Happy New Year!
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." II Corinthians 5:17
I know that this verse can be used for so many things and often times is taken out of context, but as 2009 is quickly approaching I have been meditating on this verse. This last Sunday, December 28, the Pastor was talking about reconciling or re-reconciling your life to Christ and making a commitment to turn on the sinful habits and ways of 2008 and commit 2009 to living a life of deep commitment to Christ. As you continue reading the passage Paul talks about what it means to live in Christ and be reconciled to Him. He has reconciled us to Himself by carrying all of our sins to the cross. He who was sinless took our sins upon Himself so that we could be in the presence of Himself.
As the new year comes I have been looking over the last year of my life. In some ways this year was very long and in other ways I feel like it just started yesterday. It is probably the hardest year I have had in my life thus far. But through it all the constant love and reconciliation to Christ has been there. God has never failed me, even though I fail him all the time. Even those times when I felt He was distant, He was still there.
2009 is going to be a year where I turn my back on the old habits, the luke warm times in Christ, and strive to live fully passionate and dedicated. Lord, please help me to live for you whole heartedly!
May this challenge you to live with the fire of the LORD burning in your soul.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thank You!
Hello Everyone!
I deeply apologize. I have been very irresponsible with keeping up with my blog while I was in Israel, but I wanted to thank all of you who prayed for me while I was there. It was an experience that changed my life and the way which I read the word of God. It is almost like the Bible has become 3-D because I have visited these amazing places. I have had a difficult time summing up my trip in words. I would best describe it as a roller coaster. When I arrived I was on a high. I was simply in awe and amazement that I was waking up in the same place where David and Jesus and Paul and so many other people that I highly respect woke up themselves. But once I had been there for a while, and the school work began getting more intense, and we were going on trips every weekend, I had a very hard time and became very withdrawn. I never had anytime to rest or really spend any sufficient time to myself. I began feeling like my walk with the LORD was something on my checklist rather a growing relationship. This was very hard for me, but once I hit rock bottom things were great. I got my priorities in order again and put God #1 even at the expense of school and sleep and the Lord blessed above and beyond. I had unexplainable energy and God completely stretched my time and kept me healthy. But through out the entire time I never lost the thought that I was where Jesus was. I walked the streets that Jesus walked. I thought a lot about teens who idolize a movie star or rock star, and I felt a lot like that. I took pictures of stones that Jesus touched and got all giddy about going to Jericho where the walls fell down. I felt like a teen who had the privilege of experiencing a piece of their idols life. It was incredible.
Again, thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. Please do not hesitate to ask questions. I am much better at answering specific questions than I am at telling stories out of the blue.
I deeply apologize. I have been very irresponsible with keeping up with my blog while I was in Israel, but I wanted to thank all of you who prayed for me while I was there. It was an experience that changed my life and the way which I read the word of God. It is almost like the Bible has become 3-D because I have visited these amazing places. I have had a difficult time summing up my trip in words. I would best describe it as a roller coaster. When I arrived I was on a high. I was simply in awe and amazement that I was waking up in the same place where David and Jesus and Paul and so many other people that I highly respect woke up themselves. But once I had been there for a while, and the school work began getting more intense, and we were going on trips every weekend, I had a very hard time and became very withdrawn. I never had anytime to rest or really spend any sufficient time to myself. I began feeling like my walk with the LORD was something on my checklist rather a growing relationship. This was very hard for me, but once I hit rock bottom things were great. I got my priorities in order again and put God #1 even at the expense of school and sleep and the Lord blessed above and beyond. I had unexplainable energy and God completely stretched my time and kept me healthy. But through out the entire time I never lost the thought that I was where Jesus was. I walked the streets that Jesus walked. I thought a lot about teens who idolize a movie star or rock star, and I felt a lot like that. I took pictures of stones that Jesus touched and got all giddy about going to Jericho where the walls fell down. I felt like a teen who had the privilege of experiencing a piece of their idols life. It was incredible.
Again, thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. Please do not hesitate to ask questions. I am much better at answering specific questions than I am at telling stories out of the blue.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Pictures from Samaria and Shevet Achim
The internet is up and running just enough that I could upload one picture at a time. It was a process but I wanted to share them with you.
This was the man who led us around the Zionist Colony. He was very passionate about everything he spoke on. He knew the land like the back of his hand, and the best part was that he grew up in New Jersey.
This was the Samaritan Priest that spoke to the group about who the Samaritans are today and what they believe. He was such a nice man, I pray that his eyes will be opened to the truth.
After the Samaritians slaughter the sheep or lamb on passover the remains goes into these covered holes in the ground and are burned.
This is the area where the Samaritan Priest slaughters each sheep/lamb. If you look closely at the back of the picture you can see that there are bleachers. Many people flock here during the passover season to watch this slaughtering take place.
This is when we were acting out the woman at the well. "Jesus", who is my good friend Matt was telling the Samaritan woman, me, that I had five men in my life...and I was ashamed. My friend Kaytlin is the well. We laughed a lot while taking these photos.
This is Dr. Paul Wright who is an incredible man. He and his wife run the school and he is also the physical settings insturctor. He is a brilliant man. The other lady in the picture is my good friend Leah.Shevet Achim
This is Sara, from Shevet Achim. She is eight years old and is going in to Tel-Aviv today to have her heart surgery. She was a joy to be with. She was very shy, but warmed up quickly with lots of hugs, smiles, and laughs.
This is Hevi, she was twelve years old. She is still waiting for a date for her surgery. She definately acted like a twelve year old. At one point she was trying to take a picture of me and my friend Laura. We weren't positioned the way she wanted us to be so she came up and just moved our faces to the places she wanted them. When she wanted us to smile...she said, "Smile. STOP!" It took us a while to figure out what it meant, but she really meant for us to smile an stay still. She was sweet.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Happy New Year
Happy New Year! This last week was Rosh Shanna. This is the Jewish New Year. Tuesday morning myself and a few of my friends went to a Messianic Synagogue. We arrived around 9am and left around 12:30 and the service was still going on. We probably would have stayed, but the school was not close for the holiday so many of us still had classes. It was a neat experience. The entire service was in Hebrew. There was a translator, but he didn’t do a very good job. He was having a hard time following along. But with the little bit of Hebrew that I have in my vocabulary and the little bit of synagogue I have in my past I was able to follow along and understand quite a bit. My favorite part was when the Torah scrolls were removed from the ark. There is such a great respect for the word of God. I felt very convicted about the way I treat my Bible. I often just toss it around like any other book, but it is the inspired word of God!
Usually we have Vespers on Friday night, but this weekend many people were going away, so it was held on Thursday night instead. (It is the first weekend where we haven’t had a field study). Alex Pettett came and spoke about his ministry here in Jerusalem. He is the head coordinator of Shevet Achim. Shevet Achim literally means Uniting Brothers based out of Psalm 133. The ministry of Shevet Achim is to help non-Israeli children receive life-saving medical care from Israel. The ministry focuses on children with heart defects. They have all the children who are in need on their web site in hope that people will sponsor these children in some way to receive these needed surgeries. Then they make arrangements for one parent and the child to come to Israel and wait for their surgery. While in Israel, they stay in the Sevet Achim home in Jerusalem, and the staff takes care of them and brings them back and forth from doctor appointments. I was so moved by this ministry. Not only are they saving physical lives, but they are living the gospel out in the open. They do not push Jesus down anyone’s throat, but the live a life of total love to these people. The ministry has seen several parents and children come into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
The next day I had the opportunity to go and visit the Shevet Achim home and play with the children. You would never know that there was anything wrong with these children. They laughed and played just as much as any other children I have been with. They loved to be loved on. It was a special treat to be a part of their lives in a little way. There was a language barrier. Three of the children spoke very little English and the other little girl spoke no English, but that didn’t stop the hugs or the laughs. While we were all playing together the parents ended up coming in and taking pictures. I know that we impacted not only the children but also the parents by simply showing love to these children. A visit with children was just what I needed to pick up my spirits. I am hoping to spend a few afternoons a week with the children.
To all the children and teens at Free Christian Church I miss you all soooo much! I hope that you are having a great new school year and that you are seeing Jesus in your life. I love you!
If you would like to check out the ministry of Shevet Achim the web address is: www.shevet.org
The internet is not working well today. I will post pictures of the children when the internet will allow me to.
Usually we have Vespers on Friday night, but this weekend many people were going away, so it was held on Thursday night instead. (It is the first weekend where we haven’t had a field study). Alex Pettett came and spoke about his ministry here in Jerusalem. He is the head coordinator of Shevet Achim. Shevet Achim literally means Uniting Brothers based out of Psalm 133. The ministry of Shevet Achim is to help non-Israeli children receive life-saving medical care from Israel. The ministry focuses on children with heart defects. They have all the children who are in need on their web site in hope that people will sponsor these children in some way to receive these needed surgeries. Then they make arrangements for one parent and the child to come to Israel and wait for their surgery. While in Israel, they stay in the Sevet Achim home in Jerusalem, and the staff takes care of them and brings them back and forth from doctor appointments. I was so moved by this ministry. Not only are they saving physical lives, but they are living the gospel out in the open. They do not push Jesus down anyone’s throat, but the live a life of total love to these people. The ministry has seen several parents and children come into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
The next day I had the opportunity to go and visit the Shevet Achim home and play with the children. You would never know that there was anything wrong with these children. They laughed and played just as much as any other children I have been with. They loved to be loved on. It was a special treat to be a part of their lives in a little way. There was a language barrier. Three of the children spoke very little English and the other little girl spoke no English, but that didn’t stop the hugs or the laughs. While we were all playing together the parents ended up coming in and taking pictures. I know that we impacted not only the children but also the parents by simply showing love to these children. A visit with children was just what I needed to pick up my spirits. I am hoping to spend a few afternoons a week with the children.
To all the children and teens at Free Christian Church I miss you all soooo much! I hope that you are having a great new school year and that you are seeing Jesus in your life. I love you!
If you would like to check out the ministry of Shevet Achim the web address is: www.shevet.org
The internet is not working well today. I will post pictures of the children when the internet will allow me to.
Samaria Trip!
Last weekend we traveled to the land of Samaria. For the first half of the day we went to a Zionist colony and were led around by one of its settlers. It was very interesting to hear many of the struggles that they are going through in regards to being a Jewish settlement. The colony is about 28 years old and there are 300 families that live there and they have come from all over the world. They are very orthodox Jews. Within the community there are two elementary schools, high school, and a seminary, medical facilities, post-office, factories and stores for shopping. They refuse to gate in the community because they believe that it would indicate that the land is their and the land on the other side of the gate is not, when in reality they believe all the land is theirs and they are just waiting to get it back.
After hearing from this man, we went to the town of Samaria and actually spoke to a current day Samaritan Priest who gave us background on who the Samaritans are and what they believe. In my opinion they have some very interesting and very off base beliefs. They only believe that the first five books of the Bible are inspired and the rest are not even holy writings. They will have nothing to do with the rest of our Bible. There are only two groups of Samaritans, one group in Samaria and the other in Tel-Aviv. They hold to all the Old Testament laws and many of the land markers are different. They believe that there were only two mountains where God did any of His works, Shechem and Geriziem. All the mountains in our Bibles have been changed to one of these two. They are very conservative, so much so that they still intermarry. As we were walking through the town and you could tell that some of these children did not quite look ok. There five tenants or beliefs are: 1. Only one God 2. Moses was holy and mighty 3. Everything centered around Mount Gerezim not Jerusalem 4. Only the five books of Moses 5. The messiah will come some day. They only recognize three holidays as well, Rosh Shanna, Yom Kippur, and Passover. Passover is a very big deal for them because they do still hold to the letter of the law in the book of Moses. Each family must have a sheep to slaughter as atonement for the sins of each member of the family. The Samaritans that live in Tel-Aviv must come to Samaria for the sacrifice. In the middle of the town there is a court yard which this all takes place. This portion of the trip really made me think about how privileged I am to be one of Jesus Christ’s children and to live free from the bondage of the law.
In this same place we saw the location of the well where Jesus went and ministered to the Samaritan woman and gave her living water. Then being silly my friends and I acted it out. I was the unclean woman…eeek. There was also a store that was called the Good Samaritan, of course named after the Bible story. It was a fun day.
Internet is really slow...I will post pictures when the internet will allow me to.
After hearing from this man, we went to the town of Samaria and actually spoke to a current day Samaritan Priest who gave us background on who the Samaritans are and what they believe. In my opinion they have some very interesting and very off base beliefs. They only believe that the first five books of the Bible are inspired and the rest are not even holy writings. They will have nothing to do with the rest of our Bible. There are only two groups of Samaritans, one group in Samaria and the other in Tel-Aviv. They hold to all the Old Testament laws and many of the land markers are different. They believe that there were only two mountains where God did any of His works, Shechem and Geriziem. All the mountains in our Bibles have been changed to one of these two. They are very conservative, so much so that they still intermarry. As we were walking through the town and you could tell that some of these children did not quite look ok. There five tenants or beliefs are: 1. Only one God 2. Moses was holy and mighty 3. Everything centered around Mount Gerezim not Jerusalem 4. Only the five books of Moses 5. The messiah will come some day. They only recognize three holidays as well, Rosh Shanna, Yom Kippur, and Passover. Passover is a very big deal for them because they do still hold to the letter of the law in the book of Moses. Each family must have a sheep to slaughter as atonement for the sins of each member of the family. The Samaritans that live in Tel-Aviv must come to Samaria for the sacrifice. In the middle of the town there is a court yard which this all takes place. This portion of the trip really made me think about how privileged I am to be one of Jesus Christ’s children and to live free from the bondage of the law.
In this same place we saw the location of the well where Jesus went and ministered to the Samaritan woman and gave her living water. Then being silly my friends and I acted it out. I was the unclean woman…eeek. There was also a store that was called the Good Samaritan, of course named after the Bible story. It was a fun day.
Internet is really slow...I will post pictures when the internet will allow me to.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Some pictures
Here are a few pictures!
These are two of my closest friends here at JUC. Breanne is in the middle, she is my roommate. Doesn't she look like a tourist. To the left is Leah she is our next door neighbor. We are the only three single Graduate girl students who live on campus. 
In this picture I am at the ruins of the temple where Jesus went. The road behind me is called the Cheesemakers road and Jesus walked it frequently.
In here I am "swimming" in a mikva. A mikva is like a little pool that the jews had to wash in before they could go and worship in the temple. There is a set of stairs that goes into the pool you would walk in on the right and exit on the other side. This way you did not walk in the path of your sin again.
This is the sign to the school I am attending. Good old Jerusalem University College! It is known as the American Institute by the taxi drivers.
This is a picture from the Garden of Gethsemene. It was beautiful.
These are a number of stone graves on the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives is mostly grave sites, but there is one little section that is all olive trees.
This is a classic view of Jerusalem. The dome of the rock. It is the large muslim mosque.
In this picture I am at the ruins of the temple where Jesus went. The road behind me is called the Cheesemakers road and Jesus walked it frequently.
In here I am "swimming" in a mikva. A mikva is like a little pool that the jews had to wash in before they could go and worship in the temple. There is a set of stairs that goes into the pool you would walk in on the right and exit on the other side. This way you did not walk in the path of your sin again.
This is the sign to the school I am attending. Good old Jerusalem University College! It is known as the American Institute by the taxi drivers.
This is a picture from the Garden of Gethsemene. It was beautiful.
These are a number of stone graves on the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives is mostly grave sites, but there is one little section that is all olive trees.
This is a classic view of Jerusalem. The dome of the rock. It is the large muslim mosque.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Typical Weekend
The typical weekend here in Israel is Thursday night to Saturday night. This is because the Sabbath for the Jewish people is Friday night to Saturday night. Most churches, synagogues and mosques meet either on Friday night or some time on Saturday. Due to this practice in Jerusalem, I rarely get to go to church because I am often on field studies of the land during the time the church services meet, but last weekend I was able to go to church. When I can, I have been attending a Baptist church with Paul and Diane Wright. I love it. I have made some friends and really feel part of the community, but I will not be able to attend for another two weeks because of trips. But the message this last Sunday was excellent. The head pastor has been in the states so different parishioners have been filling the pulpit. The message this week was on situations and living for God even when it is hard to trust. When it seems like you did nothing wrong, but your life is falling apart. We looked at the life of Job and how he suffered so much, but still looked at God with a positive attitude and praise even though he did not understand why all this was happening to him. I realized that I still have many places in my life where I am trying to take control rather than letting the Spirit lead me. It was excellent!
I also took my first test this week. It went well. I did not do as well as I had hoped, and I am going to need to pray myself through the class. This particular teacher picks out little facts that he may have even simply mentioned in passing. It is going to be a hard class but worth every single minute of it.
Wednesday night I led Bible Study for the girls and it went so well. I read to them Ephesians 5:1-2. We focused on being imitators of Christ and what that would look like in the lives of woman. It easily could have gone into a place where people could be boastful, but rather people were very humble and spoke very honestly with characteristics which they knew were Godly but greatly struggled with. Some to mention were joy, love, trust etc… We were able to talk about what God really meant within each of these characteristics and how we could work on being better servants for the Lord with in these characteristics. It was great.
I have had many opportunities to touch people’s lives in ways I would have never expected. Every Thursday afternoon there is an opportunity to get together with a group who bakes cookies in Diane Wrights home with the female student service director, Abby. I have been going every week since it began and every week there have been new people who show up. This last week a new girl came who hadn’t come yet, and one thing we do is share about ourselves. She made some little comment in passing and I got very excited because it was something that bonded me to her. I love learning more about people and being able to share my life stories with them just as much hearing them share theirs with me. She was a blessing to me!
But the best part of yesterday was that God gave me the opportunity to have dinner with a friend/JUC faculty member. Cyndi teachers Physical Settings to the undergrad students and is good friends with my friend Emily. We knew that we had to get together. I went over to her place for dinner and my friend Laura came with me so that I wasn’t walking alone. We had a lovely time, and it was also very therapeutic. I shared a lot of what has gone on in my life over the years and she shared with me her story of coming to Christ and ending up at JUC. She is an amazing woman of the LORD and I am so thankful that the Lord brought me here to study and to meet her.
Blessings to you all!
I also took my first test this week. It went well. I did not do as well as I had hoped, and I am going to need to pray myself through the class. This particular teacher picks out little facts that he may have even simply mentioned in passing. It is going to be a hard class but worth every single minute of it.
Wednesday night I led Bible Study for the girls and it went so well. I read to them Ephesians 5:1-2. We focused on being imitators of Christ and what that would look like in the lives of woman. It easily could have gone into a place where people could be boastful, but rather people were very humble and spoke very honestly with characteristics which they knew were Godly but greatly struggled with. Some to mention were joy, love, trust etc… We were able to talk about what God really meant within each of these characteristics and how we could work on being better servants for the Lord with in these characteristics. It was great.
I have had many opportunities to touch people’s lives in ways I would have never expected. Every Thursday afternoon there is an opportunity to get together with a group who bakes cookies in Diane Wrights home with the female student service director, Abby. I have been going every week since it began and every week there have been new people who show up. This last week a new girl came who hadn’t come yet, and one thing we do is share about ourselves. She made some little comment in passing and I got very excited because it was something that bonded me to her. I love learning more about people and being able to share my life stories with them just as much hearing them share theirs with me. She was a blessing to me!
But the best part of yesterday was that God gave me the opportunity to have dinner with a friend/JUC faculty member. Cyndi teachers Physical Settings to the undergrad students and is good friends with my friend Emily. We knew that we had to get together. I went over to her place for dinner and my friend Laura came with me so that I wasn’t walking alone. We had a lovely time, and it was also very therapeutic. I shared a lot of what has gone on in my life over the years and she shared with me her story of coming to Christ and ending up at JUC. She is an amazing woman of the LORD and I am so thankful that the Lord brought me here to study and to meet her.
Blessings to you all!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Next Steps
The last week has been very crazy. I began working on campus. I am a librarian! I do imputing of the new books that will be put into the library as well as the regular library tasks. It is a great opportunity to meet other students and have a little bit of quiet. I work one evening a week from 10pm-Midnight and there are not many people around so I get the wonderful privilege of being alone in peace and quiet. But I actually do get a good amount of time alone. My roommate is dating and her boyfriend is here, so she is out of the room a lot and I get the opportunity to be alone in my room. It is very good.
Our next field trip was Sunday September 7th. We left campus at 7am and did not return until 6pm. It was a great day. We spent the morning studying some of the ruins of the Old Testament. We went into the Jewish quarter and saw part of the original wall built during the time of Hezekiah. It is so special to know that those very rocks were touched by Hezekiah and his mighty men. After that we went into the preserved archeological city of David. The ruins of his palace where there. We explored a bunch of tunnels which was the water system at the time. This included Canaanite Tunnel and Hezekiah’s Tunnel. These tunnels empty into the pool of Siloam, which is also where Jesus sent the blind man to wash his eyes. In the afternoon we focused on the New Testament and we went to Jerusalem Archeology Park where the original temple ruins are of the temple which Jesus worshipped and taught. We actually sat on the steps that Jesus walked on. We also walked the Cheesemaker Street, which was the main street that ran through the temple. We ended our day in the most beautiful, simple chapel. St. Anne’s in honor of Mary and her family. The acoustics of this building is amazing. Even the most horrible singer would sound amazing. On the same property there was the pool of Bethesda, which is actually more than one pool and the main pool is over 100ft deep! Jesus went and walked around this pool and told the lame man to get up and walk. It was a wonderful day!
During the week I began leading a girls bible study on becoming a Godly woman. We had 12 girls show up the very first time! It is going to be a great opportunity to bond with the other girls here. I have also had a few opportunities to do some mentoring which has been such a blessing.
This last Saturday, September 13 there was another all day field trip. The morning was mostly review for me because we went up the Mount of Olives which I had already done a few times while being here, but I was looking forward to the afternoon because we weren’t going to have to walk everywhere. We were going to get to ride a tour bus and we were going to go to Bethlehem and see the Church of the Nativity, but we had an unfortunate occurrence.
(For the younger readers – please read this with your parents)
As we leaving Jerusalem and entering the town of Tekoa, it is on the way to Bethlehem, our bus was hit by a rock. The rock went through the window and hit three of my dear friends, two of which who had to be taken to the hospital for stitches and to have glass removed from their skin and eyes. It was very scary. As we were driving by I saw the two boys out the window getting ready to throw something, but I could not make out what it was and I did not think that they could throw that far. But SURPRISE! They did. Once I was over the shock and we were back to campus. I was able to take some time to reflect on the situation. I was sitting in the seat directly in front of the girls that got the worst injury. That rock could have hit me. I am so thankful for my life and for my eyesight. I have prayed for the boys and have forgiven them, but there is still a little bit of fear in me to get back on a bus. And it was a private bus at that. These boys did not even know who was inside. It was simply an act of rebellion.
Thank you for all of your prayers. I miss you all!
Our next field trip was Sunday September 7th. We left campus at 7am and did not return until 6pm. It was a great day. We spent the morning studying some of the ruins of the Old Testament. We went into the Jewish quarter and saw part of the original wall built during the time of Hezekiah. It is so special to know that those very rocks were touched by Hezekiah and his mighty men. After that we went into the preserved archeological city of David. The ruins of his palace where there. We explored a bunch of tunnels which was the water system at the time. This included Canaanite Tunnel and Hezekiah’s Tunnel. These tunnels empty into the pool of Siloam, which is also where Jesus sent the blind man to wash his eyes. In the afternoon we focused on the New Testament and we went to Jerusalem Archeology Park where the original temple ruins are of the temple which Jesus worshipped and taught. We actually sat on the steps that Jesus walked on. We also walked the Cheesemaker Street, which was the main street that ran through the temple. We ended our day in the most beautiful, simple chapel. St. Anne’s in honor of Mary and her family. The acoustics of this building is amazing. Even the most horrible singer would sound amazing. On the same property there was the pool of Bethesda, which is actually more than one pool and the main pool is over 100ft deep! Jesus went and walked around this pool and told the lame man to get up and walk. It was a wonderful day!
During the week I began leading a girls bible study on becoming a Godly woman. We had 12 girls show up the very first time! It is going to be a great opportunity to bond with the other girls here. I have also had a few opportunities to do some mentoring which has been such a blessing.
This last Saturday, September 13 there was another all day field trip. The morning was mostly review for me because we went up the Mount of Olives which I had already done a few times while being here, but I was looking forward to the afternoon because we weren’t going to have to walk everywhere. We were going to get to ride a tour bus and we were going to go to Bethlehem and see the Church of the Nativity, but we had an unfortunate occurrence.
(For the younger readers – please read this with your parents)
As we leaving Jerusalem and entering the town of Tekoa, it is on the way to Bethlehem, our bus was hit by a rock. The rock went through the window and hit three of my dear friends, two of which who had to be taken to the hospital for stitches and to have glass removed from their skin and eyes. It was very scary. As we were driving by I saw the two boys out the window getting ready to throw something, but I could not make out what it was and I did not think that they could throw that far. But SURPRISE! They did. Once I was over the shock and we were back to campus. I was able to take some time to reflect on the situation. I was sitting in the seat directly in front of the girls that got the worst injury. That rock could have hit me. I am so thankful for my life and for my eyesight. I have prayed for the boys and have forgiven them, but there is still a little bit of fear in me to get back on a bus. And it was a private bus at that. These boys did not even know who was inside. It was simply an act of rebellion.
Thank you for all of your prayers. I miss you all!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
In the Beginning....
I apologize for the length of this blog. The internet has been down for the majority of the time I have been here. I will also post some pictures soon. Again thank you so much for all your prayers and support. Enjoy!
Shalom from Jerusalem!
Day 1 -- Friday
Thank you so much for all those who have been praying for me. God has been with me every step of the way. Even through the tough times. I was slightly flustered for most of my travel time and it was obvious to anyone who saw me. I arrived at the airport and all of my paper work went flying as I got out of the car. When I went through security I had to leave my purse because I could only have two carry on’s including my purse. When I checked in the airline wanted to move me up to the earlier flight. Once I got through security I ran to my flight. I was probably the last person to board. As I walked onto the plane I fell face first down the isle. Finally in my seat and took a deep breath. I arrived in NY with no more problems and boarded the 11 hour flight to Tel-Aviv. I was all situated and praised God that there were not more problems. Then a woman came up to me telling me that I was in her seat. Lo and behold I sat in the wrong seat. Back to the craziness. I finally got to my seat and tried to sleep. I sat with a Jewish man who approached me in Hebrew before English. I was excited because that means that I am going to fit in very well. Finally landed and went through customs with no problems and arrived at the school. I felt at home right away. Paul and Diane Wright, they run the school, welcomed me with open arms. The first evening one of the long term students took us out for a walk and we went to the Upper Room where Jesus at the last supper. As I looked around it was incredible to know that Jesus and His disciples actually walked these streets. I have made great friends and I am very excited to see where God is going to lead.
Blessings,
Liz Lerman
Day 2 -- Saturday
Jet lag has not really affected me very much. I fell asleep great last night and was up in time for breakfast and orientation. Simply looking out my window when I got up was amazing. I am still amazed that I am in the Holy Land! Orientation went very well. I registered for classes and had a meeting with Paul Wright. We were talking about finances and my reasons for being here. Please pray that God will guide my future steps and that I would truly be seeking God’s best for my life. After lunch we had another orientation session followed by a digital camera scavenger hunt. This was fun. We went all through out the Old City of Jerusalem looking for some pretty wild and crazy things. It was a great way to get acclimated and accustom to the land in our back yard. It also gave a chance for people to meet other students that they may not have met yet. In the evening we went for a walk in the New City of Jerusalem and saw where some of the more modern stuff is. Everyone on staff at the school has been so helpful and you can tell that they really want you to feel comfortable and safe.
Day 3 -- Sunday
Classes Begin! Today was our first class, yes, class on a Sunday. In the morning we were free to attend any church that we wanted. I attended a very quaint Baptist church with Paul and Diane and a few other students. I felt right at home. I even connected with several of the local paritioners. Once I got back from church it was time to attend my first class. Physical settings. This class is part in the classroom and part out in Jerusalem. Today we were out in Jerusalem. We began our “tour” by going up a little hill and talking about the dynamics of the town of Jerusalem and the way each religious division affects the others. From there we went to the Old City and went on a tour of the entire building where the Last Supper was and had a little acheology lesson. From the roof of the building you get a great view of the entire city. The Upper Room is nothing like I imagined it would look like, and through our lesson I learned why. The building had been taken over my Muslims during the Byzantine Empire and they remodeled it to fit with the time period. Today there are still muslim writings on the walls. Next we preceeded to the Corodor which was the old market place. By looking carefully at the stones you could tell what rock was originally and what rocks were modern day. After this we made our way to the Church of the Holy Seplecure, but on our way we stopped several times and discussed much about modern culture and building in Jerusalem as well as the different quarters on the city. For those who may not understand what that means I’ll put it in Boston terms. The city of Boston has different quarters. We have China Town, where there is a majority of Chinese, and the North End where there is many Italians. That is how it is in Jerusalem also. There are four quarters. The Muslims, Armenians, Jews, and Christians. The Christian quarter is the only one that is not predominately religious. Here anyone that is not Jewish, Muslim, or Armenian fall under the category of Christian even if they do not believe in Jesus Christ. We also walked through the out door shops. The shop keepers are very pushy and they want your money. I have not yet bought anything…I’m waiting a while. They seem to respect you more when you are here for a long amount of time. We also walked through the meat market which was gross. It smelled horrible and there was blood all through the streets. I am so glad that I wore closed toed shoes. Some of my friends wore sandals. We finally got to the church of the Holy Seplecure. This church is where it is believed that Jesus died on the cross and was then barried, and rose again. With in the church there are different chapels represented by different branches of Christianity. There were many people that we were not able to go around very much. I will have to go back another time. We then headed back to school for supper and a time of snacks and games. It was a great day!
Day 4 -- Monday
Right before going to bed last night I got a group together to go really early to the Church of the Holy Seplecure. We left campus at 5:30am. The sun was still coming up and the roads were so peaceful. On our walk there a lady stopped us saying that she lost her group and that she was trying to get to the church so we walk with her for a while. Not that we knew any better how to get there than she did, but we had a map and a pretty good idea of where we were going. We got there at the perfect time. Not a whole lot of people but enough so that we didn’t feel like we were the only ones. When you first walk in there is a beautiful mural of Jesus and His disciples as you continue to walk around you will come to a set of stairs, if you go down the stairs it will bring you to a tomb that is just like, and could be, the tomb where Jesus was buried. It was very interesting to study the time period that Jesus was buried and to realize the way that it is depicted in movies, and probably the way many of us picture it, as Him being laid on a bench in the tomb and a big round bolder put in front of the door. This type of burial was dated to a different time period, rather Jesus was probably not laid on a bench rather propped in a standing position in a little cave with in the cave. Traditionally people were left to rot for a year and then after a year the family would come in roll the stone away and take all the bones and put them in a box. This was the way that they kept their families together even after death. It is very likely that Jesus too was buried this way. There is also a beautiful rotunda and as you look up there is a BIG sunburst. There are twelve rays coming off the sunburst and each one represents one of the disciples. It was beautiful. But my favorite part was the little chapel under the rotunda. There usually is a long wait, but because we showed up so early we were able to get right in. It is the chapel that represents the location of Christ’s assencion into heaven. It was beautiful and sacred. My friends and I went in and prayed and thanked God for His perfect plan of salvation and saving us. We bought some fresh bread and then headed back to school for classes.
Day 5 -- Tuesday
Today I got to go grocery shopping! It was about a half mile walk from the school in the New City of Jerusalem. As we were walking it appeared that we went the wrong way because it seemed like a very sketchy place then all of a sudden there was the store. I was amazed at how expensive things were. To give you an idea a box of oreo’s which is about half the size of a thing of oreo’s in the states was 24 shekels which is about 8 dollars for them. But I was able to buy some little snacks and had a great time trying to figure out what the Hebrew items were. But after shopping I spent most of the evening in the Library getting the homework finished. I have lots and lots of reading to do.
Day 7 – Thursday
I didn’t sleep very well last night. I think part of it was that I was dehydrated. I did drink a lot through out the day, but there was caffeine in it and I think that it just drained me. I had a terrible head ache and was feeling very weak. As the day continued I started having some digestive issues. I was eating very carefully and also found out that several other people were in the same situation. I think that people are finally adjusting to the food and water and the adrenaline levels are becoming more normal because the excitement is settling down. I hope that I sleep well tonight because I am going to be out walking all day tomorrow. Today was also cookie night. In the afternoon a group of girls got together in Paul and Diane’s and we made about 5 dozen cookies and then in the evening we all gathered outside to spend time together and eat cookies. I also got to talk to my dear friend Emily on the phone. We talked for about an hour. It was great to catch up with her and hear more of her experiences when she was here. I could understand what she was talking about so much more because I have now seen what she was talking about.
Day 8 – Friday
Well, I slept a little bit better last night, but not great. I am feeling better though. My stomach is my friend again. Today, Breanne, Brandon, Chip, Leah, and myself left campus about 9am and walked all through the Mount of Olives. The view was amazing! On our way there we also went to the garden of gethsemene. It was so beautiful, and convicting. The reality of Christ’s suffering hit in a new and more realistic way. As well as the reality of the struggle the disciples had to stay awake. I can understand in a whole new way the exhaustion which they felt. Walking around all day in the heat and then eating a big meal you get sleepy. I am ashamed to say that I probably would have fallen asleep also. Like with most famous sites here there is some sort of church, synagogue, or mosque at the site. This particular place had a church. We went in and spent some time in prayer. I pulled out my Bible and read the Gethsemene account from my Bible. In a new way I now understand why Jesus wanted His disciples, His friends, to stay awake and watch and pray. I go out and want my friends to be with me, especially when I am going through a hard time. There is comfort knowing that those who are closest to you are being supportive to you and want you to be ok. Jesus had to of felt a little let down when His BEST friends let Him down in this way. For lunch we went into an Arabic area and ate at a beautiful restaurant. The owner actually opened up just for us. This month is Ramadan for the Muslims and from sunrise to sunset they must fast from all food, drink, smoking, sexual relations etc…In leu of that most restrants were closed and it was very nice of this man to open his place just for us. We walked in and sat on these couches. It looked a little bit like a living room. Very comfortable. There was a little boy that set the table for us. He was probably 12 years old. The people that were sitting across from me had there table settings facing me. We thought that maybe it was a muslim tradition because everything needed to be facing a certain way…but then the owner came over laughing and fixed the table setting. We had delicious food too. We had hummus, Arabic salad which was finely chopped tomato and cucumbers, babaganush, babaganush with chickpeas, parsley and yogurt dip, shawrma’s, a white dip that tasted like yogurt with yeast in it. I don’t remember what it was called. But the best part was the pita bread. Freshly made, hot, and soft. It melted in your mouth. After we ate we headed up to the very top of the mount of olives and we could see the entire city. But we were focusing on the temple mount. With it being the first Friday of Ramadan lots and lots of people would be gathering for the afternoon time of prayer. We wanted to see the masses praying. But it was such a hot day that from where we were we couldn’t see the masses. They were all on the other side of the temple. Oh well. But when the call to prayer went off I took a few minutes to pray for them. It is sad to see all these people living in Jesus land and they bow down and worship another. Granted they probably thing the same about us, but I was just praying that they would see God in a new and convicting way. In the evening, once we got back to campus, there was a cook out. I got to mix and mingle with some people that I hadn’t really gotten to know yet. It was a lot of fun! Well, it is late and I had a very busy day today. I need to get some sleep.
Day 1 -- Friday
Thank you so much for all those who have been praying for me. God has been with me every step of the way. Even through the tough times. I was slightly flustered for most of my travel time and it was obvious to anyone who saw me. I arrived at the airport and all of my paper work went flying as I got out of the car. When I went through security I had to leave my purse because I could only have two carry on’s including my purse. When I checked in the airline wanted to move me up to the earlier flight. Once I got through security I ran to my flight. I was probably the last person to board. As I walked onto the plane I fell face first down the isle. Finally in my seat and took a deep breath. I arrived in NY with no more problems and boarded the 11 hour flight to Tel-Aviv. I was all situated and praised God that there were not more problems. Then a woman came up to me telling me that I was in her seat. Lo and behold I sat in the wrong seat. Back to the craziness. I finally got to my seat and tried to sleep. I sat with a Jewish man who approached me in Hebrew before English. I was excited because that means that I am going to fit in very well. Finally landed and went through customs with no problems and arrived at the school. I felt at home right away. Paul and Diane Wright, they run the school, welcomed me with open arms. The first evening one of the long term students took us out for a walk and we went to the Upper Room where Jesus at the last supper. As I looked around it was incredible to know that Jesus and His disciples actually walked these streets. I have made great friends and I am very excited to see where God is going to lead.
Blessings,
Liz Lerman
Day 2 -- Saturday
Jet lag has not really affected me very much. I fell asleep great last night and was up in time for breakfast and orientation. Simply looking out my window when I got up was amazing. I am still amazed that I am in the Holy Land! Orientation went very well. I registered for classes and had a meeting with Paul Wright. We were talking about finances and my reasons for being here. Please pray that God will guide my future steps and that I would truly be seeking God’s best for my life. After lunch we had another orientation session followed by a digital camera scavenger hunt. This was fun. We went all through out the Old City of Jerusalem looking for some pretty wild and crazy things. It was a great way to get acclimated and accustom to the land in our back yard. It also gave a chance for people to meet other students that they may not have met yet. In the evening we went for a walk in the New City of Jerusalem and saw where some of the more modern stuff is. Everyone on staff at the school has been so helpful and you can tell that they really want you to feel comfortable and safe.
Day 3 -- Sunday
Classes Begin! Today was our first class, yes, class on a Sunday. In the morning we were free to attend any church that we wanted. I attended a very quaint Baptist church with Paul and Diane and a few other students. I felt right at home. I even connected with several of the local paritioners. Once I got back from church it was time to attend my first class. Physical settings. This class is part in the classroom and part out in Jerusalem. Today we were out in Jerusalem. We began our “tour” by going up a little hill and talking about the dynamics of the town of Jerusalem and the way each religious division affects the others. From there we went to the Old City and went on a tour of the entire building where the Last Supper was and had a little acheology lesson. From the roof of the building you get a great view of the entire city. The Upper Room is nothing like I imagined it would look like, and through our lesson I learned why. The building had been taken over my Muslims during the Byzantine Empire and they remodeled it to fit with the time period. Today there are still muslim writings on the walls. Next we preceeded to the Corodor which was the old market place. By looking carefully at the stones you could tell what rock was originally and what rocks were modern day. After this we made our way to the Church of the Holy Seplecure, but on our way we stopped several times and discussed much about modern culture and building in Jerusalem as well as the different quarters on the city. For those who may not understand what that means I’ll put it in Boston terms. The city of Boston has different quarters. We have China Town, where there is a majority of Chinese, and the North End where there is many Italians. That is how it is in Jerusalem also. There are four quarters. The Muslims, Armenians, Jews, and Christians. The Christian quarter is the only one that is not predominately religious. Here anyone that is not Jewish, Muslim, or Armenian fall under the category of Christian even if they do not believe in Jesus Christ. We also walked through the out door shops. The shop keepers are very pushy and they want your money. I have not yet bought anything…I’m waiting a while. They seem to respect you more when you are here for a long amount of time. We also walked through the meat market which was gross. It smelled horrible and there was blood all through the streets. I am so glad that I wore closed toed shoes. Some of my friends wore sandals. We finally got to the church of the Holy Seplecure. This church is where it is believed that Jesus died on the cross and was then barried, and rose again. With in the church there are different chapels represented by different branches of Christianity. There were many people that we were not able to go around very much. I will have to go back another time. We then headed back to school for supper and a time of snacks and games. It was a great day!
Day 4 -- Monday
Right before going to bed last night I got a group together to go really early to the Church of the Holy Seplecure. We left campus at 5:30am. The sun was still coming up and the roads were so peaceful. On our walk there a lady stopped us saying that she lost her group and that she was trying to get to the church so we walk with her for a while. Not that we knew any better how to get there than she did, but we had a map and a pretty good idea of where we were going. We got there at the perfect time. Not a whole lot of people but enough so that we didn’t feel like we were the only ones. When you first walk in there is a beautiful mural of Jesus and His disciples as you continue to walk around you will come to a set of stairs, if you go down the stairs it will bring you to a tomb that is just like, and could be, the tomb where Jesus was buried. It was very interesting to study the time period that Jesus was buried and to realize the way that it is depicted in movies, and probably the way many of us picture it, as Him being laid on a bench in the tomb and a big round bolder put in front of the door. This type of burial was dated to a different time period, rather Jesus was probably not laid on a bench rather propped in a standing position in a little cave with in the cave. Traditionally people were left to rot for a year and then after a year the family would come in roll the stone away and take all the bones and put them in a box. This was the way that they kept their families together even after death. It is very likely that Jesus too was buried this way. There is also a beautiful rotunda and as you look up there is a BIG sunburst. There are twelve rays coming off the sunburst and each one represents one of the disciples. It was beautiful. But my favorite part was the little chapel under the rotunda. There usually is a long wait, but because we showed up so early we were able to get right in. It is the chapel that represents the location of Christ’s assencion into heaven. It was beautiful and sacred. My friends and I went in and prayed and thanked God for His perfect plan of salvation and saving us. We bought some fresh bread and then headed back to school for classes.
Day 5 -- Tuesday
Today I got to go grocery shopping! It was about a half mile walk from the school in the New City of Jerusalem. As we were walking it appeared that we went the wrong way because it seemed like a very sketchy place then all of a sudden there was the store. I was amazed at how expensive things were. To give you an idea a box of oreo’s which is about half the size of a thing of oreo’s in the states was 24 shekels which is about 8 dollars for them. But I was able to buy some little snacks and had a great time trying to figure out what the Hebrew items were. But after shopping I spent most of the evening in the Library getting the homework finished. I have lots and lots of reading to do.
Day 7 – Thursday
I didn’t sleep very well last night. I think part of it was that I was dehydrated. I did drink a lot through out the day, but there was caffeine in it and I think that it just drained me. I had a terrible head ache and was feeling very weak. As the day continued I started having some digestive issues. I was eating very carefully and also found out that several other people were in the same situation. I think that people are finally adjusting to the food and water and the adrenaline levels are becoming more normal because the excitement is settling down. I hope that I sleep well tonight because I am going to be out walking all day tomorrow. Today was also cookie night. In the afternoon a group of girls got together in Paul and Diane’s and we made about 5 dozen cookies and then in the evening we all gathered outside to spend time together and eat cookies. I also got to talk to my dear friend Emily on the phone. We talked for about an hour. It was great to catch up with her and hear more of her experiences when she was here. I could understand what she was talking about so much more because I have now seen what she was talking about.
Day 8 – Friday
Well, I slept a little bit better last night, but not great. I am feeling better though. My stomach is my friend again. Today, Breanne, Brandon, Chip, Leah, and myself left campus about 9am and walked all through the Mount of Olives. The view was amazing! On our way there we also went to the garden of gethsemene. It was so beautiful, and convicting. The reality of Christ’s suffering hit in a new and more realistic way. As well as the reality of the struggle the disciples had to stay awake. I can understand in a whole new way the exhaustion which they felt. Walking around all day in the heat and then eating a big meal you get sleepy. I am ashamed to say that I probably would have fallen asleep also. Like with most famous sites here there is some sort of church, synagogue, or mosque at the site. This particular place had a church. We went in and spent some time in prayer. I pulled out my Bible and read the Gethsemene account from my Bible. In a new way I now understand why Jesus wanted His disciples, His friends, to stay awake and watch and pray. I go out and want my friends to be with me, especially when I am going through a hard time. There is comfort knowing that those who are closest to you are being supportive to you and want you to be ok. Jesus had to of felt a little let down when His BEST friends let Him down in this way. For lunch we went into an Arabic area and ate at a beautiful restaurant. The owner actually opened up just for us. This month is Ramadan for the Muslims and from sunrise to sunset they must fast from all food, drink, smoking, sexual relations etc…In leu of that most restrants were closed and it was very nice of this man to open his place just for us. We walked in and sat on these couches. It looked a little bit like a living room. Very comfortable. There was a little boy that set the table for us. He was probably 12 years old. The people that were sitting across from me had there table settings facing me. We thought that maybe it was a muslim tradition because everything needed to be facing a certain way…but then the owner came over laughing and fixed the table setting. We had delicious food too. We had hummus, Arabic salad which was finely chopped tomato and cucumbers, babaganush, babaganush with chickpeas, parsley and yogurt dip, shawrma’s, a white dip that tasted like yogurt with yeast in it. I don’t remember what it was called. But the best part was the pita bread. Freshly made, hot, and soft. It melted in your mouth. After we ate we headed up to the very top of the mount of olives and we could see the entire city. But we were focusing on the temple mount. With it being the first Friday of Ramadan lots and lots of people would be gathering for the afternoon time of prayer. We wanted to see the masses praying. But it was such a hot day that from where we were we couldn’t see the masses. They were all on the other side of the temple. Oh well. But when the call to prayer went off I took a few minutes to pray for them. It is sad to see all these people living in Jesus land and they bow down and worship another. Granted they probably thing the same about us, but I was just praying that they would see God in a new and convicting way. In the evening, once we got back to campus, there was a cook out. I got to mix and mingle with some people that I hadn’t really gotten to know yet. It was a lot of fun! Well, it is late and I had a very busy day today. I need to get some sleep.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Prayer Letter
As you probably already know I am going to be spending the fall semester in Jerusalem Israel. I will be out of the country from August 28th through December 7th. While I am over there I will be taking classes at Jerusalem University College located in the old city of Jerusalem. If you would like to check out their web site it is http://www.juc.edu/.
I will be taking four graduate levels courses:
I will be taking four graduate levels courses:
- Old Testament Archeology -- A survey of the results of archaeological investigations in the land of the Bible with an emphasis placed upon relating archaeological findings to historical records of the Bible.
- Physical Settings of the Bible -- A study of the physical features of the land of the Bible. Regions studied and visited include Galilee, Golan Heights, Judah, Samaria, Negev, Shephelah, Jordan and Jezreel Valleys, Benjamin, Sharon Plain, Philistia, and in Transjordan, Gilead, Ammon, the Medaba Plateau, Moab, and Edom.
- Biblical Hebrew I – An introduction to the language
- The Gospel of Matthew in its Jewish Setting -- A focus on the historical context and Jewish background of the Gospel of Matthew. The approach will facilitate a reading of the first Gospel that will shed light upon its context, theology, polemic and community ethos.
While I am very excited about these classes I am also very nervous. I am asking if you would please consider praying for me two or three times a week during my time there.
Some specific requests:
- Safety traveling
- Academics would not be to difficult/Good relations with professors especially regarding my dyslexia
- Good Health
- Good relations with professors
- Build lasting friendships, as well as, get along well with my roommate
- Grow in the LORD
- My focus would stay of the LORD and that He would be preparing me for the future
- My computer would last the entire trip. It is not working well.
- God would provide for all my financial needs.
If you would like to contact me while I am away:
E-mail address: ELermo@gmail.com
Mailing address:
Elizabeth Lerman
c/o Jerusalem University College
3 Aravnah HaYevusi Hebron Road
PO Box 1276
Mount Zion 91012 Jerusalem Israel
I will be posting regular blog updates at : http://liz-thoughtsandadventures.blogspot.com/
With much love and gratitude.
AUGGGHHH!!!
I have come to the final bits and pieces of getting ready to go to Israel. This week has been nothing but one struggle after another. There have been problems with the airports and my flight was changed. Then I seemed to pack way to much stuff and had to go through and weed things out. It is the night before and I am still trying to make sure that my bags are under 50 pounds. I was good and then remembered that I had books that I needed to bring. Books weigh so much. Finally I was feeling settled and thought...hmm...I probably need my passport...I began to panic because I couldn't find it. I knew exactly where it was when I had my office, but once I packed everything up I didn't remember where I put it. I finally found it and was doing great! Then I remembered that I had a letter that I was suppose to bring with me to help me with my tourist visa...and it is missing...still missing...I sent an email to the school hoping that they will have some wise advice for me. I am feeling so overwhelmed but excited. I've been looking at this as the emeny trying to pull me away from going and what it has actually done is given me a greater amount of faith that this is where God wants me. He is going to work amazingly while I am away. People have been so supportive and helpful. Thank you to everyone who has given me encouraging words, prayers, and support. You are all a part of this adventure. Thank you!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Live Free
This last weekend I was with 50ish teens from my home church in Rumney NH at our annual summer teen camp. This year at camp was more special to me than the years past. Usually I would stay with the Jr. High girls who I love dearly, but this year I had the opportunity to stay with the Sr. High girls. This was very special to me because this particular group of students I have followed along side their spiritual journeys from the time they were in first grade and now most of them are going to be seniors in High School. It has been so encouraging to me to see how they have grown in their faith, and knowledge of Jesus Christ. I have watched them take the faith of their parents and make it their own. Watching them live a life dedicated to Jesus Christ. Not only has it been incredible to see, but it has also been a challenge to me to continue living with that passion for HIM.
The theme of camp this year was “Living Free”. Going into camp I was expecting to hear the same type of messages that are typical teen messages, but the theme of being free resonated with me in a whole new light. I was continually asking myself what is holding me in bondage? What is preventing me from being totally free in Christ? I searched my heart and the verse that continually came to my mind was “the truth will set you free.” Most times when I have read that I took it in a sense of more relational, but I realized over this trip that I needed to tell the truth to myself and to God and only in that will I find true freedom in Christ.
There was another message which was preached on living a life of apathy. This spoke to the hearts of many students, and to me. Think about the times where you have become apathetic in your faith. I have had many periods in my life when I could walk the walk and talk the talk of living for Christ, but inside I was fooling myself. I was living a life of bondage to myself. We live in a society where everyone wants stuff and wants more and more and tries to fill there lives with things and situations, like a significant other or popularity, the list could go on. But it is all these things that pushes the Christian to a life of apathy. Pushes them, even me, to a life where God takes second place.
As I embark on this new journey of life I pray that I will stay passionate for God and keep my eyes on HIM and LIVE FREE! Keeping Him number one!
The theme of camp this year was “Living Free”. Going into camp I was expecting to hear the same type of messages that are typical teen messages, but the theme of being free resonated with me in a whole new light. I was continually asking myself what is holding me in bondage? What is preventing me from being totally free in Christ? I searched my heart and the verse that continually came to my mind was “the truth will set you free.” Most times when I have read that I took it in a sense of more relational, but I realized over this trip that I needed to tell the truth to myself and to God and only in that will I find true freedom in Christ.
There was another message which was preached on living a life of apathy. This spoke to the hearts of many students, and to me. Think about the times where you have become apathetic in your faith. I have had many periods in my life when I could walk the walk and talk the talk of living for Christ, but inside I was fooling myself. I was living a life of bondage to myself. We live in a society where everyone wants stuff and wants more and more and tries to fill there lives with things and situations, like a significant other or popularity, the list could go on. But it is all these things that pushes the Christian to a life of apathy. Pushes them, even me, to a life where God takes second place.
As I embark on this new journey of life I pray that I will stay passionate for God and keep my eyes on HIM and LIVE FREE! Keeping Him number one!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
World Wind
The last few weeks have been absolutely crazy. This last week I went to my dear friend Stephanie’s wedding. I was so touched that she asked me to be in her wedding. When I say we have been through thick and thin in our relationship I am not kidding. We met our freshman year of college and I had a hard time finding a solid group of friends first semester. We talked some, but second semester we really hit it off. We realized that a lot of our values were the same as well as our struggles and our enjoyments. There were many memories that came from that trip. (Steph – remember our hair, the mall, the guys visit, the lights, and most of all the BUCKET!) This was just the beginning of a beautiful friendship, but as time went on we had friends get between us, boys get between us, even convictions get between us, but through it all we united our hearts and have supported each other through many of the adventures of life. I have so many memories, and because of those memories and our friendship I was so touched and so excited that she asked me to be in her wedding.
It was a very difficult time for me because of some personal things going on in my life, but God gave me the strength to push on and I was so excited, but the minute I stepped off the airplane I had a fever and extremely sore throat. I spent the first day and a half in bed. I missed the bachelorette party and much of the festivities. But praise the LORD that the Lord healed me enough to be in the wedding. I made it through the rehearsal and was feeling wonderful then I woke up the day of the wedding with pink eye. But I didn’t allow any of this to change the excitement I had for Steph and her day.
Her wedding was almost exactly how we had always dreamed of it being. I remember the summer before our Junior year we were both in a place of being very content and we decided to sketch out our weddings. This wedding was her dream wedding. The joy on her face was the joy of knowing that she was in the center of God’s will. I am so excited that I have new people in my life and I am excited to watch how Steph and Nick will form their own family in the future. Praise God for their pure union.
Love you Steph!! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to support you in this new stage of your life.
When I got home I have been hitting the ground running. I’ve been keeping up with my studies (Hebrew and getting my maps and reading done for JUC), cleaning, organizing all my stuff, and more importantly packing up my life. Going to Jerusalem was something that I knew I was going to do, but it is now such a reality. I leave in 12 days and I’m praying that I have everything. Please pray that all of my finances fall into place. Right now I have enough to pay for school, but having money to live on is another story. Please pray that God will provide me money for the needs that I have while I am away.
Last week a bunch of my GCTS friends got together and we had a cook-out in the park…it was so nice to spend time with everyone before we all go our separate ways without the stress of school. We all sang and celebrated Sarah’s birthday and then out of the blue they pull out a gift for me. I am so blessed to have the friends and community that I have. God has blessed me way beyond what I ever expected. Thank you GOD!
It was a very difficult time for me because of some personal things going on in my life, but God gave me the strength to push on and I was so excited, but the minute I stepped off the airplane I had a fever and extremely sore throat. I spent the first day and a half in bed. I missed the bachelorette party and much of the festivities. But praise the LORD that the Lord healed me enough to be in the wedding. I made it through the rehearsal and was feeling wonderful then I woke up the day of the wedding with pink eye. But I didn’t allow any of this to change the excitement I had for Steph and her day.
Her wedding was almost exactly how we had always dreamed of it being. I remember the summer before our Junior year we were both in a place of being very content and we decided to sketch out our weddings. This wedding was her dream wedding. The joy on her face was the joy of knowing that she was in the center of God’s will. I am so excited that I have new people in my life and I am excited to watch how Steph and Nick will form their own family in the future. Praise God for their pure union.
Love you Steph!! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to support you in this new stage of your life.
When I got home I have been hitting the ground running. I’ve been keeping up with my studies (Hebrew and getting my maps and reading done for JUC), cleaning, organizing all my stuff, and more importantly packing up my life. Going to Jerusalem was something that I knew I was going to do, but it is now such a reality. I leave in 12 days and I’m praying that I have everything. Please pray that all of my finances fall into place. Right now I have enough to pay for school, but having money to live on is another story. Please pray that God will provide me money for the needs that I have while I am away.
Last week a bunch of my GCTS friends got together and we had a cook-out in the park…it was so nice to spend time with everyone before we all go our separate ways without the stress of school. We all sang and celebrated Sarah’s birthday and then out of the blue they pull out a gift for me. I am so blessed to have the friends and community that I have. God has blessed me way beyond what I ever expected. Thank you GOD!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Birthday
I can honestly say that my 26th birthday was the best birthday I have had yet. There was nothing out of the ordinary or extravagant, but rather people simply showed me the love of Christ. The ladies at school had lunch for me, a cake, and a beautiful card. The rest of the day was spent with dear friends just being together, followed by an incredible bible study. The whole day was centered on Christ and community. I left so loved my my community and by my Lord and Savior.
Thank you to everyone who made my day just a little bit more special. All of the wall posts on facebook with encouraging blessings and wishes, the cards, and especially the prayers. Thank you! You are all a blessing to me!
This birthday was also specail because it was Sunday July 27th 1997 that I was baptized with my father exactly between both of our birthdays. That was a gift that I will never forget and every year I am reminded of what a blessing it is to be in God's family and even more special that I have the chance to share that with my family.
Thank you to everyone who made my day just a little bit more special. All of the wall posts on facebook with encouraging blessings and wishes, the cards, and especially the prayers. Thank you! You are all a blessing to me!
This birthday was also specail because it was Sunday July 27th 1997 that I was baptized with my father exactly between both of our birthdays. That was a gift that I will never forget and every year I am reminded of what a blessing it is to be in God's family and even more special that I have the chance to share that with my family.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Complete In Thee
Complete in Thee! no work of mine
May take, dear Lord, the place of Thine;
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And I am now complete in Thee.
Refrain:Yea, justified! O blessed thought!
And sanctified! Salvation wrought!
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And glorified, I too, shall be!
Complete in Thee! no more shall sin,
Thy grace hath conquered, reign within;
Thy voice shall bid the tempter flee,
And I shall stand complete in Thee.
Complete in Thee— each want supplied,
And no good thing to me denied;
Since Thou my portion, Lord, wilt be,
I ask no more, complete in Thee.
Dear Saviour! when before Thy bar
All tribes and tongues assembled are,
Among Thy chosen will I be,
At Thy right hand, complete in Thee.
Sung By: Driven to One
Caleb Widmer and Drew Clayton
From: Torn Veil Ministries
Waukesha Bible Church
Note: Jennifer Botzet I hope you enjoy this. And to everyone else, these lyrics have been very encouraging and refocusing. We truly are complete in the goodness and love of Jesus Christ! Anything outside of Him is simply an extra blessing.
May take, dear Lord, the place of Thine;
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And I am now complete in Thee.
Refrain:Yea, justified! O blessed thought!
And sanctified! Salvation wrought!
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And glorified, I too, shall be!
Complete in Thee! no more shall sin,
Thy grace hath conquered, reign within;
Thy voice shall bid the tempter flee,
And I shall stand complete in Thee.
Complete in Thee— each want supplied,
And no good thing to me denied;
Since Thou my portion, Lord, wilt be,
I ask no more, complete in Thee.
Dear Saviour! when before Thy bar
All tribes and tongues assembled are,
Among Thy chosen will I be,
At Thy right hand, complete in Thee.
Sung By: Driven to One
Caleb Widmer and Drew Clayton
From: Torn Veil Ministries
Waukesha Bible Church
Note: Jennifer Botzet I hope you enjoy this. And to everyone else, these lyrics have been very encouraging and refocusing. We truly are complete in the goodness and love of Jesus Christ! Anything outside of Him is simply an extra blessing.
Protection
God's protection is amazing! The last couple of nights I have been taking care of/hanging out with one of my students while her parents are away. We (there were a total of four of us) went out for dinner. As we were coming back we took a corner slowly an SUV crossed over the line and smashed into the front of the car. The girl I was staying with was driving and her spot had the most impact and she is in a lot of pain, but God protected everyone in the car. The worst injury was the car. He blessed us right down to how things were handled immediately after the impact of the crash. One person called the police, the other person began exchanging all of the insurance information and then the driver broke down in hysteria and I was able to sit with her and help to calm her down. It was a HUGE reminder to me that God has a special plan for me and everyone else in the car. If he didn't have a plan He easily could have taken us home to be with Him. It also reiterated a lesson that the Lord has been pointing out to me over and over again over the last week.
Philippians 3:13-14 "No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."
The specific part that has really tugged a string in my heart is "Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead" While, I have not been working an actual job, but rather doing LOTS of school work, I have had a little bit of extra time to reflect over my life and good things that I have done for the LORD and choices that I made that I would consider to not be wise, or even sinful. I have a problem with "forgetting" The mistakes that I have made I carry with myself for a long time. For example, I made a decision about something when I was a junior in high school and to this day I still go through the "what if's" What if I had done it this way or what if I said it that way. I have a very hard time forgiving myself. There was a situation that happened a few summer's ago which, today, has effected my relationship with a friend. The choices that we make, good or bad, can or can not help us to grow in the Lord. I choose to allow some of these situations to draw me away from the Lord. I choose to dwell on the mistake and hold on to it rather than remember the goodness of God and His grace and His forgiveness. Over and over again I have been reading passages on forgiveness and through my prayer God keeps bringing these different situations to my mind. The main focus has been that God has forgiven me for these mistakes so I need to forgive myself and "forget the things behind" and focus on how God is making me more into His image. One of the biggest steps in healing of self and forgiving self is to focus on how God sees me, and how God sees the people who hurt me or the people that I have hurt. Not only does God's love and forgiveness cover me, but it covers them to. Holding on to these things in "my past" is not helpful to anyone. Forgiveness is the way.
Philippians 3:13-14 "No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."
The specific part that has really tugged a string in my heart is "Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead" While, I have not been working an actual job, but rather doing LOTS of school work, I have had a little bit of extra time to reflect over my life and good things that I have done for the LORD and choices that I made that I would consider to not be wise, or even sinful. I have a problem with "forgetting" The mistakes that I have made I carry with myself for a long time. For example, I made a decision about something when I was a junior in high school and to this day I still go through the "what if's" What if I had done it this way or what if I said it that way. I have a very hard time forgiving myself. There was a situation that happened a few summer's ago which, today, has effected my relationship with a friend. The choices that we make, good or bad, can or can not help us to grow in the Lord. I choose to allow some of these situations to draw me away from the Lord. I choose to dwell on the mistake and hold on to it rather than remember the goodness of God and His grace and His forgiveness. Over and over again I have been reading passages on forgiveness and through my prayer God keeps bringing these different situations to my mind. The main focus has been that God has forgiven me for these mistakes so I need to forgive myself and "forget the things behind" and focus on how God is making me more into His image. One of the biggest steps in healing of self and forgiving self is to focus on how God sees me, and how God sees the people who hurt me or the people that I have hurt. Not only does God's love and forgiveness cover me, but it covers them to. Holding on to these things in "my past" is not helpful to anyone. Forgiveness is the way.
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Message of a Rainbow
"I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is a sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth." Genesis 9:13I recently went to the bookstore and purchased a daily devotional. I love the way that God speaks through things that you may never expect. The verse about spoke volumes to me. First off there is a little bit of a back story to why it spoke so loudly to me.
About two weeks ago I was talking to a dear friend about how selfish and ungrateful that we as Christians can be. We began listing things that we take for granted that we are thankful for. Example: Eye sight, hearing, rain, clouds, gas stations, computers, and we mentioned rainbows. Well, later that day there was a sudden down pour of rain, and my friend calls me telling me that she just saw a rainbow, then when she sits back down at her computer she had a picture of a rainbow on her screen saver, and then a couple days later it rained again and there was another rainbow. God kept reminding us of HIS goodness through these rainbows.
Well, as I was reading this passage from Genesis I was thinking about this past conversation and was thinking that the main purpose of the rainbow was to symbolize the promise God made to us to never flood the entire earth again, but as I continued to meditate on this I was thinking about the symbolism that it also holds to many of the other promises God made to His people, to me. Looking at Noah's life and what the Lord brought him through and how he endured, I noticed that he was always faithful, and obedient. God protected him, but didn't shield him, and as a result Noah stayed surrendered to his Heavenly Father. I realized that the significance in the rainbow carries all of that in it too. I realized that I want to be more like Noah.
The last few days I have been struggling with understanding what God is doing in my life. Why He allowed my family to go through the struggles that we have gone through? Why He gave me the weaknesses He did? Why I struggle with my self-esteem even when I am re-assured time and time again? But in the simple rainbow is a picture of God's faithfulness. He is faithful to those who are faithful and surrendered to Him. God always keeps His promises!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Question Marks
When you look at a question mark what comes to your mind? Punctuation? A weird squiggly line? a picture? Mystery? Misunderstanding? I have been thinking a lot about my future and what God has in store for me and all that comes to mind is a BIG question mark. I have little steps of where God is leading me but beyond that life is simply a constant walk of trusting, and listening. Many simple verses keep coming to my mind, but the one that has been the most encouraging is Philippians 1:4-6, "I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." While I feel insecure, and unsure I can take comfort in knowing that Christ is not finished with me. The question marks in my life are only ways to see the Lord working. In my question mark is what am I going to do for work, who am I going to marry, am I going to get married, will I pass my classes, will I be effective in spreading the Word of the LORD, and the list goes on and on. But by taking my filled question mark and laying before Jesus with confidence and trust in Him I don't have to worry. So, in a sense I guess I am thankful for questions marks. Lean on the LORD! He only has your best interest in mind. Praise the Lord for that! AMEN
Sunday, July 6, 2008
4th of July Celebrations
July 4th 2008 -- Celebrations at the Beach!
I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday!
Praise God for Freedom and Friends!
Christ-like Humility
I recently watched the movie The Ultimate Gift. The story line is about a man who was very wealthy and he dies and his family is frustrated with the fact that he didn’t leave them his money. But there is one on his grandchildren that he planned several steps for and throughout these steps it caused him a life change. As I was watching this movie I Corinthians 13 kept running through my head. “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” I Corinthians 13:4-7 I began thinking about what it means for me to show love to others and what receiving love true love from others really means. Love is completely self-sacrificing. It’s not about what you can get, but what and how you give. So, I had these thoughts going through my head and then today I attended Church at Highrock in Arlington MA and one of their pastoral interns was preaching, Grant Buccholtz. He preached on Mark 10:35-45. He was focusing on greatness. Who do you think is great? As we continued to dig into the passage he was making the point that greatness is humility, service, and being a servant to all. I loved this quote that he said, “Humility is not thinking less of ourselves but rather thinking of ourselves less and thinking of others more.” He shared the story about a man, Ed Kimball, who taught Sunday school and he realized that in order to show love to his students he needed to put himself aside and sacrifice some of his time to visit them. He poured himself into his students. The student that you may know of is DL Moody and Moody took the same approach and one of his students was Billy Graham. This is the picture of discipleship with humility in the eyes and the ways of Jesus Christ. I pray that my life and yours will exhibit Christ-like humility and draw others into a relationship with the one and only Messiah!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Freedom
Today I have been thinking a lot about freedom and how privileged I am to live in America. There are so many things that I know I take for granted because I have not really known anything different. The amount of freedom I have because of living in America is a gift. I can worship Jesus Christ without having to worry that someone is looking over my shoulder ready to toss me into jail. I have freedom to read what I want, to be who God has created me to be without being told who to be or how to act. The more I was thinking about the gift of that freedom and was thanking God for it I began to contemplate how special it is a that I am free in Christ!
The last week I have been carrying a lot of heaviness on my heart. I have held on to my struggles, my emotions, and even myself. I wasn't facing the reality of somethings in my life. I was trying to be strong and in turn I ended up pushing God out of the picture and trying to keep myself afloat, when Jesus Christ is the only one who can do that. I was trying to free myself from the bondage I was feeling. A dear friend of mine confronted me about it. It was so cool. She could just tell that I was holding on to these things and putting myself deeper and deeper into bondage. She encouraged me to face what I was feeling, to go through my struggles, face my emotions, allow myself to sink so that I could experience the true freedom that I have in Jesus Christ. Not only does Christ give me freedom from my own selfishness, but Jesus has freed me from the burden and bondage of my sin.
This Independence Day I am focusing on the freedom I have in Jesus Christ! The freedom that comes from being completely surrendered to Him and His will for my life.
God Bless America and Praise HIM for all His wonders!
The last week I have been carrying a lot of heaviness on my heart. I have held on to my struggles, my emotions, and even myself. I wasn't facing the reality of somethings in my life. I was trying to be strong and in turn I ended up pushing God out of the picture and trying to keep myself afloat, when Jesus Christ is the only one who can do that. I was trying to free myself from the bondage I was feeling. A dear friend of mine confronted me about it. It was so cool. She could just tell that I was holding on to these things and putting myself deeper and deeper into bondage. She encouraged me to face what I was feeling, to go through my struggles, face my emotions, allow myself to sink so that I could experience the true freedom that I have in Jesus Christ. Not only does Christ give me freedom from my own selfishness, but Jesus has freed me from the burden and bondage of my sin.
This Independence Day I am focusing on the freedom I have in Jesus Christ! The freedom that comes from being completely surrendered to Him and His will for my life.
God Bless America and Praise HIM for all His wonders!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Less is More
These lyrics have impacted my life in a huge way!
Less is More
By Relient K
Jesus, I pray
Take all my mistakes
Throw them away
Destroy them for my sake
Jesus, I call out 'cause I'm sorry
Because I fall so short of your glory
To the best of my ability
I'm practicing humility
And I lay myself before'
Cause less is more
Chorus:
All that I have
I lay before
With my pride on the floor
Cause to you less is more
All that I have
I lay before
With my pride on the floor
Cause to you less is more
I pour out myself
All that I am
You love me so much
That you fill me again
And may these words on my heart, on my lips
Somehow mean so much more than this
Jesus, I pray
Know what I'm trying to say
Chorus
I pour out myself, before you were Lord
I hold nothing back, 'cause to you less is more
And may these words on my heart on my lips,
Somehow mean so much more than this
Jesus, I pray
Just know what I'm tryin' to say
Chorus
Jesus, I plead
Please purify me
Make my heart clean
Drench me with your mercy
Jesus, I pray
I love you, I need you
For the rest of my days
I swear I will seek you
All that I have
I lay before
With my pride on the floor
Cause to you less is more.
Less is More
By Relient K
Jesus, I pray
Take all my mistakes
Throw them away
Destroy them for my sake
Jesus, I call out 'cause I'm sorry
Because I fall so short of your glory
To the best of my ability
I'm practicing humility
And I lay myself before'
Cause less is more
Chorus:
All that I have
I lay before
With my pride on the floor
Cause to you less is more
All that I have
I lay before
With my pride on the floor
Cause to you less is more
I pour out myself
All that I am
You love me so much
That you fill me again
And may these words on my heart, on my lips
Somehow mean so much more than this
Jesus, I pray
Know what I'm trying to say
Chorus
I pour out myself, before you were Lord
I hold nothing back, 'cause to you less is more
And may these words on my heart on my lips,
Somehow mean so much more than this
Jesus, I pray
Just know what I'm tryin' to say
Chorus
Jesus, I plead
Please purify me
Make my heart clean
Drench me with your mercy
Jesus, I pray
I love you, I need you
For the rest of my days
I swear I will seek you
All that I have
I lay before
With my pride on the floor
Cause to you less is more.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
What is around the Corner
You never when you wake up in the morning how God is going to change your plans to His plans. So, I woke up this morning thinking I'd have lunch with some friends, study, go to my small group, then head home and go to bed.
Well, the beginning happened as I had thought, but while I was studying about 20 minutes before I had to be at my small group I had a student who really needed to talk. It was the type of talk that you knew to drop whatever you had planned to spend time with this person. I could not be with her because I was in Beverly, but we talked while I sat at starbucks. So, I ended up skipping my small group. Once we were done talking I was still at starbucks and my dear friend Sara showed up. We sat together for a while and as we were leaving a homeless woman asked for a ride to a shelter. Sara and I brought her to a shelter, but we did not know where we were going. We stopped at a few places trying to figure out where to go. The woman did not know where to go, she was not all there. I sensed some schizophrenia, but I am not a doctor. I ended up making several phone calls to people trying to figure out where we could take this lady. My fifth phone call I finally got someone who sat on the phone and gave us directions. -- Thank you Matt!
After we dropped the lady off Sara and I were thinking maybe that was not the best idea. I have to be honest the entire time I was pretty scared. I did not know anything about this lady. I feared that she was going to pull out a knife or something worse. But I kept thinking..."whatever you do to the least of these you do unto me." I am ashamed to say that we did not verbally share the gospel with her, but we showed her Christ's love. I also was realizing how thankful I am for what the Lord has given me. So many of those things I take for granted. For example, having a roof over my head, having food -- makes me think twice about being picky about what I eat, having clothing, my health, my family etc... Praise the LORD!
Well, the beginning happened as I had thought, but while I was studying about 20 minutes before I had to be at my small group I had a student who really needed to talk. It was the type of talk that you knew to drop whatever you had planned to spend time with this person. I could not be with her because I was in Beverly, but we talked while I sat at starbucks. So, I ended up skipping my small group. Once we were done talking I was still at starbucks and my dear friend Sara showed up. We sat together for a while and as we were leaving a homeless woman asked for a ride to a shelter. Sara and I brought her to a shelter, but we did not know where we were going. We stopped at a few places trying to figure out where to go. The woman did not know where to go, she was not all there. I sensed some schizophrenia, but I am not a doctor. I ended up making several phone calls to people trying to figure out where we could take this lady. My fifth phone call I finally got someone who sat on the phone and gave us directions. -- Thank you Matt!
After we dropped the lady off Sara and I were thinking maybe that was not the best idea. I have to be honest the entire time I was pretty scared. I did not know anything about this lady. I feared that she was going to pull out a knife or something worse. But I kept thinking..."whatever you do to the least of these you do unto me." I am ashamed to say that we did not verbally share the gospel with her, but we showed her Christ's love. I also was realizing how thankful I am for what the Lord has given me. So many of those things I take for granted. For example, having a roof over my head, having food -- makes me think twice about being picky about what I eat, having clothing, my health, my family etc... Praise the LORD!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Personality test
I recently took a personality test on Facebook...not sure how reliable it is, but it was really interesting and I think that it was pretty accurate. Check it out!
Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging
ISFJs are sympathetic, loyal, considerate and conscientious. They will go to any amount of trouble, when it makes sense to them, to help those in need. ISFJs operate most comfortably in situations where the rules are well defined and where traditions are to be upheld. They focus on providing practical help and services for others and for the organizations they serve. They are often self-effacing in getting the job done, and they are willing to make necessary sacrifices, especially for their families. They are at their best quietly providing assistance and making sure things are in proper order.
To read more details or do your own check out:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=510507473&k=YZG33WW2PZ2M5AECRK24TT
Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging
ISFJs are sympathetic, loyal, considerate and conscientious. They will go to any amount of trouble, when it makes sense to them, to help those in need. ISFJs operate most comfortably in situations where the rules are well defined and where traditions are to be upheld. They focus on providing practical help and services for others and for the organizations they serve. They are often self-effacing in getting the job done, and they are willing to make necessary sacrifices, especially for their families. They are at their best quietly providing assistance and making sure things are in proper order.
To read more details or do your own check out:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=510507473&k=YZG33WW2PZ2M5AECRK24TT
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Our Words
Saturday was a day where I was feeling hopeless. I needed to remember that my hope is in the LORD! A dear friend of mine in high school pointed me to I Peter and ever since then when I feel hopeless I read...I Peter.
That night right before bed I took in my booster shot of hope, but the Lord showed me something else that I was not expecting. "The one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil." I Peter 3:10-12
I have been in so many situations where people find themselves in a situation that they don't want to be in or have been hurt by someone and they don't watch what they say. They would rather let their tongue speak deceit and turn from evil.
God has recently brought me face to face with this. There are a handful of people who within the last few months have really hurt me, but over and over again I remember that the eyes of the LORD are on me and I desire to have Him look upon me and grant me peace. Often times when I am tempted to say something negative or tear someone down I think of a tube of toothpaste. Now this illustration is my working with children coming out, but I think it is so clear. When you squeeze a tube of toothpaste you can not put it back in just like our words. I can not take my words back once they come out. I can ask for forgiveness, but I can not take the words back. Especially over the last couple of weeks I have been very aware of this. So, most people have been in a friendship/relationship that did not quite go as planned and then your friends find out about it and ask you about it...Well, this happened to me and people were continually coming up to me saying negative things or trying to get me to say negative things and I just kept thinking that everyone involved are children of Christ and that if I say something negative to tear anyone of them down I am no better than they are. It is about living for Christ and having a heart and attitude and living like Him.
I want my words to bring honor and glory to Christ not to tear down. May God work in your heart and may His words build you up!
That night right before bed I took in my booster shot of hope, but the Lord showed me something else that I was not expecting. "The one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil." I Peter 3:10-12
I have been in so many situations where people find themselves in a situation that they don't want to be in or have been hurt by someone and they don't watch what they say. They would rather let their tongue speak deceit and turn from evil.
God has recently brought me face to face with this. There are a handful of people who within the last few months have really hurt me, but over and over again I remember that the eyes of the LORD are on me and I desire to have Him look upon me and grant me peace. Often times when I am tempted to say something negative or tear someone down I think of a tube of toothpaste. Now this illustration is my working with children coming out, but I think it is so clear. When you squeeze a tube of toothpaste you can not put it back in just like our words. I can not take my words back once they come out. I can ask for forgiveness, but I can not take the words back. Especially over the last couple of weeks I have been very aware of this. So, most people have been in a friendship/relationship that did not quite go as planned and then your friends find out about it and ask you about it...Well, this happened to me and people were continually coming up to me saying negative things or trying to get me to say negative things and I just kept thinking that everyone involved are children of Christ and that if I say something negative to tear anyone of them down I am no better than they are. It is about living for Christ and having a heart and attitude and living like Him.
I want my words to bring honor and glory to Christ not to tear down. May God work in your heart and may His words build you up!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Psalm 86
"Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me; for i am afflicted and needy. Preserve my soul, for I am a Godly man; O You my God, save Your servant who trust in You. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to You I cry all day long. Make glad the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in loving kindness to all who call upon You. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; and give heed to the voice of my supplications! In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, for You will answer me. There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like Yours. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, nor are there any works like Yours. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and they shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wonderous deeds; You alone are God. Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and will glorify Your name forever. For Your lovingkindness toward me is great, and You have delivered my sould from teh depths of Sheol. O God, arrogant men have risen up against me, and a band of violent men have sought my life, and they have not set You before them. But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. Turn to me, and be gracious to me; oh grant your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your handmaid. Show me a sign for good, that those who hate me may see it and be ahsamed, because You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me."
Psalm 86
Psalm 86
Blessings on the Community
God has blessed me so much by showing me His love and His care and His compassion through the lives of some dear friends. I have struggled on and off through out my life to know who my community is. I tend to be very trusting, but this has also gotten me in trouble because not everyone is respectful of that. Over the last couple of months, especially the last few weeks God has shown me what a true Christian community is. God has blessed me with some dear friends who have come along side me to uphold me in prayer and companion me through my struggles, life changes, and victories. These people are shinning the Light of the LORD to me. They are striving to live like Jesus and that in and of itself encourages me to live more like Jesus.
Dear Lord Jesus,
You hold my life in your hands and I thank you for the love, compassion, forgiveness and direction you have given me. Lord, you know those people who have come along side me. I pray that you bless them. Show them your self in a magnificient way. Help them to know that they are cherished. Thank you for bringing them into my life. Help me to help be a community to other believers as well. In Jesus name, AMEN.
Dear Lord Jesus,
You hold my life in your hands and I thank you for the love, compassion, forgiveness and direction you have given me. Lord, you know those people who have come along side me. I pray that you bless them. Show them your self in a magnificient way. Help them to know that they are cherished. Thank you for bringing them into my life. Help me to help be a community to other believers as well. In Jesus name, AMEN.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Beginning Study of Paul
The Lord is amazing! He is always showing Himself in amazing ways. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a weakness for books. I love to buy books -- even though I often struggle to actually read them. Well, this past weekend I smartened up and began to read some of my books. I have also been studying Paul's epistles in my quiet time with the Lord. So, I thought reading Paul the Jewish Theologian would fit perfectly and would companion some of the sermons that I have been listening to about Paul. This book is fantastic! I mentioned at work yesterday that I was studying about Paul in a Jewish context and her response was, "But wait, wasn't he a Greek?" It was a wonderful opportunity to talk about and share my excitement for Paul's entire mission. Shortly after Paul's birth his parents brought him to the temple to learn the Jewish ways. He was a Pharisee. Pharisee's are Jewish. Paul was Jewish. So, why did God call him to minister to the non-Jews? That would be because of his heritage, the fact that he was born in Tarsus gave him Roman citizenship, but most importantly that he surrendered his life to Jesus and wanted to give his life to serving Him. Many speculate that he gave up all of his connections to the Pharisees and Judaism when he experienced the power of God, but there is NO proof any where in the word of God that he let go of his connections with Yahweh. In fact, in Acts 23 Paul announces that he is a Pharisee and that he is also the son of a pharisee. He is not ashamed of who He is. God used Paul as a bridge builder between those who are Jewish and those who are not. Also, as I continue to study more and more of Paul's epistles the amount Torah which he refers to is tremendous. Paul's Bible was the Torah and his theological framework came from what he has experience, was taught and in turn believed. Paul even writes in a circular fashion, which is typical of a Jewish theologian rather than one of western thought and influence. I could go on and on, but what made me really curious was seeing all the Jewishness all through out Paul's life and writings where did the idea's come from that this is not what Paul stood for or was convicted by. According to Young those beliefs would be attributed to Marcion who was a follower of Paul. He took the basic teachings of Paul and ran them through his own theological framework which, in turn, distorted Paul's message. The belief that the Old Testament is for the Jews only stems from his convictions. The idea that God's grace was only revealed in the New Testament. The belief that the Jewish people are despised by the Lord and doesn't hear the prayers of a Jews, and many other "christian beliefs" which are attributed to anti-semitist beliefs in the Pauline epistles is attributed to the interpretations by Marcion and not the word of God. It is amazing to me that so many years ago what one person said has influeced many generations and is still influencing them today. To go off on a slight tangant...If one man could take the truth and bend it. When walking in the footsteps of my Lord and Savior what could He use me to do? How could He use me to influence people and futher His truth in this lost world? As I continue my study of Paul I am encouraged to see and know that a faithful life of one can change the world.
Monday, June 9, 2008
June 9, 2008
Well, Hello! I have never done this blogging thing before, but through many events over the last year I have so much on my mind that I want to share. Fall 2007 the Lord pushed me to begin seminary at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. I was studying Educational Ministries, but was yearning for something deeper. Through many things I ended up changing my course of study to Master of Arts in Religion with a focus in Old Testament Education, but for some reason I still was yearning for me. I wanted and still want to know God in the most real and full extent possible. A couple of my friends mentioned studying in Jerusalem. Over and over again I put the idea out of my mind because of work and some of fear. But God had other plans. At the end of January I sent in my application to Jerusalem University College to finish my master's degree there. By mid February I was accepted and well on my way. Then finances ended up bringing my year abroad to a semester abroad. I will be finished working in my church at the end of the month and be working on Hebrew for the rest of the summer to prepare for Jerusalem!!!
Stay tuned for thoughts, encouragement, and the latest news and once I'm in Jerusalem will have plenty of pictures and stories.
Stay tuned for thoughts, encouragement, and the latest news and once I'm in Jerusalem will have plenty of pictures and stories.
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