Sin

Sin. 

No one can escape it. There was only, and will only ever be, one man that managed to live a life completely free of it. (Ecclesiastes 7:20, 1 John 1:8, Romans 3:10, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:22)

No matter what it is. The very first sin you commit separates you from God. (James 2:10, Romans 3:23)

The way back to God can't be earned.  

Take that in. 

There is NOTHING YOU CAN DO. 

Devastating? 

No! Just the opposite. God is so loving that he sent the way to us freely. 

Freely. 

Now take that in!

The way back to God is completely free. 

His name is Jesus. (John 3:16, John 14:6, Romans 10: 9-10, Romans 1:16, Romans 6:23)

Now if all of our sin separates us from God and the only way back for all of us is Jesus why do we judge, label and condemn? 

Have you ever been in a situation where you desperately needed someone to hold their tongue? You knew what they had every right to say but hoped that they would choose to speak love and life instead? 

I have. I'm sure I'm not alone. 

Grace. Mercy. 

They are precious things. 

If Christ can extend it to us shouldn't we extend it to others? 

The God of the universe finds it in himself to forgive our sins with amazing grace and mercy. 

Who are we to not do the same?! (Matt. 6:14-15, Mark 11:25, Eph. 4:32, Col. 3:12-14)

I have found myself and the people around me in situations in desperate need of grace and mercy lately. I've had moments where I needed someone to speak life and love instead of what we were all thinking, and what I surely deserved. 

I've seen the effects of careless words and harsh reactions about the mere prospect that someone had sinned. 

Are we so great that we can't humble ourselves the way that Jesus did to forgive and speak life to someone in need? 

Lord let me never forget how disgusting of a sinner I am. Let me never forget that it is only by the blood of Jesus that I will be able to stand clean in front of you at the end of my days. 

Friends, can we make an effort to remember that we have all sinned and are in need of forgiveness? Surely some sin will be more apparent than others and the effects of sin may show differently in all of us. But let us never forget that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  

Not only the drunk. 

Not only the unwed mother. 

Not only the prostitute. 

Not only the thief.

Not only the murderer. 

Not only the abusive. 

But all. 

Me. 

You. 

All have sinned and fall short. 

Thank you Jesus for the cross. Thank you for your blood that covers sin. Thank you for the amazing gift of grace that I could never earn or deserve. 

Thank you Lord!

Note** Please do not hear this as an excuse for sin. The worst thing I could do is make you feel like you have an excuse or free pass to sin. Sin is horrible. It separates us from God. The bible is clear that without true repentance we will not inherit the kingdom of God. If you are struggling with sin the bible is clear that confession and repentance are required of us. Confess your sin to God and to a brother or sister in Christ that can hold you accountable. Then repent of that sin. Turn completely away from it and with the power of Christ leave it behind. No you will not be perfect in this but the bible is clear that to continue to sin in the same way can lead to being handed over to that sin which can lead to serious consequences. Through prayer, accountability, and the power of the Holy Spirit you can turn from sin and we should all strive to flee from it daily. Let's lift each other up and encourage each other to turn from our sin. Not condemn each other. 

Comments are always welcome. Discussion is great, division is not. Let's encourage one another here please!

A new experience

Today we had quite the experience. An ichooseyou child had a skin tag on the back of her neck and it was hurting her so we took her to the doctor to get it checked out. 

They examined it and determined it was fine except that it was hurting, and told her they could remove it. They gave her options for how to remove it and she chose to get it numbed and then cut off. She was so strong and sure until they came to shave the hair surrounding the skin tag. I'm not sure if the realization of what was about to happen hit her, or if she just couldn't hold it in anymore but she cried. Big crocodile tears. Thankfully she let me hold her and talk her through what was happening. 

Once the area was cleared and she was calm the doctor showed her the needle and explained what he was going to do. Then came the part that I almost didn't make it through. He had to numb the area which meant multiple little injections to make it numb all around. Apparently the skin on the back of the neck is tough. The doctor looked like he was having the hardest time getting the needle into her skin! Emily said his hand was shaking and, (when I could stomach looking) I could tell he was struggling. The sweet girl took it like a champ and didn't make a sound. 

After he was done and it was numb he was about to cut it off when a nurse stopped him and said something to the effect of "Isn't that going to shoot out blood all over the mzungu?!" So everything stopped. The nurses went on a hunt for something to shield me from the shooting blood, and we waited. The doctor seemed particularly annoyed about this. Finally he said something similar to "If we don't do this now it won't be numb anymore. I'm doing it." So with only one other nurse there he cut it off. It was so fast! And no, blood did not go shooting anywhere. After all the hype I was expecting something a bit more exciting. Boring!

This sweet ichooseyou girl was so brave and calm and handled everything so well! Hopefully it doesn't grow back and it heals nicely. I'm sure she would appreciate prayers for that! Also pray that she feels no pain during the healing process and that she is able to keep it clean and dry. Infection is very common around here. Let's pray against it! 

This was definitely a first for me. What a day. This whole process from start to finish took 4 hours. Rest assured the majority of that time was spent waiting. The removal probably took 10 minutes total. TIA! 

Have a story like this you want to share or encouragement for this young girl? Feel free to leave a comment!

Too much fun!

I have had way too much fun this week! Of course there has been work but there has also been play. I'll tell you all about the work later but for now I think you need pictures! 

We moved into our new house and we have these really cool birds in our front yard all the time! 

This is the new house in case you haven't seen it already. 

This beautiful baby girl made her entrance into the world right as we arrived! I got to hold her and kiss her face off this week :-) congratulations Rose! (Mama Goret)

We went to the pool!!!

Have you ever seen anything so cute?! Or sassy?! I have nothing to do with that ;-)

Clearly they had a blast taking pictures in their new swim suits...

Clearly I had just as much fun taking the pictures!

We can't control the excitement anymore!

It's too much to handle! 

Thank you Emily for coming and having fun with us! Chede and Ana LOVE Emily. I do too! She's pretty sweet. ;-)

Look who I got to see IN UGANDA! I had a great time seeing my aunt Kim in my country Friday. It was really neat to get to see her here if only for a while. My aunt is amazing and such an example of a godly woman! Love you Aunt Kim! 

Well there you have it! Too much fun for one week. I am one happy girl. Thank you Jesus! God is good. All the time. 

It's time!

I'm packed and ready to go. It's time. Tomorrow we will have breakfast together as a family and then I will be on my way to the airport! 

I have the best family ever. All of them. My whole family, all sides, have made me feel so loved these past few months that I have been home. I am so grateful for their unconditional love and for their willingness to let me go work for The Lord in Uganda. 

I know it can't be easy to let me go to such a foreign place, but they do and they do it so gracefully and lovingly. 

Praise The Lord! 

Thank you so much for your love and supprt! It means the world to me. 

See y'all later!

A challenge

The following challenge was given in my She Reads Truth bible study. This is a challenge I am extending to us. 

"Let's take the challenge to both know the truth and to only speak the truth. Let us be women who are not easily led astray. And, because we all have influence right where we are, let's be careful to only speak the truth found in Scripture."

The challenge comes from 2 peter 2-3. 

2 peter 2-3 talks about false prophets, giving into temptation, the Lord's righteous judgement, following false teaching, sinful desires and the road to destruction that it puts you on, people questioning the truth of the bible, the faithfulness of The Lord to fulfill his promises, and what sort of people we should be while we wait for His return. 

(Whew! That's a lot. Please, stop now and take the time to go read 2 peter 2-3. It is God's word, and it helps set up the stage for the rest of this conversation.) 

2 peter 3 ends with this:

"You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." (2 Peter 3:17, 18 ESV)

Knowing this beforehand. That carries weight friends. 

Knowing beforehand that people will come and their sole mission will be to lead you astray. (2 peter 2:1-3) 

Knowing beforehand that "if, after [we] have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, [we] are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for [us] than the first. For it would have been better for [us] never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to [us]." (2 Peter 2:20, 21 ESV emphasis mine.) 

Knowing beforehand that people will question the promises of God. They will question God. They will overlook his wonders in all creation and conclude that since he hasn't come back, he must not exist. (2 peter 3:3-10)

Knowing beforehand that we are called to live holy, godly lives as we await the return of Jesus. We should be found by Him without spot or blemish and at peace when he returns. (2peter 3:11-15)

"You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." (2 Peter 3:17, 18 ESV)

This is a call to know the word sisters. That leads us to the next point.

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

What does it take to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus? I would say the first logical step would have to be to read his word. We are so privileged to have The Word of God so easily accessible. Take advantage of that friends! Please don't hear condescension from me now. I am with you in this one. Sometimes at the end of the day I look back and think of all of the useless things that occupied my time and immediately regret that I didn't put down the [fill in the blank] and pick up the word. I have never closed my bible and thought to myself, "there were so many other things I could have been doing instead of reading my bible that would have been a better use of my time." I do however close Facebook, Twitter, buzzfeed, Netflix, my blog, etc. sometimes, (a lot of times) and wish I had gone to The Lord instead. 

How else can we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus? Prayer. In the same way that talking to a friend pulls you closer, prayer brings us closer to The Lord. Have a hard time with this one? That's ok! Let me tell you something. Jesus already knows you. He made you. You aren't going to surprise him with what you have to say. Prayer isn't a test either. You can't fail. If you're worried about doing it wrong and want an example, check out Matthew 6:9-13. Jesus modeled prayer for us so that we didn't have to wonder if we were doing it right. It's simple really; praise God, ask for his will (his desire, plan) to be done here on earth the same way that it is done in heaven, ask him for what you need, confess your sins and ask for forgiveness, ask for help to stay away from temptation and sin. Another important part of prayer is to be still and listen. This shouldn't be just a one sided conversation. You may not always hear God speak to you then and there but I promise you will hear and see him answer your prayers if you pay attention. 

Community is another very important part of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Let's be to the point. If your friends are not encouraging you and speaking truth in love to you in your walk with Jesus, they are pulling you down. Fast. There is no other option. Now I'm talking about best friends right now. I'm talking about the people you live your whole life with. As believers we are called to spread the gospel to all people, and that requires making friends that do not yet know Jesus. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the people you allow to speak into your life. Those people need to be running the race with you. Community is so important. If you don't have a community of believers that you worship with and live life with, please find one. Jesus didn't do his ministry alone, the disciples didn't go at it alone, and we shouldn't either. 

Let's look back at our challenge:

"Let's take the challenge to both know the truth and to only speak the truth. Let us be women who are not easily led astray. And, because we all have influence right where we are, let's be careful to only speak the truth found in Scripture."

Can we do this? Can we use the influence we have right where we are to speak the truth found in scripture? Can we use our knowledge of Jesus to encourage and uplift others around us? I'm in! I hope you're in with me. I'll be honest, I'm going to need encouragement and reminders to keep growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus and speaking truth. I tend to get "shy" and back down from speaking truth in real life situations. No more. Help me here please. Let's be in this together. 

Are you in? Leave a comment letting me know so that I can be praying for you! 

(If you are reading this on wix please click the "original post" button to leave a comment from blogspot.) 

P.S. If you haven't heard of She Reads Truth I highly reccommend it! I read their devotionals through my YouVersion bible app.

An ode to great friends

Do you have any great friends? The kind that aren't going anywhere no matter where they go? Friends that can endure months without talking and pick up exactly where they left off? 

Great friends make miles shorter, oceans much smaller, and geography a small obstacle to overcome. They know their importance in your life, and don't need to be reminded. You remind them anyways because you can't help it!

Great friends welcome you with open arms regardless of how long it has been. They take in the details of the time passed and experience it all over again with you as if it were happening then and there. 

Great friends understand the importance of your other relationships. They encourage you to maintain and strengthen them. They are genuinely interested in them because they are important to you!

Great friends may not always know what to say, but they know who does and they always point you back to Him. 

Great friends build you up and encourage you. They pray for you. They pray with you. They lead you to the feet of The Lord and wait there with you. 

Do you have any great friends? I sincerely hope you do. 

I have some really, really great friends. I am so blessed to have great friends in both of my homes. I am blessed to have great friends that encourage me to have great friends in my other home! 

To all of my great friends, thank you. I can only hope and pray that I am as good of a friend to you as you are to me. I don't worry about our friendship while I'm away, I know it will remain and we will pick up when I return. Time may have passed, life changed, and nothing may be how we left it, but we will catch up and go on. For that I am so very thankful! 

Have any great friends? Leave a comment telling me about them! 

75% there!

I would say I'm about 75% packed! Have everything except what I will need to use or wear for the next 4 days in bags. The bags are fairly organized but have not been weighed. I have only a few more items arriving in the mail (hopefully tomorrow) and I have a couple things left to purchase. I need to get my eyebrows waxed, and a pedicure would be lovely! (Priorities people.) 

I'm at the point where I kind of don't care if I forget something. I'm just tired of making lists and checking them 5 million times. If it makes it to Uganda with me, great! If not, I won't die without it. 

I'm also ready to be out of what I have deemed the "twilight phase." The twilight phase is the part of moving or leaving somewhere and someone you love in which you are not leaving yet but you are already removed. The twilight phase doesn't always occur. If you leave on a whim there is no time for the twilight phase. If you are only visiting a place or people you love for a short time (I'm talking a few weeks) there may not be time for this phase either. If you are really, really good at being truly present at all times then I would imagine you are completely unfamiliar with this phase nor would you understand it. For the rest of us it goes something like this: 

You are no longer working but can't really pack yet because you need everything you would pack so you just sit around doing nothing watching HGTV all day because all of your friends are adults with jobs. (I'm out of breath after that run-on!)

Or you say goodbye to a friend and then run into her accidentally 5 more times around town. Or on purpose. Some goodbyes just need an extension. 

Then there is the "I have eaten SO MUCH FOOD but I'm leaving in 4 days and ice cream and Mexican food just aren't the same in Uganda. I'll take both please." Ever been tired of eating? I'm so over it. Done. With. Food. What am I saying?! I'm going to regret this in exactly 5 days. Wait for it. That post will be titled, "WHYYYYY?!?!?!" 

Get the picture? This my friends, is the twilight phase of leaving. Emotional blocks? Twilight phase. Mental blocks? Twilight phase. Oxygen blocks? Twilight phase. (That one is also just a normal side effect of leaving loved ones for extended periods of time.) I think you understand now. For me this phase is usually categorized by an inability to think clearly or process exactly what is about to happen. I don't think I'm the only one. 

Have you ever experienced this? Do you have your own name for it? I would love to hear your stories and see what you call this phase of leaving. Leave a comment below!