Bad things, good things, and good people...

Good and bad things happen to good and bad people, all the time. The past few weeks, even months, have come with some really great as well as not so great events. Of course, when the good things happen I happily accept them. However, when the bad things happen my response isn’t always so great.

Yesterday, I was singing “You give and take away…my heart will choose to say blessed be your name.” Two nights ago, I was reading through the book of Job. On Sunday morning my pastor’s wife read from Hebrews where it talks about fixing our eyes on Jesus (taking our eyes from the things that distract). All of these things helped me to realize that it’s all about Him- knowing Him, loving Him, becoming like Him, and finding my identity in Him. The good things that happen to me don’t make me more righteous or more likely to be blessed or loved by Him. The bad things don’t make me less righteous or less likely to be blessed or loved by Him. His finished work on the cross is what my identity is based on- I am His child and can be confident of His love and care no matter what happens!! I can choose to let Him use the various experiences in my life to draw me to Himself and make me even more aware of His life. I am not defined but what happens to me- good or bad. I am who He says I am- His beloved!!

Ok, here are some pics

Me and my best friend ever! :-)





The Best Day ever...

The Best Day Ever!!

I was going to write a blog just about how I love my job and then one of the coolest things happened, and now I want to write about how I love my life!! God is just so amazing, so, so, so amazing!!!!

I spent my morning preparing for 20 orphans and vulnerable children to meet their sponsors who are here on a mission’s trip from the USA. (I was doing this with my best friend ever!!). I spent the rest of the day watching as 20 children (who normally have a plate of pap and beans as their only meal everyday, walk barefoot in the freezing cold, and walk for miles to get to school everyday) ate a finger licking good KFC :-) meal, got to go into a store and pick out new clothes, and then ate ice cream and just had fun with their sponsors who have now become their friends. For all of these kids, this is definitely a day they will never forget. It’s pretty much their best day ever! Watching them have all that fun made me feel like I was having the best day ever. It made me realise just how much I love my job. I may not get paid big bucks, but I get to see big smiles on little faces- reflections of the big things God is able to do when we give ourselves to Him. It just makes life so worth living!!!! Really, it does! I love that I get to be a part of this!!

And then, this evening, I got home and found out my little brother, Francis has been accepted as a student at the Rockford Masters Commission- an intense, absolutely amazing discipleship program in Rockford, Illinois!! I spent two years there and God pretty much messed me up…for good! I love my younger siblings( a lot of the time I feel like their my children :-) ), and I know the greatest thing I can do for them is encourage them to know and love God. A few months back I felt God was telling me to ask Francis to apply to Rockford Master’s Commission. I hesitated and then finally suggested it to him. Now, a few months later, he is actually going there. I know God will just blow Him away! It excites me to think of all that God will do in Him and even through Him!!! I mean I am so freaking excited!!! This is definitely one of my best days ever!!!!

I love you, Jesus!!! You are the best ever!!!

It's not letting me post pics for some odd reason :-( I guess I'll try again later...

Like a child

Unless you become like a little child…

Remember when you were 7, 6, 5 years old? I do. It was definitely a happy time for me. I have come to learn that things weren’t as perfect as I though they were, but, at the time, I wasn’t concerned about it. I would wake up in the morning excited to face another day, ready to receive whatever mommy and daddy had planned for me. Maybe that’s part of what Jesus meant when He said we should become like a child… When I was a child, I worried about nothing! And the only reason was because I had complete confidence in my parents. I trusted them with every part of my life and living was so much easier. Of course, as I have grown up, I realize that they are just imperfect humans like me capable of mistakes and failure, but God, my Heavenly Father, is not! He is perfect and He is not capable of mistake or failure. I can have complete confidence in Him… make me like a child again…