Life like a teacup

I feel particularly blessed to have this tea cup and saucer, which belongs to a set of China.
No elaborate design. Just a simple leaf pattern on each piece, surrounded by a blue-gray rim, with gold edging.
But to me, it's beautiful.
Why?
Because this set belonged to my MamaDoll. When she was moving to an Assisted Living Center, they had an estate sale for everything at her house. I had wanted another set of China that was well worn, and even missing some pieces. I just wanted it because it belonged to MamaDoll. I was sentimentally attached to it, and didn't even think to ask for the other set.
I did not get the set I wanted.
Instead, this set that is barely used, and still has all the pieces, is the one that didn't sell at the estate sale, and I "inherited" this set.
I see this as a great blessing. I would have been happy with what was worn, chipped, and broken. But God gave me something much better. God gave me something beautiful and complete.

God gives good things to His children.

As I was thinking through this fact this morning, I realized all of life is like this. Especially when it comes to marriage.

Often, we are willing to settle for what is less than the best. We are willing to settle for what is used and broken. We don't always think to ask for what is best, and we don't always want to wait for it either.

I remember being disappointed when I did not receive the set that I wanted, but I never realized I would receive an even more beautiful set, which I had to wait for, and with which I was surprised.

How often are we willing to settle for less than God's best, and not willing to wait? Whether it is in who we will marry, where we live, the job we have, or anything else in life, we need to be willing to wait for God's very best.

Don't settle for less. Why would we want any less than God's absolute best?

God has taught me this important lesson this year in a hard way, as I was wanting something that I know now was not His best for me. Instead, I will have to wait until God gives me something more beautiful than I can imagine.

Because my Father gives good gifts to His children.....

....I will wait.

Will you be willing to wait for God's very best?

Because of Jesus' Blood,
Faith Christine
Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:10

He Restoreth My Soul

Psalm 23:3 "He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."

This verse is especially true to my heart right now. I am seeing the Lord at work in my life more now than ever. I'm on an upward climb. I am so unworthy of this work in my life, but He is so gracious to me in doing this work! I keep pouring out my heart in gratitude to Him who is not letting me go, is not leaving me alone.

Why would God choose to work in a life such as mine? When there are so many people around me who are falling away from the Lord, why does He choose not only to keep me from falling away, but also to draw me ever close to Himself? There is nothing in me that merits such favor! But that is God's incredible grace!

God is restoring my soul. He is working to perfect my mind, will, and emotions.

My mind, by enabling me first to think joy and peace filled thoughts, instead of complain when things don't go quite as I think they ought. He is enabling me to "take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." This has been such a struggle for me, but God is not letting go. He continues to pry, and peel my flesh away layer by layer, as a person would peel an onion.

My will, as He continues to show me that what I desire for my life in the flesh is completely different than His plans for me. He has finally brought me to a place where I can fully rest in His perfect plan. Even so much so that I can be joyful when plans are disrupted, like with my flight to Ohio on 3-13-15. Flight was delayed by about 2 1/2 hours, for various technical reasons. But instead of complaining, I found that my first thoughts were those of joy and peace, knowing that God was in control of the whole situation. I didn't worry even once, or even think to complain. I know that is all God's work in my heart. This has greatly been influenced by studying the journey of the children of Israel, and seeing how often God punished them for complaining. I am to just "follow the Cloud" wherever it leads. I should not move unless It is moving. God will direct me in His timing. Meanwhile I am to submit myself to Him, and follow His will on how life is supposed to be lived. This has also been greatly influenced in my life by the lives of George Muller and Nick Vujicic. Both of them purposed to find joy in their situations, and to lean fully on God. This is what I now truly desire in my heart.

My emotions, why not fully under control, are more controlled than in times past. I am rarely given to the emotion of anger. And when those emotions would be stirred within me, the Holy Spirit gently reminds me that "A soft answer turneth away wrath." The times that gentle reminder of the Holy Spirit has saved me from speaking harsh words are more than can be numbered. This is still an area to be refined and perfected in my life, but God is doing a marvelous work in me.

Yes, truly. He has and is in the process of restoring my soul. My heart continues to ask, "Why me, Lord?"

"Why, you ask? For My Name's sake." This is His loving, gracious, and gentle reply. He does not do it for me. He knows how unworthy I am of such love. He does it for Himself. So that He can obtain glory from my life. This is why I am here. To bring glory to a wonderful and mighty God, whose Name is to be praised above all other names.

All glory be to my Shepherd who lovingly restores my soul, and who leads me in the path of righteousness for His name's sake!
I pray this was a blessing to you. God bless you, my brother and my sister!

Because of Jesus' Blood,
Faith Christine
Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:10

Reflections on 2014

 

So at the end of the year, I'm sure everyone is thinking about their year, and reflecting on the things that happened. And I'm sure that every single blog out there has a "Reflections on 2014" post, and so I thought, "Why not write one myself?"
So what makes this post different than the others? Okay...so nothing at all. Just a reflection on the things that God taught me this year, and the things He did in my life this year.

This year was a pretty significant year in my life. Such an event filled year for me. Probably the most significant year in my life to date. So what happened in my year to make it so significant?

This year, I finished my college education. Now to me...that is a pretty big deal. After 3 years of hard work, $12,000, lots of tears, prayer, frustration, and stress, I finished my last test for college on August 19th, and then officially graduated on December 12th. I now officially posses my Bachelor of Arts in Music!

God taught me some very important lessons this year. The biggest thing I learned was...

Weakness

Yes, you read that right, weakness. Learning to be weak was the most important lesson that I learned this year. I learned that whenever I try to do something in my own strength, I completely and utterly fail. So God taught me this year that I need to empty myself of any of my own strength, and be completely weak in my flesh. I need to become completely weak in my flesh, and I need to ask Him for His strength to fill me.
The verse I have been meditating upon lately is 2 Corinthians 12:9, "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

God's grace has been beyond sufficient for me this last year. His strength has been made perfect in me so many times this year. Through the many hours of studying, working on research papers, agonizing over my Form & Analysis homework, and testing out of 42 hours of college credit in 10 weeks, God has made His grace sufficient throughout it all!

There is so much more I could write about this year, about how much God has taught me, but that would fill a whole book. In fact, I did fill a large journal worth of prayers, thoughts, and lessons learned this year. Just a few of this year's events included a lot of time spent on school, attending Creation training conferences, turning 21, attending my very first night at Medieval Times, receiving the best gift of a piano from my parents, and running a studio of 25 students.

Just even listing those few things, I'm sure you can tell it's been a great year for me. So as I count out the last few minutes of 2014, I'm counting my blessings, and looking forward with great anticipation to what 2015 has to offer! I'm not going to try and plan out my year, because if there is anything I've learned, it's that I can't make a plan for myself, because things never happen the way I think they might happen.

I'm looking forward to 2015, because I know that it will be a year full of many surprises, as I travel a new road. Blessings be upon you this next year! Go with God in the new year!

Happy 2015!!!

Because of Jesus' Blood,
Faith Christine
Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:10

Study....Study....STUDY!!

It's been quite a while since I updated the few folks who read my blog on what has been happening in my life lately. SO much has happened this year, it's overwhelming sometimes to look back at it and see how much time has already flown by! Here we are in the middle of July already! Can someone please tell me where the time went?

So quick update: What has this year held so far? Hmm...studying, oh and more studying, and a little more studying! I faced some of my most challenging courses this year with taking Form & Analysis 1-3 in the early semester (Really, who needs to analyze Debussy's quartet? Why?). Then I had my HUGE Liberal Arts Capstone project. What does this involve? Glad you asked. It involved a LOT of researching, LOTS of writing, late nights (stayed up until 4 a couple times...:-/). Yes, and even some tears. But I finally finished, and received an "A" in the class (made up for all the late nights and tears!).

I officially finished all 33 hours of my music courses at the end of May, and had all those hours accredited and on my transcript. Whew! Then came the "easy" part. Finishing the testing out of the rest of my basics and free electives.

Fast forward to the first week in June, and I took a trip to North Carolina for a week to take some of the most AMAZING and life changing training I've ever experienced! I took a week of Creation Apologetics teaching, and learned how to teach it to others. If you want to find out more about my week, clink this link, which will take you to their website. I strongly believe that this training is essential for every Christian who wants to be ready to defend their faith! While there, I met some of the most amazing people! And an extra blessing was meeting a dentist who gave me some unbiased opinions about my TMJ disorder, and also meeting an amazing biochem teacher who gave me some terrific help on my Natural Science CLEP test. I plan on writing more in depth about my experience in this training, but for now, check out that link!

July 3rd, I had my 21st birthday! And no...I did not go out and "party" as some may describe it. Instead, I spent the morning with my family, going swimming with my sister and a friend and their combined five kiddos, as well as my "at home" family and cousin. Then I spent the afternoon helping with little kids (everyone wants to do that on their birthday, right?), had great friends over in the evening, spent some "just girl" time with my sisters and friends, and my day ended with a dear friend spending the night and us staying up late watching one of those "girly" movies.

So, it's July 16th, and where do I find myself now? Studying away! Withing the last 7 days, I have taken three exams for college credit. Yes, you read that right. THREE college exams, giving me a total of 12 hours of additional credit. I took one last Thursday, giving me an additional 6 hours, and took two tests today after only 5 days of studying. I'm looking ahead at the next five weeks (my projected FINISHING date), and I'm realizing that the crazy schedule I gave myself of finishing SEVEN more tests in the next FIVE weeks is actually completely feasible!

So, what has the first (almost) seven months of this year taught me? One main thing.

God's grace is ALWAYS enough!!

I cannot stress that enough. In fact it's so important that I will say it again. God's grace is ALWAYS sufficient for my needs! Folks, I have literally seen Him work miracles this last seven months! How, you might ask? Because I have made it this far in school! It is only by His grace that I am where I am today, and have made it this far! I could NOT have finished those classes on my own. Believe me. I was in TEARS over Debussy (Debussy and I don't get along very well). I was in tears over my massive thesis-type paper. I have no idea how I managed to keep such late hours for such a long period of time, except that I know that God gave me all the strength that I needed! And God definitely gave me all the inspiration I needed for such a challenging subject (why did I pick to do a BA thesis on the aesthetics of music again?).

So all this to say, even in the smallest minute things, God cares, He is faithful, and He will be your strength, if you only ask! I'm not stupid, but I know that I could not have come this far in my schooling without God's continued grace and strength pouring through me. I have learned to ask God on a daily basis to empty me completely of myself, and to pour Himself completely into me. One of the verses I am claiming for this next year of my life is from Ephesians 3, where Paul prays that God will fill the Ephesians with "all the fullness of God." My dad explained that in his sermon this is like throwing a coke bottle into the ocean and watching the bottle become completely filled with the fullness of the ocean, yet there is still so much ocean. But in order for that coke bottle to be filled, it has to empty itself of its contents. 

So my prayer for each of you that reads this article is that you would humble yourself and empty yourself completely of anything inside, and ask God to fill you with all His fullness! His grace and strength are ALL we could ever need, and way more than we could ever hope for! I hope that this has been at least a little encouragement to you. 

Until next time....

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, and may you be filled with ALL the fullness of God! Blessings!

Because of Jesus' Blood,

Faith Christine

Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:10

He Asked if I Would be His Forever ---- I said YES!!!

Today is such a special day for me. Why? Because I said yes to the Love of my life. After pursuing me for several years, and asking me if I would be His forever...I finally said yes. I could not be happier with my decision to commit myself to such an amazing man!

He is the most perfect man I could ever ask for. And I know people tell me that no man can ever be completely perfect, but believe me, this man is!! He has no flaw whatsoever! He has rescued me from distress so many times. He comforted me when I was discouraged. He was there for me to lean upon when I was so weak.

He is my true "Knight in Shining Armor," my "Prince."

He is patient, joyful, kind, gentle, gracious, faithful. He has the most amazing self-control, goodness, and meekness. He is slow to anger, and quick to hear. He is the most loving man you will ever meet. I know I can count on him to be there for me for anything. He is sacrificial, always putting others' needs before His own. He has experienced many trials in his own life, yet become better through them all.

Sound to good to be true? Well all this is absolutely true!!

And his name? His name is Jesus.

Jesus....such a wonderful and magnificent name above all names! At his name, every knee shall bow, of things in heaven and things on earth. Every tongue shall confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!!

Fifteen years ago today, after being pursued by the Lover of my soul, I said yes to Jesus, and invited Him to live in my heart, and be the Lord of my life. I have learned so much the last fifteen years, and have grown to love Jesus more day by day.

As a single young lady, not knowing what my future holds, it is comforting to know Who holds my future. The Bible in many places describes Jesus as the Husband, and the church as the Bride of Christ. I know that Jesus is my true lover, and that He is everything I could ever dream of having in a husband, yet He is the absolute perfect version.

The Lord has taught me that I can only find my complete satisfaction in Him, and will never be completely satisfied if I am looking for it in a man. It is so wonderful to think that Jesus is the perfect Husband, and that I can find my complete fulfillment in Him right now. I can enjoy a great intimacy with Him, right now!

The last fifteen years have been full of trials, battles, lessons, mistakes, and regrets. But I would not trade a single thing for the lessons I have learned, and the intimacy I have experienced with my Savior through all the trials over the last fifteen years.

Jesus is my true lover, and He has asked me if I will be His forever. And when I say forever, I mean for eternity. I am a part of the Bride of Christ! He loved me with an everlasting love. He left His throne and His majesty, and took on the lowly form of a human and died for me. That is true love. To die for those who hated you and persecuted you.

Here I was in sin, living with a dirty heart. Jesus came along and told me that He could make me clean: white as snow. He promises me a place with Him in glory after this life is over. Because I said "Yes" to the Lover of my soul, I have many blessings in this life, much joy, and an assurance of where I will be spending eternity.

Do you know Jesus? Have you said "Yes" to your pursuer? Jesus is at the door of every heart, just asking to come in. Will you open the door? Will you say yes? Jesus died for you! He paid the price for your sins. He loves you with an everlasting love. He wants you to be His forever more. All you have to do is say a simple "Yes." "Yes Jesus, I want to be yours forever."

After you say "Yes" to the Lover who has pursued you since the day you were born, then seek to please your Lover! Any newly engaged/married couple seeks to do whatever is possible to please their partner. Should we not strive for the same with the Lover of our soul, who gave His own life for us, so that we could be His? There is this great book that tells exactly how we can please Jesus. It's called "The Bible." We were created to please Him (Rev. 4), so should we not seek to please Him in every area of our life?

I am praising Jesus for an amazing fifteen years! I am looking forward to seeing what the next fifteen years hold as He continues to draw me nearer to Himself. Would you pray for me? Pray that I will become infatuated with Jesus? That my love for Him will exponentially multiply within this next year? Would you pray that I would come to know Jesus in a new and real way this next year?

And I am praying for each person that reads this, that if you don't know Jesus as your Savior, that you will not hesitate a moment to accept His love and forgiveness into your life. For each of you who have taken the step of saying "Yes" to your true Lover, I am praying that you will make every effort to learn more about Jesus and to seek to please Him in every area of your life.

May the Lord Jesus bless you and keep you, and cause His face to shine upon you!!

Because of Jesus' Blood,
Faith Christine
Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:10

Run and Jump

Tired...oh, so tired. Why do I feel like this?

For the last couple of months, I have experienced extreme exhaustion. I experienced that right after coming home from Taiwan, but knew that was definitely from jet lag. But the last couple of months? Why have I felt tired? There would be mornings I just found it difficult to get out of bed before 8, and even then I would be groggy, and could barely drag myself through the day. I was not going to bed extremely late at nights either. Supposedly, I should be getting enough sleep. This could not be a hangover from jet lag.

The middle of April, I walked into my local blood donation center to give blood. Overall, I was feeling well, but still had this feeling as if I had been awake all night. I waited for a long time, and finally they called me back into the room to test my levels, and have me answer a bunch of questions. They pricked my finger, and took my hemoglobin levels. "12.0. I'm sorry, you can't give unless it is 12.5." Disappointed, I left the donor center, with an appointment to come back in a couple of weeks.

The Wednesday before last, I went back for my appointment. After waiting a while, they finally called me back. Again, I got to have my finger pricked. "11.8. Your iron is too low. You can't give blood today." She gave me a pamphlet on low iron, and food to avoid, and foods to eat. She said that I might consider the fact that I am borderline anemic.

I went home, and did some researching on borderline anemia, and found that I had all the symptoms of it. But at least now, I know the cause of my extreme exhaustion, as well as some other problems I've been having.

Since last week, I have had my ups and downs. There would be days I would feel just fine, and then other days I just could not pull myself out of bed before noon, because I would be so tired.
Yesterday was a pretty terrible day. I felt completely exhausted, and every time I would stand up, I would start to black out. I had to pull myself together to go teach yesterday afternoon, but I barely even made it through that, and just crashed after I got home.

There have been times when I just felt like crying. Now, I know that this may not be a big deal as compared to people who suffer from diseases, or cancer, or other serious health issues. But it was frustrating to me. I am so tired of feeling tired. So tired of not being able to accomplish really anything, because of a lack of focus. Because of this, I have not really been able to do school like I ought for the last couple of months. And that only added to my frustration. Yesterday was definitely a day where I just felt like crying. Yesterday, I also had some other struggles, that I kept having to give to God.

Now, you're probably wondering why I have told you all of this. I am setting the stage for how amazing God is in all of this. 

Last night, as I was getting ready for bed, I listened to my audio Bible on my phone. I love the dramatization of the Zondervan audio Bible, as it gives me a new perspective on the Bible, as it makes it come alive. I have been reading through the Bible, and was in 2 Samuel last night. Because of extreme exhaustion yesterday, I did not get a chance that morning to read my Bible. So this was my go-to, with the little time I had left before bed. 2 Samuel 22 started playing, which is pretty much word-for-word of Psalm 18. The Lord caught my attention with these two verses.

"For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him." 2 Samuel 22:30-31.

I had been frustrated, yet not griping or complaining to God about it (because I realized that I break 130 commands when I do that, so I can't do that anymore). But when I heard these verses, they became more alive to me than ever before. I felt as if God spoke to me through these verses and said, "Faith, by me, you can run through all these struggles as if they are not there. You can jump over the walls in your path, such as health issues, no matter how high or difficult they might be, if you only look to me for your strength. My way is perfect, even when it may seem thing are going wrong." I was overwhelmed by this. I realized that I had not been seeking Him for all of my strength. I was not trying to do anything in my own strength, but I was not asking Him to fill me with His strength. Through Him, all things are possible, even the difficult things.

Thankfully, I know that I can fix my problem by eating a high iron diet, and by taking some supplements to help raise my iron levels back to normal. Hopefully in a couple of weeks, I will feel normal again. But I am choosing to thank God for allowing me to experience this in my life, to teach me yet again that I cannot depend upon my own strength, and that I have to ask for His strength. By His strength, I can get through anything in life, no matter how difficult the situation.

So my challenge to you is this:

Seek His Strength! Become completely weak, so that He can be made strong. Remember that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. And make sure that when you know you are completely weak, that you do ask Him to give you His strength.

I pray that the Lord is able to use the lesson I have learned to help you in the future. My goal is to glorify Christ in every situation, even in the tough situations of life. Stay strong in Jesus!

Because of Jesus Christ and for His glory,

Faith Christine

Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:10

My Father Makes Me Smile

I know it has been FOREVER since I have posted on my blog, and can't believe it's almost the end of April already! This year has gone by crazy fast, especially with my Taiwan trip at the beginning of this year. I'm praying that I'll be able to sit down soon and write some blog posts to document my Taiwan trip, so I don't forget, and so others can hear of God's goodness to us in Taiwan. But, I wanted to write a quick post to praise the name of my Father in Heaven. He is so good to me, and has shown Himself so faithful in every single way, and even in small things.

I want to share with you right now something that made me smile. Something I knew God did just to make me smile, and thank Him, and praise His holy name. God is our Father, and what Daddy does not just love to make his children smile, and see them happy? I know that my earthly father definitely does, so why not our Father in Heaven, who is the absolute Perfect Father? God has made me smile in so many ways today, but I will share the extra special blessing with you.

As you may know from reading my description page, I am a photographer. Recently, a family in our church asked me to take some family photos of them in the beautiful Texas blue bonnets. Of course, I was delighted! They had asked if we could meet at the church before Sunday school services, and go to a field nearby with blue bonnets. Now if you live in Texas, then you understand how crazy our weather has been. So not as many wild flowers popped up this year. I arrived at the church early today so that I could drive around and find the best spot for pictures. I drove around close to the church, the whole time praying "God, could you please give me some blue bonnets? Like lots and lots of blue bonnets. You created them, so I know you can give them to me." I drove around...and could not find a single good thick patch. I prayed again, "God, I just need lots of blue bonnets. I know you can give them to me." Then, I remembered! Last year, as I was driving to the college that I test at, which is near our church, I saw a huge patch of blue bonnets right next to the college. It was only a 4 minute drive from the church, so I headed that direction. I kept praying, "Father, I just need a lot of blue bonnets. It's so simple for you. I know you can give them to me!" I arrived at the location, and guess what I found?

Blue bonnets! Lots and lots of them! The very thing I had asked my Father to give me! Of course I had to share my story with the family that I photographed.

But my story does not end there! If you are a photographer, then you probably have some of the same "fears" of shooting outside, especially if you live in Texas.

Hot weather.....
Sun so bright that everyone is squinting their eyes all the time....
Lots of wind.....

(Aren't they a great looking family, and aren't those beautiful flowers?!)

So yes, I may have slightly feared these things....but God gave me a perfect temperature, partly cloudy skies, and very little wind (I think it was going about 9 mph). It was perfect! And not only that, but the family that I worked with today had the sweetest most obedient kids, who were more than happy to pose in whatever way I wanted them to. The parents were even willing to make a silly face for one of the pictures (and did a great job of it too, I might add). And even by the end of the shoot, they were asking me to take pictures of them in a certain spot. Then the oldest girl wrote me the sweetest note later thanking me for taking their pictures. That really made my day, especially since my major love language is words of affirmation. I definitely felt my Father in Heaven looking down on me saying, "See Faith? I care even about the little things! I clothe the lilies of the field. I feed the ravens. I do care about making my precious daughter smile, and I do love to see you smile." So I could not help but smile all day today, knowing how faithful my God is even in the tiniest of things. If God cares even about tiny things like giving me good weather, and lots and lots of blue bonnets, then I know He cares about the "bigger" things. Because they are all the same to Him! Because He is a big God!! And not only all of these perfect things, but the location was perfect! My church is located in an industrial area, and so there are a lot of ugly signs, or tall buildings. But there was this awesome little "forest", and awesome trees, and no ugly buildings in the background!

We are commanded over and over in the Bible to bless the Lord, or to sing praises to His name, so I wanted to do just that. Why do I feel so much joy? Why do I smile so big? Because I know I have a Father in Heaven who is smiling down on me right now, and that makes me smile too. :-D God is so good to me, a wretched sinner. I am so undeserving of His love, yet He loves me anyway, and shows His love through small things like good weather, no wind, a partially cloudy day, and lots of blue bonnets! I praise you, oh my Father! You created this wonderful day, and I lift thanks up to you!

Don't forget to thank God every day, especially for the little things! Remember His faithfulness endures forever. Trust in Him, and give your all to Him!

Because of Jesus' Blood,
Faith Christine
Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:10

P.S. It's good to finally get a blog post out....

A New Door In My Journey -- Taiwan

Hello all! I know it has been over three months since I have posted anything on my blog. That is not to say that life has become dull and boring, and thus leaving me without anything to post. No, the exact opposite has been true for me. My summer has been so full of many activities, and many lessons that the Lord has taught me. I would have to go back and look through my journals to see everything that God has shown me, and everything that has happened this summer. Wow, God has been incredibly amazing, and I find myself more in love with Him each day, and trusting in His power, and His love for me even more. I know more now than I did at the beginning of the summer that God only has the absolute best in mind for me. He has a perfect plan for me.

So speaking of God's perfect plan for me, that brings me to an exciting announcement. The Lord Jesus has opened a door for me to go to Taiwan on a mission trip!! I am going to Taiwan! My lifelong dream, to see the place where my grandparents were missionaries for 40 years, and where my mother grew up! God's timing is so amazing, and I know that His hand has worked out every single detail to make this possible, even when I do not see every detail worked out yet.

(Above) He said to me "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

"Where Lord? Where do you want me to go?" "Wherever I send you, Faith. Walk with me, and I will lead you."

(Below) John 3:16 in Mandarin Chinese. This is where He is sending me for now. To share the message of John 3:16 to the lost people in Taiwan.

 

I have always had a love for the Chinese people, since I was raised with hints of Chinese cultural influence, my mom having grown up in Taiwan. I grew up eating Chinese food, and since we were young, my mom has tried on many occasions to teach us her first language --- Mandarin Chinese. I have had certain words engrafted into my English, one word, which until I was 18-years-old, I did not know was a Chinese word. It had been so engrafted into my vocabulary, that I used it just like an English word. Aside from this, I have two adopted Chinese aunts/cousins (aunts by adoption to my grandparents, cousins being the children of my grandparents foster son) who have been in my life, and have made me quite accustomed to the Chinese.

 

So for the last several years, I have had a longing to go to Taiwan, to serve there, just as my grandparents had served. At one time, I considered taking TESOL and going to Taiwan for a year to teach English. But that door just seemed to close when God showed me I was supposed to do college. I had dreamed of maybe this next summer going with my grandparents to Taiwan, if they revisited. I had also thought of the possibilities of going with the ATI program to teach Children's Institute.

 

This summer, the Lord did a lot in my life, working in my heart, and causing me to gradually surrender each area of my life to Him. One of the things that I had surrendered to Him was my ministry. I did not know what God wanted me to do, but I told Him that if He wanted me to be involved in ministry, then He was going to have to open the doors for me. After I surrendered to God in some major areas of my life, I finally saw God start to open up some doors for me.

 

The newest door that has been opened is one that fulfills a longing that has been in my heart for years. A couple of weeks ago, I was checking on facebook, and saw that one of my friends from Verity Institute, who is in my graduating class, posted on her facebook wall that she was going to Taiwan. I immediately felt jealousy...I too had that longing in my heart to go. I commented asking what how this opportunity came for her. In a reply, she said that she was going on the Senior Mission trip with Verity. I thought "No way! That is way too awesome!" Verity takes their seniors on a mission trip every year. I will be enrolling in Verity come January to (Lord willing) finish up the last semester of my schooling. So supposedly, I would also be in the "graduating class of 2013". I had a passing thought "How cool would that be if I could go too?" This desire haunted my heart. I wanted so much for this trip to be a possibility for me. Could this desire come true for me?

 

After a few days, I mentioned to my parents this desire. "Guess where Verity is taking my "graduating class" for their senior mission trip! Taiwan! I really wish I could go...." I kind of left it at that for a while. The more I casually mentioned it to my parents, the more they seemed to like the idea. When I first chose Verity as my school of choice, my dad said that he would love me to go there so I could go on the senior mission trip.

 

Last Friday, I called Verity, just to see if there was even a possibility that I could go, since I am not officially enrolled yet. I received very encouraging news. Yes, there was a possibility. The very sweet lady on the phone told me to email the president of Verity, who is coordinating the trip and the team, and to present my request to him. That evening, I was ecstatic. The only thing that I could see as a possibility of hindering me from going......was the money. Later that day, I prayed that if it was God's will for me to go, that He would give me full confirmation from my parents.

 

Last Saturday, our family went out on some errands. The more I talked to my parents, the more in favor they sounded. Especially my mom. I kept saying "if I go to Taiwan..." and then would talk about something with my mother about Taiwan. The more and more I talked about it, the more my desire grew. That night, I could not sleep at all, because that is all I could think about.

 

Earlier this week, I received confirmation from the Verity team that I was accepted onto the Taiwan team. This made me all the more ecstatic! Yesterday, my dad told me that I was going, and that we would trust that God would provide all the money I need for the trip!! I have had nothing else on my mind, and am so amazed and humbled by the way that God has opened doors for me!!

 

I have had a longing to go to Taiwan + my "graduating class" is going to Taiwan for their mission trip + my parents being open and excited for me to go = Coincidence? No. This is the very hand of God at work in my life.

 

I recently read "The Prayer of Jabez" by Bruce Wilkinson. That was life changing for me. I have since prayed Jabez's prayer: "And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested." God has indeed enlarged my coast, and His hand is indeed with me. I cannot wait to see what God is going to do through me and the rest of the Taiwan team when we go to Taiwan!!

 

We are going to Taiwan to conduct Children's Institutes, and reach out to the needy youth in Taiwan. I cannot wait to get there and love on all those little Chinese children, and tell them of Jesus' love for them!! The trip is from January 15th - February 8th. 24 days in Taiwan!!

 

So for those of you have taken the time to read this very lengthy blog post, I would like to ask you to pray for:

 

1. The children in Taiwan that the Lord is going to bring into our lives, that God would open their hearts to receiving the Gospel message.

2. The Taiwan team, that God would bless us, enlarge our coast, place His hand upon us, and keep us from evil.



3. That God would prepare our hearts to reach out to those in need.

Personally, I would also appreciate prayer as I study my Mandarin. I took lessons for two years, so I know the basics of pronunciations, and tones. Now it is just a matter of building up my vocabulary. I am hoping to memorize some verses in Chinese, and have already memorized John 3:16 in Chinese. If nothing else though, I hope to be able to tell each child that I come across "Jesus loves you, and I love you." I would also appreciate prayers as I am trying to raise money for my trip. I know God will provide, because He is always faithful in providing for my needs.

All of this reminds me of the verse: "Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalm 37:4. I have chosen to delight myself in Him, and He has changed the desires of my heart to be His desires for me, and He is now giving me those desires. Praise God from whom all blessing flow!! Have a blessed week!

Because of Jesus' blood,
Faith Christine
Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:10

Attributes of God

I have been thinking a lot about the different attributes of God recently. There is a song I have been listening to a lot lately, because it just seems to say it so well. It's a song called "All of these" sung by the Steve Pettit Evangelistic team. Here are the words:

"How vast his grace! How great His faithfulness!
How deep His love! How rich his mercy!
How high His thoughts! How sure His wisdom!
And all of these, He gives to me.

Chorus
So I will praise Him with every breath.
For He has rescued me from certain death
And now this life I live, I live in Him.
Oh let His glory shine while mine grows dim.

How just His ways! How good His discipline!
How pure His truth! How kind His goodness!
How calm His peace! How long His patience!
And all of these, He gives to me.

How broad His power! How grand His majesty!
How true His reign! How bright His glory!
How strong His might! How clear His triumph!
And all of these, He gives to me."

Are those not just the most magnificent words? Yet they cannot even begin to describe the greatness of God. Have you stopped lately to think of the greatness of God, and His many attributes? He will never fail you. You cannot say that about anyone else. He will never leave you. You cannot say that about anyone else. He will never break His promises. You cannot say that about anyone else. He is perfect! You cannot say that about anyone else. You get the picture? All men will let you down, but if you are setting your hope in God, He will NEVER let you down. His ways are perfect! His timing is perfect! His ways are mysterious, yet they are best. The Psalms are filled with praises to God. Have you ever stopped to write down some of the attributes of God, and then thank Him for them? I am not as good as I should be at doing this everyday, but I do try to make it a regular thing to thank God for something that He has done for me, in writing (usually in my journal), so that I will never forget His goodness towards me. I encourage you to do the same. Write a letter to God thanking Him for some of these attributes, or others. There are so many! Well, that's my word for the day. Just some things I have been thinking about lately. Stay strong in Jesus!! He's got you! His death covers everything!

Because of His blood,
Faith Christine
Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:10