Pilgrim Footsteps

It was a normal late Sunday morning in Guatemala. A grandmother took two of her granddaughters to visit relatives in San Miguel los Lotes. A father's motorcycle sat in the repair shop. The rest of his family was at home with him, his wife and boys. In villages all along the mountainside, families were enjoying yet another day, making tortillas for lunch, playing outside with colorful plastic balls, and laughing with family members. An explosion of fire from Fuego's mouth turned a normal day into a nightmare that sent panicked villagers running. While everyone was running away, one man was running closer and closer, desperate to find his daughters. It's as if I am listening to someone describe the plot of a movie they saw, but as I feel the sweat beading on my skin from the baked air within the house of corrugated tin, I feel the heavy reality of a father's incredible story. Seeing two girls laying on their beds, special socks on their feet and one with dres...

I've been a supervisor now for almost a year. Though some of these things I had a general knowledge of previously as just a worker, here are the lessons I've learned and truths that were revealed to me about leadership. And always remember...Jesus is the perfect example of leadership; after all, He is perfection. Communication Makes or Breaks This is one of the things I had a general idea about as a busser, but as a supervisor - the middle-man between the managers and the employees - I saw just how deep the impact of failed or great communication is. I've seen disasters due to poor or nonexistent communication, and I've determined to not let that happen...or at least, as much as I can possibly prevent it. In order to try and avoid those disasters, I try to consistently over-communicate, because personally, I'd rather hear something three times and know for sure what is going on than have no one tell me anything and deal with a mess. Even if you're not s...

Yes, it's a term coined by Shakespeare and turned into a book by John Steinbeck; however, I find that it perfectly describes that time when you feel like God is not moving things along fast enough or at all and maybe you're feeling alone.  Are you in a winter time of discontent? Here is what someone in one of Shakespeare's plays said: "Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this son of York; And all the clouds that low'r'd upon our house In the deep bosom of the ocean buried." Here is my version. "Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious spring by this Son of God; And all the clouds of sin that low'r'd upon our house In the deep of the ocean buried by His hand." It's ok to be in winter.  Because....what comes after winter?  Spring!  Sometimes spring can come in slowly, with a mess, but how beautiful it becomes!  He teaches so many good lessons during the winter, when you have to snugg...

This is a tough one to write about or even try to describe, because it has such deep meaning and revelation attached to it for me. It all comes back to this very reassuring verse: 2 Corinthians 3:18 . "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." The gist of what I can explain is this: God takes us from one place of glory to a greater place.  Being in those places of glory is an amazing time...but in order to get there, we have to be in the "to" place.  As I've heard it described, if the places of glory are rooms, then "God opens and closes doors, but it's hell in the hallway."  That is so true! Whoohoo, I'm in the "to" part of that phrase.  Sigh.   And then I went to a Bethel Worship Nights "concert" (for lack of a better term) in Harrisburg with a friend.  When William Matthews was on stage, on ...

This lesson came partially from a change at work and partially from a sermon I listened to by Banning Liebscher titled "Thriving in the Process."  That was the Sunday I was between churches (a very long story, and I don't think the time is right to write about it), my parents were down at the Outer Banks (yes, without me...thanks a lot, school and work!), and I had just worked a double shift the day before and also the night before that.  I was tired, didn't feel like finding a church to visit, and clicked around on YouTube until I found this sermon. For a little background first, the job change.  I can't go into too much detail because I respect my place of employment, but when my department (waitressing) that I love working in suddenly became responsible for a different, monotonous, and brain-deadening job, there were many who refused to do it and few who said yes.  I was one of those (unfortunately for me) nice ones who didn't refuse.  So, I was only ...

This was a pretty straightforward lesson.  And yet, sometimes I think this is the one I have the most trouble with, simply because I find it hard to find the time and environment to do so.  Granted, that is entirely no excuse and God did tell me that I keep distracting myself from Him, so....I really have no excuse, and I am trying to do better. I was having prayer time with my Father, and I clearly heard Him talking to me about rest. "You have gotten tired, my child.  That is why I told you to rest in me." "Why then, when you are tired, do you not rest?  You are distracting yourself from me."  "My child I am here waiting for you, come rest."   That was pretty straight forward.  And, He kept putting the theme of "rest" into songs that came on, or Bible verses, or sermons, etc.  Because God speaks to us through everything and anything! I decided to look into more verses on rest.  Here are a few of the ones that really struck a chord i...

I've totally already noticed that I am currently in a time of preparation.  I am quite aware of that fact, sometimes almost too  aware. But, God is still God and He is still good!  And as He prepares me, He's been doing some awesome things and teaching me some incredible lessons (some of which I am regretfully slow at learning). God Sends Encouragers I just love how God never lets us hanging.  He knows we need some human affirmation because of our need for human connection, so He sends us those who will encourage us in our dreams in the time of preparation when our dreams feel like nothing but a cartoon cloud bubble above our heads at night. Ever since I've come back from my second mission trip to Guatemala, and those of us in our ministry team have started dreaming about having our own ministry there, that's what my long-term focus is.  So, as I sit through college classes longing for another place, I am slowly working towards my two year, associate'...

Here is a song that God gave me during one of my prayer times.  I don't have the ability to write the music to it, but He gave it to me in song form. I'm a sinner and beggar Yet your love still surrounds me Singing love songs of mercy Over me. Your strength makes me stronger To carry me through Each night. For your love knows no bounds And in you I rejoice I am free I am free No power against me Can ever stand I'm yours I'm yours Your hand once held mine And you never let go You're here. In the wind and the cold Or the heat of the desert I'm safe. The joy that you put in my soul makes me dance As I laugh and I sing in this sweetest romance I am loved I am loved.

So here are some poems that I got during our worship evenings in Guatemala.  Enjoy! #1 It is not gifts of material goods That will touch the hearts you long to But the heart that you surrender to me, The heart that I give you The heart that you allow me to Speak through, and shine through. In the smile that you show to the children In the hugs that come from the heart. The deeper you let me in the higher you can help others to go, Closer into my arms, Where you are already resting. #2 If you allow me to flood your soul You will stop working But that's when I work best - When you stop working. When you are working, I cannot. So go so deep that your soul can't breathe And I will give you Breath everlasting. #3 You dig your own grave But I take your shovel And put all the dirt back in. Don't dig it up again, my child. Don't be drawn back to the edge By the evil in the pit When I sacrificed to pull you away. #4 Don't let the world ste...

During my youth group's latest late night worship, our youth pastor said that he felt that God was saying that He wanted to come around and collect our trash.  So during the song, we thought/prayed about our "trash" and symbolically held out our hands full of our trash for Jesus to come around and pick up.  God showed me a more in-depth metaphor that came out of that and it became this poem. Don't be a hoarder of all the things that crush you, That Satan makes you think that you need, That if you give it up, you will be without empty wanting. It's ok to put out your trash. It isn't natural to keep it, letting it pile up. Set it out willingly Scour every nook and cranny until every last piece of trash no longer resides with you. Put it out for Christ the trash-man to collect. He is a thorough trash man, never late, never leaving a trace of mess behind. And your trash does not go into a landfill - It disappears FOREVER. Remember that. ...

So far I’ve posted the introduction as well as the verses of water.  Now it is time for the deeper and higher aspects.   Habakkuk 3:10 mentions all three aspects that I was searching for, so it’ll make a good connection point.  “The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.” God is to be worshiped everywhere, from the deepest to the highest! So where shall we begin?  How about in the deep. “In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also,” says Psalm 94:5.  In the deepest place, God is still in control and we are still in his hands.   God is in the very depths that we cannot descend to.  He is everywhere!  The deep also seems to be where God’s wisdom and depths of knowledge are, where we can only try and get to know Him better.  Daniel 2:22 says that “he revealeth the deep and secret things...

There seems to be two different kinds of water mentions in the Bible: water that represents troubles, and water that represents cleansing, life and blessings.  I didn’t bother to write down the verses where it is representative of trouble, since that is no the context in which I am finding the water theme, and if I wrote them down too, I’d be recording every single verse with that word in it. There is a sense of water being a cleanser, for instance in Leviticus 11:32 (as well as Numbers 8:7 and other mentions in the Old Testament), “And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed.”  Also in Ezekiel 36:25, "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I clea...

I have overcome the world But have I overcome your heart? Do you believe I have defeated death But not that I can resurrect you? Do you know that I am love But not see the love in my eyes as I look at you? Do you believe I love the broken hearted But can you feel my hands keeping your broken heart together and whole? Why can you believe in me, my life, my death, my resurrection And yet not feel the same impact in you that tore the veil of the temple? Where is evidence of Christ in you, the hope of glory? I am there; why are you still looking everywhere but at me? I just want to hold your hand as you cry Shed tears with you when you hurt Search the scriptures with you in times of trial Sigh with you when you are so confused you don’t even know Where your next footstep should be placed. You claim I have overcome, But do you believe it in your own life? Do you know my touch when it’s there Or will it take until you’ve been knocked over Again and ...

I will be writing at least two parts that go with this topic: first of all, there needs to be background explained (not too much, don't worry!), then the most recent development, and then (which I am still working on) I will be sharing some Biblical studies I did on the topic.   So to begin, at the New Year's worship that our youth group had, Ryan played a bunch of songs that had been special to us throughout 2014.  As I listened (songs such as "Oceans," "Sinking Deep," "You Make me Brave," etc.), I realized a common theme to the songs and then I realized it was also present just in what God was doing: water, waves, etc.  I mentioned it to Miranda and she agreed.   Next came what happened at the youth retreat, which I mentioned in the post "Refreshing Joy."  But in case you didn't read that, or you need a refresher on it, here it is again. During a pause in worship, Kyle told Miranda and I that he got a picture of a ke...

In my other post about some eye-opening experiences at our youth retreat, I wrote about joy (and alluded to some other, upcoming topics), and this post is about two topics that I am (again) coupling together into one.  Most of this came from Friday's worship times.  While we were listening to "We Will Not be Shaken" by Bethel Music is when I began to write down the following, which I have tried to organize for you.    "The Israelites knew and trusted in the fact that against the plans God held for them all would fall – all the armies that came against the children of God would fail, and the Israelites would not be shaken – they rested in the shadow of His wings and the promise that God would never leave or forsake them, to not be afraid or discouraged, but to be strong and courageous – God is all they needed to win any battles that the Devil shook them with, because Our God is Stronger, He can do ANYTHING.   Why don’t we as Christians, the Children ...