I know all of us have listened to songs and are reminded of a specific time in our life, a memory, a place, a person, etc. Tonight on the drive home from a low-country boil in Mt. Pleasant, I was listening to "Unto You" by Shane and Shane. This is a song I don't listen to often, but tonight, there it was!

Every time I listen to this song I am reminded of my time in Cambodia, and tonight was no exception. It reminds me of the my morning in my hotel room. I was waking up early to read my Bible before going downstairs to eat breakfast with the group. And each morning I would listen to the "Psalms" CD by Shane and Shane, read my Bible and write my prayers in my prayer journal.

It also makes me laugh when I hear the song because I now realize what the song was saying, while at that time (2001) I apparently didn't. The song sings to "Yeshua", another name for God. At that time, I thought the song was saying "Yes, you are". :) I know, it doesn't make any sense. But I didn't know any better. Now I have to laugh! :)

Neighbors

Tonight went so well! Let me tell you what happened...

I was prayer walking the other day and was thinking about how I could reach out to the people in my apartment complex. That task seemed huge! So I thought about my immediate neighbors. There are two of them. I talked to my roommates about it on Sunday and we decided to invite them over for dessert and coffee tonight. So we knocked on each door on Sunday afternoon and invited them over. They seemed very surprised that we were doing this and thrilled at the same time.

The menu: homemade peach ice cream and vanilla pound cake with decaf coffee.

We all gathered in the apartment after work today and were busy vacuuming, straightening up, washing dishes, putting things away that should have been put away ages ago and finding a jazzy music station on the TV. Julia got to making the ice cream. It was going perfectly! Fresh peaches pureed in there as well as chunks of peaches. Oh so delicious!

Well...the ice cream maker had a mind of it's own. It kept stopping on us. Or it would turn the lid without actually turning the ice cream itself. Then we ran out of rock salt. So after trying to get it started again and again with our fingers, Julia had to make the difficult decision to run to the store and buy ice cream.

Elisabeth and I continued churning the ice cream but nothing came of it. Still mush. Julia returned from Bi-Lo with two half-gallons of Blue Bell ice cream (her favorite) 15 min. before our guests were to arrive.

Coffee ready-check
Pound cake sliced and in bowls-check
Ice cream ready-check

We prayed for God's Spirit to be with us and to lead us tonight. And then we waited.

Guests arrive-check

The pound cake and ice cream was great and the coffee was scrumptious! It was great to all be sitting around in the den just talking and getting to know each other better. We are neighbors afterall. And I'm pretty sure everyone had a great time.

Next time we're thinking dinner.

This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship! :)

They all came! We were so thrille

Something I'm thinking about; stewing on...

What does it mean/look to love my enemies? What does scripture say about doing this? What does scripture show as an example of this?

What are your thougths?

The Truth Hurts

God's lesson that He's teaching me has been coming week after week; each time going a bit deeper. It's been the lesson of Truth. Truth winning out. Truth being the standard that I live by. Truth being what I saturate my life in. Truth being what I speak to others. Truth being what I hear from others.

This weekend was one of those times...

Yesterday I was having a conversation with one of my relatives and somehow we got on the topic of homosexuality. He said whether homosexuality was wrong or not was a matter of opinion. I said that I disagreed. It is not a matter of opinion when the Bible clearly says that it's a sin. Another conversation was brought up about it later and this other person said that it's not for us to judge these people and that maybe they can't help it.

You know, I feel bad for them. They're caught in a stronghold of sin. We all sin. I'm no better. But I'm not going to condone it because others think it's okay.

This is where Truth is winning out.

This morning I left the house way late for church, but made it just in time for the message and I'm so glad I did. I have begun attending East Cooper Baptist Church in Mt. Pleasant. Wonderful church! Buster Brown is the pastor. Great preacher! Anyway, his message (which you can listen to from iTunes) today was talking about Truth winning out. About being saturated in it. And about how Satan wants to silence the Word of God in our lives. Let me just write down a few of my notes from the message.

Beware of anything that downgrades the Word of God. Beware of anything that has man-made religion all over it.

There are Truths that we must be dead on about.

Am I being mastered by scripture or by something else?

Satan always uses love of self and love of what is good to lead us astray.

Soak and marinate in the things that encourage me in the Lord.

Don't go beyond what is written in the Word.

It was a lot to chew on. In fact, I'm still chewing. But it's so good! The Sunday School lesson this morning was also had to do with Truth winning out. The teacher shared about how many, but not all, Protestant denominations are beginning to or already have started to accept homosexuals as clergy for their churches. And they're beginning to accept it by performing the weddings.

I love these people. I have friends that are gay. Do I love them and care for them and pray for them? Yes. Do I agree with their lifestyle? No. Just as I don't agree with any sin, even and especially mine.

The big thing that God has been teaching me and showing over the last few months is that Truth MUST win out. I MUST live my life by it. I have to saturate myself in Truth. If I don't, what will happen? I will gradually and ever so slowly walk away from it, not seeing the damage that's been done. Not seeing that I am gradually moving more and more towards looking like the world rather than looking like Christ. And I will start believing the world. I too, could very easily be led astray into one day thinking that sins that are clearly spoken of in His Word as wrong are okay as long as you are a good person.

Back to the conversations yesterday. After telling my relative that they were wrong and it is NOT a matter of opinion because the Word says it's not and I live my life by the Word. And after talking with the second person. I kind of felt bad. You know how most disagreements are a about a difference in opinion? And you just kind of accept that and move on? This wasn't like that. This was a blatant disagreement. It was hard. I didn't like speaking up that strongly in opposition to someone older than me.

But I was encouraged today. With the message and the class both teaching on how Truth must win out, I was glad I said something. In the class we referred to Titus 1:10-16

For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach-and that for the sake of dishonest gain. Even one of their own prophets has said, "Cretans are always liars, eveil brutes, lazy gluttons." This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

I no longer felt bad for what I said. The Truth must win out. It must be spoken. I don't want to cause dissension or be disrespectful to people. But I will not sit by and let the Word of God be lessened and made small and made out to be something that can be changed or thought be some guide. It's the Word of the living God! And it's Truth! I say it again, Truth must win out! And I must speak it.

Friday at work I had another good opportunity with my co-worker. She and I were chatting in my cube whens he asked my opinion on suing someone. I listened to the story and then simply put the idea of forgiveness out there. She looked at me kind of odd. I asked her if suing this person would really be worth it. Would it be worth the time and effort and the heartache? She agreed that, no, it may not be worth it. So why not forgive? Otherwise she's carrying around the anger and this other person has no idea it's there or even cares. The revenge is the Lord's and it's far worse than anything she could come up in her mind to do to this person.

I was thankful to be able to talk with her just a few minutes about an idea that was so was so foreign to her. So thankful!

People-person

Over the last few days I've been thinking about one of the changes in me over the last two years. Most of my life (at least as far as I can tell) I've been a very task-oriented person. I've been very focused on that check list and getting it done. And not only that, but I've defined myself by how much I can get done, how well I do it, how I can do it better than others, how other people praise for me doing it, etc. I put my worth in those tasks.

Leaving the 9-5 working job and moving to China was a challenge in this area. I jumped into a "job" that was completely relational and not task-oriented by any stretch of the imagination. I knew it would be a struggle going into it. In fact, when Pioneers asked me what my greatest struggle would be in going to China I told that having to switch from being task-oriented to a relational job would be the biggest struggle. And it was!

But it hasn't been until recently, while working at my new job (which is very task-oriented), that I'm come to see that I've changed. I feel like I've switched sides. I've come to love people and love being relational-looking for ways to get to know people and ways to start up conversations. I would much rather stand in the break room and talk to a stranger or listen to a co-workers problems than doing any of the things that I'm supposed to be doing for my job.

I look at this job as my ministry and therefore, want to spend all of my time with my co-workers just talking and getting to know them. Now I do realize that if I don't do my actual job, I won't have it much longer and then lose my ministry there!

It's just funny that I've kind switched over to the other side! Makes me smile...

Walking

I went prayer walking this evening after returning from Pop-Pops house for dinner. I actually had just meant to go for a walk multiple times around my apartment complex. Usually I bring my iPod, but tonight I decided silence would be better. As I started walking the Lord brought so many people to mind and it turned into a major prayer session. I prayed for my neighbors and opportunities to love and care for them and for opportunities to share Christ with them. I prayed for dear friends living overseas and I prayed for those serving here as well. I prayed for family and people I don't know. I prayed for me. I was so caught up in it that I didn't realize that I had walked around my apartment complex as many times as I had and that it was dark outside by the time I had finished.

And...I really enjoyed it. I think it's something that should/could/will continue...

Grape Fanta!!!!!!

Here's the story...

Left work early.
Went for a 2.5 mile run.
Went to Big Lots looking for wrapping paper and a frame to put that pic that I posted yesterday in.
At the checkout I saw...Grape Fanta.

Now, for weeks, or rather, months I've been wanting a grape soda. I have not given into my temptation because there is no diet version. I have been good. But today...today when I'm hot and the soda is cold and my strength is gone, I give in and buy that grape Fanta.

There I sit in my Subaru Forester outside the entrance to Big Lots listening to the soundtrack to the Broadway musical, Rent. I turn up the volume, open the cap, hear the fizz and the air seeping out of the bottle and smell the freshness of grape!

I take one sip and aahhhhhhh! Sooooooo good. So incredibly good. It was everything I remembered it and everything I hoped it would be. Those two sips of grape Fanta that I allowed myself to have were worth the wait.

Now the rest sits in my fridge waiting for tomorrow when I will take another two sips.

Another good conversation with my co-worker today. I was able to share a ever so tiny bit of my testimony over lunch. We were talking about doing things that are sometimes physically dangerous or scary, but that sometimes I do them anyway. It's not that I don't value my life or that I enjoy doing stupid things, but rather that I don't live my live in fear. One, because I know where I'm going when I die, but also that I just don't live in fear.

This only touches the surface of my testimony! When I said that, she sat there kind of thinking "huh, interesting". And then we went on. But my prayer is that she continues to think on this and that at some earlier date either she or I will bring the topic up again and I can naturally go into sharing what Jesus has done for me.

[Some other things I'm pondering]

Do I value convenience over what is best/needed/most desired for my good?

There are people in Kenya who walk hours and many, many miles to get to church on Sunday. Yes, it is the closest one to them. But they could easily say, "It's too far. No one would expect to go that far, much less, walk that far."

Do I settle for a church that's close by because I don't want to spend the gas? I don't want to wake up earlier to get there? Do I value convenience over what is best? Thinking on this...

Pictures

I just got back from Walgreens. Love that store! You know, those great little coupons that come out every Sunday and are only good for a week? Yeah, that gave me the excuse to go buy two pints of Haagan Daaz ice cream. And...I printed off pictures from my trip to Laos and from life in China. Now, I only printed 63 off or so. I do have well over 1000 pictures so I'm no where close to getting them all but at least I've started.

My current room in my new apartment has kind of an international theme. It's pretty basic as far as colors, which I like, but it has pictures and knick-knacks, art work, gifts from all over the world. And I love that! I've started to print these pictures off in the hope to showcase some of it in my room and throughout the apartment (if the roomies agree!).

With one of the coupons from Walgreens, I got a free 8x10 with the purchase of a certain amount of 4x6s. So I printed an 8x10 of one of my favorite photos ever. It's one all of you have seen many times, but I'll show it again. I want to frame this one to keep forever and ever.

This picture reminds me of so many great moments in China, just me and with with my parents. It displays my parent's playfulness and love towards each other and their sense of adventure and excitement for life. I think of the future and what it could hold for me. I have no idea. Just as my parents never thought they would be standing on the Great Wall of China early one morning gives kisses and receiving them.

Sadness

Two days after a conversation with a co-worker I'm still thinking about it and am still sad over what I heard and saw that day.

Thursday I was having a conversation with a co-worker during lunch time. She and I were discussing ex-boyfriends, relationships, children, etc. The conversation really ended up going in so many directions! She shared her opinions or feelings, if you will, about marriage and children.

I had mentioned that my parents really want grand-children. As we all know, I'm not married so I won't be having children anytime soon. Rather, they should be talking to Jennifer! I was kind of laughing about it, but my co-worker looked at me with seriousness written all over her face and actually a bit of concern for me saying, "You can have children without being married"! She then went on about how great it was for her to be a single mom and how much stronger she is because of it. That she is a better person after raising her son as a single mother.

I have no doubt she is a stronger person and she's probably a better person, having to rise up to that challenge.

I walked away from our conversation that day quite sad for her and the way she viewed life and what she deserved or even how she viewed herself as a person. Kind of taking that "whatever is left will have to do" mentality.

I then went from work to the mall to try and get my cell phone fixed. While standing at the Verizon Wireless kiosk in Northwoods Mall I was doing some people watching. I saw a real diverse group of people, most of which were out shopping for back-to-school clothes.

As I'm standing there I realize that I'm seeing a lot of babies being pushed in strollers by teenage girls. These girls were around 15 or 16 and they're walking around the mall with their girlfriends or their boyfriends and their babies.

Again, I felt sadness for them. High school is supposed to be an exciting time of first dates and proms and free summers of the beach and the pool and whatever else. (Realizing that my interests are not the same as everyone else's!) But instead, these girl's summers were changing diapers and pushing babies around and not at all what it's supposed to be.

To make it even sadder, I believe that I lot of these girls are thrilled to be mothers at this age and have no idea what they're missing: their childhood and possibly their future.

I was thinking back to when I was in high school. I knew no one who was having sex at my age. No one! Even in college, I knew no one that was having sex. And let me just put this into perspective. High school was 9 years ago for me. College was only 5 years ago for me. Not that long ago. Things have changed so much in the few years; I'm amazed...and sad.

Humidity

I know it's hot here in Charleston. Believe me, I know this. It registers around 97 every afternoon when I leave work. But yet, in the morning when the temperature is around 77 or 80 I am cold. I turn the heat on in my car. It's so bazaar. I'm thinking it's because of the humidity and the moisture.

Olive Garden

I'm usually not a big fan of Olive Garden. Probably my least favorite Italian chain. But I went there last night with friends and it was really good! Breadsticks...normal. Salad...normal. But my entree was Braised Shortribs with Asiago Tortellini in a Basil Marsala sauce. And yes, it was delicious! So next time you're at Olive Garden go for something different and get that dish!