Smorgasboard of things :)

I actually tried to post this on Monday but apparantly internet explorer 9 and blogger don't work together? I removed it today and am back to IE8... Anyone else have this problem?

We have some typical spring weather here today...rain. I know it's necessary, but when it rains all day long, it just wears on you... Anyway, at least I had to work...didn't feel so bad about being stuck inside on a dreary day :) It's 66 today and tomorrow I guess it's supposed to be 43 or so :(

I have a few topics that are really brief each so I thought I would just post them all in one :)

Thought #1:
How do you search for a church? What is important to you? What do you feel you can overlook?

We're back on the hunt for a church to attend. We found one that after going twice we seem to like. We feel welcomed and the people there will speak english to us instead of only speaking dutch... but it's 35 minutes away. With gas prices being as high as they are (near $3.85 a gallon right now) we don't know how often we could make it there... But the churches really close to us, we have tried and we don't feel like they are a fit for one reason or another. Just would like to hear what some of you look for in a church :)

Thought #2:
Something I've been thinking about lately is going back to school to get a teaching degree. I really loved substitute teaching when I did it last year and miss it. I loved being in the classroom, teaching the students (when the teachers got to know me, they would leave actual lesson plans for me to go through with the students...especially for math -- my absolute favorite subject lol), and just seeing the light bulb go off in their heads when a topic finally made sense to them. That was just so rewarding. As with any job, there are down sides. But does that not make it worth it? If I could go back and change what I went to school for, would I? I think I might. I had thought about going to school for a science teacher, but at the time I was told no that it wouldn't be a good fit for me. Now I'm thinking of going for...math teacher! In a way I feel like this might be God's hand because for the past (near) 2 years, I have had this feeling of wanting to get an education degree. But on the other hand, I wonder if I should because will I be able to find a job or will I be getting married in the next couple years and then wanting to stay home to take care of my wifely duties? All these questions keep running through my head...

I know there was a reason why I went to school for mechanical engineering, but truthfully, I haven't figured out the reason yet. Do I think it was a mistake to get a degree? Absolutely not. But I wish I would have put more thought (and prayer) into what I went to school for and not just gone for what I thought would meet the approval of my parents. Hopefully with prayer and time, I will be able to sort this one out :)

Thought #3:
I have been pondering this slightly ever since reading the blog post on this. How do "superstition" and religion fit together? Over on About Amish's blog, she has been answering questions about the Amish lifestyle and one question was about supersitions that the Amish believe and how they link "luck" to God's hand. How do you think they fit together? Do you think being supersitious means not trusting God? Do you think those things are "signs" from God?

That's it for today! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on any of these :)

Blessings in Christ,

If there really was a God...

...why would he let this happen to me? Some people may find this statement rather disturbing... saying if the person really believed in God, then they would have no doubts no matter what happened to them. But really, if someone never questions why God allowed something to happen then either they do not believe in God or they believe questioning is wrong. I do not believe God is against us questioning why something happened, I believe it is in our human nature to, but He does not like when we try to take over the situation and "clean" it up ourselves rather than relying on Him. There is a difference...

The God of the Old Testament was a punishing God, but Jesus in the New Testament is a loving God. How is an innocent child dying in a horrible way a loving thing? How is a woman being violated a loving act? How is an act of terrorism which kills many many people a loving act? I understand that death is a part of the cycle of life and that for Christians, death is not the end, but I still question the timeliness of death in certain situations.

From what I understood while reading, the New Testament does not really speak on tragedies that we experience today. Rather it speaks on the acts of Jesus and His teachings. I have a friend who was violated and unfortunatley because the Bible does not discuss these tragedies very much, she now thinks she will go to hell no matter how she lives her life because she is no longer pure. I try to explain that it is different when it is taken from you rather than when you give it away, but with no scripture to support that, she does not believe it. In time, the question will go from "why did this happen to me", to "is there even a God".

This is another thing besides non-resistance which I struggle with. As the question goes... "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Is it punishment for something a person might have done or is it because of something else?

P.S. I do plan to continue my posts about the 10 Commandments, I have to gather my thoughts on the next few first :)

Blessings in Christ,

Encouragement to others...

So I have been talking to some people who are also experiencing parents who do not agree with their decisions to live plain, or not as their parents have planned for them. I thought it might be good to try to encourage others in a similar situation.

First off, the first and best thing that you can do is pray. God will guide you down the path of truth...His will.

Secondly, pray for a softened heart in your parents or whoever is differing with your decisions. I know I am guilty of thinking that they will not have a softened heart (in my case my parents) because I think I know them too well, but God is always able to work miracles. Just because we do not expect someone to have a softened heart to our decision does not mean that God will not work in them to allow them to accept our decision as our decision.

We must always realize that others have dreams for us. My mom has dreams for me as her daughter which she feels are dashed because I have chosen to move. My dad definitely feels the same way - his dream was for me to get a full-time engineering job and to live nearby and pay off my student loan debts. A lot of times when someone disagrees with us, it is because it does not follow their plan for us or what they think is best for us. We must take what they say and pray and mediate on it. God will show us the truth. Whether we end up being led the way of our parents or someone else or the way that we think He wants us to go it doesn't matter. We must set aside our pride and allow God to work in us and others. It doesn't matter who is right, it matters if we are able to differ God's will from our own and follow His will. This is practing humility...a character that all Christians need to have and practice everyday.

The last thing I would suggest is do not wait until a month before you finalize your decision to say so to the other people in your life. I do not mean to say it to someone the minute the idea comes to your head; first pray about it yourself and listen to what God is telling you. Then choose someone who you feel will listen to what you have to say, doesn't mean that they will agree with you, but listening to you is the first step. Of course you will be faced with telling someone who maynot be willing to listen to you and this will be discouraging. But pray for God's wonderful guidance on when to talk to the person and what to say. He will give you the words that you need :)

Blessings in Christ,

Follow Your Heart...

I was reading an Amish fiction book the other day and the phrase "What does your heart say?" and "Follow your heart" kept jumping off the pages at me. It almost seemed that the book was placed in my hands at the right time. Which I am sure it was, but still, it amazes me that God can even place a fiction book in our hands and use that to aid in His work. I need to remind myself that God will provide for me no matter where I go, especially if it is in His plan for me. Following my heart is the easy part, it is dealing with the thoughts that go through my brain and the thoughts and beliefs of what is best for me from other people in my life that I am having a problem dealing with. On the otherhand, I think most everyone knows that if we don't follow our heart, we will forever regret our decision. Our brains often get in the way of our faith and therefore God's Will - we must do our very best to put those thoughts aside and truly follow our heart. That is where God's wants lie in us.

Blessings in Christ,

Changes...

So many changes are happening right now. The biggest one is that this morning I officially turned down the only full-time job offer I have ever had. Neither of my parents are in agreement, they knew it was going to happen because I told them I was giong to turn it down, they just don't know that it happened already this morning. Why would I do such a thing when I have student loans to pay back? I feel this is what the Lord wanted me to do -- I really feel that He is preparing me to move. In my heart, I know that this was the right thing to do, but in my head I'm calling myself names because I am going to have to work two part-time jobs in order to make enough money for my bills each month. On the otherhand, I will get to do what I want :) Substitute teaching and EMT-B! I have wanted to try my hand at EMT for a few years now but my parents say that it is a job that is beneath me. My view? I know it's going to be tough, demanding work, but I really want to try it. I feel like I will regret it if I do not try it, and so far the Lord has paved the way for both of these jobs for me.

I feel like the Lord is also telling me to move out of the area that I am currently living in. I feel He is pulling me towards a Mennonite community that I have been spending a bit of time in as of late and I am really hoping that it is what He wants. So far it appears it is because the two jobs I want to work at, I am eligible for both of them where I would move to. It is finding a place to stay now that I need to keep looking for and praying on.

Anyway, enough about that kind of stuff. Question: How do you feel about Bible Studies?

I have a friend who is against them because she was raised to not take part in them and the church that she was attending for a while before moving is against them. They have the view that you can alter a person's thinking too much with thoughts that do not directly come from God because the leader may interpret God's Word too much. My thinking? As long as I do not have to lead it or participate I will sit and listen and then make my own decisions. But I can see where the church is coming from that is against them...all too many times we can alter someone's thinking simply by adding our own interpretations to God's Word instead of letting God work in the person.

Today's scripture comes from Proverbs 3:5 (KJV) - "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" and Psalm 48:14 (KJV) - "For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death."

Blessings in Christ,

Am I living God's Will?

I know I have been realatively quiet for a while now. I have been weighing a pretty hefty decision, my first one really. I have a job that has pretty much been handed to me on a silver platter, but I do not know that it is something God wants me to do. Ever had one of these internal debates with yourself? I hate them... My other option is to move out of the area that I was born and raised in and start over.

I have a friend who has been sort of guiding me through all of this, and she gave me some questions to ask myself. Which I think can be applied to any situation when we start wondering if it is truly God's plan for us or whether we are inserting our own wants in as God's plan for us.

- Does it match up with God's word on what you feel God's calling you to do?
- Do you feel like you'd be at peace within your soul if you did not do it?
- Will doing it draw you closer to God?
- Are you doing what God wants you do to?

Yes these may seem rather general, but keep in mind, "it" would be replaced with whatever you are having an internal struggle with... whether it be dressing modestly, covering, submitting to your husband, moving, etc, etc.

My scripture homework has been helping me. I have now started to go through Psalm 18-48 and highlight all the verses that state "The Lord is..." or "God is..." and write them out. So wonderful to see all the things that God is to us :)

Blessings in Christ,