So here we are looking back on 2012 and all that we have been through, accomplished, seen and done. There have been many changes and adjustments for our family this year but we can see that this will probably be a theme for the years ahead of us as well. Change is not always a bad thing, but in most cases it is difficult and requires effort and lots of prayer (one reason most people do not like change). But as I ponder all this change in life, I have come to realize that no change means complacency. And a life of complacency is NOT a life I want. If I am never challenged and adapting to change, then I am standing still in comfort. And unfortunately that is the Western world we live in. It caters and encourages us to having it all, having the best and being COMFORTABLE!!!! I have yet to find one verse in the bible that tells us to live that life, but yet I find tons about sacrifice, counting the cost and losing my life to gain it.
To highlight some of the biggest changes thus far for us this year are:
1. Being appointed by Pioneers in to full time missions
2. Public school for Ashtyn
3. Elise getting married in June
4. Our 2 vision trips to Mexico to visit the teams and pray about where God
wanted us to be.
5. Mike and I going back to school
When I look at all these changes and recall all the adjustments they required - the main thing that stood out to me was all the prayer they required. Not only by us, but by all of you - our friends and family (whether blood related or by Christ). I see more and more each day just how important and vital prayer is and I am so very thankful for all of you that pray with us and for us. That is the one thing I can see that sustained us over this last year and will continue to sustain us in the days ahead.
So we wanted to update everyone as this year is coming to an end that we have BIG NEWS!!!!
We now know and have gotten all approvals on our ministry and home in Mexico. We are so relieved and excited. This has been a very long 3 and 1/2 years and we felt it was worth a big celebration. So we are going to have a revealing party to reveal to everyone where we will be and what we will be doing. So be watching for upcoming details of when it will be in January. It will be held at our home church Valley Creek Baptist Church in Hueytown.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Prayer, Prayer and more prayer!!!
So we have come to the end of our 2nd vision trip and have met some wonderful friends that are serving God with all their hearts to make His glory known among the peoples of Mexico. Each in their own way, with perseverance, love and boldness. We feel so fortunate to have made such great friends along the way, ones we know will be there to encourage us, help us and walk along side us as we all strive to serve the Lord where He has called us.
So now what you ask? Well we ask that you continue to pray for us as we are seeking the Lord's voice in where we will be called to serve. We really thought this would just be an easy thing for some reason. I guess because it has been such a long journey to get to this point, we thought we would go and just know immediately - wow, this is it!!! Well when you go and see all the needs and that the workers are few and you meet such amazing people serving - you all of sudden feel this urgency and scariness of "oh my heavens, don't let it be what we want"! How could we as humans make such a decision as to where we are needed and where we are suppose to be, if you ask us - we would need to duplicate ourselves and become 4 families and go to each place. They all need help!!! Now it has become a hard thing to think that only 1 of 4 will get the workers they need. That is heartbreaking to know and see. So ya, we for sure don't want to make any decision alone on our personal preferences or our desires!!!
To serve God can NOT be about us or what we want, what we think or what we prefer. Human nature is naturally that way and the culture we live in teaches and stresses that it is ALL about US and it is NOT!!
We know that beyond a shadow of a doubt that God can and will make it perfectly clear to each of us and will reaffirm that - we don't know how, but we know that He will. We are not talking about it as a family together - instead we are praying individually and when we all 3 feel that the Lord has spoken clearly to us and come together we know that He will have us all 3 on the same page. See only God can speak to all 3 of us separately and put us all on the same page. We know that will assure us of God's voice alone. Who else could do that? Right NO ONE!!!!
Our last trip to Guadalupe Valley to Rancho Sordo Mudo was great as well. Again more wonderful people serving the Lord wholeheartedly. It is located on a 500 acre ranch where they have a school for the deaf and are now starting training for the deaf and hearing to reach the deaf not only in Mexico but all around the world. The deaf are one of the biggest unreached people groups around. Unlike here in the states, deaf people in Mexico (as well as around the world) are thrown out, discarded and mistreated. These poor kids have NO language. They have no idea that they are Mexican or live in a country called Mexico. They teach them LSM (Spanish Sign Language) and then teach them to read and write. It is amazing to see them with such excitement to be able to communicate for the first time in their lives. The way the ranch is organized and handled reminds us so much of Casa Betania in Mexico where we have been going. They have 31 kids right now, the school is free of charge to them. It was amazing to see all the things they are doing and getting started. Here are a few pictures from the trip.
Thanks for keeping up with us and the continued prayers on this Journey to a Harvest. We are excited about the next few weeks as we continue to pray and talk with our area leader and see what God tells us. We would be honored to serve in any of these ministries and along side these wonderful missionaries we have met along the way. To God be the glory for the great things He has for the future, and may we never forget that it is through His strength and power alone that we could even begin to make this journey. God is good and has shown us His power, provision and love throughout this whole entire journey and we are thankful.
So now what you ask? Well we ask that you continue to pray for us as we are seeking the Lord's voice in where we will be called to serve. We really thought this would just be an easy thing for some reason. I guess because it has been such a long journey to get to this point, we thought we would go and just know immediately - wow, this is it!!! Well when you go and see all the needs and that the workers are few and you meet such amazing people serving - you all of sudden feel this urgency and scariness of "oh my heavens, don't let it be what we want"! How could we as humans make such a decision as to where we are needed and where we are suppose to be, if you ask us - we would need to duplicate ourselves and become 4 families and go to each place. They all need help!!! Now it has become a hard thing to think that only 1 of 4 will get the workers they need. That is heartbreaking to know and see. So ya, we for sure don't want to make any decision alone on our personal preferences or our desires!!!
To serve God can NOT be about us or what we want, what we think or what we prefer. Human nature is naturally that way and the culture we live in teaches and stresses that it is ALL about US and it is NOT!!
We know that beyond a shadow of a doubt that God can and will make it perfectly clear to each of us and will reaffirm that - we don't know how, but we know that He will. We are not talking about it as a family together - instead we are praying individually and when we all 3 feel that the Lord has spoken clearly to us and come together we know that He will have us all 3 on the same page. See only God can speak to all 3 of us separately and put us all on the same page. We know that will assure us of God's voice alone. Who else could do that? Right NO ONE!!!!
Our last trip to Guadalupe Valley to Rancho Sordo Mudo was great as well. Again more wonderful people serving the Lord wholeheartedly. It is located on a 500 acre ranch where they have a school for the deaf and are now starting training for the deaf and hearing to reach the deaf not only in Mexico but all around the world. The deaf are one of the biggest unreached people groups around. Unlike here in the states, deaf people in Mexico (as well as around the world) are thrown out, discarded and mistreated. These poor kids have NO language. They have no idea that they are Mexican or live in a country called Mexico. They teach them LSM (Spanish Sign Language) and then teach them to read and write. It is amazing to see them with such excitement to be able to communicate for the first time in their lives. The way the ranch is organized and handled reminds us so much of Casa Betania in Mexico where we have been going. They have 31 kids right now, the school is free of charge to them. It was amazing to see all the things they are doing and getting started. Here are a few pictures from the trip.
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| Church in the new worship center - it is really nice. This was their 4th service in it. |
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| The south hits the kitchen with some southern soul food - it was a hit :-) |
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| No this makes a momma proud - her baby girl jumping in to serve the Lord and others!!! |
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| Flag ceremony before school starts |
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| At the ranch, one of my favorite spots |
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| The front gate |
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| Mike and Ashtyn - we were way up, it was a great hike for us. |
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| Me and Mike with the ranch down below us. |
Thanks for keeping up with us and the continued prayers on this Journey to a Harvest. We are excited about the next few weeks as we continue to pray and talk with our area leader and see what God tells us. We would be honored to serve in any of these ministries and along side these wonderful missionaries we have met along the way. To God be the glory for the great things He has for the future, and may we never forget that it is through His strength and power alone that we could even begin to make this journey. God is good and has shown us His power, provision and love throughout this whole entire journey and we are thankful.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Packing again
As we are 4 days away from our last vision trip we are excited and nervous! Nervous because we know that after this, we have to determine God's will for our life in Mexico and that is HUGE!!! Never did I imagine the stress of making sure we are hearing from God clearly and how this will FOREVER change our lives. We are looking forward to our time at Rancho Sordo Mudo (it's a school for the deaf) and seeing yet another new place in Mexico that we have never seen.
We never once imagined this journey to be such a lonely one and a feeling of disconnect. But it is, and at times a hard pill to swallow. But we know that there is purpose in that pain and lessons to be learned, I pray for us to learn those lesson quickly!
We covet your prayers as we travel again - this time crossing the border by car (we have never done this). And a clarity for us to discern the will of God for our family. We are still approximately $600-$700 short for this trip, but we are trusting God for the provision before the credit card bill comes due to pay for the tickets. He is a big God and will provide.
I am not sure of the internet access while there, but I will update if at all possible. Sometimes it is easier to update our page on Facebook than to get logged into the blog and update. So watch in both areas. Thank you again for your love, prayers and support. We are eternally grateful! Thanks for keeping up with us on this journey, we love you!!!
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We never once imagined this journey to be such a lonely one and a feeling of disconnect. But it is, and at times a hard pill to swallow. But we know that there is purpose in that pain and lessons to be learned, I pray for us to learn those lesson quickly!
We covet your prayers as we travel again - this time crossing the border by car (we have never done this). And a clarity for us to discern the will of God for our family. We are still approximately $600-$700 short for this trip, but we are trusting God for the provision before the credit card bill comes due to pay for the tickets. He is a big God and will provide.
I am not sure of the internet access while there, but I will update if at all possible. Sometimes it is easier to update our page on Facebook than to get logged into the blog and update. So watch in both areas. Thank you again for your love, prayers and support. We are eternally grateful! Thanks for keeping up with us on this journey, we love you!!!
Mike eating grasshoppers in Mexico on our last trip!
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Ashtyn playing ball with the kids on the street in Mexico City
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Me loving on Angel & Leslie in the community center in Mexico City.
If you feel God leading you to support us with a one time gift or for monthly support- Donate Here - be sure that you enter our account number 111728 and our name. All donations are tax deductible! Thank you!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
1 down and 1 to go!
So we just returned from our first vision trip where we visited 3 different teams and saw their ministries first hand, got to hang out and get to know them and experience their cities. We had a fantastic time with each team. We were impressed with them all and found lasting friendships with them too. What great people we have out there serving the Lord with ALL they have. Some have been there as long as 33 years, have raised and are raising their kids there and all have a passion to disciple, love and increase the kingdom in Mexico! We were so encouraged by their stories and testimonies. I have posted some collage pictures from each place to try and give you just a small glimpse of some sites and ministry we experienced. I posted more pics of things we saw in Apizaco because my first blog post from our trip showed and talked about the ministry there.
Our First stop was in Apizaco
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Then we were off to the mountains making stops in Ixtepec and Cuetzalan
We finished up in Mexico City
We are asking for everyone to join us in continuing to pray for clarity as we get ready to make our last trip to Baja California Mexico to visit the last team. We will be at Rancho Sordomudo - it is a school for deaf children. There is actually a documentary about how the school got started, I have attached the preview below for you to watch. Thank you so much for keeping up with us, praying for us and supporting us. We are so appreciative of it all. We look forward to sharing our experiences and stories with you individually when we get finished with this last trip. Thanks again!!!
Monday, October 1, 2012
It is real now!!
Inside the church
cooking and getting ready to serve lunch
Outside courtyard where we ate and fellowshipped.
View walking dow the street to check on Ashtyn at the birthday party
This is the small group we met with and they asked us questions and we shared our testimonies and mission journey with them. Almost every single one of these people know God is calling them to another nation. Some of them are Israel, Africa, India, and Asia. They said after hearing our stroy, they see how God calls some into Mexico and some out of Mexico!!
Then we ate Domino's
And Dulce painted Ashtyn's finger nails - wow she is really good!
We will be meeting with one of the teams to talk today and then do some exploring around town to see what they have and see some things. We will be with this team until tomorrow morning and then we will go with the other team and head to the mountains. So it may be a few days before I can update, not sure of the internet service or anything there. We are enjoying ourselves so much and getting to know everyone here is a blessng. Thanks for keeping up with us, continue to pray for us each day. And I will update as soon as I can.
Friday, September 28, 2012
The time has come!!!!
So here we are less than 24 hours from leaving on our first vision trip and we are super excited! We have been waiting for this time on our journey to finally know where God wants us to be specifically. We have known to what country He called us, but that was really about it - until NOW!!! We are human so we have thoughts and ideas going in - but we all agree that we have to remain open to what God will show us and confirm with us as we make these trips, knowing that He will reveal to each of us maybe in different ways where we are to be. So we will bathe it in much prayer after making both the trips and reveal it then. I was thinking of how these days people have those revealing parties where they reveal the gender of their baby - well we have been almost 3 years of waiting to know the gender of ours - lol so maybe one of those cool parties will be well deserved :-)
Please keep us in your prayers over the next 10 days as we explore, travel and ask a million questions while we are there. Most important prayer request would be for clarity for all 3 of us. We appreciate so much the encouraging words, phone calls and sweet gifts we have been given this week and we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We pray that each of you will know how much we truly love and appreciate you. I will try to keep the blog updated as much as possible, but I am not sure just how much time or availability I will have. But I plan to keep the facebook page updated if nothing else - so check there too.
As you know we have our 2nd trip about 2 weeks after we return and as of right now, we are still $1200 short and unable to purchase the plane tickets. I am praying that the cost of the tickets do not go up too much since we will be so late in buying them. The closer you get to the travel date and purchase the tickets the cost usually is dramatically higher. But without the money in hand, we can not buy them before we leave. Join us in praying for provision for that immediate need. We have seen God provide this whole journey and we trust He will continue to do so.
Thanks for following us, praying for us, encouraging us, supporting us and most of all loving us!!!
Willfully His,
Sherri
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Evidence
Evidence Mission Team 2012
"believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever
believes in me will do the works I have been doing" John 14:11-12
We saw great evidence of the work of God in Jerez, Mexico this year. We took a team of 12 and served like Jesus! What a great work He did in us and through us. We averaged 260 each night in EBV (VBS to us) and we averaged 60 adults each night. It is great to see people hungry for God's word. We are blessed to live in a nation that has the freedoms, facilities and finances it does. Say a prayer of thanks for those things we so often take for granted. We were able to accomplish many repairs and projects at Casa Betania for Steve & Amber Benedict. We always enjoy our time with them and the kids each year.
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| Group Picture with all the kids our last night. |
On our trip this year our new Macbook Pro was stolen within hours of us landing in Mexico. And we were in no way going to allow satan to distract us or hinder any work that God would have for us. I started having pain in my shoulder before we left which got progressively worse with each passing day. I had my first experience with free health care in Mexico after thinking that I may have had a blood clot. But praise the Lord it was not. The visit was not bad at all, we didn't have to wait long and the doctor told us what to watch for and to go straight to the trauma center if we saw those things. So that was something new for me to experience. One of the best parts of the trip for us this year was for Ashtyn to share one night in devotion time that she knew that her heart and home was not in Alabama, but there in Mexico!!! She is ready to be there too. See God does call everyone and He alone is the only one that does that type of work in someones heart.
We are leaving again in 25 short days to head back to Mexico. This will begin our vision trips where we will be meeting the teams already in place, seeing what their ministry looks like and getting to know them. We are still $2300 away from meeting our vision trip needs, but are trusting the Lord for provision. We are asking that you begin praying now for us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading to show us where we are suppose to be. We are excited that we are so close to finally being able to know specifically where God wants us and to know a little bit about what our part of the ministry might look like. Just being able to know simple things like where will we be living, what schools are available, what will we need to bring etc... is super exciting!
I don't want this to be too long, so I will close with some pictures of us serving in Mexico and leave you with a question - Is there EVIDENCE of Christ love in your life? Scripture tells us that if we truly believe in Jesus, then we will be doing the works He did - meaning there should be evidence in your life.
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| Ashtyn helping our sweet little "Dora" in VBS. She looked just like her! |
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| It amazes me how much these kids are always wanting to be loved!!! |
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| Mike drawing with some of the kids, they loved him! |
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If you feel God leading you to support us with a one time gift or for monthly support go Here - be sure that you enter our account number 111728 and our name. All donations are tax deductible!
Thanks for your continued prayer support, that is one of our greatest needs and we are so thankful for those who pray. Thanks again for following us on our Journey to a Harvest, we love you all!!!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Living in freedom!
Proverbs 29:25 - "Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety"
This scripture is hard to swallow when you have a tendency to be a people pleaser. As far back as I can remember I was always a people pleaser. I can't stand the idea of someone being mad or upset with me. I have always wanted to be loved and accepted by everyone. I guess due to my early childhood and past - rejection became my biggest fear!!! My entire life I have lived in fear of being rejected by those I loved & wanted to love me. This caused me to bend over backwards to do any and everything to be accepted and loved. Not only did this set me up for poor choices, but left me empty from it not working. I was always striving to be the best so that I could be loved & accepted and finding that it was never enough. Hating myself for making poor choices but not seeing another way to be loved and accepted so continuing on that path.
See the world was telling me be like this, look like this, act like this, do this and do that and you will be loved & accepted more. I spent way too many years trying all of that to only be left empty and hating myself. Always feeling empty and lonely. Oh but I put on a good face, because who could love and accept me if I didn't. All those years led to my adulthood of trying to be good enough, attractive enough, perfect enough and again rejection. But this time I had found the Lord, so why was this still so hard? Wasn't this suppose to be easy now? NO, it wasn't! I still had not let it sink in and learn that I am NOT to live for the approval of people. I am to live for the Lord and His approval. I have to be honest and tell you that I struggled with this for years as a Christian.
Those ways of thinking were so engraved in my thinking that I didn't allow God to get in there and change them. Having a tender heart has made it even more difficult for me to not take things so personal & hurt me so deeply. But over the last few years God has brought me so far from where I used to be. He has allowed me to experience rejection at the deepest levels, levels I never dreamed I would ever experience! But through them all He has been my strength and my guide to heal, teach and redirect my thinking according to His word. He has taught me so much about myself and showed me just how much He loves me. He has shown me that He will NEVER leave or reject me while I am living for Him and striving to become more like Him.
As His word says - "Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety" This is so true. See I no longer base my life on whether I feel loved and accepted by others - because at the end of the day I am not accountable to them - but I am to God. I can not control what others say, think or do - they are accountable for that. I no longer make choices based on what I think others want me to say or do so they will love me, accept me or chose me. Over 2000 years ago there was a man who chose me first because He loved me so much and He is STILL choosing me first everyday!!!
Mark 8:34-37 he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
See my selfish way was to seek human approval & acceptance and it kept me chained for years and could have cost me my soul! What good would it do me to have the entire world love & accept me if it would cost me my soul? Oh my when I look at it that way it seems so crazy - but that is what I was doing, loosing my soul for human love and acceptance! Nothing is more important than my soul and yours! What are you gaining in the world that could cost you your soul?
I still have my tender heart and I am thankful for that - see I think it is a heart like Jesus' and it allows me to love people the way I do. I am fully aware that when I love the way I do that I will be hurt more deeply than most - but God has shown me that He gets hurt the same way by us daily too. So it has helped me to make choices I know are pleasing to Him because the last thing I want to do is hurt Him like that. He has given me freedom from losing my soul and shown me how special and precious I am to Him. And I hear Him say everyday, "Sherri, I choose YOU FIRST" - what music to my ears!
This scripture is hard to swallow when you have a tendency to be a people pleaser. As far back as I can remember I was always a people pleaser. I can't stand the idea of someone being mad or upset with me. I have always wanted to be loved and accepted by everyone. I guess due to my early childhood and past - rejection became my biggest fear!!! My entire life I have lived in fear of being rejected by those I loved & wanted to love me. This caused me to bend over backwards to do any and everything to be accepted and loved. Not only did this set me up for poor choices, but left me empty from it not working. I was always striving to be the best so that I could be loved & accepted and finding that it was never enough. Hating myself for making poor choices but not seeing another way to be loved and accepted so continuing on that path.
See the world was telling me be like this, look like this, act like this, do this and do that and you will be loved & accepted more. I spent way too many years trying all of that to only be left empty and hating myself. Always feeling empty and lonely. Oh but I put on a good face, because who could love and accept me if I didn't. All those years led to my adulthood of trying to be good enough, attractive enough, perfect enough and again rejection. But this time I had found the Lord, so why was this still so hard? Wasn't this suppose to be easy now? NO, it wasn't! I still had not let it sink in and learn that I am NOT to live for the approval of people. I am to live for the Lord and His approval. I have to be honest and tell you that I struggled with this for years as a Christian.
Those ways of thinking were so engraved in my thinking that I didn't allow God to get in there and change them. Having a tender heart has made it even more difficult for me to not take things so personal & hurt me so deeply. But over the last few years God has brought me so far from where I used to be. He has allowed me to experience rejection at the deepest levels, levels I never dreamed I would ever experience! But through them all He has been my strength and my guide to heal, teach and redirect my thinking according to His word. He has taught me so much about myself and showed me just how much He loves me. He has shown me that He will NEVER leave or reject me while I am living for Him and striving to become more like Him.
As His word says - "Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety" This is so true. See I no longer base my life on whether I feel loved and accepted by others - because at the end of the day I am not accountable to them - but I am to God. I can not control what others say, think or do - they are accountable for that. I no longer make choices based on what I think others want me to say or do so they will love me, accept me or chose me. Over 2000 years ago there was a man who chose me first because He loved me so much and He is STILL choosing me first everyday!!!
Mark 8:34-37 he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
See my selfish way was to seek human approval & acceptance and it kept me chained for years and could have cost me my soul! What good would it do me to have the entire world love & accept me if it would cost me my soul? Oh my when I look at it that way it seems so crazy - but that is what I was doing, loosing my soul for human love and acceptance! Nothing is more important than my soul and yours! What are you gaining in the world that could cost you your soul?
I still have my tender heart and I am thankful for that - see I think it is a heart like Jesus' and it allows me to love people the way I do. I am fully aware that when I love the way I do that I will be hurt more deeply than most - but God has shown me that He gets hurt the same way by us daily too. So it has helped me to make choices I know are pleasing to Him because the last thing I want to do is hurt Him like that. He has given me freedom from losing my soul and shown me how special and precious I am to Him. And I hear Him say everyday, "Sherri, I choose YOU FIRST" - what music to my ears!
I know that He is for me!!!
So thankful that He reminds me daily who I am to Him!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Fully Equipped
What comes to your mind when I say fully equipped? A car or a house that has everything? See there are cars that have stuff and then there are cars that are fully equipped - not lacking in anything, they have every extra feature imaginable. The same goes for houses, you have houses with the minimum things and no extra room or things and then there are those homes that have it all, not lacking in one extra available.
We know that in this journey we have to take classes and go back to school for 30 hours each. We have been trying to check on classes and schooling and it has been making my head spin! I never cared for school in the first place and I just keep thinking I have to go back to class and study and learn at my age!!! I have been fretting about all aspects of it - when, how much will it cost, how will we both do it, can we both do it at the same time, and will we both be good students and pass! Trying to look at our schedules - the class schedules and try and coordinate who will take what classes on what nights so that one of us will be home with Ashtyn at night. I was honestly feeling so NOT ready for this, wondering how will this all work out and how will I do all this???? So after reaching a high frustration level and thinking whatever - I will deal with this later. I got in God's word and He spoke volumes to me real quick!!
"We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He prepared beforehand so that we might walk in them." Ephesians 2:10 NKJV
"We are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago" Ephesians 2:10 NLT
He has written a script we are to follow. He doesn't want us to come up with our own, write new lines, or change His script to suit our agendas. He wants us to recognize & trust His plans are best. He formed our plans and paths before we were born, even before time began. He already has a plan for our careers, finances, families and ministry - and His plans should ALWAYS take precedence over our own! When OUR desires take precedence, there will always be consequences to our own desires and choices. Not because God is mean or bad, but because when we decide to follow our own path and not stay on His, we are then in our own power and strength and not His. We have a choice to either spend our time discovering and aligning ourselves with His purposes for our lives or doing what we want while asking God to bless it. I don't know about you, but I can look back over my life and see where I plowed ahead with my own purposes & agendas hoping God wold give them His seal of approval. But as I look back at all those times - I see He didn't. I just paid the price of my choices to seek my own desires and agendas instead of walking in His. Are you plowing ahead now with your own agenda, hoping that God will bless it?
"that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:17
In this verse it tells us that God re-created us "fully equipped" in Christ to handle what God's will requires & to do His good works. Since we are to participate in works that have been prepared beforehand, we can't accomplish them in our own power!! God created us anew to walk in His divine purposes! So all this school stuff is fine, because it is His plan for me and I can walk in His ways knowing that I will be fully equipped to do His good works. See I am one of those fully equipped cars or houses that has everything it needs! Wow! So I don't have to worry about will I pass or how will we do all this while we are working, support raising and still serving while we are waiting. Because this is part of His plan and the path that He has for us, we will accomplish it in His power alone!!! So I clearly heard the Lord speaking to my heart not to worry with whether I thought I could do it, or how, when or even why. I have been created anew to handle all the schooling ahead because it was in His plan before time and I am walking in it with confidence now that I I have been reminded by God that I am fully equipped to walk in His path.
Update on Vision Trip fund raising
We now have enough money to order our first set of tickets we are at 44% of having it all raised. To God be the glory!!! We are very thankful for all of you that have been praying, donating and buying stuff. We are so grateful for all of you, thanks again.
We know that in this journey we have to take classes and go back to school for 30 hours each. We have been trying to check on classes and schooling and it has been making my head spin! I never cared for school in the first place and I just keep thinking I have to go back to class and study and learn at my age!!! I have been fretting about all aspects of it - when, how much will it cost, how will we both do it, can we both do it at the same time, and will we both be good students and pass! Trying to look at our schedules - the class schedules and try and coordinate who will take what classes on what nights so that one of us will be home with Ashtyn at night. I was honestly feeling so NOT ready for this, wondering how will this all work out and how will I do all this???? So after reaching a high frustration level and thinking whatever - I will deal with this later. I got in God's word and He spoke volumes to me real quick!!
"We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He prepared beforehand so that we might walk in them." Ephesians 2:10 NKJV
"We are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago" Ephesians 2:10 NLT
He has written a script we are to follow. He doesn't want us to come up with our own, write new lines, or change His script to suit our agendas. He wants us to recognize & trust His plans are best. He formed our plans and paths before we were born, even before time began. He already has a plan for our careers, finances, families and ministry - and His plans should ALWAYS take precedence over our own! When OUR desires take precedence, there will always be consequences to our own desires and choices. Not because God is mean or bad, but because when we decide to follow our own path and not stay on His, we are then in our own power and strength and not His. We have a choice to either spend our time discovering and aligning ourselves with His purposes for our lives or doing what we want while asking God to bless it. I don't know about you, but I can look back over my life and see where I plowed ahead with my own purposes & agendas hoping God wold give them His seal of approval. But as I look back at all those times - I see He didn't. I just paid the price of my choices to seek my own desires and agendas instead of walking in His. Are you plowing ahead now with your own agenda, hoping that God will bless it?
"that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:17
In this verse it tells us that God re-created us "fully equipped" in Christ to handle what God's will requires & to do His good works. Since we are to participate in works that have been prepared beforehand, we can't accomplish them in our own power!! God created us anew to walk in His divine purposes! So all this school stuff is fine, because it is His plan for me and I can walk in His ways knowing that I will be fully equipped to do His good works. See I am one of those fully equipped cars or houses that has everything it needs! Wow! So I don't have to worry about will I pass or how will we do all this while we are working, support raising and still serving while we are waiting. Because this is part of His plan and the path that He has for us, we will accomplish it in His power alone!!! So I clearly heard the Lord speaking to my heart not to worry with whether I thought I could do it, or how, when or even why. I have been created anew to handle all the schooling ahead because it was in His plan before time and I am walking in it with confidence now that I I have been reminded by God that I am fully equipped to walk in His path.
Update on Vision Trip fund raising
We now have enough money to order our first set of tickets we are at 44% of having it all raised. To God be the glory!!! We are very thankful for all of you that have been praying, donating and buying stuff. We are so grateful for all of you, thanks again.
God gently reminded me that the more I seek Him, the more I find Him. And when I find Him, I find answers to all my questions and concerns. And the more peace I have about the days ahead.
Nothing pleases God more than when we ask for what He wants to give. When we spend time with Him and allow His priorities, passions, and purposes to motivate us, we will then ask for things that are closest to His heart - Bruce Wilkinson
Saturday, June 23, 2012
From Sweet Tea to Tamales
Well by far we have been dreading this part of our journey more than any part. It has been the most humbling thing ever! There are times when people say oh that will be so hard to sell everything and move to another country, or this will be hard or that will be hard - but really this is the hardest. Support Raising!!! There is NOTHING fun about raising support and asking people to support you monthly so that you can share the gospel with people who would never otherwise hear it. Worth it? YES Fun? NO But that is where we are now and God is teaching us through it all.
We are trying to find 200 people, families, Sunday School classes, offices or Bible study classes that will commit to support us with $25 a month. We have to have 90% of our support raised before we can depart for the field. We are suppose to leave after the first of the year, probably between March and May. We are praying for opportunities to share our vision and be able to connect with those God has called to join with us in sharing the gospel. If you know of an opportunity or place that we could share, please let us know.
We have already begun selling things and to be honest it wasn't as hard as I thought it might be, see every dollar raised is a step closer to leaving my sweet tea (the South) behind and one step closer to my tamales (Mexico). Letting go of stuff has actually been freeing. I think we are to wrapped up in our stuff and our culture is great at getting us wrapped up so tightly that some are never able to let go. I praise God that He is showing us the beauty of simplicity in our lives, homes and hearts. Those things that are most important and that have eternal value are not found in cars, houses, furniture and so on... they are ONLY found in the gospel of Jesus Christ!
God has been great at showing us His provision for His work in our lives and the most humbling of them all came from children! The children at VCBC during VBS each year collect a mission offering each night. It's always a healthy little competition between the boys and girls and they love it. This year,late one night, we got a phone call from our children's minister letting us know that they had been praying about where the offering would be used this year and through much prayer and confirmation - the money collected would be given to us! What? Wow!! A humbling call that left us speechless and in tears! I had been heart broken that I couldn't help this year with VBS due to my daughters wedding on that Saturday and had been praying for a great VBS and for God to help me since we would be doing the same VBS in Mexico the next month. I felt torn that I needed to be there so I would be better prepared when we got to Mexico and He showed me that He was more concerned for our lifetime work in Mexico and not just a week in July! Those children - you know the ones that Jesus adores and tells us to be more like- well they raised $792 - that is amazing! Those little ones have raised the most money and support for us since we just began our fundraising efforts!
I am so humbled that God used little children to show us that we have to totally depend on Him for all our support through others. Just for one minute stop and think if you had to, starting next week, depend on others donations and support to live and work!!!! Ya that is a huge piece of humble pie to swallow. Especially when you are the ones that are used to helping others and not the other way around. But through it all, God is showing himself to be trusted and true to His word.
We have no idea who will join with us to support us monthly and invest in the lives of the lost in Mexico, but we know that God does and so that means we don't worry or fret over it because He is in control of it and we trust Him! So since our last news letter went out we had a goal to raise $2000 by August 15th in order for us to buy plane tickets for our first vision trip. I am happy to update that you that we now have $1207 of that!!!
Please pray if the Lord is leading you to join us in monthly efforts to further His Kingdom. I will place the link below where you can make monthly or one time gifts that are all tax deductible. We are praying for you and thanking God for your generosity for God's glory!!!
Thanks for keeping up with us, praying for us and supporting us, we love you!!!
Please list our last name and account number when you donate so it will be posted properly.
Acct # 111728
Donate Here
Saturday, June 2, 2012
20 miles
I have recently had so many say to me, "I wish I could be like you" or "I wish my faith was as strong as yours" to which I reply, "there is NOTHING good about me except Jesus"! I guess I know what they are trying to say, because I too am inspired by others faith and it usually encourages me in a time when I need it most. So I started praying and asking God to help me know how to handle these situations, because I in no way want to bring glory to myself or my life!!!! He took me back to times in my life where I didn't feel His power, His presences or hear His voice. Back to those mediocre times when my Christian life was missing something. But as I would search scripture and exercise my communication with God - the Holy Spirit would search me! And would always reveal to me that I was not exercising an ACTIVE faith that really believed God would do for me those things He did for people in the Bible.
Faith is the highway of moving trust that allows us to experience God in our everyday lives! If faith is our highway - how many of us would jump on 59/20 or 459- stop and park in one of the lanes and say, "well I am on the highway this is good - just knowing that this road leads to my destination is good enough for me"! None of us would ever do that and we think that it is silly to think that we would - but we do that with our faith all the time!!! None of us actually live like that in our everyday life so why do we expect that to work in our faith life? God is looking for some people who believe He is who He says He is and He can do what He says He can do!!! Is that you? Don't be afraid to take your car out of park on the highway and move forward in obedience. When you obey you move from your agenda to His, and His plan is always GREATER!!! Notice I didn't say easier only greater.
Let's look at a great example of active moving faith. John 4:46-54. Here we have a royal official who's son is sick and dying. The dad (the royal official) walked 20 miles to see Jesus. I thought wow - we have people who aren't willing to even drive a few miles in the rain to come to church and all the other pitiful excuses we give today. But he walked 20 miles - would your faith carry you 20 miles? How about even 5? So he walks 20 miles to ask Jesus to come and heal his son and at his second request to come and heal his son - Jesus says 4 words to him, "Go your son lives" Now remember Jesus didn't leave and go with him like we see in other miraculous resurrections and times he healed - they are still 20 miles away and Jesus simply says 4 words to him. Now don't miss that it says - "and the man believed what Jesus said and started home." So he believed and started home!!! wow, he took Jesus at His word. He didn't weigh his options and talk about what if this and what if that, and ask a million questions and ask for signs that what He said was true - he believed and started home. I think we don't do that enough - just believe Jesus for what HE says and move in our faith.
Now just think what the journey would have been like if he hadn't had an active faith - he believed the words of Jesus to confidentially walk home!!! If we really believe what Jesus says we should have confidence to walk home. See God's word is enough. Having faith like that will enable us to walk in confidence even when all we have to hold on to is His word. If God has spoken clearly to you about something - take your car out of park on the highway and start moving toward it in obedience so you don't miss the glorious moment when your faith becomes sight. See the fathers faith became sight when he got home and saw his son alive.
I am looking forward to seeing my faith become glorious sight when I arrive in Mexico to live among the people and see my Father do His work!!! I long for that day more and more each passing mile as I walk to where He told me to go and see that He can be trusted and He is who He says He is and He does what He says He will do. I feel like my walk had been way more than 20 miles with lots of obstacles and wild animals along the way - BUT He has never left me or forsaken me - just like He said!!
Faith is the highway of moving trust that allows us to experience God in our everyday lives! If faith is our highway - how many of us would jump on 59/20 or 459- stop and park in one of the lanes and say, "well I am on the highway this is good - just knowing that this road leads to my destination is good enough for me"! None of us would ever do that and we think that it is silly to think that we would - but we do that with our faith all the time!!! None of us actually live like that in our everyday life so why do we expect that to work in our faith life? God is looking for some people who believe He is who He says He is and He can do what He says He can do!!! Is that you? Don't be afraid to take your car out of park on the highway and move forward in obedience. When you obey you move from your agenda to His, and His plan is always GREATER!!! Notice I didn't say easier only greater.
Let's look at a great example of active moving faith. John 4:46-54. Here we have a royal official who's son is sick and dying. The dad (the royal official) walked 20 miles to see Jesus. I thought wow - we have people who aren't willing to even drive a few miles in the rain to come to church and all the other pitiful excuses we give today. But he walked 20 miles - would your faith carry you 20 miles? How about even 5? So he walks 20 miles to ask Jesus to come and heal his son and at his second request to come and heal his son - Jesus says 4 words to him, "Go your son lives" Now remember Jesus didn't leave and go with him like we see in other miraculous resurrections and times he healed - they are still 20 miles away and Jesus simply says 4 words to him. Now don't miss that it says - "and the man believed what Jesus said and started home." So he believed and started home!!! wow, he took Jesus at His word. He didn't weigh his options and talk about what if this and what if that, and ask a million questions and ask for signs that what He said was true - he believed and started home. I think we don't do that enough - just believe Jesus for what HE says and move in our faith.
Now just think what the journey would have been like if he hadn't had an active faith - he believed the words of Jesus to confidentially walk home!!! If we really believe what Jesus says we should have confidence to walk home. See God's word is enough. Having faith like that will enable us to walk in confidence even when all we have to hold on to is His word. If God has spoken clearly to you about something - take your car out of park on the highway and start moving toward it in obedience so you don't miss the glorious moment when your faith becomes sight. See the fathers faith became sight when he got home and saw his son alive.
I am looking forward to seeing my faith become glorious sight when I arrive in Mexico to live among the people and see my Father do His work!!! I long for that day more and more each passing mile as I walk to where He told me to go and see that He can be trusted and He is who He says He is and He does what He says He will do. I feel like my walk had been way more than 20 miles with lots of obstacles and wild animals along the way - BUT He has never left me or forsaken me - just like He said!!
Music is a key in our family and I am pretty sure I will always be able to find a song to go along with every post I ever make
Friday, May 25, 2012
"Amad"
Habakkuk 2:1 "I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how He will answer my complaint.
The Hebrew word "amad" means to endure, remain and to be standing both in body and attitude. (pretty sure I fail this one way too much!) Habakkuk shows us how seriously he expected God to answer and how determined he was to wait on that answer. He didn't seek to fill his void with alternatives, like I do so often. He just waited on God, always on the look out for an answer. We have been in a "waiting on God" mode for what seems like seasons, but He continues to show us answers and show us the way. Sometimes I forget that in order to hear God's answer I must minimize ALL distractions to concentrate fully on the task.
Habakkuk was not going to make a move until he had received divine direction. If we value God's Word like Habakkuk, we should be willing to wait patiently and not move until we have received it! Where did he say he was going to wait for divine direction? From the watchtower - why is that so important? Because a watchtower is positioned well above the ground to provide a broader view for miles around. It would give the guards in those towers a different view of their circumstances by placing them high above ground level. It also put them above the level of distracting noise. I remember so vividly that when Mike and I went parasailing how quiet it was when we got up there above all the stuff we were surrounded by. I was blown away at the quietness, I was not expecting that. We too need to place ourselves above our ground level circumstances and get above them. We need to take our eyes off our circumstances and watch only for God!!! Can I just be honest and tell you that this has been a struggle for me lately. I have been so worried and upset about my circumstances and how and when they would change, that I probably have not heard God because of all the distractions and certainly lost sight of the stairs to the watchtower!!!
Then we get to Habakkuk 2:3 "This vision is for a future time. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed." We have to be careful not to run ahead the moment we hear God's leading and direction. We must walk in daily obedience instead of desiring to see the end result of God's plan instantly! See the Lord even prefaced His message to Habakkuk with a reminder for us not to carry out His plan before its due season! Wow in a world of instant gratification - that is a hard one for us all. See He wants us to remain standing in body and attitude, expecting Him to answer, while in the watchtower with no distractions for His divine answer and then when we have gotten that divine answer to walk in daily obedience instead of running ahead of Him. Wow!!!
My heart is encouraged to not flounder as time passes as I wait to see God's promises fulfilled. I will be standing firm and walking in daily obedience to God. Great relief awaits those who ask God to provide. We can be free from the burdens of trying to make things happen when we know He promises to fulfill His own Word. God told Habakkuk what he would need to walk in patience before the Lord.(Habakkuk 2:4) And it remains the same for us today - we must not depend on ourselves to make things happen!
I am not sure what you're going through or the circumstances in front of you - but I know mine. Look around for the stairs to the watchtower - get above those circumstances and look for God. It is not easy waiting on God and then not running ahead of Him - its a daily walk. But I know that we are more than willing to stay by our phones awaiting a call regarding a career opportunity or a report from the doctor's office. We will wait in line for groceries and other stuff. We will wait out the long months before the arrival of a child. But the value we place on God dictates the amount of time we are willing to wait on Him. The importance of hearing God's voice was paramount to Habakkuk - let's make it paramount to us TODAY!!!
The Hebrew word "amad" means to endure, remain and to be standing both in body and attitude. (pretty sure I fail this one way too much!) Habakkuk shows us how seriously he expected God to answer and how determined he was to wait on that answer. He didn't seek to fill his void with alternatives, like I do so often. He just waited on God, always on the look out for an answer. We have been in a "waiting on God" mode for what seems like seasons, but He continues to show us answers and show us the way. Sometimes I forget that in order to hear God's answer I must minimize ALL distractions to concentrate fully on the task.
Habakkuk was not going to make a move until he had received divine direction. If we value God's Word like Habakkuk, we should be willing to wait patiently and not move until we have received it! Where did he say he was going to wait for divine direction? From the watchtower - why is that so important? Because a watchtower is positioned well above the ground to provide a broader view for miles around. It would give the guards in those towers a different view of their circumstances by placing them high above ground level. It also put them above the level of distracting noise. I remember so vividly that when Mike and I went parasailing how quiet it was when we got up there above all the stuff we were surrounded by. I was blown away at the quietness, I was not expecting that. We too need to place ourselves above our ground level circumstances and get above them. We need to take our eyes off our circumstances and watch only for God!!! Can I just be honest and tell you that this has been a struggle for me lately. I have been so worried and upset about my circumstances and how and when they would change, that I probably have not heard God because of all the distractions and certainly lost sight of the stairs to the watchtower!!!
Then we get to Habakkuk 2:3 "This vision is for a future time. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed." We have to be careful not to run ahead the moment we hear God's leading and direction. We must walk in daily obedience instead of desiring to see the end result of God's plan instantly! See the Lord even prefaced His message to Habakkuk with a reminder for us not to carry out His plan before its due season! Wow in a world of instant gratification - that is a hard one for us all. See He wants us to remain standing in body and attitude, expecting Him to answer, while in the watchtower with no distractions for His divine answer and then when we have gotten that divine answer to walk in daily obedience instead of running ahead of Him. Wow!!!
My heart is encouraged to not flounder as time passes as I wait to see God's promises fulfilled. I will be standing firm and walking in daily obedience to God. Great relief awaits those who ask God to provide. We can be free from the burdens of trying to make things happen when we know He promises to fulfill His own Word. God told Habakkuk what he would need to walk in patience before the Lord.(Habakkuk 2:4) And it remains the same for us today - we must not depend on ourselves to make things happen!
I am not sure what you're going through or the circumstances in front of you - but I know mine. Look around for the stairs to the watchtower - get above those circumstances and look for God. It is not easy waiting on God and then not running ahead of Him - its a daily walk. But I know that we are more than willing to stay by our phones awaiting a call regarding a career opportunity or a report from the doctor's office. We will wait in line for groceries and other stuff. We will wait out the long months before the arrival of a child. But the value we place on God dictates the amount of time we are willing to wait on Him. The importance of hearing God's voice was paramount to Habakkuk - let's make it paramount to us TODAY!!!
Great message in song from Greg & Janna Long!!!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Gospel Plow
All of us involved in ministry can recall many test, trials and attacks that we've experienced. These attacks come in many different forms. Some attacks and dangers are obvious and some are subtle. Every believer and especially those trying to share the gospel among unreached cultures are engaged in a titanic spiritual struggle. I have been praying and thinking about how we will equip ourselves for the work we have been called to do. Our spiritual condition will determine our survival and our success.
I am realizing that our titanic spiritual battles began a few years back and continue day after day. I have been studying Luke and God has spoken to me so clearly about things I have been worried & wondering about. I also recently finished a book we were given at COP in March called "Spiritual Survival Handbook for the Cross Cultural Workers" and it has helped me tremendously!
In Luke 9:59-62 - Jesus is very clear about the cost of following Him. I had to ask myself, "Am I prepared to pay the price"? See everyone is welcome to join the journey to follow Jesus, but as Jesus shows us in scripture, not everyone is ready to submit to His LORDSHIP! Many want the CROWD, but not many want the CROSS! Jesus list only a few of the numerous excuses people gave for not following Him. But we hear many more today. What excuses do you hear in your own hear for not submitting to Jesus' claims on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors? Some think Jesus' words were harsh in these passages, but they are not. See the man's father had not physically died yet, his excuse was to refrain from following until he had settled all his other relationships. Will there ever really be a time when all our other relationships will be settled? I think not, because we are people with feelings, opinions and needs that are all different. Our families are not perfect with perfect relationships and if we wait to go and serve until they were all perfect - we would NEVER go!! Do we long for all relationships in our families to be great - of course!! But we have come to realize that we can NOT fix that. We are NOT responsible for others actions, words or how they treat people - we ARE responsible for ourselves!
And Jesus goes right from relationships and serving to putting your hand to the plow and serving. He does this because they go hand in hand. See we can't stand on the side of the field trying to fix relationships and make everyone happy because then you are serving THEM!!! You have to decide to follow Jesus - step out and away and grab the plow and start plowing. You can not look back. I know that when I am driving and something out one of the windows catches my eye and I look at it for just a split second - my car will veer to the left or right where I was looking. This is what Jesus is saying - you can't look back at relationships, friends, family, jobs etc... don't look back or you will veer off track. See when they were plowing they had to look straight ahead to keep their rows straight. If they looked away it would increase their risk of ruining the plow by running it into a rock in the ground. He is telling us in scripture that there are risk involved in looking back.
I am realizing that our titanic spiritual battles began a few years back and continue day after day. I have been studying Luke and God has spoken to me so clearly about things I have been worried & wondering about. I also recently finished a book we were given at COP in March called "Spiritual Survival Handbook for the Cross Cultural Workers" and it has helped me tremendously!
In Luke 9:59-62 - Jesus is very clear about the cost of following Him. I had to ask myself, "Am I prepared to pay the price"? See everyone is welcome to join the journey to follow Jesus, but as Jesus shows us in scripture, not everyone is ready to submit to His LORDSHIP! Many want the CROWD, but not many want the CROSS! Jesus list only a few of the numerous excuses people gave for not following Him. But we hear many more today. What excuses do you hear in your own hear for not submitting to Jesus' claims on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors? Some think Jesus' words were harsh in these passages, but they are not. See the man's father had not physically died yet, his excuse was to refrain from following until he had settled all his other relationships. Will there ever really be a time when all our other relationships will be settled? I think not, because we are people with feelings, opinions and needs that are all different. Our families are not perfect with perfect relationships and if we wait to go and serve until they were all perfect - we would NEVER go!! Do we long for all relationships in our families to be great - of course!! But we have come to realize that we can NOT fix that. We are NOT responsible for others actions, words or how they treat people - we ARE responsible for ourselves!
And Jesus goes right from relationships and serving to putting your hand to the plow and serving. He does this because they go hand in hand. See we can't stand on the side of the field trying to fix relationships and make everyone happy because then you are serving THEM!!! You have to decide to follow Jesus - step out and away and grab the plow and start plowing. You can not look back. I know that when I am driving and something out one of the windows catches my eye and I look at it for just a split second - my car will veer to the left or right where I was looking. This is what Jesus is saying - you can't look back at relationships, friends, family, jobs etc... don't look back or you will veer off track. See when they were plowing they had to look straight ahead to keep their rows straight. If they looked away it would increase their risk of ruining the plow by running it into a rock in the ground. He is telling us in scripture that there are risk involved in looking back.
Pray with us that we would continue to look straight ahead as we plow this new field no matter how difficult it becomes making sure not to risk ruining our plow on rocks. We desire to apply all foundational principals found in scripture that will lead us to spiritual fruitfulness in our lives and our ministry in Mexico. It's one thing to go to Mexico and survive but a whole different thing to flourish and be fruitful despite the attacks of the enemy.
The Lord's will for us ALL is to
"go and bear fruit, fruit that will last"
This song has been on my heart for a while now and here is the story behind the reason she redid this old song. It is a great reminder for us all to press on and keep our eye on the prize - don't look back!!
Below is the full version of just the song - the lyrics are so powerful!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Standing like an Officer
Luke 7:1-10 - Standing like an Officer
So many think faith is something so non-biblical such as believing something to be true when you know it's not or that it is working up a kind of courage to face something hard. Those are foolish and not biblical faith.
See on this journey our faith is tested day in and day out! We have more questions than answers. We have things in front of us that WE do not see how they will work. When we just stand on His promises and trust Him to take care of them - that is biblical faith.
Jesus commended the faith of the Roman officer, He said that the man's faith was without comparison. And all the officer did was to say that he would take Jesus at His word. That is the heart of real faith! Can Jesus say that of us?
Don't complicate your faith in God - just believe Him and live knowing that what He says is true!!!! I feel pretty sure that we will have many days when our faith will be all that we have and I pray that we will stand strong and take Jesus at His word like this Roman officer.
From my time with God this morning!
Sherri
Friday, May 4, 2012
Transparent
Well this week has proven to be a hard week for several reasons, some of which I will mention and some I will not. I have been burdened to be extremely transparent during this journey and some people will not like that. But if we don't share in our struggles and how hard this journey is, then how can God get any credit? If we don't allow people to know our difficulties and see how we live through them with joy in our hearts and praises on our lips then that is our own strength and not His. And believe me - this journey will only happen in His strength and NOT ours!!
Affirmations have been great over this last week with God showing us that He is in control. Little did I know that when I posted our 3 wonderful 4 legged kids and my car on Facebook that within 48 hours, they would all have homes and a buyer for my car!!!!! Saying goodbye to our sweet Ace, Canaan and Freckles has been more difficult than I was expecting. Selling the car was easy, after all its just a car.
We knew to expect changes with this journey, but we never expected so many of them to take place while we were still here. So many of our relationships have changed with family and friends and that has been more difficult to accept than anything. Our roles at church have been changing and will continue to change as we get further into this journey. This has proven to be a lonely journey and that we never expected. But we are learning to accept all these changes ( I didn't say we liked them) because we know that we can trust God to work ALL things to His good.
I have heard the Lord speak clearly to me this week as I have battled human emotions. I have had to let go of things, pets and realize that some relationships will never be the same again. Does that sadden me? Of course it does, but in my brokenness this week this is what I heard the Lord say to me.
"Sherri, do you love me more than these?" Yes Lord
"Then feed my lambs"
"Sherri, do you love me?" Yes Lord, you know I love you.
"Then take care of my sheep"
"Sherri, do you love me?" Yes Lord, you know all things - you know that I love you
"Then feed my sheep"
See to love Him is to sacrifice for Him, like He did for us. This is just the beginning of our sacrifices to be able to feed His lambs, to take care of His sheep and feed His sheep. And we are ok with that. Does it mean that we will always be excited and happy about that, No - but we will trust our sovereign Savior.
And when I was grieving relationships this week He spoke to me again.
Lord, I don't understand why things have changed with so and so, and why does it have to be like this and why do I continue to get hurt? What about them Lord, why do they treat me like that?
"What is that to you? As for you, follow me." And I will gladly!!!!
So once again He is reminding me that I am not in control, He has ALL this. And as for me, I am to follow Him and that is what I will continue to do. Nothing that is worth anything comes with out sacrifice and cost. And I happen to think He is worth it!
Please pray for us for clarity about the 3 places that we are looking at to make vision trips and see where God would have us. Thanks for your prayers and keeping up with us.
Soon I will post the places that we are looking at so you can pray specifically for those places by name.
Affirmations have been great over this last week with God showing us that He is in control. Little did I know that when I posted our 3 wonderful 4 legged kids and my car on Facebook that within 48 hours, they would all have homes and a buyer for my car!!!!! Saying goodbye to our sweet Ace, Canaan and Freckles has been more difficult than I was expecting. Selling the car was easy, after all its just a car.
We knew to expect changes with this journey, but we never expected so many of them to take place while we were still here. So many of our relationships have changed with family and friends and that has been more difficult to accept than anything. Our roles at church have been changing and will continue to change as we get further into this journey. This has proven to be a lonely journey and that we never expected. But we are learning to accept all these changes ( I didn't say we liked them) because we know that we can trust God to work ALL things to His good.
I have heard the Lord speak clearly to me this week as I have battled human emotions. I have had to let go of things, pets and realize that some relationships will never be the same again. Does that sadden me? Of course it does, but in my brokenness this week this is what I heard the Lord say to me.
"Sherri, do you love me more than these?" Yes Lord
"Then feed my lambs"
"Sherri, do you love me?" Yes Lord, you know I love you.
"Then take care of my sheep"
"Sherri, do you love me?" Yes Lord, you know all things - you know that I love you
"Then feed my sheep"
See to love Him is to sacrifice for Him, like He did for us. This is just the beginning of our sacrifices to be able to feed His lambs, to take care of His sheep and feed His sheep. And we are ok with that. Does it mean that we will always be excited and happy about that, No - but we will trust our sovereign Savior.
And when I was grieving relationships this week He spoke to me again.
Lord, I don't understand why things have changed with so and so, and why does it have to be like this and why do I continue to get hurt? What about them Lord, why do they treat me like that?
"What is that to you? As for you, follow me." And I will gladly!!!!
So once again He is reminding me that I am not in control, He has ALL this. And as for me, I am to follow Him and that is what I will continue to do. Nothing that is worth anything comes with out sacrifice and cost. And I happen to think He is worth it!
Please pray for us for clarity about the 3 places that we are looking at to make vision trips and see where God would have us. Thanks for your prayers and keeping up with us.
Soon I will post the places that we are looking at so you can pray specifically for those places by name.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
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http://eepurl.com/kFm4X
We will be sending out updates through our new secure email service. Thanks again for your prayers!
We are officially appointed!!
We finished our acceptance process and were officially appointed on Thursday, March 15th! I am using this as our first test on this and will be adding more later. We at this point are working on finding prayer partners, supporters and planning our first vision trips to Mexico to meet with the teams there and praying where we feel that God is calling us to serve Him. There are at least 4 teams that we are looking at. Thank you so much for your interest in following us on this journey to a harvest! To God be the glory for all that he has done and will be doing.
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