On Conversations Near and Far

Today, while waiting to see the chiropractor, I had a very good conversation with the man that has opened his home to me while I have been away from home these last few months. We were talking about family discipleship, the church, and living on mission for God's mission. In short we were talking about how our lives are not our own and using them to build the kingdom of God.

Along the way he said something that stuck with me. It is something I want to remember.

He said, "If you want to change your crop, you've got to change what you're planting"!

This is so simple, so true, and so wise. This change in the planting begins today. No matter what area of your life you are concerned with, changing it is as simple as changing what you are planting.

Making changes today will lead to changed tomorrow. You may be surprised at how far a small change can take you.

What a blessing it was to redeem the waiting room time!

Words of Wisdom

I'm going through my Google Reader and am feeling very encouraged by a post from Mark and Stephen Altrogge's blog, "The Blazing Center".

In this short post, Mark reflects on something that John Newton wrote. The theme is that sin is finite and Jesus, the one who makes it possible for our sins to be forgiven is infinite.


Click here to check it out for yourself!

"There's No Place Like Home"

A long time ago, I learned what took Dorothy so long to learn. From the time I was very little I have always had special places that I consider "home". It's what God teaches that has taken me longer to learn. That is, that this earth is not my home.

We say that all that time. But, really, stop and think about it. As much as you love your family, your house, your town - whatever makes "home" "home", it is not your home. You should not feel totally settled there. It should leave you longing for so much more.

In my time away I have not really missed "home". The 21st Century has aided me - I have been able to FB, e-mail, skype, write letters, and talk on the phone with anyone from home any time I want. My mom even saw to it that I continued to receive my little town's weekly newspaper! More than that though, God has kept me. I knew that if I got "homesick" I would not be making the most of my time away - so I began praying early on that God would keep me. He has kept me abiding in Christ and so focused on His Kindgom that I have not had the time or the desire to miss "mine".

As the time is drawing near for me to go "home", I have a new prayer. It is a prayer that God would continue to keep me. This time, I need Him to continue keeping me abiding in Christ that I would continue trusting Him with mine.

Everywhere I go, I find myself "at home". I find myself enjoying all that makes the place unique. I find myself not wanting to leave.

I didn't really want to leave home to come here. A few days before I came, I had almost talked myself out of coming.

Now that I am here, I don't really want to leave here to come home.

This struggle will continue until I leave this earth. It is good for me to grow content where God has me and go wherever He sends me. But, I must not get so settled that my I make wherever that is my "home".

This earth is not my home.

I have a home waiting for me. It is in heaven, with God. My life on this earth is all about preparing for that HOME I have in heaven. That is why we can leave father, mother, brother, sister, and friends to go wherever God sends us. This is a lesson I must continue to learn.

I must find my security in God, His plans for my life, and the HOME He has made for me in heaven. I must submit to Him in using my time on earth to make me fit for my eternity in heaven.

As I abide in Christ in the presence of God now, I will be practicing for abiding with Christ in the presence of God forever. That is HOME. That is why wherever I am on this earth I can have peace and security and not be homesick. Wherever God sends me is a glimpse of the HOME He has for me in heaven.

So, I do have a HOME. There IS no place like it. But, I can begin to enjoy it now!

3 Minutes and 53 Seconds of Truth

A Long Time

My last post was September 6th. Seeing that it is now October 20th, I think this has been the longest my blog has ever gone between postings. It feels like a long time to me anyways.

Life has been new for me over the last few months. I was not going to write about it. I was going to continue to the blog as if everything was the same.

God is working in my life as usual. But I cannot tell you all that has been happening without clueing you in.

Here goes...

On August 20th, I boarded an airplane with my dad. We headed across the country to meet the people who make up a church whose school I would be interning at. I have come to the place in my studies with Whitefield College that requires me to spend time observing, assisting, and being mentored by an experienced teacher.

So, here I am, two months later. Over the last two months I have met quite a few people. Most everyone has been extremely kind. They have offered me a place to live and lives to be a part of. I have truly seen the grace of God at work as complete strangers treat me as one of their own.

During September, I was mainly in a kindergarten classroom. I got to help a teacher who is in what I believe to be her 31st school year. She is has an amazing ability to help little children transition into a highly disciplined environment. She is always ready with a smile, a kind word, a firm hand, and much wisdom. I'll talk more about what I learned in kindergarten another day!

During September I also saw God in new ways. As you know, I had a rough summer. Looking back on it, that sounds ridiculous. I actually had a wonderful summer. Unfortunately, I allowed times of great prosperity and comfort to come between myself and God. I failed to sit at His feet each day. Before I knew it, I was overwhelmed with my sin. Through the month of August I repented of my neglect. I asked God to bring me back to the place where He truly was my All in All.

Right before I left home, the book of Ruth was laid on my heart. So, when I got here, I began reading it. Each week I read the whole book and listened to one sermon in a preaching series by John Piper. By the end of September I felt refreshed and renewed. Along with all that I learned in Ruth, the church I am now attending was just finishing up a journey through the book of Hebrews. In case you don't know, Hebrews is basically warnings to Christians against backsliding. That means, I desperately needed to hear it!

In October I have been going through First and Second Peter. I used some of the money people sent me for my birthday to order some books that I have been wanting to read for a while. Oddly enough, they all deal with the Gospel.

Before this year even began, I knew that I was mainly going to be touched by who God is and what that means to me.

This year is almost over and I have truly seen that God is:

sovereign

faithful

good

merciful

just

loving

strong

mighty

great

caring

gracious

........I look forward to learning more about God FOREVER!!!