We live in the world that is full of noise and activity; at least we do in the west, and especially here in America.
Henri Nouman is his book "The way of the heart" talks about solitude and silence. He says we need to be silent before we can have anything to say(or something like that, it's not a direct quote). And I think he's right.
In a world of constant words how many of us have words that speak life into another person? We are so quick to speak that the fire the Lord puts within becomes a smoldering wick because we feel this unusual pressure to speak of things before their time, unlike Mary, the mother of Jesus, who pondered in her heart, we are quick to ponder out loud.
Perhaps one of the problems we face is not that we don't have the words or the communication skills but that the Word is not burning on the inside, we don't give it a chance. If I live as the Word says "slow to speak, quick to listen" I wonder if I will have something to say one day that pierces hearts.
That's when silence becomes our friend, to quieten not only the external noise but to quieten our souls within us, sometimes the loudest voices are the ones that go on in our heads and that is the joy of silence we become aware of the voices we are listening to that eventually we will be tuned to the one Voice.
His sheep do know his voice, I just wonder if we struggle hearing it because of the noise we surround ourselves with drowns it out.
That's my thought for the day, rather abstract and mystical for me, but a thought none the less
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
Back in Kansas City
It's true, I'm back in Kansas City, wearing winter coats and now keeping doors and windows closed.
My time in New Zealand was wonderful, as I don't like super long blog entries I will say a few highlights, and post some pictures in the near future. Then I will attempt to start writing concerning things that I am studying and learning as well as general life updates.
But for now, a few of my highlights
1) My family, are just awesome, I loved being with them, hard to put into words how great it was to see them
2) NZ Summer, though it did rain quite a bit, that's okay, it's New Zealand, you never know what the weather is going to do but I have still come back with a tan
3) Hanging out with Sarah, I just had so much fun with her, going to the beach, driving around and laughing a lot
4) Bungy Jumping, has to be one of the funnest things I've ever done in my life and I hope to do it again.
It's been real
W
My time in New Zealand was wonderful, as I don't like super long blog entries I will say a few highlights, and post some pictures in the near future. Then I will attempt to start writing concerning things that I am studying and learning as well as general life updates.
But for now, a few of my highlights
1) My family, are just awesome, I loved being with them, hard to put into words how great it was to see them
2) NZ Summer, though it did rain quite a bit, that's okay, it's New Zealand, you never know what the weather is going to do but I have still come back with a tan
3) Hanging out with Sarah, I just had so much fun with her, going to the beach, driving around and laughing a lot
4) Bungy Jumping, has to be one of the funnest things I've ever done in my life and I hope to do it again.
It's been real
W
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
when counting down is almost over
The time is drawing nigh, I'm going home. When I tell people in KC it is quickly proceeded with for four weeks, other wise people get a little concerned.
I bought a swimsuit today, very exciting, I haven't done that for about 3 or 4 years!
I'm now in Zephaniah and Habakkuk who i have to confess I'm struggling a little to understand except that God judges wickedness and he restores all things at the end of the age and he keeps his promises with Israel. All of which I am thankful for.
Because I like lists I will say five reasons why I am looking forward to going home
1) Caitlin Grace Dorothy blundell - my new little niece, I can't wait to meet her and hang out with her older brother, and her mum and dad for the matter. Especially up at my holiday house
2) The holiday house, the place of refuge and quiet.
3) ROAD TRIPS - the fun thing about having someone not from your country come with you somewhere is that you really appreciate your country so much more, and it will be good to spend some quality time with my little civic.
4) Mum and dad, this list isn't in order but it'll be nice to hang out with my parents and be a daughter for a while
5) SUN and SUMMER,I am a pale night watch girl and it'll be so great to get outside in fresh air and sunshine, good for the heart, good for the soul.
I'm becoming too excited to sleep sometimes
Wendy
I bought a swimsuit today, very exciting, I haven't done that for about 3 or 4 years!
I'm now in Zephaniah and Habakkuk who i have to confess I'm struggling a little to understand except that God judges wickedness and he restores all things at the end of the age and he keeps his promises with Israel. All of which I am thankful for.
Because I like lists I will say five reasons why I am looking forward to going home
1) Caitlin Grace Dorothy blundell - my new little niece, I can't wait to meet her and hang out with her older brother, and her mum and dad for the matter. Especially up at my holiday house
2) The holiday house, the place of refuge and quiet.
3) ROAD TRIPS - the fun thing about having someone not from your country come with you somewhere is that you really appreciate your country so much more, and it will be good to spend some quality time with my little civic.
4) Mum and dad, this list isn't in order but it'll be nice to hang out with my parents and be a daughter for a while
5) SUN and SUMMER,I am a pale night watch girl and it'll be so great to get outside in fresh air and sunshine, good for the heart, good for the soul.
I'm becoming too excited to sleep sometimes
Wendy
Monday, January 14, 2008
New Year's and Faithfulness
I don't do New Year's resolutions anymore, but if I did I would make resolution to write in my blog more and write deeper content.
It is 23 days until I arrive in New Zealand and I can't wait, the Lord is so faithful to me letting me go home for a bit, and in an effort to write substantial content I will share some thoughts on his faithfulness.
He is the one who is faithful, always, not because of anything I have done. God cannot be any more faithful or less faithful than he already is because one of his names is faithful. When I think of faithfulness I think of follow through. Jesus always follows through, on everything, always.
We can look to Israel's history as a picture of the Lord's faithfulness. He decides that he will rule from Jerusalem, and he will. Despite Judah being totally unfaithful and in rebellion against him God made a promise to a man called David, and he will follow through on that promise - David's seed Jesus will sit on a throne, as a man forever.
Though Israel was unfaithful most of their history the Lord was still faithful in that if he said he would do something, he would. But note, he's not "just" faithful on the "nice" things but the "negative" things also. In other words read Deuteronomy 28 and the Lord is faithful to all of it, the blessings and the curses. Because he loves justice and he follows through. He is the God who acts.
Bringing that down to my little life and my every day living, it means God's faithfulness is not based on anything I do, I cannot affect the Lord's faithfulness. If I confess my sin he is faithful to forgive, end of story. If he begins a good work in my life he's faithful to complete it, end of story.
But how I experience his faithfulness is up to me!
Interesting thought
Wendy
It is 23 days until I arrive in New Zealand and I can't wait, the Lord is so faithful to me letting me go home for a bit, and in an effort to write substantial content I will share some thoughts on his faithfulness.
He is the one who is faithful, always, not because of anything I have done. God cannot be any more faithful or less faithful than he already is because one of his names is faithful. When I think of faithfulness I think of follow through. Jesus always follows through, on everything, always.
We can look to Israel's history as a picture of the Lord's faithfulness. He decides that he will rule from Jerusalem, and he will. Despite Judah being totally unfaithful and in rebellion against him God made a promise to a man called David, and he will follow through on that promise - David's seed Jesus will sit on a throne, as a man forever.
Though Israel was unfaithful most of their history the Lord was still faithful in that if he said he would do something, he would. But note, he's not "just" faithful on the "nice" things but the "negative" things also. In other words read Deuteronomy 28 and the Lord is faithful to all of it, the blessings and the curses. Because he loves justice and he follows through. He is the God who acts.
Bringing that down to my little life and my every day living, it means God's faithfulness is not based on anything I do, I cannot affect the Lord's faithfulness. If I confess my sin he is faithful to forgive, end of story. If he begins a good work in my life he's faithful to complete it, end of story.
But how I experience his faithfulness is up to me!
Interesting thought
Wendy
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Of maggots, chiggers and couches
I know how can these three things be in one entry? Answer: I have encountered adventures with all these three in the past week.
Maggots - well, this really isn't me, so much as my wonderful, kind, servant hearted flatmate Amanda. It was her turn to do the trash this week. And the trash had maggots. Yuk yuk yuk. I came home and saw the trash out a day early, then I came into the house with the kitchen smelling rather clorox like. Yes, Amanda cleaned all the maggots out. But then we had another problem. Earlier in the week I had cleaned up a bag of trash left outside that animals had gotten into (note: in New Zealand there are not any animals that would get into our trash, except sometimes my cat) it smelled real bad. So we decided the only solution was to go to wall mart and get a trash can at 7am. So we did and we got to see a whole set of people who get up at that time to go to work. Interesting crowd.
Chiggers - for my New Zealand readers. Chiggers are insects that bite you, but their bite itch WAY MORE than your average mozzie bite. I got about 28 chigger bites on my legs. Self control takes a whole meaning
Couches - today four wonderful male fitn interns came with their core leader to do the couch swap. Because our landlord is moving into our old house she wanted the couches from the house we live in now (she bought all the furniture for our house), so I asked Alan (the core leader) how he would feel about some male bonding over moving my couches, he said yes and the guys came round and did it in like 15 minutes with great attitudes. One of them seemed keen to do yard work too. I made cookies for them as payment, which they were going to have with their manly lots of meat bbq.
That's my story.
I like the people I live with
Wendy
Maggots - well, this really isn't me, so much as my wonderful, kind, servant hearted flatmate Amanda. It was her turn to do the trash this week. And the trash had maggots. Yuk yuk yuk. I came home and saw the trash out a day early, then I came into the house with the kitchen smelling rather clorox like. Yes, Amanda cleaned all the maggots out. But then we had another problem. Earlier in the week I had cleaned up a bag of trash left outside that animals had gotten into (note: in New Zealand there are not any animals that would get into our trash, except sometimes my cat) it smelled real bad. So we decided the only solution was to go to wall mart and get a trash can at 7am. So we did and we got to see a whole set of people who get up at that time to go to work. Interesting crowd.
Chiggers - for my New Zealand readers. Chiggers are insects that bite you, but their bite itch WAY MORE than your average mozzie bite. I got about 28 chigger bites on my legs. Self control takes a whole meaning
Couches - today four wonderful male fitn interns came with their core leader to do the couch swap. Because our landlord is moving into our old house she wanted the couches from the house we live in now (she bought all the furniture for our house), so I asked Alan (the core leader) how he would feel about some male bonding over moving my couches, he said yes and the guys came round and did it in like 15 minutes with great attitudes. One of them seemed keen to do yard work too. I made cookies for them as payment, which they were going to have with their manly lots of meat bbq.
That's my story.
I like the people I live with
Wendy
Sunday, July 29, 2007
getting relationally whole again
Every track of fire in the night we have a two day seminar on "relational wholeness" or some might say "inner healing". This week was the week we had the seminar which was really good, it is the eighth time I have gone as I missed one of the seminars because I was in NZ. Speaking with my interns the teaching and ministry times have really helped them and has led to some great conversations about our skewed views of God. It's wonderful seeing the Lord break in on people's hearts and people being free on the inside.
It's wonderful but also very tiring and my introverted little self is thankfully alone tonight curling up on the couch reading "He who wept" a novel about Jeremiah. This scene will seem very similar to my family. I really like being alone and I like being okay with being an introvert, there is a lot of freedom when you understand that you want to be by yourself not because you don't like people but that you get energy by being by yourself, so to function best alone time is needed.
Which explains why I spend my Sabbath by myself, lately the only exception is my other introverted friend who I sometimes go for a walk with. I guess I just like being with myself!
It's wonderful but also very tiring and my introverted little self is thankfully alone tonight curling up on the couch reading "He who wept" a novel about Jeremiah. This scene will seem very similar to my family. I really like being alone and I like being okay with being an introvert, there is a lot of freedom when you understand that you want to be by yourself not because you don't like people but that you get energy by being by yourself, so to function best alone time is needed.
Which explains why I spend my Sabbath by myself, lately the only exception is my other introverted friend who I sometimes go for a walk with. I guess I just like being with myself!
Friday, June 8, 2007
Just another day
Today was "just another day" in my simple little life. I'm thankful that my life is simple, because it's just easier. I have officially outlined 180 chapters of the New Testament now which means I have 80 to go, I'm pretty excited at the recent progress I have been making.
Today I prayed three times on the microphone, that doesn't happen everyday but at the 4pm there was only one other person sitting in the chairs, at the midnight I was associate prayer leading and then at 4am I prayer led (I was asked about 15 minutes before the set). Which is something I actually like (being asked last minute) I like being someone who can fill in last minute, who you know will probably be in the prayer room and be there until 6am. And I like that I have boundaries so if I really don't want to I'll say no, but then usually I'm far more likely to be focused in leading the meeting in some way than I am sitting in my chair thinking about how I am tired. Because the thing is, I actually did come here to pray. I came here so I could pray in the night and go deep in the Word, and I actually am. Not perfectly and it's not like every night is amazingly profound, many nights aren't. But I'm here and I'm doing it, and I'm thankful because the One who called me is faithful and he who began a good work will bring it to completion and all said and done I think the Lord did a good job with me!!
Wendy
Today I prayed three times on the microphone, that doesn't happen everyday but at the 4pm there was only one other person sitting in the chairs, at the midnight I was associate prayer leading and then at 4am I prayer led (I was asked about 15 minutes before the set). Which is something I actually like (being asked last minute) I like being someone who can fill in last minute, who you know will probably be in the prayer room and be there until 6am. And I like that I have boundaries so if I really don't want to I'll say no, but then usually I'm far more likely to be focused in leading the meeting in some way than I am sitting in my chair thinking about how I am tired. Because the thing is, I actually did come here to pray. I came here so I could pray in the night and go deep in the Word, and I actually am. Not perfectly and it's not like every night is amazingly profound, many nights aren't. But I'm here and I'm doing it, and I'm thankful because the One who called me is faithful and he who began a good work will bring it to completion and all said and done I think the Lord did a good job with me!!
Wendy
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