Gourmet Pizza, Friends, and Fun

At the beginning of the year, there was one thing on the minds of me and several other ladies: Action. Each of us have different stories; whether individually or collectively we'd been seeking to know the Lord more and more. Books, Bible studies, accountability, church activities, and more had been apart of our lives We all want to be examples to others of Biblical womanhood, but standing alone, attempting to become the Proverbs 31 prototype can all too often begin to feel dreadful and burdensome. Where was the joy? (Or maybe that's just me...?)

Either way, on January 2nd, me and four other ladies gathered around my best friend's table and tossed around different things that personified biblical womanhood to each of us (Biblically based, of course). We also shared goals for the year, both spiritually and otherwise, things we want to learn, and prayer requests. Once all of this was laid out, we submitted it all before the Lord in prayer, leaving our goals and desires at His feet for Him to do with them as He saw fit during the year of 2012. Though we weren't sure how it would all play out, we knew one thing. We were actually going to ACT. We collectively determined that by putting feet to our faith during 2012, this year, even more so than previous years, would actually be one of action. Actually. Action.

Photo credits go to Treneka,
who needs to make a website for her awesome photography!

One thing that was a general consensus is that we all gotta work on our cooking! Haha. So it's set up where each month a different person will "host" an event or outing that coincides with something we discussed early in the year. What better way to start than by food and fellowship!? My best friend (who's also my Maid of Honor! sidenote, hehe) hosted the first one, and made it a Chicken Pizza Night. It was a great turnout, and we ended up being able to catch up with some we haven't seen in years! We each brought an ingredient and made everything but the dough from scratch! We ended up making three pizzas! They were DELISH. We got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman, who we all know (or...anyone who knows who she is!) is an amazing cook!

Photo credits go to Treneka, who needs to make a website for her awesome photography!

 There are so many more things we want to do together to grow as young women to the glory of the Lord, and I think this was a great kick off! Actually Action is actually happening!

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant or to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God,

 who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 

Command them to do go and to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

 ~1 Tim. 6:18-19

How are you ready to Actually Act this year?

...And Who Am I To Think Otherwise?

In 59 days I will be a "Mrs." ...Incredible, right? I am so very excited; time has flown by faster than I ever could have imagined!! If 200 days went by this quickly, then I can only imagine how fast the last 59 will go, ahhh!

Anyways, there is a LOT of stuff that needs to get done still. Wedding related, life related, etc., etc. And I know myself. Sometimes I get overwhelmed, because I'll sit there, and I'll stare at the circumstances, and you know what happens? The longer I look at it, the bigger it gets, the bigger it seems, and then I begin to feel crushed and perplexed and frustrated... My emotions go haywire and I start to freak out and I think I just can't handle it and I wonder where in the world is God working in this? and why me? and why can't it just go easy for my like in such in such person's life? and on and on and on and on and ON go the questions and complaints. Then I hole myself away and bawl my eyes out and sleep and sleep, and bawl my eyes out again, then I vent to the Favorite and then, THEN I do what I should've done at the very beginning--opened up my Word, poured out my heart to Him in prayer, and let those burdens go from my heart and shoulders to His.

It's really quite unfortunate that this is the case, but by no means do I desire to purport myself to you guys like some kind of perfect Christian who isn't in need of some serious growth. Because clearly, I'm not! But amazing things happen when you really confront the truth about yourself instead of just ignoring flaws like they'll just disappear over time. (Trust me, they just magnify!)

Now, to switch gears for a sec...James is such an awesome book, man! I love it. As I'm writing, I just opened up my Bible to chapter 1, and there are like fifty billion sticky notes with stuff written on them from that chapter alone! Not to mention most of the verses in the chapter are either circled or underlined. All that to say that this is a well read chapter in my Bible. Even still, I think this is a good time to go over it again!

Now I'm no Bible scholar, but as I read there are three main things I can pull out that James predominantly talks about in chapter one: Trials (v.1-12), Temptations (v. 13-18), and Adherence to the Word (v. 19-27). ALL of it is good and convicting and essential to the life of a believer, but I'm gonna focus on that last one, adherence to the Word. You know, for a while I was in complete denial that I'm the type of person that lets life circumstances affect my emotions and relationships. I think I got really good at hiding it from myself by saying things like, "Oh, I just learn to adapt quickly," or "I'll be okay," or "Things could be worse." Now all of these things are actually true, but deep down I was using those cliches to smother this fear and doubt that this time the change would be too much for me, and I won't be able to handle it, that things could only get worse from here.

My relationship with the Favorite has played an integral role in me admitting that what I believed about myself was not actually the case. (I mean, it's always easier to think better of ourselves than we actually are, right?) Well this is a rough comparison, I'm gonna reference the section where James talks about how we are not merely to be hearers of the Word, but also doers.

Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

Now that was me. Just as though I were looking in the mirror to see if there were any flaws in need of correction, I was confronted with the fact that I really don't trust God with situations (I'd just allow them to overwhelm me until I reached some sort of breaking point). But upon realizing there was something wrong, you know what I would do? Walk away, and completely forget that there was ever anything wrong and in need of fixing. Is the problem gone because I ignored it? Absolutely not! If anything, I am worse off than before because those sins and doubts and lack of trust begin to fester and grow and swell into something uglier and even more self-destructive than before.

Thank God the scripture doesn't end there! I don't have to muddle through my life with false truths about myself and a lack of faith in God. James continues by saying,

But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.

There is so much freedom in allowing God to show us what's real about us and to transform us from the inside out!! I stopped letting what God was saying to me go in one ear and out the other; I stopped and listened, then I acted upon what He was saying.

So now, back to all the gazillion things I need to get done between now and the wedding day. Why sit here stressing my little mind about what could be and what might happen and so on? If it doesn't fall under the parameters of what God says in Philippians 4:8 (thinking on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, praiseworthy), then I need to cast down those imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bring into captivity every thought unto the obedience of Christ! As I actively DO what God is telling me in order to have better responses to life's situations, the unhealthy and, dare I say, sinful habits and negative responses I've grown accustomed to begin to take a backseat go in the trunk go out the window!

There are a ton of unanswered questions in regard to how some pretty important details are going to work out for the wedding and life after the wedding. However, I know my God, and He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end, and before I was even formed in my mother's womb He knew me and knew I'd be getting married in February 2012 and that I'd face situations and struggles outside of my control. This same God who knows all this also has ALL power to work all these things together for my good! That's what He said He'd do, so who am I to think otherwise?

Ten Years and Counting!

Time flies so quickly, and it can be so hard to realize it until it's passed. This past weekend I had the privilege of celebrating my church's 10th anniversary, woohoo! God has done some awesome things through the ministry at Trinity Baptist Church. For one, this is the church where I accepted Christ as my Lord and personal Savior! (PRAISE HIIIM!!) Pastor Eddie (who also happens to be my best friend's dad-pretty cool, eh?) preached a sermon about heaven and hell, and I realized that even though I had a complete head knowledge of salvation, I had never truly accepted Jesus Christ into my heart, making me unsure of my eternal destination. So on February 18th, 2001, I entered into the family of God, and it was the best decision I ever made. Ever. :) So yeah, it's been awesome growing up in one place, from junior high, to the teen class, to the A-Z Discipleship class, until I left for college! And even then whenever I'd come home I knew I could find a home at Trinity. There's definitely an awesome body of believers there.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to capture all of the photos I wanted of the church's anniversary service, but at least I took some! The day before the Sunday service there was a really nice dinner for all the members and some guests, so this is where the pictures are from.

The tables were so nicely decorated!

I was pretty much in love with the drink fountains. :) 

These were the centerpieces for the tables. The glass containers were filled with mustard seeds, representative of the faith we've had in God to make it this far as a church to further God's kingdom! Very creative and symbolic.

I pretty much loves the rose balloons.

A few of the teens.

The parents! :) 

Blurry, but the praise team is singing.

My pastor is on the left, Pastor Reynolds is in the center. (He's the pastor of Trinity's sending church!) Pastor Davis is on the end. He preached on anniversary Sunday.

Me and Pastor Eddie!

Whether I'm at Trinity or somewhere else in the future, I know that the more Trinity grows together in the Lord, the more it will be able to do for God's kingdom! She may not be a huge church, but she's impacting the community with the gospel of Christ in a great way, and because of that God is glorified. Looking forward to seeing all that happens in the next ten years! ;-)

Today is the Day!!

Wow, guys, just wow... God is so amazing. He totally came through with providing the needed funds to go to Cape Town by burdening people's hearts to give, even on the last day!!! How awesome is that!? So today, I'm headed to meet up with the team I'm going with, and we'll be taking a flight to London, then from London to Cape Town! I should be in Cape Town by Tuesday morning!! There's a ten hour layover in London, so I'm excited about seeing a couple sights. I promise to take lots of pictures and video! I'll be there for a month and three days. :)

I'll try to update the blog as frequently as posibble, but the wireless is a little different in SA so we'll see! Please pray for the team and I as we endeavor to share the truth of Jesus Christ with South Africa!!

A Pleasant Surprise

It was an early morning on the metro. Usually if I find myself on the train during some hour at which I'd prefer to be sleeping, I do just that:  sleep. But alas, that morning 'twas not meant to be. So there I sat, engaging in my somewhat odd habit of people-watching, when my eyes caught one of the numerous signs posted throughout the inside of the train. Lo and behold, it was a Voice of the Martyrs poster! Woohoo!! I cannot explain how genuinely happy it made me to see that this ministry was a encouraging people to support the persecuted church in avenues which I'd never even considered. Metro station? Brilliant! I can only imagine how many people, both believers and non-Christians alike, saw that sign. For some, I'm sure it was an encouragement to pray, and for others it perhaps opened the door for them to ask questions about the ministry, or even better, the faith! Praise the Lord! So instead of my norm of napping through stops, I had the blessed opportunity to spend those precious minutes before the throne of God, interceding on behalf of His persecuted people. Seeing that sign and being encouraged to pray also challenged me to evaluate other areas of my life where I spend time napping or daydreaming when instead I could be doing something to further the Kingdom! I hope God uses this short post to open your eyes to times you can be spending in intercession for His people, our brothers and sisters in Christ.

A Country A Month

I recently started receiving material in the mail from Voice of the Martyrs, an organization that supports persecuted churches in restricted and hostile nations all over the world. (click to see what the difference is between the two!) As I've probably said before on this blog, one of the Scriptures the Lord has laid heavy on my heart is Philippians 3:7-11:

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (emphasis mine)

Remember Vibia Perpetua? She had this mindset, one of complete denial of self and of flesh, counting everything as loss, esteeming an intimate relationship with her Creator much more important and significant than anything in this temporal life. So with the Lord's guidance I've been trying doing the same thing by "daily dying", in the things say and don't say, do and don't do, watch and don't watch...you get the point! May not seem to be big things to most people, but I want to be a good steward of what God's doing in my life right now so He can continue using and growing me later! But anyways, back to Voice of the Martyrs (VOM). It's so incredibly mind-blowing to me that there are people across the world, believers to be specific, who are taking this Scripture to heart in ways I can hardly imagine. When Christians in these persecuted nations read I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, they mean it!! These people quite literally "share in the sufferings of Christ" through consistent persecution, and since refusal to denounce the name of Christ is, in many of these restricted nations, a death sentence, there are some who even "become like him in his death." 

I have a heart to share Christ with the world, but aside from sharing Him currently where I'm at, what else can I do? Think, think, think...ah! I can pray. (novel concept, huh?) One of the materials I received from VOM was a map showing all of the restricted and hostile nations in the world. I posted the map on the wall in my room and have decided to pray for a country a week. Last week I prayed for Columbia. For their government, for their economy, for the churches, pastors, believers, unbelievers, persecutors, children, parents, and more. This week I'll be praying for Chiapas, Mexico. Praying is the least I can do! I'd love to support financially, but I'm not in a position to do so. However, I realize that my Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and my prayers will be heard by the One Who's able to control all that is going on in these countries--for His glory!! If we aren't careful, we can forget the power that can be found in prayer. The Bible clearly tells us this in James 5: 

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (emphasis mine)

and this in Philippians 4:

 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (emphasis mine)

So let me get this straight. There are Christians, who I'll probably never see until heaven, all over the world who are suffering, under intense persecution (think beaten, tortured, abused, jailed, chained, etc.) boldly sharing the unwanted but needed truth of the gospel in places that I'll probably never go.They are desperately in need of support. Now add this: my God says that the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective, and that I should present all my requests before Him. With all that being said, I don't plan on missing out on the great opportunity of lifting up these saints in prayer any longer! Not when God has promised to hear and respond! (This isn't to say their persecution will all out stop; it's clear in the Word that believers will face sufferings in this life! But God always knows how to provide for and look out for His own.) 


So anyways, I definitely encourage you guys to check out the VOM website and request some of their free material. It's always a good thing to see a world outside of our own (especially if the most we've seen of the world has been limited to the luxuries America offers!). There are believers, our brothers and sisters in Christ, people saved by grace through faith just like us, who are suffering persecutions for this very same faith - persecutions that we may never, ever experience! We should desire to edify these saints in whatever way we can, and it can all begin with interceding for them in prayer.