2009 in review

It's hard to believe another year has already gone by!!!  It has not been a particularly easy year as God has been faithfully working out some things in my heart, but it has been a really GOOD year!  At the start of the year, God made it clear that I was supposed to go to India so I started preparing for a short trip.  At the end of January, I went to the International House of Prayer (IHOP-KC) for the first time with friends from my local prayer room for a great weekend away. 

Our family grew a little bit when my brother married his beautiful wife on Sunday, March 1 in a beautiful outdoor wedding.  Before heading to India, I moved out of the house I'd been renting with my sister for the previous 2 years.  I spent 3 1/2 weeks in India on my first trip there at the end of March/beginning of April.  I quickly fell in love with the people and began making plans to return to this country for an extended stay. 

June is a big birthday month in my family and I spent the rest of the summer traveling.  I was able to go to Colorado for the first time for a youth conference with my brother's youth group.  I left again 4 days later to go to IHOP-KC for a week with my mom which was a great time for both of us!  A few days after returning from Kansas City, I flew to Charlotte, NC where I joined my friend and 7 of her children (plus 2 of their friends) on a road trip to Weston, FL where we had a great week of fun!  I extended my stay to have a little more time in Charlotte and arrived home at the beginning of August. 

My first week home, I felt that the Lord was calling me to IHOP-KC to complete at least part of a training program offered there.  So I hitched a ride with some friends heading that way at the beginning of September arriving Labor Day weekend.  I made some great new friends, had such wonderful time in the prayer room and believe God really settled a lot in my heart that we had been working on for quite a while!!!  After a month in Kansas City, I returned home to begin preparing to head to India for a 3-6 month stay. 

At the end of October, my sister-in-law called to tell me she and my brother are expecting their first baby at the end of June this next year!!!  I'm SO excited about becoming an aunt!!!  Our family expanded again the next month when my cousin and her husband received their third child for adoption.  He's an adorable 3 month old with a huge smile!  He arrived in their home (at 2 months old) the week of Thanksgiving and has adjusted well to his new family!  Christmas this year was such a blast!!!  My family was invited over to my cousin's house to be a part of the kids' morning.  It was so much like I remember Christmas being like at my grandparent's when I was growing up!  But the opening of presents took so long, the turkey did not get in the oven on time so we hit the only open store (thanks Randall's) for lasagna and snacky food and spent the entire day just hanging out, playing games and having fun!  It was awesome!!!  And to extend the celebration, we had our traditional Christmas turkey dinner for lunch the day after!  We are having a RockHOP time of celebration tonight which I am really excited about and I look forward to what God has in store throughout the coming year!!!  As this day winds down the year, I sit on my cousin's couch watching her sleeping baby and waiting for the two older kids to get up from nap and realize that I have so much to be thankful for!!!  I am blessed in so many ways! 

Stop hiding

Matthew 5:6 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

It seems like the emphasis has always been on doing good works, but a couple months ago I saw this verse a little differently. It says "let your light shine" which I think means your personal relationship with the Lord. The natural byproduct of loving Jesus will be outward actions that direct everyone's attention to God! Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world" and it is Him in me that will draw people's hearts to Him, not what I do! It's the vulnerability of allowing your relationship with Him to be seen in the things you do that will bring Him glory!!! It's not a matter of doing specific things that are "Christian", but about being transparent as you relate to God. Works without faith are dead, so if you are doing things for the appearance of faith, it will not accomplish much at all. But the result of true, good works should be pointing everyone to the One you do them for, not to yourself!  It's not about you being noticed, but about being a representation of God that people cannot deny!  John 3:21 "...whoever lives by the truth comes to the Light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

Will I be ready?

II Peter 3:11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives... 

Someone asked me a question recently based on this verse.  What would our lives look like if we lived in the reality of eternity?  If we live like we really believe all that we say we believe, how would our lives be different?  This is something I've thought about a lot since my time at IHOP.  I had always heard that Jesus is coming back, and knew that it was true, but have not lived like I believe it.  In the last couple of months, I have been looking at my life and asking, "If I KNEW Jesus was coming back in the next 10 years (or 5 years or even this coming year), what would I do differently?"  If there is anything in my life now that I would want to change before Jesus returns, then I want to change it now.  The reality is He is actually coming back some day and I need to live this life in a way that prepares me for THAT day when I stand before Him to give account of my life.  So what does it mean to live "holy and godly lives"?  After being questioned on this a week ago, I started looking at other verses and have focused on I Peter 4:7 and Romans 13:11-14.  I am searching for answers to these questions as I try to live according to these verses.  But knowing I need to change things in my day to day life and actually changing are proving to be very different things!!!

Not alone!

"I'm Still Yours" - Kutless
If all my world was swept away
Would You be enough for me?
Would my beating heart still sing?

If I lost it all would my hands stay lifted
To the God who gives and takes away?
If You take it all, this life You've given,
Still my heart will sing to You.

Even if You take it all away
You’ll never let me go
Take it all away
But I still know
That I'm Yours
I'm still Yours

Music has always had great impact on my heart.  The song above really encouraged me after attending a funeral this afternoon and then visiting my grandparents' grave that was at the same cemetary.  A deep sadness was stirred up as we stood looking at the headstone with the names of those we loved.  The day also raised the question of how will I respond when facing loss again in the future.  Hearing the above lyrics tonight was a great reminder that God really is enough no matter what storms I may face in the days ahead.  My comfort, my safety, my security is in my relationship with the One who Created me!  The One who gave Himself to death on a cross to call me His own!  The One who lives inside of me and directs every beat of my heart!  This is why I live!  This is why I can sing!  This is why I will continue to love and serve Him with all my heart regardless of circumstances!!!  That even if I were to lose everything, I would still be lacking nothing because I belong to Him and He is always with me!!!  Deuteronomy 2:7 "...the Lord your God has been with you, you have not lacked a thing."