As We Prepare to Travel

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrowmindedness... Broad, wholesome, charitable views of persons and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
- Mark Twain

I saw this quote in the front of a book on Paraguay and thought it was a good thought to ponder as we prepare to travel to cultures unlike our own and as we encourage those we meet.

Wrapping Up.

I have one final left in my junior year of nursing school.

After that, it's the beginning of a wonderful season of new and refreshing. I've grown weary from the challenges and facts of life recently; school is demanding, leaving no time to work through the loss of my dear Grandma. I'm looking forward to a few days of relaxation and laid-back moments next week... I'm hoping to have some time to journal, listen to music, nap, think, daydream.

This year has been so good, so hard, and so draining. I learned so much, but it was so much in such a short time period, with additional things to deal with (like planning a summer trip and grieving the loss of my last living grandparent). I'm looking forward to being home, having my own space, resting, reviewing for NCLEX (it's only one year away now!). This summer will be a different summer, but a good one, I'm sure.

But, at this moment, I need to study for my Public Health Nursing clinical final. It's only a few days away!

Vision of You

Come meet us, King Jesus
Oh wind of change blow through this temple
Sweet Spirit of God, come and mend our hearts
For all we have are songs
Unless You come

Awaken what’s inside of me
Tune my heart to all You are in me
Even though You’re here God come
And may the vision of You
Be the death of me
And even though you’ve given everything
Jesus come

Come free us, King Jesus
It’s the only way that freedom’s given
From You and You alone
In the work You’ve already done
For all we have are songs,
Unless You come

Awaken what’s inside of me
Tune my heart to all You are in me
Even though You’re here God come
And may the vision of You
Be the death of me
And even though you’ve given everything
Jesus come

Here we are, Lord
In this place
Crying out for
Your embrace
To hear Your voice
More than songs
Please come
Jesus come

Vision of You

Shane and Shane

Wait

Desperately, helplessly, longingly I cried.
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate.
And the Master so gently said, "Child you must wait"

"Wait? You say wait!" my indignant reply
"Lord, I need answers. I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By FAITH I have asked, and am claiming your Word."

"My future and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to WAIT?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign.
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign."

"And Lord you promised that if we believe
We need but to ask, and we shall recieve.
And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again, "You must wait"
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting...for what?"

He seemed then to kneel and his eyes wept with mine
And he tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run".

"All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want--but you wouldnt know ME.
You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint;
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint;

"You'd not learn to see through the clouds of dispair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there;
You'd not know the joy of resting in me
When darkness and silence were all you could see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love
As the peace of my Spirit descends like a dove;
You'd know that I give and I save...(for a start)
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of my heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night.
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.

"You'd never know should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that 'My grace is sufficient for thee'.
Yes your dreams for your loved ones overnight would come true.
But, oh the loss! if I lost what I'm doing in you!

"So, be silent, my child and in time you will see
THAT THE GREATEST OF GIFTS IS TO GET TO KNOW ME.
And though oft may my answers seem terribly late,
My wisest of answers is still but to WAIT"


Russell Kelfer

The Nobility of Barren Prayer

And O God, give me one grace, I pray. Give me the grace to give myself in prayer once again tomorrow. To believe that it matters. To put my heart before You though I feel so unproductive and unfruitful. Give me the grace to spend tomorrow once more before You in love. For I can think of no more noble way to spend a day than to spend it with You, whether I feel Your nearness or not. Oh, help me in the times of fainting. Give me the grace for one more day.


Excerpt from Deep Unto Deep, a book by Dana Candler about "finding the richness of intimacy we were made for."

Accept Your Lot---For Now.

"When God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work--this is a gift of God." Ecclesiastes 5:19 NIV

When I was feeling somewhat down and depressed over a disappointing situation that I faced recently, the Lord led me to some wisdom from His Word that helped me to see things from a new perspective. First, He showed me a verse from Ecclesiastes 5:19 (NIV), which says that one of the gifts of God is for someone to "accept his lot." Although I was certain that God was speaking to me, everything inside of me resisted the idea of my accepting my situation as it was. After all, I'm a woman of faith, a Word-filled believer, who strives for supernatural victory in every circumstance. Why should I accept less than God's best in any situation? When I got quiet in my spirit enough to allow myself to discern the Lord's "still, small voice," I realized that He was telling me, "Accept your lot--for now." As He led me next to His instructions in Colossians 3:15 (NIV), I began to understand His logic: "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since...you were called to peace. And be thankful." I definitely had lost my peace because of my disheartening situation, and I was having difficulty being thankful. And I was fully aware that my attitude and my perspective were displeasing to God.

Since I've spent so many years studying the Word of God, and doing my best to apply it to my life, I've come to believe with all my heart that the Lord wants us to prosper and succeed in every area. But I also believe that He wants us to be satisfied and content with our present circumstances, while we wait on Him to lead us into better things. This kind of waiting doesn't mean that we're passive and apathetic. It means that we actively pray and stand in faith for His very best outcome in our situation. And in the process, we maintain an attitude of gratitude, and a sense of peace. Scripture says: "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God." (Philippians 4:6 AMP) It's perfectly okay for us to "continue to make [our] wants known to God" when we are in a disappointing situation, but we must do it with hearts filled with gratitude for what He's already done in our lives. The next verse in this passage says: "And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7 AMP) As we decide to be "content with [our] earthly lot," we will experience the peace of mind and heart that will enable us to go on and enjoy our lives while we wait for the Lord to act on our behalf.

Never being satisfied with our circumstances not only robs us of our peace, but it steals our joy, which the Bible says is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) Then we become weak and weary over even the littlest things. We lose our focus. And we become unfruitful. It's hard for us to pray, or to walk in faith. Our lack of satisfaction begins to consume us, and it eventually affects our relationships and our health. Scripture says: "Be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support." (Hebrews 13:5 AMP) This is the Lord's reassurance that no matter how our situation looks, we have not been abandoned by our Creator and Sustainer. As long as we areg looking to Him to meet our needs, we can be sure that His help is on the way. The apostle Paul wrote: "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT) Being grateful and content with our circumstances opens the door to divine blessings, rewards, and opportunities. On the other hand, a lack of satisfaction and gratitude will stall us on the path to God's perfect plans and purposes for us. If you are in a disappointing place right now, I encourage you to make a quality decision to get joyful and thankful right where you are. Believe God for better things--and open the door to the peace and provision that belong to you in Christ!

(Devotional by J.M. Farro)

::Strive::

2 Corinthians 6:4-10

Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Give Me Your Eyes

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights

My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere,
Why have I never cared?

Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Yeah
Yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what's underneath
There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work
He's buying time
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Chorus

I've been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all along

Chorus (x2)


Give Me Your Eyes, Brandon Heath

Hmmmm, yessssss.