Trusting God all the way

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the rock of our salvation. He has promised that He will never leave or forsake us. He is our great Shepherd. He will lead us until the end. What He starts in our lives He will finish in His time. His ways are not our ways. His plans are not our plans. There is no one who loves us more unconditionally than He does. If only we could fathom His love for us then we would not work so hard to find acceptance elsewhere. We would not so often feel rejected. We would not know what it meant to feel lonely. We would not know what it meant to feel discouraged or hopeless. If we could just fathom all that He wants us to experience in Him and through Him as we walk His path for us, we would be the most happiest people on earth. Recently I heard some very exciting news. Faith School of Theology is on its way to becoming accredited. That means that they'll be offering Associate and Bachelor degrees in Theology. That also means that anyone who has graduated from Faith School can return and complete their Bachelor Degree. Two years ago if I had heard about this I probably would have shrugged it off and thought, "I've already done my time at Bible College." For the past few years I've been so caught up in getting caught up in something that would make me happy that I believe I veered off the path that God originally put me on. In this Season of my life God decided it was time to bring me back to where He wants me to be. If all goes according to plan and Faith School does become accredited I'm going to go back to get my degree in Theology. In the past few months I've been trying to figure out what it is I should be doing, where it is I should be going - but in trying to figure all of this out I left out one key question, "What does God want me to do? Where does God want me to go?" There have been so many things that I tried but failed at because I was doing it my way - I was trying to make MY own plans happen. God wants so much more for us. His ways are not our ways and His ways are actually BETTER and BIGGER and HIGHER than our ways. You see, I feel so good about this decision to go back to school. It feels as though I'm going to be on the right path for God to open the right doors so that I can fulfill HIS plan for my life. Sure, there are still questions about the future but I am resting in the fact that God has opened a door that no man can shut. I am resting in the fact that He is my Shepherd and He will not lead me astray. I am resting in the fact that what He started so many years ago He is about to finish. Finally I am feeling freedom. Before I felt like I was never at peace - always trying to figure out God's will. But we don't figure out God's will. We trust God. When we trust Him everything else falls into place. And it is step by step in faith that His will comes to pass. I am excited for what is to come. I'm following the Great Shepherd. He's got my back. He's my sure foundation and I don't have anything to fear. All is well and the best is yet to come!

Remembering Bulgaria

Today I was looking through my old photo albums and came upon pictures from a Missions trip I took to Bulgaria. I'm reminded of words of a friend of mine when I came back from that trip, "I went to Thailand where there is real danger when the Gospel is preached. You went on a vacation." It may not have been a roughing it Missions trip but what I saw there were people in need. I saw children who had very little but who wore such gigantic smiles when they saw a group of Americans who were interested in telling them about Jesus. I saw women who felt worth because we asked them to stand along side us as we taught the children about the wordless bracelet. I saw an elderly woman who wept as I spent several minutes praying with her as I held her in my arms. I saw people in need. And we had what they needed. I saw an opportunity to show love and acceptance to a people who otherwise are discriminated against and put down because of their bad habits. What some of them needed were just to feel like they were worth more - and that there was a future for them that wasn't pick pocketing and robbing

or mothering by the age of 12 and spending their teen years trying to feed their little ones. I saw the opportunity to show Jesus in every village we ministered in. "The sacrifices of God are a borken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17