he overwhelmed by the joy of going "home" to see the God he loved and had served to the best of his human abilities?  Home for so many of us resides in the individuals we love so dearly and I think going to reside with the Father was a returning home to the One Abraham loved most of all.  I hope that the same will be said of me.....

Let's look at Genesis 25....

"Abraham married a second time; his new wife was named Keturah. She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.... But Abraham gave everything he possessed to Isaac. While he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons he had by his concubines, but then sent them away to the country of the east, putting a good distance between them and his son Isaac. Abraham lived 175 years. Then he took his final breath. He died happy at a ripe old age, full of years, and was buried with his family. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, next to Mamre. It was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. Abraham was buried next to his wife Sarah. After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac. Isaac lived at Beer Lahai Roi." (Genesis 25:1, 2, 5-11 MSG)

One thing that is a challenge for me, personally, is to realize that Abraham married again.  I think we always picture our faithful leader with his companion for life- Sarah.  However, I also love how Abraham continued living a fruitful life.  He had dearly loved Sarah, and upon her death, it might have been easy to want to "shut down" and stop living.  However, God had purpose in Abraham living another 30 plus years.  My friend, until our last breath is drawn, He has purpose in each day for us.  Never believe the lie from the evil one that your life purpose has been fulfilled or missed.  He determines when our life is complete- HE and HE alone- knows when that will be.  Until that time, continue living!  Continue seeking His purpose for you daily and all that the Father has called you to do.  I think sometimes we live waiting for our divine purpose to arrive, but it is lived out in countless moments of each day.  Live, my friend, a daily life of purpose!!!

Often, as we travel home from a trip, I ask everyone what was their favorite moment of the trip?  What was their least favorite moment?  So, I will ask you the same thing!  On this journey with Abraham, what were your favorite and least favorite moments?

What lesson will you carry with you as your life journey continues?

I am so thankful for the life of Abraham and the faithful life of courage he lived.  In the past weeks, as I felt God leading me down a new path in my life-walk with Him, I needed to be reminded that where He leads, He provides.  Where He leads, is a well planned path for me, and where He leads, is always the right direction. 

Today, I am praying for each of us as we travel His purpose for us in life for direction and peace in the travels.  Thank you for traveling with me.....

Blessings!

A Wife for Isaac

A burden had been growing within Abraham.  While he had much wealth and property, and yet, he did not have a wife for his beloved Isaac.  At that time, it was the parents' responsibility to arrange an appropriate partner for their child. Abraham knew that it was essential for Isaac to marry another of God's chosen people, but this was a challenge as they lived in the land that God had promised them that was surrounded by foreigners.  As a result, he sends one of his most faithful servants to find a wife for his son.  Can you imagine the weight of such a task on the servant?   The following passage is from Genesis 24.....

"The servant said, "I'm the servant of Abraham. God has blessed my master—he's a great man; God has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, servants and maidservants, camels and donkeys. And then to top it off, Sarah, my master's wife, gave him a son in her old age and he has passed everything on to his son. My master made me promise, 'Don't get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I live. No, go to my father's home, back to my family, and get a wife for my son there.' I said to my master, 'But what if the woman won't come with me?' He said, ' God before whom I've walked faithfully will send his angel with you and he'll make things work out so that you'll bring back a wife for my son from my family, from the house of my father. Then you'll be free from the oath. If you go to my family and they won't give her to you, you will also be free from the oath.' "Well, when I came this very day to the spring, I prayed, ' God, God of my master Abraham, make things turn out well in this task I've been given. I'm standing at this well. When a young woman comes here to draw water and I say to her, Please, give me a sip of water from your jug, and she says, Not only will I give you a drink, I'll also water your camels—let that woman be the wife God has picked out for my master's son.' "I had barely finished offering this prayer, when Rebekah arrived, her jug on her shoulder. She went to the spring and drew water and I said, 'Please, can I have a drink?' She didn't hesitate. She held out her jug and said, 'Drink; and when you're finished I'll also water your camels.' I drank, and she watered the camels. I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' She said, 'The daughter of Bethuel whose parents were Nahor and Milcah.' I gave her a ring for her nose, bracelets for her arms, and bowed in worship to God. I praised God, the God of my master Abraham who had led me straight to the door of my master's family to get a wife for his son. "Now, tell me what you are going to do. If you plan to respond with a generous yes, tell me. But if not, tell me plainly so I can figure out what to do next." Laban and Bethuel answered, "This is totally from God. We have no say in the matter, either yes or no. Rebekah is yours: Take her and go; let her be the wife of your master's son, as God has made plain." When Abraham's servant heard their decision, he bowed in worship before God. Then he brought out gifts of silver and gold and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and mother. He and his men had supper and spent the night. But first thing in the morning they were up. He said, "Send me back to my master." (Genesis 24:34-54 MSG)

One thing I love about this lesson is how Abraham's faith had been so contagious that even his servants longed to please the Father!  I believe God longs for all of us to live such passionate lives for the Father that our faith becomes contagious to all who share in our lives.   This servant had been faithful to Abraham, but Abraham had been a faithful witness to him.  So much so, that he seeks wisdom and confirmation from God as to who was the right girl for Isaac.  Then, when Rebekah's family agrees to allow her to leave, the servant bows in worship before God.  My friend, I can only hope that those I work with in various duties and tasks would see such a faith lived out before them.   We must be genuine and real in living the faith and grace we have been given!

Another conviction for me is in how important a Christ believing spouse is for our children.  Isaac having a spouse of the same faith was of desperate importance for Abraham- enough to allow a servant to make such a long journey to find the right girl for his son.  While we no longer arrange the marriages of our children, I still believe that it is important that we impart to our children the qualities that they should seek in a future spouse and pray for them.  From birth, Reagan and I have prayed for the future wives of our sons- that they love God only more than they love our son(s).  I have prayed for ladies of deep faith in the Father who long to serve and live for Him.  Beyond personalities, wealth or looks, my sons need wives who love the Savior they serve.  Unity in HIM will overcome all other differences. 

How about you?

In reflection, is your faith contagious to others around you?  Are there changes you need to make to become increasingly genuine and real in living out your faith?

Do you pray for your children's future spouse?  What do you pray for?

Father, please help me to live an honest life before others so that they might see You reflected in all my actions, words and deeds.  Give me  wisdom to know how best to live that life Father.  I plead before you Father for my sons and the wives You have already chosen for them.  May they be women that love You and long to honor You with their lives.  Allow their love for each other to grow deep and strong.  Please be the cord that binds them together, Father.  Amen.

Blessings!

Just Relax

Sometimes I feel like parenthood is a tennis match going on within the confines of my mind.  Some moments I feel such triumph and victory only to feel the harshness of failure and disappointment soon after.  Trying to train young minds and lead them into understanding and obedience is a daunting task.  Finding balance as a parent seems even harder.

One moment, I feel tremendous victory as my boys eat something healthy and nutritious while the next minute I justify the processed fast-food as a necessary evil.

I pat myself on the back when a son responds, immediately and respectfully, to a corrective action and the next wanting to crawl under a table when the reaction is the opposite.

As a family, we try to monitor the outside influence of television and media and yet, in weak moments, I encourage them to get lost in a show so I can handle some tasks without the constant interruption of needs that only I can fill.

I limit their sweets, but admit to allowing dessert for breakfast on a rare occasion.

Ugh!  The list could go on and on....

I think I am like most parents.  We want to do what is best for our kids.  We try so hard to do all the "right" things, but in reality, it is hard.  It is tiring- nay, exhausting.  We often have to cave to the likes of processed fast food, winging discipline, indulgent television time, and dessert for breakfast. 

Guess what?  It is okay.   We are all there!!!  You are not alone.  I think perfection is highly overrated as most of learn and grow more from our mistakes than we do from our triumphs.  Plus, those victories are sweeter because of all the trials on the journey.

This past weekend, we went camping as a family.  In the process of one day, my boys had swam until the point of exhaustion, played until the point of being filthy and had s'mores smeared from cheek to cheek.   It was fabulous because for just a time, we got to just enjoy them without the confines of strict bedtimes, cleanliness (swimming counts as a bath, right?) and proper meal standards.  It was just fun and relaxed...and, we all survived.

Now, I know that kind of existence can not go on forever.... I mean, baths and bedtimes are a necessary part of life.  But, as parents, allow me to give you permission to do one thing- relax.  Relax, and give yourself the freedom to fail and learn.  Let them have that fast food meal and take the night off. On a rare occasion, let them have the cake for breakfast- they will never forget it!  Yes, we must be parents, but let us stop mentally beating ourselves up.  WE WILL NEVER BE PERFECT, but in our imperfection, we can find joy, peace and promise.  God does the same for us- He sees all our flaws and yet he finds joy while giving us peace and promise. 

What are some areas that you mentally "beat yourself up"?

Has there been a memorable time when you just "relaxed" with your parenting and just enjoyed the moment?

How does it make you feel to know that God sees our imperfection and yet still gives us promise?

Blessings!

"Sometime" Moments

"The success of marriage comes not in finding the “right” person, but in the
ability of both partners to adjust to the real person they inevitably realize they
married." John Fischer

 

 

Marriage is a beautiful reflection of our relationship with Christ.  It is a living, breathing thing that can grow and mature into lifelong journey.  It is a promise lived out daily.  It is love in movement.  Sometimes it is a desperate embrace keeping the storms of life at bay.  Sometimes it is the knowing smile that makes joy skip through a heart.  Sometimes it is work and toil in the depth of dedication and commitment.  Sometimes it is the slight touch that screams, "You are treasured."  Marriage is a cornucopia of "sometime" moments that encompass a lifetime of memories.

 

Abraham and Sarah had truly lived a lifetime together.  There had been times when each had failed the other.  There had been times of great joy and victory.  There had been times of trusting and believing.  There was always love in movement.  They loved, deeply so.

"When Sarah was 127 years old, she died at Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron) in the land of Canaan. There Abraham mourned and wept for her. Then, leaving her body, he said to the Hittite elders, “Here I am, a stranger and a foreigner among you. Please sell me a piece of land so I can give my wife a proper burial.” The Hittites replied to Abraham, “Listen, my lord, you are an honored prince among us. Choose the finest of our tombs and bury her there. No one here will refuse to help you in this way.”... Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron). So the field and the cave were transferred from the Hittites to Abraham for use as a permanent burial place." (Genesis 23:1-6, 19, 20 NLT)

Sarah passed.  I cannot fathom the depth of that loss for Abraham.  There marriage had spanned a lifetime together.  Can you imagine the memories and secret stories they had shared?  I think their lives were so entwined that her sudden absence had to feel as though a part of himself was buried in the cave with her.  The wound left behind when she slipped from his life had to be ever so painful.  Loss hurts.  Loss means an end has come.  Loss is inevitable.  Abraham makes a desperate plea to bury his wife near Mamre.  This was not an easy task, and it is indicated that he may have paid double what was reasonable for the burial land.  He, even in her death, was showing love to Sarah.  I wonder what he missed the most?  Her smile?  Reflecting on the memories together?  Her laugh? 

Marriage can be one of the most incredible experiences in a life. Two people who give of themselves- fully- to each other.  Willing to walk all the unknowns ahead, together, always treasuring that you have another to whom you share your day, your dreams, your joys and your sorrows.  God created marriage for this purpose- companionship.  The only relationship that is stronger in His eyes is the one we share with Him.   Marriage is to be a reflection of His love for us- sacrificial, forgiving, and generous.  While marriage will have flaws and hard days, Our Father's love for us is perfect in it's sacrifice, forgiveness and generosity to us.  Marriage should draw us to our Father because His is the cord that ties two together.  He is the Weaver that knits two separate lives into one. 

Today, I will thank God for my life partner in Reagan and the love that they have both lavished on me.  I will thank God for all the "sometime" moments we have been blessed to share and pray expectantly for all the moments still to come.  Today, what about you?

What are "sometime" moments you treasure most?

In what ways has the Father perfectly "weaved" you and your spouse together?

What do you treasure most about your spouse?

What areas can you each improve in your relationship with each other?

Blessings!