God Provides Strength

Saying, Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done(Luke 22:42).

On the last night of our Lord’s earthly ministry, Jesus did not sleep. Instead, He went . . . to the mount of Olives; and His disciples also followed Him . . . He said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed (22:39-41). First kneeling, then falling on His face before His Father, He was exceedingly sorrowful unto death (Matt. 26:38-39). As our key verse says, He prayed intensely to know the Father’s will. How long He remained in prayer we do not know, but His prayer was no brief ritual. And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground(22:44).

Jesus knew that a holy Father must turn His back on Him, His only begotten Son (John 3:16), if he accepted the penalty for all the sins of the world.

That very night Jesus began the fulfillment of His mission as He started the journey that would ultimately lead to Calvary’s cross. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain(Rev. 5:12). The Redeemer at that moment asked the Father if the cross was the only means of gaining forgiveness for sins and saving the souls of unnumbered millions who would confess Him as Lord. Could God in His unlimited power have another way of reconciliation? God answered His prayer, not by removing the crisis, but by supplying the strength to bear it. He gave Jesus the strength to fulfill the mission He was meant to complete. Beyond this garden prayer experience, the cross was waiting.

-sbc.net devotion

And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father(Phil. 2:8-11)

Thought for Today:

Have you been to Jesus for His cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

His Girl

Hosea 1:10

 Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.

 I’ve got one theme on my mind.  It’s a theme that will be on my mind through next weekend.  It’s a saying that I can’t seem to stop thinking about…it’s “His Girl”.  The GWG and the GRITS trips that are coming up are going to be a blast.  There are a lot of fun things planned as we will spend the weekend growing closer to God as a group.  (Don’t worry Brandy, I’m not going to spoil it by sharing the details of the plans).

Do you ever have something on your mind and then it seems like everything else that is around you seems to only remind you of that one thing?  It’s like when you’re really hungry and all you can see if you watch T.V. is commercials that zoom up on food; or you’re walking into Walmart and smell the sweet cereal smell from the General Mills plant; or someone starts just randomly talking about food; or you look around and it seems like everyone is eating something but you.  That’s how it works for me a lot of times…I guess my focus is pretty narrow.

I walked into my living room for a few minutes and the television was on where it was showing a woman singing.  The camera man had zoomed in on the woman’s face really closely.  I made the comment of how pretty her teeth were.  The conversation then went to the woman that “has the prettiest teeth ever.”  It was commented though that she should have nice teeth because this woman was one of the orthodontists that helped fix my daughter’s teeth.  Not only does she work in an orthodontist office, but her dad is also a dentist.

Immediately I thought about being His girl.  This past Ekklesia sermon, we learned the significance of being a child of Sarah and not the slave woman, Hagaar…totally relying on God and not our own works and how Isaac was blessed more than Ishmael.  In Spotlight, the women talked about the family lineage of Jesus being traced through Leah and that God had blessed her son Judah.  This made me realize how much the Bible emphasizes the importance of our spiritual heritage.  From this, I reach the conclusion that as a born again Christian, I have been adopted by God and I am “no longer a slave, but God’s child” (Galatians 4:7) and that’s important!

When people look at the way we live and our actions, would they be astonished to know who our father is?  Or would people see our actions and say that it makes sense.  We should be that way because we are a child of Almighty God.  Would God get the credit?

-RB

1 Peter 1:14-16

 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Don’t Look Back

John 21:3

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him,

“We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat,

but that night they caught nothing.

(ESV)

 I was a freshman in high school and I thought I was big stuff.  Finally, I had made it to high school and I was on the track team.  As I was running around the track one day after school, I began to notice several attractive young ladies out on the football field.  After running past them, I decided to glance back to see if they had noticed me, since after all I was in high school now!  The next thing I knew, I was face down in the long jump sand pit.  Apparently, I was not capable of running while looking back and I had veered slightly to the left and off into the sand pit.  I will never forget the embarrassment as what seemed like hundreds of upperclassmen rolled around in laughter at the freshman spitting sand out of his mouth.

Looking back can be equally dangerous in the Christian life.  Satan’s goal is always to convince us to go back to places that God has called us out of.  Think about Peter.  Jesus had called him out of a life of fishing for fish and into a life of fishing for men.  After Peter had denied the Lord three times, he decided to go back to his old profession.  But Jesus Christ came and met Peter on the beach in John 21 and reinstated him into the ministry.  Think of the Israelites.  God called Abram out of the land of Shinar in Mesopotamia some two thousand years before Christ came to earth.  Where did the Israelites find themselves in captivity for seventy years?  You guessed it – the land of Shinar (aka Babylon).  Consider Lot’s wife.  Do you recall how things turned out for her when she decided to look back?  Pray and ask God to give you what it takes to finish strong and to finish faithful.

-BP 

Luke 9:62

Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow

and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

(ESV)

 

Works Don’t Work

Amos 5:21-24

 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals;

your assemblies are a stench to me.

Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,

I will not accept them.

Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,

I will have no regard for them.

Away with the noise of your songs!

I will not listen to the music of your harps.

 Today I had the opportunity to visit the Madison Nursing home with a group of friends from church.  It was a great visit.  The room that we stayed in was full of people sitting in wheel chairs.  When we first walked in, I observed that they were all just sitting there or they were sleeping…there didn’t seem to be much talking or activity going on.  During the time that we were there, I was able to make it all the way around the room…trying to talk to the people that looked like they wanted someone to talk to.

As I was walking around to the different people, I was very much conscious of the fact that a lot of people were sick.  I was also conscious of the fact that I was touching a lot of hands, patting a lot of backs, and hugging a lot of necks.  Not long before we left, I was talking to one woman that wouldn’t let go of my hand.  Her hand was really cold and she was shaking really badly.  During our struggle to converse, a big blue pill fell out of her mouth and landed on her shirt.  It was at this time that she asked for some water.  I went over to one of the nurses on staff and told her that the pill had fallen out and that she needed some water.  After the nurse went over and checked on her, she immediately began pushing her out of the room to see a doctor.  I was very much concerned for her, but at the same time I was thinking about the fact that she had held my hand for about ten minutes.

Not long after that, there was another woman that woke up and began coughing really hard.  I went over to her and began patting her back.  She eventually stopped but she was holding her head like it hurt really badly.  Therefore, I stood with her and rubbed her back and shoulders trying to help her feel a little better.  I bent low and spoke an audible prayer over her body.

Not long after this, our group used the hand sanitizer again at the door as we were leaving in the same way as when we entered.  As I was riding back to the church, I felt compassion for the elderly people we had just left.  At the same time though, I felt like my struggling health had been contaminated even more.  As I was sitting there thinking about all the sicknesses and germs that were floating around that room, I looked down at my right wrist and noticed that I had a rash that had just instantly appeared out of nowhere.  It was super bright red.  I was immediately concerned and showed my friend that was driving.  I continued to look at it in dismay for a couple of minutes…especially concerned by how bright red it was.  After rubbing on it and realizing that my skin felt normal, I remembered how earlier at the home when I had first gotten there, a woman had spilled her red kool-aid juice.  I had helped clean up the floor and her shoe and blanket and must have gotten some of it on my wrist.

Even though my skin had looked like I had a rash, I realized that I was actually in the same health as I had been when I went into the nursing home…it was just a surface change.  This made me think about how God looks at the inside and not the outside.  Almighty doesn’t look at the elderly people by looking at their aging appearances, He still sees them as He saw them when they were 11 and 12 when they had gotten saved…as some of them had shared with me.

In the middle of Amos’ warning against hypocrisy, he makes his point that God is a just and righteous God.  Vs 24—“But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream!”  God’s unfailing, endless grace is the only thing that is sufficient to save us.  He is the only one that can change us from the inside out.  God judges in righteousness because He knows our hearts.

When I got home, my deadly rash did wash off with soap and water.  Indeed, the outward does not last unless it matches what is on the inside.

-RB

Amos 5:25-27

 “Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings

forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?

You have lifted up the shrine of your king,

the pedestal of your idols,

the star of your god—

which you made for yourselves.

Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,”

says the LORD, whose name is God Almighty.

The Halloween Dilemma

Deuteronomy 18:9-14

 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.  Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.  Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD; because of these same detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.  You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.

 Last weekend the jr. high girls REACH class looked at the origins of Halloween and some of the traditions that are practiced by many people today.  We traced a lot of the roots back to the Celts who worshipped many gods and believed that the dead came alive on the last day of their summer season.  We looked at pictures of turnips that were carved with faces and used for lanterns.

We also discussed the three festivals that the Israelites had observed in the Old Testament…particularly the Festival of Harvest. Our conclusions after the discussion are what I want to share today as we approach Halloween.  We had decided that there are certain things that people do in celebrations that are good and that there are also things that are dishonoring to God, and that we need to make sure that we don’t participate in activities that are thus dishonoring.

#1.  God warns us in the Bible not to participate in occultic practices.  Also found in Galatians 5:19-20–The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Things that are often portrayed as being fun and games such as Ouija, Dungeons and Dragons, many fantasy video and computer games, séances and other activities all invoke demonic activity.  These things are dangerous and against the will of God.

#2.  Christians are new creations.  2 Corinthians 5:17–Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

In the Bible, we see several places where born again believers have turned from darkness to light and we see how God changes people.  In Acts 19:18-19, we read about when the Ephesians received salvation and responded, “Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done.  A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.”  The books were worth a lot of money, but these Christians had a change of character and what had once been important was now seen as dangerous to all.  They demonstrated their change by their actions in ridding the sin from their lives.

#3.  We must ask ourselves in all things if it is something that Jesus would do.  Romans 12:2–Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Do ghoulish movies with various hideous monsters fit?  What about dressing up as one of these monsters or occultic characters?  What about the games played at Halloween parties or the attempts at divination?  What about things that glorify evil such as haunted houses?

As Pastor Scott Harris wrote, “There is not much good in the cultural practice of Halloween, but a Christian who is sensitive to the Holy Spirit will know how to glorify the Lord both by what he or she refrains from doing as well as what they do.  There is to be a distinction between the lifestyle and behavior of a Christian and a non-Christian, but we are also to use every opportunity to spread the gospel.  I pray you will today, tonight, and at every holiday.”

-RB

Philippians 4:8

 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

WHAT A GREAT DAY!!!!

 Psalm 78:4

 We will not hide them from their descendants;

we will tell the next generation

the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,

his power, and the wonders he has done.

 Today my group traveled to Sangaalo Baby Cottage and held babies all day. How much better of a day can you get? Currently, Sangaalo cares for 13 babies and of course they are all precious!!

Today was a great day but not an easy day. When we arrived, the little ones were waking up and ready for attention and snacks. Each child has a sad story of either their mother tried to kill them at birth, abandonment, or their mother’s death at birth. It’s unbelievable to think that anyone would throw away a child of any age but thankfully God is a mighty God and chose to save each child’s life and to put them into the care of Damalie, the director of Sangaalo.

This morning I was handed a precious little girl named Sara. Her age is unknown because she was abandoned as a baby, but she has two teeth and has started to crawl. Her twin sister, Samalie, is a little ahead of her in the crawling department, even though Samalie is the smallest. Anyways, at snack time Sara would not take her milk. I knew that she hadn’t been feeling that well yesterday because the staff had informed me prior to getting her. But then her legs started to jerk and her fist balled up and her eyes rolled up as if she was fixed on an object that was way up in the sky. I wouldn’t have had a clue of what was going on with her if we hadn’t had gone to Ekisa two days ago. Sara was having a seizure. Everything that was within me was freaking out but I knew if I freaked out it  was not going to help her at all. Courtney, one of the nurses that is part of my team, came over and showed me how to position her on her side on my lap and we waited for the seizure to end. We took off her clothes and pilled wet rags and ice on her to cool her down because we knew she was running a temperature. Seven minutes of feeling helpless and useless for little Sara finally ended. Her temperature was 103, which was the cause behind her seizure! Her little body heated my body even more than what the sun was doing. I’ve never felt so fearful so quickly and so useless in my life.

The quick decision for Damalie to take her to the hospital was made. And we waited and waited for them to return. In the meantime, I held and fed Samalie, Sara’s twin sister. The time passed by quickly because of bath time and nap time but my thoughts forced it to pass by slowly. Finally, Damalie and Sara returned. Sara didn’t have malaria, ear infections, or anything other than an extremely high fever. The hospital gave antibiotics and sent them home. It’s amazing and ridiculous of the vast difference between countries and hospitals. The remainder of the time at Sangaalo, Sara was in my arms, napping, smiling, and simply relaxing. She still isn’t feeling well but she has medicine and I know she is loved and taken care of at Sangaalo.

You know, twins do run in my family and Sara and Samalie would fit right in. Just kidding!! It was the first day that I left an orphange and it was extremely difficult to walk away and not look back.

-KS

6:43pm

Matthew 25:34-36

 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

 

Another Great Day at Canaan School

Colossians 1:9-10

 We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God

Today my team spent the day at CanaanPrimary School and napping. (Hallelujah!!) School is very different here. Since children don’t start at the proper time a 10 year old could be in a room full of kids younger than him. The classes are divided into 7 classes, P1, P2……If a student fails P6 at Canaan, then that student has to go back and repeat P5 and P6 before they are allowed to go to P7. Canaan is very serious about children passing. To get into high school, students study extra hard, and when I mean extra hard I mean that they stay at school until 10:00pm studying for their national exams. If they fail that national exam then they change their name so they can retake it, otherwise the officials think that student is cheating or has someone else taking it for them. Also, their school day is from 7am-6pm. They do get hour breaks but it’s obvious that they study hard and they know quite a lot.
After lunch and our hour and a half nap, we went back to Canaan and played with the kids. I was taught quite a lot of Lugandan. Fun stuff!!!
Tomorrow, I believe my group gets to go to the baby cottage. Our schedule is on Ugandan time so who really knows?
Prayers: Sickness is flooding our team. Nancy, an older lady had to stay in bed the whole day because she had a fever and a horrible chest cold. Please pray for her recovery. She did get out of bed later in the day but she’s still coughing. Kristin has strained her back and is in a lot of pain. The heat has many people sick and weak feeling. Even the Uganda people say that it is hotter here than usual. It hasn’t rained where we are so, so much for the rainy spring season.
Two more days left here in Uganda and to think about it is exciting and hard at the same time. It’s been an amazing trip that has opened both my eyes and my heart in many ways.

Mama, I am excited to be coming home and fully plan to come home so get ready to wash and Lysol everything. lol Seriously though.
I love ya’ll!!

KS
Good night!

9:37pm

2 Peter 1:5

 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge

 

Children are a Gift

Psalms 127:3

“Behold, children [are] a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb [is] a reward.”

Monday:

BEST DAY EVER……IN AFRICA!!!!

Today we split into two groups and my group of 11 ventured to “Ekisa.” Ekisa is a ministry focused around the special needs children in Uganda. Children with special needs are usually and literally thrown out in a bush or side of the road to die because they are not valued at all. The fact that they have to be cared for, for their entire lives is “ridiculous” here and non-existent. It simply doesn’t happen.

Ekisa currently has 22 precious children at their facility that are loved and cared for by the directors, staff members, and volunteers. Of course they are in need for so much more than what Uganda can offer them but the attention and love they receive is one of a kind here.

Though our time at Ekisa was short, it was BY FAR the best day I have spent here. I got to experience and help with the learning stations this morning. The older children go to an actual school which is about a 10 minute walk away from Ekisa, but the younger children stay at the house for their schooling. The children are so smart. Today they were learning objects that start with the letters “p”, and “s”, learning to recognize their names and other kid’s names in the orphanage, and recognizing different letters. It’s amazing to see how the directors and volunteers teach the children. After school was over we gathered the children on the porch for lunch and I got to feed two children. One of the girls, Amy, is blind but she smiled and laughed when she heard my voice and she loved to feel my fingers scroll across her face. After lunch was over it was nap time, which we weren’t expecting, so we helped the house moms by doing laundry and picking out rocks from the rice. (That was an experience that I’m glad I don’t have to do when I get back home. Thank – you Uncle Ben’s.)

Love you all

-KS

11:00pm

Leviticus 19:14

You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I [am] the LORD.

Be Thankful

Exodus 16:8

 Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”

 Today was hot, hotter than usual. We crammed into a concrete building that was too small for all the people that were in there. And the service was long, almost 3 hours long. The worship was about an hour or so. Of course we couldn’t understand the lyrics even though most of what they were singing was English. And the service took twice as long but that’s just because they had to interpret every word. The style of preaching really wasn’t that different. Pastor Isaac truly has a heart for the community and a passion for the Word of God.

Being in a small, hot room for 3 hours sweating the whole time wears you down. So after a quick lunch it was time for a nap. When we all finally woke up we took a tour of the Canaan school/ property. Canaan roughly has 10 acres of land which includes their school, the dorms, the old chapel, the courtyard, the new chapel they are building, (right now there is just a foundation) the beginnings of a kindergarten, and their farm. The greenery stretches further than you can see and the children usually hide behind the bushes from us as we passed by. If you’ve read Katie Davis’ book, she talks about the red dirt but it’s really brown. Georgia clay is redder.

Last night we bought a meal for the kids. The men traveled to the market 2 nights ago and brought back 5 live chickens, rice, beans, plantains, and cokes. The children at Canaan get 3 meals a day, which is more than any other Orphanage/school in Uganda, but they get porridge for breakfast and beans and poshow for lunch and supper. They never get meat, rice, or cokes so they were super excited!!

My day finally ended at 11pm last night and it started at 7am.

Here’s to another day in Uganda

-KS

8:07am

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

God is Love

1 John 4:7-8:

 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

 The Haven (Thursday)

We needed a day of rest, and that is exactly what we got. The view of the rapids of the NileRiver from our cottage is spectacular. There’s peace in this place that makes me want to join in with the stillness. (Something that never happens, especially on this trip.) It’s completely 180 degree in the area of noise than it was at the Tick. It’s silent, except for the rushing water and as you know I absolutely love that.

I took a short nap in the hammock on our porch with the Nile waters soothing me to sleep. It was the first time I’ve been able to really sleep. I slept so well that I didn’t know where I was when I woke.  Afterwards, it was time to get on the water, without a guide. The canoe we climbed in was a small wooden boat with a hole, so water trickled in. I wouldn’t say it was a relaxing ride because we all three had to row. We had a hard time keeping up with the guide who was in the other boat. Of course he knew what he was doing. It took our boat at least 30 minutes to get the idea of the direction of which way to row. Needless to say we didn’t really go in a straight line, but we were happy to stay out of the lily pads.

Canaan Children’s (Friday- Sunday)

Friday, we spent most of the day doing house visits with Godfrey, Head of “Pillars of Hope”. But we also got the chance to go to a hospital and pray over a woman who has malaria and who is also 7 months pregnant, though you could never tell she was pregnant because she was so small. The woman is the wife of our driver(Abus), who is Muslim. It’s total a God thing!! He didn’t really like us at first, because of our belief, but after driving us around for a week and getting to know us and what or should I say WHO we are about he started to warm up to us and even like us. Though he is Muslim he allowed a team of 22 Christians crowd into a hospital and circle around his wife to pray that Jesus would heal her. As the week has progressed he has started to park the bus in the shade instead of the hot sun, constantly make us stay in the shade or pulling the shades in the bus over the windows so we don’t burn our “Mzungu” skin…….God is in this place and he is working. Love really is the WAY to bring them to Jesus; not by works or deeds, but by love.

Saturday, we spent the day in Jinja at the Source Café and shopping in the stores that line the streets. But the best part was going to “Pillars of Hope” and playing soccer with the boys. You know me, I was not going to color when there was sports to be played. The need is so great at Pillars of Hope. (The need is great everywhere.) They are 5 months behind on rent so the owner locked them out of their space. Which means they can’t get to their sewing machines to make money for their families. The actual organization is being sustained on Godfrey’s income at another place. He pours all he has into Pillars of Hope because he and his wife believe in the cause so much. He shared with us next month that he will be going out on faith and leaving his job and moving his family to be at Pillars full time. Godfrey is so amazing, because of his heart for the community that is not his own. He lives about 2 hours away but he knows God called him to that certain place.

Sunday, we will be having service with the whole Canaan Children Home plus the community. It should be amazing!! We listened to them practicing the worship last night and we were really excited!!

Love you all so much!!

-KS

8:12am

1 John 4:9-11

 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.