God has been showing me something in the last few days. It does not matter if I do not understand why he is not answering my prayers (in the way or timing that I desire). I do not have to understand. My faith can boil down to this- God has saved me. He has forgiven my every sin, cleansed me, and made me a new creation. Not only that, but he is preparing a place for me in heaven, where I will be with Him for eternity. If that were all he did for me- that would be more than enough!!! Maybe it is because one of my "love languages" is "acts of service" but I have a hard time when I am praying and believing & putting my faith out there for something & then I don't see it happen. But the confusion that happens after that is not where I want to dwell. I want to dwell on the goodness and love of God- God demonstrated his own love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us! Praise God! I do not *need* God to "do" something for me to prove he loves me and cares for me- he has already done it & proved it to me beyond a shadow of a doubt! He loves us- oh yes, he loves us. And I will be contented with that.
Mike had his dental work done- we paid half and will pay the remainer next month. Unfortunately we found out he needs additional dental work done- not good news! We continue to pray and believe for God's provision for all that we believe he has put in our hearts to do. God will take care of us- he always has & always will! He didn't promise we'd be comfortable- just taken care of! :)
We are also planning our TTI banquet for October 24th. This stresses me out and I will continue to pray for someday God to provide an event planner/fund raising coordinator for TTI. Lord let it be! For now, I do it- but thankfully I have some team members to help me out on this.
Thank you for caring (or being curious enough) to read this- post a comment to tell me "hey"! :)
Blessings,
Lisa
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Tooth Hurty
The kid's joke goes something like, "what time is it when it's time to go to the dentist?" The answer? "Tooth-hurty". Get it? ;) Well we just got back from a wonderful mini vacation/camping weekend with two other families. It was a really great time- except for one thing- Mike had an awful toothache that only got worse throughout the weekend. He was trying to get by taking ibuprofin, and at one point when he was up in the middle of the night to take more he asked me what time it was... guess what? 2:30. Funny, huh? Kinda. It was miserable for him, but on Sunday the dental office called in a prescription for him for antibiotics & pain killer & now he is feeling relief finally. But we imagine there is a serious problem with this tooth that will need to be taken care of. Same toothache problem that tormented him in Rwanda. So he has an appointment with the dentist for tomorrow morning.
Tooth problem + no dental insurance + very limited finances = need
We have a need, we have God, the only missing part of this equation is God stepping in to take care of our need! We need God to either provide the funds needed to repair the tooth or to heal the tooth.
We continue waiting to see the fulfillment of God's provision- that our family could be fully supported enough to afford to go to Rwanda. We desire to go in November, but we can not if things do not change drastically. Right now we barely have enough funds to pay our bills here, much less to afford the extra expenses of living in Rwanda (renting a house there, higher food bills there, etc.) I have been homeschooling for a year and half now with KaLia, but honestly after our last time there I just felt like I can't do this anymore. Having to always be the one who has to lean on her to learn & complete her work - I just don't have the motivation to fight that fight anymore. I would like to be able to afford to enroll her in a small one-room schoolhouse type of thing there- something started by missionary families & a place I think she would thrive in. It costs about $2500 per year I think. I would love to be able to afford to send both KaLia and Nate (as Nate enters kindergarten this fall) to a school like this while we are there.
So, along with prayers for God's provision right now I am also praying for wisdom- to know what God wants me to do about the kids for school, to know if we are going to Rwanda in November or not (this affects the plans I make for the kids in the fall), and so on.
Thank you for joinging with us in prayer.
God Bless You,
Lisa
Nate & KaLia & friends riding the ferry back from our camping spot
Tooth problem + no dental insurance + very limited finances = need
We have a need, we have God, the only missing part of this equation is God stepping in to take care of our need! We need God to either provide the funds needed to repair the tooth or to heal the tooth.
We continue waiting to see the fulfillment of God's provision- that our family could be fully supported enough to afford to go to Rwanda. We desire to go in November, but we can not if things do not change drastically. Right now we barely have enough funds to pay our bills here, much less to afford the extra expenses of living in Rwanda (renting a house there, higher food bills there, etc.) I have been homeschooling for a year and half now with KaLia, but honestly after our last time there I just felt like I can't do this anymore. Having to always be the one who has to lean on her to learn & complete her work - I just don't have the motivation to fight that fight anymore. I would like to be able to afford to enroll her in a small one-room schoolhouse type of thing there- something started by missionary families & a place I think she would thrive in. It costs about $2500 per year I think. I would love to be able to afford to send both KaLia and Nate (as Nate enters kindergarten this fall) to a school like this while we are there.
So, along with prayers for God's provision right now I am also praying for wisdom- to know what God wants me to do about the kids for school, to know if we are going to Rwanda in November or not (this affects the plans I make for the kids in the fall), and so on.
Thank you for joinging with us in prayer.
God Bless You,
Lisa
Nate & KaLia & friends riding the ferry back from our camping spot
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Testimony, Faith, Promise
This last Sunday was the one year anniversary of our church, Heritage Church. Pastor Bryan Davenport preached a message titled, "History, Hope, and Mission". Talking about our history- the testimony of what God has done for us in the past, our hope- the promises we are believing God for in the future, and our mission- what the previous two things lead us to do in the here & now!
Here a few lines I wrote down that stood out to me,
"Today, we live by faith, between testimony and promise."
"Faith is what I do between (testimony & promise) and because of (testimony & promise)."
"Nourish yourself on testimony"
We are still waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises towards us, but we remember & rely on what we've seen God do in the past. We live by faith!
God has been taking care of our needs, but we still are waiting & believing for the additional provision we would need in order to return to Rwanda in November of this year.
Thank you for praying with us!
Blessings,
Lisa & family
kids at the zoo
Here a few lines I wrote down that stood out to me,
"Today, we live by faith, between testimony and promise."
"Faith is what I do between (testimony & promise) and because of (testimony & promise)."
"Nourish yourself on testimony"
We are still waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises towards us, but we remember & rely on what we've seen God do in the past. We live by faith!
God has been taking care of our needs, but we still are waiting & believing for the additional provision we would need in order to return to Rwanda in November of this year.
Thank you for praying with us!
Blessings,
Lisa & family
kids at the zoo
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Why?
Sometimes we all find ourselves asking the question, "why?" Like me for instance, right now I am asking, "Why God? Why? Why in every single house I've lived in since I've been married have there been the torment of invading ants? Why?" I'm serious, every single house. 17 1/2 years. How many houses? Hmmm, 6. I may be exaggerating- there might not have been ants in the Camas house- it was brand new after all... and there might not have been ants here at my dad's house the first time we lived here (for a year when KaLia was an infant)... but really, I feel like I have the curse of ants! I hate them! Ugh! We even had them inside the Guest House in Rwanda this last time (though I much prefer them to the rats we had the year before!)
Now, it may make you wonder, does it have something to do with my cleaning abilities (or lack there of)? Well, I have this on my side- we are living in the same house I grew up in with my parents- now my dad's house. And I may not be the best housekeeper in the world, but I am no worse than my mom & there were never ants here then!
Do you ever feel like certain struggles in your life keep happening over & over again? I'm sure there is a spiritual application for this... I'll get back to you on that...
Right now we are walking through a season with God- it's called "waiting"- I think maybe you've been there too. Sometimes God gives you a vision, but then he needs you to wait... To stop, so you don't run ahead, and wait for his perfect timing & his perfect provision. Praising God is not always easy in the times of waiting. Sometimes we feel like God's got us on hold, and we keep hearing that hold music playing over & over & wonder if we've been forgotten about. I'm just being honest here because I think many people can relate to what I'm talking about.
We had our TTI auction Saturday night. I am grateful for what God did that night- but when you are thinking realistically that you should have 50 people at an event, and you only end up with 15 people, that can be a let down. But we continue to press ahead, and believe that God is doing something in the background that we can't see yet. In our personal financial needs, no outpouring of finances has come our way yet, but little drops to remind us that He is still there.
I would like to read something with you, I'm going to share some excerpts from a book I started reading in Rwanda & was able to read some more of today. It's by Jennifer Kennedy Dean & it's called Fueled by Faith. This chapter is called The Process of Purity:
God is purifying you so that which He brings forth from you will be pure. He is cleansing you moment by moment, moving you from one level to the next, and never leaving you to "sit on your dregs" (see Jeremiah 48:11)
God says that Moab has been left undisturbed. He is describing what a person is like who has never been challenged and forced to face disappointment or disruption of his life. He is like a wine on its dregs. Wine left on its dregs becomes bitter and harsh. It is unpalatable. It is useless.
The art of winemaking involves stages. Each stage requires a vessel of different size, shape, construction. At each stage the dregs have settled to the bottom and must be strained out to prevent the ruin of the wine.
Do you feel yourself being emptied from vessel to vessel? You get used to the shape and feel of your life, and then you find yourself being emptied out. During part of the process you have been poured out, but not poured in yet. You know that your old vessel has been emptied out, but you do not feel yourself having arrived in a new vessel yet. There is a transition period, a pouring. It is disorienting and uncertain. Then you find yourself poured into a life of a completely different shape and size, made up of new materials. It is new to you, and it doesn't feel like it fits.
Sometimes you are in a vessel long enough to get very used to it, and when you are poured out of that vessel, you feel that you have lost your focus or that your determination has waned. Maybe God wants to show you that you have come to trust in the forms of your faith instead of in God. You have leaned on the expression of your faith instead of in the object of your faith.
Anytime you are poured from vessel to vessel, it is for your benefit, not your harm.
Faith is how the power of God gets into the circumstances of earth. Power flows from purity. "If you remain in me and my words remain in you (the process of purity), ask whatever you wish and it will be given you (the promise of power)." John 15:7
Don't seek power. Seek purity.
From the next chapter, The Prayer of Faith
There are times when the circumstances of your life would appear to call for anything but praise... When, in the face of difficult circumstances, you choose praise, you will find that your view of your circumstances changes. You choose your role as either victim or victor by how you respond in the face of difficult circumstances.
The ability to choose praise as an act of obedience in spite of your feelings comes from knowing God. When you face difficulties, disappointments, or heartaches, take inventory of what you know about God. Reason.
God is good (Ps. 100:5, 136:1, 119:68a)
God loves you (Ps. 13:5, 21:7, 33:22, 52:8b, 89:2, 145:8)
God is in control. He is working everything toward a good end. (Eph 1:11, Rom. 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11)
Determine to respond to every situation today by praising God. Commit to meditating on the power, the character, and the mighty deeds of God, turning those thoughts into praise. Ask the Spirit to remind you & teach you.
That's the end of what I wanted to share with you. Praise God for a timely word!
I praise God for you too- whoever those few of you who are out there reading this- I pray God uses this to encourage you also.
God Bless You,
Lisa
Now, it may make you wonder, does it have something to do with my cleaning abilities (or lack there of)? Well, I have this on my side- we are living in the same house I grew up in with my parents- now my dad's house. And I may not be the best housekeeper in the world, but I am no worse than my mom & there were never ants here then!
Do you ever feel like certain struggles in your life keep happening over & over again? I'm sure there is a spiritual application for this... I'll get back to you on that...
Right now we are walking through a season with God- it's called "waiting"- I think maybe you've been there too. Sometimes God gives you a vision, but then he needs you to wait... To stop, so you don't run ahead, and wait for his perfect timing & his perfect provision. Praising God is not always easy in the times of waiting. Sometimes we feel like God's got us on hold, and we keep hearing that hold music playing over & over & wonder if we've been forgotten about. I'm just being honest here because I think many people can relate to what I'm talking about.
We had our TTI auction Saturday night. I am grateful for what God did that night- but when you are thinking realistically that you should have 50 people at an event, and you only end up with 15 people, that can be a let down. But we continue to press ahead, and believe that God is doing something in the background that we can't see yet. In our personal financial needs, no outpouring of finances has come our way yet, but little drops to remind us that He is still there.
I would like to read something with you, I'm going to share some excerpts from a book I started reading in Rwanda & was able to read some more of today. It's by Jennifer Kennedy Dean & it's called Fueled by Faith. This chapter is called The Process of Purity:
God is purifying you so that which He brings forth from you will be pure. He is cleansing you moment by moment, moving you from one level to the next, and never leaving you to "sit on your dregs" (see Jeremiah 48:11)
God says that Moab has been left undisturbed. He is describing what a person is like who has never been challenged and forced to face disappointment or disruption of his life. He is like a wine on its dregs. Wine left on its dregs becomes bitter and harsh. It is unpalatable. It is useless.
The art of winemaking involves stages. Each stage requires a vessel of different size, shape, construction. At each stage the dregs have settled to the bottom and must be strained out to prevent the ruin of the wine.
Do you feel yourself being emptied from vessel to vessel? You get used to the shape and feel of your life, and then you find yourself being emptied out. During part of the process you have been poured out, but not poured in yet. You know that your old vessel has been emptied out, but you do not feel yourself having arrived in a new vessel yet. There is a transition period, a pouring. It is disorienting and uncertain. Then you find yourself poured into a life of a completely different shape and size, made up of new materials. It is new to you, and it doesn't feel like it fits.
Sometimes you are in a vessel long enough to get very used to it, and when you are poured out of that vessel, you feel that you have lost your focus or that your determination has waned. Maybe God wants to show you that you have come to trust in the forms of your faith instead of in God. You have leaned on the expression of your faith instead of in the object of your faith.
Anytime you are poured from vessel to vessel, it is for your benefit, not your harm.
Faith is how the power of God gets into the circumstances of earth. Power flows from purity. "If you remain in me and my words remain in you (the process of purity), ask whatever you wish and it will be given you (the promise of power)." John 15:7
Don't seek power. Seek purity.
From the next chapter, The Prayer of Faith
There are times when the circumstances of your life would appear to call for anything but praise... When, in the face of difficult circumstances, you choose praise, you will find that your view of your circumstances changes. You choose your role as either victim or victor by how you respond in the face of difficult circumstances.
The ability to choose praise as an act of obedience in spite of your feelings comes from knowing God. When you face difficulties, disappointments, or heartaches, take inventory of what you know about God. Reason.
God is good (Ps. 100:5, 136:1, 119:68a)
God loves you (Ps. 13:5, 21:7, 33:22, 52:8b, 89:2, 145:8)
God is in control. He is working everything toward a good end. (Eph 1:11, Rom. 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11)
Determine to respond to every situation today by praising God. Commit to meditating on the power, the character, and the mighty deeds of God, turning those thoughts into praise. Ask the Spirit to remind you & teach you.
That's the end of what I wanted to share with you. Praise God for a timely word!
I praise God for you too- whoever those few of you who are out there reading this- I pray God uses this to encourage you also.
God Bless You,
Lisa
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
A Cloud
We continue to pray & trust God to provide for us. It can be a bit perplexing- as we have no idea how our personal support will increase or be taken care of (we do not have churches lined up to speak at or any personal fundraisers); however, we know that God knows our needs and he is more than able to take care of all that we need.
We had a blessing in the mail today. We got a refund check of $145 from our home insurance company. Somehow we overpaid the insurance, so praise God for the refund check coming at the right time! :)
It made me think of Elijah in Kings 18, where there had been no rain and God told Elijah to tell King Ahab that it was going to rain. Elijah went away to pray for the rain. He sent his servant to look for a sign of rain, but six times he came back saying there was nothing there. The seventh time he said, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." It wasn't long after that when the "sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on".
I think of our $145 check today as that "cloud as small as man's hand"... it is a sign that the "rain" is coming! We are taken care of right now, and although our needs are still great, our God is greater!
Believe with us for the "rain" of God's provision that is on it's way! (ha ha - it rained here today after many days of dry weather too!)
Blessings,
Lisa
P.S. If you know of anyone who is looking for a great way to learn spelling, I found a program we love & so I signed up to be an affiliate with "All About Spelling". It makes it so simple - everything is clear! Great for homeschoolers, or for parents who want to work on their kid's spelling over the summer, or for adults who want to finally learn the reasons "why" we spell words the way we do! Love it! Any purchases through this link will give me credit too. :) Thanks!
www.AllAboutSpelling.com/MakeItSimple
We had a blessing in the mail today. We got a refund check of $145 from our home insurance company. Somehow we overpaid the insurance, so praise God for the refund check coming at the right time! :)
It made me think of Elijah in Kings 18, where there had been no rain and God told Elijah to tell King Ahab that it was going to rain. Elijah went away to pray for the rain. He sent his servant to look for a sign of rain, but six times he came back saying there was nothing there. The seventh time he said, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." It wasn't long after that when the "sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on".
I think of our $145 check today as that "cloud as small as man's hand"... it is a sign that the "rain" is coming! We are taken care of right now, and although our needs are still great, our God is greater!
Believe with us for the "rain" of God's provision that is on it's way! (ha ha - it rained here today after many days of dry weather too!)
Blessings,
Lisa
P.S. If you know of anyone who is looking for a great way to learn spelling, I found a program we love & so I signed up to be an affiliate with "All About Spelling". It makes it so simple - everything is clear! Great for homeschoolers, or for parents who want to work on their kid's spelling over the summer, or for adults who want to finally learn the reasons "why" we spell words the way we do! Love it! Any purchases through this link will give me credit too. :) Thanks!
www.AllAboutSpelling.com/MakeItSimple
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Believe with us
I had the opportunity to share with the women at our church, Heritage Church, this morning. I shared with them something that God has been showing me- the life changing difference of making praise a priority in our lives. God has been showing me that if I spend more time in praise- start my day by praising him, praising him for being the answer to my needs, praising him for who he is, praising him because he is all I need- my life is changed! God changes me, and I believe he also moves in my circumstances, but most importantly he enables me to be content no matter the situation because I trust in him completely. When I praise him then I know he is good, he is faithful, he is trustworthy, he is powerful- I have nothing to fear!
One of the things I praise God for is being our provider- I know we have needs, and we are asking God to provide for us in miraculous ways this year- and I know that our source ultimately is God. We would like you to believe with us for God to supply an additional $2600 in monthly personal support for our family. In addition to that, if we are going to travel to Rwanda in November we will need the finances for the plane tickets for our whole family- around $8,000.
I am asking God to do big things for us- not to mention what we are asking him to do for the ministry of Ten Talents (we have another blog for that)! :-) But I know that our God is big enough, and part of the reason why I wanted to have this blog would be so that those of you who choose to pray with us for our personal needs can hear us testify of how God meets those needs. I am looking forward to sharing those testimonies with you soon!
Thankful for our God & for you!
Lisa
One of the things I praise God for is being our provider- I know we have needs, and we are asking God to provide for us in miraculous ways this year- and I know that our source ultimately is God. We would like you to believe with us for God to supply an additional $2600 in monthly personal support for our family. In addition to that, if we are going to travel to Rwanda in November we will need the finances for the plane tickets for our whole family- around $8,000.
I am asking God to do big things for us- not to mention what we are asking him to do for the ministry of Ten Talents (we have another blog for that)! :-) But I know that our God is big enough, and part of the reason why I wanted to have this blog would be so that those of you who choose to pray with us for our personal needs can hear us testify of how God meets those needs. I am looking forward to sharing those testimonies with you soon!
Thankful for our God & for you!
Lisa
Saturday, May 23, 2009
It is time!
It is time for the McColm family to become more visible in the blogosphere! Here we are & we need to be connected to you! We need your prayers as we follow God's calling & look to see God's provision! We are so thankful because He is always good!
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