Tunesday Tuesday.

Happy Tuesday, y'all!! Hope it's beautiful wherever you are. Today I'm throwing it back to sophomore year of college.  Miranda Lambert sure knows how to write them and this one was no exception. 

" ...there's danger in frustration..."

2015: Chasing

As I wrote this title, I can't believe we're already in 2015, and more so, almost done with January.

Last week as I was flying to Guatemala, I filled my phone up with podcasts to last the 18 hour travel day, and the first one I listened to that day was from Jeff and Alyssa Bethke. It's a new one and this particular day they were talking about the new year and goal setting. Everyone's favorite, right?

So Alyssa went on to share about how every year she finds a word to capitalize on and make it her everything, a focus, for that year. For example, this year it was JOY. So many verses talk about rejoicing and we know it is a part of the Christian's character.

I've normally picked out a verse for the year, not that I search my Bible January 1st, but as the days go on I feel like God places something on my heart. So when I heard this idea about a word I wondered if I could find something like that for me.
. . .

In my 2014 end of the year post for I talked about how I don't want this year to look like the last or the one that follows. I want each year to be better than the last. And the only thing that I could think of for this is chasing. Maybe it was influenced by a favorite Bethel Music song, but who can hold that against me? ;)

chase¹

/tʃeɪs/
verb
gerund or present participle: chasing
1) to follow, rapidly in order to catch or overtake, pursue
2) to seek the favor or company of persistently 

I have 1 year left (down to the week) here in Buenos Aires, and I want every day to be spent chasing the only One who matters. Ministry comes second to my time with the Father, because He's the one from whom all blessings flow, afterall. When I see the synonyms or definitions for chasing, I realize that it's active, a present tense thing we do. It's not something for us to sit by and watch happen. We are going after something, whether it's Christ or not. 

I made a goal for myself, and feel free to come back and check me on this, but I looked up all Scriptures with seek, pursue, and follow in it and there was a good variety from both Old and New Testament. We are told to chase peace, love, JESUS. And do it whole-heartedly. 

When I think about how He pursued me in my sin, and continues to chase me when I'm far from Him, I'm overwhelmed by his grace. How can it not evoke a response of anything less than a life of worship to my Savior.

 

Tunesday Tuesday.

I first heard this song a couple of months ago while at the gym, I think, and instantly fell in love with it. Coupled with the fact that Bryan & Katie Torwalt sing it, I think you'll like it too! I sang it live at a retreat this past week and you know that feeling when a song you love comes on the radio? Well that's how I feel when my favorite worship songs are part of a service. Especially since all my services are in Spanish now :)

How Majestic is Your Name.

In the last 3 weeks, I have driven through the Andes mountains to see the tallest mountain in the Americas and hiked up active volcanoes. All of creation screams the name of it's powerful Creator. No wonder Jesus said, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out" (Luke 19:40). Creation is powerful, it moves me to reflect in how grand our God is. And to think, we are the pinnacle of His creation.

Not only are we His handiwork, but He pursues us. He wants a relationship with you and me. In all our sin, He sees something worthwhile.

This isn't a really long post, but rather I wanted to show pictures from the last few weeks of His creation, His beauty. To think you could give credit for this to anyone but God is beyond me.

Mendoza

Mendoza

Back behind the clouds is Aconcagua

Mendoza

Mendoza

Volcano Agua en Guatemala

View from the top of Volcano Pacaya

Looking down into the crater of Volcano Pacaya

2014: A Year in Review

I always like to sit back and look at my year's past and see what has happened during the last 12 months. To see the tapestry the Lord is weaving, and while sometimes I see one square inch of it, it's good to know it's there nonetheless. Here I was a here ago already reflecting on 2013!

2014 was a huge year for me. Leaving home, for real. Saying lots of see-you-later's. Adjusting to people difference from myself. Living in a culture different from my own. I could continue, but I'll save that for myself. I think the main thing I heard through all of this though, is that regardless, the only constant I'll ever have, is God. Granted, I have always known that, praise Him, but His faithfulness has only been proven more and more in the roughness of this year. Don't get me wrong, there was lots of celebrating this year, but it's in the rough moments that we come to realize His faithfulness.

In the hard times of this year, the ugly times, when I just didn't see the point, He brought me back to His will and His word in John 15:16. You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. Those are Jesus' words, and knowing that He is seated at the right hand of the Father, I take great comfort in knowing I can come to him with a n y t h i n g. Without that, I would not have made it through this year.

I briefly looked through my pictures from this year... when I say briefly, I mean it was quick, to pick for you the best representation of what meant the most in 2014, or some of the most memorable, rather. There's so much more I could say and pick from. A lot in here in not included, like my church, the teams I work with, etc, but those are also a part of my life here in Buenos Aires. But those are everyday life now, and pictures I chose are 'milestone' moments of 2014, if you will... So, starting from January to December, we begin in Virginia:

my time in Virginia for FPO was golden. i made some new friends, both field workers and not, that i know i will have for a lifetime and I'm so thankful for the time i had before leaving the states spent here. [l to r: Leanne, Emily, Carlie, Natalie, Corey, me, Clint]

moving to a city of 13 million and living in an apartment after living in a big house with your parents in a suburb of a city of 200k doesn't have any comparison... you just do it, and hope you adjust well. Well, I've loved it. BA, you're amazing.

i celebrated my 25th birthday after 1 month here and wasn't sure I'd have anyone to invite. Well, as you can see, I had 4 friends at that dinner and i'd have them all over again. Thankful for their sweet friendships. God has richly blessed me in that even still in Argentina, it's not the quantity, but the quality that matters to me.

in July I had the amazing opportunity to go to the Dominican Republic with the company. It was a great escape from the city, a time to hear from soon-to-be-president David Platt, reconnect with friends from Viriginia, and meet new friends.

in October i went to Rio, solo. It wasn't the plan, but life doesn't always go as planned, does it? It was a lesson in patience, trust, and i had a great time with the family i stayed with! Brazil is nothing like the rest of Latin America, but the people are friendly, the food is great, and the weather is HOT!

December brought my parents HERE to Argentina!! They came for Christmas and New Years and we took a trip to Mendoza in between. Here they are in front of Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Americas!

I hope everyone has a good New Year's Eve/Day, and that 2015 is everything they want it to be.  I hope this year is full of challenges, in a good way, that push you to be a better person. Push you to want more of Christ, drawing you closer to Him. I know personally for me this year, I've come to realize that at the age of 25, I don't want my walk with Christ to look the same as last year's, and I don't want next year's routine to be the same as this year's. I want each year to be more, to be growing more like Christ, whatever that may be. 

May your 2015 be full.

Love,

B

Tunesday Tuesday & a little something extra.

We starting singing Christmas songs at church a few Sundays ago and while a most of them are familiar to me, there are some new ones as well. I'm sharing with you one that I instantly fell in love with, called Ven a Mi Corazón O Christo. The chorus sings: 

ven a mi corazon oh Cristo (come to my heart oh Christ)
pues en el hay lugar para ti (for in it there is room for you)

 This song reminds me that regardless of the setting we find Christ in, He is available to anyone's heart at anytime if we open ourselves up to Him. 

Setting is especially important for me to remember this Christmas season as I find myself away from home on Christmas for the first time in my life and it doesn't really 'feel like Christmas'. I say that as a phrase because what does it mean to feel like Christmas anyway?? Christmas is a date on the calendar that we set aside to celebrate the arrival, the birth of our SAVIOR. The Messiah who was has come to take the sins of the world, once and for all. This is a HUGE deal. 

So why then, does this not feel like Christmas? Yes, I see Christmas trees in Apartment lobbies, and lights in window shops. Store windows have for weeks now been advertising Felices Fiestas, or Happy Holidays,  but to me this all just says commercialism. I'm looking for the meaning of Christmas here. And don't get me wrong, I have seen signs posted around the city that say JESUS ES NAVIDAD, or JESUS IS CHRISTMAS. I have seen life size nativity sets even. Is that what defines Christmas?

Personally, growing up in the midwest, I'm missing the cold temps accompanied by snow. Missing the Starbucks Christmas cups when necessary (sorry, BA, but I'm not going to get a hot drink when it's 85 outside. Try again in July with the Christmas cups please?). Missing the long drives to work because of ice covered highways. Ha, just kidding there ;) Missing a big Christmas tree with all the presents under it and all the house decorations.

But, when I realized I was missing that last one, I scared myself.

America has so trained us and wrapped our minds to associating Christmas with the Birth of Jesus AND decorations, songs, festive things. But what happens when we strip that all away and focus solely on Jesus. Afterall, without Him, this holiday would just be another day on the calendar.

the largest nativity scene I've ever seen in the heart of downtown

snowglobes without the snow? in BA they are!

shopping malls are ready for Christmas!

 

With my nose in a book....

Reading overseas is always an interesting topic. There's this thing called my iPad where I occasionally get Kindle crazy at the start of the month and buy all the $3.99 books I can find of interest to me. But, then I'm limited to only reading it in house because I don't like taking it out in public on the buses and subway. Pretty sure I've only finished one book on my iPad, ever.

Then there's the more-precious-than-gold paper books in English. I have to clarify English because that means they got here a) in my suitcase, b)were left behind by the last girls, or c) were brought as gifts by some visitors.

Lately I've read so many good books y'all my mind is so excited about it and I wanted to share with you so that this Christmas time you could snuggle up to the fire and read something of value.

A while ago, I read The Insanity of Obedience by Nik Ripken and it was on my iPad, which not lying, I struggle to get through books on there. But I could not get through this fast enough. Hearing Nik's stories about persecuted believes and their unshakable faith was an encouragement to me and without a doubt will be to you. At the moment, I am reading The Insanity of God by you guessed it, Nik Ripken, also on my iPad. This is also a good story (more his testimony). I can't give a fair assessment, but I will tell you I read the other one quicker.

Today, I also picked up a new book to take with me out the door since I was going to be on the book. I'm ashamed to say this, but I bought it over a year ago and never started it because it wasn't appealing, or thought it was going to be boring. Ready for it? Share Jesus Without Fear by William Fay. Y'all I am over halfway done with the book already! It's so good! I think it's the Bill Hybels Contagious Christian book that I couldn't finish. Anyway, Fay's book seems to be practical and is full of questions for you and leaves you with ways to get out there and SHARE!

I read the lovely Elisabeth Elliot love story Passion and Purity. I wasn't really sure what to expect from it... a bunch of love letters?? It was described to me as the long distance relationship between Elisabeth and her husband George who at one point told her he loved her but he wasn't going to marry her because he had to be a single missionary in the jungle. Well, the story is a lot better than my words, but they have a happy ending for a little while. Ever heard of the movie The End of the Spear? [Just for fun - It took Crystal 7 months to finish this book, while I read it in 3 days. Nothing against the book though...]

I almost left out a really educational book on Muslims that I got in the DR. It's called A Wind in the House of Islam. It was a summary of the Muslim to Christ movements in 9 different Eastern parts of the world, showing what methods worked best for them. It was interesting to see how, obviously, not one thing works in all parts of the world and you have to adapt to your audience. I loved reading the testimonies of the workers, the believers, and knowing how we can pray for them. If you're in to the Church, Muslim Background Believers, and generally knowing how to pray for others, I recommend this book!

I think the last of my most recent's is what Crystal called a "controversial book," lol, is A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George.  I saved this for last because it probably got the most reaction out of me but also one of the most learning books I've read in a while. Ok, so this so called controversial part was the small section on husbands/wives. Clearly, if you take two single girls and tell them that they need to make their husbands their number one human priority.... well, we're just not ready to hear that yet! We seriously thought this book was written was 1950, but it was 1997. Things like telling us to be sure to change our clothes, putting on fresh lipstick, and wearing perfume for the husband before he came home from work sounded straight from Leave it to Beaver! BUT. The farther away from this chapter I was [yes, I kept reading about motherhood, maintaining the home,  spiritual health etc.....] I couldn't stop thinking about why that chapter bothered me so much. Was it not Biblical? What did God make woman for but to be a helper to man? Yes, she has so much more potential than that, but I think in our feminist, equal opportunity society, maybe we have taken away from God's design in the family. Is that so wrong to say? Sorry future husband though if I don't bring out the fresh lipstick at your homecoming. You read that here first.

Ok, so there ends the latest of my reading list. I want to know what you've read! Tell me what's good!