WWSD...What would Santa Do?

      I love Christmas time including beautiful Christmas music, hymns by candlelight, gift-giving, white lights, rustic decorations, and snowy scenes. But I am honestly pretty discouraged when I sense that Jesus is a part of Christmas instead the center of Christmas.

      Honestly, I think Saint Nicholas would be downright embarrassed if he saw how glorified his name is in the Christmas season. Saint Nick was a follower of Jesus that saw the poor and needy and responded. He gave to others in the name of Jesus and he received joy in return. I can’t help but think this man, with his servant’s heart, would be flabbergasted to hear that now “Santa” lives in the north pole and gives all the greedy children more than they need or could even want. He would probably be brokenhearted to see that Santa is glorified by the provisions that GOD has given. I’m not just saying this. He was a follower of Jesus. I have a pretty good feeling that this is pretty accurate. Saint Nick actually used his inheritance from his wealthy deceased parents to give to the poor. He gave out of his plenty. Do we? Do we follow Saint Nick's, aka Santa Clause, lead by giving out of our plenty to provide for the poor (James 1:27)? Not only that, but Saint Nick was persecuted for his faith! Whoa... Would that change the “meaning of Christmas” if we actually acted like “Santa!” 

         Saint Nick was also considered a “protector of children.” Sure we do our best to protect our children from being kidnapped, sick, and harmed….but how do we protect them from selfishness and gluttony when we give them so many expensive and ridiculous gifts? How many children in this world truly need protection?.... Children in Asia who are sold into sexual slavery by their parents who cannot afford to keep them, baby girls killed from the gendercide in China, children in Africa exposed to malaria, children in South America drinking dirty water full of parasites that will kill them......Who will protect them this Christmas? Will you be a “protector of children?”

This is what Saint Nick (Santa Clause) would want us to do isn’t it? I know its what God wants us to do.

               So in all fairness I leave you with some ways to apply a “Christian Christmas”…..

1. Lets start with the trinity: Maybe instead of talking about how Santa Clause is going to bring your children gifts (aka lying to them if you ask me), how about you talk about how God the Father gave the best gift ever conceived!....Jesus! This was no ordinary gift, He was sent as a sacrificial gift. Jesus would die on the cross to save the world from their sins that separate us from eternity with a Holy God. My goodness what more glory and excitement do you need in celebrating Jesus’ birth!?!?! We talk about the “magic of Christmas” but this is no mystical story with reindeer and a fat man who can fit through a chimney….it is an inconceivable mystery that God would love us so much to send His Son to die for me!!!! I think I’ll forgo the world’s idea of a “magical Christmas” because the real deal is infinitely more glorious and wonderful. This type of Christmas should bring us to our knees in worship!
And instead of “elf on the shelf” (I find the pictures of to be pretty funny at times), let’s talk about how the Holy Spirit is always with us. Not only does He see the bad that we do (like the stuffed doll can supposedly do) but He can give us the power to overcome sin and all the bad things we do….I’d say the benefits of the Holy Spirit are infinitely better than “elf on the shelf.” The Holy Spirit is actually that and so much more! He is God within us! (Read “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan if you want to know more about the Holy Spirit)!
2. I’m going to suggest something that might seem next to impossible. I’m going to suggest that in memory of Saint Nick and his obedience to Jesus’ command to take care of the poor that we don’t get our kids so many presents. Yea…I know….crazy. And your kids can hate me for suggesting it (I don’t mind taking a punch for your children’s spiritual well being). Instead, go to www.indiamission.org or Samaritan's Purse , or an organization that means something to you and your kids (suggestions to the right of my blog page), and have your kids pick out a gift for a child somewhere else in the world to help. By doing this over time you will teach your kids to have a mindset like Saint Nick and like Jesus. You can't put a price tag on giving your children that.

Have a Merry Christmas!!!!

 http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/who-is-st-nicholas/

New Year Resolution

As 2014 approached I read Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-30

 “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and You will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

    After reading this passage I put on my New Year resolution that I wanted to discover what true rest in Christ means. (Keep in mind that at the same time I read this passage I was preparing for the biggest exam of my career: NCLEX, so rest was something I was seeking and could not find due to anxiety). So my New Year resolution became something of a prayer and I had no idea what it would look like but it has always been something that I crave: to let anxiety and life melt away and find TRUE rest.         
    Tonight I went to a Holy Yoga life-group and I realized when I was reflecting on those 2 hours that this is God’s answer to my New Year resolution. At tonight’s Holy Yoga we talked about how we need to put Jesus in the center of our lives. For women especially, this means slowing down. As we talked in our small group a common theme was that we like to say “yes” to everyone which makes us frantically busy leaving us feeling exhausted and having no time with Jesus. We talked about saying “no” to people sometimes to lessen our commitments and focus on what is important.

I went through this phase of craziness in high school and my first few years of college. I played sports, I was involved in about 6 different church activities, I worked multiple jobs, and I went to school. My schedule was packed and I ended up feeling exhausted with my head in a whirlwind half of the time. So I cut back. I re-evaluated my commitments and chose what was most important to me and where my passions led me to spend my time.

   Even with this cut back in commitments there is still a key piece missing: what to do with this new found time? I often consider my time catching up on Dancing with the Stars, The Voice, or Survivor my “rest” time but this is not the “rest” God has for me that He speaks of in Matthew 11. TV, movies, pinterest, and social media are forms of relaxation rooted in distraction. In contrast, I experienced Jesus’ rest and Jesus’ yoke tonight at Holy Yoga. It is time to refocus on God and place Him back in the center of my life through physical and mental rest. Holy Yoga doesn't distract me from life but rather enhances my life and relationship with God. Holy Yoga is not somehow magical in itself. It's the music, Christian instructor, and, ultimately, the focus of my heart that create the restful worship. It is all about inviting the Holy Spirit into life and rest.

   God works in mysterious ways as He answers our prayers, even when it’s in the form of a New Year resolution. I hope to explore His rest more and more and to take up His yoke daily through scripture, prayer, and Holy Yoga.

Retreat

My extended family and I were at the Ocean City for one last final vacation for the summer. My parents and I went for 3 days (1 full day) which is pretty much perfect for me since I tend to get tired of sand being everywhere.
This summer I found a sweet spot at the ocean. Its not novel, its just new for me personally. I started sitting by the water so that the water would keep me cool, but what I found was a true vacation and retreat. With the loud sound of the water and the perfect combination of sun, breeze, and cool water I was able to really dive into and focus on reading. I brought "Captive in Iran" to read while spending hours on the beach. I don't know about you, but the more I learn about the suffering, darkness, lost, and poverty in the world I question the way that I spend my time and money, including vacationing. But as I read the testimony of  Maryam and Marziyeh and their experience in an Iranian prison for being Christians, or as the law says there, for threatening the regime. It is a different world there. I read about their intense suffering, their battle against a government that knows NOTHING about justice, and yet their faithfulness to sharing the Gospel within the walls of Evin Prison to women who are truly hopeless. Every aspect of their story catches me in awe and I cannot recommend the book enough.
I stopped reading and I felt guilty as I took in my surroundings and reflected on the insane number of Christians suffering in that same moment. I know that there is nothing wrong with vacationing necessarily but I can't help but feel torn between the world that I am reading about and the world of luxury and relaxation. So what do I do? Do I pack up my bags and join them in their suffering while leaving my comfort? No. I need to pray.
So I prayed that someone, somewhere, who is being tortured, mocked, or starved for their faith in Jesus might close their eyes and feel the warm sun and cool breeze on their skin. That maybe for a minute God might pull them into a retreat from where they are and their suffering to feel what I was feeling. That God would bless them with a moment of peace that God's ocean brings.
Maybe that is how God wants me to react to books like "Captive in Iran" and the news of ISIS in Iraq. I can act by financially giving. Equally, or more importantly, He wants me to be burdened enough to pray for them every day.
I loved this blog post that goes right along with my prayer.
http://robertsfamilyhope.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/awake-oh-sleeper/

“For we don’t want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in Asia: we were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength—so that we even despaired of life.  Indeed, we personally had a death sentence within ourselves, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.  He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and He will deliver us. We have put our hope in Him that He will deliver us again while you join in helping us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many.”  2 Corinthians 1:8-11

Pay Attention

Over the past 2  weeks the passage about the rich young ruler has come up 3 times. When scripture reappears in my life within a short period of time it makes me stop and consider hard what exactly it is that God is trying to work through in my life. Here are some of the things that I learned so grab your Bible and see what you think!....
I started a new devotional about American excess. In the first chapter of this devotional the author talks about Matthew 19:16-22. Here is what stands out to me:
vs 16 The rich young ruler already knows that he is missing something in his life. Jesus doesn't walk up to him and tell him about how terrible he is and how he is doing everything wrong in life. Rather this young man has an intuition that something is missing in his walk with God and he approaches Jesus to ask about it.
vs 17 I really like how my pastor this past Sunday explained this verse. My pastor pointed out that this verse is Jesus saying that He is God and that He is part of the trinity because He is the "One" with the answers and He "is the only One who is good." This sets up the importance of the rest of this conversation....because He is God!
vs 20 Once again, the rich young ruler knows that even if he obeyed all the scriptural laws there is something still missing. He knows that something is missing from his life that is essential in order for him to get eternal life. This guy is smart.
vs 21 Jesus hits this guy where it hurts....his wallet. This young ruler was so close to his own obsessions, possessions, and sin that he couldn't see that his wealth was keeping him from God, but Jesus knew exactly what hindered this man's commitment to God. The reason that I believe that this passage is less about wealth and more about following God is because Jesus then says to come and follow Me. Jesus's instruction is 2-fold:

sell all of his possessions and give it to the poor

and Follow Me

There was something between him and Jesus. Wealth. Do I think wealth is what holds back all of us from following Jesus? No. Do I think it holds back most Americans? Yes. We are so close to our obsessions, our wealth, and our sin that we keep asking God, "what do I need to do, or not do, to make my walk better with You." But often its those things that we cling so tight to that we can't even see they are keeping us from God. These things can even be good: family, money, prosperity, comfort. I wholehearted believe that we could replace the "rich young ruler" with the "family man" or "workaholic" or "fasionista" or "college scholar" or "athlete" or "obsessive soccer mom." What is preventing us from following God?

BUT THEN, I'm right there with ya...All of the excuses come pouring into my brain. So then I am able to settle back in on my sofa and sleep peacefully tonight because I'm really not that bad.  These are good and essential parts of life. But are they obsessions? Do they prevent me from "giving to the poor" (vs 21)? That seems like a pretty good gauge that even Jesus uses.

We may not "walk away sad" like the rich young ruler. But what is scarier to me is that maybe we actually walk away from Jesus's response with a blind sense of confidence that we are following Jesus, when in reality we are walking away from Jesus and back to our wealth and our castles (or our jobs, lifestyle, college, sports, whatever it is) with our heads held high!

You may be thinking, Elizabeth you're being a bit harsh don't you think? No. I don't think so. And the reason why is because of the next verse:

vs 23 "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

I like the disciples next question after Jesus uses this hyperbole....

And read my next post to hear how much I LOVE Jesus's response.

Looking into their Eyes

"Sometime in your life, hope that you might see one starved man and the look on his face when the bread finally arrives. Hope that you might have baked it or brought or even kneaded it yourself. For that look on his face, for your meeting his eyes across a piece of bread, you might be willing to lose a lot, or suffer a lot, or die a little, even. -Daniel Berrigan

This quote sums up why I encourage people to, especially youth, to go into another culture and see what the face of the needy looks like.
I am not against short term missions because I know how God can use them to change our perspectives. He can use them to make us more generous with our prayers, with our time, and with our money. (In reference to my 1st post, I do think we need to choose wisely what short term missions trips we go and how frequently we go.)

I recently became a volunteer for Gospel for Asia because I basically want to reach as many people in the suffering continent of Asia with the Gospel and to obey the Bible. Gospel for Asia is unlike any other organization that I have come across and God has opened my heart to a great passion for this organization because of what they are doing in Asia through the mighty power of God. IT is an incredibly needy part of the world: physically, socially, and spiritually. Truly beyond anything that I can begin to comprehend. I am reading "No Longer A Slumdog" by K.P. Yohannan and God is using it to pry open by selfish heart to this dark culture. 

I believe that the apathy of the church to care for the desolate, poor, orphans, and widows comes from not seeing "one starved man and the look on his face when the bread finally arrives." When you see the hungry, orphaned, widowed, sick, and hopeless it changes you. It has changed me and it continues to break me. The more I learn about these needs I am drawn in more and more.

Year 21

I really have so much to be thankful for when I reflect on this past year. This year started off with my one and only brother's marriage in September. The wedding was gorgeous and over this past year I have been blessed to get to know my wonderful sister-in-law better.

In December I graduated from nursing school. There is certainly a sigh of relief in graduating, but the anxiety quickly picked back up when it was time to put out applications and to take my boards. I passed my boards and was offered a job the next week from Chambersburg hospital which was my top choice for a job. I had done an internship there so I felt way more comfortable there. The job market in this area for nurses is not good at all so I felt incredibly blessed for the opportunity.

My Bible study group, family, friends, and mentor had been praying for me and my job decisions and our prayers were answered. Soon after I was hired my parents threw out the idea of going to Brazil with my aunt and uncle's church in May. I was not very confident that it would work out but once again, I asked people to pray and I began praying....and as you may know from the previous 10 posts...I went to BRAZIL! It was absolutely wonderful and I cannot wait to go on more service trips like that.

I also started my bachelor's degree at Towson University which has been quite the transition but I am happy to get it over with. I don't enjoy all of the classes but it is something that I need to do.
One of the more negative events this year was the passing of my dog, Sadie. We got Sadie as a puppy when I was in 5th grade so she was with me through middle school, high school, and college. She was an absolutely lover and I really did love her. One afternoon we noticed that she was running into things and struggling to get up on her right side. She was also very anxious and shaking. That day and night was incredible difficult as we realized that she had a stroke. I stayed awake all night crying and hated seeing my precious dog suffer. So we had to put her to sleep. We tried to get use to not having her around, but I never really felt like I was okay with her gone.

 

We went to Brazil and then when we got back we were introduced to India Grace (aka Gracie). She was pulled out of a kill shelter in West Virginia. She is not Sadie, but she is an absolutely lover and she is such a joy! She has definitely been an incredible companion and comfort to me already. She almost seems to know that she was saved. Her adoption was my parent's gift to me for my 22nd birthday.

Going into my 22nd year of life I am to see what is ahead. I already have 2 nursing missions trip that I am praying for clarity and wisdom for. I am also hoping to grow in my faith by discovering true rest through Christ and to work on daily living for Christ as I after being challenged by David Platt's secret church on Good Friday. Since becoming a Gospel for Asia volunteer, I am praying for this year and that I can spread awareness of how God is using this organization to spread His love and help the needy of the world.
I am excited for what God has in store for me and I pray that He uses me to glorify Himself.

Brazil Day 9: This trip ain't over yet!

Today, Saturday, was our last full day in Brazil. We foresaw it to be a day of travel with maybe a little sightseeing in Manaus. We arrived at the airport in Belem to head for Manaus. As we were waiting in line I noticed that my aunt was being pretty quiet. As we checked in our language I noticed her leaning on the gate. I almost asked her if she was okay, but instead I figured that she was just tired. While we stood at baggage check-in I looked over and I saw my aunt’s eyes glaze over and then she stumbled backwards until she fell straight back onto the tile floor. She had passed out. A man behind her put his foot under her head as she fell to keep her head from hitting the floor. Mom and I jumped down and I grabbed her head. My uncle put her feet up in the air. Her pulse was regular and she came to in a minute or two. They took her to see the doctor in the airport who checked her out. Her blood pressure was a little low but the exact cause we still don’t know. Earlier that day she had been sick so she was dehydrated, she had a rash on her arms and neck from an allergic reaction, and she was exhausted. After resting and drinking some water we decided to go wait for our plane. She drank some Gatorade and slept the entire plane ride to Manaus. I journaled on the plane and was just so thankful for this somewhat surreal experience. I did think that the one thing that did not happened that I was looking forward to was seeing exotic animals on the Amazon. We were told that we weren't far enough into the rain-forest to really see a lot of unique animals, plus we stayed on the boat for the most part. Besides some parrots, a giant dead bug and a dead Parana, we didn't see many interesting creatures in their natural habitat.
When we arrived in Manaus I sat and waited for my family who all had to use the bathroom. A man sitting beside me asked if I was European (which made me feel a little sophisticated) and I corrected him and said no, that I was American. He asked me some questions about our trip and one thing led to another and he told me that he knew a man who owned a boat who could take us out to see the rain-forest and animals. I had a mixture of emotions: oh my goodness this sounds amazing and this sounds like a trap to kidnap us and my family will never go for this. So when the rest of my family came back I told them what the man told me and come to find out the man’s brother was washing his hands at the same time as my dad in the bathroom and he was telling him similarly. We stood there and all looked at each other trying to read each other’s faces. We automatically turned to Julie and asked if this was even an option for her because of her health. She said that she was good enough to go. We talked to each other and asked about a few details with cost and time because we only had a 10 hour layover in Manaus. He said that they could definitely have us back in time and all we had to do is say the word and we could come back. Ok, let’s give it a shot. I whispered to my dad and mom that this could be really awesome, or this could be really bad. We were also making jokes to each other in private about how this would be the last of the Parkers and Drapers, insinuating that this might be a dangerous idea. We got into taxis and road to the Amazon Theater where we met up with the man who would show us around Manaus and then take us to the boat. The theater was the nicest place in Manaus and it was very historical. We went from there to eat pizza and then headed to the boat. We walked through the city and past tons vendors until we reached the dock.

In front of the theater. This monument represented all of the continents. 

This was created to represent where the Rio Nigro met the amazon river.

"The Amazon Theatre"

the dock with the boat we would be taking

We rode out to where the Nigro Rio meets the Amazon River in order to see the difference in color up close. The texture of the water was definitely different but it was difficult to see. We could see it from the airplane though before. We then rode past a river community with houses, a school boat, and church. We arrived at a restaurant that had a walkway out behind it to go into the rainforest. We walked on this rickety path above the water to a swampy area with giant lily pads. There was a camen sitting on a lily pad when my mom and aunt walked up and then he slipped off and watched us from the water. Here we could also hear the Howler monkeys calling in the distance. Now that was eery! It sounded like a growl that echoed throughout the entire woods. On our way back we also saw spider monkeys up in the trees.

Just leaving Manaus dock.

The bay outside of Manaus. 

river village

On this house you can see how high the river had been where the line is on the side.

The Pentecostal church

They were pretty excited about the world coming up.

We walked back this path above the water, into the jungle.

This caiman was sitting on a lily pad before I walked up.

giant lily pads

Next we road to a little boat house. This house was floating on giant logs. As we approached I thought one of the little girls was holding a stuffed animal but as we got closer we realized that it was a real live sloth. We got out and each held the sloth. We didn’t cuddle up too close to him because mom pointed out the flees on him. Then they brought a boa constrictor out of this little house. They had caught it in the rainforest and they keep it in their home. We each got pictures with it too. I stood with it behind my neck and I could feel its muscles contracting like it wanted to wrap around my neck and its scales rubbed on my neck. 

We road through openings in the forest where there was enough room for a boat to ride through the trees. I thanked God for this very special treat. We all said that we looked forward to seeing Amazon creatures but we weren't disappointed with the trip in the least, and then God decided to give us an extra treat to see more of His creation that He knew we would enjoy.

We then went to another boat house. This house looked like multiple families lived in it. They had sections of river water separated for bathing. They also had a collection of fish. They gave mom a rod with a fish tied on the other end to try to catch one of these enormous fish. These fish were insanely big! Mom actually got over half of the fish out of the water before he slipped back in.

Mom catching an enormous fish! This fish was about 150 lb!

After that we went to a more open area to watch the sunset and to look for pink dolphins which we did not see any of. Once it got dark we could look for caiman. Another man stood at the front of the boat and shined a light in the marshes that lined the river. We could see the bright red shining eyes of the caiman when the light shined on one. Then we would slowly, and somewhat quietly, ride closer to where the shining eyes were seen. They caught one and then we were each able to hold them and have our pictures taken. Of course they were just baby caiman but still pretty neat to actually handle. The one man rubbed the caiman’s belly to put it to sleep.

First they dropped the caiman at mom's feet which is why she is screaming. They were putting it to sleep by rubbing its belly.

We then had a relaxing ride back to Manaus where we went to dinner and then back to the airport. We all slept through the night since our plane left at about midnight to fly back to Miami. The airplane was very empty so we each were able to find an open row and stretch out and sleep for the 6 hour night flight. From Miami we flew to BWI.

It’s always like a dream when you go on trips like this. The anticipation for months is over and the 9 days fly by. I tell people that I loved every minute of this experience and I was blessed in many ways through this trip. I was blessed by the church that we met up with and even though we couldn't speak the same language, they have a special place in my heart and we will always have a special bond. 

I also was blessed by working with the people of Brazil in those towns. While we did make some impact medically, many of those people came onto that boat to be heard and to be loved. They’re illness were easily treated, but the time we took to look them in the eye and hear them and to then pray for them is what made the impact and that is something that I can do here in the USA with my nursing job.

I was also blessed by the American medical team. Every single member of this team worked for the glory of God and they worked hard. Most of them were seasoned travelers and missionaries. Dr. Glynn and Patsy lived in Africa for years serving people and they have also served in China and India. Dr. Jim and Pam have traveled around the world and Jim served in the military as a doctor and so he had many stories and expertise to share. Kevin shares a passion for medical missions, music, photography, and different cultures. Bill had a passion for Brazil that added tremendously to my experience while we were there as he talked to people and encouraged us to meet the Brazilians. Dawn is an RN who works in cardiac here in the USA but helped organize a trip to Africa for at team with Glynn and Patsy. Tom has a passion for people and life that is contagious. He told me about his time in Brazil planting churches and while raising his family in Brazil. He is now a pastor at Mountain Christian Church for their global ministry. I love my aunt and uncle and they define hard work. They are also seasoned travelers and love taking opportunities to explore and meet new people. Who else am I forgetting? Oh ya, my parents. What a blessing to work with my parents in ministry. I love working with my mom as a nurse and watch her use her expertise in nursing. I also absolutely love finding my dad on the boat, on the pier, or on land making balloon animals for children for hours.

I am extremely excited to serve with this group in the future and I absolutely pray for more opportunities to work with these brothers and sisters. I am definitely going to need to visit them in Bel Air soon.