Seeking

What comes to mind when you hear the fear of the Lord or the fear of man? Over the Summer, several women from our church went through the book, "When People are Big and God is Small," by Edward T. Welch. It was fantastic, and my Husband and I would highly recommend it! I used to think the fear of the Lord was an awareness that God had the potential to send me to hell, and that I had to behave a certain way, or I would upset Him . Quoting from Luther, "He who sees God as angry does not see him rightly but looks only on a curtain, as if a dark cloud had been drawn across his face" (196). This book, in tandem with the Holy Spirit, study of the Word and being under faithful preaching, are properly growing our fear of the Lord and exposing our fear of man - we pray the same is true for you.  The book opens up with: "Thank you for joining me on this walk through a struggle that we all share . We spend so much time wondering what people think about us (11). Welch goes...

Recently, Husband and I had the privilege of attending a wedding of a God-fearing woman and man, and it was such a blessing. I also had the opportunity to share a devotional at her bridal shower, and we want to share it with you to encourage you in your relationships.  Before I start, I want to get a show of hands. How many of you are married? Single? Single that want to be married? Single that want to be single? Today I want to share about two popular topics: friendship and romance. I am a friend of "Jane." I assume you are too :D She and I met on a bus in September 2019 on our way to serve at a church youth camp. Probably the same as you, I fell in love with her quickly. But our meeting was short lived, because our paths changed, and we lacked opportunity to develop a friendship. Fast forward to January 2022, I saw her at my church, and I knew I knew her, but it took some time to remember how. We set a coffee date, and have been developing our friendship ever since. Upon th...

Do you remember when the Israelites were fleeing from Egypt and the Pharoah, only to find themselves sandwiched in between the Red Sea on one side and the Egyptian army on the other? Exodus 14:10 and 14:12 says "...they [the Israelites] were very afraid and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord...[and Moses] it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness." Despite their fear and hopelessness, the Lord answers to Moses: " 'Tell the children of Israel to go forward...[they] shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea' " (vv.15-16). In this instance, there was valid reason for fear of death: "the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the Sea" (v.23). But the Lord "troubled the army" (v.24), "took off their chariot wheels" (v.25), 'brought the waters back upon them' (v.26), until "not so much as one of them remained" (v.28). While ...

Ciao beloved (ciao means hello in Italian)! Thank you for your faithful prayers and friendship. This will be a short and bitter-sweet update. Recently, we were notified that the opportunity for us to serve in Italy is closed. While we are thankful for God's clear direction, it is not without a sting. We have grown fond of the people in Rome, the culture and already started cultivating relationships. But by His grace, we trust the His redirection and timing. Please continue interceding for us and the Italian church (photo below), as there are also some changes and challenges there. We will remain seeking, knocking and serving, as the Lord leads. Ciao Italia (it also means goodbye)! Praise Reports: Husband and I had the privilege of attending the annual IBCD (Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship) conference (first photo below);  He and I also enjoyed a great time with our Caregroup for a picnic (second photo below); and I started working full-time for UCR on June 4th, a...

With my Husband's bible training complete, the follow up question we have been getting the most is: so what's next, followed up with, will you guys be sent to the mission field now? The short answer is we do not know what is next, only God does  ( James 4:13-16 ).  I will never forget when we visited Cornerstone and spoke with the missions pastor for the first time. He said 'the church will disciple you, but there is no guarantee we will send you. Missionaries do not send themselves - churches do . Root yourselves here, and let us get to know you. We want to see how you respond when the sheep bite and if He will confirm this desire.' That was sobering, but we were confident in the Lord's leading us.  If you had asked me then, are we ready to be sent? I would have confidently exclaimed, YES!!! But four and a half years later, I am so thankful He did not allow us to go, when we had the opportunity. We were not ready. Are we ready now? That would be a question for our...

With Husband wrapping up school at the Training Center , we have been giving much of our attention for him to finish well, as the Lord supplies. Thankfully, this past weekend, he and Jacob were able to attend a men's retreat, "Men of Conviction," with others from our Church. Here are three quick takeaways and some photos he wants to share. Ladies, these are good exhortations for us, too. Cultivate genuine friendships within the church. Friendships that will be free to share the good and the bad. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy" (Proverbs 27:6). Stand firm to my convictions  ( full assurance ) and not fear the approval of man. "Let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up" (Daniel 3:18). Do not rely on self. Rather, continue knowing and understanding God, daily . His person, character and practices - these are the things worthy of...

This past month, our church sent a team from our missions support group to the 1-day "TMAI International Symposium (pictured above)," live-streamed the 3-day "Shepherd's Conference" (pictured below) and hosted two "Missions Sundays." It was "fast and fierce," as my husband says, but in a good way. We were immeasurably blessed, encouraged and convicted by the word. I am still basking in the good of these last few weeks. But one thing that has been rising to the top for me is the sufficiency of the word and how tempting it is to get comfortable - though we are dependent on the Lord, we are responsible to walk in the truth we have been richly provided.  In a Q & A with pastors John MacArthur and John Piper, they were asked: why expository preaching? MacArthur started by stating something that can be taken for granted - ' the word is inexhaustible and covers everything .' Piper shared, 'God wrote a book and gave it to us, and He ...