Resolved!

Happy New Year one and all!

As it is the beginning of the year 2012 I thought I would follow in the glorious tradition of old and jot down my resolutions for the upcoming year. Hardly an original thought I grant you but a fine one nonetheless. So without further ado.


RESOLVED - To become conversational in French I am tempted to say fluent but that feels a bit ambitious (this is a bit of a freebie in one sense, due to the fact that I must enroll in French courses in order to receive my desired assignment in Africa) but I truly want to dedicate my self to diligently study and commit to memory this Language in order to be better prepared to live and serve in Africa, and to share the good news of salvation in their native tongue.

RESOLVED - To utilize my copy of Operation World and commit to praying for a different people group every week.

RESOLVED - To exercising greater wisdom and frugality in regards to my finances. Although I have made some strides in this area this year there is still much room for improvement!

RESOLVED - To commit ("you keep using that word...I do not think it means what you think it means") to memory the book of James. I love this book of the Bible and I truly want to make scripture memorization a priority this year.

RESOLVED - To be less self focussed and more aware of others. To seek God's approval not man's.

RESOLVED - To be unswerving in my devotion to God by the constant filling of my soul through the absorbing of His knowledge and truth written down for me in the Bible.

God I pray that you would give me the grace and the strength to become more like your glorious Son this year. And to bring glory and honor to you! You truly are the only one deserving of my worship!

Amen

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick post to say Merry Christmas to everybody! I hope you all enjoy a weekend filled with laughter, love, and fellowship with friends and family! And most importantly to celebrate the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ!

God Bless!

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Africa Update :)

Hello all!

Quick update on Africa. I have been corresponding with Stephanie (my assignment coordinator) and we have found an assignment that looks great! She has contacted the field and is corresponding with them to see if I would be a good fit for them. I would so appreciate your prayers that if this is the God's plan He would help everything go smoothly. Also would appreciate prayers for peace and patience for me!

Okay...and now confession time, I really really struggle with follow through. I have a very strong tendency to start out extremely gung-ho about things and then fizzle out like a can of flat pop. You may have noticed this in the writing of this blog. I know I have been pretty skimpy on posting the last two months, and I can't promise it is going to get a ton better any time soon. However this is something that I really want to grow in, as it effects many areas of my life. And since change rarely (never) occurs without effort I am going to endeavor to, with hard work...a lot of prayer...and the grace of God, start to make that change. One tangible way is going to be with this blog. It is my intention to submit a post at least once a week. Now it is possible that this will subject you (the reader) to some less than stellar writing but I hope you will forbear.

Along with this I plan to commit to memory a verse of scripture each week which I will include at the end of my weekly post. In John Piper's message last week he spoke with such passion of the importance of immersing yourself in the Word of God. And the joy his time in the Scriptures has brought him is gloriously evident. I want that to be true of me. I want to make spending time in God's word my number one priority every day. As I fall asleep at night I want the truth found in God's word streaming though my mind...not the plot of last nights episode of Leverage.

~I think that will be all for tonight

"The Christian life is very much like climbing a hill of ice. You cannot slide up. You have to cut every step with an ice axe. Only with incessant labor in cutting and chipping can you make any progress. If you want to know how to backslide, leave off going forward. Cease going upward and you will go downward of necessity. You can never stand still." Charles Spurgeon

No Compromise

"How could I love another?

My knees bow only to One Name

My lips have One King to proclaim!

I will lift none other high

This is my one heart's cry

No Compromise!"

I love this song! It is "No Compromise" by Peter Furler! I have recently been convicted of once again becoming entangled in entertainment. It is amazing how it saps my love for God and diminishes my joy. It promises; laughter, fun, excitement, romance, and adventure....but its promises come back empty. While there is fleeting pleasure to be sure there is no lasting joy. How could there be...for it takes my eyes off the only true source of joy!  "No man can serve two masters..." I realize this verse is in reference to money but I feel it applies here as well! 


I have found that my greatest temptation to mindless viewing of entertainment comes when I am alone. 90% of what I watch... I watch alone. Therefore I have decided I will not allow myself to watch anything unless it is with another person. I am going to test this plan for one month..and as today is the first of December...it works out perfect. If I find that either a: I am still watching copious amounts of entertainment and simply drawing others into my weakness, or b: that I find myself still watching things secretly, I plan to, by the grace of God, cut out all entertainment from my life. If I am not strong enough to exercise self-control there is nothing else to be done. "No man can serve to masters" I know who I want to serve! 


I would welcome your encouragement and accountability. 

How could I love another?

 My knees bow only to One Name.

 My lips have One King to proclaim. 

No Compromise!