Communion

This past Sunday I spoke for communion.  We celebrate communion every other week at my church so it can some times be difficult to speak on something new…here’s what I said…

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When we celebrate communion, we are celebrating the sacrifice that Jesus made for us through his death and resurrection. We aspire to have an understanding of what it cost Jesus, to ‘feel’ something of that sacrifice. But today I want to look at this celebration from a different direction. As Christians, it costs us something to be in relationship with Jesus, but what cost are we really willing to pay? How often do we offer something that costs us very little.

In 2 Samuel 24 King David is building an alter and needs a few supplies. He goes to see a man named Araunah who tells the King to take whatever he likes, and offers him some animals to sacrifice as well, and this is David’s reply in verse 24:

But the king replied to Araunah “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

Are we sacrificing ‘burnt offerings’ to God that cost us nothing? Jesus sacrificed everything for us. In return are we offering him the very least of ourselves?

In saying all of this, when we talk about paying a price, it tends to have a negative connotation, but as we reflect on what our relationship with Jesus is costing us, I want to suggest that it is something to celebrate as much as we celebrate the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, and here is why.

Luke 6:38 says:  Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.

When we give of ourselves to God – that – is how he gives back to us. So let’s stop and think about what we receive back when it costs us the bare minimum. When we do only just enough to become a Christian and no more...what do we receive? We get eternal life… how’s that for pressed down and shaken together. So now imagine what God could do with your life if you gave it fully over to Him.

Jesus said in John 10:10:  I have come that they may have life and life to the full.

Not that we ‘will’ have life to the full but that we ‘may’. So today I want us all to ask ourselves one question...What else can it cost me?

As I was preparing for communion I thought I had better ask myself that question before I stand up here and ask you to. And at the time the answer was time. I had been really slack about spending enough time reading my bible and praying. And so when I found myself about to turn on the TV or get on the internet, I’d stop and pick up my bible. Even though I didn’t want to every time, it helped me to remember that it’s supposed to cost me something. So today, what does it need to cost you? Maybe it’s finances. You haven’t been paying tithes regularly and God is speaking to you about that, or it may go beyond that into giving as a lifestyle. Maybe it needs to cost you a boyfriend or girlfriend (I was going to say ‘non Christian’ but it can be a Christian who is keeping you from growing in your relationship with God as well). It might be a job or a career. Perhaps it’s security. God wants you to step out in faith and you are afraid. There is always something more we can give to God of ourselves.

I’m going to pray and then we will share communion, and as we continue to worship, take the time to ask God what else it needs to be costing you. And keep in mind this is not a once off thing. This is something we should be doing on a regular basis. Lets receive from Jesus the ‘life to the full’ that he has come to bring us.

A Word of Wisdom

Since becoming a mum, I have encountered a barrage of new experiences beginning from the first trimester I was pregnant and felt car sick all of the time.

The number of times I have broken down in frustration, anger or just plain sleepiness are many, but I’ve discovered a little secret…well, not a secret so much as it is in the most popular book in the world.

I was just chatting to my mum today and relaying an experience I had with Seth after we had finished our months of travelling.  When we were settled in, I had the unpleasant task of getting Seth back into the habit of going to bed on his own and sleeping through the night.  Every night I would put him in his cot and he would cry for at least 10 minutes…which doesn’t seem like much, but every night I felt really bad about leaving him, and I didn’t want to keep putting him through the torment of mum leaving him in his cot.  Each night as I put him in bed I would say ‘I’m sorry honey, but its time for bed.  I know you don’t like, but it’s time for bed’ etc.  I was fed up, but something came to mind…

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:5,6)

I remembered this verse and so said ‘Alright God, I’m lacking in some serious wisdom, so I’m asking, and trusting that you will give it to me in this situation.

I had done this several times previously and always seemed to sort something out after having this chat to God.  And so I asked and believed and suddenly it occurred to me.  I realized the way I spoke to Seth as I put him to bed was not helping the matter and so I changed my tone as I put him to bed that night.  I said ‘Seth you get to go to bed now you lucky boy.  I’m so proud of you, you are such a big boy going to bed’ etc.  He cried that night, but I was believing that God had given me wisdom and so I continued over the next couple nights to talk to Seth that way as I put him to bed, and now when I put him to bed he doesn’t cry, but just throws all the pillows and things out of his bed and then lays down and sings himself to sleep.

I thought I would share this on my blog because whether you are a mum or not and you need wisdom, I have found time and time again (most vividly with Seth because I become exasperated so many times) that God always gives me wisdom when I ask for it.

And be careful that when you ask for wisdom and then God gives it to you, you don’t say to God ‘never mind I figured it out’.

Love

Why is it that an incredible emotion like ‘love’, can become so ordinary when it relates to God.  Or perhaps I am the only one that thinks this way (that would be embarrassing).  Perhaps it is because I have begun to take it for granted.  Or maybe because the bible mentions it so often it has become ordinary?

Moments ago I read Philippians 1:9 which reads: And this is my prayer:  that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight…

Not that you would abound in knowledge and depth of insight, but that your love would. 

It’s a bit obvious in a way I suppose, but it stuck out to me so I’m sitting on it. '

(P.S. That’s the only place in the bible that I could find where love and knowledge/insight go together in this way)

Motherhood

There is an interesting phenomenon I’ve discovered about being a mum…I don’t always like it.  Part of it is caused by Seth going through what I like to call ‘mental growth’.  It makes me feel better about him behaving badly for a time and it doesn’t usually last too long.  It seems to be that his physical abilities surpass his mental capabilities for a time and he is just difficult.  Once his brain catches up he is easier to manage and I can breathe a sigh of relief.  The other thing I realized is that, although I love Seth very much, there isn’t much satisfaction in the day to day function of a stay at home mum.  I don’t seem to accomplish too much, and this is part of the reason I got into share trading.

It’s a funny thing share trading, because depending on who you talk to you, you get different comments.  I was never much into share trading and then all the sudden I was.  I couldn’t get enough of it.  I was reading books one after the other.  I just bought my first shares online yesterday and I’m excited about the possibility of adding to our family income.  And after I make my first million…that was a joke, not that I would mind making a mill from trading.

I’ve also found through my reading some very interesting concepts.  Like the difference between the way rich people see money and the way middle/lower class people see money.  Most middle/lower class ‘work very hard for their money’.  While the rich tend to find ways of ‘making their money work hard for them’.  I find this a fascinating concept and think its how Christians should look at money because we have a rich Father and it takes the power away from money.  I hate the way money controls people and makes them feel trapped.  That’s why Matt and I worked very, very hard to get out of debt as fast as we could. 

Well, now I’ve gotten way off the topic of motherhood, but those are my thoughts for the moment…albeit a little all over the place.

Many Paths?

…But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life. (Matthew 7:14).

I have long wished that I could say there is more than one way to God.  It would make life so much easier…but then, God never said it would be easy.  In fact He says ‘Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction’(verse 13).   So there are many paths to destruction and only one to life.

The reason I bring this up is because it’s a very negative concept and I was uncomfortable with it for a long time.  I didn’t have an understanding of it that I was satisfied with (not that I expect to understand everything in this lifetime).   After all, God is a loving God, why would He make it so hard?  And then I realised one very simple thing.  He wouldn’t have sacrificed His son if there was another way.  Jesus gave up EVERYTHING because there was no other way.  And He didn’t have to.  In fact as I read about him hanging there on the cross knowing that at any time he could have called down angels (and let me tell you, if it was me up there on the cross I wouldn’t have hesitated – mankind would have been doomed.  To see the look on the faces of all those people standing there trying everything they could to degrade me).  But he didn’t.  And so instead of having no path at all, no gate, no road.  We have a narrow one.  It’s not meant to make it hard for us to get to God, its meant to make it easy.  It’s a gift not a burden.  We don’t have to do anything cause it’s already been done.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 NIV)

What’s next…

I’ve just stuffed myself with chocolate chip cookies, and now I’m sitting in my bedroom listening to the ocean…life is good…but what is next?

After spending almost 2 months travelling home has never smelled so sweet, but both Matt and I believe there is change in the wind.  What that means exactly we aren’t too sure.  We have a bit of direction, but only enough to begin to move forward, not enough to actually change anything, and so we wait. 

When we have more concrete details on what the heck is going on, I’ll probably write about it.  So until then I’ll probably write more God stuff, cause He is who I spend my time thinking about.  I’m reading the book of Acts at the moment and finding it fascinating.  There is so much drama in the early church, and so much excitement.  Christianity is so new, and I wonder if Christians today can get that back.  Where have all the signs and wonders gone?  Anyhow, if anyone has anything interesting to say on Acts please do and I will try to have something interesting to say as well!

Home Sweet Home

I would be disingenuous if I did not say it didn’t feel good to be home.  However, we did have an amazing time full of experiences that I will never have a chance to write down.  Experiences that will shape who we become.  I believe this trip was tailor made by God to move us forward…to move closer to perfect in him (please understand I have no illusion of reaching that perfection in this lifetime, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to become more like Jesus through the incredible experiences that God constructs.) 

I was just reading the book of Acts.  I noticed the apostles rejoiced when they had “… been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41).  Over and over again we read in the bible of a way of thinking that is opposite to the way the world thinks.  No wonder the apostles were not afraid to proclaim the name of Jesus.  Not only had they received boldness from the Holy Spirit (see Acts 4:31) but they looked at the suffering they had to endure as something to celebrate.  Instead of being embarrassed for standing up for Jesus we should be celebrating…now if only I could get my brain to function that way…

Evangelism

I hate the word ‘Evangelism’.  It scares the crap out of me.  So does the word ‘Witness’.  It’s as if somewhere along the line I have gotten it in my head that to evangelize means to go up to a complete stranger and say…

“Did you know Jesus loves you?'”

I thought I was getting a free ‘get out of jail card’ when a few Christians along the way said, “all you need to do is live a good Christian life and people will see that you are different and ask why.”

I thought that was pretty sweet cause then I didn’t have to do anything…problem is, no one has ever asked me why I’m different…or even noticed (shocking).  Eventually I figured out that wasn’t really the way to go, but I still could not get the ‘evangelism’ stigmatism out of my head. 

Then we spent some time with friends just south of Newcastle about a week ago.  Matt had taken Seth for a walk, but suddenly walked in and said to me with a very serious look on his face, “get you shoes on and get in the car”.  At first I panicked cause he didn’t have Seth, but I realised that scenario didn’t make sense so I walked with him to the car and saw Seth strapped in the car so I got in.  As we drove away Matt filled me in.  He had seen a girl (about 18) crying at the park and had walked by her a few times but finally felt compelled to stop and see what was wrong.  She had had a fight with her boyfriend and was pretty upset.  Matt felt he wasn’t really the right person to comfort her, so he said he could get me.  She said it was fine, but he came anyway.  As we were driving I was praying, actually asking God if she could be gone by the time we got there cause I had no idea what to do, but I kind of figured she wouldn’t be… and she wasn’t.  I went and sat down and Matt introduced us.  I found out she had fought with her boyfriend about her eating problem and she was afraid it was over between them. 

I had no idea what to say and I kept asking God.  Finally after a few awkward moments I decided to come clean and to do the only thing I knew how to do in this sort of situation.  I told her I was a Christian and the best thing I knew how to do in this situation was pray, so I asked if I could pray with her.  She said yes, so I prayed…nothing fancy, just what came into my head.  Afterwards I asked her if she had ever been to church or anything, she said she used to be big into church but hadn’t been for a long time.  It just so happened that the friends we were staying with had started up a home fellowship and it was on the next day, so I asked her if she was interested, which she said she was.  So I gave her my number and told her to text hers through to mine and I would call her that night with the address. 

Now this sounds like its coming up to a beautifully wrapped up story where she comes and loves it etc, etc.  But she never sent me through her number, and I can’t say I blame her, cause she didn’t know me at all and this home fellowship could have been a cult for all she knew.  But I still really felt good about what happened and I believe God has used that in her life if for nothing else, than just to let her know He’s thinking of her.  I would have loved for the story to have turned out differently cause it would make me feel good, but the point is more that the experience wasn’t weird because I was just honest.  I didn’t push Jesus on her, it was just that if I was in the same situation I would pray, so that’s the best I could do for her.  It takes a bit of the sting out of ‘evangelism’ for me to know that if you just be yourself and only say what comes naturally and be honest it’s not so bad. 

Horses for Motorbikes

I wanted to share an experience that the pastor (Allan Kelly) at Clermont had about 7 years ago because I think it is a great example of the attitude we need to have as Christians in this world.  We get so caught up in the way things ‘are’ and ‘have been’ that we miss the opportunity to let an eternally creative God work in magnificently innovative ways.

When Ps. Allan first went to Clermont to take over the church there, we came as an experienced motorbiker (is that a even a word?).  He had a fantastic idea to reach the young people in the community by starting a motorbike ministry.  The problem was, after meeting a few people around the place, they didn’t have motorbikes they had horses and Allan didn’t know anything about horses.  So after praying very hard about it he decided he would start a horse ministry and said you God ‘you had better make me good at horses’.  So he took his 9 year old son to pick out some horses.  The horse his son chose was a pretty ugly looking horse to which Allen tried to convince his son that he should choose another, but his son was adamant and  so Allan finally agreed.  They took the horse to a woman to train and it turned out that this horse was so bad the woman said ‘forget about  it, I’ll give you your money back, you have no chance with this horse’.  Allan disagreed and told her it might seem a bit strange but he wanted to pray for the horse.  So he laid hands on the horse, prayed for it and left.  The next day he came back and the woman’s jaw was on the ground.  The horse had become tame.

Over the past 7 years Allan has broken about 60 horses and any one he has trouble with he just prays for.  People who have spent all their lives with horses and spent decades breaking them bring any difficult ones to Allan.  He has brought God into peoples lives by showing them that the God they thought had no relevance in their lives works within their world. 

What a great example of God using our weaknesses to show His strength, and changing peoples lives in a relevant but supernatural way.

Road Trip – Part 2

3000 klms down, and unknown klms to go.  We’ve been on the road now since the 5th of August and have at times looked at the road map and just pointed at a place to go…whatever looks good on the map…I don’t know that I’ve ever felt so free.  I do at times have trouble just taking it in and enjoying it for the experience that it is.  I keep asking God what the purpose of the trip is, so it’s good for me to have to just take things as they come.

We have seen so much of God in this trip in all the little things.  At one point we were driving down this dusty dirt road behind a big truck and we couldn’t get close enough to it for the driver to see us behind because of the dust.  I asked God if he wouldn’t mind giving us the opportunity to pass, realizing that it’s completely unnecessary for God to do so.  A few minutes later a truck came the other way and caused  the truck in front of us to slow enough that we could get close enough for him to see us and let us pass.  Then a few minutes later the tire blew out…. Its a bit ironic, but then, as stated previously, we were blessed in Clermont by getting our new tire bought for us. 

I got the opportunity to ride a horse while in Clermont which decided it didn’t care to have an inexperienced rider and it threw me off.  I’m a bit sore but nothing serious.  It was an unusual experience because I had gone out with some women from the church so as I lay on the ground gasping for breath I had these two women praying for me and laying hands on me asking God for healing so I just relaxed and let Jesus do his thing.  I don’t know that I’ve ever felt so peaceful in a situation like that.

We moved on from there and spent a night in a tent on the side of the road which was good, but then the next night we ended up in Emmaville on the tablelands of NSW and spent the night in a caravan park in our tent and the temp. got down close to freezing that night!  It was painful to say the least.  So we decided to move on to visit some friends in Newcastle and slept in a very warm bed…and now I’m sitting in their living room with borrowed big fluffy dog slippers while Matt is taking Seth for a walk.  We are headed down to Nora Head next and then probably up to Kempsy area and then onto Brisbane.  We still have no particular plan that we need to follow and it feels very energizing, I would highly recommend it.

Road Trip – Part 1

‘Scene opens with a loan car driving across the bottom of a very large dam.  Camera cuts to a close up of cracks forming in the dam wall.  It’s a great start to a natural disaster movie.’  I say to Matt. 

‘Tell me about it when we get to the other side’  He comments back as we come to the end of our drive across the bottom of a dam wall. 

It was a beautiful dam, but made us a little bit nervous putting our trust in the integrity of that wall holding back a whole lot of water.

That is where we got onto the dirt roads and really began our road trip south.  We stopped in Townsville as mentioned previously and were blessed by our friends there.  Then the following day we headed for Clermont.

We are at the end of week one of our trip and have been so hugely blessed by people I said to Matt if it keeps up this way we will end up coming home with a house or something.  God is good.

So far we haven’t paid for any of our own fuel, we’ve had meals provided for us and paid for.  When we were a few hours from Clermont we blew a tire and before we could pay for a new one, one had been bought for us.  We’ve been offered places to stay and it’s only been one week.  I think the thing I find the most joy in with generous people is that I know in the bible it says you are more blessed to give them to receive so I know they will receive back from God.

I know I haven’t said much, but I’ve struggled to find time to write so hopefully as we spend a bit of time visiting friends and family in New South Whales I will be able to provide a little more information!

The Water Miracle

Once upon a time in a land far away there lived a man with a heart to follow God. He had a prophecy spoken over his life that one day he would stand over a dried up water source and with hands lifted up to heaven would ask for a miracle. God would grant that miracle and it would be a sign that revival was coming and that the waters of revival would spill down the mountain into the valleys and spread to the cities.

Over the next few years, every time this man entered a village he was expectant of the fulfilment of that prophecy, but nothing happened. It seemed God wanted him to empower the people through his practical skills and he and his team would begin by building relationship with the people and then work with them to find solutions.

Over many years the man began to forget about the word spoken over his life and continued working as best he could through the continued leading of God. And so the team grew and God opened new doors.

One day, more than a decade later, he found himself in a prayer battle for the small village of Huei Hia. There was significant resistance from village elders. He was told that the village was in desperate need of water, and while everything had been put in place to store the water including tanks, pipes and a water basin, there was no water and it was the middle of the dry season.

An old man watched on intently as the man stood by the empty water source. The old man had watched as the witch doctors from the village had done all they could to provide water, but had been unsuccessful, and so he wanted to see if the man who brought God into his village was any different.

No practical ideas were going to work, and the man had forgotten the words spoken so long ago. But as he began to walk away he felt the Holy Spirit speak to him and say ‘why don’t you ask God NOW’. And so he joined in prayer with his team, and with his arms raised to heaven, asked God to do what no one else could. They all went home that day with nothing to report. He still had not remembered the prophecy

Not long after they returned home they received a call from the village. ‘You won’t believe it, the tanks are overflowing with water and there has been no rain!’ The man began to tremble as the memory of the promise from many years ago came back into his mind.

Now there is a great expectation of revival among the people, and many lives are already being transformed from the mountains down into the city. And it’s not just a story, but it’s what we saw as we travelled through Thailand.

(These are the water tanks that overflowed)

The man referred to above is the missionary we went to visit, Erik. For a more complete story of the work they are doing you can visit this link:

http://accwm.blogspot.com/2008/09/water-miracle-at-heui-hia.html

It was an amazing experience to be a part of what God is doing through them in Thailand if only for a short time and I find myself humbled to have observed their trust in God. God has given them a great vision and opened doors that would have remained closed to anyone else through, not just the work they are doing but their mental approach. I was less surprised with what they were accomplishing when I found out they have 24 hour prayer. People are booked in to pray every hour of the day, every day of the week. I was challenged by their commitment to prayer, especially since I’ve seen the power of prayer and yet I struggle to have the self-discipline to continue making it a priority every day. And I know better. When they worship, even though they are singing songs I sang in church when I was eight (‘The Joy of the Lord is My Strength’ and others) and had I heard it sung elsewhere it would have sounded stale, they bring it back to life because they believe every word as they sing. I look forward to experiencing the change the trip has inspired in me as I continue on my own journey. Hopefully I will get the chance to visit with the team again and see the continued work that God is doing in that place.

Road Trip

I'll add more about Thailand shortly, but thought I would mention that we have come to the end of day one of our road trip that will last about a month or so. We are having a layover in Townsville staying with some good friends, then we are off to Clermont for a few days (I hope I spelled that right). I am hoping for the opportunity to ride a horse. I've only done so a handful of times but enjoy it. Our trip will lead us down the east coast of Australia into NSW where we will see some more friends and family. We are hoping for lots of adventure and for Seth to sleep well at night! At some point we will be fossicking for Sapphires so plan to be very wealthy by the end of the trip (I'm hoping everyone can hear the sarcasm in that comment). At the very least I've been instructed by my mother that I have to get at least one for her seeing as it is her birth stone. We'll pick out the biggest one for you mum!

Village #1

As we arrived at the first village we found ourselves faced with a walk down a slope to reach the buildings where we were going to have our meetings. I was rather cocky about my ability to walk gracefully down the muddy path down to the village. Matt asked me if I would like him to take Seth which I declined. Whether it was because I wanted to impress those around me with my agility or I was just plain convinced I could do it, I cannot remember. Either way, it took me about three steps before my foot slid on that red mud like ice. Now you are probably expecting me to say I fell flat on my back or something similar, but I am happy to report I was not one of the group to encounter that unpleasant problem. And so, I laid down my pride, handed Seth to Matt and began my very, very slow decent down the hill. It took me till almost all the way down to realize that it was better to step in the grassier areas to get more grip. My shoes didn't help either. With my feet covered in mud slipping in my thongs (flip-flops) and then my thongs slipping in the mud, I took a step, then another, with villagers running and skipping around me...ok maybe that is an exaggeration, but they did walk beside me laughing and hanging onto my shirt in case I fell. Finally, one of the men gave me his arm and I held tight as I took the last few steps. Towards the end of the day the mud had dried out a bit and we were all a bit relieved that the walk back up would be easier.

I would like to make an aside here and mention that not only does God have a sense of humour, but when we get ourselves into situations that we think are impossible, God always gets us out.

As we were having our final meeting and the sun went down, the heavens once again opened and we had the opportunity to listen to the lovely sound of a downpour...I remember mentioning to God that the rain could stop anytime...anytime at all. It finally did a few hours later just before the meeting finished. So there we were in the dark, and the only way to leave was walk back up the slope, so with a few torches (flashlights) to light the way (well sort of, they kept moving and so we would freeze until the light fell on our path again). It was nothing less than an experience, and I would not have done it differently, although I might have worn different shoes.

THAILAND

I have tried a hundred different ways to start this, but nothing seems right. Some things are easy to express in words, but when you experience something that changes you, well, how do articulate that? And it's not as if some extraordinary event has taken place. All I can say is that I have come home from Thailand altered in some ways that have not yet fully expressed themselves. So I will share my trip as best as I can, but I suppose some stuff is just for me.

Whether it be the sound of villagers laughing at me as I slip down a muddy slope or riding an elephant through the forest, I'd like to try my best to write down my thoughts well, so bear with me as I put some stuff together!

First Impressions

We are now into day 3 in Thailand. I just ate at an authentic Thai restaurant...well maybe restaurant is not the right word. It was down a back road half hidden away. I've noticed most good places to eat are only found if you get lost or if you are a local. We had an excellent lunch, but I ate what I thought was a green bean and it turned out to be a green chilli. I don't eat much hot food and have never had a chilli straight. At one point I was making plans of what to do if I passed out cause my vision was blurry and I was feeling quite light headed. My stomach burned and Erik (the missionary we've come to see) said I'll feel it burn all the way through, so I'm looking forward to that! Then Matt tried one and said 'yeah, it's a little hot'. MmHmmm, granted he eats chilli like it's candy.

God has made it very clear from the beginning that He is here with us. One of the girls in the group almost didn't end up coming because her passport was going to expire in 5 ½ months and apparently you can't travel on a passport unless it's got 6 months left on it at least. Someone in Cairns finally sent her through with a warning that they might send her back when we get to Singapore. Each step of the way she was questioned and checked, phone calls were made. But she is here with us now, and I just take that as God making His presence known from the start.

Seth travelled amazingly well, and we even met a lady in the Singapore airport who grew up near where I grew up...it's a small world sometimes (for those who know Canandaigua, she grew up in Ithica)!

The place we are staying is quite beautiful. It's a little run down (they are working on renovations where they can) but the rooms are comfortable and we are being well looked after. I asked Mariaana (Erik's wife) how the structure of the building is. She said the structure is good, but the wood has been eaten out by termites. The Thai people let the termites eat the wood because they believe they are holy. In fact, they let them destroy their holy structures because they believe the termites to be more holy.

We've been asked several times if anything has surprised us, but I think when you visit a foreign country you expect things to be different so it's not really a surprise. Also, as I mentioned, we've been so well looked after that we haven't really been outside our comfort zone. Sunday we visit the mountain tribes were I imagine things will be different. It will be interesting to see how everyone handles the new environment.

It's amazing the work that the team is doing here. The influence they have in schools, in the government. I'm not going to even bother writing it down now because I don't have that much time!

I suppose that is enough for now. I'm sure I will have more to write later, after all it's only been a couple of days. It's a great experience being in a country not as a tourist, but having the opportunity to be shown around by locals and encounter authentic Thailand.

Ready, Set...

GO! Headed to the airport this morning I'm alot more at peace than I was a week ago. Seth hasn't been sleeping well because we haven't been home and I was getting frustrated thinking about how poorly he would sleep while we are in Thailand. I was a bit cranky at God asking why my son had to suffer because we are following what we believe to be the path God has put before us. God's response was as follows:
"I never said there wouldn't be any suffering." Then he reminded me that he sacrificed His son. And then...because He's a loving God and His desire is not for anyone to suffer, He reminded me that when I made the decision to go to Thailand He made it quite clear He was going to be there the whole time. Not just in the sense that 'God is always with us' but as an intrigal part of the trip. And so off we go...I'm pretty excited to see what God has in store for us as we put our faith in Him again...

Revival

And so the adventure begins...well sort of. I'm at my in-laws at the moment which means I've got a bit of a break with a full time baby sitter (thanks nanna). Matt is up at Weipa until Friday next week so he will be having more of an adventure than I am, although with the temperatures looking to drop this weekend close to freezing I'd say I'm being adventurous (it's amazing how fast after living in New York I've acclimatized to the tropics!)

With all this quiet time God is beginning to move my heart with new thoughts. As mentioned in my previous post, I've been reading the book 'Can God' by J Edwin Orr. His journey is one of stirring people to pray earnestly for revival and describes revival as follows:

"What is revival? It is not an Evangelistic campaign, or a series of special meetings. The way the word has been prostituted so as to mean to many nothing more than the visit of an itinerant Evangelist, displays terrible ignorance, which savours of profanity.

"What is revival in Nature? Yonder is a gaunt, gnarled tree, that has withstood many a blast. What a miserable object it is, with a few withered leaves still clinging to its lifeless limbs! But go back in the spring. What a change! The old dead leaves have all dropped off, and the tree is radiant with a new life, that has come pulsating from within. In the physical realm, revival means, not the coming of some new exotic parasite seeking either to camouflage, or to replace the old tree, but the new life and growth in the already existent.

"The parallel is true also in the spiritual realm. Revival is not a matter of organizing; but it bursts through human plans and organization, sending new stream of life into undreamt of channels.

He discusses the past revivals that swept through Whales in 1860 and 1905 (the book was published in 1934) but says this:

'Will those who tell us that they have been through the Welsh Revival explain whythere is no revival today?'

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save: neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear."

'Who'll pay the price?'

"The Lord saw it – and wondered that there was no intercessor."

Romans 12:1 says

I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, your reasonable sacrifice.

If all of us as Christians offered ourselves fully to God (after all, this is our 'reasonable sacrifice') scary as it can be...and we prayed in earnest for revival, what would happen? I would have to say in all honesty that I believe some pretty incredible stuff would happen that I've never seen in my lifetime...so why aren't we??

It's stirring in my heart...but I know that thinking about it is not good enough...

...and (He) wondered that there was no intercessor...

Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? (Ps 78:19)

I love what J. Edwin Orr says about the start of his journey in the book Can God - ? "An hour later I was cycling down the road to nowhere, convinced that it led to everywhere." It turns out on his journey that the road does in fact lead to everywhere.

We are shifting at the moment from Matt supporting our family to God supporting it...not that God isn't always supporting our family; however, Matt has no work after today until mid September and we decided that we would take advantage of every opportunity that God gives to us in that time instead of stressing. That means we are starting on a journey down a road to nowhere that we are convinced leads everywhere.

This month Matt is headed up to Weipa with a couple of pastors on a fishing/camping/hunting adventure for a few days. Then later this month the three of us (Matt, Seth and I) are headed to Thailand on a missions trip for about a week and a half. We get back Aug 1^st and after that we are hopping in the Landcruiser, packing our camping gear and driving off into the sunset, or rather the sunrise, as that is the best time to travel with Seth. We have been invited to a few different places including Claremont, Longreach and Newcastle. There will most likely be some or all of the following: Motorbike (motorcycle for the Americans) including a side car and horse riding, camping, preaching, learning, meeting lots of people and probably a lot of trust in God (since we are believing that God will open doors as we go and that he will provide all of our needs). We have felt recently that God is bringing us into a new season but He has been very silent on the particulars and we felt it important to take advantage of every opportunity that He has so far provided and believing quite strongly that as we trust in the path He is laying out for us, some pretty exciting things will happen.

I'll keep everything updated on here as I am pretty excited about these next few months, so if you want, you can experience at least a small part of what is happening in our neck of the woods or the rainforest or the outback or wherever we end up at a given time.

Impossible

God has been impressing upon my heart lately 'impossible'. I am beginning to get a stronger sense of the fact that there are plenty of things that are impossible for me, and I think we are meant to live in that realm more than a lot of us do. Living in that place where we watch in wonder and awe at the things God is doing because it is impossible for us (scary, but amazing).

God does not want us to live our lives doing things that we have the ability to do. He is an active God and wants to be a big part of our lives. You read often in the Bible about miracles happening to show the power of God, to lift His name up. God's name does not get glorified when we do stuff through our own ability. It is through the impossible that all eyes turn to God.

Matt has just bought a book called "Can God: 10,000 Miles of Miracle in Britain". It is being sent to us now. I have not yet read it but I'm looking forward to it. Matt has read it and said it is inspiring. It's a story of a man travelling impossibly. Miracle after miracle, God continuously does the impossible on this man's journey.

To be perfectly honest, it makes me a little nervous. If God is impressing this on my heart; and God is impressing it on Matt's heart...could there be a reason perhaps??

I'll keep you updated...

Your Love Never Fails

Below are the lyrics to a song called “Your Love Never Fails” by Jesus Culture

Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails
I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

Verse 2:
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails
Bridge:
You make all things work together for my good

We sang it in church this past Sunday and I felt quit overwhelmed by it.  I love the imagery of ‘the chasm is far too wide’ because we as Christians sometimes think that we should see it as only ‘appearing’ too wide, when it really isn’t -- but the truth of the matter is that sometimes the chasm is really far too wide and it’s only because of Jesus that we reach the other side.  Some things are impossible for us, but nothing is impossible for God…

Promises

I sometimes wonder if we forget that the promises of God are real...

Life gets difficult and we think they are nice things for Him to say, but we don't really expect Him to follow through.

Read the Bible KNOWING that those words are truth. If he makes a promise He is going to keep it.

Have a read of Hebrews 6:16-20

Time, as elusive as...

I was going to come up with a witty little simile (even though I hate them) that everyone would think me very clever, to make up for the fact that I've written nothing of much substance recently. After booking tickets and planning a trip to Thailand; keeping Seth fed and entertained; and typing up some documents for church I've only had enough time to flip through a magazine full of useless gadgets that was left in my letter box while watching Seth stuff peanut butter up his nose, in his hair and in every nook and cranny of this high chair. Then I received a reminder that I had been tardy in getting said magazine back to my letterbox along with the order for above mentioned useless gadgets.

So, no, this is not an excuse, but I thought I would indulge you all in the goings on and keep you all somewhat entertained.

The other bit...

I have, more times than once, found comfort in the scripture 2 Timothy 1:7

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (NIV)

At times when I have been afraid, God has reminded me of the part that says 'God did NOT give us a spirit of timidity'. And I have found great strength in that. However, more recently God has made a statement out of the other bit...the bit about self-discipline.

When I am stressed or overwhelmed, and I go into my 'self preservation' mode, my tongue tends to become very sharp. I find fault with most things said by those closest to me (I imagine there may be a few of you who know me well reading this and nodding in a knowing sort of way).

Over the past few months, I've had a hard time of it and have therefore reacted in a not so nice way to those closest to me...mainly my husband Matt. Once I noticed the way I was acting I spent time asking God to change my circumstances so that I could get back to my more normal pleasant self. That's when He reminded me that He has given me a spirit of self-discipline...

'But I don't want to discipline myself to be nicer I just want you to change things so I don't react so poorly'

God wasn't having any of it, and so, every time I found myself reacting in a bad way, that part of the verse would pop into my head. I'm sorry to say, I did a pretty poor job of it. But I think I'm starting to get the hang of it...hold on, let me just ask Matt what he thinks...

 

 

Longreach

5am Friday I found myself wrapped up in a big wool blanket. It took up most of the room on the passenger side, but we had to keep blasting the aircon to defog the window and my thermostat is very sensitive. I had pushed a pillow up between me and the door so I could get at least a little sleep after leaving at 2:30am. We were going to leave at 3, but Matt couldn't sleep as usual before a trip, so we decided to leave a little early.

As the sun began to rise we found ourselves basically in the middle of nowhere making our way down the dusty roads marked in places by the odd cattle station. It was brilliant.

There is such a marked difference driving down a dirt road than driving down a paved one. The dirt road makes you feel like you are a part of the scenery...all 900km of it. It's refreshing and relaxing, not to mention there isn't much traffic. Seth enjoyed the trip as well. I was amazed at how well he handled it.

Longreach itself is wide and flat and brown with the same colour river running through it. It made me really appreciate where we live on the coast and all of its green and water. But it does have a sense of beauty in its own way.

Matt spoke on Sunday at the church there (his little sister is the Chaplain at the high school there and a part of the church) and did an excellent job...I may be a little partial seeing as he is my husband, but I know good when I hear it.

Monday morning we headed back...this time at 1:30am...this time Seth wasn't sleeping. But it was perfect timing as we found a most gorgeous place for breakfast just as the sun was rising. We had never even heard of the place.

It was quite a tiring trip as Seth sleep very poorly while we were away, but we went away to bless others and despite our tiredness we came away feeling much more blessed ourselves.

Longreach

We are headed to Longreach tomorrow…over 900 km of dirt road.  It was about time for an adventure and it’s fantastic because Matt has never been there either.  We will be there until Monday and then we head back…yes, 900km on Friday then another 900km Monday, I hope Seth has a good time (has anyone had an 11month old that has enjoyed a 12 hour trip??).

Humility

Both of them were grubby, hard to understand and may have had a little too much to drink. They were what a lot of people would consider 'typical' aboriginals, and they walked into church several weeks ago.

One of them said hello to me. Thinking back I can't remember his name, although he offered it. I smiled and was very polite, but relieved to move past. As we were singing during praise and worship, I noticed they had sat up the back and I was relieved because it meant that others coming into church that afternoon would be more comfortable to sit closer to the front. I thought it was good of them to stay out of the way. Whether they did it for others comfort or their own, I couldn't say.

James 2:1-4. My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favouritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (NIV)

I've read this scripture many times before. In fact that is why God could remind me of it, because I knew it fairly well. I had read it in the past thinking I was glad that I did not act that way. And so there I sat embarrassed and ashamed. I only wished God had reminded me of it in time for me to do something about it. I wanted to invite them to sit up the front, even though one of them started belting out a chorus with lots of gusto, but little pitch. It was probably one of the best parts of the service. Afterwards they left before I could show my appreciation for them being there so I'm glad others showed them more kindness than I had. But at least next time I'll be more prepared.

Krispy Kreme Analogy

I am quite partial to analogies.  I love to find  random associations between two wholly unrelated topics.  And as a side note, I hate reading books with lots of similes.  ‘Like’ or ‘as’ are completely boring ways of describing something, and now with that said I’ll probably use one in my next post.

So I would now like to make a correlation between Krispy Kreme (hereafter referred to as K.K.) donuts and God working in our lives.

I just spent this past week in Brisbane, and for those of you who are unaware, Krispy Kreme donuts are only available in select cities such as Brisbane and Sydney (none in Cairns) in Australia, unlike America where they are so widely available.  So any time I go there I have in the back of my head the fact that I will get to eat some.  On my latest stay in Brisbane we went through the city a few times, but never with the opportunity to stop at a K.K.  I found this very disappointing as the week went by and was hoping that perhaps one of our friends might pick some up themselves…which they did not.   I soon realized my chances were pretty close to nil and I would just have to wait till next time.  I found, however, a sort of peace about this and thought God could actually make a way for me to have a donut, so I thought I would let him have a go.

…I will time out here for a second for those of you who think I am being a little over dramatic about a donut.  There are some of you who may be shocked and disgusted at the fact that I would ask God to get me a donut…and perhaps I shouldn’t, but He and I are pretty close and I thought I’d share my feelings with him cause I really really like donuts and Australians are not very good at making donuts (or pancakes).  Moving on…

The last night that Matt and I were in Brisbane we went to a wedding, and at the reception… of all the things the bride and groom could have chosen to use as wedding favours…they chose to use K.K. donuts.  That is right my friends, I got my donut…and not just one.  They put one on Seth’s (my 11 month old son) hi chair and he isn’t allowed donuts until he’s at least 25, so I got two. 

Now, this may not have been God’s divine hand moving in this situation, but that’s beside the point because after telling you that whole story, it doesn’t really matter for my analogy.

Bear with me…I’ve almost gotten to my point.

I thought about the fact that sometimes when we are looking to fulfil our purposes in life, we look for God to make them happen in the most obvious of ways.  And when they don’t happen the way we expect, we think that’s it, there is no chance of it happening.  But sometimes God wants to give us the desires of our hearts in unexpected ways… after all, a God that creates a world full of wonders such as the ones we see on earth, must enjoy continuing to use his creativity .  And it always comes at the right time and in the right place.  Not only that – when he makes it happen he doesn’t just give you one donut, he gives you two.

Away

I should mention that we are away for a week in Brisbane for a conference and a wedding so there probably won't be anything new here for a little bit.  So far our plane has been delayed 4 1/2 hours, they lost our stroller (we have it back now) and Seth has been sleeping horrible...but other than that we are having a good time.  Got to hear Joel Holm (Author of Church Centered Mission - good book) at church on Sunday which was very good.  If anything interesting happens I'll be sure to jot it down.

To Be Refreshed

Psalm 51:10-12 (NIV)

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Proverbs 2

...More on the previous post later. Now I thought I would share one of my favourite bits of scripture.

Proverbs 2:1-6
My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

I came across these verses a few years ago when I was feeling very confused and frustrated about my future. I wanted understanding and the above scripture promised that if I did those things I would get it. So I decided to test out Gods word. I thought, He’s got to do it because He’s put it in the bible.

Christmas was coming up and Matt and I were going to spend a week at him mum and dad’s. I thought that would be a great place to try it out.

Looking at the first part it talks about accepting God’s words and storing up His commands within you. I took this to mean I should be getting into the Word and getting it into me. So that was my first step...to spend a lot of time reading my bible...especially when I didn’t feel like it. As I was doing this I did my best to open my ears to hear God speak. I spent a lot of time walking around the property praying and ‘calling out for insight and crying aloud for understanding’ and when I didn’t get anything I kept ‘looking for it as for silver and searching as for hidden treasure’.

I spent a good few days on this, and while I understand that this scripture is something I should be living out every day I felt desperate times called for desperate measures. And so this went on for a few days, and every time I wanted to give up I remembered about the part on silver and hidden treasure. I knew if there was a million dollars buried somewhere on the property I wouldn’t stop until I found it...so I kept going.

At this time I had been giving God two choices about what he could do with my life...yes that’s right, I gave God the options, and as I was spending time doing the above searching and not hearing a thing and getting very frustrated, God reminded me of that and basically said ‘what do you think you are doing’ oops... it suddenly dawned on me. I felt so embarrassed and basically repented of what I had been doing. Repenting for giving God options may seem a little extreme, but that is what I wanted to do because I was limiting God in my life and that is certainly not what I want to be doing. I went to bed peaceful that night and was determined to keep searching.

The next day I spent some time praying and offering up my future to God saying to him that if he wanted me in the same place for 5 more months or 5 more years I would be ok with that as long as it was what he wanted...then I felt God tell me everything would change in less than a year...that may seem a little strange and God certainly doesn’t give me that much information all the time, but less than a year later I got pregnant with my little boy and a few months later we moved to the beautiful spot we are living now.

So now I try to live that scripture so I can be more aware of what God is doing. Of course I don't always, and sometimes have to get back into it, but it's like anything...you have to keep practicing.

And if you read the previous post you will notice that God is doing some more stuff, but this time He hasn’t given me an idea of when or what, only a strong sense that he is doing something...and sanding off a few rough edges to get me ready, ouch.

P.S. If you want to read a really amazing picture of what it is to search for wisdom as for treasure, have a read of Job 28...

...

Matt (my husband) and I are now in a position where we have neither the capacity nor the ability to do anything. So anything that happens is wholey and entirely God...I better hold on with two hands...

Sometimes I Really Don't Like it When God Tries to Make Me a Better Person

It’s a long title I know, but not long ago God decided that I needed to have a better grasp on the concept of contentment… I was feeling a bit sorry for myself, not happy with my circumstances, but let me put things in perspective…

Before we moved to where we are now, we lived in a small place with the neighbour’s door facing ours. Many days we unwillingly got to watch what they were watching on TV (lucky us). It felt very crowded and there was no where to get away. I was discontent, thinking to myself, if only we lived somewhere better, then I would be happy.

Fast-forward a bit and here I am living across the road from the beach in a small community. I can see the ocean from my bedroom window and I take my son for walks on the beach most days. So there I was on the beach boohooing myself (I know it’s stupid, but I’m just being honest about where I was in my head.), and there is God with this exclamation point hanging over the situation. It’s easy to see why people would be discontent when they have little, but I discovered you can be just as discontent with plenty. But I was afraid that if I felt content with were I was in life, that I would stay there. I only half believed that, so that half battled with the other half of me that was willing to learn and change. I also noticed that there is a macabre satisfaction in being unhappy.

I love what Paul says in Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV) ‘…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.’

The great thing about being a Christian is that when you give your life to Christ and become like a servant to him, you are no longer bound by your circumstances, because circumstances are no obstruction to God’s plans. He can pick you up and put you down somewhere new in the blink of an eye. In fact, our move out here to the beach all happened within about 2 weeks. And that was really the light bulb for me. Learning that to be content does not mean you are satisfied with where you are in life, but it is an understanding that ‘I can do everything through him who gives me strength’. And one really great outcome that happened from not thinking about myself so much is that I can begin to hear God a whole lot clearer.

At the moment, nothing has changed except my attitude, and I am so grateful for that because I am enjoying the beach so much more now!

Easter

This was written a long time before Jesus was even on this earth...

Isaiah 53
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life, and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the Strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Use Me

Fear…I was asked to speak at a women’s meeting at church not long ago and as I began to prepare I asked God what He wanted me to talk about. As I stared out the window (I do that sometimes when I talk to God, look up at the sky…), it wasn’t long before I felt God tell me ‘Fear’. Not a problem, I thought. So I started by looking through my bible for verses on fear…that was the easy part.

I had about a month to prepare so with all of that time, I was very eager to bring a relevant message to the women. I prayed often and read my bible, but nothing was coming to mind. I was just staring into a big black hole. Normally I get some ideas quite easily and put them together for a nice talk. Day after day I prayed… and thought… and stared…nothing. I was beginning to see the real fear that I had within myself. It is a fear that probably remains to this day, that I am still working out. I have a fear that if God asks me to do something that is beyond me and I go out to do it shouting with my arms raised, into battle, that I will turn around and God will be no where in sight. I’m afraid God won’t back me up. Now, mind you this has never happened before…God has always been there. Most of the fears we have are not rational, especially when they are fears about God missing the mark. I kept asking God what He was doing. I was doing everything right so where was He.

So the time came and I went to the meeting with a half dozen verses and an example of fear in my life. God said to me as I walked in ‘I knew who was going to be here when I told you what I wanted you to speak about’. It gave me only a little comfort. I got up to speak and started crying because that is what I do when I get emotional and I blame it on my mother (she does the same). I did everything you are not supposed to do when public speaking. I repeated myself, rambled, apologized…it was embarrassing. And as we stood at the front of the church singing some praise and worship I complained to God. What did He think He was doing? I wanted to make a difference. I did everything I could. I held up my end of the bargain, so where was God with His. Then the lady next to me put her hand on my shoulder and said ‘that message was for me, can you pray for me?’ So I did, and when I finished I looked up and saw many of the women there with tears streaming down their faces, God was working at getting rid of fear in a lot of those women. One woman even said she was driving there in the morning asking God what the deal was with fear.

God was gentle with me. There were no ‘I told you so’s’, just a quiet pat on the back. He understood, somehow.

I realized something important that morning…or was it a few days later…funnily enough it didn’t have to do with fear. God showed me that He doesn’t need us to be the best at what we do with great gifts and talents…all he needs us to do is put up our hand up and say ‘use me’. And He always shows up.

1 Corinthians 2:1-4 (NIV)
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirits power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on Gods power.

My Water Jar

OK, so here goes...my first post...why am I nervous?? I never thought I would blog. I'm one of those people that won't do something just because it's popular. I didn't wear burkenstocks until people stopped wearing them, but I enjoy writing and this is a way to get myself to write.

I chose the name 'My Water Jar' for my blog because of the woman at the well. She put down her water jar to tell people in the town about a man she just met named Jesus...so for two reasons I chose the name. One, because I hope that what I write can give water to the thirsty. I'm a Christian so that will be reflected in what I write. If you don't like it, don't read it. Two, because I plan to do some study for my writing and I hope that will fill up my water jar. One apology is that I am horrendous with punctuation...so if you are good at it...I'm sorry.