Taking God on a new level

Tags

mother, prayer, God, Cancer, Virginia, Family, Home, Parents, Union Station, Shopping, Workweek and weekend

This weekend was fun… but interesting! If you remember a few months back, I spoke about Liz, a woman I stayed with for a while in Virginia with four kids that I love and adored. Well, this weekend for the first time in months, I got to go back and see them and babysit them. All four of them! It’s hard to believe that CJ is 17-months now. Justine is still four but will be five in Oct. The boys are 9 and 11. They certainly grow up too fast!

I was surprised to get an email from Liz to watch the kids, but blessed. But two things happened this weekend that I realized when I watched them. I almost started crying when sitting at the Union Station waiting for their mom when she said she went in the other direction (my blood sugar was low… never again). I wasn’t crying because my blood sugar was low, I was crying out of sheer frustration that I realized how difficult it was having  to just watch four kids for almost three days straight. I only had two of her youngest ones with me at the Union Station that I took to church. The older ones stayed home. The idea of having kids suddenly terrified me. I even admitted this to my mother last year for the first time. Not because I’ve cared for kids before but simply because of my uncle and the conversations with my sister.

The second reason is because of what’s been going on with my uncle. As some of you know, my uncle has battled cancer for over a year. He’s recently FINALLY accepted care from a doctor who does home visits (not hospice). The doctors have told him there is nothing they can do for him other than keep him comfortable. Which means no more than a few weeks or days. I’ve prayed a lot about him. I do not know God‘s will. I don’t know if God will heal him or if it will be time to go soon but I know God’s been telling me to prepare for that day for awhile now. I know my uncle’s wish is to have peace between everyone in the world. It makes me pray about a lot that cannot be discussed on the blog. But he’s battled a lot of trials in his life; leukemia, car accident where it’s cause not major or minimal brain damage, he was sick a lot when he was a kid and grew up in orphanages with my mother raising him mostly. It’s admirable watching him and loving his sense of humor. But at the same time, it makes me question about what I want in my life…

Growing up, I’ve always wanted a family, I’ve always envisioned having a husband with maybe four kids and maybe two adopted. I don’t know. Whatever God decides for me to do. But after this weekend. I questioned, am I mom enough? Do I have patience? I look back at the conversation I had with my mom about cancer because of genetics. My mom had cancer when I was a baby and even though she overcame it, the idea is terrifying. Is the person I’m suppose to spend the rest of my life with, willing to go through with it just as I would with them? These are the thoughts that go through my mind as I sit in the Union Station with kids. Would the kids lose a mom if it ever occurred. I hold back my tears as I asked for water and realized something, even if I battled this, my biggest battle wouldn’t be my family, it would be God. God is the one that is going to be shining armor that would get me through it all.

I think about what my uncle is dealing with on a daily basis, sleeping 18 hours a day. Waking up in pain and unable to eat. I cannot imagine what he’s thinking but he still tries to make people laugh, still tries to make the best of it because life is too short and bitterness gets us nowhere.

Do I still want children? I’m just now realizing that maybe it’s not up to me anymore. I can’t decide my future anymore. Maybe this weekend’s babysitting was needed to help shine some light to understand my relationship with God about how I feel about Him on a much deeper relationship. I’ve been kind of window shopping for a ‘husband’ not to say I still won’t be, but in a much different way. I love how God is showing Himself.

I can’t speak for the rest of you, but if you want to know more about how God is blossoming, please feel free to shoot me an email or if you live in the area, I’d be happy to meet with you.

Much love!

Revolutionary Love Song

Tags

David Crowder, David Crowder Band, God, Jesus, Revolutionary Love, Roller coaster, Uganda, YouTube

Today I started singing Revolutionary Love, it’s an old David Crowder song but gets me every time. It doesn’t matter how crazy our lives might be, trials we face, roller coasters we keep jumping on and keep on going… and going until we finally reach that part where it stops and we’re still spinning.

God‘s love in amazing and unchanging and despite all that, I really don’t want to leave the place God’s called me to be. I’d rather have a crazy (wish it was less stressful) but somewhat stressful to remind me where I’m at so I have a reason to thank Him. I wouldn’t be depending on Him if it weren’t for the crazy life.

With that in mind, feel free for a listen and remind yourselves what God has called you to do.

I also wanted to mention quickly, that I am selling photos from the Uganda trip. I have about 900 photos to choose from that I’d be willing to sell in order to help fundraise to continue staying in DC for the next year. If you are interested, please contact me.

Much love and blessings on this wonderful (rainy) day!

The element of surprise about ministry work

Tags

Christ Jesus, God, Good News, Itching ears, Jesu, Lord, Second Epistle to Timothy, Teacher

What does God say about ministry?

2 Timothy 4:1-5

¹ I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: ² Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

God encourages us to be persistent in serving HIm. We cannot waste time waiting around, we must keep going until our work is completed. We have to preach up, be prepared, even if things take forever. We must work along with other servants, instead of criticizing, we should patiently correct, rebuke and encourage. WIth this, servants can strive to reach out more by being an example and teaching.

What does God say will happen?

³ For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will reject the truth and chase after myths.

In our ministry, there will be times when people no longer like traditional values and sometimes need a bit of teaching and wisdom, here and there. There will be people who run after their own desires and not what God has to offer them and pursue teachings and become a fool if they do not study the word of God. If they do this, they reject God’s teachings.

What does God say we should do?

⁵ But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

There is going to be times of persecution and being very uncomfortable, and maybe a lot of waiting if not walking! God promises us to keep telling the Good News and carry out His work that He wants us to do and we will be rewarded for being faithful.

I’m not sure about you, but after spending the last 9 months here, God has really blessed me with His teachings. He’s taught me to be patient in the waiting (still is), taught me to keep on preaching, even if no one is listening. Someday, someone will listen and wake up. But most of all, be prepared, because you never know what will come up, and even then God can surprise us.

God is TRUTH- Amen

Mother’s Day 2012

Tags

abortion, adoption, Child, Christ, daughters, Ezra, Genesis, God, Happy Mother's Day, Jesus, John 9, John Mayer, love, miscarriage, mom, mother, Mother's Day, sexual assault, Single parent, sisters

Mother’s Day is an awesome holiday to honor our mothers, even step-mothers or simply women who spent time caring for us as children.

I believe God has blessed us in many ways with giving us a mother to honor. But don’t forget to honor the other women in your life who have been such a great influence on your childhood or even adulthood. These women were given a kind, compassionate heart in giving you some kind of support.

I grew up with my mom, my father wasn’t all that in the picture until I got older. My mother’s been married twice during my childhood. While the marriage of eight years didn’t last, she found someone she loved when I was 12 and married when I was 17. I’m thankful for all my mom has done. She raised me as a single parent and did everything she could to make sure I had a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food in my belly. She missed out of a lot of my life events because she had to work, but when she came, I was thrilled (despite being a teenager and being embarrassed) but seeing her there made it all worth it.

Granted, my mother was far from perfect besides trying to give for us kids. But I’m thankful I have a mother. I see friends who have lost their mom and I wonder what my life would be like. I know my youngest brother missed out on a relationship with my mom growing up, and it was hard watching him. But it’s things like these that make me sit back and wonder what life would be like if it were different.

I realize now that despite all of our families, we’re blessed with how things work out. In John 9, it talks about how before we’re born, we’re not of our parent’s sin, especially when things happen to us we don’t expect. We were already planned before we were even conceived. God has a purpose for us on Earth and He’s thrilled with us.

Our lives, like my mother’s, is far from perfect. But the thing that’s so awesome about God’s grace, is that He wipes everything off. He wouldn’t send His only Son, just to prove that, He did it for a purpose.

Living in a place like DC, I’m surrounded by families. I’m amazed how many of them are single families. I’m also amazed how many young women have been attacked, sexually assaulted and become pregnant. Some of them choose to keep the child, some choose to give them up for adoption and some choose abortion. And for others, some lose that child from a miscarriage. It’s a difficult process to go through in any case. So, if you know they went through this, make sure you make them known too. They probably think about the lives they would have had or what they could have done to change over and over. Once a child is made, there’s usually no going back. But remember what it said in John 9? This applies too. In Genesis it talks about how we’re made to be perfect in His image. Regardless of our situations, God made us for the intended purpose to fulfill our destiny for His glory. Now that… is just awesome!

So, with this in mind, I wish all of you a Happy Mother’s Day. Make sure you hug your mom or call her. Wish your sisters’ and everyone else in the family a happy mother’s day too. Hug all of your sister’s in Christ, for they are daughters’ of God.

John Mayer- Daughters

This post is for Ezra (7/2003).

Freedom

Tags

Christ, Christianity, faith, freedom, God, HolySpirit, hope, Jesus, MLK Jr., patience, Religion and Spirituality, Satan, surrendering, temptation

I have been reading this book of short stories of different faiths. Some of them are heartbreaking, comical, or offers a serious analyses practical ideas from scripture.

One of the stories started talking the story of when Jesus walked in the desert for 40 days, it was an analogy of why Satan picked on Jesus, not just to test Jesus but if you actually compare to why its so important in our culture especially as we question things. He also asked, what would it be like to have our freedom taken away if we didn’t experience or know what Jesus did.

If Jesus didn’t wander into the desert for 40 days and faced temptation, would we experience and have as much faith as we would if he didn’t?

What would it mean to have freedom? What would it mean if we didn’t?

I questioned if I wanted this freedom, and while in some ways I do. However, I would rather have my freedom taken away, just to experience what Jesus offers. He gives so much more when you don’t have freedom and you can taste it when it finally comes.

Here’s why this is great, this past year, I’ve prayed for a job. Something within my field. While I haven’t found anything yet, I know God will provide and he actually has been more than I realize. I’ve made so many sacrifices this past year, it’s taught me to be patient, I’ve surrendered myself to God not once but twice. When I did that, I gave up my freedom to experience him more. Not just depend on him, but actually, finally understand what it means to be faithful.

Is this the kind of freedom you might want or would you rather be stuck in a place that will never understand what God has for you?

Summer plans…

Tags

Campus, Gallaudet, Gallaudet University, God, human trafficking, Oppression, prayer, Student

Classes are ending with students that have droopy eyes, students are graduating, the campus is about to be vacant for the next 15 weeks. Which means, summer is here! Thankfully the weather is starting to feel a little more like spring/summer now.

While I have yet to figure out my summer plans completely, I know that I’ll be sticking around in DC. I’m one of those people that just goes with the flow unless God tells me otherwise. I plan things only when I really need to. For now, I have no plans to travel for the summer.

I already know that I’m volunteering with DC Stop Modern Slavery to help with the social media team and serving them for the walk. The more I attend  the meetings, the more I learn about human trafficking and that’ s a major issues. Or just even communicating with the team and doing my duty. The more I work for them, the more my heart breaks and I have to do more for my city. It’s not the fact that I volunteer for them that’s important, it’s the work that we do to help raise awareness about what’s going on in the world when we do have the ability to do something about it.

My next plan, I would like to lead a bible study this summer for ladies. Will it happen, I’m not sure, it’s a matter of finding out which students will be in town, and if anyone from church would be interested.

Spending time in prayer about wisdom and oppression. The more time I spend here, the more I realize that our campus is severely oppressed and I need to ask for God’s wisdom in fidning ways to reach out to students and break the oppression. Not just the campus but also within the hearing community. I have a feeling, a lot of reading will be happening this summer.

Job: I really need a job so I can continue serving. I’m praying for God’s favor and wisdom for the right people to help me find what I’m looking for and hopefully will still be able to completely focus on the ministry.

Graduate school: I have been praying about returning to school to get my masters either in international studies or communications. If I choose another school, I’ll probably study something along the line of law. I would like to study for the exam that’s required to get in in the next year or two, not just this summer. Part of the reason this is important is because if I decided to take classes at Gallaudet, I would have so much more access as a student that I would if I was a missionary. I would be able to serve students more.

Last night, I had a dream I was running (I know, typical, right?). But there was something different about this dream. I was running in the city, in the cold. In front of me was a woman, who was also a woman and she ran faster. There were two children playing outside and one of them fell. She stopped quickly and helped him up. While I was watching her, I slowed down and smiled but kept running. And I woke up… I remember thinking, was that what freedom felt like? Just running and being healthy? Nothing holding me back? I could taste the freedom God wanted, if I could be healthy completely, I could be free to serve Him wholeheartedly.

I have epilepsy, it’s my biggest barrier to serving at times. But God has called me to be here. And I know He’s healing me in every, single, possible way. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually. He’s made me a stronger person. But there are times when I look at my life and wonder how I got this far. How did I overcome this trial? No matter how many times I’ve been in the hospital or people have a misconception about the disorder, I still face the next day and know it’s going to get better.

If my dream was a way of God’s saying, “I’m healing you, don’t worry. And when I heal you, you will forget the past that you felt mastered your life before and start new. Taste this newfound freedom I’m giving you…” And at the moment, peace comes over me. I don’t have to wait until heaven to experience the peace that I’ve been waiting for, He’s been giving it to me all along.

How can I apply this recent dream to this summer? By taking risks, taking chances and immersing myself in this freedom I’m learning about.

Things I plan to study this summer: Wisdom and oppression. Wisdom is something I need to spend more time with God about and oppression is something I need to understand to help me break down the walls at Gallaudet before the next semester starts. If I can come to understand oppression, I can understand where they are better coming from and how to tear down their walls and start a new thread of conversations about Jesus. Who knows…

If you have recommendations for authors, writers, books for me to read on either of these topics, please feel free to send them my way.

“It’s not a party until something’s broken” -90210

Tags

AnnaLynne McCord, Arts, Beverly Hills, Christ, Christianity, Drama, God, Jessica Stroup, Justin Deeley, Opposing Views, Religion and Spirituality, Sin, The CW Television Network, Trevor Donovan, Tristan Wilds

I admit, I watch stupid shows, but don’t end up watching the entire thing. But when I do watch parts of it, sometimes I will catch a short glimpse of a scene that catches my attention. This particular episode from 90210 caught my attention when one of the characters said, “It’s not a party until something’s broken.” During his engagement party with his girlfriend and then a fight broke out when someone’s roommate was singing with a friend and thought he was hitting on her. (MAJOR DRAMA- really?)… 90210 is really a dumb show, the original Beverly Hills were so much better when people were actually intellectual even while being dramatic but still fit into the everyday life. Yes, I know, I could just have not chosen to watch it but had never seen it before and was curious. I got bored within five minutes. Ok, I’m done ranting…

Anyhow, I thought about this quote and I realized he’s right. It’s really not a party until something is broken. How many times have you gone to a party and really looked around at the people around you? This might be difficult if you’re a huge social critter and just spend the whole night away chatting or dancing with friends. You might realize that there are broken people all around.

I know he was talking about material objects (the ice sculpture that they fell on). But from God‘s perspective, when you go to a college party or a dance club, we go because we’re longing for something. We’re longing to be around people, longing to get rid of whatever is going on in our real lives, longing to sink into temptation that doesn’t seem like a big deal. And sometimes, if you’re already not broken, you might end up being broken at the end of the night.

When I think of something broken, I think about the little short guy who heard Jesus was coming into town and wanted to see him. He went and saw this huge crowd and then climbed a tree. Jesus turned around and saw him and told him to get down and take him to his house.

I also think about the time that this woman who needed Jesus so desperately that she crawled her way through the crowds and touched him. And you can imagine that many people were touching Jesus but in an instant, Jesus turned around and felt her faith and at the moment, forgave her and healed her.

Why is this so important? Because Jesus can see us when we’re broken. We can go to a party, seem like we’re not broken but the truth is, we are so broken that Jesus sees our faith or need for faith in him (not for something superficial like the crowds that surround him searching for “something”) and wants us to come to him.

When we search for something, our heavy hearts open up to something bigger than us. Hope. Love. Truth. Faith. And finally, God.

So yes, it’s not really a party until something is broken.

Be a tree

Tags

Annie, Book of Proverbs, Christianity, DC, faith, God, hope, Joyful, love, Religion and Spirituality, Ruby, time, Tree of life, wisdom, women

As I get older, God continues to teach me new things. I know I’m not married, nor do I have children. I have the privilege of dating and being single. But I also have the privilege of savoring my time with God while I am single. When I get married, I believe it will shine some light with God in a different way as seeing my relationship with God not only as a woman but as a life partner. I wouldn’t know, but for now, this is how I see God as a woman in my walk…

Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, 
the one who gains understanding. 
For wisdom is more profitable than silver, 
and her wages are better than gold. 
Wisdom is more precious than rubies; 
nothing you desire can compare with her. 
She offers you long life in her right hand, 
and riches and honor in her left. 
She will guide you down delightful paths; 
all her ways are satisfying. 
Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; 
happy are those who hold her tightly.
-Proverbs 3:13-19

I take this passage and I break it down but it molds me into God wanting us to go to Him for understanding. Wants us to bind to Him for wisdom and with that, He will embrace us, bless us and delight in His works that He’s molded us to be.

I love the part about the tree. I went through a silly phase last

I am a Tree: Me and Annie (August 2010- doing yard work at the Lighthouse in Flagstaff, Arizona).

year where I felt like I was a tree, but if you think about it, maybe this was why. God wants us to be like a tree. Planted, rooted, growing, and then blooming. With this, we can bless others around us with the wisdom that God gives us.

It might not make sense at first when you just skim through it and I’ve read Proverbs many times but the words stuck out this time, seeking for wisdom in wanting to grow as a woman as a part of my life in wanting to Celebrate being a woman and finally breaking a bondage recently. As a part of this spiritual walk, I pray I will find a way to allow God to use me for all the good I can make of from the bad.

It is possible to be a tree, it is possible to be treated like a ruby or a jewel, whichever version you read. God still sees us the same and still wants the same thing for us. That’s probably the most immense love we’ll ever know.

Why churches need Deaf leaders

Tags

deaf, deaf culture, God, Hearing impairment, Jesus, List of deaf people, National Community Church, Texas

I’ve kind of lived all over, the country, the inner-cities. My life is defined a hopschotch moving around a bit- going back and forth between Ohio and Arizona. The only few places I haven’t lived is the southern states, the northwest and central. I’d like to say Texas too because I feel like every time a Texan says they are from Texas, it’s centralized as their own country or something. Humor me…

Anyway… there’s something that I’ve learned about being in churches since I was young. I remember the first time I went into a church when I was about 11- years old. I went with my baby-sitter and their family and it was a Deaf church in Phoenix. (Not including the church I went to during Christmas on Christmas Eve every year before I moved to Arizona). I remember going and sitting in Bible study classes but I barely remember them talking about Jesus. I remember communion but didn’t get the point of it. I remember worship but everything went over my head. Let’s just say,  I didn’t care all that much…

I remember going to Flagstaff to do mission work for a couple of days but zooming in on the fact that I barely remembered Jesus and picturing who he was, was that a good thing? Perhaps if I kept going things would have been different? But I moved before I had a chance.

Later I started re-discovering who Jesus was on my own by hearing my friends was by asking who this “Jesus Dude” was during a training session at school and asking a million questions for months before accepting Christ after finally going to Church. But it still didn’t have a Deaf leader but it had an interpreter.

When I went off to college in Akron, Ohio. The Chapel had a Deaf Ministry. I never asked questions but I slowly started to learn things I didn’t before. But because the Deaf ministry was at the sister Chapel in Green, I didn’t have the same access they had. The leaders were limited in the church.

Living in Flagstaff, there was absolutely no Deaf ministry at all, I had to maintain everything on my own or choose not to go at all. There were times it became pointless and times it became necessary to return to church, but finding the right one was difficult to accommodate.

Coming to DC, when I typed online looking for a new church that had a Deaf ministry or a Deaf church, I discovered there was a Deaf ministry nearby and checked it out after visiting two churches. I quickly liked it.

Why ARE Deaf Leaders NEEDED?

Hearing community/Deaf families: It’s one thing to have Deaf people show up in the church, and many times families will have children with  hearing loss or Deafness and walk in the church not knowing how to accomedate. Many times these kids will go years zooming words and wasted time over their heads. They are literally the ones the most shunned from the church community.

Interpreted Services (maybe Deaf ministry): Many churches offer interpreted service(s). They believe that if they have interpreters, it will solve EVERYTHING. But usually, they don’t offer it during Bible studies, many occasionally during events, or meetings. And people will get left out. This is why having a Deaf ministry is essential to the Deaf community‘s spiritual growth. Not just showing up on Sunday mornings to hear the word of God. The Deaf ministry can also have their own Bible studies if not integrated so the community can focus on growing together, doing outreach/evangelism in the community.

Deaf Ministries: Having Deaf and Hearing Leaders, and I mean strong Deaf and Hearing leaders with coordinated interpreters, not always perfect though can make things flow a lot easier. There are few churches that are becoming successful in making this work. But it takes determination, patience, love and God’s grace to make this work. With the help of technology, knowledge and pastors, layman, volunteers/missionaries in the area, people are stepping in and working together to make things work for many Deaf ministries.

Deaf churches are the most successful when they have all Deaf leaders and invite anyone to come, not to gawk because of the language/culture but to be a part of the family and learn about Jesus.

Why aren’t more churches stepping up in faith?

It takes a lot of patience to start planting seeds for a new ministry, much less a Deaf ministry. There’s a church called National Community Church (I haven’t gone yet) but my friend who works alongside with the pastor for the Deaf ministry there says it took a long time before they started seeing things work. It took prayer, patience and a lot of work to see God move there. I imagine it took a lot of planting with different ideas and people to get started. Those who were consistent followed through with what God wanted for the Church and the people.

It says in the Bible, that God calls us to start and we must be faithful to see through everything. We can have a vision of what we see in our minds, but it doesn’t mean it’s what God intended. God might have something else bigger in mind or a little less elaborate, depending on your vision.

God wants us to build a temple of hope, a place of worship, a place where people can go and seek Him and for fellowship. A place to serve Him. If we can’t provide that, then who will?

It’s not just churches we need to be concerned with, the idea of having a Deaf leader is important. They understand their role, they understand the cultural background. They understand the barriers, they understand the context issue and so forth. I can give you a million reasons why having a Deaf leader is much better than a Hearing leader. I might say that maybe a CODA would be okay because of their background of growing up with Deaf parents. Interpreters is questionable as well. It also depends on the call of God. If God calls us to lead a ministry, then by all means. Lead the ministry. Don’t wait for someone else to take the reins, He called you for a reason.

Be like Joshua

Tags

Beautiful You Conference, Bible, BYC, Capital City Church, Christian, Christianity, deaf culture, God, Israel, Israelite, Israelites, Jesus, Joshua, Lifegroup, Moses, Religion and Spirituality, Thought

Sabbath is over, glad to be back! The past month alone has been super-busy/crazy and the past two weeks were needed to some time to sink in with just God instead of writing. I hope my new posts will enlighten you with new perspectives, ideas or just entertain you with new thoughts. Happy reading and feel free to comment for insight~

“Be like Joshua for God in the waiting…” I sat there thinking and scribbling in my notebook at the conference. Joshua… 

At Lifegroup the other day, we all talked about the Beautiful You conference (BYC), most of us went so we discussed what we were thinking and how it changed us. I think it was one of the best Lifegroup meetings ever.

I thought I would take a moment to explain how the BYC shined some light. As many of you know, I’m an intern at Gally for the Baptist Campus Ministry (BCM). I’m not as patient as I’d like to be though as I’m finding out this past year. I kind of had a Joshua moment where I sunk into “I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m not sure if I’m worthy of this work…etc.” I’ve had moments where I wanted to give up and pack up and just go home. But the BYC reminded me that God is in fact moving on the campus more than I realize and not even just the campus but other places too.

It’s been a really slow year. I came from a public university where there were 400 members in the organization. So I’m used to seeing things move quick, always going and always something happening. Coming here was a drastic change in the way I thought. (I hope people from IV read this because I don’t think they realize all the work they put into is just amazing and yes, people are watching you…and I’m grateful!) Coming to a University with fewer students, maybe less than 10 members if we’re lucky. At one point there used to be between 30-60 members. Less than one percent of Christians on campus and most of them won’t even step out in faith because of oppression from their peers. You can understand the Joshua moments I’ve been feeling.

Last week, when someone dropped me off on the way to the Church office, he was saying that Paul and Timothy had such a good relationship that they looked out for each other and making sure the churches were ok. Especially in times of persecution and oppression. We were talking about a whole different topic but I thought about this later and applied this to our students too and wondered about how we can pull this into helping them to step out into faith. It’s definitely not an easy task to dictate.

But the BYC showed me that Joshua could have given up when he became a slave in the house. But he didn’t. He could have given up when he became a prisoner after being falsely accused but he didn’t. He kept growing, he was persistent in his faith with God and obeyed him. (And I’m sure there were times he did want to give up). It also taught me that we have to wait patiently for God. I originally made plans to commit to be here for two years. But after the BYC, I started to question if two years was enough. If not for the BCM, but DC. I realized that God has plans for me and sometimes I’m just scared to admit that I need more time to grow and be more faithful. But I need to be like Joshua and wait patiently for things to happen. Even if it means becoming a slave somewhere or thrown in jail because of false accusations, I doubt that would happen that way. Oppression here is definitely one of those things in the Deaf community. But everything happens for a reason.

I need to be like Joshua… waiting patiently and faithfully on God. And then, just then, I’ll shine just right exactly when He needs for us to for the campus to flourish for His glory.

Which means… I’m here to stick around a little longer. My bags are still unpacked and I’ve officially called DC my home this week by becoming a resident.

I want to take a quick moment to thank Capital City Church and everyone for all the hard work they put into making the BYC2012 happen. I don’t know if anyone reads this or not but either way, it’s really appreciated. I’m thankful God blessed these wonderful women and men this year that have become family. AND I’m looking forward to next year’s conference, I’ve already started thinking about ladies to invite, if I haven’t sent out the link yet!

In a matter of seconds, it became about trust

Tags

Automobile, Christian, Christianity, God, Jesus, prayer, Religion and Spirituality, testimony, trust, Uganda

I’m breaking sabbath… to post a great testimony after this weekend. But will be back next week!

I had an opportunity to go to a women’s conference called the Beautiful You Conference with Pastors Donna Pisani as the leading speaker, and Holly Wagner, and Sharon Kelly as the guest speakers .  This past weekend and was such a blessing. I learned so many amazing lessons. Met new faces, worked with great people, overcame obstacles and learned to lay down my pride for the sake of others so we can glorify God.

I also heard amazing voices like Hannah Marsh… seriously! If you haven’t heard her voice… it’s breathtaking!
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ5PKYxho5Q&feature=share)
Gabbi Pisani (Pastor Donna’s daughter) has an amazing voice too. I actually love the team, really. Their passion is just great!

It was really a blessing this weekend! But that wasn’t all! I just have a great testimony I wanted to share.

After the first night of the first conference, I took the metro home, it was after 10 at night so I try not to take the metro home so late alone in my neighborhood because I know it can get really sketchy, especially on the weekends but usually I never have problems. But because of the conference, I figured, meh. I remember before I left that God told me that something would happen and to be ready. I didn’t really think anything of it and went home anyway.

It takes me about 15 minuets to walk from metro to my house. On my way home a couple of guys called out but I ignored them and kept walking, if it was during the day, I would react differently. About a block and a half-away, a car started to make a turn but then stopped in the middle of the road.

The guy in the car opened his door and just stared at me. He did this for about half a minuet or so without saying anything. Didn’t get out of the car just smiled. You know the kind of smile where he wanted to invite me into his car or something… and it left me feeling unsettled.

During this time, I’m still walking but cautiously. I started praying, asking God for his protection and hoping he’ll close the door and drive away. Not too long after, he does exactly that.

I kept walking home and went inside my room and just got on the floor and started crying and believe me, it takes a lot to make me cry about something. It was that moment, I realized for the first time I truly trusted God. Even when I became a Christian, I still had my moments of doubts. Even when I got on the plane to go to Uganda or move here, it wasn’t about trusting God for me. I still doubted Him. But that night, He tested me in so many ways. He asked me to be ready, and I listened, even though I didn’t fully listen, I still kept it in the back of my mind and kept and eye out.

When that moment came, I asked for His help. I didn’t depend on anyone else. When I went into my room and wept, I thanked Him. Instead of being angry with Him. I was still alive and at home. I had another reason to live for another day. I also prayed for the man in the car. I prayed for the city of DC and wept for DC.

In the past few days, I had some time to process the what happened. I realized several things. Not only did I trust God, but it was also a test from him. A few weeks ago, I went to Life Group, and openly admitted that I needed to depend on God more, not something I easily admit to people. And I am admitting it to my bloggers because perhaps it will help you understand my testimony a little better. Perhaps God heard my prayers, he must have wanted to challenge me.

I haven’t had a great past, I have a bondage in my past I’ve wanted to break for a long time. And because of that night, because God gained my trust, I was able to break that bondage. While I’m not sure if I can break that tough girl in me and pretend I’m okay still, it’s definitely a work in progress. At least I can trust and depend on God.

Encountering Christ

Tags

Arthur Wills, Bread, Christ, God, Jesus, Lord, Simone Weil, Twitter

In the next two weeks, I’ll be taking sabbath from blogging and several days from FB and Twitter but can’t all of two weeks because of DC Stop Modern Slavery and the ministry. However, I wanted to end my blog with something for you in mind and found this today while reading Christian Mysticism, I came across this beautifully written translated poem. I hope you embrace it as much as I did. May the Lord be with you.

If for any reason, you need to contact me, please email me at ebrandow86@gmail.com. Thanks!

He entered my room and said: “Poor creature, you who understand nothing, who know nothing. Come with me and I will teach you things which you do not suspect.” I followed him.
He took me into a church. It was new and ugly. He led me up to an alter and said: “Kneel down.” I said “I have not been baptized.” He said “Fall on your knees before this place, in love, as before the place where lies the truth.” I obeyed.
He bought me out and made me climb up to a garret. Through the open window one could see the whole city spread out, some wooden scaffoldings, and the river on which the boats were being unloaded. The garret was empty, except for a table and two chairs. He bade me to be seated.
We were alone. He spoke. From time to time, someone would enter, mingle in conversation, then leave again.
Winter had gone, spring had not yet come. The branches of the trees lay bare, without buds, in the cold air full of sunshine.
The light of day would arise, shine forth in splendor and fade away, then the mood and the stars would enter through the window. And then once more the dawn would come up.
At times he would fall silent, take some bread from the cupboard, and we would share it. This bread really had the taste of bread. I have never found that taste again.
He would pour our some wine for me, and some for himself, wine which taste of the sun and of the soil upon which this city was built.
At other times we would stretch ourselves out on the floor of the garret, and sweet sleep would enfold me. Then I would wake and drink in the light of the sun.
He had promised to teach me, but he did not teach me anything. We would talk about all kinds of things, in a desultory way, as do old friends.
One day he said to me: “Now go.” I fell down before him, I clasped his knees, I implored him not to drive me away. But he threw me out on the stairs. I went down unconscious of anything, my heart as it were in shreds. I wandered along the streets. Then I realized that I had no idea where this house lay.
I have never tried to find it again. I understood that he had come for me by mistake. My place is not in that garret. It can be anywhere in a prison cell, in one of those middle class drawing rooms full of knickknacks and red plush, in the waiting-room of a station, anywhere, except the garret.
Sometimes I cannot help trying, fearfully and remorsefully, to repeal to myself a part of what he said to me. How am I to know if I remember it rightly? he is not there to tell me.
I know well that he does not love me. He could he love me? And yet deep down within something, a particle of myself, cannot help thing with fear and trembling, that perhaps, in spite of all, he loves me.

- Simone Weil (translated from the french by Arthur Wills). 1976 

Investing in time for the right things

Tags

Christ, Christianity, future, humble, imitation, investing, Life, people, praise, relationship, reminders, serve, thankful, Thomas a kempis, time, watching

I’m done with college, but not with life. So, where do I go from here? I started questioning why investing time in people is important and why investing time in walls is important. 

People: It’s important that when you work in a ministry to develop a relationship. People are watching everything you do and say. Even how you breathe… ok, maybe I’m exaggerating on the last one. But seriously, people take notice of the things you do, because someday, they might want to be like you. They also want to trust you in the future.  

Walls: It’s important to take time away from people because it can be exhausting at times. This can help tremendously with your prayer life and relationship with God as well. 

Serving: you cannot serve people unless you go behind doors as Jesus suggested to pray in private. God knows that sometimes we need this to help work out whatever is going on in our hearts and minds. We also need to spend time in prayer to give praise. He knows doing this will give us strength and even simple reminders.

Like today, He reminded me that I have a friend in him. People come and go or say things they might not mean, but I’ll always have him. Because of this, I’m so thankful for what I have. 

It’s definitely worth investing my time in people and in walls so I can humbly serve God. 

Book I’m reading: Imitation of Christ By: thomas a kempis

You can read a free copy of it here: http://www.leaderu.com/cyber/books/imitation/imitation.html

Defining Christ

Tags

Akron, Arizona, ASL, barriers, C3, Church, Cleveland Clinic, Cochlear Implant, CRU, culture, deaf, deaf culture, Flagstaff, Gallaudet, Gallaudet University, government, Hearing, Hearing impairment, holy spirit, identities, Jesus, List of deaf people, love, mainstream, Miami, NAU, Ohio, women at the well

You bring the right people, the right language, use the Holy Spirit to the people and everything will work out. Last thing you want to do is have some kid or even adults have things go over their heads and finally give up on God. Although, it’s not impossible…

This blog post is to open to my bloggers to help you guys understand my background and where I come from; everything from my family, education and my church background in terms of my understanding and where I stand on Hearing and the Deaf world and how this has influenced my walk with God as well my relationship with students since arriving to Gallaudet in August.

It’s believed I was born with progressive hearing loss but no one really knows. My mom didn’t figure it out until I spilled grape juice two days in a row on brand new kitchen carpet when I was about two or three. (Don’t ask why they put carpet there in the first place…) When i didn’t respond to discipline, she suspected something was wrong and took me to the local audiologist and they put tubes in my ears and that didn’t work and eventually took me to the Cleveland Clinic. They did surgery on both ears to improve the window of membrane. After that, I had tutoring for ASL and speech therapy for years. I also got hearing aids. My family attempted to learn basic home signs to communicate. I attended mostly mainstreamed schools until I moved to Arizona with my mom and went to Phoenix Day School for the Deaf for four years and then transferred for academic reasons.

In Oct. 2003, I noticed my speech understanding was progressively getting worst and told my mom. I was a junior in high school (age 17). The doctor told me I was officially a candidate for a cochlear implant and was allowed to consider the option if I wanted to. But for insurance reasons, I had to consider it soon. This was before Obama approved it and made it that you could extend it to age 24. So, after three weeks and debating it, I went ahead and scheduled it. It required flying to Miami, Florida to get it done by a specialist because of the cochlea. Can’t complain if I was spending Christmas break on the beach! The implant was turned on Feb. 6, 2004, sounds still amazes me everyday.

It was just about three months after I had the implant turned on that I accepted Christ. (I was 18).

I graduated from high school in 2005. I studied journalism and photography and joined what seemed like a million clubs in my spare time.

I went to college and studied at Akron U for two years. I did join a student organization through a church there which a Deaf ministry. The organization didn’t have interpreters or a separate deaf ministry since I was the only deaf student attending that last year. In 2007, I transferred to Northern Arizona U and graduated in May 2011. I joined Intervarsity and even the worship team. I loved the team and they taught me tons.

I admit, I’ve been away from the Deaf culture for a while. There are Deaf people in Flagstaff. But not many and I’m not close to them. I did have interpreters in college but still didn’t spend a lot of time in the Deaf community. I say this, because most people at Gallaudet think I’m hearing.

What was missing when I lived in Flagstaff? No Deaf ministry. I would go to churches and there wouldn’t be anything. Most of the time I would sit there and try to comprehend what they were talking about. I often had to ask the Holy Spirit to explain everything, especially in context! As if college wasn’t already nerve wrecking.

The same thing is happening in our churches all over the country. We’ve talked to a lot of students who having the same issues who go to church with their families in the hearing churches and don’t get it. Some of them go with interpreters and STILL don’t get it. It’s the context of what they are learning that’s the issue.  I talked to a pastor at Gallaudet who works for C3 and he mentioned that’s one of the biggest barriers for students. He went and observed a student who’s in high school and watched what happened and then asked afterwards and then explained it to him. Once he understood, everything made sense! He’s really a smart kid, but doesn’t have the right people explaining it to him.

It’s important to remember that the Deaf community and the Hearing community need to work together. I understand that many Deaf institutions are shutting down or are mainstreaming students. Forcing students to wear cochlear implants these days. While I understand that some of these are for financial reasons, I think the government is forgetting the importance of students needs. What might work for some, might not work for another. It’s time to fight barriers.

Remember the story of the women at the well? When the woman mentioned that she could not associated with him because she was a Samaritan and he was a Jew? (John 4:7-26) The whole concept applies here. But Jesus wanted to offer her something more. He didn’t care about what she was or her background. You can even ignore everything I just said! What he cared about was that she needed something much more, living water. God definitely has something better in mind for us. Our identities that we spend so much time wasting on trying to identify isn’t what He wants. He wants us to define  Himself in us. The Deaf pride or even that Hearing pride only matters so much or whichever we take for granted… but the love that Jesus gave, is even better.

Always a new season

Tags

C3, Campus, Christ, Crusade for Christ, Easter, fasting, Gallaudet, Gallaudet University, God, holy, HolySpirit, hope, intern, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Jesu, Jesus, Joel, Korea, Metro, Oklahoma City, Pastor, prayer, sanctuary, worship

I love how Easter just rolls around. This week has been a huge blessing in different ways. I really wish Easter was everyday to remind me of what Jesus did.

On Thursday morning I started my day off with feeling lifted with God, or as my friend Kari said, drunk in Sprit. We were both pretty excited about spending the next 24 hours with God. I walked to Metro munching on a light breakfast and carrying a box and my Adidas bag with me and was all set to go. I love this life! Anyone who says the life of an intern that lives out of a trunk is a wimp!

https://www.facebook.com/IVCF2100

When arriving, none of knew what to expect like last time but we just let it flow and let the Holy Spirit lead us.

What ended up happening…

1) Compared to last time, no one popped up except for about three students (not including fellowship).
2) We had more consistency with the same people in the entire 24 hours. (3 of us)
3) We washed our feet together, anointed each other with oil and broke fast with communion at 11 a.m.
4) We teamed up with Campus Crusade for Christ (C3) for Fellowship from 7:30-10 p.m. The Baptist Campus Ministry took the lead in leading this instead of C3.

What I learned from God:

1) He showed me Joel 1:13-14

And also you priests,
put on your robes and join the outcry.
You who lead people in worship,
lead them in lament.
Spend the night dressed in gunnysacks,
you servants of my God.
Nothing’s going on in the place of worship,
no offerings, no prayers - nothing.
Declare a holy fast, call a special meeting,
get the leaders together,
Round up everyone in the country.
Get them into God’s Sanctuary for serious prayer to God.
At the last 24-hour prayer/fast, he showed me that sometimes He will dry up a place before He waters it and flourishes it. This time, He’s telling me that we need people to make these things happen. Gallaudet is such a dead campus, it’s so heartbreaking. If you’ve ever been to a dead campus or church or place, you would know what I mean. It’s like walking into a club.

On April 8 (Easter), we hosted our very first Easter Worship Service at Gallaudet. Unlike the Post-Homecoming service. Very few people showed up. Two boys who’s father’s are pastor’s in Oklahoma City said they would come, left within ten minutes of starting. You can imagine the feeling of how we felt when I watched them walk out. Heartbroken, not for our ministry but for them.

However, on a optimistic note, I will say that we invited Pastor Jaong who is currently residing in D.C. while studying. He also is working at a Korean church here but is working on setting up a ministry at Gallaudet for Asian students. He was called to come and serve here in the U.S. without knowing why but realized that the U.S. does not really know God. In korea, their church has over 700 deaf people in their congregation, 20,000 people attend the church. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it…

He spoke about living in Hope. Jesus’ death was already predicted in the OT, we’re so focused on being blessed in this country that we forget that our sufferings are what we should make us hopeful for living.

I connected my 24-hour prayer a lot with the Easter Worship service because he saw how dead our campus was. No one stepping up in faith, no one wanted the loving God that we have. Many international students come and they start to lose faith that the American students aren’t all cut out to being as nice as they thought. Most International students are Muslims or Hindu. It’s a hard conversation to have with them about Jesus when they can’t read English very good. Many of them drop the program because of bullying.

Gallaudet… once again… I say is a dead campus for faith…

But God said…

“Declare a holy fast, call a special meeting,
get the leaders together,
Round up everyone in the country.
Get them into God’s Sanctuary for serious prayer to God.”
What have we got to lose?

Easter everyday

Tags

Christ, Cross, death, Easter, Facebook, God, Jesus, justin and lindsey holcomb, Lent, ministries, Religion and Spirituality, Resurrection of Jesus, Rid of my disgrace, self-help, self-love, sexual assault

I’m reading Rid of my Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault By Justin and Lindsey Holcomb. 

I browsed Facebook yesterday after not being on it much this past weekend because of my busy schedule and saw that there was a free downloaded version of it. I was so excited because I’ve waited to get my hands on this book for months! This book it meant for those who have either been through it, or those who are working in the ministry and work in counseling people who have been through it.

Only 35 percent way through the book and my heart feels overflowed by what God has to say about people who suffer from sexual assault trauma. It affects so many women today than we realize, and even men. And Jesus has a place for those who are suffering. Those that have been victimized don’t need to continue being a victim but rising up to God’s purpose. I think they posted a three-day free download because it’s sexual assault awareness month.

I recommend it to anyone who’s been through it or works for ministries that requires counseling. I’m grateful that it talks about someone who claims self-help books are not helpful but Jesus is. Self-love is not what we make of it. But Jesus is the answer. He’s the reason he died on the cross.

Thinking about this tonight, I realized that I don’t need Easter once a year to be reminded of this. I need Easter everyday because Jesus died for me over 2,000 years ago today, everyday and then rose from the dead three days later. Not once a year.

He didn’t have to, but he did it anyway because he loved us. How awesome is that?

I decided to add the link from Amazon where I downloaded it in case anyone wanted to download a copy of it. If it’s no longer free, you can always download it for yourself or buy the copy.
Happy reading!

Rid of My Disgrace (Re:Lit): Lindsey A. Holcomb, Justin S. Holcomb: Amazon.com: Kindle Store

Holy Spirit Come Fill This Place Now

Tags

Chapel, China, Christianity, Fill this place, God, healing, HolySpirit, Joel Olson, NAU, Northern Arizona University, prayer, Religion and Spirituality, Spain

Today I went to the Chapel since my plans fell through and I was already at Gallaudet. I decided to spend some time in prayer. Away from everyone. One of the things I like about the Chapel it’s not distracting, it’s not my room, it’s not a coffee shop, it’s a sanctuary. Well, you could call your room a sanctuary if you wanted to, but in the dictionary, a Chapel is defined: as a small place of worship. Meaning it’s smaller than a church.

I opened up my laptop and I tuned some songs, starting with the Holy Spirit Come Fill This Place Now. It certainly filled the room. And even though I knew the Holy Spirit was with me, it bought more attention to my prayers.

As I started praying, I ended up in a moment where I sat down and started writing a letter to my old roommate which I need to send to China tomorrow. I’m excited for her!

Sometimes God tells us to stop in the middle of something and do something, which is totally okay. He wants us to act on things. We can always go back to what we’re doing later. I was in no rush to be anywhere.

I determined three things from today’s prayer…

1) I need to started on a lunch ministry with the students. One way or another.
2) I need to get back into doodle drawing, God has motivated me a lot more lately! Sometimes it’s His way of working things out with HIm.
3) Never underestimate God’s prophecies and plans.

Prayer requests for now:
*My uncle: he underwent his 17th chemo treatment this past week. He would like to continue going despite what the doctors say. (Cannot disclose too much).
*My sister: She had surgery on her gallbladder, but she’s recovering and back to work by Monday.
*Leeann is still recovering from the blood clot in her leg from before spring break ended. Pray for mighty healing. Also pray for her family as there has been a recent death.

*Northern Arizona University Professor Joel Olson: A friend from college informed me that he passed away this week. He was found a UK hotel room. It’s currently unknown as of now what he died from. He was on sabbatical leave from the university to study abroad and has been in Spain with his family.
I did not have him for a professor, but I have interviewed him for stories for the school paper and he’s an amazing activist who really believed in so much. His wife also worked as my interpreter in college. Prof. Olson will be missed and I will be keeping the family in my prayers. He has a wife with three beautiful and wild children.

Thank you guys for tuning in. May the Holy Spirit fill you up in your sanctuary and help you find what you need.

Be Celebrated

Tags

being a woman, Celebrate, kissing God, taxes, Woman

When I hugged my parents and my roommate good-bye in Arizona, I had no idea what I was getting myself into seven months ago. This week, a lot of things happened. Nothing life shattering or life changing to the point where I think God says, “hey… wake up!” Although, I do have days like those. But I did have a day where God decided to poke me again. At least it wasn’t at 2 a.m. like last year. God and I have that cool relationship where poking is cool, even at 2 a.m., sometimes anyway.

I started reading this book called, The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism, edited with an introduction by Bernard McGinn. And it got me thinking. I admit, I have dated a guy for the past few months, if any of my bloggers have wondered about my love life. Our relationship has been long distance and kind of hush-hush because I wanted to see where things would go. When things didn’t work out, I wasn’t surprised.

Knowing my personality and my relationship with God, and reading this book makes me rethink how I see my relationship with God. In terms of how I minister to students, work in the ministry, the Church, do my devotions, even pray both out loud and on my own. I realized that there’s so much more to it.

There was one essay about how we perceive kissing God. Our culture doesn’t like the idea of kissing God. But what’s so bad about the idea of being intimate with God? I wanted to so badly be more  intimate with God. There are so many ways you can be intimate with Him.

This week marked a ten-year for something, and because of the break up, I decided. As a woman, I would like to be celebrated. Even though I would loved to be loved by someone, at least I know God loves me. God celebrates me everyday. I am choosing to celebrate life and that means finding people to share with and celebrate with as well. I had been thinking about it for a few weeks but had made the decision

I will NOT be defeated. I will NOT be defined. I will NOT be conquered. I am LOVED and CELEBRATED by God. I am defined by CHRIST.

If you are in the boat where you don’t feel like God loves you at all… trust me, He does. More than anyone else ever will and He’s calling out to you to run to Him.

In Case you want to buy the book!
I got mine from the local library feel free to see if yours has it, did you know that only four percent of Americans own a library card? And you pay taxes for it! (Food for thought). :) And yes, it’s free to read for a few weeks.

Amazon.com: The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism (Modern Library Classics) (9780812974218): Bernard McGinn: Books

Dry Places

Tags

Campus, Christianity, Gallaudet, Gallaudet University, God, Jesu, Oasis, prayer

A few weeks ago, I wrote about God being the Oasis, because He is the water of life. But sometimes, He dries up a place in order to awaken a place. Eventually, God will water them when He’s ready and then the place will thrive in it’s own timing and grow just as beautiful.

This is what God told me during the recent 24 hour prayer on March 8th, that He provided at Gallaudet. Regardless of how dark Gallaudet may be, we CANNOT give up hope.

We posted four questions on the wall and asked people to post their thoughts, prayers and passages they were inspired during their times of prayer from the questions.

A couple of questions asked…

1) How would you like to see God move the campus?
2) How can YOU change the campus?
3) How can the community change the campus?

These are things we wanted to inspire students and staff to see God move on campus, to help water the campus and get things moving. Sometimes it takes awhile… we got awesome responses even though it was little. But it was inspiring to see how God wants to change the campus.

We will have another 24 hour prayer on April 5th and we’re super excited!

Our theme will be, ”Pray for one more hour,” when the disciples slept right before Jesus’ arrest. Exciting, right? We’d like to invite you to join us, no matter where you are during this time for the campus to rise up and pray for one more hour for all that Jesus did for us.

We will have a Good Friday Service in the Chapel to break fast shortly after and then on Sunday, we will have a Easter Service on campus.

This is going to be the best Easter since I first accepted Christ when I was 18.

 

Sold Out!

Tags

awareness, Barack Obama, community, Facebook, God, injustice, invisible children, Joseph Kony, Kony, lords resistance army, LRA, northern uganda, responsibilities, SOLD OUT, Uganda

What’s everyone talking about this week? Joseph Kony. Invisible Children release a viral video on Tuesday, March 6 that would quickly change the world on how they see things from a different perspective. But it quickly lead people to debate. It did exactly what Invisible Children wanted people to do: bring awareness to what was going on. But is it being completely effective yet? It’s only been a few days and KONY has yet to be found.

If you haven’t viewed the short half hour video, after reading this blog, go watch it. The reason for this title is because at the end, they want you to go after KONY and bring justice to the people in Northern Uganda after what the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has done.

If you remember in previous post, I was preparing for a 24 hour prayer and fast at Gallaudet, and by the grace of God, he showed me many things,  including a verse about this situation. As someone who works in communications, he said to read Psalms 82. It’s easy to live in America and favor ignorance. It’s easy not to care what’s going on in places like Northern Uganda or where ever the LRA is now. It’s even easy to walk past a homeless person on the streets, but does it mean you can’t do anything about it?

Half-way through the video, I was already in tears. I confess. I stopped it and I posted it on Facebook. I didn’t need to watch the rest of it. But I did. And I’m glad, I have no regrets. I look back at my short visit in Kampala, and I think about all the kids that I worked with at the school and I don’t really know much of their story but I think about the three somalian kids and I wonder so more about theirs now. That was enough to put me to tears, and enough to post the video. The little stories of what I do know… bring me here.

Why do people have to question what they are doing is shady? Money, greed, management, business, over exploitation of people’s live? Perhaps… I questioned it myself many times too. But then you look at the success stories of what’s happened in the last ten years. More African children are going to school. The LRA is moving away from Northern Uganda (not necessarily a good thing) but it’s process and a time of healing for people. And then we look at when President Obama finally sent people over last year to try and take down some of the LRA. It was a small start to getting something done, but even I doubted it was enough.

As a communicator, our job is to communicate information that’s important from our clients to the publics. And to this one person, and at the beginning of the video (who is the co-founder of the Invisible Children) was compassionate enough to find a way to stop making children like his best friend from becoming a child solider, from females- a sex slave, children from being abducted, children from being beaten, killed, taken. He’s not asking you to donate money to the organization to the schools over there to make a change, etc. He’s asking you to be aware of what’s going on, get politically involved. And as someone in my mid-20′s somethings, I agree. We should be getting involved in politics, not enough 20 somethings do and if it means getting inspired to be actively aware about KONY, then that’s a good way to go.

I repeat the passage of Psalms 82 to you because we are still human, we are still responsible for finding a way to helping the needy and fighting the injustice.

On their website, they are officially sold out of their kit. Not that I was planning on getting it for myself, but just out of curiosity of how much it would cost in case it would come up in a later debate, it simply said sold out. It’s only a few days after the viral video went out. No one has posted the video yet on Facebook this morning on my Newsfeed or shared it.

Here’s a few things I’ve noticed…

-Everyone from Arizona posted or shared the video, but no one from DC did, except very few. Only one from Gallaudet posted it yesterday when she found it captioned.
http://dotsub.com/view/ef3d7b6c-eab5-478a-a51c-d27166d27dcc   (CC version)

-Everyone from DC who posted it seemed cynical about it or made negative remarks about it. Even Christians…

-My friend who worked for them… she is already working on setting up an event to help them out and take down KONY. She still supports them. That should be enough.

So, I want you to think about not necessarily their intentions. Even sometimes I have to do that. I have such high expectations for organizations and end up disappointed because I wanted them to do more than what I wanted. But they are doing is what they need to do, they are doing what they believe they are doing and putting their hearts into it. We can’t have everyone do everything exactly what we want we want. If we want to do something, we have to make most of the effort to do it.

I’m sold out on at least making the effort in getting more involved in politics and taking responsibilities for my actions by making other aware. Even in Biblical times, people like David and Moses went were given huge responsibilities that God gave them.

Do you see yourself as someone that can be sold out on taking responsibilities for the world? Even if it’s not KONY, but people in your community?

24 hours of prayer and fast

Tags

24 hours, Chapel, DC SMS, faith, fast, Gallaudet University, human trafficking, Jesus, Outreach, possible, prayer, shooting, wisdom

HUMAN TRAFFICKING-STOP MODERN DAY SLAVERY

Last night I went to a meeting for a DC Stop Modern Slavery where they discussed how kids walk from metro station to station, attempting to sell candy bars for $7 to people with usually an adult nearby. Usually, if this happens, it’s a case of human trafficking. If you see this happen, call the National Hot-line 1-888-373-7888.

In D.C., there have been about 70 of just kids filed cases called into the hotline so far. There have been about 30,000 cases in D.C. alone. D.C. is one of the top three, alongside with Riverside, California, and Tucson, Arizona becoming a bigger trend recently.

24 HOUR PRAYER/FAST

With these things in mind, I ask that you join us, wherever you are in the world, or if you are a Gallaudet student, staff, come join us for a time of prayer or if you need time of devotion with God. Because of the recent solar flare, a lot the communications will be disrupted and people will be annoyed so it’s an opportunity to come out and spent time with God.

We ask God to move the campus because there are less than one percent of Christ followers.

We ask God to help people come to a better understanding our faiths and not just respect each other and be open minded to questions but to Jesus. I am going to challenge students to ask questions about Him.

We ask people to open their hearts in DC to Jesus. We also know that there are 150,000 deaf people in the Deaf community between VA, DC and MD. Of course, all the families that are hearing that live with them!

I pray for more outreaches!

Many churches don’t realize that Deaf people are a valuable asset to the church. They are more than just something precious, they are also people. They are like the man who was once begging in the streets and couldn’t see and was healed, or the man who climbed the tree just to see Jesus and Jesus saw him and told him to climb down and take him to Him to be fed by Him family so His could share the story. These stories… they are valuable, just like people in the church who walk in and are broken just like everyone else and need a place to hear about Jesus and need to be healed and need to know the story.

I believe, that anything is possible in the name of God. Through His wisdom, His Holy Sprit, He can speak words of power through me to find a way to reach these people and bring them into His Temple. I don’t know How. But He knows.

My friends, I ask you spend time, wherever you are starting at 11 a.m. at Eastern Standard Time. to pray with us and fast.

Phone Home

Tags

Cancer, Facebook, February, God, Twitter, Uganda, United States, Video Phone

I’ve lived in D.C. as of February 20th officially for six months. But starting this month, I will have been cell phone free.

Living here now… who would have thought in the United States! Especially if you live in Washington, D.C. Most people who live in D.C. even have the $20 phone you can get pay as you go. I do have one of those myself but never add minutes.

I’m fortunate to own a phone these days. I walk around the city and I see people in the coffee shops, or on the subway texting, talking on their phone, listening to music, playing games, reading the news, or whatever they do. I miss my smart phone sometimes. I got rid of it in September for financial reasons. But I got the $20 phone before leaving for Uganda in July, if I needed to be reached and didn’t want anyone to steal my smart phone while I was away. I use it now for emergencies and as an alarm. You can still call 9-1-1 on it with no minutes.

Despite not having my phone, financial or otherwise, I’m glad I don’t have it. I’ve observed how it has affected people around me. It has allowed me to have more conversations with people. It’s allowed me to read more and talk to with God more. It’s allowed me to pay attention to what’s going around me.

Sometimes we have to take the ear buds out and listen to what’s going on. Or take away what’s in front of our face for a while to see what God has to show us or what He wants us to hear.

The other day for example, I was sitting and waiting at the subway, and I saw a woman who was watching a bird hopping on the ground. It was obvious she was going through cancer treatment. But she has this definition of happiness that oftentimes cancer patients go through when they realize that there’s nothing to life when there’s a possibility they might die. They look at everything like it’s nothing but also like it’s the most amazing and most breathtaking thing the world. It’s something worth smiling about.

I couldn’t help but find myself smiling about what God was showing me. Sometimes, we have to take things away to appreciate the things He wants us to see, hear and enjoy so we can seek His presence.

Paul wrote to churches all over. He wrote of words of encouragement in good faith. correcting errors and giving advice was needed in the churches. He also informed them when he was coming or if he was sending anyone. It’s times like those when snail mail used to be really slow, and I mean slow! Probably slower than how long our mail usually gets from here to Africa. I sent a letter to a friend six months ago, it never arrived, and he just made it back to the state before Christmas. Oh well.

Now, I haven’t talked to a lot of people in months because of not having my cell phone, partially because of finances but also because my phone broke. But I’m thankful for snail mail, e-mails, Skpe, Facebook, Twitter, as well as Video Phone and everything that enables me to continue to find a way to keep in touch with people who matter to me in my life. Even if they are 5-feet away or on the other side of the planet. Somehow, the satellite in space, without the people who God created for us, we would not have the ability to keep in touch.

When is the last time you took a break from your cell phone? Your computer? Or even Facebook? And just looked around? Listened to the sounds, conversations, read a good book, hung out with a good friend you haven’t seen in a while?

It’s been six months since I’ve had my cell phone (smart phone), how long can you go without yours?

Phone. Home…

For the moments I feel faint

Tags

Christanity, Faint, faith, hope, Jesus, Relient K

When I was in high school, I remember my friend burned a CD of 21 songs for me, back then, burning CD’s were cool. The song ‘For the moments I feel faint’ by Relient K was on there. I took the CD home and looked up the lyrics and listened to the song and instantly fell in love. 

Today, I look back and I think about the past nine years of knowing Christ and growing, my relationship has been transformed. As crazy as it sounds, this song is a bit high school drama for me nowadays but sometimes, I’ll sit back and listen to it once in awhile and be reminded of how much God has changed me.

I encourage you to take a listen. If you in that time in your life where everything is just crumbling, your finances are just all over the place, your relationship is shaken,  or your health is not the greatest.

This song is encouraging to remind you that Jesus wants you to give it up to him. Nothing’s impossible, He’s the light of the way and he’s the one with all the hope. 

At the beginning of the song, my heart is faint, but at the end of the song, my heart is strong and ready to go. I know He’s got my back!

How real is God?

Tags

24 hours, D.C., Facebook, fasting, God, God is real, Jesus, praying, regrets, Thessalonians

From the moment I got on the plane to go to Uganda, I was excited, not knowing where God was leading me. When I was sitting on my couch, deciding if it was the right choice to buy my one way ticket to D.C., I was absolutely terrified. My bank card sat there for hours on my laptop before I decided and prayed and finally bought it. To this day, with no regrets.

When I got off the plane in D.C. (still terrified but excited), I didn’t know what to expect. After six months of frustrations, excitements, and still never knowing what to expect every morning… I’m learning that God has become more real in my life than He ever was. I may not able to see Him, but I’m running after Him in ways never before. I’m seeking Him in ways never was before. He’s approaching me in ways He never has before. God is real. Not that I never said He wasn’t.

Last week, I came home from church, something amazing happened the night before, something personal for me anyway that I have been struggling with for the past few weeks and for the first time, I was really happy about it and I wanted to show the world. So, I took a picture and posted it on Facebook. I suspected that those who knew me best, probably saw that little gleam of happiness in my eyes as I laughed in delight. Yes, sunsets make me laugh. God makes me laugh. But He’s showing me life.

This week was truly challenging. Funny how God made me read all through 1 Thessalonians about praying for the Thessalonica Church and their people. About how to share the Good News in good faith and through persecution. I absolutely love Paul’s writings, it’s always encouraging!

With the 24 Hour Prayer/Fast coming up on March 8th, I’m very excited to see what God has in store. Being a former college student who had very little time for God and never had time to fast for God, and people giving me OPPORTUNITIES to pray and fast…? Who would have thought! I never thought this would work until I did it. So I’m excited to see how the students react to it. And I know they are social creatures, so we’ll see!

Pray for the students for 24 hour prayer and fast!

Thanks Bloggers for tuning in!!

Feeding us

My friend had the ultimate testimony this week of feeding people at the park and her backpack went missing, turns out… a homeless person took it and turned it in and contacted her on facebook about it. And the DC Park Police is still in awe.

Here’s the link, read her story. 

http://karismilz.blogspot.com/2012/02/lents-58-in-action.html

Never underestimate the power of angels.

 

The Power of a Praying Church

The Power of a Praying Church.

THanks for sharing this!

Oasis

Tags

Bible, Firefighter, Gallaudet University, God, Jesus, Lord, Oasis, Student

“Oasis” defined:  A fertile or green area in a dry region; something providing relief from boring or dreary routine; a Refuge, Resort, and Resource.

http://www.oasisfamilychurch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=134&Itemid=143

I have a small little paper with God written in the middle and then words written all over of different names that are in the Bible that we call Him. Everything from Jesus, and so forth. One thing I didn’t think to add was Oasis.

Last night we had another night of survey and sat down a student to answer our six questions. She was obviously not a believer in Jesus. But she obviously questioned ‘faith.’

“What is your purpose here at Gallaudet University?” We asked her.

Her response: “Since I was little, I’ve always wanted to be a firefighter…”

Jeffery Bowden, who is on our servant’s team helped out last night with explaining to each student the questions for research purposes for the Office of Campus Ministries to find out how much they know and what they know about their spiritual background while attending Gallaudet.  (We will not have final results for at least several months). But he spent time explaining the questions.

One of the things he mentioned later was that when we are children, we often visualize ourselves already what we want to do. We have this instant desire of what we want to do as children but playing something simple as a school teacher or pretends to be a police officer by using stuff animals and chasing after friends. Or when people told a young kid that people told him that he would be a pastor because he was in drugs or drinking but one day had a revelations and quit and became a pastor. God can change and use us.

Take delight in the Lord and He will give you your heart’s desires.
Psalms 37:4

God gives us these little desires in our hearts to pursue after. But what does He wants us  to do with these desires and dreams?

But now, she cannot be a fire fighter because she’s Deaf. LeeAnn who plans on finishing her Ph.D., which will take about 100 students to survey and 100′s of hours. But what are we getting out of this, what is the student getting out this? What will LeeAnn be able to tell students who want to be a fire fighter? while God is continuously opening our eyes to things we’ve never expected from the survey together.

What could I take away from someone who wants a fire fighter? I remembered when I was little, I envisioned being a teacher, a librarian, a fire fighter, an artist, a photographer, an actress, and then a writer. I wanted everything God wants to serve Him.

Something Jeff said to the student that was probably true. We, as servants of the Office of Campus Ministries offered a place for students to not only want to know who Jesus is, but understand their purpose in life. To know their identity. Most of us go through life, we never hear our calling. We often miss out. We often miss out on what God could give us so much more on. So many opportunities, ideas, purpose and a mission.

Not only that, but to seek Jesus.

Now that… was awesome. Who knew seeking Oasis would be so awesome yesterday?

Give it away

Tags

Bible, Christianity, God, India, Jesus, Student, Study Bible

About two weeks ago, I received an email from head of the office of Campus Ministries asking if anyone would like to volunteering to minister to students at a student’s memorial service who had passed away recently during Christmas break. I was unsure if I was unable to attend at the time because of my work schedule but said I may come if I could.

I had planned to go for when students needed to talk or just to observe the memorial as well as pay my respect to the family. But before arriving, I passed by a student I had not seen in a while in the Market Place and decided to say hello. He was chatting with another student that I introduced to from India.

The student I chatted with is also from India, the conversation turned into a three-hour long discussion about Jesus. As a result, I gave away my Bible I had come to know for six years, which highlighted, noted with names and stained from rainstorms over time. When I said I wouldn’t mind getting him one and saw he wanted to take mine, I wanted to stop him but I decided to let it go. Bibles are replaceable and I can always replace mine with a new one or get my other one back. But it was just difficult to give something away that I have grown attach to.

So, not only did I miss a memorial, I gave something away.

He did need someone to talk to about Jesus to because of a lack of resources at home since he didn’t have a Bible. While I should humbly give my Bible away, and I not have, it still wasn’t easy to do so. I walked away struggling with God because of our long conversation as well. Not that I will post it for confidentially reasons but knowing how difficult it is just to give your own book away.

Can you give yours away knowing you are on a tight budget at times?

The next day, I got an email from a friend who I lived with for awhile for those of you who follow my blog religiously, you remember Liz? The single mom with four kids? Well, she had some news to share with me and a request. She finally has a job! Not only was I in tears but I was praising God.

For those of who are first reading this blog and don’t know anything about her, she was laid off in 2008 from the government, she has four wonderful kids! I stayed with them for about a month and a half. She just got a job with the government I pray it goes well and it’s stable! Hopefully she’ll get a new and safer place for the kids to live where they can run around and play!

But anyway, back to what I was saying. When God offer an opportunity, he really offered it, I didn’t disobey Him. despite what I felt, thought or would have thought about my student. I set that aside and gave it to him anyway because wanted him to have it for the future.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.”

Revelation 3:8

A new movement for 2012

Tags

Baptist, Campus, Gallaudet, Gallaudet University, God, Judaism, Student, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet

For the past two weeks, our Baptist Campus Ministry (BCM) has been working on a survey to better equip the Office of Campus Ministries (OCM). Not just the BCM, but the entire Campus Ministry to help students across campus to be reached out an be aware that there is a resource and tool out there to equip them out there about being spiritually conscious while in college.

While in college, students already know that they have the tools for education, physical, emotional/psychological, and behavioral. But most of them miss out of spiritual needs or don’t even think about it. Most college campuses offer it through student run campus ministries. Gallaudet does have one student run campus ministries, but they lack resources and recently students have complained of showing up and no one of being at the meetings that were announced in their emails.

The Office of Campus Ministries has been for decades trying to find ways to do more outreach within their own ministries in different ways. The founder of the Gallaudet University, name Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet who was ordained as a minister at age 27, Gallaudet being an inspiration for many of the people who work in the office of OCM.

http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/gallaudet-thomas-hopkins3.htm

But those who work in OCM sometimes don’t bother coming in anymore, some are retiring in the next few months or within the year. Some don’t bother coming to campus but still do campus outreach with students on occasions.

Other members like the Catholic, Baptist and Assemblies of God struggle to continue doing outreach. As well as the Judaism. There is no Muslim or Hinduism leader on campus yet but there is a Muslim prayer room for the students so they can go pray freely since many students have issues of bullies picking on them like their roommates and whatnot.

When the Student Multicultural Center decided to take certain measures into their own hands when the Obama Administration came in last spring and told them to start brining in a discussion and community service for students of all faiths, students began to question all faiths and religious illiteracy began to be an issue for the OCM. The OCM are in the process of trying to line up a panel to try and answer students questions about the different faiths. Since 9/11, this has caused confusion and many students have also seem to find a lack of resources within the campus of finding information and different faiths.

In the past two weeks, the BCM has been working on the survey and because of this, we have been able to ask students many questions and find out information that was valuable and essential to the OCM as well as our own ministry.

“Gallaudet is a dark place…” a student who has attended Gallaudet on/off for 15-years, responded. “But a friend of mine who told me about it, said that God will get you through it, just have faith and you’ll be fine. And because of that, everything was okay.”

Even though it took a survey to hear a message like this, her words rang true. Other students claimed that issues of bullying, racism and very oppressive attitude towards others. Lack of communication even though there is a lot of culture at Gallaudet but some students are not as open as other might think, they need so much expectation.

The past few weeks, I went on a personal fast. I didn’t go on a 21 Daniel fast with my church like everyone else did. I could have but choose not to. I did fast every few days for a couple of days, here and there. But during those times, I learned valuable  lessons and God opened my heart to new things.

Last week after the first survey, I went home and prayed. He told me to ask my friend Kari if we could do a 24 hour prayer sometime soon. God has known for a while know that it’s time to see some movement on campus, and that time will happen. I have to be patient.

Kari would be my starting point, so I emailed her and it would be the breaking point of our movement of 2012. I believe that anything is possible in making movements happen, do you?

Lord,

As I wrap up this post, I pray for amazing this to continue to happen on this campus. WIth the students, the OCM, the BMC, the servants. The people who want to know you and you know that want to serve you Lord and want to see move on the campus this year. We know that anything is possible and we’re ready. We’re ready to make this happen. We will keep praying for everyone we need to make it work, even if it’s bumpy to get there, even if there are walls and people who try to stop us and try to throw stones, but we’re disciples Lord and we know nothing will stop us. You bough us this far! You gave up your LIFE for so much. We thank you for your grace Jesus, In your name I pray. Amen.

 

Where to keep your faith and serve?

Tags

Adam McHugh, DC, extrovert, faith, God, Introvert, Jesus, serving, volunteer, Wilder

In the past few weeks, a few things have come up. God has been scratching the surface of my heart in ways I have never seen. He’s allowed people in my life that let me embraced them in ways I’ve never expected. My faith in Jesus, is in a place that isin’t in a roller coaster not going for a ride all over like usual in a locket. 

Instead, God has allowed me to embrace my faith with people by serving. Today, Hunter Wilder asked the Prep team at lunch, “So, why did you decide to join the prep team?” We all replied with our answerers. And we all had different answers. I thought about mine, I kind of mumbled mine out and was unsure of what to say because I didn’t want to say what mine was. But truth was, I eventually later admitted, I wanted a place to serve in the church. The Deaf Ministry didn’t really have a place, and perhaps the Prep team was a good starting place until I found my niche. 

After reading the Introverts in the Church by Adam McHugh (an awesome book by the way), I realized that I definitely had a place in the church and didn’t need to waste my time standing around waiting for someone to come and find me to serve. I had to do it myself. 

This wasn’t an easy task, I had to pray and ask God where to go. I asked around. Should I work with kids, should I work in communications, should I work… finally, I met my match in preps for awhile. I figured why not here for awhile and see where it takes me?

I’ve met people like Karina and quite a few other people who have certainly blessed me in friendship and love. Who have made me feel like family. I’ve become involved in volunteering, getting to know more people through them and getting to know more about Jesus. I couldn’t ask for more. This has been a great year to growth. 

Thoughts on God’s presence:

As for my feelings about dancing in the church, I had learned that it’s ok to feel God’s presence both still and loud. It didn’t matter if you were extroverted or introverted. Being someone’s who’s struggled with health issues, I can’t keep up with certain things as much as I’d like to and sometimes stand in the back and stand in the stillness of God’s presence during worship, other times, I dance in God’s presence like it says we should in Psalms.  

 

Sleepless Days

Tags

God, Isaiah, Israel, Jesus, mission, Religion and Spirituality, Uganda, Zion, Zowie

The past week has been one of those weeks where I lay awake at night for a while and can’t sleep and lay awake in the morning and don’t wan to wake up and run around on the train with a lot on my mind and miss my stops.

I received news late last week that I will be returning to Uganda, and I am more than excited, I’m thrilled, which would explain why I probably haven’t slept or missed my stop on the trains. I have so much to do. Things to pack, paperwork to process, mission letters for support to type and send out, fundraisers to do. So much to do in about six months.

My mind doesn’t want to stop going.  I don’t do this to boast, I do this because I love this kids, and there’s a reason to be there! If you want a mission letter for support, let me know and I’ll email you one! It will entail what I’ll be doing there, what I’ll need (prayers, finances, and donations for the school).

I had to go back to my daily devotions and remind myself why going back is so important, why these kids make it so worthwhile and what I learned last time that I can change, etc. I definitely have learned so many lessons in the several months since the return home. I’ll be honest, I remember getting on the plane and being depressed going home, I didn’t want to go home, but was sort of resentful about the trip other than when Zowie passed away. But I’m learning how to change my attitude about how I feel about it. You are what you make of it.

In the last few weeks, God has taught me about idols. I’m not going to share my personal idols in my blogs, however, I can say that they have immensely affected my life where I have missed opportunities to do more to serve God. So, I am sharing the passage below that God shared with me this morning that what God believed I could have more of if I continue to miss and would like to share with others. Knowing that He is returning!

Isaiah 46:8-13 (TNIV)

⁸ “Remember this, keep it in mind, 
   take it to heart, you rebels.  (I wish wordpress had a highlighter!)
⁹ Remember the former things, those of long ago; 
   I am God, and there is no other; 
   I am God, and there is none like me. 
¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning, 
   from ancient times, what is still to come. 

He is God! There is no other God! He created the everything in His image, from beginning to end!

I say, ‘My purpose will stand, 
   and I will do all that I please.’ 
¹¹ From the east I summon a bird of prey; 
   from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. 

He has plans to send Jesus!

What I have said, that I will bring about; 
   what I have planned, that I will do. 
¹² Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, 
   you who are now far from my righteousness. 
¹³ I am bringing my righteousness near, 
   it is not far away; 
   and my salvation will not be delayed. 
I will grant salvation to Zion, 
   my splendor to Israel.

He will send Jesus to save us for our salvation!

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If you want information about Uganda, put it below and I’ll send it!

 

Haunting portraits of the homeless

Reblogged from CNN Photos:

Amateur photographer Lee Jeffries was in London four years ago to run the annual marathon. While walking around Leicester Square the day before the race, he snapped a photo of a homeless girl across the street.

She noticed him taking her picture and yelled at him for being intrusive.

“I could have just left and walked away, but I actually went and talked to her and heard her story,” Jeffries says.

Read more… 312 more words

This is why photography works, you capture the emotion, the stories and the truth. Not what just what's happening behind them.

With a camera, I could…

Tags

deaf culture, Gallaudet, God, Health, homelessness, Israel, New Living Translation

Isaiah 42:18-25

New Living Translation (NLT)

Israel’s Failure to Listen and See

¹⁸ “Listen, you who are deaf!
Look and see, you blind!
¹⁹ Who is as blind as my own people, my servant?
Who is as deaf as my messenger?
Who is as blind as my chosen people,
the servant of the LORD?
²⁰ You see and recognize what is right
but refuse to act on it.
You hear with your ears,
but you don’t really listen.” ²¹ Because he is righteous,
the LORD has exalted his glorious law.
²² But his own people have been robbed and plundered,
enslaved, imprisoned, and trapped.
They are fair game for anyone
and have no one to protect them,
no one to take them back home.

²³ Who will hear these lessons from the past
and see the ruin that awaits you in the future?
²⁴ Who allowed Israel to be robbed and hurt?
It was the LORD, against whom we sinned,
for the people would not walk in his path,
nor would they obey his law.
²⁵ Therefore, he poured out his fury on them
and destroyed them in battle.
They were enveloped in flames,
but they still refused to understand.
They were consumed by fire,
but they did not learn their lesson.

Being globally aware of social injustice

Tags

Apathy, Ethiopia, God, Iraq, Moses, Poverty, Social injustice, Somalia

I wrote a post a few months back about who we are serving, now the question that begs my mind, is who and why should we serve after we’ve come to the conclusion of figuring out the major Who?

It’s suddenly doesn’t become a matter of who as long as we remember who we’re serving and our purpose. As a someone who stays on top of current events, and observes the world outside of my comforting box, I realize that there’s so much injustice in this world, do people really deserve the social injustice that’s happening?

We think about the war that is over in Iraq recently and we think of children hiding in closets being abused in their homes or poverty-stricken villages like in Ethiopia and Somalia because they lack government resources or even the  most sacred resource: water, much less clean water.

But what we often times miss, might be happening down the street from your home, or someone you walked past today or take a trip to Las Vegas and look into those people’s eyes who are dressed in baggy clothing passing out cards to invite people into a world of one of the most obvious places of human trafficking. The problem? Not just the American culture but every culture is suffering from social apathy. Even me.

You don’t think about those people who get paid to pass out those cards and bother looking at them once you realize it’s just “strippers.” But if you look closer, reality begins to set in when you think about what’s hiding behind their eyes.

Some women confess they strip so they can go to college and not have to worry about school loans. Should we be allowing this to happen? We’re allowing women to freely take of their clothes for men (and women) so they can even just survive. When really… a woman’s body should be kept for their husbands.

Paul wrote about injustice, Moses was a leader in these times when he saw slavery happening with his own people and God told him to go rescue them.

So how is it that we are living in a world of social apathy and doing absolutely nothing, not even a glance to serve God’s world to help His own creation?

People suffer, in John it says that we suffer because it makes us not only better but better at serving God. So, why are we ignoring what could be possible to better serve the world with our lives?

What do you have to offer to fight social injustice? Apathy?

Don’t wait until tomorrow to figure out how you can stop and educate yourself about human trafficking. Find a way to serve God and let him use you. Educate yourself today and go do something, even just talking about it.

I live in one of the largest cities in the United States that imports human trafficking and today, I make a pledge to do something about it.

“The Singer”

Tags

Child, Hatred, Health, Michelle Obama, Music, The Singer, World Hater

“A healthy child is somehow very much like God. A hurting child, his son.”

The sunlight lured him from the shaded, village streets and drew him into day. And everywhere he went, the World Hater had already been. The sick men lay among the roadside thorns. The old ones groaned from habit. The young ones whimpered out of hopelessness.

The Singer stopped. Besides the road he saw a brown-eyed child. Her mouth was drawn in hard, firm lines that could not bend to either smile or frown. Her sickness ate her spirit, devouring all the sparkle in her eyes.

Her legs misshapen as they were, lay useless underneath the coarsest sort of cloth. The singer knelt besides her in the dust and cried. He drew the cloth away that hid her legs. He reached his calloused hand and touched the small, misshapen foot.

” I too was born with scarred feet. See mine!” he said, drawing back the hem of his own robe.

She seemed about to speak, when the music of a silver pipe broke in the air around them. He had heard the pipe before. Above them towered the World Hater.

“I knew you’d come,” he said.
“You will, of course make straight her twisted limbs?”

“I will, World Hater… but can you have no mercy? She’s but a child. Can her wholeness menace you in any way? Would it so embarrass you to see her skipping in the sun? Why hate such a little, suffering life?”

“Why chide me, Singer? She’s Earthmaker‘s awful error. Tell your Father-Spirit he should take more time when he creates.”

“No, it is love which brings a thousand children into life in health. It is hate that cripples each exception to eternal joy. But why must you forever toy with such nature to make yourself such ugly pastimes of delight?”

“I hate all the Father-Spirit loves. If he would only hate the world with me, I’d find no joy in it again. You sing. The only music I know is the cacophony of agony that grows from roadside wretches such as these.”

The child between them lay bewildered by their conversation. The Singer spoke again:
“I’ll bring my song against your hate. Against the bonds of human sins. And human tears will all subside, when the Ancient Star-Song wins.”

The Hater raged and screamed above his cripple joy:

“Sing health! IF you must. Sing everybody’s but your own. I soon will have your song, likewise your life. Your great Star-Song is doomed to fall. You’ll groan my kind of music. When I meet you at the wall.”

The Singer scooped up the frightened child into his arms. He sand and set her in the sunny fields and thrilled to watch her run. The world was hers in a way she’d never known. The butterfly-filled meadows danced her eyes alive and drew her scurrying away.

And others came!

Untouchable with bandages heard the healing song and came to health:

The crippled and the blind. Sick of soul, sick of heart. Sick of hate, sick of mind. Everywhere the music went, full healthy came.

Ad all the way, men everywhere were whispering that long-awaited Troubadour had come.

“It is he,” they said, “at last he’s come. Praise the Father=Spirit, he has come.”

The Singer
Written by: Calvin Miller
Published by: InterVarsity Press (1977)

Church

Tags

Bible, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Facebook, God, Jesus, Megachurch, Sunday school

I remember when I was little and went to church on Christmas Eve when our family was still together. I remember the reverend told a story about Doves, but I didn’t remember the point of the story. I do remember looking around at the Christmas colors surrounding the church with all the other school children sitting on the steps listening attentively to the story.

When I got older, I went to a Deaf Church in Phoenix with my babysitter and their family. They worshipped God and did  communion. I remember sitting in Sunday school class and wondering why I was there.  But missed out on the point of Jesus.

I remember in high school, I finally went to church that wasn’t at a funeral and I remember thinking… I want to really understand what religion this was and why it was worth believing in after reading the entire Bible in two months.

Finally, that day, I heard the words uttered about the story of Jesus’s death and what it meant to us. Why it was so significant and that’s when I realized I knew that He was worth sacrificing believing in just something of a higher power that I thought I was whispering into the late nights. He was so much more than that.

Today, I have been to multiple churches. I have been to Catholic churches, non-denominational, Baptist, Lutheran and so forth. When I read these stories of people automatically criticizing churches, especially mega churches where there are usually thousands of attendees a week, I look back and I think, I have been in churches where there were maybe 15 people. And I have been in churches where hundreds and maybe a couple of thousands of people and the church is packed.

This past year, I began to question, what does church mean and even posted the question on Facebook in my spiritual journey. My mom might not be a true believer but she once told me that God is my Church and your church is inside your heart. I decided to search that meaning she was talking about and found upon scripture that she was right.

The foundation a church where people gather to worship God is one thing, but having God in your heart who truely leads you to do everything and gives your power is your true church. You spend more time with God everyday than we realize. We pray, we study the word and we do daily activities based on what He speaks into your hearts. And sometimes, when you’re in that moment of presence and you feel Him, you know He’s there and totally after you.

Next time you walk into a tiny church of just 15 people and the pews aren’t filled, or walk into a mega church  filled with thousands of people, don’t worry about what they think of you when they see you wanting to get closer to God.

God already knows our hearts, He hears us and seeks us. He never leaves us and always has His arms open wide.

It doesn’t matter if you think you can’t hear when you worship God, He sees you worshipping Him and that’s all that matters. It’s one more reason to give Thanks for an amazing God.  You don’t need to go to “church” to feel God’s presence, just surrounding yourself with God’s word does a lot.

PS. This is my 55th post, I guess that’s awesome, I’ll look forward to my 100th!

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The past, present and future

Tags

burden, Cleveland Clinic, Cochlear Implant, deaf, deaf culture, Gallaudet, Hearing aid, Hearing impairment, hope, Jesus, promises, Sign language, two

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When you’re two, you get into hissy fits, you get into everything, you start running after crazy things that twinkle and probably like to make your mom worried that your teeth are never going to stop growing.

When you’re two, your parents don’t think about their child having a disability. They don’t think about having to go to an audiologist and them trying to put tubes in your ears because they think it will help with whatever is ‘wrong’ with your hearing. 

You don’t think your kids would spill grape juice two days in a row, the exact same way after being punished the first time and hoping they would learn their lesson. 

Only to realize that there might be something wrong. After staining the bright, ugly orange kitchen carpet twice; suspicions began to invade. 

The two year old was taken to the local audiologist, only to be told that her hearing was fine. So, a short time later, an appointment was made at the Cleveland Clinic and with the news that her daughter had progressive hearing loss and later profound hearing loss.

In the course of that time, it was determined to attempt to ‘fix’ what had been damaged and try to spend time with teachers and thereapists to get back on track with the milestones that were lacking, especially language.

Then came preschool in Beachwood, a significant time for the three year old to learn language and other essential life skills to survive. 

After hours of sitting in mom’s lap, she finally uttered the word “ma.” 

To her mother’s relife, came joy.  

The rest of life consisted of continuing speech therapy, learning sign language and interacting in both the Deaf and Hearing world. A place some might struggle to fit in.

Mainstream schools, never in one school for more than four years and always having to make new friends.

By the age 17, she had noticed that her hearing aids were no longer doing the job it used to do. Her speech understanding was going downhill and went for testing. 

For the first time, the doctor said she was eligible for a Cochlear Implant but it was a decision that was entirely her own. 

Ironically, up until that moment, she used to be against the idea of CI because of the cultural beliefs but when it began to affect her personally, everything changed. Three weeks later, she decided after much debate to get the CI on December 23, 2003. The CI was turned on February 6, 2004; just a shy four days after her 18th birthday.

She’s from a hearing family and lives mostly in a hearing world.

She is not easily sastified with what’s going on around her and understands maybe 80 percent of what’s said to her with the CI on. Without, she’ll either ask to repeat everything or give up. She often feels left out and unsure of her surroundings.

In 2011, she sat in her college library cramming for a final exam and feeling frustrated in her place of belonging. The hearing world didn’t understand, the deaf world didn’t understand. She shot a text message to a friend (who is hearing), hoping that he could offer some advice or comfort, but what she didn’t know was what would change her perspective.

“Jesus died on the cross.”

“What does that have to do wth me?”

“He was beaten, wore a crown and bore the cross and therefore knows exactly what you’re feeling and what you’re going through… He went through all that because he wanted to understand everything we’ve felt. In some way, he knows what it’s like to be deaf too.”

She sat in the library, no longer feeling sorry for herself but weeping with joy.

When she was 18, she had accepted Jesus after several months of her CI being turned on. But it wasn’t until this year that she finally opened her heart to having a truely meaningful relationship with God. Her friend’s advice is what opened her eyes to what God had been trying to tell her.

This story, is about me. I was suspected to be born deaf but no one knew until I was between ages of 2-4. Getting the CI has it’s pros and cons. I’m proud to be deaf on some days and other days, it’s very frustrating because people put me in the middle and make me seem like I don’t deem fit in their world.

But knowing what Jesus has to offer, knowing that he’s felt what I’ve felt; it’s a comfort and makes me believe in God’ promises of what He has that the world doesn’t offer.

When I work with students, I have to remind myself that God has bought me here for a reason and made me who I am. I am NOT defined by my hearing loss but in Jesus. If the students I minister to would understand that their deaf pride is just a small part of who they are and see what God has to offer them, then perhaps their world would be totally different.

 

Live or Die?

Tags

Die, Evangelism, God, Hell, hope, Jesus, John 3:16, Live, love

The other night, I got off the subway in Chinatown and looked for someone and found him talking to a few people. One of them was evangelizing in the streets with a sign that first asked…
“Do you want to burn forever?” I looked at it and thought about the question and then read the rest. Written was words against fortification, drugs, sex, birth control, etc. And the sign did not appeal to me positively.

On our way home, we discussed the method of choice he used to reach out to people. Should we start out with pointing out of how real Hell is?

Is Hell even real? Yes

Should we tell people Hell is real? At some point, but not right off the bat. We shouldn’t evangelize and scare people off and make them think Christians judge them.

We should look at evangelizing as if the glass is half full. What is the part of the half full that makes it so great?

God is love and we have a chance to live an eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son.”
John 3:16

It’s one of the most popular verses in the world, yet people are quick to skim through it without a second thought and think about the possibilities.

Let me break it down, “For God so loved the world.” The statement should be enough to prove that God not only made the world but made it so He could love it and care for it.
“He gave His one and only Son.” When things were not going well, God has the power to wipe off the earth and start again. But instead of repeating that, He chose to send His Son to earth to work on what was needed.

So let me review the question again; should we show God’s love for people and everything in it first when first beginning to evangelize or should we just preach on about Hell and how painful and unmerciful it is?

God is merciful, loving, hopeful and is so full of unfathomable grace, that it blows people away. Who wouldn’t want that kind of love? Or would you rather be worried about Hell?

Today is a chance to seek God’s salvation through the love He continuously gives to help so Hell does not become any more realistic that it might be or will be.

 

A good example of life or death: Watch the Stoning of Soraya M. 
Movie Trailer:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2703073/the_stoning_of_soraya_m_movie_trailer/

A Christmas story

Tags

birth of jesus, child out of wedlock, coke a cola, greeting card company, hallmark greeting card

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I love Christmas, it’s a time of year when we can share stories, joy, love, food, hope and so forth.
I love the story about St. Nicholas. When I have kids, I want to tell them I believe in old Saint Nic. Not our current version of Santa because Santa was blown out of proportion and used to make money.
I learned today that St. Nicholas had a huge heart, he lost his family when he was young and wanted to do nothing more than to give to children and so he did.

With this, the story went on but Hallmark greeting card company and Coke-A-Cola decided to take it further. By making him a fat, jolly old man who listen to children and delivered gifts all around the world and had reindeer that were accidentally intoxicated… anyway.

Yes, I believe in Santa, but the old version of him that just gives and gives.

While I’m not going home this year for Christmas, and the homesickness has made it difficult, it doesn’t change that I know the other reason Christmas exists; the birth of Jesus.

Jesus was born after an Angel approached the Virgin Mary and told her that God would give her the gift of a son that would rule the world.

Mary knowing what could happen if the community if they found out that she was having a child out-of-wedlock. Joseph was approached later by another angel, telling him about his son that would be born.

He would be named Emmanuel. (Means: God with us).

Just hearing what Emmanuel means, blows me away. God is with us, everyday and everywhere. He makes all things possible.

When God hinted that He had great plans in the old testament, He knew what would happen, He knew what His son had to do to sacrifice everything for us.

I am grateful that God sent His son, we wouldn’t have grace or the Holy spirit to lead us today. He makes us whole.

So when you’re thinking of Christmas, think about the ultimate gift we’ve already been given. Think about sharing it with others and show what God has to offer. Remind them about how we are so blessed, no matter what their circumstances are.

A Christmas story: I didn’t grow up in a church, I went to church on Christmas Eve sometimes with my grandma. The only thing I remember is hearing about doves and how they bring us together. Being reminded of this, I’m reminded that bringing doves together, is a blessing because God gave us love. That’s why He sent the doves for me to remember.

I’m used to a family tradition of Christmas. Making cookies with my mom, dinner with the family. Opening gifts at midnight and then more when we get home. Some Christmases I received a lot of gifts others Christmases, I didn’t get much of anything.

But I am just happy to have time with family because my mom was single for a long time and she worked a lot. So seeing her on Christmas, was a time that was good for me. Allowing me to spend time with my mom. But it wasn’t enough.

When I found out who God was, Christmas gave me a whole new meaning to life. I had something more and real to celebrate.

Even though I’m away from home this year for Christmas, I’m just reminded that God has blessed us. We can celebrate Christmas any time of year. We just have to remind ourselves of what God has done for us.

Christmas is in a few days. I hope you know how blessed you are, even if you don’t get anything for Christmas.
I hope you know how much God loves you, because He sent the most awesome gift.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Much love and peace,

-Liza B.

Never thought it would be today

Tags

DC, hope, Jesus, reflection of the year, regrets, Uganda

I’m a sucker for walking alone- to work, school, the store and so forth. It’s the only time I can clear my head and refresh my thoughts and pray about things going on in my crazy life.

I even write letters when I’m walking or make up lame songs about Barbie. There’s something soothing about it. Walking allows me to enter a world beyond our fast paced culture. Even the sight of the full moon is just awe struck to glare at when it beams brightly.

I look back in the past year, all the things I’ve done, succeeded and opportunities that allowed me to grow. Below is a list of things I’ve done this past year that I wanted to reflect on and share.

- Graduated from college, even made the Dean’s list my last semester. 
- Grew closer to my roommate and we helped each other know God.
- I not only came back to God, but finally decided to have a relationship with Him. My life has been changed since.
- Applied to go to the Africa and went. Learned a lot of valuable lessons about life and love.
- Forgave people I never thought I would, including myself, my family and those who hurt me in the past.
- I took a huge risk and moved to DC just two short weeks after returning from Uganda.
- I started learning what it means to lead while being a follower. 
- I’m letting go a part of myself, I never thought I would.

Awhile ago, I learned what it meant to talk about plans. I’m an organizer, I love planning things. But when it comes to planning my own life, I take risks,  throw things out there until something surfaces and pray things get better when it seems tough. 

The only thing that I’ve really learned this past year, no matter what my plans are, no matter what risks I take or opportunities, at least I have the one thing that matters the most. God’s love and grace. Without them, I’d be all over the place. 

What’s the one miracle that I’ve seen this year besides my sister giving birth to a little girl? The fact that I’m allowing God to use me for His glory. I used revolve the world around me. But being 25, I decided it was time to grow up and realize that my life is not about that, it’s so much more. When God talks about making plans, He laughs at mine and says to follow His.

Do I regret coming to DC in such a short amount of time and literally no funding? No. Because I’ve learned more about God than I ever have. I probably did move out here too soon to do this work, but I think God knew I was going to do it anyway regardless. All I needed and have is faith.

When I went to Uganda, my parents didn’t believe it was a good idea, they still don’t. When I first told them about DC, they didn’t agree it was a good idea. So what did I do? Go in good faith that God will provide with everything.

Even in my small moments of doubts that I know Satan in attacking, I know that everything will work out in HIs timing. Things happen for a reason. 

I met awesome people, I went to a retreat, I am learning more about God in my heart language for the first time since I truly accepted Jesus and learning what it means to be loved and return it as well. I am beyond blessed when I look at the moon, or the orchard that looks like baby shoes. 

In good faith, I trust that God will find a way to change the past and new generation to getting to know Him. 

The ‘well’ of the changing and unchanging generation

Tags

Christ, Esther, Gallaudet, Gallaudet University, Jesus, Jews, Samaritan, Student

Tonight I had an opportunity to talk to the woman I’ve stayed with for the past two months. Her name is Debra and I’ve learned a few things in the last few weeks. However, tonight I got a slight glimpse of our failing generation to connect with others at Gallaudet. Debra is a former student who dropped out from Gallaudet in the 60′s to work to help her family at 21.

In her two years of attending Gallaudet, she remembers a time when Gallaudet emphasized on fellowship, socializing and people were a bit more opened minded. With gay and lesbians still in the closet at that time, religious organizations were able to come in and talk about the issue opening and with a healthy discussion. She said that several students accepted Christ during this discussion and lives are changed.

But the generation change that has happened at Gallaudet has changed dramatically. Technology and school work has taken over the lives of students; limiting interactions with others except to party in the wee mornings after homework is finished. Debra says that students used to have fellowship on Friday nights and then studied together on Monday nights.

Does Gallaudet do this anymore? I hardly see much interactions, student organizations have taken over and the Office of Campus Ministries seem pretty powerless in being able to interact with many students. Because I am not a student, I’m stuck in the mud. Esther is one of the few students that is constantly trying to connect with her fellow classmates and taking to them about Jesus but it’s a struggle because people make excuses and walk away in ignorance.

As much as it seems like the generation is constantly changing, I realize that it’s still the same old story. We’ve all heard about the women at the well with Jesus. Ignorance has been around for a long time. She was a Samaritan and Jesus was a Jew- someone who they could not interact with under normal circumstances. This woman was blown away when Jesus said he knew of her and didn’t care what her background was. What was so significant about this? Jesus interacted with her and didn’t judge.

The story about the man who was mugged, beaten and left to his death. Two people who had authority came and walked by from the church, only the last man who was a Samaritan stopped by in good faith to tend to the man who was hurt.

So, my question is, when is this wall of ignorance going to come down and see that truth is told and shown in all kinds of ways?

How can I bring students to their faith, if they are blindly after the ‘new age religion?’ Whatever that is and is totally made up by man and not God.

 

Dear Jesus,

I ask that today you look deep into my heart and show me how to break down ignorance not only in my heart but those that I try to tell the truth about. Help me proclaim Your glory by showing and teaching what I know of your truth to bring them to you. Only You can change my heart and make my will strong enough to follow you. Once known, I can lead others to follow and be able to see You and know what you have to offer.

In your name I pray,
Amen… 

 

Product and marketing Jesus

Tags

Bible, Christianity, Elevation Church, God, Jesus, know him, marketing Jesus, Religion and Spirituality, Steven Furlick, The Middle, truth

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For those of you who don’t know, I work at LL Bean in Virginia. I like the job, it challenges me and doesn’t really bore me that much, especially when I work with kids (unless we get a Code Adam).

The past week, as I look at how I do my job with the ministry and look back in my past experiences in college with Christian fellowship groups, I realize that there’s more to it. I also avidly read Pastor Steven Furtick as well as Mark Driscoll. Both of them offer insights on modern-day Christianity and our culture. Pastor Steven Furtick runs Elevation Church in Washington. My biggest impression is? They depend on marketing and advertising to get the word out about Jesus.

Being someone who works in writing and informing the public about my clients, it’s become an issue of how our culture is quickly adapting to marketing strategies to inform the public about Jesus. Back in the day, it used to be the word of mouth. You see in the Bible that if someone sees or heard of Jesus, they all come flocking to see him or hear his disciples talk about him.

Our culture isn’t about that anymore, we rely on what people use everyday since print was first made. While it’s important to use media and technology, sometimes people will take advantage of it. God is a relational God. Many of you might disagree with me and think, ‘well the Bible doesn’t talk about having a relationship with God… so what in the heck are you talking about?’

If you read the BIble, you’ll see people having a relationship with God. Even Jesus did! For example, he always would go behind closed doors and pray on his own. That is an example of having a relationship with God.

But my question is, why are we so dependent on marketing to tell people about God therefore making him more of a product than something that’s bigger than us? Then it hit me, there were letters written that not only encourage people to work within the church or even outside but also promoted information (almost like a press release) if Jesus or his disciples were coming for a visit or keeping people informed about what was going on.

The more I learn about Jesus and read the Bible, the more I realize that I can do so much with my life knowing that marketing a great strategy. I used to think it was awful, I still not a fan of tracts regardless but it makes me realize that when you want to make something known and want the consumer understand what they are using or even what they are listening to, the consumer needs to understand what the product is all about.

In our current generation, we depend on knowledge and understanding about God, even if He doesn’t make sense sometimes. But with wanting to know Him more (also shows how God is relational), He can reward us. It says so in Proverbs.

I truly believe knowledge is power.

I decided to write this after watching The Middle: a Christmas Gift episode. The Middle is about a lower middle class family with three kids who are always looking to survive and learn things about each other as they grow. They are also attend church on Sundays… recently their youngest son Brick asked about the Bible and his sister goes on a journey with trying to figure out how to explain to him about Jesus and that the Bible is true. Sue eventually learns that it’s best to let him find out on his own, preaching wasn’t the best way. Why? Because Brick is a skeptic, and has to question logic and reason. He’s a bright six-year-old!

But it made me question how having a relationship with someone is so important to tell them, allowing us to be more open to questions and learning to have a stronger relationship with God about how we pray for people who don’t believe. But we can also use marketing for those who will take the time to interact with how God works. Not everyone will learn about God the same way, not everyone will know God overnight but we have to have faith that God is truth.

With this in mind, next time you see someone market something, remember that it’s not because we’re trying to bombard you, we’re trying to inform you about what we believe and why it’s important to you. If you come to the advertised events, we’ll tell you why the event was important that we marketed it. We’re teaching you about a product: God.

Dear Jesus, I pray and ask that you look over those who work hard to advertise events so opportunities arise to get to know you more. I pray that people to root their belief by coming to get to know you more. And for those who don’t know you yet, to come to understand why we do these things so they can get to know you and show light and truth in their path. You are the only one that is truth and love.

Amen.

Mary did you know?

Tags

Christmas, did you know?, Jesus, Mary

I love this song! It’s encouraging and a really good reminder about why Jesus was sent to earth.

Image by Enrico Matteucci via Flickr

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy
Would someday walk on water?
Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
That your baby boy
Has come to make you new?
This child that you’ve delivered
Will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Will calm the storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby
You’ve kissed the face of God.
The blind will see
The deaf will hear
The dead will live again
The lame will leap
The dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb

Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Will one day rule the nations?
Did you know
That your baby boy
Is heaven’s perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you’re holding
Is the Great I Am

Esther’s Story

Tags

Capital City Church, DC, Esther Drake, God, life changing, love

A must watch story!! Really amazing how God works!
I promise!

The Car

Tags

Car, Christine Caine, hope, Isaiah, Jesus, justice, relationships

I interrupted Annie and told her I had something exciting to share with her while she was reading. She looked at me strangly and said she would come out later. I looked at her and said ‘alright.”

Finally she came out about an hour later and apologized that she didn’t listen when I had something important to say and then asked what I wanted to share.

“Jesus is the car,” I told Annie.

Annie is my old roommate from Flagstaff who came from Beijing, China to get her masters in communication.

She looked at me strangely and then asked to elaborate. I looked at her with excitement as I had discovered something during my moments of devotion.

“I was talking to God about having a relationship and what it meant, if I would ever meet my husband. But God said that’s not what He had planned and showed me a visual idea of how relationships should work. He put me in the back of the Car and said, ‘Jesus is the Car.’”

Annie looked at me and said that actually made sense. She asked me what it meant to be in the Car? And I said, “well, I have Jesus but I’m sitting in the back. Of course He’s driving it to allow me to have a life. He’s the driving force, but there’s something missing. I’m just in the back by myself right now. No husband, no kids. Just God steering me.”

She mentioned that she understood and said she was outside the car, just barely touching it. She doesn’t have the greatest relationship with God. She had just overcome a long battle of fighting Satan for the last few months and coming back scared her a little bit.

I told her that when you’re ready, God will be there. You just have to trust Him to steer you in the direction with everything, including finding a husband.

Fast forward to August 10th. (we talked about this in June before she left for two months).

She walked to the front door which was open and squealed in delight because we had not seen each other in two months…. those were a difficult several weeks because she had become my best friend more than ever.

Over the course of the next two weeks before I flew to DC for the ministry, we spent a lot of time together talking about our summer, my trip to Uganda and her being home.  And the best part? Talking about how God had changed us in two months.

We talked about how we are with being in the Car. She finally said she was in the car and was in the front seat! I sat there and I laughed and was grateful that God was changing her life. Allowing her to be moved. I remember she sent an email talking about how when she first arrived, she wanted to go into the streets and preach and she did! She stood there screaming as loud as she could, telling people that they needed to know about God and to receive salvation.

I was proud of her, but her disappointment that people weren’t interested in hearing about God broke her heart. I wrote back sending encouraging words and asked her to continue praying as I would. She later emailed me again and told me that preaching on the streets was not her best place, but going to church with Derek (her friend who she is now dating).

When I talk about Jesus being the car and being in it, it tells me where I trust God to steer me in the right direction. When I start going steady with someone, and get married, I’ll be in the front seat. But there have been times where I’ve found myself outside of the car this past year and had to force myself to get back in and keep going.

God is the God who does more than steed, He’s the creator and the one who sent His only Son to save us. To trust Him wholly can really change how you see things.

We had a guest speaker at our church this morning name Christie Caine, she mentioned that no matter what, everything should be put into perspective. I totally agree. It’s not about the ‘what if’s, it’s about trusting God that He’s able to perform everything you ask of Him and allow Him to provide in every circumstance.

This morning’s devotion was about justce, (I will write another post on this later). But God said, through anything, He send us for a greater purpose, to do more than just overcome our trails and tell people about Him, He tells us that we are to rise up and fight for justice so we have opportunities to tell people about Him.

What a great message with this morning’s sermon by Caine and really encouraging.

I will keeping praying that He leads me to what we need justice for and continue seeking ways to bring people to God and be rewarded treasure.

Isaiah 33:5-6

⁵ The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness.
⁶ He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.

Have a wonderful and peaceful week!

 

Life is not a game: 3

Tags

bullying, Christians, Church, deaf, faith, Gallaudet, gay, Godly life, judgement, love, make fun of, tease

Bullying: Use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants. (Google’s definition).

I mentioned bullying in the last post. Working at Gallaudet, this happens to be one of the things I notice the most.

I walk down the halls and read off advertisements and fliers for events and whatnot, and see one that talks about anti-bullying.

I was a kid who didn’t have a nose that fit my face  or that I dressed funny when I was younger and kids used to tease me. But that wasn’t a big deal, I just got used to the jokes and nicknames.

But when it comes to moving 2,000 miles away and starting at a new deaf school, kids would tease me because I used mid-western signs instead of the west. Kids would find reasons to pick on me for it, they didn’t like including me in their groups and ended up having to take American Sign Language to learn the western signs and become familiar with them.

But I have to be honest, it was difficult, I didn’t meet my best friend until 4th grade and then she transferred to another class, but we were still best friends. Being away was difficult for us. I think we connected because we were both not knowledgeable in ASL as we were in English.

I am not saying this to gain your sympathy or make you irritated, I’m am only saying this because this is a common reason deaf students get bullied at deaf schools all over the nation.

Many doctors tell parents when their child is young, not to teach ASL when they receive a cochlear implant or hearing aids. They enforce teachings of speaking orally and lip-reading. While this is a good skill for any deaf to get, not all can do this to function. When this happens, and kids end up interacting with deaf students at Gallaudet, they feel they belong but at the same time, some are not as accepting as others.

Those who rely on sign language don’t rely on speaking orally. Those who are oral and don’t know the langauge, are often left out of groups. There are many students who are willing to teach ASL if they are willing to pick it up and take classes.

If students take an intro course to ASL or deaf culture, and learn about the deaf culture, it’s easier to pick up ASL. That way you have a basic knowledge of how deaf people talk, but many deaf and hard of hearing students come in with no knowledge of ASL and have to learn how they function when the interact with each other.

This can be daunting until they learn, after a while, they get used to it.

There are other reasons why students are being bullied, such as: being gay. I have a Christian friend who is gay, and he loves God. But like many people I’ve met, most Christians are judgmental and not loving. (By the way, Christians who are gay, already know what they are doing is wrong so preaching and judging is just making the situation worse). My friend wants to lead in a Church but he’s losing faith that people don’t follow the word of God (do not judge).

These are just some example of things I see at Gallaudet, people’s I’ve met and people I pray for everyday.

Bullying is not the answer, it doesn’t solve problems. It’s one thing to MINISTER to people (helping when they ask or looking for ways to SHOW a Godly life). But it’s another to CONFRONT students who don’t understand God’s love because we’re too busy criticizing people’s life when we should worry about our own.

Things to think about…  what can you do to make the next step to stopping bullying in your own life? Gossiping or lying? Looking for ways to not hurt someone?

Life is not a game: 2

Tags

depression, God, hope, Jesus, Judas, self-infliction, suicide

In Idaho up in the lake, just before he died.

As a part of the series, I am continuing the second one with thoughts on suicide and self-inflicting thoughts. Or depression in general.

In July 2009, I had just got home from work and I aimlessly walked over to my computer and turned it on to check emails and Facebook. I got a message on my Facebook page, it was from my friend Dennis that I know from high school that I had kept in touch over the years.

He had sent out a mass message to friends and family who knew that loved and would pray for what was going on. His best friend, a friend I also went to high school with name Joshua Freeman, had shot himself in the head the day before.

I sat there in tears as I read the message and I instantly starting praying. Not for his life, but just for the fact that he was still alive on life support. I couldn’t believe it, he was still alive.

During the week, I saw a link on my Facebook page that had a blog submitted by his parents and brother that was praying for him to stay alive. Each day for about a week and a half, they wrote what was going on and what the doctors were saying. All clinging on to hope.

The last two days, the doctors gave the family sad news saying that even if Josh ever woke up, he would be brain dead. He had no life on the tests.

The parents finally wrote with a heart breaking message that they would unplug life support on Josh after much prayer and debate.

Two days passed and he finally passed away. I came home from work in tears and almost couldn’t work the next day because I didn’t understand how someone could take their own life.

The things I prayed about: I pray that during time time he was in a coma, that he was able to confront Jesus and talk to him and ask for forginess.

We’ll never know whether or Josh was forgiven and was able to enter the gates of heaven.

Josh used the excuse that he had been molested by a childhood friend. While this may be understandable, it didn’t stop him from taking a gun to his head as he sat in the backyard on the bench bleeding and to be found by his mother.

He left people who cared and loved him, he made a choice because he thought it was logical and the least painful.

But… we look at the life like Judas who was one of the most obvious person that killed himself in the Bible. (There were seven people who committed suicide in the Bible, including Judas). We compare ours to theirs where war raged, murder was written, defeat was taken and shame overcame from the life of sin.

We look at how they coped, and it was never the answer. Even though Jesus knows what will happen to everyone, it doesn’t mean it’s ours to take.

God gives and takes things away because He already knows what’s best. We are told to stand up in the face of sin and fight our battles. Those who would rather hide secrets of things like affairs and murder, God knows that if we confess to both Him and the public, the truth will set us free.
I would also like to think that if we tell the truth, the truth will give us light and we’ll be able to get into heaven. There are times when God will give us a lamp to survive.

I think that this shedded a lot of light on the family. I know that Dennis pledded with Josh before he shot himself the night before. He had hoped but he couldn’t do anything. I can only imagine the pain it left on him.

The following week, he was flown to Idaho where he was born and raised to be buried with his family members.

Joshua Freeman’s family has started a non-profit organization to help families who deal with the same tragedy. Instead of getting stuck and not dealing with it, they went forward, hoping to bring light to other families who are struggling with suicide.

With suicide rates going up because of the recession all over the world, people unable to find jobs and support their families, they are left with the decsion to kill themselves.

Those who do self-infliction, are the people who are usually looking for temporary pain or something to mask their real problem but isin’t interested in ending their life.

Depression is a serious problem, but it’s quite common.

Having God in our lives, He’s the lamp on our feet and into our path that leds us the way to the right place. We can choose to take the narrow path or the wide path. God would prefer that we take the narrow path because we’ll learn more and have a deeper relationship with him down the road.

Only He knows what’s on our hearts and mind and can guide us through everything, even when it doesn’t seem like it. He lights up the darkness of sin when we talk to Him and ask for forgiveness and move on.

A friend once told me, Jesus knows exactly how we feel. He carried the cross on his should, wore a crown with thorns and was beaten that you could hardly recognize him. Then he was nailed to the cross.

Maybe you think, “Why God, have you forsaken me?!” Jesus was referring to the reasons why He was sent to earth and then had to leave early. He was referring to the pain he endured. He wanted us to know that He understands our- any kind of pain we’re suffering from, he understands.

Suicide isin’t the answer… take your life, you take what others had offered for you.

Websites about Josh or the organization his family started:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/joshuafreeman/

http://www.freeman-family-institute.com/

Life is not a game: 1

Tags

abuse, blessing, bullying, competition, God, gossip, Hunger Games, life is not a game, love, survival

Have you ever been stuck in the middle of arugement with a friend or someone you work with and find out later they spread vicious rumors about you that weren’t true?

Have you ever felt so scared to live, that you felt taking your own life was a solution?

Have you ever been a victim of any kind of abuse that it’s the only way you know, it eventually becomes a game of survival?

I read the first book of the Hunger Games, it is definitely one of my top favorite books for 2011 and look forward to seeing the film. I’m excited to read the next one. As I was reading through it, I started to look back on my own life. A constant need for survival. Have I been playing my life like it’s a game for competition this whole time or have I been trying to find ways to survive without trying to check out?

I decided to write a series on how life is not a game and why this is very common in the deaf culture. I will also follow it with topics about rumors/gossiping, suicide and bullying/abuse. And what could be done to stop these destructive behaviors by what the Bible says.

Paul often struggled getting along with the people he worked with when they went out preaching the bible. They had to find ways to communicate different methods. With this in mind, it was not uncommon for the people in town to know what was going on and gossip about what was going on in the church.

When I was in the 7th grade, I was dating a guy name Billy. I was in the puppy love stage where I goo goo eyed him as he played football and was a happy cheerleader. But one day, rumors were spread and one thing led to another. I was out the door of the deaf school and transferred to a mainstream school because I couldn’t handle the rumors. That and I wasn’t academically challenged.

I look back and I left my best friend who was stuck also dealing with the vicious rumors and eventually she left too. I can see how it affected us. But we forgave each other and I’m greateful because we’re still best friends after all these years.

But the problem? It’s still happening, these vicious rumors create unnecessary drama for those who don’t wish for drama. They want a peaceful life. Those who create drama do it make them themselves feel better when they are already down on their luck and thinks it make them better or believe it will make them popular by making others look bad.

But the reality? It doesn’t. It harms more people who don’t need to be hurt by telling lies.

Studies have shown that these lies often reflect on themselves and there’s a deeper problem. To avoid the unnecessary drama for them, they create it in a world for others.

It’s easy to watch soaps and understand this, but there are people who live this life day to day. Others choose to hide, lose friends (or people they thought were friends). Others stand up for themselves, hoping that they can put a stop to it.

I’ve taken training against bullying and found that the best way to stop a rumor is go to the source and talk to them.

In the biblical world, we are told to do the exact same thing. When people hurt you, you go back and talk to them about the rumor and find out why they did it. Tell them the truth and ask that they tell the truth. Find a way to resolve the problem and then forgive.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”
-Matt 5:11

God blesses us with friends and enemies, so we can grow in Him. He wants us to run to Him in all kinds of times, praise and worship and times of trails. He also says that those who persecute us, are the ones that will be faced in the wrath of God, as long as you don’t avenge the person who has attempted to persecute you.

When you forgive, continue to bless your enemies. Perhaps they might see the truth is better and that love makes more sense.

Life isin’t a game, it’s not something you compete against. Life is about being blessed, showing the world who God is and loving others more than yourself.

25 things to be blessed about

Tags

faith, hope, Jesus, love, thankfulness, thanksgiving

It’s the day after Thankgiving, I hope everyone had a chance to stuff themselves with awesome food and spend time with family and/or friends.

As I was heading to work last night to open for Black Friday, I decided to tell God at least 25 things I was thankful for so I wouldn’t get overwhelemed. I don’t do it it enough, that’s for sure.

1) I am thankful to still be alive another year.
2) I am thankful for my freedom to believe in Jesus.
3) I am thankful for family and friends.
4) I am thankful for God allowing me to finally forgive people .
5) I am thankful for roommates that I’ve had this year. (Annie, Chris, Kari, Pete-all Flagstaff, Christina-Uganda), Chito, Liz and Debra- DC.
5) I am thankful for opportunities to serve.
6) I am thankful that God provided work for me when I needed it.
7) I am thankful that I had an opportunity to serve with amazing people in Uganda and meet awesome kids.
8) I am thankful my brothers are safe.
9) I am thankful that I finally finished six years of college and recieved two degrees, I am anticipating what God wants me to do with them.
10) I am thankful that moving to DC allowed me to serve God, a ministry and meet awesome people from a culture I have been withdrawn from for a long time.
11) I am thankful that handcuffs were non-existent this past year.
12) I am thankful that I haven’t had my cell phone because it forces me to write more, spend more time with God.
13) I am thankful for time.
14) I am thankful for God’s creation for me to stand in the awe of.
15) I am thankful for God teaching me, always.
16) I am thankful that God gave us grace, otherwise- I wouldn’t be here.
17) I am thankful that I have seen my brother, Nate a couple times before he leaves for Australia in May.
18) I am thankful that my uncle has lived longer than I expected.
19) I am thankful that God forgives me for everything that happened.
20) I am thankful for hugs from family, friends and people I have worked for. It tells me everything is going to be ok.
21) I am thankful for friends who stay up all night and watch over me, even in the freezing cold.
22) I am thankful that people have blessed me financially or provided a place for me when i needed it.
23) I am thankful that technology allows me to stay in touch with long distant friends.
24) I am thankful for coffee.
25) I am thankful for being able to see storms, sunsets, sunrises and enjoy rain, snow and dryness.

I have maybe another 25 more, but you get the gist of it as I was making a long list in my head last night. We are beyond blessed, even in our moments of doubts and weaknesses. God knows us best.

I can allows my past to make me stuck or I can allows it to change my relationship with God. I won’t allow a man who didn’t love me and use me destroy what I have. I will continue to show compassion towards others because we still need to show that compassion exists.

I won’t let people’s lack of faith stop me, but instead keep trying because I know someday, God will show them what’s truth. (It’s not Fox News).

I know that opportunities arise because God is challenging us.

But… with prayer, petition, hope, love and compassion like Jesus- anything is possible to create teach about faith.

I hope everyone has a blessed weekend wherever you are and remember that God has plans to prosper you. Just don’t waste time and chances to do something.

Thanksgiving… a day of more than just thanks

Tags

blessed, Christmas, give, is it Christmas?, thanks, Turkey Day

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
2 Corth 4:15 (NIV)

I love this time of year, even when I’m homesick. It just reminds me I’m closer to Christmas as many things come up.

Above talks more than just giving God thanks for everything we have, we should be thanking God for everything so we can glorify Him.

This past Sunday at church, the pastor talked about how we are blessed with everything including funds. When we are blessed, we use it so we can glorify Him. This verse talks just about that, God gives us things, blesses us with people in our lives and gives us love… oh so much love and yet we have to be thankful to God for blessing us… He keeps giving, we don’t just recieve it and say thanks, we find ways to give back and tell God how thankful we are and in the end, we can recieve more and keep on giving and blessing more people.

The thought of that is overwhelming, but so true.

So remember as you celebrate thanksgiving to say thanks to everyone who helps and gives and remind them to keep giving so we can find more ways to glorify God.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Turkey Day! Enjoy your Black Friday, if you happen to be in the Tyson Corners area on Friday, stop by LL Bean before 8 am.

And here something to make you laugh… www.isitchristmas.com (hahaha).