jon mark music

so in the last few weeks God has really been hammering away at me. it goes back to the courses that i took this past fall semester, personal evangelism and intro to missions. but the focus in the hammering has been my approach to reaching out with God’s grace and love. it’s just that there really was no “reaching out”. and i have tried not to take all the credit for this problem, but i’ve still allowed it to be a part of my life.

 see, churches today, or at least the ones that i have been a part of…have their services and “outreaches”. but those “outreaches” are always right there at the church. we come up with these major activities and flawless planning to get the gospel out…but the whole time telling those who are unreached, to come to us. come to our concert, come to our vbs, come to our whatever… we’ve become inward focused!

why is that? because we’re lazy, comfortable, don’t really care when it comes right down to it? OUCH!? for me i just hadn’t taken the time or effort to step back and see it that way. but through my course work, personal study, and different books and blogs that i have been reading, God is hammering away.

check out this very familiar passage:

matthew 28:18-20 (NLT)

“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

i am not the greatest scholar, nor do i have all wisdom, but i don’t think we have reached the end of the age. and i don’t see where God said anything about sit there, plan big fun events, and pray that people show up. He hasn’t told me to spend all of my spare time sitting around at home and enjoying the blessings He has given me.

i need to be seeking opportunities to GO and do what God has for me to do. i need to be encouraging others to do the same. i need to be leading the way back to what God has called us to do. i need to stop waiting til i’m ready or until all the details are set, i need to be sensative to the Holy Spirit’s leading and GO!

for those who read my blog and pay attention to the prayer requests you know that good friends of ours have adopted a girl from Guatamala. it’s been a long road that i won’t even try to describe for you because i can’t. but TODAY john is heading home from Guatamala with his daughter claire, and his mom carla. TODAY claire will come home for the first time!!! it is definitely a day to celebrate and rejoice with them.

for more information on their journey make sure you check out their blog www.bringinghomeclaire.blogspot.com

forgive me for taking two verses out of context here, but this whole situation reminds me of these two verses…

psalm 118:23-24 (NLT)

“this is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see. this is the day that the Lord has made. we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

i love the snow! i always have to my knowledge. i just love playing in it, watching it come down, even shoveling it. this morning i got up a little early for me (5:00am) and it wasn’t even due to molly. kasey woke up and said that we had at least 3 inches of snow…so out of bed i came, got my play clothes on and headed out to shovel off the drive.

it was awesome!!! the whole time i was out shoveling the snow kept falling. there was hardly any wind out, just steady snowfall. and it was the big fluffy flakes…my favorite creation that God has, except coffee and…ok so it’s not my favorite but it’s up there. i think i like it so much because it brings back a ton of memories of sledding or riding snowmobiles. snow was always our ticket to get mom, grandma and grandpa out to play with us!!! anyways.

by the time i got done with the drive it was covered back over already. by the time i was leaving for work we probably had at least another 3/4 of an inch. just a great start to my day.

GO MAKE A SNOWBALL!!! throw it at someone and have a little fun!!!

this week it’s been interesting to see the numerous ways that the theme of rethinking things has come to my mind. (i need that conference) part of it was satan trying to get me down, but God is awesome and He always has a way of teaching me through the difficult days or even weeks. this week there was yet another church that gave me what i would call a “yeah right” message as i sent them a resume for an open position. (however this was the most gracious and professional one yet!) so it caused me to question, wonder…why do i bother, is God really going to have a place for me to serve full time…you get the idea.

thankfully i took a step back and looked at things. God has always had this way of doing things in His own timing and usually in a manner that no one else can really understand or comprehend…i mean making man out of dirt? or ask a man to kill his son and don’t provide a sacrifice for him until the very last minute? He could’ve done that a little sooner, if you ask me. then the whole flood thing and building an ark, i can’t see how that made a whole lot of sense to noah or anyone at that time. and the one that just blows my mind is sending His own Son to die for a bunch of thieves, murderers, adulterers, liars, cheats, gossips…you know people like you and me. He’s God, He could have come up with some other way to save the world right???

but that isn’t for me to know or to question, but to trust. whether it’s in the distant past or my life today, i need to trust.

i was lead to this passage and i’m going to continue reading it through to see what all God has for me to learn through this time. i pray that it will challenge you in some way as well, to trust God and His plans for your lives. i pray that it will help me trust Him more than my own understanding or plans for my life.

isaiah 40:28-31

28 Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. 29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. 30 Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. 31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

last night the Lord allowed me to be a part of a “Night of Worship” at our church and to actually lead a couple of songs and play. i can’t describe what that did for me!!! it was a little reminder from God that He has called me and gifted me to lead others in worshiping Him through song. i was weak and tired, and last night i found new strength. not only that i had more fun than i have had in a long time, just playing and singing and praising God with every ounce of my being. God showed me that His Word is true, i just need to…trust in the Lord!!!

i pray that we all do just that…trust in the Lord!!!