He’ll take care of the rest/How to be blessed

How to be blessed

If I give myself to his work
And I devote myself to action
And I love the poor
And I offer help to those in need
If I listen and pray for direction
And I stop being selfish
And I realize when my thoughts are filled with greed

If my time is filled with two things, loving God and loving neighbors
I’ll be too busy and in awe of Him to be longing
To be wishing, wanting, constantly thinking
About things that I used to think I wanted really badly

Then He can truly bless me
With surprises
It’s like when you’re working really hard on a project, with your head down
And you glance up and realize someone’s brought you a coffee
Never saw it coming
Much better that way
Or when you’re staying late nights to finish something and your boss takes notice
And gives you a couple days off
Not having to ask for a break or wonder if it’s ok
Makes it even nicer to rest or get away
It’s a great feeling when that happens—because a.) you have that sense of finishing something and b.) your boss is happy with you.

Now, they say if the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll keep you busy.
Don’t stay busy, but stay focused on Jesus: knowing him, loving him, listening.
As the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her master, so you watch him, read about him and learn from him. Then spend the rest of your time doing what He says.
Faithful servants in God’s family get lots of overflowing blessings that are better than anything this world offers.

A final story.
My co-worker in Americorps had this fuzzy otter toy with outstretched paws.
And we would stick Americorps stickers everywhere in the office. Each sticker said: “I will get things done for America”.
She ripped one up so it just said “I WILL GET THINGS”.
Next, she stuck it on the otter. It looked hilarious standing there on her desk.

Sometimes, things go poorly and I reflect on what went wrong as I lie in my bed
Then I realize it all fell apart because I was like that otter, paws out, sporting an I WILL GET THINGS sticker.
Oh my soul: do not try to get things. Just look to your Master, love him and serve him. He’ll take care of the rest.

A must watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAe0q21YgTQ

We can’t “be blessed” by God if we are trying to get blessings ourselves.

Isaiah 58:10 says: “and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”

James 1:22 says: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.“

End of Year for Family Focus Foundation

Great end of year for Family Focus Foundation. We’re still working on finding a better way to send money over, and on projects for the women, but look how tall the kids are getting!!

http://www.facebook.com/familyfocusfoundation?ref=ts

Thankful to our sponsors and donors and supporters…you’ve been so patient these past few years and I love all of you.

Dancing

Tonight Sofia and I had a two person dance party.
It was enjoyable, though it ended with a brief conversation on Palestine that made me go read more in my room–

More dance parties should probably transpire before she leaves for paris on January 26.

Unless the Lord Builds the House

There is a difference between God blessing something and God building something. We can ask God for permission to do things we want, or we can ask Him to build.

Just a few chapters before we find in Psalm 123: “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, and as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy and loving-kindness for us.”

If I am busy seeking first the Kingdom and His righteousness, all these things will be added to me as well. And if I am busy beholding my master, the Lord our God, I will not find time to glance around at all sorts of other things instead.

Help me fix my gaze upon you, God!

Ezekiel 11:19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.

Psalm 86:11 Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

Asking for an undivided heart while entertaining thoughts that divide my mind
seems a little bit like asking for a cupcake but hold the frosting, and the cake part.
God knows i struggle to control desires and hopes, dreams and analysis.
But he also reminds me that my thoughts are just as much his as my time or my money.

Undivided devotion? It’s mentioned ONCE in the new testament–in 1 Cor. 7.
Wish there was more in the Word about how to dwell in a place of unity with Him
fullness of Spirit
one heart, one mind, one Spirit, one Lord
But maybe he wants to teach it to me slowly, alone, through verses I didn’t understand before.

It says Seek Ye First –
Your face oh Lord, I will seek
I’m sorry for times when I am distracted
even as I pray for oneness.
Help me to focus in on you
your global mission
your love, your example, your vision

I look up towards you and say with arms wide open
“all my springs of joy are in you!”
every good gift comes from you
you’re the only one i can go to arms open wide
nothing to offer
expecting that whatever comes
its gonna be good

its breathtaking when you stop to think about how wonderful this really is
honor love glory praise adoration thanks worship–all these are all for you.

Just wait

http://becnelson.tumblr.com/post/13814389663/i-wrote-this-song-on-my-way-to-work-maybe-i

I wrote this song for myself. But it turned out better than I’d hoped so i posted here. I hope it gets stuck in my head all week.

Day off today. Love days off. planning, cleaning, praying, sleeping-God is good all the time, and will be eternally.

God and Tests

From “Hunger for God” by Piper:

Why then the test? Here is the way C. S. Lewis
answers the question,

{I am concerned with the question] “If God is omniscient he
must have known what Abraham would do, without any
experiment; why, then, this needless torture?” But as St.
Augustine points out, whatever God knew, Abraham at any
rate did not know that this obedience would endure such a
command until the event taught him; and the obedience
which he did not know that he would choose, he cannot be
said to have chosen. The reality of Abraham’s obedience was
the act itself; and what God knew in knowing that Abraham
“would obey” was Abraham’s actual obedience on that
mountain top at that moment. To say that God “need not
have tried the experiment” is to say that because God
knows, the thing known by God need not exist.4
God wills to know the actual, lived-out reality of our preference
for him over all things. And he wills that we have the testimony
of our own authenticity through acts of actual preference
of God over his gifts. Lewis is right that God may as well not have
created the world, but only imagined it, if his knowing what
“would be” is as good as his knowing it in the very act. God wills
that he have an experiential-knowing, an actual seeing-knowing,
a watching-knowing. A real lived-out human act of preference
for God over his gifts is the actual lived-out glorification of God’s
excellence for which he created the world. Fasting is not the only
way, or the main way, that we glorify God in preferring him
above his gifts. But it is one way. And it is a way that can serve
all the others.

My own realization: Stepping out in faith means more when we consider the pleasure of God in our obedience. He doesn’t want to imagine it, He wants us to obey. He loves obedience.

Toasty November

Lots has happened here – from world travels to life decisions — but the Father is teaching me about resting, waiting and abiding. Very pleasant to learn these things in the peaceful darkness of a Boston November and the soft glow of our upstairs room. This particular winter has been quite warm — and I head to the Back To Jerusalem/Call2All Conference this weekend in LA so that will be toasty too. It’s beginning to feel nothing like Christmas. :).

Also I discovered a new song today while I was putting my laundry away. “God Alone” by Will Reagan (Psalm 62)…it’s wonderful. How true that our salvation comes from him — our soul finds rest in Him.

Today I am thankful for people
who are constantly serving
as both Christ’s hands and feet
and as an example to me

All over the place I find churches or ministries
that are growing, reaching
all the hurting and broken that I can’t reach
But God sees

He is spreading his own Gospel all over the planet
Through the weirdest, funniest people
I mean, he chose me, my roommates..
we’re pretty weird

I guess I am not thankful for people after all
More like thankful for God
for taking the foolish and weak things of the world
and using them to shame the strong and wise
and more importantly, to help orphans, widows and lost kids come home

its an upsidedown, wonderful kingdom
and i will live in it forever, someday fully.
that day can not come soon enough
but until then, i will thank Him for reaching me
through a funny sunday school teacher
and reaching my roommate through a family in germany
and reaching my closest friend through His own word
and reaching my dad through an author he doesnt even like anymore
and reaching my boss through a congressional hearing
and rescuing each person in a different way.

You’ve been very busy.

Never have I ever

Never have I ever:

Written a message so many times without ever sending the email.

Jimmy

I met a homeless man named Jimmy
about a year and a half ago
we had extra cupcakes after a picnic
so we stopped for a minute
to give them to him

Jimmy wasn’t like the other folks
cynically sitting around cutting us off when we spoke
He was gentle and kind and desperate
And wanted to step away from the group
and tell us something

so we shuffled over to the other bench.

“Ok, today I want to pray and stop drinkin..
all those christians always tryin to convert me and i say no
but today i want to be christian
i just spent my last dollar on this whiskey
but i want to stop drinkin RIGHT NOW.”

I did not believe him, really.
“Jimmy, what are you trying to pull?
Seriously? Why today? Do you know who Jesus is?”

“I know who he is! i want my life changed!”
“ok then let’s just pray now, jimmy,” i said
but barely believed myself that he was serious.

He gave that whiskey away afterwards
We gave him Fanta. Orange Fanta.
He drank it gratefully.

After that, we spoke on the phone a few times.
“Becca! I still haven’t drank!”
“Really?! That is awesome. You ok?”
“I’m great!”

Few weeks later Jimmy called.
Job interview. Landed it.

Few months later Jimmy called to check in.
Doing great. Sounded happy.

1 year later, maybe year and a half
Jimmy called last week before thanksgiving
“Remember me!? It’s Jimmy!
I’ve been at my job a whole year now. Just wanted to say thanks”.

I told him my friend dave who was with us is married now
and that i’m doing great
He sounded ecstatic.
“I pray every day! I live alone so i dont go back to drinkin”.

I had to stop and realize that our God changes lives
All around us he is changing lives
Today he changed many lives
sometimes we get to see the seeds we planted grow
sometimes we don’t get to see it

But God is always working
whether we believe or not
Whoever you are, Christians who “always tried to convert Jimmy”
you should know that he is sober, working, in an apartment and happy to be alive.
Maybe we can all meet in Heaven for a meal together.

Keep me in you every moment

Sometimes I waste whole days wondering about things
Other days I hurt others through my determination to use every second.
I say I’m doing it for you, and yet..
You live outside of time.

Thoughts are especially tricky
Sometimes I end up down a long, winding road of thought
Before I even know I left my prayers behind.

When my mind wanders off
and my heart follows suit
When I search for things you never asked me to find

Its all about you–but i need reminding
the truth is there after a good song, a quiet time
If i could just remember why I’m still alive
We could keep my heart in line.

Would

you

capture

this wandering heart of mine?

You’re the only One who can help me leave alone
All that needs to be left alone
And you do.