As the World Turns
25 Oct 2008 Leave a Comment
in Heart Issues, Prayer Requests
I haven’t posted anything in a long time which shouldn’t surprise me. I always seem to be on the go or have something (usually school stuff) that needs to be done. Anyways, just thought that I would post what has been going on with me lately for those of you whom I don’t see much.
Graduate school is totally different than undergrad. No laziness allowed. I have a small group of classmates that I see in each class Monday through Thursday. I truly appreciate each of these people and we all have a blast together. The classes are super challenging but I can also tell that I am learning and finally using so many new skills.
I am freakin loving the church that I have been attending for a couple of months. I love that I can go in and listen to the Pastor preach for an hour and a half, and still desire for him to keep going. I haven’t felt that in a very long time. I have been going to the church’s Bible study and I am definitely the youngest person in attendance. Despite the lack of people my age, that time during the middle of my week is a blessing. I am slowly (and I do mean very slowly) getting to know the members of the church. I really want to become as active in the church as possible. It is easy to stay in my comfort zone and do the minimal, but God doesn’t call me to be a minimalist in my participation in His body of believers. So, I ask that concerning me and this church you would pray that: 1) the young adults who come Sunday morning would really desire to meet with God and others more than once a week (this request is somewhat selfish because I want more people there my age but is also out of a desire to see God move among the next generation of this church), and 2) that I will continue to work towards trying to see ways that I can possibly serve.
As I was writing down these two topics, it got my mind whirling on all the other things that I could put down but I realized that they are of little importance. This got me to thinking how prioritizing is something that God is teaching me about right now. In this time of my life where I am having to adapt to changes in friendships, getting involved in a new church, and the chaos and busyness that school presents; God is imprinting into my mind constantly how He comes first. He is patient because I am sometimes a slow learner or forgetful of this.
All in all, life is good. Gooood 
Ev’ryting Ok
30 Jul 2008 1 Comment
in Heart Issues, Jamaican Natashia
I returned Sunday from a week-long missions trip in Jamaica. This was my first trip outside of the country. I was with only two people that I knew from the whole group and I was really nervous about being able to successfully do the responsibilities that I had been given. The week was hard, but in a good way. I was an assistant to Karen at two churches where we were doing VBS. Our morning church had kids that were saints while the afternoon crew definitely had me praying for strength. Jamaica doesn’t just have beautiful landscapes, it has beautiful people. Inwardly beautiful. I love the fact that I have never waved so much at complete strangers in my life and that they actually waved back. I took part in one of the best dance parties ever after a street service where a lady that had to have been about 60ish showed me how to move. I danced (whether in VBS with the kids or in the church services) like I have never danced before. It was really dancing to the Lord and I liked it. My time at the orphanage taught me a lot about God’s love and almost had me bringing home twins! A lot of things that I wouldn’t have expected the Lord to teach me on a missions trip He did. This is just an overview of some of the things. I think I am going to share my journal entries or at least what I was blessed with doing each day. The missions leader that went with us said that it would be a “life-changing trip”. I hated hearing that because I think it sounds so cliche, but that is exactly what this trip was for me.
To You
30 Jul 2008 Leave a Comment
in Heart Issues
Desire.
What do I want? What am I seeking?
To use the gifts that God has bestowed on me to love others.
To be in a church/community that fuels my yearning for the Lord.
To continue to regard You as the only thing I need and my Love.
I have desired many other things and I am sure that I will have many more, but I never want any other desire to grab hold of my heart like a desire to be with you Lord.
Any desire means nothing if it does not have you entwined in it.
He Provides
24 May 2008 2 Comments
in Heart Issues
I have really had the provision of God on my heart lately. Lately, I have been in a season of life where all I can do is rely on God’s help. The things I have dealt with aren’t even ones that I thought maybe I could handle on my own. Anyways, I felt led to look up the words provision and providence. Well, I hit gold. Tears stream down my face as I am writing this blog, just because the Scripture that I am going to share speaks directly of how I have seen God provide in my life lately.
First, the definition. Providence = God’s faithful and effective care and guidance of everything which He has made.
Now, the treasure. In Nehemiah 9:9-21.
- God provides escape from enemies and bad situations (verse 9-11)
- God provides guidance so that we don’t have to travel through life on our own (verse 12)
- God provides ways for us to draw closer to Him (verse 13-14)
- God provides for our physical needs and gives us shelter (verse 15)
OK. This next part is what really touched my heart the most. It did so because instead of saying “they”, it could have my name written in and still be truth. Verses 16-21 state the following:
16 “But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey your commands. 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.
19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. 21 For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen. “
To me those words are so beautiful. Recently, I have gone through a time of rebellion towards God and yet He still provided for me and guided me until I was back where He wants me. I really like the words, they lacked nothing. God has made me realize that even if they had nothing physically, they still would have had all they needed because the Lord was with them. The same is true for you and I. Even if we have nothing but God, that’s all that we need.
I just want to share some areas of my life that God has shown provision in lately.
- I have been in a financial pit for a good couple of months. Through God’s provision of friends and unexpected money to help me out, I have been able to survive with little to no cash.
- Shelter. I have a nice place to live. Not only that, but I am able to use the home that the Lord has provided me with to give others a place to stay during this summer.
- People to listen to my rants so that I didn’t lose my mind over all the decisions that I was having to make about the future.
- A restored family. A family that I really believe will have every member come to know Christ. A sister who is having a GED graduation very soon and now realizes that there is a world of opportunity awaiting her. Jesus has given me the blessing of seeing my family realize that hope is an okay thing.
- God has given strength and boldness to allow me to tell someone how I feel about them regardless of the outcome. God is also blessing by strengthening a friendship and teaching me through this time.
- Grace and mercy offered after I have done some things that I know broke His heart. He still provided open arms for His prodigal daughter after her rebellion.
I pray that each of us take the time to personally realize all the provision that God has provided in our lives. After doing so let us live out the words of Psalm 150:2. Praise Him for His acts of power and His surpassing greatness.
Endings and Beginnings
21 Apr 2008 Leave a Comment
in Heart Issues
Graduation is so quickly approaching and I feel so far from ready. These past two months have been complete chaos. All of the unknowns really became overwhelming at times. There are things that I will be leaving that break my heart to let go of. Goodbyes are so hard regardless if they are to activities, things, or people. Although there have been many moments when I hate all the possibilities laid out before me, I have to give God thanks for all the opportunities He gives. He gives us options. The fact that He does that shouldn’t be taken for granted. I was really scared about how my growth would be affected by this new phase of life. My role in serving and ministry are changing and I just had this fear that with that change I won’t be serving others or there will be a halt in my growth in Christ. God just really is having to hammer into my head the fact that He will never allow me to not grow as long as I don’t desire that. My ways of serving will be different and might not be to those in a church or ministry, but it will still be service done to the glory of God. I might not have the same type of support system or continuous meetings to be a part of, but God will provide a community and guidance. He provides. That is a truth that I am clinging to. I just think about the past and in certain instances I know that I worried about God’s provision, but He provided then. Just remembering how God has provided far more than what I ever could have expected in the past gives me hope and excitement about the future. My future. Pretty exciting stuff.
