Those are some of the lyrics to one of the worship songs that I like to listen to. It seems that in uncertain times, I can always find strength when I worship.
This week has been a little hectic. The week started off well at church when at the end of the sermon our pastor reminded us that we have been give authority by Jesus, over the power of the enemy. He said that when we have put on the full armor of God, and the enemy continues to come at us, that we are to stand firm. Wow, what a powerful and timely message.
The enemy looks for our weaknesses and when he finds them, he uses them to his advantage. However, as I was reminded on Sunday, we do not have to stand helplessly by while we are attacked. We have the authority to stand firm in our faith and tell Satan that he is not welcome in our lives or homes.
The lyrics of the song say,
"You reign forever and hold me together, so come whatever you love me.
You reign forever and hold me together, so come whatever I love you."
I think the song goes along with the message. God always reigns, and whatever comes He loves us. When we are walking through a difficult or uncertain time we can find power and comfort when we tell God that we love Him, no matter what is happening in our life.
This song always makes me smile and feel better, so I wanted to share it with you.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Getting caught up!!
Getting "caught up", that is what I feel like we have been doing since we returned from our trip. Trying to get laundry all caught up (there was A LOT), and trying to get caught up on school work. It felt like from the moment we walked in the door, we were constantly running. I guess that is what you do when you come back from a trip or vacation of any type, right? While it is great to get caught up on the chores and school, getting "caught up" can also be a bad thing.
Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in the things that are happening around us. It is easy to fall back into the same old trap of comparing ourselves to others, and worrying about what others may think. It is all of the small things added together that can throw huge road blocks in our path. Although it only really matters what God thinks about us, it is so easy to become a people pleaser.
On the trip we bought the Action Bible on CD and listened to it a few times on the way back. It was awesome to hear the great stories of the Bible read aloud, and the children absolutely loved it, but one thing stood out to me in many of the stories. The prophets, and the disciples, and many of the other great people from the Bible had to forget about what others would think of them in order to follow Gods call on their lives. They had to remove those roadblocks with the help of God, so that they could follow His will in their lives. They had to decide to be "All In" for Jesus, even when it was not convenient or it was not the popular thing to do.
So, rather than getting caught up in the "everyday" roadblocks, I want to make an intentional effort to remove those roadblocks with the help of God. I want to make sure that both my mind and my heart are "All In" for Jesus. I want to get caught up and carried away in the awesomeness of our Savior, rather than the awkwardness of this life. What about you, what are you getting caught up in lately?
Friday, October 10, 2014
Back at Home!!
Wow, we are finally back at home after such an amazing trip. We were able to meet so many wonderful people, and share what we are doing here in Alaska. It was wonderful to meet with the group form Gateway Baptist, and to be able to speak at The Harvest in Lexington, SC. The purpose of our trip was two fold, we went to visit family and we went to raise funds for our mission work here in Alaska. We are still in need of monthly partners to join in our ministry here in Alaska. We are so very excited about the program that has started up here on the Palmer InterAct campus. The LEaD program is such an awesome opportunity to show the love of Christ to others, and to practice active discipleship.
God revealed Himself in so many ways to our family on the trip. Some wonderful people from Gateway blessed us beyond belief. A man in Pepin, WI blessed us with dinner one night. A very nice man blessed us at a random gas station by buying cinnamon rolls for all of the children. A sweet couple in IL at the campground we were staying at showed us love as well by giving us the things that they were not able to take back with them. Throughout the entire trip we were able to see God move and provide for us in ways that only He can. We know that He will continue to provide all that we need.
We would like to ask you, our friends and family to join with us in our ministry here in Alaska. There are two things that we need at this point, we need prayer partners, and we need partners who would like to be involved by funding our ministry. The sooner that we can reach 100% funding the sooner we can begin working full-time here on the mission field. We are currently working on the field, however we are not able to go full-time at this point. If you would like to partner with us, please visit the InterAct site here, and you can click on our name to set up a monthly donation. Thank you again to everyone for your prayers and hospitality. We were so very excited to be able to see everyone, and hope to speak to you again soon.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Long Journey
It has been a fun and long journey so far. We left Palmer, AK on August 28, 2014 and began to drive to South Carolina. We stopped for a couple of days in Oregon for some training at the InterAct office, and then got back on the road to finish the journey to South Carolina.
We only had a couple of issues on the way, we blew one tire on the camper and picked up a screw in a tire on the van. However, no one was injured and we were able to get everything repaired.
We had the privilege of speaking with a wonderful group from Gateway Baptist church in Lexington, SC. It was such a blessing for us to be able to share what God is doing in our lives and ministry in Alaska. We look forward to speaking with our wonderful Church family tomorrow night and Sunday morning.
We have really enjoyed our time here in South Carolina, and are excited to see what else God has in store for us while we are here.
We only had a couple of issues on the way, we blew one tire on the camper and picked up a screw in a tire on the van. However, no one was injured and we were able to get everything repaired.
We had the privilege of speaking with a wonderful group from Gateway Baptist church in Lexington, SC. It was such a blessing for us to be able to share what God is doing in our lives and ministry in Alaska. We look forward to speaking with our wonderful Church family tomorrow night and Sunday morning.
We have really enjoyed our time here in South Carolina, and are excited to see what else God has in store for us while we are here.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual warfare, that has been going on lately here in Alaska. The enemy is launching some big attacks on those who are involved in the programs here in Palmer. It seems like the entire past year has been full of hard things, bad things, and things that I just did not understand. It has not only been our family, but others as well.
A few days ago I was reading my Bible and came across these verses:
1 Peter 4:12-19
12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.[a] On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.[b]
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now
The first line of that really grabbed me, "do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you". We should not be surprised when these things happen. The enemy is going to try to stop the good works that God is doing, and that should not surprise us. It often seems like the closer we get to accomplishing something for God, the stronger the attacks become, and to be honest it seems as if they have been relentless lately.
God spoke to my heart a few days ago and told me to pray. Not just pray like normal, but put legs on those prayers, and surround this property with prayer. He impressed upon me that the enemy is so afraid of what God going to do here, he is trying to pull away all of those involved.
If he is that afraid of what is going on here, what does that mean? It means that God is planning to do something so BIG here that it will touch the entire state of Alaska and beyond. God is awesome, and still as powerful as ever. God never lost any of his power, we just stopped expecting great things from Him.
The God we serve today is the SAME God that created the universe!! He has the Power to change this world again, and He is working on those changes every second. He is the SAME God that made wonderful promises to us in the Bible. God promised us so many things, and God always keeps His promises!!
God loves us so much!! He created us, He crafted us, He chose us. Thinking about that just blows my mind. The God of the universe chose me, and He loves me, wow!!
God loves us all so much and even though we have been, and good friends of ours are still, facing some very difficult circumstances, God is here. The enemy wants us to quit, he wants us to give up, he wants us to say that it is just not worth it, BUT it IS worth it! Living the Love of Christ is so worth it! Living out what the Bible tells us, rather than just reading it, is worth it. So Friends, I want to ask you all to join with me, and cover this ministry and this particular place in prayer. I ask that you pray that the spirit of God saturates this place. Pray that the Holy Spirit is so evident on this property that it drips from the roof tops. Pray that God would make His presence so strong here that the enemy can not cross the property line because he will just be consumed!! Pray for strength and wisdom for those of us who are undergoing these spiritual attacks, and pray that we would have the boldness that we need to step out in faith and do what God calls us to do, even when it is not easy.
I believe in the power of prayer, and I know God hears and answers them. The Bible tells us over and over again to pray, so that is what we are doing and I ask that you join with us.
A few days ago I was reading my Bible and came across these verses:
1 Peter 4:12-19
12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.[a] On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.[b]
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
The first line of that really grabbed me, "do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you". We should not be surprised when these things happen. The enemy is going to try to stop the good works that God is doing, and that should not surprise us. It often seems like the closer we get to accomplishing something for God, the stronger the attacks become, and to be honest it seems as if they have been relentless lately.
God spoke to my heart a few days ago and told me to pray. Not just pray like normal, but put legs on those prayers, and surround this property with prayer. He impressed upon me that the enemy is so afraid of what God going to do here, he is trying to pull away all of those involved.
If he is that afraid of what is going on here, what does that mean? It means that God is planning to do something so BIG here that it will touch the entire state of Alaska and beyond. God is awesome, and still as powerful as ever. God never lost any of his power, we just stopped expecting great things from Him.
The God we serve today is the SAME God that created the universe!! He has the Power to change this world again, and He is working on those changes every second. He is the SAME God that made wonderful promises to us in the Bible. God promised us so many things, and God always keeps His promises!!
God loves us so much!! He created us, He crafted us, He chose us. Thinking about that just blows my mind. The God of the universe chose me, and He loves me, wow!!
God loves us all so much and even though we have been, and good friends of ours are still, facing some very difficult circumstances, God is here. The enemy wants us to quit, he wants us to give up, he wants us to say that it is just not worth it, BUT it IS worth it! Living the Love of Christ is so worth it! Living out what the Bible tells us, rather than just reading it, is worth it. So Friends, I want to ask you all to join with me, and cover this ministry and this particular place in prayer. I ask that you pray that the spirit of God saturates this place. Pray that the Holy Spirit is so evident on this property that it drips from the roof tops. Pray that God would make His presence so strong here that the enemy can not cross the property line because he will just be consumed!! Pray for strength and wisdom for those of us who are undergoing these spiritual attacks, and pray that we would have the boldness that we need to step out in faith and do what God calls us to do, even when it is not easy.
I believe in the power of prayer, and I know God hears and answers them. The Bible tells us over and over again to pray, so that is what we are doing and I ask that you join with us.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Wow, what a year!!
Wow, what a year it has been. One year ago today we started our journey to
Alaska. After driving for many days over
5,000 miles, we made it. Looking back,
it has been a whirlwind, but in the middle of it, some of the time seemed to go
so slowly. This has been a year filled
with blessings, yet steeped in loss.
During the past year I have said goodbye to two grandparents and three
angle babies that we did not hold here on this earth, but I know we will see
when we get to heaven. I have dealt with
crippling panic attacks, but have overcome them with the strength and grace of
God. We have gone through a year of
Bible college, Bryan was the student, and spent about 6 months “dating”,
getting to know, a mission organization.
We are now officially a part of that mission organization. Our family is now officially a missionary
family with Interact Ministries. During
this process we have made some awesome friends and developed wonderful relationships
with them. We have also found a great
church here in Alaska, Church on the Rock in Palmer. Three of our children were baptized by Pastor
Chris from Church on the Rock, Palmer, and I have recently been able to become
involved in worship ministry again.
There have been many more ups and downs; I don’t think I
could possibly list them all. Most
importantly, our relationship with God has strengthened exponentially. We have really had to lean on Him this year,
and that has really developed our relationships with each other, and with
Him. God has taught us so many lessons
this year. This year has been FAR from
easy, but God has brought us through.
Honestly, there were times when I would just cry out, “God, I don’t know
how to do this, or I can’t do this”, but God would always put His hand on my
heart and give me the Peace that can ONLY come from Him and tell me, “I know
you can’t, but I CAN. I’ve got this.”.
I love to listen to
praise and worship music, and there is a verse in one song that says, “When the
storm rages, I won’t be afraid, because I have locked eyes on You face to
face”. I love that song, but more
specifically that verse. The storms will
rage all around us, in every season of our lives. We have been in the middle of some crazy
storms this year, but we don’t have to be afraid, because when we keep our eyes
on His, we WILL NOT sink. We may feel crazy, and it may feel like the
water is starting to rise, but as long as we are with Him, we will NOT be overcome by any storm that this
world may throw at us.
I am so thankful for all that God has done in our lives this
year, both the joy and the heartache. It
is easy to rejoice and praise Him in the good times, but our strength is built
in the heartache. It is in the heartache
that God will lift our heads and remind us that He’s got this!!!
Thank you so much for your prayers and love this year. We ask that you continue to pray for us daily
as we seek to do His will in our lives.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
We are official!!
We are so excited to announce that we are officially members of Interact Ministries. We have been working with Interact for a few months now, and have been in the application process, but as of this past Monday afternoon we are officially appointees with Interact Ministries.
That means that we are missionaries in the process of raising monthly support so that we can hopefully go into ministry full time once we are fully funded. We are not up on the website as of today, but should be soon. You can find out more about Interact Ministries here.
We are looking for others to partner with us in Ministry. Our ministry focus will be here in Palmer Alaska, ministering to individuals and groups who use our Lazy Mountain campus. We will also be working with the LEaD Alaska program, mentoring students who participate in the program.
We are so excited about the opportunities that God is placing before us. We would like to ask that you consider joining with us in this journey. We are just starting out on this portion of our journey, and are looking for partners who would like to come along side us in ministry and give their support both financially and through prayer.
If God is moving in your heart and you would like to become one of our monthly financial partners, you can contribute through Interacts site, or by mail.
Thank you for your love and support!!
That means that we are missionaries in the process of raising monthly support so that we can hopefully go into ministry full time once we are fully funded. We are not up on the website as of today, but should be soon. You can find out more about Interact Ministries here.
We are looking for others to partner with us in Ministry. Our ministry focus will be here in Palmer Alaska, ministering to individuals and groups who use our Lazy Mountain campus. We will also be working with the LEaD Alaska program, mentoring students who participate in the program.
We are so excited about the opportunities that God is placing before us. We would like to ask that you consider joining with us in this journey. We are just starting out on this portion of our journey, and are looking for partners who would like to come along side us in ministry and give their support both financially and through prayer.
If God is moving in your heart and you would like to become one of our monthly financial partners, you can contribute through Interacts site, or by mail.
Thank you for your love and support!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)