The Way They Loved Me //

Can I make a confession? I talk about loving my family and my neighbors, but I don't always do it. Yesterday, I really didn't. We were having a normal day, when my parents got home from work and mom made lists of spring cleaning that each of us needed to accomplish before we leave for vacation. Somewhere between that and gathering together as a family (why is it that a family meeting seems to send a memo to everyone to feel inconvenienced and annoyed?) to view our route to Florida and discuss ideas for our time there, I melted down. It was like out of nowhere these feelings of anger and stress boiled over and not knowing what to do with them I just let them boil over. Now, I've been angry and stressed a lot of times since I was fifteen, but I haven't had a full-blown melt-down (that I can recall) over nothing since then. I'm embarrassed to say that I, as a 20 year old girl, really lost it. Dad steered clear to let me cool off, the kids yelled out warnings when I was around (as if no one else had noticed that I was in a mood), and mom tried to help by asking me what was wrong. It wasn't until then that I realized it was probably just hormones. Instead of saying that, I just started thinking of all the things that could possibly be irritating and stressing me out. Talking it out was not what I needed though so when she pushed for an answer, I spat one back and then put on my super irritated tone to assure her that I knew exactly what she was going to say and so she needn't say it. When she did anyway, I stormed up the stairs shouting back for her to stop. Yes. I did that. It was ugly... and I am so not proud of it. Then I fumed in my room for awhile while I tried to figure out what in the world was wrong with me and how I was ever going to recover from such a childish display. After a few minutes I went back downstairs, I got through most of my to-do list, hugged my siblings, avoided eye contact with my folks and slipped right back into my up-beat, normal (read: sane) tone for the rest of the night and hoped no one would remember what had just happened. Today I apologized to my folks and they forgave me and assured me nothing I could do could make them love me less. That is love. Love endures all things... Even irrational, hormonal outbursts from your adult child? Yeah. Even that. Thank Jesus!

Mom teasingly admitted that she had told the kids she thought about leaving me at home while they went on vacation after my melt-down. And I don't blame her. I would have too. But that isn't love. Recalling the shameful sins I've been forgiven for, that's rejoicing in my iniquity. Love rejoices in the truth. In the lovely. In the praiseworthy. But I am so guilty of rejoicing in the iniquity of others. On a day that I have been easily provoked (also not what love does) by my siblings' behavior and I just really want to give myself a break (because I've had to deal with that provoking behavior for a few hours), even if we've moved on from it, I bring it back up to poke at it. Somehow looking at other people's mistakes makes us feel like we are pretty great. But that is self-seeking -- and selfishness is not love. Love is building up others. Love is forgiving others for the hundredth time. Love is mercy toward others that are afflicted by sin, just like I am. Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

Don't focus on the 'why' of loving, let's just soak in the 'what' that love is. In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we are concerned: in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique [Son], into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins. 

Sacrifice. Love is a forgetfulness for self, and a 110% care for the blessing of another, regardless of the cost to self. Don't focus on how you're ever going to be able to love like that. Just soak in the unarguable,  everlasting FACT that that is how our God loves us -- every moment. Tantrum, melt-down, stomping-up-the-stairs moments too. Soak that mercy in. Soak that ceaseless forgiveness in. Soak that encouragement in. And herein lies the 'how': No man has at any time [yet] seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us! By this we come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we abide (live and remain) in Him and He in us: because He has given (imparted) to us of His [Holy] Spirit. And [besides] we ourselves have seen (have deliberately and steadfastly contemplated) and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son [as the] Savior of the world. Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he [abides, lives, makes his home] in God. And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him. In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world. 

Abide. Abide in His love -- in Him -- and His love will abide in us. Consider this your invitation (I'm considering it mine) to essentially take a long bubble-bath-soak in the love that God has for you (and for me) every single day, so that you and I CAN love our family and our neighbors. As to the 'why' of love... if you've really been soaking in His love while you've been reading this, you'll already know that the 'how' and the 'why' are wrapped up in each other: Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another.

I don't always love like that, and I am not always loved like that. But yesterday, when I was truly unlovable, my family were longsuffering. And that's the way they loved me.

// Bible passage excerpts from 1 Corinthians 13 & 1 John 4, Amplified Version //

Stepping Inside

I used to think that gyms were only for people who were already in shape and at their best. It was intimidating just to think of going into a gym, let alone participating and striving to grow myself. I wanted to get toned and I needed the accountability and motivation that community brings so I, along with the rest of my family, got signed up for a gym membership. A trainer toured us through the facilities and demonstrated how the machines that we were interested in worked. Armed with the clothing we found appropriate and the confidence to navigate the facility, I dove in. Once I had developed a routine and become more at-home in the gym I began noticing the people more. Expecting to see only people who were in the best shape of their lives I was surprised to realize that only about 25% of others working out were in great shape. Most people were out of shape, but they were there, they wanted to be healthier, they were getting in shape.

One day as I was riding a bicycle machine it occurred to me that the gym is similar to the church. Believers and non-believers alike can be afraid to step into a church building because there's a belief that everyone at church is a super Christian and if you aren't spiritually fit then you don't belong there. At the gym the people who are fit don't make those who are not feel unwelcome, they know that we "belong" there as much as they do. Sometimes in the church we contribute to people's feeling that they don't belong with us. Lets be sure we don't. None of us has earned or was born spiritually fit, it is a gift worked out in our lives through faith and obedience -- both of which we only have as a gift as well. The gym is for people who need to get into shape an then maintain and grow their fitness. The church isn't a building or organization, it's a group of people who've been saved from their helpless and hopeless state and filled with the Spirit who brings abundant life. The only way any of us is spiritually fit is because we've allowed The Lord to come in and to have His way with us moment by moment.. and anyone is welcome to do that! So let's welcome others in.

At the end of the day.

Health. I haven't been 100% healthy in over a year now. It's been one thing after another. I'm sick of it -- no pun intended. In India I was unhealthy the whole time but I was there to do a job and I wasn't going to let health issues keep me from doing that job. As miserable as I was I kept happy, the joy of The Lord truly was my strength through the entire trip. Now that I'm home, living everyday life, having the freedom to be sick without having it interrupt much, I sulk. I feel robbed of my entitlement to health. I'm an American and I ought to have health and prosperity and happiness! Hmm... Maybe not. The geography of where I was born and raised doesn't entitle me to wellness, it simple makes the chance of health more likely.
Most of the time no one can tell I feel unwell from my appearance but even if they could there wouldn't be anything they could do to help. When you're at the end of your rope though, when you're so weary and unwell that every little thing is a labor and no one can see it so they push and prod and demand and insist as usual, eventually you lose it. That's what I've been living with for over a year now, losing it. There must be something for me to learn in this.
I've had this subconscious feeling that The Lord is training me for difficult times ahead, something like climbing a mountain... dealing with high altitudes and really hard work. When I am strained to the point where even the most simple actions are hard work, what will I draw on in order to respond? I've had a lot of experience drawing on myself in those moments. I've been homeschooling my youngest siblings and I can tell you that when I draw on my own "strength" I respond with impatience, frustration, insensitivity and crankiness. But the experience I had during my two weeks sick and strained abroad showed me that when I draw on The Lord for strength I respond with peace, patience, great joy, and love for others. I'm not entitled to health but I am entitled, by the blood of my Lord, to strength and joy to face a lack of it. Each day I get to choose where to draw my strength from.
Consider the strains that weigh on you day in and day out. What do you find yourself drawing on to face them?

The heart of the girl, the girl after His heart

Photo Credit: http://jessicapture.tumblr.com/

Born of a story-teller and a country girl, raised by a photographer and a reader, taught by a businessman and a homemaker. A simple nobody who held herself with the confidence and grace of nobility. Never more at home than when wandering through nature with her dog, sitting quietly to observe her beloved friends, nestled on the couch with her close family or leading groups and individuals into the deeper places of the Lord's heart. As nostalgic as an old woman, as bright-eyed as a young bride, as big a dreamer as a little girl, and as steady as a mother of many.
Her resistance to change was displayed by her two week delay of being born. Mature for her age from the day of delivery, she was named Chelsea Anne because it rang with the warmth of southern hospitality. Brought home from the hospital to the dense woods of the midwest, her toddler years were shaped by the tenderness and security of a friendly, always-summer small town. Her little family finished growing as they moved to the isolated land of a thousand lakes and never-ending winters, where she grew into a young woman. At the delicate age of fifteen, she and her wandering family came to rest in the rolling hills of Wisconsin's dairyland. There she blossomed into a shining, elegant, and stubborn wildflower. Innocent and knowledgable, shy but strong-minded she set out to grow into the big dreams she had spent her childhood perfecting. Half a year under the watchful eye of the marvelous, dark blue mountains of the west began the growing process. Two quiet years back home on the farm, interspersed with short spurts of globe-trotting, anchored the work that had begun in her heart. As the age of adulthood approached the unassuming lady went out to meet the world. The world could never have imagined it would be rocked by a little person such as she, but that was because it didn't realize that she bore the nobility and authority of heaven and was in fact the King's daughter, an ambassador of love. Frail and flawed herself she was the perfect one to send. She treasured people for their little details, their pasts and their seeming imperfections. She looked out at the broken, hurting, dark and depraved world and she saw hope, beauty, joy. It wasn't wishful thinking, it was the light of what could be if the proper seeds were sown in the proper hearts at the proper times and nurtured until they had grown. One smile at a time, one out-reached hand up at a time, one sacrificed moment at a time she meant to sow those seeds. Little Chelsea Anne was determined to see love grow and people everywhere to know her dear Father, worthy King and Faithful Lover.

One more day, one day more.

Worn out.
The kind of exhaustion that has you yawning and dragging all day but leaves you with fitful sleep at night. It's a hard way to live, being exhausted. Mine isn't caused by excessive activity or long days of hard work, I'm not weighed down by stress or grief, I have a bug I picked up in India -- several bugs actually. The abdominal cramps and diarrhea are horrible. As accustomed as I've become to the episodes I still feel helpless in the face of them. Then there was the shame of collecting stool samples for medical testing. And now my daily battle is with keeping enough food in me to last the day and the whole night (I've woken up early in the morning with such extreme hunger I couldn't sleep until it was time to get up before eating) and this weariness.

Praise The Lord, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning.
My daddy picked up the test containers and dropped them off again for me. So thankful. I don't think I could have endured the humiliation. My mother is ever patient and sympathetic to my sudden hunger and constant tiredness. Sweet nurse was able to give me the name of the medicine I need. Our doctor is able to have a prescription written up for me without a doctor visit. This is Jesus stuff, people. He is a God of detail orchestration and a Father who delights to give good gifts.

And this is the thing, Jesus had to put on humanity to come to us and He grew so tired apart from His Father. I risked getting bugs in order to go to India to love the ones Jesus wanted to love through me and the result of getting those bugs is this physically drained state. It doesn't keep me from my daily tasks and the calling to love anymore than being away from Heaven made Jesus unable, but weariness does come in life and in service and if we allow it to, it will hinder us.

I am at the end of my rope. He has come through for me there, and He sustained me to that point. Tomorrow, as with the past twenty years of my life, looking to Him will give me the strength and mercy for the day, and when I am weary He carries me and I can see the cure of the weariness just ahead.
I'm talking about the needed medicine and healing from these bugs, but I mean to direct your eyes to our heavenly rest to come. "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..."

Break my heart for what breaks Yours // Testimonies from my India Travels

It is Christmas time! For me that means snow falling, it means Christmas music playing in the background, it means the only light in the house coming from the kitchen where mom is hard at work and the tree all strung up with twinkle lights, it means marveling at "Emmanuel" and the gift of His presence. Christmas time means shopping when no one knows and wrapping special gifts to shower my family with on Christmas day, it means knowing the delight of giving. Christmas time means that the gift catalogs from World Vision, Compassion Intl., Gospel for Asia and Samaritan's Purse have come in the mail, it means I am spending my free time pouring through those pages looking for how I can best bless people who have so much less than I do during this time of sacrificial giving and abundant blessings.

I just returned from a trip to India. There is a lot of need in India, for physical things like food and water and shelter and medical care, for emotional things like rehab from trafficking or abuse or abandonment, for spiritual things like breaking free from the bondage of Hinduism. Everywhere I went we were bringing ourselves, bringing our time to pour out as an offering before the feet of Jesus, bringing our voices to sing songs and speak blessings and tell testimonies, bringing what we could to bring physical relief such as a meal for a community or first aid supplies for people with burns and no access to medical care. Everywhere we went, as grateful as the people were for our fellowship and our gifts, what their hearts gnawed with hunger for was prayer, was Jesus.

Here in the U.S. we sing, "Break my heart for what breaks Yours, everything I am for Your kingdom's cause" and while I was in India I prayed the Lord would show me what it is that truly breaks His heart. I was actually surprised to find that it is not the physical poverty these people find themselves in that breaks His heart... His heart is for the impoverished souls. I saw a lot of need, an overwhelming amount... but I was not overwhelmed by it. Far from it. What my senses (spiritual and physical) were overwhelmed by was the undeniable presence of God hanging thick in the air everywhere I turned. I was overwhelmed with a spirit of rejoicing as I saw hungry hearts for Jesus and open hearts for truth all over the place. I was overcome with praise as I saw so many who want to hear and believe and live in the Good News, and that no matter how few messengers of that News there are it is Jesus who mobilized them and uses them and makes them effective. Jesus is doing this work and whatever part He has us play in it, accomplishes His purposes.

So, with that reality burned into my heart and mind, I believe very strongly that the purchases I make from gift catalogs this year ought all to be Bibles. The request I would like to set before you, as my readers, is to pray about sponsoring a missionary. The workers are few, but Jesus does provide workers and they have needs to be met while they work. You can be sure that they are taking no thought for their life as they spend every day ministering Jesus, ministering life, to hungry souls all over the world. A small financial gift each month is hardly a sacrifice for us, but it would mean a world of difference to them. Take my word for that. I have seen the tremendous impact monthly sponsorship brings to lives. So there are two ways to get involved in the kingdom's cause this season once your heart has been broken by what is currently breaking our Lord's heart:
1) Purchase a print. One for one: each print purchased provides a Bible for a hungry soul!

2) Sponsor a missionary. GFA is at work in the desperate streets of India (and all over Asia) and your monthly gift is key to reaching hearts that are just waiting to hear Jesus' name!

MUCH // given. expected.

Thanksgiving came and went and we gave thanks for our bountiful blessings, our families, our freedom to worship without fear...

Then Black Friday came and we went out and spent loads of money on great deals, stocking up for Christmas...

We are all geared up to spend, it is that time of year, but while we spend to bless our family and friends who already have the blessings of bounty and family and freedom like we do, there are people who don't even know what Christmas is! They beg for enough food to survive, their churches are destroyed and their pastors imprisoned, they don't have clean water, they sell themselves into slavery to provide for their family, many are orphans who have no one to care for them and are vulnerable to being enslaved and trafficked... tons of people the world over don't even have a Bible. I don't know about you but I am thinking about all the extra I have and don't need and the blessing it could have been if I had spent my money on sending Bibles to those who need one, rather than buying a third copy of Pride and Prejudice just because it looked lovely. Lets hold each other accountable this Christmas season to spending less and giving more!

--- --- ---

 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

Luke 12:47-48 KJV (emphasis added)

Home Again

10am, Sitting on my bed, downloading photos from our vacation, listening to Jenny & Tyler's "A Song for You". The sound of the furnace running and heat blowing out through the wonderfully old fashioned vent in my room is getting me used to the idea of the cold season approaching. Goose bumps on my arms, feet tucked under a cozy fleece blanket, tummy filled happily with apple cinnamon oatmeal, thinking its about time to put the kettle on for a cup of tea.

Processing the past few days, pondering the future, trying to keep the plans for the present straight. Conference call for my mission trip to India tonight (I'm so afraid I'm going to forget all about it... again), last minute planning of what we need to buy for groceries and what I will wear tomorrow (it's my 20th birthday!), waiting to hear back from the teacher I am subbing for on Tuesday at the homeschool co-op, so glad I packed for the Influence conference two weeks ago so that I can have a day to catch my breath on Wednesday before getting in the car early on Thursday and heading to Indiana.

The days and years roll on like the green hills that I call home and the waves from my childhood home and favorite places to visit. I like change like that, a slow pace that gives you time to savor every step and warm up to the new, a steady pace that allows you to linger here and there along the way but doesn't let you grow stagnant. Meditating on the beauty of this truth, "For everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven." Resting in the hands of the God who created seasons and waves and hills and knows every crevice of my heart and life.

11am, haven't moved, pictures are edited and being uploaded to various social media sites. Yellow leaves falling through the sky and blowing past my top-story window. Jenny & Tyler still playing in the background, hot air still blowing through the vent beneath my bed-side table, feet getting sticky and warm from being under the fleece blanket, really ready to have a nice cup of tea now that I've recalled the many mugs of fragrant liquid I consumed during our Holiday by the lake.

Remembering today all the movies I loved as a child (the Little Princess, the Secret Garden, Heidi, Misty, Black Beauty, and the classic Disney movies) and the year that I set out to read one piece of classic literature per week, and did it for months, but not the whole year. Thinking about how the things that you experience as a child play a big part in shaping you into the adult you become. I've considered myself an adult for a few years now but somehow my 20th birthday makes it official. As a book lover and movie lover, a people lover and a big-time journaler (which apparently isn't a word, but I'll use it anyway) I am fascinated by the study and development of characters, fictional or real. I love classic literature for the deep characters and fantastic character development they are made up of, I love biographies for how they paint a picture of people I admire or am intrigued by, and I love to journal to process who the Lord is shaping me to be and to look back on where He has brought me from.

The woman I want to be today was influenced by my travel-loving and entrepreneurial Dad, my country-girl and home-maker Momma, my fascinating "Grandma Great", Jim Elliot, Cinderella, "Little Mommy", C. S. Lewis's books, Rich Mullins, the American Girl's (Samantha and Kit especially), Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Robin Hood, Steven Curtis Chapman and Ronald Reagan, among others. I desire to have the grace, influence, humility, graciousness and compassion of a princess who was raised in a cottage, was best friends with her Daddy, could befriend timid woodland animals, and can do house-keeping as good as any maid. I want to be a Proverbs 31 woman for my husband and children, I want to aid in the rescue and loving of vulnerable children around the world, I want to teach my children at home, I want to garden like my Mammy (mom's mom), do photography like my Daddy used to, cook like my Momma and manage a house in the country on lots of land just like a great lady would. I want to be as adventurous as my childhood bestie, possess the hospitality of my other dear childhood friend, the joy of beautiful Jade, the tender heart of my sweet friend in Pennsylvania, the humility of my darling Kelsey, the unconditional love of dear Jessica, the ready laugh of my Lydia-friend, and generous heart of precious Mikayla.

I have been so aware of the Old Man still alive and in control in my life of late. I have also been so aware of the wonder of who my God is. The more like Him I become, the closer to Him I draw, the more I see state of my soul and nastiness of my life apart from Him and the more I hide myself in the truth that my great God is IN me, FOR me and WITH me. I have developed a flawed way of handling sin I see in myself and in others and the result of sin the world at large. I fixate on it, meditate on it, shake me head at it, hang my head over it, despair over it. "In every season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship." Every glimpse of sin in my wicked heart and those all around me should only send my eyes straight up to the Lord in praise, for He is Lord of all and able to save all who will let Him in. I can bring my wickedness before Him in complete faith that He is already aware of it and ready to transform that part of my life from a fallen nature to His likeness. I have been given His power, His joy, His love, His mercy... I can forgive and show compassion to my enemies, I can walk in peace and rejoice always in spite of my imperfection and all the mistakes I make through the day. Walking in despair makes the Old Man the one people see when they see me, walking in the triumph of Jesus' blood makes Him the one people see when they see me. I want to be that light, that tangible testimony, to the people all around me on whom I have influence.

12pm, sitting in my little slipper chair, in need of chap-stick, thinking its about time I removed the old nail polish from my toes and re-paint them, hoping the wrinkles come out of my blouse before tomorrow. This is where I am right now and I can tell you that I am all here, in the present. Smiling because I am loved by the best Man who ever lived, rejoicing in my heart at how faithful He is and how sure our relationship is of lasting forever because of that, anticipating with excitement what He has in store for the rest of the day, for tomorrow and for the (chilly) remainder of the year.

Set an Example

   My little sister has a YouTube channel and is always working on a video project. This week she was making a music video with clips from the various Avenger character's movies. I asked what song she was using and she told me. I scrunched up my face as I racked my brain to recall how the song goes and she said, "I found it on your computer so I figured it must be alright". Wow. Humbling. Convicting.
   I am an Influencer, an Example. I am so aware of my own short-comings and, as a young girl, I tried to conceal every fault or mistake with privacy and secrecy, but you don't grow much that way. I chose to open up, be vulnerable, let people in. My private life has an audience now: my family. I don't lock them out of my computer, they have access to my iTunes and Facebook and Pinterest and Blog, they can see what I am reading and they know how I spend my money, I share my views on music and movies and health and relationships -- I talk to my siblings about my views even when they don't show interest because I know they're listening.
   My siblings and I are very independent individuals. When we were kids, as the oldest, I tried to boss them around but that didn't work. As the years passed I did my own thing and let them do theirs. I didn't really think that I was a role model to them until my mom told me how she saw them note my actions and choices. When I came home from Colorado in 2010 I started to notice it for myself. My brother Lane had seen how I would use my free time with the Lord and my mornings with my Bible. When I went through a dry spell, believing the lie of the Enemy that there wasn't proper nutrition for my day from the Word, it was Lane who was putting post-it's in my room with Bible verses and encouragement after being up to spend time with Jesus before school. At his school he is a major influence, people recognize him as a man after God's heart. My sister Gabi has such a vibrant personality but she has hidden it beneath her shyness and insecurity for most of her life. It wasn't until I set an example of loosening up, dancing around the house or singing loud in the car that she started to show her true colors here at home. Now she is the one encouraging me to be bold and "live". Her innocence and vivacity are beautiful! She is influencing thousand through her videos. How I communicate to and with, how I handle conflict between and how I teach or correct Gabi and my baby brother, Aidan, is the pattern they follow for communicating, settling conflict and correcting each other. Teaching all of my siblings to communicate their thoughts and feelings rather than bottling them up and keeping them hidden took me learning to communicate my thoughts and feelings to them. Lane confides in me now because I chose to confide in him years ago (and still do). Gabi seeks my opinion and praise for her art work and videos now because I took an interest in her work and related to her creativity in its earliest stages. Aidan works through issues with me now because I have invested long hours of working through issues with him in the past, he knows I won't rest until we've resolved what is troubling him.
   I have a small sphere of influence but I am an influence in it. The people in my church and at work have been watching my life. The people in Target and Down to Earth (where I go every single week) are watching my life. The tellers at the bank and the people in the post office are watching my life. Living amid this cloud of witnesses doesn't make me want to hide how far I have yet to go in bearing Christ's likeness, it is another tool for refining me and causes me to truly want to die more to myself and become a better daughter and ambassador of Christ. "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." - St. Francis of Assisi

Source: google.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

Moved with compassion

σπλαγχνίζομαι [translated: splagchnizomai]

VERB 

1) to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)

ἐλεέω [translated: eleeō]

VERB

1) to have mercy on

2) to help one afflicted or seeking aid

3) to help the afflicted, to bring help to the wretched

4) to experience mercy

Splagchnizomai is what Jesus had for people during His time on this earth. 

Eleeo is what people cried out for as Jesus passed by.

   Crying for mercy is to ask one who has the power to give and take away for relief from sufferings or other circumstances. Compassion is to feel sorrow over or show concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. Physical care or emotional investment, which does the most good to one in need? A testimony from a Gospel for Asia team member who worked among earthquake survivors says, "We gave away blankets and drinking water, but the survivors were not focused on these items. Rather, they were so grateful for someone to grieve with them and listen to their sorrows." 

   I believe that we ought to provide relief to those in need, Jesus healed and helped those who cried out to Him, but that is only one part of demonstrating our faith through works. Should we help feed starving people? Yes. Should we help provide medical care for those in need of it? Yes. Should we offer our hand to someone who falls down? Yes. But it is the heart of compassion that ought to move us to serve and give. Christ's compassion will give them hope.

   What I love about Gospel for Asia is that their focus is to minister with the love of Jesus, the truth of the Word and the hope of the Gospel. They have their priorities right, Jesus first and foremost, then 100% of donations they receive go to the field to serve, reach out with love, share the Gospel, care for physical needs, meet people where they are, and invest in children. Nobody had to convince me to be a fan of GFA, the goal, the heart, of their ministry endeared me to them for life.

-----

   In November I am going to India with Visiting Orphans to minister to suffering people. I cannot bring physical relief to all the orphans, street kids, families in slums, or lepers that I will encounter. But Jesus is going through me and His Father's heart, His love, His compassion will be poured out upon them as a result. We are going to feel sorrow, show concern, be moved with compassion, grieve with and minister Jesus' love to the suffering people we will meet. We can't leave them with physical restoration or financial stability but we can leave them with hope. If the Lord is moving you to support me as I go this fall and you would care to donate toward my trip you can click here and put my name (Chelsea Mills) in the field that says, "Team member or ministry name". Any purchase from my store will also go toward my trip to India and I am happy to take special requests so drop me a line!

Image by Jessica
See more here

To wait is to have faith in the One waited for.

True Love | Christ's Love

I've been thinking...

Lately I have been thinking about:

- Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
- Hope Chests
- The Lost Arts of Dinner Parties, Sewing, and Gardening (to name a few)
- Homeschooling and Classic Literature
- Preparing to be a Wife (not because there is someone pursuing me but because its a good employment in singleness -- part of doing him good all my days!)
- Living in the Country
- Raising Children
- Dressing with Elegance and Modesty (and some ladies, and gents too, who did/do it well!)
- Keeping House
- Learning from the Christian Men and Women of the Past
- Nobility and Dignity

Pinterest

Ladies, what do you think? Does the idea of keeping a house and entertaining and raising children on a farm the way it used to be sound refreshing or dreary to you? What women in history have inspired you as examples of godly femininity?
Gentlemen, if you've dropped by for a visit, what are your thoughts? Who are the men in history whose godly manhood inspires you to greater heights?
Feel free to offer suggestions for good books, etc if you'd like. Erika, I'd love to pick your brain! :)

Note: Comments will be moderated to avoid any unnecessary controversy that may arise.

"The faithfulness of God is the only certain thing in the world today. We need not fear the result of trusting Him. . .Our way is plain. We must not retrench in any work which we are sure is in His will and for His glory. We dare not turn back because the way looks dark. . .We must go forward in the face of the impossible, even if we only know the next step.”  John Stam

Perspective

All of a sudden the world seems so much smaller. I don't seem to care that I can't reach every person, because I'm with Him and He knows what He's doing. I still feel small and incapable, but it's okay because I know He is powerful and mysterious, and He is working even when I cannot see it. I am tempted to look at how broken I am and give up, but then I remember that He hasn't given up and He never will, that He sees me like He sees His Son.

Insightful thoughts from Kelsey as she describes where she is at and how God is at work now, at the half-way mark of her time in France. Read more here.

This Valentine's Day...

Valentines Day is coming up! 

Looking for a unique way to celebrate?

Consider the cost of the chocolate, candies, cards, flowers, jewelry and other treats -- all tokens to express love, adoration, appreciation and show that you are treasured. Then consider your sisters in India who have no idea that they are treasured or loved and have probably never been shown appreciation by their husband or family. Would you please choose to give the love of Jesus to those women this month, even if it means not going out to eat with your man or going without the other delightful treats you are anticipating, and, instead, choose to either:
1) Give financially to the Women's ministry fund on Gospel for Asia's website, or 

Gospel for Asia

2) Purchase a Word Print from the GIVENstore here on my blog (all proceeds go toward sending me to India this October where I will personally get to administer the hope and love of our Lord to women who desperately need it!)

What does Jesus get for His birthday?

photo courtesy of Dear Lillie blog

It was dark, I do remember that. Bedtime. Smoothing back hair, kissing foreheads.
One round moon hanging large outside the window, an ornament dangling off stars, decorating the night.
I had gifts to wrap. So, pull up the blankets. Prayers. And then, when I’m at the door, one hand on the doorframe, resting in the light of the hallway, I turn to close the door a bit on the dark.
He stops me with just one question:
“What does Jesus get for His birthday?”
The words hung… strung me up.
I say the words into the black. Um… A cake? Our love?
I can hear him turn again in the bed, roll over on the pillow. Restless…
“But Mom…. if we get wrapped presents for our birthdays, real sacrifices from people who love us — they gave up other things to give something to us — then why don’t we do that for Jesus’ birthday?”
I stand at the door looking into all that light cast down the hallway.
Why is the sky blue, why do we blink, how do clouds hold all that water, the children ask me a thousand questions and the world spins dizzy on a million questions I don’t know the answers to.
I stand in the dark, the light right there, and I grope for the answer that could change the world… 

[aHolyExperience.com]

To continue reading click here.

You must do it! You cannot hold back. You have enjoyed yourself in Christianity long enough. You have had pleasant feelings, pleasant songs, pleasant meetings, pleasant prospects. There has been much of human happiness, much clapping of hands and shouting of praises -- very much of heaven on earth. 

Now then, go to God and tell Him you are prepared as much as necessary to turn your back upon it all, and that you are willing to spend the rest of your days struggling in the midst of these perishing multitudes, whatever it may cost you.

- William Booth -

All I really want for Christmas...

All I really want for Christmas is...

* For every boy to grow into a man of God and to lay down his life daily for those around him, in his family, the Church, those in need and those who have never heard of his King. That he would die to himself, follow the narrow way and not the pattern of this world in his work and relationships and in the winning and treasuring of his future wife's heart.
* For every Daddy in the world to be the spiritual head of his home, loveeee his children and train them up in the fear of the Lord, and set an example for his children in his marriage to their Mommy of how to serve, honor, treasure and love as Christ does His Bride.
* For every girl to know intimately the One who calls her His beloved, to get totally wrapped up in Him during singleness, to set herself apart for her future husband before she ever meets him and make the pursuit of her Lord and not the pursuit of a earthly lover her heart's desire. To pour her life out for her King through serving and loving her family, the Church, her husband -- one day, those in need, and those who have never heard of her King.
* For every Mommy to be a picture of surrender, joyful service, steady trust and undying love for the Lord... that she would be a worthy example to her little ones and a heavenly blessing to her spouse all the days of his life, and that she would die daily to herself to love and raise all the children the Lord gives her.
* For every child alone, abandoned, forgotten, unwanted, discarded, orphaned, sold, enslaved, abused, and harassed by the Enemy to know the freedom that comes through the One who is with them wherever they go, will never leave or forsake them, knows everything about them and hears every little prayer they utter, died to pay the price of atonement for their filthy souls that they might draw near to the Father, will go to whatever length (no matter how great) to find and gather them under His wing, is ready and willing to adopt them as His own, purchases them from slavery to set them free, jealously guards and lovingly chastises His own, and is far greater and more powerful than the prince of the earth.
* For truth, love and hope to shine far and wide, piercing the deepest, blackest corners of the world -- for the glory of the Worthy One.
* For His kingdom to come in my life (redemption), in the Church (revival), in the world.
* For it to be evident in my life and countenance Who my soul loves.
* For the King to return.

But if just ONE boy grows into a man of God and goes on to live for Him...
if just ONE daddy rises up and is all that the Lord intended a husband and father to be to his wife and children...
if just ONE girl becomes her Beloved's and her life bears much fruit...
if just ONE mommy sets a heavenly example of what a wife and mother was designed by God to be...
if just ONE child is scooped up into the loving embrace of his Father for the first time in his life...
if the light penetrates just ONE little life in one little corner of this dark world...
if just ONE is moved to love Him Whom my soul loves by encountering Him in me...
I would rejoice with all of heaven!

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Luke 15:4-7 

And like a child who asks for the things they desire, I will ask my Father for these, reminding Him of my wishes at every opportunity, until I receive them. Whatever I ask for in Jesus name [in accordance with His character and nature], believing, I will receive. And just as your neighbor, though tucked snug in bed for the night, will get up and give you what you need if you persist in asking, much more will my Father answer the wishes of my heart that are in alignment with the wishes of His heart. 

There are millions of children who just want love for Christmas, just want a Dad, a Mom, a big brother or sister...

So, here is to getting everything on your Christmas list from your Father who delights to give good and perfect gifts to His children! The Father of the fatherless is with them this Christmas and everyday of their lives.

Who will tell them this Good News?

Who will love them?