It's the most craaaazy time of the year...there are kids that are coughing and no time for shopping, but be of good cheer!

...OK, dramatic intro?

Yes.

Accurate intro?

Again...yes.

See, I've been busy, I am busy and I'm going to be busy for the foreseeable future. Also, it would seem that at this point every child at work has come in coughing and hacking germs all over the place and now I've been dealing with sickness that just won't quit. It's also making it's rounds through the rest of the staff at Wesley Chapel Mission Center. We super duper excited about it. We love sharing. *cough cough*

Next on the list is the shopping. I haven't even been grocery shopping in weeks...we're down to the weirdest of remnants in our cabinets. (Anyone know what you can do with a can of pumpkin, spicy ramen, Nutella, taco seasoning and Rally's ketchup packets?) If I can't even go grocery shopping, how's a girl to Christmas shop?

Be of good cheer though, right?!? Yes, good people! BE OF GOOD CHEER! Next week I only work TWO days, I get to eat lots of food (yay! ...no groceries, remember?), I get to see Leanna and family AND...I get to go black Friday shopping with Valerie. The tradition continues! Yay us. Good cheer cometh...is coming...approacheth...will soon be here.

Needless to say life's on the up and up. God has been blessing me in so many ways I can't begin to explain it all, but He is good. He is always good. I'm learning more about Him and what our relationship is and can be. I currently have the best church family, pastoral family, set of friends and work enviroment that I've ever had. Things are just good. I miss my family, but I'm stoked about seeing them in a few weeks.

I know I have plenty to be Thankful for...how about you?

Seeing God through the eyes of a child..

I realize I started this blog sort of as a way to hold me accountable for my daily devotions but, as obvious from my lack of posts, I haven't been very successful on that front. Not that I haven't been doing much better in my devotions as of late, but posting on here daily is nigh impossible. For starters I haven't had internet at home in several weeks, not to mention my new job that's keeping me hopping (I'm an Easter bunny in training).

My new job is teaching me all kinds of great and challenging new things, but I feel like I'm growing so much from every experience. I am learning to be more disciplined and actually learn to schedule things out. (I have a planner and everything...wow.) I am also finding that in preparation for each Bible lesson I almost think I'm learning more than the kids! I'm learning to study with new eyes and to seek out the simplest message of each verse. It's been amazing to find that in trying to figure out how to teach the concept to the children I, myself, am learning more about God and just exactly who He is and what He requires of us.

I have already lost my heart to several of the kids down here, and my sister accused me of always loving the worst the best. She was visiting as a guest speaker one afternoon and held a health/safety class. I can't help but think that she's probably right...somehow it's always the troublemakers that worm their way into my heart. I just feel blessed to have the opportunity to share my faith and Christ's love with these kids. Please pray for me as I continue to work in Over-the-Rhine and impact the Kingdom!

Not dead...

I have started like a billion posts and just haven't finished any yet! Promise.

...ok...not a billion...I don't promise that.

To those that care...

You've not been forgotten. Nor has my attempt to have this blog be an account of my devos. I've simply been busy, as well as without web access for awhile.

I have been working on several things between God and myself. Thanks for asking. So far, I'm doing great...but I ask that you keep me in your prayers.

Went to a camp this weekend. It was good, sought God, He responded, I'm excited.

Will write more at a later date. Love you all and keep on pushing forward...it's worth it!

God bless,
Tiffany

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12

How to Forgive With God's Help, by Jack Zavada

My devotional for today was actually something I read online. I did a little other reading with this, but for the sake of time I'm only listing this one portion because it carries the message I wish to convey. I needed this for my own reasons and thought I'd share it with you all in case someone else needed it as well.

How to Forgive With God's Help, by Jack Zavago

Learning how to forgive others is one of the most unnatural duties in the Christian life.

It goes against our human nature. Forgiving is a supernatural act that Jesus Christ was capable of, but when we are hurt by someone, we want to hold a grudge. We want justice. Sadly, we don't trust God with that.

There is a secret to successfully living the Christian life, however, and that same secret applies when we're struggling with how to forgive.
How to Forgive: Understanding Our Worth

We are all wounded. We are all inadequate. On our best days, our self-esteem hovers somewhere between feeble and fragile. All it takes is disapproval—or perceived disapproval—to send us staggering. These attacks bother us because we forget who we really are.

As believers, you and I are forgiven children of God. We have been lovingly adopted into his royal family as his sons and daughters. Our true worth comes from our relationship to him, not from our appearance, our performance or our net worth. When we remember that truth, criticism bounces off us like BBs ricocheting off a rhino. The trouble is that we forget.

We seek others' approval. When they reject us instead, it hurts. By taking our eyes off God and his acceptance and putting them on the conditional acceptance of our boss, spouse, or friend, we set ourselves up to be hurt. We forget that other people are incapable of unconditional love.
How to Forgive: Understanding Others

Even when other people's criticism is valid, it's still hard to take. It reminds us that we have failed in some way. We didn't measure up to their expectations, and often when they remind us of that, tact is low on their priority list.

Sometimes our critics have ulterior motives. An old proverb from India goes, "Some men try to be tall by cutting off the heads of others." They try to make themselves feel better by making others feel bad. You have probably had the experience of being put down by a nasty remark. When that happens, it is easy to forget that others are broken just like us.

Jesus understood the brokenness of the human condition. No one knows the human heart like him. He forgave tax collectors and prostitutes, and forgave his best friend Peter, for betraying him. On the cross, he even forgave the people who killed him. He knows that humans—all humans—are weak.

For us, though, it usually doesn't help to know that those who have hurt us are weak. All we know is that we were injured and we can't seem to get over it. Jesus' command in the Lord's Prayer seems too hard to obey: "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." (Mark 6:12, NIV)
How to Forgive: Understanding the Trinity's Role

When we have been hurt, our instinct is to hurt back. We want to make the other person pay for what they did. But exacting revenge steps over the line into God's territory, as Paul warned,

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. (Romans 12:19, NIV)

If we cannot take revenge, then we must forgive. God commands it. But how? How can we let it go when we have been unjustly hurt?

The answer lies in understanding the Trinity's role in forgiveness. Christ's role was to die for our sins. God the Father's role was to accept Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf and forgive us. Today, the Holy Spirit's role is to enable us to do those things in the Christian life we cannot do on our own, namely forgive others because God has forgiven us.

Refusing to forgive leaves an open wound in our soul that festers into bitterness, resentment, and depression. For our own good, and the good of the person who hurt us, we simply must forgive. Just as we trust God for our salvation, we have to trust him to make things right when we forgive. He will heal our wound so we can move on.

In his book, Landmines in the Path of the Believer, Charles Stanley says:

We are to forgive so that we may enjoy God's goodness without feeling the weight of anger burning deep within our hearts. Forgiveness does not mean we recant the fact that what happened to us was wrong. Instead, we roll our burdens onto the Lord and allow Him to carry them for us.

Rolling our burdens onto the Lord—that's the secret of the Christian life, and the secret of how to forgive. Trusting God. Depending on him instead of ourselves. It's a hard thing but not a complicated thing. It's the only way we can truly forgive.

Family devotions, accountablity and determination...

Did you grow up in a home that had/has family style devotionals? I'm not sure who all would be familiar with the series called The Bible Story by Arthur Stanley Maxwell, but those were some of our family's devotional material. I remember sitting in the living room while Dad would read from those books, as all of us sat quietly listening to the stories. Those were special times. I treasure family devotions, so when I was blessed with a small, make-shift family this summer I was super excited to get to pull out our own copy of The Bible Story and begin our own "family" devotions.

Christianna and Laura are two fellow GBSers that have been rooming with my sister and I this summer and we've become that make-shift family. They're great girls and I've really enjoyed getting to know them better. Both of them were more than game to have devotions together, so we set the time frame for after Nichole got back from work each night. The reading was done in turns and whoever was reading that night was also in charge of the prayer. I felt like these times were meaningful and a time of bonding for all of us girls. Sadly we're having to alter the devotionals a bit, because Christianna is now traveling for several weeks and Laura and Nichole are leaving for Ukraine next week, but we've begun a tradition that I feel we'll be able to return to once we're all back together and I eagerly await that time!

OK, so I realize that this week was definitely NOT the best for my "daily" devotionals...online anyway. I would like to go on record (just for a little accountability) that I have been having my own personal devotions, but I simply had a busy week and got behind with the blog version. Thanks for anyone that's keeping tabs though!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how blessed I am to be able to surround myself with Christian reading materials, to take them to any public setting (coffee shop, Panera, etc.) that I like to hang out and read, or for that matter walk into most book stores, thrift stores and a host of other places and find Christian reading material. I am blessed so much!

While I've been thinking about this, I've realized how little advantage I've taken of said blessings. I have read plenty of Christian texts of course...I did just spend five years in Bible college, but how many have been of my own choosing, for pleasure, just to learn more and strengthen my faith? I have read several things on my own, devotional type things or perhaps something specific to a need, struggle or issue in my life, but I've realized how sadly lacking I've been in this area.

I am constantly drawn in to a good book I see on the shelves of a Good Will or Half Price Books, but due to all the extra curricular reading I've done over the last several years I find myself stacking them on a bookcase with the "I can't wait to read that!" approach. Well this summer I want to beat that slump...I want to read again...just for fun, just because I want to, just because I have a desire to learn more about God, His characteristics, my faith, my heritage and a host of other things.
Sure, I like to read books that are fiction, mystery, sci fi, etc. but I want to cultivate the desire to continue learning without it being for an assignment. I'm determined to take time for this this summer. So feel free to recommend reading material (we'll see how long it takes me to get through what I've already got) and check in on me to see how it's going!

Anyway, hope you all are doing well and staying close to God. Blessing to each of you!

“For whatsoever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” – Romans 15:4

Weary and heavy laden...

Matthew 11:28 (MKJV)
"Come to Me all [you] who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Rest. Wow. Man I sure could use some of that! Currently our apt stays about 10° warmer than whatever it is outside...sometimes it may be more. Do you know how hard it is to sleep in the heat? You just lie there, sweating...it's super exciting.
This, however, isn't exactly what God's talking about. Sure we need to rest our bodies, but God's talking about something bigger than that, a deeper rest...a rest for our souls.

I don't know about you but some days I just feel so tired from all the ups and downs emotionally, the stress and worry of life, the toll that everyday concerns take on us, that I just find myself weary. 100% worn out. It's those days that I realize just how finite I am...how vunerable I am to Satan's attacks...how weak and feeble my defenses are.

BUT...this verse serves as a reminder to me specifically. It reminds me that the reason I'm feeling so weary and weak isn't because of all that I have going on in my life...it's because I've been neglecting to rest in Him. I haven't turned those emotions, stresses, worries and everyday concerns over to God...I've been trying to carry them on my own again. Boy can I be stupid! God is so much stronger, smarter, just all around better than I am and yet I seem to think I can do a better job with all those things. You'd think eventually I'd catch on!

So here's my challenge to you (and myself)...leave it in God's hands and find your rest in Him!

Blessings!
-Tiff

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

Busy but blessed!

This isn't exactly a normal devo, but rather more of an update...

I realize it's been a while since I posted anything on here, but I have an excuse! I was busy with life -- I was privileged with the opportunity to attend one of my best friends weddings! It was beautiful...SHE was beautiful...and the ceremony had me in tears. It was a wonderful day and I'm super happy for both Chris and Cheryl. I'm excited to see the things God has in store for them and how He's going to use them to further His kingdom!

Genesis 2:23-24
The man said,"This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man,"
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother,
and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

A quick update about the weekend:

The trip was interesting, seeing as how we started only 28 miles from home with a broken down car. We managed to drag that out into a 2hr + ordeal, then finally got our 8hr drive started around 8pm which put us at our destination around 5am! Once there we were taken to our cabin and then tried to get settled in for a few hrs. sleep...only to realize that a hoard of stink bugs had infested the place. (Thanks PA!) We spent over an hr battling these little boogers, and finally attempted to sleep. There's plenty more to this story, but this is the simple recap. The rest of the day was spent grabbing lunch, helping at the church and wandering around lost for awhile.
The next day was filled with wedding craziness, fixing hair, buttoning dresses, trying to figure out seating arrangements, etc. Then once we'd said our goodbyes to the bride and groom and were done with everything at the church, we went to crash at Alinda's house. Several of us fell asleep even. We watched an interesting movie and then finally went back to the cabin. The bugs were awaiting our arrival, but we were prepared...this time we had raid!
Sunday we went to a Mennonite church with Leanna, had lunch at the Martin's, tried to take a nap and then began the long journey home. It was a wonderful weekend, filled with so many laughs my sides still ache, several moments of tears and shared hugs and just the general making of memories that makes life so special. I had the best companions a person could ask for! God kept us safe and gave us an amazing trip. I am so blessed!!!

On a side note, I've enjoyed the group devotions we've been doing since we got back. We've been taking turns reading the story and praying. It's so special to live where we can share so openly like that. God is good!

Getting to the root of the issue...

Ezekiel 47:12 (The Message)

12 "But the river itself, on both banks, will grow fruit trees of all kinds. Their leaves won't wither, the fruit won't fail. Every month they'll bear fresh fruit because the river from the Sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing."

I've been reading a book that deals with an issue I deal with specifically. This verse was referenced and I loved the application the author went into. I'm not going to type it up word for word, but basically she says that we can't change the soil (or environment) we grew up in, nor can we ourselves change the root issues, but if we allow Jesus to work on the roots, the entire plant can be changed. In other words the fruit can be changed, which is exactly what God wants to do in each of our lives. He wants us to give Him full reign and control to change (dig at, prune, etc) whatever He wants. Once this is done the fruit will be "for food and their leaves for healing". Think about the powerful tools God will have in our lives for others that have dealt with the same issues we have. Think of the healing your fruit can bring to another...how exciting to be at a place we can be used! How much better to help another, than to dwell in our own bad experience and never allow Christ to work on those roots?

God, my prayer to You is that You'll work deep into that soil and get right into the heart of my "roots". I want to be the kind of fruit that can feed and heal others. Give me strength for whatever changes are necessary. Thank You for being there through all of the pruning I need so desperately. I love you, Lord. Use my life for Your glory. Amen.

Servitude

Matthew 20:26-28 (NLT)

26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

I love the way this version of these verses reads. The very first phrase draws me in, "But among you it will be different..." Wow! OK, so let's just start there. We as Christians have a responsibility, we are called to be different, not just here in these verses, but throughout the Bible it talks about us being "set apart" like in Psalms 4:3. With us...thing are to be different.

On that note, it's not just a matter of how we dress, where we go or what we say that makes us different. It's a matter of how we act. This verse specifically targets those that would be the leaders among us. Does it suggest practicing more than all others in order to be better and more qualified for leadership positions? Does it mention stepping on the "little people" in order to work your way up? NO! These verses show us how real leaders are made, they're not made from better gifts and skills than you or I have, they're made from the ability to serve as Christ served, to reach out to the neediest, to the poor and friendless...to the sinners even. This verse never once says that we're only to serve fellow Christians so do not take for granted the power of your servant-like attitude. What a witness it can be to those around you! People are always stumped at a person that will go out of their way to do something considered "beneath" them. The world has a "look out for myself" mindset, therefore they do not understand the heart that sees and helps another. It's beyond their comprehension.
I find it fascinating that these verses don't just say "act like a servant"...no, they repeat the sentiment with a second comparison, this is to that of a slave! No one wants to be someone's slave, the suffering and mistreatment this brings to mind causes us to shudder. BUT, we are not called to only serve those that are nice to us, those that say thank you or pat us on the back...we are called to serve as Christ would. This means all mankind, even the cruelest of men, the most ungrateful and undeserving. God doesn't ask His people to only do the easy tasks, He asks us to do the impossible tasks, for how else should He show those looking on that He is bigger and more loving than even the most unlovable of men? That He sent His Son not only for the "good" people, but for the lowest of low?

Jesus was our example and He certainly blazed an amazing path. If we can catch but a mere flicker of the fire He had for the people of this earth, we will conquer the hearts of men. It starts small. Do what you can, where you can, for whom you can. Maybe this means clearing the dishes after dinner, playing the piano at church, shoveling a neighbor's driveway or giving a stranger a ride in the rain...but whatever opportunity presents itself, remember, we are to be the face of Christ.

God Bless.

Life's friendships...

Ecclesiastes 4:9–12

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. (NLT)

The power of friendship. It's crazy how a friend can make or break you sometimes. Some of the hardest times of my life have been due to something within a friendship. On the other hand most of my favorite memories revolve around friends, in fact sometimes the favorite memories and hardest times overlap one another. I'm often in awe about friendships. This is quite possibly the result of my own personality and personal value of all relationships, but regardless I stand, mouth metaphorically agape.

So often I've feared rejection the most when it comes to friends discovering more and more about me and finally learning that...*gasp* I have issues! BUT...it seems that the very things I fear the most are often met with more understanding and love than I can possibly comprehend.
I realize that this is greatly due to the fact that those I've chosen to surround myself with are God's children. I whole-heartily believe that the friends I'm closest to in life want the best for me and that they were brought into my life by divine providence. God's the one that created me with my unique design that is so very people oriented, and I know He's provided the right people to fit that design throughout my life.

I have, however, been the person that's chosen poorly. Sometimes I'm allowed myself to be influenced by the people from the later part of Proverbs 12:26. Those are always choices that I look back on and wonder what I was thinking.

I like what the above verse says about two being able to stand back to back and conquer. That's such a beautiful mental picture to me. I want people to "have my back" but how much better to have a friend willing to give me their's? Having someone's complete trust and faith in me, being in an equally giving relationship, is something I will probably never understand, but it's a wonderful experience nonetheless. Again, I'm also blessed enough to have those that are always there to extend their hand to me when I falter. God has been so good in His provision!

I've spent so many long nights up talking to friends. I've had weekends of laughter and fun with friends. We've shared tears and heartbreak, as well as smiles and hugs. We've shared clothes, food, cars, apartments and families. We've ran up each others phone bills, loaned each other cash and eaten each other's hidden stash of dorm snacks. My life has been touched and blessed by those I call friend. God has truly given me an invaluable gift through these people and I will never be able to repay Him or for that matter those very people. Their impact on me has been great, their faith in me has been extraordinary and our futures together are exciting. I realize life changes, people grow apart, but the beauty is you can't take away the memories we've shared and the affect they've had on me. They'll always be a part of me and for that I am grateful!

I love you guys...you know who you are!

God's Artwork

1 Chronicles 29:11

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.

Tonight I was reminded of the beauty within God's creation. I'm not actually talking about the creation of nature, such as trees, flowers and sunsets, but rather His beauty found within individuals.
I was invited to attend an art exhibition that houses the world's largest collection of artists under one roof...or so it claims, which I assume is true. This event has such an extensive variety in it's art that I wasn't even sure what to look at or where to begin.

I did, however, find myself drawn more to the photography rather than the sketches and paintings, but no matter what style of art it was, I was continually reminded of how beautifully different God designed each one of us. The very variations within the art are an expression of His creativity. We certainly serve an artistic God and I for one am thankful for the differences I can see within His creations. I realize that I'm rather limited when it comes to most of what I saw tonight, but I can appreciate the abilities God has given others and when I see those, I'm reminded that I too am unique and gifted by God. So Kudos to Pendleton Art Center for all they're doing down there and never forget that even the artistic expressions are God's! G'nite all...God Bless.

Behinds the scenes...

So lately I've been trying to think of a way to refresh my devotional life and get it back on track. Yesterday I was struck with inspiration...and it didn't even hurt!

The idea is to type up devotionals on this blog, my own or maybe a tidbit from whatever I've been reading, and then get feed back, input, criticism, discussion, accountability and a host of other benefits from those reading. I realize that the reality of my posting every single day is probably not great, but I'm going to post as often as possible and whenever I feel inspired.

Now...I'm asking that if you read this and have a thought or some words of wisdom that you please leave them in a comment. I'd appreciate feed back. If you'd rather not post publicly, just find me on Facebook or email me at gurl_of_grace3@yahoo.com! Thanks a ton and God bless.

-Tiff