Erasers: I WANT ONE

I love, and have loved for a long time, a good solid eraser. Seriously, what awful thing it is to be writing with a pencil, then you mess up, you turn the pencil around, and the eraser is hard and crusty, or even worse, it is flesh with the metal part and scrapes if you use it. AWFUL I tell you. I like erasers, I like to be able to just go over the things that I don't want and get rid of them. Any mistake, and thought, any reality...POOF....gone! What a great feeling that is. If only that could happen in real life when I make a mistake. Let's just erase that and pretend it didn't happen. However, God didn't make us with erasers attached, sadly. But what I find interesting is that HE is our eraser. It is through Christ that we can have our mistakes and screw-ups erased. What a beautiful thing. And he never wears down, you never need to get a new one.



And truly, to run with the analogy, if we let him be the one to write our story, we don't even need erasers. How crazy is it that Jesus is our eraser, our lead, our writing utensil, and yet, the only reason that there is an eraser attached is so that he can take away the mistakes when we try to write out how we want things to be. He takes away our mistakes when we try to mess up his story.




Now as a writer, I can't imagine how I would feel if I was trying to write this amazing story and someone kept coming in and trying to take control and change it. I can see my eraser wearing out very quickly, much like my patience and grace. But God lovingly erases and waits for us to ask him to be our author again. Man, what a hard thing to comprehend.

But thank you God for ERASERS!!!

MISSIONARIES and MISSIONS

Things I have learned from missionaries and missions organizations:

1. The amount of courage and trust it takes to leave everything behind is absolutely a beautiful and amazing thing. If only I can let go of the possessions, that aren't even mine to begin with, in the same way that missionaries do I think I would worry a lot less and be more focused on what God is asking me to do.

2. It is a great thing to be able to minister with your husband. I have thought about this a little bit now, and truly, what a blessing it would be to be able to be my husbands side kick (like Batman and Robin...only maybe Robin would be changed to a female...so like Cyclopes and Jean Grey) and to also get paid for being his side kick so I didn't feel like I had to make the choice sometimes between working to pay the bills and working in the same ministry field as my husband. And I would have to say this is especially true for Aaron and I where we have the same passions and same education...what a blessing it would be to work in the same field and both get paid so that our bills were covered!

3. Missionaries sometimes are really brave to eat some of the stuff that they do!

4. I love the world perspective that many of the missionaries I know have. There is just something great about seeing how God is moving in other parts of the world. Even if I am not passionate personally about going to a certain place, it is still amazing to see how God uses people and works.

5. What a great thing many missions organization do when they focus on actually doing "Missionary Care". I wonder why so many churches haven't followed in the footsteps of some of these missions organizations and really set up a team to do Pastoral Care. Speaking as someone who was a Junior High Director for 3 years and then as someone whose husband is now a youth pastor, I think Pastoral Care is a great need.

6. Follow-up is something that is so needed for so many different areas in life, not just after a mission experiance but after so many life experiances. What a great thing it is that Missions organization understand the importance of follow up and process time. Why can't we put more of an importance on process time for all big events in our lives? I think that would be such a helpful thing. Maybe not always practical, but definately helpful.

7. I envy the travelling that many missionaries get to do! I love to TRAVEL!

8. If you are a missionary, you pretty much HAVE to have a passion for what you do. When you are being supported, away from your family, living in a foreign environment, not getting the praise (because you are giving it all to God), there can only be a few things that keep you in your job...Passion, Calling, and a Love for the Lord. Yet, when you live your life based off those things, focused on those things, and because of those things, there is this fulfillment that is undescribeable. What a beautiful thing it would be if everyone was living for a Passion, a Call, and a Love for who God is and what he is doing.

9. Many missionaries, especially younger ones, are REALLY great photographers.

10. The passion for people and for Christ in the lives of many of the missionaries I know is one of the most beautiful and amazing things. I think that almost every missionary could have a very interesting book written about them to tell their story. Talk about having a real adventure.

Here are some of the missionaries that I love and admire (which if any one is looking for some where to spend their money or time, I am sure they would love your support and prayers!)


Josiah Venture Missionaries:




Daniel Johnson: We grew up together. He is a few years younger than me, just got married, and is going to be going back to Czech with his wife Kim in a few months. He runs the Youth Ministry at a Church in Orlava, Czech Republic. This guy has an amazing heart to see the church youth ministry grow. He also loves basketball, has two crazy younger brothers, and has some pretty funny stories if you ever get to sit down and talk with him. Ask him specifically what he means when he says he has a "sweater on his teeth".

Nate Hughes: This guy is a RIOT! Nate currently does a whole bunch of stuff, some of which includes training teams from the States that are in Czech to run English Camps. Then him along with two others on his team travel from camp to camp to camp to camp to camp...(Seriously it is insane how much he has to bump around during the summer). Nate has a freedom in Christ that I hope continues to ALWAYS be contagious. He appreciates art and creativity and good things in life!



THE PATTY'S: This is a family that has one amazing stroy. Dave grew up in what is also my home church. Dave was obedient and God grew an amazing ministry through him...which is now what is called Josiah Venture. Dave and Connie have moved their family and embraced the Czech culture with arms wide open. I actually knowabout them more because Dave's sister and parents go to our church and I mentor his niece, but I also enjoy being able to chat with him quickly whenever they are in Colorado or when I am in Czech.




There are many, many more like Matt and Hailey Kingsley who work for Greater European Mission, Josh and Jen Hamilton who work for IDRAHAJE, Weston and Heather Tripp who work for Campus Crusade, The Guidarians who work in Papua New Guinea and the many who work for OMF International. The list could go on and on and on. But what a great example and blessing these people are.

Ahhhh

Ahhhh moments:

1. waking up to a fresh snow
2. Drinking a good, hot cup of coffee or Chai
3. Staying up late talking with friends
4. Watching Aaron talk with guys like Nate about comic books and stuff I can't hold a conversation with him about!
5. Stepping off the plane in Prague
6. Listening to Norah Jones while driving in the mountains
7. Eating at great mom and pop resturants like Jans in Buena Vista
8. Being behind the lens of a camera
9. Sitting at a pub with Georgey, Cilco, and Aaron
10. Laying on my white couch while it is raining and the french doors are open
11. Painting in my messy room
12. Writing ANYTHING
13. watching a student "get it"
14. Putting on warm socks on a cold winter day
15. Laying in the Hammock on a cool summer evening
16. Gardening with my husband
17. Picking grapes off our grape vine and eating them
18. Playing old school NES and eating corn dogs
19. Going on a long walk around the neighborhood
20. Giving gifts to people who I know will enjoy them
21. Investing in lives of leadership and letting them know how grateful I am for them
22. Watching Jadon and Jami play
23. Eating Swedish Meatballs and opening Christmas presents
24. Laying in bed and talking with my husband about his day
25. Reading something in the Bible and having it hit me in a whole new way

AHHH Pictures

In the Czech Republic under that Charles Bridge




In South Carolina's hills while it was drizzling

In North Carolina after a major rain storm

In Budapest on a Dinner/Boat Cruise

In the Czech Republic on a hike with Valdek, Kuba, and Marta

In Hawaii watcing the sunset and looking for the "green flash"

(Which we say, but it isn't really a flash)

Thanks to Laura for these two pictures!!! Man what I would give to live in Hawaii during moments like these. I am jealous of her!

A Sunset Laura saw on Thanksgiving

The same day!

Perspective

Perspective.

Main Entry: 2perspective
Function: noun
Etymology:
Middle French, probably modification of Old Italian prospettiva, from prospetto view, prospect, from Latin prospectus — more at prospect
Date:
1563
1 a: the technique or process of representing on a plane or curved surface the spatial relation of objects as they might appear to the eye; specifically : representation in a drawing or painting of parallel lines as converging in order to give the illusion of depth and distance b: a picture in perspective

2 a: the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed ; also : point of view b: the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance

3 a: a visible scene; especially : one giving a distinctive impression of distance : vista b: a mental view or prospect

4: the appearance to the eye of objects in respect to their relative distance and positions
— per·spec·tiv·al \pər-ˈspek-ti-vəl, ˌpər-(ˌ)spek-ˈtī-vəl\ adjective

What is perspective? What does it mean to view things in their true relations or relative importance? I want my perspective to be something so much greater than it is. Today, my perspective looked like this:

When really my perspective needs to be this:

Why do we so often forget what we need to focus on? Today I was talking with one of my mentors and kept chatting in circles about how much I am struggling and how hard life is and how I need a better perspective, more discernment, more friends...blah blah blah. But then as I thought about our time together, I realized, that really I need to change my focus. I want a better perspective , but I still want it to be focused on me. I need to view things in their true relations and really gain a better, more clear understanding of who I am and who God is. All I have seen is the rain, the struggles, the trials when really I need to see the sun rays, the mercy, the grace. Who am I to ask for so many gifts and for all the answers? Who am I to expect things from God and have the opinion that he owes me because I have been obedient? Romans 6:13 says "Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness." Is not life enough reason for me to obey? Is not his sacrifice reason enough for me to be greatful? Woe to me. Woe to me. I am a greedy, selfish child who throws a tantrum at the outcome that is not my own instead of accepting where God has me and asking him to give me his strength and do his will whatever that may be. May I have a perspective like Paul. May I understand the gift that I have been given and stand firm that it is enough for me!