He is making all things new....

There's a Jon Foreman song that says "God knows what I need. You know what I need." And you know what? That is TRUE! (Actually all the lyrics to that song are perfect, so... listen to it.) It goes on to just repeat over and over "Your love is strong." Also true. I've said before that I hope I get to a point where I'm still amazed by how God shows His love for me, but not surprised. Because that's just who God is. That's what He does. He loves us, and He loves us well! Sometimes we may not understand how things work or why things happen, but God is sovereign, and that means He knows. And I don't have to. I can rest in Him and just breathe deep and trust that He knows. Because He does. DO YOU GET IT YET!? There are days that I don't. Honestly. I always should get it because He never fails to amaze me, but sometimes I get all human and I forget. How silly. Forgetting. That's why it's so important to hide God's word in our hearts and to fill our minds with things that draw us to God and not away from Him. Because when our circumstances overwhelm and we forget, we need to be reminded. God is faithful. He will bring His word to the front of your mind. But it has to be hidden in the back to be brought to the front.

"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11

God is faithful to His word. He is NOT human. Praise Him! Gosh, I am so glad God is not human. He is trustworthy and always remains true to His character. He says if we seek His face, He will heal. And let me tell you, He is not lying. He can't lie anyway. It's not in His nature. (!!!) He isn't joking when He says He will hear us from Heaven and forgive us and heal us. And I am so thankful.

"if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

God is faithful to His promises. Some of you, if we've known each other for a while, know this about me already but... God has placed a desire in my heart to see renewal and refreshing in His church. If you want more details about this, just ask. But I have been so amazed lately by His confirmation and affirmation of the vision He placed in my heart years ago. I'm also amazed by how He brings the right people and experiences into my life at the perfect times. He tells me He will, and He does. I love that.

Right now, specifically, like right this very moment, New Ministers' Orientation is happening in the building. I've been fighting back tears all morning. Not because I'm a sap, because I'm not. (Some people might even call me cynical...but I don't cry much.) No. The tears are here because of God's faithfulness. It is such a blessing to see people who are excited about the work God is doing here. People of all walks of life...full time and part time pastors...pastors who are still learning how to speak English...pastors from the mountains and pastors from the depths of the city. All here together to learn how to be more effective in reaching people for Jesus. That is so exciting! If you know me at all, you know I love orientation of all shapes and forms. I love the enthusiasm and excitement that surrounds the "new". My prayer for these pastors is that it would stay. That they would not be discouraged by people, but would be renewed by the Spirit. And my prayer for pastors who have been working at it for a long, long time is that they, too, would be renewed by the Spirit. That they would remember why they surrendered their lives to God and ministry in the first place. That they would remember the light that shines in a person's eyes when they hear about Jesus for the first time and decide to trust Him!

God is at work. Here and everywhere. I just want to be focused on being a part of His plan. I don't want to get distracted and forget. I want to be here. Present. In the middle of the excitement of His work!

"Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. 

For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." Habakkuk 1:5

New.

It's funny to me how scary that word is. Say it with me: "New." Funny-strange. Not funny-haha.
Sometimes there's so much "new" that I just need some "old" or "familiar" for my soul. That's how I'm feeling these days. It's not that there are so many things happening. Just life. But that's enough.

So to counteract the new, I'm listening to a lot of country music--The Westbound Rangers, in particular. That's my "familiar" right now. (haters gonna hate...)

I've also been talking to my sisters a lot. I love having sisters. We're growing up and our lives are changing and that is weird! But it's also really cool to think about all four of us being adults. With 12 years between Amanda and Autumn, we'll never ever be in the same phase of life at the same time, but if you count "adulthood" as a phase of life, we will be from September of this year when Autumn turns 18 until we die. That's pretty cool. My mom and her sisters have taken trips by themselves over the years to try to keep the special relationship that sisters share in tact, so Amanda and I have started planning our trips like that. We're going to run. It's not realistic for us to think about taking a trip together every year, so we're going to meet somewhere for a 1/2 marathon every other year. We're starting in 2014. That gives us time to train and plan and save money. There aren't any rules, so I know there will be some years where families will be involved or someone will be pregnant or sick or something unexpected will happen. But we're going to try this and see how it goes. We're going to run until we're too old. This is kind of strange since none of us have ever run a 1/2 (or whole...) marathon before, but it's something that's on my bucket list, so I'm forcing it on the other 3. :) Just kidding. Kind of. Anyway, I think it will be fun, and everyone else is on board too! We don't all agree on anything, so this is a big deal. Must be a sign that it's the right thing. ;)

In unrelated news, 8 of my friends are getting married in the next year. I might need some new dresses.

Love.