"My" life

Has it seriously been a month since I have posted? Yikes...

Anyway, I promised myself I would try not to start too many posts with comments like, "Dude, it's been so long since I have posted, I can't believe it...sorry, sorry, sorry..." because I'd seriously be doing that before every post, and then it would just get annoying, hehe... So... moving right along...

Just because I don't end up posting to this blog as often as I'd like or plan to, it doesn't mean it's for lack of encouraging things to share.

So where do I start?

In the last month...

...I have been blessed to spend time with two amazing missionary families in Turkey.
Sharing life together for just a few days inspired me...
...to press on towards my vision of encouraging missionaries all over the world.

...I have been blessed to spend time with people from all over Europe at a mission conference in Germany.
Sharing life together for just a few days inspired me...
...to be even more in awe than ever before of the family of God that crosses all language, racial, ethnic, national barriers.

...I have been blessed to spend time with my HM family at Porto Astro.
Sharing life together there for just a few days inspired me...
...to thank the Lord for what an amazing group of people he has led me to link my passions, gifts, and talents with as together we are "Christ in action" for Greece and all nations.

...I have been blessed to spend time with my Greek church friends.
Sharing life together for worship and fellowship times inspired me...
...to truly love feeling like I belong to a family of brothers and sisters that I can share life with and work together with to spread the GOOD NEWS!

And finally, I was blessed to listen to a powerful sermon yesterday that reminded me again that this life is not my own. It is not I who lives, but Christ lives in me. The more I lay aside all of my selfish goals and ambitions, the more Christ can live and work through me. The more I lay aside me pride, and give away what "I have," and humble myself in obedience to the Lord's leading in my life... the more of a blessing I can be to others, and the more blessed I am in return! It's not necessarily a new thought or concept... it's just the TRUTH that resonates over and over again through my heart, mind, and soul... that truly inspires me to live each day dead to myself and alive in Christ.

So again, let me say... "MY" life, "MY" story, "MY" song... is really the Lord Jesus Christ's life... the Lord's story of grace made alive through my life... the Lord's beautiful music played out of my heart and soul for all to hear. And the more I let that song play, the more alive I AM! The less I have to selfishly grasp for my identity from any other person or thing of this life... because I AM ALIVE IN CHRIST! Oh thank you SO MUCH DADDY for this amazing gift that I could do nothing myself to gain lest I should be able to boast in anything but you. What a life, what a story, what a beautiful song... continue helping me glorify you - make YOU KNOWN - with YOUR LIFE LIVED OUT THROUGH ONE OF YOUR CUSTOM-MADE EXPRESSIONS: me - Meggan Ann De Jong. Thanks for making me specially yours... a beautiful vessel for you to shine your light to pierce the darkness of this world.