January 2011

Of Dads and Daughters

by Katie G.

In  a  mystical  land  where  dragons  are  common  and  most  everyone  has  a  fairy-­‐god  mother  there  lived  a  princess.    When  her  sixteenth  birthday  was  celebrated  her  queen  mother  and  king  father  gave  her  a  very  precious  gift.    It  was  one  of  the  most  precious  gifts  they  could  of  entrusted  her  with:  her  ?irst  kiss.    Her  father  told  but  one  thing  when  he  presented  it  to  her  and  that  was,  “Dearest  Daughter,  save  your  kiss;  don’t  give  it  to  anybody,  but  rather,  guard  it  as  your  most  precious  possession,  save  it  for  the  one  man  whom  you  truly  love  and  can  fully  care  for  you.”    Two  years  past  and  it  was  time  for  the  daughter  to  leave  the  protection  of  her  father  and  marry.    She  remembered  her  father’s  advice  and  waited  for  the  right  man.    One  day  a  young  noble  visited  the  castle.    Though  he  looked  very  much  like  any  other  young  man,  the  princess  eventually  came  to  love  him  for  his  noble  character.    The  day  came  when  he  told  her  he  loved  her.    They  were  happily  married  with  the  blessing  of  the  king,  and  the  princess  was  forever  grateful  she  had  followed  her  father’s  advice.    She  saved  her  kiss  for  her  husband.  

My  dad  closed  the  book  and  smiled  at  me  across  the  table.  I  pushed  the  remains  of  my  chocolate  cheese  cake  away  and  smiled  back.    What  I  have  just  described  is  a  date  I  went  on  with  my  dad  when  I  was  twelve.    My  relationship  with  my  dad  is  the  most  important  human  relationship  in  my  life.    I  love  going  on  walks  with  him  in  the  peak  of  fall  when  the  colors  are  all  a?ire,  I  love  sitting  by  the  ?ire  and  sipping  hot  chocolate  with  him  in  the  long  winter  evenings  and  going  on  dates  like  the  one  described  above.

Now  that  I  am  older  people  often  ask  me  if  I  have  a  boyfriend,  I  love  being  able  to  say  that  my  dad  takes  the  place  of  a  boyfriend  in  my  life.    If  I  did  not  have  such  a  special  relationship  with  my  dad  I  probably  would  be  chasing  after  other  guys  trying  to  ?ill  that  void  that  my  dad  currently  ?ills.    I  know  some  girls  in  

the  States  who  are  always  talking  about  boys,  it’s  all  they  ever  think  of!    The  bible  says  we  should  treat  other  guys  as  brothers.    (1  Timothy  5:  1b-­‐2).    If  you  treat  your  dad  with  respect  and  form  a  relationship  with  him    and  treat  other  guys  as  brothers  in  Christ  you  will  not  have  to  go  through  all  of  the  breaking-­‐up  and  boyfriend  drama  plus  you  will  have  a  more  than  ful?illing  relationship  with  your  dad.

Take  time  to  water  your  relationship  with  your  dad.    Don’t  let  it  get  choked  by  other  priorities  in  your  life;  your  relationship  with  him  should  be  your  main  priority  after  God.    Learn  his  love  language  whether  it  is  giving  gifts,  time  spent,  serving  ,  affection  or  words  of  encouragement.    

“Even  though  this  world  isn’t  perfect  like  the  fairy  tale  world  in  the  story  it  still  applies  to  our  world,”  said  my  dad  as  he  took  a  lavender  jewelry  bag  out  of  his  pocket.  “Will  you  save  your  ?irst  kiss  for  one  man;  a  man  who  will  be  your  provider  and guardian  when  you  leave  our  home?”“Yes!”  I  breathed.“Here  is  a  necklace  for  you  to  remember  your  promise  by.”  said  my  dad  as  he  clasped  a  silver  chain  with  a  box  that opened  and  closed  around  my  neck.    I  still  have  that  necklace  and  even  though  the  lid  on  the  box  is  loose  and  I  am  afraid  to  wear  it  in  case  it  should  break  I  still  cherish  that  memory.    I  hope  you  have  your  own  memories  with  your  dad.

Bible Verses on...Forgiveness

“ I n H i m w e h a v e redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace...” -Ephesians 1:7

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” -Colossians 3:12-13

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all u n r i g h t e o u s n e s s . ” -1 John 1:9

“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." -Luke 17:3b-4

“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you y o u r t r e s p a s s e s . ” -Mark 11:25

Heart of Worship by Michaela F.

Puny

Picture this....God:  the  Creator  of  the  whole  world,  the  One  who  spoke  everything  and  everyone  into  being,  the  One  who  parted  the  Red  Sea  for  the  Israelites  and  then  closed  it  on  the  Egyptian  army,  the  One  who  made  it  possible  for  a  really  old  lady  to  have  a  baby,  the  One  who  watched  as  His  one  and  only  son  was  horribly  mocked  and  cruci?ied  and  then  raised  him  from  the  dead.  Then,  there’s  us.  We  live  like  we  are  the  only  ones  on  the  planet  that  matter,  always  trying  to  make  our  wardrobe  ?it  the  standard  of  the  latest  style,  wasting  our  money  on  a  million  little  things  we  end  up  stuf?ing  under  our  bed.  We  make  ourselves  seem  pretty  big  and  important,  but  if  we  go  back  to  the  picture  of  our  amazing  God,  we  realize  that  we  are  so  puny.  

Honestly  I  have  no  idea  how  in  the  world  we  get  the  privilege  to  be  in  a  relationship  with  such  an  awesome,  loving,  and  powerful  God.  We  don’t  deserve  it,  not  even  remotely.  Romans  3:23  says  “For  all  have  sinned  and  fall  short  of  the  glory  of  God”  (NIV).  We  are  absolutely  undeserving  and  there  is  no  way  we  could  ever  earn  the  right  because  we  are  so  downright  human  and  imperfect.  But  for  some  reason  that  no  one  on  this  earth  will  ever  be  able  to  explain,  He  chose  to  make  us  His  children.  He  chose  to  redeem  us  from  our  fallen  state  and  love  us.  He  also  gave  us  the  choice  of  whether  to  surrender  our  lives  to  His  control  or  to  live  for  ourselves.  He  loves  us  completely  and  perfectly  even  though  we  are  specks  of  dust  on  a  planet  the  size  of  a  grape.

I  heard  a  sermon  recently  and  the  pastor  talked  about  the  power  of  God.  He  mentioned  a  verse  from  Daniel  that  really  hit  the  nail  on  the  head.  It  is  Daniel  4:34-­‐35  and  it  says  “His  dominion  is  an  eternal  dominion;  his  kingdom  endures  from  generation  to  generation.  All  the  peoples  of  the  earth  are  regarded  as  nothing.  He  does  as  he  pleases  with  the  powers  of  heaven  and  the  peoples  of  the  earth.  No  one  can  hold  back  his  hand  or  say  to  him:  “What  have  you  done?”  (NIV).  This  really  de?ines  how  small  we  are  in  the  big  picture.  The  verse  says  that  even  ALL  the  people  in  the  whole  world  together  with  all  the  angels  in  heaven,  we  still  amount  to  NOTHING  compared  to  God  and  His  power.  It  says  that  even  all  those  billions  and  billions  of  people,  we  can  do  absolutely  nothing  to  change  the  will  of  God.  That  is  how  much  power  we  have,  none.  Sometimes  we  get  in  in  our  heads  that  we  are  somehow  helping  God  out.  We  are  sacri?icing  for  Him  and  doing  all  this  good  stuff  for  Him  and  the  list  goes  on  and  on.  But  get  real!  God  doesn’t  need  anything  from  us.  He  has  it  all  under  His  control.  The  reason  we  are  supposed  to  do  what  He  commands  is  because  He  chooses  to  give  us  the  privilege  of  being  part  of  His  master  plan.  When  we  ask  God  to  show  up  in  the  midst  of  what  we  are  trying  to  do  for  Him  like  telling  someone  else  the  gospel  or  speaking,  we  should  think  of  it  as  the  opposite.  It  is  God  who  is  using  us,  not  we  who  are  using  Him.  That  realization  changes  everything.  It  is  a  lot  like  the  familiar  analogy  “It’s  God’s  party;  we  were  invited  merely  as  guests.”  When  we  remember  how  puny  we  are  compared  to  God’s  power  and  love,  it  is  then  that  we  can  really  live  for  Him  because  we  realize  it  is  NOT  about  us.  That  is  what  living  for  Jesus  is  all  about.

Check  out  Isaiah  40  for  more  verses  on  how  small  we  are  compared  to  God’s  greatness.

Raising MKs Overseas A Mom’s Perspective

by  Ann  Cochrum  

As we began the preparation of moving overseas for a long term assignment, the term TCK (third culture kid) began to surface. At first, I ignored it. We had been on overseas missions trips and on an overseas internship with both kids before and it hadn’t seemed relevant. But now, I was being told that this move would have some kind of unique impact on our kids in terms of their identity and how they related to the world. WHOA, was this going to be okay? What kind of long term impact was this going to have? This area became another of the many things that we entrusted to our faithful God as we responded to his call on our lives.

As we moved to Asia and raised our kids in that context for the next 12 years, there was definitely a process of letting go of the plans I had for them based on my own growing up experiences and embracing the plans that He had for them. Bottom line, I had to choose to trust Him with their lives.

• Where I grew up watching American football, they grew up watching International football (soccer)

• Where I grew up walking, riding my bike and driving 7 minutes to school, they took public transportation (bus and subway) which took up to an hour to get to school.

• Where I spent summer vacations on a farm, they spent vacations on exotic beaches.

• Where I was surrounded by English and mostly white Americans, they were surrounded by many languages and were in the minority as a white face.

• Where the only religious buildings I saw were churches, they saw temples, mosques, churches and spirit houses.

• Where I never needed a passport, they never thought twice about going through immigration.

I am convinced that God considered Travis and Amy in every move that we made! All along the way He would assure me of the specific good plans he had for them and that he was using their experiences to shape them into who He wanted them to be.

Now we are back in America and Travis and Amy are both in college. Upon reflection, this is how I would summarize raising them overseas:

The hardest part: knowing that I can never fully understand their experience of growing up as a TCK. I actually have to remind myself that they see and experience the world differently as a result of it.

The best part: watching God provide, protect and use their time overseas to shape them into the delightful people that they are today. I know that His plan will continue to unfold for them and it will reflect their unique heritage.

I will riseNo more cries.

One day I will fly away.One day I will find my way.

Love will always be growing.

Peace like a dove overflowing. 

written by Rebecca M.

by Travis C.

This  past  summer  was  my  sister,  Amy’s,  birthday.  So,  naturally,  to  celebrate  life,  we  put  it  in  danger  by  going  skydiving.  It  was  a  blast!  There  was  very  little  safety  training  (as  in  none)  and  then  they  just  pretty  much  shoved  you  and  your  tandem  instructor  out  of  a  plane  at  15,000  feet.  My  top  3  takeaways  from  skydiving    

Know what risks to take and when. There  is  a  balance  between  “Do  not  put  the  Lord  your  God  to  the  test”  (Matt  4:7)  and  “Our  God  is  in  heaven;  he  does  whatever  pleases  him…trust  in  the  Lord.”  (Ps  115).  It  is  sometimes  hard  for  me  to  push  myself  to  take  risks  and  I  can  easily  fall  prey  to  living  in  fear  –  and  “do  not  be  afraid”  is  the  most  repeated  command  in  the  Bible.  The  world  is  not  a  safe  place,  so  you  will  have  to  take  risk.  Therefore,  pray  before  you  take  risks  and  ask  for  guidance.  Was  skydiving  a  necessary  risk?  Probably  not,  but  I  thought  it  was  worth  taking  for  bonding  with  Amy  and  the  experience.

Sometimes all you can do is trust. I  had  never  jumped  before.  I  did  not  know  how  to  work  a  parachute,  and  did  not  know  how  to  read  an  altimeter,  so  all  I  could  do  was  sit  back  and  trust  that  my  jump-­‐master  knew  what  he  was  doing  (and  he  did  –  he  has  over  19,000  jumps,  one  of  the  most  experienced  in  the  world).  The  other  half  of  this  is  putting  your  trust  in  something  trustworthy  –  just  because  you  have  faith  in  a  lie  won’t  make  it  true.  In  the  same  way,  God  knows  what  I  need  way  better  than  I  do  and  He  is  de?initely  trustworthy.

Perspective is important. I  was  surprised  because  I  expected  skydiving  to  be  more  intense  than  it  actually  was.  I  think  I  was  more  scared  jumping  off  the  40ish  foot  bridge  at  men’s  retreat  last  year.  Why?  Because  of  my  reference  frame.  When  I  jumped  off  the  bridge,  I  could  clearly  see  the  water  rushing  at  me  very  quickly  and  knew  that  pain  was  coming.  But  in  jumping  out  of  the  plane,  the  ground  was  so  far  away  that  you  couldn’t  really  tell  how  fast  you  were  falling  (except  for  the  wind  that  almost  tore  off  my  face).

taken with permissions from:

by Courtney R.

I was curled up in my bed on a rainy, cold afternoon editing this month’s issue when Taylor Swift’s hit single, Tim McGraw, started playing. At first the country melody just made me smile and snuggle deeper in my bed, but when the chorus came I really started to the think about they lyrics. Part of the chorus goes, “When you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think of me.” I don’t know about you, but I hope that when I enter someone’s thoughts, Tim McGraw does not accompany me. I’d much rather it be Jesus.

2 Corinthians 2:15 says, “For we are the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” and Philippians 2:14-15 says, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” As Christians we should be the fragrant aroma and shining lights of Christ. Others should see Jesus through our actions. Does that mean we have to be perfect all the time? Of course not! God doesn’t expect us to be perfect or identical to Him. As creations we can’t be exact replicas of our Creator, but we are expected to imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1). The dictionary defines imitate to “take or follow as a model”. Thus, we’re to model God’s behavior.

The word model is an action; it’s not passive. Too often Christians are passive in their faith, including myself. It’s so much easier to just believe in God and act like everyone else. But the Bible says that even the demons believe in God (James 2:19). The next verse challenges those with passive faith, calling them foolish to think that faith can stand by itself free of works. Faith is completed by works (James 2:22). If we are truly walking with God, we will grow and produce fruit. By spending time with us, others should be able to taste that fruit and see Jesus. They should be able to smell His sweet fragrance and be drawn to His dazzling light.

In His word (Galatians 5:22-23), God gives a list of fruits that should be growing in our hearts if we truly are walking with Him. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. These fruits should come naturally as you walk with God. If you immerse yourself in God’s word and pray on a daily basis, your relationship with God will only get stronger and you’ll produce these fruits.

In this coming year let this be your goal: walk with the Lord in a way that everyone around you will be able to smell and see Him. As Christians, we represent our faith and our God. Represent them both well. When people think Jesus, hope they’ll think of you.

It’s important to have quiet times on a daily basis. Besides reading the Bible

and praying, a good Truth-filled book is a great way to learn more about God and enhance your quiet times. Here are

two great choices!

Crazy Love by Francis Chan This book has become quite popular since it came out a few years ago. It is known for it's poignant and controversial views on Christian faith. This book gives you many things to wrestle with and causes you to look at your faith in God with a new perspective. This book is challenging but it changes your life in a way you can't forget! The author uses mostly God's Word with a few real life stories mixed in to make his point which makes it a very interesting read. You will not regret reading this book!

Paperdoll by Natalie Lloyd Reading Paperdoll is like having a cup of peppermint tea in a cozy teahouse on rainy day with your best friend. Natalie leads you through the story of the woman at the well in John 4 with wit, grace, and wisdom. She encourages girls of all ages to break free from being a two-dimensional paperdoll and transform into a three-dimensional girl living freely and fully in God. Each chapter focuses on a certain aspect of breaking from your paper self including love, worship, depression, grief, beauty, dating, and money. From hot pink cover to cover, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you want to be challenged in your faith and inspired to truly live, read this book; it will rock your paper world.

Reviews by Michaela F. and Courtney R.

What did you think?send all comments to:

[email protected]

“It’s not my ability, but my response to God’s ability, that counts.”

-Corrie Ten Boom

Happy New Year!