Not life-skilled. {For our Joy in Christ Remember}

This week I'm rediscovering that, in the words of an old teacher of mine, "I am not life-skilled."

I don't live life to the fullest when I act like the people with whom I live along side (in person or on social media) are my audience, as if I live on the set for a quaint movie that is out in real time.

Okay friend, I think this Thursday evening is a good time to remember something together.  Have a seat, I'm smiling, and there's also a twinkle in my eye as I lean over and tell you something that God can turn into a celebration of His grace and faithfulness--

"Don't worry, you're not alone. I certainly love to put on a show that appears like I have "it" all together, I try to hold myself to *my own standard* of what a good person looks like, acts like, and is. I speak words that only smooth out tension, keeping the face of peace, escape my lips. Instead of speaking the truth in love.  I let my little charges watch TV-- When I could stop writing and imagine a car town for 15 minutes with the tiny one. And, don't worry, I don't know what's for dinner most nights either. What I'm getting at is. . . *I'm messy too.*" 

What I need to hear at these times when the true me is exposed, and I ACTUALLY remember that which is always before me, but most often scuffed to the side, is that the Christian life is depending on Jesus, reveling in God's glorious grace toward us in Jesus, and glorifying God through enjoying Him forever. I'm trusting Him to fulfill His promises, that He is JOY, He is Redeemer, He is Rescuer, & He is stronger than messy storms in my heart. 


His love for his beloved bride the church, *in Christ* is never severed.

 
I'm trusting God rescued me for *eternal abundant life in His presence* through Jesus' blood shed in my place. And that He *is loving me* even in this moment, this hour, and this day--only by His grace working in me--there is sanctification taking place. 

No matter what happens in this day, oh dear friend and fellow heir in Christ, take new hope and a gain a new fervor in your ministry through these precious Words of God: 

"Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [No one. Not even me.] Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

 . . . 

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors *through him who LOVED us.*" Romans 8:33-35, 37 (Emphasis mine.)

God loved you. He loved you enough to rescue you from your own sin, and He's working in you today. No matter what today looks like.  I'm not life-skilled, but because God is opening my eyes to the grace that He has loved me to the point of complete forgiveness in Christ Jesus; God is changing my passions, desires, and actions for His own name's sake. And that is an incredible thing to celebrate!

Hang in there, keep it real, and keep trusting the God of true joy.

 

Rock solid joy found in Jesus

October has been here and gone, and my, what a beautiful month it was here in East Dutchland.  The glow of finery that clothed the forests for weeks, brought new meaning to my definition of "pretty fall leaves."  But the display of blazing amber on the trees was not the only thing that was wonderful about this October- I could tell stories of Prague-one of my new favorite cities, a train ride with an imaginary bandit, a 10 hour graphic design installation party, and late night fine dining in Berlin (German schnitzel!) with great friends from the States- but I want to be a little bit more authentic than a puff piece about "adventures in traveling."

YWAM has been such a huge culture shock for me personally, the people/speakers here have challenged my thoughts about the vastness of the freedom in Jesus, the global bride of Jesus, and how the believer is to biblically have relationship with the Holy God of Israel... I could go on and on, but the truth that sticks out to me most on an almost daily basis, is that I must not let big questions rob me of joy in Jesus. 

Joy is one of those solid and concrete words.  It's an almost impossible state of mind for me to describe in a few words, my working understanding of it, means that even if my world seems to be crashing in around me, I have a deep, solid, hope and trust in God.  I know when I realized that I was letting questions rob me, God changed my thoughts.  The best I can think to try to articulate what joy in Jesus does is that a residing thankfulness for God's sovereignty and goodness no matter the circumstance cements in my heart.  The verse that has spoken so much truth in to my life about this joy is Philippians 4:6-7:   

^"do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with                   thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [Emphasis mine]"

There have been days of extreme confusion and debilitating disagreement here, but God has been so faithful, He provided such amazing FAMILY, brothers and sisters to listen to all of my sloppy processing.  And He has given me an attitude of sailing above the mire of confusion, the short-term life crisis-es in YWAM.  I'm learning that it's OK to not know all the answers, it's good to debate in a respectful, honoring way, and that it's helpful to see diversity in the Body of Christ as a thing of grace not of condemnation.

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift." (Ephesians 4:1-7, italics/emphasis mine)

The grace that is given to each believer is according to the measure of Christ's gift (in otherwords the amount of grace given to each true believer is so big, it's incomprehensible!).  Let that sink in to your soul. When we gather as a body of believers with different views, there will be challenges -but be encouraged- God has made it clear in these verses that He is the unity of the church. Let the gravity of "ALL" settle in your heart believer in Jesus.  We are not called to manufacture an attitude of ignoring each other, of argument, or even to just "put up with each other;" but we are called to believe the promise of insurmountable grace that is present for the believer who is "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Oh man, it's a life-changing promise for a little Baptist girl in YWAM.  

That grace makes itself known in my life in different ways at different times, but I know that grace depicted in 2 Corinthians 12:9 is gut-settling truth no matter where in the world I am:

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

I believe this time in the lecture phase of YWAM has been a huge demonstration of this promise in my life.  Guys, I'm SO telling you that I don't have all the answers, that I don't know what the next God-glorifing step should be in the next few months, and that I react to situations without remembering the promises of God more often than not.  But I'm learning that there is so much freedom in Jesus, and I can rest assured that He will gather unto Himself His own- John 10:7-30. 

 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”

I'm so happy I can't make anyone be reconciled to God,  I'm so happy that souls are only won through the working of the Holy Spirit, and that I get to tell people about the incredible hope and joy that Jesus has given to me.  I am not responsible for the teachings of others, but boy- I sure pray for God to reveal truth in class, and I try to process best I can with many, many, many people.  If you have been a part of this wrestling through questions with me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  You have been more of a blessing to me than you can imagine, I thank God for you brothers and sisters! 

That being said,  I'm so excited to relay where I'm going on a short outreach trip with my school, in Hamburg Germany.  Hamburg is a port city on the west side of Germany, it has an area that has a reputation similar to that of Las Vegas in the States.  The area is called the reeperbahn, it is a place that sex is openly bought and sold like it could be a loaf of bread.  Our team is going to tell of hope and joy found in Jesus' redeeming death, burial, and resurrection.  Out of that motivation, I'm excited to have an opportunity to help with a local ministry to the women caught in prostitution next week.  

Next weekend, November 8-9, the team and I will be attending the OBJECT conference in Hamburg.  Hope Dies Last is a ministry based out of YWAM Herrnhut, and they are running the conference.  The conference is focused on informing about the need for justice in the area of human trafficking, to
equip people with a biblical reason to care for people caught in the sad industry, and to give practical advice in how to engage in ministry in this area in your hometown.   God has placed the women who are being/have been trafficked on my heart over a year ago, and I'm soberly excited to join in loving people in this heartbreaking, but not hopeless, situation.



Thank you for taking the time to read this mess of a long overdue blog post, I'm thanking God for you, that you care to check in with me, and pray alongside me.  God is strengthening relationships I have with people at home even though I am hundreds of miles away!  I ask you to pray for:

• clarity and wisdom in how to move forward in the next few weeks (concerning "big outreach")

• that as a school we would be given many opportunities to talk about Jesus, and to show people Jesus' love in Hamburg

• that we would have the grace to love one another, because we will be known as Christ-followers by our love for each other (John 13:35)

• ideas for effective street ministry, or otherwise (Monday-Thursday)
•  
• that people would understand how to show Jesus to the people caught in slavery in their spheres of influence as a result of the OBJECT conference

• continued joy in Jesus

I'd love to talk with you if you have any questions or thoughts about any of this!  We need each other on this journey.   At the end of the day, my heart says: Bless the Lord Oh my soul.  He is good, and His mercies endure forever-heck they are new every morning! Yeah! Praise God!

 

Daily Life: In Thankfulness.

Today is Monday.  Many people may have feelings of lethargy, dread, or just plain tiredness when they hear that phrase.  Sometimes this mentality can strike me into a slump of "woe is me," but today is not one of them - by God's grace!  Before lecture this morning we had a time of giving thanks to God for not only who He is and what He's done, but also for how He continues to bless His children each new day.  I thanked God for blankets, for wood floors under my feet, tea in my mug, for sunshine, and warm socks...  I love giving God the glory and thanks for the small things in life- It's so wonderful He chooses to bless me.  It really changes my perspective on the day (Monday); and gratefulness is one way I abide in the Lord with joy!

The sun shining is not just a cliche thing for me to be thankful for this time.  This Friday was the first time the sun was truly shining for any period of time, in thirteen days.  I'm seriously thankful for the sun, and for the beautiful colors (fall leaves, grass, architecture) the light illuminates.  The air is crisp and cool, and my afternoons/evenings usually include a good cup of tea, seems so right for autumn!

Soon I will be off on my twenty minute walk to the Water Castle- through the bright forest, across the small creek and through the open gate.  On Monday afternoon at 4 o'clock the school comes together again for a learning time about Bible reading.  I think it's my favorite teaching time I've experienced so far.  Last week we were challenged to read Philippians with roommates. When Katie, Caty, and Andrea and I got together to read, it was such a sweet moment of hearing what God has to say to each of us as believers.  I am really focusing on Phil. 4:6-7 this week.  Hope God will encourage you through it as much or more than He has for me!  Have a great week!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

 

Hello Wonderful Family and Good Friends!

I am writing again:

a. To keep my sanity, sort out thoughts, and reflect on God's goodness, grace, and glory
b. To keep loving prayer warriors informed and up-to-date
c. To keep you "in the know" - even though we're oceans apart

 

The first week of school has been quite the whirlwind and flurry of getting settled in, and getting to know the people around.  My roommies are pretty wonderful.  There are four of us total in our room and we represent 3 countries!  We have already had the privilege to travel together, hike together, laugh together, dance together, and have some really good deep conversations about life in Christ (together).

This is my new friend Elise.  She is probably 6 foot, 1-2 inches tall (SO cool-she's taller than me!).  The first thing I said to her was something along the lines of- "You're taller than me!"  Elise responded with a hearty, "Welcome to Europe!" (She is German and Dutch.) She's sweet and only a dash of silly. She has a huge heart for oppressed people of the world.  She is a woman with a heart after Jesus, which seems to be a reoccurring theme with the people around YWAM Herrnhut.



So, just in case you're wondering if I'm fluent in German since I've been gone for two weeks now... The answer is definitely-if the language only includes, "good morning, good day, butterfly, and flower!"  Alas, I really should show that I care enough about the people here to try to learn a bit more of their language-Hold me accountable! :)

On another note: Most likely had the best brat of my life on Saturday in Dresden. SO GOOD --->

I have just begun the art part of the program-Graphic Design.  I'm so excited about how the class is planned to run for the semester. We are going to be assigned projects within graphic deign that focus on some aspect of design, and focus on how we are processing the lecture topics. Our working space is in the attic of the Water Castle.  In the afternoon, the sunlight streams in through white window panes.  Thankful.

God's Gifts of Love.

A new way of thinking has come over me recently.  A wonderful, eye-opening way of thinking that makes me thankful. Thankful that God show me to look for the ways He loves me in every little joy and pain of life.  Obviously not there yet, but the journey has begun...

I have enjoyed looking for the gifts God has given over the past 4-5 days, and I'm writing a list of at least 1000 of them I experience.  Anything from laughing eyes, to my blue cell phone, to the sidewalk in my neighborhood, to the little boy full of imagination telling me a story.

I was inspired to do this challenge of gift listing as I read the book, "One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are."  It's a poetic masterpiece, that beautifully laces your walk with God, to everyday life.  Making it almost impossible to feel blessed as you experience her worship sessions in her kitchen thankful for curls of cheese, freshly shredded, or the way the moon rose over the wheat field in the evening.

Contentment is something I lack usually in the area of wanting to be at a different stage in life, (to all you a smidge older than me, I know I'm crazy, it's my senior year of high school! Live it!).  I'm realizing now, it won't be the same again really, freedom-no full time have-to-have-it job, scared boys, mom and dad and Anna and I all together at home, no "bills", no debt, a fun night at Mc Donald's after a Ridge game...  I'm deciding to be content, and happy here in Waterloo Iowa, with my family, my interesting friends, .  And I'm learning to realize I'm blessed beyond measure by the Maker every moment.  It's crazy what you see when you're looking for gifts!

I would love to hear of all the ways you can think of that God has loved and blessed you.  Write them down, ponder, and praise the Lord. Repeat.

Dancing in the Sunshine

Have I ever mentioned how much I love changing seasons?  Spring is especially refreshing.  It makes me want to go splash in the creek, have a mud fight, write, read and pray in the grassy field in back of my house, crank up the music in the car and roll down the windows feel the warm breeze messin' with my hair.  I'm dreaming of long days, with not a hint of speech writing, chemistry formulas, or algebraic equations.

Now that I've got you longing for warmer days... We can at least be grateful to God for the wonderful changes He has already manifested!  There are robins, the geese are flying North, bugs, and the grass is even beginning to grow back.  And this weekend we were hit with our first major thunderstorm, it was incredible.  Thunderstorms remind me how gigantic God is!  Glorious.  I've already been able to enjoy rollerblading last week!  I really enjoy doing that, wonderful fresh air rushing by, the sun shining on your path, and I get to enjoy the Iowa landscapes.

June 3-13th of this year, I have the amazing opportunity to go to Guatemala for a ministry trip with my youth group at Walnut Ridge.   It's called Adventures In Missions.  I absolutely can't wait to see what God is going to do throughout the whole process!  He has already been involved in it. Let me explain.  At youth group we started to pray that God would lower the price of the plane tickets.  And even as the gas prices are increasing, God showed himself wayyy bigger than our economical state, and let us get our tickets for $320.00 for each person round trip.  That was down over $100 dollars from what the group thought was a reasonable price.  Prayer works.  That really helps to increase faith, if you ask me.  God saved our group as a whole around $3,000!

What will we be doing in Guatemala?  We will be sharing our personal testimonies, singing, and teaching children, do some service projects and hopefully encourage and help the full-time missionaries a lot.  There will be some other activities like sightseeing, and a bit of shopping. But I can't wait to minister to the people-especially the children there!

Now I can't help but think that it would be hypocritical if I was so excited to see what God is going to do there when He's doing great things here. I need to be open to serving right here in my own town.  Having a servant's heart is a challenge. For me at least.  I want my will to be what God wants in my life!

Please pray for our trip. Your prayers are greatly coveted.

• Pray for those who are going on the trip to have unity and the attitude that God would want each of us to have. 
• Pray for the people that we will be in contact with in Guatemala, that their hearts would also be prepared. 
• Pray for our leaders-Nik and Kristi Payne- that they would have increased patience and stamina. (Who are we kidding, it's not a breeze taking about 16 teens on an international trip!)  
• That God would make Himself so evident, real, and glorified!

Thank you for reading and praying. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments! I like getting mail. :)

Florida Time!

Today was my first full day in Florida.  I saw the ocean, went wading a bit on the beach (a REAL one), and saw the sun a bit. It was raining quite hard in the morning but improved in the afternoon.

We went to an authentic Greek community restaurant for lunch-that was a big highlight. http://www.hellas-restaurant.com/  It was so amazing because the waiter was entertaining and friendly-he quized our table on the story of Noah (did you know Noah was 800 when he was commissioned to build the ark?!), he lit our imported cheese on fire (Saganaki, OPA!), and we all tried broiled octopus. It didn't taste terrible, but it wasn't my favorite thing we ate there. Anna's reaction was pretty funny.  I was so happy she tried it at all!

Around the little town there was live music playing and John and Dar, and mom and dad danced to it. It was pretty cute. I think if I lived in the town, I would get so sick of seeing sponges everywhere!

On the way home, we hit up four different state parks- beaches, and trails.  The trees are interesting down here, covered in Spanish moss mostly.  The natural forest, looks really tropical, jungle-esque.

Tonight Anna wanted to go swimming outside, even though it was 64 degrees Fahrenheit... We did for a short while, but my oh my, it almost took my breath away. The water was rather chilly for the weather outside. 

Last night I tried kumquats for the first time. If you've ever wondered what...say, piny needles taste like (Christmas-y smelling), kumquats must be their fruit equivalent. Ate the skin and all.  I like trying new foods at least once. So far I think it's been a very limit-spreading vacation for my taste buds!  I can't wait to eat a fresh orange off of the tree in the yard. Mmm.  We've been eating a bunch of fruit already, strawberries, blueberrys, mango, cherries, cantalope... Getting spoiled for sure!

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's adventures... traversing by car in Florida to mom's cousin's house to stay the night. God willing!

Dear deep-thinking and messy Brain,

You have spent enough time dabbling in nostalgic ideas. Seriously, brain you're only a little older than 16 years. Be patient. God already knows what your life will be like. Trust the God-who made you, and this designed world and everything in it-with your little tiny life. Don't be so self-concerned. Get a grip.

Your main goal MUST be to make much of your Creator. Now, why should that be a difficult thing Brain? It should seem like simple gratitude: to serve, love, and adore the God who saved your soul. How do people get through the simple everyday- and bigger events, without the ever-present comfort and peace of Jesus Christ?

Brain, you have some pretty crazy ideas; why can't you bring yourself to share your hope that is within your person? The God that holds your heart, when you think you're gonna throw up. The God who is the maker of every good and perfect gift. The God who is always a steady support-He never changes. It doesn't make sense, Brain. I think you're scared you won't know what to say; that you won't come up with the words.

Remember Brain? Moses thought the same thing-he wasn't good with words, and God wanted to use him, to deliver His messages to Pharaoh. He missed out on blessings. I am commanded to share the good news in all the world, and dear brain of mine, I require your cooperation. God sent His only Son-perfect, spotless, sinless-down to the earth, to pay for all of the sins of this corrupt and evil world; He died, was buried, and ROSE again the third day. He is alive and sitting at the right hand of the Father today. It's the story that's worth retelling, and rehearing over and over again. Hallelujah!

Hallelujah, there is more to life than your little dramatic spats, getting money, and living, dying-without a purpose-more than to live the American dream. A fun job, lovely house, creative clothes, and an amazing family of your own; are perfectly good things to want and have, as long as they don't steal God's spot (#1) in Heart. Alas there in-lies the problem: my Heart has rather failed at keeping God my first priority.

Yes, Heart, you may be a little lost with all of this conferencing with Brain... Don't worry about it. Cling to your Savior, He's the ultimate. Just do it. Be stubborn in your holding to Jesus. Be determined not to let yourself drift far from your Abba-Father. When you are in a tumultuous situation; He is capable of guiding you into a peaceful harbor.

Don't deceive Brain, Heart of mine. Who really can really know you. Brain sometimes tries to understand, but really, she doesn't understand the why's behind some your favorites, Heart. Brain is a curious sort, she wants to know what makes people tick, what some people know, and what people had for dinner that day. (Stomach may, or may not have had some input on that last one.) Brain hopes to understand someday, by God reveling to her some of the God-glorifying purposes to your self-propelled actions, or from some situations. For, I know, it's ALL for HIS glory; in the end.

So, Brain and Heart; I urge you to constantly think about your loving, caring Savior. Anytime, all the time. Oh? That's like an obsession, you say? Yes, yes it is. Your new goal is to be OBSESSED. Couldn't be that hard, you know how to obsess about other things. Because your person knows you a bit more than most, I'm gonna say it shall be difficult. But logically, it shouldn't be. So, pray, communicate with God often. And trust. Trust that He knows what He's doing with your small lives.

P.S. If at all possible, could you two get off the superman kick?

Sincerely,

Your person.

~Cally Faith

Surprise, surprise!

Hey guys!

I'm actually going to update my blog this week, so keep checking. :) Facebook-less for a week. (*Dun, Dun, DUUUUUN*)

Yes, it's hard but it's good to make yourself go without something for a time. Too much of a good thing...yeah, yeah, yeah.

So, I hope to be spending more time in personal devotions, and memorizing; getting back on track. I'll be taking the time to be still and meditate on the purely awesome God we should be serving with our entire being. Why is that difficult?!

I know in my life it's too easy to forget all about the One who allows us to live with a free will, and loves us tremendously, and is always with us. Just a thought, random but, for me its true.

I want to love God supremely; and have Him be the focus of my thoughts, actions, and conversation. My stupid fallen-ness gets in the way here on earth; but with God's help we can mature spiritually, and grow in Christ-likeness each day. Join me as I pursue a deeper relationship with the great Creator of the universe, the one who allows us to call Him "Abba."

Be looking for more to come shortly!

Hi!

So, Hopefully I can get this working! Bird I'll need your help Saturday. :) I'm so glad that we can talk to people all the way across the world, in fact that's what I did tonight. I talked to Naomi S. in Singapore. That was so KOOL as she'd say. ;)