Be.

I wonder what it's like to be God. One minute I'm running around like a beheaded chicken, the next I'm amazed at what He provides.

I was going through my budget because now I'm a big girl with a real job and real debt. As a desperate act, I decided to cut out Netflix before my next billing cycle. I love Netflix. Even though they decided to raise prices by 60% and I am a terribly cheap person, I still remained a faithful subscriber. Alas, the Bank of North Dakota does not understand my needs. 

There I was, staring angrily at my budget. Why did I go to such a ridiculously expensive university? Why am I not a billionaire? Or at least someone who can afford groceries without donating plasma?

I opened up my email and voila! I had a housekeeping job. 

I am glad that I went to such a ridiculously expensive university. I cherish so many of those friendships even though they now live about 13 hours away from me. I am not a billionaire because then I wouldn't be the weird cheapskate that I am. And I love donating plasma.

Something I've been trying to learn (for seemingly my whole life) is to be still and know that He is God.

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Free stuff

=) Anyone who knows me, is in the knowledge that I love shopping, especially when I get good deals. And I tend to brag about it. Just last week while at the mall, a store had a 75% off sale. My total should have been 108, but it was around 25. I saved three times more than I spent! This summer has been crazy for deals. I need to start saying no or I won't have enough car space! Anyway......I got a package in the mail today. From Amazon. My total would have been almost thirty, but since I had 15 dollars in Amazon gift cards, it was only 12 dollars. And after I had bought them, Amazon sent me a lovely email saying I had a four dollar promotion because of the dvd I had bought. I have a very large wishlist for movies. Having a film studies minor doesn't help things.

I love SwagBucks! =)

Extreme "Fear"

The unwritten code of the police was clear: If you catch the Khmu or other tribesmen converting to Christianity, arrest them. If you catch anyone evangelizing the tribesmen, kill him.

After “Lu” had been shackled at the hands and feet and shamefully marched through the village, the Communist police threw him in a pit. “We will let you go,” they said, “when one hundred Christians in your village renounce their conversion to Christianity.” But they were unable to find believers willing to turn their backs on Christ. Then tragedy struck the police. One officer’s son broke both legs in an accident. His other son became critically ill. The officer who had beaten and harassed new Christians suddenly died of a heart attack. Other officials fearfully pulled “Lu” from the pit and allowed him to return home. Government authorities were too frightened to take action against the Christians in the village after seeing what happened to their leader. Seeing God’s show of power, more Khmu became believers. Where there had been one hundred Christians, now there were seven hundred. They even sent Christians out to tell other villages about Jesus. While the Laotian authorities were controlled by their fear, the Christians in Southeast Asia overcame theirs.

The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? -- Psalm 27:1 Fear is one of the most basic human motivations. It drives stock markets and fuels wars. Its unruly energies can be used for great harm or channeled for great good. Professional boxers are often told fear is their friend. Fear can make them better fighters. It keeps them alert. It sensitizes their determination. In the same way, God can use our fears and make us better fighters for his cause. Whenever we are afraid, we have the potential to do the impossible. Why? That which is impossible in our own strength is made possible with God’s help. Fear makes us more likely to forsake our own resources and rely on God instead. In this way, extreme fear can lead to extreme faith.

Extreme Sacrifice

	Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. ~ Romans 12:1
					They huddled inside the room while hearing the screams of fellow Christians being butchered outside. Pastor Hendrick Pattiwael and his wife were helping to lead the Indonesian youth camp, and they felt responsible for the young people in their care.
					The camp had been a joyous time of spiritual growth and worship. Then they were attacked. When the radical Muslim mob surrounded the building where they hid, Pastor Pattiwael went outside. Distracting the bloodthirsty mob’s attention away from his wife and the young people, the pastor was attacked while the others escaped. “Jesus, help me.” They were his final words. His wife next saw him lying in a coffin. Ugly wounds crisscrossed his torso and arms. In shock and anger, Mrs. Pattiwael cried out to God. “How could you let this happen? Why didn’t you protect my husband?” But the Holy Spirit reminded her of her husband’s words only days before the attack. “If you love Jesus, but you love me or your family more, you are unworthy of Christ’s kingdom.” He told her that he was ready to die for Christ’s kingdom. Remembering those words, she refused to become bitter. She still works with her church in Indonesia. The advice that she would give Christians in free nations is simply this: “Seek God more earnestly, so that you can stand in the midst of more trouble.”
					We don’t have to go looking for trouble. It already has our address. Jesus often reminded his disciples that trials are part of daily living. Seeking God more earnestly does not mean seeking more trouble for our lives. No, the benefit of seeking a deeper relationship with God is to better prepare us for the inevitable. We don’t have a choice about what troubles come our way. However, we can choose to have a relationship with God that prepares us for trouble. Some trials may mean losing our lives for Christsake. Yet this is not the real sacrifice. The extreme sacrifice must come long before. We must sacrifice selfishness at every level in order to develop intimacy with God ahead of time. When we have sacrificed all to pursue a preeminent relationship with Christ, we will have already done the hardest part.

Extreme "slave"

Leonard Dober wondered if Jesus had thought the cross too much; then he remembered Jesus' prayer in the garden ended, "Not my will, but yours, father." Leonard's task seemed impossible, but he was pursuing God's will and not his own.

Leonard Dober determined that God's call to him was to reach slaves in the Virgin Islands. He planned teach these men and women by selling himself as a slave and working alongside others each day while sharing Jeus' love with them. The thought of being a slave frightened and sickened him. He dreaded the treatment he would receive. "But Christ was willing to die on the cross for me," he thought. "No price is too high to serve him." It wasn't the slave masters who were Dober's hardest persecutors, but rather fellow Christians. They questioned his call to minister to slaves and ridiculed him as a fool for his plan. But Dober would not be dissuaded. He arrived in the Virgin Islands late in the 1730s.

`

When he became a servant in the governor's house, he feared that this position was too far removed from the slaves to whom he had come to minister. So he left and moved from the governor's house to a mud hut where he could work one-on-one with slaves.In just three years, Dober's ministry included more than 13,000 new converts.

If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

~II Corinthians 5:13~

Jesus freaks. That's what the world calls those whose faith seems a bit radical. Odd. Extreme. Dober was an eighteenth century "Jesus freak"--a free man who chose to live as a slave in order to win them to Jesus. He was willing to do whatever it took to squeeze the last ounce of devotion from his heart in service to Christ. For Dober, that meant a specific plan that made sense to no one to him. Have you been written off because of your freakish refusal to go along with the majority rule? If God has called you to do something radical for him in your family, church, or community, you must obey. Let others call you crazy, but may Jesus find you committed.

Extreme Security

I thought I would share part of my devotions from last night with you. It is taken from the extreme book, Extreme Devotion...

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Troublemakers. They are the children in class who cannot stop talking. They are the bullies in the school lunchroom who steal others' money. They are the gossips in the office maligning others and spreading rumors like disease. Christians are not called to be troublemakers. In fact, Jesus calls us to be peacemakers. This rule has one exception, however: We must be troublemakers to Satan and his schemes. We cannot afford to be overlooked by the devil as merely harmless for the kingdom. Prayer is our most affective weapon. How often do your prayers disrupt Satan's work? Get busy today by praying in Jesus' name against your adversary's plans.

`

Put on the full armor of God so that you can

take your stand against the devil's schemes.

~

Ephesians 6:11

Extreme Sides

I was so happy when I found this. It is my favorite (or one of my favorite) story. Speaking of happy, I am SOOOOO HAPPY TODAY!!!!! I got a B- on my english essay! That might not seem like much, but it is quite a step up from my last paper! :) Since I got my paper, I have been singing "O Happy Day." Not necessarily the song, but the 'happy day' part. :D And the weather is beautiful today. It is wonderful, gorgeous, fantabulous. Did I mention that i was happy?! :D ;D :D Anyways, here is Extreme Sides...

Russia: Hypocrites


They were singing choruses when the two soldiers entered with rifles. The service came to a halt as the Russian soldiers stared at the believers with wild eyes.

“What are you doing here?” they shouted. “Worshiping your imaginary God?” The church members cowered in the pews, wondering if there were more soldiers and more guns outside.

“All those who are faithful to God, move to the right side of the church,” said one of the soldiers, his face a mask of hatred. “You will be shot for your faith. You who wish to go home and keep your life, stand on the left side. You must decide to live or die. Those who are faithful to this ‘God’ will die. Those who deny him can live freely.”

Ten minutes earlier, everyone had sung praises equally. Now it was a question of life or death. Some stood to the left, looking sadly or waving apologetically to those on the right. Some stood on the right, their eyes closed in last-minute prayers.

“You on the left are free to go,” one of the soldiers said moments later. Those people filed out, taking one last look at those who would soon be dead.When only those on the right remained, the soldiers put down their weapons. “We, too, are Christians,” they said, “but we wish to worship without hypocrites.”

Defining moments come to us when they are least expected, and we cannot prepare for them. We must experience them “as is” and learn from the consequences. A defining moment is any situation involving a question of character. It may be as complex as a church service interrupted by perpetrators who demand our allegiance to one faith or another. Or it may be as simple as deciding whether or not to walk out of an offensive movie. Our response to a defining moment will side us with that which is Christlike or that which is questionable. Ready or not, we meet our real character face-to-face the moment we decide to take sides.

He who is not with me is against me,

and he who does not gather with me scatters.

~
Matthew 12:30

Extreme Family

Okay, so I totally forgot about Jesus Freak Friday last week. But I was home on Spring Break; there, that's may excuse. :) Oh, by the way, I started a blog about our puppies-- same pictures that I post here, but worth a peek if you want to see how they have grown! :D Anyway, I got this story from the VOM website from the Extreme Devotion book. (Sorry for all the links! :)

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The woman was one month away from graduating from Bible school along with her daughter. It was the same Bible school where her son, Stenley, had gone before he went to another Indonesian island as a missionary. Stenley was killed for carrying the gospel, but his testimony had prompted many others to go to Bible school and to accept God’s call to share his love.

When they had completed their training, the woman and her daughter planned to go to the very village where Stenley had died. She hoped for a chance to show Christ’s love, even to the men who had beaten her son to death. A visitor to the Bible school, hearing of her plans, was surprised. “Are you not afraid to die?” he asked her.

The woman seemed confused by the question, as if it was not something she had thought of before. “Why should I be afraid to die?” she answered simply.

Her faith in God’s goodness was complete. If he chose to use her in the village where her son died, so be it. And if he permitted her to die there, she would accept that call as well. Her death would bring her into the presence of the Christ she loved. Death was not an obstacle or a punishment, merely a doorway into the eternal presence of God.

Facing death can remind us of children standing above the edge of a water hole. We hug our own shoulders tightly to our bodies, shivering with the anticipation of the unknown. Will it hurt? Will I make it? We don’t want to be the first to jump—not with all these uncertainties. Fortunately, we don’t have to. History is full of family members who have leaped across the boundary between life and death. They are saints who died in full assurance of their destination. Jesus Christ, in fact, has gone where no other person has gone before—to death and back again. Christ, the head of our Christian family, has taken the terror out of death and replaced it with assurance. Heed the call to come on in. The water’s fine.

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?

~

1 Corinthians 15:55

Extreme Assassin

Extreme Assassin -- Part Two (sorry, I don't have part one!)
Bangladesh: Andrew


The Muslim leader was shocked to find Andrew, the Christian evangelist, sitting in his living room with his own family, sharing a meal together!

He was shocked because he had recently offered a large reward to have this Christian killed. Now Andrew was in his home telling his own family members about Jesus. “What’s going on here?” he screamed. “What’s this man, this infidel, this enemy of Allah doing in my home?” His daughter-in-law began, “I asked him here because he, his Jesus, has healed your son—my husband.” Her story continued in a rush of words.

“He has been sick for eighteen years, but today this Christian, Andrew came and prayed for him. He laid his hands on him, and now he is well! Jesus has healed him!”

The man saw his son’s excitement as he told how he had felt the sickness leave his body. This was the first time in months that his son had gotten out of bed. For the first time in eighteen years, he felt no pain.

The man’s anger was replaced with a sense of relief and happiness. He didn’t choose to accept Christ that day, but he has become an ally to the Christians in that area and has helped many avoid jail and persecution. The man who once put a contract on Andrew’s head now welcomes him with open arms.

Christianity is a “see-for-yourself” type of experience. When the Muslim father walked into his home, Andrew was not preaching a three-point sermon on the triune God. He was not berating the man’s wife and children for formerly believing in Allah. He was having a meal after praying with the Muslim family. They had an empty sickbed to prove God was real. Likewise, we must remember that God’s truths are self-evident. The pressure is not on us as the messengers, if we will say and do the right things. We do the right thing whenever we proclaim the gospel to others. Jesus will draw their hearts to him. We must let the evidence of Christ’s reality speak for itself.

This excerpt is from the Voice of the Martyr's book Extreme Devotion.

Jesus Freak Friday

I am going to start (and try to continue :) something I like to call "Jesus Freak Friday." On those days, I will post either a story or a quote from one of the Jesus Freaks books, Extreme Devotion, the VOM website, etc.

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Extreme Answers

Cuba: Tom White

We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.-- 1 Thessalonians 2:8

When the black hood was placed over Tom White’s head, he didn’t know if he would see the light again. “Where are you taking me?” he asked the Cuban guards. The guards said nothing.

Tom had been secretly delivering Christian literature to Cuba for seven years. He and others had dropped gospel tracts out of planes into the ocean around the Communist island. But he had never heard from a single Christian in Cuba that the materials had arrived.

“Please, God,” Tom had prayed, “give us some confirmation that our work is helping.”

Now, six weeks later, he was taken to meet a Cuban intelligence officer, Captain Santos. Their plane had crashed in Cuba, and Tom and the pilot,Mel Bailey, had been captured and charged with compromising the stability of the nation.

“Our people have found thousands of these on the beaches and in the fields!” Captain Santos shouted, holding one of the sea packages that had been dropped years before.

Tom tried not to smile. “Thank you, Lord,” he prayed, “for answering my prayer. Thank you that our work has not been in vain.”

The answer to Tom’s prayer was costly. He spent twenty-one months in Cuban prisons. But in Castro’s prison, he met many members of the church and learned that even under Castro, Christ’s body was prospering. God answered his prayer.

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Do believers know what it means to have a costly answer to prayer? If we want God to answer our prayers, we must be willing to receive his answers under any circumstances. A costly answer to prayer is one that involves us in the process. We offer our prayers to God, but do we offer our lives if necessary? We may often pray for those suffering under oppression. But what if we are called upon to help deliver food and relief through a mission opportunity at our church? If we ask God to help in times of need, we must also respond when he asks us to be part of the solution. Is there a problem you have prayed about and not yet received a clear answer?

Could it be that God is waiting on your willingness to be part of the solution?

Faces of Persecution -- VOM

Please, go to this link: YouTube - Faces of Persecution.

This video is awesome -- done by Voice of the Martyrs. The first person 'interviewed' is James Jeda, an Extreme Devotion.

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More persecution--more growing!

~

Favorite quote of pastor Samuel Lamb--a Chinese house-church pastor

who has spent twenty years in prison for his faith.

Extreme Reminder

The following is a devotion from the Voice of the Martyrs devotional book, Extreme Devotions:

Extreme Reminder
Sudan: James Jeda

I thank my God every time I remember you.-- Philippians 1:3

“Collect some wood!” the soldiers snarled. Young James Jeda assumed that the soldiers were about to cook their dinner. Earlier that day, he had watched, horrified, as the radical Muslim soldiers killed his parents and four siblings in Southern Sudan. They spared James only to use him as a worker.

When the fire was well lit, James was surprised and terrified when they suddenly grabbed him, and he tried to flee. But the soldiers were too strong, and soon they had tied his hands and feet. “Good news for you, young one,” said a soldier. “We are going to let you live. But you must join us by becoming a Muslim.” “I cannot become a Muslim,” James said simply. “I am a Christian.” Infuriated by the young boy’s faith, the soldiers picked him up and hurled him into the fire. They packed up their gear and left the area, assuming James would die.Young James didn’t die. He managed to roll out of the fire and find help.Doctors were able to save James’s life, but he will always carry reminders of that day. His body bears skin grafts and scar tissue, and one arm is partially deformed by the burns. In heaven, those scars will be honor bars, a reminder of the day when James Jeda refused to turn his back on Christ.


Most people are suckers for souvenirs. One can hardly make it through the gauntlet of gift shops at an airport or train station without succumbing to the temptation to buy a memento of the trip’s experience. But what is there to remind us of our most significant life experience—our commitment to Christ? Some will look at their paycheck and remember the promotion they declined because they were not willing to compromise their morals. Others, upon seeing a public school classroom, will recall where they first learned what it was like to be persecuted. Still others will see a gravestone of a believer and be reminded of the meaning of commitment. These “souvenirs” are infinitely significant reminders of the price of faith in Jesus Christ.