The Good Man: Devo.

The Good Man

'Jesus once told the story of an injured man. Three people saw the man. The first two people did not stop. The third person got off his donkey and helped the man. "Be like the good man. Always treat other people the way you would like to be treated," Jesus told his followers.'

This story is humbly taken from Lexi's children's Bible. I like the simplicity of the story. It has a clear commandment from the good Samaritan (good man) story; "be like the good man; treat others the way you want to be treated." In my house we called this the golden rule. I knew it like this "do onto others as you would have them do unto you." And many times when my sisters and I would argue, my parents told us to remember the golden rule.

Lord, please help us remember that you love everyone; you created all humans in your image and likeness. Help us to love others like we love ourselves; to treat others kindly and to help them in times of need. Thank you Lord for sending Jesus to help us in our time of need. That we are no longer separated from you, but we have access to you through Jesus.

Ephesians 3: 11-12: This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,  in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

Devo. Count Down: The secret to Life

The Secret to Life

Yep I know it already at just a mere 29 years old. I learned it from a birthday card. I love reading cards, making cards, giving and receiving cards. Here it is, ready, hold your breath. The secret to life is: "Breath IN, Breath OUT, and REPEAT."

Not to serious tonight. A well balanced life is a good life! Humor is good. God is good.

Why all the Devo's before turning 30???

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS:

Sometime last winter I started a bucket list of all the things I wanted to do before I turned thirty. Why? Because, to me 30 is a big deal. I need to finish everything I want to in my 20's, because I'll never be twenty-nine again. Even if I say I'm 29 and holding, we all know it's not true. Unfortunately I didn't get very far with my list before I started to say, "but I've already done that."

Not bragging, just saying: I am very blessed to already have such a full life, and have been on so many adventures. I just couldn't think of 30 new (FREE) things to do before I turned 30. For example, I'm already married, have my first child, went skydiving, para-sailing,  white water rafting, seen a volcano, hiked in a rainforest, been to several other countries, finished all the school I care to attend, and have had enough ME focused adventures for awhile :)   I have to admit, that I've even cheated on this list, many of the things I already did during the year before I created the list (like serve at a soup kitchen).

So I turned it into a 30 ways to bless others list instead. One of the items on that list is to write devos. (I think I said 30 before 30, buttttt I'm already behind. So, I'll give myself grace if you'll give me grace and not count the number of devos.)

If you want to see the entire list, you can CLICK HERE. Perhaps you'd like to start your own list for the next month and do one thing a day to bless someone else. Or a list for the entire year and just do one thing to bless someone each month. Random acts of kindness can mean so much!

20 Days till 30: Devo. Pray without Ceasing

Pray. How much? Without ceasing.

I imagine this as a conversation. We are telling our friend about a problem. Their solution is that we should pray. Then we want to know the cost, exactly how much do we have to pray, is it going to be hard, can I fit it into my packed schedule.  I come from a background of grace, meaning I know that it is by GRACE that I am saved. I believe and love a God who is full of mercy and GRACE. I should give myself MORE GRACE in this area of praying without ceasing. I generally say a prayer whenever something comes to mind that is disturbing, or that causes concern. When I pray, I unburden my heart. When your heart is unburdened, then it is easier to rejoice and give thanks. The passage from 1 Thessalonians mentions three things that are God's will for us:1.) rejoice always, 2.) pray continually, and 3.) give thanks in all circumstances.

When we pray, it lowers anxiety. When we are less anxious, we are healthier and happier. Thinking about yourself too much, or having pity parties only leads to depression. So, when we pray, be sure to pray for others (not just yourself), include thanksgiving (again focusing on God's goodness and not your own circumstances), and then rejoice because you know you have what you asked for in PRAYER! And have a great day.

1Thess. 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

This marks the end of day four after our arrival here in Moscow, Russia!  My boss and his wife from ISpeak have been exceptionally kind in helping us get on our feet here.  They even had a kitchen full of groceries waiting for us when we arrived.  When we laid eyes our apartment for the first time I was very pleased.  It's small, but clean and came furnished.  It even has a washing machine- which means we don't have to wash clothes in the sink (which I was originally expecting to have to do.)  Lexi is just happy being with mommy and daddy and is beside herself crawling around everywhere on the wood floors.  It's already cold here.  I haven't gone anywhere outside without my fleece on and apparently every Russian child that draws breath MUST wear a hat at all times.  I'm sure the babushkas think we're bad parents having Lexi's strawberry-blonde locks blowing freely in the breeze.  We spent a full day at IKEA picking up things for the apartment that were lacking.  We managed to score a pretty nice bed for a good price and Lexi got a new toy to keep her occupied.  Oh, and we got threatened by a trolley-bus driver while sitting in traffic.  Apparently we didn't move our car fast enough out of his way or something.

I won't actually start teaching until the 17th because the office has been terribly behind with most of the staff having been gone over the summer.  However, we're having a meet and greet tomorrow on Saturday so I will hopefully be able to meet some of my future students  then.  Exciting times!

Blessings.

--Matthew

Our Story Devo. style:

In case you missed it, here's our story. My family and I are moving to Russia to live as missionaries for the next season of life.

Matthew 28:16-20, known as the great commission, was preached often when I was in college. It seems like I heard it at least once a week. The scene opens with eleven disciples hanging out on the mountain, after Jesus’ death. They are waiting for Him to get there, because He said He’d meet them on that mountain. I imagine, like any employee today, one of them asking “is this where the meeting is scheduled? Are you sure?”

Even after seeing him resurrected, some still doubted. Sometimes, I’m that doubter. Do you know that Jesus said the same thing to the doubters as he did to those who were firm in faith? The scripture reads: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

These were Jesus’ disciples, and now He is telling them to go make disciples. In the book of Acts and other New Testament books you read a lot about Jesus’ disciples making disciples!
"It is an incredible feat that because 12 men obeyed, you and I are Christians. Imagine that!"


My husband and I were at a crossroads in life in 2010, when I found out the ministry I was working for would be relocating to California. We prayed and sought the Lord for about a month about whether we were to follow the ministry to California. The answer was “no.” So, we simply asked God, “what next?”

In 2011, we embarked on a two week misson trip to Russia, and as soon as we hit America we felt the Lord calling us back to Russia. Now we, Christians, know satisfaction doesn’t come from the American Dream, but from obeying God’s calling on your life. The pursuit of happiness is not a scripture verse, lest we forget. I laugh now, having to remind myself of this, and how much God loves humor (he did create it). But, recall that the greatest commandment is to love Him, and the second greatest is to love others like you love yourself (Matt. 22:37-39).

In 2012, my family and I are answering the call of God on our lives and committing ourselves to the great commission. We have rented out our home, sold some furniture, stored other items and will take 3 suitcases, a pack-n-play, and our 8 month old to Russia. First, we will complete a month of missions and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) training with TeachOverseas.org .  Maybe we’ll see you in Moscow!

Following Jesus,
Rhonda

Update 8-21-12

Training is finally over!  I was beginning to wonder if it would every end!  TeachOverseas had our time scheduled from sunrise to sunset and between TEFL courses and culture training sessions our days were kept full.  It was encouraging to meet so many other people who share the same desire in serving the world through teaching. I'm amazed at how our G-d was able to take complete strangers and quickly knit their hearts together in love.  On only the second day of training one of my teammates remarked ,"I can't believe it's only day TWO!  I feel like I've known you for years."

Lexi's crawling all over the place now.  Any free moment I have is spent prying something out of her hands that she's not supposed to have!  She can "somewhat" feed herself her snacks now, although I did witness her try to put a cracker in her ear.  I'm sure she'll figure it out eventually.

Rhonda and I are currently staying with a friend in Camarillo, CA until we depart for Russia on 9/3.  Oh, and I get to meet the Power Team today.  More on that later.  Maybe I can get their autograph on a ripped phone book or something?

--Matthew