It Goes On.

This past week was pretty good. Lots of mountains and sun and friends and missionary goals and lots and LOTS of coffee. And I didn't fight all that coffee. Spoke at a church who graciously allowed me to take up a little time at their prayer meeting to tell them my plans. It is another relationship made for the expansion of the Kingdom.

I have been blessed by a financial gift that came in surprisingly so I'm praising God for that. Since I've been back from the good ol' mountains back to the coast of NC where life must resume to go forward. Job hunting, support-raising, loan figuring, and all that must go on..sometimes encouragingly, other times, grudgingly. But it will go and I have given my anxieties to the Lord.

Also the frenzy of the second presidential debate made it's way into my house. Last time this all happened was when I was 18. I could vote for the first time ever the very year I turned 18 and needless to say I voted the way my parents voted. I mean let's get real, when you are 18 (unless you are focused on politics being a goal in your life) all you are concerned about is going to college, graduating high school, making memories with friends and so on.

This time..I'm still voting the same way my parents are, but on different terms. I have done the research this time, not just blindly voting a candidate.

There is a lot that goes into solidly putting the country in the hands of a mere man. That's why my vote doesn't just go into a man's policies or promises, it goes hoping that this man will do his very best and with a prayer that the King of all things will guide his hand.

I wonder what would happen if Christians would write the president of this next term and un-condescendingly tell him that we are praying for him and his office as well as administration. That would be an interesting experiment.

All to God

Moving Mountains

Well here goes nothing, in about an hour and a half from this posting I will be speaking at another church for support-raising purposes. I always get excited because I get to talk about missions and Jesus and Bosnia and friends...stuff I could go on for hours about (which makes it all just a little easier).

Because there ain't nothin' more humblin' than askin' the good folks to help you out financially.

There is so much good out there, the Jesus kind of good that lets people understand that something is real and they can trust and should invest in it. Lots of people only understand that there is a lot of good out there on a short-term basis, but there are those who know a good thing when they see it and are in it for the long-haul.

A lot could happen in this 20-25 minutes I have to stand up in front of people and proclaim my obedience to God and my love for the people I will minister too. I know that I have a lot of love in my heart for this and it will come through in my speech. I just pray for open hearts throughout this entire journey whether it be here or somewhere else, and also peace....I pray for peace. 

I have been on top of a few mountains this week and every time I get to the top and see all the other mountains I am reminded that we were told that we can move those things. I hope to move one for the glory of God.

All to God

Bank Account Whereabouts: Peace and Money

Sometimes money becomes a major player in the game of my thoughts. There are many reasons for this; exhibit A: Support raising is a huge part of my career, exhibit B: I'm soon to be out of a job, exhibit C: I have a massive amount of debt due to student loans.

If you want to support a missionary try asking them what their student loan situation is and ask if you can help in that arena, I'll take any donations in that regard...no really :)

I have always had a peace about money. If I do my part then God will faithfully care for me in my needs. So far he has made good on that sort of formula whether if what I think I need is not what he thinks I need. But he does understand our needs and if we remain faithful he will provide for our needs. I have many financial needs, and at times it seems overwhelming as I have expressed before, though it concerns me it does not steal my joy.

I have labored within myself to reverse the ominous existence of monetary dictatorship. Money is but a thing that will waste away with this world and I have no use to worry with it except for what will help in extending the Kingdom into the lives of others. This is the only value of money, that it is used towards the good of humanity for the glory of God. 

I will give what is Caesar's to Caesar, but more than anything I will give to God what is God's. I will trust God, I will trust him with all of my might. I believe him when he says that he is faithful in these matters, it's the leaps of faith where God receives much glory....and I leap a lot. Hoping that every leap brings me closer to him whether I am hurdling down in the canyon and he swoops in to catch me or he gives me the strength to clear the jump hitting the ground running on the other side.

Here's to joy.

Here's to the good of humanity.

Here's to the glory of God. 

Here's to peace in His providence.

All to God

Snipit

Exciting stuff on the horizon! Exciting stuff I tell you! Soon I will be venturing to Roanoke VA to speak at a church there, hopefully making some new friends and allowing people to choose to join in on another ministry! I am very excited about this opportunity. Anytime a church decides to let you have the stage for something you believe in, and then decides to fund and pray for that mission is humbling and wonderful.

I have been humbled a lot this summer especially in this transition time of moving back home to focus more on support raising. I have been encouraged by many people and for that, I know that God put me on the Outer Banks for a reason this summer. Now there is some intensive work that needs to be done as far as support raising goes.

Because the days are growing shorter, not just for my time of departure but the moment that a certain King comes to make all things new. Because that time is growing shorter I am feeling urgent to go and share this gift that I don't deserve with others who also don't deserve it but are able to receive it due to the sacrifice of Christ.

Everyday I become more and more excited that I chose the life of full time ministry.

All to God.

To The Next Stage.

I need to be packing, GOOD GRACIOUS, I need to pack. But as normal, I am a procrastinator and things do not get done the way that I plan them out (buying season 7 of Supernatural doesn't help the cause). However, I will get this done by Saturday. Right now I am just sailing along until the 5th of October where I will be moving back to good ol' Jamesville.

This is a plan that excites me and yet I know I'm leaving behind a lot of good friends here at the Outer Banks. Though I don't think the move is a bad thing I just know that there are people here I have really grown to care about and it will be hard to leave them but it will be nice to spend some time with these guys:

Well tomorrow will come and maybe I'll find the motivation to pack up most everything I own and get back to these people you see in the picture above at least for a good while. Also...could you be praying that I find a way to make some money while I live with dear mom and dad? I may be a 22 year old about to live with her parents again but I know that I ain't gonna be mooching off of them. So thanks for saying a lil' prayer for me :)

So on to another day of work.

All to God

People of Peace

People have been on my mind lately. No specific person or group of people but my heart has been full with how much we are all really walking through this life together and how different we are. I know that there are people in this world that are not good people, as in they have bent their hearts in the direction that Satan leads them to believe. That is not me saying that anyone who does not believe in God or Jesus are bad people. I have met wonderful people who do not necessarily believe in these things.

But back to my point, people in general have been on my heart. How we relate, work, believe, support, and love each other has been the focus of my attention lately. Media will turn our attention to incredible things such as anti-America rallies across Northern Africa in the Muslim world. But somehow in my small little dreamworld of a brain I can see it.....you know...I can see people looking at one another with joyous, not opposing, grateful eyes.

I can see the small gestures of one stranger to another doing a kindness in the grocery store when they mistook that $20 for a $50 and pitches in to make sure that person had what they needed. Or simply forgiving someone face to face for a trespass that has weighed heavy on the relationship. I can see it, I have seen it, I want to be an advocate for peace as a soldier for Christ as ironic as that might sound. Because people are worth it.

In reality humanity will never get tired of torturing one another. We will never just look peace in the face and say "it's your turn to reign."

Brother against brother, mother against daughter, father against son.
We will never stop destroying until all damage is done.
And only then when we have nothing left,
We will say, "imagine if peace would have won."

We are people, if we have nothing else in common it is that we all must walk this earth at the mercy of it's happenings. Also, though there are those who do not believe in the same way that I do, I know that there will come a day when peace will reign and it will win because the Prince of Peace is faithful. That's enough to make a person's soul stir, it's enough to bring a tear to my eye. It's enough to make me want to share this peace with others, because people matter...they just do.

"All will be made new....." Hallelujah.

All to God

Making Good On A Promise

One of the most debilitating things to the human soul is fear. Fear is this big stupid monster that charms us into things like exaggerating, justifying, rejecting, or avoiding, and a whole lot more. This monster not only invades when something is physically alarming like riding a roller coaster, or flying in an airplane, but it also invades when we are challenged with something we feel uncomfortable with.

Unfortunately fear infiltrates how we share our faith, how we live our faith, and how we make our faith known to others. Fear is one of the biggest tools that Satan can use to shut our mouths. It is a tool that can be used to steer our lively faith into an outwardly dull action hidden away underneath the cloak that we accept from the world.

It isn't love, it isn't wholly faith, it isn't trust, it isn't submission, it is very much the opposite of Christ-like courage. 

Take the cup you knew you would have to drink.

God has blessed me with beautiful non-Christian friends this summer and I have been adamant about letting them understand what it is I really believe. It has helped in reaffirming my faith, and refining my faith as well as my trust and submission. They have received the words I have spoken with openness and fairness, and with legitimate questions. They have blessed me even without knowing it, they are wonderful people.

So go try and warm the chill that fear brings on our faith, talk to the Father that he might give you instances to shine his glory on someone else. Don't let the darkness of fear become the light of your reasoning, or be stronger than it's lion of a counterpart; courage. It's your cup, you accepted it, as did I, as did Jesus. 

Let's do this.

All to God