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“YOU’RE GOING TO SOUTH SUDAN WITH A BABY?!?!” my coworker asked me. “AREN’T YOU SCARED???”
“Of course I am,” I thought as I sat across the table from her, 28 weeks pregnant with my first child. “I’m terrified.”
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When they ask me “the” question: “When are you coming back exactly?”, and I don’t have a definite answer, I swallow hard to fight the emotions and I hear the questioning and doubt in their silence.
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Sometimes I need my eyes opened, too. Far more than I’d like to admit at this stage in my walk with the Lord. I should know better, understand more, and walk with stronger faith. But I don’t always get it. I see what’s right in front of me and I can’t imagine what God is doing, or what the bigger picture will be.
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Are we walking wounded? Are we allowing our pain to define and consume us?
Or are we walking through it, though it hurts to face, and allowing God to meet us and walk with us through it? To bring us out stronger, with a freedom that we never would have experienced?
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If you are on a diet or trying to lose weight, you will typically check your weight about once a week or so to monitor your progress. So, why wouldn’t we apply that same logic to our spiritual lives?
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Here it is. Brutal honesty.
I can be difficult. You can be difficult. We may be the difficult person in someone else’s life. I am willing to guarantee that there is at least one person in this world who doesn’t like you.
Ouch!
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Science shows that when we dwell on the negative, or things that are not honoring to God, the results are clearly seen in our bodies, our attitudes, and our actions. That means that the way we think today can have an impact on our spiritual, physical and mental health!
Read MoreThe brain is like a world that starts out like an undeveloped, newly discovered planet. Then as you grow and develop, so does your brain’s world: with roads, maps (places we learn to go), and different areas that are marked out in various ways.
Read MoreTrust in God when it doesn’t make sense, when things are especially challenging and look hopeless. Trust in Him, believe in His promises, cling to the hem of His Garment. Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Not the truth of the circumstance I am in, but the Truth that is my confidence- the reality that not one word of His Word will be changed or altered, not one thing in my life will ultimately be a failure or a mistake. He is still in control.
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After Jesus died, His disciples were perplexed, frightened, and devastated. They thought they were alone, that the One whom their hearts had so burned for had been destroyed and could not save them as they had hoped. In their minds and hearts, all hope was lost.
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Can I have your permission to talk about the Resurrection even though it's only the end of January? Will that be okay with you?
If not, then please stop reading, because I am going to take the liberty anyway :) in light of this topic of grief and suffering.
Furthermore, I believe our Savior wants us to remember what He did for us, and how powerful He is on our behalf, not just once a year.
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When experiencing tragedy, heartache, and trauma, it's important to remember that God surrounds us with His love.
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How often do we grumble and complain instead of living a lifestyle of gratitude?
Read MoreThis week I would like to give an example of a local community outreach here that took place on Friday. I pray that it encourages you and stirs you to get up out of your pew and go reach the people in your own neighborhood and world!
Last Friday we loaded up Jesus Film equipment, snacks, and people into our car and headed into the bush. Like, really deep into the bush. The “road” that we traveled on was quite interesting. We knew we were in for an adventure!
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The world appears to be falling apart at the seams right now. Every news story breaks my heart more than the last.
Texas, Florida, India, Mexico, Puerto Rico and more affected by record breaking storms that have ripped lives apart.
Acts of terrorism all around the globe.
A serial killer right here in Uganda torturing and murdering women.
And now the horror that happened in Las Vegas.
Certainly, this only names a few of the things that have happened as of late. I don’t mean to minimize any or make one seem more tragic than another. All are heart wrenching. All make me cry out - how long, oh Lord?
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How women are defined by a culture affects the ways that they are permitted and encouraged to minister in their churches, homes, and communities.
We see throughout Scripture how valuable women are to God.
We see that not only does He notice us, lift us up and love us - but He equips us for good works in His kingdom!
You are an important part of His plan of redemption. You are not made simply to sit on the sidelines. We see from the two scriptures above that women were actively involved in ministry in the early Church: in the community/church (as Aquila AND Priscilla shared with Apollos), and in the home (as Lydia responded to the Gospel, brought the Gospel to her family, and later a church was started in her home that would impact many).
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Last week we talked about how we are not doormats. This week I would like to look at the other side of the coin. I hear reports of women doing terrible, vulgar things these days in the name of feminism and women’s empowerment. This grieves my heart deeply, because these things actually cause us to go backward and not forward. It actually feels to me like people have lost their minds!
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Women are not created to rule the home, but to build it. We are not created to be stepped on, abused, or mistreated. (Neither are we called to step on, abuse, or mistreat anyone else. I will talk more about that part next week.)
Women of God are clothed with Strength and Dignity- this is how the Bible describes a virtuous woman.
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Today more than ever there is a lot of confusion as to who we are called to be as women. Where is our value found? What is our standing in our homes? As I see the contrast between life in Kitgum and life in the US, I see the gap ever widening. And both perspectives fall terribly short of what God says about who I am and what my place is in this world. It is not our culture, a march, or a set of laws that define who we are. It is God. Regardless of the circumstances, that does not change. From the woman in a posh corner office, to the old illiterate widow sleeping on the floor of her mud hut - our core value is not found in what we do, where we live, or the cultural norms.
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Celebrating our second anniversary with my parents and Brian two weeks ago
I have walked these dirt roads for years now. I have taken several children in along the way for periods of time. Each time they left, it was very hard as it felt like a piece of my heart was going away. When I first came to Uganda, it was because of the children who were running in fear for their lives from a rebel group. It was to hug them, love them, and show them Jesus. This has morphed and blossomed over the years, but that heart is something that God placed within me and that has remained: to minister to children and to love them. I just didn’t know how it would come to fruition.
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