Translation

Friday, July 31, 2015

Finding Blessings in the Midst of Frustrations

Let’s be honest. We all have one of “those” weeks sometimes. The week where you get a speeding ticket, you lose something important or you just don’t have the energy. It’s been one of those weeks for us. The traffic police have been ruthless, our brakes on the truck started leaking, we ran out of water at our house, we hit a snag with a project that should not be a problem and our kids seem to be on an out-of-school-boredom-so-we-are-going-to-argue-nonstop kind of kick. But, in the midst of frustration, it has also been a week full of blessings. We have a Work and Witness team of 11 from PointLoma Nazarene University (PLNU) ministering with us in Lubumbashi. Nine people were baptized, four of which were on the PLNU team. We were able to spend some quality time with a family from the kids’ school we have wanted to get to know better. A neighbor down the street shared water from his well with us. We are all in good health and our vegetable garden starting sprouting. And, as in previous years, after a group of university students spend time with our kids, they are convinced that college will be the best place ever.

These are the weeks we have to hold on the tightest to God’s Word. “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5b NLT) “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV) “As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him…It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.” (Psalm 18:30, 32 NIV)


Despite the frustrations of this week, we keep our eyes focused on the blessings. We keep our eyes fixed on the Author and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

How Great Is Our God

God has been speaking to me a lot lately about his greatness (as in size) as well as his smallness (as in caring for the tiny details of our human lives). In college, as I participated in mission trips abroad, God rocked my world with his grandeur. At this point, I had lived my entire life in Oklahoma and traveled a bit, but something about crossing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (and even swimming in the Indian Ocean) changed my worldview. There was something so beautiful about colliding with other people groups and experiencing a whole new world. Something God has since given me a love for. At one point, I remember being so overwhelmed by God, thinking about all the planets and galaxies and stars. I couldn’t help but be in awe of God’s majesty and creativity. And yet…as we read in Genesis chapter 1, on the 6th day of creation, God wanted someone to share His creation with. So, he created man and woman in His image. Did you catch that? I know we know this, but have you really thought about it before? God who created light, water and earth, trees and plants, day and night, fish and birds, and the animals walking on the ground…created human beings.

Now, we all know that our story is a long one. It’s filled with failure and forgetfulness, but it is also filled with hope and promise and second chances. It is filled with love. “God so loved the world (you and me) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoevers believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) WOW! I pray that the Lord continues to remind me (and you) each day of our uniqueness, of His creativity displayed in us, our purpose in His plan and that His love is so big and so high and so grand, yet so personal and intimate. The same God who created the Heavens and the Earth, created each one of us. There is NONE like God!


“…And, I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,” Ephesians 3:17-18