Spiritual Harvest

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It's everywhere. It's almost inescapable. On Twitter, at work, on Facebook, at home, on Blogs, and in the news... it's everywhere. That three word phrase as the old year fades and the new one awakens... no, not "Happy New Year" -- that's another post entirely -- but "New Year Resolutions". Thoughts on this have been swirling around like a snowstorm in my heart these past few days, and the storm is slowly beginning to settle, forming each snowflake into words that describe how I am feeling...

I don't want to be the one to decide what to change. If God has taught me anything this year (and He has, beyond measure), it is that I couldn't begin to dream or imagine the depth of what He wants for our lives. The depth of what He can do when we move out of His way and surrender to Him, and trust Him to change US.

^"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."
-- Ephesians 3:20

I don't want a new year resolution... I don't want a new year, I want to be made new in Him daily... a daily dying to self.

I want what He wants.

He wants me to attach myself to His son, the True Vine, and receive life from Him. He wants my life to become intertwined with the Vine so deeply that the lines are blurred as to where one ends, and one begins. He wants that Vine sustaining my life completely. He wants my life to bear fruit for His kingdom, for His spiritual harvest.

He desires for me to surrender into His hands, to trust Him as the Vinedresser. The Vinedresser knows me intimately, knows which of my branches will not bear fruit, and knows when and how to prune those branches. No one does this with more love and more perfect timing than the One who created the branches, the one whose Son is the Vine. The One the fruits will bring glory to. The One for whom the harvest is for.

Not only does a branch not bear fruit when it stands by itself, unconnected to the vine, the branch can not bear the fruit of faith unless we form a relationship with the Vine and the Vinedresser. If I am not connected to the vine, then my branch, my life, my faith... will not grow. The wood of my branch will become worthless, no amount of pruning, watering, and tender loving care will make it whole again... without Him, I become nothing.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
John 15:5

I want and need His guidance, His tough love, His discipline, His pruning... I want to continue to surrender in infinite obedience to the Vinedresser for my life to become fruitful, and in order not to grow astray.


I am leaving the changes completely up to Him. I am at His mercy, and I am excited to see what He will do. I dare Him to surprise me... I have a feeling that He is going to blow.my.socks.off.

If nothing else, what an amazing grape juice my life will make...

Change me, Lord, into the branch that bears sweet fruit for your spiritual harvest.

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Attitude Of Gratitude

Even though today isn't officially Thanksgiving in Canada, in my heart it is. Not just today, but every day.

An attitude of gratitude is a choice. It is part of my daily choice to die to self, and to live for Christ. It is a life changing conscious decision to chose life, to breathe life, to speak life, to live life to the fullest. Most of us find it easy to be grateful when we are blessed with good news, a happy occasion, the sight of a beautiful sunrise... but how many of us make a choice to find the blessings in heartbreaking situations, in difficult circumstances, in strife? Is it that we chose not to see it, are we too comfortable in darkness... or that it takes too much effort?


Does it take effort to climb a mountain? To the one who has never climbed one, yes... but to the one who practices, trains for it, and is focused on climbing that mountain, the more the climber is experienced, the less effort it begins to take. Either way, whether you've climbed that mountain before or not, you have the power to chose to climb that mountain. The more you climb, the more it becomes second nature. And... like a healthy heart, body and soul... it begins to feel great. An attitude of gratitude is like a high impact workout for your spirit. Even better, there are no monthly gym membership fees, and everyone can join at any time.


Not a single one of us are spared hardship. Jesus, the Son of God, was not spared -- He had to learn obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5:8)... So who are we to believe that we should be spared suffering?

"I told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have trouble. But be brave! I have defeated the world!" John 16:33

So if pain is inevitable, if we have no other choice but to face battles in our lives, why chose to prolong the darkness, the bitterness, the anger, the disappointment, the pain? Each expression of gratitude is like a candle in the darkness. As long as we find one flicker of light, of gratitude, the darkness is lifted. The more light we find, the less power darkness has over us. Fill your heart with light, and it will no longer have room for darkness. Rather than being overwhelmed by the darkness surrounding us, why don't we make the choice to find the light? If we're not making that choice, then we are effectively choosing to extend darkness. Perhaps the pain, the suffering, wasn't our choice... but what we do from that point IS a choice.

It's not just a choice, but a command:

"Consider it pure joy my brothers--be thankful my brothers when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (James 1:2-4)

When we face trials, God tells us that we are to be joyful because the testing of our faith develops our perserverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3-4)

Too hard to feel joy in times of sorrow? Start with the smallest flicker of light. It is there, in the shadows, waiting to be discovered. Don't stop seeking until you find it, and once you find it, don't stop seeking.




On my way home a few Sundays ago, I struggled to see the light in the darkness for a few moments, so I started with the smallest, silliest light I could find, and worked my way up. It sounded something like this...

"Well, God... it's just you and me now. Today was especially difficult, Lord... help me find some good in it... even the tiniest thing (which are often the biggest things)..."

The first thing that came to mind? "I'm alive." How could I not be grateful?

Second thing? "I am breathing. I am breathing in, I am breathing out, and I continue to breathe." It's hard to be grateful when you're not breathing at all.

Third? "I am not alone, God, You are with me." Always.

The more time I spent focused on an attitude of gratitude, the easier it became, and the less power the darkness had. I even got really creative... "Well, Lord... I didn't have to do dishes, housework or laundry today... not that dishes are a bad thing, it just means we have served food... same with housework, it means we have been blessed with shelter... as for laundry, well, one could argue that laundry is good, especially if you're Canada in the wintertime, because it is an obvious sign that you do not belong to a nudist colony.... yeah, about that, Lord... are there any nudist colonies in Canada? But even nudist colonies in Canada would be grateful, for they'd have little laundry to do..."



It's not to say that eternally optimistic people aren't faced with challenges that are just as difficult as those being faced by people who struggle with gratitude. They just make a choice to respond differently.


What will your choice be?

"A Christian is one who majors in appreciation." -- John Versteeg




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Jesus Through Osmosis

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On our way home from the Christian book store tonight, Jillian and I talked about Jesus and how important it is to keep Him in our hearts, and to guard our hearts so that He'll remain firmly planted there.

I always love asking Jillian about God or Jesus, her answers are so sweet. Today was no exception.

I asked her how Jesus got into her heart, and she said "When I was in your belly, He was in your heart, so that's where I got Him... and now He lives in me, and He just keeps multiplying. Sometimes, He spills out a little, but He always jumps back in."

She's so vivid in her descriptions, so sweet, my heart just melts.

She understands about Jesus, God, salvation, and heaven in such a pure, Jillian-like innocence, a pure simplicity... there was never a choice, her beliefs "just are". That innocence is precious to me, in so many ways. I treasure seeing her living for Christ every day through how she loves others unconditionally, gently, sweetly, patiently... she's one of my greatest inspirations.



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God's Sword

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When we step aside and allow God to use our lives for His purpose, putting our entire life in His hands and giving ourselves completely to Him, it is much like becoming His sword for His battle. We don't always understand the battle, what He will ask us to do, where He will take us, or even His purpose, His plan.

We simply know that it won't be easy and that at the end of each battle, we may feel as though all we've gained is a chink in our blade...

Yet, we are to trust our Master, we are to fully die to self.

Does a sword ever question its Master? Does a sword ever hesitate in its Master's hands? When is a sword not brave, not willing, even knowing that its Master will not set it down until the battle is finished and won?



Inspired by Sunday morning's sermon at Living Water Community Church, Dalton, Ohio.



I have experienced the feeling of being God's sword in the last few months, especially so in the last few weeks, and it has been an awe inspiring experience. When I heard this message in church on Sunday, it took my breath away all over again. I had not seen it from this point of view, but it all fell into place and began to make sense for me in a way that was real, relevant, relentless...




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Hope

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"Hope raises its voice sometimes.

It has to talk louder than fear."



Amen.






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Dear Sponsor Child... Topics!

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Once in a while, you may get "writer's block" when it comes to writing to your Compassion child. Uhm, I can't honestly say that I've ever had writer's block very often, *cough cough*... but if you've struggle with what to write about, here's a neat idea that I used last year.



Our Compassion girls really seem to enjoy hearing about all our traditions and holidays, so one idea led to the next, and I decided to write to them about all the holidays we celebrate in Canada, in chronological order.

Each holiday had it's own little paragraph, explaining what the holiday was, how it was generally celebrated, and any traditions or thoughts I could share about the holiday. The letter turned out to be three pages, typed! I think they will enjoy this letter. We included one of those mini calendars for the girls. Terry and I went to the dollar store Wednesday after work, and found one with puppies, and two with kittens. Bessy loves dogs, Emily and Martha will probably love the kittens. I went through each month in the 3 calendars, highlighting holidays that I had written about, as well as our birthdays and theirs.

It was a lot of work, but I think they'll enjoy it. I'm kicking myself now, though, for not translating the days of the week at the top of each page, as well as the names of the months. I know I don't have to, but it would have been thoughtful of me to do that... *sheepish grin*

I asked them to share the differences between our holidays and theirs, and to tell me about their favorite holidays.



I look forward to hearing what they had to say!



What about you -- do you have any topic ideas for the days when you need something different to talk about?

What has been popular with your Compassion child as far as topics go?


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Dear Sponsor Child... Think Ahead!

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It's April.

Time to pull out summer holiday stuff... Canada Flags, 4th of July stickers... right?



Right!


Have you ever tried to find children's valentines in November? If you've ever had to do that once, you remember the following valentine's day to put some aside for your Compassion children's correspondence the following fall.


The reality is that it takes 2-3 months for a letter to reach your child. It doesn't seem like a long time when you consider how much a letter travels...

• From your house to your country's Compassion office.
• From there, the letter is opened, read, and everything is checked to be sure it's labeled and appropriate for your child. It is placed into a package destined for your Compassion child's specific country.
• Once it gets to the Compassion country's headquarters, I believe it is translated, and then sent to the child's Compassion center where it is distributed.
• So much love, so much care and attention, as well as prayers, each step of the way.

As you get in the habit of writing to your Compassion child with a "think ahead" mindset, you begin to plan in advance for what you'll send. You'd love for your child to receive valentines in February, and Easter stuff in the spring, Christmas cards in December, no?


Do yourself a favor -- when each holiday passes, check out the clearance shelves, and pick up a few extras to tuck into your correspondence kit -- you'll be glad you did about 9 months down the road...




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Dear Sponsor Child... Organization!

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One of the greatest joys of sponsoring a Compassion child, is to correspond with them. Receiving a letter from them, especially one with a photo, is like Christmas morning. Those precious letters from Martha, Emily, and from Bessy, are amongst the first things I'd save if the house caught on fire, once the kids/pets were safe and sound.

Last year, in an attempt to better keep track of the correspondence, I created a binder for each of our Compassion girls. I filled the book with page protectors, and placed the Compassion photos and account info, mailing labels and such in the first pocket, and then filled the rest with each letter sent or received, in chronological order.

I love this format, because it enables us to read the letters much like a story, and it makes it easy to search for information. With the page protectors, I don't have to worry about the kids handling the books, I know the letters will be safe. Since I use zippered binders, I can tuck extras into the inside pocket. That way, when I want to write to them, I have the stash of stickers, books, coloring books, photos, postcards and such right at my fingertips! Anytime I find stuff I know will come in handy, such as holiday things (Valentine's Day cards, birthday cards, Christmas cards, Easter stickers, etc), I know exactly where to put it!


In each letter, I encourage them to share their prayer requests... here were some recent ones:


Martha -- Praying that her school will be able to meet the needs of the students, especially the classrooms and the availability of teachers.
Bessy -- for her father to find work.
Emily -- no specific requests, other than a general request for us to pray for her family's health.


I love these three as though they were my own. I wish they were here to play with Jillian!!!




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OurCompassion

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I recently received an email from Compassion inviting sponsors to join their new interactive network called OurCompassion. It's a place where sponsors can connect with other sponsors, share ideas, compare notes, post photos or videos, and talk about their Compassion children and their experiences as sponsors.

I was hoping something like this would come to life. I've always hoped I could connect with other people from all over the world who sponsor children in Honduras, specifically in the two Compassion projects where Emily and Martha attend, or where Bessy, the girl that my mom and I sponsor attends a Compassion project.


I couldn't wait to sign up... and signing up was super easy!!


Already, I have found someone from the UK who sponsors a little girl in the same project as Martha. When she writes to Sindy, her Compassion girl, she will ask if Sindy knows Martha. Sindy will be 5 in a few weeks, and Martha will be 7 in December, so they're close in age, they might even be friends. Wouldn't it be something if the internet brought together the sponsors of two friends?


I look forward to learning more about how others keep track of their correspondence with their Compassion children, letters sent and received, what they send with their letters, what the kids enjoy the most, and what the family gifts have provided for the families. I want to reach my full potential as a sponsor, I want to honor God in my relationship with these precious girls. It's important to me to make the most of the honor and opportunity to be in their lives.



Do you sponsor a child through Compassion? If so, have you tried OurCompassion yet? Let me know what you think!

Where does your sponsor child live?



If you don't yet sponsor a child from Compassion, will you consider sponsorship today, right now?




If you live in Canada, click HERE
If you are in the U.S., click HERE



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1,000,000

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I love numbers, I love statistics, I love spreadsheets. Thankfully, I even like budgets, especially when they're not mine; the ones at work, for instance!



Beyond numbers, I also have a passion for Compassion, God, and people.


This morning, I watched a video about the inspiring journey of the 1 that grew to 1,00,000. From one to one million, each one with a story of compassion.

One million children released from poverty in Jesus' name and given HOPE. These precious children are not faceless, nameless numbers and statistics, they are God's children, they have families, hopes and dreams, they matter, and so do the other children waiting for their turn to join this first million.

If there are a million children sponsored, imagine how many more children would be released from poverty, given food, clothing, education, love, and HOPE if there were a million SPONSORS?

Please take a moment and watch this video, and consider sponsoring a child. If you can not sponsor a child at this time, we still need you, they still need you. Pray for them, and consider donating to www.compassion.ca (Canada) or www.compassion.com (US) in order to help support the children still waiting for sponsorship.

"He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,
and he will reward him for what he has done."
Proverbs 19:17





Canadian friends and family, this is your link to changing lives! Click HERE
For our U.S. friends and family, this is your link to changing lives! Click HERE



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