And they say God doesn't speak- hah...

I love it when you are reading the Bible and verses that you have read time and time again just jump out at you with a new freshness- as if they were never there before and you are seeing them for the very first time.
Lately, God has been touching my heart about evangelism and my need to renew the passion I once had for reaching the lost for Christ. It is just that, a renewal. I think the passion has always been there but I just have not been as active in reaching out to those without Christ and finding or taking opportunities to share the good news of Christ with them. It was not until just a few weeks ago when our church encouraged us to take a spiritual gifts inventory that I was challenged. I found myself telling someone that I am not sure my evangelism gift would be as evident as it might have been had I taken the test while in Bible college. I had just gotten away from sharing the gospel so freely and because of that, I lost my zeal, I guess you could say. The verse I found sums it up clearly. So, with no further ado... here it is,

Philemon 1:6
I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith,
so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

It really hit me! Part of the reason that we should share our faith is so that we are constantly stirred in our hearts about all that God has done for us. This, in turn, will help us to keep telling others. Our gratefulness will compel us to keep sharing so that others may experience the same joy we have in Christ.
Okay, so sometimes, it is hard for me to express the way that God touches my heart about something because it seems to be a culmination of ways he is working my life. I have found that He often uses His Word to secure something that His Holy Spirit has already been tugging at my heart about. All in all, I was encouraged by God speaking so clearly to me and I wanted to tell you. I also wanted to share this verse with anyone that has a desire to see people come to know Christ in a personal way but, like me, had lost that enthusiasm.
I hope everyone is enjoying their day and I hope to write again within the next couple of days to fill you in on the updates of life. Kentucky-out (for now), New Jersey-in....that's the short of it.
See you later,
Liz

Kentucky!?!?

This is crazy but I think God just answered a huge prayer request for my life. I was disappointed coming home from church last night. The housing situation was just getting to me and again I was questioning what God's plan was in all of this. I could only hold on to the fact that God truly does know what is going on. I went online last night with a great passion to learn how to fly and trying to find some way to make that happen amidst my lack of housing, debt that I need to pay off and only a part-time job. What I found out is that the organizations that I intended to go with required training of 2-3 years and around $30,000. I was definitely at a loss in my mind. I didn't know what to make of it all. Why would God place this great desire on my heart without a way to act on it? I had browsed the internet before and came up near empty so there was not much hope going into the search. As I looked and seemingly each click of the mouse, losing hope, I remembered the advice of a teacher at college. She was talking in relation to marriage and told us that we would know we were marrying the right person if we knew that we couldn't imagine life WITHOUT that person. I instantly asked myself if I could imagine doing missionary work WITHOUT using aviation and it became more clear to me than ever that I couldn't. God has placed this burning passion on my heart to use this tool, aviation, to reach the lost for Jesus Christ. Moments later, as I continued my search I found a group called Missionaire International that, at this point, seems to be the answer. I will not go into the details since I wouldn't know where to begin but it seems that God may have provided a way for me to receive all the training I need and be on the field in somewhere between 3-5 years. The website address is http://www.missionaire.org/. Yes, it would require God moving me to Kentucky but if that is His will for me I am excited to do it. I would plead with anyone who reads this update to please be in prayer as I seek God's will and guidance in my life. All praise and glory be to HIM alone.
Thank you for taking the time to read my entry.
Love to you all,
Liz

So, it's been a while...

Since the last time I wrote I have stopped working at McDonald's and am currently employed part-time with the YMCA in Freehold as a teachers assistant. Basically, I get paid to play with kids. I like the job, especially the kids, but it isn't as organized as I think it could be. The supervisor says it seems that way because there is more time to fill as the kids only have half-days of school this week due to a teachers convention. I guess I will wait to see what next week looks like.

I still don't have another part-time job. I know there may be an opportunity in December to babysit a couple of children in the morning hours which would be fine. I am still in the process of finding a place to live as the apartment I was previously in didn't work out. I feel like my life is very unsettled right now and I am waiting on the Lord and His timing in it all. Right now, I have come back to my Jersey family, the Smith's, and am residing on the couch so I need to establish some housing as soon as possible.

In other news, I met a missionary couple to Papua New Guinea/Indonesia this past Sunday that our church supports and their ministry literally brought me to tears. It is great to meet people that have a passion to see people come to know Christ in a personal way. It is obvious that they have the joy of the Lord in their life. I was most impressed by their vision and the various means they have organized to reach out to the community there. I would love to visit their ministry sometime. Did I mention they use MAF aircraft to facilitate their ministry????

I think that is about it for now. I hope to write again soon with updates at least on housing if not more. Until then, remain blessed in Him.

a little down..

So, I just heard back from the YMCA in Freehold. I was really looking forward to landing a job with the fitness staff there but it turns out that the hiring manager feels that I would be a better fit for the teaching department, which is fine but the hours with the teaching department would not have conflicted with the hours that the fitness center needed. I think it was a semi-nice way of saying 'we are not interested.' She could have just said that. blah! I know there is something better out there. I am just impatient.
I am going to clean the carpets in my apartment and try to get my mind off of this...

2 months later..

So, some things have changed.
I am in the process of moving I guess you could say. The transition will be slow though. My friend, James, who was a huge part of why I came to New Jersey in the first place, moved to Florida and the part of his house that his grandfather was using as an apartment has been vacant now for a few months. He had offered the apartment to me for a very reasonable price so after about 4 months of contemplating, I finally took him up on the offer. I will only be living 7 minutes away from where I am presently, with the Smith's, and 2 minutes away from my church which is wonderful. I am looking forward to being on my own but I will miss living with the Smith family. They have been so good to me and for me and I hope my relationship with them doesn't change.
The family living in the main part of James' house are actually his best friends and are a very nice couple, Oliver and Irene, who have 2 young children. Irene is from Africa and frequently sings around the house which reminds me often of the time that I spent in Africa. It is a much welcomed memory for sure.
I have spent some time this past week painting and cleaning the carpets in the apartment. There is a lot of work that needs to be done before I can move in. I am busy with work-related business this coming week so I won't have a whole lot of time to spend in the apartment but hopefully the week after will be more promising.
As some of you may or may not know I am still at McDonald's and am not super happy there. I have just been promised my Sunday's off which is very nice but have since realized that there is no way for me to be content there. I really want to be involved in more ministries at church and the fast-food workplace doesn't give much room for a 9-5, M-F schedule. I have been looking for another job but nothing has come of it yet.
As far as my flight lessons go, they are pretty non-existent. I ordered the ground school material and just haven't taken the time to do much with it. I am hoping once I get settled into my new apartment that things will quiet down and I will have more time to study.
I guess that's it for now. Sorry it took so long for me to write. I hope you all are seeing the way that God is working in your lives. He has been speaking to me these very words lately, "to obey is better than sacrifice." Sometimes it is easy for me to get involved with my church and overlook the areas in my life that he wants me to change. By the next time I write I hope to look back at this and say that, indeed, he was working and through Him I have changed to be more like Him.
Have a great week everyone!!!

“The fear of God is the best remedy against the fear of man. Better to have all men our enemies than God our enemy; those who are sure they have God with them, need not, ought not to fear, whoever is against them. Let us pray that we may be willing to give up personal interests, and that nothing may move us from our duty.”

Matthew Henry’s commentary on Jeremiah

Michael W. Smith!

WOW! What a great concert! I wanted to name the heading something else other than his name because it was very obvious that tonight was not about him but about Jesus Christ and living out the Christian life. It was great to hear old songs that I was very familiar with as well as some new stuff. I even got to hear at least a part of my favorite song from him, "Let It Rain." I couldn't believe I was in the midst of all those believers lifting praise to God and listening to Michael lead us in worship. Never thought that would happen in my lifetime. It was wonderful to say the least! I thought of my sister when he came back out on the stage after saying his goodbye's but having to come back because the cheering never stopped and he closed with "Friends are Friends Forever." My sister and I sang that at our grandmother's memorial service-- brought back a few memories.
I think of all the fun things I have done while in NJ, this concert is among the top three along with seeing Chris Tomlin and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. More great stuff to come I'm sure.
God is so good to me! All praise to Him!

Great Sermon!

I just heard a great message by Pastor Bruce. Here is just one of the many valuable things that he said,

"Forgiveness is when you stop waiting for a chance to get even."

And, of course, unrelated to the paragraph above, it is Father's Day and I would like to say publicly that I love my father and am so grateful that he raised me up to love the Lord and follow Him. He is a great dad and means a lot to me. He is my dad both physically and spiritually to which I am, pun intended, eternally grateful.

It's About Time!

I thought it would be helpful for my friends and relatives to have a place where they can just click and check up on me. I just got back from New Hampshire this past weekend, where I was visiting family after attending one of the most beautiful wedding's I have ever seen, (Congratulations Kim and Angel!), and I decided that I need to keep in better touch with the people I hold so dear. And, if you are reading this you are probably one of those people. So, after about a year of contemplating the idea of starting a blog, I have finally taken the plunge. It seems weird to open your life up to the public but I think it will be a good thing.

Right now, I am living in Middletown, NJ with a lovely and gracious family... the Smiths. I am currently employed as an assistant manager at a nearby McDonald's and attend church at a great place of worship called New Monmouth Baptist Church.

I am currently looking forward to beginning flight classes next month. It will be a dream come true, for sure. Well, I guess the full dream is flying into the jungle somewhere where only planes can go and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who have never heard! THAT is my dream. May God grant me the absolute privilege and honor to make it come true!!!
To HIM be all the praise and glory!

Until next time, which I presume will be soon,
Remain blessed in Him!