Moments for Eternity

How do you turn moments in your day that don't matter into moments that do? That's what I've been trying to figure out. My days are filled with moments. Moments that seemingly don't have a purpose, but what if I could make them count for eternity?

What if I could turn the five minutes that I am driving in my car from mindless thought to moments of prayer and praise?

What if I turned moments of frustration over little things into moments of realizing that it doesn't matter in light of eternity?

What if I turned moments of simple, small talk,  catching-up-on-life conversation into gospel centered conversation?

What if I talked about Jesus instead of gossiping?

What if I prayed when I did the laundry?

What if I actually thought about the music that I am listening too, and instead of just simply enjoying it's beauty, turned it back to Him in praise?

I think it's safe to say my life would look different. There would be fewer mindless moments of thought, fewer tendencies to let little things derail me from viewing eternity, more conversations that honored Christ, more joy, peace, patience, kindness, and love flowing out of my life. This is how I am supposed to be living. Making use of every moment for God's glory and the furtherance of His kingdom. This is my goal, to make every moment count for eternity....GO!

Step back and see God's glory

Sometimes you just need to take a step back. A step back to look and see what's going on around you. We are all really good at getting tunnel visioned in our own lives. It becomes hard for us to see past our busy moment by moment schedule and we forget to look up and see the amazing things that God is doing around us.

Lately the Lord has been forcing me to pause and look up and around me. I've been amazed at what God is doing. There is a lot going on in His kingdom. Here's what I saw what I paused and looked up...

Suffering. There is a lot of suffering in the body of RBC. Lots of wonderful, faithful, Christ-centered, self-sacrificing people are going through pain.Major pending heart surgery, marriages failing, kids rebelling, wives with unsaved husbands, divorce, job loss, sickness, the list goes on and on. Their lives are being ripped apart. But in that pain there is hope. Hope that is only found in the truth that they will see Jesus one day and God is getting glory through their trusting lives.

Loss. Paul Haumersen went home to be with the Lord 10 days ago. Joy, pain, loss, hope. Life is short. What I do with my moments matters. Eternity is right around the corner. Am I living faithfully?

New Beginnings. Dan and Lauren are getting married in a few weeks. It's exciting. All of RBC can't wait. The coolest part is that Lauren said that this new exciting thing in her life is teaching her to be more excited for eternity. How cool is that? I need to love Jesus like her.

Rebirth. Megan Crum got saved during the MO mission trip almost a month ago. She is radically living for Jesus Christ as a middle school student. Sharing the gospel with her neighbor friends, calling up her middle school friends and asking them if they are in the Word, wearing the joy of the Lord on her face...oh this girl has Jesus in her and it's evident.

The Lost. My coworkers, neighbors, extended family, the Muslims in Turkey. The world is lost. It's dying. Passing away, eternally without Christ. What I do with my moments around them matters. They need Jesus and I need to share Him with them.

Thanksgiving Thursday: Week 3

Ahh, it's Thursday again which means extra time focused on giving thanks.

10. I am officially done with my freshman year of college!! Hello, summer.
9. The Lord has graciously and unexpectedly provided financial aid for my next year at Moody.
8. Small group was great last night. Lots of open hearts!
7. The weather is marvelous toady. I love it when the Sun shines.
6. I was able to take a walk with my sister Crystal this morning and talk about God's grace in our lives. Then I came home and took a walk with Michelle and Corrie and talked about ministry!
5. I am rejoicing in God's continued work of grace and repentance in my life and in the lives of those around me.
4. The college age group had a rich study on Tuesday night picking apart Romans 14. I love being challenged by other's insights.
3. Christ is risen from the dead, trampling over death by death. Death has lost it's sting, Hell has no victory. Our God is not dead, He's alive, He's ALIVE!
2. Extra time to pray, read the Word, start (and finish) good books, meet with middle school girls, talk about Christ...Here's to a purposeful momentary summer!
1. I'm so thankful for Christ's example of complete and total humility. If anyone didn't deserve to be humbled it was Him, and yet He was humbled willing so that the Father might be glorified. I want to be more like Christ in His humility.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me,
  bless his holy name!
 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
Psalm 103:1-2

Thanksgiving Thursday: Week 2

Today is just another excuse to count my blessings. My weak, sinful, fleshly heart often keeps me from thanking God for His greatness and the great things that He is done, is doing, and will do! These blog posts are merely a simple way to fight that fleshly tendency.

 "Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!" Psalm 106:1

10. Taylor, Brooke, Allie, Christa, Maddi...I am so blessed to have these middle school girls in my life.
9. It's my last week of school!
8.  The words of this song are true.

     "Your blood as washed away my sin,
      Jesus, thank you!
      The Father's wrath completely satisfied,
      Jesus, thank you!
      Once your enemy, now seated at your table,
      Jesus, thank you!
7. 80 degree weather in the beginning of May! I love it.
6. Being challenged by Romans 12-13.
5. Fellowship and worship with other believers.
4. Jesus fulfills all of his promises. It's been proven over and over again. Great is His faithfulness!
3. The conviction and repentance that is worked out in my life by and through the Holy Spirit. I can't even see my own sin apart from His work in my life.
2.  Being humbled. My sin is worse than I think it is, God is greater than I can ever imagine, my pride is too strong for me to kill...I need, yes, I desperately need Christ!
1.  Prayer. Even though I am so faithless, inconsistent, weak, and selfish in my prayers God still hears, still answers, and still desires to hear from me. I want to treasure prayer more. I want to pray bigger prayers. I want to be more faithful, more thankful, more like Christ in my communion with the Father.

 "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you." John 15:7

Gladly Would I Leave Behind Me

Gladly would I leave behind me
All the pleasure I have known
To pursue surpassing treasures
At the throne of God the Son
Worthy of unending worship
Love and loveliness is He
By His precious death were millions
From the jaws of death set free

Gladly would I give to Jesus
All affection, everything
For the washing of His mercy
Makes my ransomed heart to sing
“Holy, holy!” is the chorus
Rising up from those who see
Christ exalted, bright and burning
Full of pow’r and purity

Where else can I go?
Jesus, You’re the One
That I was made to know
What else can I do?
Jesus, You’re my all
I gladly run to You

Gladly would I flee temptations
For their troubles fill my life
Turn and seek my God and Savior
For His goodness satisfies
Earthly treasures, all are passing
Thieves break in and rust destroys
But in God are awesome splendor
Love, and everlasting joys

Gladly would I give to Jesus
All affection, everything
For the washing of His mercy
Makes my ransomed heart to sing

Credits:
Verse one by Ann Griffiths (1805), music and additional words by Doug Plank
© 2012 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)http://sovereigngracemusic.bandcamp.com/track/gladly-would-i-leave-behind-me

Learning How to Die

And I said, please
Don't talk about the end
Don't talk about how
Every living thing goes away

I said, friend,
All along I thought
I was learning how to take
How to bend not how to break
How to live not how to cry
But really
I've been learning how to die
I've been learning how to die

Thanksgiving Thursday

Things to be thankful for...

10. I have less than two weeks of school left and then my freshman year of college will be complete!
9. Spotify. Yay for free music!
8. I've been called, elected, and predestined to be holy and blameless to the praise of His glorious grace.
7. Romans 9, 10, and 11...the college bible study.
6. Cristian Barbosa's sermon on Sunday.
5. Brian Phipps was gracious enough to help with a school project for my Christian Missions class. The neat thing is that I get more than just a good grade out of the whole thing. I've been blessed just by simply interacting with him.
4. Joshua Project. Praying for the unreached people groups is growing my prayer life and my heart for missions.
3. Taylor, Allie, Christa, Brooke, Maddie, and Sarah. I love these middle school girls. I get to hang out with them and talk to them about Jesus. I can't even imagine leaving them when I go to Moody this fall.
2. Teaching Character Kids on Sunday nights. I never thought I would enjoy teaching and I didn't realize how much God would be teaching me through all of this.
1. Ephesians 1. I can't get enough of it.

Praise the Lord!

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 106:1