The Journey

Father-God, Today I pray for all of the abused and broken souls of this world. So many more people than we know have been hurt by others to almost beyond repair. I see them, hear their stories, and feel their pain until... I just want to cry and plead to You to save them. Just save them. Save them from the memories, issues, their abusers, and wrap them in Your loving arms. Most people don't just wake up one morning and decide they want to be gay or abuse others or commit suicide. There's always a reason and it is because they have no hope that they eventually resort to these things. So many broken people.... It's overwhelming. I know it is nothing You have done and instead it is because we live in a fallen world that has been given over to its passions. I wish that You would protect all of these innocents, but no one is truly innocent- all are sinful beings rolling around in a mess of sin in a broken world. It is a miracle that anyone is saved from it. Thank You, F...

Do you want to know who one of my favorite women of the Bible is? No, it's not Mary. Or Esther. Give up? It's Deborah. Bet you didn't guess her! You may be wondering what this has to do with the title of this post. I admit, Deborah isn't a very talked about woman and there's not much known about her, but there's not much that we know about encouraging the boys in our lives to become men either. If you were to ask just me and me alone how to do this, I would have to tell you that I honestly don't know. But Deborah does. Let's take a look at what we do know about our dear Deborah: She lived in a time when everyone around her was doing anything but what God had commanded them. (Judges 4:1) She was being plagued by an enemy nation that seemed like all it wanted to do was pick on her people. (Judges 4:2,3) She was in an unusual position of authority (that most women in that time period did not have) as a prophetess and judge. Everyone and anyone w...

Whew! It's been a long time since I've written anything on here other than that little advertisement for the Living On The Edge sermon. And I think by now I owe you guys an update. So here it goes! The first camp we took part in this summer was the camp for people with disabilities. It was so  much fun seeing some old friends and getting to know new ones. All of the people who came as participants- or campers- were Romanian, but out of the leaders and volunteers we had a little bit of diversity. There were three girls from Ukraine who all spoke Romanian, several people from Britain (most of whom were Scottish and only spoke a little Romanian), and the Luse family minus Rebecca (from America, in case you didn't know, and all speaking Romanian fairly well). Since there were so many people who didn't speak Romanian, Kenneth and I did more translating than I think we have ever done in our lives. Alyssa, mom, and dad would be able to say the same thing except they were ...

Just a few minutes ago I listened to a message in Chip Ingram's God As He Longs For You To See Him  called Is Your God Too Small? Part 2. And I was blown away. I've been a Christian for close to ten years now. You'd think my view of God would be better than most. But... to be honest... the "test" that Chip gives at the end of the message cut me to the heart. At best, I could probably give myself a six in each category. Don't think that I don't see God and don't have a pretty good idea who He is. But do I really have that, "Wow...", blown away feeling when I think of Him? Do I think of Him that much- in all His intricacies and not in basic brush strokes? And can others SEE that? Chip has convicted me today to spend more time- 180 seconds precisely- before I pray just pondering who God is. Just to sit there and meditate on His awesomeness. So I have a challenge for you, too, but you had better act fast because I don't know how...

Emotions. Fear. Joy. Hatred. Euphoria. Anger. Love. Loneliness. These are all only a few examples of the many complex entities that we package into one tiny word- emotions. Sometimes they seem to live and breathe of their own volition. One will grab us, shake us, try and control us. And then in the next minute it will disappear as quickly as it came and another will pop up in its place. In today's society, the subject of emotions is something many Christians have a strong opinion about. They read a passage from Scripture that says, "Fear not," so they believe that all fear is wrong. Others read that "God is love" and latch onto that, believing that we are to love, love, love people to the point of accepting everything about them- including their sins that they refuse to change. I'm just going to say it right now: Christians need to stop seeing emotions at black and white (i.e.- all good or all bad). They need to take a good long look at not only w...

Pride. It's the bane of our existence. No, I'm not talking about patriotic or paternal pride. I'm talking about the silent and deadly type. The kind that causes so much trouble. "Trouble?" you may ask, "What trouble?" Let's think for a moment. What was the first sin? No, not the first sin that man committed, but the other one. The Bible says: "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' -Isaiah 14:12-14 I would argue that the first sin was committed by Satan. He thought he could be god better than God. What do we call that? Pride. Now, I would also argue that there are two main types of pride. ...

Written by Rebecca L. Will increased DVR use cut into TV advertising revenue? The more people use their DVR the greater the negative affect is on the TV advertising revenue. With each new generation comes a lack of patience, especially when it comes to their entertainment. People used to enjoy watching commercials as well as shows because it opened their eyes to the many new products that had just entered the market. Now that we have the internet with search engines and store fliers with lists of products people feel that commercials are unnecessary and only cut into their entertainment time. This impatience with TV advertisements causes people to DVR their shows so that they can watch them unhindered by constant 15 min. breaks. Even if this seems like a plus to most of us we rarely realize just how big of an affect we have on the businesses who advertise and on the TV channels that broadcast the commercials. Businesses pay a lot of money in order to advertise their...

In my previous post Prince Charming: Real or Pretender , we discussed what a princess looks for in a prince. We made the point that sometimes it's hard to tell the real thing from a royal pretender. Well, today we are going to turn the tables. We're going to take a good look at ourselves and determine if we are a Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. You all remember the stories, right? In Sleeping Beauty  the princess is fated to prick her finger on a spindle and die on her eighteenth birthday. But one of her fairy godmothers changes the curse so that she actually falls asleep for a hundred years before her prince comes to wake her up. The second story, Snow White , is about a beautiful girl who incurs the wrath of her stepmother and has to flee for her life. She runs as far as she can until she discovers a little hut where seven dwarfs live and she offers to clean and cook for them. After spending many days there, she is tricked and killed by her stepmother. However, a prince...

Have you ever thought to yourself, "What on earth in my life is there to be thankful for?" Maybe it's always too hot or too cold for you. Maybe your children or siblings are fighting. Maybe you're stuck in a job you hate. On those days- how can you be thankful? Confession time- I just finished the worst month of feeling unhappy with my siblings that I think I have ever had in my entire life. And that includes when we were little. It seemed like everything they did got on my nerves. I would feel myself getting annoyed, and in an effort to not lose it I would say something quick and sharp. As I would say it, I would chide myself, "Way to go, Nikitah. You just got an F in Siblings Harmony class." I knew what I was saying, but I couldn't bring myself to stop that little comment from slipping out. I felt unhappy and ticked off all the time. There was nothing  to be thankful for. You know how you are going through something and it seems like suddenly ev...

John 21:12  Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.    13  Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.   14  This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.    15  When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”    16  He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”    17  He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I lo...

Perfect-Match Don't bring me a Prince Charming In silk and shiny tights. Don't bring me someone rich. Just bring me Mr. Right! He doesn't have to be perfect. His eyes don't have to be blue. He doesn't have to sing real fine, But let him, Lord, be true! He doesn't have to be talented, Or wear running shoes. He doesn't even have to be handsome, But, Lord, let him love you! I don't ask for the Mighty Hulk Or even Superman. All I ask for is what I know you'll give me- My Perfect-Match-Man! (The above is an old poem I wrote several years ago. But the truth in it still resonates today!) Let's face it- if you are a girl who grew up in my generation, at one point in time or another you dreamed of being a princess. And if you dreamed of being a princess, you dreamed of a castle. If you dreamed of a castle, then you obviously dreamed of a prince to share that castle with. Hey, maybe it was even his castle to begi...

...but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." -Matthew 19:14  Last night Alyssa and I were blessed to spend time with the sweetest batch of cookies- er, kids- you've ever seen. Such cuties! And they don't even realize it. These six kids live in a technically two bedroom apartment whose rooms are barely big enough to squeeze in a bunk bed, twin bed, two wardrobes and couch. The kitchen isn't long enough to lay down in, let alone have a table, and the bathroom is just big enough. Not only that, but they haven't had electricity in... well, I'm not sure how long. So these kids don't have TV, computers, or gaming consoles to entertain them. But do they mind that they have to play by candle light? They don't seem to. In the short two and a half hours we were there, the kids were so  happy. They ran around playing a pretty much impossible game of hide and seek with Al...

What is the effect of music on our lives? What would they be like without it? For those of us who don't play an instrument, what are we missing? Music is an extremely important part of my life. Imagine my chagrin when I started to notice my hearing getting worse! Thankfully, it seems like my ears are getting better now that I am no longer around long noises. But that thought- idea- has stuck with me. Let me ask you a question- if you had the choice between hearing and seeing, what would you choose? Now that's a tough decision which- thankfully- none of us will ever have to make. But what would we miss with either sense? With the eyes, it would be colors, those high-powered action sequences on TV, etc. But think of sound. How much more do we miss without it? Close your eyes (mentally) and listen to the room around you. Listen to people moving around, to the TV blaring with impassioned words thick with emotion, to the music that your sister plays when she's sad.... T...

Today I came across this blog post on the True Woman website called Making Noble Plans  by a Nashville pastor's wife  Jani Ortlund . The post is a thought-provoking connection to Isaiah 32:8:   “He who is noble plans noble things, and on noble things he stands” It got me thinking: Why have I not made any "noble plans" in the last few years? And why is this important? From the time I was a little girl, I knew what I wanted to be. My basic plan was that right out of high school God would send me a knight in shining armor to sweep me off my feet and take me away to his castle. I wouldn't have to find a job or live with my parents. All I would do was clean house, take care of kids, and redecorate rooms. Life would be perfect! But did that happen? No. Post high school consisted of three part time jobs and an almost engagement that wasn't good timing for my spiritual maturity. Thank God that He stopped me before things got even crazier! It's weird, really...

It’s amazing how much a story can affect you. It can make you laugh, cry, love and die with every breath a character takes. It can lift you up with wings of joy or bring you down in dark sorrow. Such is the power of the written word. There is a beauty and a curse in this power. Through the scribbling of silent writers, love has bloomed between couples; but also wars have been fought, leading to many deaths that otherwise would not have happened had someone not bothered to dip the fated quill. As writers and authors, much responsibility falls upon our shoulders. What we write not only affects us, but others. As we pour our boiling emotions onto paper for the relief it gives, they are swallowed by another who may not have the ability to release them. Oh, how my heart aches as I write this! For them, such a life is naught but eternal torment. Thus, we as scribes are required to turn our torrent of words into carefully hewn chasms that will channel even our negative energies in...

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:1-9 ESV)  I've read this passage so many times and heard sermon after sermon on the subject. But today it got me thinking about the last couple of years and all the things that have happened- the thorns, birds...

"Happy Holidays y'all!" Ok, I know, I know- I didn't write anything letting y'all know what was going on for the holidays! But, my dear friends, it wasn't my fault! It was the church. No, really. Romanians are kind of mildly obsessed about going to church all the time- especially around the holidays. I'm not saying that's bad... but when Romanians hear the word "holiday", they take off like a rocket. There is no such thing as a calm, restful v acation -like holiday. Instead they are running around until well after midnight with friends.  Basically, this is what our Christmas/New Years looked like: cookie baking, David Center party, Rebecca's cantata, more cantata, even more cantata, caroling until after midnight, more caroling, party, gingerbread house building, more cookie baking, Christmas, Christmas night church service, Christmas service/visit at a little village all day, friends over, last minute New Year party prep, New Y...