A Horizontal Viewpoint

So, God rolled me up this morning about my lack of trust in raising funds for Italy. We have trusted Him with so many huge aspects of our lives, why are we not trusting Him with this little thing? First, one of the most amazing women in the world, Lauren Best, helped me put some things in perspective. Then, I went to read my devotional that I missed yesterday, and it was about a horizontal viewpoint. Jacob had it when his sons left Simeon behind in Egypt. He was supposed to be the patriarch of the clan and instead of rising up in faith and trust in God, he froze in fear and assumed the worst. He was looking horizontally instead of vertically!

It's easy for us to judge him and say we would trust God, but if that's the case, why didn't we trust Him last week? When we think of our most recent test (in my case, Italy), did we rest calmly in Him? Or did we push the panic button out of fear? I think my finger was on the button much too often.

Humanly speaking, we have been programmed toward defeat. We all too often leave God out of the picture. We rationalize around it by calling it something else. I am the Queen of Rational Thinking Land. God has been definitely working in me about this!!! I am starting to really be able to truly, honestly, completely, fully, and with my whole entire heart trust God in things I never thought possible. I know this money will come because He wants His word spread in Europe. I finally have peace. Praise the LORD!!!

(And for the record, my amazing husband has always had peace about this... these things just take me longer. That's why he's the leader of the house!)

Missions trip...

Hey guys... we need your help! You gotta pray for us to be able to raise this money for our mission trip in the fall. I have been busting my booty with support letters, house cleaning, baby-sitting...everything I can possibly do short of going crazy. I have been working 7 days a week to get this cash raised. We are still 6000 dollars away from our target, and I am getting a little concerned. I know God will provide, but I am just wondering when! Hehehehee.....

God-willing, we would love the opportunity to minister to the people of Italy. Please join us in prayer for this... and for me to have patience...ok y'all are the best!

P.S. For all of you who have given financially and with prayer already, we are SO GRATEFUL for you. You have given us such peace and joy. Thank you thank you thank you so very much!!!

Calm before the storm

... I have recently felt like my life was too good, too calm, too perfect. I knew a storm was coming...

Hurricane Life has arrived. Thank God I trust Him with it.

It's great to wait...

God has really been speaking to me through my daily devotional and bible readings. (I know, that's kind of the point, eh?) The story of Joseph is killer. If anyone ever had to wait for anything in life, it was him. In periods of waiting, I find myself getting restless, even sometimes thinking God has forgotten about me, or that He won't fill the desires of my heart. What I have been taught the last week or so is that it's in that time of waiting that He is refining me. (And boy... I definitely need to be refined) It's amazing to know that He will lead me through the fire, and I will be brought forth as gold!

It's when it seems like nothing is happening that God is at work most inside of us. All whom God uses greatly are first hidden in the secret of His presence, away from the pride of man. Abraham waited for the birth of Isaac. Moses didn't lead the Exodus until he was eighty. Elijah waited beside the brook. Noah waited 120 years for rain. Paul was hidden away for three years in Arabia. The list doesn't end!

During the waiting period, trust God without panic. It's God's job to deal with the cup-bearers of your past. It's your job to be the kind of servant He has designed you to be. Be faithful during the waiting periods of life. God will not forget you or forsake you.

Kickball Tournament

We had a blast on Saturday at the Kickball Tournament. Almost 40 people showed up- some played, some spectated (like me). Check out these pics:


My man's got nice form, huh?

Family reunion & KICKBALL!!!

So I realized this morning I haven't gotten to tell you about last weekend when Chris' family came in town! We went to Slaughter for a family reunion, and I met a lot of people. Chris' Granny is one of 13 kids, so there were tons of people there. The best part was getting to hang out with Lauren and Chase. We had such a blast! Check out some pictures:


Also, don't forget about the KICKBALL TOURNAMENT tomorrow from 1-3pm at Highland Road Park. It's going to be so fun! (I will only be watching, of course, and partaking in free snoballs!) Check out Mike's blog for some hilarious videos. I'll post some pictures of the festivities soon!

Lessons from Hosea

Johnny Green tore it up last night at Life U with some great lessons from the life of Hosea. If you want to hear the whole message, order it from the product booth... but I have to share some things I learned. Hosea is killer!

God told Hosea to marry a prostitute. Hosea's entire life was an illustration of God's relationship with the Israelites (they were unfaithful time after time, and He always took them back and showed them unending compassion). I got rolled up with this verse: Hosea 6:6- "I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings." It's not about what we do for God or His people, but it's about our relationship with Him. He wants us to be familiar, intimate with Him. I can't be so busy serving God that I don't know Him! Sometimes it's easy to get wrapped up in the "ministry"- we see all the acts of service we do and we think that's enough. God just wants true relationship with us- that's what we were created for!!

Something else Johnny pointed out was great: The pathway to idolatry is through your greatest need. Satan tempted Jesus with bread, because that's the thing He needed most. What does the devil tempt you with? What do you feel is your greatest need? Financial security? Then money will be your god... Companionship? Then you'll fall for the first person who walks through the door... Power or recognition? Then you will do or say anything to be noticed or promoted. We have to quit worrying about fitting into culture and focus on fitting into HIS standard.

The greatest lesson of this whole story is God's compassion and unfailing love. He has a passionate desire to take us back when we drift away. He doesn't act out of impulse or anger, but out of His purpose for us. He sacrificially faithful, no matter how unfaithful we are! He blows my mind!!!

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

Several people have walked by my desk and seen the book I'm reading, with the immediate response of, "That's the Starbucks book!" God bless Starbucks for getting people interested in this story, but they have nothing to do with this. You HAVE GOT TO read this book. Yes, I love Africa and people might say I am biased, but if you are human, this story will affect you. Go here to check out more info on this amazing book. Here's a excerpt from the website.

"A gripping story of a child’s journey through hell and back. There may be as many as 300,000 child soldiers, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s, in more than fifty conflicts around the world. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them. He is one of the first to tell his story in his own words.

In A LONG WAY GONE, Beah, now twenty-six years old, tells a riveting story. At the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. Eventually released by the army and sent to a UNICEF rehabilitation center, he struggled to regain his humanity and to reenter the world of civilians, who viewed him with fear and suspicion. This is, at last, a story of redemption and hope."

This book will change your life. Period. Don't want your world rocked? Don't read it.

Eco-friendly? Not so much

You have to go to Carole Turner's blog to check out this great post. I didn't read it at first because it looked a little lengthy, but now that I have read it, I think everyone else needs to as well. Political or not, worried about the environment or not, if you care about anything that's going on in America right now- read this!

More awesome people servin' it up for Jesus!

Terry Olivier did a SLAMMIN' job preaching at Late Nite on Saturday. It was his first time to preach in that setting (he speaks at Refuge frequently) and he amazing. It is refreshing to see that this ministry really is secure and has a huge future with guys like him behind the wheel. His message on "What is Love?" was so strong, and he offered great insight that I had never heard before. You should order a copy from the products booth if you weren't there to hear it.

Also, Elevate full-time and Dan Ohlerking are in Africa right now. Check out their blog here. They also all have individual pages that they have been blogging on since they got there... you can link to most of them from my blog roll.

Finally, check out a blog by Jason Laird here and then see what Pastor Dino said here about the same guy. Marcel Terrebone and his family are a huge asset and blessing to HPC and I'm glad they are getting the shout-outs they deserve!!!

Need a cleaner house or a babysitter?

As most of you know by now, Chris and I will be traveling with Late Nite in October to bring the gospel of Christ to Italy. Together we must raise $7000- this amount covers airfare, transportation, meals, lodging, ministry supplies, and a care package for the missionaries. Through various types of outreaches, giveaways, and concert-type events, we hope to reach thousands of college students on campuses in the area.

We are making our babysitting and cleaning services available to you for the next few months in order to help raise the necessary funds for the trip. Chris and I will baby-sit together on various nights, and I will clean on Mondays during the day. Please contact me by email (meghan.matt@healingplacechurch.org) or on my cell (if you have the number) if you would like to employ our wonderful services. Y’all are the best! Thank you in advance for thinking of us!

Boys better bloggers?

Ok, girls... we need to step it up! I was organizing my blog arrangement on netvibes today, and I realized that I read way more guys' blogs than girls' blogs. So I did some looking around, and I discovered that I really do know more guys with blogs than girls. This upsets me! Of the blogs I read consistently, 6 are families and of those 6, the man in the family is almost always the writer. (This doesn't include the blog I share with my hubby who never posts!) In addition to family sites, I read 9 girls' blogs, and 15 guys' blogs!

Ladies, what's the deal? I realize that there a lot of girlie blogs out there that I don't read, but that's because they're either boring or rarely posted on. The fact is, there are a lot of random, funny, and spiritual blogs out there written by dudes who post very frequently.

Are there any good girl blogs that I am missing out on?
(P.S. The word "blog" was mentioned 12 times in this post, including the one in this sentence)

3rd time's a charm

Ok, so I know I have posted twice today, but I had to make sure everyone reads Ps. Dino's blog entry for today. It is STRONG!

Gettin' rolled up!

So, I am pretty much the most grateful person in the universe right now. Pastor Dino did an amazing job with Staff Meeting and Sub30 today, and some of the things he said really hit home. I won't give you all the points, but I want to share some of my favorites.

He first discussed Psalm 84:10 and what it means to be a doorkeeper. It's such an honor to just be on the edge of what God is doing! I would rather scrub floors in the House of God than be an honored guest in a palace of sin!

Marks of an MVA (Most Valuable Assistant, because we are all assistants in the House)
*Get the job done without drama- can't be quarrelsome and must be able to contain emotions
*Address your ego- let go of selfishness and schedules
*Always be respectful- even though some people are really hard to be respectful to
*Tremendous people skills- can't say "That's just the way I am"- that's defeat!
*Be likable- can't be a barrier to what God is doing in someone's life or will do later

How do you keep loving what you're doing?
*Expect moments that aren't pretty- see the ugly stuff and still love it
*Receive and look for correction- correction is attached to anything life-giving
*Accept the litter you were born into- your family at home and your family in the House
*Don't take it for granted- God can do it without you, so be grateful!

Sanjaya has left the building!

YES!! My day was made yesterday when he was FINALLY voted off American Idol! Now the competition can really begin. My favorites are Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis. Jordin has the best voice, plus in every article I read on her it portrays that she holds Christian values, which I obviously appreciate. Blake is the most talented overall musician and definitely has something that no one else on the show has ever had.

I know Melinda is a favorite to win, but if she does, she will end up just like Fantasia, Reuben, Taylor- one decent single that sells a decent amount of copies, then falls off the radar. Fantasia is starring on Broadway right now which is amazing, but she wasn't much of an "American Idol". Kelly and Carrie are the only winners who have had success and longevity, and it's not necessarily because they were the best singers, but they had the most star quality.

Who do you think should win? Who do you think will win? Why?

Hudson's off the ventilator!

Baby Hudson is now officially off the ventilator, and Gena is on the way to the hospital to hold him for the first time! He is still on the oxygen, but his lungs are expanding and collapsing on their own, so that's great news! There are a few more things he needs to do before he can go home, but we are believing God it will be sooner rather than later!!

Temptations of Prosperity

My devotional this morning was really good, so I wanted to expound on some of it with you. (The lessons come from the story of Joseph, specifically Genesis 39:1-6. )

The first great point is that God was the secret to Joseph's success, not luck. It also says that Joseph found favor with Potiphar- he didn't ask favors. This just made me think of times when I ask for blessings at work when I should be more concentrated on going the second mile for others instead.

It goes on to discuss the temptations that come with prosperity. For the record, Chris and I are not exactly "ballin' outta control", but we do have enough to pay our bills, get a few extras now and then, and give some away. We are blessed with amazing families and incredible jobs. We have some of the best friends in the world. I would consider that pretty prosperous. The temptations that come with prosperity are far greater (and far more subtle) than those that accompany adversity. No longer are we worried about just having faith that God will come through- now we are faced with greed, deceit, and all those ugly sins that creep up on us when things get "peachy".

Thomas Carlyle wrote,"Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man, but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity". In other words, for every 100 people who face adversity and get through it, there is only one who is prosperous and maintains righteousness. That's rough!

What are your thoughts?

Why...

I got this off Dan's blog... (click on it to see a larger image) It definitely hits a nerve in me! What about you?

Praying in April

So Chris and I have been taking the month of April to really press in and seriously pray our hearts out about our future. Here are some questions we are asking God:

*Do we move to Africa or just do frequent short-terms trips there?
*How many kids to we adopt? From where? And most importantly- when?
*Do we adopt first or get pregnant first? And should I quick trying to control pregnancy by human means and just leave it all up to God?
*How are we going to raise $7000 for our mission trip in October?
*When should we begin the process of buying a house?
*We need patience!

As you can see, we have a lot on our minds. Ultimately, we just want clarity. Like Johnny said this weekend: God is the compass- He points us to Him and everything else falls into place. But we want MapQuest with step-by-step details!!! We will be attending the adoptions workshop at the end of the month and we pray that will help give us some of the answers we need.

We hope that you will join with us in prayer for these things! We could really use your support, prayers, and encouragement.

Hudson is here! Hudson is here!

Yesterday morning at 8:59am, Toby & Gena Bohl welcomed their third beautiful child into the world, Hudson Durant William Bohl. He was born 7 pounds 10.6 ounces and 20.5 inches long. Everyone is doing great! Hudson was 3 weeks early and his lungs were a little underdeveloped, so they had to put a tube in him to lubricate them. He's making improvements and should be out of NICU in no time. Keep him in your prayers. He is absolutely beautiful (what else would we expect from that family). Chris and I got to stay with Chase last night, and he's such a proud big brother. We love that whole family!!!

More pictures to come soon....