Showing Me

This week has been a roller-coaster of emotion. I've been praying and many others have been praying with me (thank you all!) about a decision to move to Bangladesh to teach next year. To back up a little, a year or so ago I started reading a book called Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan (you can order this book free from Gospel for Asia, K.P.'s organization http://www.gfa.org/offer/freebook/). Through his book and other influences, God has been drawing my heart toward the great need of Asia to experience the Gospel. I know it has to be the Lord pulling me because I've never before been interested in even visiting that part of the world!  And believe me, I know the difference between a call and a travel bug...I'm familiar with and have battled both. So it's hard to believe but this whole process started just over a month ago when I told our director or personnel that I have been feeling a change. It's thanks to her that I found out about Mission Teach.org which helped me connect with Grace (website below)! I am also grateful to supportive friends and family and for the Lord's peace that passes all understanding that He has given me this week as I prayed and fasted for his will. If you'd like to know more, please feel free to write me...it's hard to write when my heart is so full!

Below are some interesting links and a song that has meant a lot to me these last few days. Blessings!

http://www.graceinternationalschool.org/
http://virtualbangladesh.com/


Show Me by Audrey Assad

"You could plant me like a tree beside a river
You could tangle me in soil and let my roots run wild
And I would blossom like a flower in the desert
But for now just let me cry

You could raise me like a banner in a battle
Put victory like fire behind my shining eyes
And I would drift like falling snow over the embers
But for now just let me lie

Bind up these broken bones
Mercy bend and breathe me back to life
But not before You show me how to die

Set me like a star before the morning
Like a song that steals the darkness from a world asleep
And I'll illuminate the path You've laid before me
But for now just let me be

Bind up these broken bones
Mercy bend and breathe me back to life
But not before You show me how to die
Oh, not before You show me how to die

So let me go like a leaf upon the water
Let me brave the wild currents flowing to the sea
And I will disappear into a deeper beauty
But for now just stay with me
God, for now just stay with me."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b5Snkw18Lg

A New Year

A bit belated and most definitely counter-intuitive New Year's toast:

"May all your expectations be frustrated, may all your plans be thwarted, may all your desires be withered into nothingness, that you may experience the powerlessness and poverty of a child, and sing and dance in the love of God who is Father, Son, and Spirit." -Larry Hein

I was reminded of a recent series our small group studied called Ordinary Radicals put out by the Meeting House Church in Canada (http://www.themeetinghouse.com/teaching/archives/2012/ordinary-radicals/). Pastor Tim's exegesis of the Matthew 5 Beatitudes is powerful teaching: in short, to live an abundant life as Christ followers we must turn over our rights to 1) Possessions 2) Pleasure and 3) Power. Common sense tells us we are vulnerable and helpless and even purposeless without control of important "stuff" in our lives like material goods, financial obligations, entertainment/pleasure, etc. But despite our human misgivings regarding surrender, Christ tells us that his power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

So this New Year, I pray that you and I can experience the powerlessness of self and in surrender, the power of Christ to transform our hearts as we learn to sing and dance in the love of our Savior!