Encouragement When You Need It

Encouragement when its needed the most

So I would just like to explain how things are going right now. God has really blessed this semester by making my school load lighter and simply enjoying some good times at school. Its also been really neat to simply be able to be happy and enjoying life with Christ. I have received over the last little while various amounts of encouraging verses that have brought real peace and comfort. I thought I would share them with you so that you too can be encouraged by the amazing God that we serve.

The first verses are found in Matthew 11:28-30

Come all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

At first when I read the last verse I was really confused since as Christians we often suffer for our faith so I did not understand how Christ's burden was light since we are called to suffer for him. But I don't that is what he meant. Think when we take on other people's burden they are heavy and also filled with some kind of challenging circumstance. Christ doesn't have any of that stuff or Junk. Rather when you take on Christ's yoke we are bound to him with but we don't carry him he carries us.

To give some background a yoke was what attached two horses or cows etc that we to pull something in the field. The cool thing is that when the yoke was put on the horses it made the light easier for both. For us we are yoked with the a God that is stronger then we can possibly fathom. All we have to do is walk with him.

Some other encouraging passages include

Philippians 4:4-8

Psalm 46

Psalm 103

Psalm 139

I would encourage you to take refuge in these and know that this is the God that we serve and also the God that Loves us so MUCH! Be encouraged by His LOVE! He is worth more then anything else that this world can offer. We owe him our lives and I hope that you will surrender yours!

Stop talking and Listen for a Second!

During our last class we had a book discussion based on Serving with Eyes Wide Open. The premise of the book was to widen our perspective of the world around us in using that information practice cultural intelligence to best adapt to a new culture. The book talked about 4 types which are

Knowledge CQ

Behavioural CQ

Interpretive CQ

Perspective CQ

As I was going through the book something that I found really interesting was behavioural CQ; learning how to act in a certain culture. As I was reading this I automatically thought about non verbal communication also known as paralanguage. Watching how people act and trying to determine what there actions mean is something that I naturally do. I think that this will be my strongest suit in the cultural intelligence realm of picking up and trying to learn. I know that while I am there it is going to be key to understand how to there non verbal communication works. I think that my weakest element will be perseverance. As the date of leaving is approaching I am realizing how much of a challenge it will be to try to learn how to eat and do many of the basic tasks with my right hand rather then my left. I need to realize that perseverance CQ is learned so I have to be willing to learn how to do this and realize that it will take some time. I am trying to remember even before we get over there though, is to make sure that I am using my right hand. It’s really hard when you remember as you eat the last few bites but I think that more I think about it the more I will remember.

Reading about cultural intelligence overall has really helped me better understand how to prepare myself to go over and has given me some great ideas of what to do when cultural clashes happen and how best use my knowledge to make sure that I function best as I possibly can in that new culture.

My Role Model is... nameless

Check out Mark 5:21-42 before continuing reading this

I had studied this passage before and had heard it being preached recently but it wasn’t til a couple of days ago I realized how much this woman amazed me. When I read this passage I think of an elderly woman walking with a cane. But in all reality we don’t really know how old she is, for all we know she could be my age or slightly older. Anyway that doesn’t really matter what does matter is her faith.

The situation surrounding her story is that there was a huge crowd around Jesus pressing around him. I am not really sure what that would have looked like but it think it would have been hard to move forward or anywhere at all. This women had been bleeding for twelve years and been to multiple doctors who did nothing for her. Just imagining the pain that she would have gone through and watching her money slip away. It tells us that she had lost everything so she probably was a beggar. Maybe she had a home but it would have been empty if she did.

Then it says that she HEARD of Jesus and came to him. Yes, I realize that she would have been pretty desperate but think she just heard about him, not seeing any proof, not even knowing if the stories were true she came to him. She pushed through the crowds probably got elbowed a few times. The fight to get to Jesus would not have been easy. (personally after 12 years and no doctors that could help me I would have given up and awaited death... not much living for) But she didn’t. She fought through the crowd and all she wanted to do was TOUCH him. Just a simple touch and she KNEW that she was going to be healed. Talk about faith, Amazing, Trusting, Faith. She was asking to be healed from something that no other doctors could do. So with a shaky hand she reaches out and touches his cloak. And instantly the bleeding stopped and she was healed. I wonder what was going though this nameless woman’s mind... what was she thinking? I wonder if she tried to escape the crowd...

Jesus didn’t let her though. He called out “who touched me?” The disciples were probably looking at him if he was an idiot and asked “umm everyone?... Jesus you are surrounded by people!! How do you expect to get an answer?” but of course Jesus being how he is, asks again. And the woman probably once again had to push through the crowd, eyes on the ground, falling at his feet saying “I did Jesus. I touched your cloak”. I can see Jesus bending down to her level lifting her head so that he could see her face and telling her “Daughter, your faith has healed you. God in peace and be freed from your suffering”. A smile probably spread a cross her face and walked away confident that she was free from more then just bleeding. Her faith had healed her and nothing less.

This is why she is my role model. She had so much faith based on so little. I keep reflecting on this story and it brings me such joy and I honestly really want be like her!

Following Pauls Foot Steps

Philippians is a book that was intended to encourage the Christian in there walk in faith. At first I did not feel that encouragement because I was looking at with the completely wrong attitude. I did not understand how Paul could write in Philippians 3:10b-11 how he wants to know Christ “becoming like him in his death”. I thought was so scary especially in the context of going on mission trips... the possibility of never coming home.

Context here is KEY!!!!!

Note: please PLEASE PLEASE!!! Always go back to context when something doesn’t make sense... it will when you do this

Paul before this is talking to the Philippians about if anyone was to be considered blameless under the law it would be him. He had everything all laid out. Paul came from the right family, had the connections, the qualifications and knew how to the walk the walk and the talk the talk. He had it all!

Yet he said that it was RUBBISH all that he had he had, did owned qualified for was RUBBISH, compared to Knowing Christ. I can honestly see that Paul’s hand writing probably got a little darker from the passion that you hear in his words. Paul wants to get rid of all these qualifications so that he could GAIN CHRIST not out of his own working but through CHRISTS RIGHTOUS. Nothing that Paul did but everything that Christ did for him. including his resurrection. Paul was so enthralled consumed entrenched by Christ and wanted to know him so intimately that he wanted to know his death so that Paul may experience the RESURECTION.

This too should be our desires, not to consider how well we know our bible and our doctrine (thought these are very important) it is about knowing Christ so intimately that we should naturally WANT to die like Christ did so that we can grow even closer to him. This is the passion that should consume us because it consumed Paul. To me this is encouraging. To me this shows me how to get to the place where I am willing to die for him. My intimacy level is not there yet but I am excited for the time where I am able to have to passion that Paul did!

Ohh gas prices... I don’t think one ever really pays attention to them until you have start paying them. The shoot up of gas prices over the last little while has made me grieve every time I put that time I put the pump in my car. The reason for the gas prices has supposedly to do something with Libya. My issue is that I HAVE NO IDEA WHATS GOING ON!!! Why you ask?? I don’t think most people realize how cut off I am from the news since I no longer watch TV and simpatico.ca is no longer my homepage. Now Libya is not directly touching Cameroon but it is part of northern Africa and I think that it is important to have a small idea about what it going on since riots have a tendency of crossing boarders. I thought that I would be a good idea to figure out what’s going on in my world especially events that are happening in Africa.

So here’s something like a summery of what’s going on.

The whole situation started on February 15 inspired by the rebellious movement in Tunisia and Eygypt. Peaceful protests for change where occuring in Tripoli where Moammar Gadhafi appeared. As these protests were happening milita came in and started gunning down the protestors. So a rebellion began. On february 24th (yes i do realize that this was a while back) it was reported conflict between the Gadhafi loyalists and the rebel forces over the Mediterranean oil ports of Ras Lanouf. (heres my high price gas problem)

The most recent report that I could find was on March 5th but there must be more since I do not think that this will end any time soon. There shots heard in Tripoli supposedly celebrating that the goverment had gained control over Ras Lanouf (place were oil ports are) yet as it turns out that through the help of residents of Ras Lanouf.

In other parts of northern Libya there is still much fighting going on. Rebels say that they will not stop fighting until Gadhafi is not longer in power. This means that Libya is in the long hule of many more fights and the sound of gun shots will not cease anytime soon. There are many people who are now returning to there home land such as Chad, Nigeria and Ghana. Chad and NIgeria both are on the boader line with Cameroon.

The situation in Libya made me think about how this could have been happening while we were there. But rather God in his soverienty allowed elections to be later. What I also found very interesting was how these people are crying out for help and how we start to ignore the situation since there is something else new and exciting in the news. I think we choose wisely what we want to follow and learn about in the news since there is so much need of prayer and attention. remember we can not do this own our own but rather in offering these places in prayer can make a huge differance.

So I am sitting here trying to decide what to right about Cameroon this week. I am rather hungry and I thought food! hey! That could be something interesting to write about. So I am sitting here currently trying to find some interesting facts about Cameroon food and maybe figure out what we might possibly be eating there...

To try to talk about food in a short blog is nearly impossible but hey! Let’s check out some facts recipes and hopefully my stomach will stop making noises in the mean time...

Cameroon has an enormous diversity, having European influence thus in the Cameroonian cuisine there is a massive combination of exotic and local spices, indigenous plants, meat and sea food. This makes for a very diverse and unique meals and experiences. In different areas of Cameroon the people have different staples.

The National dish in Cameroon is Ndole. It is a bitter soup like dish with nuts, goat, fish in it (depending were you are in the country). I think this is what we ate when we tried some Cameroon food down in Toronto when the team and I visited the All Nations Gospel Church as part of a field trip. With it we had what I think would be called maize.



This is what we ate in Toronto



This is what Ndole looks like



Maize being collected yum!



In western Cameroon the staple he fufu which is made of maize and eaten with almost everything. A dish known Kondre can almost be considered another national dish and fufu is ALWAYS served with in. Kondre is a dish made with tubers, bananas cooked with a combination of meat such as goat fish sheep pork beef chicken etc. I feel like we might have eaten this too when we were in Toronto.

 

Fortunatley my stomach has stopped making noises the sad part is that now I am really really really hungry. So I am going to statify my hunger cravings with some delicious cafe food. I CAN NOT wait to eat something else such as what I have mentioned above. I hope that I have gotten you taste buds tingling for some African food and aren't not hesitate to try some if you have the chance!

Lessons on the Farm

The people in the bible knew a lot about farming, me on the other hand... not so much. I didn't necessary live in the city but I am no farm girl. I was rather glad when Jesus explained his farming story to his disciples. I was just about as lost as they were.
Mark 4:1-20

Characters in Parable
Farmer (Jesus or someone telling about him)
the ground that receives the seeds (everyone else)
seeds (Jesus and the gospel)

Scene 1
Farmer throws seeds onto path
birds eat seeds
no plants at all what so ever

Scene 2
Farmer throws seeds onto rocky soil
grow quickly but die just as fast because have no root

Scene 3
Farmer throws seeds were thorns also grew
seeds grow up with thorns have good roots but are fruitless

Scene 4
Farmer throws seeds onto good soil
grew up and produced 30x 60x 100x more

Check on Scene 3. This one gave me the shivers!

The seed (so the word of God) fell onto soil that had lots of thorns on it. But the seed grew up. And what it sounds like pretty normal. I think the plant looked like the plants that were growing up in the good soil. The thorns though they represent something that should make us Christians cringe

Wealth

Worries

Wrongful Desires

                     ....The World

And what was the product of the thorns; not death or destruction but---FRUITLESS. To me this is almost worse. Cause I feel like people go on lives life thinking that they are Christians but really they are like the plant that has been growing with the weeds. If a plant doesn't produce fruit what happens to it? Its pulled out with the rest of the weeds and burned. So not cool!! This is scary! We as Christians need to be on guard against these things and constantly checking if we have indeed been producing fruit and not being overgrown and overpowered by the thorns that can so easily creep into our lives but how do we know if we are producing fruit. What is fruit? Simple

Love Joy Peace Patience Kindness

Goodness Gentleness Faithfulness Self Control

These are the things that we need to check on when we are examining ourselves and looking for the thorns in our lives. As I examine my own life I can see small thorns creeping into my life and realizing that I need to give these things back to God and ask him to continually to help me to bear these fruits. I challenge you to the same thing. Examine your Life, your Heart and see where the thorns are creeping in. Ask God to replace those thorns with beautiful fruit that reflect the One who created them!