TORB to God

Patience combined with waiting has been a huge struggle for me as of late. Some thoughts can drive a person crazy and lately I have just been driven crazy with waiting for God to show me and having the patience to trust that He knows what is best. This morning God helped out immensely.

"Continue your love to those who know you..."
"Trust in the Lord and do good..."
"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord;  trust in Him and He will do this."
"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him."
"... do not fret --- it leads only to evil"
"If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand."
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
"Wait for the Lord and keep his way..."

God never fails to be amazing!

Brighten the Corner

"Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do,

Do not wait to shed your light afar,

To the many duties ever near you now be true,

Brighten the corner where you are."

Lately, I have been so antsy to leave Collegedale and go into the world to make a difference. This song makes me realize that before I can go do something big, God wants me to be satisfied and be a light where I am. 

Strength

One can never tell which tree has the strength to withstand the storm. 

Sick

I think one of the worst types of sickness is the one where nausea is involved. I am currently nauseated and feeling like an utter bum because I have been sitting on the couch all day trying not to throw up. I want to run, jump and play but no... I am stuck on the couch with a sore back from sitting so long. Blah...  So, this is an effort to distract myself from the nausea. A friend has one of these number things on their blog and because I am sick and don't feel like putting much effort into being original I am going to copy their idea.

1. fingernail always has a design on it

2. times I've crashed a dirt bike

3. number of beds I own 

4. longest number of working nights in a row so far

5. countries visited

6. horses owned

7. first cousins (5 adopted, 1 stepcousin)

8. number of years in actual school

9. longest running distance so far

10. years of piano lessons

11. weeks spent in different countries

12. weeks of hospital orientation (6 completed)

17. years of having an awesome brother

18. my favorite number 

20. hours since the last time I ate

21. years of life

22. states visited

24. ideal age to have kids... must find a man first so that might be a little off
28. my favorite day of the month

32. Teeth in my mouth
35. minute drive to work

100. dollars spent on flowers this year for planting

164. miles run since January 13

219. songs bought on iTunes

The Face of Christ

He shares a room outside with a dozen other guys

And the only roof he knows is that sometimes starry sky

A tattered sleeping bag on a concrete slab is his bed

And it’s too cold to talk tonight

So I just sit with him instead and think

How did I find myself in a better place

I can’t look down on the frown on the other guy’s face

‘Cause when I stoop down low, look him square in the eye

I get a funny feeling, I just might be dealing

With the face of Christ

After sixteen years in a cold, gray prison yard

Somehow his heart is soft, but keeping simple faith is hard

He lays his Bible open on the table next to me

And as I hear his humble prayer

I feel his longing to be free someday

How did I find myself in a better place

I can’t look down on the frown on the other guy’s face

‘Cause when I stoop down low, look him square in the eye

I get a funny feeling, I just might be dealing

With the face of Christ

See you had no choice which day you would be born

Or the color of your skin, or what planet you’d be on

Would your mind be strong, would your eyes be blue or brown

Whether daddy would be rich, or if momma stuck around at all

So if you find yourself in a better place

You can’t look down on the frown on the other guy’s face

You gotta stoop down low, look him square in the eye

And get a funny feeling, ‘cause you might be dealing ...

How did I find myself in a better place
I can’t look down on the frown on the other guy’s face

‘Cause when I stoop down low, look him square in the eye

I get a funny feeling, I just might be dealing

With the face of Christ

~Chris Rice

So unfair!

It truly is a sad thing when you are slaving away keeping the home fire burning while your brother is in Hawaii for a MONTH! What is this world coming to? The plus side of this is that he can call us whenever he wants cause he has his cell phone again and he's in the states. He's been calling me and leaving the most random messages. Last night he talked about chickens or something like that. I was walking out of work and laughing hysterically. I'm sure people thought my mind had completely gone. I miss the little fella. Well he's not little anymore and his voice keeps getting deeper. Maybe he has a cold? On that note I am going to call and find out!

Radical

For the past couple of months Dwight Nelson has had a series of sermons called "The Radicals; This generation, This world, This time." In it is a challenge to be radical for God. The sermons that I have listened to have been incredibly thought provoking about what God wants to happen with our lives. I highly recommend listening to them (pmchurch.tv), but since I know that most people won't listen to them I am going to sum them up and perhaps add a little bit as well. Hopefully, I can convey the same message that Pastor Nelson does because it's enough to turn one's life completely around.

Abraham was one of God's radicals. At the age of 75, God called him to be the first missionary. At 75! Isn't that crazy? He lived in Ur of the Chaldees, which was one of the most affluent cities on the planet at the time. He had connections, family, and wealth. But God called Abram with these words, "Leave your country, your people, and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." (Genesis 12:1) The call of God was enough for him to leave everything he knew behind and set out into the unknown. That is radical. He obeyed and God made him the father of a great nation. It took a while to see God working at that but Abraham trusted in God's promise. The three monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) can trace back to Abraham as our father.  He obeyed God's radical call.

Stephen lived radically for God. He went up against the most powerful people in the nation. He was not scared to tell them the truth. God gave Stephen the words to speak before the Sanhedrin and they knew that he blew their arguments to pieces. That is why the stoned him. God's radicals may die but "great is your reward in heaven." Matthew 5:12

Paul/Saul was another who lived radically. First he fought against God and then for with Him. After Paul's call, he went out and lived one of the most radical lifestyles that I can think of. He faced death and prison, many times he travelled alone, and his travels took him all over the known world. He became a mighty worker because God called out to him and turned his life around. He left family, country, wealth and fame all for the call of God.

Here are a few statistics. The number of people living on this earth is supposed to reach 7 billion this year. 2 are dying and 4 are being born every second. There are 1.5 billion of these that will never be told about their Savior if we don't tell them. Those two babies that are being born each second may grow and toil through the trials of life only to die a hopeless death without the knowldge of a savior. They may not  have a hope of a better life because they have no opportunity. Their souls cry out form the farthest and most desolate places of the earth. Will their cry be answered or will it fall on deaf ears because we are caught up with our own lives and are not listening to God's voice calling? We can have all the excuses in the book. My family would not approve, I may loose my job, I have no skills that God can use. God can overcome all of these things. Our mediocrity and insignificance is God's chance to really use us. We cannot be used to our fullest if we fancy something in ourselves.

We are born in a blessed country and into a religion that has more light than any other. Will people continue to live in darkness while we enjoy the temporary blessings of our surroundings. God is calling each of us to be radical for him. That may be leaving family, country, or our daily comforts. He cares about souls not our temporary comfort. WE are debtors to the world.

 "So long as there is a human being who does not know Jesus Christ, I am his debtor to 

                           serve him until he does." Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest pg 54.

"[Romans 1:14]. So also are we. By all that has blessed our life above others, we are placed under obligation to every human being whom we might benefit." EGW, Education pg 139.

Because of our "blessed" status we owe it to the world. No, we are slaves to the world for the call of Christ.

Has God called you to the road you are walking right now? Are you sure? Are you willing to give up family, country, maybe even your hard earned career for the call of God? We may face dangers and at times fear for our lives but life with God is truly satisfying when we are answering the call of God. Life with God is high adventure my friends.

"We owe Christ to the world—to the least person and to the greatest person, to the richest 

person and to the poorest person, to the best person and to the worst person. We are in debt 

to the nations. Encompassed with this debt, though, in our contemporary approach to 

missions, we have subtly taken ourselves out from under the weight of a lost and dying world, 

wrung our hands in pious concern, and said, I'm sorry. I'm just not called to that.‟ . . . [But] 

what if the very reason we have breath is because we have been saved for a global mission . 

. . the very purpose for which [God] created us?” (David Platt, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream pg 74, 75)

The End (is it the beginning)