Opportunities: God is so Good

God has been blowing me away the past couple of weeks with the opportunities he has provided, opportunities to pray for people, invite people to get involved in church/ministries. I haven't been seeking out any of these opportunities. They've just fallen right into my lap.

The first opportunity has been a series of conversations and actually began over a month ago. I was telling a classmate a story from my weekend and mentioned CEC (College Evangelism Conference). She then asked what that was and then expressed a desire to get involved in a church. Well, I'm a little slow to act, but about 2 weeks later I sent her a message inviting her church and the BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministry) if she was interested. About a week and a half ago before class started we were talking and she thanked me for the message. As we continued to talk about church and worship another classmate joined in. It brought so much joy to hear another classmate talking about her faith and having a personal relationship with God!

The opportunity was right there, in simply telling about my weekend. As I mentioned in a previous post, you don't have to search hard for opportunities. I'm not advocating living blindly and only waiting for the seemingly perfect opportunity to just pop up right in front of you. Yes, you should continue to seek out ways to share Christ, but be aware that many of those ways are already right there in your everyday, normal happenings. That's part of missions. Missions isn't just a trip or during holidays and breaks. Missions is a lifestyle. Missions is living for Christ and making Him known daily. Making the most of every opportunity. Let us heed what Paul said to the people at Colosse:

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversations be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:2-6

The second opportunity brought to mind part of the MasterLife Bible study. One of the days of the study talks about praying the names of God. Here is what it says about Yahweh:

Yahweh signifies the God who is with you all the time. God used the name to reveal Himself to Moses in Exodus 3. When God said to Moses, " 'I AM WHO I AM,' " He was probably saying in effect, "Go and do what you are told, for I am with you" (see Ex. 3:14). Have you  been aware of His presence when you believed that He was asking you to do something difficult?

I don't think it wasn't something difficult the Lord was asking me to do but it shocked me. After it happened I was surprised wondering if that really just happened. If you know me, you know I don't talk much. I'm pretty quiet and reserved. I tend to give brief responses. While I was getting gas on Friday a man, Kenneth,  approached me. He told me some story about his mom dying and some other stuff and asked if I could give him some money for gas. I told him I didn't have any money I could give him. Before I knew what I was saying I asked, "Kenneth, can I pray for you?" He said yes and right there at the gas station I prayed with Kenneth. Never in my life have I ever done something like that. It didn't even cross my mind until about 5 minutes later as I'm driving away how unlike me that was and that that actually just happened. I was surprised but thanked the Lord for the opportunity and for not giving me fear.

Finally (but not really because even since this another opportunity has come up), Monday I asked somebody if they would be interested in playing in BCM Bowl. I was expecting to have to  really try and convince him to play. I told him about it and that it was for missions and his response was, "That's a great cause," and he'd think about it. I gave him all the information I had about it, talked about missions, and invited him to the BCM. He agreed to play! Then today, someone else who overheard me asking him about playing in the game asked about it. They know some people that might be interested.

Maybe nothing else will come out of these opportunities. I don't share all of them to brag or try and make myself seem extra righteous. I share them because they have shown me there is nothing to fear and it's not that hard. The opportunities are there. The past few days I've been absolutely giddy about how good God is and I've had God is so Good playing in my head many a times.

God is so good.
God is so good.
God is so good.
He's so good to me. 

How many times can I say opportunity in one post?

Jesus Walks on Water

I was a bit of a skeptic (hey, kind of like Peter!) when we told about the MasterLife Bible Study we were going to be doing this semester through the BCM. It did not grab my interest and I did not expect to get much from it. I contemplated not participating in it, but I did, and how glad I am I did! Though I do struggle to keep up with it I glean something from doing it each week.

A couple of weeks ago the passage reading was Matthew 14:22-36. I opened my Bible to it saw the heading "Jesus Walks on Water." I thought to myself, "this passage. I've read it before, many times. I know how it goes. I even know the point that some people take from it about Jesus going off by himself to pray." I did not want to read it again, there was nothing more to gain from it, so I didn't.  I closed my Bible and went to bed.

The next day, as I opened my book to do the next day of the Bible study, I saw the empty page from the previous day. I told myself, whether I wanted to or not, I needed to read the passage and finish that day before going on. Before I read the passage I prayed. I prayed that I would stop being such a cynic and that the Lord would give me a deeper understanding of the passage or reveal something new to me from it.


Well, the Lord answers prayers. I read the passage and the Lord hit me with some truth. In the MasterLife Bible study when you read a passage you are supposed to answer "What God said to me:" and "What I said to God:" Here are my responses.

What God said to me:
Peter was willing to ask, to question. If you're willing to do that (to ask such questions/make such statements to the Lord) then you better be willing to hear the answers and trust the Lord, even if it is scary. Peter was willing to make the demand to the Lord, v.28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water." Then he got fearful and doubted and begun to sink. If you're going to have that boldness, you need to have just as much trust in the Lord.

What I said to God:
What am I supposed to be doing with life, preparing for the future, career? Where do you want me to go? What do you want me to do? Soften my heart to the plans You have for me.

Before I moved on to the next day in the Bible study, I looked back to see what that previous day was titled and it was "Praying for What God Wants." How appropriate!

The takeaway from all this? If you ask the Lord something, expect an answer, and be willing to trust Him and the answer He gives you.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8 

I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy...

Down in my heart, down in my heart to stay!

I talked so much about having joy last semester and then this year hit. January and February hit me from the right and left. That joy did not stay. I let lots of things and nothing (I'm a girl, we can say things like that and it makes perfect sense) rob me of the joy I had. But, I got it back.

I am joyful again. That is not to say there are no troubles, problems, or stress, but I can see the light this time.   In January and February I was in a dark place and could not see a light. I was not myself. I was a sad, lousy friend and person to be around. I have made apologies to those who I have been closest to the last semester. I hope that is something I do not have to do again because I hope that is a place I will not get to again.

As I have mentioned in previous post (I think), I worked things out with God through Bible study and lots of praying and having several other people praying for me as well. I feel like a different person now. A joyful person again. This time I really want the joy down in my heart to stay. To be honest, I kind of fear that it won't. Maybe not now or even soon, but I don't want to ever go back to where I was the past two months. I cannot live in fear of something that may or may not ever happen though. I have joy now and I choose to live in that joy.

I've got a lot to say lately. I have drafts for two posts started. One about something from the MasterLife Bible Study and one about what I mentioned in the last posts. Actually in the last post I just said it helped to make the week good, but it is about opportunities. So look out for them soon.

Also, I was thinking about this before I actually began typing the post and was going to include it and had it relating, but then I actually started typing and didn't make any good transitions into it. I still want to share it so here goes. When school started this semester I had very little interest in it. I questioned if I even wanted to do SLP anymore. Well, I'm enjoying it again. I do want to do it. I also want so serve the Lord. More than just the Colossians 3:17  or 3:23. Yes, as an SLP one day I want to honor the Lord in what I do, and even now as I study to be one, but it's more than that. I don't know how to explain it. I want to be an SLP. I want to serve the Lord. I want to serve the Lord in more than just a she's and SLP who is a Christian sort of way. I think I just said the same thing at least 3 times. I don't know how to explain it. It's just something I know but don't know how it's supposed to all work out or work together.

Messy Days...

...are good days.

(This post is largely about Pediatria this week. Just giving a fair warning).

At Pediatria today and Wednesday we had messy sensory activities. They were messy, but the children enjoyed them and they were fun. Tuesday the preschool class made green goo (cornstarch and water). It was everywhere! Not only was it fun, but we got some great language from the activity. Today the preschool class followed rainbows in the building to find a pot of gold outside...a pot of gold jello. Okay, so it was more reddish orange than gold, but they couldn't care less. Their hands went straight into the pot and came out with handfuls of jello going straight in the mouth! Exploring sensory through touch and taste. Even the most hesitant child to get messy eventually explored the jello. You don't know how exciting it was to turn around and see that child with both hands in the pot carefully squeezing the jello and getting a feel for it!

We even did sensory activities with the toddlers today. We used the shaving cream in bags with dye and bottles of water with dye. They seemed to enjoy it. Now that we only have a few more weeks left, we're finally learning what works and what they like and what works best for individual children. I wish we had more time, now that we're figuring it out. Coloring sheets were pretty much like our go-to activity but now we realize how much better the sensory activities are. They may take a little more work, but it's not that much and it's not hard. I want to leave all kinds of notes for whoever has clinic there in the summer and next semester.

Besides Pediatria, it's still been a good week. Things have fallen into place with my adult clinic. On Tuesday I had 5, yes 5, stickers on my feedback, that's one more than the previous Thursday! You wouldn't think being a graduate student that stickers would be so encouraging but they are. I'm finally doing things right. I truly have pretty much had a complete turn around in that clinic from the beginning of the semester.

Other than school, I only got one run in this week. I try for three but lately have only gone twice a week and this week only once, but it was a good one. Thursday night was the BCM's first performance of Fiddler on the Roof and it was wonderful! And finally, there have been other things that have made this week good but they'll go better in another post.