Life....

...it moves on very fast. It is hard to believe that I have been back at school for a month. It is also amazing to see all that the Lord has taught me just in these past 4 weeks! My classes this semester are:

- Biblical Greek

- Theology (covering: man, sin, and salvation)

- Exodus - Deuteronomy

- Pastoral Epistles (1 Tim - Titus)

- Galatians

- Ministries of the Christian Woman

- History of Missions

- Choir

Outside of the class room I am involved in teaching Sunday School (6-9 year olds), Youth Group, cooking for the school on Friday nights with Sarah (fun times we have together! :-D ), and hanging out with fellow students. It is such a blessing to be in fellowship with other young people who have a desire to grow in their relationship with our Lord and want to serve Him with their life!

One of the MANY things the Lord has been teaching me is to pray without ceasing. We as believers have the privileged to go strait to the throne of grace, not just when in need but also just for fellowship with our Father! It is such an encouragement to pray with others in the body if Christ and to know that fellow students, faculty, family, and friends are praying for me!

"We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you"

- Col. 1:3

Thankful!

I've been blessed with an amazing family! I'm thankful for them, for the time I've been able to spend with them this summer, for the chance to get to know my little baby sister and brother! <3

Ask

What do we ask for when we pray? Often it is for things or that things will happen in a certain way. Yes, our Father does want us to bring everything to Him in prayer. But where is our heart behind our requests?

For my personal devotions I have been in the books of the Kings. In 1 kings chapter 3, God speaks to Solomon in a dream, and tells him to ask anything and He will give it. Solomon could have asked for anything, Health, Wealth, Land, Power. But he instead asks the Lord for Wisdom that he may rightly rule God's people, Israel.

"And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days". - 1 Kings 3:13-16

What an example we have in the request of a king!

I have been pondering this account on Solomon for a few days. For your family devotions we just started reading James. This thought ties right in.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it (wisdom) shall be given him. But let him ask (for wisdom) in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." - James 1:5-6

So often when situations arise in our life we ask God to work in it according to how we see fit. Rather we should be asking for wisdom for the situation that we may respond in a godly way and that Christ would be glorified.

Do our requests please the Lord?

Joy in Serving Jesus

When you truly love someone you want that person to have what he wants. More than wanting your own pleasure, you want his.

"When obedience to God contradicts what I think will give me pleasure, let me ask myself if I love Him. A little quiet reflection will remind me that yes to God always leads in the end to joy. We can absolutely bank on that." - Elizabeth Elliot

How often we get caught up in the things of this world that we think give us pleasure. Yet they are so unsatisfying and have no eternal value. Serving the Lord takes commitment and sacrifice. But there is no greater joy and peace than what come from serving God!

There is joy, joy, joy in serving Jesus! Joy that never shall depart!

Service

"Where shall I work today, dear Lord?"

And my love flowed warm and free.

He answered and said

"See that little place?

Tend that place for me."

I answered and said. "Oh no, not there!

No one will ever see.

No matter how well my work was done,

Not that place form me!"

His voice, when He spoke, was soft and kind,

He answered me tenderly,

"Little one, search that heart of thine,

Are you working for them or ME?

Nazareth was a little place....

so was Galilee."

- Unknown

Memories of Choir Tour

My favorite memories of the Walk Worth Tour 2011....

The wonderful times with amazing friends who love the Lord and want to serve him!

Staying in trailers in Dix.

Everyone buying knives at Cabelas (everyone, as in all the people who realized that knifes are a good thing to carry around :D )

Rain for the first 8 days of Tour.

The storm in St. Frances as we sang ALMIGHTY UNCHANGEABLE GOD!

The "Theology Lesson" that God gave to Job

Watching Alligator Hunters with Bekah, Po, Sarah, Chrystal, and Mr. Culwell! :D

Singing in Steamboat Springs

Glenwood Springs!

Singing in the Gun Museum!

Spending time with Papa and Mama Friesen!

Driving to Burns and wondering if we were ever going to get there...:P

Breakfast at the ranch!

Having devotions on the pond dock!

Seeing the beauty of God's creation!

Singing "Jesus Lives" at Grace Bible Church in Colorado Springs!

Talking Papa Friesen into letting us get Ice cream :)

Staying with Bethannie!

Meeting Bekah and Ron.

Trying not to laugh while singing when Mama Friesen would start to laugh :P

CAMP JOY!

ACTUALLY getting to meet the Rio Grand team!

All the DUCKS that joined us for lunch....QUACK

The very interesting books that Bekah and I found in Barns and Nobles. HAHA

The Cosmosphere!!!

The IMAX!!! What an AWESOME God we have!

Walking around in the Franklin's back yard late at night trying to find internet connection :P

Studying Philippians!

"She was a very shady Lady" :P

Being one BIG family! :P

Listening to Papa Friesen reminis about his childhood! :)

Having my first Sonic

Staying at the house with the heated pool with a slide and fountains.

The Bathrooms not working at the church out in the middle of no where, Parkervile. :P

Mine and Bekah's stay with Elma Norman :D

Our last concert in Newton.

But most of all what I will remember about Choir Tour is the blessing it was to me to minister to the body of Christ and the refreshment of the fellowship in the churches that we sang at! There is no greater joy then knowing the Lord and serving the Him!

The Heavens Declare the Faithfulness of Our Father

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." - Psalm 19:1

I have always loved this verse. Living here at camp we have amazing dark nights making visible millions upon millions of stars! During choir tour this past Spring we had the opportunity to visit the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas. We were able to watch "THE HUBBLE" in the IMAX there! AMAZING to see the vastness of the universe! This is the handywork of our Father who we know personally! The heavens are filled with beauty that we cannot even see with our necked eye, yet our God created it for His glory and for His good pleasure!

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." - Revelation 4:11

Seeing the pictures taken from the Hubble cause me to worship my Lord who is so mighty and so vast...YET He LOVES you and me, and cares for us, and teaches us!

God created all this to display His unwavering faithfulness!

Latally I have been thinking about Israel and God's faithfulness to His chosen people. The book of Hosea pictures Israel as an harlot who has left her husband, God, and gone after other gods and committed idolitry and adultery. YET God does not forsake her!

"I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her." - Hosea 2:14

So many nations and people today believe that God is finished with Israel, that all the promises that were made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are not going to be fulfilled literally, that the Church has taken Israel's place in the sight of God. This is NOT true!

This is am AWESOME verse....

"Thus saith the LORD; IF heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD." - Jeremiah 31:37

GOD WILL NOT FORSAKE ISRAEL!! The only possible way that God would cast of Israel is if the heavens could me measured. We know this is impossible from scripture "the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured" Jeremiah 33:22 And we know from what we can see from pictures taken of space that this is impossible!

May this be an encouragement to us, that this same God who is faithful to such a nation as Israel is faithful to you and me!

"I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" - Hebrews 13:5

May this be an encouragement to us to pray for Israel. God's chosen people!

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee." - Psalm 122:6