Child-like faith

I'm posting two in a row because that last post was not so much a "smile MED," just a chance to share the bowling results and brag about my grandparents' good skills. Haha, so yeah, I take that back - older people bowling super well is worthy of a smile I think. ;)

But anyways, I wanted to share something else that made me smile this morning... the sermon I listened to. The guy who brought the message is a good story teller, and he vividly described excellent life analogies to apply to having child-like faith. It really made me excited to have my own kids someday... especially for all of the lessons little kids can teach adults, if adults lay aside the pride that comes from "growing up" and "knowing more answers" instead of asking questions all the time like children. You stop relying on your parents and you begin relying on yourself... and that is not inherently wrong. It's good to mature, but as maturing Christians we should still be maintaining the spirit of humbleness, and complete dependence (on God!), and the same wonder and intrigue of cute, curious, joyful little children.

And these thoughts are just a couple of MANY things we can learn from the little ones. :) What are some of the favorite lessons you've learned from the beautiful children in your lives?

Bowling results...

So you know I told you my grandparents have bowling skills? Yeah, they sure proved 'em yet again last night:
After our big buffet at Pizza Ranch, all 20 family members headed over to Pella Excit-a-bowl.
We always play two games... and I promise, nearly every year, my first attempt is a strike! It happened again this year. :) My first round went pretty well, not my best score, but still respectable at 147. I came in 2nd out 20 that round. And who was on top? Yeah, that's right, my grandma at 170!
The second game didn't go quite as well for me, but most others did better than their first round. I still came back in a late rally of spare, strike, spare, strike to earn a 123, but guess who got first place this round? My grandpa with a 171! Haha, he thought it was pretty funny he could brag he beat grandma's score.
So there ya go, my grandparents are excellent bowlers, and you'd think since the rest of us get our practice in EVERY year the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we'd be pretty good by now too, haha. Ah, family traditions. Gotta love 'em! :) And now... I honestly don't know when I'll be around again for the annual family bowling night...

Late Night Mario Kart!

I just finished a couple hours of late night Mario Kart with my sister and two of our best guy friends... ah, what a rush!

The only problem... my glory days were way back with super nintendo... when we start advancing to N64, P1, and P2... yeah, I start laggin' behind in my skills! My extremely competitive self gets a bit frustrated when all the youngin's are beatin' me now... *sigh, but alas, atleast I still had my fair share of good moves and couple 1st place finishes, hehe. Good times, good times... :) ;)

If you've got old game systems, by gummy, please invite me over to play! ;)

Shopping...

Today was black Friday - probably the biggest shopping day of the year. I tend to despise shopping actually, but when it's a family outting, you go along with the flow to maximize on quality family time. :) That's my encouragement advice for the day... make sure to keep family time a priority, even if it means doing things that aren't particularly your favorite activities. It was worth it! I think my favorite thing was supper at Red Robin - I had the blueberry pomegranate limeade and the Chicken teryaki burger... whoa baby, that was good! :) "Unfortunately," I have learned that some of what I ate was not exactly the best for me, especially eatting it at supper time, but hey, what's good eatting habits without some all out "vacationing" every now and then! Ha, and tomorrow night will be another big one - the annual De Jong Thanksgiving outting - pizza ranch buffet + bowling, woohoo! I wonder if I'll be able to beat my grandparents again this year. Last year it happened once!! And believe me, that's a rarity... yeah, they're in their 70s, but... they also used to be in a bowling league, and they've got skills, I tell ya! :)
Okay, sleepy time!!... after I finish reading my Revelation devotionals. Ah, reading through the Bible this past year has been so encouraging. I hope I can keep memorizing more of it too... I need someone to keep me accountable to this goal!!!!! I'll work on finding a partner ASAP! :)

BIG SMILE!

So... Thanksgiving Day is now over...
but my thankful spirit is far from ceasing...
and you want to know the main reason why?...

I HAVE PURCHASED A PLANE TICKET TO GREECE FOR JANUARY 15(&16, it takes more than a day to cross the ocean when you figure in flight changes and different time zones!)

That's only about 6 weeks away! Whoa buddy, time is gonna fly too I'm sure. :)

Am I excited? Oh, very!
Am I nervous? Oh... yeah!

Now I'm praying that my housing arrangements will work out smoothly. Please help me be just as aware of your presence through these upcoming details as you have already been close beside me through this whole adventure, God. THANKS for blessing me abundantly so that I can spread that blessing to others! :)

Broken Heart

I got my heart broken tonight...
I was reading through a prayer devotional about the oppression of women around the world... through many horrible practices, from trafficking and rape to honor killings and female genital mutilation... on and on...
It made me so thankful for the environment I've grown up in, and it made me cry out to God for justice for the oppressed. Please join me in prayer for those who are tattered and abused... and as always, keep your eyes and ears attuned to how God might use you right where you're at, there are plenty of issues close to home to from domestic violence to eating disorders, to abortion and prostitution...
God, have mercy on the brokeness that surrounds us, and give us the courage to be your hands and feet and VOICE of truth, forgiveness, grace and love!!

Never stop learning

I'm a learner...
always have been, always will be...
I love asking deep questions, and I love studying history!!
I keep flooding my mind with new info about Greece, and it's so super exciting! :)
I even visited an Orthodox priest tonight, asking him loads of questions about church history and how Orthodoxy compares with Catholicism and Protestantism...
I get frustrated that not many people take the time to try and understand differences before they make assumptions. You might find more similarities than you expected... :)

Blessing of the past

Today I went to hang out with my great grandma for a few hours. :)
We dug into her boxes of old pictures, and I had the privilege of being immersed in the beautiful history of my relatives. Ah man, I LOVE it, love it, love it!! :D She gave me her old psalm book in Dutch, and some special pictures of my mom and grandpa when they were younger. It's so fun to notice the resemblance passed on through generations. :)
As I am in the process of ridding my life of the clutter and attachment I have to things, this day was also a special reminder that it's okay to hold onto a few physical pieces of memorabilia in hopes that I'll be able to have the same sort of memorable day with my great grandkids one day. :D

Keep your eyes and ears open :)

I have a goal I'm moving towards - going back to Greece to work with Hellenic Ministries.
Is there plenty to do to prepare before I leave? Absolutely...
Is my focus solely on getting myself back to Greece? Not exactly...

I feel great peace and excitment about the direction God is leading me... but in the midst of that excitment for what's ahead, I'm also finding joy and opportunity in this "in between" time. If I become too fixated on wishing I was already back in Greece helping the ministry there ASAP, I'd miss out on what God wants to show me today...

like hanging out with some really cool old widows in my neighborhood,
like grading Bible studies and writing encouraging letters to prison inmates all over the country,
like sharing music and memorized passages of scripture with area churches and youth groups,
like sharing my testimony with students at schools and chapels,
like comminicating with and encouraging my friends and family,
like taking advantage of opportunities to improve my exercise and nutrition habits,
like even practicing good cooking and cleaning skills :)
like reading and learning all I can about Greece, Orthodox Christianity, and the Greek language before I even get back there...
AND MORE!

As I pray for God to keep my eyes and ears open to his revelation to me, and for the heart to understand and the courage to respond, I'm realizing that God has me at home for these few months for his perfect timing and purpose as well, and I'm super thankful for every moment of it! :)

Be encouraged... wherever you're at on your journey... moving towards a specific goal? just finished a big task? wondering what God might have in store next?... look and listen for what God might want to do through you NOW, this day. :)

Less is More

I've recently been reading through a "Body by God" book that's helping me learn a lot about the best nutrition and exercising plans... but on top of that there are some great reminders that less is more (I'll soon post an entry about less "stuff" on my other blog, so you can check that out too if you want...) So here's ten encouraging thoughts for you:

1) Be Appearance-less
See yourself exactly as you already are, and be content in God... don't be obsessed with who you're not: "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am" (Phil 4:11)

2) Be Want-less
When you start to decide "how you are doing" by how much you have of what you want or how close you are to getting it, you have become a slave to your wants. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want..." (Ps 23:1) Make sure to find the healthy balance of ambition and contentment. Check out my favorite - Phil 3:12-15, too. :)

3) Be Acceptance-less
Acceptance of others is biased, fleeting, and often holds no real reason or value. Stop doing what other people believe you should do, and begin doing what you believe you should do. Prove the will of God for yourself (Rom 12:1,2) Do what is right, not what is acceptable. Others may not always like you, but you will like you.

4) Be Result-less
Peace cannot be created while focusing only on the results of your efforts. The reality of the game of life is you are going to strike out once in awhile. (In fact, at bat in softball, if you fail twice as often as you succeed, you're still considered an excellent hitter!) To begin enjoying all of life more, you have to detach yourself from results. In order to do this, you have to pay more attention to enjoying just playing the game and less attention to how it turns out.

5) Be Pride-less
GOD is BIG. There is no leader more farsighted, no boss more empowering, no book more motivating, no friend less judging, no family member more supporting, and no one who understands you more or knows your needs as well as God. We, on the other hand, are quite small. We are extremely shortsighted in our thinking for our own lives and the lives of others. We are almost totally unaware of how our thoughts, actions, and interactions will impact the world and our future. If we depend only on what we see and understand, it will be impossible for us not to make error after error and confront failure after failure. Until you change your viewpoint to "GOD/me" (BIG GOD, little me), you will often make it impossible for God's will to be done.

6) Be Time-less
Our time on earth is temporary, yet it is also complete. In order to begin creating some peace in your life, you must begin understanding that God knows what you need and when you need it. By hurrying everything up, you interfere with God's timing to try and meet your own schedule. As a result, you get "nowhere fast." So slow down, take it easy, and try and enjoy the ride!

7) Be Hate-less
When you start forgiving and begin removing judgment from others, you are learning one of the most important aspects of loving. Loving is challenging, but remember, it's not just a suggestion, it's a commandment: "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 equally important, 'Love your neighbor as yourself' All other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments" (Matt 22:37-40)

8) Be Fear-less
Step One: Take your problems to God
Step Two: Turn to God for answers to your problems
Step Three: It's God's battle, not yours
Step Four: With God be fearless (strong and courageous)
Step Five: Let God be glorified in victoray and let the blessings flow

9) Be Faith-FULL
When you have Ph. D faith, you are Past Having Doubt. When you know God is as real as the chair you are sitting in, the bed you are lying in, or the floor you are standing on, and you see concrete evidence of Him in all things, then you have strong faith. To work more on this "Ph. D," think about the "out-of-this-world" majesty and spendor of nature, consider the tremendous organization of our bodies and the universe we live in, and talk to God like you would talk to someone who is really there...because God IS there! :)

10) Be Hope-FULL
With hope...
...you are daring
...you are a dreamer
...you are courageous
...you are different
...it's okay to fail. While seeking the FULLness of God's will for your life, you will get knocked down... but...
...you know that God will be there to pick you up again and again and again and again...
...YOU WIN!

Be encouraged, friend! :)