SHARING YOUR FAITH

Excitement in worship.  If we are really excited to worship God and we are willing to express it in church, how come we don’t express it outside of church.  If you are really that excited about something it should show everywhere.

I am so sick and tired of seeing myself kowtow to everyone and everything, being afraid to answer questions directly.  I don’t consider myself P.C. (politically correct), but subtly I can see compromises, however slight that I have made.  Of all people we have the most reasons to celebrate.

If you had the cure for cancer and didn’t share It, you would be considered selfish, greedy, and mean-spirited. However, if you share your faith or your personal testimony, your friends think you are pushing or forcing your faith on them.

Yet we have the cure for hopelessness--- so we should not be embarrassed or afraid to share that with anyone.  One thing I learned in Namibia was that the people are the same everywhere, just in Namibia and other poverty-stricken countries, they are hungry for hope, open to hearing about God and are not afraid to say so, they come running if you want to share with them, they are open.              

“As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after thee. You alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship thee.”  Psalm 42:1

They are not concerned about what others think, their reputations, their job, or if they are liked.  They want the water that quenches their thirst.

 

THE BOX

Sarah was afraid to look in the box of her past.  The box held all of her darkest secrets, ones she had never shared with anyone. She knew these were things she needed to face, so with trembling hands, Sarah slowly and deliberately lifted the lid off of the box.  As she exposed what laid inside, the tears began to flow.  There inside were all the times when she had felt unworthy of love, invisible to those around her, and many times she allowed those things to define her.  Sarah sat there for what seemed like hours with her trembling hands covering her tear stained face.  Then suddenly, but oh so gently, she felt a hand on her shoulder.  When she looked up to see who it was, she saw the face of Jesus, her Savior.  Sarah stood up, Jesus wrapped his arms around her and said, “My beloved child, why are you crying?”  She showed him the box full of reminders of her insecurities, and Jesus looked at Sarah with love, and said “These are not who you are.”  You are my child, you are loved, wanted, and valued.  I can take the box from you, but only if you are willing to let it go and trust me to take care of you." Sarah responded with a heartfelt yes, and gently handed the open box to Jesus.

An Overblown Balloon

My insides feel like a really big balloon being blown up, just one more breath and it will pop, flooding the room. Flood the room with what you ask, and my immediate answer is I’m not exactly sure, but I’m sure it would change everything.  It could be from some underlying anger, my unexpressed passion, my expressed fears, my unrighteous thoughts, or my unshed tears; any of the above or all of the above at the same time.  The only power that can strong enough to keep me sane and restrain me from exploding is the Lord God Almighty. 

The balloon can be beautiful in its appearance, it can even make you smile because it brings good thoughts and memories like visits to the zoo, the circus, birthday parties or other such happy occasions. However, it can explode when you least expect it and scare you and those around you.  Letting go and exploding without warning can cost you dearly in relationships.   

“Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly (foolishness).”  Proverbs 14:29

“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”  Proverbs 29:11

Spending time in God’s word, and with His Word (Jesus) is the best way to keep yourself from blowing up like an overblown balloon.  Walk away when things are getting stressful and you think you might lose control. Spend time with the Father in prayer, listen to worship music or read your bible to help reset your priorities.

September 2020 LK

WORSHIP

Today, thinking about the depth of feeling I have when worshipping the Lord by listening to worship music and looking out at the brilliant light and warmth of the sun. It brings a smile to my face that lasts throughout the day. I am reminded of the description that C.S. Lewis writes in the Chronicles of Narnia series, of the wonderful feeling that came over most of the characters when Aslan's name is mentioned, and also the horrible feeling of anger and hate that filled those who did not truly know him. I am reminded, though I can't remember the reference, of Jesus and the effect his very presence had on those who surrounded Him. Those who knew Him, loved being with Him. Those who didn't truly know Him, 

were fearful and offended by His very presence.  I am so amazed that the God of the universe, who created and provided everything, is so loving and forgiving that He loves me, His child.

Foolishness to those...

A portion of a song I heard recently by MercyMe really struck me. The song is called "Bring the Rain," and it says:

"I can count a million times people asking me how I

can praise you with all that I've gone through.

The question just amazes me, can circumstances possibly

change who I am forever am in you?

Maybe since my life has changed, long before these rainy days,

it's never really ever crossed my mind to turn my back on you oh Lord,

my only shelter from the storm, but instead I draw closer through these times."

A verse came to me as I listened to this song, I Corinthians 2:14, and it says:

"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (NIV)

In times of difficulty we need God even more. Many people who don't understand this wonder why you are still faithful to a God who allows you to go through heartache and suffering, when the reality is that He is the only reason you make it through! He is faithful.

Those who don't know Jesus don't have the spirit, therefore they don't understand our response to difficulties. The chorus of the song above includes this line

"
" I know there'll be days when this life brings me pain,

but if that's what it takes to praise you, Jesus bring the rain."

From Hopelessness to Hopefulness

Hopelessness is the one thing that can truly destroy you. How can one live without hope? There is nothing that sorrows me more than to see someone whose hopelessness is clearly evident on their face. It breaks my heart! Yet I don't know what to do to help. Each persons reason and path taken is so different. There is only one thing; no, one person who can truly give anyone hope, and that is Jesus, but as many ways to express or demonstrate God's love as there are people that need it.

What came to me as I write this is that this very sense of hopelessness is the reason I am unsure about wanting to return to Africa. For the children it is normal to live without many things, and their joy and their smiles, more often than not, are hopeful. However, many of the adults have hopeless expressions on their faces. They've lived a while longer than the children, and experienced more heartache and see no chance of change. I felt a strong sense of oppression over the area we were in, and even now when I think of going back it engulfs me again.

Namibia 2006

Namibia 2006! This last year has been amazing! Last January God called me to go on a short term trip to Namibia, Africa with a team from my local church. I was surprised and a little apprehensive to think of going on a mission trip, let alone one as far away as Africa. However, God made it clear that not only I, but my sister in eastern Washington was to go as well. It was an incredible experience, and a life changing one too.

Our team went to Namibia to come along side our African counterparts to teach the children about the love of and hope found in Jesus through a program called "The Holiday Club." It is like a vacation bible school developed specifically for the children of that country. It is a week long program. At the start of the week our team did most of the teaching, but by the end of the week the local teachers, pastors and community leaders were teaching. After the Holiday Club was over, the local leaders help the children continue to grow in their relationship with Christ.

The people of the country were warm, friendly and really open to learning about Jesus. We made many friends there. The country is beautiful. It was winter there, mornings and evenings were around freezing but the daytime was about 65-70 deg. The skies were clear, and at night you could see every star in the sky especially because there is so little artificial light. One night we were able to see the Milky Way in a perfectly clear and spectacular sky. It was amazing!

One thing that was extremely difficult was to see the poverty there. The average home we saw was made out of corrugated tin with dirt floors. Many of the children had lost at least 1 parent to AIDS, some had lost both. Before we taught we served soup to the children until the soup ran out, for many that was the only meal they had that day.

Our team of 14 met many wonderful people while there, and really became close. Most of us did not even know each other before we started preparing for this trip. When you work together to prepare and participate in a God-directed venture like this you learn how to become very open, and at times extremely vulnerable.

The Holiday Club was just the first week of our time there. Including travel time we were gone from our homes for 3 weeks.

This is a just a small picture of our experience there.