ACRES OF HOPE

I went through a really difficult time a year and a half ago and found one of my saving graces in keeping my thoughts in check was writing scripture on my wall by my bed. It has been really neat to see what the Lord has done with it. I picked a passage from Hosea among a few others. The other day, my friend Crystal told me there was a song of the passage I picked. And it happens to be from one of my favorite artists (well, two, technically!)... Enjoy!

ACRES OF HOPE
by Shane Barnard and Robbie Seay

He will allure her
He will pursue her
And call her out
To wilderness with flowers in His hand
She is responding
Beat up and hurting
Deserving death
But offerings of life are found instead

She will sing
She will sing
Oh, to You
She will sing as in the days of youth
As You lead her away
To valleys low
To acres of hope
Acres of hope

Here in the valley
Walk close beside me
Don’t look back
For love is growing vineyards up ahead
You have called me master
And though you’re in the dark here
Call me friend
And call me lover and marry me for good

She will sing
She will sing
Oh, to You
She will sing as in the days of youth
As You lead her away
To valleys low
To acres of hope
Acres of hope

How the story ends is
Love and tenderness in Him
Not safe, but worth it
So the valley’s up ahead
Or the ones we live
We’ll sing together
We’ll sing together

We will sing
We will sing
Oh, to You
We will sing as in the days of youth
As You lead us away
To valleys low
To acres of hope
Acres of hope

“Lord, sustain me in the valley. Give me ears to hear Your sweet tender voice and lead me in to acres of hope in this dry and weary land.”

"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. ‘In that day,’ declares the LORD,’you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master. (Hosea 2:14-16)

You can listen to this song by following this link: http://www.imeem.com/people/8_0K90/music/uv_uRnIG/shane-and-shane-acres-of-hope/

Blessings!

Indiana Jones

Having grown up in my brother's shadow, meaning he had possession of the TV control on most occasions, my childhood was marked by shows and movies such as Knight Rider, Air Wolf, and Indiana Jones. Of the latter, the scene that sticks in my mind most is the scene from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." On his adventures to find the Holy Grail, Indy comes to the edge of a cliff, a huge cavern, that appeared to be thirty feet across, without any visible way to reach the other side. As the music intensified, Indy read the instructions from His father's diary. The final test required Indy to "step out" in faith. Trusting his father's instruction, and all he knew at that moment, in what seemed to the audience as insanity, Indy stepped off into the void. To his amazement, his foot came down on solid ground! (It turns out that there was a bridge across the cavern but because the rocky texture of the bridge perfectly matched the facing wall of the cavern, the bridge was invisible from Indy's perspective). Great scene...

Well, I feel a little like Indy this week. Here's the story...my very first compelling toward missions came as a college student at Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa, FL. Some men were visiting our church to talk about what the Lord was doing in Romania. They were missionaries there and it was the first time I ever truly felt my heart moved for a certain country and people group. I had wanted to be a doctor and someday do medical missions since I was in junior high, and one of my main motivations in finally becoming a PA was to someday do medical missions. But this experience of truly feeling pulled specifically toward Romania stuck with me. Well, fast forward almost 10years, two mission trips to other countries later (Dominican Republic and Belize), and an eye opening trip to China to visit a friend...and I have recently been presented with the opportunity to not only go on a mission trip to Romania, but on a MEDICAL mission trip, no less.

The trip is with a church I do not belong to, but trust; with a group of people I do not know, and though it is a medical trip, we have yet to find a sponsoring doctor to lead the trip. This is a test of faith for me.

I've prayed for over six months about the possibility of going on a mission trip this year. I had about four different options. This was the only medical trip, one of the other ones coincides with a wedding I can't miss, and one of them is a little out of reach. The passionate people at Brookhills have pursued me consistantly to be part of this trip. I have the time, the money, and the desire to go. The only thing I don't have is concrete confirmation of the details of the trip. The doctor, the type of medical work, what I'll actually be doing. I've sat on these unknowns for a while, waiting and praying. And it is time to make a decision. After meeting the team, learning about the strategic partnership with E3ministries, and the 8 year relationship with the city we are going to in Romania, as well as the long term discipleship followup that new believers will receive through the local established congregation there, I know that the Lord is asking me to "step out" and trust Him that the bridge will appear (aka the details of and during this trip!). Funny, because one of the main evangelism tools we will be using is the Evangicube...which illustrates wonderfully how Jesus is our bridge to God...


I filled out my application, which reserved my flights, and submitted my letter to my boss and docs requesting the time off.


On Christ the solid Rock I stand.

Snow Holiday

I woke up this morning almost like a kid at Christmas. Weather reports for the past few days reported possible snow for today. My first thought after checking the clock at 7am was, "I wonder if it's SNOWING!" With that thought, I jumped out of bed and hurried to the window...I even had to stop for a second because I got dizzy! Sure enough, I was elated to find not only a blanket of white, but quite a bit of snow actually falling! You see, here in Alabama, it's a rarity. It only snowed for two mornings last year and none the year before. So I really do equate it with a holiday. It may only happen once this year.

Since I was already awake, I felt it perfectly fitting for a snowy day to make some hot coffee, open the blinds of my large apartment window, and curl up on the couch with my bible. I felt led to read Psalm 19 for the very reason that weather is one of the most awesome displays of God's power: "The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies declares the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech and night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world..."

On first attempt to leave for church, I had to clear three inches of snow from all my windows, the hood, and headlights of my car. Unfortunately, my hands were frozen and burning rather quickly. As I sat in my car and the snow fell hard, I reconsidered the safety of my endeavor (the south is NOT prepared for snow and Bham is particularly hilly)...I chickened out and went back inside.

And hour later, I was getting a little stir crazy. So with a quick prayer and some gloves, I made my second attempt. It was such a beautiful, peaceful drive. And when I got to church, there was a small but intimate crowd. The Associate Pastor led in greetiing the congregation with a word that made my entire trip worth it, which was followed by a song that poured grace over my heart. He said in paraphrase, 'I believe the storm outside is a parallel to what we are doing in here. The snow is a perfect picture of the righteousness of Jesus Christ in our lives; the beautiful and pure whiteness has blanketed the landscape, covering over everything (even the dirt) underneath, and it is breathtaking.'

Afterwards, Abba and Jason sang this song. The words are so true of my past week, and of my life in general. I'm reading an incredible book right now called Disappointment with God by Phillip Yancey. More on that to follow. Enjoy:

You Are Still Holy By Kim Hill

Holy, You are still holy
Even when the darkness surrounds my life
Sovereign, You are still sovereign
Even when confusion has blinded my eyes

Lord, I don't deserve Your kind affection
When my unbelief has kept me from Your touch
I want my life to be a pure reflection
Of Your love

And so I come into Your chamber
And I dance at Your feet, Lord
You are my Saviour
And I'm at Your mercy
All that has been in my life
Up 'til now
It belongs to You
You are still holy

Holy, You are still holy
Even though I don't understand Your ways
Sovereign, You will be sovereign
Even when my circumstances don't change

Lord, I don't deserve your tender patience
When my unbelief has kept me from Your truth
I want my life to be a sweet devotion
To You

And so I come into Your chamber
And I dance at Your feet, Lord
You are my Saviour
And I'm at Your mercy
All that has been in my life
Up 'til now
It belongs to You
I belong to You

And so I come into Your chamber
And I dance at Your feet
You are my Saviour
And I'm at Your mercy
All that has been in my life
Up 'til now
It belongs to You
I belong to You
You are still holy
You are still sovereign
You are still holy, Lord
You are still righteous
You are all-knowing
You are still holy