Psalm 139:9-10
New Living Translation (NLV)

"If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me."


I am so thankful for this reality.
Today and always. He is with me no matter what time of day, or where I dwell. He guides and protects, and His strength matches none other. And that strength, that strength alone supports me in my heart and my life and my love.

I will trust Him.

because He IS the I AM
i am
your mutating missionary
&ebenezer

God Cares for the Little Guy

I, like so many other followers of God, enjoy reading the Bible every day.

When I was in the states for my 15 month 'furlough' in 2011 I discovered a Read Thru The Bible In A Year plan that really excited me.

A group met every week for one hour to discuss what they had discovered over the week of reading. It was during the lunch hour and those working outside the home were encouraged to pack a lunch and bring it, discuss their thoughts and share (on a note card) their prayer requests. The prayer requests were then distributed to the group randomly with a commitment to pray for that particular issue over the week. The group was honorable in keeping to the hour designated and it allowed many who would not normally be able to be involved in a weekly bible study participate.

At least one of the people in this group was going on their 7th year.  There were no requirements and if someone wasn't there they simply continued reading the bible at the same place as everyone else. It was encouraged to not play 'catch-up' if one missed a day or so. This seemed to become daunting if the time slipped by for too long and instead of giving people that stress, everyone was encouraged to just read the days passages.

In fact, some people had to drop out for months at a time due to other commitments of either them, or their family. But, they would step right back in after those commitments were finished and pick up right where they left off.

It was a great group of people. No real LEADER as such. More of a coordinator/facilitator. And she did a great job!

I have decided to begin a 'bible study' like this here in Germany. I don't know how it will work, but I think it is a wonderful option.

This morning I sit at home with no car. Mine died yesterday. It didn't get sick. It died. I loved my car, but had been aware lately that it was probably not the best for me and Ebenezer. Too long for my parking lot and too 'sedan'y'' for Ebenezer. But it has served me well for 7 years and considering it was year 2000 I think burying it is OK.

God prepared my heart. Some might say - that is silly. Some might say - God doesn't care about cars. Some might say - good grief, God has more to concern him than you and your measly little car issues.

I don't find that to be true. Throughout the word I find that God cares about the little guy.

Yesterday in my reading through the bible passages, I came up on a character I learned about years ago but had forgotten about.

Mephibosheth.

Did you ever hear of him?

He was the son of Jonathan. He was King Saul's grandson.

Now we all know that King Saul wasn't the greatest of Kings to David. However, he was an anointed king. As is so aptly proved by David's continually protecting him, or becoming angry when someone attacked him or his family. Even at the point of David's being hurt or killed, David would always protect King Saul's person.

(another lesson in honoring the office, even if we don't care for the person in the office - a lesson at another time.)

God placed Saul in the position of King.

Now back to Mephibosheth.

2 Samuel 4:4

"(Saul's son Jonathan had a son named Mephiboshet. who was crippled as a child. He was five years old when the report came from Jezreel that Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle. When the child's nurse heard the news, she picked him up and fled. But as she hurried away, she dropped him, and he became crippled."

We hear nothing more about Mephibosheth until David has become King of Israel and he begins to question if any of Saul’s family is still alive. – “anyone I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Samuel 9:1

After inquiry he discovers there is a grandson of Saul’s that is crippled and living with Makir.

Being crippled I would imagine his life had been ‘less than’.

And yet, because of King David’s promise to Jonathan and his love for Jonathan, King David took this man out of his surroundings and placed him in a home, with rich farms available to be tended by King Saul’s own servants.

Because of his promise.

David is referred to as the one who had a heart like God’s. Of course as a human he failed, was punished, and stood in the place we all stand--- humanity.

But He was a man after God’s own heart.

When I read how God came and completely loved on Mephibosheth through David, I see that He cares for the little guy. --- unfortunately Mephibosheth didn't appreciate God's provision. I don't want to be there either.  I want to be faithful to the end. I want to be one of His children.

I am just one of the ‘little gals’.

I am simply a small missionary with a heart to serve God in any way He desires me to be used. I find Him coming in and seeing not only my heart but also my needs.

I have been blessed. God cares. He involves Himself in my little life.

Because HE IS the I AM,

I am

Your mutating missionary

and- ebenezer

God is Able

"God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."
2 Corinthians 9:8 (ESV)

God is able...
God is able...
God is able to provide.

To provide not only the need but in abundance, the blessings.

He is able to provide in all sufficiency, in all things, at all times.

Please Lord come in and allow every good work to go on. Sufficient time, energy, love, verbal skills, monies, order, and inner rhythm to do the work laid before. It is a must.

The harvest is white.

I love you Lord.

because He IS the I AM,
i am
your mutating missionary
and ebenezer

Faith is a noun, not a verb.

Faith
Noun
1. Confidence or Trust in a Person or Thing
2. Belief that is not based on proof
3. Belief in God or in the doctrines or teaching of religion
4. Belief of anything as a code of ethics, a standard of merit
5. A system of religious belief

Webster adds: complete trust

As I walk into this year of the Good and Beautiful God I realize that without faith all is for naught.

"When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.' Simon answered, 'Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.' When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break."    Luke 5:4-6

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." Psalm 91: 1, 4

I am venturing into waters unknown for me. I am ordering my days specifically, for specific purposes and asking God to keep my from becoming rigid in these plans. I desire to be lead by Him moment by moment and not so confined to 'MY' idea of how the day should go.

Right now, the mornings are filled with 5:00 risings and still time with Him. Then home preps, and then dog duty. Ready for the day between 8:30 and 9:00 and we are off to new horizons.

I am watching as God is filling my days with order, peace, and ministry. This brings so much joy. One of the new things that I have implemented is 5 minutes of quiet in the middle of the day. I have chosen to do this at 11:00 am. I have set my reminder on my phone, so no matter where I am it reminds me. This is early enough not to catch me of guard in case I am out mentoring over lunch with a woman, and late enough to not get tangled in with the daily work that needs to be done before lunch: i.e. German study, Bible study attendance or teaching, Bible study preparation, mission work...Yes that is usually my morning fare. And oh the joy that I find in this 5 minute stop.

Over 20 years ago I implemented 30 minutes on, 5 minutes off, work technique. That has kept this very active mind productive. Before I implemented that little technique I would spin and spin and never get anything accomplished. Now, I set the timer for 30 minutes and then again for 5. Work 30, reminder and then 5 minutes of taking a breath of fresh air with a walk to the mailbox for example, get a tea, or if out-and-about just observe life, lifting my head from the page...  This has been such a help for me.

But, this new implementation of 5 minutes of total break in the middle of the day is different. In this 5 minutes I totally stop, close my eyes, and meditate on Him. It is rejuvenating my days! I wait with excitement for the ll:00 timer - why? Because I get to snuggle with Him, no matter where I am, no matter what I am doing. I just close my eyes and I am simply in the 'BE' place.  You know that place... that place where you 'Just BE'. Now, I am not saying that I am praying for others the entire time, honestly - I must admit the majority of the time is just listening, just stopping, just being!

Remember Faith is NOT a VERB... it is a noun. No action is necessary. It is a place from which you come. It is a grounding to set yourself on. It is core.

So for now, this is what I desire to share in this little journey of seeking the Good and Beautiful Life with God 2013.

How is your search going?

your mutating missionary
and ebenezer

Walking into 2013 with the Good and Beautiful God who IS (and list of 'ponder' books from 2012)

Walking with the Good and Beautiful God who IS.

For almost 26  years I have sought to find God in the most intimate ways possible. This search has lead into reading spiritual classics, weeks of silent retreats, fasting, prayer, community, simplicity, solitude, service, and of course bible reading and study. Falling on my face in my late 20's and crying out in all honesty to the God Most High: "I just want to know YOU. I want to see Your face and touch Your hand. I don't care what it takes," entered me into a Journey.

The Journey lead me down both potholed roads and gardened paths.

At present, the Journey finds me in Germany as a missionary to women. Sharing the Gospel, sharing the joy of reading the Word, sharing life. All of life. The ups and downs, ins and outs, the growth that we call sanctification, spiritual formation, maturity in Christ.

Therefore, after reading a few books either for the first time or again this last year, I began questioning myself.

• How do I seek the Good and Beautiful God? 
• Do I love the God Jesus knows - nothing held back love? 
• Have I become more numbers/results oriented than Christ follower/Christ seeker oriented? 
• Have I begun to let the German Text Books for learning the language weigh me down into forgetting that God breathed words into being... He spoke the world into being... He and He alone changes the heart of man.
• Is He really my Everything?
• Do I seek time alone with Him as a lover seeks?
• Do I listen?

 I know that many of these questions have the DO in them. And I am not at all implying that we can DO anything more than accept Jesus. But just as a healthy relationship requires 'doing', so a healthy spiritual relationship requires our giving up of ourselves and listening for our next steps. Seeking Him is an action. How we seek is as unique as our fingerprints.

I am not one to make 'New Year's Resolutions'. I always fail in them. The last fifteen or so years I have instead asked God to give me a word and the verse to live into for the coming year. The word that He gave me for this year, "Abundance". The verse... well, that is private.

I desire to share this walk into Abundance with the Good and Beautiful God. I desire to chronicle it. For His Glory to be shown. I want to answer the above questions for this new year with positive answers. I want to grow deeper into the Lord.

Does that mean I expect no heartache? Hardly! I know that His Abundance doesn't look like our idea of Abundance. I desire to see what HIS looks like. I hope to be more like Jesus. I desire to know Jesus more intimately.

 Learn a new song.

Grow into someone that loves more like Jesus loves.

Look with child wonder into the world before me held in complete protection by the Good & Beautiful God who IS.

Anyone up for joining me?

your mutating missionary
and ebenezer

Ponder Books I Read or Re-read this year:
"The Good and Beautiful God - Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows" by James Bryan Smith
"Everything - What You Give and What You Gain to Become Like Jesus" by Mary DeMuth
"One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp
"The Divine Embrace" by Ken Gire*
"Crazy Love - Overwhelmed by a Relentless God" by Francis Chan
"Dangerous Wonder - The Adventure of Childlike Faith" by Michael Yaconelli*
"Abandonment to Divine Providence" by Jean-Pierre de Caussade*
"Pia Desideria" by Philip Jacob Spener (translated by Theodore G. Tappert)
"Sacred Companions" by David G. Benner
"Spiritual Direction" by Henri Nouwen*
"The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius" translated by Anthony Mottola*
"The Explicit Gospel" by Matt Chandler
"Surrender to Love" David G. Benner
"The Gospel of Ruth" by Carolyn Custis James*
"The Rest of God" by Mark Buchanan
"Life with God" by Richard Foster
"Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster*
"A Long Obedience in the Same Direction - Discipleship in an Instant Society" by Eugene Peterson*
"Ordering Your Private World" by Gordon MacDonald*

I won't add the Historical Classics/Today's Novels/or GERMAN textbooks.  But I can recommend more if anyone is interested.

Here is a link I have discovered and enjoyed in the last few days.

Check out this link http://girlmeetspaper.com/

Christmas - the reason?

It is
Christmas Morning.
The tiny fairytale town I live in is so quiet this morning, on Ebenezer's walk I heard the rush of the creek that runs beside the town.
It is
Christmas Morning.
Spending time contemplating the 'reason for the season' I found I could not remain in 'Christmas'.

Why?
Because:

Without the Cross, the birth of Christ is a mute point, a mother's story, a sweet refrain.
Without the Resurrection, the Cross is only a painful murder.
Without the Return of Christ for his Bride we are stuck in this evil world.

So I REJOICE this morning and wait in anticipation for His returning to recapture His Bride, the Church. I trim my lantern. I wait with baited breath for God, the great three in one to return. I will dedicate extreme service without complaint and expect no explanation from the Great God who needs not give any.

And the church bells toll.

your mutating missionary
and ebenezer

Thanksgiving Break

Run to Him when your heart is weary
Run to Him when it is torn
Run to Him when the world is heavy
Run to Him when it is worn

"My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God.

Pray About Everything

² I urge Euodia and Syntyche to iron out their differences and make up. God doesn’t want his children holding grudges.

³ And, oh, yes, Syzygus, since you’re right there to help them work things out, do your best with them. These women worked for the Message hand in hand with Clement and me, and with the other veterans—worked as hard as any of us. Remember, their names are also in the Book of Life.
^4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
^6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

^8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies."  

Philippians  4: 1-9 the Message via BibleGateway

I will be back before Christmas.
I now: Let my petitions and praises shape my worries into prayers, letting God know my concerns. I seek a sense of God's wholeness, I seek to know everything is coming together for good, I seek to settle down in Him. Christ come and displace the worry that is at the center of my life. 

Meditating on things "true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful not the ugly; things to praise, not to curse."

Seeking to ABIDE in the vine. Seeking to hide a thankful heart within.

your mutating missionary

& ebenezer