The Rat Lady

I have arrived! and all in one piece...which is not that I was thinking at 3 o’clock in the morning in the Hanoi, Veitnam airport. If you’re wondering if I’m referring to those thoughts in my title, you are absolutely correct. Flight #1 from Seattle to Seoul went well—I watched 3 ½ movies, journaled, read, and ate good food…no sleeping. Flight #2 from Seoul to Hanoi went well…a little more of the same. At that point, I had been awake since 5am Monday morning in Washington, and it was 10am Tuesday morning in Washington by the time I landed in Vietnam…that’s 29 hours folks. So I was really hoping that I would be super tired and just sleep the night away at the Hanoi airport. Not quite…

When I first arrived, the man at the check in said at least four times “You a very brave girl…very, very brave…” This, of course, was referring to me spending the night in the airport. Yes, I suppose I had to be brave to spend it in the airport by myself as a 20 year old girl in an unknown land, but I’m pretty sure he was referring to something else. Now we refer back to the title: yup, I spent the night in the airport with RATS! ICK!! If they weren’t my least favorite animal before, they definitely are now.

A Steve Green song I used to sing came into good use that night. Over and over again I sang “When I am afraid I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You…” I was literally begging God to keep those rats away from me. I don’t know if I have never been more disgusted and scared in my life. But then after maybe 20 minutes of being absolutely petrified, I started to journal and get my thoughts together. :]

It really hit me how terrified I am of a tiny little rat. Okay, well not exactly tiny—they were seriously the size of my tennis shoes—but still I’m 20 times bigger than a rat. It’s not like they could kill me…unless they had the Black Plague or rabies…but that’s beside the point. This struck me because it made me question the last time I’ve felt this terrified of what Satan can do to me. He’s not just interested in getting a little food for the night—he wants my soul for eternity. Why doesn’t that terrify me? Yes, I know I have the hope and confidence in God’s protection, but really I rarely give Satan recognition and I think he needs it. Further yet, why don’t I tremble in fear of the Lord? It made me realize once again how disconnected I am from the eternal realms. I need that mindset—of continuous watching and preparation for Christ’s coming. How appropriate for the advent season—even in 70 degree weather with no snow. :]

Home Sweet Home in Hanoi, Veietnam for 12 hours :)

Diamond Column #5

Small Beginnings . . .

     This fall I was encouraged to make a list of ten goals. The list has been tacked up on my desk all semester, but I haven’t paid much attention to it. Looking at it now, I’ve realized that I set my goals waaay to high. If you’re in the same boat as me—realizing you didn’t get everything done that you wanted to this semester, were hoping to grow more spiritually and didn’t, or whatever the case may be, then I want to offer some encouragement. Even if you’re not feeling that way, maybe you can take this away for further use. J

        It’s an Old Testament parallel from  Zechariah 4:6-10 (mine is New Living Translation) Go ahead and read it and then here’s a little summary.

       God’s people have just been released out of captivity in Babylon. God’s Temple is in ruins. The Temple has to be rebuilt, and God tells Zechariah that Zerubbabel is going to lay the foundation of His Temple and complete it (vs 8). And how is this going to happen? Not by force…not by strength…but by God’s Spirit. (vs 6) With God’s Spirit, Zerubbabel will not be stopped by anything. The biggest mountains will become level fields that cannot keep him from setting the capstone of the Temple in place. So even though Zerubbabel might look at all the work that has to be done on the Temple and feel discouraged, God tells him, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…” God is trying to give Zerubbabel a little pep-talk.

       Now here’s the parallel: We are God’s people released out of captivity of sin. God’s Temple—which is our own bodies, by the way, according to 1 Cor. 6:19—may not be in total ruins, but they’re certainly not a finished product. Our Temple has to be rebuilt and God is telling us that we will lay the foundation and complete it. And how is this going to happen? It’s not by forcing ourselves to be good Christians or by having really strong self-discipline. It’s by His Spirit! With God’s Spirit, we will not be stopped by anything. The biggest obstacles in our walk with God will become level fields that cannot keep us from setting Christ, the capstone of our Temple, in place. Even though we might look at all the work that has to be done on our Temple and feel discouraged, God tells us, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” The beginnings are small, but the capstone—the perfect finishing touch—will be set. And when that happens, we will shout: “God bless it! God bless it!” Do not despise your beginnings, no matter how small. Simply continue to look forward, relying on His Spirit’s power and blessings and knowing that God is rejoicing to see you become more like Him. J

Alphabet of Thankfulness

Well, November and Thanksgiving are over, but I'm still feeling thankful!
Thanksgiving night, my parents drove me down to Omaha to catch another MegaBus to Chicago. So I got to spend the next 2 1/2 days in Chicago with Matt! : ) Besides doing a whole bunch of touristy things, enjoying all the Christmas decorations, drinking Starbucks, and trying Thai & Indian food for the first time, we got to spend some quality time together. One of those times was going through the alphabet of things we're thankful for. Here's what we came up with:
Airplanes to travel to see family & friends
Berries & Bananas--really all kinds of fruit are worthy of thankfulness
Christmas season--it really is the most wonderful time of the year
Danae--This was not my idea...I'm not that vain. : )
Ears & Eyes that function
Family
God
Holding Hands : )
Iowa
Jam
Kids
Laughter & Letters
Matt--This one was my idea : )
Nighttime walks
Originality
Pancakes
Roommates (and other friends)
Stars (including the Sun)
Talents
Understanding
Victory over death
Washington
Xcitement
Yellow (and all things bright & cheerful)
Zechariah 4:10

Interesting quote from Campus Life tonight (a middle school youth group I help out with): "If you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for today, what would you have?"
Here's to waking up to at least 26 wonderful things! : )

Enjoying Christmas-y downtown Michigan Avenue

I'm thankful for . . .

my jobs.
I may complain about 'em sometimes (which I need to work on...) but really they are perfect for me. My front desk job at the Rec Center has given me the opportunity to get to know a lot of people, especially the coaches, that I otherwise wouldn't have the chance to know at that level. During the school year, it's one of the few work-study jobs on campus that you can do homework during as long as everything is caught up. During the summer, it's just an awesome opportunity to be able to read a ton of books, journal my heart out, Skype my sissy, and anything else I can think of. Like I said, it's perfect for me. : )
My other job is at Royale Meadows nursing home here in Sioux Center. This job, too, has given me the opportunity to make connections with people I otherwise wouldn't. I also love that I can pick up shifts pretty easily whenever I wanna make a little extra money. Plus, it's just go, go, go which makes me feel really productive and makes up for my other job. : ) I love being able to chat with the residents and ask them almost anything. I've found that I'm more comfortable talking to adults in general after taking this job. Oh, and I get free peanut butter packets which come in really handy for sack-lunches with a banana. : )
To top it all off, these jobs provide me with an income! : )

I'm thankful for . . .

online podcasts.
Technology in our age is incredible. I have access to countless sermons at the click of a button, and I really liked this one:  http://www.cornerstonesimi.com/special/media_player.html
It's especially appropriate in light of Thanksgiving : ) Enjoy!

I'm thankful for . . .

Skype!
Which just may be a roundabout way of saying that I'm thankful for my sista Christa. : )
I can't even imagine trying to stay in touch with her any other way. Seriously, how did people do it before? I would hate only getting a letter from her like once a month. That'd be so hard.
So yeah, I'm super thankful for Skype because it's kept us connected so well. Almost every Thursday morning I get to sit down and chat with her for an hour. Face to face, thousands of miles apart. That is so cool!
Enough about Skype! I wouldn't even be thankful for it if I didn't have someone so great to talk to on the other end. And why is she so great?
She has always been such a good example for me to look up to. Other than Jesus, she's the next person that I can look to for what to do. I'm so blessed to have such a good example so close to me--a lot of people don't get that.
And Christa's so adventurous! Which I think is because she's so trusting. Some might call it naive, but I think it's simply because Christa has a wonderful child-like faith in God. She trusts Him to keep her safe no matter what, so there's absolutely no where on the entire globe that she wouldn't go. (Besides Antarctica maybe?)
And another thing on trust--she never really worries about anything. Like right now she's way short on her funding for Laos, but it doesn't even phase her. "If God wants me to be here, He'll make a way." Yup.
And on top of all that, I get to hang out & laugh with this girl, tell her about my life, hear about hers... We get to encourage each other, pray for each other...the thankful list goes on.
Did I mention I'm going to Laos over Christmas break to spend 2 weeks with this girl?? Pumped : )
I am blessed with an amazing sister.
All praise to the Great Provider : )

I'm thankful for . . .

volleyball.
Seriously--what a fun sport. And practice is FUN--none of that "endurance" stuff. Just jumping around and smacking those balls as hard as possible. (Okay, maybe there's a little more to it than that, but still : )
It's still kind of surreal that the season is over. I've only been done for two days, but I guess part of me still thinks practice will be starting up again any day now. Nope . . .
But it was a fun season. Sure, we had our ups and downs--more so than any other year combined, but I know I sure learned a lot. It's crazy the parallels you can find between life and volleyball. God's pretty good at teaching me stuff that way. : )
I'm thankful for the opportunity to get to know 30 people that I probably wouldn't have known any other way.
I'm thankful for the opportunity to travel all over the Midwest (and to California) to play this wonderful sport. The many long rides to these locations provided the perfect opportunity to connect with people on a deeper level and to just spend some more quality time with God.
I'm thankful for the self-discipline volleyball helped teach me--when my time is limited, I have to be a good steward with the time I do have.
I'm thankful that I get to glorify God just by going out on that court, giving my all, encouraging my teammates, entertaining the fans, and having a super fun time.
The season didn't end the way we envisioned at Nationals, but I think we can still say that it ended the way we hoped--glorifying God every step of the way. And you betcha I'm thankful for that.

I'm thankful for . . .

megabuses. (aka-coach buses)
Specifically ones that come from Chicago bringing a pretty special guy along that I got to spend the weekend with. : )
In early October, I took a really quick, one-day trip out to Chicago by Megabus to visit this special guy & his parents.
Five weeks later, he returned the favor this weekend with a three-day visit back to Northwest Iowa.
I think it's pretty safe to say that if it wasn't for Megabuses, we wouldn't have been able to see each other at all this semester. If we wouldn't have been able to see each other, we most likely wouldn't have gotten as close as we did because of the visits.
And if we wouldn't have gotten as close as we did . . .
I wouldn't have the honor & privilege of being called Matt Weinert's girlfriend. : )

and I'm thankful for flowers : )

I'm thankful for . . .

coffee shops.
Typical college-student answer, I suppose, but in fact, I'm sitting in Butler's coffee shop in Sioux Center as I write this so no better time to comment on my gratitude than now!
I'm thankful for the cozy atmosphere--gezellig, anyone? ; )
I'm thankful for the chance to get away by myself to do some reading, homework, spend time with God, or usually a good combination of the three.
I'm thankful for the deep conversations that coffee shops always seem to help bring about. You don't go to catch up with a friend at a coffee shop just for chit-chat. You get to talk about what really matters--how are you doing? with God, with friends, with "special" friends, with family, with work, with school, with life? I love talking about that
I'm thankful that God gave me taste buds to enjoy the incredible variety of drinks--hot or cold--that are offered at coffee shops. I'm not one of those "I'll just have the regular" type of girls--I like variety. And I'm always amazed at the creativity in the combinations of flavors that go into these drinks. I really, really enjoy them : ) Crazy thought: Can you imagine if we didn't have taste buds?

Recommendation: Find an extra hour (even if it means waking up early) in your day to go spend at a local coffee shop with God and a good cup of coffee. You won't regret it. : )

I'm thankful for . . .

devotionals.
Particularly Face to Face by Kenneth Boa and My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Both have made a substantial impact on my walk with God. Let me tell you why. : )

        Chambers is simply wonderful at taking what was once a seemingly short and simple verse and stretching it out to a page long. He encourages me, convicts me, challenges me, and just makes me think about some really important stuff in life. What may surprise you is that I love the Old English style of writing because I have to read over each sentence more than once in order to really comprehend what he is trying to say. Not only do I feel more intelligent, but I feel like I'm able to store those profound thoughts a little deeper through repetition. :-) I highly recommend My Utmost to anyone who has an extra 5 minutes in their day that they're looking to devote to growing in their walk with God. 

       My friend, Arlene, who I recently told you about, gave me the book Face to Face this past July. The subtitle of this book is "Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship" and that's exactly what it is. The author took many verses and changed the format to be more a form of prayer. So take Proverbs 3:5-6 for instance:

       Originally: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

       Now becomes: "I will trust in You, Lord, with all my heart, and not lean on my own understanding. In all my ways I will acknowledge You, and You will make my paths straight."

Pretty neat, huh? : ) Definitely helps with "Intimate Worship" I like it. A lot. Also highly recommended.

       And I'm especially thankful for them because God used a verse mentioned in each of these devotionals on back-to-back days to point something out to me. I could go into detail, but the main thing is that I've been struggling with my thoughts being consumed with things other than Jesus Christ, and every day I'd been trying to find a different way to overcome this struggle. I've tried "abandoning reason" or asking for more "self-control of the Spirit" or acting in "wisdom". But none of those were doing the "trick"--I still found myself setting my mind on earthly things where moth and rust destroy.

      But then this verse came along...and twice I might add...so I figured God was trying to tell me something. And that He did. Basically, I realized that the reason I wanted to end this struggle was for completely selfish reasons:

     1. So that I would look good to others.

     2. So that I would feel better about myself.

     3. So that I would stop feeling guilty. 

What about making Jesus Christ look good? What about making my Abba be proud of me? What about remembering that Christ took away my guilt once and for all? 

     I wasn't even taking into account the relationship I had with God--the fact that I love Him with all that I am. 

So what might that verse be, you ask? 

"If you love Me, keep My commandments." -John 14:15

      Going off that, things have changed: I am no longer trying to keep Christ's commandments because I have abandoned all reason. I am no longer trying to keep Christ's commandments because I have asked for more of the Spirit's self-control. I am no longer trying to keep Christ's commandments because I have wisdom. 

       I am keeping Christ's commandments because I love Him. 

What other reason do I need?

       So when any temptation arises, that is what I focus on. I am resisting temptation because I love Jesus. I know that Jesus gave me these commandments to follow because He loved me first. I also know that I can trust Him completely that following these commandments is always part of God's best intention for our lives. Which just makes me love Him all the more. 

      The even greater thing is that the more I focus on my love for God, the more my selfish motivations fall to the wayside. I don't care about feeling good about myself, looking good to others, or whether or not I feel guilty. I only care about my relationship with Jesus and the love that stems from that.

Yes. I am very thankful. : ) And that's not all, folks--stay tuned!