One Matters

You can make a difference. One does matter! I have personally met sweet Catherine, I spent my summer getting to know and bond with her and in the short time I had with her I can see how much of a difference sponsorship has made in her life. Catherine is one of the sweetest, most other centered girls I've ever met. She is an incredible girl. One who's life has been transformed through her sponsors. It's because of people like the Gruver's, people who are willing to help make a difference in these children's lives, that they have hope and love but more then that a future. You too can be the one to change a child's life. Join the many voices that are crying out on behalf of children like this. Become a sponsor now and be the one to make that difference. Please, don't just pity these children, do something to help them! For $27 a month you can truly be the hands and feet of Jesus transforming a child's life and giving them a brighter future!

 http://everyorphan.org/sponsor-an-orphan/

  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 

James 1:22

"For the glory of God!"

"

"Keep Changing The World"

   "With God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26), therefore we CAN change the world if we try!! The question is, are we willing to step out and make a difference? To change the world? To touch lives and impact countries for Christ? This is our calling, our destiny as Christians. Are we...are you willing to obey the commission of our God in whatever capacity He might call you to serve? Think about. The Great King of the universe, the One who created everything, the One who died to save you, has called us to reach out to the world, sharing the good news and serving people in His name. If He wanted to He could do it Himself, but He has chosen to allow us this blessed privilege of stepping forth by His power to do these things through and for Him. As the least we can do in response to His sacrifice, will we do it?  

"For the glory of God!"

Make a difference in this world!!

    Over 50% of the earth's population has never heard of Jesus. They've never heard of...and for many, never experienced this kind of love and grace. Every day...even every hour, millions around the world are dying without the assurance of salvation, they are entering into an eternity in hell because they've never been given the chance to accept Him. They will miss out on eternity in heaven with Christ because someone refused to go out and share the good news.

 "...not many people have the opportunity to be a missionary' -Jim Elliot. 

(and that because not many obey God's call)

  "Many are called but few are chosen" in Matthew 22:14

   How sad is that truth! It is so sad to think that somewhere out there are people passing into eternity without knowing God because someone would not obey God's call. If more people would obey the call of God, more people would have the chance to repent and turn to God before it was too late. How would you feel if you were standing before the throne of God and found out that someone was in hell because you did not obey God? Imagine the horror of knowing you had the chance to save that soul and you never even tried!!

       As Christians we are called to go out into the world and share the good news, making disciples of all nations. (Mat. 28: 19-20) This is not an option. We are commanded by our risen Lord and King to GO! Whether that means witnessing within our hometown or going to another country is up to God not us! We are not called to choose when we will obey, where we will go, who we will go to or how far we will go. We are simply told to OBEY! In every situation, under every command.

     If you have the chance to save a life don't stop until you do!! If you have the opportunity to step in and make a difference in the eternity of even one person, keep trying! If God has called you to the mission field, GO! If God has called you to some form of ministry within your hometown, OBEY!! If God has called you to witness to someone, DO IT!! God will not abandon you!! If He has called you to something, I urge you with every fiber in my being, do not rest until you fulfill that call!!

"For the glory of God!"

"Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."

Matthew 9:37

                 
                                          

Wide is Your love and grace

      You know, when you go on a long of a mission trip you see it all…the good, the bad and the ugly. You have your ups and your downs and sometimes the downs outweigh the ups. These are the days that you need God the most. The days that you turn to Him with breaking hearts crying out for strength to finish the day. It is in these moments that you find just how faithful He is.

       I saw so much pain and sorrow in such small children that my heart was breaking over and over during our Camp Hopes. True, I saw a lot of beauty, joy and healing, but I also saw the scars from the past that these children faced and the pain that was in their eyes. I saw how abuse, neglect and sorrow had taken their toll on these precious children. Yet through the efforts of the staff and mission teams that came in, I saw God’s grace and love working in their lives until they were changed children by the end of camp.  Again, this is God’s work. God was truly at work in their lives through these hard working missionaries. For many of these children, this is all it took to bring them to the Lord.

    God’s love and grace truly is wide and does indeed extend to the ends of the earth. I have seen it happen. I have seen the hand of God reaching down from heaven to change lives, heal hearts and create eternal bonds with Him in the lives of these children. If God can sit on the throne of heaven and rule the entire earth, yet still care enough to send these missionaries to Zambia for the sake of those children, then truly He is a gracious and loving God!! Wide indeed is His love and grace!!  I know it, you know it and now, those children know it as well. Praise be to the Lord for saving 400+ children in 3 weeks!!!!
                                              "For the glory of God!'
                                          “Wide is your love and grace…
                               you never change  you never fail oh God!” 
                                     - “Unchanging” by Chris Tomlin

Great is Your faithfulness!l!!

      As I look back on the 2 months that I was in Zambia and think about all that happened in such a short time, I am again filled with awe and amazement at the faithfulness of the One I call my Father. Thinking back over all that I went through, the hardships and joys alike, I am again reminded of just how faithful He really is.
     When you go on that long of a mission trip you see it all…the good, the bad and the ugly. You have your ups and your downs and sometimes the downs outweigh the ups. Some days all you see is the good in the trip; the beauty and the joy of what is happening around you. On other days you see only pain, suffering and heartache. It is in these moments that God was truly there for me, giving me strength to face these hardships, courage to finish the day, comfort to heal my breaking heart and love to comfort the hurting children.

  There were many days when I felt that my heart was breaking more then I ever thought  it could. But without fail, He always came through for me. He was always right there with me, knowing before hand what I was going to face and preparing me for it. Waiting with open arms for me to run to Him when my heart was breaking for those children, standing by my side when I fought off Satan’s attacks.  Throughout this trip I experienced His faithfulness in more ways then I ever have before.  I have always known Him to be faithful but never have I been so sure of it as I am now.  I  know that He is faithful in every little are of our lives and will never change! I have seen this again and again these past 2 months and have more stories about His faithfulness then anything else. Faithful indeed is the One who is worthy of our praise!

“For the glory of God!”
“Great is Your faithfulness....You never change, 

You never fail, oh God!”

 -“Unchanging”, Chris Tomlin

Victorious Martyrs vs. possible marytrs

    “He is no fool who gives that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose” –Jim Elliot

          My mom recently bought a series of movies about famous Christian martyrs and the work that they did for the kingdom. As we watch the lives and deaths of these people I can’t help but ponder my own faith. These people loved the Lord and were obedient and faithful enough to Him that they ultimately gave all they had: their lives. They lived and then they died for the Lord, dedicating every minute of their lives to the Lord, living in service and obedience to Him. They spent their lives and deaths serving Him with every breath in their bodies. For many this meant, their dying breath was a prayer, a song, a plea to God that brought people to the Lord. John Bunyan once said “If by my life or death I can serve the Lord, I will.” 

        William Tyndale was burned at stake,  Paul was arrested, beaten, stoned and eventually beheaded, Perpetua was mauled by wild animals then killed by the sword in a Roman arena,  Eric Liddel died in a prison camp, Peter was crucified, Stephen was stoned, Felix Manz was drowned…the list goes on and on from the Lord’s death down through the years to modern day 2012.  The list of Christians who gave up their lives for the Lord is perhaps the longest list in human history. Yearly, even daily, brave men and women are willingly laying down their lives for the sake of the gospel. So we have to ask ourselves..or more to the point, I have to ask myself, if I was faced with the same situation, would I react with the same boldness, courage and breathtaking faith that those martyrs did? How would my faith compare with theirs? 

        As Christians we are not called to compare our faith to others nor to try and live up to their standards of faith. We are simply called to walk in truth, living with our own measure of faith. However, the question still stands: “if God ever sees fit to place me in that situation and have me suffer, maybe even die for the sake of my faith, will He find me standing strong, or wavering in my faith"?”  As Christians we are constantly under attack by Satan. Though he uses different methods of attack for each of us, it is still the same: he is out to destroy our faith and wreck the plan that God has for us. We are called to stand in our faith, unwavering, fighting off the darts of the enemy. If that means standing in the face of suffering or martyrdom, will we prove victorious in that day? 

       I pray that if ever God sees fit to use my suffering or death for His glory, then I too will stand strong. Let us make this the prayer of our lives, that God will strengthen us and empower us to bear all that He has for us, even if it be suffering or death.

                                                “For the glory of God!”

Worshiping in our every day lives

     Over the summer I discovered the true meaning of worship. Worship is more then an act of the heart. It is more then singing praise in church or talking about how great God is. All of these things are an act of worship, but true worship is so much more then that. True worship exceeds past verbal and physical acts of worship, beyond the human mind and into the spirit. True worship is the art of praising and thanking the Lord in every situation and area of your life. To find the beauty, the gift, the blessing  in every situation and turn it into praise.  Finding God in everything you do or experience.

      At the beginning of the trip we had a lot of down time so it was easy to find time in the word and prayer, but once camp season started it became increasingly difficult until I was seldom able to find any time in the word. But instead of spiritually suffering from lack of time with the Lord, I turned more fully to the Lord in prayer and communion and this part became the most fruitful time of the trip.  As things got busier, I found myself talking to God about the every day issues of the trip and being in constant communion with the Lord. As I continued to talk to the Lord my faith continued to grow stronger. Through this bond of communion, I turned all that I did into acts of worship to the Lord.

     As I have discovered, we can worship God in any situation, in everything we do. If we are in constant communion with the Lord throughout all we are doing, we are turning that situation into an act of worship to our Maker. Communion with the Lord is one of the best acts of worship. It is the art of bringing God into our everyday life and incorporating Him into all that we do. It is the act of allowing Him to be part of our everyday lives. If we want to live for Him in everything we do, then why not live with Him in everything we do? Why do we limit our worship strictly to songs without exceeding our Sunday morning routine? We seem to forget that it is through constant communion with Him and dedicating our work to Him that we open the door of our heart for a closer relationship with the Lord. If we let Him in God is more then willing to be part of our everyday lives. He is waiting at the door of our hearts, seeking our worship, waiting for us to worship Him in everything we’re doing. It is up to us whether we are willing to grab hold of His hands and invite Him to be part of our lives or put Him in a box and limit our communication.
                                                      “For the glory of God!”

 "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." 

                                                                John 4:23