Finally PayPal

So I finally was able to figure out how to put a PayPal "Donate" button on my blog. Check it out. It is the PayPal account of Greater Grace Church of the Berkshires so any donation is a tax write-off. Test it out! I'll let you know if it works :)

From the Inside Out

Isaiah 64:6 (Amplified) - For we have all become like one who is unclean [ceremonially, like a leper], and all our righteousness (our best deeds of rightness and justice) is like filthy rags or a polluted garment; we all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind take us away [far from God's favor, hurrying us toward destruction].


I love thinking of this verse with the image of a child playing in the grass. Recently on a evangelism trip, P.Mihael preached from this verse and gave an illustration about that. When a child plays in the grass they fall; they get dirty. This type of "filth," is an outward display of what happened. In Isaiah 64:6 though, we don't see this, we see a "filth" that is coming from within.


The best of what I have to offer (from within) is "filthy rags." This is a very sobering thought on the mission field. "What am I doing here?" is usually the first thought I have when going through a test or trial. Very quickly followed by "Does what I'm doing have any purpose/meaning?" This thought very quickly takes me back to these two questions I have for myself. If the best of what I can offer is this dirt, this filth, then what do I really have to offer? What is so special about me? 


In an objective of myself, I am not the most qualified, I don't have the most to offer, but I do have something, walk with God. Pastor Mihael said something that I thought was so incredible, he said, "The right decisions taken in my flesh are temporal. Saying I won't drink/swear/smoke/etc are good, but taken in the flesh, only last until the next time you drink/swear/smoke/etc. It's easy to not be carnal, just believe God loves you, believe He is for you."


The thought that the best I have to offer is filthy brings me "down to earth" quickly. The main thing though, is that I need to take this a realize the full thought. Yes, my best is filth. No, I may not be the best man for the job. Above all of this though, I have a God, a Savior, who loves me and is for me. He has paid my debt. He says, "Leave that. You can't do it, let me take care of that for you." We know what 1 Peter 5:7 says, but I want to put it in the Amplified because I like the way it words it;


1 Peter 5:7 - Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.


My work could so easily become about doing what is "right" or what is "good." There is nothing wrong with "good" things, but I am not interested in the "good," I am interested in the "eternal," in what is "finished." I have a hard enough time keeping my clothes clean from the outside, why would I strice to produce something that will only dirty my clothes from the inside out? Resting in His love, His thoughts about me, His plan for me, is what drives those questions out of my mind. Along with giving me a little peace of it...


I want to leave you with a few pictures of our students preparing for our annual Art Show...

Brochure in the Works

There is a new "Missions Brochure," in the works here. Besides giving you a reminder of who we are and what we are doing here, it will also be a way to keep in touch with us and even support the work here. Keep following for more details.

Here I Stand

Micah 5:4 - "And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth."

I've been thinking about this verse a lot lately; and not just because it's in my favorite book of the Bible (wink, wink). In a world and time with so much going on, so many things going wrong, and our eyes continually being bombarded by new things "we just have to have," it's so comforting to know where we stand. We know the story about the wise man who builds his house upon the rock (Matthew 7), but do we really trust God enough to build AND feed upon The Rock? To often we lean one way or another, but never accepting all God has to offer us in our life.

1 Peter 5:7 - "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."                         The question seems to be too simple for us to understand. Either we stand in Him, with solid footing and secure hands around us, or we don't. We either cast all our care or we cast none of it. Unless we give Him everything, without holding anything back for ourselves, we rob Him of what He wants, a relationship with us. We got so easily entangled with the "day to day," my job, my relationships, my purpose, etc. that we start worrying. We start thinking, "I can take care of this one myself, I don't need to give this one to God." For a while we can actually convince ourselves this is true, but we all know how it ends, on our knees begging for His help, realizing how foolish we were (and are). In the end, truth always wins. Where we stand and where we feed is so important. It's our security and our fire and this is why we want it from the right source, our everlasting Father. We stand in Him. Our food comes from Him. 

Rucar Missions Trip

About two hours away from Brasov is a small town by the name of Rucar. We took a trip there a couple weeks ago to visit some American missionaries who had been living there (now they are in the States until March). This couple had been visiting our church every Sunday for a while. They had mentioned that they wanted us to visit for a long time. We only made the trip on the last week they were there.
The trip there was beautiful. Through the mountains right as the leaves were changing. We even stopped for a couple pictures. (Here's one:)

When we got there, man what a surprise we were in for. There was around 20 people waiting for us to hold a church service. It was incredible! We felt right at home. P.Valli, P. Mihael, and Gabi led us in a time of worship. After that, P.Mihael asked me to give a short testimony. I spoke on the love of God (from 1 John 3), but what really stayed with me was P.Valli's intro about the Shepherd. He gave a great analogy of how a shepherd's heart is for his sheep, for seeking them, for loving them. That was such a great thought for us. 

I was there with three other teachers from GGIS Brasov. After the great time in Rucar, we did a bit of a "team building" in a nearby cave. I was never claustrophobic, not even a little bit, but as soon as I walked into the cave, I have to admit, I shrunk a little. It was pitch black in there. Reminded me of the story of David and his mighty men in the cave when Saul came in. The way David's Shepherd protected him in that place is truly incredible. Such a love we have received, such a love we have to give. God forbid these trips end and we stop letting our "cups overflow" (Psalm 23:5). I thank God for such an opportunity and I can't wait for the next one!

No Turning Back

Acts 7:39-"...and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt."

There is a great message here; a great warning as well. This passage is Stephen's message right before he is stoned to death. He is speaking about the Hebrews in the wilderness when Moses went up into Mount Sinai. After no contact with Moses for a period, the people grow restless. They go to Aaron and demand that a new god be made for them to worship, a golden calf. Aaron, being afraid of the people, relented and we know the rest of the story. The people bring their gold to be melted and form this false idol.
The passage in Acts 7:39 really makes an incredible statement as to how they could have done this. Their hearts turned back, or we could say that their hearts were deceived. When referring to Moses they called him "this Moses." Pretty interesting way to refer to the man of God who led you out of slavery, but this is what happens when our hearts are turned away. All of the truth in their situation had become distorted. We see them in Numbers 11 complaining again about how "great" it was in Egypt. "We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic." - Numbers 11:5
This is so important to us because we want to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23). It's so easy for us to have a negative thought; for the devil to get it and say that we are worthless, or that God doesn't care. It's even easier to believe it's true! One thing that cannot change is God. His thoughts are peace (Jeremiah 29:11); and they never change. His word is eternal (John 6:68); and it is life. We get depressed, things upset us, often times we may be sad about something, but there is something so much greater that can keep my heart. Philippians 4:7 says the "peace of God that passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." That's it! The thoughts of God - that NEVER change - are peace, and this peace passes all understanding and is able to keep my heart!
Seven times in Psalms and Proverbs it talks about keeping his law/precepts/statutes. People strive to make their life about doing something that will keep their heart clean and pure. And while this is what the Bible says, these people are skipping the most important part. They have no peace. It's so peaceful to live in the will of God. Why would I want anything else? What a thought, I have the privilege to live with a peace that passes all understanding. And because of this peace, keeping His precepts has become such a joy to me. And without me even realizing it, my heart is kept; I have not turned back to Egypt, I only look to His face.

The Wonder Of It All

Matthew 22:29 says, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God."

This is a picture of the Greater Grace International School staff from our annual International Day. For me this picture is such a blessing in itself. Not just because of the

memories, but because it leaves me in wonder. I am amazed at how God is using us to impact student's lives. I am amazed at how God is giving us patience and enlarging our capacities. And I am amazed at how a handful of people can reach countries with His name.

Obviously you can see in the title that we are speaking about wonder. This also includes

amazement, awe, or any other word you wa

nt to use in its' place. Wonder is such an incredible gift and an interesting tool in our life with Christ. In contrast to wonder we have mystery. Both of these provide us with a level of excitement and interest, but only one of them has a positive influence on our soul.

With mystery we find too often that there is a type of secrecy that eats away at our spirit. I want to contrast this with mistakes in our past. Mistakes in our past are not secrets. They are things we don't bring up our speak about because they are

not edifying and they bring back memories of sin that were buried and paid for. With mystery though, there are secrets - things that may have happened in the past, but because of not being brought to the Cross and dealt with, are eating away at our

soul. Yes, there is excitement in mystery, but there is also fear. Maybe a fear of what will happen when I lose the excitement. Maybe a fear of the mystery being brou

ght to the light and I am exposed. Either way, mystery is a result of the fall. We see Adam and Eve being very mysterious; attempting to hide from God because of their sin. We see mysterious people everyday; people living in wounds, outside of a covering, or even those looking for recognition through pride. All in all, I don't see many good examples of mystery/mysterious people in the Bible.

Now to wonder. I realize that it is a very ambiguous word and that we could probably use some definition. I will assume that there may be some people who

read this blog who are not Christians so I will try my best to explain. Imagine the feeling when you hear someone say something, maybe an idea or a problem they dealt with, and it hits you. You don't know what hits you, but it does. I'm in church and the pastor is preaching and he says something. I look around expecting to see everyone looking at me. They have to be because after all what he just said applies to my life directly. Nobody is looking at me. This is wonder. A supernatural God speaks through a man to a natural human, me. The words speak to me, they can cut and heal, it's God speaking to me. In Psalms 8:4 the psalmist writes, "What is man that though are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?" That is wonder. That is the question I ask God and that is the question he loves to answer. I think about when people ask me about the school. I get a smile, then I just start talking, about the kids, the ideas for the future. I could continue for days. I love talking about what God has written on my heart because I live with that on my heart eve

ryday; just as God lives with the answer to our questions, the solutions to our problems, and our daily bread, everyday.

Look at the faces of these kids. You may never meet them. You may never get to know them, their favorite color or how much they like going to our school, but God does. It's so incredible to

me to think this way. I go to the store and I see things advertised as "hand-picked," or "special selection," or anything like that; they cost more. These children are the same. My call is the same. The lost are the same. Hand-picked of God's special vineyard. He knows them, He loves them, He provides for them daily, He has placed them (for a season) in His school here. Everyone has a story. Stories don't move me as much now as they used to when I was younger. You know what does, wonder! I hear a story and I am in wonder at how God provides, about how much He loves, at how He speaks to us.

Maybe you like being a mysterious person. Maybe you like all your secrets. Maybe you think it makes you a more interesting person. I don't know, but what I do know is, I am in wonder at what He is doing. He shines the light in my life and the mystery is gone and I am in wonder at how much He loves me, at how little I want or need mystery in my life. I need the Scriptures and the power of God. Those keep me in wonder!