Pressed--Streams in the Desert

A friend posted this on FB and I wanted to remember it and be able to find it...so, here it is...a post my heart needed from Streams in the Desert.

Pressing Forward
"I was crushed...so much so that I despaired even of life, but that was to make me rely not on myself, but on the God who raises the dead" (2 Cor. 1:8, 9).
***

"Pressed out of measure and pressed to all length;
Pressed so intensely it seems, beyond strength;
Pressed in the body and pressed in the soul,
Pressed in the mind till the dark surges roll.
Pressure by foes, and a pressure from friends.
Pressure on pressure, till life nearly ends.

"Pressed into knowing no helper but God;
Pressed into loving the staff and the rod.
Pressed into liberty where nothing clings;
Pressed into faith for impossible things.
Pressed into living a life in the Lord,
Pressed into living a Christ-life outpoured."

***

The pressure of hard places makes us value life. Every time our life is given back to us from such a trial, it is like a new beginning, and we learn better how much it is worth, and make more of it for God and man. The pressure helps us to understand the trials of others, and fits us to help and sympathize with them.

There is a shallow, superficial nature, that gets hold of a theory or a promise lightly, and talks very glibly about the distrust of those who shrink from every trial; but the man or woman who has suffered much never does this, but is very tender and gentle, and knows what suffering really means. This is what Paul meant when he said, "Death worketh in you."

Trials and hard places are needed to press us forward, even as the furnace fires in the hold of that mighty ship give force that moves the piston, drives the engine, and propels that great vessel across the sea in the face of the winds and waves.  --A. B. Simpson

***

"Out of the presses of pain,
Cometh the soul's best wine;
And the eyes that have shed no rain,
Can shed but little shine."

The power of touch

Been thinking of the power of touch lately...displayed in the life of Jesus and the importance of it in my own life...both in giving and receiving. It is instrumental in showing love and compassion to those around us whether with patients and their families or with my friends and loved ones. A pat on the back. A gentle squeezing of a hand. A hug. We all need the touch of another human being.

When the team got back from Kenya in December, I remember Steve saying that the first thing they did with each patient was to lay a hand on them and to pray with them. Many may be afraid to touch someone who is sick for fear of catching their ilness. But when someone chooses to set aside their fear, to touch them and pray for them?? Those two acts together spoke the love of Christ to those people. A simple act of laying a hand on their knee, their shoulder, to hold their hand. There is power in the human touch.

"And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed." Matthew 14:35-36

I've been reminded that it is not just the physically ill that need our touch. It is the lonely. The single. The widowed. The orphaned. The grieving. The hurting. We find it easier to speak a word of advice from our wealth of knowledge and wisdom. But sometimes words don't do a situation justice. Sometimes we must reach outside of ourselves and touch the person. Hug them. Hold them. Love them. The power of touch. 

Here is a link to a blog post about touch-- Healing Touch. Its from a perspective of a single woman but I think we can all apply it to those around us, no matter their marital status because in my own experience we all need the loving touch of another human being from time to time! :)

Glory to You

I've been reading through a book, 30 Days with Wesley: a prayer book. I got it as a gift from a dear friend. So, over the next months, I'll randomly share items from this book with you. It gives psalms and various passages to read each day as I spend time in prayer. I'm really enjoying it and so I thought you might enjoy bits of it too!

Psalm 29:1-4, 10-11

Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, 
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; 
worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

The voice of the LORD is over the waters; 
the God of glory thunders, 
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. 
The voice of the LORD is powerful; 
The voice of the LORD is majestic.

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; 
the LORD is enthroned as King forever. 
The LORD gives strength to his people; 
the LORD blesses his people with peace.

With hearts filled with gratitude, let us bless and adore our almighty and everlasting Father, praying,

Praise to you, O God, the Giver of all good gifts. 

Blessed be your love for giving your Son to die for our sins, for the means of grace and for the hope of glory.

Praise to you, O God, the Giver of all good gifts.

Make us every day more zealous and diligent to use every opportunity to build up our souls in your faith, love and obedience.

Praise to you, O God, the Giver of all good gifts. 

Make yourself always present to our minds, and let your love fill and rule our souls in all those places, associations, and activities to which you call us this day.

Praise to you, O God, the Giver of all good gifts.

 **From 30 days with wesley**

I pray that this year we would rest in our Savior, the Giver of all good gifts, trusting Him to guide our steps according to His plan, that we might not strive against Him to get our own ways and that we would keep our eyes open to His gifts and that we might have hearts of thankfulness for who He is.

The gospel of Christ in my every day life

Tuesday...another day where the Lord was so gracious and faithful to me, another day of provision seen in each moment...strength when I was feeling weak, wisdom in the uncertain moments, kindness and care for those around me. All of these things were not of myself because I am anything but strong and wise and kind and caring...

As I was driving home from work that day, I became acutely aware that whether I succeed or fail at work (or anywhere in my life) it is not those successes or failures that identify who I am..because I am clothed in the rightousness of my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my identity! Wow! What a relief to be reminded that the gospel of Christ did not just provide my salvation but is also my source of sanctification. 

A Spirit of Fear?

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." I Timothy 1:7.  

These words have been on my mind the last few weeks...we sang a song with these words every day while I was at Camp Enosh and the words have stuck in my head...they will not escape...

Then today, I was reading a little devotional on my YouVersion app... "Soul Detox", day 16...and this is what it said:

 

"There are four types of fears: fear of loss, fear of failure, fear of rejection, and fear of the unknown. It is very likely that you are struggling with one or more of these fears. These fears can paralyze you and keep you from God's best. Remember what 2 Timothy 1 says in that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

Which fears do you currently struggle with the most?"

I know I struggle at various times with each one of those fears mentioned above but the Word of God reminds me that it is not the spirit of fear that should reign in my life but His Spirit...His Spirit that gives me power and love and sound mind. Is that the Spirit by which we are living today? Or are we being paralyzed by a spirit of fear instead? 

Prague Day 1

Having some problems posting so if a bunch of the same all post I'm sorry! Just read one!! :)

After fitful sleep on our long flight and a short layover in Paris we arrived in Prague. We quickly maneuvered the trains, bus and tram systems to arrive safely at our hostel. We are staying at plus one Prague...it's a lovely hostel that is simple, clean and quite comfortable with a shower fit for a queen! :) we threw our stuff down, freshened up a bit and then hit the town. Our first task...get money. We didn't immediately find a bank so we caught the 5 bus into town...or so we thought! We were turned around and though we caught the right bus we took it in the wrong direction. Whoops! No harm...we just hopped off, and grabbed bus 14 into the city. Once there we wandered around namesti republiky and found a mall for shopping....our mission: a jacket for kel and shoes for Mel. Kel found a jacket that should work nicely for the trip (though she long for her sweet north face friend who was inadvertently delayed in Kansas...banks to Hannah it is now safely home again). Mel didn't find a pair of shoes but we still have 2 more days here and then so many more treasures to be found in poland and Germany! So all hope is not lost! :) By this time we were starving hungry so we found a restaurant and sat down to rest and fill our tummies. Mel had Czech goulash and I had Czech beef tenderloin with cranberry and lemon. They came with sides of potato cakes and dumplings. Ohhh my!! Soooo good! Then we wandered around and came upon the old city. We took pictures and enjoyed the beauty of the powder gate and the municipal house. The powder gate is from the 11th century. It had very little defensive power and was intended to bring prestige to the adjacent palace of the royal court building. Construction was stopped 8 years later when the kind had to flee and when he returned the royal court never again occupied that building. It gained its current name in 17th century when it was used to store gun powder. It was mostly damaged and removed soon after 1757 and was replaced in 1876.

The municipal house has karel spillars mosaic "homage to Prague" displayed on the outside. It is a lovely sight to behold.

As we were being touristy and taking many pictures we had the pleasure of meeting 8 young people from north carolina, new zealand, Australia, Canada, and Wisconsin. We had a fun time chatting and were advised by both groups to do the free walking tour. The girls had just come from a play of Cinderella and we are hoping to catch that sometime too. After walking around for a bit, the hour was getting later and we headed back. It took much wandering to figure out how to buy a new bus ticket. Now we know...head underground to the metro and you can always get a ticket there. So we hopped on number 5 and had a lovely ride back to our hostel. Once back, it was so nice to get cleaned up and out of our travel clothes. We did some laundry and kel blew up her hair dryer! Yep....that's right! It turned red hot when it was plugged in because it was already on and the damage was done by the time we figured out what was happening! Good thing we still have Mel's straightener to tame the locks!! :)

Now, after having a great nights sleep we are off to see more of Prague..a city we are quickly growing to love!!

And we are off...

Mel and I are off from Atlanta due to arrive in Paris around 9 am Paris time! So far the trip has been so relaxing...except I pulled a Kelly! This means I left my coat...the one intended to keep me warm and toasty For the whole trip..in the Wichita airport! Yep, that's right...it never even made it out of kansas! Good news: it's been found and Hannah k. will pick it up for me. More good news: now I have to shop for a new coat!! Stay tuned...more posts will hopefully come as we continue this adventure!!