Monday, October 19, 2009

Showers of Blessings

Notice that one word: showers. It doesn't say 'thunderstorms' or 'downpours' ... simply showers. God sends blessings our way, and He doesn't just throw them all on us at once; but rather, He showers them upon us at just the right moment.



Last Thursday wasn't all that bad. My classes were going somewhat slower than I would have liked, and some other small issues were frusterating me. I decided to take a lunch break and check my email. A friend of mine from church, Mrs. Miller, told me the previous night that she would write me the following morning - and that email was the first one I open Thursday afternoon. What an encouragement! There were things going on in her life that I wasn't even aware about Wednesday night at church, yet God used me in a small way to make her day a little brighter. Another lady in our church and good friend of mine had a stroke recently and has been having difficulty with her speech. It has improved so much from a few weeks ago, and through what Mrs. Miller wrote me about, God is most definitely at work in this lady's life and heart. It brought tears of joy to my eyes as I read this. It just goes to show what power our God has!



I had also been waiting for two weeks for a package to come in the mail. After a week or so I had almost given up, thinking it had gotten lost in the shuffle of things (it was coming from out of country). As I sat down to play the piano that one day, one of the verses in the song just really stuck out to me: ask and it shall be given unto thee, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall open unto you. I then realized that God knew I was waiting for that package, but He wanted me to ask Him for it to come. It may seem silly to some of you, and you may be thinking, "The package would have come in the mail whether or not you prayed about it." But you know what? I needed to have faith that God could get that package to me; even in that little thing, it wasn't too small for Him to handle. So I gave the matter to the Lord, and simply asked ... for the next week. Right when my hopes were pretty much dashed, the package came in the mail. What an answer to prayer, and at just the right time!



Sunday had to have been the best day of all. I was on my way to church, thinking about how much I missed my friends and how youth group wasn't the same without them. I walked in the door and up the stairs with my sister. As I turned the corner, someone standing under the coat rack caught my attention. I had to to a double-take (or so my mom says!), and standing there was KAY!!!!! (For those of you who aren't aware, Kay is one of the best friends ever who just recently went to college.) Neither she, her mom, nor anyone in the church told me she was here for the weekend on fall break! That was one of the best suprises I've had in who knows how long!! I gave her the biggest hug ever, being careful not to squish her ;) It was so great to be with her all morning, to catch up, just to talk really. I look forward to when she comes back for Thanksgiving, but am thankful that the Lord brought her here now.



This was just to encourage you all to never give up on the Lord. He knows what He's doing, and has a perfect plan for your life if you'll only let Him into your heart.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

His Strength... One Day at a Time

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've written! My life has been increadibly busy, the past two weeks in particular. As I told one of my friends this week, God will never give us more than He thinks we are able to do. When it gets to be too much, He's right there to help.

Last Wednesday night before youth group, the teens went canvassing. We just started doing this, where once a month we will go out to our friends' houses, or those who haven't been in church for a while, and just invite them to upcoming activities or encourage them to come back to church. The turnout for this hasn't been that great, so I plan on talking to some of the teens in youth group about the importance of this ministry. I don't want to force any of the teens to come; I don't particularly like going up to and talking with people I don't know very well. It's coming easier for me along the way as I ask the Lord to give me that little ounce of courage when introducing myself to visitors at church. There are just so many people out there who need to hear God's Word and the good news of His salvation. Many believe that you can only be a good witness and testimony once you've become an adult. This is not true! In my opinion, teens can be more influential than adults because teens tend to be around people more than adults do; whether it be in school, church, the mall or workplace ... you name it, you're more than likely going to see at least a few teens anywhere: and people are watching. When you think of a typical teenager, what comes to your mind? disrespectful? rude? only caring about themselves? This is the way the world describes teens in this day and age, and it's considered acceptable. But oh how wrong they are! This is most definitely NOT acceptable in God's eyes, nor should it be in the eyes of a believer; which is why I want to encourage the teens at Maranatha - and in every church really - to get out there and witness to their friends, family, even strangers. In the long run it is worth it.

Going on a completely different track now.... I went to the DMV last Friday and got my driving permit. Yes, I've been on the roads already, as hard as that may sound to some of you who know I absolutely did not want to drive :) I'll tell you now, I'm not going more than 10mph at the moment, and totally freaked out when a cop started following me. It's good to be learning now though, as it will give me a bit more freedom. A start anyways ...

Saturday was our second to last culinary class at the Leman's house. We learned the art of bread making. Lots of fun, and very tasty afterwords! Pictures soon to come, thanks to Mrs. Muresan.

I'd like to end this entry with a verse I read a few days ago in my devotions. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." No matter what decision you have to make - in the next few days, weeks, even years - give it to God completely. Many things that you decide to do will not affect you in a major way, such as what outfit you will wear, whether you're going to have cereal or eggs for breakfast. But there are many things that we cannot just decide on on our own. I'm not saying we shouldn't take the small things to God too; God wants us to take everything to Him in prayer. Just don't make any life-altering plans without going to God first. Submit fully to Him, and He will show you what He wants for your life. Mrs. Huber, a friend of mine, sent this to me. I trust you will take a few moments to really think about it - "Trapped in His Love for you that all things happen at just the right time when He is allowed to be in control."