Temporary vs Eternal

I am always in a battle with myself when it comes to "things" or "stuff". I struggle with the need to have the newest, the best, the coolest or simply more of whatever. Reading today in Psalm 49, I am reminded that I can't take all this stuff with me (v17), because it will simply be left to others (v10) or will just waste away and rot...it's temporary. However, there is something to go after and that is the eternal stuff...it is "seeing the light of life" (v19)...it is understanding that my relationship with God is eternal. It is striving after God...to know Him...to know that when I die, I will be in His presence forever (v15). That's what I want to be going after today!

I Put My Hope in God

In reading through Psalm 40-43 in my quiet time, I am struck by the struggles that David is going through. And yet his confidence is in God, his hope is in God and he chooses to praise Him in the situations that he finds himself in. So why do I not do the same...why wish to have everything go so smooth in life...why wish that the difficult would pass quickly...why complain instead of rejoice? The writer of the devotional book said this today, "Without affliction, it is not possible to experience the sufficiency of God's grace. Without oppostion, it is not possible to exercise faith." May I view my life through God's lens...in all that He allows me to go through, He wants me to put my hope in Him, to exercise my faith and to experience His amazing grace!

Kenya Trip Report

Last Sunday night, our team was able to share with many of our supporters (both prayer and financial) about our trip. What a great time to reflect and share with so many friends. If you were to be there, I hope that you enjoyed it and were challenged. If you were unable to attend, I hope to be able to post some other things here from our presentation in the near future.

So many thoughts flashed through my mind as I heard stories and viewed pictures from our trip. It reminded me again of our great God, Who loves people all around the world and uses them to accomplish His work.

Shine!

We are excited for the upcoming weekend at our church. We are kicking off the new year with the theme of "Shine!" This is based on Philippians 2:14-16, which says in part, "...in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life." We want this to be the focus of our upcoming year, that we would shine for Him! Check it out at NSBConline.org.

Well, we're on our way to a lot of setup and finishing touches for the day tomorrow...hope to see you then.

Our Missions Trip To Kenya

Beautiful Views from Kenya

Fun Things from Kenya Trip