This holiday season is a wash....literally.

My mom and I decided to call this holiday season a wash and just start over next year. These past few weeks have been difficult to say the least for so many of my loved ones, and the holidays just didn't seem that merry this year. But as I started to think about this season being a wash, I realized that the holidays are a wash, literally.

We cannot celebrate the birth of this sweet baby we call, Jesus, without focusing on the reason that he was born and the reason he was sent to us. The great rescue story. The Father sent the Son for us. "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). He came to wash away our sins.

In the midst of all that is going on in my own life and in the lives of so many that I love during this holiday season, God reminds me of the reason for this season. He reminds me that His grace is constant. When I choose to lean on him and rely on him, He provides peace. He sent His son, the Prince of Peace, not to bring world peace, but to be peace on this earth (Luke 2:14). He is our peace during this time of trouble and uncertainty and struggle and fear.

Jesus was born to be our peace on this earth. And then, he died on the cross to wash away our sins. But he didn't leave us alone. The Father sent us a helper. John 14:26-27 says this, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit,  whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

I am overwhelmed by the gentle reminder from the Father during this Christmas season of his love for his Children. He sent his son to be peace on this earth, to die on the cross to wash away our sins, and then sent a helper to continue to be our reminder and our peace until Jesus returns. So, regardless of the struggles that my family and loved ones are going through, we remember that "since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, and we rejoice in hope of the Glory of God. More than that we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 5:1-5).

Created for a Purpose

Over the course of the last few months, I have been attempting to complete a one word bible study of Proverbs 16:24 "Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." My intention was to ponder a word for a day and then write about it, but some of these words have taken me a long time to process what the Father was teaching me. The last word in this verse is "bones". I love the image I see when I think about this word, because I see "bones" as our structure, or the way that we are built.

 The Father began showing me more specifically how he formed his daughters by taking a bone from his son and making it into a woman. Genesis 2:22-23 says, "And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made (meaning built in Hebrew) into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, 'This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.'"

I have the amazing opportunity to work to be in community with many wonderful women ranging in age from high school to college to young professionals, and I am consistently blown away with the Father's heart for His daughters and all of the desires that He places on our hearts as women. So much of these desires can be found in the story of creation.

In these verses and the verses leading up to the creation of woman, there is so much purpose in the Father's plan. First, He has Adam name "every living creature" and showing Adam that none of these living creatures are suitable as a helper for him. Then, the Father puts Adam to sleep and takes a rib (bone) from Adam to build a woman.Our Father in heaven created us, His daughters. He formed us and structured us perfectly. I am constantly talking to women about our struggles to find our purpose and searching for our identities, but the Father has shown us our purpose all along. He has built each one of us. He has created in us a desire to be loved by Him. He is continuously pursuing our hearts and our purpose and identity are to be found in Him. We are daughters of the King.

But he also created another structure when he created women. He created the relationship structure between Man, Woman, and Himself. In Genesis 2:18, God says" It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a helper fit four him." God tells Adam that it is not good for him to be alone, and after God created woman, He woke Adam up. God brings Eve to Adam, and he realizes that this living creature is "bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh." Adam realizes that Eve is to be his helper and in Genesis 2:24 it says, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh." God creates the structure of relationship between Man and Women.

So ladies, we must remember that we are created for a purpose and our identity is in Him. Remember that the Father pursues our hearts constantly and that we are worthy of a man who will pursue us and who will lead us.

Remember that we are called to be a helper. We are called to be a companion. We are also called into community with others. God doesn't want us to be alone, but I think the Father calls us to use gracious words in our friendships and our relationships. They are sweet to the soul and healing to the bones that he has used to build us.We should love each other and build each other up rather than break each other down. In the age of social media and constant pressure from the world to be perfect and look perfect and find your identity in how you look and what you wear and what you do and where you live, we must remember that we are made for community and we are called to be there for each other. We should hold each other accountable to finding our identity in the Father and listening when He pursues our hearts.

Ladies, we are also called to be helpers for our brothers in Christ. We are called to hold them accountable and look to them for leadership. As daughters of the King, we are called to support and love each other in all of our relationships and friendships. My prayer is that we would always remember our purpose and our identity and that the Father will get the glory in all of our relationships and all of our friendships.

Healing for the Broken

"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." ~Proverbs 16:24

      I decided to skip around in my one word bible study, because I was burdened today with the word healing. I don't think we can discuss the word healing without discussing the brokenness that needs healing. Today, especially, is a day when the brokenness of the world is so overwhelming when we remember the tragedy of 12 years ago and how the world will forever be affected by that fateful day. If you are old enough to remember that day, you most certainly will never forget where you were and what you doing when you heard the news of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Pennsylvania. Brokenness flooded a city, a nation, and the world in one fell swoop as shock and anger followed close behind.
      I was also overwhelmed, today, with the brokenness of so many of my students and all of the teenagers and young adults that I have the privilege of knowing. The exposure and demands in the world of teenagers today is unbelievable. They are precious, sweet sons and daughters of the King just struggling to find their identities in so many things and being pressured from every direction imaginable.
     Healing seems almost impossible in this broken world and these broken lives. But the world has been broken, these lives have been broken. Since The Fall. But God. I will say it again. But God. He had a plan. He had a plan for healing. He sent his son. To die on a cross. For our sins. For our brokenness. He is our redeemer. He is our superhero. He is our healer. Always.Matthew 4:23 says: " And he went throughout all of Galilee teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people."
       Jesus rescued us from this broken world, and he calls us to LOVE one another. Gracious words are healing to the bones. We are to act out of love in every circumstance. We are to respond in love in every situation. I love the way that 1 Peter 4: 8 from the Message explains it. "Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything." We are called to love each other. Our lives and the lives of others depend on it.

-I am not

It is well, with my soul

I have been thinking about the word "soul" for a little over a month now. Soul is defined as the very essence of our being. We sing about it, we talk about it. But the concept of my soul has been so huge that is too much to contemplate on my own, and slowly the Lord has been revealing this concept to me, bit by bit. Often my soul feels so restless in this world, and I think that is exactly how the Father wants us to feel. We are not meant to be of this world. This is not our home. My soul yearns for union the Father. And while I feel restless sometimes and often so far away from God, He uses so many gentle reminders for me to seek after him always. It is good for my soul when I do. He provides so many opportunities to see him in our everyday monotony. He allows us to step outside of time when we are with him. He quiets our minds, so that our hearts and souls can spend time with him.

I love the picture that Brett Younker gives in his song, "Burning in my soul".The lyrics are: "Whoa hear the sound from Heaven. Whoa, a mighty rushing wind. Whoa, we're calling for revival. God let your fire fall again. It's burning in my soul. I cannot contain it, this fire inside. I cannot contain it, so let it shine. I cannot contain it, this fire of mine. It's burning in my soul."

This image is so perfect for the way my soul feels restless in this world. My soul is yearning for time with the Father, and the Spirit living inside of me is burning to shine through me in this broken world. My soul, in communion with the Lord is on Fire for him and wanting so badly to put aside the things of this world and just be with him. My soul longs for revival in this world and for the day that Jesus returns. I find myself yearning more and more for this day that sometimes it is a struggle to remind myself that the Lord has placed me here for a reason in this time and this place for His purpose.

But He reminds me to constantly seek after him. I love the picture in the hymn, "It is well, with my soul." This is by far, my favorite hymn. Regardless of what is going on in our lives, it is well with my soul. Because we know the truth. We know our purpose is to love our Father and to live for our Father and the things of this world are only temporary.

The Message version of 1 Corinthians 7:17 says this: "And don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there."

My prayer is that my soul will seek after the Lord constantly to live and obey and love and believe wherever the Lord has me in the present. I pray that no matter what the circumstances I can always say, It is well, with my soul. And I pray that the fire inside of me will always be too much for me to contain that the Holy Spirit is constantly shining through me.

-I am not

the three the's in my life

"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." ~Proverbs 16:24

I have been slacking in my one word bible study, but really it is because I am a little stuck on "the". This word has been on my mind for a couple of weeks now as I have tried to find both the time to think and the time to write. "The" is such a simple word used to identify much of the things present in our daily lives. But I find that I get so wrapped up in the things that I have placed as priority in my life that I could spend many paragraphs discussing all of the things I do to try and serve the Lord. I am completely a Martha and need to learn how to be more of a Mary (see Luke 10:38-42).  But through all of the doing, I forget to spend time focusing on the three most important things: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. So here is to a restful Sunday evening and spending time with the three "the's" in my life.

-I am not

To Follow and to Trust the Father

I am attempting to continue with my one word bible study. I began last month, looking at Proverbs 16:24, "Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." I last pondered the word "sweet", so I have been contemplating the word "to" for several days, now.

As I began thinking of the word "to", I immediately thought of my trip "to" Uganda. The past two weeks since I returned have been full of processing the Father's work in my heart while I was there and all that he is doing in the country itself. I am overwhelmed by His faithfulness and His heart and His creation. To say that Uganda was a life changing experience is both an incredible understatement and an incredible exaggeration. The Father blew through my heart and soul while in that beautiful country. Those children, and teachers, and pastors, and friends showed me so much of the Father's heart that I feel completely changed. We never wanted for anything while in country, yet, it seems so easy to come back and settle into the comforts of my home and my friends and my family. My heart still struggles with leaving sweet friends and sweet children who loved so freely. But my heart is also here with my family, my friends, my students, and my calling to teach and love teenagers. I found peace in a devotion this past weekend from Moravian daily texts, "God calls us to comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable, and call everyone neighbor."

I don't want to be comfortable. I want to be used for His Kingdom and His glory. Always.

God called me to Uganda. He calls me to listen to Him. He calls me to love Him and my neighbors (even those in Uganda and even those I don't know). He calls me to Him. He calls me to serve. He calls me to my knees. He calls me to leave my comfort zone. He calls me to the cross. He calls me to follow Him each and every day.

And in each and every situation, He calls me to trust in Him.

I was reminded of the Hillsong United song, Oceans, and it is my prayer my heart and everyone who finds themselves in their comfort zone that we may learn to follow and to trust the Father: "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the waters where ever you would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, and my faith would be made stronger in the presence of my Savior."

-I am not

Our final day

Well, we have come to our last day here in Uganda. What a great day it was! We toured Bethany Village today. Bethany stands as a model of a self-sustaining community for other communities to study and replicate. They have a church, school, medical clinic, chicken houses, a piggery, and many agricultural projects just to name a few of their programs. There are approximately 145 children living at Bethany with even more attending the school. They are doing amazing things in God's name and changing many lives!

Getting to Bethany was an adventure! We took a boat across part of Lake Victoria and then road Bota Botas (motorcycle taxis) to the village. We even had a refreshing rain while we were there. The cities of Gaba and Kampala looked beautiful from the lake.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a picture of Uganda couldn't begin to describe how beautiful it is and how amazing its people are. They are hungry to hear the Gospel and eager to learn new and more effective ways to increase God's kingdom. We all have fallen in love with this place! We appreciate your prayers, your encouragement, and your support. It's great to be a part of a church family that lives out its mission of expressing the love of Jesus Christ. We came here to bless and encourage those who are doing God's work. But, in the end we were the ones who were blessed and encouraged.

See you soon Cornerstone. We're on our way home!

Wednesday in Bwerenga

Good evening from Uganda!  It is nearing 6:00 in the afternoon here and our team has had another incredible day of seeing what God is at work doing in Uganda, specifically among those in the community of Bwerenga.

We met in the home of Pastor Ernest and Momma Katherine and were greeted with a Southern hospitality we have grown to love.  Pastor Boaz shared with us about the vision of the church in Bwerenga and we see that there is a clear passion and vision for children from the Remand Schools (juvenile detention facilities).  For example, Pastor Ernest and Momma Katherine currently are fostering 31 children who would be in the facilities;  Pastor Boaz and his wife are fostering 10 children.  The example of these leaders has created a passion from within their church to raise support for a future Children's Home.  The vision is huge and the dependence on God's provision is even greater.

So as we were hearing the vision, several children between 1-3 years old came into the room and each of our team members became a peaceful resting place for the babies.  It was such a sweet sight to see a few of the babies being so cozy that they fell asleep in the arms of our team members.

After our visit, Pastor Boaz and Pastor Ernest wanted to show us their mission field, a nearby fishing village.  One of the more powerful statements from Pastor Boaz was that "they wanted to take the church into the community, not expect the community to come to church."  That was awesome to hear!!!  So at the village we went to the waterfront and saw the day's catch from one fisherman as the pastors visited with the locals.

Upon returning to the home, there were a number of families from the community who had been invited to the home in order to receive mosquito nets.  So sweet again to see the relief on their faces as the children were given their nets.  This is another avenue of the pastor's claim of taking the gospel into the community by giving away the nets.  One grandmother who has been struck with polio and yet is responsible for her grandson also received a net as Pastor Ernest invited me to walk with him to her home.  She was extremely grateful. All in all in Bwerenga, God is moving and their leadership is following the vision of God and it is awesome!!!

We are on our way to dinner now and we will prepare for our final night in country.  Thank you for your prayers!!!!  All of us will miss this wonderful place.

Pat Bethea

Day 5

Today was an incredible day but very moving and very difficult. We went back to Buloba to spend time with our sweet friends there. We started the morning with some heavy hearts, because we knew that today was our last day in Buloba and we would have to say goodbye to our friends there. On the way there, it began to rain almost as if the clouds knew we were sad, but we also knew that today would be a joyful day, because it was a day that the Lord had made. And we arrived to 200 smiling children and teachers to help serve porridge in the rain. Uganda is an absolutely beautiful country, but when it rains....the beauty around you will take your breath away. The beauty was only matched by the pure joy of the children and teachers surrounding us with the love of Jesus on every sweet face. After snack, we played games with the children. We played with beach balls and bubbles, and we just danced and sang. During the play time, Ginny and Pat gathered all of the teachers to pray over them and encourage them. It was a beautiful sight, especially from a teachers' eyes. It was a blessing to be able to love the teachers and show them appreciation along with the kids. I was able to spend some time talking to the principal about the school system and their resources. It was an incredible opportunity to hear all that these teachers' do with what is available to them.

After morning break, we split into our classrooms again to teach. Today, Kathleen and I taught a science lesson in primary two. We had so much fun teaching the students the parts of an insect. We changed the lyrics to head, shoulders, knees, and toes, and danced around and sang with our sweet kids. It is such an amazing experience to do what I love so much in a country that the Father has placed so heavily on my heart. We finished our lessons and went outside to play with the kids before lunch. We had a blast learning different games with the teachers and the children. We left to have another amazing meal at Pastor Eva's house with a plan to return to the church in the afternoon.

We returned to the church to participate in an outreach program with some of the members of the church. We went to every class to say goodbye to all of our precious children, and they sang to us in every class. They sang, "Goodbye teacher, goodbye teacher, goodbye teacher, may God bless you." We hugged them, waved goodbye, and began walking to houses in the community. We went with the church members to houses sharing the good news. We read Matthew 22: 37-40 with each family. "And Jesus replied, 'You will love your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is the great and first commandment. The second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these commandment depend all the laws and the prophets.'" We prayed with family and gave them a mosquito net from the church. It was an amazing experience to be welcomed so openly into these neighbors home. I am overwhelmed by the Father and his love  and grace for each person we have met and for each of us as he reveals himself in new ways every day. Mukama Akuwe Omukisa (May God Bless You).

-Laci Fralish

Day 4

Hello from Uganda! It's hard to believe our trip is halfway over. Today was another amazing day. We spent our day in Buloba at the school. When we arrived, it was time for their morning break. A few of us served them porridge then we got to play with the kids. It amazes me that even though the kids don't speak very much English, we can still communicate with them. The kids are full of love and energy. Being around them is so much fun.
After their morning break, the kids went back to class and we got to teach them their next lesson. We all paired off and were given a class to teach. Maggie and I got to teach the 8-10 year olds. We taught them numbers and and how to write them. Then our class took a break and sang a song to us. When the break was over, Maggie and I sat with the children for their next lesson. The children are always ready to learn. It is evident that they love going to school and learning. They are very bright and work hard.
When their second lesson was over, the teacher asked us to play games and sing with them. So Maggie and i exhausted our knowledge of VBS, Sunday school, and elementary school songs. The kids didn't know most of the songs we sang and got a kick out of watching us dance around the room, but they caught on very fast. They soon were singing and dancing with us. Some songs, like "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," the kids knew, which was really cool. Once Maggie and I had run out of songs, the teacher asked the kids to sing to us. They sang all kinds of songs, mostly in Lugandan. One child would start singing and the rest would join them by singing, dancing, and playing drums on the table. We definitely had a party going. Then someone started "Joy to the World." This was really awesome because we knew the song and could praise Jesus together. They also sang a song like Little Sally Walker, but in Lugandan, and they picked a kid to dance in the front of the room. It was so much fun! I loved being able to have fun with the kids and not have the language barrier to worry about. When we were singing and dancing we all understood each other.
After our dancing sessions it was time for the kids to have lunch. While the kids were eating, we went to Pastor Eva's house to eat. She always feeds us such delicious food! When we finished lunch, we went back to the school to deliver mosquito nets to the families of children in the school. We went to a few of the nearby houses with the kids who lived there and gave the kids the nets and showed them how to hang them up. The families were so grateful and so were the kids for the mosquito nets, and we were grateful for the opportunity to see where these sweet kids lived and to meet their families. When we got back to the school, it was almost time for the children to go home. So they lined up and we gave them each a net to take home. The looks on their faces were wonderful. They were so happy to get the nets!
Today was such an amazing day. Spending time with the children is so much fun. I am so blessed to be here! Please keep us in your prayers as we finish our trip! Mukama Akuwe Omukisa (God bless you)!

Lauren Van Tuyl

Day 3

Hey from Africa!! So, today was so amazing! As you all know, it is Sunday. This morning we started off by visiting Gaba Community Church during their time of worship. It was amazing to see all of the people praising The Lord and just to feel His spirit fill the Sanctuary. We sang a couple of songs that all of us on the team knew. One of the songs really hit home with me today. We started singing Shout to the Lord, I immediately teared up. That is a song that I grew up listening to and I usually just sang not understanding the words and singing because everyone else was. Today, I really listened to the words and took in what they meant. I was processing all of this as I was trying not to cry my eyes out. It was so special to me to sing that and to actually understand and process what it all means. We then sang 10,000 Reasons. That is also one of my favorites and I can't ever sing it without thinking of Brian belting it out. That song has always been a favorite!! After worship concluded at Gaba, we traveled to participate in worship and listen to the message at Buloba Community Church. These two churches have different styles of worship but they are both so incredible. At Buloba we sang many songs and watched as the children particpated greatly by dancing and jumping around! To me it was neat at Buloba because you could feel the Holy Spirit in the midst of all the worship. Mr. Wes said tonight that at Buloba this morning you could tell that the people weren't there to see friends or to just hang out. The people of Buloba were there to truly worship and desired to be there. I could not agree more. You could just feel the Holy Spirit. It was amazing! After we concluded worship, they asked us to introduce ourselves! So, everyone gets up there and introduces themselves, naturally. The congregation of people were so welcoming and so loving. A big thing that has tugged on my heart this trip is that I did not know how much of an impact Cornerstone and the people/families of our church sponsoring kids meant to them. After we introduced ourselves Pastor Mark came up and gave an awesome message about the importance of being the church and the importance of the family in that setting. He really expressed that without God in your family you have nothing, which is so true. During the service I got antsy on and off and I situate myself a lot in the chairs. I noticed that the children didn't move at all during the service. If they had to go to the restroom they got up quietly and without making a sound walked out and then returned. The kids of Buloba are so incredible. When the service was concluding Pastor Mark called our team up to the front and said that they were going to pray over us. Everyone in the Sanctuary, all children included, stretched their hands toward us and everyone begin to pray. And, once again, all I could do was tear up. I just felt so loved and so unworthy. I felt the spirit of The Lord in that place. Honestly, there are just no words for the feeling I had. The service concluded and then we got to just hang out and talk to our sponsor children and meet some of the adults within the community! It was so awesome and they treated us just like family! You can't help but just get attached to every one of the children there. We got with our sponsor children and gave them the gifts we had brought them and the look on Karen's face when we gave her the bag of goodies did nothing but fill my  heart with so much joy.  And it is the things like that, that have been tugging on my heart strings this week. She never stopped thanking mom and I. It's just the little things and it is incredible! We left Buloba and went to lunch at Pastor Eva's house! The food and fellowship was amazing, as all of it has been! This afternoon we just had a chill afternoon! We went to the market after lunch and it was so awesome! All of the individuals working there were so incredibly sweet and there was so much to purchase. I wish I could've bought one of everything! After going the market we went to a coffee shop, sat around and just chatted and ate pastries and drank coffee! It was a great time to just relax and hear about everyone's experiences so far on the trip. Today was so incredibly and I cannot wait to see what The Lord has in store for us during the rest of our time here! Please continue to pray for our team! We love y'all so very much!!

Kathleen Hand

Day two is now coming to an end. (For us, anyway.) Today, we traveled back to Buloba Community Church to hang out with the kids. Today was what they called "Center Day". It is a lot like our Vacation Bible School, but held only on Saturdays. Even though the two sound very similar, it was a great and different experience to all of us.

When we arrived, the children were gathered in the church singing and dancing along to some worship songs.We snuck into the back and clapped along with them as they sang. For a lot of us, the sight of those children praising God so full-heartedly and so full of energy, brought tears to our eyes. It is such a blessing to see these kids loving God and praising Him for the things that He does.

After worship, we introduced ourselves to the kids and had someone interpret a little for us. It brought a smile to my face to hear the kids welcome us and clap for us.

Today, we also got to watch the kids give back to the church. Half of them went down to the well to get water and the other half began clearing out the church. Our team did the same; half of us traveled down to the well to help the kids and the other half stayed to help clear. Once we were finished removing benched from the church, we all walked back down to the well to see if we could help. That view alone was a sight to see. These kids, many of whom are younger than ten, took the trip to the well about five different times. And each time, they had smiles on their faces and a skip in their step. I had one little girl who couldn't have been but seven years old, hand me a jug of water and I carried it back up the hill. That was an experience that left me speechless. I, at seventeen years old, was huffing and puffing up that hill. The little girls beside me, were laughing and talking to each other. I barely had the every or the breath to do either.

Our team then got to serve lunch to the children. We scooped porridge and handed out pieces of bread. Whenever these kids were served they would reply with a thank you and a short bow/curtsy. That was new and a little startling. I have had people thank me before, but never has anyone bowed to me while thanking me.

We ate lunch at Pastor Eva after serving the kids. No matter what meal we are having at the moment, it is amazing and very filling. Pastor Eva was very welcoming and we all enjoyed speaking with her about her family and her house.

After lunch, we went back to the church and met our sponsor children. We were able to take pictures and to talk with them a lot, so it was a great surprise to come back to. The children then took us to the field again where we exercised and played a game that was very similar to Red Rover. It was a lot of fun to jump around and cheer with the kids when their team won.

We are now back at Patrick's guest house having our down time before dinner. Today has been such a great one and God has been blessing us so much already. Tomorrow is Sunday and you guys know what that means. Church! I am very excited to see two Ugandan church services and can't wait to the Father's love and glory blow throughout those places. We will probably post pictures tomorrow! Much love to everyone from Africa!

Kaitlyn Spencer

We're officially in Uganda! It's so great to be on the ground after our 21 hours of flying. The flights were really fun, but it's so nice to finally be here. Our plain landed around 11:30 last night, and Eddie picked us up from the airport. I'd heard people call him Fast Eddie, but I wasn't expecting him to be that fast! Riding in the car with him is almost like riding a roller coaster; it's so much fun! Today was sort of a chill day, so that we could get accustomed to the time change and whatnot. We went to the church in Gaba and got to meet some of the people at Africa Renewal Ministries. We met the lady who was in charge of sponsorship, and she told us that they've started a program where locals can sponsor kids. She said that many of these sponsors are people who were sponsored when they were younger. They were really excited about this new program and hope to have many more local sponsors. After that we went to the mall to exchange our money and eat lunch. Then we went to the church in Buloba. It was so much fun! They took us down to the well, but unfortunately we didn't have any jerry (not sure if that's spelled right) cans to fill up. When we got back to the church we got to meet all of the kids. We all went down to the field to play netball, soccer, and jump rope. The kids are all so sweet and happy. It's so easy to see Jesus in these little kids. The way they love you without out even knowing who you are yet is so powerful. They taught us a few games, most of which involved jumping and dancing. Some of the kids played soccer and handball. One of the little girls even told us a story in Lugandan. It was just so much fun to get to hang out and play with them. Eventually we had to head back up to the school, but we're going to go back tomorrow and Monday. Tomorrow is center day, so there will be even more kids there. I'm so excited; I can't wait to be there! We should be able to post a few pictures on the blog sometime later on in the week.
Maggie McCollum

Uganda Youth Team 2013

I can't believe that it is finally time for me to go to Uganda. This has been an extremely long awaited journey for me, but the Father is so incredibly perfect in his timing. I have been dreaming of going to Africa for at least 12 years now, but the Father placed the amazing country of Uganda on my heart about six years ago. He new that he was preparing a team for me to go with and a church for me to go with on this trip starting tomorrow. So bright and early in the morning, I have the privilege of going with 4 of my amazing bible study girls and three amazing adult leaders to Buloba, Uganda, for nine days. I am going to take a break from my one word bible study, and our team will be posting updates of our trip on my blog. Please stay tuned for all that the Father has planned to teach us and use us over the next nine days and hopefully in the years to come. Please pray for safe travels, for team bonding, for our hearts to be open to what the Lord wants to teach us and how the Lord wants use us. May we move when he tells to and follow where he leads us. Please pray that we will continue the relationship that our church has with the beautiful people of Uganda and that Jesus will get the glory in every thing that we do and say always. We will arrive late Thursday night, so be looking for an update, then.

-I am not

You are beautiful my Sweet, Sweet Song

"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."-Proverbs 16:24

As I continue to study one word in this verse each day (or every other day or so), I am continuously amazed by what the Father chooses to teach me. The word that I have been thinking about over the past couple of days is "Sweet". I am very familiar with this word, because it is a daily part of my vocabulary. I am constantly describing people and things as sweet, and I am constantly consuming sweets throughout the day. But I decided to look up the definition just to see all the variations of the word "Sweet". And the Father blew me away with the each definition:

1. Containing or derived from sugar.
2. Pleasing to the senses, agreeable.
3. Pleasing to the mind or feelings, gratifying.
4. Having a pleasing disposition, lovable.
5. Kind, gracious.
6. A dear or beloved person.

Now, the first definition was not so shocking. I am familiar with things that are sweet to taste, but I immediately thought of sugar as kisses. Growing up in the South it is common to hear someone say, "Give me some sugar." And it means to give me a kiss. I love the thought of gracious words being sweet like sugar or kisses to people that you come in contact with. And I LOVE the thought of the gracious words we say to people being an extension of Jesus' love being poured out through us. That means when we use gracious words with everyone we come in contact with, it is as if Jesus is giving each person a sweet kiss on the cheek and greeting them hello or goodbye. Its like that David Crowder song..."When Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss, and my heart turns violently inside of my chest, I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way, He Loves Me."

Imagine if that is this picture that every person had of Jesus when we spoke to them.

The second and third definition are similar, but I loved how they fit with this verse. Gracious words are pleasing to the senses and the feelings. These words feel good. Being sweet to someone is gratifying to both you and the person receiving the gracious words.

The fourth and fifth definition are also similar. We should have a pleasing disposition towards others by being kind and gracious (and I loved the fact that gracious was in the definition for sweet, by the way). But we should also treat others as if THEY are lovable and kind and gracious. I am firm believer that people act the way you expect them to act. If you expect them to be mean when you start the conversation, then they will catch on to your expectations and fall into those expectations often, not always, but often.

And the last one is my absolute favorite. Someone sweet is a dear or beloved person. Louie Giglio explains in his one word bible study method that the word "be" is just another verb tense of the word I AM. I AM is God or the way the Father described himself to Moses, "I AM who I AM." So the word beloved can be literally interpreted to mean...I AM Loved or God loved. So if we treat every one as sweet, or a beloved person with our gracious words. We are saying that every person we come in contact with is BELOVED.

The Father also reminded me of this amazing Third Day song this morning on the radio with the lyrics: "You are beautiful my sweet, sweet song." Here is a link to a youtube video: You are So Good to Me by Third Day

- I am not

Honeycombs and the Kingdom

"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." Proverbs 16:24

I have been contemplating the word honeycomb for a couple of days, now, using the one word bible method. I kept thinking of this major complex design of a honeycomb. A honeycomb is a structure built by honeybees from their own wax to hold their babies and the food for their babies to eat. Honeybees work their whole lives to build the honeycomb, collect pollen, and then fill the honeycomb with honey for food.

But the Father has shown me such a simple depiction of the word honeycomb especially in relation to this verse. It is not complex at all. I adore this picture that the Father has given us from his perfect creation of honeybees. If we use gracious words that are so filled with His grace with everyone we meet, then it plays a small but integral part of continuing His work to build and nourish His children all over this world. We must fill people up with grace to nourish and encourage for His kingdom and His glory.

It is not going to be easy, though. Honeybees work their whole lives for their purpose, and we must work hard to fulfill this purpose for the Father. Because we are not perfect, we are human. Our natural instinct since the fall is not to be kind to one another. Our natural instinct is to fall victim to the flesh. I was reminded of this idea on Wednesday at a new small group that the Lord has blessed me with.  It requires work to battle our flesh. We were discussing the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5, as well as, the list of desires by our flesh at the beginning of the chapter. The Fruit of the Spirit is a much shorter list, yet love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control seem so much more difficult to live by in our busy world. 

It requires work on our part to battle our flesh and live by the Fruit of the Spirit. Thankfully, the Father has sent us a helper in the Holy Spirit so we don't have to go it alone. He also provides community in our friends, neighbors, and church. But we must work. We must actively try to be kind and gracious to others with our words and actions to fill people up for His people and His glory just like God's little worker bees and His honeycomb.

-I am not 

How many a's do you have in your life?

"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." 

-proverbs 16:24

So today, I have been thinking over the word "a". It is not a very big word, but I found quite a bit of meaning behind it today. We often use the word "a" to describe something specific. Usually, the word "a" refers to a quantity of something like a blessing. The word "a" defines how many blessings we are talking about in the sentence. 

So, I started thinking about how many a's I have in my life.  I have a loving and supportive family full of stubborn women. I have a lot of great friends that are like sisters and brothers to me. I have a job...that I love. I have a car. I have a cell phone. I have a place to live....very comfortably. I have a lot of clothes and shoes. I have a meal in front of me three times a day and sometimes more. I have a church. I have a small group with a lot of amazing women to do life with. I have a community of support. And last but absolutely most importantly, I have a Father who loves me unconditionally and a Savior who died for me on a cross. 

I think of how many times, daily, I take for granted all of the many blessings in my life, and the Father used such a simple word to remind me today. 

-I am not

Are we who we want to be?

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. -proverbs 16:24.  

The word I have been contemplating all day is "are". We use this word in so many ways in the English language. We use it to describe what we are doing and who we are. I felt the Father just pushing me to think of all the ways I describe myself and my friends. 

We are: going somewhere, running, sleeping, watching tv, reading, working, laughing, playing, eating, studying, busy, planning, driving, walking, picking something up, texting, checking out, playing games, constantly doing something. 

We are: sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, friends, teachers, cooks, lawyers, builders, doctors, nurses, employees, workers, brothers and sisters. 

The word "are" is really just the plural form of the word "be". It is defined as merely existing, or to live, or to be real. So I can't help but think how different the world would be if the way I described myself and my friends and people was different. What if, 

We are: helping others, loving, worshipping the Father, loving, praying, loving, giving to others , loving, sharing the Gospel, loving, listening to those in need, loving, speaking out for those who can't speak for themselves, loving, adopting kids, loving, raising children to do the same, loving, available, loving. 

We are: His, daughters and sons of the King, brothers and sisters in Christ, adopted by the King and heirs with Christ.

 Romans 8: 15-17 says this: "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and if children, then heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." 

My prayer is that the way we define ourselves and what we do with our lives becomes more about Him and less about us. 

-I am not 

our words vs. The Word

 I was planning on meditating yesterday on the next word in the proverbs 16:24 verse which would have been "are". But instead, I found the Lord teaching me more about the word "words". Sometimes our words seem so inadequate for the situations and feelings that we face on a daily basis, yet so often we forget to look at The Word and His truth to fill up our hearts and souls and pour us out into the hearts of others. 

Last night, I was saying goodbye to my sweet roommate and amazing friend as she goes off to start her life as a mrs. We were crying and reflecting and I struggled to adequately express her impact on my life this past year. The Father knew perfectly what he was doing when he placed us together as roommates for this season of our lives. Yet, my words were not enough.  

So I found no choice but to stop struggling for my own words and look at The Word. And what did the Father so wonderfully have ready for me on the first page I opened it to? None other than 2 Samuel 22:31. "This God--his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him." 

His words and his word are perfect. When I am inadequate, His Word provides light, and hope, and truth. In the struggle between our words and His Word, our battle is better focused in our hearts as we rest between the pages of His truth and His love.  

-I am not 

Words

So yesterday, I started looking at this bible verse one word at a time using the One Word Bible Study Method. 

"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." 

                                                                -Proverbs 16:24

The Father showed me so much about the word gracious yesterday, and he has yet again revealed a little bit himself with "words" today. 

When I started thinking about "words" a phrase automatically came to mind that I have heard so many parents and babysitters say over the years: "Use your words."  So often with small children you have to ask them to explain their feelings to you. Instead of just crying about something, you want children to be able to adequately express their feelings, wants, and needs. We teach small children this concept early, and how often do we use our words throughout each day to express our feelings, wants, and needs? How often do we tell God exactly what we want and how we are feeling about something? How often do we express our opinions to others in public and private when often times our opinions are not needed? How often do we use our words to yell at people in customer service positions, work places, or those in our families, because we are not getting exactly what we want or think we need? How often do we use our words to tear people down instead of build them up. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can also hurt me and others, at least they can stick with you for a while.

We tend to like to talk a lot. I am extraordinarily guilty of that. I like to tell people my opinions, but I also like to tell God what I need and want. My prayers usually consist of a list of things that I want and need him to do for me and for others. But the funny thing is….the Father already knows everything. He doesn’t need us to use our words. He is already there. He is omniscient. And he knows better than we do. Who are we to tell the Father what it is that we need. He already knows what we need and what we want. We just may not know that it is what we want, yet. An amazing friend told me this year to stop praying for God to grant me the desires of my heart, but instead to pray for God to make the desires of my heart align with his desires for my heart. The Lord already knows what it is that we need and want and doesn’t need us to tell him. But he does want us to talk to Him and worship Him and use our words to build people up so that He receives the glory in all things. And in walks the word “Gracious”, again. Our “words” should only be used when they are “gracious” to people and to the Father. All day, every day, period. 

-I am not

one word bible study method

I have never tried blogging before, but I tend to enjoy reading them. So, here it goes. I have a feeling that the title of this blog is going to change often, based on what the Lord is teaching me in the moment. In this case, gracefully gracious is just a little about what the Father has been speaking to me in the most recent weeks. The Father is continuously filling me with his grace and showing me how and where to let that grace overflow graciously in love to those around me. 

I just finished reading Louie Giglio's book, I am not but I know I am, for the second time. It is a phenomenal book about the story of the God, and the fact that I am not the center of the story (because I am not God). I am deeply loved by the center of the story (I AM or God), but I am not the center. In the book, Louie Giglio discusses something called the one word bible study method. It is an intriguing way to look at verses in the bible in which you prayerfully meditate over one word of a verse each day until the Father reveals his grace and goodness and wisdom in that word. So, I decided to try it. The verse I chose is from my devotional for the day. It is: 

 "Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." 

                                                                -Proverbs 16:24

Using this verse, my first word to contemplate is gracious. Luckily, I had a six hour bus ride home from a trip today to think about this word, and it has blown my mind what the Father has revealed to me. 

First, the word gracious is used here as an adjective. Meaning it is describing a noun. Today, I was blown away with the thought of that word being used to describe people and their actions in this world. Would people describe me as a gracious person? Would I describe others as gracious in this world that is so fast-paced and quick to judge? Sometimes? Often? All the time? I think the Father is teaching me to keep my eyes open and to be gracious towards people in all circumstances. Not so that people will see me and describe me as gracious, but so people will see the Father in everything that I do and He will get the glory.

Second, the word gracious can be defined as being courteous or kind. I was overwhelmed by what the Father showed me in the simple meaning of this word. The root word of gracious is grace. The Father is full of grace for His people. The cross is the most powerful example and picture of the Father showing us grace and love. If we have received this grace through Jesus, then do we not have the biggest opportunity to show that grace to others through our love and our service by being gracious to people all day long every day?

I want to be so aware, overwhelmed, and full of the grace that Jesus has shown me that I can’t help but have that grace overflow into all areas in this life that the Father has blessed me with by being gracious in everything that I do.

-I am not