But you gotta have friends!...

Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight, a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.

Proverbs 27:9

Last night I was reminded of how important Christian fellowship is in our walks with the Lord. I have learned so many things, rediscovered parts of myself, and seen the Lord move when I'm just sipping coffee and talking with friends. I think this is one of the most interesting forms of worship.





I truly feel rejuvenated after the time spent with my friends last night. I don't know if it was just me, or if they all felt it as well....but the Lord moved....and he did something in me. He stirred something up.





I am completely overwhelmed by the way God has reached out to me through these friends.





If you think about it though, this only makes sense that God would move amongst friends. Look at the Bible, some of the coolest things happened when friends were gathered. Jesus loved to just sit at a table and dine with the ones that he loved.

fellowship with friends in bulgaria

I love me some China babies

I'm supposed to be taking quizzes and doing work for my online class, but instead, I've spent an hour or so looking at pictures and reading the stories of Chinese orphans. I sat here and laughed, cried, and felt a little more of the Lord's heart for these children.

This all got me thinking. Everyone who knows me well (heck...even most who just know me) know that I have a heart for adoption and the nations (particularly China). I've felt that call upon my life to be involved in international adoptions. But what I want to know is what role are Christians and the church supposed to play in adoption and in the lives of the millions of orphans in the world?

Psalm 82:3 (in the Message) says, "You're here to defend the defensless, to make sure that the underdogs get a fair break. Your job is to stand up for the powerless, and prosecute all those who exploit them."

James 1:27 says "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

What does "look after" mean, though? The Greek word for this is "episkeptomai" - to relieve the problem. So, this isn't exactly an easy job when it comes to orphans. This means we are supposed to meet their needs of housing, food, clothing, and a family who loves them. Wow. That is a lot to take on.

I believe everyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ has an obligation to these children. Now, I'm not saying everyone needs to go and pick out a kid or two to add on to the family. I'm saying we are supposed to prayerfully consider how the Lord would have us pour into the lives of these children. This outpouring of the heart can take place in many different forms. First of all, we are supposed to pray for these children. I think the Lord would have some of us give financially. There are so many ways to support children directly, but also there are ways to donate to different organizations, or to support the adoptive families. The adoption process is not cheap, and some organizations provide grants and the like to help out families who are providing a home for these kids. And of course, some of us may be called do be the adoptive families.

Some ways to get involved in the lives of these children can be found at these links:

www.shaohannahshope.org

www.hopefosterhome.com

www.child-link.org.uk/

http://members.shaohannahshope.org/site/PageServer?pagename=chu_adoptFinancing

Please take some time to look through some of these sites, and seriously pray about how you might help. I know I sound like one of those "feed the children" commercials...but I really mean this. The Bible clearly says we are supposed to help these kids, and they definitely need our help and love.

goodbye 2006....hello new

2006 was full of a lot of ups and downs for me. Mostly ups I think, but there were definitely some downs. There were also plenty of just plains.
My biggest mistake was probably all the times I ignored God...especially when I needed him the most. The best thing I ever did this year was realizing what an idiot I was being, kicking myself in the butt, and falling falt on my face at his feet.
It was a year of second thoughts. and thirds, and fourths. I often felt confused with the direction my life was going...and I finally decided to stop selling myself short and to listen to God and realize the gifts and talents he has given me. My eyes have been opened up to a whole new world of opportunities. There is so much I can do, it's almost overwhelming....yet so, so exciting.
I fell more in love with six things: God, a boy named Tim, my family, my friends, art, music, and China.
2006 was a year of happiness, excitement, joy, and love...but it had its moments of grief and the question "why". My church lost 3 very special people: David, Sydney, and Tony, all within a month. It was all hard to swallow, and hard to understand. But thtough it all, I'm learning how amazing God is....and how temporary this world is.
I had the chance to travel to Portland, Oregeon and Los Angeles, California....both trips were very different....both amazing.
A lot of things happened....a lot of things were learned....it was a good year.

Now, it is 2007. A brand new year. A fresh start. I have about a million goals I want to reach. I know I can do it, too:
*I want to become super organized.
*I want to read all the books on my list.
*I want to watch all the movies on my list.
*I want to go to a bunch of good shows.
*I want to get in better shape. (hooray for cliche new years resolutions)
*I want to paint our bathroom.
*I want to cook a buttload of new dishes (yay for my new Paula Deen cookbook)
*I want to get involved in my church more - with the youth and college ministries.
*I want to become a better friend, girlfriend, sister, and daughter. So I guess just a better person...
*I want to go to China.
*I want to take more pictures.
*I want to write more.
*I want to work on learning guitar/relearning piano.
*I want to take a fun trip with friends.
*I want to explore the outdoors more.
*I want to waste less time.
*I want to go downtown/museum district/theater district more.

there's a few of them...I have a lot I want to do. and I'm gonna make the most of 2007 :)