INTO THE PATIENT WAITING...

The Word of God is so sharp - it pierces to the core of an issue, to the heart of a matter, and to the evident sinful condition of man. This week, thank the Lord, He has pierced my heart in new ways of what it means to be of: one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism: serving one God and Father of all. --- I have been reminded so often this week that we are all different in the body of Christ, but we desperately need these differences. They sharpen who we are, they make us aware of issues we might never be aware of, they cause us to humble ourselves, and realize there is no man guiding us but rather our great Shepherd - Jesus Christ. Read this Scripture with me (make sure to read it all...it's powerful): "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, plead with you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called , with all humility and gentleness , with patience , showing tolerance for one another in love , being diligent to pres...

Here is the video I put together for our 2008-2009 Bible Club year! I showed all the kids the video on Sunday afternoon after the meetings and they were laughing, giggling and shouting out names of everyone they saw : ) It's also published on youtube.com so feel free to watch the video there as well, just type in "bible club 2008 2009" and it has a picture of three kids on it!

It's so hard to believe that another year has come and gone with our Bible Club at the chapel. The last night of the year is always so bittersweet to me - I love these kids so much. We've been through so much together and have learned many things along the road about ourselves and, most importantly, about God and His Son Jesus Christ. Many of these kids come from very rough backgrounds. Some live in shacks, others have parents that are in jail, some come to Bible Club simply because there is food available for them that they couldn't get at home, and others come becomes they want and they need to be loved. Did I mention I love each and every kids that comes to Bible Club? : ) ...I must say, Guthrie is a huge mission field and our little chapel is right in the middle of it all. The Lord has blessed our Bible Club in hundreds of ways this year - the biggest being that so many kids were attentive this year and always seemed to ask searching questions about God, life, the Bible...

Funny how the LORD uses people, music, struggles, quiet times, questions and the Word of God to drive home a certain point. I am so thankful that He doesn't give up on me, even if it takes me days, months (or even years!) to fully understand something. I have been reading through 1 and 2 Corinthians the past few weeks and have come to notice even more just how beautiful the body of Christ is. The body of Christ is a community, as my dear friend Katy mentioned in her blog today. A community filled with different people from different backgrounds with different strengths and weaknesses. How amazingly unique! And despite these "differences" - we are united in Christ Jesus our Lord through His finished work on the cross. It brings tears to my eyes to think how much love the Lord Jesus Christ has for us - His Bride. And all that He gave for us in order to bring us close to Himself. "Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse...

This past week was a week that I had been praying about for weeks in advance - if that makes any sense! Let me give you a short run-down. Last week was spent in Greenwood Hills, PA with two of my dear friends Anne and Sarah. We went to a Missionary Orientation Program where we spent 6 days in intense Bible sessions about living the life of a missionary. There were plenty of opportunities to fellowship with all the people who were able to come to the Orientation - we were able to go canoeing, take long walks, sing hymns, roast marshmellows and eat around the table...all discussing who Jesus Christ is and how He has and is continually changing our lives. It was wonderful to meet so many new people! Not knowing each other, but knowing we were one in Christ and knowing that our desires were also focused on the same thing. Iron sharpens Iron - and boy was I sharpened this past week! Ken Fleming, Paul Bramsen, Phil Parson and Patrick Long were the speakers throughout the week. There were so ...