Godly Worldview

God has been breaking my heart more and more. And I am thankful for it, because it is something that I have asked for. I have been praying for God to give me a Godly worldview. I want to see the world as He sees it and love people as He loves people. I find myself looking at faces more and more, wondering what their stories are, what their struggles and pains are, what brings them joy, and above all, I wonder if they know Jesus.

When I was in China, my heart was broken many times for the people there and their blindness to truth. Its especially sad, because they are searching for that truth and searching for peace and joy but they are looking in all the wrong places. These are some photos I took to remind me of this. Because my heart needs to be broken. That is the only way I will be inspired to do something about it. What I can do for China, at this point, is pray. I pray for these people who are obviously hurting and needing Jesus but only finding a ritualistic religion that offers no hope.

The pain I could see on the many faces was heart wrenching but none compared to this woman, and as she continually banged her head while praying to the temple statues, I said a prayer for her. God is incredible and can work in an amazing way. What if she ran into believers on her way home and they introduced her to true peace? God can work miracles. This statue can not.

These are things that I have been thinking about a lot as I prepare to go love on the people of Spain, who are constantly fighting against religion. I hope to join in on that fight, and introduce them to a God who cares. I came across a song called Hosanna by Hillsong United. The bridge reflected my thoughts exactly:

Heal my heart and make it clean.

Open up my eyes to the things unseen.

Show me how to love like You have loved me.

Break my heart for what breaks Yours.

Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause.

As I walk from earth into eternity.

That is my prayer and as I head off to Spain in a few weeks, I pray that God continues to break my heart and teach me to love like He loves. That is what the Christian walk is.

Stop and Listen!

I was so encouraged and blessed by the message at Nexus on Monday that I wanted to share and also just document it so that I remember. Its something I have been thinking a lot about lately, so the message was perfect timing too. I love how God does that.

The Washington post decided to do an experiment. They put a man in L'Enfant Plaza, the hub of subways stations in DC, to play on his violin for 43 minutes. In those 43 minutes, 1097 people passed by. Of those 1097 people, only 7 stopped for longer than one minute to listen. In those 43 minutes, this man made $32 from 27 people. Most of the givers just threw in the money without stopping to listen. When he would finish a piece, there would be no clapping, only extremely awkward silence. Who was the man? Joshua Bell, one of the nations greatest musicians. He had been playing some of the most difficult pieces to master on a 1710 violin worth about $3.5 million.

There were a lot of people who were so busy and in such a hurry, that they missed this great opportunity of experiencing this incredible musician. By the way, Joshua Bell will be performing in a couple nights in DC and the only seats available are behind the stage and very high up for $95.

Our lives can easily become that way. We can get so busy with life, that we often forget to stop and reflect on God. We forget to thank God for the beautiful day. We forget to thank God for His saving grace, for His salvation, for His unconditional love. We neglect to see God's fingerprints in our everyday, not because they are not there, but we are too busy to pause and reflect. I'm reminded of the verse, "Be still and know that I am God." God's fingerprints are everywhere. They are in the smile of a baby. They are in the sunrises and sunsets. They are in the gift of waking up everyday. They are in the encouragements from friends and family. They are in the quietness after a snowstorm. They are in the exquisite and tiny flower that you would miss if you are hurrying by. I am convicted and encouraged to stop and be still, to reflect on God in my everyday life, to include God in my everyday life. I heard of someone who starts their day with prayer, but doesnt say "Amen" until the end of her day, because she is bringing God into her entire day and praying all throughout. I love that.

So, Joshua Bell is playing in the subway station and no one is noticing this amazing talent right before their eyes. But one lady does recognize him. She had seen him the day before as he tested violins in the Library of Congress. She stopped and listened. She stayed until the end of the song and then talked to him. That is how I want to be. I want to stop and listen. I want to recognize my Savior throughout my entire day. I don't want to miss what He wants me to see! Because why else am I here on this earth, other than to glorify God?!! AMEN!

Rainbows!!!

So, I have been inspired to add something to my list of things I want to do before I die. I want to stand at the end of a rainbow. How cool would that be? So, here is the inspiration for the newest addition to my list (this is my friend, Lori, from PBU and she is at Victoria Falls in southern Africa - doesnt this make you want to add that to your list?!):

http://www.deathclock.com/

So, I discovered this website that tells you, statistically, when you are going to die. Of course, accidents and all that dont account for it. It just asks a couple lifestyle questions. So...yes, I am an optimistic person. I gave my BMI. I am a female. And I do not smoke.

Now mind you, I dont want to live into an old age where I am helpless and unable to do things I really want to do. Like play soccer or travel the world. So, I decided that I want to die at a good healthy 65-70. Seventy is actually pushing it. So, when I got my death date as February 8 (which is my dads birthday, but the year indicates that he will no longer be around), 2072. WHAT???? Seriously. Thats almost 90. So, a little later I do it again, just to make sure, and it adds a whole year: March 15, 2073. That IS 90. So, I decided to not look again in case they keep wanting to add more years to my already old life.

So, I decided to embrace this knowledge that I may live way to long, by being as adventurous and reckless as I can. At least I can now and when I am too old to be (if I do actually make it with my being reckless), I will be able to talk about the "good old days." Rest assured though, dear friends. I will not try to shorten my life in any way by, lets just say, smoking. Eww and Yuck. Besides, this tshirt puts it so well:

NOTE: This was all written in my head before I was convinced of something: That I dont mind living until I am 90 if I can actually LIVE and not be fighting every disease that old age brings. If I can still function and enjoy life, then bring it on. :)

"TRAVEL IS THE ONLY THING YOU BUY THAT MAKES YOU RICHER."

As most of you know, I recently went to Asia for three weeks for a trip to visit some college friends and, of course, become more of a world traveler. :) Well, I am bursting with wanting to talk about it, but those who went with me live so far away...so I am going to blog about it! And pictures are coming soon on facebook!


Thailand was my first official stop (flew into Beijing but never left the airport). In Thailand, we went to Hua Hin, a beautiful beach on the Gulf of Thailand, for a few days to relax, soak up some sun, jet ski, and ride elephants! We also went around Bangkok, visiting the Grand Palace (amazing!) and some cool temples (saw so many little monks!) and a floating market (people in their canoes selling EVERYTHING). Thai people like color. I like color. I found my happy place. ;)


We went to Cambodia next. We spent a couple days in Siem Reap, where we saw amazing stone temples like Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm. These temples are from ancient civilizations and made me feel like I was in an Indiana Jones movie as I walked through them (they were actually part of the set for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, which we promptly bought for a dollar and watched). We also went to the capital city of Phenom Phen, where we visited the Royal Palace as well as an old high school turned prison and the killing fields full of mass graves from the Khmer Rouge's terrorism that killed 2 million men, women and children. This was the devastating part of the trip. They do not shy away from telling you about that terror (that only happened about 30 years ago), but it made me understand and love Cambodia so much more... For a miniscule idea of that time, check this out (Don't shy away from reality. Pray.): http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4DMUS_enUS231US232&q=khmer%20rouge&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi
And I totally want to adopt one of the hundreds of street children I saw in Cambodia.


And finally, China! We stayed in Kunming, where we got to see where my friends have been living. We also got cheap pedicures, great food, cheap movies, my hair chemically straightened, went to a 6th grade graduation at a school for village and 2nd children, and had the traditional tea ceremony (yay, Pee Boy!) with a sweet Chinese lady, who was my friend's Chinese teacher. We then went to Lijiang, the most adorable old Chinese town with its little alleyways and cute buildings and so many fun shops (also ate fried bamboo worm and dragonfly, just to gross you all out). :) Took a night bus (thats a whole story in itself...)! Then, we flew to Xian, where we shopped in the Muslim quarter, saw the Terracotta Warriors, visited the Big Goose Pagoda and the Great Mosque, rode bikes around the city's old wall, and got super cheap massages! Then, we took a night train (SOOOO much better than a night bus, haha) to Beijing, our last stop. We saw so much, its easier just to list: The Lama Temple, Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, Bei Hai Park, THE GREAT WALL (on my list, now accomplished! Oh and taking a toboggan down was so awesome!), Chinese Opera, Temple of Heaven, Pearl Market, OLYMPIC GREEN (Toured the Water Cube...saw THE pool! Also saw Birds Nest, the National Indoor Stadium, and the Television Studio Tower), Chinese Acrobats, Beijing Zoo (Panda exhibit!!!), and the Summer Palace!


That was my AMAZING trip! It felt like I was over there for much longer than three weeks, probably because of all of that being crammed into three weeks. :) But it was so worth it and only made the itch to travel even stronger.


Things I will not miss:

1. "Special price for you! You my first customer! What price you want?" Being white = being incredibly over charged - but you can fight it down, so its ok ;)
2. Jelly Bean Chicken (YUCK! The dog wouldnt even eat it...)
3. Being mobbed by men trying to get us to take one of their taxis/tuktuks.
4. Getting checked for the Swine flu at EVERY border. So, just so you all know, I am very confident that I DO NOT HAVE THE SWINE FLU!!!
5. The healing powers of TIGER BALM. I will not miss it because...WE HAVE IT HERE, WOOHOO! :)
6. Constant spitting. And nose picking. And clearing your nose out. All in public.
7. Carrying a big, heavy pack everywhere in the hotness of the days (though it was WAY better than a suitcase would have been!
8. Stupid old white men with young beautiful Asian girls...
9. Incense and idols with people praying/pleading/worshipping creepy looking pieces of wood and stone...


Things I will miss:

1. New friends.
2. Squatty potty!
3. Being treated like a celebrity.
4. Incredible people.
5. Adorable children.
6. Amazing sights.
7. Awesome food.
8. Pretty umbrellas.
9. $3 pedicures.
10. $9 full body for one hour massages.
11. $3 cocktails.
12. $3-$5 meals.
13. $1 dvds.
14. Mango Steens.
15. Ten mile walks on the beach. Haha. Just kidding, I wont really miss that. ;)
16. Starbuck's new Dark Mocha Frap (because apparently, we don't have it).
17. Meeting people from all over the world.
18. Hilarious signs.
19. Brilliant colors everywhere!
20. The shower, toilet, and sink in one room without separation (it was quite convenient actually, haha)
21. The parks: They were full of people dancing to music, exercising, and playing games. Such a fun atmosphere!
22. ADVENTURE!!! Though I am sure I can find it here too. ;)

Bucket List!!!

HURRAY!!!!! So, I finally finished writing up my bucket list (for lack of a better term, though this list was inspired WAY before the movie) and putting pictures up of the ones I have accomplished, so everyone should go check it out!!! And I will need to add one more check to my list after this trip to China! So excited, by the way! Just so you all know, I will be in Thailand, Cambodia and China from June 13-July5. I may get to update some while over there, but no promises. Love you all! :)

Then she prayed...

So, last night we talked about defeating the obstacle of prayerlessness in our Bible study. With prayer comes POWER, PROTECTION, and PASSION. Thats huge. May I never doubt the necessity of prayer. May I pray during the high times of life and in the low times of life...and in the middle. May I pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17).

I read a really cool article on prayer by a guy named Edward M. Bounds, who was known to rise at 4am and spend at least 3 hours in prayer. Here is a portion of the article that really stuck out to me:

Christian soldiers, fighting the good fight of faith, have access to a place of retreat to which they continually return for prayer. "Praying always with all prayer" is a clear statement of the imperative need of much praying, and of many kinds of praying, by him who, fighting the good fight of faith, would win out in the end over all his foes.

It cannot be stated too frequently that the life of a Christian is a warfare, an intense conflict, a lifelong contest. The life to which Holy Scripture calls us is no picnic or holiday junket. It is no pastime, no pleasure jaunt. It entails effort, wrestling, struggling; it demands the putting forth of the full energy of the spirit in order to frustrate the foe and to come off, at the last, more than a conquerer.

What a misconception many people have of the Christian life! How little the average church member appears to know of the character of the conflict, and of its demands upon him! He seems scarcely to realize that the world, the flesh, and the devil will oppose his onward march, and will defeat him utterly, unless he gives himself to constant vigilance and unceasing prayer.