This past Wednesday night was Cultural Night for the Service Corps (the two mission teams I sent to Russia and Chile for 6 weeks this summer). Every year we do an evening like this at the end of each teams trip, I invite their family and friends, people from the Army to come see and hear what they've learned and what they've experienced. I love this night because it's a chance for other people to get to share in my joy. I get to hear all summer long what's going on in the lives of 13 young adults who are changing just by coming into contact with another culture and opening their eyes wide to a God who is and who has always been bigger than they could've dreamed. On Cultural Night, everyone else gets a picture of it as well.
The best thing about it all though is what happens in my heart as I watch them give their testimonies and sing the songs they've learned or perform the mimes or timbrel drills they've perfected. Every year it happens. I never expect it yet it always comes in a wave a great emotion. This year it happened as the Russian team sang their last song near the end of the program and it was a sweet song in Russian none of which I understood. And as they sang and as the next program item happened, tears simply fell down my cheeks. I couldn't explain it except that there was this prayer happening at that point in my heart going up to the Father that simply went like this, "Father, thank you for allowing me to be a part of their journey." That was all I could say. It doesn't happen often but every year on that night God shows me some of the eternal impact I'm making and I can't even begin to describe what that feels like. I know I won't be here forever but for now I know that their are 13 young adults in this world whose lives are richer and deeper because they came in contact with a God who wanted to take them somewhere new to teach them about Himself and His children. How blessed I am to get to be a part of that.
Every year I'm jealous that they get to go. I know why I need to stay - especially after this year's mishaps with missing visas and messed up planes tickets and last minute plans because of these things but at the end when I hear their stories - it almost feels like I got to go with them anyway.
I'm grateful to my God who is so big and so mysterious for allowing me to be such a small part in His game plan. It's the coolest feeling in the world.
Thank you Father.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
The other side of music...
So, many of you will have read Marty's most recent blog about his journey to a solo album. All of his info is listed at the link above. He's now attempting two blogs not one - go figure.
Last week Marty and I sat down with good friends who are helping Marty realize this dream. They were there for me as well. I had a lot of questions but I think most of it was a faith issue. That's what lies on the other side of music - when your life is tied to a musician's and you choose to get in the passenger's seat and take this ride with him - faith. Last Wednesday I realized that. Actually, I realized it a lot sooner and just didn't want to face that beast because it meant naming my shortcoming.
My shortcoming was never that I didn't believe in my husband or that he wasn't good enough to record a solo album. My shortcoming was never that I didn't believe that he was good enough to make it somewhere other than the world that most normal people live in - the one where the majority of people DON'T know your name. My shortcoming is that I DID believe those things and I DIDN'T and possibly still DON'T want those things. I'm scared of what they mean. I'm scared of what they could mean for the time he would spend away from me (we already spend enough time away from each other as it is). I'm scared of what this road would mean when I've been praying for one that would lead us into ministry TOGETHER! So, we talked - and I cried - and he explained.
What I know is that this is what the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, the One who created the Heavens and the Earth, is calling my husband to do right now - so I have to trust that - no matter what the future might bring. The other thing I know is that as passionate as Marty is about God and God in music that God will be glorified through this and that's all a girl can ask.
Everything else I lay into the Master's hands and ask Him to mold into His perfect and pleasing will. He will do with us what He pleases and we will always sing His praises (one of us a little bit more pleasantly than the other).
So, this, my friends is what is required on the other side of music, when you climb on board and strap yourself in, there's no turning back.
Lord, please continue to give the faith and the grace I need to walk into the future you have planned for us.
For the rest of you, may the Lord place you in a position where you have to grow.
Grace,
Joy
Last week Marty and I sat down with good friends who are helping Marty realize this dream. They were there for me as well. I had a lot of questions but I think most of it was a faith issue. That's what lies on the other side of music - when your life is tied to a musician's and you choose to get in the passenger's seat and take this ride with him - faith. Last Wednesday I realized that. Actually, I realized it a lot sooner and just didn't want to face that beast because it meant naming my shortcoming.
My shortcoming was never that I didn't believe in my husband or that he wasn't good enough to record a solo album. My shortcoming was never that I didn't believe that he was good enough to make it somewhere other than the world that most normal people live in - the one where the majority of people DON'T know your name. My shortcoming is that I DID believe those things and I DIDN'T and possibly still DON'T want those things. I'm scared of what they mean. I'm scared of what they could mean for the time he would spend away from me (we already spend enough time away from each other as it is). I'm scared of what this road would mean when I've been praying for one that would lead us into ministry TOGETHER! So, we talked - and I cried - and he explained.
What I know is that this is what the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, the One who created the Heavens and the Earth, is calling my husband to do right now - so I have to trust that - no matter what the future might bring. The other thing I know is that as passionate as Marty is about God and God in music that God will be glorified through this and that's all a girl can ask.
Everything else I lay into the Master's hands and ask Him to mold into His perfect and pleasing will. He will do with us what He pleases and we will always sing His praises (one of us a little bit more pleasantly than the other).
So, this, my friends is what is required on the other side of music, when you climb on board and strap yourself in, there's no turning back.
Lord, please continue to give the faith and the grace I need to walk into the future you have planned for us.
For the rest of you, may the Lord place you in a position where you have to grow.
Grace,
Joy
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Learning...
A list of things I'm trying to learn
1. That God's grace to me is unfathomable and I am most of the time unaware of it.
2. That I need to live a life conscious of His grace towards me.
3. That pride comes in many forms - mine so happens to be judgementalism.
4. That the Lord's Word isn't all that practical if I read it in the morning and then forget what it says by noon.
5. That I doubt Him more than I think I do.
6. That He does way more than I could ever EVER ask OR IMAGINE! How cool is that?
7. A renewing of the mind isn't just about the mind.
8. Forgiveness isn't forgiveness unless it's complete - never to be brought up again. Imagine that.
I was going to go for 10 but learning 8 things all at once is pretty hard and Marty just called and said it's time to go. Actually he said, "It's time to blow this popsicle joint." Does anybody know where that saying came from?
Thanks for reading.
Still learning,
Joy
1. That God's grace to me is unfathomable and I am most of the time unaware of it.
2. That I need to live a life conscious of His grace towards me.
3. That pride comes in many forms - mine so happens to be judgementalism.
4. That the Lord's Word isn't all that practical if I read it in the morning and then forget what it says by noon.
5. That I doubt Him more than I think I do.
6. That He does way more than I could ever EVER ask OR IMAGINE! How cool is that?
7. A renewing of the mind isn't just about the mind.
8. Forgiveness isn't forgiveness unless it's complete - never to be brought up again. Imagine that.
I was going to go for 10 but learning 8 things all at once is pretty hard and Marty just called and said it's time to go. Actually he said, "It's time to blow this popsicle joint." Does anybody know where that saying came from?
Thanks for reading.
Still learning,
Joy
Sailing Away!
Oh, I love cruises. I hate work.
Last week my entire extended family (14 of us) and I got on a beautiful ship and sailed away to Mexico. We enjoyed the lovely see through blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico and all that goes with it. On Wednesday, for Marty's birthday, we celebrated by going to Xcaret and floating down this underground river that flows through caves and some of the structures at Xcaret. That was so relaxing. You could also snorkel there and see gorgeous blue fish or yellow and black striped fish. Several times I lifted my head up out of the water and began to talk to my brother and sister-in-law and neither one of them were around me. Once I grabbed a hold of Danielle's fin only to figure out that it was some 13 year old boy that I had been talking to and he had just been staring at me for 30 seconds while I heard Danielle's voice echo through the cave. I laughed for a good minute.
My favorite part of the day though was going into the butterfly aviary. Butterflies are so gorgeous - pink, yellow, red, orange. They were everywhere! We got to see dolphins that day and jaguars and a Mayan cemetary. It was all very educational and wonderful.
The next day we went shopping in Cozumel. Loved that! Got some pottery pieces that tell the story of the Mexican people. Yeah! That afternoon we went to a beach called Paradise Island and Matt, Danielle, Nick (my cousin's husband) and I rode in Kayaks and jumped on one of those trampolines they put in the water. I laughed more on that trampoline than I did all week.
Over all I had this incredibly fantastic vacation and I came home way too soon. However, upon returning Marty and I received incredible news that our friends Sarah and Phil gave birth to a beautiful 6 pound 7.8 ounce baby boy named Samuel. He's absolutely adorable.
One thing I regret however is that I missed an incredible opportunity to put the Lord in the center of our rejoicing. Doesn't it always seem that way? That you go away on vacation and, at least for me, my devotional life goes on vacation too. When I got back on land I realized how much I hadn't talked to the Lord all week and how much I hadn't spent time with him. At that point my need for him was so great and my disappointment in myself was extreme. I want to learn how to put Him in the center of our rejoicing - not forget Him during our greatest times together. I've got a lot of learning to do.
Learning about grace,
Joy
Last week my entire extended family (14 of us) and I got on a beautiful ship and sailed away to Mexico. We enjoyed the lovely see through blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico and all that goes with it. On Wednesday, for Marty's birthday, we celebrated by going to Xcaret and floating down this underground river that flows through caves and some of the structures at Xcaret. That was so relaxing. You could also snorkel there and see gorgeous blue fish or yellow and black striped fish. Several times I lifted my head up out of the water and began to talk to my brother and sister-in-law and neither one of them were around me. Once I grabbed a hold of Danielle's fin only to figure out that it was some 13 year old boy that I had been talking to and he had just been staring at me for 30 seconds while I heard Danielle's voice echo through the cave. I laughed for a good minute.
My favorite part of the day though was going into the butterfly aviary. Butterflies are so gorgeous - pink, yellow, red, orange. They were everywhere! We got to see dolphins that day and jaguars and a Mayan cemetary. It was all very educational and wonderful.
The next day we went shopping in Cozumel. Loved that! Got some pottery pieces that tell the story of the Mexican people. Yeah! That afternoon we went to a beach called Paradise Island and Matt, Danielle, Nick (my cousin's husband) and I rode in Kayaks and jumped on one of those trampolines they put in the water. I laughed more on that trampoline than I did all week.
Over all I had this incredibly fantastic vacation and I came home way too soon. However, upon returning Marty and I received incredible news that our friends Sarah and Phil gave birth to a beautiful 6 pound 7.8 ounce baby boy named Samuel. He's absolutely adorable.
One thing I regret however is that I missed an incredible opportunity to put the Lord in the center of our rejoicing. Doesn't it always seem that way? That you go away on vacation and, at least for me, my devotional life goes on vacation too. When I got back on land I realized how much I hadn't talked to the Lord all week and how much I hadn't spent time with him. At that point my need for him was so great and my disappointment in myself was extreme. I want to learn how to put Him in the center of our rejoicing - not forget Him during our greatest times together. I've got a lot of learning to do.
Learning about grace,
Joy
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