Monday, February 14, 2011

31 Years of LIFE!


Maybe I'm an oddity in life, but I have really enjoyed turning thirty and now being "in my thirties." There was no dramatic emotion that came with the number. In fact, I have enjoyed looking back and seeing so much of the great things I've been blessed with in my life.

God has truly blessed me. I was no one of significance in the world's eyes. I come from a small town, a family that struggled financially my growing up years, none of us held important high-profile positions or were super-educated. And yet, this family molded me, taught me the things in my life that have made me the woman I am today. Material possessions were never of utmost importance, I was told I could be and do anything I put my mind to, and my grandma brought me to church and introduced me to the God that I now serve with my life and being. Despite struggles and even tragedies, my family still remains close and cares for one another to the best of our abilities. They have never been an opposition to the choices I've made with my life, even when it meant moving to a war-zone. I am an incredibly blessed woman.



And being the incredible processor that I am, I always come upon milestones (New Years, the end of an event, Birthdays, holidays and anniversaries) and love to dream about what is ahead....what am I running towards? When I celebrate 41 (hopefully with as much thankfulness as my thirties have ushered in) what will the next ten years between now and then hold? Can it top the last 10 years? It will be difficult to beat...graduation from college and later grad school, joining an organization that seems to release and encourage the gifts and identity God has knit within me, living in Asia for now five years, training teachers, raising up leaders, venturing to places most Americans have never seen, visiting now 28 nations, investing in hundreds of friendships, laughing until my gut has hurt and crying until I had no tears left to cry. Adventure, passion, joy, frustration, friends and confrontations, character refinement, faith, and healing. Man, God has been so GOOD!!! Some of the best gifts of these last years is seeing people come from death into life, from lostness into being found by their God, from feeling alienated from God, to belonging to his family and being able to be a small part of their journey with God.



So, as I begin a new year of life, with ever-deeping friendships, hand-in-hand with a God who loves me so much it hurts and armed with all my life experiences already, I don't want to ever settle for less than God's highest. I want to live life with abandon and not be held by fear of man, not to be boxed in by others' expectations of me, or even my expectations of myself.

Take my life Lord, it's yours...whether the years ahead are few or many, joyful or painful, on the mountain or in the valley, as long as I'm with you it's going to be the ride of a lifetime!

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Friendship with the Lord

I found this verse tucked away in the Psalms during my study time yesterday:
The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.
Psalm 25:14

The verb here "to make known" is to know by seeing it, almost experientially. So, the covenant that God has made known to us is ultimately made known in Jesus. Because God has kept all his promises, I have friendship with the Lord. What an amazing thing. May I be a woman who fears the Lord and knows his friendship.

Just a tidbit.
I'm loving my study times.

Thursday, February 03, 2011

New Year Hotpot

新年快樂!!
Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

This year was my first year celebrating Chinese New Year. If I wanted, I could celebrate the New Year three times this year: the traditional Jan 1 new year, Chinese New Year (Feb. 3), and the Afghan New Year on March 21. That's just a whole lot of newness and fresh starts!


One thing that is a regular part of the celebrations here in Taiwan is what is called hotpot. Basically, it's just a bunch of vegetables and meat thrown into a pot and cooked. There are some special sauces you eat with it and it's Oh-so-good! A friend of mine who did the SBS with me invited myself and some other friends from church to have hotpot together. So, here's some photos to get you in on the action (which is a step towards one of my new years resolutions: take more photos!)

You start with a little bit of these....various forms of pork, fish, crab, tofu, along with some veggies


And you cook it together in a pot.....voila, hotpot!


The thing that after living now five years in Asia (!!) that I so appreciate, is much of life is done to encourage community and friendship. Things are done so that the whole group can be a part of it. I'm still a western individualist at heart, but I'm enjoying community to its fullest. I'm so thankful for the friendships in my life here:

me and Zoie...we both did SBS together and lived together


Friends from California, Panama and Taiwan (respectively). Wendy and I also did the SBS and lived together last year.


A good friend and now fellow staff, Charis.