Today's God-Story

It's one of those days when I feel like dancing, jumping, preaching, laughing & yelling out, GOD IS GOOD! I will share a couple of neat ways God showed Himself present with me today as I worked. Partnership development for my Albania ministry is now fully underway, and in just a week God has pointed out His guiding hand in several ways... trying to get it into my incredibly slow and dense mind that this is HIS work and not mine, and that I need to quite worrying, for God's sake... and I mean that last phrase quite literally, no irreverence intended!

Can't Sleep

After being in bed for over an hour now, my brain has not ceased thinking about everything I need to do, should do, wish I could do - none of which I can do right now or should think about doing because what I really need to do is SLEEP! I almost decided to blog around 10:30 but decided against it since nearly every single time I blog late at night I fight fatigue the following day. Tomorrow is Saturday and I don't go into work, but since my family are going shopping tomorrow morning I want to ensure that I get my full eight hours. I am one of those unfortunate souls who must have eight to nine hours of sleep for full brain capacity. Yet even then my brain fails me.

A Few Nights Before Christmas

First off, if you are my mom, stop reading right NOW and revisit on December 25th!

Doubting My Doubts

It is my final week of a three-week-long class on how to share my vision for ministry and tell stories better. Tonight my instructor asked me what I have learned, and I immediately answered, "I didn't know that I can tell stories, and do it well!"

If I don't feel absolutely prepared and confident at something I tend to withdraw. The same happens when I get carried away by the notion that everyone is better than me. Even at the beginning of the class two weeks ago I complained to my mom that taking a class over Skype is awkward and not ideal because of the disconnect I felt from talking to a computer screen. (So what should I do if I am in a situation that isn't ideal? Make the best of it... that just isn't my reaction the majority of the time.) It shows that maybe I need to Skype more.

The Lord's Plan

The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations
     and thwarts all their schemes.
But the LORD'S plans stand firm forever;
     his intentions can never be shaken. (Psalm 33:10-11, NLT)

This scripture came to mind just now after a visit with my former youth pastor. He made a big impact on my spiritual life in high school, particularly when in comes to Jesus's heart for the lost. We had kept in touch throughout my college years, but our visits depleted to about once a year. Today we got to reconnect, and what an encouragement to see that we can do so with more excitement than ever about what God is doing in our lives and in the world. I know very, very few people who live and breath to seek God's heart with all their being. When I do get to meet with them I always leave feeling totally renewed, ready to dig deep into the heart of God again. He is one of those people.

God has blessed me richly with a solid foundation and people of faith all around me. I remember well when the devil tried really hard during college to cut me off from the great cloud of witnesses around me through complacency, inadequacy, and fear, but I am thankful that the LORD WOULDN'T LET ME GO. My mom told me that during my junior year she had the pastor and pastor's wife anoint and pray over her in proxy for me. Boy, am I glad they did, and boy am I glad that people have believed in me enough and cared enough to pray me through those struggles...