2012 A Year to be Remembered!

Another year has gone by and I find myself reflecting on one of the most amazing years I've experienced thus far in my life. The beginning of 2012 found me in beautiful Northern California starting the second semester of school at Bethel. I gleaned much wisdom, teaching, insight from the mothers and fathers of that beautiful house of faith. Bethel is one church I can say walks their talk. I'm so thankful to be a part of a church that lives and breaths true love.

During the last five months of wrapping up my schooling at Bethel, I had the joy of travelling and experiencing so much! The first and biggest trip was to the Philippines. It was the most amazing, most memorable, and most life changing missions trip I've ever been a part of as evidenced by my previous blog postings about my experiences there. I actually haven't finished blogging about all that I experienced during that trip...but to tell you the truth, no amount of writing could capture everything I encountered there.

My dear friends Rachael Masten and LeeAnn Reynolds visited me in the spring and while we were together, we enjoyed the magnificence of Burney Falls located only about an hour away from where I was living in California.

My best friend since I was six year old, Claire, and her husband, John Roth came to visit me as well. During their visit we were able to take trip to the west coast to enjoy views of the Pacific Ocean and the grand Redwood Forest. We enjoyed a seven mile walk in the forest and stood in awe of God's creation.

Before my year in Cali was over, I made sure to visit some of the "must see" local tourist spots including San Francisco, Yosemite, and Napa Valley with one of my best friends I met at Bethel, Honey Storlie.

In fact, Honey and two other amazing young women, Beena Benny, and Sarah Wind, are solidified in my heart as life long friends and ministry partners. These women are a huge gift from God from this past year. I would not have known them had I not taken my exciting adventure out west. We stay connected to this day supporting each other in prayer and with wisdom for any given situation that arises. I like to call us the Fantastic Four!

My nine months in Cali wrapped up with my graduation and knighting at Bethel. What special moments those last days held. I have journals full of notes from the school year in which I'm sure to glean from in years to come. I have friends around the globe and experiences that can never be traded or taken away from me. In fact, I gained a rich inheritance from many mothers and fathers of the faith at Bethel. It was truly a John 10:10 year - living the abundant life!

The last week I was in Redding, I had a farewell dinner with a few of my friends while watching the sun set at a local vineyard. The food was delicious, the company was delightful, and the setting was beyond beautiful! The lovely lady in the photo with me is Sharon - she's the owner of the house I lived in last year.

After driving across the U.S. back home to Indiana, I was welcomed by beautiful friends and family and a place to live during my job search (thank you, Brad and Gail for opening up your lovely home!). The move back to Indiana and to Bloomington specifically, was a dream come true in of itself. Claire and I have dreamed of living in the same city as adults ever since we were little girls. Aside from that, I'm now only two hours away from my parents - I haven't been that close to them since I left home to go to college! While I certainly miss my friends in Fort Wayne as well as California, I'm so happy to be living the dream here.

When I took the risk to leave my job in Fort Wayne in 2011, I felt strongly that God had promised He had a specific place for me to work in Bloomington after my adventure in California. However, I had no idea I would have five months of waiting before that promise would be fulfilled. I find it funny that the number five is associated with grace and it was exactly five months that God gave me grace to wait for my new job. During those five months I played (as indicated in the photo above - floating in Lake Monroe with the Pontius and Roth families), I reflected, I rested, I exercised my faith muscle, I reconnected with friends and family (as indicated by the photo booth picture taken at my cousins wedding below), I learned to receive from others at a whole new level, I continued to cultivate my creativity through writing and painting, and I looked for a job, of course.

I was finally offered a job with Cook Medical and even on the first day of work, I knew I was right where I was supposed to be. That day was marked with a handful of blessings and confirmations - things that were out of the ordinary for me and a sign that God fulfills His promises and is faithful!

While the learning curve is very large, the job is a great fit for me, and my co-workers are amazing! They've been so patient and helpful during my season of learning the ropes. There's room to grow at Cook, many opportunities to continue to learn as well as opportunities to contribute to not only the community here in Bloomington but to people worldwide! I'm so thankful. Cook's mission statement is also one I support whole-heartedly:

"Cook is dedicated to bold leadership in pioneering medical solutions to enhance patient care worldwide."

I'm also honored to work at a company that instills and lives out these values:

Patients: Maintain a deep concern for patient safety and well-being.

Quality: Provide the highest quality medical products.

Customers: Treat customers with respect and serve them to the best  of our ability.

Knowledge: Solve diverse medical problems while maintaining a willingness to listen, learn, innovate and educate.

Integrity: Respect our company by giving our best effort, loyalty, honesty and accountability.

Employee Involvement: Acknowledge the contribution of our fellow employees.

Corporate Citizenship: Serve as a corporate role model for the betterment of society by being a sensitive employer and contributor to the communities where we reside, and an example of the highest integrity in business dealings.

Environment: Minimize our corporate impact on the environment and act intentionally to preserve and improve our surroundings for future generations.

From what I've observed so far, Cook lives up to these values and vision. I'm beyond thankful to be a part of this outstanding team!

So there it is - a snapshot of 2012 - a year I will always remember and treasure in my heart. Here's to a New Year filled with joy, peace, love, unending hope, fulfilled promises, and fun surprises - welcome, 2013!

Sometimes Beans Are Cruel

It’s common knowledge, laughter is good medicine. Everyone can use a good laugh, right? That’s why I’m sharing this lovely piece of literature – written by yours truly in a writing group a few weeks ago. We were learning how to write well by mirroring excellent authors. The author we were studying for this piece of work happened to be entertaining a very sad topic. I chose to take a Weird Al Yankovic approach instead. Are you ready for this? Here we go!

Sometimes beans are cruel.

This is ultimately the fundamental lesson here; as doctors hail their nutritional value, children and people of all ages suffer the social side effects.

Sometimes it’s lima beans. Sometimes its kidney beans. Sometimes it’s great northern beans. Sometimes it’s black beans. Sometimes it’s refried beans. Sometimes it’s red beans. Sometimes it’s green beans. Sometimes it’s pinto beans. Sometimes it’s cannellini beans. The results are in: beans of every variety generate flatulence. This is the price of being human.

So dig out your air freshener. Blast your music as loud as you can. And delight in all the nutrition your body is receiving, despite all the cruelty of beans.

Are We There Yet?

Oh that infamous question on long journeys, “Are we there yet?” How many times have you asked this very question? I know I’ve asked it countless times. I can’t remember a season in my life when I personally haven’t been waiting for something. When I was a little girl I waited to see if I got the latest Barbie for Christmas. I waited for school to start…and then I waited for school to end. Then I waited to get my driver’s license. After that I waited see if I was accepted to the college of my choice. Right now I’m waiting for several things in my life: for a job, for my future husband, for a place to call my own, for people I’ve been praying for to know Papa God’s extravagant love, for my friends to see the promises of God fulfilled in their lives…the list goes on. It’s the nature of life.  We’re always waiting for the next thing. So what does contentment look like if we’re always waiting? How do we wait well…not only for our own desires but to see the desires of our dearest friends come true? How do we live life to the full and embrace the present moment while living in the tension of longing for those desires to be fulfilled? I’ve been thinking about these questions a lot lately and have a few thoughts on the matter.

Scripture is very clear that patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 says,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” So in order to have any of these things…I must be filled with the Spirit of God. Without the Holy Spirit, these character qualities are impossible to muster up in my own strength. Could it be that waiting helps us realize our dependence upon God? I think so. I’ve learned being dependent upon God is so much better than relying on my own strength. I tend to mess things up when I do them on my own. But when I involve God…things turn out so much better. You see, He’s a mastermind of our hearts, our minds, and our entire lives. He sees the tapestry that He’s intricately weaving. He knows what thread needs to be placed where and when all the time aware of the beauty the tapestry holds not only in the end product but also in the process. The weaving (waiting) may seem mysterious to us because we can only see the tapestry in part, but perhaps that mystery is God’s way of inviting us into communion with Him. 

Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” Why would it be the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search out a matter? Some mothers and fathers of the faith have helped shed a little light on this question for me in the last year. I tend to agree with them in that the glory happens because the concealing is God inviting us into communion with Him. He’s not hiding things FROM us but rather He’s hiding them FOR us. The treasures He has for us our intended to be revealed. He gives us the treasure maps (a combination of God’s Word, prayer, and His people) and then invites us on this grand adventure with Him. And on the journey to find the treasure (our hearts desire) …we get to embrace the biggest treasure of all – knowing and receiving the extravagant love of the King of Kings. After all, He’s our guide and we get to spend a lot of time together while seeking out this treasure we’ve been anticipating and looking forward to.

So what does this adventure in seeking out and waiting for the treasure to be revealed look like? How are we supposed to search out the matter? I have a few ideas mostly stemming from Psalm 37.

Take delight in the Lord! Psalm 37:4-5 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your hearts desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and He will help you." God loves to have fun with us. Go ahead, tell Him a joke. Ask Him to tell you a joke. Laugh together. And delight in His goodness. Are you having a brain fog and can’t remember who He is? Do a study on the Names of God and what they mean to jog your memory. If that doesn’t surface delight in your heart for the Lord, then ask Him to enroll you in the school of experience regarding the names of God. For example, when you experience Yaweh Rapha, the Lord heals, I can assure you delighting in Him will come easily! In fact, being enrolled in the school of experience regarding who God is, is always a good idea even when you’re easily able to delight in Him.

Commit all I do to the Lord. For me this looks like handing the control of my life over to God. That means partnering with God to do what He asks of me and then leaving the timing and directions for my next steps in His mighty and fully capable hands. Whenever I take the reins into my own hands, it seems that I always end up out of synch with God’s timing and plan. But He’s always faithful to gently ask me if I’d like Him to take the reins back and then aligns everything back to His order for my good and for His glory.

Trust God. This means saying no to fear whenever it pops up. It means remembering and believing God is who He says He is and He does what He says He will do. I love how scripture says God will help us when we trust Him.

Be still before God. Psalm 37:7 says, “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act.” I personally think this is where our romance with the King of Kings begins. As we gaze into His eyes, see who He is and experience Him while we are still in His presence, how can we not fall in love with Him? He’s too good and perfect not to! I also think that this is where rest happens. Isaiah 30:15 says, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” In rest is your salvation. It’s in this place of being still before God that we gain strength. If we’re always working and moving, we’ll have no energy to enjoy the treasure once it’s revealed. Besides, aren’t journeys more fun when you rest along the way?

Wait patiently for God to act. There’s that word again – patience. Looks like God intended waiting to be an intricate part of our lives, so it’s time to embrace it and depend upon Him to help us be patient. Give yourself permission to wait. Just because our culture encourages immediate gratification, doesn’t mean we need to buy into it. God’s Kingdom is upside down according the wisdom of this world. But in the end, God has victory over darkness…over the wisdom of this world. I think I’ll choose to be on God’s team and wait patiently for Him to act.

Fill my heart with Scripture so I won’t waver again. Psalm 37:31 says, “They fill their hearts with God’s law, so they will never slip from his path.” Wow – so filling my heart with scripture has a direct correlation with staying on the path God has for me. It turns out the Word of God is an intricate part of the treasure map. I think I’ll pay attention to it, meditate on it, and fill my heart with it.

Keep being patient and travel steadily along God’s path. Psalm 37:34 says, “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you, giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed.” Such great rewards are ahead of us when we travel steadily along God’s path and wait for Him to act.

I've only selected a few scriptures from Psalm 37, but the whole chapter is full of insights, wisdom and guidance for waiting well. I realize this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to learning how to wait well. There’s so much more – always is. But I pray this is an encouragement to you and for God’s grace and love to cover you in on your journey toward whatever you’re waiting for. May you find contentment in the journey. There are Divine appointments to attend in the waiting…nothing is wasted. And be encouraged because as Bill Johnson says, “A delayed answer to prayer is gaining interest!” All the better of a celebration to be had! And I dearly love to celebrate!