Monthly Archives: March 2010

A Day of Remembering

Russell Wade.

3.31.88 – 7.29.02

My younger brother, Russell, would have been 22 today.

So on this day, it seems appropriate to say…

 to the baby of the family,

 

 [wasn’t I a helpful big sister??]

 

to the boy whose laugh was contagious,

 

to the boy who never met a stranger,

 

to the boy who was known for his “duh” expression,

 

to the boy who was always into some sort of mischief,

 

to the boy who, although born with a heart problem, loved all sports,

 

to the boy who knew how to have fun and lived life surprisingly uninhibited,

 

and to the boy who kept us all on our toes (at. all. times.)…

 

Happy Birthday, Brother!

Fun Find: Coconut Frosting Bubble Bath

I don’t take baths very often.  I just don’t have the time.

[Don’t worry, I DO shower daily.]

Every once in a while, however, when my stress is near the boiling point and I have a half hour to spare, I find a hot bath to be extremely relaxing – especially a bubble bath.

Typically, I just use whatever shower gel or body wash happens to be on hand.  But after considering it for quite some time, I recently splurged and invested in this:

Philosophy Coconut Frosting Shampoo, Shower Gel, and Bubble Bath.

It smells sooo yummy! And surprisingly fresh and soothing.

Bonus: it even has an actual recipe for coconut frosting on the label!

 

How fun is that?!

Do you find time for bubble baths?  What’s your favorite scent or product?

You Can’t. But I Can.

 

I am a detailed, all-my-ducks-in-a-row, super organized kind of gal.

So when I set out for Maryland to serve as a summer missionary without knowing very many details (such as what type of work I would be doing for the majority of the summer or better yet, who would pick me up from orientation), I was…well…overwhelmed. 

But I also trusted that the Lord had guided me to this opportunity, so I tried not to be overly concerned.

I had driven my own car up there, so on the morning I arrived, I met a few other summer missionaries and leaders at the state office.  Then we all headed to BWI airport in Baltimore to meet the other summer missionaries’ flights, so we could travel to Ocean City that afternoon for a few days of orientation together before going to our separate ministry sites. 

As more and more students gathered, we naturally started talking about our plans and expectations for the summer.  It didn’t take long for me to realize that most of the other missionaries had spoken to their supervisors several times (in comparison, I had only spoken with mine once), knew the basic ministry areas in which they would serve, and knew exactly who was picking them up from orientation later that week. 

Even so, I tried to convince myself the details were not a big deal and assumed that God was teaching me a lesson in absolute trust.

However, a couple of days later – still at orientation – while sitting on the floor of the “hotel” room (it used to be a hotel, but at the time was owned by the host church) and having my quiet time with the Lord, it suddenly struck me how little I knew about the summer and how utterly unprepared I was. 

Let’s just say, I hit my panic point.

Expecting a Philippians 4:13 type answer (“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”), I cried out to the Lord with everything in me, “I can’t DO this!”

But the answer I expected was not the answer God gave.  Although not in an audible voice, I clearly heard the Lord respond, “You’re right.  You can’t.  But I can.” 

And somehow, He led me to this passage…

 

“As for God, His way is perfect;

the word of the Lord is flawless.

He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.

For who is God besides the Lord?

And who is the Rock except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength

and makes my way perfect.

He makes my feet like the feet of the deer;

He enables me to stand on the heights.

He trains my hands for battle;

my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You give me Your shield of victory;

You stoop down to make me great.

You broaden the path beneath me,

so that my ankles do not turn.”

 2 Samuel 22: 31-37 (New International Version)

 

Context: This is a song of praise to the Lord that David sang after the Lord delivered him from his enemies. (See verse 1.  And while you’re at it, read the whole song/chapter.  You won’t be sorry!)

Feet? Hands? Arms? Ankles?

He gives me strength and victory?  He is a shield and rock?  He enables me to stand?  He makes my way perfect?

In that moment, I finally got it.  It wasn’t about what I could do.  It was about what the Lord had already prepared and equipped every. single. part. of me to do for HIM according to HIS plans. 

“You’re right.  You can’t.  BUT I CAN.”

The Proper Way to Eat Brownies

I spent the entire weekend at my kitchen table, writing a paper on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. 

 

I only left my chair when absolutely necessary.  To grab a pony-tail holder.  To go get a cheeseburger (umm…brainfood).  To find a purple pen.  To remove my chipped toenail polish (it was a major distraction).  To drink my 1000th diet dr. pepper.

 

 And to bake cream cheese brownies. 

 

Because the consumption of brownies is proven to enhance the writing process, of course.  Only, I’m not sure about the “proven” part.

And as I was grabbing yet another brownie out of the pan last night, I couldn’t help but laugh at what was left.  Both my roommate and I prefer brownies from the middle of the pan, so this is what I found:

 

But after all, this IS the proper way to eat a pan of brownies.  Begin with the center, and only eat the edges when all other possibilities have been eliminated.

And to think some people actually purchase brownie pans that eliminate the middle…the horror!

Conviction: 2-yr-old Style

I serve with one of the 2-yr-old classes once a month (or more as needed) during the second hour at church.  Basically, this means the kids have already heard the Bible story, done a craft, and had “scheduled” time.  As the 2’s get older, we eventually take them to a larger group during this hour to sing songs and hear stories with the other preschoolers, but for now, we just watch a video, give plenty of hugs, play, and love on the kids.  

And I adore every minute of it!

A few weeks ago we had five kids, and one of the little guys was a new visitor (let’s call him “A”).  He didn’t appear to speak much English, and he seemed to prefer playing by himself, so we let him do his own thing for the majority of the time.

Towards the end of the hour, one of the other little boys (we’ll call him “T”) really wanted A to come play, so he called to him.  But A didn’t answer. At the encouragement of the other teacher and myself, T went across the room and said in the sweetest not-yet-quite-clear voice of a young preschooler, “A, come play with us!”

A just smiled and looked away, but T was persistent. He then said, “I WANT you to play posy with us; it’s fun!”

[Side note: yes, on this given Sunday, we were definitely keeping them occupied with ring-around-the-rosie, red light/green light, and other highly theologically correct games...ha!]

Because T was giving it such a valiant effort, the other teacher called for A and encouraged him to come over and play as T had requested.  T vigorously nodded his head in response and had such an inviting persona about him, but A just kept smiling and never did come to the circle with the others.

That didn’t deter T, though.  He just came back to the circle and continued playing.  It was as if he had done his part, and he was okay with the outcome.

As I was watching this exchange, the Holy Spirit promptly and clearly reminded me that often, it’s much less about the immediate results of what I’m doing to serve the Lord and much more about the obedience of doing it. 

This principle is especially true in our outreach efforts to share the love and message of Jesus Christ with others.  Consider Paul’s message regarding Israel’s barrier to understanding the truth of Christ in Romans 10:14-16:

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent? … But not all the Israelites accepted the good news.” (New International Version – emphasis added)

Go read the surrounding text of these verses.  Powerful stuff!! 

After stating that “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” in v. 13, which seems to indicate an individual acceptance of the message, Paul’s exhortation to preach the message is no less emphatic.  Regardless of the outcome.

But this principle also applies to obediently following God’s call on our life or His leading in almost any area.  Of Abraham, Hebrews 11:8 says:

“…when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, [Abraham] obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”  (New International Version – emphasis added) 

Abraham wasn’t caught up with the immediate result of leaving his home; he simply “obeyed and went.”  Regardless of the final [unknown] destination.

 

 

So yeah, I was utterly convicted and completely humbled by 2-yr-olds.  To serve where God leads, obediently and promptly, with my all, regardless of the outcome.

But that’s SO God, isn’t it?

Why “The Inner Harbor”?

Between my junior and senior years of college, I spent my break from classes serving as a summer missionary with the North American Mission Board in Maryland.  My ministry area was focused mostly around the Annapolis area, but extended along the “I-95 corridor” reaching into the Baltimore area and occasionally included different parts of the state as well.

Because of the types of ministry we were involved in, the two missionaries I worked the closest with (and lived with) and I often had weekends and/or evenings free to explore.  We went on several memorable outings that summer, and I absolutely fell in love with many of our discovered locations, but my favorite place was the Baltimore Inner Harbor (with the Annapolis Harbor coming in a close second).

Surrounded by shopping, restaurants, eclectic boats, a small amphitheater for live music, the aquarium, Federal Hill, historic housing, and downtown, the Inner Harbor has come to represent for me not only a place for summer missions, but also…

 A place for fun.

  A place to relax and renew.

  A place for thinking and processing.

  And a place where God speaks.

It’s coming, it’s coming, it’s coming…

…it’s HERE!

After [too] much thought, meticulous planning, and calculated preparation, I officially have a blog.  Some might even say, “It’s about time!”

For now, check out the “about the author” section to learn more about me and the purpose of said blog, and stop by later to discover the significance of the title.