12/16/13:

TFTD: “And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” -2 Peter 1:19-21

Yesterday marks 6^th months of having been on internship so this morning I am taking a moment to reflect on my experiences. I promise there will be a real thought that accompanies this reflection as well. Over the last 6^th months I have learned a lot about myself. I reaffirmed that my biggest passion in life is people. I learned that I really enjoy leading bible study for a group of older ladies in my congregation. I learned that I enjoy teaching and I am thankful that it is not in a formalized setting. I have learned a lot over the last 6 months, but there is one thing that really stands out to me and that is the importance of scripture in our lives.

We are a people in need of direction. We get lost and caught up in the worldly ideas of health, wealth, and success that we forget our purpose. It is just so easy to do. We see people who are climbing the ladder of success and envy them for their money or job. We see people who have the beach body and then get jealous of them. We see people who don’t go to church who don’t seem to have any problems in their lives and wonder why we even bother. We think we get scrooged by our world (See what I did there. Scrooged haha). When in reality all we need to do is remember that scripture is the inspired works of God and when we are in it and reading regularly we will know that we are a part of a greater purpose and plan. All the answers we need are found in the bible. We have a loving God who is going to take care of us no matter what the cost and has already done that with His life. As Charles Haddon Spurgeon said: We will never outgrow our need for Scripture.

“Nobody ever outgrows Scriptures; the Book widens and deepens with our years.”

–Charles Haddon Spurgeon

12/12/13:

TFTD: “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” –Isaiah 26:3-4

What is your biggest struggle right now? Is it something you can control? Is it something that is out of your control? I know that my biggest struggle right now is that I am busy busy busy (and I burnt my tongue on my coffee yesterday). The Christmas season is a wonderful time of year. There are lights and decorations. We are making plans to see family and friends, to drink beverages that warm your tummy and sing songs that warm the soul. After it is all said and done and all of our parties and get-togethers are done with we usually find ourselves worn out and exhausted. So wiped out from all of the traveling and planning and eating that we just want to have a moment of peace. We just want to take a few more days off of work to have a break from our holiday before the regular hustle and bustle of life begins again. Is it possible to come through it all with a peaceful smile on your face that isn’t fake? I think so.

            Isaiah implies in chapter 26 that the people of that time were facing much worse problems than a busy holiday season and yet they could find their perfect peace if they were willing to quit their griping. And so can we. If we take a minute or 30 to sit down and realize how much we have to be thankful for, we can realize that the Maker of the universe knows how it runs, and has our lives under control. No matter how crazy busy and out of control we may seem, God knows and understands what it is like here on earth. He came once and experienced it, remember? He was here, experienced the craziness of life for Himself. Do you know how He found His peace? By spending a little time with His heavenly Father. We can do the same.

“Surely it makes sense that the Lord who knew how to create the world knows how to run it-including even your life.” –Zig Ziglar

12/10/13:

TFTD: “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” –Mark 1:35

For those of you who have known me for a long time this will come as no shock to you, and for those of you who I am just getting to know, here is a neat factoid about myself. I have wanted to be a D.C.E. for a long time. If you don’t believe me, let me share this story with you. My father has been a D.C.E. for 26 years and when I was young someone has asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. Can you guess what I told them? Wrong! I did not tell them that I wanted to be like my dad or that I wanted to be a D.C.E. I told them I wanted to be a high school kid because they got to do all of the fun and exciting activities and service projects. To this day I still have a desire to interact with High School youth because they are wonderful young people who have a need to know God.

One thing that I did not realize when I got into this ministry, that I really should have known already is how much ministry drives you to prayer. In Mark chapter 1 there is a story of Jesus that really captures this need for prayer. The evening before people from the area brought all people who were sick or oppressed by demons so that He could heal and cleanse them. The next morning Jesus got up early and went to be alone to pray. He needed time alone with His Father and so do we. The pressures of ministry or any other job give us wonderful opportunities to be in relationship with our Heavenly Father. There are so many things that we need guidance for and so many things that we can rejoice about that we should be in prayer as often as we can. If you don’t know how to pray or don’t know what to pray about here is a little helpful acronym: P.R.A.Y. – People, Responsibilities, Ailments, Yeah Gods! Have a conversation with God and start by praying for those people who are in your life, then move on to the responsibilities that you have and that others have, then move on to Ailments or things that you need healing or help doing, and finally finish off your prayer thanking God for all of the wonderful things you have been blessed with in your life. You will be amazed at the comfort and peace that you feel when you remember to pray.

“Prayer is the highest intelligence, the profoundest wisdom, the most vital, the most joyous, the most efficacious, the most powerful of all vocations.” –E.M. Bounds