la providencia amarga y dulce

I'm currently reading an amazing book by John Piper called, "A Sweet and Bitter Providence," about the book of Ruth in the bible. It's got a lot of amazing stuff in it about God's hand in our lives when things are going wrong and we feel like he's dealt us nothing but bitterness. Ruth was an extraordinary woman, who I know I have a lot to learn from.

Here we have a picture of God’s ideal woman—and we
will see more of her quality later. Faith in God that
sees beyond present bitter setbacks. Freedom from the
securities and comforts of the world. Courage to venture
into the unknown and the strange. Radical commitment in the relationships appointed by God. This is the
woman of Proverbs 31:25 who looks into the future with
confidence in God and laughs at the coming troubles...   (p. 35)

I am not sure if that's something I will ever live up to, but I pray to God that he would make me into a woman even half as faithful as she.

Finally, we learn that if you trust the sovereign good-
ness and mercy of God to pursue you all the days of your life, then you are free for radical love like Ruth’s. If God calls, you can leave family, you can leave your job, you can leave your homeland, and you can make risky commitments and undertake new ventures...    (p. 46)

Tears

There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.

--Washington Irving

corazón por Haití

Last night, I spoke in front of the youth group about Haiti.
I first shared with the kids about my passion for missions, the fire that lights in my heart when I hear about the "GO" part of Riverview's mission. This all got started on my first mission trip ever in the summer of 2005- in Haiti. At the time, I didn't really know why I was going. I just knew that it was a good thing and that's what Christians do. Love God, help others.

There's an immense need for water in Haiti. The average Haitian consumes and uses 3 liters of water per day, while the average American consumes and uses around 500 liters of water per day. So we worked to meet that need by building "raincatchers"- these gutter-filtration systems that catch and hold up to 3 gallons of water. It was amazing to see the joy on people's faces when we would come hiking to their homes with all of our supplies.

But it wasn't until later that someone told me that people are much less likely to hear and accept their spiritual needs being met.

On top of that, Haiti is a very spiritually dark place. Even though the nation is officially Roman Catholic, voodoo is believed in and practiced by a majority of haitians. Even within the Catholic church, people think they can practice both catholicism AND voodoo and there is nothing wrong with it.

Voodoo may seem silly to us, the way it's portrayed in movies, but it's really not a joke. When I was on the trip, our group was walking through a village square and a woman was chanting and screaming things at us. She was cursing us for the work we were doing there.

After all that's happened there with the earthquakes and aftershocks, if you were to look at a haitian and tell them, "Bondye renmen ou" (God loves you) chances are extremely slim that they would believe you.

So how will they know? How will the people of Haiti know that the God who created the universe loves them with an undeniable love and has saved them from spending eternity in hell? How will they know we we who do know just sit here and do nothing?

Home

el fuego

and this is my prayer in the fire,
in weakness, in trial, or pain
there is a faith proved of more worth than gold
so refine me, Lord, through the flame

i will bring praise, i will bring praise
no weapon formed against me shall remain
i will rejoice, i will declare
God is my victory and He is here

all of my life, in every season
You are still God
i have a reason to sing
i have a reason to worship

these are some of the lyrics to "desert song" by hillsong. lately, this song has been fueling the love in my heart for God. that's really the only way i can describe it. when i listen to it while driving, i have to fight the urge to close my eyes and raise my hands (only so i don't die in a car crash and/or endanger the lives of everyone else on the road) that's just the impact the song has on my heart.
if you haven't heard it, you should definitely check it out. it's rocking my insides.

It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and this land is likely to quench the fire of the gospel. It is proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity.

--Frederic D. Huntington, Forum magazine, 1890 (though I took this quote from CrazyLove by Francis Chan, ch 4, p. 65)

2010

Even though I began the first 20 minutes of the year with the hiccups, I feel very blessed with the start of the year.

• I have a part-time job (hence, why I am up so early on a Saturday)
• I exchanged a bible I had gotten for Christmas and got a different bible and two worship cds for only $12
• I started reading a book (crazy love by Francis Chan) that is challenging my walk with God and how I live- and it's amazing
• I get to marry my best friend, the man of my dreams, in 70 days

I know later in the year, I will probably forget this. But I want to have these things recorded, so I am more likely to remember. It's an amazing God we serve. He has blessed me abundantly.