Hmmmm.....

My grandpa sent me an email today that had this cartoon in it. It really made me think.


How much truth is in this one little cartoon? I really had to step back and reflect on this idea. So I went to the Scriptures to remind myself of what God says:

"Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you." ~ Deuteronomy 16:17

"Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to." ~ Deuteronomy 15:10

"Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine." ~ Proverbs 3:9-10

"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and gives strength to all." ~ 1 Chronicles 29:10-12
Why is it that we seem to struggle with giving God 10%, but don't think twice about dropping an extra 15% at a meal? Hmmmm.....

Family Drama

Those of you who know me well enough know that my family has all kinds of issues. We joke about how we are our own "Cops" episode and how we should write a book. For those of you who don't know me that well, let me clarify and say that my extended family has issues. My parents and bro are golden. They are absolutely amazing, and I am so thankful for the work God has done in our little family unit. It's when you add in all the other people I am related to that things get interesting...I know that everyone's family has issues. Mine just seems to take it to a whole new level of the term "dysfunctional."

In all reality, I really shouldn't talk so flippantly about my family and their never-ending issues. Please don't misunderstand my heart. I love my family, but my family is very lost. They desperately need Jesus, and that is no joking matter. It is so difficult to know what I know, to have the abundant and fulfilling relationship with Christ that I have, and then think about how they live their lives without that. It's even harder to know that they really don't want any part of the faith that is so influential in my life. So know that my heart breaks with the thought that my family members walk every day without Christ. I can't imagine my life without Him- He is everything to me. I couldn't breathe without Him. Knowing that they do...it's why I try to joke about it because otherwise I would be a mess of tears and anguish.

Without divulging every sordid detail of the most recent family drama, I do want to request prayer for my family. My uncle is about as far away from God as you can get right now- he is a member of the church of Satan, and if demons still inhabit human bodies, I believe he is battling them now. He has severe mental and emotional issues, and he really needs a lot of medical/mental help. He has threatened to hurt himself or others, and he is just not in a safe frame of mind. The drama stems from knowing how to handle the situation- and denial, hurt, anger, misguided/misplaced love, and ignorance abound. He desperately needs help, but it can only come from God. So please pray for my family. Please pray for wisdom and rational decision-making, for peace and unity, for safety, and for courage to do the hard thing. And please pray for my mom in all of this. She has such a broken heart over the spiritual state of her family, and she is trying so hard to be the light in the hostile darkness. Please pray for her strength and wisdom as she tries to interject reason and truth.

Remembering 9/11

It's hard to believe that it has been 8 years since the terrorist attacks that infamous day in September. I can't say that I truly understand the terror experienced on that day; I did not lose a loved one in the attacks. But so many people lost a mother, brother, sister, friend...and it is for them that I choose to remember.

I remember the fear that ran through the country. I remember the fear that I felt for my own loved ones, when no one knew what was going on and everyone expected more attacks in other parts of the country. I was a junior in high school, and we were getting ready to leave for our annual high school retreat. We were all gathered in the cafeteria, ready to load the buses and head out for a week of fun with our classmates. Our principal came to the podium and made the announcement that two planes had flown into the twin towers. It took a few minutes for the reality and weight of the situation to hit us. For our safety, since we lived in a military town (and there were reports of pending attacks on military bases), the administration decided to go ahead and get us out of the city and take us to camp. So we loaded the buses and road 4 hours in silence. We prayed and tried to catch tidbits of information through a broken radio. When we arrived at camp, we were finally able to call our parents and loved ones. Over the next 2 days, we caught bits and pieces of what had actually happened. Needless to say, our retreat turned into a prayer vigil for our nation. While it was hard to be away from my family during that time, I am very grateful for the time I had with my classmates.

Since that time, I have watched several friends and my cousin deploy. Thankfully, many have come home safely. I pray continually that they all come home. I am so proud of those who serve their country with such courage and selflessness. To these brave men and women, I say THANK YOU. Thank you for your service, for fighting for the freedoms I enjoy. Thank you for giving up what's comfortable and familiar to you so that I can feel safe in a place that is comforable and familiar to me. Thank you for the sacrifice you make on behalf of those who don't even know your name. Thank you for bravely serving to protect and defend our great nation. I pray for blessings and safety for you and your families.

Sweet Text

Today I received this sweet text from my brother:

"i just want to tell you i love you so much and that God has been good to us and will continue to be good to us"

:)

Meet the New Man in my Life

God has placed it on my heart to sponsor a child for quite some time now. Growing up, my parents "adopted" 2 children from Guatemala for my brother and I to support. I wrote letters to Deysey for many years until she turned 18 and left the program. Since then, I have wanted to do this on my own, but have just never done it. A couple of weeks ago, my 20s group decided that they were going to support a child through Gospel for Asia's Bridge of Hope program. I felt the Holy Spirit pressing on my heart that now was the time.

So I got online and signed up to sponsor a child. I instantly wanted to go through this organization; 100% of the funds go to the children, and their main focus is to share the love of Christ with each child. I immediately fell in love with this precious little boy and have been anxiously awaiting his information packet in the mail.

Meet Yusuf! He lives in India and is 6 years old. He enjoys playing see-saw and flying kites. My heart is bursting with joy, gratitude, and absolute humility that I get to support this precious little one throughout his schooling. He has asked for prayer for himself and his family, who are part of the group of outcasts known as "the untouchables." I cannot wait to write to him and begin to build a relationship with him. I will make sure to update you on this sweet boy.

With his sweet face hanging on my refrigerator, I cannot help but feel abundantly (and undeservedly) blessed with the life I live. Talk about putting my life in perspective. I realize that sponsoring this sweet little boy is only a tiny step toward obeying God's call to help the poor and oppressed. But I needed to start somewhere. And so I pray that this is just that: the first step toward understanding the heart of God for "the least of these." The beginning of a broken heart for the lost and the needy. I also pray for Yusuf; that he may know and understand the love of God and come to a saving knowledge of His Son.