A Heart Like Theirs

I was reading about Paul and Silas in Acts 16, about when they were beaten, thrown in prison, and held in shackles, but still praised their Lord that they were worthy of such treatment! The condition of their heart amazed me. Thinking back, I get annoyed, upset or angry at such little things, and now, seeing the example of these two followers, I see that what is in the heart, is that which will come out.

Paul and Silas set out from the beginning with the right kind of heart. Ready to worship and praise God in good times, and in bad. They knew that they would get rejected, hated, and tormented, but they still followed God with their whole hearts. God not only brought them through, but led them to minister to the jail keeper. He was saved along with his whole household! This brings me to another conclusion: God knows everything. He knows what he is doing, and how he's going to do it.

We all have learned this in Sunday School. But to really think about it, and then act on it. To put all of my trust and hope in God, all of it, not withholding anything, takes a lot of courage. And the funny thing to me, is that courage comes from God! So we need God, to need God.

All of this, and yet, so much more to learn. Oh to have a heart like theirs.

Here are a few pics of this week:

Joan and Tom organizing school ciriculum

 The growing palm tree under their porch

 Refuge Ranch!

 One of the many games of Risk this week

 A huge thunder storm came through last night. I loved every minute of it. Althoug, quite upset, I was standing out side taking this picture, and I missed a picture opportunity of a lighten bolt three times!

 Before...

 After!

 "Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul"

O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens.When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

~Psalm 8:1, 3-4, 9

They Without Names

I blink
And I can hear them
I close my eyes
And I can see them
I dream
And I can touch them

Though not at all
Because I blink
And they're gone
I open my eyes
And they're gone
I wake up
And they're gone

I love them
But I can't hold them
I love them
But I can't touch them
I love them
And I don't even know their names

Now
even so
I look around and see
Two blue eyes
staring up at me
And this I know
I've touched at least one

One at a time
I will learn their names
One at a time
I will know their voice
One at a time
I will hold them forever

One at a time

While I'm Waiting

I feel like I'm sitting on a roller coaster. Waving at all the people standing by. I feel like I'm the only one in the whole train. Just nervously waiting that countdown. I know whats coming, I know how fast it's coming, and I know that the take of is the hardest part. Yet here I sit, in control of nothing. Just waiting. Saying goodbye as my insides turn about recklessly.

"I will serve you while I'm waiting.
I will worship while I'm waiting
I'm waiting on you Lord"
~John Waller

To Teach is to Love

G, yes, G. No not that G... Right here.

To teach piano is to reposition little fingers a hundred times
To teach piano is to count aloud with them until you're out of breath
To teach piano is to realize that the only reason they come to lessons are for the stickers

To give piano is to give your time... A lot of it
To give piano is to give your encouragement
To give piano is to give your love

To love piano is to show how to make music, not just sound
To love piano is to encourage creativity in making their own music
To love piano is to teach an amazing way to worship our Maker

Song of the Land

My soul shall never be satisfied. The beauty that is before me creates a yearning in mine heart for the heart of it's creator. Not only does the beauty touch my eyes, it sings, it sings to my ears; the song of the land.

The gentle winds whispers He loves us. The rolling hills yell that He is God, the suns warmth screams He is Most High and the sounds of children's laughter chants He is creator. The trees dance, the rocks crumble, and the flowers open in worship of His name. The brilliant blue skies carry out the rhythm, and the thick white clouds pound the beat, the beat of this land's song

The mountains rise up, yea they rise above all else. So powerful and mighty are they, yet their staff is silence. They do not chant, whisper, or tell; neither do they scream or yell. For they are silent. The Creator has wrapped His heart around these mountains, that all may feel the majesty, the majesty of this lands song.

"Come"

"And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus." (Matthew 14:28-29) February 17, 2010 I remember going to bed just crying out to God, asking Him if I was really meant to be a cross-culture missionary or not. I questioned Him for hours- all through the night. But waking up that next morning I will never forget. When God gives me peace, it's a peace that I can't even describe. It is purely God given. And that is what I felt on the morning, along with one simple word I knew the Holy Spirit whispered into my sleeping ears that night: come. I knew I had read Jesus saying that to one of His disciples somewhere, but never bothered looking it up, I just knew for a fact that God was taking me to the mission field. Now, just today I was thinking about that moment and decided to look it up. Flipping through the pages of Matthew I came upon these verses. In the verses just before these, the disciples were scared, thinking that the man walking on the water was a Spirit. That night I was scared, thinking that missions wasn't my thing. Jesus answered them and said "be not afraid" in these words do I take comfort every day. Peter still wasn't sure (neither was I) and asked God, not for a miraculous sign, not for a big voice from above, but for an invitation, a call. That night all I asked God for, was an answer, an invitation, a call. And Jesus said Come. Both to Peter and to me. That's all Peter needed, that's all I needed. He stepped off the boat, I stepped on the airplane. He walked on water, I served in Mexico for two weeks at age 15 (and practically on my lonesome.) Peter and I did these things for one reason: To go to Jesus. Reading this story over and over, continuing to compare it to my life, I have found so much in just the one word come. When thinking about leaving, going, departing, for the next unknown, I feel sad. Not only for myself, but for the people I know staying behind. I have a hard time explaining that God wants me to go there, that he will be with me all the way. But then I thought about what 'come' means, to move toward someone or something. Light bulb! My God is already 'there' (wherever 'there' may be) and he is asking me to join him there. He has already made the journey and is waiting for me. All I have to do is follow His footsteps and meet him. Wherever he calls me, he won't push me in front and say "you first" like coming upon a dark scary ally in a movie. No, he says "I've gone first, now your turn, come." In the following verses Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and begins to sink, but our God is a gracious and forgiving God. He extends his hand and helps us back up and teaches us. The passage ends when the disciples gives pure praise and worship to the Son of God. "Come."

A 'coincidence' that happened while there in Mexico. In the kitchen of the Zaragozas' home, hangs two pictures that absolutely drove me insane the whole time because they hung unevenly on the wall... Well one of them was a depiction of Peter and Jesus on the water with the seas raging behind them! Coincidence? I think not.