God initiates

I have been very quiet over the last 2 months. I haven’t been online much, and I think it has been a good time to rest, reflect and find out just where I am in my journey with God and what it looks like moving forward. I think I really need to have more of those times in my life where I slow down and take some time to get a good look at where I’m headed.

Last month I went on a women’s retreat with a local church. Arriving in Tahoe at the retreat center, I realized I knew no one, had never even been to this particular church and did not know what the weekend would entail. I think there was a moment of panic followed by God saying, “I know, I’m here and I’ve got you.” Yes…that’s just what I needed at that moment. The whole weekend was a time to just stop and listen to others, listen to their stories, and let the Holy Spirit lead (instead of what we usually do, especially as women, and give unneeded advice or counsel). It was such an encouraging time and I found myself feeling more connected to the Holy Spirit than I have been in a long time.

I made a commitment a few days after the retreat to memorize 2 Corinthians 5:11-21. It’s all about the ministry of reconciliation, God’s redeeming love. A subject that I have wrestled with understanding more since becoming a Christian. Then today in a bible study class, we discussed the parable of the prodigal son. Actually we are reading the book Prodigal God by Tim Keller, which I highly recommend. We read over and over in both the book and in Scripture (specifically Romans 5 this morning) that God initiates (giving us the gift of justification and grace). I find it inspiring and yet challenging as I think about that- God initiates- He pursues. Then our choice-our responsibility is to act on that. We have to decide whether or not to accept that gift and live a life that reflects that. I have to choose to wake up every morning and live a life that points back to God, that glorifies Him in everything I do. That’s hard to do. I’m still learning what that looks like in my life. I desire to do better each day. I want to be in the ministry of reconciliation as Christ has called me to be. This will be a continued theme in my life I believe.

Stay tuned…

Who loves you baby?

My friend David started a website that is really worth not only taking the time to read for yourself, but definitely one to pass along to friends. Enjoy the God stories!!

new camera

There’s a lot that I’ve wanted to blog about lately but have been distracted because I got a new camera earlier this month. It was like Christmas morning when the UPS guy arrived at my door with the box! I’m now a happy owner of a Nikon D200 and have not been this thrilled or impressed by a camera for a long time! Still looking at various other lens to buy, but have been enjoying getting out and shooting with it. Here’s one from my recent night walk through nearby Folsom:

Folsom, California

Can’t believe how well this shot came out! You can even seen the Big Dipper in the sky! Needless to say it was a cool momemt for me! And I’m sure there will be many more to come…

Czech Bible article

Just came across this article from The Prague Post from earlier this year:

Czech Bible translation news

This is home.

Kara and Petra

As soon as I stepped off the plane in Prague last Saturday, I felt like I was coming back to a familiar world; somewhere that felt comforting and a place I connect with. On Saturday evening I walked around the city center and found myself in Old Town square. I started praying for the people that I saw walking around me, for the city and for God’s people to return to Him. In that moment, I heard God say “Welcome home”.

The last few days have been emotional for me. I celebrate being able to reunite with friends and former students here. I rejoice at the work God is doing through the different ministries and leaders in Prague. I feel sad that I have to leave on Friday night, but confident and encouraged that this is where I will return to. THIS city is home! Praise God!!

I ask you to pray for continued communication between myself, Sasa and Katka Flek, Kara Swindler, Barb Iverson and others that I desire to be in ministry with when I return. Ideally, I would love to be back in Prague as soon as possible and have begun praying for God’s timing and for wisdom in moving forward with plans this fall.

Thank you for being on this crazy faith journey with me! I couldn’t and would not want to do it without you!!

Kara

CONNECT day 5: Hospitality

Last night Linus shared with us the five spiritual practices that Christian Associates staff should practice in their communities.

• Hospitality
• Gospel planting
• Passionate Devotion to Christ
• Disciple making
• Risky community, mission and service.

This morning Laina Graf shared her thoughts on one of those spiritual practices- hospitality. Everyone that has ever mentioned Laina to me always shares how hospitable she is and how much she values the people in her life. I truly enjoyed my time getting to know her this past week and was encouraged by what she shared today. If you have time, watch the first 6 minutes of the video posted below. It’s from the movie Chocolat, which if you haven’t seen, you need to! This is a fantastic image of what hospitality and a generous heart looks like.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25:35-40

I have been SO blessed by my time in Portugal this week. It was a refreshing and restful time. A time of feeling renewed mentally, physically and spiritually. I believe I have a clearer picture of what future ministry looks like for me and I am thankful for all of the encouragement and wisdom I have received this week. It’s been so exciting to have Kara Swindler here from Prague as well as our Czech friend and fellow English teacher, Zuska. I will be flying to Prague tonight and look forward to sharing about my time there soon!

missing Portugal already...

CONNECT day 4: Hud’s marriage class

In this afternoon’s breakout session at Connect I attended Hud’s marriage class. Honestly I was just going to skip the sessions altogether, none of them seemed to interest me when I first read them. But I value everything I’ve learned from Hud thus far and thought what better time to hear about how to have a healthy marriage then while I’m still single.

I have to say that until earlier this year I didn’t desire to get married. At all. I’ve never really been one of those women that dreams of the perfect wedding dress, what colors I want my bridesmaids to have to agree to wear, etc. But slowly I’ve been allowing God to change my heart towards what He might have for me in the future. I have a few reasons why I’ve chosen to not consider marriage in the past, but once again God is at work in me and I’m finding myself open to the possibility like never before.

Here are just a few of the powerful pieces of wisdom that Hud shared. I’m pretty sure this is gonna be life changing for me.

• Connection is not predictable. Attachments are predictable.
• “love me…but from a distance” syndrome. Yep, I’ve got all the symptoms. Fear of commitment, fear of failure in relationships and an unhealthy barrier in relationships.
• Marriage is a covenant, not a contract. And that covenant is not just between you and your spouse- it’s between you and God.
• You should want to be with someone, not need to be with them.  Two essentially whole people coming together, not of necessity. (sidenote- I’ve always hated the quote from Jerry Maguire, “You complete me”. ugh)
• Expose your inabilities/inadequacies, don’t cover them up.
• We are never neutral in a relationship. We are always either moving toward or away from someone.
• A conscious move toward another. That’s love.
• Marriage is not a gift, it’s an achievement.
• Missionary v. anthropology approach. The missionary tries to change the other person, the anthropologist studies and understands.

Human beings exist because of love,
and the meaning and goal of our lives is love. -Gerald May

CONNECT day 4: Disciple with Hope

photo by Kelly Crull

Our new President-elect, Rob Fairbanks started this morning’s session off by asking the question: “What do you hope for Christian Associates?” Many thoughts were given but Rob’s was the one that stood out to me the most: “For Christian Associates to transition from an organization to a movement.” Amen to that. Rob’s words reminded me of a quote from Saul Alinsky “Change means movement. Movement means friction.” It won’t be simple and it won’t happen overnight, but a lot of us have hope in what CA can be in the future.

We read Hebrews 10 and were encouraged to “seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgment of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word.” Unwavering faith. Hope that we can confess and acknowledge. This is so encouraging for me especially when I think about ministry and raising up young leaders.

Rob gave us some great insight into disciple-making. Speaking belief and hope in others and looking for people that will do the same for you. Warning us of the danger of being a Christian without a community. Independence is lonely but community protects us. Spur one another on…and realize that we can influence others with our words as well as our actions. A verse that I memorized last year is Ephesians 4:29- “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” As a person that lacks tact, I find myself needing to recite this in my mind before I say anything I’ll probably regret later. =)

CONNECT day 3: Passionate Devotion

This evening, Dudley Callison, our Operations leader gave us a dynamic lecture on the missional practice of passionate devotion to Christ. This session, so far has been my favorite!

He first told us that in a recent Gallap survey, the question was ask, “What motivates you, as a Christian, to be involved in spiritual practices?” The top 5 answers: habit, duty, fear, guilt and self-image/interest. WOW. I found myself sinking into my chair and thinking- hmmm, yep, felt that one before, and that one, and oh yeah I felt guilty for not attending the last church function, so I HAVE to volunteer for the next one. And on and on.

We together read Matthew 22: 36-40:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

So first Jesus said to love the Lord with all our heart. The heart is the center of our feelings and passions. In Matthew 12:34 it says: “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Whatever is in my heart, that’s what is going to pour out into my life. If I’m passionate for God, if my heart is devoted to Christ, then others will see it in whatever I do. Checking the content of my words (think before you speak) is something I need to do more often, especially being a person that lacks tact. =)

Next, Jesus says for us to love the Lord will all of our mind.  The mind is a place of knowledge and awareness. If we love the Lord with all of our mind we are choosing to continually seek to know Him. In the last year I’ve made it more of a priority to read the Bible everyday. Even if it’s just for a few minutes before going to bed at night, I’ve found that it really reminds me of where my focus should be and I find myself searching to know more.

In Colossians 3:1-4 Paul writes, Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

So what do you seek to understand the most?

Lastly, Jesus says to love the Lord with all you soul. The soul is our spiritual interior and the center of our wills and wants.  Mark 14:36 says “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”   Not want I want  but what HE wants.  What do you orient your life around to get?

Dudley shared that we need a “devotion detector” much like a metal detector. When things aren’t right, when we’re not passionate about Christ, we need a “detector” to remind us that we’re not loving our Lord will ALL that we are.

How do we live this out in the context of our lives? Heart mind AND soul?

CONNECT day 3: Perspective

This morning Hud continued the discussion with the topic of joy. He brought us to Hebrews 12:1-3

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

We talked about the difference between joy and happiness. Joy being defined as a perspective and happiness being a feeling.  As the word itself implies, happiness is fleeting because its associated with happenings, happenstance or chance. Joy however is directly related to God and should be our confidence that God’s will is best, no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in. “Rejoice in the Lord!” as Paul writes in Philippians 3:1.

Something Hud said really stuck with me the rest of the day- If you are not rooted in grace, you’re rooted in something else. What is it??

Hud shared the story of Moses’ life and how Moses had to walk by faith not by sight. God called him to a task- blindly, without all the details, without a road map, without even telling him if the task would be completed! This was tough to be reminded of but also encouraging that I don’t need to look for what I want God to show me, but rather trust that He’s called me to a task, to build his kingdom. I don’t get a step by step manual of how to do it or even clues that what I’m doing is the best for that situation. But I do trust that God is in control and just wants me to be living life fully devoted to Him, with joy. period.

In the morning panel discussion the topic was developing leaders. Like most missionaries in church planting, the hope is that one day all of my efforts, all the roles that I find myself in, will be taken over and lead by a national in our country. For me it’s finding a Czech national to lead an art community and encourage university students. I’m just going to share a few ideas that were given by various people on the panel and hope they are encouraging to you like they are for me.

• When in conversation with someone in your community- Ask these 3 things: 1. What do you want to keep doing in your life? 2. What do you want to stop doing? 3. What do you want to start doing? Starting and ending with a positive question should make for a generally positive conversation and one that leaves the other person feeling encouraged to grow and make the changes they want to.
• In all relationships: 1. listen 2. care/respond 3. pray with/for them 4. discipleship (invite them to lead by being a Biblical example to them)
• Speak belief into people. Most doubt their ability to lead others. sidenote- I, Kara, was one of those people. After only being a Christian for 4 years having God call me into ministry in Prague and lead others seemed like a rather funny joke.
• April Crull gave us a great acronym for finding potential leaders in our own communities:

Faithful  Available  Spirit-filled Teachable