a taste of where I'm headed...

Base jumping in Norway...a common recreational activity...these are the people I will be spending half of my summer with...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttz5oPpF1Js&feature=related

looks fun, eh?! :)

note- Norwegians are starkly different than Latvians...like night and day.

also...here are, yet again, the new and final dates of my trip...June 9- August 3

steam-roller run me down

this last week and a half, the middle of the busiest part of my semester, I feel as if God has been growing, and convicting, me non-stop.  While this has been incredible, it has also heightened my emotions (when I, like Winston Churchill, am already "naturally weepy" :) haha) and has required time for processing, time which I have told myself I do not have.  And yet, to tell the God of the Universe, the One who created time itself, that I do not have time for Him...who do I think I am?...And so, I have spent time processing. And the result...

Some sweet lessons, thoughts to ponder, and areas for growth:

on unity:  some notes from a sermon on Galations 2:6-10...What prevents us from being united, and what often divides us, are the kind of things that Peter and Paul were fighting against, that is, personality clashes, personal matters, who is the "pillar" and who is not.  What was threatening their unity? Ego. Ego is what was threatening their unity. How do we get around this? By focusing on the gospel, the Truth.  Unity not focused on the Truth will prove ephemeral, not lasting, superficial, the creation of man, not the unity of the Spirit and the gospel of Jesus Christ.  For, if you focus on the gospel, you actually become increasingly one as we are one in Christ.  

It's so easy to allow personal differences to destroy spiritual relationships. Sometimes God puts us in a surrounding with people we completely clash with, but, we must never forget, we will always have one thing in common, One gospel, One Lord, One Savior. We must learn to see beyond appearances "But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Sam. 16:7"  God does not judge by human appearance, He has no partiality to the flesh, personalities, or to the human face, he looks beyond that, He sees the heart, He sees us as we are.  And still, He loves us.  Might we allow Him to teach us what it truly means to love as He loves.

We must fight for Fellowship.  Fellowship is the communion connection we have with God the Father through faith in Christ and therefore with each other also. Fellowship is something won for us by Christ's work on the Cross, nonetheless, the Bible consistently teaches that we still need to work at it ourselves in order to maintain and develop it.  Ephesians 4:3 "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" Make every effort.  Humility is always the key to fellowship, for, it gets beyond appearances and fights for Truth. Make every effort.  Admit you're in the wrong, do whatever it takes, we are to make every effort to keep the bond of fellowship.

Our unity will not be based upon powerful leaders or personalities or secondary issues.  Our unity will be in God, in Christ Jesus.

on strength: I have none, and yet, I pretend that I am invincible.  Psalm 16:2 "I said to the LORD, 'You are my Lord, apart from you I have no good thing.'" 2 Cor 12:9 "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"  If I believe the character of Jesus, am I living up to my belief?  Am I attempting to live for Christ on my own power and attain growth and intimacy with Him by my own works? I have no strength, my energy is fleeting and temporal, but Christ! His strength is made perfect in my weakness, He is the One who will sustain, renew, and restore, He  is the One who will grow me and draw me ever closer, He alone is the One who will set my feet upon the Rock.

"Our one concern should be concentration on God, and this will mean that all the other margins of life, mental, moral and spiritual, are free with the freedom of a child, a worshipping child, not a wayward child.  In a worker without this solemn dominant note of concentration on God there is no margin of mind, body or spirit free, consequently he becomes spent out and crushed. There is no freedom, no delight in life; nerves, mind and heart are so crushingly burdened that God's blessing cannot rest..."-Oswald Chambers

To be free with the freedom of a worshipping child...Oh, how I desire that. Picture a young child who has been playing and running about joyfully all day and is now spent and exhausted.  Would she not run into the arms of her father, to be held up and refreshed by the rest found in his arms? Even now, after emotionally, mentally, and physically draining weeks, I have the deep longing to be embraced by my own father.  And so it is the same with our Heavenly Father, I want to learn the child-like trust and dependence upon His power, Strength, and Steadfastness.

"But the other side is just as true- when once the concentration is on God, all the margins of life are free and under the dominance of God alone. There is no responsibility on you for work; the only responsibility you have is to keep in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your co-operation with Him...be careful to remember that you are freed for one thing only- to be absolutely devoted to Him. We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.""-O. Chambers

Lord, I am Yours, take me. break me. make me.

Lord, soften our hearts that we would be maleable in Your hands.  

be still. be present. be in awe.

Two weeks ago, Darrell asked our team to share a prayer request we have for this summer, so we can all join in prayer for one another, as we prepare.  I have been thinking and praying over this for quite a while... What is one specific prayer I have? And is it a prayer that can be all-encompassing, something we could all relate to? 

Living in the present.  This is where the Lord is drawing me, to be still, to be present, observant, aware, and utterly in awe of the person and presence of God in every facet of my life and the world that surrounds me.  

A C.S. Lewis quote that has brought much conviction, and yet, a sweeter understanding of this idea:

"For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity.  Of the present moment, and of it only humans have an experience analagous to the experience which God has of reality as a whole; in it alone freedom and actuality are offered them...He does not want man to give the Future their hearts, to place their treasures in it...His ideal is a man who, having worked all day for the good of posterity (if that is his vocation) washes his mind of the whole subject, commits the issue to Heaven, and returns at once to the patience or gratitude demanded by the moment that is passing over him..."

what will this look like this summer?

Living in the moment, learning to be observant.  Something I learned the last time I was in Norway: I am very unobservant, which is not a strength.  I miss out on experiences, I miss the chance to go deeper with friends, I miss out on critical pieces of other cultures.  Why am I so unobservant?  My heart and mind are focused elsewhere...I am a step ahead, I am a step behind, I am not present.  If I am living in the present, not only will I experience the freedom and beauty of God, as CS Lewis describes, but I will also experience His rest while being open for God to work in me, and through me, to touch the lives of others. Living in the present, praying in the present, praising in the present. How can I remain in the present while maintaining a sweet hope in the promises of God for what is to come?  By being still before Him...

being still...

inner stillness is an absolute necessity to truly knowing God. "Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46.10

"Not in the turmoil of the raging storm, not in the earthquake or devouring flame; but in the hush that could all fear transform, the still, small whisper to the prophet came...O rest, in utter quietude of soul. Abandon words, let your whole being, hushed in His control, learn the full meaning of His voice and smile..."

being still before our Holy God cultivates a reverent awe before Him and His person.

be still. be present. be in awe.

that is my prayer.

as is typical, i'll end with a few quotes :)

"Certainly I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matt 28:20).  This is a very comforting promise, particularly when we consider what happens just prior to the end of the age...the plagues, famine, disease, and disasters that are documented in Revelation.  Yet, God is always with us.  When things are going well- He is with us.  When we are troubled- He is with us. When we are going through trials- He is with us. When it seems as if God is a million miles away- He is with us. When our emotion is drained and we don't feel like singing God's praises- He is with us. In trouble and in comfort, in peril and in calm, in despair and in joy- God is ALWAYS with us." - Papa G.

"...But those who wait on the Lord will replace their strength; they will stretch out their wings as eagles. They will run and not become exhausted; they will walk and not be weary (Is. 40:30-31). 'Waiting on the Lord' This impression implies 2 things: complete dependence on God and a willingness to allow him to decide the terms. To wait on him is to admit that we have no other help, either in ourselves or in another. Therefore we are helpless until he acts...thus, 'waiting' in Hebrew is not merely killing time but a life of confident expectation. Those who give up their frantic efforts to save themselves and turn expectantly to God will be able to replace their worn out strength for new strength. How like God: He takes the useless and gives back the good." - Papa G.

"Pray like heaven and hell depend on it- for they DO!"-  Pastor Moody

радуйтесь всегда в Господе и ещё говорю- радуйтесь.

радуйтесь всегда в Господе и ещё говорю- радуйтесь.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

For the last several weeks, this verse has been running through my mind non-stop...literally, non-stop.  When I stop hearing it in English, it begins again in Russian.  And oh, how relevant it is to my life, to each of our lives, at each moment, in every circumstance, in the tears, the laughter, the pain, the joy, the weaknesses, and the strengths...we are to rejoice, always.  In the russian "rejoice" or "радуйтесь" is an imperfective imperative, a repetitive, unending command.  We are to always rejoice, regardless of the outer circumstances of our lives, we are to rejoice.  And this command follows with the charge, "Do not be anxious about anything. (v. 6)" But, how can we possibly do this when the life that is ours seems to overwhelm and nearly suffocate? We can do this because of the object of our rejoicing...We are to rejoice in the Lord, not in the circumstances, not in the emotions, not in the people, not in the moments, but in the Lord...the One who never changes, never forsakes, the One who is always redeeming, always loving, the One who has already won the Victory, the One upon whom we will never be shaken...this is the object of our rejoicing! I want to know my God so intimately that all I can do is stand in reverent awe and rejoice.

A book I was reading this week put two common emotions in my life into perspective:

Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives. Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control.

I think of David and Paul, men who were pursued, nearly killed, hated, men who fell prey to sin, and yet, men who understood the magnitude of who God is and were left praising Him.  I read through Psalm 34 this week and was struck by the zealous heart of David, he was a man of One thing, a man of God...He wrote this Psalm in reflection on the time he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, allowing David to escape the hands of death.  Rather than pleading with God for the chase to end, rather than pleading with God to bring him pleasure and comfort in his daily life, David chose to rejoice.  He chose to rejoice because he knew God. And because he knew God, he knew that the only thing he could do was rejoice. This is what David writes after being nearly killed:

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.  Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he answered me, he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame...Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him...the LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crused in spirit...

Though I may be brokenhearted and crushed in spirit, I will rejoice! For, the Lord is good, the Lord delivers, the Lord is our refuge, we have nothing to fear! We cannot, and will not, be shaken if we are built on God! Let us rejoice!  I pray that this summer, when the circumstances are painful, difficult, frustrating, heartbreaking, or annoying, I pray that my eyes will be fixed above and that I may be able to rejoice, for the sole reason that God is ever faithful and never changing.

A quote from my devotional:

Jesus Christ is not my securty against the storms of life, but He is my perfect security in the storms. He has never promised me an easy passage, only a safe landing.

This week I was sent a series of texts from a very wise man (my father, who also shares my name, Harry the Duck) and they go a little something like this: (I pray you are as encouraged by them as I am)

I pray that through this time of testing you will know that God's plan is perfect, God's will is sovereign, that God and God alone is the giver and sustainer of life, and that peace comes only from God and from God alone.

The Lord is my shepherd so I shall want nothing more. His goodness and mercy pursues me all the days of my life as a lion does her prey. So even when (not if) I walk through the valley of deepest despair, I shall fear nothing for He is with me.

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it. This is not a conditional statement. We are to rejoice in what the Lord has made whether we feel like it or not.

The flesh says with Frederick the Great, "God is on teh side of the strongest battalions," but the Spirit says, "Stand still and see your salvation (1 Cor. 2:14)"  "In quietness and in trust shall be your strength." Isaiah 30:15

Just as Edom in Isaiah 34 represents the nations in general, the desert in Is. 35 represents the total world...trusting in the nations results in a desert, trusting in God results in a garden. "Joy and gladness will overtake them; sorrow and sighing will flee away." Is. 35:10

Another passage I read this week that has been a daily encouragement:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name, you are mine. When you pass through waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you..." Is. 43:1-5

Key points that have stuck with me from this passage...The Lord does not say If you pass through waters, rivers, and fire, He says when. So when we pass through waters, rivers, and fire, because we will, we can rest secure because He will be with us, the weight of this world will not sweep over us, and we will not be consumed, for we are His. This is the God we serve, the God who redeems out of His great love for us, the God who will be with us even as we walk through the valley of deepest darkness, He will walk with us and not let us be consumed...This is our God...Let us rejoice!