Setting the Stage

So I'm setting the stage for my glorious God
Getting all eyes ready
Getting hearts ready
I'm not the star of this show
But the star is on the way
Are you ready?
It's going to be so good
When He shows up
You'll be amazed
Delighted
and filled with wonder
Oh His beauty will overwhelm you
The joy He brings will bubble up and overflow
You will tickle all over with laughter
Your heart will be filled
bursting with hope
Oh it will be so good
Are you ready?
I'm setting the stage for the Glorious One
He's getting ready to appear
I know you're getting antsy
Everyone stay in your seats
You don't want to miss this
He's coming soon
he's getting ready to open up the windows of Heaven
His vast treasure store
He's getting ready to rescue
To provide
To comfort
To solve unsolvable problems
To break the unbreakable
To answer the cries
of the helpless
of the hopeless
of the desperate
of the heartbroken
of the forgotten
of those held captive
You see all these challenges set the stage
Are you ready?
He's coming
Don't miss out on this
Sit on the edge of your seat
with eager expectation
He's getting ready to appear
I'm just one of His servants
preparing the way
for His coming
Get ready
Are you excited yet?
Are you like a little kid on christmas morning?
Unable to sleep because you know something good is coming?

I am.

He's coming
soon!

Overwhelmed

There are times when I become overwhelmed with my limitations. All the can'ts seem to fly at me at lightening speed from every direction. When all my failure seem to sit and judge me. When needs seemed piled up as high as Mt. Everest. And my inability to fulfill these needs are quite apparent. It can paralyze me, and cause me to give up all hope. Except that.... when I think of how I can't, I remember that God can. What a wonderful opportunity for my King to reveal Himself to be limitless, powerful, and completely able to meet every need. So instead of hiding in a corner sucking my thumb, I go before my King with boldness, knowing that He has everything I need. Everything. And He willingly supplies every single need in abundance. He witholds NO GOOD THING from me. His timing and His wisdom is perfect. He considers ever possible option, and chooses the best option. The one that brings me the Highest possible good. He chooses the perfect option for me, and every other person affected. And the option He chooses reveals His majestic glory.

I need only to ask my Father.

To trust.

To wait.

To receive.

Oh Lord, my time is limited. My plate is full with so much to do and I can't juggle it all. There are so many needs. I don't know what to do. The problems mount up seemingly against me. So many are looking at me, depending on me. I'm just a woman. I need your help. My body is weak, and there are unknown problems going on inside of me. But you see them. You are greater than all these things and my eyes look to you.

Oh mighty God, reveal yourself and rescue me! Swoop down in royal fashion and deliver me from the waves that threaten to drown me. I'm doomed unless you come.

I'm calling.

I'm waiting.

Come Jesus, Come.

Divine Intervention

We're all in desperate need of divine intervention.  When Jesus is interjected into life's circumstances,
we are dramatically changed.
The Real Jesus,
the Jesus with all power and authority,
the Jesus whose life was given to pay the price of ALL my sin,
the Jesus whose love is lavish,
whose compassion is perfect.
The One who is able to Rescue us from our deep, dark, and tangled mess.
The Real Jesus.
Often life is like quick sand,
the more we struggle to get ourselves out,
the deeper we sink.
We need a rescuer.
We need someone to grab our hand and pull us out of the mess we're in,
placing our feet on solid ground.

Jesus is the hand God offers us.

He is the only hope for our rescue from the tangled mess of life.

My Trip to Haiti--Nicole

While in Haiti, we were able to interact with some awesome interpreters.  Our group had four interpreters, all male.  They were great.  I learned so much about the Haitian culture from them.  I spent much of my time asking lots of questions, and they were extremely gracious.  On our last day in the village, we specifically asked for a female interpreter because the women of our group wanted to interact with other women in the village of Simonet.  It's a bit awkward having a conversation woman-to-woman with a male interpreter.  God provided.

Nicole is her name.  She's 20 years old and the first orphan in the Mission of Hope orphanage.  She still lives in the orphanage, and attends the school there.  She  plans to become a heart surgeon and a business woman.  She wants to import cars from America and sell them in Haiti.  This girl has BIG dreams!  I love it!  But what I love more, is her love for God.

While in the village interacting with women, we encountered this woman sitting in an open commons area.  We began to talk to her, getting to know her.  I asked her what her favorite song was in church.  I told her I would sing my favorite song if she sang hers.  Though I didn't understand her words, I certainly understood her body language.  She felt uncomfortable, even shy about it.  She said she couldn't sing well.  So I told her I would sing first, and if she sang, I would sing another song.  I sang Amazing Grace.  As I sang, people all around began to come.  People sat and listened as I sang.  Then the lady (I don't remember her name) sang Amazing Grace in Haitian Creole.  Beautiful!  After singing, one of her cousins came and sat next to her.  By this time we had a small crowd of people gathered.  Everyone pointed to this cousin saying that she didn't follow Jesus.  So I sang "Jesus Loves Me (You)" to this lady. As I sang the chorus, Nicole sang with me in Haitian Creole.  What a treat! 

We began to talk to this lady. We asked her questions about her life.  We asked her why she had chosen not to follow Jesus.  I could read her body language.  She didn't want anything to do with Jesus, and she really wanted us to leave her alone.  Yet... she listened and I saw no anger or frustration.  She even smiled throughout our interaction, but insisted that she would follow Jesus....later. 

That's when Nicole took over!

She went on for 10-15 minutes passionately talking to this lady and the crowd.  I had the biggest grin on my face.  Wow!  This girl was preaching!  And the people around were hanging on every word.  The men were nodding and smiling. The women's eyes were fixed upon her with great interest.  That was a moment when I wished I understood exactly what she was saying.  Yet, it was clear that she was sharing the good news of Jesus.  She later told me that she was sharing her testimony of how God rescued her and completely gave her a new life. 

When she was five years old, her mother was killed.  She lived in Port-au-Prince.  Someone asked her if she wanted to go and live in the MOH orphanage, and she said yes.  She's been there every since.  She went from having nothing, to having a wonderful life and a great future. And because of the transforming work of Jesus, she's now being used to transform the lives of other Haitians.

As we road the bus back to the MOH campus, I thanked her for helping us and for sharing the gospel so boldly.  She thanked us for giving her the opportunity to share the gospel.  Because she lives in the orphanage, she doesn't go into the village unless she's going with a group.  I was so blessed to set the stage for her to shine.  I'll set the stage for her anytime!

Please pray for Nicole. That she will stay strong.  That she will stay focused on the work that God has for her. 

God has big plans for this lady!