I used this following little sketch/poem for a talk about God's mercy every week for YouthWorks and often reference it in my head when I am feeling discouraged. I just found it again and decided I should share it here. It is a great reminder that whatever voices in your head that are telling you aren't good enough to do His work, certainly are not from Him. A wise saying I learned while at convention in NZ was "doubt your doubts." How simple and profound. May you be reassured of His faith and investment in you today!!
There are many reasons why God shouldn't have called you.
But don't worry....
You're in good company.
Moses stuttered.
David's armor didn't fit.
John Mark was rejected by Paul.
Timothy had ulcers.
Hosea's wife was a prostitute.
Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.
Jacob was a liar.
David had an affair.
Solomon was too rich.......Jesus was too poor.
Abraham was too old......David was too young.
Peter was afraid of death......Lazarus was dead.
John was self-righteous.
Naomi was a widow.
Paul was a murderer....So was Moses.
Jonah ran from God.
Miriam was a gossip.
Gideon and Thomas both doubted.
Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.
Elijah was burned out.
John the Baptist was a loudmouth.
Martha was a worry-wart.
Mary was lazy.
Samson had long hair.
Noah got drunk.
Did I mention that Moses had a short
fuse?
So did Peter, Paul--well, lots of folks did.
But God doesn't require a job interview.
He doesn't hire and fire like most bosses,
because He's more our Dad than our Boss.
He doesn't look at financial gain or loss.
He's not prejudiced or partial, not judging,
grudging, sassy, or brassy, not deaf to our cry,
not blind to our need.
As much as we try, God's gifts are free. We could
do wonderful things for wonderful people
and still not be ...Wonderful.
Satan says, "You're not worthy."
Jesus says, "So what? I AM."
Satan looks back and sees our mistakes.
God looks back and sees the cross.
He doesn't calculate what you did in '98.
It's not even on the record. Sure. There are lots of
reasons why God shouldn't have called us. But if we
are magically in love with Him, if we hunger for Him
more than our next breath, He'll use us in
spite of who we are, where we've been, or what we
look like.
I pray that as Christians, we will step out of our
limitations into the illimitable nature of who God is.
Then our passion for God and our passion to
communicate Him will make mince-meat of our
limitations!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
what have i done?
life has been pretty uneventful lately. I have been writing, writing, writing to finish up an independent study by monday so i'm feeling a bit like summer is passing me by, but even if God only blessed me with what has happened this summer it would already be immeasurably more than I could have ever made happen on my own power. i often wonder if this blog is really to update people on what is happening in my heart, mind, and life, or really for me to just log what is happening for my own benefit. it's really a toss up, but if for nothing else i am going to take the time to make a little list of things i have done recently...
- moved out of a most loved living spot, townhouse 405, to learn how to live life without my bff's there every few hours...weird
- walked across a stage in luckey gymnasium to pick up an IWU diploma holder from Dr. Henry Smith
- drove 1400 miles to a city i don't know, to talk to people i don't know anything about, because i knew God wanted me to do ministry there, only to end up being handed a job that that is seemingly perfect for me
- stayed with the wonderful adam and mindy pierce who are a blessing to my heart for the reassurance and peace they seem to bring about to me, I am sure I don't tell them that enough...
- flew a good 8,000 miles from home to a place that has stolen a piece of my heart, New Zealand
- drove on the left side of the road for a month and managed not to hit anything :)
- was pulled over while driving on the left side of the road...for a reason i am still unsure of
- celebrated mother's day in a nursing home with so many beautiful elderly mums
- stayed in ramarama, the beautiful nz countryside with an amazing couple- geoff & liz naylor
- learned what a heart for ministry looks like from people like brett jones, ruth boswell, josh bowlin, cathy sosoli, and neville gosman
- learned more about what it means to be an imperfect leader that God still manages to work through anyway
- saw gorgeous waterfalls
- learned that food poisoning WILL win no matter how strong your will is...and it hits hard!
- know that it is going to take me a while to eat and enjoy asian food again...
- was able to revisit people and sights and projects that I was involved in in '05 in new zealand
- visited the papakura countdown about 40 times...i don't think that is an exaggeration...
- was introduced to african red bush tea and fell in love!
- watched the history making ground breaking on a $4,000,000 building project for Papakura Wesleyan
- taught my team that a "tim tam slam" is in fact something very real
- decided that international calories don't count especially when eating: pineapple lumps, crumpets, scones, tim tams, shortbread cookies, guacamole, burgerfuel, kumara chips, pastries and chicken tikka masala
- said words like jandals, rubbish, garege, boot, bonnet, toilet, percolated coffee, kiwifruit, jumper, ring, and university A LOT
- learned nz's "american" hot dogs are NOT comparable to actual american hot dogs
- learned tomato sauce and ketchup are very different
- tasted the sweet difference in golden kiwifruit ...mmmmm
- taught a session about seeking God to a group of women who were agnostic but seeking
- played a lot of set, speed scrabble, and dutch blitz
- watched my team not just work together, but become a family and support system for each other
- saw plain ol' college students walk into a community of churches and really touch hearts and lives
my nz team with vania, reuben and their children
- overlooked the city of Auckland from One Tree Hill and North Head
- ate fish and chips
- hiked to fairy falls for a breathtaking view of God's creation!
- went to Bethells beach and Bethells lake for an incredible view of the sunset and time for God to speak directly to my heart
- painted a lot of banners for a children's ministry
- met A LOT of kids! some who really latched onto my heart and i just haven't let go of yet!
- did ministry alongside josh and becca bowlin and played with their beautiful daughters!
- went to lake taupo for a wonderful convention experience in the nz wesleyan methodist church
- went to the place where the towers of hercules were shot as well as gollum's pool
- went up mt. doom and walked around mordor
- "drove the bus" with keith connor and the nz wesleyan church
- was able to set up a night of creative worship for the youth at convention and saw God take hold of their lives
- jumped off a platform on a cliff 154 ft. over the tongariro river with a glorified rubber band attatched to my feet
- was blown away by the crowd of 15 or 20 people who came to send us off at the airport
- used a lot of tears hugging each one of them...a few more hugging goodbye to sara knowing she wouldn't be boarding with me this time
- skipped may 7, and had a 44 hr long june 3
- flew a total of 33 hours
- slept a lot of hours to overcome jet lag
- slowly became addicted to playing wii...and learned it gives my family some good quality time
- took the time to just enjoy being with my mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa
- rediscovered yet again that lauren sheehan makes me laugh and understands even the weirdest things about me :)
- reconnected with two great friends: josh and nichole!
- am currently reading through 650 pgs in books and summarizing them in about 80 pgs of writing
- unfortunately turned down being a counselor at both fairmount camps that i love due to my work load
- now am learning what it looks like to say goodbye to so many people i love as i move...
how does God manage to cram it all in? he is so incredible and packs my life full of blessing. my prayer is that He is glorfied through every bit of it and that my steps follow the gait He has set for me.
lastly...DID I MENTION I WENT BUNGY JUMPING??????? :)
i'm the purple dot!
what a piece of bungy cord looks like...
if you really read all of that post, i am seriously proud of you :)
- moved out of a most loved living spot, townhouse 405, to learn how to live life without my bff's there every few hours...weird
- walked across a stage in luckey gymnasium to pick up an IWU diploma holder from Dr. Henry Smith
- drove 1400 miles to a city i don't know, to talk to people i don't know anything about, because i knew God wanted me to do ministry there, only to end up being handed a job that that is seemingly perfect for me
- stayed with the wonderful adam and mindy pierce who are a blessing to my heart for the reassurance and peace they seem to bring about to me, I am sure I don't tell them that enough...
- flew a good 8,000 miles from home to a place that has stolen a piece of my heart, New Zealand
- drove on the left side of the road for a month and managed not to hit anything :)
- was pulled over while driving on the left side of the road...for a reason i am still unsure of
- celebrated mother's day in a nursing home with so many beautiful elderly mums
- stayed in ramarama, the beautiful nz countryside with an amazing couple- geoff & liz naylor
- learned what a heart for ministry looks like from people like brett jones, ruth boswell, josh bowlin, cathy sosoli, and neville gosman
- learned more about what it means to be an imperfect leader that God still manages to work through anyway
- saw gorgeous waterfalls
- learned that food poisoning WILL win no matter how strong your will is...and it hits hard!
- know that it is going to take me a while to eat and enjoy asian food again...
- was able to revisit people and sights and projects that I was involved in in '05 in new zealand
- visited the papakura countdown about 40 times...i don't think that is an exaggeration...
- was introduced to african red bush tea and fell in love!
- watched the history making ground breaking on a $4,000,000 building project for Papakura Wesleyan
- taught my team that a "tim tam slam" is in fact something very real
- decided that international calories don't count especially when eating: pineapple lumps, crumpets, scones, tim tams, shortbread cookies, guacamole, burgerfuel, kumara chips, pastries and chicken tikka masala
- said words like jandals, rubbish, garege, boot, bonnet, toilet, percolated coffee, kiwifruit, jumper, ring, and university A LOT
- learned nz's "american" hot dogs are NOT comparable to actual american hot dogs
- learned tomato sauce and ketchup are very different
- tasted the sweet difference in golden kiwifruit ...mmmmm
- taught a session about seeking God to a group of women who were agnostic but seeking
- played a lot of set, speed scrabble, and dutch blitz
- watched my team not just work together, but become a family and support system for each other
- saw plain ol' college students walk into a community of churches and really touch hearts and lives
my nz team with vania, reuben and their children
- overlooked the city of Auckland from One Tree Hill and North Head
- ate fish and chips
- hiked to fairy falls for a breathtaking view of God's creation!
- went to Bethells beach and Bethells lake for an incredible view of the sunset and time for God to speak directly to my heart
- painted a lot of banners for a children's ministry
- met A LOT of kids! some who really latched onto my heart and i just haven't let go of yet!
- did ministry alongside josh and becca bowlin and played with their beautiful daughters!
- went to lake taupo for a wonderful convention experience in the nz wesleyan methodist church
- went to the place where the towers of hercules were shot as well as gollum's pool
- went up mt. doom and walked around mordor
- "drove the bus" with keith connor and the nz wesleyan church
- was able to set up a night of creative worship for the youth at convention and saw God take hold of their lives
- jumped off a platform on a cliff 154 ft. over the tongariro river with a glorified rubber band attatched to my feet
- was blown away by the crowd of 15 or 20 people who came to send us off at the airport
- used a lot of tears hugging each one of them...a few more hugging goodbye to sara knowing she wouldn't be boarding with me this time
- skipped may 7, and had a 44 hr long june 3
- flew a total of 33 hours
- slept a lot of hours to overcome jet lag
- slowly became addicted to playing wii...and learned it gives my family some good quality time
- took the time to just enjoy being with my mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa
- rediscovered yet again that lauren sheehan makes me laugh and understands even the weirdest things about me :)
- reconnected with two great friends: josh and nichole!
- am currently reading through 650 pgs in books and summarizing them in about 80 pgs of writing
- unfortunately turned down being a counselor at both fairmount camps that i love due to my work load
- now am learning what it looks like to say goodbye to so many people i love as i move...
how does God manage to cram it all in? he is so incredible and packs my life full of blessing. my prayer is that He is glorfied through every bit of it and that my steps follow the gait He has set for me.
lastly...DID I MENTION I WENT BUNGY JUMPING??????? :)
i'm the purple dot!
what a piece of bungy cord looks like...if you really read all of that post, i am seriously proud of you :)
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Life after NZ
So lately I have just been hanging around Bluffton/Marion seeing people and catching up again. It has been good and it's getting to be weird that I am actually moving in 5 weeks. I get more and more excited about my upcoming position as I continue talking about it. Mostly I have been working on this crazy independent study and I cannot wait to finish it!! It will be a relief to finally not have homework for a while.
I've been listening in to some sermons from Water's Edge, the college group at 12 Stone (where I'm going). It's been good listening through them. There's been a quote I have been meditating on since I heard it. It continues to help me reevaluate things.
“I was good intentioned I just didn’t understand the Spirit of God. I thought that He was available to me whenever I wanted Him. The reality is that the Spirit of God inside of you means that you’re available to Him whenever He wants you. And that is the big difference.”
What might life look like if we weren't so disappointed when God didn't do what we wanted and started jumping at the crazy things He asks us to do?
I've been listening in to some sermons from Water's Edge, the college group at 12 Stone (where I'm going). It's been good listening through them. There's been a quote I have been meditating on since I heard it. It continues to help me reevaluate things.
“I was good intentioned I just didn’t understand the Spirit of God. I thought that He was available to me whenever I wanted Him. The reality is that the Spirit of God inside of you means that you’re available to Him whenever He wants you. And that is the big difference.”
What might life look like if we weren't so disappointed when God didn't do what we wanted and started jumping at the crazy things He asks us to do?
Friday, June 6, 2008
Take it, take another little piece of my heart...
There's a story I read as a child called "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" that went along a trail saying that if you give a mouse a cookie then he will ask for a glass of milk, then a straw, and when he's done he'll want a napkin, then to look in a mirror to be sure there's no milk mustache, then the mouse is asking for other things in the house and eventually winds up at the end wanting another cookie. Over and over my journey with God is much like this children's book. "If you Give God a bit of your Life..." He'll take it, blow it up bigger than you had imagined, teach you to depend on Him, open your eyes to new ideas, bring new amazing people into your life, give you precious moments with Him, and when that experience is all over He'll be right there saying, "How about another piece?"
This trip was a prime example of this happening again. I cannot begin to tell you all the names, stories, and places of New Zealand that touched my life, but it was a complete God experience. I know there were many of you truly lifting me up in prayer throughout it all and I really appreciate it. We were able to see so many beautiful sites in NZ and just view the beautiful landscape that only He could put together. The team was able to be a part of so many different ministries from kids clubs, to youth ministry, to cleaning an unlivable home, to working with mothers, to loving on the elderly, to pulling weeds, to various painting/construction projects and ended with a wonderful time ministering with the 21 Wesleyan churches in NZ. There were so many wonderful relationships formed and it was apparent as we were flying out. Around 20 or so people from the churches there came to send us off with kind words, warm hugs, and parting tears. The connection there runs deep and does not end as we know that God is over it all. Certainly ministry did not first begin when we stepped foot into the country and it has not ended after we left. His watchful love is over all that continues on there, but my heart still yearns for the souls of people in NZ. My feeble ideas, worries, and fears about the trip were simply obliterated once in the country and moving in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jet lag hasn't been awful, but I have slept quite a bit, and I am not disciplining myself very well to get back on Indiana time...whoops. I'll get there soon enough! I'd love to share more about the trip and if you want to hear stories I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to give me a call...I plan on staying in the country for a little while now. :)
When God asks you to take a big step, don't be afraid to just pick up your foot and see where He lets it land! You won't be disappointed.
"Therefore because we have such a hope, we are very bold" -Paul, Second letter to the Corinthians 3:12
This trip was a prime example of this happening again. I cannot begin to tell you all the names, stories, and places of New Zealand that touched my life, but it was a complete God experience. I know there were many of you truly lifting me up in prayer throughout it all and I really appreciate it. We were able to see so many beautiful sites in NZ and just view the beautiful landscape that only He could put together. The team was able to be a part of so many different ministries from kids clubs, to youth ministry, to cleaning an unlivable home, to working with mothers, to loving on the elderly, to pulling weeds, to various painting/construction projects and ended with a wonderful time ministering with the 21 Wesleyan churches in NZ. There were so many wonderful relationships formed and it was apparent as we were flying out. Around 20 or so people from the churches there came to send us off with kind words, warm hugs, and parting tears. The connection there runs deep and does not end as we know that God is over it all. Certainly ministry did not first begin when we stepped foot into the country and it has not ended after we left. His watchful love is over all that continues on there, but my heart still yearns for the souls of people in NZ. My feeble ideas, worries, and fears about the trip were simply obliterated once in the country and moving in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jet lag hasn't been awful, but I have slept quite a bit, and I am not disciplining myself very well to get back on Indiana time...whoops. I'll get there soon enough! I'd love to share more about the trip and if you want to hear stories I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to give me a call...I plan on staying in the country for a little while now. :)
When God asks you to take a big step, don't be afraid to just pick up your foot and see where He lets it land! You won't be disappointed.
"Therefore because we have such a hope, we are very bold" -Paul, Second letter to the Corinthians 3:12
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