Kettle Comfort

To say I have been pushed out of my comfort zone since I've been here 

would be an understatement.

 I'm comfortable loving on people.

 That, I am good at.

 Some other things I have been asked to do..

I'm not so good at.

 I'm afraid of failure. Always have been.

 I don't ever want to disappoint.

 Tori gave me a rubber band one of my first nights here...

encouraged me with the truth that God is using this experience to stretch me...

in more ways than I thought possible.

 I wear it around my wrist as a constant reminder that,

 "My [God's] power is made perfect in weakness"..

"don't pass up opportunities to serve just because I'm not "good" at it."

I catch myself pulling on that band quite often. 

So, have I led a sheltered life or are hotpots (plug in kettles) a foreign thing?

I am completely aware that comfort is not a key ingredient to the command we have been given to spend our lives for the sake of the poor and the needy,

 but I daily fall short and my weakness is a cup of coffee or tea at night.

 Let's just say it's my little taste of home.

 Some kettle comfort (doesn't compare to you though, Mom ;)

P.S. Today, I got to show 93 children what the Bible says about fathers,

and ultimately, the greatest sacrifice God the Father made of His one and only Son

so that we could have life! (Now that's my element. My comfort zone.)

Pictures to come.

Happy Birthday To Ya

     Happy Birthday to the wonderful, beautiful, talented, Whitney Pritchett. Your life has challenged me to grow closer with Christ and for that I am forever grateful. Thank you for striving to honor God and bring Him glory. You make friendship easy. Really easy. You genuinely love and care for everyone, despite their circumstances, and that is a wonderful quality to have. I see Christ in you. Simple as that. 

     Since I couldn't be there to celebrate your life (life is a pretty good thing to celebrate so let's do it more than just one day a year, deal?), my friends from D.A.T (Discipling African Teens) and I wanted to wish you a very happy birthday!!

Whit's B'day Video from Morgan Werk on Vimeo.

He is Enough

    Three flights down… an overnight layover in “JoBurg” (Poppa, thanks for the correction, wouldn’t want to miss out on the happenin’ lingo), one more flight, and a six hour long truck ride to go.  So far so good though, I couldn’t be more thrilled that this day has come (or really yesterday because we skipped right over a whole night).  My luggage barely, and I mean barely made the weight limit. I am lugging some beauty products and random art supplies in my purse but all is well, just might need a chiropractor, or spinal surgery, no biggie.. Call me a baby, call me  what you will but I am slightly nervous about the separation from my family and friends. I would like to say I am completely independent and can do it all on my own but reality is, I can’t. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am not a loner, of course I need “my time” every once in a while but I really don’t like being alone. Especially considering I just came from National Convention, a week of continual communion with like-minded believers and great friends. It reminds me of the longing Paul had to be with the church in a lot of his New Testament letters. He knew that the Spirit would lead him to far away places for the sake of the gospel and he desired to be obedient but that didn’t mean his heart didn’t long for the fellowship and encouragement that came from being with those he shared life with (I pray for the Johnson family as this becomes a reality, long term, in their lives… and thank Jesus for their obedience). With that said, Tori reminded me of something extremely simple but eternally wise on the subject and I am comforted with this, “He is enough!” Though this world is passing away, the Word of the Lord remains forever! That is worth sharing alright! 

Fill Us Up, And Send Us Out

My brother, mentor, best friend, and motivator leaves on Tuesday for over 2 months in Northern India. I am missing his departure by one day but will be in constant prayer on his behalf. Please join me in praying for God's great name to be made known in and though Tyler's life. I have full confidence that the area he is ministering in will be radically transformed with the gospel, no doubt.

A little more info on Tyler's trip and specific ways to pray from the man himself:

Hey everyone! I am writing to you all out of a large burden that has been placed on my heart as I prepare to join God in His work throughout South Asia. Through much prayer, petition, and discerning of the will of God, I felt his hand guiding me to join a Mid-term mission trip opportunity through my home church, Brook Hills. Through a partnership with our contacts on the field, a good friend of mine and I will be spending this coming summer establishing gospel contact with Urdu-speaking, Muslim people groups who are completely unreached with the good news of Christ's salvation. We have been prayerfully preparing, and God-willing we will leave on the 24th of May to arrive home on the first of August. After an initial week of training we will be hiking throughout very mountainous regions to track down these groups to obtain information about their needs, their travel patterns, and assess the spiritual landscape. From these encounters will spring direct forms of evangelism (such as the Jesus Film) and also a cultivation of Christ-like, servant-hearted relationships that will point people to the Father. We will be working alongside indigenous believers as well as other international workers in a supplementary role to the amazing work already being done among the entire region. 

I write this to you from a profound sense of helplessness at this pivotal moment in my preparation to leave. I look into the Canaan of this humanly impossible task and I see the fruit, the harvest waiting to be reaped. Yet the need is great, and the forces of darkness have strong holds on these people created in God's image. The spiritual warfare that even now wages in the heavenly places for the souls of the lost is cosmically vast and incomprehensibly powerful. To wage war with any earthly weapon or human wisdom would spell disaster. The task is compounded not only by my human weakness but my own lack of sanctifying holiness. I have sensed more deeply the need to cling to Christ and his sin bearing, record of debt removing crucifixion. I need the piercing sword of the Spirit to cut away all that is not the truth. I feel like I have so much “cultural residue” in my thinking that I mistake for Biblical gospel, and I need the eyes of my heart enlightened. Praise God he brings the dead to life and things into existence which do not exist! That he calls the weak, lowly, the things that are not, to bring to shame the things that are!

So Beloved, I am asking for your prayers. Some of you may know a lot about myself and my situation. Some of you may not know me very well at all. Yet I have seen how the intercessions of God’s people have broken down the gates of hell and unleashed the power of God’s Spirit to bring in the harvest. I write not to exalt my trip or this work as anything special, but in vulnerability recognize our team’s need for help. Even if just once you pray while reading this for the Spirit of the Lord to move in South Asia, you will have played a vital part. I am not asking for money or applause or pity or anything else. I am asking the church of God to allow Him to do what he has promised to do if we ask. And if we do not stop asking, He will never stop giving.

Pray:

“That God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ…that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak” (Col 4:3-4)

“That words may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph 6:19-20)

That in the midst of trial and persecution we would “finish the course” (Hebrews 12:1-3, Acts 20:24, 2 Tim 4:6-8)

That we “would not be slothful in zeal” during the long and arduous work but “serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11)

That we would “be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might” amidst spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10).

That we would “be eager to maintain the unity of the Sprit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3)

That eternal urgency would permeate our work (Luke 4:43, John 10:16, 1 Cor 9:16)

That love would be the aim of our work (1 Tim 1:5)

That veils would be removed from hearts and the glory of God in Christ would shine (2 Cor 4:4-6)

That these people would rejoice in God, as they were created to do (Psalm 67, 96, Rom 5:1-2, Rev 5:9-10, 7:9-17)

That these Muslims might experience the power of the Holy Spirit and the sacrificial love of Jesus (Luke 4:17-21, Mark 10:45, Romans 5:8)

That God would get great glory in South Asia this summer and for all time (Isaiah 25:6-9, Isaiah 60, John 12:27-28, Romans 1:5, Eph 3:20-21)

“Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.” (Romans 16:25-27)

Sunday Picnic

(Our rendition of a picnic..hey now, don't call us posers, we were short on time.)

     You know those people that make the world a better place? (Cliche, I know) Everyone has their "people", and Mere is mine. I call her. Finders keepers. She is just one of those people that re-energizes you, and I needed that this week. The stress of test after test, ACT prep (it never ends), Africa prep, and the fact that I leave in approximately 38 days and ALL must be completed, done, checked off my list, FINISHED by that date, was wearing on me (55 days till Africa, but once I leave on the 13th for family vacation and National Convention, I am out of here). So, a Sunday picnic (and God's Word), was just the remedy. 

Jot It All Down

 (I spent a few days over Spring Break with a friend at the lake. Lots of time to read, journal, pray, and discuss God's Word. She challenges me to know God more, I would say that's a pretty good friend.)

(Whit is reading DP's Radical, can you tell we are rubbing off on each other a little?)

I like to jot things down. I like to make note. Even lists are nice sometimes (which seemingly goes against my ‘oh, anything goes’ personality). I like to keep journals, with as much detail as possible, but at the same time I like what I put on paper to have meaning, purpose I suppose. I want to remember it all, the GOOD, the BAD, and the UGLY. One of my favorite things to do is look back over my old journal entries, it blows my mind to see how God is molding me and growing me (It is all Him, because believe me, I would wilt on my own) even in the past year. Keeping a record of my everyday happenings holds me accountable. Whether it’s looking back on a low point and thinking, “I don’t want to go there again so I MUST stay firm in the Word”. Or reliving a joyous moment and reminding myself that Christ lavished His love on a sinner like me, and THAT should give me reason to praise, ALWAYS. My desire is for this blog to serve the same purpose that my journals do. To encourage, challenge, and convict me while I am serving in Africa. Not to mention keep everyone updated back home.

Some people have asked how they can help support me on this journey, (which is a tremendous blessing, because I obviously can’t do it on my own) so here is a little info along those lines:

• PRAYER. “It’s not the power of prayer that works, it is the power of the Almighty God you are prayer to.” Pray for me to be used by the Spirit, pray for By Provision as they walk in obedience to God’s Word, and ultimately, pray for the lost souls that desperately need to encounter the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
• FINANCIAL SUPPORT. Having confidence that God will provide all my needs, I am in earnest prayer for raising support. If you are interested in supporting me financially, please let me know and I will get you the information needed. I am excited to see God work in this way!
• SUPPLIES. I am going to be taking some sort of supplies over to Namibia with me. I will update everyone on how they can help in that way once I get more details.

Photo Credits: Gabe Fulmer