Ephesians

Last weekend, I decided to spend this semester memorizing the book of Ephesians.  It is a bit much to think about, but 5 months with a Sabbath day every week should be plenty to work through at least 5-10 verses a week.  Throughout the class that I have just finished, the professor spoke often of using Ephesians as a way to counsel people.  In his words, you could counsel someone effectively and biblically just by using the book of Ephesians.  I thought that was worth paying attention to.

I’ve been very convicted about how I spend my time. 

• How much time do I spend getting ready in the mornings?
• How much time do I spend looking at a screen?
• How much time do I spend worrying about something related to work?
• How much time do I spend talking about nothing? 

                          Vs.

• How much time to do spend meditating on and memorizing Scripture?
• How much time do I spend loving my husband and friends in tangible ways?
• How much time do I spend praying for those people and situations that worry me?
• How much time do I spend encouraging, admonishing, and speaking truth to others?

Please pray with me that my time is used wisely, that I learn and apply what I memorize, and that God-honoring change happens in my heart and relationships.

Sabbath Rest

After this past year of working through various struggles and sin issues, I have come out on the side of learning, growing, and feeling renewed in Christ’s grace.  I’m feeling the need to continue in his grace by learning more about what Christ values and choosing to apply it to my life.

Currently, Ben and I are praying through how to have a Sabbath day in our expat, busy lifestyle.  We’ve been processing what the purpose of rest is and what it look like, which is difficult since an extrovert’s idea of rest and an introvert’s idea of rest are completely different. 

However, our basis for Sabbath rest is this: Time that is set aside for purposeful reflection and growth that includes personal communication with the Lord, spiritual renewal within our marriage, and open fellowship and encouragement among a community of believers.

A massive point for us to consider along the way is that although Christ values rest, renewal, prayer, etc, God states very clearly that he “desires mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6).  And that a true relationship with him is not about rest and renewal, but that we could take care of orphans and widows (James 1:27), and that we would spend time encouraging Christians and reaching others for the gospel.  The gospel is not less important on the Sabbath.  “The Sabbath was made for the man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27

So, we asked ourselves, what will our Sabbath look like?

This process may take some tweaking and much grace, but I think it will be a helpful tool for growth.  The goal in this is not to create a list (which I so easily do, and am tempted to do at this very moment) but rather to intentionally seek consistent renewal from God. 

Because our events and schedules change from weekend to weekend, we are not tied to a certain day of the week.  We work Monday through Friday, so that kind of cuts it down to 2 days.  For us, either day works.  It may be a Saturday one week and a Sunday the next.  We will be purposeful with one day during the weekend with Masters courses, prepping for work, cooking and housework, etc, so that the other day of the weekend can be completely restful.

We have many ideas for how to make our Sabbath a Sabbath, and this will continue to unfold as we explore options and opportunities.  Pray for us on our journey, that we will learn, grow, minister, and be at rest in Christ’s goodness.

Thailand (November 2012)

This was a post from November 2012.  Our trip to Thailand, that was mostly in a hotel.   I hadn't posted it before because my pictures were not loading.  Right now, a half year later... I don't mind.  I'll just post what I have, because it's fun.

The view from our hotel room.  SO colorful compared to Qingdao this time of year!

Being silly!

What an awesome picture, Ben!

This is what we'd call "culturally competent marketing."  

 What a cool shot of some lights.

Ben with his buddies.

Shopping at the night markets.

We got our Chiangmai Starbucks Mug.

A form of taxi-ing.  It was so hot, we didn't mind.

Welcoming Myself Back

It's been eight months since I've blogged.  So much has happened in that amount of time; so much that the blogging world will never know about.  I have received this question many times during the summer months:

"Why did you stop blogging?"
...My answer in short, because the internet is slow.  :)  

However, I will continue to write, and occasionally put up pictures (when I have several hours to wait for it to load).

This semester, I will be blogging about:

1. Sermons from my church (among other places) 
2. Interesting quotes or information from my online classes
3. And general interesting things about living and working overseas.

Today, I am thankful for Air Conditioning, $5 candles, and Sondov bakery.