Friday, October 21, 2011

Psalm 113

God will provide. God will fulfill big dreams and passions. Praise His name!

Psalm 113

"Praise the Lord. Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?"

"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people. He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord."

This is my verse for the year. It speaks of God doing so many humanly impossible things. He loves us! Praise His name!

Monday, October 10, 2011

No words can describe


As I sit here this afternoon with my slipper socks on, sweater, and coffee I am completely amazed at how God has been revealing himself to us this season in our lives. I sit in a room that is decorated for our precious little one. Love is in this room, grace, and mercy too. God has done so much for us and this room is special because it is a constant reminder of that fact.

Yesterday God's promises and dreams were further confirmed in our Cambodia service where the co-founder of Remember Nhu, Carl Ralston and Nhu herself were present. The story of this organization whose primary goal is "Preventing children from ever entering the sex-trade", is amazing (Please click on my title above and it will take you to the Remember Nhu website)! Carl shared how the organization began and I could feel God speaking life into my passion and desire to go to the nations helping girls get back into safety from the sex trafficking industry. God was showing me through Carl's story how He would bring to fruition in different ways the dream to help be a Mom to the orphan, a sister and friend to the abandoned, and counselor to the broken.

When Nhu began to share her story, my eyes started to swell with tears. Her story, like many others, is one filled with broken dreams, shattered innocence, and darkness, only for God to make himself known as He brought restoration to everything that she once thought was lost. As Nhu shared I felt this deep connection with her heart. She was my sister and our stories, although different in many ways, were very similar. Nhu was sold several times to men to pay off family debt. I was not sold, yet was used, abused, and taken advantage of before the age of 5. It disgusts me to know that the facts out there reveal how Men prefer younger girls. In Nhu's case, she was wanted more because she was a virgin girl. In my case, I was too young to defend myself and could be manipulated by threats to obey directions given to me.

Tears plummeted down my face as she continued to share her heart about all that had been done to her. She said, "God, why did you bring this pain into my life? I loved you. I served you. Please let me be the last girl this happens too." No words can describe what was going on inside of me when I heard her say the very same things that I said to God so many years ago. They are written in my journal multiple times. The realization hit me how powerful my story was because of the common thread that ties me to girls who have faced similar demons. I can relate to them, and I know that they can relate to me. I wept more because God confirmed deep in my heart that I would impact girls and touch hearts just like Nhu was touching mine. No words can describe how much I desire to do this. No words can describe how much I long to bring Jesus to so many who are hurting, wounded, hungry, naked, raped, and searching for someone to love them. This passion; this dream is so close that I can almost touch it. 

Yesterday God revealed his powerful work. Remember Nhu is evidence of how God turns impossible situations and dreams into realities. Our sacrificial love offering to help buy land and build some more homes in Cambodia for Remember Nhu also reveals how nothing is impossible with God. By the obedience of all of us, his servants, we practically doubled the $100,000 goal. The desire to serve and love others everywhere, and fulfill dreams and goals God has given my husband and I, will be coming to fruition. We will be going. We will go. God was speaking these things to us so blatantly yesterday. 

His presence and healing upon me was so heavy that I could not stop crying the rest of the service and as I think upon it more, tears still come to my eyes. No words can describe what God is doing. He is great! And we should praise him. We should praise him even before things come into fruition.

Thank you God for speaking life into dreams and for all that you have done, are doing, and will continue to do! We will love you with our lives no matter the sacrifice.

Monday, October 3, 2011

"With. Reimagining The Way You Relate To God" by Skye Jethani


"With" is an extraordinary book that describes how individuals relate to God. Skye Jethani begins with the four ways that most tend to relate to God, which are "under, over, from, and for God”. These were nothing knew to me having grown up surrounded by individual's who in one form or another related to God in one of these ways. I once related and often struggled in one of these four groups at one point in my own life. 

What I enjoyed was how Jethani so bluntly but gently described the truth stating how these ways actually stem from our own fear and need to control our lives.  Instead Jethani writes that, "we need to start living in communion with God”. When we live in communion with God we see God for "who he truly is and begin to treasure God and not merely use him”. Jethani also brings up the important truth that without Jesus and his death and resurrection, living a life with God would not even be available to us. 

Jethani challenges readers to go further than just uniting their life with Christ and living under bondage of what ends out only being religion. When we live "with" God our lives will be filled with "faith, hope, and love”. Life with God is filled with the power of his Spirit, full of his love and, an extreme desire for a constant, growing relationship that will never end. I encourage everyone who is questioning his or her views on God, or anyone who desires a closer relationship with God to read this book. You will not be left disappointed.




Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”