Today is the most beautiful day that I have ever experienced in Wisconsin. The sun sparkles through the trees and the breeze sweeps through my hair gently. The leaves are in full color from yellows to greens, oranges to reds, and everything in between. The air is a perfect 73 degrees and wraps around me as if winter has never existed. I tilt my head up and marvel at the perfectly cloudless sky that is proof that only God could paint such a picture. The smell of camp fire in the distance polishes off the perfect autumn day-and my soul is at peace with life and I am reminded of God's perfect beauty.
...how did God show his perfect beauty to you today?
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
God at work, despite us
September is here and classes have started! Yesterday was Mike's first day of classes. I sat in on a few of the classes and today Mike is off again to other classes. Assignments are being assigned, papers are being written and the smell of summer fun has evaporated. The crisp breeze of fall is in the air and leaves are beginning to turn into beautiful colors of orange, yellow and shades of red. In a few weeks fall will be in full bloom and God's beauty will be bright and alive in Westboro, Wisconsin.
In these past few weeks God has been doing some amazing remolding in my heart. Mike and I have been learning a lot about doing ministry; some days we are enthralled in ministry and there are other days that we find ourselves frustrated at humans ability to get in the way of God's work. At times I wonder why God even uses us sinful beings to "accomplish" His works, but then I was reminded that that is what makes ministry of testimony of His great glory. If we as Christians truly worked off of our own strength, we would never accomplish anything-it is only through Christ's power, grace and mercy that we are able to see God at work in human ministry. It is for this reason that we as Christ's workers should not allow church politics, frustration in ministry, or differing opinions to stop us from serving Christ. If we quit each time we are frustrated or hurt, we will never have the opportunity for Christ to be glorified in the ministry that God has called us to serve him through. The ultimate testimony of a great ministry is not how successful it is or how many people the ministry is serving, or even the budget, but rather, the testimony is that God works in that ministry despite us and uses us despite ourselves.
In these past few weeks God has been doing some amazing remolding in my heart. Mike and I have been learning a lot about doing ministry; some days we are enthralled in ministry and there are other days that we find ourselves frustrated at humans ability to get in the way of God's work. At times I wonder why God even uses us sinful beings to "accomplish" His works, but then I was reminded that that is what makes ministry of testimony of His great glory. If we as Christians truly worked off of our own strength, we would never accomplish anything-it is only through Christ's power, grace and mercy that we are able to see God at work in human ministry. It is for this reason that we as Christ's workers should not allow church politics, frustration in ministry, or differing opinions to stop us from serving Christ. If we quit each time we are frustrated or hurt, we will never have the opportunity for Christ to be glorified in the ministry that God has called us to serve him through. The ultimate testimony of a great ministry is not how successful it is or how many people the ministry is serving, or even the budget, but rather, the testimony is that God works in that ministry despite us and uses us despite ourselves.
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