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Sunday, January 17, 2010

Let the Nations praise!!!




For more updates and a daily blog check out www.worshipencounterafrica.com.



Friday, January 15, 2010

Waiting

I lead a little Bible Study on Thursday mornings at my church, and by lead I mean that I welcome the ladies, try to encourage them a bit in their homework, and push play on the dvd.  We're about halfway through a study on Esther.  It would seem that I can't get through a session without a major revelation from God.  I love it, but at the same time some of these revelations have been uncomfortable to say the least, and yesterday was no different.

But first a bit of backstory.  You know I love to give a backstory!

You see, my man is currently on the great continent of Africa in the small country of Malawi.  I am beyond thrilled that he is there!  I KNOW that this is God's plan for our lives.  I just know that God is going to interrupt his life and change the course of his destiny.  I know beyond any shadow of doubt that this trip is going to forever change him.  He will never be the same and what God is birthing in him while he's gone will affect our family's life forever.  How could I not be giddy with excitement at that!?!  


I am also well aware of the fact that I stayed here for as specific of a purpose as he went to Africa.  God is birthing things in me that could never have happened had he not gone.  I am fully cognizant that while my heart beats for the poor and oppressed of this world, there are deeper places of intimacy with God that He wants to take me too.  When Scott is home, my life is him and the kids.  Most wives could say the same of their hubbys, but we can't forget that our Maker is our first husband and needs to be the center of our affections...ALWAYS
Isaiah 54:5
For your Maker is your husband, 

The Lord of hosts is His name; 
And your Redeemer 
is the Holy One of Israel; 
He is called the God of the whole earth.

And that is what God is wanting to show me while my man is gone.  He's wanting me all to himself.  No distractions of the heart.  No one to comfort me when I miss my man, so that I will turn to Him for comfort and to meet my every need.  He wants me to remember and come back to my first Love.  


On Wednesday morning at 4am I said goodbye to the Music Man.  I cried for the next hour and then we texted while he traveled to JFK.  We continued to txt, email, and call until the flight attendant literally said "Turn it off NOW!"  The next 15 hours he was in the air and my thoughts were consumed with him.  Every breath I took was a prayer for his safety and health and renewal, but I was desperately waiting for that moment he would land and find wifi so he could let me know he was ok.  Once I knew his plane landed I began to even more impatiently wait for a message of any kind saying.  I waited and waited.  A message came and then I waited for the next leg of his trip to be over so I could hear from him again.  Then I heard from him again.  And then I waited till the next time I'd hear from him.


I headed to Bible study still just waiting till the next precious moment when I would get a text, email, or phone call.  I waited and waited all the while going about my business, but by this point I was exhausted.   I had suffered from a massive headache all day Wednesday and it carried over into Thursday morning.  I was physically and emotionally spent by the time I got to Bible study. 


We're studying chapter 5 of Esther where she fasts and waits 3 days before coming before the king to beg for deliverance.  She invites him and Haman to a banquet and waits to make her request known.  She again waits when she invites them to a second banquet the following day.  


Beth's whole message yesterday was that waiting, when done right, is good. Sometimes waiting in the "meantime" is waiting in God-time.  Isaiah 40:31 says "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.


This is the revelation God showed me....
We will always lose our strength when we wait on an event, a person, a thing, but when we WAIT ON THE LORD, our strength will be RENEWED!


I realized that I had spent the entire day before waiting on a message, phone call, and while I prayed constantly, I was not waiting on God.  I have spent far too long waiting on others, on events, on things, when all that matters is waiting on my God.  I'm so tired in my waiting and worrying.  It's brought me nothing but stress and discomfort and exhaustion.  That's how I know I have not been waiting on the Lord as I should be.  If I had, I would be renewed, not only in my faith, but also in body, soul, mind, and strength.  I could soar like the eagles in the sky.  I would run the race with perseverance, and my walk would not make me faint.

With the revelation newly planted in my heart I was shocked to be able to spend my afternoon yesterday with my man via Tokbox, Skype, and iChat.

Technology: You are a beautiful thing and I do love you so.

He walked me through filing our taxes.  I helped him find things in his luggage as he unpacked.  He got to see Natalie and blow her kisses.  I was able to tell him about the massive devastation of Haiti and how much it had devastated my heart.  We cried together.  We encouraged one another.  We said all those things that we've always felt and thought but took for granted and forgot to say.

I was very much renewed in every way.  I chose yesterday morning in Bible not to wait on my man anymore but instead throw all my energy into waiting on the One who can renew me day after day, moment by moment.

No one on earth can do that for you.

NOTHING will satisfy like Jesus Christ alive in your heart!  


NOTHING!







Thursday, January 07, 2010

Another Priceless Gem

From time to time, the Music Man will send me links to things that he finds on the internet. I've talked about it before. Sometimes it's a really thought provoking article or a funny anecdote on life. Other times it's pictures that make him laugh, like this one that he sent me this morning....


Wednesday, January 06, 2010

I promise I have a point!

Sooo...I'm sure that all three (Hi Grandma, Amber, and um...who else reads this? Hello? Is this thing on?) of you who regularily read this dandy little blog already know about my man's upcoming trip to Afrcka. I'm trying to talk him into guest posting his trip. His response so far has been only to say that he doesn't blog. To which I respond by saying something smart and witty like, "maybe you could try for me and all three two of my readers!" We'll see how that goes.

For now, I am up to my eyeballs in Typhoid meds, bug repellent, and underwear trying to get the man ready to go ONE WEEK FROM TODAY. I'm trying to convince my mom to come stay with me for a few days. So far it's a no-go. I'm really starting to think that God wants me all to Himself here for the next few weeks. Hmmm...I like people. I like help with the kiddos. I like having an adult to talk to once the kids are in bed. Hmmm.... I know I'll be ok. I was just hoping I wouldn't have to do this.

Suck it up, WOMAN!

Ok. Ok. My thoughts are starting to tread murky waters... I'm done

Bring it back around, Melis. Make your point.

My point? My point.

Kristian Walker, a worship pastor in the PennDel district is heading up the Music Man's trip to Africa and he has a fancy little website with a blog and everything. I believe that he will be posting updates to it while they're traveling. I will pass along the link and detatils on that when I get them. In the meantime, here is a bit more about what they will be doing while they're there. Just clickity-clack on over there and check it out.
MORE DETAILS
• We will be teaching several all-day worship conferences and leading worship concerts and outreach events.
• We’re working with the General Superintendents of the Assemblies of God in Tanzania and Malawi, who have both had a hand in arranging our ministry itinerary.
• We will minister at each of their churches and in the Assemblies of God bible school and seminary in Malawi.
• We are working alongside International Media Ministries, who planted a Christian radio station in Lilongwe, Malawi a few years ago. Our worship CDs have been played on that station over the past 2 years. Our conferences and concerts will be promoted to a majority of the nation via this radio station.
• 2 years ago we had meetings with the church leadership in Tanzania to lay the groundwork for a radio station to be planted there. On this trip that radio station will be launched. We are taking radio antennas and equipment to help make this possible.
• In Tanzania we will be visiting one of the well projects that Angel Mission (a ministry of God TV) has dug. These wells literally transform and bring life to communities that have no access to fresh and safe water. We are helping Angel Mission present these projects to pastors and churches in the U.S., so we wanted to see one of the wells firsthand and meet some of the people who have been impacted by this well project.


(I totally copied and pasted that directly from the website. Hope that's ok.)


I'll also let you know if they'll be twittering so all you crazy tweeps can get the tweet-by-tweet.

Saturday, January 02, 2010

We Just might end up in Oz.

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM EST SUNDAY...
A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM EST SUNDAY.
A MASSIVE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OFF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST WILL CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY AS IT PULLS TO THE NORTHEAST.
THE ENSUING TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL GENERATE SUSTAINED NORTHWEST WINDS BETWEEN 20 AND 30 MPH... WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 50 MPH.
THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE FORECAST TO EFFECT THE REGION SUNDAY MORNING. ANY FALLING SNOW MAY CAUSE A DECREASE IN VISIBILITIES SO PLEASE ALLOW EXTRA TIME WHEN DRIVING. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS OF 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED.
WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT...ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION.

I will be holding onto my children very tightly when we go to church. Let's just pray I don't get blown away too!

- Posted from my iPhone
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