So Here It Is -
Business First -
I have reached 39% in my monthly budget which means I have 61% left to raise.
I have reach 172% of my cash budget. This is cool because 1) The cash budget has been raised and 2) everything over 100% is converted into monthly pledge! So, say I had 2,400 dollars over the initial amount I needed to raise. This amount will be divided by 24 months and will turn into $100.00 every month. Praise the Lord!
I would LOVE to be in Springfield and begin my time with Convoy of Hope by there summer session - this session begins June 23rd. Please PRAY with me that the funds will be raised to make this possible!
For all of you have joined with me in this cause - THANK YOU!
Now for something a little different...
I like Isaiah. It gets a little radical sometimes and sometimes I struggle with what it all means, but I like it and the praise language is some of my favorite and I think God challenges humans and our communities through Isaiahs prophecies. I am no expert on this book and as I am writing this I wish I knew more - had taken a class or read a book about Isaiah. So, instead of going more in depth on Isaiah as a whole I will share the passage I want to share and hope that my understanding isn't too terribly flawed. =)
Isaiah 66: 18 to 24
"I know everything they've ever done or thought. I'm going to come and then gather everyone - all nations, all languages. They'll come and see my glory. I'll set up a station at the center. I'll send the survivors of judgement all over the world. Spain and Africa, Turkey and Greece and the far off Islands that have never heard of me, who know nothing of what I've done nor who I am. I'll send them out as missionaries to preach my glory among the nations. They'll return with all your long-lost brothers and sisters from all over the world. They'll bring them back and offer them in living worship to God. They'll bring them on horses and wagons and carts, on mules and camels, straight to my holy mountain Jerusalem," says God. "They'll present them just as the Israelites present their offerings in a cermonial vessel in the Temple of God. I'll even take some of them and make them priest and Levites," says God.
"For just as the new heavens and new earth that I am making will stand firm before me"
-God's Decree-
"So will your children and your reputation stand firm. Month after month and week by week, everyone will come to worship me," God says.
"And then they'll go out and look at what happened to those who rebelled against me. Corpses! Maggots endlessly eating away on them, an endless supply of fuel for fires. Everyone who sees what's happened and smells the stench wrenches."
God has taken me on a journey for the last year or so asking me to do full time missionary work for the next few years. It was sometime during this journey that I discovered these verses in Isaiah. Verses like these are little bit controversial for those who like to debate timing, and meaning and fullfillment of prohecy. Figuring out all these things are important after all the fact that Jesus fullfilled all the prophecies regarding Christ is important to the Christian faith. I will leave those details as they pertain to Isaiah 66 for someone else for the time being because I think the message of the verses is true regardless.
For me these verses show the importance of missions to Christ. It demonstrates his pursual of mankind - of all nations and all languages. The verses also shows that through missions and through living intentional God focused lives we bring glory to His name. These verses in Isaiah are inspiring to me and in discouraging times reconfirm God's calling on my life. Essentially it is all of our callings though it may look different for each person. Some people are called to the distant islands, to Spain, Africa, Turkey, Greece and so forth - others are called to their next door neighbors, other members of a board they serve on, the barista at Starbucks, the parents of a child's friend and so forth.
Then the passage ends with the future and the new heaven and the new earth - a place of God centered worship.
It also shows the future for those who rebelled and didn't obey - this picture should motivate Christians to share about Jesus and to live out God centered lives where ever we may be living and working.
I don't know if I did the passage justice, but I wanted to share it because I find myself coming back to it every month or so.
I was told by an expert blog reader that I need a picture for every posting - but I broke my camera - otherwise I would of shown a picture of my new car and Laura's and I's trip to Orange County. I do have some unreleased pictures from Copper Mountain - so I will post them as one last hurah to Colorado. =)
I Love the view at Copper Mountain!
I think this picture is funny because I kind of look worried or stressed, but I wasn't this was one of the best days I have ever had snowboarding!
