A Little Update on My Summer Plans

A few months ago, I was approached with the opportunity to travel to Spain with a team from Lancaster Bible College for the summer. Unfortunately, we had a late start on fundraising and didn’t meet our pre-set financial goals. Because of this, the trip was canceled, and I was questioning why God chooses to shut some doors-though they would lead to really great places. I told my team that we must trust God and know that He has plans for every yes and every no.

Just 4 days after the trip’s official cancellation I received a Facebook message from the coordinator of the English Camp in Germany I’ve worked at the past 2 summers. Even though I had already told her I wouldn’t be able to come, my name “just so happened” to have just come up in a recent conversation with the Camp Director. So she asked, “Could you come for one week and teach the main session for 5 nights at the Camp?”

Me?  Return to Germany?  Speak at the night sessions?

What a gift from God! I was floored by the timing and my the opportunity! After some prayer, I joyfully concluded that I’ll be returning back to the junior high/high school students that I love to speak to them about the Gospel! The camp’s theme this year is ONE and each day has a specific theme as well: One God, One Passion, One Savior, One Decision, One Life, and One Church. I have the terrifying, wonderful privilege to speak on each subject. I’ll be preparing the lessons in the coming weeks leading up to the trip and would VERY MUCH appreciate your prayers in my preparation and in the student’s reception of truths from Scripture.

The Lord also has graciously provided a traveling companion in the form of my dear friend, and missionary-to-be, Christina McLaughlin. She will be helping at the camp in whatever ways they need her and then also blessing me by recording my lessons each night! I can put the videos up online and perhaps reach even more German/Americans if God chooses to use me in that way.

The cost is very minimal. Flights and a few travel expenses only totalled about $1,260 each. If you would like to support financially, that’d be great! I’d be happy to show you my spreadsheet! 😉 If you would like to support us through prayers-that’d be even better! You can follow my blog bettycatherine.wordpress.com and Christina’s betweentheleatherbindings.blogspot.com for updates throughout our time in Germany.

I am beyond excited for this opportunity to share God’s truths with the youth of Germany. Join with me in praying that through the power of the Holy Spirit, young lives are changed to love God’s words more deeply, cling to His promises more closely, and share His truths more boldly.

You know, there are things in our lives that are GREAT things, that God chooses to cut out for reasons only He knows of. Our job is to trust Him with that circumstance, and praise Him whether He shows us why or not. God cut the Spain trip out of my summer, and He graciously provided something else 4 days later! It doesn’t always (or even often!) work out like that-but I’m thankful it did! I trust that He has PLENTY of reasons why (though a good thing) Spain is not where I was supposed to travel this summer, and Germany definitely is. Maybe He’ll reveal more of the answers to my “why questions” and maybe He won’t. Either way-He is to be praised for orchestrating all these details of my life, and for always doing what is best for my life to bring Him glory!

As always, thanks for reading! 🙂

My Life’s Mantra: Three Lists

I’m a list person. You’ll find them everywhere. I have a notebook by my bed-full of lists, sticky notes surrounding my desk-list city, and one of my most-used apps on my phone: Wunderlist-a list of lists! I list my groceries, my prayer requests, and even my friendships (my co-workers make fun of me-but I need to be organized!)-and find it to be helpful to visually categorize things in my life. With that being said, you’ll not be surprised that my life’s mantra equates to categorizing all things in my life into one of three lists.

Find the things that increase your affections for Christ, and with all your heart-pursue those things. 

Identify the things that neutralize your affections for Christ, and as much as possible-avoid/redeem those things. 

Know the things that decrease your affections for Christ, and for your soul’s sake-run from those things. 

These lists will be different for every person, and this is not an exhaustive list for me-but it’ll give you a good snapshot 🙂 Oh and as a side note, I do think that many things mentioned in List Two have the potential to be moved to List One-it just takes intentionality and a desire to worship God in all things! AND there are things naturally in List One, that if I get lazy or negative or look away from Christ, they will transition to List Two. :0

List One: Things that Increase my Affections for Christ

• Quality time with God
  • Journaling
  • Reading His word
  • Reading about Him
  • Doodling quotes about Him
• Talking about God
  • With unbelievers
  • With my sisters and brothers in Christ
  • With my mentor ❤
  • With the world wide web!
• Enjoying the world He made (especially with friends!)
  • At the beach
  • On a run
  • In a kayak
  • On a trail
  • In the city
  • Some music 🙂
• Blessing the senses He gave me!
  • Through coffee and icecream (not together though…)
  • Making and having dinner (with friends!)
  • Good music
  • Aesthetics
• Enjoying the relationships He gave me
  • Family
  • Friends
  • Co-workers
  • Church family
• Random Things
  • Learning in general (TED Talks=time of worship for me!)
  • Movies that spur good conversation

List Two: Things that Neutralize my Affections for Christ

• Some Social Media
  • Complaining instead of peacefully praying (about what’s going on in the world)
  • Comparing instead of praising
• Being lazy (not resting…actually being bum like)
• Media intake without processing/reflecting
  • I NEED to talk about a movie after i watch it in order to “redeem” it from List 2, to List 1. This may just be me-but I want to dialogue about the lies portrayed as truths, and the evils portrayed as good. I want to welcome God into my TV/Movie viewing and do that best through conversation! I understand not everyone is like this and that is a-okay 🙂
• Working haphazardly
  • If I work hard and with a focus on honoring God in my job-it’s totally in List One, but the days (and weeks) that I just go into work without remembering WHY I work, and WHO I ultimately work for-it’s List Two.

List Three: Things that Decrease my Affections for Christ:

• Most TV Comedies
  • Humor that I find funny, that God does not
  • Wasting hours
  • Being convinced that I want what the world has
• Some Social Media
  • endlessly scrolling through Pinterest humor, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
  • being too intrigued by the world’s gossip/interest (buzzfeed stories for me)
• Pining for what I don’t have
  • Wishing/daydreaming/coveting breeds mistrust and discontentment

So that is what I came up with! This is something that helps me, and maybe it’ll help you too! Write out your three lists, and see what you can do to eliminate things from List Three! Also see if you can transfer things from List Two to List One with a little prayer and focus 🙂 Through Jesus Christ, God has given us the GREATEST GIFT in life-and that is HIMSELF. We can know, enjoy, and love Him! Let’s prepare for eternity and do it as much as possible!!! (Also, make sure you read these quotes below!)

Dear Friends Going Through Trials of Various Kinds

Dear friends going through trials of various kinds–

“There are two kinds of ground: fallow ground and ground that has been broken up by the plow.

The fallow field is smug, contented, protected from the shock of the plow and the agitation of the harrow. Such a field, as it lies year after year, becomes a familiar landmark to the crow and the blue jay. Had it intelligence, it might take a lot of satisfaction in its reputation: it has stability; nature has adopted it; it can be counted upon to remain always the same, while the fields around it change from brown to green and back to brown again. Safe and undisturbed, it sprawls lazily in the sunshine, the picture of sleepy contentment.

But it is paying a terrible price for its tranquility; never does it feel the motions of mounting life, nor see the wonders of
bursting seed, nor the beauty of ripening grain. Fruit it can never know, because it is afraid of the plow and the harrow.

In direct opposite to this, the cultivated field has yielded itself to the adventure of living. The protecting fence has opened to admit the plow, and the plow has come as plows always come, practical, cruel, business-like and in a hurry. Peace has been shattered by the shouting farmer and the rattle of machinery. The field has felt the travail of change; it has been upset, turned over, bruised and broken.

But its rewards come hard upon its labors. The seed shoots up into the daylight its miracle of life, curious, exploring the new world above it. All over the field, the hand of God is at work in the age-old and ever renewed service of creation. New things are born, to grow, mature, and consumate the grand prophecy latent in the seed when it entered the ground. Nature’s wonders follow the plow.”

May you soon see the beauty of your ripening grain in the midst of the pain of the plow.

With Love,

Betty

Miracles Follow the Plow; Dr. A.W. Tozer-http://www.theprayerlife.com/tozerfallow.html

Why I’m Passionate About Lancaster Bible College

“If Christianity is to capture the people of this land, the theologian must become an evangelist, and the evangelist must become a scholar, and intellect and emotion must go hand in hand.” -William Barclay

I want the gospel to spread like wildfire. So at work I strive everyday to find students who will help fulfill that Great Commission. I help get them to LBC knowing that while they are here, we will aim to train them as scholars AND evangelists-to speak the truth in love to everyone the Lord brings their way.

Just Finished Exodus

As I explain in a previous post about Genesis– as I read through the Bible I am going to stop and reflect at the end of each book, and write about what that book tells me about God. A couple of days ago I (finally!) finished Exodus and here are my thoughts:

In Genesis the main character, God made a promise that he would make a “great nation” out of this small group of Hebrew nobodies. Unfortunately, this next story opens up with those people (the Israelites) being in slavery for 400 years to the greatest super power of the world at that time-Egypt. 

Yikes!

They need a HERO! They need a fearless and strong rescuer to swoop in and save the oppressed people. GOD is the HERO of this story! There is also a trusty sidekick-Moses! He was definitely a very unlikely sidekick, but ended up becoming a good friend of our Hero:) 

At the perfect time, the Superhero and His sidekick, with wit and agility, even when it seems absolutely IMPOSSIBLE-set the people free! And it’s amazing! And you, as the reader, are SO PUMPED for what just happened. But just like in many other superhero movies (spider-man/batman) the people rescued don’t always trust or even like the hero-but are instead hostile/opposed to Him! 

During the second half of Exodus, it’s kind of crazy, God “reveals” more that he is not merely a superhero and a rescuer…he is actually so much more than that…he is a HOLY GOD.And that holiness is MINDBOGGLING. Holy means “set apart” and He is sooooo incredibly different and perfect and awesome. He is JUST and punishes sin, but He also is LOVING and forgiving and delights in restoration. God makes it clear in this book that he REMEMBERS and FULFILLS all of His promises. And get this, despite his HOLINESS and their MISTRUST AND STUPIDITY, he want to reside with them. 

(insert jaw drop)

He is the incredible creator of the universe! He is the rescuer, sustainer, provider, epitome of perfection, goodness, grace, justice, mercy, and knowledge! And he wants to LIVE with the Israelites? The people who so quickly turned their backs on him? The ones who doubted his faithfulness? Who doubted his power? Who denied his uniqueness? Who ignored his rules? Who forgot his grace? THAT’s who he chooses to reside with? 

Yep.

A sinful, evil people will live with a perfect, holy God. And the book ends with this cliff hanger of a question: How on earth is THAT going to work out?