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

At the moment...

I'm listening to this song over an over. I listened to it probably 5 or 6 times in a row on my drive home yesterday. Sometimes it made me incredibly peaceful, some it brought tears down my checks. Mostly, it resonated through me as the cry of my soul at this place in time. Be all my hopes, Lord.


Only You

By: David Crowder Band

Take my heart, I lay it down
At the feet of You Who's crowned
Take my life, I'm letting go
I lift it up to You Who's throned

And I will worship You, Lord
Only You, Lord
And I will bow down before You
Only You Lord

Take my fret, take my fear
All I have, I'm leaving here
Be all my hopes, be all my dreams
Be all my delights, be my everything

And it's just You and me here now
Only You and me here now

You should see the view
When it's only You

Click here to watch and listen to this song...and enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPs-2hn5ZOg

~Birthday Excitement~

Well, when all is said and done, I handled turning 31 MUCH better than turning 30! I had a sweet 'girls night out' at Cocina Superior, grabbed "mall cookies" for dessert, and headed back to my apartment to play celebrity Taboo...fun times were had by all. (And I'm very impressed by Sarah Dunn's knowledge of modern pop culture!!)

Saturday was a little more, shall we say, interesting. Heidi and I planned to meet at Ashley's and head out to Moss Rock Preserve for a fun little hike (on what turned out to be one of the most beautiful days I've seen around here for what seems like FOREVER!). Unfortunately on the way, Heidi got a ticket. So arriving late, we all jumped in her car since she had Isaiah, who wasn't feeling well that morning. Arriving at the Preserve, Heidi was in the process of unbuckling Isaiah from the car seat when he threw up. Fun. So she got him out and set him on the ground where he puked a couple more times. Ashley and I helped get him cleaned up and suggested we go back. Nope! When he seemed settled enough, we loaded him in the back pack (complete with do-rag and sweater) and headed off for our hike. He promptly fell asleep and we actually had a great hike!

After the hike, we picked up some chicken salad from Ashley Mac's in Bluff Park and ate out on Ashley's back deck. On the way home, my car started steaming from the upper right side of the hood. I pulled over to check under the hood and realized my radiator had exploded and radiator fluid was everywhere. Some nice man (Thanks Mr. Kelly!?!) pulled over to help, filled my radiator full of distilled water, and found the hole in the upper hose. I drove to the Goodyear in Vestavia and had both hoses replaced. My roommate brought me home but I had to ride my bike back to get my car. It was my first use of my new Mountain Bike I got for Christmas...go figure!?

When I got home, I was so antsy and the weather was so incredible, I went for a four mile run. Ah.

I got dinner with Jeff at Baha Burger (can you believe they were out of sweet potato fries?!) and then we watched WALL-E (which by the way, is quite the disturbing little animated film).

It was a great day and I can't believe how beautiful the weather was. So thankful to have enjoyed it practically all day long!

The End

What Wonderous Love Is This, O My Soul

It's been a full few weeks and I have learned so much that I feel like I've barely had time to process it all. But it's been incredible.

I few weekends ago, I did something very un-Karen-esque...totally spontaneous, and well worth the craziness. I drove to Atlanta (Woodstock actually) on a Sunday after church to see "Travis Cottrell and Friends" (Cindy Morgan and Beth Moore!) in concert and filming for a new live CD/DVD. I stayed with my friend Karen that night, and had a great time catching up. Waking up at 4am to drive back to Birmingham for work at 730am Monday morning (and pretty much risking my life because I was too stubborn to pull over and get coffee even though I was totally nodding off!?!?!) was totally worth watering a friendship, the amazing concert worship experience, and wise words from Beth Moore. All I had to write on during the concert was a Publix receipt...but here are just a few things I needed to hear from this woman:

Sometimes we resist true worship because we don't feel real...whether we are feeling betrayed, confused, doubting, etc. But our transparency is our liberty!...to come in our true state -- as broken people in need of mercy. However, we must come willing to receive. If we are honest with ourselves, there are times we just don't want to do this. In those times, we must cry out to the Lord, "HEAL MY 'WANT TO'!" Come, pour out your all to Him, so as to make room for Him to pour Himself in.
If you've been devastated and brought low because of something/someone in this world, and you stand up again, and Jesus is the only One you see...you've stood up in victory. You've won!
And lastly: Even Peter needed a "shut-up-and-listen" talking-to from God. If you want to know Who Jesus is, see what God has to say in Scripture about His own Son. "My Beloved." God declares His love for Jesus to Peter, right there on the top of Mt. Sinai (see Matthew 17) Flip over a few pages to John 15:9. Jesus is speaking to His disciples: "Just as the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you, abide in My love."

Do I 'abide' in the love that God the Father has for me, His child? Do I believe it? If I can grasp that kind of love, it will change how I see God, how I see others and definitely how I see myself. "Oh righteous Father, although the world has not known Thee, yet I have known Thee; and these have known that Thou didst send Me; and I have made Thy name known to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them." (John 17:25,26)

"The mystery that has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of Glory." Colossians 1:26,27

What wonderous Love is this.

A Future and a Hope (Jer. 29:11)

We stole the phrase "The sisterhood." My three friends, Kim, Crystal, Sarah and I have been through loss, transition, moving, relationship troubles, and lots of spiritual growth over the past three plus years of our shared friendship. We've rung in the new year together since 2006 (well, Sarah joined us a year late)...and this year was no exception. However, we've begun a new tradition over this past year that has proved challenging, changing, and encouraging. It's worth sharing, for sure!

At the beginning of 2008 we each shared and recorded each others goals for the year in five catagories: Physical/Health, Financial/Stewardship, Spiritual/Ministry, Friends/Family, and Work/School. We met again six months later to go over our goals, update, evaluate where we were, and encourage each other in our slacker areas! It's been a great year of change, challenge, travel :) and growth for me personally. But the greatest blessings have been to look back and see where the Lord has changed Sarah's direction (she landed at FSU?!), provided a need (mentors for all three of my friends!), taken away relationships, and brought some new ones, all the while, growing our trust and dependence on one another, and most importantly on Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith.

This year, as I review the goals I've set, I am reminded of the verses I stood on as a high school senior: Proverbs 16:9 "The mind of a man plans his way but the Lord directs his steps." And Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord...to prosper you and not to harm you...to give you a future and a hope."

I have a lot of hopes for this new year. I want to find rest in Christ alone instead of striving to do, be, serve, and accomplish. Though this past year was very enjoyable, with lots of travel, time with friends and family, and lot of answered prayers for family members and friends, there were times this year that I tried to fit things together that didn't fit...to serve where God hadn't provided opportunity, to pursue relationships God didn't allow to prosper, to get involved with ministries that didn't necessarily have a place for me. There were a number of closed doors, confused prayers, and standing still when I thought I should be running!

But this year, I want to be convinced that I am serving out of obedience and not just desire. I want to know where He is leading me and be confident of His calling. I want to bring Him glory in small acts of obedience at work, in big acts of faith in trusting Him to open the door for medical missions, and even in buying a house if He provides in that area.

Mostly, I just want to know Him more and grasp more fully the depth of His love for us, so that I can truly show love to the people I see every day.