This morning as I read through my quiet time devotional and reflected on the season, I began to think about that moment in time over 2,000 years ago when a single Baby was born in that stable. He was a unique Baby - definitely one of a kind. There was never anyone like Him before then and there will never be anyone like Him again. He was Emmanuel - God with us.
In my mind's eye, I imagined seeing that small Baby wrapped in those simple cloths, being watched over by Joseph and Mary, His mother. A fully human baby, and yet He was also fully God.
Just imagine! This God who created the earth (Gen. 1) and all the other planets, and numbered and named each of the stars (Psalm 147:4)...this God who is eternal (Isaiah 40:28), who is so far beyond what our limited minds can comprehend...this God chose a small moment in time at an insignificant location with a poor unknown family to come to earth to impact all of mankind for all eternity. Jesus Christ was the full embodiment of the diety of God within the full embodiment of flesh. I don't know about you, but it takes my breath away.
Sometimes it is easy to try to fit my concept of God into a nice, neat little bundle...one that doesn't upset my balance or interfere in my day-to-day activities. But the times that I sit and really contemplate who God is...and who am I to Him...it can become overwhelming. We are so finite in our ability to understand Him. God gives us simple glimpses of Who He is in His Word, and through the help of the Holy Spirit, we are able to comprehend limited bits, but what we know now and can comprehend now is but the tiniest fraction of the whole truth of Who God is.
It's like that small moment in time when Emmanuel was born, so small is our understanding of God. But God did give us that small moment in time. He did give us Emmanuel...God with us...so that we could know Him better, more intimately, more uniquely than ever before.
I praise God for that small baby born in Bethlehem...for the God of all eternity to dwell here on earth as a man and then die to pay a penalty we could not pay...it is definitely the greatest gift ever given.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
How Things Change...
During this past summer, I began to sense the God was moving within our ministry -- moving towards change. I felt that God was telling me that we needed to become more "mobile," to be more ready to go quickly where He was leading us to go. During that time, we were not sure exactly where it was that God was leading us, but we felt that change was coming.
As you may know from reading some of my previous blog entries, God recently moved us from West Des Moines to the Kansas City area, specifically Raytown, Missiouri. We settled in quickly into our new home, a cozy little house that is full of charm and character.
David thoroughly enjoys his new job as manager of the magic/costume division of US Toy Company. He's able to make use of his experience as a manager, his skills as a salesperson and his talent as a magician every single day. Through some of the contacts he's made with customers, we've actually been able to book a couple of birthday parties and have some potential church events in the works.
We're getting plugged into our new home church, Raytown First Baptist Church, and are enjoying getting to know so many new people (it's going to take a while to remember names and faces, but it's a start). This is a very large church with many opportunties to serve and to be ministered to, so we are looking forward to seeing just where exactly God is going to plug us in.
Since May of this year, we have been looking forward to a short term missions trip to India. We contacted many of our family and friends to ask for prayer support and possibly financial support for this trip. Initially the trip was to have taken place in September, but that was postponed to January of 2010. We had our passports and innoculations all taken care of, and we were beginning to get the ball rolling on our visas. All of the money that had been so generously donated to us for the purpose of this missions trip was carefully set aside until needed for trip related expenses. Even when finances began to get a little tight for our regular ministry and personal needs, we determined not to touch those missions funds until they were needed.
When David had his disastrous encounter with a deer on October 6th as he was driving home from Kansas City (see my blog entry of October 7th), we were put into an extremely difficult place financially. Bookings had slowed down some during the summer, and it was becoming a challenge to meet our monthly expenses. Because we didn't have comprehensive coverage on the van (the value of the van didn't warrant it...we thought) and the van had been totalled as a result of the collision with the deer, we were placed in a position of having to come up with immediate funds in order to be able to purchase another vehicle. The only money immediately available to us was the India fund money. As difficult as the decision was, we felt we had no other option but to use that money to purchase another used vehicle. It was our intention and hope that we would be able to replace that money once we got moved down to Kansas City.
In spite of our heartfelt desires, we were not able to get the additional event bookings to help us replenish those funds. The past several months have been extremely difficult financially, and we are still in the process of trying to work through what debts are still outstanding.
Because the mission money would have had to been replenished at least by mid-month this month (so that reasonably priced airline tickets could be purchased), we just do not see that as being a realistic possibility. While we know that with God ALL things are possible, and it is certainly within God's ability to be able to provide us with the money we still need in order to replenish our India fund and go on this short term missions trip, we do not feel that it is fair to Campus Crusade to keep them hanging on until the last minute.
So it is with sadness we made the decision to back out of the India missions trip.
We know that there are several people who generously gave money to us specifically for this missions trip, and we will be in contact soon with them in order to work out the details of how to best reconcile those donations.
We aren't sure why God would have opened this door, prompted so many to give from their hearts in support of this missions trip, got us this close to going, and then have that door close. I suppose it might be possible that God knew that David would be having an unexpected encounter with a deer in October and that we would need to have those funds in reserve so that we would not be stranded without a vehicle. We just don't know. We can't begin to know or understand the mind of God or how it is that He accomplishes His purpose. All that we can know is that He is in control, and when our desire is to serve Him, we have to trust Him to open and shut the doors as He ordains.
We would still love to go on an international missions trip someday. I think it would be an awesome experience. But until God opens that door again for us, we will be joyful in serving Him here in our own Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.
Your continued prayers on our behalf for the ministry of Williamson Productions is greatly appreciated. Without God, we are nothing, and without the prayer support of our precious friends and family, we are weak and vulnerable.
May God bless you and your family during this incredible holiday season. Remember that Jesus Christ is the ONLY reason for this season. And without Christmas, there would be no Easter. And without Easter there would be no hope. Praise God for that Baby born in a manger.
As you may know from reading some of my previous blog entries, God recently moved us from West Des Moines to the Kansas City area, specifically Raytown, Missiouri. We settled in quickly into our new home, a cozy little house that is full of charm and character.
David thoroughly enjoys his new job as manager of the magic/costume division of US Toy Company. He's able to make use of his experience as a manager, his skills as a salesperson and his talent as a magician every single day. Through some of the contacts he's made with customers, we've actually been able to book a couple of birthday parties and have some potential church events in the works.
We're getting plugged into our new home church, Raytown First Baptist Church, and are enjoying getting to know so many new people (it's going to take a while to remember names and faces, but it's a start). This is a very large church with many opportunties to serve and to be ministered to, so we are looking forward to seeing just where exactly God is going to plug us in.
Since May of this year, we have been looking forward to a short term missions trip to India. We contacted many of our family and friends to ask for prayer support and possibly financial support for this trip. Initially the trip was to have taken place in September, but that was postponed to January of 2010. We had our passports and innoculations all taken care of, and we were beginning to get the ball rolling on our visas. All of the money that had been so generously donated to us for the purpose of this missions trip was carefully set aside until needed for trip related expenses. Even when finances began to get a little tight for our regular ministry and personal needs, we determined not to touch those missions funds until they were needed.
When David had his disastrous encounter with a deer on October 6th as he was driving home from Kansas City (see my blog entry of October 7th), we were put into an extremely difficult place financially. Bookings had slowed down some during the summer, and it was becoming a challenge to meet our monthly expenses. Because we didn't have comprehensive coverage on the van (the value of the van didn't warrant it...we thought) and the van had been totalled as a result of the collision with the deer, we were placed in a position of having to come up with immediate funds in order to be able to purchase another vehicle. The only money immediately available to us was the India fund money. As difficult as the decision was, we felt we had no other option but to use that money to purchase another used vehicle. It was our intention and hope that we would be able to replace that money once we got moved down to Kansas City.
In spite of our heartfelt desires, we were not able to get the additional event bookings to help us replenish those funds. The past several months have been extremely difficult financially, and we are still in the process of trying to work through what debts are still outstanding.
Because the mission money would have had to been replenished at least by mid-month this month (so that reasonably priced airline tickets could be purchased), we just do not see that as being a realistic possibility. While we know that with God ALL things are possible, and it is certainly within God's ability to be able to provide us with the money we still need in order to replenish our India fund and go on this short term missions trip, we do not feel that it is fair to Campus Crusade to keep them hanging on until the last minute.
So it is with sadness we made the decision to back out of the India missions trip.
We know that there are several people who generously gave money to us specifically for this missions trip, and we will be in contact soon with them in order to work out the details of how to best reconcile those donations.
We aren't sure why God would have opened this door, prompted so many to give from their hearts in support of this missions trip, got us this close to going, and then have that door close. I suppose it might be possible that God knew that David would be having an unexpected encounter with a deer in October and that we would need to have those funds in reserve so that we would not be stranded without a vehicle. We just don't know. We can't begin to know or understand the mind of God or how it is that He accomplishes His purpose. All that we can know is that He is in control, and when our desire is to serve Him, we have to trust Him to open and shut the doors as He ordains.
We would still love to go on an international missions trip someday. I think it would be an awesome experience. But until God opens that door again for us, we will be joyful in serving Him here in our own Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.
Your continued prayers on our behalf for the ministry of Williamson Productions is greatly appreciated. Without God, we are nothing, and without the prayer support of our precious friends and family, we are weak and vulnerable.
May God bless you and your family during this incredible holiday season. Remember that Jesus Christ is the ONLY reason for this season. And without Christmas, there would be no Easter. And without Easter there would be no hope. Praise God for that Baby born in a manger.
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