Help me want to obey.....

Have you ever known something was the right thing to do but you still didn't want to do it? And then have you ever addressed that problem with praying Lord, help me to want to obey? I know that I have!

I was reading through some of the old entries in my journal last night, when I can across a reference to a verse that encouraged me. It's Phil. 2:13 and it says: For God is at work within you, helping you to want to obey him, and then helping you to do what he wants. (The Living Bible translation.) I found this very encouraging! It was reassuring to see what I was praying was actually biblical and God would want me to pray that.

This verse also shows me that God knows our weakness even better than we do. He understands that not only can we not obey him on our own but we can't even desire to want to obey him. I'm so glad that I serve a God that understands me way better than I do myself, (because all of us girls know how horrible difficult our emotions can be to figure out sometimes!) and is so gracious, loving, and understanding to me.

Thank you Lord for faithfully working on my stubborn hard heart helping me want to obey!

Wow, I think it's about time that I blogged again! I've really been bad about it this time.
Life has been very busy for me this summer! In fact, that's an probably an understatement. Okay a quick overview of my summer:

Go to Colorado for a week,
Come home to a flooded house for one night,
Leave for Wheaton College the next morning for a three week course,
Arrive home on the 4th of July and enjoy the fireworks with family,
Leave the following Monday for KS where BL was holding 2 conferences,
Come back home a week later and enjoy family and friends from out of state/country for around 2 1/2 or so weeks (I forget how long and I don't want to think that hard:),
Leave once again for a vacation in VA to visit family for a week,
Drive to MI for two more BL conferences and arrive home,
Enjoy my weekend before getting ready to leave for Asia for 2 months.

Life can sure be crazy! It's no wonder the time has slipped away!

I'm going to try and post while I'm in Asia, but we'll have to wait and see how often:) I would appreciate all of your prayers while I'm away! I will be going with a group of my friends to Singapore and Malaysia to hold some BL conferences there. We will be packing a lot into the time we have. After a month of conferences everyone will be heading back but me. The Lord has opened the door once again for me to go back to Thailand with a wonderful family from Singapore. I'm excited and looking forward to seeing my friends in the orphanage among other things! Please pray that God would bear much fruit in many lives, that the conferences would encourage the girls to live their lives totally for Christ, that we would be able to somehow minister to some Muslims while there, and that we would see God's hand move mightily, and whatever Jesus leads you to pray.

Thank you so much!

Just Because

It don't really know what to write about but it is time that I post so I just decided to start writing. And why not? That's how conversations are, aren't they? It's not like you plan out what you are going to say to your friend when you see them the next time unless of course you've done something wrong! Don't give me that funny look you know exactly what I mean. You've either done something you wish you hadn't or someones else has done something you wish that they hadn't. You know, you run through every possible way to talk to that person even going as far as guessing what their response will be.

Okay, so that's enough of that rabbit trail. No, it wasn't really a rabbit trail because I wasn't talking about anything anyway.

I have a great idea, (it's not so great but it uses up white space.) I could write the answers a little mini survey about myself:

1 favorite movie: pride and prejudice -the newest one

2 favorite food: pizza

3 favorite interior decoration color: browns

4 what race would you be if you weren't Caucasian: Asian

5 what languages would you like to learn: french, Spanish, Italian, and if I was realllly realllly brave Chinese

6 what state would you live in if you didn't live where you are now: Colorado or Florida

7 what dog: Yorkie - name twinkie

8 what cat: Maine coone

9 favorite cartoon: Calvin and Hobbs

10 favorite christian artist: Michael W. Smith

That's all folks!!!!!!!!!!1

If you're not careful life will pass you by....

Live just seems to be in fast forward for me at times this summer. First my family and I went to CO for a week and saw the Lueckes, then it's off to Wheaton for 3 weeks, then I was home for 3 days before I going on my way to Kansas City, KS for 2 Bright Lights Conferences, and now I'm taking a little breather and enjoying family (from out of state) and friends (from out of country) for about three weeks before we leave once again for MI and 2 more conferences! Life's hardly ever dull and I enjoy being busy but I'm also grateful for the down times here at home. And I'm reminded of this wise advice: "Where ever you are, be all there".

I hope all of your summers are going well! Thanks to all of you who have been such a blessing in my life!

At once

John 6:16-24 - In the evening (after feeding the five thousand), his disciples went down to the lake, embarked on the boat and made their way across the lake to Capernaum (just around the coast from Bethsaida). Darkness had already fallen and Jesus had not returned to them. A strong wind sprang up and the water grew very rough. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the water, and coming towards the boat, and they were terrified. But he spoke to them, "Don't be afraid: it is I myself."

So they gladly took him aboard, and at once the boat reached the shore they were making for.

I read this the other day and the Lord showed me that this applies so much to us!

Okay, so here the disciples are, they've been waiting for Jesus on the shore like good faithful servants right? Well, they get tired of waiting and it's getting dark, so they ditched Jesus and set out across the lake. After all, they'd had a long day and they're tired. But everything doesn't go as smoothly and they hoped. A strong wind picks up and makes it very hard to get anywhere, just what they didn't need! Then, all the sudden, in the mists of their struggle they see something or someone walking on the water?! Forgetting all else, they're terrified by the unknown. However not for long, for He speaks, and peace fills their hearts. Not only are they not frightened anymore, but the wind is no longer remembered, they're just glad He's with them again. They hurriedly beckon Him to join them. And then something strange happens, the moment He sets His foot in the boat, they're where they were headed all along?!!!! What glory!

I find it interesting how when Jesus did joined them, He didn't rebuke them or say anything about them leaving without Him. And that's how it is in our relationship with Him, He is so loving and kind and so forgiving of our faults and failures. Even when we do things our way and aren't willing to wait on Him, He still comes to us in our struggles, fear, and pain. And once we turn to Him, He lovingly puts our lives in order once again.

What a loving, kind, caring God we serve!!!!!!!!!!!