. . .tomorrow. . .

. . . we are going back to the place of ocean and mountains. . .

privileged to answer His call

There seems to be something about the changing of seasons or transitions that the Lord often seems to leverage for growth and renewed clarity.  What joy to serve such a Saviour who is no content to leave us stuck in the mediocre - ever upward and onward!

"And He was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.  For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?"  

Luke 9:23-25

I have been reminded lately of Amy Carmichael's description of life in ministry.  She said simply "It is a chance to die". And to those who do not know and love Christ, that may sound both overwhelming and unappealing.  But to those who have seen and known their Savior there is a desire to live such a life, that in all things He may be known and preeminent.  

Yet lately the Lord has been revealing the difference in my life between knowing this truth and truly living it.  You can be involved in full-time ministry but still not truly daily dying to self.  You can be doing all the right things, reading the right books and saying the right things, but still be clinging to your life.  And perhaps it is in little ways, unseen or unnoticed by those around you.  We can be clinging to hidden comforts - silly things really - when there is a greater call upon our lives.

And the choice has been laid before me with such clarity.  We could try to live a self-preserving existence, one that clings stubbornly to trite and worldly things.   That clings to 'life' so tightly that the abundant life in Christ is never seen or lived.  But let us know this and neither avoid nor justify it no longer - in trying to keep our lives, in holding on to those things which make us more comfortable or life more easy, we lose the our life.  

The life of a Christian is to be an offering completely given, a sacrifice completely spent.  That is the life we are both called and enabled to live.  Let us answer the call upon our lives with abandon that in all things Christ may be preeminent and seen - and let us live our lives in a way that the supreme worth of Jesus is manifest!

"So the mixture of our message is life and death, laughter and tears.  But for us, life is never ordinary, life is never flat.  I'm here with a plea for you.  If you've known the love of God, if you have tasted of His sweetness at all, there is no other way to serve Him except to give up your life.  And this is voluntary. This is not a sentence of death at all. . .we are privileged to answer His call."  

Jackie Pullinger

when one does not write for a couple of months

When one does not write for a couple of months,

it is hard to know where to begin.  

And I'm not sure that this is the best time to begin again,

because there have already been some pretty funny slips of the fingers 

while I have been typing and slips of the tongue while I've been talking tonight.  

But something that has been mulling around in my head lately

as the Lord has given so many opportunities to read and hear and learn and discover

so many things, is that it would be so good to write.  

And one can say that they are busy.  

And one might be. 

Really Busy.

With more 'things to do' than there are 'hours in the day'. 

Yet, this one is pretty sure that life will probably never get less busy.  

And a lot of things in life, important things, will have to happen because they will probably never just  happen to happen.

So, Lord willing, there will be more things happening in this quiet corner.

(notice, I make no promises!) 

Writing about Jesus, the Gospel, life in ministry, unreached places and people.  

Thoughts after reading books and listening to sermons and studying Scripture.

Probably a smattering of funny stories about life too, because I want to remember things like that. 

But for now, all that is left to say is,

good night!  

  

To Walk This Earth

To walk this earth as my Master walked,

along dirt roads and trails

   feet covered in a thick grey dust

such is life - abundant and free.

To walk this earth as my Master walked

ever bent to the Father’s will

   every desire but His laid aside

such is life - abundant and free.

To walk this earth as my Master walked

proclaiming in the murky darkness

  the Light of Zion lives and shines

such is life - abundant and free.

To walk this earth as my Master walked

seeking the weak and the lost

  lavishly loving the least of all

such is life - abundant and free.

To walk this earth as my Master walked,

communion constant and sweet,

   loved by the King, my heart drawn to His
such is life - abundant and free!
nic.christine  july 2012

{africa}

If you had asked me a couple of months ago, 

I would have said that I would have been more likely to be planning a trip

to Antarctica than to Africa.

No exaggeration.  

Yet the Lord, in His mysterious and unexpected ways, opened the door 

(and then rather pushed me through it)

for me to join a team of five other people from here in Colorado

to go for three weeks to South Sudan.  

In a few short weeks, (we leave on May 20th) we will be partnering with the long-term

missionaries in the village of Nagishot to put on two VBS camps for the children of the villages.

We are currently in the midst of working on curriculum

(for it is rather impossible to find a pre-packaged deal for an unreached people group)

and oh! how beautiful it has been, to be constantly thinking about,

reading again and praying about how to communicate

the Gospel.

It is amazing to me, the beauty and simplicity of the Good News.  

The longer that I study it, the fewer words I seem to have, just a thankful and amazed awe.  

And to be part of the Lord's work in bringing the news

to a people for generation after generation

have lived in darkness, sin and fear - 

it seems like the most unbelievable privilege and joy.

It truly would be a blessing have a team of people 'holding the ropes' as we walk forward in this adventure.  Below are a couple of specifics in regards to prayer. . .

prayer points:

That the Lord would now be softening and awakening the hearts of these people, 

that they might see the worth of Christ and grasp the power of the Gospel.  

A true revival in the Didinga people, church and community.

For the translators we shall be working with - may the Truth penetrate deeply in their lives.
(we will be learning some key memory verses in their language (and just as much of their language as we can!) - and we'll probably need a special measure of grace for that one!) 

Wisdom, creativity and unction for curriculum development.

Unity, health and wholeness for the entire team - the Colorado contingent and the team already in Africa.

(if you are interested in a little more information, you can check out this blog or this one, written by two of the missionaries that we'll be joining.  All photos are from them!)

"I want to learn the words of God - come to Nagishot"

"For God so loved, that He sent. . ."

from hudson taylor

"My experience was that the less I spent on myself and the more I gave to others, the fuller of happiness and blessing did my soul become"

The secret of faith that is ready for emergencies is the quiet practical dependence upon God day by day which makes Him real to the believing heart.

"How then to have our faith increased? No by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One."

John 7:37-39 - "If any man thirst, let him come unto ME and drink" Who does not thirst? Who has not mind-thirst, heart-thirsts or body-thirsts? Well, no matter which or whether I have them all - "Come unto me and. . ." remain thirsty? Ah no! "Come unto me and drink"

What, can Jesus meet my need? Yes, and more than meet it. No matter how intricate my path, how difficult my service; no matter how sad my bereavement, how far away my loved ones; no matter how helpless I am,how deep are my soul yearnings -

Jesus can meet all, all, and more than meet. 

all quotes by Hudson Taylor

brothers.

Growing up, I rather wished for a sister rather than three younger brothers.  

Now I feel slightly sorry for anyone who doesn't have three younger brothers.

Younger brothers even grow up to be taller and older looking so everyone thinks you have older brothers.  

.......................

three random reasons why I have the three best brothers ever:

(just a sampling from a whole bunch of possible reasons)

one.

Robert finds fun, eclectic coffee shops close to downtown and then brings me there.  He makes our whole family laugh with his perfectly dry sense of humour and wants me to go back to university.

two.  

Michael has not only learned this song on the piano the original way but also has transposed it to the minor key.  It is pretty much amazing - and he is patient enough to play it repeatedly for his sister. 

You heard it first here, folks.  

three.

Ryan cam down to breakfast one morning and said that he wished that he could add 'Wallace' to his middle name.  So it would be 'Ryan William Wallace'.   He also wants to learn to play the bagpipes.

Yep, he's cool like that.  

.......................

Being able to spend time with them is one of my favourite parts about being home and I am so blessed to know each of them.  It is amazing watch them grow into men of integrity, to make hard decisions, stand alone, to work hard and grow closer to the Lord.  Love you all and will miss you while I'm away -  and who's going to make me laugh!

with a special thanks to our fun photographer and friend. . .that was quite the memorable afternoon, wasn't it Merissa?