Some days are dark and stormy.
The weather here in Ethiopia has been extremely weird the past few weeks, bringing that to mind.
Some days have been sunny with blue skies, the usual weather. Other days, it has felt too hot, the sun seeming to burn the sky.
And other days ... have been dark and cloudy, not usual for this time of year. This is not a tornado place, but, some days have made me nervous... The weather overall has made everyone feel sick.
And life overall often has those variety of days and seasons... some are sunny and great when all goes well, other days and seasons have darkness and storms that surprise and can last for some time.
Darkness and storms are very hard...
Maybe an illness or a death changes your life and your family forever. And maybe fatigue and deep grief makes it hard to keep going.
Maybe doors close when they looked open, and you find yourself in an awkward hallway, where you maybe feel insecure and no other door or window can be seen as a way out.
Relationships can disappoint. People let you down, throw in the towel and walk away. And suddenly your world becomes dark.
And then you, we, disappoint ourselves at times. The darkness comes not from circumstances or others, but from within us. Negativity, jealousy, greed, maybe addiction comes from inside.
And the darkness from the inside or out, threatens to pull you, us, down and enslave us to insecurity, fear, loss, and despair.
Are you in darkness now? Do you know someone who is?
What do we do when the darkness comes? Maybe you saw it coming. Other times it can hit by surprise.
There are common reactions by most of us. We often just ignore things. Make ourselves busy so we don't have to think about the situation or broken area/relationship.
Others maybe ignore the issue by sleeping or watching movies, reading books, escaping in some way. Anything- to not have to look at or deal with the problem.
Others try to fix the problems themselves. Maybe you pound on doors for a new job or work hard to try to mend a relationship or to mend yourself on your own. Maybe you go to the gym to feel better about your age or your status. Maybe you get new clothes to elevate your confidence. Maybe you buy "self help" books to get wisdom.
Other people use medicine or become addicted to some drug as a way to escape.
And people tend to give alot of advice in and during the dark days. Some say: I will pray for you. God has a plan. Stay encouraged. Others may say: lead yourself, invest in yourself. Lots of people give advice...but we don't need to lead ourselves or to invest in ourselves...
I can tell you what we need, what is the only hope for darkness, We need a Savior! A Leader. A Shepherd to guide Us. And the good news is ... WE have ONE!
Psalm 40
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.... Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust
Psalm 130
If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, who could stand? but with you there is forgiveness. I wait for the Lord and in His word I put my hope...with the Lord there is unfailing love and with His is full redemption
Psalm 103
Praise the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed liked the eagle's. ... The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger , abounding in love... He does not treat us as our sins deserve...
Romans 8: 1, 37
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us
Psalms 23
The Lord is my Shepherd, ... even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou are with me
John 8:12
I am the Light of the World..
Though the world is full of darkness and it's even in us, there's HOPE. The darkness doesn't have to overwhelm us and take us down. There is help. A HAND to hold and a person to walk with through the darkest valleys and nights that come. He is the way, the truth and the life. Dark valleys can be passed through and conquered. Freedom and joy and peace can be had, experienced, even in the dark.
The way, the hope, is Jesus Christ. A Savior for our Brokenness, a Light in the Darkness, a Hope that Doesn't Fail, He gives Peace, Joy, A Relationship that doesn't leave, or disappoint.
We have a Friend, a Savior, a Risen King who offers us Himself on Life's Journey. Do you know Him?
When you ask Jesus to be with you in life, He pays for your sin and allows you access to God. But the darkness doesn't go away. There are still disappointments that come in life. There's sin. But you will never again walk alone. And He changes the darkness in you if you allow Him too. He gives you His peace, joy, hope, perseverance.
Storms and darkness can actually become some of your greatest times of growth and fellowship with God.
Looking back on my life, there were many times of sadness, insecurity, disappointment with myself and others. Times of fear, loneliness, etc.
But looking back on those dark times, those dark hallways... I remember those and that God showed Himself to me the most during those times. God wants to enter into your darkness and comfort you. Advise you and help you sing and fellowship even in the dark. And when that time has passed, you walk out with Him together, in a new chapter, stronger with Him for having passed through the darkness.
I believe I've mentioned this before, but it deserves another mention. There are crosses everywhere in ETHIOPIA. I love it. In taxis, on gates, on churches, in people's hands and on necklaces, it's a constant reminder to me of Jesus and the cross.
Jesus had some very dark days, the cross, being the biggest darkness for Him, as he felt punishment for our sin and separation from His Father.
But that darkness, brought us light and life. The chance to live with God forever, our sins paid for. What an amazing sacrifice and gift!
This is Easter (Fasika) weekend in Ethiopia. Tomorrow, we will celebrate an empty tomb and our Risen King.
But yesterday and today (Saturday)- we've been focusing on the cross. The incredible price Jesus paid for us so we can have victory over darkness and know the hope and love of God.
Let us celebrate that light has overcome darkness and we have a Merciful High Priest and a Good Shepherd ready daily to lead us on. May we not lose hope. In the darkest of nights, He is there. We have the light of the world, hope, to experience and share.
May we celebrate what He did and what He's continuing to do on our behalf. And if we're in darkness, may we cling to Him and nothing else. And may we share Him with others who may be experiencing darkness.
Blessed Fasika to everyone celebrating this weekend, and Blessed Easter to those who celebrated last week!
When the way seems dark, cling to Jesus. He will see you through and goes with you!
Praises/Prayer Requests
-As most of you might have seen on the news, Ethiopia did finally elect a new Prime Minister. He is from the tribe that has been protesting and He's a Christian. So the country has returned to peace and most are hopeful/optimistic about the way ahead. Please keep this new leader in prayer and the government.
-Many of you probably saw this on facebook, my MOM is coming to visit me in Ethiopia Mothers day Week ( in May). My sister is bringing her for one week. To say I'm excited to show her here would be a major understatement. I'm thrilled. Please be in prayer as she and my sister prepares to come, as they raise money, etc.
-Classes at both schools have been going well. I give thanks for that. I love the students I get to be with.
-I've continued to work with the Student Parliament at Hope College and have been blessed to see them having events for charity and other events for students on campus. We wore white and blue colors to support the events. And had guest speakers to encourage students.
-Please again keep Easter (called Fasika) this weekend in prayer here. May the Gospel be heard and Hope and Light pierce darkness in people's lives. We have so much to live for and be grateful for!
Blessed Spring Season to All. Please let me know how I can pray for you!
The weather here in Ethiopia has been extremely weird the past few weeks, bringing that to mind.
Some days have been sunny with blue skies, the usual weather. Other days, it has felt too hot, the sun seeming to burn the sky.
And other days ... have been dark and cloudy, not usual for this time of year. This is not a tornado place, but, some days have made me nervous... The weather overall has made everyone feel sick.
And life overall often has those variety of days and seasons... some are sunny and great when all goes well, other days and seasons have darkness and storms that surprise and can last for some time.
Darkness and storms are very hard...
Maybe an illness or a death changes your life and your family forever. And maybe fatigue and deep grief makes it hard to keep going.
Maybe doors close when they looked open, and you find yourself in an awkward hallway, where you maybe feel insecure and no other door or window can be seen as a way out.
Relationships can disappoint. People let you down, throw in the towel and walk away. And suddenly your world becomes dark.
And then you, we, disappoint ourselves at times. The darkness comes not from circumstances or others, but from within us. Negativity, jealousy, greed, maybe addiction comes from inside.
And the darkness from the inside or out, threatens to pull you, us, down and enslave us to insecurity, fear, loss, and despair.
Are you in darkness now? Do you know someone who is?
What do we do when the darkness comes? Maybe you saw it coming. Other times it can hit by surprise.
There are common reactions by most of us. We often just ignore things. Make ourselves busy so we don't have to think about the situation or broken area/relationship.
Others maybe ignore the issue by sleeping or watching movies, reading books, escaping in some way. Anything- to not have to look at or deal with the problem.
Others try to fix the problems themselves. Maybe you pound on doors for a new job or work hard to try to mend a relationship or to mend yourself on your own. Maybe you go to the gym to feel better about your age or your status. Maybe you get new clothes to elevate your confidence. Maybe you buy "self help" books to get wisdom.
Other people use medicine or become addicted to some drug as a way to escape.
And people tend to give alot of advice in and during the dark days. Some say: I will pray for you. God has a plan. Stay encouraged. Others may say: lead yourself, invest in yourself. Lots of people give advice...but we don't need to lead ourselves or to invest in ourselves...
I can tell you what we need, what is the only hope for darkness, We need a Savior! A Leader. A Shepherd to guide Us. And the good news is ... WE have ONE!
Psalm 40
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.... Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust
Psalm 130
If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, who could stand? but with you there is forgiveness. I wait for the Lord and in His word I put my hope...with the Lord there is unfailing love and with His is full redemption
Psalm 103
Praise the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed liked the eagle's. ... The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger , abounding in love... He does not treat us as our sins deserve...
Romans 8: 1, 37
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us
Psalms 23
The Lord is my Shepherd, ... even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou are with me
John 8:12
I am the Light of the World..
Though the world is full of darkness and it's even in us, there's HOPE. The darkness doesn't have to overwhelm us and take us down. There is help. A HAND to hold and a person to walk with through the darkest valleys and nights that come. He is the way, the truth and the life. Dark valleys can be passed through and conquered. Freedom and joy and peace can be had, experienced, even in the dark.
The way, the hope, is Jesus Christ. A Savior for our Brokenness, a Light in the Darkness, a Hope that Doesn't Fail, He gives Peace, Joy, A Relationship that doesn't leave, or disappoint.
We have a Friend, a Savior, a Risen King who offers us Himself on Life's Journey. Do you know Him?
When you ask Jesus to be with you in life, He pays for your sin and allows you access to God. But the darkness doesn't go away. There are still disappointments that come in life. There's sin. But you will never again walk alone. And He changes the darkness in you if you allow Him too. He gives you His peace, joy, hope, perseverance.
Storms and darkness can actually become some of your greatest times of growth and fellowship with God.
Looking back on my life, there were many times of sadness, insecurity, disappointment with myself and others. Times of fear, loneliness, etc.
But looking back on those dark times, those dark hallways... I remember those and that God showed Himself to me the most during those times. God wants to enter into your darkness and comfort you. Advise you and help you sing and fellowship even in the dark. And when that time has passed, you walk out with Him together, in a new chapter, stronger with Him for having passed through the darkness.
I believe I've mentioned this before, but it deserves another mention. There are crosses everywhere in ETHIOPIA. I love it. In taxis, on gates, on churches, in people's hands and on necklaces, it's a constant reminder to me of Jesus and the cross.
Jesus had some very dark days, the cross, being the biggest darkness for Him, as he felt punishment for our sin and separation from His Father.
But that darkness, brought us light and life. The chance to live with God forever, our sins paid for. What an amazing sacrifice and gift!
This is Easter (Fasika) weekend in Ethiopia. Tomorrow, we will celebrate an empty tomb and our Risen King.
But yesterday and today (Saturday)- we've been focusing on the cross. The incredible price Jesus paid for us so we can have victory over darkness and know the hope and love of God.
Let us celebrate that light has overcome darkness and we have a Merciful High Priest and a Good Shepherd ready daily to lead us on. May we not lose hope. In the darkest of nights, He is there. We have the light of the world, hope, to experience and share.
May we celebrate what He did and what He's continuing to do on our behalf. And if we're in darkness, may we cling to Him and nothing else. And may we share Him with others who may be experiencing darkness.
Blessed Fasika to everyone celebrating this weekend, and Blessed Easter to those who celebrated last week!
When the way seems dark, cling to Jesus. He will see you through and goes with you!
Praises/Prayer Requests
-As most of you might have seen on the news, Ethiopia did finally elect a new Prime Minister. He is from the tribe that has been protesting and He's a Christian. So the country has returned to peace and most are hopeful/optimistic about the way ahead. Please keep this new leader in prayer and the government.
-Many of you probably saw this on facebook, my MOM is coming to visit me in Ethiopia Mothers day Week ( in May). My sister is bringing her for one week. To say I'm excited to show her here would be a major understatement. I'm thrilled. Please be in prayer as she and my sister prepares to come, as they raise money, etc.
-Classes at both schools have been going well. I give thanks for that. I love the students I get to be with.
-I've continued to work with the Student Parliament at Hope College and have been blessed to see them having events for charity and other events for students on campus. We wore white and blue colors to support the events. And had guest speakers to encourage students.
Blessed Spring Season to All. Please let me know how I can pray for you!
