Random Quotes

"I'm only listening to you because I'm getting paid."
"I wonder if they know that their precious Prince Charming is nothing like them?"
"Sisters are trouble..."
"...tidal wave of hero's blood."

Language is more then just words strung together. How many times have you walked out of a movie and shared your favorite quote with the person you're walking with? (That last one was from "300 Rise of an Empire" by the way.) Or been reading a book that you stopped in the middle of to share a quote because it made you laugh so hard? What about a T.V. show that days later you were still thinking about that one scene even as you wonder what will happen next week? Or a song that get's stuck in your head and you just keep singing it over and over.
The things that we watch, read, and listen to affect our way of thinking, how we relate to each other, they shape our judgments and prejudices, they affect our actions and make up a large part of our conversations. The things we hear and say make a difference, even when we think they don't.
At my apartment we have a quote, "And post!" we use it whenever someone says something random as if we were posting it on a blog. (Thankfully that hasn't been made a reality... yet) We hear and say the most random things here and yet many of them become part of my writing.

Here's the thing bloggers, inspiration doesn't typically come from exotic trips to some magical destination or from surviving some awful trauma. It comes from everyday life, from the sweet silent moments, the comical spontaneous ones, the calm serious ones and the sudden emotional ones.
Things like "I used to be able to make baskets and now I only throw diapers!" are said in a sudden moment that takes you off guard and makes you laugh while a quote like, "Do you want to build a snowman?" can take on a life of it's own.
So what's your quote today? Post it below, you've heard some of mine now I'd love to hear yours!

Ministry Moment- March

I just realized that I never did a ministry moment for March. So here it is! To kick spring off on this beautiful first day of spring (by the way my windshield was frozen this morning, what kind of spring is that?) let me tell you a little bit about... drumroll please... Village Missions!

Now this is one of my favorite ministries, probably because I have a very personal connection to it. Several people in my family have served with VM and a few still are. Now some of you may know what this wonderful ministry does but many of you probably have the exact wrong idea.
Unlike many of the ministries that I hope to highlight in months to come VM doesn't head out to the jungles of Columbia or the frozen tundra of Mongolia (at least not that I know of) they serve here on the home-front.
Village Missions has a simple goal, they send out pastors to rural churches to keep those places alive! They work in both the U.S. and Canada and have been serving since 1948 (they began work in Canada in 1968).
This is an amazing team of people who take pastors, and their families, and send them throughout the land to make sure that small towns are not forgotten about. Now speaking as a small town kid myself I'd say that's something pretty spectacular. I could probably go on for hours and hours about VM but I won't. So let me just sum it up.
Reverend Duff started this ministry in (as I mentioned) 1948 and in the last 66 years it has turned into a thriving and vital ministry. Their website www.villag-missions.org is filled with helpful tools that illustrate how much they do. They provide pastors, start churches, support their missionaries, they have resources like AWANA, bible school and offer reading recommendations.
If you're looking at going into the ministry or looking for someone to support either through prayer or finances I would suggest looking here. This is one ministry that I love and support and can definitely recommend!

Quiz

So you know those quizzes that you see online all the time? Those ones that tell you what Disney Princess you're like, what movie character personality is just like yours or who your soul mate will be? Well recently I've been listening to the Bible on c.d. and I'm in Exodus now, the story of Moses and the people of Israel. Here's a quiz I made up with that in mind. It's short, simple, and hopefully fun. Here's the trick you have to be honest, I won't promise that it works, and you don't have to post your answers but hopefully it will make you think.

A. When God first tells you to do something do you...?
1- Ignore him
2- Argue and try to get out of it
3- Do what he says

B. If you give your word to do something do you...?
1- Go back and break your word
2- Do it for a while until things get hard and then go your own way
3- Follow through

C. When life gets hard do you...?
1- Lash out and blame others for your problems
2- Blame God for everything that's gone wrong
3- Take Responsibility

Add up the numbers next to your answers.

If you scored 1-2 you're a Pharaoh, you might want to take a hard look at your life and decide where you want it to go and what you need to do to get there. Don't give up though, our God is a god of redemption and he will redeem you!

If you scored 3-5 you're the People of Israel, the good news is that you're God's chosen people, the bad news, the last 2,000 years or so have consisted of people learning from your mistakes, now it's your turn, learn from your mistakes and remember that you serve a loving God who forgives, even though we don't deserve it.

If you scored 6-8 you're a Moses, God's servant who has long been held up as one of the greatest men in the Bible, and he is, but he was far from perfect and so are you. Don't let discouragement because of the people around you get you down, you're a leader so don't forget to act like it and remember that although you have a huge responsibility you serve a God who wants you to cast your burdens upon him, don't try to do it on your own!

If you scored 9 then you're a saint, congrats! I have no advice for you except that you may want to examine your heart a little closer, lying is still a sin.

Adventures

How do you take adventures? Through a road trip? A book? Vacation? Maybe going out to a party or a special night out on the town. Whatever it is it's your way of exploring the world. Many times we convince ourselves that we have to take the safe side of things. The truth is that we don't always have to though.
There are lots of ways to explore. You can explore your neighborhood by getting to know your neighbors, explore your city by finding those hidden little gems that every town has even if you don't realize they exist. Explore your state by taking short day trips to different places around, explore your country (if you can) by visiting some of those places you've heard about but never been, explore this world maybe by going on a missions trip.
Now some of you are wondering, why? You may not want to go off an explore, maybe your one of those people (like I often am) that would rather hide away in a corner and just read about adventures. I can't tell you how many times I've wished I could be one of those adventurous people and yet when I had the opportunity I didn't take it. One of the reasons that frustrates me is that's not how I was raised. My family takes the words "following God wherever He might lead" and lives it out in a way that very few people in this world do.
That's how we ended up moving to a different state when I was twelve. Mom and Dad didn't know how it was all going to work out but they trusted that the Lord was taking us there for a reason and that He would provide for us. And He did, through all the tough times and the hard parts He provided and it wasn't easy but it gave me an example of faith that has shaped my life. When we were getting ready to move my mom found a verse that she still claims to this day; "...go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you." Genesis 12:1
What would it look like if we were all willing to actually follow that command? I want to find out, do you?