Finally! (Can you tell my life has been busy?)

• having to walk through mud because of all the snow we have had already. . .
• running around in the dark Admin building, playing "Sardines"...
• having "girl time"...
• playing musical chairs on Saturday night...
• writing research note cards...
• going to bed after midnight on the weekend...
• completing the weekly lesson in "Biblical discipleship" ...
• witnessing, in very real and obvious ways, that God is the God of the impossible...
• hiding out in the furthest corner of the building in order to study (and then having fun when no one can find me!)...
• working on reading Genesis through Esther for Old Testament survey class...
• experiencing the reality of chilly feet (because of the snow!)...
• having fun in the dorm, especially when it involves Melinda, Liz, and Bethanne (don't even ask!)...
• studying for mid-terms...
• loving, yet at the same time, dreading, Tuesdays--loving it because I have a free hour, yet dreading it because there is dorm cleaning...
• electing class officers and having class meetings...
• planning and doing a fundraiser...
• participating in "over-breakfast" study groups. . .
• missions conference. . .
• beginning to stress out about getting my papers done. . .help!

What do these all have in common? They are all a part of college life!

An Update. . . and some quotes from Tozer's "Knowledge of the Holy"

Well, since I asked you all to pray for Melinda and the Bible study she started last Wednesday, I need to give you an update on what happened, right? Well, to start off with, I need to add that it is Melinda AND Liz (another student here at CBI who also works at the Ambulance shed) who are doing the study. With that said, praise the Lord that there were no calls while they were having the study, as that would have, obviously, ended the study for the night. Thank you for your prayers! However, an even bigger praise is the fact that the two ladies, Connie and Ruth, with whom they are doing the study, are interested in meeting again! So, continue praying!

So. . .on to Tozer! For the doctrine class that I am taking, I have to read the book "Knowledge of the Holy," which dicusses the attributes of God. I am only part-way through the book, and so far, it is an amazing book!

Tozer. . .
on the immutability of God:

" All that God is He has always been, and all that He has been and is He
willever be." (page 65)

on the wisdom of God

". . .we shall not seek to understand in order that we may believe, but
tobelieve in order that we may understand." (page 76)

" We rest in what God is. I believe that
this alone is true faith. Any faith that must be supported by the evidence of
the senses is not real faith." (page 80)

" And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not;I will lead
them in paths that they have not known: I will make darknesslight before them,
and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake
them.

"Let Him lead thee blindfold onwards,
Love needs not to know;
Children whom the Father leadeth
Ask not where they go.
Though the path be all unknown,
Over moors and mountains lone."
~Gerhard Tersteegen (page 82)

An Update. . . and some quotes from Tozer's "Knowledge of the Holy"

Well, since I asked you all to pray for Melinda and the Bible study she started last Wednesday, I need to give you an update on what happened, right? Well, to start off with, I need to add that it is Melinda AND Liz (another student here at CBI who also works at the Ambulance shed) who are doing the study. With that said, praise the Lord that there were no calls while they were having the study, as that would have, obviously, ended the study for the night. Thank you for your prayers! However, an even bigger praise is the fact that the two ladies, Connie and Ruth, with whom they are doing the study, are interested in meeting again! So, continue praying!

So. . .on to Tozer! For the doctrine class that I am taking, I have to read the book "Knowledge of the Holy," which dicusses the attributes of God. I am only part-way through the book, and so far, it is an amazing book!

Tozer. . .

On the immutability of God:

" All that God is He has always been, and all that He has been and is He will
ever be." (page 65)

On the wisdom of God:

". . .we shall not seek to understand in order that we may believe, but to
believe in order that we may understand." (page 76)

" We rest in what God is. I believe that this alone
is true faith. Any faith that must be supported by the evidence of the
senses is not real faith." (page 80)

" And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not;
I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness
light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do
unto them, and not forsake them.

Let Him lead thee blindfold onwards,
Love needs not to know;
Children whom the Father leadeth
Ask not where they go.
Though the path be all unknown,
Over moors and mountains lone.
~Gerhard Tersteegen (page 82)

Prayer Request

Just wanted to share a quick prayer request: Tomorrow, Wednesday, Melinda (my roommate) is going to be starting a Bible study with two of her co-workers at the Ambulance shed, where she is an EMT. Please pray that God will give her the words to say and that He would use her to open their eyes to the Truth of His Word. She has been praying for an opportunity to begin a study, so it is exciting to see that God has paved the way for it all to work out!

Some pictures from the last few days. . .

Finally...a few glimpses from my life here at college!

Fellow "dorm-mates"

Left-Right:

Leah, Christiana, Liz, me, Melinda (she's a great roommate!) and Anna

Go Freshmen girls!!

Left - Right:

Christian, Lydia, me, Jennifer, Nikki, Bethanne

Front: Annaka, Anna

Having fun on Friday night playing "four on a couch." If you've never played it, you s hould sometime--it's really fun!

Left-Right: Celeste, Me, Stephen, Isaac, and Michael

Hanging out with the cool penguin one of the girls got from her secret prayer sister. :)

Angostura--the lake that we've gone to several times on the weekend, and, of all things, I got burnt from being out in the sun! For some reason, I had in my mind that SD is all about snow, snow, snow! I never drempt I would get a sunburn one of the first weekends that I'm here! :) Yes, I think I already have a fondness for this place!

Freshmen-bonding time at the park on the merry-go-round

Left-right: Lydia, Jennifer, Anna, and I


Anna (the other MK girl from Brazil--how cool is that?), me, Isaac

As I spun 'round and 'round. . .



A cool picture --I just had to put it on. :)



And there you have it...many thanks to Anna and Isaac for all the pictures!! (unfortunately, I don't have a camera. . .) Hopefully there will be pictures from the Labor Day picnic coming up soon!

P.S. Just in case you might be wondering, life here at CBI isn't all play! No way! There is a lot of studying and homework that we have to do, I just don't have any pictures of it. :)

To sum it up what has happened since my last post: I have now completed two full weeks of college! Yay! Even though this is just the beginning, the last two weeks have been amazing! I can honestly say that I love college life! Yes, there is a lot of studies and homework, and I will probably wonder at times how I will ever get it all done. But, I am looking forward to what God has in store for me this semester!

God blessed me with a wonderful roommate--I don't think I could have asked for a better one! And. . .on top of that, there are three of us MK's in the same dorm! How cool is that?!?

Life has been wonderful--so far--but it definitely is not all just fun. I am discovering that now that I am technically "on my own" and away from my parents, I have to start making decisions for myself. Before now, there have been things that I have always done "because my parents do it" or because "my parents make me," yet I haven't specifically established my own convictions about that specific area of my life. Now, however, I am, for the first time, being faced with making such choices on my own. I now have the opportunity to either contiue in what I have always been taught and simply do what I have always done, or decide for myself where I stand on certain issues. I am now at the place in my life where I can decide whether I am going to abandon everything that my parents have taught me or adopt it as my own. Yes, being an adult has its privilidges, but it also has it's responsibilities!

Please don't get the wrong impression though--I have not been anxiously awaiting the moment I could run off to college so that I wouldn't have to be under my parent's authority. This is not about finally being "free" from rules and restrictions. Rather, even in the short time I've been here, I am discovering that it is about establishing what I actually believe, what my convictions are, and learning to do what is right because I believe it is right, not simply because "it's what my parent's made me do." It is about standing up for what I believe and not simply following the crowd because it is the easiest thing to do. Even at Bible school, I am discovering that I am not immune to having to make such choices.

These days are once-in-a-lifetime days. I recently read the following quotation: "Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God." ~Jim Elliot.
I believe God has me here at CBI for a purpose. In chapel last week, the question was asked various times: "Why are you here?" My answer in a nutshell is "To grow in my spiritual walk and become better equipped to serve the Lord." Now let me ask you: "Why are you where you are now?"

God is good. . .

God is good. Have I mentioned that? All my life, I've heard people say: "God is good. He is in control of things." However, it isn't until one actually experiences His Goodness that one can even begin to understand. Now that I am somewhat "on my own," I am beginning to see a little for myself how good God really is.

One example that stands out is my job. You may remember how, back in April, I began working at Pleasant View Home. I really enjoyed it there, but, for reasons God alone knows, I was putting in a minimal amount of hours there. So, as you can imagine, when June rolled around and I had yet to even get 30 hours a week, I began to ask myself: "Do I stay here and hope to somehow pick up some more time, or, do I look for another part-time job to fill in all the extra time I have?" I began to ask around town to see what my options might be, but at every turn, I seemed to run into dead-ends. God brought me to the place where I had no choice--I had to choose to trust Him and believe that He would provide for my needs. I had done all I could.

And God provided! It was the beginning of July, I believe, on a Sunday morning, that a good friend of my family mentioned a job opening at a sign company that was needing help, even for a few weeks. I won't bore you with all the details, but I will say that it sounded like an answer to prayer! However, it wasn't all that easy. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of it all was discerning whether this truly was of the Lord and an answer to prayer. For two or three days, I really wrestled and struggled over it, but to get to the point: I applied, was accepted, and worked there from the second week in July until just this past Wednesday! Now that it is all over, I can only say that God is good. There were so many things that seemed to be big hurdles to get over--juggling two jobs, transportation, schedule, etc.-- but in the end, God worked out each of those things! Yes, God truly does see our needs and when we are willing to wait for His timing, He will bring about His best for us!

And now, I'm heading off to Cornerstone. I've been looking forward to this day for soo long, but now that it is finally here--literally, as I'm leaving this afternoon--I'm beginning to feel a little nervous. "Can I really do this?" "What if the study load is more than I can handle?" "What if. . . what if. . . what if. . .?" But I try to remind myself that even in school, when I feel overwhelmed and discouraged, God will be faithful and work out all and give me the grace and strength to do what I could not possibly do on my own. Like a dear lady mentioned to me earlier this week, "if someone totally satisfies us [or I am totally able to do it on my own] we would not trust in God."

My life seems to be full of "finallys" lately. Let me list a few:

• For one, I think that when you opened this site, you probably at least thought, if not exclaimed out loud: "finally, she updated her blog! Hurray!" Yes, I admit blogging is fun, but it also requires a lot of individual attention--quality time, if you will--from the owner of it, which sadly, hasn't been the case for the past few weeks.

• On another note, I myself shouted "finally!" when I saw that my sister Melissa had posted pictures from Brazil on her facebook! I had been waiting since the time they got back to Brazil for her to post lots and lots of pictures of what things were like there, but they never came! Until a couple weeks ago! I was so excited to see all those familiar faces, to see for myself how much the neighborhood kids had grown, to reminisce of days gone by as I clicked through the pictures of places that I have been. Yes, it was a long awaited "finally!"

• "Just think of stepping on shore, and finding it heaven,

of touching a hand, and finding it God's.

Of breathing new air, and finding it celestial.

Of waking up in glory, and finding it home."

These are the words to the chorus of the song "Finally Home", a beautiful song that attempts to depict one's first moments in heaven. I would like to think that Mrs. Kroeker, the dear old lady I cared for for quite a while, had such a feeling of joy and exhiliration as she stepped into glory the twenty-third of July. Yes, I believe she would now say that she is "Finally Home," finally in the presence of the Savior Whom she loved and sought to honor.

• After sitting out of school for a year once finishing high school, I am at last going to college! As of the 17th of August, I will be studying at Cornerstone Bible Institute, in Hot Springs, South Dakota! I have been looking forward to it for such a long time that I can hardly contain my excitement when I realize that in one week I will finally be in college! However, to simply be able to say that "I am a college student" is not my main reason for looking forward to this next big step in my life. My ultimate motive for heading off for further schooling is to be better equipped to serve the Lord. In all honesty, that is what life is all about: serving the Lord and making Him the center of your life! So please be praying for me, not only during the next few weeks, but also throughout this entire chapter of my life. These are probably among the most important years of my life and I desire to take advantage to the fullest extent every opportunity that God gives to me and not get distracted and sidetracked from why God has brought me here and what He wants me to learn.
• With that thought, I am finally, once again, beginning to pack. That seems to be the favorite thing I like to do: pack up, unpack. Pack up again, only to unpack and get settled in again. Oh well, I guess that's how life is for an MK. . . :)

Having said that, I will now finally give you some peace from all of my "finallys" and sign off. Probably the next time I post, it will be from Cornerstone Bible Institute! Woohoo! Hot Springs, here I come!

In Him,

Angie

A little twist. . .

Please take a minute to read this. It is sad how true it really is, even though we don't always want to admit it. To the tune of "Jesus the Very Thought of Thee"--

"Jesus the very thought of Thee,
Bores me, I must confess;
Putting You first in all my life,
Intrests me even less.

"I'll give you time on Sunday Morn--
Then I will sing and praise;
But after that, my time's my own--
Mondays through Saturdays.

"Demand no more of me, O Lord--
there is so much to do.
I have a life, I can't afford
to waste it all on You."

(Bamboo & Lace, pp. 147, by Lori Wick)

Something to think about. . .

Ok, as you all can probably tell, I really like the book of Philippians. So when I found out that the college and career class at church will be going through the book this summer, I was really excited!

So, I would like to throw outfor you a few of the questions and points to think about that Glen Shaw gave us as we looked at Philippians 1:19-25 last Sunday. I will let you decide for yourself the effect they should have on your life...

• "What will others say about me once I am gone? That I was fully devoted to God?"
• "Live life to the fullest, not for myself, but rather to magnify God!"
• "Is Christ what I crave?"
• "What am I really looking for in life? If I don't get it, how will I feel?"
• Another way to put that is: "What do I live for?
• Finally, how do I magnify Christ? Or, my own twist on that would be: "How am I currently magnifying Christ in my life?"

These are all challenging questions. I think we all know what the "correct answers" to these should be, but in all honesty, are these "correct answers" true in our lives?

In Him,

Angie

My Life--here and now

Wow, can it only have been a week ago that I was headed to the airport to say goodbye to my family? Was it only a week ago that the dreaded time came when I reached out and hugged my parents, brother, and sister for the last time for two or three years? Was it only a week ago today that my life totally changed, and will never again be like it was a matter of days ago?

Yes, it was. It seems like it can't be already a week since my family boarded the airplane headed to Brazil, yet at the same time, it seems like ages since those tearful goodbyes took place and forced me begin a new chapter of my life.

Life is totally different now: it is so strange for it to just be Patrice and I sitting together at church, to be responsible for making sure there's gas in the car, to not have those good night hugs from mom and dad, to live with another family and adjust to their way of going about each day. . .

Fortunately, even though I will not be able to see my family for a long time, we do have the blessing of modern technology! Yay for email, Skype, and facebook! So far, I think my sister and I have received at least two emails a day from my parents! What would we do without practically instant communication?

Countless people have asked me "How are you doing?" To be honest, I'm not sure; I think the truth is still sinking in--maybe I'm subconsciously hoping that I will wake up and find out that this is all an awful dream. I really cannot put into words (I probably could, but I'm not sure I'm willing yet for you to read it) what I'm feeling right now. All I can say is that "God's Grace is sufficient." On my own, I don't think I can do this, but I'm trusting in Him to be my Provider, Protector, and Parent while I'm here, separated from my family not only by hundreds of miles, but also by a continent and an ocean.

The next few weeks and months will probably be some of the most trying times of my life, but as I read in Psalm 66 yesterday, "Come and hear, all you that fear God, and I will declare what he has done for my soul." I'm trusting God to show Himself very real and present, and in the years to come, I will then be able to look back at this time and say that He has been faithful, just like He said He would be.

Here is a song that I love and would like to share it with you:


Even in the Valley --
High upon this mountain, the sun is shining bright.
My heart is filled with gladness, here above the cares of night.
but I’ve just come though the valley of troubles, fear and pain.
It was there I came to know my God enough to stand and say:

Even the valley, God is good.
Even in the valley, He is faithful and true
He carries His children through like He said he would.
Even in the valley, God is good! God is good! **

This road of life has led you to a valley of defeat,
you wonder if the Father has heard your desperate plea,
But there is hope in that rugged place where tears of sorrow dwell,
Can’t you hear Him gently whispering: I’m here and all is well?!”

**Emphasis added--don't you love those words?



In Him Alone,

Angie

Just had to post this picture--it was wonderful to be able to get together a few weeks ago with Teresa, a wonderful friend! She and her family were passing through Hutchinson, and, after many (!) emails and phone calls, we were able to set up a time to get together at the Metropolitan Coffee shop! Even though we only had a short while to visit over a latté and a tea, it was a memorable afternoon!

Some tulips I thought were pretty.

What kind of picture would you like to see posted next? Comment and give me your suggestions! :)

Filling my days. . .

Ahhh, the days continue to tick by--minute by minute, hour by hour--each passing day bringing my family closer to June 9th. In the meantime, I'm keeping busy with various things:

• Packing--I thought that after having to sort through all of my earthly belongings back in Brazil and fitting it all into not even two suitcases, I would not have much trouble packing things up now. Well, as you can guess, just the opposite is true. I have accumulated so much stuff in the short while that I've been back in the United States--if only you could see my room right now (it is a good thing, though, that you can't!) I have been sorting my things into somewhat-identifiable piles of things I need, things I want to keep( even though I don't exactly need them,) and other items that I don't need, (and really don't want either), thus landing them in either the "Goodwill" bag or the trash can. Now, all I have to do is put everything that I have decided to keep into some kind of suitcase, footlocker, or box. Until I do that, I think the floor of my room will be hopelessly cluttered. . .

• Preparing for VBS--Next week is VBS at Medora Community Bible Church. My entire family will be involved in various aspects of it: my parents will be teaching the missions-emphisis lessons; Patrice will be assisting the kindergarten class and acting as "Sally" in the puppet skits; Melissa will be busy helping, wherever necessary, with the second-grade class and serving snacks; and finally, Jared wil be attending the special classes for fourth grade! Oh yeah, what will I be doing? That is a good question! Originally, I was supposed to be a helper for the second-grade class, but now, I'm helping with the fifth-grade class, which will be a little awkward. No, it is not because of the fifth-graders that it will be awkward, rather it is because of who the teacher will be--the new intern, who just got here this week! As you have probably already guessed, the intern is a guy, and I don't even know him! Yikes! Yes, I think next week will be a new experience, to say the least! However, on another note, if you could remember to pray for me, I would appreciate it, as I have been asked to give the "salvation lesson" one day for the classes up to second grade. Pray that God will give me the right words to say and help me to clearly convey the message of salvation; pray also that the lesson will possibly draw some of the children closer to a saving knowledge of God, if they haven't already. I will probably be teaching on Wednesday or Thursday (June 3rd or 4th).

• Working--My job at Plesant View Home has been going well. During my first few days there, I wondered how I was ever going to make it for the entire summer, but now that I've gotten used to the routine of things, I really enjoy it. I believe that God has me there for a definite purpose--to share one my reasons for believing that, would you believe that in the little town of Inman, at Plesent View Home, in the kitchen (where I'm working), there works another MK girl?!? I mean, what are the odds of that ever happening? Unfortunately, she has obviously turned her back on the Lord and chosen to reject Him Whom her parents have given their lives to share with others. I definitely think God has caused our paths to cross for a specific reason, though I'm not sure what that may be.

• Practicing--This Sunday I will be playing the offertory at church! I've been practicing and practicing, and yet the music still doesn't quite seem to be "fitting together"--one time I can play it perfectly, and then the next, I will totally mess it up! I will definitely be glad when both services are over and I have gotten through both times without stumbling over the all notes!

Hopefully I will be able to update this blog again sometime soon!

~ Angie

Becoming a Reality (in three weeks)

The days are beginning to come to a close; my time with my family is almost gone. There are precisely three weeks left until my parents, Melissa, and Jared board the airline at Kansas City Internation airport on June 9th, leaving Patrice and I here--HELP! As you can imagine, my emotions are commencing to make a very real appearance!

For the past ten days or so, I stayed with the Franklin family, whom I will be staying with after my parents leave. Because I just started a job, I really couldn't go along with the rest of my family when they went up to Montana to visit relatives and two of our supporting churches. It was during this time of separation that the reality of this pending "nightmare" began to sink in: it really is going to happen--I really will be living apart from my parents in the very-near future!

While at times the thought of going off to college sounds exciting, thrilling, and full of adventure, the accompanying implications of living here in the US, separated from everyone and everything that is familiar, is enough to dampen my spirits a bit. A few times throughout the last few days, I have felt almost overwhelmed with the realization of the reality of it all. "Can I really do this?" I've often asked myself. Each time, my mental answer has been: "Well, it's still a long time off in the future; you'll handle it when the time comes." Well, now the time is almost upon me, and I'm not sure if I'll be strong and get through it or not!

It was with such thoughts and emotions boiling near the surface of my heart and mind that I arrived at church last Sunday. As several of my past posts have already mentioned, we have been going through a fantastic series in Sunday school that is by Dr. Jim Berg, examining the character of God and confirming time and again that He is more than enough for our every need! By the end of the hour, I sat amazed at the way God works--the lesson was exactly what I needed!

Why do I say that? Well, would you believe that the very subject of the entire Sunday School hour was our emotions--the very thing I had been struggling with for the past few days? Perhaps the most revealing truth was that "my thoughts dictate my emotions!" So basic, yet so real! If I don't think about something, I won't have emotions about it! Conversely, in order to sustain an emotion, I must think about it!

Now, I'm not saying that in order to get through the next few days and weeks I will simply ignore the inevitable. No, the facts will not go away by mentally saying they don't exist. What I am saying, however, is that it was very freeing, to me, to discover that it is possible for me to control my emotions and sadness about this all! I do have the power to choose what I think about and by avoiding the negative thought patterns of "poor me" that have threatened to make their appearance with increasing frequency lately, I will also be avoiding the negative emotions that accompany them! I don't know. . . am I making any sense at all?

Needless to say, even with all that said, please keep me and my family in your prayers. While I know countless missionary kids have gone through this very thing and have survived (!), this is a first for me.

Trusting in Him,
Angie

The Next Step. . .

Well, some of you are probably wondering what has happened in my life, especially everything involving my quest of a job. All I can say is that God works everything out for the best--every time! Some times it doesn't always seem like the best thing at the moment, but then other times, it works out how we think is the best. In my situation, God saw fit to allow me to re-take the functional capacity test and pass it! Not only did I achieve the required level 3 in my overall score of the various tasks I had to perform, but exceeded it by a whole point and a half! I can only say that it was of the Lord--especially when the lady who stepped me through it all said that because of my score, I would really to have to work hard in order to pass! She really didn't give me much hope to pass, and asked if I even wanted to proceed to take the test right then and there.

Needless to say, I really didn't want to spend days working out trying to build my strength, so I decided to go ahead and try, even though my chances of achieving the required level #3 were slim. My reasoning was that, if I still didn't pass, well then, perhaps that was God's was of telling me, the second time, that this job was not for me.

The result: As I already mentioned at the beginning of this note, I did pass the test, which in turn means that, upon taking the "drug test," I willl have the job! I am still baffled at the possibility of such a varience in the results of the tests; nonetheless, I am thankful for the way God worked this all out! It is wonderful to now be able to see a little clearer the next step that I am to take in this journey along the road called "life."



Thankful,
Angie

A Door, a window, or neither?

Have any of you come to the point where you are not sure whether something happened because it is God's will (I mean, of course nothing happens without God allowing it, but rather, "did this happen because it is a sign that 'the door is closed'"?) or wondered if it was simply an opportunity to exercise your faith and determination in order to proceed, even though there were some obstacles to overcome in order to do so?

My reason is asking this is that I found out today that I didn't quite pass the functional capacity test I had to do for my job. Everything about this job opportunity appeared like the best thing--it seemed like God was working everything out perfectly! What more could I ask for--the pay is better than I was getting at my other job, it is right across the street from where I'll be living this summer, I can even go full-time during the summer months! It all was seeming to fit together like puzzle pieces! But then...I didn't pass this test. Why?

When I first found out, one of my first thoughts was: "Well, I guess God has something better for me." But is that really so? Is He truly closing this door because He has something else in store for me that will be, in the long run, much better for me, even though it seemed like the ideal job opportunity, or is this simply an obstacle to be hurdled? Am I to passively accept this as "God's will" and do nothing more about it--to give up--or does He want something more of me? How am I to determine the fine line of accepting God's will for my life, doing my best to accomplish what God wants for my life, yet at the same time, not push my way into something that God doesn't want me to be in? How do I determine when God has closed the door and there is not a window for me to go through instead?

The lady that interviewed me said that there have been times when someone doesn't pass this test, but then they re-take it and they pass. Is this whole thing because God wants to test my faith? Is He trying to tell me that He has other plans--plans of good, and not of evil? Is He telling me to trust Him--that He is in control, that none of this was a surprise to Him? Or is He trying to show me that I need to try again and press onward, even though there may be difficulties because I feel this is where He wants me?

Interestingly, I read this verse this morning in my devotions: "Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?" (Proverbs 20:24), and it seemed to be talking about me. I really don't understand why God allowed this obstacle to come up; I cannot be certain of the course of that I am now to take. However, I take comfort in one thing: It is all of Him, and He is the One leading me down each path of my life, no matter how dark or unknown it may seem!

Random Pictures

Okay, I get the hint--you want more pictures! Well, here goes some very random pictures from the last few weeks!

Making a snowman from the 18+ inches we got (we're all in t-shirts because it was warm out, in case you thought it looked a little out of place!)

The finished product--Mr. Hunter!

Mr. Hunter became a seat to sit on after he melted apart. (Not sure anyone sat on it for very long though!)

Patrice's birthday

Somone was tired. . .he just couldn't quite make it up the stairs.

Pudim de Leite ("Milk pudding") a traditional Brazilian dessert that was served at a gathering after our Mission's banquet (yes, we actually had a big dinner, then went to someone else's house and ate some more--this time some Brazilian food!)

Squished on one chair, but that's okay because the food was good--espeitinhos, Guaraná, and farofa! mmmm!

Lincoln (otherwise known as Jared) at the Lincoln Museum suvenir (sp?) shop.


Don't worry, Melissa didn't fall on her head!

What happens when we go on "spur-of-the-moment" picnics-- we forgot to bring anything to roast the marshmallows with! (Not to even mention that we couldn't get the fire going for the hamburgers!)

Up in Minnesota--the Lehrman kids with the Geber girls. We had a wonderful evening with them, even though it had been almost ten years since the last time we saw them! Yeah, everyone looked just a little bit different than the last time! :)

Happy Easter!

He is Alive!

Our Savior is Risen!

Years ago, He died for our sins, but did He stay in the grave?

No, He is no longer dead, but alive!

He triumphed over sin and the grave,

and in turn, gave us life and victory!

He now lives in the hearts of all those who believe in Him!

Jesus is the reason for this celebration--

May you all have a wonderful day as you celebrate the ressurrection of our Savior!

My #1 Priority!

"I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in his word do I hope.
My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I
say, more than they that watch for the morning." Psalm 130:5-6

It seems like every time I've started to do my Bible reading lately, a little nagging voice comes to my mind, saying: "You're just quickly doing this so you can get on to doing something else. You're rushing through this to say that you've done it, you've spent at least ten minutes in the Word, and you can check it off on your 'devotions calendar' that you did it, isn't it? When was the last time you wrote something down in your journal?" And that little voice is right: I fear that my quiet time with the Lord has slowly become more and more a rushed and hastily completed activity than a time of communing with God and seeking His face.

Now, I'm going to let you in on something that I have told very few people: A while back, I decided that I would not get on Facebook until I had done my devotions, as I've discovered firsthand how addicting and time-wasting Facebook really is. And if I may say so without bragging, I have been able to keep that commitment. However, I think I may have to do the same with Blogger. . .ahhh, I think I have discovered something about myself lately--I love to write and express my thoughts in writing! But, even something as good as blogging can be harmful if it comes before and between my relationship with God!

Psalm 130:6 says that "My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning:" The immediate picture that came to mind when I read those words was that of a person who is lying in bed, wide awake, and watching the digital clock on the bedstand change it's numbers, minute by minute. A few minutes seem like an eternity, and still rest is not to be found. The minutes tick into hours, and the person is resolved to his plight: He will have to wait for the first signs of dawn to break the sky for a reason to get up! He cannot wait! It is all he can think about: "Oh how good it will be when morning finally comes!"

In the same way a person awaits morning after a sleepless night, I too should wait for the Lord. I cannot wait to get up and meet with God; I cannot wait to put aside that page-turning book and open up the Bible! I cannot wait to spend a few extra minutes jotting down my thoughts on what God taught me through His Word, even though I really want to do something else! My heart and mind look forward to spending this time with God--it is not just a dutiful reading of a few chapters because I know it is what I'm supposed to do. Rather, it is the most treasured time of my day--it is all I can think about! And until it is done, everything else is insignificant and unimportant! It is the number one priority of my day and everything revolves around it!

Unfortunately, the above paragraph does not describe me. I fear (and in my heart, I know the truth) that I have been giving more time to writing something for others to read than seeking what the Master Author has written for me to read; I have spent significantly more time checking the blogspots of various friends than "checking in" with the best Friend of all times. In short, I've allowed something good to become a hindrance, and I don't want that!

So. . . this is my resolution: From now on, I want my #1 priority of each and every day to be my personal time with God! It's hard, but something has got to change if I am going to take baby-steps forward, instead of backward, in my relationship with God! Nothing else in my leisure time until I have met with God through His Word!

A quick note: I got the job! Yay! I''ll be helping in the "dietary" part, which is a fancy word for helping with different duties that are kicthen-related, but hey! It's a job! I won't be starting right away, as I have to do a "functional capacity" test (which is simply a test to make sure that I won't hurt myself doing whatever I'll be doing) and then a drug test (I don't think I need to be worried about that! haha) Then, once I pass both of those, I'll start training!

My Days

Here are a few things that have been filling my days lately:

• Piano practice--for my recital the end of April, I will be playing a duet of the "Hallelujah" chorus with another girl! I think it will actually sound pretty good after we practice a lot more! I'm kind of excited about it!


• Applications forms--both for school and work. Ahh, it feels soo good to finally get those done and have them sent off! Not to mention all of the references that I had to get for them! I sent off my application for Cornerstone Bible Institute, and will anxiously await word from them; I also am nervously looking forward to getting a job interview over with tomorrow! If everything goes well, I'll be working at a nursing home that is right across the street from where I'll be living this summer, which will help a lot with car expenses!
  
• "Sharing God's Gift"--Last week was the last class for this wonderful class. Wow, it seems like it just started, and here it is, over already! However, even though the class officially ended last Saturday, in reality, it has only begun! I now need to continue to put what I learned into practice in my everyday life! I wish every church had such a class available for the believers to take!
  
• Blog posts--In case some of you haven't noticed, my blog has had a lot of activity on it lately! I honestly don't know what happened--all of a sudden, it is like I am always thinking of something or another that I can post on, and I'm loving it! Hopefully I can keep it up!


• Travels--A little over a week ago, my family and I went up to Minnesota and to visit several relatives of my mom and a couple other contacts that we haven't seen in years. I loved seeing all of the pine trees, evergreens, or whatever those kind of tree are called, but I did not enjoy having to walk in all of the mud that was everywhere--especially on the farms! ugh! I certainly am not a farm girl, even though I did grow up in Brazil where things can sometimes be very rustic! We then went to Illinois for our mission's banquet--they hold it every year, but I do not remember the last time I went to one, so it was good to be able to go to it this year.
• "The Zion Chronicles"--This fantastic book series by Bodie Thoene has occupied more of my spare time than it should. (If I start reading a good book, I cannot put it down until I'm done with it!) If you haven't read it, you should! It is historical fiction with a little of everything: history, romance, suspense and mystery, and Christianity. The third book of the series is by far, in my opinion, the best of the three that I have already read! Oooh, I just had to keep reading to find out what would happen to everyone! "Will he be okay?" "And what about her--who is she? Is she really who she says she is?" Read it, and you'll find out the answers!
• Company--My parent's time here in the US is quickly coming to an end, and we realized that there are a lot of people from church that we still want to have over, so we decided that we just needed to start having someone over every week or so (creative strategy, not?) Last week we had a wonderful time with Pr. Ron, our youth pastor, and his family. This weekend, my aunt, cousin, and my counsin's two children, are also coming over for Easter, so we should have a housefull!

What has been going on in your life? I would love to hear from you--leave a comment or send me an email at ang_lehrman89@yahoo.com if you want!

I Love You!

The radio just played a song that shares a beautiful message in it's simple chorus:

"I love you, I love you,
That's what Calvary said.
I love you, I love you,
I love you, written in red. "

Reminds me of that verse that goes something like "No greater love hath a man than this, that a man lay down his life for another." Isn't God's love so amazing and wonderful? Doesn't it just fill your heart with gratefulness and make you stand in awe of the way He chose to show us the extent of His love for us, destitute, base, and proud sinners? He paid the ultimate sacrifice because of His love for us! No, there is no greater love than this!

Notes from "Quieting a Noisy Soul"

Remember my post a few days ago about spiritual growth? Well, I would like to add something more to that which I learned yesterday in Sunday School. Once again, the series that we have been going through since the beginning of the year is "Quieting a Noisy Soul" by Jim Berg. Yesterday's session was on "discovering my loudest 'noisemaker,'" (which is my conscience).

While the whole lesson was on have a clean conscience, several points struck me as being especially significant in their relation to the progress I make in my spiritual life, and I'd like to share some of my scribbled notes:

1. There can be no progress when I am covering my sin.

2. I must be in fellowship with man and those around me before I can be in communion with God. (Thus, if I'm allowing sin to have it's place in my life and my relationships with those around me, how can I be in fellowship with God? Then, if I'm not in fellowship with God, how can I expect to grow in my relationshp with Him?)

3. Want to get more from the Word? Act on what I have/know of it now--obey it, take the steps to apply what I know I should do now! ("Light received brings more light; Light rejected brings darkness.")

Each of these are all very logical and simple, but their significance and importance in the progress I make in my spiritual life is fundamental! I cannot have the ultimate goal--a close walk with God--without having the rest of my life in order, spiritually, that is!

A Daily Prayer List

Something I always have and continue to struggle with is keeping a consistent and regular prayer time. There are those quick and general prayers prayers that are said in passing and are more frequent than they are specific. There are also the heart-felt and passionate prayers that are whispered to the God of the universe in the deepest part of the soul. Unfortunately, I am not the prayer warrior that I would like to be, and my prayer life probably consists of more of the former type of prayer than the latter. Because of this, I would like to share a wonderful idea that Aunt Rachel Stucky uses and shared with me (hope you don't mind my sharing this, Aunt Rachel!)

1. The basic idea is to make up lists in groups of thirty-one (for item for each day of the month). For example, you could make a list for friends, another for family, another for ministries, and so on. The point is to make whatever lists you do into groups of thirty-one.

2. Then, put one item from each list on an individual page (you should end up with thirty-one different pages with an item from each original list--like each #1 on one page, #2 on another, #3 yet another, and so on.)

3. Then, place these new lists in a simple photo album, and ta-DAH! You now have a compilation of prayer requests for each day of the month!

4. After you have made your final list for each day of the month, it is easy to then add additional requests for a certain day by simply adding Post-it notes to hose days. And of course, these little prayer booklets can be an expression of what works best for you and your own creativity!

I wish I could post a picture of a sample book, but I can't, as I haven't actually made one of these. However, I am hoping to do so soon as this creative idea appears to be a great way to maintain a systematic prayer list (which is what I need!)

Growing--or not?

This morning, as I was sitting on my bed doing my devotions, all of a sudden a thought struck me: How can I know if I'm even growing spiritually? Obviously, a person who is maturing in their walk is growing, but then again, What determines spiritual maturity? I mean, a lot of the spiritual walk is so "unseen" (meaning so much of it involves the heart and not simply "cut-and-dried" steps along the journey of life, if that makes any sense). To walk hand-in-hand with the Lord throughout each day and grow closer to Him differs a lot from building a relationship with a friend face-to-face! It is hard, and sometimes, it is difficult to even determine if this relationship with the most important Person in my life is even making progress!

So, with that thought in mind, I am kind of hoping to start a personal list of the different characteristics of a growing Christian that I find as I read the Bible. Even today, while reading in Psalms, I read Psalm 122:1, which I think gives a good clue to one of the first things that should be happening in the life of a person who is growing in Christ: "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord."(KJV) How basic can it get? If I don't even have a desire to go to church, well then, that is probably a good sign that there isn't any growth taking place in my life!

In Him,
Angie

Worthwhile quote

Here's a quote that I love, and thought I would share it with my faithful readers!

"Man is never so tall as when he kneels before God--never so great as when he
humbles himself before God. And the man who kneels to God can stand up to
anything." ~Louis H. Evans

April Fool's Day

Well, today is the day that so many people use as an opportunity to play jokes on others or to tell lies and then gleefully exclaim: "April Fool!" While none of my family members really tried to play any jokes on me, I did have an "indirect" April Fool's joke be played on me, but I won't go into that now. . . . I guess I just don't get it--what does April have to do with fools, and why does that call for playing jokes and the such on those around you? The best explaination I've heard for this tradition is that April Fool's Day it is "the National Athiest's Day," as the Bible says that the fool has said in his heart, "there is no God." Now that makes sense!

Anyway, during church tonight, Pr. Dan made the comment that something he likes to do on this enthusiastically remembered day to make it worthwhile is to pray for the lost, to pray for the evangelistic ministries of the local church, to spend an extra time interceeding for those who still believe in their heart that there is no God! Just think of the potential result if Christians would specifically pray on April Fool's Day for the spreading of God's Great Love!



(By the way, please don't think that I believe this American practice on the first of April is wrong--it just seems somewhat foolish and unnescessary for the Christian. )

Sharing God's Gift--Another Update

Once again, I attended Sharing God's Gift today. While the other classes have been good, I thought today's lesson was really good and helped to explain some things. The main topic we discussed today was the matter of giving the person to whom we are giving the Gospel the opportunity to pray for salvation, and all that this step involves.

One critical point Pr. Ron made and emphasised time and time again, is that you don't invite the person to pray to "accept Christ" unless they really seem to be following what you're saying, understanding it, and you feel you are being led to do so. Otherwise, you will be giving them what Pr. Ron called "Christian innoculation."

This particular term is very appropriate. Let me explain: what is an innoculation supposed to do? If you're given a vaccine for something, you are given a little bit of the germ (that is dead)--this is not enough to make your sick, yet just enough to make your body become resistent to the real thing that might come along in the future. In the same way, by leading someone in a prayer to receive Christ without them really understanding or seeing their need for Christ, they will have "prayed The Prayer," yet may not have genuinely received Christ. However, because they did pray--which isn't at all what saves one, rather it is one's belief in their heart that Christ died, was buried, and rose again for their sins (Romans 10:9-10)-- anytime after that, whenever asked if they're saved, they will say "Why sure, I prayed to receive Christ one day."

While we are not the ones to say whether one is saved or not, it is very likely that such a person may truly be lost yet, but because they prayed a prayer, without any sincere belief in their heart, they may live all their life believing that they are headed to heaven, when in reality, they're on the path to eternal death. They will have been innoculated from ever receiving the saving grace of God, unless they allow themselves to open their eyes to the Truth!

Just now, as I was writing this, I realized that such an "innoculation" happened to me: Because I was born into a Christian family, I was surrounded with the Gospel message from little on up. My parents tell me that I made a decision to follow Christ at a young age, but, to be honest, I really don't remember that day. However, for many years, I believed them, and never really questioned my salvation! "I prayed, right? So, I do not need to worry about where I'll spend eternal life!" I truly considered myself to be a Christian.

It wasn't until I was thirteen that a friend of mine asked me the question: "So, Angie, how did you get saved?" I fumbled around for a response, trying to come up with a convincing answer when I couldn't even remember that I had ever done such a thing!

God used her "out-of-the-blue" question to make me start thinking about my salvation. "Am I really saved?" "How come I don't have the joy that other believers talk about?" "What if the reason I really can't share much about my conversion is because I really haven't trusted in Christ?" All of these questions, and others, swirled around in my head. While I cannot say for certain that I was not saved then, I will say that I do not know that if I had died then, I would have gone to heaven. That is kind of scary. Thankfully, God had mercy on me, and finally, after years of believing that I was saved, I came face-to-face with the possibility that my "conversion" probably wasn't genuine. That day, when I was almost fourteen years old, I cried out to God to save me and to forgive me for my sins. Now I know that I've been born again, and will spend eternity in heaven one day!

While it isn't necessary that one understands everything about God and His Word before he can become a believer (no one will ever fully understand God!), it is essential that one understands and believes four things before he prays to receive Christ:

1. Christ died.

2. He was buried.

3. He rose again the third day.

4. He was seen by hundreds (physical evidence and proof that sets Him apart from every other religion, whose leader has died, yet has never risen again.)

And, this He did all because of our sin and His immense love for us!

I am just so excited about this all. My prayer is that in reading this, you have perhaps either been encouraged in your spiritual walk or gently prompted to re-consider your spiritual condition.

In Him,

~Angie

True Worship

"True worship is living in obedience to Christ seven days a week, not just one
hour on Sundays." - Dr. Wayne Johnson

I've always been somewhat unsure in my heart when people say "let us now worship God in our hearts today." I'm not exactly sure how we're supposed to do that during a service. Sure, our hearts need to be prepared and desirous of praising God and worshipping Him for who He is, but sometimes, I wonder how to determine if I actually did that during that half-hour of singing at church. Maybe I'm wierd or different from others and no one else ever has such thoughts, but when Pr. Wayne gave the above definition last Wednesday night, it was like a light-bulb went on in my head! "Yes," I thought, "that is exactly what true worship should be!"

Yes, of course, we should prepare our hearts for that set-aside time of worship on Sundays, I am not saying that is not important. However, God is not only interested in the kind of worship we give Him during a church service when we're together with all the other believers, but He's probably more concerned with the kind of worship He receives when we are at home--alone, with our family, our friends--when we are going about our day-to-day tasks! I believe true worship of God takes place when we deliberately choose to honor, obey, and glorify Him with everything we do, each and every day of our life!

For the last few months--since the beginning of January, to be precise--I've been going through the book Lord, I want to Know You by Kay Arthur, a devotional on the names of God. After studying the names of God during EXCEL last Fall, I guess I've really been intrigued and facinated with the names of God and the amazing facets they reveal about Him, His character, and simply Who He is!

Earlier today, I heard some disturbing news (to me), and, as I often do, I allowed it to go around and around in my head throughout the day. Well, right before I started my devotions, I specifically prayed and asked God to speak to my heart and give me peace through His Word. So, it was very exciting for me to then, after reading some passages in Scripture, open up the devotional book and realize that the very name I was studying was Jehovah-shalom, or the Lord is peace! While I'm still somewhat troubled in my heart, my heart has, without a doubt, been uplifted and encouraged after being reminded that our God is the Author and Giver of peace! Perhaps though, something even more encouraging is how God works to answer prayer--sometimes even immediately!

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your
forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious
for nothing, but in everythig by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses
all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:4-7

~~~~~~~~

On another note, today my family and I had the privilege of having some former missionaries, Uncle Gerald and Aunt Amy Bergen over for dinner (or lunch, for some of you!). They went to Brazil last Fall to minister at the Bible Institute where my dad teaches. It was wonderful to hear about their time there and to catch up on everything! In fact, we even got to see some pictures! Here are a few (thank you Uncle Gerald!):

Uncle Gerald and Aunt Amy (the older couple) with a family that works with us. While they were in Brazil, they stayed in our house, and this picture was taken in our front yard.

The camp my parents ran for eight years and where I spent a lot of my childhood.

It was fun to see this picture of Kitana, our cat! Isn't she cute? :)

While this isn't all that great of a picture, these are most of the students at the Bible Institute. It was soo good to see these familiar faces!

Finally, here's the view that I used to have straight out from one of the windows of my room back in Brazil. I know, I know, it's not that interesting, but it is kind of sentimental. . . :) Oh, and one more thing: if you're at all interested, look closely and you can kind of see some cashew fruit hanging on the tree.

Hope I didn't bore you. . .

"We Must have True Faith" -- By A. W. Tozer

I checked out the book The Price of Neglect by A. W. Tozer from the library at church yesterday, and read the following selection. It was very revealing and convicting, and, as you probably already guessed, I just had to share it with you! :) Please read it!

"To many Christians Christ is little more than an iea, or at best an ideal;
He is not a fact. Millions of professed believers talk as if He were real
and act as if He were not. And always our actual position is to be
discovered by the way we act, not by the way we talk.

"We can prove our faith by our committal to it, and in no other way.
Any belief that does not command the one who has it is not a real belief; it is a
pseudo-belief only. And it might shock some of us profoundly if we were
brought suddenly face to face with our beliefs and forced to test them in the
fires of practical living.

"Many of us Christians have become extremely skillful in arranging out
lives so as to admit the truth of Chirstianity without being embarrassed by its
implications. We fix things so that we can get on well enough without
divine aid, while at the same time ostensibly seeking it. We boast in the
Lord but watch carefully that we never get caught depending on Him. " 'The
heart is deceiful above all things/ and beyond cure./ Who can understand it'
(Jeremiah 17:9)?

"Pseudo-faith always arranges a way out to serve in case God fails
it. Real faith knows only one way and gladly allows itself to be stripped
of any second ways or makeshift substitutes. For true faith, it is either
God or total collapse. And not since Adam first stood up on the earth has
God failed a single man or woman who trusted Him.

"The man of pseudo-faith will fight for his verbal creed but refuse flatly
to allow himself to get into a predictament where his future must depend upon
that creed being true. He always provides himself with secondary ways of
escape so he will have a way out if the roof cares in.

"What we need very badly these days is a company of Christians who
are prepared to trust God as completely now as they know they must do at the
last day. For each of us the time is surely coming when we shall have
nothing but God. Health and wealth and friends and hiding places will all
be swept away and we shall have only God. To the man of pseudo-faith that
is a terrifying thought, but to real faith it is one of the most comforting
thoughts the heart can entertain.

"It would be a tragedy indeed to come to the place wehre we have no other
but God and find that we had not been trusting God at all during the days of our
earthly sojourn. It would be better to invite God now to remove
every false trust, to disengage our hearts from all secret hiding places and to
bring us out into the open where we can discover for ourselves whether or not we
really trust Him. That is a harsh cure for our troubles, but it is a sure
one. Gentler cures may be too weak to do the work. And time is
running out on us."

(from pages 12-14 of The Price of Neglect by
A. W. Tozer)

Sharing God's Gift Update

Hello!

Well. . . it seems like I can never keep this blog up-to-date, now can I? I would like to update it at least every week, but obviously, that hasn't been the case thus far. Maybe that will change (but I'm not making any promises!) :)

Anyway, I thought I would share a little of what has been happening here in my little world, especially in Sharing God's Gift, which I shared about with you all a while back. There are only three weeks left to this ten-week evangelism course, and so far, it has been really good!

A major part of this course is "on the job training" where we divide up into groups of three or four and go witnessing door-to-door. For the first four or five weeks of Sharing God's Gift, I wasn't able to go out with any group (due to the fact that this particular class is unusually big compared to previous classes and there aren't enough trainers to go out with each group), so it has only been the last two weeks that I've had the privilege of going out and get a "taste" for spreading the Gospel!


Last week I went with three others (plus a trainer) to the house of a couple from church to "practice" on them, while acting as if it were the "real thing." I was appointed to do it first, since I hadn't had the opportunity to do it before, so as could be expected, I was a little nervous about doing it all with four other adults watching. However, it turned out to be a really good learning experience! It was extremely helpful to be in such a setting, because, when I wasn't quite sure what I should say next, I could stop and ask my trainer, and he could correct me or suggest something I could've done better. As someone commented earlier that morning, until you actually do it yourself, you don't really learn to do it! While in previous classes I've watched others practice sharing the Gospel and have memorized the specific outline we're learning, I haven't really out-and-out done it myself! Upon actually going through it with someone else as if they were an unsaved person, I really learned a lot! Now, the next big step out of my comfort zone it to trust in God's strength to have courage to do the same with a "real" unsaved person! Please keep praying for me!

As I've already mentioned, there is an outline or specific order of questions and references that we're memorizing throughout these ten weeks. While some would say that such a thing isn't necessary, I discovered last week, even when just practicing, the importance of actually having the references and questions given memorized, because at the time of most need, your mind will draw a complete blank! (That can still happen when you've got it memorized, but it is much less likely! ) Anyway, in this outline, there are several initial "evaluation questions" that are really good and I thought I would share them with you all:

1. Do you have any spiritual beliefs? (It is with this question that you can find out where they stand spiritually. Or, if they say that they do go to church, you could ask them "So what does the church mean to you?")

2. To you, who is Jesus? (This question helps you to determine who they believe Jesus to be--simply a good person, a religious figure, or the Savior of the world!)

3. Do you think there is a heaven or a hell? (Do they believe that such places even exist?)

4. If you were to die tonight, where would you go? If heaven, why? (With their answer to this question, you will find out what they're basing their salvation on--good works, salvation, etc.)

5. If you were to find out that what you believe was contrary to the Bible, would you want to know? (By asking this question, you are first allowing them to say whether they are open to hearing more about the Gospel, and second, showing them that their beliefs are contrary to the Bible, not with your opinion! In other words, they will be arguing with the Bible, not with you!)

It is amazing how well these diagnostic questions work! Even in the few times that I've seen it be used, by the time you get to the second or third question, you can have a pretty good idea as to where they stand spiritually! For example, two weeks ago, when I went door-to-door with three others, we met a man who did go to church. However, upon asking him why he went to church, from his answer that was along the lines of all the good stuff that happens there and the moral lessons, etc., it was pretty obvious that he was probably going to church for the wrong reasons!


Until the next time!
Angie

The Mission

Recently, I was listening to the CD People Need the Lord by Steve Green, and the song The Mission began to play. It has been a long time since I had listened to this CD, so I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. I love the words to The Mission, and thought I would share them with you:

"There's a call going out across the land in every nation
A call to all who swear allegiance to the cross of Christ.*
A call to true humility, to live our lives responsibly,
To deepen our devotion to the cross at any price.

"Let us then be sober moving only in the Spirit,
As aliens and strangers in a hostile foreign land.
The message we're proclaiming is repentance and forgiveness.
The offer of salvation to the dying race of man.

(chorus)
"To love the Lord our God Is the heartbeat of our mission,
The spring from which our service overflows.
Across the street or around the world,
The mission's still the same:
Proclaim and live the truth in Jesus' name.

"As a candle is consumed by the passion of the flame,
Spilling light unsparingly throughout a darkened room,
Let us burn to know Him deeper, then our service flaming bright,
Will radiate His passions and blaze with holy light."

~ Written by Jon Mohr and Randall Dennis
*I put in all of the punctuation in order to facilitate reading it.

As I listened to these words being sung, I almost got goosebumps from the challenging they presented! The author of this song doesn't beat around the bush as to who this "call" is for: this call is for "all who swear allegiance to the cross of Christ"! Very staightforward and right to the point, isn't it? This not just for anyone. However, on the other hand, it also isn't just for those who are called to be a pastor or a missionary or any other full-time Christian service; no, this is for all who claim to follow the cross and claim the One Who died on it to be their Savior! If you and I hold to the message of the Cross, this call is for you and me!

The mental picture that the final stanza depicts gives a new angle as to how I am to live my Christian life: am I so passionate about God that my life is literally consumed by it? Does my whole life revolve around my love and passion for Him? Do I unashamedly spill my light in the midst of this world darkened by the shadow of sin? Am I deliberate about this, or is it simply by chance that my light is ever even seen by the world?

As you can see, this song is packed with meaning. How have you responded to this call that God gives to every believer?

"Sharing God's Gift"

"Sharing God's Gift" -- that is the name of the class at church that I will begin on Saturday. As you may have already figured out, it is on sharing God's Gift--the Gospel, the Good News of Salvation! I received yesterday the material we will be going through, and have briefly looked through it. Please be praying for me throughout the next ten weeks--this is definitely one area that I need to work on! I know that God has commanded us to share His great Gift of Love with those around us, but oh how difficult that is for me to do! Yet I don't want to be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ! I know, because of what Christ has done for me, I have every reason to be bold, every reason to be on fire to share the Gospel, but instead, I have allowed my human nature of fear to overcome such motivations. Consequently, God has been working in my heart and convicting me of my failure to share the Gospel, so when the opportunity to take this class arose, I felt that God was telling me to do it, even though it is definitely out of my comfort zone! Please pray that I will stop relying on my own strength to obey this great commandment Jesus gave and instead, begin trusting in Him, and Him alone, to give me the boldness and confidence to reach out to those who have yet to hear of His wonderful Plan for sinful mankind!

In Him,

Angie

Discontent? Who, me?

Wow! Are you surprised that I'm posting again already? Well, I wasn't really thinking I would post again so soon either, but. . . I just had to!

Sunday School this morning was really good--it was exactly what I was needing. You see, it was on the subject of discontentment. Lately, I've really been struggling with that--while I'm glad that I'm back in the US, things are just a lot different than they are back in Brazil. I've been complaining (in my heart) to God about all those things that are different and wishing that things would be different; that I could be back in Brazil, or even better, that I could have "the best of the two worlds." Those who have been around me recently probably haven't noticed anything, but those feelings were all there inside of me: I really was, in all honesty, discontent with where God has put me, for the place in my life that I am now, and just a lot of other things.

As the video session by Jim Berg that we're going through in Sunday School played, I began to realize the truth of what he was saying. My discontentment is a result of my unbelief of Who God is; I been allowing those many "if onlys . . ." to resound in my heart and to create a desire for something I don't have or a change of circumstances. Something he said that really stood out to me was that if God is enough for me, I won't be tempted to be discontented! That is, if I really, truly, and honestly believe that God is everything that I need, then no matter where I am, what I have, or who I am with, etc., I can always be content! I already have everything I need! And you know, he also pointed out that you really cannot be tempted by what you don't want or desire! Isn't that wonderful to know? Now, the only catch to it all is that I now need to live it out in my life!

Wanting to truly live out the truth that God is everything I need,
Angie