Day 15 Hear

What's the point of hearing and not doing something about it?
#hear #40daysphotochallenge  #Lent #rethinkchurch #day15

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.  Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God."
3 John 1:4-6 NIV

Romans 10:14-15 NIV

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Day 14 Lift

To raise
To elevate
To put up or above something else
To put on display

I lift my eyes to You Lord for help.
I lift my hands to praise God.
I lift up others in prayer
You alone lift my spirit, God .

You lift me up from the daily muck and mire that tries to drag me down.
You lift my hope when I lift my concerns to you.

I lift my children up to you, and give them back to you, as sacred offerings,  because only You can lift them up.

I am lifted up as I trust in You more and more every day.

I will be lifted up with you on the last day.  Your glory is lifted high forever.

Yosemite summer 2012
#lift #lent #rethinkchurch #40daysphotochallenge

"I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord , the Maker of heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;  indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand;  the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;  the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Psalm 121:1-8 NIV

Good day.  Helped the boy buy plane tickets to Romania,  his next adventure!  Its almost been six months at Bible School and he interviewed and got a volunteer job at the Torch bearer school in Romania. He will be there for 2months,  building a ropes course.

Also got plane tickets for the girly to come home for 5days at Easter.  She gets homesick,  so 3months away seems just right. She also needs to take care of some medical stuff , so its perfect timing.  Its, hopefully,  going to be a surprise nobody else knows. Good thing nobody reads this blog :)

I might try to double cross her and  plan a birthday party for her while she is home. Its her 21st after all!

Backtracking here to cover days 4, 5 & 6 because they were awesome

Injustice, Settle & World

Day 4: injustice 

Text below taken from http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-02-17, because apparently I am 365 days behind in this Bible reading plan but right on schedule for where God wants me reading and learning every day :)

Prepare: How well do you know God? Ask him to help you discover more about his character today.

Patience and mercy Nineveh’s repentance was short-lived; generations following Jonah reverted to violence. In 721 BC the Assyrians conquered the noRUTern kingdom of Israel. With this cruel superpower threatening Judah’s borders (v 13) the remaining Israelites needed reassurance. Did God care? Was he strong enough to protect them? 

When we face injustice we too need to be assured of God’s character (vs 3,7) and power (vs 3–6). Despite his apparent inaction in the face of injustice he does not turn a blind eye to evil; he demonstrates patience and mercy (v 3; compare with 2 Peter 3:8,9), allowing people time to repent. 

Jealousy and anger By using the covenant name of God (the LORD; vs 2,3,7,12,14), Nahum reassures the people that God has not forgotten his covenant relationship. So his jealousy and anger (v 2) make sense: a loving God is rightly jealous when his people follow other gods, and right to be angry and use his power to defend them under threat. 

If God were indifferent to the destructive effect of sin on his creation he would not have gone to the cross to destroy its power. God’s jealousy and anger are attributes we can’t ignore because they are evidence of his loving commitment to us. 

Respond: Ask the Lord to open your eyes to injustice. Pray that those causing it would repent and that those who are suffering will hold onto God. 

#day4 #lent #injustice #40daysphotochallenge #rethinkchurch #dosomething #bethechange #Micah6:8 #weareGodshandsandfeet #compassion #agape #Honduraswaterproject #hospitalityhouse

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Day 5: see 

Day 3 lent photo challenge. 

#see 
I see things different through the light of the gospel. Stress its not a normal part of life. #rethinkchurch 
Everything looks different seen through the eyes of #Grace and #trusting in His perfect love

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Day 6: settle 

to calm, to relax, to solve a dispute, to make clear by allowing impurities to drop to the bottom, to get comfortable, to make a home somewhere

#rethinkchurch #beautifulplacetosettle #isthisreallyit? #lent #40daysphotochallenge 

"After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him."  Matthew 3:16 NLT

day 13: Cover

to cover = to hide, protect, take over, take responsibility for, completely envelop, place something over something else for for protection, concealment, or warmth,... PAY IN FULL

“Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven,
 whose sins are covered." Romans 4:7

I'm sure my messes (sins) are way worse than this,

and God covers me in His forgiveness and grace every single time.

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8

And even better yet:

"The Lord your God is with you,

the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

but will rejoice over you with singing.”

 Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

Day 12: Vision

"Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT)

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart

Naught be all else to me,

save that Thou art 

Thou my best thought 

by day or by night 

Waking or sleeping 

Thy presence my light

Be thou my wisdom 

and Thou my true word

I ever with Thee

and Thou with me, Lord

Thou my great Father,

I , Thy true son

Thou in me dwelling

and I with Thee one

Riches I heed not 

nor man's emptly praise 

Thou mine inheritance 

now and always

Thou and thou only

first in my heart

High King of heaven 

my treasure Thou are 

High King of heaven 

my victory won

May I reach heaven's joys, 

O bright heaven's Sun 

Heart of my own heart 

whatever befall

Still be my vision O Ruler of all

#vision

#day12 #40daysphotochallenge

#rethinkchurch

Chip

Chip is always full of life wisdom.  My hubby likes to look after him when we help out with dinners.  Because he moves slower than everyone else, he gets in line as soon as he get's to the dinner destination when it's time to eat.  Hubby likes talking with him and listening to him, and tonight I decided to give him my full attention for a little while and I was not disappointed, I actually thought of hitting the voice recorder on my phone to catch every word he was saying.

Some of the things he said really resonated with me:

"Not making a decision is the only bad decision to make.  Chose one way or the other, to do or not to, to stay or to go, either choice is right, but to not decide, that is the only wrong choice to make."

"Some people look for happiness all their lives, but they never find it because they are looking on the outside. Oh, this will make me happy, or this will make me happy, but nothing on the outside can ever make you happy because happiness comes from the inside.  You can be standing in the middle of a trash heap and be the happiest person alive, it's all in how you see things."

"I've had 4 TIA's, so when I look at things, I see them for the first time and for the last time.  I don't take anything for granted".

So much wisdom in such a rough package.

And I remember the pity party I had today.  I was so upset over the hassle and complications of getting everything together to file our taxes, I remind myself that we are so blessed by everything we have. A house, jobs, vehicles, food, money to pay our bills, comfort,... "...it's all in how you see things"

And the less that grateful mood someone has been in because there has been no answer from that job he interviewed for, that he would be very good at.  Well, at least he is "choosing to keep doing something about it, even if the answer doesn't come as we want."

And as I read about the poverty in other places, and see a glimpse of the hardship of homelessness right near my own comfortable home when I reluctantly and awkwardly help every few weeks, I hear Chip's voice; 'You can be standing in the middle of a trash heap and be the happiest person alive, it's all in how you see things."

Chip could be me, or I could be Chip.

“[Anything you have...] It is due to the century and place in which you were born, to your talents and capacities and health, none of which you earned."  Tim Keller

In short, all your resources are in the end — the gift of God.

http://www.incourage.me/2013/02/the-1-thing-you-really-have-to-know-about-your-family.html

Days 10 &11

day 10: Spirit

A last minute acupuncture appointment that I put off making for the last 2 months had me driving back home right at sunset. I caught glimpses of the bright orange light on the top of the tall trees in front of me and the sky in my rear view mirror. I couldn't quite see the sun setting but the beauty it was making all around me was impossible to ignore. This is the same route I drive every time to and from work, but this day because of the angle of the light, it was breathtaking. I actually stopped and went down a side street to get a better direct view of the setting sun before it was too late and it was gone. The simple light filtering through trees made it magical.

I could have missed all this beauty if I wasn't looking and wasn't willing to slow down and let it speak to me. How many times does this happen with the Holy Spirit whispering to me? Slow down. look. See. listen. this is special. don't miss it.

Don't you see Him and feel Him everywhere? 

John 14:15-17 NLT
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

#day10 #spirit #40daysphotochallenge #rethinkchurch 

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Day 11: Live

To truly live we must make peace with death and not fear it but actually look forward to it. Live this life like its your only one but keep your eyes fixed on eternity.

"My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. 

So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God,

 who loved me and gave himself for me."Galatians 2:20 NLT

I took this photo is the last time I saw the young adventurous young man that is my son. We took him to the airport not knowing when we will see him in person again. He is out there living out his faith as best he knows, and learning, and getting to know people, and having a blast. He is full of the gospel and has nothing but trust in God to direct his steps and open doors for him.

It's only been seven weeks, but it seems like forever ago when we last hugged him. When his schooling is over in three more weeks he plans to go from Germany to Romania for 2 months, and then hopefully to Amsterdam for God only knows how long. I can think of nothing better he could be doing with his life, than living it for His Savior.

#live #day11 #40daysphotochallenge #rethinkchurch #YOLO