Worship in all Things

Since I've been back at home, my family has been training for a 5k race.  I had not been running while at school so I was really out of shape and definitely not acclimated to the altitude yet.   It was a rough first week, let me tell you. 

Last week, my mom, dad and I ran later in the evening.  It was dark and we went to a local park that has a lit pathway.  I wanted to push myself so I ran ahead of mom and dad.  I had decided to run 3 laps around the park.  On the third lap I was beginning to get worried because I hadn't run into my parents yet.  One side of the park is pretty well-lit but the other side isn't.  I was turning the corner into the darker side of the park and thought I saw some shadows moving up ahead of me.  I thought it was my parents but as I got closer, I realized there was nothing there. 

I began the run by listening to worship music and as I got tired I continued thinking of running as worship.  As I realized there was nothing there, God said something to me that was absolutely incredible.  This is what He said,

"My people can see the shadows when they are walking (or in my case, running) on the lit path.  When you see the light, you also have the ability to see the schemes of the devil."  

I had never thought of that before.  It was so cool to encounter God on something as mundane as a run.  And the words He said are true.

We, as Christians, cannot be afraid of the darkness we encounter.  We cannot be afraid of being attacked.  I know this has been said a number of times but I feel like it remains true.  If you're being attacked then you're doing something that the enemy doesn't like and something to advance God's kingdom.  Also, God will not let us be attacked beyond what we can bear and He will not abandon us in our time of need (I Corinthians 10:13).

Journals!

Handmade journals from burlap coffee bag.

All journals are $10.

Want to know why I made these?

Check out my support letter here.

Hello All,

            It’s been an amazing year.  I’m busy with papers and spending time with friends.  I’m currently just finishing my fourth year at Trinity Western University as an International Studies major with a focus in global development and a concentration in Communications.  I feel God directing me towards a life in missions.  I have had many opportunities in the past few summers to be a part of missions in Central America.  I have learned so much from my

            This summer I have been given an amazing opportunity to travel to Costa Rica with the Praying Pelican Missions.  Praying Pelican Missions us a nonprofit missions organization with a vision to impact the world for Christ.  I will be serving an 8 week internship as an intern mission trip leader.  I will be an integral part of a 3-6 person leadership team hosting short-term missions groups each week.

            We will be staying at various places across the country of Costa Rica.  My responsibilities during this time include lining up ministry opportunities and ministry sites, such as construction projects, children’s ministry, sports ministry, etc., meals, recreation, and transportation.  I would also be participating in meal preparation, worship and debrief, meetings, and generally guiding each church’s trip.  I’m so excited to see what God has for me in this season.

            I feel so blessed to have this opportunity.  I need to raise $200 a week for the duration of my 8 week internship in Costa Rica.  This means that I need to raise $1,600 by June 1^st.  I am also responsible for the cost of flights down there.  If you have the means to support me financially, that would be much appreciated.  I know that finances can be tight and it might not be possible to give funds.  I would ask for your prayer.  Prayer is such a powerful tool in the kingdom of God.  I would appreciate if you could partner with me in prayer or financial support.

            I desire to see the God move powerfully in people’s lives.  I believe that God has led me to this organization and this opportunity to serve him in a new way.  I’m so excited to see what he has in store. 

Much love,

Shelby 

Find out more about Praying Pelican Missions here.

Obedience and Freedom

I was reading Leviticus today and stumbled across this passage.  The heading for it was blessing for obedience.

"If you walk in my Statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.  Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing.  And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely.  I will give you peace in the land and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid.  And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land.  You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.  Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.  I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you.  You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear our the old to make way for the new.  I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you.  And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.  I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves.  And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect." [Leviticus 26:3-13]

This blew me away.  I know God's promises are good, but these totally exceed my expectations. 

Some people read this and just skim over it.  "Yeah, yeah.  We know God is great and everything."  BUT just take a moment to imagine what 5 soldiers against 100 would actually look like.  Brutal right?  Now imagine the 5 chasing the 100 and winning.  It's looks so insane to me.

I believe that God has the power to do this.  I don't believe this to be some great metaphor but that God would actually make this happen.  These are all promises from God and all we have to do is obey.  It's not a fair trade off but God doesn't mind picking up the slack. 

While I could go on and on about the incredible things God promises here, I just want to point out one more at the very end.  "And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect."  This is something that God has already done for us.  The chain that is binding us down is already broken.  Anything that is trying to tell us that we are not free is lying.  A lot of times we choose to believe the lies instead of the truth which keeps us under the wrong yoke.  God given us freedom and he will help us get out from under the lies of the enemy and walk upright with God.

It is only in him and through him that we are free.
  

True Love

I just want everyone to know that

God loves you.

He has a deep, passionate desire for every person on the earth.  Christian or Atheist.  Black or white. Man or Woman.  He loves everyone.  He sent is son to die.  He literally watched his son cry out in pain and agony and die for us.  That's insane!  It's crazy!  That's love!

And his love does not rely on whether we do good things.  He love does not rely on how bad we've been in the past.  His love does not rely on how good we do in the future.  God loves us whether we choose to follow him.  God loves us whether we never choose him at all.

God loves us infinitely and without bounds.  His love will never leave.  There is nothing you can do to run away from the love that God has for you.  Whatever you do, God's love doesn't change.  God's love is ever-present and inviting.  He longs, deeply and passionately, for EVERY person on this planet.

If no one chose Him, He would still love us.  He would still pursue us and long for us.

I know it's hard to feel God's love and maybe you've never experienced it at all.  I want you to ignore the fact that you don't fully believe that the great God could ever love someone like you.  Just suspend your disbelief and try this.  If only for 5 minutes.

I dare you. 

It's simple.

1) Hold your arms out
2) Say (out loud) "God, please show me your love"


That's it.  That's all it takes.

I believe that God will touch you tonight.  I believe it because I know the truth.

The truth is God loves you and he will show it to you.  He wants you, all of you, to love.  So if you think I'm crazy (and it's ok if you do) just remember the truth that God loves you. 

"Show me your Glory"

'Show me your glory' [Exodus 33:18]

This was Moses' request to God, but I'm not sure if he even fully understood what all it entailed. 

I believe that Moses genuinely wanted to see the glory of God revealed to him.  Moses met with God on a consistent basis.  They had a relationship, something unheard of throughout the Old Testament.  But God showed this servant to spend time with and to guide his people.

The amazing part about this story isn't the request by Moses.  It's the way God responds:
 

 'You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.' And the Lord said, 'Behold, there is a place where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.  Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.' [Exodus 33:20-23]

This absolutely blows my mind.  Every time I read it, I get chills.  God let Moses see something that no other human had ever seen before.  God revealed a part of himself to his servant.  He did not reveal Himself entirely, but the stuttering leader Moses was privileged to see the back of the Lord.

I think there are some awesome things we can learn about the mystery of God and his revelation to us.  First, we can never understand the whole being of God. God is a god of mystery.  Paul even writes about this mystery in Ephesians 3.  There is no way that humans can understand God in our limited human knowledge.  It's just not possible.  If there is one thing I know, without a doubt, it's that I will never be able to understand the full capacity of my God.

Second, it is only through a relationship with God that He provides revelation of parts of his glory.  The more time we spend with God, the more He will reveal to us.  After all, this is the best father in the universe that we're talking about.  We can never understand the mysteries of heaven on our own, but the more time we spend in the presence of the God the father, the more God will reveal to us, his children.  He loves us and will allow access to some great mysteries because they will bring us into a deeper place with him. 

This gives me so much hope and joy.  God is willing to reveal himself to me.  God didn't show Moses his glory in its fullness, but He revealed a new part of himself to him.  I want to see the glory of God.  I would be completely overcome just to see the back of God.  It would be the most beautiful back in the world.

So, God, please show me your glory.  That's my heart's desire. 

Just a Quick Change

Because there is not much need for a blog when I'm not gallivanting all over the globe, I want to use this as a space to share what God has been teaching me.  I know I'm not the best at keeping in touch with people and this could be a great way for you to know what God is doing in me.  Right now, I feel like I've been in a time of growth and I want to share it with everyone.  

Feel free to check in anytime or just once and a while, maybe leave a comment or message me and we'll chat.       

God's Love

I just watched a documentary on sex trafficking.  I know that we all know the issues on sex trafficking and some have probably gotten sick of the subject being a topic of conversation so often.  Trust me, I know how you feel because this is what I thought when I sat down with most of my team tonight to watch a documentary called Nefarious. 

I’ve never really cried while watching a movie before but tonight seemed different.  I was welling up with tears almost at the very beginning of the documentary and those tears were constantly there throughout the 2 hour movie.  But these tears weren’t for myself or even as a form of sadness for the situation, but for the girls on the screen that felt worthless in this world.  I don’t like seeing people that worthless and hopeless and full of despair but that was the similarity in every story that was shared.  It makes me want to share with the people around me, “We have value and that God loves you.”  I wish I could add, “and how much Christians love them.”  Sadly this isn’t the case because most of us pretend that the people on the streets don’t exist.  I know because I’m guilty of this in my everyday life.  If I’m doing ministry with the homeless and the prostitutes in downtown Vancouver then I treat them like any other person.  When I’m not “on duty” to serve God, however, I often ignore these people completely.

Who am I to say that I can choose when to love others?  That I can pick and choose the most convenient time to serve God?  Because Christ died on the cross for all people, not just Christians or the victims in situations like prostitution.  He died for those corrupt people too.  Even those people so involved in sin and evil.  Christ dies for them just as much as he died for me.  Therefore, we are called to love ALL, not just those that are easy to love but ALL people. 

            In reality, we have zero ability to truly love anyone without God living in us and moving through us.  He is the very definition of love.  Not only is He love himself, but he gave us as human beings the perfect example of what love looks like here on earth thought the example of Jesus.  I believe that it is only through God living in us that we can love those involved in the sex trafficking industry.  This doesn’t mean that we only love the prostitutes, those who we can easily give our sympathies to, but the pimps and the Johns as well.  And beyond that, we cannot love those in government held positions that have the ability to stop this human trafficking but choose to turn a blind eye.  It’s only with the power of God’s love in us that we can love the parents that sell their own daughters into prostitution to make some extra cash for a nicer television or cell phone.  It’s only with God’s love in us that we can love those that have sexually abused these girls when they were younger.  Without God’s love in us, we will never be able to love any of these people.

            I don’t pretend that I’m any closer then you at loving any of these people to that capacity.  It’s so easy to build up hatred for those that are involved in the human trafficking industry.  Hatred and bitterness go hand-in-hand and the Bible is constantly commanding us to stay away from bitterness.  We cannot hate the corrupt but we can hate the corruption.  There is a big distinction between the two.  This is something that I need to remember for myself.  I need to separate the people that Christ died for and loves abundantly with the sin that they are involved in.  I think instead of hating those people we need to replace it with how God feels for them.  I can imagine God takes on a pain that we cannot fathom for those people because of his great love for them.