Friday, March 20, 2009

on leading...

--I forgot to mention in my last post that the trip dates have changed a bit...they are now June 9-July 26--

One thing Darrell asked Patrick and I to do was to begin praying over the characteristics God desires in a leader, to write them out, continue dwelling on them, and then bring them with us to Norway to discuss.  So, this week being spring break, I have been going on day-long hikes all week and, as a result, have been blessed with some sweet time alone with God, some of which I spent praying through characteristics of a leader.  A bit of what resulted from this was a great praise to the Lord for the experiences He has brought me through, both good and bad, reminding me of what can result when all eyes are focused on Him (beautiful unity), and then what results when we are focused on desires of the flesh (conflict and destruction).

Some thoughts on leading...feel free to share your thoughts too :) ...

Many times throughout the week, this one passage has rung through my ears, and has become the basis for my current thoughts on leading, so I'll share it here :
--Philippians 2:1-11--If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

thoughts...a leader is...
-  devoted to God 
-  quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry; patient
-  constantly in prayer
-  observant (a characteristic God has been teaching me much about the last few years, I'll share more on this later)
-  discerning and interested
-  an example to believers in speech, conduct, faith, love, and purity (1 Tim. 4:12)
-  humble...consider others better than yourself...taking the very nature of a servant...becoming obedient, even to the point of death
-  encouraging and compassionate
-  not passive...decisive and determined
-  disciplined and self-controlled
-  selfless
-  full of rejoicing...able to see Christ in all things

Looking over these points is quite overwhelming, especially since I know I fall so short...and yet, I also know that His power is made perfect in my weakness.  So, I pray that He would be all powerful in my life and shine through in each of these areas.

I'll keep coming back to these thoughts, and expanding upon them, as I pray through them some more.

To end for the night, here are two quotes I have really enjoyed from my devotionals this week:
"'For the last thirty years, I have looked for the face of Christ in the people with whom I have disagreed.'  When this spirit drives us, we will be immediately protected from a feeble tolerance of others, narrow-mindedness, harsh vindictiveness, and everything else that would damage our testimony for Him who came not to destroy lives but to save them."

"The final stage in the life of faith is attainment of character. There are many passing transfigurations of character; when we pray we feel the blessing of God enwrapping us and for the time being we are changed, then we get back to the ordinary days and ways and the glory vanishes. The life of faith is not a life of mounting up with wings, but a life of walking and not fainting. It is not a question of sanctification; but of something infinitely further on than sanctification, of faith that has been tried and proved and has stood the test. Abraham is not a type of sanctification, but a type of the life of faith, a tried faith built on a real God. 'Abraham believed God.'" -Oswald Chambers

Friday, March 13, 2009

a picture!

here are two pictures from our orientation in CO:


from the left: Dave (one of the guys who will be joining us--a teacher in Ohio), Alexis, Liz, and me :)again, from the left: Patrick (team leader), Dave, Alexis, and me

Thursday, March 12, 2009

meeting the team! a whirlwind of a weekend...

two weekends ago I travelled to Colorado Springs to attend an orientation for this summer's trip...while there, I not only  met my team, but God also brought me sweet rest, ministered to me, and renewed in me deep joy!

the team!
--meet Alexis: Junior at Indiana Bal State studying Psychology...on fire, determined, and eager to learn...this girl is a pistol, she has so much excitement about life and is genuinely interested in people...we have quite a bit in common and I am SO eager to see where God takes our friendship this summer!...Pray that God would be preparing her, that He would teach her the beauty of being still Ps. 46:10, and that her parents would be supportive of her decision to join us this summer.

--meet Liz: A 25ish year old nurse from Michigan...Liz strikes me as a woman of gentleness, peace, and satisfaction in Christ...a woman of humility...we are excited to learn from one another! Please pray for God's preparation in her heart as well

--meet Darrell and Annette, and their two boys Dylan and Jared (now two days old!): Patrick and I will be leading the team with their coaching...I am increasingly more and more excited to spend the summer with them, under their wisdom, encouragement, grace, and love...they are a couple who have always spurred me in my faith and encouraged me to walk boldly in hope and obedience toward Christ...Oh, I am so excited!

--So, there you go! Those are the girls on the team, women who I am confident will become like sisters :)

Some additional observations from orientation weekend:
1.  Life is short-- On the way to the orientation, while driving to the Phoenix airport, I nearly crashed into a concrete guard wall.  I was so sure that we (my mom and I) were going to die, but by a miracle from God, we did not. I would have killed my mom.  But, praise God, He saved us.  What did I learn from this experience?  My life is short, so I desire to live in a way that proclaims God's glory, this is our only chance, am I living in obedience to His leading? or am I living in reluctance and fear? So often, I convince myself that I am still young and have many more years to do this or that, but no! If God is leading me in some direction, if He is filling my heart with an overwhelming passion and pull in some direction, I must walk straight and overcome my fears.  I must run and let nothing stop me, for, this life is short, and living for His glory and His will must be my only focus... "Then Peter began to say unto Him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee..." Mark 10:28

2.  I am broken, and yet, I have a great hope-- A verse that God has been whispering in my ear all semester, a verse God has been asking me to embrace, and yet, a verse I have, until now, refused to acknowledge is: Psalm 51.17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart..." God so desires me to come before Him, vulnerable and broken...but, as is my prideful tendency, I refuse to acknowledge my brokenness and I make every attempt to remain composed and "strong"...but oh, how that reaks of pride and confidence in the flesh...I have been daily reminded of Paul's confession in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10...He pleaded with God three times that the thorn be removed, three times! A man who had faced shipwreck, had been nearly stoned to death, and daily faced ridicule and persection, this man who never wished these things away, pleaded before God for this thorn to be removed- that must have been an excruciatingly painful thorn! and yet! Paul remained confident...He became joyous in the midst of pain and hardship, why? "To keep me from becoming conceited..." was Paul's response...Paul chose rejoicing in Christ for his hardships, so that he might grow and mature in his relationship with Christ...what faith! what hope! what undying confidence!...and all this while remaining broken...this, this is what I desire--to spill and be spilt for Christ, to be broken so that His power might reign! this is my prayer.

3.  Some thoughts on leading...One of the afternoons while in CO, Darrell and Annette took Patrick and I to coffee and talked with us about what this summer will look like, what their desires are for us as leaders, and then prayed with us over all our fears and insecurities in being leaders...Darrell's thoughts on leading: there are many forms, with two being the most common- leading from the front ('this is what we're doing, you do this and you do that, and so on') and leading from the back (leading through encouragement, probing them with questions, giving them the opportunity to decide and move)...while leading from the front will be neccessary at some points during our trip, our focus will be primarily on leading from the back, which excites me!  As of late, I have noticed the great pride and independence I have in myself rather than in God, so leading from the back will be an answer to prayer in breaking me, humbling me, and working in me a heart that listens, has compassion, and sincerely desires to see growth in others and in myself...

I feel like this is unneccessarily long, and may contain a large number of tangents (I tend to do that) buuuut, I hope it was at least a tad bit enjoyable :) ...again thanks for all of your support! I have been so encouraged through it the last couple weeks! 

To end, here are a few quotes I read today and really felt applied to my life (this post is already ridiculously long so you don't have to read these :):

"He who loves with divine compassion drinks the wine of heaven and enters actually by experience into the ecstasy which constitutes the felicity of God."--Lewis Chafer

"Give me such love for God and men, as will blot out all hatred and bitterness." --Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death; He led every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. Jesus Christ's life was an absolute failure from every standpoint but God's. But what seemed failure from man's standpoint was a tremendous triumph from God's, because God's purpose is never man's purpose...The things that happen do not happen by chance, they happen entirely in the decree of God.  God is working out His purposes." --Oswald Chambers

the end...for now :)