A great devotional mechanism that my church, Puyallup Foursquare, uses is S.O.A.P. Which stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. We corporately read through the Bible in a years time, and part of our reading came out of I Corinthians today. I just wanted to share with you what I got out of it, and pray that it helps you somewhere in your Christian walk.
S: I Corinthians 13:8a & 13, "Love never fails. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."
O: Love is the grandest of all--loves saves, by the blood of Jesus Christ. Love heals--by the stripes of Jesus Christ. Love overlooks and understands all--by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.
A: If love is the grandest factor--and not just a mere emotion--why is it the hardest thing to achieve in my life? Why is it so hard to love family that seems abnormal--but in truth just needs that extra dose of love? Why is it so hard to love those friends or acquaintances that God has given me--but in truth just need an extra dose of love? Why is it so hard to love the lost, the blind, the seeking--when in truth they just need to see love, perhaps for the very first time in their life?
Is it selfishness that keeps me from loving as I should? Is it laziness? Is it pride? Do I feel as if I give love--but in reality it is superficial? What questions to ask, and to truly search my heart expecting God to answer!
P: Lord, thank you that the greatest "emotion" is love and that You give it so freely and to those who are unworthy--me being one who is unworthy of such love. Yet You look to the heart and see what is truly there--what is truly the lifeblood of our lives, our very souls! I pray that when You search my heart that You would find love--not just for You, as I love You above all things--but love for family, friends, church members, and more importantly the lost, the blind, the deaf/mute, the seeking! The ones who You want to bring into Your overwhelming love. I pray for divine appointments to reach out and love people. Just because I am no longer on the "mission field" in SE Asia, I am still on the mission field of God's eternal quest to share His love, mercy and grace to lost and hurting generations. Shame on me if I miss any opportunity to share the Love of Jesus Christ! Love never fails!
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
Home Again
We finally got home on Saturday morning to the airport about 8am. We were supposed to get in on Friday night; however, our plane was delayed in Hong Kong for an hour and a half due to bad brakes. Thus we missed our connecting flight from San Francisco back to Seattle. So all 24 of us were put up at the Hyatt Regency and were provided a nice dinner at their restaurant.
A couple of more side notes about our trip:
1. A Hindu cab driver was saved at a cell group in Bali that one of our groups attended while there!
2. While at one of the orphanages, some of us were able to pray for healing in a couple of the children, and saw that they were healed of their infirmities.
3. Worshipping in other countries, in other languages was great and also made us realize that we all serve the same God all over the world. It makes us get out of our small American minded way of thinking.
I am still getting used to the time difference back at home; however, I am doing fairly well. I made myself stay awake all day Saturday so that I wouldn't totally be out of whack! It is good to be home though!
Blessings and many thanks for all the prayers!
A couple of more side notes about our trip:
1. A Hindu cab driver was saved at a cell group in Bali that one of our groups attended while there!
2. While at one of the orphanages, some of us were able to pray for healing in a couple of the children, and saw that they were healed of their infirmities.
3. Worshipping in other countries, in other languages was great and also made us realize that we all serve the same God all over the world. It makes us get out of our small American minded way of thinking.
I am still getting used to the time difference back at home; however, I am doing fairly well. I made myself stay awake all day Saturday so that I wouldn't totally be out of whack! It is good to be home though!
Blessings and many thanks for all the prayers!
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Last Night in Singapore
Hi all, we are back in Singapore and we head home tomorrow Friday the 24th. We leave at 5pm, and get to California at 5pm...weird!
We've had an awesome trip so far (because it truly isn't over, even in the fun times). We prayer walked Singapore, and went through temples and mosques. It is always an experience to go through the Buddhist and Hindu Temples and know that these people are so lost, and only Jesus can save them. We went to Bright Hill Temple where it was the "Blessed Day", which meant hundreds of people were in the temple praying along with the Buddhist monks leading. We only meant to stay about 90 minutes here; however, God had other things in mind.
On this special day, the temple serves free lunch to the people that come in and pray. We walked in (and a bunch of white people are pretty obvious in an Asian culture), and somehow God divinely settled it that we were able to eat in the area that the Monks ate in, and at the same time. Talk about amazing! They wanted an opportunity to talk with us afterwards, which we did, and a few of our teammates prayed for them. Imagine the seeds that were sown that day!!
We then headed over to Malaysia where we met up with Pastor Christopher Nanda and his family. This was a great time of simply ministering to him and his family. He and his son were falsely accused of rape a few years ago, and it has greatly affected all of their lives. However, 4 of the 5 cases have been thrown out and they go back to court for the final one in the next month or so, which we are praying will be thrown out as well. We spent three days at the Nanda house with Mommy Margaret (his wife) and his daughters Veronica, Jessica, and Sharon and grandson Benjamin. It was wonderful! We cleaned, painted, cooked, did laundry anything to just bless them as a family and to let them know we loved them.
Christopher then took us to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysian Capital) where we looked around and saw the tallest twin towers. Then we tried to have our day of fun with them, but the water parks we went to were either under renovation or closed because they were cleaning the pools. So went to this jungle (I mean jungle), and hiked up to these waterfalls where we went swimming and fall sliding! The only weird thing was the tiny fishes that kept biting out toes!
From there we headed back to Singapore in order to catch a flight to Bali, Indonesia.
We went to a bible college, cell groups, and orphanages. It was great! I'll write more later. And yes, some of us even went surfing in the famous Bali waves (not me!) We were in Bali for 8 days.
Headed back to Singapore yesterday to finish up the last few days...the last day or so are always our fun days! We went out to Sentosa Island today...
...went down to the beach via a luge...way fun...spent a while swimming and then headed back to do whatever we wanted for the rest of the day. Then tonight we are headed out to Singapore Hard Rock Cafe, for our last big meal together!
I will post again with more details and more personal pictures once I get back. Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support.
Blessings! And remember, that it doesn't take going to a foreign country to be a missionary. God can and will use you right from your own backyard.
We've had an awesome trip so far (because it truly isn't over, even in the fun times). We prayer walked Singapore, and went through temples and mosques. It is always an experience to go through the Buddhist and Hindu Temples and know that these people are so lost, and only Jesus can save them. We went to Bright Hill Temple where it was the "Blessed Day", which meant hundreds of people were in the temple praying along with the Buddhist monks leading. We only meant to stay about 90 minutes here; however, God had other things in mind.
On this special day, the temple serves free lunch to the people that come in and pray. We walked in (and a bunch of white people are pretty obvious in an Asian culture), and somehow God divinely settled it that we were able to eat in the area that the Monks ate in, and at the same time. Talk about amazing! They wanted an opportunity to talk with us afterwards, which we did, and a few of our teammates prayed for them. Imagine the seeds that were sown that day!!We then headed over to Malaysia where we met up with Pastor Christopher Nanda and his family. This was a great time of simply ministering to him and his family. He and his son were falsely accused of rape a few years ago, and it has greatly affected all of their lives. However, 4 of the 5 cases have been thrown out and they go back to court for the final one in the next month or so, which we are praying will be thrown out as well. We spent three days at the Nanda house with Mommy Margaret (his wife) and his daughters Veronica, Jessica, and Sharon and grandson Benjamin. It was wonderful! We cleaned, painted, cooked, did laundry anything to just bless them as a family and to let them know we loved them.
Christopher then took us to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysian Capital) where we looked around and saw the tallest twin towers. Then we tried to have our day of fun with them, but the water parks we went to were either under renovation or closed because they were cleaning the pools. So went to this jungle (I mean jungle), and hiked up to these waterfalls where we went swimming and fall sliding! The only weird thing was the tiny fishes that kept biting out toes!
From there we headed back to Singapore in order to catch a flight to Bali, Indonesia.
We went to a bible college, cell groups, and orphanages. It was great! I'll write more later. And yes, some of us even went surfing in the famous Bali waves (not me!) We were in Bali for 8 days.
Headed back to Singapore yesterday to finish up the last few days...the last day or so are always our fun days! We went out to Sentosa Island today...
...went down to the beach via a luge...way fun...spent a while swimming and then headed back to do whatever we wanted for the rest of the day. Then tonight we are headed out to Singapore Hard Rock Cafe, for our last big meal together!
I will post again with more details and more personal pictures once I get back. Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support.
Blessings! And remember, that it doesn't take going to a foreign country to be a missionary. God can and will use you right from your own backyard.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
We've Landed
Good morning all! Actually it is still Thursday back in the states, but here in Singapore it is 6:30 am. We arrived early this morning at about 12:30 am and slept in the airport. We are waiting for the MRT (Subway) to open so we can make it to the YMCA where we are staying while in Singapore.
It was a long flight. We flew Seattle to San Francisco, then San Francisco to Seoul Korea (11 hours). And our final leg was 6 more hours. So yes we have been in airports or airplanes for over 30 hours. Needless to say, we STINK!
We will be prayer walking through Singapore today and tomorrow and then having a church service for children at a church in Singapore on Sunday. After lunch Sunday we are headed over to see Pastor Christopher in Malaysia.
If I get the chance, I will get on and post again. If not, I will tell you all about it once I arrive home (at least after the jet lag has passed).
Love you all and remember to keep praying for us.
It was a long flight. We flew Seattle to San Francisco, then San Francisco to Seoul Korea (11 hours). And our final leg was 6 more hours. So yes we have been in airports or airplanes for over 30 hours. Needless to say, we STINK!
We will be prayer walking through Singapore today and tomorrow and then having a church service for children at a church in Singapore on Sunday. After lunch Sunday we are headed over to see Pastor Christopher in Malaysia.
If I get the chance, I will get on and post again. If not, I will tell you all about it once I arrive home (at least after the jet lag has passed).
Love you all and remember to keep praying for us.
Monday, February 06, 2006
We're leaving on a jet plane......
Our Masters Commission students from Puyallup Foursquare are off to SE Asia on Wednesday. We are going to Singapore, Malaysia and Bali, Indonesia. There are 25 of us leaving at 4:30am on Wednesday morning, and arriving in Singapore at 12:30am on Friday. We will be prayer walking while in Singapore, and holding a children's church service on Sunday. While in Malaysia we will be working with a local, Pastor Christopher who is an amazing man of God. He is putting us to work...we don't know what we will be doing, but it will be great. Then we are off to Bali, Indonesia for 7 days where we will be working in orphanges, teaching at a Bible College, visiting villages, and working with a beach ministry. It is a jam packed 17 days, a lot of flying and not much rest.
Please remember to pray for our group, as we covet every prayer said on our behalf. Also, if you read this today, please pray for an incoming VISA for one of our students that has to be recived in tomorrow's mail in order for her to go on our trip.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Go Seahawks!!!
All right, I admit it...I am a fan only because the Seahawks are going to the Superbowl, but I truly do hope they win.
Just want to say, "GO HAWKS!!". I hope everyone has fun at their Superbowl parties tomorrow.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
I'm Backwards
Ok so I posted all these great pictures of an MC event that we did; however, I did them in order of the event which made them come out backwards on the web. So if you scroll through all the new pictures you will come to my entry that explains the event.
Blessings!
Blessings!
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
More Dinner Pics!
Chipo, our student from Zimbabwe, had to eat pig's stomach. Marcie this picture is for you!
Johnathan had to eat 100 year old eggs. He said they didn't taste too bad...until after he had eaten them, they after taste got to him a bit.
Kim! This picture says it all about their dinner that night.
The boys congratulating themselves on a job well done!
Dinner's Served...um...dinner? Really?
Dinner for the 16 students...including pig kidneys, pig heart, tripe, live crickets, cow tongue, pig bung (yes it's butt!), dried seaweed, jelly fish, and the list goes on.....
Dustin got a bowfull of live worms for his dinner. It really freaked him out when they decided to put salt on them, for better taste, and the worms reacted by exploding up and out of the bowl. I've never seen someone jump so high and so fast.
Dustin couldn't eat the worms, so he decided to have them blended and then proceeded to drink them. Taste good?
Bryan got Sushi for dinner....which meant 6 live goldfish. He chugged one and then the other boys convinced him to chug a lug the whole bowl of fish. WOW!!
Boat Time
Looks cold out on that boat! They are getting ready to jump from the boat to a raft and then to another raft. Yes, in Kirkland on a rainy day, and very very cold! We said it was intense.
Here is what the boat and water looked like!
Team Activities
At Golden Garden Park, in Ballard, they had to do some team activities. Which included being tied together and golfing, playing basketball, and volleyball.
The students didn't reach a challenge in time, so they received a delay...all 16 students had to put a roll of pennies into the pig at Pike Place Market.
Getting Started
Here we are getting ready for the day...listening to the rules and still not knowing what they are getting into!
Yes, we blindfolded them at the beginning of the day!
MC Amazing Race/Fear Factor
Our MC program has what we call intensives, of which we have four every year. Our first intensive was a spiritual intensive, our second is a team building intensive, our third is evangelism, and our fourth is a physical intensive. What does intensive mean? It is literally an intense 24 hours in which the team does various activities that teach them various lessons.
This past Friday, we had our second intensive which started with a wake up call by the students houseparents at 3am!!! Needless to say, our houseparents loved waking their students up. I got the opportunity to get up a 2:30 am and drive over to a house and wake up a couple of girls whose houseparents were out of town. They then had to be at the church by 5:30am for a packed filled day.
Some of the things they did were: ride the Sounder to Seattle, go on a hunt for picture clues around Seattle (via communication between two teams on walkie talkies), games at Golden Garden Park in Ballard, activities at the International Fountain, a bus trip to Northwest College, a boat ride on the lake (COLD!!), and fear factor eating up in Snoqualmie, team building activities at GHCC in Maple Valley, and dinner at a pizza joint. At each pit stop they received an envelope that had a team challenge within, and that they had to pass! It was great fun.
We had a tremendously long day....they didn't get back to the church until 12:40 am on Sat!!!! But it is one of the best opportunities they have to build unity within their team, to encourage one another, and push past what they thought they never could do. It also helps as we are getting ready for our mission's trip and they really need to work together as a team!
Enjoy the Pictures!
This past Friday, we had our second intensive which started with a wake up call by the students houseparents at 3am!!! Needless to say, our houseparents loved waking their students up. I got the opportunity to get up a 2:30 am and drive over to a house and wake up a couple of girls whose houseparents were out of town. They then had to be at the church by 5:30am for a packed filled day.
Some of the things they did were: ride the Sounder to Seattle, go on a hunt for picture clues around Seattle (via communication between two teams on walkie talkies), games at Golden Garden Park in Ballard, activities at the International Fountain, a bus trip to Northwest College, a boat ride on the lake (COLD!!), and fear factor eating up in Snoqualmie, team building activities at GHCC in Maple Valley, and dinner at a pizza joint. At each pit stop they received an envelope that had a team challenge within, and that they had to pass! It was great fun.
We had a tremendously long day....they didn't get back to the church until 12:40 am on Sat!!!! But it is one of the best opportunities they have to build unity within their team, to encourage one another, and push past what they thought they never could do. It also helps as we are getting ready for our mission's trip and they really need to work together as a team!
Enjoy the Pictures!
Monday, January 23, 2006
Genuine Conference 2006
Our young adult group, The Connection, went up to Vancouver, BC this weekend for our annual winter conference/retreat. We stayed two nights at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Vancouver. Just a side note...if you ever want a nice hotel to stay at, the Hyatt is great and the people are wonderful to you. We had an amazing speaker for the weekend, his name is Charles Lee. He is a professor at Life Pacific College in California, as well as the pastor of New Hope South Bay in the Redondo Beach area.
I didn't get to hear the message Friday night; however, the two sessions we had on Saturday were tremendous. You can definitely tell that Charles has a heart to see his world changed. He is very active in seeing that social justice is accomplished within the church. So, I wanted to just leave with you all the bare bones of his two sessions Saturday.
**Sorry about the spacing and how it looks, as I am still learing the html codes and stuff for blogging**
January 21, 2006 "Community"
Partial Truths about Community:
1. Geographical Proximity: Distance at times deepens relationships, not weakens them
2. Frequency of Gatherings: Paul and the Church of Ephesus shared from a distance without numerous gatherings
3. Purpose is Accountability
4. Structured Activities: Structure needs to be submitted to the Spirit of God
5. Created in Small Groups: Small groups are great; however, are people going to truly share their deepest fears and concerns with someone they just met?
Concepts of Genuine Community:
1. Birthed in Solitude: Mt 14:13--14
a. Solitude prioritizes our values
b. Solitude creates necessary space
c. Solitude is communal in nature
2. Intricate by Nature: Romans 12:4--5
a. Unity
b. Equality
c. Mutuality
d. Necessity
e. Diversity
3. Nurtured by Spatial Hospitality: Eph 4: 1--3
a. Journey from hostility to hospitality
4. Imprinted with an Ethos of Love: ICor 12: 4--7
a. Posture of love is selfless
b. Purifier of love is conflict
c. Power of love is forgiveness
d. Cry of love is justice
e. Outlook of love is optimistic
f. Committment of love is everlasting
5. Missional in Outlook: John 17: 20--23
January 21, 2006 "Missional Hope"
I hope that you can glean even one tiny new truth out of these messages. I know that it is not the same as sitting in the same room and listening and taking your own notes; however, I believe God can impart truth to those that are just reading through people's blogs and stumble across something that God pressed upon us to write.
I didn't get to hear the message Friday night; however, the two sessions we had on Saturday were tremendous. You can definitely tell that Charles has a heart to see his world changed. He is very active in seeing that social justice is accomplished within the church. So, I wanted to just leave with you all the bare bones of his two sessions Saturday.
**Sorry about the spacing and how it looks, as I am still learing the html codes and stuff for blogging**
January 21, 2006 "Community"
Partial Truths about Community:
1. Geographical Proximity: Distance at times deepens relationships, not weakens them
2. Frequency of Gatherings: Paul and the Church of Ephesus shared from a distance without numerous gatherings
3. Purpose is Accountability
4. Structured Activities: Structure needs to be submitted to the Spirit of God
5. Created in Small Groups: Small groups are great; however, are people going to truly share their deepest fears and concerns with someone they just met?
Concepts of Genuine Community:
1. Birthed in Solitude: Mt 14:13--14
a. Solitude prioritizes our values
b. Solitude creates necessary space
c. Solitude is communal in nature
2. Intricate by Nature: Romans 12:4--5
a. Unity
b. Equality
c. Mutuality
d. Necessity
e. Diversity
3. Nurtured by Spatial Hospitality: Eph 4: 1--3
a. Journey from hostility to hospitality
4. Imprinted with an Ethos of Love: ICor 12: 4--7
a. Posture of love is selfless
b. Purifier of love is conflict
c. Power of love is forgiveness
d. Cry of love is justice
e. Outlook of love is optimistic
f. Committment of love is everlasting
5. Missional in Outlook: John 17: 20--23
January 21, 2006 "Missional Hope"
Becoming the Church God Dreams About....
1. Our purpose: Mt28:18--20
a. An empowered purpose
b. A motion sensory purpose
c. A creative purpose
d. A partnering purpose
2. Our priorities: Mt 22: 34--40
a. A non-religious priority
b. A priority of experiencing God
c. A priority of embracing humanity
3. Our plan: James 1:22--27
a. Live out your faith
b. Recapture the power of words
c. Engage pure religion
4. Our posture: Phil 2:1--5
a. Compassion
b. Unity
c. Humility
d. Posture for the other
5. Our promise: ICor 15:58
what would you dream tonight? be specific, God will use me to impact souls. as passionate as I am about my future, God is more passionate about my future.I hope that you can glean even one tiny new truth out of these messages. I know that it is not the same as sitting in the same room and listening and taking your own notes; however, I believe God can impart truth to those that are just reading through people's blogs and stumble across something that God pressed upon us to write.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Over the Hills and through the Woods....
to Grandma's house I go! Yes, I got to go visit my Grandpa Shorty and Grandma Pat (Maternal Grandparents) in Spokane, WA. It was a very, very short visit, but it was so good to see them. I left on Friday morning and flew over on an express flight, one of those planes that has room for about 15 people.
I got the opportunity to visit with my Aunt Colleen, Cousin Kendra and her two cuties Kennedy and Dawson. I also got to talk with April...sorry that I didn't get to visit you...next time!!!
From Spokane, we headed to LaCrosse where my grandparents live. I really did nothing this weekend but eat Grandma's cooking and watch football with Grandpa (Yeah Seahawks). I had to leave on Sunday afternoon, so we left their house about 1:30 pm so that I could get to the airport by 3:30pm.
All in all it was a great visit. The only downer is that my Grandpa has been sick, and he wasn't feeling well this weekend either. It is hard to see your Grandparents get old and sick and know that they won't be with you forever. This is especially hard for me to grasp as I have not yet lost a grandparent. If you think about it, please send up a prayer for my Grandfather (Shorty) as he goes through another round of chemotherapy.
I got the opportunity to visit with my Aunt Colleen, Cousin Kendra and her two cuties Kennedy and Dawson. I also got to talk with April...sorry that I didn't get to visit you...next time!!!
From Spokane, we headed to LaCrosse where my grandparents live. I really did nothing this weekend but eat Grandma's cooking and watch football with Grandpa (Yeah Seahawks). I had to leave on Sunday afternoon, so we left their house about 1:30 pm so that I could get to the airport by 3:30pm.
All in all it was a great visit. The only downer is that my Grandpa has been sick, and he wasn't feeling well this weekend either. It is hard to see your Grandparents get old and sick and know that they won't be with you forever. This is especially hard for me to grasp as I have not yet lost a grandparent. If you think about it, please send up a prayer for my Grandfather (Shorty) as he goes through another round of chemotherapy.
Monday, January 09, 2006
ER Visit
Ok, so I am 31 and have never had to visit an emergency room for myself ever. Not one broken bone growing up, no appendicitis, no major wounds....nothing, zilch, nada, zip. And quite honestly, I would have preferred keeping it that way forever!
So, because I went hiking on Friday I aggravated my asthma. Keeping in mind that I haven't had an issue with asthma or bronchitis in over 7 years, and I have never had an asthma attack. On Saturday I was having a little bit of shortness of breath, didn't think anything of it since it didn't seem to be a big deal. On Saturday night, I couldn't sleep a wink as it was hard to draw in breath...finally got up at 5am and sat on the couch and tried to sleep sitting up. On Sunday, catching my breath was getting really hard, and it was starting to make me panic; however, as someone who doesn't have insurance, doesn't have money and doesn't think to highly of going to the doctor...I put it off and thought that taking a nap would make me feel better.
Woke up at 5:30 yesterday (Sunday) and felt so bad, my chest hurt, my throat hurt, I couldn't breathe (deep or otherwise)...it just felt so bad. And not only couldn't I breathe, but my whole body hurt. I'm not sure if that was from me trying to breathe and my muscles all over were working overtime or what. But shoulders hurt, my head hurt, everything....
The lovely people I live with said I'm taking you to the ER...this time I didn't argue. I spent from 6pm--10:30 in the ER on Sunday...talk about not fun. Two respitory treatments, one strep test, and one chest x-ray later I was finally able to go home. So what was the dianosis? A severe bronchial asthmatic attack.
Not being able to breathe was probably one of the scariest things I've been through. Because even in scary situations, you are able to breathe.
So, I went to bed round bout midnight (after going to get prescriptions, having to come home and eat so that I could take my prednisone steroid pills) and slept until 11:30 this morning. I feel so much better, and will never take for granted the ability to breathe. I am just taking it easy today by laying around and watching tv.
Psalm 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!"
So, because I went hiking on Friday I aggravated my asthma. Keeping in mind that I haven't had an issue with asthma or bronchitis in over 7 years, and I have never had an asthma attack. On Saturday I was having a little bit of shortness of breath, didn't think anything of it since it didn't seem to be a big deal. On Saturday night, I couldn't sleep a wink as it was hard to draw in breath...finally got up at 5am and sat on the couch and tried to sleep sitting up. On Sunday, catching my breath was getting really hard, and it was starting to make me panic; however, as someone who doesn't have insurance, doesn't have money and doesn't think to highly of going to the doctor...I put it off and thought that taking a nap would make me feel better.
Woke up at 5:30 yesterday (Sunday) and felt so bad, my chest hurt, my throat hurt, I couldn't breathe (deep or otherwise)...it just felt so bad. And not only couldn't I breathe, but my whole body hurt. I'm not sure if that was from me trying to breathe and my muscles all over were working overtime or what. But shoulders hurt, my head hurt, everything....
The lovely people I live with said I'm taking you to the ER...this time I didn't argue. I spent from 6pm--10:30 in the ER on Sunday...talk about not fun. Two respitory treatments, one strep test, and one chest x-ray later I was finally able to go home. So what was the dianosis? A severe bronchial asthmatic attack.
Not being able to breathe was probably one of the scariest things I've been through. Because even in scary situations, you are able to breathe.
So, I went to bed round bout midnight (after going to get prescriptions, having to come home and eat so that I could take my prednisone steroid pills) and slept until 11:30 this morning. I feel so much better, and will never take for granted the ability to breathe. I am just taking it easy today by laying around and watching tv.
Psalm 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!"
Friday, January 06, 2006
Kickin' Butt!
Since I am not working, it is a perfect opportunity to join in some of our Masters Commission activities. Fridays are what we call Family Day, as we do some activity together as a family. One activity that is done numerous times throughout the year is hiking. This is in order to get trained for climbing a Mountain in May (2 day event, and they try to reach the summit of some great mountain around WA State).
We went hiking today in North Bend, to a place called Twin Falls. OMG....I am so dreadfully out of shape and unprepared for hiking mountains. My goal was to finish strong! Which I did! But goodnes, my feet are killing me right now. I was all prepared to share with you the agony of hiking; however, I want you all to know that if I can hike almost 5 miles, then you can too. It may seem like agony at the beginning, and each step is harder to take, yet when you look back at what you accomplished everything doesn't seem so hard.
It was beautiful when we got to the bridge that spans the river and then to look up at the falls....beautiful creation of God. As the psalmist says, "Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me." Psalm 42:7
On our way back down, everyone on the hike participates in building a monument of thankfulness to God. Each person finds a rock, we find a place to build our monument, then we go around and explain why you chose that rock and what you are thankful for and then place the rock on the monument. I wasn't clearly aware of what and why we were doing this; however, God showed me truth even in the simplicity of picking out a rock to express my thankfulness. My rock was one of those that you need to kick at with your heel to loosen it from the dirt and then you wiggle it back and forth until it is loose enough to come out. My words of thankfulness? Thankful that God kicks me in the butt, and digs me out of the dirt in order to see me succeed. Isn't God good, in that He wants us to succeed to our highest ability
Even if you don't have the chance to go out and hike 5 miles today, take a moment to stop and reflect on the creation around us that God has given us for our pleasure and in turn His pleasure at seeing His children content.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
God is so GOOD!
WOW!
I was working down at my church today since I don't have to go to work right now. I plan on spending the days down there trying to get caught up on paperwork and other miscellaneous stuff that needs to be done. It is actually really nice being able to go down there and be apart of the comings and goings. Before I had my full time job, I was going down there once a week to work on Masters Commission stuff.
So what is the WOW part? Let me remind you that someone had donated $950 for my trip a month or so ago. Well, today someone sent me another check for $1000. WOW...WOW...WOW!!! God is so Good, and He knows just how to take care of me.
On another note, thank you to everyone who has been praying for me due to my current lack of employment. I am doing good (YES, I was a bit emotional last week...that was the initial "What the.." talking). I am submitting applications to various places, both here in WA and in CA. The reason for CA is that I was planning on moving there in a year or so anyway, so if God says move earlier than I will. I am picking up some work with KMPS. So, God has me covered and I trust completely in Him.
Blessings!
I was working down at my church today since I don't have to go to work right now. I plan on spending the days down there trying to get caught up on paperwork and other miscellaneous stuff that needs to be done. It is actually really nice being able to go down there and be apart of the comings and goings. Before I had my full time job, I was going down there once a week to work on Masters Commission stuff.
So what is the WOW part? Let me remind you that someone had donated $950 for my trip a month or so ago. Well, today someone sent me another check for $1000. WOW...WOW...WOW!!! God is so Good, and He knows just how to take care of me.
On another note, thank you to everyone who has been praying for me due to my current lack of employment. I am doing good (YES, I was a bit emotional last week...that was the initial "What the.." talking). I am submitting applications to various places, both here in WA and in CA. The reason for CA is that I was planning on moving there in a year or so anyway, so if God says move earlier than I will. I am picking up some work with KMPS. So, God has me covered and I trust completely in Him.
Blessings!
Saturday, December 31, 2005
As I surfed through "blogville" tonight (Yeah, instead of partying and ringing in the New Year), I came upon the following and thought it was kind of fun.
Enjoy...
bold the states you've been to, underline the states you've lived in and italicize the state you're in now...
Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C. /
I think I have "passed through" a few more than those mentioned above, but these are the ones that I've truly spent more than a few minutes in.
Go HERE to have a form generate the HTML for you.
Enjoy...
bold the states you've been to, underline the states you've lived in and italicize the state you're in now...
Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C. /
I think I have "passed through" a few more than those mentioned above, but these are the ones that I've truly spent more than a few minutes in.
Go HERE to have a form generate the HTML for you.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Life Changes
So, the unthinkable happened today...I was let go from my job. You always go into meetings thinking the worst is going to happen, and then nothing...it is just a normal meeting...blah, blah, blah.
Then you go into a meeting, your heart starts racing, you start praying, "No, this can't be happening.", and then you hear...."I'm sorry the numbers just haven't been adding up....we haven't had any new sales....we might have failed in our training....you just aren't a good fit....it is partly me...blah...blah..blah."
Yep, that's right, for the first time I was actually let go from my job. They never said "FIRED", but more politically said your position has been terminated. The feeling of utter rejection and an overwhelming sense of OMG...what now! How are those bills going to get paid (thank God, Freddie the Ford Explorer got paid off last month), how am I going to find a new job when this one took me 8 months to find, how do I explain this to friends and family without sounding like a failure?
Questions
Questions
Questions
But I guess it comes down to the fact that I serve a greater God, and He has me in the palm of His hand right now and is whispering, "It's going to be ok...I have better things in store for you. I love you and I will never leave you nor forsake you."
And as I am typing those words, I have tears streaming down my face, because I do truly believe it, even in the midst of what seems like disaster!
Sit up straight, chin up and march forward. God's in control...I'm not...He's got something awesome for me.
Please pray!
Then you go into a meeting, your heart starts racing, you start praying, "No, this can't be happening.", and then you hear...."I'm sorry the numbers just haven't been adding up....we haven't had any new sales....we might have failed in our training....you just aren't a good fit....it is partly me...blah...blah..blah."
Yep, that's right, for the first time I was actually let go from my job. They never said "FIRED", but more politically said your position has been terminated. The feeling of utter rejection and an overwhelming sense of OMG...what now! How are those bills going to get paid (thank God, Freddie the Ford Explorer got paid off last month), how am I going to find a new job when this one took me 8 months to find, how do I explain this to friends and family without sounding like a failure?
Questions
Questions
Questions
But I guess it comes down to the fact that I serve a greater God, and He has me in the palm of His hand right now and is whispering, "It's going to be ok...I have better things in store for you. I love you and I will never leave you nor forsake you."
And as I am typing those words, I have tears streaming down my face, because I do truly believe it, even in the midst of what seems like disaster!
Sit up straight, chin up and march forward. God's in control...I'm not...He's got something awesome for me.
Please pray!
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