By tonight I will have packed up everything I need for my 3 month trip to China. I'm only taking like 5 shirts and 2 pairs of pants, underwear, toiletries and some books. The rest i'm mailing home, or storing here in Salem until I get back. I don't think I've ever lived on this little in my life.
I'm overwhelmed, but I'm also really excited because I'm finally living out what I've been wanting to live out for quite sometime. I'm going to live minimally with my incredible God, unbelievable friends, and the beautiful people of China and Thailand. Great things are going to happen.
Me and my friends are living out God's promise. An abundant life. and we're going across the globe to meet others who are doing the same thing. World changers who combine trust in God with a passion for social justice to stand up and do something about the hurt in the world. In 6 days my friends and I will be joining them. It's surreal. I'm so incredibly thankful.
so yeah. i just wanted to say that.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!! I hope everyone is blessed by their families and good eatin'.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
God Is A Man Of His Word
I've learned something huge recently about God--
He is a man of his word.
He keeps his promises.
He gives us the desires of our heart.
"For I am confident that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus"-Philipians 1:6
When we ask God to show us his heart--the deepest corners of his heart, his true feelings for the suffering, for the oppressed--and when we seek The Lord for who he is, God opens up a wellspring of love, joy, peace, and willingness to serve Him for eternity. I think my whole life I've always been striving for these things, trying to obtain them by study and perfectionism and complaining--but the answer has been staring me right in the face. And the answer is God's heart. As Mute Math says..."You are reaching something that is beating. I can't believe I never noticed my heart before. At least it was never until I noticed You." Isn't it a blessing and a privilege to serve The Most High? In simply seeing God's face, we are transformed. He shares his heart with us and grants us love, joy, peace and righteousness. We no longer have to condemn ourselves for feeling resentful, bitter, judgmental, self righteous, negative, or whatever, because it is no longer something that comes naturally since we are IN the Lord. Christianity is not striving for perfection. It is the privilege of being able to call Perfect your best friend, lover, protecter and King. How can we say no to that?
Read the incentives of intimacy with God (and share in the poetic beauty of The Bible, which is something I've never noticed until recently)--
Isaiah 60:1-5
"Arise, shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you: all assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come."
18-22:
"No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor. The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a might nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly."
How can we call Christianity a burden any longer? Christianity is anything but a burden. It's a privilege and an honor of being able to be intimate with the Creator of the Universe. He loves us and knows our names! He is fond of us. He weeps when we weep, he rejoices when we rejoice. He is the Wellspring of Life, and in him we can be confident that we shall be fully alive.
"It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."-Galations 2:20
"The glory of God is man fully alive."-St. Iraneus
Go seek his heart! and have fun.
He is a man of his word.
He keeps his promises.
He gives us the desires of our heart.
"For I am confident that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus"-Philipians 1:6
When we ask God to show us his heart--the deepest corners of his heart, his true feelings for the suffering, for the oppressed--and when we seek The Lord for who he is, God opens up a wellspring of love, joy, peace, and willingness to serve Him for eternity. I think my whole life I've always been striving for these things, trying to obtain them by study and perfectionism and complaining--but the answer has been staring me right in the face. And the answer is God's heart. As Mute Math says..."You are reaching something that is beating. I can't believe I never noticed my heart before. At least it was never until I noticed You." Isn't it a blessing and a privilege to serve The Most High? In simply seeing God's face, we are transformed. He shares his heart with us and grants us love, joy, peace and righteousness. We no longer have to condemn ourselves for feeling resentful, bitter, judgmental, self righteous, negative, or whatever, because it is no longer something that comes naturally since we are IN the Lord. Christianity is not striving for perfection. It is the privilege of being able to call Perfect your best friend, lover, protecter and King. How can we say no to that?
Read the incentives of intimacy with God (and share in the poetic beauty of The Bible, which is something I've never noticed until recently)--
Isaiah 60:1-5
"Arise, shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you: all assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come."
18-22:
"No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor. The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a might nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly."
How can we call Christianity a burden any longer? Christianity is anything but a burden. It's a privilege and an honor of being able to be intimate with the Creator of the Universe. He loves us and knows our names! He is fond of us. He weeps when we weep, he rejoices when we rejoice. He is the Wellspring of Life, and in him we can be confident that we shall be fully alive.
"It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."-Galations 2:20
"The glory of God is man fully alive."-St. Iraneus
Go seek his heart! and have fun.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A Good Lesson Learned
A wise man once said...
"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped in the heat of the summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord'--and you forgave the guilt of my sin." Psalm 32:1-5
Aaron Weiss once said, "Find a friend, stay close with a melting heart and tell them whatever you're most ashamed of."
I highly recommend confession. Not just to God, but to people. There is so much freedom in being able to stand before God and people with a clean heart, harboring no iniquity. I don't think people realize how much unconfessed sin or animosity towards another person really affects the heart and soul. Look at that verse--"When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long". It's so true! Unconfessed issues are such heavy weights on the heart, and develop such deep roots in the soul. When your heart is clean and you have nothing to hide, you're able to receive and give love freely, without fear, because you are finally able to be who you really are, not someone you're pretending to be. Obviously this is something I just went through, so I'm recommending it to you and you and you. So, please, go find someone you can trust, and tell them the worst thing you've ever done. They'll understand and help you through it, as will God, and life will just be that much more beautiful.
In love and hope,
B
"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped in the heat of the summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord'--and you forgave the guilt of my sin." Psalm 32:1-5
Aaron Weiss once said, "Find a friend, stay close with a melting heart and tell them whatever you're most ashamed of."
I highly recommend confession. Not just to God, but to people. There is so much freedom in being able to stand before God and people with a clean heart, harboring no iniquity. I don't think people realize how much unconfessed sin or animosity towards another person really affects the heart and soul. Look at that verse--"When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long". It's so true! Unconfessed issues are such heavy weights on the heart, and develop such deep roots in the soul. When your heart is clean and you have nothing to hide, you're able to receive and give love freely, without fear, because you are finally able to be who you really are, not someone you're pretending to be. Obviously this is something I just went through, so I'm recommending it to you and you and you. So, please, go find someone you can trust, and tell them the worst thing you've ever done. They'll understand and help you through it, as will God, and life will just be that much more beautiful.
In love and hope,
B
Saturday, September 13, 2008
God is good.
I think if I had to use one word to describe what has went on during this first couple weeks of the lecture phase, I would use the word "exposed". Never in my life have I felt so exposed for who I really am in such a short time, than in these past weeks.
For those of you who've read Blue Like Jazz, do you remember the chapter about Donald moving into a house in Portland with 6 other guys, after living all by himself out in the country? The transition for him was very difficult and mentally exhausting. I feel like that chapter is describing my life right now. I live in one room with 18 other girls. 18. I've spent the past 8 or so months, holed up in my room, only coming out to work my 9-5 job and to see a friend a few times a week. So for me, this type of living has been exhausting. But it's so beautiful at the same time. I'm building some amazing relationships, and light is being shed to the areas of my heart that I've been trying to keep hidden for quite some time. I'm learning that it's much better to be exposed for every aspect of who I am, the good and the bad, than trying to keep up with this ridiculous mask I've been wearing (and trying to perfect) for years on end. And finally, now that this mask is being torn down, I'm gaining the closeness with the Lord I've always wanted.
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised."-Proverbs 31:30
I'm really thankful I don't have to pretend anymore. I hated myself and it wasn't fun.
God is good, and I take comfort in knowing that will never be a lie.
Here are pictures of some adventures we've been having...
me, arielle, julia, ashley and anna
hawaiian tourist and WT american
me and the llama down the road
Julia, Arielle and Tohnya's birthday party
Beautiful Kelly playing us a song
International Love Feast
MMM.
Juuulia
More birthday party
prepped for the ropes course
the chapel
blackberry picking!
Ashley had this little cat toy with a massive mouth buried in the bottom of her purse, along with some stray skittles. when she pulled it out, it had one of the skittles lodged in its mouth. we pretty much laughed for like 15 minutes.
dorm girls
Facebook me to see a ridiculous amount of other pictures.
I love you,
Becky
For those of you who've read Blue Like Jazz, do you remember the chapter about Donald moving into a house in Portland with 6 other guys, after living all by himself out in the country? The transition for him was very difficult and mentally exhausting. I feel like that chapter is describing my life right now. I live in one room with 18 other girls. 18. I've spent the past 8 or so months, holed up in my room, only coming out to work my 9-5 job and to see a friend a few times a week. So for me, this type of living has been exhausting. But it's so beautiful at the same time. I'm building some amazing relationships, and light is being shed to the areas of my heart that I've been trying to keep hidden for quite some time. I'm learning that it's much better to be exposed for every aspect of who I am, the good and the bad, than trying to keep up with this ridiculous mask I've been wearing (and trying to perfect) for years on end. And finally, now that this mask is being torn down, I'm gaining the closeness with the Lord I've always wanted.
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised."-Proverbs 31:30
I'm really thankful I don't have to pretend anymore. I hated myself and it wasn't fun.
God is good, and I take comfort in knowing that will never be a lie.
Here are pictures of some adventures we've been having...
me, arielle, julia, ashley and anna
hawaiian tourist and WT american
me and the llama down the road
Julia, Arielle and Tohnya's birthday party
Beautiful Kelly playing us a song
International Love Feast
MMM.
Juuulia
More birthday party
prepped for the ropes course
the chapel
blackberry picking!
Ashley had this little cat toy with a massive mouth buried in the bottom of her purse, along with some stray skittles. when she pulled it out, it had one of the skittles lodged in its mouth. we pretty much laughed for like 15 minutes.
dorm girls
Facebook me to see a ridiculous amount of other pictures.
I love you,
Becky
Sunday, September 7, 2008
I've arrived!
Welp. I'm here!
Two things.
A. Oregon is beautiful. The sky is crystal clear, the temperature is perfect and the humidity is low. I'm not sure I've ever felt such a clean, dry breeze. Everything is green, green, green, just about to turn colors at the for the start of fall.
B. Oregon people are incredibly kind. Or maybe it's just the kids at the YWAM base and the church we went to this morning. Either way I feel very at home.
No adventures to speak of just yet, but I'm sure there will be in due time. Tonight at 6 we're doing some crazy intense ropes course in the hills around the base. Also, I found out we might be headed to Tibet for outreach. Eeeee! As most of you know, this is probably the #1 place in China I want to visit. One of the girls told me last time she was in Tibet, she was traveling somewhere on a bus and a Tibetian monk came and sat on her lap. Becky's dream come true? Yes.
Two things.
A. Oregon is beautiful. The sky is crystal clear, the temperature is perfect and the humidity is low. I'm not sure I've ever felt such a clean, dry breeze. Everything is green, green, green, just about to turn colors at the for the start of fall.
B. Oregon people are incredibly kind. Or maybe it's just the kids at the YWAM base and the church we went to this morning. Either way I feel very at home.
No adventures to speak of just yet, but I'm sure there will be in due time. Tonight at 6 we're doing some crazy intense ropes course in the hills around the base. Also, I found out we might be headed to Tibet for outreach. Eeeee! As most of you know, this is probably the #1 place in China I want to visit. One of the girls told me last time she was in Tibet, she was traveling somewhere on a bus and a Tibetian monk came and sat on her lap. Becky's dream come true? Yes.
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