"When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
You knew my path."
-Psalm 142:3a-

"Business Cards" Incognito

I am so excited.

Grace Mally and I were talking the other day, and we agreed that we wish we had our own personal tracts to pass out. Something we could introduce with, "Hey...this is something I wrote and I hope you'll enjoy reading it", so it's more personal and interesting to people. I've looked online before and it seems pretty expensive to print your own stuff, so I haven't done it.
However the Lord, who was obviously present in our conversation and overheard my comment, gave me an idea; one I'm really excited about! :) Chrissy showed me her beautiful new business cards while I was at her house, and later a mom at the conferences gave me an adorable business card. I sat down at the computer yesterday to write to her, and felt impressed to look at her business card more closely.

On the back, it said "Business Cards are FREE at www.vistaprint.com!"

Suddenly the idea popped into my head... couldn't I make a business card-sized tract?? I stayed up until 2 am after work last night tweaking it and condensing my message to fit, in tiny font, on the front and back of a business card. I got some personalized options so it's not going to be free, but it's only $24.00 for 250 cards. I am SOOOOO happy. I'll let you guys know how they turn out (I'm praying they'll be readable and look okay,)... and maybe it's an idea that you'll like, too.

WATCH OUT, WORLD!!!

...Danigirl's armed and dangerous with the power of the gospel in size 7 font.

Check out Grace's blog, here by the way! She took some fantastic pictures of the Bright Lights conferences. I would be able to provide you with my own, if my CAMERA (insert menacing growl here) hadn't eaten all my batteries at inopportune moments.

His Goodness. :)

As I flew from Omaha back to Cleveland on Sunday, I was thinking about the many ways God had blessed me throughout my two week trip. (It was so good, by the way, being with the Mallys and joining the Bright Lights team again!) I hate getting too wordy and then expecting everyone to read my thoughts.-- so I won't go into details-- but God was such a beacon of encouragement to me throughout the entire trip. He so refreshed me.
The greatest way He blessed me is through the verbal encouragement of people around me. I learned a huge lesson on this week. Prov. 16:24,

" Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."

Oh, God, let my words build up and encourage others around me!! How many people are starving to be told that they are valued, noticed in some way? The devil, that accuser of the brethren, seems to constantly attack us and make us think we aren't even good inside, let alone noticed or appreciated by those around us . I want one of my missions in life to be blessing others through my words. To help people see that they are valued and appreciated. I want to make a concerted effort to see what Jesus sees in them, appreciating what He has done in them or what talents He has given them, and letting them know I NOTICE it.

Anyhow, that was a bit of a rabbit trail. On the plane home, I came across some verses while reading in Deuteronomy which literally brought me to tears! (Happy tears.) I'm going to be moving to Alaska from May 17th until August, and it feels a bit like an "uprooting" process. I'm stopping all my commitments and even halting my job while I'll be gone. It's a strange, somewhat unsettling feeling. (I know, I know... "Welcome to the missionary's life, girl"!) :) It's as if an 'era' of my life is ending. Maybe not, but that's how it feels.
Anyhow I loved this:

"The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf...and in the wilderness...you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.’ [He] goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go."

Is God a man, that He should have to "go before" and "seek a place for" His people to settle? Of course not. He knew that wilderness better than any man and His foreknowledge would have allowed Him to simply TELL them where to go. Just like that. And yet He paints a beautiful, reassuring word picture of He Himself seeking a place for his children; the Servant King always.

Well there I go again. I was wordy in spite of myself.

Oh by the way, the music video I posted to the left has been going through my mind since Easter! So...consider it a belated Easter thought. :) I love Michael Card.

The Omaha, Nebraska Bright Lights conference is ging well. This is the first day of the SITL conference (Strong In The Lord) and all the girls seem so excited! I noticed as I greeted them at the door that there was a special excitement this conference. Perhaps because of all the extra prayer that's gone in to it.

I can't say the joy that welled in my heart when a little girl on my team this evening named Callie (11 yrs. old) said with tears, "I realized tonight for the first time that I came to God because I just wanted to escape Hell... but He wants MORE than that! He wants me to live for Him! I don't just want to pray to Him so I'll go to heaven. I want to live for Him with all I have." THAT is the entire reason I'm here, and I PRAISE GOD that He's working in hearts like that! I can't wait until tomorrow, to talk more with Callie and see what the Father has in store.

Truly, the only joy greater than serving Christ is abiding in Him. I'm grateful He's helped me to do both during the past few busy days. It's a hard thing for me to balance.

In other news, I so miss my Chrissy and Andrew! I couldn't think of two nicer people to be a Jei Jei to. ;-) And Mr. and Mrs. Baskerville; I miss them too! What a wonderful stay. Thank you guys so much. I'm going to be practicing so that next time I can beat Andrew playing with MY LEFT HAND in ping pong, and drive four-wheeler without Chrissy's life flashing before her eyes as she clings to the back in desperate horror. ;) Mamma Kay and Mr. B., you're the best. I love you guys.

Thanks for the ice cream and the fun family chats. And for letting me store my nasty soy milk in your fridge, Mamma K. ;-) (I'll never forget your face when you tasted it!!) And Mr. B., it was fun being an honorary member of the clan on Easter.

Andrew, Me, and Chrissy

Photographizing with Chrissy

We took a beautiful hike in the woods of Iowa yesterday, and had a blast with Chrissy's awesome camera! ("Awesome" as in the type of camera that invokes covetousness and discontent within me. I've since repented.)
We had so much fun. :)

"A woman's heart should be so close to God
that a man should have to chase Him to find her."
(C.S. Lewis)

The following thought vein is not original with me. I'm shamefully stealing it from another blog, actually. But it struck me as being so very profound, and challenging. And precisely along the lines I have been thinking lately. It comes from Proverbs 23:27, which says,

"For a harlot is a deep pit

And an adulterous woman is a narrow well.

Surely she lurks as a robber,
And increases the faithless among men."
(Prov. 23:27-28)

I guess it's obvious that a girl can have this affect on a man; to lure him from God and family into the realm of the faithless. Yet surely the opposite is true, too! If I act with the utmost purity and righteousness, could I help to encourage and even increase the faithfulness of my brothers... and perhaps of the man I will marry? That's a pretty incredible thought.

Wow.

First you all need to know that this post has absolutely no edificational significance, and there is nothing of the Invisibly Real about it, BUT having said that, I HAD to post this video on here.
I busted a gut laughing.
This guy's unreal!!




Ps- Skaggs, if you see this: you could SO do it.

Tonight my thoughts echo Jim Elliot's:

"Deliver me from the restless spirit which finds Shiloah's stream too quiet to be attractive, too commonplace or slow. (Isa. 8:6-7) Father, let me be free from the overflowing purge-- this great flood of worldliness which sweeps Thy people beyond their depth. Give me to stand firm against it."