One Way

This post is dedicated to Spiritual Twist Productions, and the amazing cast and crew of the 2014 "Les Misérables: A Story of Grace" ~~~~ I am Javert. Let me explain. :) This past weekend, I had the incredible blessing of getting to perform in Spiritual Twist Production's beautiful musical adaptation of "Les Misérables". Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, " Les Misérables: A Story of Grace " tells the story of a ex-convict named Jean Valjean following the drama of the French Revolution (1815-1832), and very clearly shows the contrast between the Law and Grace. So first, let me give a little background on the story and characters. For those of you who saw the play (or were in it), feel free to skim through the next few paragraphs. ~~~ To make a long story short, Valjean finds the grace of God, and it completely transforms his life. He goes from a hard, miserable ex-con who spent nineteen years in prison, to a respected mayor and business m

This morning in my Bible time, I read the book of Haggai. It's a short book, only two chapters, and one of the last three books in the Old Testament. But wow, does this little book pack a punch!! So here's the thing, as I've been reading through the prophets this year, there's one thing they all seem to have in common - pronouncement of judgement. Big time. Either judgment of Israel, Judah, or one of the kingdoms or countries nearby. And from what I've gathered, most of the time when these prophets shared God's word, the people didn't listen. And here's where the book of Haggai is different. The following takes place around 520 BC. The temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed in 586 BC, but in 538 BC, King Cyrus of Babylon allowed the Jews to return home to rebuild it. I can only imagine their joy in returning to the city, ready and willing to get to work! They were going to rebuild the temple! Yay! But as the years go by, their passion for th

I'M HOME!!!!!!!! Ahh, it's good to be back among family, friends, and familiarity! The initial transition was difficult for a few days, combination of jet-lag, re-entry stress, and a family vacation (which makes it hard to get back into the swing of things), but the past few weeks have gradually been getting better. There's still a lot going on, and I have ways to go to get back to feeling on top of things...but it's probably better this way. :) When I am weak, He is strong. The view coming in over Ghana! A lot of people have said this to me - "How was your trip? Was it wonderful?" And each time, I'm sure they wonder why I make this little face, and say, "Uh, well..." Honestly, guys, it was THE hardest thing I've had to face in my life to this point. It was not wonderful, it was not amazing, and it wasn't even always "fun", and I struggled a lot - BUT...it was good. It was one of those experiences where you learn so m

Six days until I take-off for Ghana, Africa for the entirety of June and July! I'm excited, but also, I kind of feel like I'm about to jump off the edge of a cliff, and I have no idea what is going to be at the bottom! I don't know what to expect.  Everything I do expect, I've been told, will not be anything like I've ever imagined. And I tend to have a pretty good imagination. :) Which leads me to the verse that God laid on my heart this evening: " In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps. "  ~ Proverbs 16:9 As I related in a recent post, that explains my journey-before-the-journey ( "Going to Ghana" ), the last eight months especially have been full of huge changes, and God has taught me so much through those experiences. Yes, most of us hate change - but isn't it amazing how God seems to use these situations to grow and mature us sooooo much? :) So, we're walking alon

I've made it my goal this year to read through the prophets. Let's face it, don't we normally tend to think of the prophets as a more "boring" part of Scripture? And while yes, they are a little harder to grasp than other parts of the Bible, they're just as full of meaning and truth as the rest of the Word! After Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel, I'm finally getting a little "break" in the book of Daniel. :) Since I know all the stories, there's been the temptation to just breeze through the chapters. But something struck me as I was reading through Daniel chapter 5 today that I wanted to share. We all know this story - Belshazzar is king now that his father Nebuchadnezzar is dead (and when it says "father" it may just mean that "N" is "B"'s ancestor), and this guy has a serious ego. He gives a HUGE banquet for a thousand of his nobles, brings out the goblets that were taken from the temple in

I honestly don't know where to start with this one! I've been meaning to write this for over a month, but every time I thought about doing it, somehow the words just wouldn't come...or I'd find something else to do. :) This will be a little different than my normal posts, but I wanted to update you all on what God has been doing in my life the past few months. As the title of this post implies, I am going to Ghana, Africa, in just 24 short days...aaaaahhhhh!!!! It's exciting, and scary, and amazing, and sometimes I wonder what in the world I've gotten myself in to! :) I'll be in Africa for two months helping pioneer Eban Project's new volunteer program ( www.ebanproject.com ), and I can't wait to see what God is going to do during that time, both in me and through me. And I have a feeling He's going to do a LOT in me, especially this will be my first time traveling overseas, my first time traveling alone, my first time being away from my family

(This is the fourth post in a series called "Hunger for Heaven" on longing for God. Check out the other parts here - What does it look like? How to cultivate? Hope for the future ) I asked a question at the end of the last post  - is it selfish to long for rewards, joy and peace, heavenly treasures, and blessings from God? Sure, we want to long for God and eternity with Him, but what about that other stuff? My Dad asked me this question when I was first going through this study, and I'll admit, my stare was pretty blank. Me: "Uh...no?" Dad: "Really?" {grin} Me: "I...don't know." Dad had recently been going through a book called "Desiring God" by John Piper, and apparently, Piper had just been talking about this very question. So the following insights and examples will mainly be from the minds of John Piper and Mark Faggion. :) I don't know about you, but this tends to me my idea of perfect satisfaction :) L

" 'The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.' And as He [Aslan] spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them.  And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after.  But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before. "        ~ " The Last Battle " ( the last book in  The Chronicles of Narnia ) I heard this line while listening to the audio drama of this story a couple months ago (when I first started drafting this post), and it brought tears to my eyes. Well said, C.S. Lewi