Friday, January 23, 2009
Courageous Pioneer Women
Hebrew 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
My fascination with courage continues to increase as I read stories of women who despite the oppositions drew from within themselves the ability to rise above what ever was opposing them. Change especially one that brings hardships takes courage. Which is why I love reading about those pioneer women who wanted something better for their families. As Christian women we should never be satisfied with where we are in our Christian walk. Especially as Christian women we need to be courageous wise hearted women and take hold of the opportunities that God sets before us daily. Even though we do not travel in covered wagons across the deserts or in ships across the ocean we can face our days as pioneer women.
1.Pioneer women weren't satisfied where they were (we should never stop being learners)
2.Pioneer women had a vision. (being a wise hearted women in everything)
3.Pioneer women were willing to travel. (it may only be across the street to talk to a neighbor about the Lord)
4.Pioneer women were aware of the hardships that this life can bring. (in this world ye shall have trials and tribulations)
5.Pioneer faced the hardship that came. (I sit my face toward the high calling of God)
6.Pioneer women accomplished much. (little is much when God is in it)
7.Pioneer women worked diligently.
8.Pioneer women lead the way for others. (all of us are leading someone)
9.Pioneer women prepared the way.
The word "courage" is in the words discourage and encourage. It takes no wisdom to discourage someone but we become a wise hearted women when we encourage others. What a challenge to my heart daily to encouraged instead of discourage, to be a courageous wise hearted woman.
My fascination with courage continues to increase as I read stories of women who despite the oppositions drew from within themselves the ability to rise above what ever was opposing them. Change especially one that brings hardships takes courage. Which is why I love reading about those pioneer women who wanted something better for their families. As Christian women we should never be satisfied with where we are in our Christian walk. Especially as Christian women we need to be courageous wise hearted women and take hold of the opportunities that God sets before us daily. Even though we do not travel in covered wagons across the deserts or in ships across the ocean we can face our days as pioneer women.
1.Pioneer women weren't satisfied where they were (we should never stop being learners)
2.Pioneer women had a vision. (being a wise hearted women in everything)
3.Pioneer women were willing to travel. (it may only be across the street to talk to a neighbor about the Lord)
4.Pioneer women were aware of the hardships that this life can bring. (in this world ye shall have trials and tribulations)
5.Pioneer faced the hardship that came. (I sit my face toward the high calling of God)
6.Pioneer women accomplished much. (little is much when God is in it)
7.Pioneer women worked diligently.
8.Pioneer women lead the way for others. (all of us are leading someone)
9.Pioneer women prepared the way.
The word "courage" is in the words discourage and encourage. It takes no wisdom to discourage someone but we become a wise hearted women when we encourage others. What a challenge to my heart daily to encouraged instead of discourage, to be a courageous wise hearted woman.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Great Team
Recently we had our yearly regional conference where our missionaries come out from their bush location and for several days we get our hearts refreshed by our speaker Neal Burleson. During that time we hear from each of the teams on how the works is going in their location. One team just presented death, burial and resurrection to the people. Another is finishing up literacy and will be begin teaching the Bible soon. and another is into the disciplining stages of teaching. for those of on the support end we were encouraged once again how important our role is in keeping these young couples out in the bush to do what God has called them to do.
These are some of the highlights we ladies heard from our special speaker, Ruth Patton on the subject of "bearing one another burdens"
** Does the exhortation to "bear one another burdens"throw you into a guilt trip, making you feel that one more things is being expected of you? Or does it instantly get you into the "comparison mode", measuring how well you are doing in relation to others having people over or other acts of kindness?
** Psalms 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens, the God is our salvation. He already is bearing my daily burdens! No sense both of us bearing them.
** Our daily burdens are tucked into our daily circumstances and each of us face different ones. The enemy loves for us make our circumstances our life instead of Christ being our life.
** Spending time alone with Christ, in His Word, listening to His truth, changes my perspective on what I am going through. As I cast my cares on Him because He cares for me, I get revived.
** Gal. 6:3 says that we are to show love for one another which is the law of Christ by bearing one another's burdens. Most of us are people pleaser by nature and tend to think this verse means I should do whatever is needed being done. We all have a hard time saying "no" to people. There are many needs, and we are not asked to meet every one. NOTHING IS HARDER TO BEAR THEN A BURDEN WE ARE NOT CALLED TO CARRY.
** The real key to all this is our time alone with Christ. When we really let go of our own burdens because we embrace with our understanding that He is already carrying the weight of them for us, anyway, THEN we are in a position to look "other-ward". He can reveal to us if He wants us to do something, even if it is a hard thing, then He will empower us to do it. He will renew our strength.
**The hymn to the song, What a Friend We Have In Jesus says it best.
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care
Precious Savior still our refuge, Take it to the Lord in prayer
O what peace we often forfeit, Oh what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer
**What a blessed time we had a women of God seeking to become "wiser hearted women".
** Does the exhortation to "bear one another burdens"throw you into a guilt trip, making you feel that one more things is being expected of you? Or does it instantly get you into the "comparison mode", measuring how well you are doing in relation to others having people over or other acts of kindness?
** Psalms 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens, the God is our salvation. He already is bearing my daily burdens! No sense both of us bearing them.
** Our daily burdens are tucked into our daily circumstances and each of us face different ones. The enemy loves for us make our circumstances our life instead of Christ being our life.
** Spending time alone with Christ, in His Word, listening to His truth, changes my perspective on what I am going through. As I cast my cares on Him because He cares for me, I get revived.
** Gal. 6:3 says that we are to show love for one another which is the law of Christ by bearing one another's burdens. Most of us are people pleaser by nature and tend to think this verse means I should do whatever is needed being done. We all have a hard time saying "no" to people. There are many needs, and we are not asked to meet every one. NOTHING IS HARDER TO BEAR THEN A BURDEN WE ARE NOT CALLED TO CARRY.
** The real key to all this is our time alone with Christ. When we really let go of our own burdens because we embrace with our understanding that He is already carrying the weight of them for us, anyway, THEN we are in a position to look "other-ward". He can reveal to us if He wants us to do something, even if it is a hard thing, then He will empower us to do it. He will renew our strength.
**The hymn to the song, What a Friend We Have In Jesus says it best.
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care
Precious Savior still our refuge, Take it to the Lord in prayer
O what peace we often forfeit, Oh what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer
**What a blessed time we had a women of God seeking to become "wiser hearted women".
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Recently in California a lady clerk in a grocery store ask me what my pendant said. My heart raced for I have been waiting for someone to ask me. After I said, courage, she replied, is that the same as "guts", I smiled and said yeah I think it could be called that. She then went on to say, well with the way the world is going we are going to needs some guts...I couldn't agree more even though I don't think she and I were thinking the same thing. Her next customer was pushing her groceries up to the line so I knew I might be able to get one more word in for Him. I took a deep breathe and said Mam I am a Christian and all that is going on does not concern me much for I know the Lord and He will give courage for whatever is to come. I could tell she would have talked more but work called her so I gave a huge thank you and left this dear soul in God's hand, I had planted, someone else will water.
For several years I have been collecting courageous wise hearted friends. Friends I know well, some I only met once, a few I have never met. It all started when I bought my first courage ring and then went back to buy enough for all the women in my Sunday school class. Being an older women class I knew they would appreciate the burden God laid on my heart to give out courage. Over half these ladies were widows so they understood the courage it takes to get back into life after losing a loved one. A couple women live with unsaved husbands, some have to live with their children after being on their own for so long or their children had to live with them. One had a son in prison, another had family member with cancer, several had chronic ailments of their own, physical pain they bore daily, heartache after heart ache walked into that Sunday school class weekly. But the challenge to them as I put the courage circle chain on their necks was to look around the church and find a younger women, maybe even a teen who needed a courage touch. Then if God so leads, give them the courage ring and I would to the best of my ability get them another one or give them the web site to order their own.
The first one to do so gave it to their grand daughter who was struggling with school. I begin to pass out these courage rings to other friends, in the states and even overseas with the same exhortation. Next I heard from another mother who daughter needed a touch of courage, one of our missionaries in the bush gave hers to a tribal lady struggling. Another mother whose daughter had a break down parted with hers and put it around that sweet frail daughter neck. A missionary laid aside by a debilitation illness must leave their love of their life, missions and come home. several young missionary women who are just starting out their journey overseas. A homeless women living in her car brought to the Lord by some courageous wise hearted women. There is now a band of sisters all over the world who wear the "courage circle" as a reminder to take courage and in a fallen sinful world look for some one to encourage.
The word courage is in both discourage and encourage and we are the only ones who can chose which to do.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
You cannot be loving if you are not courageous.
You cannot be trusting if you are not courageous.
You cannot enter into reality if you are not courageous.
Hence courage comes first... and everything else follows.”
Often the real test of courage is not to die, but to live. Hope has two beautiful daughters - their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are. Jesus said, I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move.Courage is resistance to fear; mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Mark Twain
My little courage pendant that hangs from a chain near my heart has helped me conquer my fear of flying. Given me words when I thought none would come, shut my mouth when too many words spilled out. Courage has helped me follow my spirit filled husband who has taken me all over the world to serve the Lord. Now I find at my age, 67 a need for courage still for my body is getting frailer as I type. Nothing stops time. I have to wonder in the still nights when I cannot sleep, will that courage be there to be old, you know really old, everyone tells me 67 is not old so there must be older. My mother lives in a nursing home and at age 87 I see courage every time I get to visit her. I sense her resistant to give into the dreary life that comes with a nursing home living. I hear her voice as she goes to the singing, helps the staff stuff Easter eggs for the children egg hunt. I watch her struggle as the two nurses it takes to get her out of her wheel chair to go anything, she takes courage hand every day. She may be the bravest women I know right now.
Acceptance takes more courage then action.
God give me courage
This is a re-post with a few changes to fit today for you see...I still need courage. I wrote it in 2007, we were still serving in the country of Papua New Guinea. My study on "courage" has been on going and I am always finding little gems that open up this action of valor.
Some I found recently come from the minds of children...pure wisdom.
Courage can be standing up to a bully or retraining the urge to punch out somebody's light. REAL COURAGE REQUIRES WISDOM. Chelsea, age 6
One more....Without courage, "You wont' have as much fun because you will always be scared of almost everything," says Alex, age 7.
Have you heard a good quote on "courage". Drop it in my comment box, it will give me courage.
(Since I posted this, my mother has went to glory. I am 74 instead of 67, lots of water has pasted under this old bridge. It's ok, to repost a repost...there is new insight as I read what was happening in my life in 2007. So much to be thankful for comes to mind as I re-read this. Don't forget to share a, "courage quote" in your comment if you have one. Blessings.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
One Way Ticket Life
For years my husband and I and our two children lived the round trip ticket life. Traveling for short stays either visiting family, vacations and a few over seas short trips. All that changed when we committed to become missionaries with New Tribes Mission in Bolivia, South America and take on the ministry of being dorm parents to high school boys. With excited hearts we bought our first one way ticket which brought about a ton of new experiences. Just the packing alone took on a whole new dimension as we had to plan for living not visiting for three to four years in this third world country. Facing the emotions of knowing we were not going to see our home country, family and friends for such a long time seems to overwhelm us at times. There was the concern of how our daughter Tara 14 and Jared 10 year old son would adjust to this drastic move. All too soon we were packed and saying our last good by's at the airport and started on our journey.
Within a few days of being in Bolivia it was clear how much we had taken for granted living in the good old USA. Things like electricity around the clock, Wal-marts on every corner, not having to cook anything by scratch and my list could go on and on. But you do learn to live according to what is available.
Our son jumped right into the culture of the school base but our daughter was depressed from being so homesick and that on top of caring for 16 high school guys was stretching us more then we had ever been stretched. That one way ticket commitment was weighing very heavy on us as we watched our daughter struggle in tears most nights. We had been warned that the move would be hardest on her. As we prayed God begin to slowly bring our daughter out of her homesickness and three years later when she graduated she didn't want to leave Bolivia. Another chance to trust Him as we bought those one way tickets again to the states not knowing how long it would take her to adjust. I remember so clearly as we packed up for the first furlough packing one tote full of things we would want sent to us if for some reason we oculd not return. Another one of those things one usually doesn't do when taking a short trip somewhere on a round trip ticket. Since we came to Bolivia with 19 bags I could see how our value of things had changed drastically.
All too soon furlough was over and once again we bought, you guessed it, one way tickets. These tickets were harder to buy because we were leaving our daughter in the states to continue her educations. I really thought I was going to faint from just pure heartbreak as we walked away from her and boarded that plane. Once again God brought comfort to our hearts that He would take care of her and meet her needs. I remember wishing He would just dry my tears so I could see clearly to at least eat the meal they served us on the plane a few hours later.
Three more years passed quickly as we minister and then it was time for our son Jared to graduate. Another step of faith as we began the process of taking him home on a one way ticket. I tried hard not to think ahead to when we would return to Bolivia leaving both our children behind. While home God changed the direction of our life as we felt impressed to step out of the mission and help our struggling home church. So I really thought that was the end of that one way tickey way of living. We could settle in and enjoy the fruits of stateside living and being close to our family. All that wisdom we had gained from flexing and trusting would help us minister to others.
Well I guess God thought we had more to learn for after a few years He called us to serve over seas again but this time in Madang, Papua New Guinea. Now I really questioned the Lord's wisdom on this one for we were 58 years old and this country was less developed then Bolivia and the weather was hot, humid and malaria infested, not good for us older people. I have to admit I have been a little mad at God as I've sweated and fought the heat rashes and taken care of my husband as he struggled with malaria. In my heart I felt like God asked too much this time at our age. That excitement I remember feeling as we started our missionary journey to Bolivia just was not here this time. How could I serve Him with such a heavy heart. But as I reflected back to Bolivia when we sit with our crying depressed daughter and told her that it was OK for her to be mad at God for up rooting her, He was big enough to handle her anger. And that homesickness was not a sin, that He was homesick for heaven those 33 years He walked this earth. Like her I have slowly came out of my anger and culture shock and became so thankful for the ministry we have now. I would still prefer living in a cooler climate with mountains surrounding us instead of right on the ocean and in a more developed country but this "one way ticket" way of living has deepen our trust in God.
Recently our son, now 25 signed off his email to us, "Jared your son, protected by the Son". I wrote him back and said, yeah Jared you got it dear son. That's the truth that gave us courage to buy that first one way ticket and the same truth has us looking forward to traveling on that paid for one way ticket to our heavenly home some day.
Within a few days of being in Bolivia it was clear how much we had taken for granted living in the good old USA. Things like electricity around the clock, Wal-marts on every corner, not having to cook anything by scratch and my list could go on and on. But you do learn to live according to what is available.
Our son jumped right into the culture of the school base but our daughter was depressed from being so homesick and that on top of caring for 16 high school guys was stretching us more then we had ever been stretched. That one way ticket commitment was weighing very heavy on us as we watched our daughter struggle in tears most nights. We had been warned that the move would be hardest on her. As we prayed God begin to slowly bring our daughter out of her homesickness and three years later when she graduated she didn't want to leave Bolivia. Another chance to trust Him as we bought those one way tickets again to the states not knowing how long it would take her to adjust. I remember so clearly as we packed up for the first furlough packing one tote full of things we would want sent to us if for some reason we oculd not return. Another one of those things one usually doesn't do when taking a short trip somewhere on a round trip ticket. Since we came to Bolivia with 19 bags I could see how our value of things had changed drastically.
All too soon furlough was over and once again we bought, you guessed it, one way tickets. These tickets were harder to buy because we were leaving our daughter in the states to continue her educations. I really thought I was going to faint from just pure heartbreak as we walked away from her and boarded that plane. Once again God brought comfort to our hearts that He would take care of her and meet her needs. I remember wishing He would just dry my tears so I could see clearly to at least eat the meal they served us on the plane a few hours later.
Three more years passed quickly as we minister and then it was time for our son Jared to graduate. Another step of faith as we began the process of taking him home on a one way ticket. I tried hard not to think ahead to when we would return to Bolivia leaving both our children behind. While home God changed the direction of our life as we felt impressed to step out of the mission and help our struggling home church. So I really thought that was the end of that one way tickey way of living. We could settle in and enjoy the fruits of stateside living and being close to our family. All that wisdom we had gained from flexing and trusting would help us minister to others.
Well I guess God thought we had more to learn for after a few years He called us to serve over seas again but this time in Madang, Papua New Guinea. Now I really questioned the Lord's wisdom on this one for we were 58 years old and this country was less developed then Bolivia and the weather was hot, humid and malaria infested, not good for us older people. I have to admit I have been a little mad at God as I've sweated and fought the heat rashes and taken care of my husband as he struggled with malaria. In my heart I felt like God asked too much this time at our age. That excitement I remember feeling as we started our missionary journey to Bolivia just was not here this time. How could I serve Him with such a heavy heart. But as I reflected back to Bolivia when we sit with our crying depressed daughter and told her that it was OK for her to be mad at God for up rooting her, He was big enough to handle her anger. And that homesickness was not a sin, that He was homesick for heaven those 33 years He walked this earth. Like her I have slowly came out of my anger and culture shock and became so thankful for the ministry we have now. I would still prefer living in a cooler climate with mountains surrounding us instead of right on the ocean and in a more developed country but this "one way ticket" way of living has deepen our trust in God.
Recently our son, now 25 signed off his email to us, "Jared your son, protected by the Son". I wrote him back and said, yeah Jared you got it dear son. That's the truth that gave us courage to buy that first one way ticket and the same truth has us looking forward to traveling on that paid for one way ticket to our heavenly home some day.
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