Over the hill! December 10, 2009

I’m officially more than half way done with finishing my bachelor’s. It’s about time. Whew! I’d appreciate prayers as I juggle work, school, support raising, church, wife-stuff, house stuff…I’m worn out just thinking about it.

This season of the Edge is all about preparing the teams for this coming summer and accepting applications. I’ve been a big part of making www.pioneers.org/edge happen and stay updated. That’s been neat to be a part of. I’ve also been able to talk to a lot of students that are considering going on an Edge trip this summer. Keep praying! God is really using us to impact these students’ lives for the sake of the Kingdom!

A Call to Prayer October 19, 2009

I’m currently taking a class on world religions, and my teacher asked us to pray the oral recitation that accompanies the first rakah or Muslim prayer (slightly reworded) and then write our reaction:

 

You are glorified, O God, and praised. Your Name is Blessed, your

Majesty is exalted, and none has the right to be worshipped but You.

I seek refuge with God from the cursed one, Satan.

In the name of God, the most Gracious, the most Merciful

All the praises and thanks be to God, the Lord of Creation.

The most Kind, the most Merciful.

The only Owner and Judge of the Day of man‘s resurrection.

You alone we ask for help. Guide us to the straight way, the way of thos

on whom you have bestowed your Grace, and not of those who

earn your anger or who have gone astray

O God, hear our prayer.

 

 

Here are my thoughts:

 

I enjoy praying written prayers. Something about the beauty of poetry and words that express my heart better than my vocabulary will allow in an impromptu prayer makes my time of prayer more meaningful because I am able to communicate better. I was intrigued as to how using the Muslim prayer provided us would go. I tend to be pretty open minded, so I felt like I was up for the challenge. I read over it first, almost to check and see if it was ok to pray. My spirit said, “Go for it” and I began to pray.

As I prayed the first two sentences, my heart began to break for the Muslims. They pray that “none has right to be worshipped” but God. They are so close to truth and yet they have rejected it for a lie. As the prayer went on I found myself emphasizing the “most” in the description. Far too often I recognize God as gracious, merciful, and kind; instead of the most gracious, most merciful, and most kind. He really is the greatest, and adding the word “most” before the attributes of God.

Continuing to pray I knew I was praying to the Almighty God, the time became about recognizing who He is and asking for His will to be done, not my own. I then did the prayer several more times. I was reminded of the contrasting aspects of my relationship with God: the times that I see Him only as “Owner and Judge” and then the times where I see Him as Father, as One that I can climb into His lap and just talk, cry, laugh, or be just be still. I missed that aspect of my relationship with God in this prayer, and so as I continued with this prayer I did not stop when I reached the end, instead I used it as an opener to spending time in God’s presence.

 

That’s just me…what do you think?

Spiritual Formation May 27, 2009

When I was a child, my parents prayed with us at the dinner table and before going to bed. They were not believers, but it was something that their parents had done with them, so they decided to carry on the tradition. Without them realizing it, they had opened up my siblings’ and me’s spiritual eyes. We also went to church for Christmas Eve and Easter services. When invited by a classmate, they allowed us to attend youth group at a church. 

It was at a Christmas Eve service though, that I heard the Gospel. I heard that it was the story of God, who wanted all of us to be his. On December 24, 1995 I accepted Jesus as my Savior. The pastor encouraged those of us who had prayed with him to tell someone we had done so. As my parents wished us kids goodnight, I called them back in to tell them what I had done.

The final step was finding a system of learning and discovery. I found this at my church in the youth group. It was my time in the youth group that I learned about God’s character and how my life was being transformed by the grace and power of Jesus Christ. After I graduated high school, I joined the college group at the church. The summer after my freshman year of college I endured the most difficult trial which has continued to challenge my faith to this day. My father, at the age of 53, passed away. God left my mom 42, my sister and I 19, and brothers 15, and 13 a widow and fatherless. His death changed my family and my faith forever. I had to decide that God was still good, that he loved me, my dad, and my family, and that his will was perfect, whether I understood it or thought it was fair.

The next year, I spent two months in India living with a missionary family. God drew me immensely closer to himself and I discovered attributes of God that I had not known before. Upon my return back to United States of America, I continued to serve at my church in the college group and drama ministry. I work at an international missions organization that sends teams of church planters to the unreached people groups of the world. I felt like there was so much more that I wanted to know about God, my relationship with him, and his love for the world. It was then that I registered with the Achieve program at Asbury to finish my bachelor’s degree in leadership and ministry. Though I know that God calls and uses each of us differently, this is how God has formed me spiritually.

 

How about you? How is God forming you?

Habak-what?? April 30, 2009

The class I’m in right now is called “Old Testament Prophetic Literature.” Yikes. When I read that on the list of courses I knew this one was going to be challenging. So far though, it’s been really interesting. How often do we study any of the Old Testament prophets? I don’t know about you, but that answer for me was never. A lot of the books have gloom and doom throughout, but God’s love for the people of Israel shines through it all. 

 

Check it out:

 

Zephaniah 3:17

¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you, 
       he is mighty to save. 
       He will take great delight in you, 
       he will quiet you with his love, 
       he will rejoice over you with singing.

 

Habakkuk’s complaint in Habakkuk 1:2-4

² How long, O LORD, must I call for help, 
       but you do not listen? 
       Or cry out to you, “Violence!” 
       but you do not save?

 ³ Why do you make me look at injustice? 
       Why do you tolerate wrong? 
       Destruction and violence are before me; 
       there is strife, and conflict abounds.

 ⁴ Therefore the law is paralyzed, 
       and justice never prevails. 
       The wicked hem in the righteous, 
       so that justice is perverted.

 

Here’s God’s answer: (Habakkuk 1:5)

⁵ ”Look at the nations and watch— 
       and be utterly amazed. 
       For I am going to do something in your days 
       that you would not believe, 
       even if you were told.”

 

God’s answer is to Habakkuk is, “For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” Lord, I pray that I would have the faith to believe that you are mighty to save. That you are working, even when I don’t think I see it. That your work in my life would cause me to be amazed.

Trying to stay awake. April 25, 2009

 

As I was working on the final for my class on Jesus and the Gospels, I was studying Luke’s account of the Transfiguration. I was studying the format of the story. As I was detailing the progression to the story’s climax, I was dumbfounded by the fact the transfiguration itself was not the climax! Not only was Jesus being transfigured not the climax but neither was the appearance of Moses or Elijah.

The climax of that event is where God speaks to Peter, James, and John. Peter starts to speak, but God overshadows them and speaks directly to them.

God affirms what they have believed and gives them instructions. God spoke to me through this passage. So many times in my life I want God to affirm what I am doing or believing. Sometimes, like Peter I do not keep quiet. God wants me to be quiet, for me to let him overshadow me so that I can hear what he is saying. Interestingly enough, Peter, James, and John almost missed it! They were asleep. They almost missed seeing Jesus in his glory, the very presence of God, and his instructions for them because they were asleep. The image of Peter speaking to Jesus while he was in his glorious transfigurement and God quieting him is a reminder to something that God wants from all of us. God says in Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

If we can stay awake long enough, we might see Jesus in his glory. 

 

Here we go!!! April 23, 2009

A blog. Yes, I’ve joined the blogging community.  Why? I want to keep you updated on what I’m doing and you can check up on me whenever you want! What exactly do you want to know, huh? I figure I can let you know about my ministry stuff (drama and Edge), my school stuff, and other random tidbits from the life of Mary.