Immanuel....

"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and
become like children, you will never
enter the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 18:3

If you haven't already caught on, God really uses my job as a way to speak to me on a daily basis and remind of Himself through the children and situations that I deal with each day. Well, He was at it again yesterday afternoon. After having been at work for about 9 hours, I was staying with the last three children while their parents, who also work there, finished all the cleaning. In that time, a conversation between the two older children in the room took place and this is the extent of what was said...

4-year-old girl: "Are you afraid of anything? Monsters, creatures, the dark? Anything?"

6-year-old girl: "No, I am not afraid of anything."

4-year-old girl: "Why not? I am afraid of the dark sometimes."

6-year-old girl: "Because I know that God is always with me!"

I almost fell out of my seat! Once again, God has used an innocent child to break me of myself and gloryify the only One that is worthy. You see, I am in a situation now that I have never been in before. Come next Friday, I will no longer work at my current job and I have not yet found a new one. I put in my two week notice last Friday and I have submitted resume after resume and nothing has been secured yet. I have a few interviews this coming week and I am just trusting God that He knows my new job and has a plan to glorify Himself in the whole situation. With that said, I am still human and I am still a sinner. Yes, I have been redeemed, but I am not perfect yet. I still fall and I still struggle, but I know that God has my back and He is in control. But yesterday, I really caught myself worrying about the future. Will I have a job by August 7? Will I be able to pay all my bills next month if I don't have job by August 7? Is anyone going to call me back? Important questions, yes, but nothing to be worried about.

When I heard the 6-year-old's response, in that moment I thought to myself, "Sarah, you either trust God or you don't!" I realized that by worrying about that stuff and allowing that worry to consume me and my attitude, I was essentially relying on myself to meet my needs. But then, I heard, "I know that God is always with me!" What truth!! He has been given the name Immanuel, which means "God with us." He has promised to "never leave or forsake me" (Duet 31:8) and He has promised that "all things work together for good" (Rom 8:28). So who am I to doubt His promises. It comes down to, not only, a matter of trust, but, most importantly, a matter of Lordship! Do I trust God enough to say, "Here I am God, You know what I need and I am willing to do whatever You say. Lead me and provide for me in a manner that is pleasing and glorifying to Your name ALONE!" For the record, yes! I do trust God enough to say that! I can honestly say that He had to humble me yesterday and I had to have a "come to Jesus" with Jesus about the issue, but it's taken care of. He knows where I stand and it is no longer on my own selfish pride, but on the Word of God and the cross of His Son.

My life, my job, my future, they have all been covered by His blood and the only thing that I have to do is trust. Lord, I pray that each day I will lift my eyes to You and acknowledge Your sovreignty over my little life and give You praise for even caring! There are so many bigger and better things out there, and I sometimes wonder why You bother with me. But I know that all of this is for Your glory and praise alone and that You know what You are doing. Take my mind off my future and place my attention solely on the work of the cross. Be glorified in my last week at the daycare and allow me to be a shining example of what "the light of the world" should look like! IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU, JESUS!! God is soo good.... :)

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name be

the glory forever, because of Your love and faithfulness.

Psalm 115:1

Follow the Leader....

For You are my Rock and my Fortress; and

for Your name's sake You lead me and guide me.

Psalm 31:3

So there is this absolutely cute, in a somewhat annoying kind of way, little boy at my work. At a mere 5-years-old, he is the youngest of the school-aged children. At the beginning of the summer, every time we asked the children to line up, he would ask, "Can I be the leader?" So, in order to never disappoint, we formed a line system and now the children always line up from shortest to tallest. Being the youngest, he is also the shortest, thus, ALWAYS the leader!

That said, this weekend I went home to the MOB and was able to go to Christ Fellowship Baptist, my home church. On Sunday, Dr. Lawson preached two AMAZING sermons about Christ's command "follow Me," from Mark 1:16-20. In this text, Jesus calls four of his disciples out of their fishing boats and promises to make them "fishers of men." He did the same for you and I when He called us out of darkness and into the Light. It was a call to leave behind everything that you know. You may not remember your exact call time and date, but if you claim to be a child of Christ, then you have been commanded to FOLLOW THE LEADER!

Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me;

let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling!

Psalm 43:3

We are called to be fishers of men and if we aren't fishing, then we aren't following! And to not be doing either of those two things is sin. It is disobedience! When I think about my job description in terms of "fisher of men," I can't help but be amazed at the amount of responsibility that God has bestowed upon me. He wants me, SARAH A HEWES, of all people, to, not only be in His company, but help Him find others and lead them to His cross, thus equipping them to now fish for more men! I feel so unworthy as is it to claim the name of Christ, much less help bring others to His throne.

So let's recap. Children always want to be the leader, but when you are a child of the King, you don't have that option. By partaking in the free gift of grace, you give up your right to ever be the leader again and you agree to be lead in Spirit and in Truth! There will never be a line system with Jesus. He will always be in front and we will always be following in His footsteps. I pray that I will hasten to follow His lead daily. Whether He leads me to Auburn, New York, California, Asia, the farthest corner of the earth, etc. Lord order my steps and quicken my heart to cry out "Wherever You lead, Lord I will go!" Jesus, You are the Source of my life and my Leader, You are my Sheperd and my Provider. I praise You and thank You that You know all the plans that You have for me. God is so good......... :)

And He said to all, “If anyone would come after Me, let him
deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
Luke 9:23

ps....i would strongly suggest that you take some time to listen to those sermons. You can hear them online at http://cfbcmobile.org/site/cpage.asp?sec_id=377&cpage_id=421&secure=&dlyear=2006&dlcat=Mark

Once Upon a Year...

Christmas 2004

One year ago today, I lost my hero! He fought the good fight and he, not only finished, but he won the race! For those of you that don't know, today is the one year anniversary of my stepfather's death and the last 12 months have been such a reminder of God's grace that helps us to get through. In Paul's letter to the Corinthian church, he writes,

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My power

is made perfect in weakness." Therefore

I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses,

so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 2:9

He has been sufficient to grow me in my weakness. I think that I have grown more in the past year than total in my four years as a believer. God really knows how to humble His people and make them cling to the cross of His Son. When Kelley died, I think I had fallen as far away from God as one could get, I had an "I don't care" attitude and in Kel's death, God made me realize that none of this life is about me! Hard lesson to learn? Of course!! I think about God's timing and I have to just glorify Him for knowing exactly what it would take for me to turn back and find my way back to His throne. The biggest lesson that I learned was figuring out how to be grateful for EACH and EVERY day! When Kel went to the hospital on July 4th, my selfish thoughts were "I'm over this" and little did I know that 15 days later we would be leaving the hospital without him. Yes, it has been a tough year and I miss the stink out of Kelley, but I wouldn't EVER want him to come back! I know that he is bowing at the foot of our Savior and lifting up sweet songs of worship each moment and that he will be there waiting for me one day. In all honesty, I am a bit jealous, but grateful all at the same time. I am so excited that he humbled himself before the mighty God about a year before he died. He was such an amazing example of a changed heart and he lived out his faith. He was a blessing to our family and he will ALWAYS be my hero! His spirit lives on in the midst of sadness and grief, and it is a spirit of a disciple who undoubtedly heard

"Well done, good and faithful servant. You have

been faithful over a little; I will set you over

much. Enter into the joy of your Master."
Matthew 25:23

Thank you God for teaching me lessons and growing me through the toughest hour of my life. Teach me to find my strength in You and to use this time of weakness to glorify You and You alone. You are the only one worthy of my praise and I pray that I will never neglect to lift my eyes to You in times of great need. What a friend I have in Jesus! God is soo good... :)

Here are the rest.....

Back from the Big Apple...

Ok, so we got back safe and sound from New York on Saturday morning, I have just had so much going on that I have not yet had time to post anything! For now, all you get is pictures from my adventure. I will soon be sending out my follow-up letter to all of my supporters and when that is finished, I will post a copy on here for all to read! Anyhow, enjoy the pics! I had an amazing time and I wasn't ready to leave yet. Thank you all for your prayers and support, you are a blessing to me! God is sooooo good..... :)






Seems as though I have to put the last few on a new post........

REJOICE!!

We have reason to rejoice this day because we have a new brother...Henry!!! This morning, while out diong surveys with my group, Melvin and Jacob, we were able to share the good news with a young man and he prayed to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior! God is so good and He alone is worthy to be praised! He has heard our cries for the hearts of this city and is slowly drawing His sheep in.

My sheep hear My voice, and I

know them, and they follow Me.

John 10:27

In other news, early this morning we went out and stood on the street corners and handed out free newspapers to men and women as they headed for work. Much like the free gift of grace, people find it hard to believe that we are just giving out free water and granola bars and papers. They always assume that there is a catch, and we just want to serve them and love them and sow seeds. There is no propaganda and that is a huge misconception that these people have. They believe that NOTHING in life is free and we want something in return. It's so simple and yet so hard for them to grasp! Pray that God will use His might to break down the walls around these hard hearts and that He would humble His creation that they may cry out for salvation through GRACE ALONE! He is sovreign and has an incredible plan. Let us be patient to do the work we are called to do and trust Him to take care of the rest!

So that, as sin reigned in death, grace

also might reign through righteousness leading

to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:21

Lastly, tonight, we will be going to an outdoor viewing of Madagascar this evening in White Plains and when the hoards of people leave the park, we, Christ the King Church, have volnteered to pick up trash. So it will be a late evening for us. But I am totally looking forward to our time in the city tomorrow. On the schedule is World Trade, Statue of Liberty, Times Squares, Staten Island Ferry, and, lastly, a trip to the Bronx for a Yankees/White Sox game. WHAT FUN!! I most likely will not blog again until I return to "the loviest village," so pray for our safe travel and return to Auburn. God is soo good..... :)

Free Means Free...

I press on toward the goal for the prize of

the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:14

Today was another great day! We went out early this morning and passed out some granola bars on the street as people headed out to work. That was fun! Then we broke off into teams and went prayer walking for an hour or so and then did surveys on the streets until lunch. My group, Melvin and Jacob, had 2 good meetings with 2 different men on the street. We got to share the gospel both times, no decisions, but the seed was planted and there will be follow-up to come!

I think the biggest obstacle hands down, has been the barrier of religious background. Here, it is the cultural thing to be Roman Catholic. So, most people that we run across believe in salvation by works. They believe that by "being a good person" and "doing the right things," that they will gain access to the eternal glory that awaits us. I mean, some of the people that we have spoken with have totally neglected grace. They don't even acknowledge it. I just have such a hard time understanding why GRACE is such a hard concept to conceive! Sometimes I wonder that it may be so hard for some to trust because it is so SIMPLE. Think about it, it is a free gift that requires nothing in return. Here is God giving you His Son and asking you to trust and follow Him and you are willing to turn Him down to do work. It seems like logical people would choose the end that means doing nothing over working toward something. We live in such a lazy society that one would assume most people would choose the easy road, but they don't! So simple, yet so misunderstood and neglected. All I know how to do is keep sowing and trust that God will open the eyes of those that hear. That they will understand how sufficient God's grace is and how BIG and mighty He is. Who are we that we should think that God would need our help to run this world and get things done?! Accept His grace, that is all you need to live! God is soo good.... :)

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of

God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

The Power of Prayer...

If My people who are called by My name

humble themselves, and pray and seek

My face and turn from their wicked ways,

then I will hear from heaven and will

forgive their sin and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

This is Warner. We met him in the park today just before we headed out to do surveys and prayer walking in Bryan's neighborhood. Warner is a believer and friend of the guys and he comes out to the park each morning to meet with God. He did not know I was taking his picture, but when I turned around and saw him kneeling before the Holy God, I just had to capture the moment. Today was a day that was filled with lessons about the power, importance, and promise of prayer.

After we dispersed, we headed out to do some prayer walking for about an hour. We spend the first hour or two every morning just walking the streets that we shared with the day before. Praying over the houses and hearts in each home and praying that barriers (language, religions, telephones, pride, etc.) will be broken down and hearts will hear the truth of God's Word and turn from their sin and humble themselves at the feet of the Savior and cry out "Abba, Father!" I have a new found love in prayer walking....!

Then, it was time to do surveys! Knocking on doors is not my favorite thing to do, but we are here to serve and do it with a smile on our faces. So we knock on one particular door and a hispanic man answered. He told us that he was not doing well because his wife is sick and just finished some chemo. So not only was language a barrier, but he also said to us, "I was born Catholic and I will die Catholic." Feeling that the Spirit was not pushing us to share the gospel with this man, we asked if we could say a prayer of blessing and peace for him and he agreed. Timbro prayed a sweet, spirit-filled, God-exalting prayer for this man and his wife and healing for her and blessing and peace and comfort for him and when we finished praying, the man said to us, "I just hope He heard you." Timbo and I both immediately jumped in and assured the man that we have faith that He heard our prayers and that we can trust that because He is our Advocate and best friend. There is no hope, there is faith!

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that

you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have

an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

1 John 2:1

The last reminder about prayer that I had today was from my dear roommate of 409, Jacque, when I was telling her about the man above. She encouraged me in the fact that Jesus Christ Himself is our intercessor! We can boldy approach the throne of Christ and voice our petitions and trust that not only does He hear us, but He cries out on our behalf to the Father. WOW! Paul tells us that the Son "interceeds for us with groanings too deep for words. (Rom 8:26)" How incredible is that?! Not only does He pray and interceed for us, but He does it with so much passion that there are NO WORDS! Let us never underestimate the power of prayer, friends. We serve an amazing and BIG God! God is soo good..... :)

Pounding Head, Aching Hearts

Well, we are still just trucking along here in White Plains and we had a great day today. God really taught me a valuable lesson about patience this afternoon that I want to share with you. I pray that I have learned my lesson, but, sadly, I know myself well enough to know that I most likely will continue to struggle with this issue. It's not that I don't trust the power of God to be bigger than my impatience, but sin makes you do stupid things, and I will be a sinner until I go home to be with Jesus. So here's the story...

We went out this morning and did some prayer walking and some revisits to the people that weren't home on Saturday and then we took the afternoon off. We came back to the hotel to rest some after lunch and the guys asked us to work on writing some letters to interested individuals about the launch date and other church information. Unfortunately, I was not able to join in on the letter writing fun because I had a migraine and was on the verge of being very sick if I didn't take a nap. So up to the room I came and as I was walking toward my room, I noticed that it was next in line to be serviced. I told the maid to clean around me and figured she understood, but when it came time for her to clean, she woke me up every 5 minutes to ask permission to clean the bathroom, the beds, the floor, etc. (Literally every five minutes!) I really felt my patience was wearing thin, so I just went back to sleep. But when I woke up, I really felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit trying to teach me to be a bit more patient. In God's Word, Peter tells us about the patience of the Lord. Peter writes...

The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count

slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that

any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

Wow! Think of that! If I had been a little more patient with Carmen, rather than worry about her distracting my nap and adding to my pounding head, her aching heart may have seen the love of Christ through my patience. At times like that, I really feel like a huge failure to the Father, but I know that in my weakness He is strong and that He forgives. His grace is sufficient without my help and He is faithful when I am faithless. What a BIG God we serve. I pray that as we go out tomorrow I will be patient with this city and the hardened hearts of its people. God is so patient and longs for us to cry out to Him, let us be eager to share the love of Christ with this world through our actions and reactions. God is soo good..... :)

Pics from Yesterday...

The BEAUTIFUL Grand Central Station

Sweet Fellowship with some of the interns and one wife

On the Subway...aren't they CUTE!!

The Brooklyn Tabernacle (amazing!!)

Jac Jac and Sar Sar at Juniors

Sweet Fellowship...

So.....today is our second day in the Big City and it has been wonderful thus far! Yesterday, we arrived safely in White Plains around 2 pm after a bumpy plane ride, and we went straight to the hotel to check in. After that, we got some dinner and then it was off to work in a neighborhood that one of the church planters lives in. We broke up into groups and went out to do some surveys. My group had pretty much no success, but we didn't let that get us down! We had a joyful heart and spirit and we know that God is in complete control of this new church that is starting and that He has a wonderful plan for White Plains, NY! Then after a long day's work and travel, it was OFF TO BED!

This morning, we got up and left the hotel at 7:45 AM to head toward the city for church and worship. We got to take the train from White Palins to Grand Central, which was BEAUTIFUL! After taking a few subways here and there, we got off in Manhattan and headed to Hunter College and attended the services of Redeemer Pres. Now, we had heard great things about this church, but they had a guest speaker this Sunday...so it was just alright! Then we took a stroll down Park Ave and went to a quaint little French restaurant for lunch. While we were there, we had the opportunity to partake in some SWEET FELLOWSHIP with 5 of our LBC interns and one wife! It was so great to finally see them and give hugs and hear reports and encourage them! Each one of our interns is such a blessing to me and our church body!

After lunch, we headed back to the subway station and, after a few detours and car changes, we headed to Brooklyn for the Gospel Celebration at Brooklyn Tabernacle at 3:30. I have one word, AMAZING!!!! I had chills the whole time! That hour and a half was such a God-glorifying time of worship and I feel so blessed to have been given that experience. WOW! We stayed in Brooklyn for supper and went to the world famous Juniors Cafe. Known primarily for the cheescake, it is also a diner. The food was good and the cheesecake is definitely worthy of its fame. That was some goodness. I know my brother would have been in heaven! When we finished supper, we got back on the subway and headed back for Grand Central to catch the north train back to White Plains. I just wanted to post alittle something and some pics and just let you know that I am still alive. Love you guys. Keep praying for us as we go out each day this week. We want to see Jesus lifted high! God is sooo good..... :)

ps...pics will be posted when computer stops acting retarded! Sorry!

NEW YORK!!

So, in about one hour, our team will be departing Auburn and headed for ATL to fly to NEW YORK!! The time has finally arrived and I am so excited! I cannot wait to be there and to start the work and to see God's kingdom and His name be glorified! As we are there, you can be praying for us in several ways! I covet your prayers, for without them I would be so weak!

- pray for the people who will hear the gospel for the very first time (1 Cor 1:18)
- pray that hearts will be open and willing to follow Christ (Acts 4:12)
- pray for our safety as we go out into the city each day (Deut 31:8)
- pray that we will be an encouragment to the missionaries that are already there (1 Thes 5:11)
- pray that we will all have a positive, Spirit-filled attitude (Phil 2:14)

I love you guys so much and I cannot wait to report back! God is so good...... :)

Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed

on Him the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should

bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ

is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11

Precious Creation...

I was almost moved to tears while at work today. I was working...playing...in the game room with the school-aged kids and out of nowhere, I heard the sweet sound of children lifting up praises to our mighty God. As I played a board game, I head about 5 little girls, most of which are unchurched, burst into singing. There songs of choice were "Standing on the Promises of God" and "This Little Light of Mine." And in that moment, God used the sweet sound of praise to His name, to teach my heart!

As you know, I have been struggling with remaining joyful at work and trusting God to be all that I need, all the while, trying to prepare my heart to head to New York TOMORROW. (YAY!) As I listened to the words of those two songs, I really felt as though God was just using it as one last moment of preparation. I mean, as I get ready to head to one of the darkest places on the planet, it is so important that my light be as bright as it can and that I unashamedly let it shine for His glory while I am there. Also, I felt the Holy Spirit encouraging me to continue trusting God's word and stand on His promises. For, if I stand on the word of God, nothing can shake me!

Oh how I love to see God use His precious creation as teaching tools. What a mighty God we serve! God is sooo good! :) (ps...leaving for NY in 13.5 hours!)

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill

cannot be hidden. Let your light shine before

others, so that they may see your good works and

give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

Matthew 5:14 & 16

All Things Loss...

When I was in high school youth group, we always had a saying that sorta checked our attitudes about idolizing things of this world. We would just look at one another and say, "It's all gonna burn!" I have also heard it said, "He who dies with the most toys, still dies." No matter how you put, you can't take it with you! So why is all of our "stuff" that important?! In Paul's letter to the church at Phillipi, the great apostle teaches us a little something about the importance of recognizing how unimportant "things" should be. Paul states,

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for

the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss

because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ

Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have suffered the loss

of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that

I may gain Christ and be found in Him..."

Philippians 3:7-9a

Think about that! Have you ever really lost something that you loved? Something that you liked a whole lot? I know that I sure have. Even better, have you ever freely given up something that you loved or really liked? If so, did you know the reward you would receive and did you "hand it over" joyfully? Or did you begrudingly pout and forget to acknowledge the Giver and Taker of all things? I wonder why "things" are so much more attractive to me than God's grace and His goodness and seeing His hand pour out all the blessing that I need in this life. I wonder why I struggle with trusting God and sometimes I wonder why I feel like He needs my help to run my pathetic life! I mean, God must seriously get tired of me telling Him that my way is better, and yet, He still rewards me and still provides for me and He has yet to give up on me and let me try things on my own. You see, God knows that we are stupid and have ridiculous ideas about life, He called us sheep for heaven's sake - the dumbest animal created! (And He knows they are stupid because He made them that way!) But God never gives up, His cup never runs dry, His grace is always sufficient, and His love is everlasting. Sometimes I wonder how and why He is so patient with me. A Bethany Dillan song recently reminded of how insignificant all my "stuff" really is and how incredibly sufficient my God is! Here is the chorus of the song, entitled All I Need...

You are all I need when I'm surrounded

You are all I need if I'm by myself

You fill me when I'm empty, there is nothing else

You're all I need

Moral of the story, I need to stop relying on what this world gives. And I need to stop believing that my shortcuts in life are better than God's plan from the beginning of time! Why can't I just trust Him more?! And yet, just like a best friend, He comes along side of me and forgives. Oh how I long to no longer disappoint and be so flaky in my walk with Christ. He is good and His love is forever! He is indeed all that I need! God is so good... :) (ps...35.5 hours till I leave for NY!)

And my God will supply every need of yours

according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

Counting It All Joy....

While driving home from, yet another, stressful and frustrating day at work, I started singing an old children's song in my head. I'm sure you know it, it goes a little something like this... (feel free to sing along)

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart;

Down in my heart, down in my heart;

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart;

Down in my heart to STAY!

Last fall, I sat in on a sermon that a friend of mine taught. His topic: JOY! I still remember very vividly some of his key points, only because that was such a struggle for me at the time. He explained the difference between happiness and joy and I remind myself of that so frequently. He stated that happiness comes, and goes for that matter, in circumstances. It's a situational feeling. But joy, it is not a feeling, it is a permanent state of mind. What truth!

Many of you do not know my current situation with work and for that, I will give a BRIEF recap. Essentially, my boss guarenteed me 40 hours a week from May-December, but due to some financial issues, she has cut my hours to 5.5 a day. (just FYI..that only equals 27.5 a week!) So, I have now come to the conclusion that in order to pay my bills each month, I will have to find a part-time job. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not at all mad about the situation, I just wish it would go away OR that my boss would handle it in a different manner that did not recant her first guarantee. More than anything, I am frustrated, confused, and stressed! Now that you have the 411, let me tell you what I have decided that I am going to do.

First, I am going to stay joyful. I am not going to let the enemy come in and ruin my witness. Second, I am going to cling to God's promise that He will "never leave or forsake me." (Deut 31:8) Third, I am going to put Proverbs 3:5-6 into practice in my life and let God amaze me with His goodness. I am going to wholeheartedly stand on the Word of God and claim these promises! I know and trust that He is in control! God is soo good..... :)

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:12

Wish Myself Accursed

As many of you already know, I will be leaving VERY soon to go to White Plains, NY for a mission trip with my pastor and others from Lakeview. As I have been preparing myself to go and evangelize in the Metro NY area, my heart returns each day to one verse in Romans. I have loved this verse for about a year and it has become my "life verse," if you will, but it still rings so true and convicting each morning. In Romans 9, we hear from the apostle Paul as he writes to the members of the Roman church. In verse 3, Paul says,

"For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh."

Essentially, what Paul is saying is that he would rather give up his own salvation and be separtated from Christ for eternity, than to see his unsaved friends continue to live apart from Chirst. WOW!! Paul is such a stud! Think about that. Would you be willing to give up your own salvation and be damned to hell just to see a lost friend, co-worker, family member, stranger, etc., come to know the Lord on a personal level? Am I willing to say that?! Oh how I long to sincerely say that I would rather spend eternity in HELL than see my father die without Christ, but what about strangers?

So, as I have spent time preparing my own heart for the work that I will be doing in NY, it has been my prayer that I would be able to say the same for the strangers that I will speak with there. Maybe all it takes to make someone truly passionate about sharing God's word and the gospel with someone, is meaning that it would effect them in a personal manner. Now, I know and you know that we can NEVER lose our salvation, but it's more of an attitude check than anything else. Do I want this person to live or die? If I were lost and they were sharing the gospel with me, would I want them to be so sincere that they are willing to give me their own salvation? It's a matter of being compassionate and making it personal. May I never be found guilty of taking God's grace for granted. God is so good.... :)

It's Taking Over!

Ok, so I too have given in! What's next, I wonder?! Regardless, I have to post something now, so here's a small introduction and I hope to be rather consistent when it comes to posting, but sometimes I really struggle with discipline! So why the name "Unquenchable?" Well, I often find myself in a battle against this world to remain thirsty for more of God - more of His word, more of His character, more of His grace, etc. - and so, for that, I have made it my aim to always be desiring more and to never allow myself to be satisfied. I want to know more, love more, trust more, worship more, read more, pray more, learn more, long more, and be changed more and more by His powerful grace and mercy and the only way to achieve that is to awaken myself each morning with a hunger and thirst for more of His word. May my soul NEVER be quenched, that is my prayer! Now that I have said that, I will start with the "real" posting tomorrow. I have lots to say about my coming week...! God is sooo good! :)