Hands up!

Okay, so I have been snowed in for a few days!  I really don't mind at all, but today the sun is shining brightly and I couldn't be more happy!  With the light comes just an overwhelming sense of hope and newness!  When it has been so cloudy, dreary, and snowy for the last couple of weeks, the sun coming out just seems unusually bright!!  

Isn't that sometimes how it is with God.  We go through dark times in our lives, cloudy, dreary, and snowy!  But, wow remember that moment when you know that finally it's all going to be okay.  It's not so dark anymore, the son is shining brightly in our lives again. 

I was reminded last night as I was trying to go to sleep, of God's sovereignty!  I was praying for my friends, brothers, and sisters in Brazil.  For some reason I was thinking about the wall of hands in Campo Grande.  My handprint is on a wall thousands of miles away, as well as the handprints of our other American and Brazilian team members.  I don't know why, but that amazes me that thousands of miles away, a part of me is there!  We were asked by the pastor to each put our hand in paint, and press it on the wall, then write our names and a verse from the Bible.  The verse I wrote was Matthew 5: 14 "You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden."  As we got to be part of building a chapel for this community of believers, I couldn't help but see them as a light to their world!  Again, God just reminded my heart that we are the light of the world.  And, these beautiful, simple chapels in Brazil represent the light of that community.  Light brings hope to a dark world, just like the sun brings hope of a new day.  Our God is so big and sovereign!  To think that a few years ago I would be smitten with such a love for a people in another county would just be impossible to me.  But, not to God!  He is bigger and brighter than I could ever know.

So today enjoy the sunshine, enjoy the hope it brings for the day, and enjoy the promise of a new season that is right around the corner!  

  

Hope!

 Who doesn't want or desire hope?  I think hope drives our lives.  We hope that we will marry the right person some day, we hope that our children will be healthy, we hope that when we graduate from college we are able to work in the field that interests us, and we hope we live a good and happy life.  These are just a few among many things that we hope for, and some of us even pray for. 

Recently as I was reading in Romans 4, I read this verse "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."  The words "against all hope" just kind of screamed at me.  Then my mind went back to his story.  There is no way possible that this couple should have had  a child at their age!  It went against all reason and hope.  It seemed hopeless.  But, it was a promise of God to Abraham.  To me, that's the difference.  To me, that's where our hope comes from…God.  That is who Abraham put his faith in, even in his seemingly hopeless situation.

I have to admit I have been a little obsessed with the book of John lately.  I read an article on how it can be used as an easy tool to share the gospel with someone because it is constantly pointing to Jesus, his love, his reason for coming to earth, and his purpose.  It speaks for itself.  Then as I was studying the gospel of John to teach/share with our group of college students and young adults, I couldn't help but see "hope" as the theme intertwined throughout the whole book of John!  Hope for the sinner  (John 3:16), hope for the sick (John 5:9), hope for the dead (John 11:43) , hope for the disciples , hope of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7), and hope for us as future believers (John 17:20)!  Wow!  We all have those times when we feel hopeless about a certain situation or circumstance, some serious and some not.  The way we handle that completely depends upon on who or what we put our hope in.  I just can't help but want to point everyone to the cross!   When I see a picture of Jesus hanging on the cross, I see hope for absolutely everyone.  What he did for us while we were still sinners, still unaware of his love and sacrifice, to me is the picture of pure hope!  As hard as life can be sometimes, as disappointing as people can be, one thing stands the same, one thing never changes.  Christ died for us, and our relationship with him is full of hope!  Hope is exciting and life giving!!  

I don't know who is reading this or what your current situation is, but I would love to point you to the cross.  I do not even come close to having all the answers to life's tough questions, couldn't even begin to go there, but I do feel confident in who does.  I do believe that Jesus is our hope, and if we have him, we always have hope.  I know we turn to many things for hope.  When we want to lose weight, we put our hope in a new diet, or plan.  When we want to be a better parent, we may put our hope in a book or magazine.  When we need to make more money we put our hope in a better job, and on and on.  Do those things always bring us hope?  Maybe, maybe not.  So, why not try to put your hope in Christ?  Maybe you have already done that and you think maybe it just didn't work out for you, or wasn't for you.  Try again, give God another shot.  Isn't that what we do with the weight loss thing, the job thing.  Don't we keep trying different things until we find what works for us?  People and church may disappoint you and maybe even fail you, but God himself will not.  We put our faith and hope in a lot of things so I think it is a perfectly reasonable thing to try God, even if you have tried before.  Hope!  After all, isn't it just what we all long for, to hope in something, something that really brings hope. 


*I would encourage and invite you to read the gospel of John with an open mind and consider the hope that is in it's words.*     

Keep making a difference?

Ever wonder if you make a difference?  Ever wonder if those little things amount to anything?  I do...  

Today I'm reminded of a young man named Jefferson who I met in the small town of Campo Grande, Brazil.  He didn't speak or understand English, but every day he was at the work site with a smile on his face.  Every day he was there, and you know what I remember most about him?  His smile and his servant's heart.  He brought us water and snacks constantly.  When I think of Jefferson, I see his smile and his hands carrying around a tray full of cold water.  Do you think what he did made a difference?  I didn't see him lifting heavy building material, or sharing the gospel with those around him, but why almost 4 months later and thousands of miles away do I still remember him and what he did?  Because my heart warms and smiles when I remember Jefferson.  His kindness impacted me!

Then another face comes to my mind, his name is Val.  I met Val on my first trip to Brazil.  Val was an awesome man of God who boldly shared the gospel with many around him!  He had been through unbelievable heartache and pain, but there he was standing strong on his relationship with Christ.  He inspired me greatly!  But, you know what I remember so fondly about Val?  The way he just simply put his hand on the shoulder of a dying, sick, elderly man in a nursing home.  The way I saw him just simply love people and pray for them is what impacted me the most.

And yet others.  I have lasting and impactful memories and friendships from my 2nd trip to Brazil.  Some of the sweetest memories of loving people I've ever met.  So many of them impacted me with their selfless service to God.  But what stirs my heart more than anything is watching a precious lady of God seek forgiveness and a new start.  Another sweet lady with a smile that could warm any heart and would cook one minute, and help carry a ceiling tile the next.  I noticed those little things.  They touched my heart.

And then I see the faces of those I see almost daily.  The high school student who is burdened for her friends and request prayer for them.  The college student who accepts and loves the seemingly unloveable.  The awesome and wonderful teachers who give day after day of their energy and talents to love and teach kids with very little appreciation.  The husband who goes to work every day no matter what to support his family.  The wife and mother who does more than humanly possible every single day.  The pastor's wife who's gifts, talents, and service generally goes unnoticed.  Then there is that lady who always has a smile and an encouraging word for everyone with no hidden agenda, just out of a heart of love for others.  The man who clears off snow and ice from people's cars without being asked.  The lady in the office who answers phones, but always has a cheerful "good morning" with a smile.  Those who feed the homeless, those who volunteer their time to serve others, and those who just sort canned goods and clothes so that those in need can respectfully obtain what they need.  Those who just pray.  The list could go on and on and on!

Do those little, selfless, unassuming things make a difference?  An eternal impact?  Absolutely!!  Jesus showed it best when he shared in the last meal with his precious disciples whom he also called friends.  He was about to give his life for the sins of the world, but before he did he showed love to his disciples by washing their dirty, no doubt ugly, nasty feet!  Our Savior, the Son of God serving others in a little, humbling thing like washing the feet of his friends. (John 13:1-17)

So, today keep in mind that we all are trying our best to live the best life we know how.  Galatians 6:9 says "So, let us not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we do not give up."  You never know who you will impact,  or how you will impact someone.  Remember some of the most rewarding experiences we have basically go without a "thank you" or a recognition, but none of it gets by our Father God.  He sees it all, every single little gesture you do in kindness and compassion is noticed by the one who matters the most. 

There he is, Jefferson, right next to Pastor ready to do whatever he needs to do!  He has no idea how he has impacted me, but God does!

"Extravagant Love"

Consider the kind of extravagant love the Father has lavished on us-He calls us children of God!  It's true; we are his beloved children.  And in the same way the world didn't recognize Him, the world does not recognize us either.--

1 John 3:1 (the voice)

Today my post is not completely about Brasil, it's about something that caused Brasil to be important to me.  This morning the words to this song were just on my heart, so much so that I couldn't quit thinking about it and I had to go listen to it...

Your love is extravagant

Your friendship, it is intimate

I feel like moving to the rhythm of your grace

Your fragrance is intoxicating in our secret place.

Spread wide in the arms of Christ is the love that covers sin

No greater love have I ever known 

You considered me your friend

Capture my heart again

The lyrics to this song by Casting Crowns is a beautiful reminder to me this morning of the love of my Savior.  Love has a way of changing us.  We all crave it, we all need it.  Love is something God has repeatedly shown us in his word.  The ultimate one being that he let his son die a cruel death for us, for me.  I sometimes am completely overwhelmed by that thought.  I'm also in complete misunderstanding of it.  How or why he would want to love me so much I will never understand.  Lately, I have been reading and hearing about so many awful things in the news as I'm sure you have too.  I won't mention anything specifically, but I just wonder about the motives.  And then I am reminded again of how much God loves me and how I read of others who are being persecuted and killed for their beliefs.  What drives them?  What gives them strength to stand up for what they believe?  I have to say I think it is the unfailing love that God has shown them.  How could you deny it if you really knew it?

I believe that it is his love, his extravagant love that compels us to action.  I know in my own life it is.  Part of my testimony is that a few years ago God started getting my attention.  It wasn't because he was condemning me or punishing me, but due to a some circumstances in my life I began to wonder why I wasn't living out my faith.  I began to wonder why I wasn't following Christ in a more intimate way.  I wasn't the one wondering these things by myself, it was God's love that started drawing me into his word, into more time with him.  A verse that I read during that time was 1 John 3:16 "This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."  Simple and to the point, this verse began eating away at my heart.  If the message of this verse was true, then I was not living out his love.  When Jesus was asked in Matthew 22 (34-40) what was the greatest commandment, he responded, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself."  I don't know about you, but for me that is not always an easy thing to do.  But, God commanded it.  Does that make it easier?  Nope, but I have found that if I truly follow the first commandment, if I love the Lord with all my heart, soul, and mind, it softens my heart to others.  HIS love for me compels me to want to love others, whether it is easy or not.  

So, why do I continue to desire to go to Brasil?  Why do I want to do anything for God?  For me, it is because of his extravagant love for me.  Not just his plain old love, but his EXTRAVAGANT love.  The dictionary defines extravagant as:  more than is usual, necessary, or proper, exceeding the limits of reason or necessity.  Our God loves us way more than is necessary.  Our God loves us way more than is usual.  Our God loves us way above the limits of reason.  When I really think about that, and I mean really think about it, it brings about this overwhelming sense of complete unworthiness!  I don't deserve that kind of love.  None of us do.  But, we have it.  He lavishes it upon us in many ways, every day.  The fact that our heart beats continuously is one of the ways his love is manifest in us.  Life, our breath, our complex bodies.  And like the words to the song say "Spread wide in the arms of Christ is the love that covers sin, no greater love have I ever known you considered me your friend, capture my heart again."  Friends, he has captured my heart by his love.  Wow, I wish I could say that made me perfect or good, but it doesn't.  But it does make me one thing…loved…extravagantly.  That love draws me in closer to him.  It gives me the desire to want to please him.  It makes me want to love the unloveable.  In me his love is perfect.  For, I am also unloveable, but he knew that even when he died for me, he knew that.  "Your love is extravagant"  "Your friendship is intimate" "Your fragrance is intoxicating"  I am thankful for that kind of love today.  I pray that it continues to move me to follow Christ in a deeper way.  May God's extravagant love embrace you today.  I invite you to close your eyes and listen to the words of this song and just let his love overwhelm you today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DqlLAVm0cg

The least of these...Brasil stories-#3

"When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothed you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go visit you?   "The king will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'--Matthew 25:38-40

The least of these?  Who is Jesus talking about in this parable?  Well, I think he is talking about the homeless person we may see on the streets, the young man in jail who really messed up this time, and among others the beautiful children who have no parents.  Or, it may just be your neighbor who can't afford to paint his house.  Or, it may even be a little boy thousands of miles away in Brasil.

On my trip this year, I met a little boy who's face I hope I will never forget.  His smile is still engraved in my mind like it was yesterday.  His sheer determination, despite the language barrier between us, to learn every American's name is in itself unforgettable!  He visited our sunglasses give away spot.  He came in, sat down, listened to the presentation of the gospel, prayed to Jesus, and received his new sunglasses, a toy, some candy, a Bible, and hopefully a Savior!  See, I didn't know at that moment if he really confessed his sins to Jesus that day, only God knows.  But, I do know this on that day some of his needs were met.  He was greeted with smiles and hugs and the great news of the gospel of Christ.  He was given a cool pair of sunglasses to combat the brutal sun, and some attention from a few Americans.  He was also given a little thing called an evangecube.  It's just a little cube about the size of  a rubik's cube, that lays out the gospel in pictures.  We use it a lot in Brasil because the pictures are a powerful way to break down language barriers.  It's very visual and colorful.  On the very last picture it shows that once you have believed in Jesus as your savior that it doesn't stop there.  Because of the love Jesus showed for us, we ought also to show that love by developing a relationship with him by reading the Bible and talking to him everyday, getting with other believers, and telling others about this great news.

Well, later that day as we were waiting to eat lunch I see my new friend with his evangecube and he shows me that he has it, and he has a friend with him.  He is looking at it and pointing and I have no idea what he is saying, so I grab one of our translators.  She asks him what he is trying to say, and he points to his friend and tells her that he wants me to share with his friend.  I still get choked up when I tell this story because it touched my heart so much that he wanted his friend to hear the gospel too, a brand new believer himself!  So, we sit down on the sidewalk with evangecube in hand and share the gospel with his friend, who also accepts Christ as his Savior!

I learned that day, that it doesn't matter how little or how much you give someone in need.  What matters is that you did something and God is the one who does the real work.  In those verses in Matthew 25 it doesn't say how much to give or how to give, he says "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."  What stands out to me is the word "whatever", and I take it as meaning that if you give or do with the heart of our Lord then he is very pleased about that.  He even begins that part of the parable with this, "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world."

I definitely do not claim in any way to be a bright theological person and cannot tell you what scholars of the Bible say this parable means, but I do think I saw it that day.  I also feel I've seen these verses in action as I've watched someone cry and pray with a friend who just got bad news.  Or, a wonderful woman of God cook and take a meal to a friend who just lost a loved one.  I'm also pretty sure I've seen it in a person who just gave a cup of coffee and a McDonalds meal to a stranger on the street, and in the mom who gathers up all of the clothes her kids have outgrown and donates them to a shelter.  All of these, I think otherwise known as..."the least of these."

"The Evangecube"

God's wonders in VBS- Brasil-Part 2

I have recently been participating in a study about Gideon with some awesome ladies from my church.  I have been encouraged and challenged by this story.  One of the things I love most so far is Judges 6: 12, "When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." Wow!!  Mighty Warrior!  God made a very ordinary man into a mighty warrior, which is what makes his story so relatable to us.  Today, I'm going to tell you about some "mighty warriors" that God used in Brasil 2014.

One of the many things we do in Brasil is get to go to the schools and do a modified VBS.  This year, every day of the week members of our team were a part of this.  Millie (aka mighty warrior!) always heads this up.  She works countless hours and months ahead of time preparing for sharing the love of Jesus with Brazilian school children.  She is beyond amazing!!  She also has a host of troops from our church who help her prepare, and a tireless assistant this year, Ms. Dee.

This year we were led by a precious young lady from the church in Campo Grande who coordinated these visits in the schools.  Her name is Regicleide.  I still can't say her name right, and bless her heart I don't know if we ever did, but she had a beautiful smile, and was so patient with us.  On Monday we arrive at the school with our small team of 4 women and 2 translators.  We really do not know how many children we will see, but we are ready for whatever God brings us, sometimes hesitantly, but always with God's help.  We usually share a little about where we are from, why we are here in Brasil, talk about the chapel being built, and tell the story of David and Goliath.  The kids LOVE it.  Millie tells the story, picks one of the boys from the group to be David, and one of us plays Goliath the relentless giant.  Some of us more suited for this part then others.  But, it all works out and the story of David gets told.  On this one day, it was told at least 6 times.  The pictures say it all.

This year we also brought salvation bracelets for all of the kids.  Someone in our group would use the bracelet to tell the plan of salvation to hundreds of kids and teachers in this community throughout the entire week.   These were public schools who had no problem with us sharing the gospel of Christ with their students and teachers.  I think that is a miracle and a wonder of God that we were given these opportunities!  Hundreds heard of the love of Jesus through the message of salvation.

So throughout the week, I got to watch God's amazing use of "mighty warriors" named Bob, Millie, Charlie, David, Christy, Scott, Don, Dee, Destiny, Oteasa, and Brandi.  Each one with their own unique God-given talents and abilities magnified by their flexibility and humbleness for our mission.  Although our task may not compare in magnitude to that of Gideon's, it's still a great God story!  If asked, not one of them would ever take credit for doing anything great, but like Gideon, God did something great through each of them that week.  Mighty warriors for God in schools, construction, street evangelism, and sunglasses give-aways!

Our group along with many of our new friends on the night of the dedication of the chapel.

Brasil 2014-Part 1

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since I have been back from Brasil.  It's always a bittersweet return, and always a challenge when I return to share all of the great things I watched God do!  I have shared a picture here and there on Facebook and Instagram, and been tagged in many pictures, so I know my friends and family know for sure I have been in Brasil yet again!  I've shared some of my stories with those who have been brave enough to ask that loaded question "So, how was Brasil?"  I can never sum it up, or give God all the credit due to him in a few words, or a short conversation.  This Sunday night our team will be sharing about Brasil, as well as 2 awesome young ladies who have been to Hungary and Africa.  It will be a great time of "bragging" on God, and I hope you will plan to come and hear all about it if you can.  

For some reason, when I so desperately want to talk about the mission trips I have gone on, or any other opportunity of serving, I want to be very careful that I am not drawing attention to myself.  I never ever want that to be the case.  I just get really, really excited about what God does!  I am still learning about his sovereign ways and it makes me passionate about telling what HE has done because it is so amazing!  I recently read this scripture in Psalms 9:1 that gives me a freedom, and a sort of obligation in telling stories from my mission experiences.  It simply says... "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders."  So here goes my attempt at beginning to tell you of our Lord's wonders in Brasil.

First of all, I feel like I need to give some background information before anything else.  For the 3rd time in the last 3 years, I was able to go spend about 8 days in the beautiful country of Brasil.  Our team from my church, Olivet Baptist, partners with Builders for Christ, and Pioneer Missions to build a new chapel for a church in Brasil.  Each year I have been, it has been in a different part of the country.  This year our project was in Northern Brasil in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in the city of Campo Grande.  Just as a little background.  These churches are not new church plants, they have to meet requirements in order to receive one of these new chapels.  One of them being that they as a church have to be the owners of the land where the chapel is built, and have to have the foundation done when we arrive.  That may not sound like a big deal for a church in the states, but it is a huge sacrifice for a congregation in other countries.  The brothers and sisters we worked with this year worked on this for months leading up to our arrival.  So much goes into these projects before we even begin making travel arrangements.  They prayed, worked, and sacrificed money and time to insure that this was done in time.  This congregation was able to save money on renting a building by having their services in a nearby school.  You can imagine their anticipation and excitement to finally be so close to having their own chapel to meet in and to call their own!

So, when we arrived after many many hours of travel on a Saturday evening, we are greeted at our hotel by the pastor and his family, and a few members of the Igreja Batista of Campo Grande, RN with a sign welcoming us "Our brothers and sisters in Christ"!  That is just the beginning to a wonderful week of God working.  But, he has already started working there, and he has already been working in us.  People from our church have been praying, people from their church have been praying, people from Pioneer missions and Builders for Christ have been praying!  God's work has already begun before one single block has been laid!  Can you just see the smiles?  Feel the excitement in the air?  Feel the heartfelt hugs and greetings that we were a part of?  It is really indescribable at best!

But, over the next several blog posts I am going to try to describe to you in as much detail as possible the great wonders of our Lord.  I hope you will stay tuned, and check daily for my stories.  I trust and pray that it will be worth your time and maybe even encourage you that God truly is still on the throne!  He still performs miracles.  He still saves people from a life of sin, and He still loves the WHOLE world, our neighbors, families and co-workers!  So much so that he still sends people thousands of miles away and just across the street to share his great love of hope and redemption through his son Jesus.