In The Face of Adversity

-
Written 1/25/18

2013 - 2015 is a big gap in my blog. These have been trying years.

In these newer posts, I aim to change the tone and focus of my writing and direct it toward more external concerns as I shift away from writing about internal and personal concerns as much.

In the recent months, I have researched more and more the impact political and governmental decisions have in our daily living. There has been much talk on the internet about the discrepancies between the Constitution and the IRS code as to the lawful requirement or the lack thereof for citizens to pay taxes on their wages. I will cover some of these issues in another blog I have, for which you are welcome to reach out to me, as I will not be posting the blog name in this site. All views aside, however, all issues pertaining to governmental power are the very face of adversity. You hear in the news or even in your neighborhood, constant talk of things involving governmental control that seem out of place, immoral and plain outrageous. You hear millions of conspiracy theories of secret and powerful societies controlling those in power and on and on, but when do you ever hear the words of comfort that the world longs to hear? The face of adversity stares us in the eye and we don't have the words to settle our own fears.

Growing up, my parents taught me and my siblings about the Bible and God. We prayed every night, and every night, we recited Psalm 4:8 "In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for you for O Lord, make me dwell in safety." It means much more than resting the body at night; it means closing your eyes and having no fears before shutting down into a vulnerable sleep and trusting that you can wake up just as you fell asleep. What kind of peace is this that we can be in the midst of chaos and the center of tragedy and have no fears, no worries, but know that we are in good hands? There is no peace like this on earth. Not even the words of a parent that "everything's gonna be okay" can appease some fears. So, what peace is this? If you go back one verse: Psalm 4:7 "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - "Great", you might say, more religious mumbo. Have you tried

Popular posts from this blog

Without Grumbling

-
     It is a troubling realization when we finally see that our deepest desires aren't always pure and our intentions aren't always the best. It is often too easy to sink in to the ways of the world. Why? Because we live in it and its currents tend to tug at our faith. It is so difficult for me to admit how imperfect I am. I like to think I can do anything, though in reality, I know I am utterly powerless. It's only human nature, I suppose, but it serves me nothing to pretend like I know everything.      All this to say that this spring semester has left me utterly tired and worn out. I have studied and worked my energy out and toward the last couple of weeks before finals, my personal devotions that I've always been so fond of, diminished quickly. I became tired and at times, hopelessly unwilling to spend time in the Word and in prayer. Part of me felt angry toward myself about it, but the other part remained foolishly apathetic. I didn't know what to do, so I di
Read more

MISSIONS

-
Today is my lil brother's birthday... but we celebrated his party on saturday! I will post some pictures later because this computer won't allow me to. And my cousin, a little girl, was born today at 1:00 am. Tomorrow my aunt Mary and I are leaving for Yospi, a place up in the mountains, deep in the heart of Queretaro where the Ottomi Indians live... They are very poor people but very hospitable. My aunt lived amongst them for 2 and a half years. She was there as a missionary. She had to live like them and dress like them in order for the people to accept her. Since then they have come to know God better and there are now several Christians there and a church is up and running. God has blessed them so much and we still keep in touch with them. This week we want to go to encourage them to keep pressing on in the things of the Lord. And encourage them not to give up... because it is very difficult for them. Most of the people do not have a means of transportation although there i
Read more

Culiacan, first week

-
Image
This past week in Culiacan has been a great blessing. The first two days we spent a whole lot traveling to be able to get to a camp and that was exhausting! Then on Wednesday I was able to speak to several girls and pray for the people. It was a nice time in the Lord. God blessed the people and the team also. On thursday I stayed behind to pray and God really just used me and all the other 4 who stayed. He spoke to us through verses and visions. The great thing is that While I was reading in Exodus I think, about how God promises to send his angle before us, when the teams got back they told us they had seen a cloud in shape of an angel and they took a picture but whoever took it did not want to let me download it... but if I can get her to let me, I will next week. Then on Friday, two teams got together, mine and another and we had already gotten into the camp, but after a while, the owner arrived and kicked us out. So we left as quickly as we could so we could get started on another
Read more