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If I proclaim the greatness of God it is hard to elevate myself.  If I speak of the works and majesty of God it is hard to speak of myself.

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. – Psalm 7:17

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? – Psalm 8: 3 & 4

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you. – Psalm 16:1 & 2

I love you, O Lord, my strength. – Psalm 18:1

O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. – Psalm 26:8

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. – Psalm 29:1 & 2

Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. – Psalm 31:21

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. – Psalm 103:1-5

(All passages ESV)

I was relistening to a message yesterday on my way to work.  In short the message is about being uncomfortable and using the gifts God has given you.  It is an amazing message and like I said I was driven to listen to it a second time which will probably turn into a third and fourth.  With all my thoughts of uncomfortableness lately messages like this drive it home and make me think.

As I was listening I realized that one of the first things I have to give up in my desire to be uncomfortable is my pride, and in my pride my selfishness.  My pride and selfishness will only hinder what God wants to do.  They will be roadblocks preventing me from even taking a step.

If I want to do one single thing for God, I have to be taken out of the equation.  A vessel is just that…a vessel.  An empty subject ready to be used by its owner.

I was cleaning out my desk at work today.  I found these cards from flowers I’ve received from Shawn.

I adore the “love” words he speaks over me.

For the last week, Shaun Groves has been in Kenya with other various bloggers documenting and sharing how Compassion International is serving and rescuing the people of Kenya.  When I say people I mean more than just the children that are sponsored through Compassion.  The sponsorship of these children changes their entire family’s lives.

Shaun is doing a very thought provoking image blog category while on this trip called Third World Dictionary.  Photographic images of everyday things you and I take for granted.  There was one image that really hit me especially hard.

It seems over the last year I’ve grown to hate doing laundry.  And that is only laundry for Shawn and I.  No children.  It just seems to be a bother.  Remembering to transfer it to the dryer and don’t even mention folding/putting it away.  Ahhhh.

That was until I saw this:

I’ve only had to do my laundry outside for a few months……and it was still done in a washing machine. I haven’t had to brave inclement weather to wash my clothes.  I’ve never washed my cloths in tubs smaller than a plastic kids swimming pool.  I’ve never washed my laundry in dirty water.

I felt convicted over my complaining when I have it so easy.  I printed out this picture and have hung it up in my laundry area.  A reminder of this advantage I have.  That I shouldn’t be complaining but should be grateful.

In a good way.

If you don’t want to be messed up.  Don’t want to be convicted or have tears streaming down your face, do not click the link below.

If you want to see lives that have been changed.  If you want to see hope in the eyes of beautiful people.  If you want to be a little uncomfortable click the link below.

http://compassionbloggers.com/trips/2010-kenya

What is it that causes a 19 year old girl to pack up everything and move to South Africa?  Or a young woman to move to Uganda to be a Kindergarten teacher, only to have God move her to start an orphan child sponsorship program?  Or a man who when visiting South Korea was heart broken for the orphans and would start an organization that would change the lives of over a million children in third world nations?

For a few weeks now God has been laying on my heart that He wants me to be uncomfortable.  It is like that nagging little tickle in the back of your throat, seemingly always there.  The thing is, is that I WANT to be uncomfortable.  I’ve lived nearly 35 years worth of life being comfortable in church and not doing anything.  I want to change.  I want to make an impact on the world that God has placed me in.

­That – means I must be uncomfortable.

I’ve never been to Africa or South Korea but I’m pretty sure it isn’t comfortable to live or serve in a Christian ministry there.  It sure isn’t comfortable riding 3100 miles on a hard, skinny bike seat to raise money for Blood Water Mission – in the middle of summer – through PHOENIX.  Or smelling the constant reminder of death in Haiti as you dig through hundreds of pounds of concrete.

I realized yesterday that being uncomfortable is a hard thing to do (insert obligatory, “yeah duh” here).  But for me it isn’t the being uncomfortable, it’s the getting there.  Like I mentioned above I’ve had nearly 35 years worth of being comfortable.  My parents weren’t the type to live life spiritually uncomfortable.  We went to church, taught Sunday school, taught VBS day in day out.  That was my life growing up.  Now as of about a year or so ago God’s breaking the mold that has been my existence.  He’s given me a heart for the poor.  He’s made me to fall in love with India and long to see justice for the 50 million plus living in her slums.

I am praying now, with more fervor that God would continue to make me uncomfortable.  It is one of those prayers like praying for patience or humility.  It doesn’t come easily or without cost.  The end result though will be beautiful and for the glory of God alone.

Shawn and I had a wonderful time in Prescott over the weekend.  It was full of lots of time to rest, relax, read, and just be with each other.

Saturday evening I got to see a friend I hadn’t seen in six years.  In that time she has had four beautiful children.  Lately we’ve kept in touch via Facebook but unfortunately life and the responsibilities that go with it have prevented us from seeing each other.  It was wonderful to see her and visit.  And I am excited that she and her husband are going to be in town for a wedding of a mutual friend later this month and we are planning to do dinner.

After dinner Shawn and I gathered around his laptop and over a shaky wifi signal we watched Compassion’s Help Haiti Live Benefit Concert.  I was moved by the generosity of the artists that performed, and even more moved by the stories I heard.  I gave a mental shout out to my friend Alece who I knew was there.

I lived in Prescott for about two and a half years.  It is a nice little city nestled amongst towering Pine Trees and mountains.

On Sunday morning we woke up to snow.  I have a soft spot in my heart for a bit of snow.  I grew up in Northern Arizona and was accustomed to having snow in the winter.  The most we ever had was four feet.  Living in Phoenix you don’t get snow.  You may get the occasional snow flurry if it gets cold enough, but nothing like what I grew up in.  I miss snow and was extremely thrilled to be able to see and be in this.  Shawn was thrilled for me too.

This was probably the first time I actually felt relaxed and rested after a vacation.  I immensely enjoyed my time with Shawn.

Thank you for your prayers I am feeling better.

Photos from our hotel room and the one of us taken by Shawn.

One of the first thoughts I had of the day was, “Thank God I bought Kleenex yesterday.”  It was actually Target’s Up & Up brand facial tissue, but it serves the same purpose at a fraction of the cost.

Every year this time of year I suffer from insatiable allergies.  The kind that knock me on my butt, and I end up missing a day or two of work.  This year I decided instead of trying to fight them off with over the counter meds that don’t cut it and then I end up going to the doctor anyhow, I was going to go to the doctor to begin with.  I see her tomorrow morning.

Usually my medicinal cocktail includes:

Zyrtec
Flonase (generic)
Singulair

We’ll see what she says tomorrow.

You can pray I feel/get better quickly.  Shawn and I are leaving Friday morning for a trip up north to escape some of the realities of life and get a change of scenery.  I really don’t want to spend my time gazing into a tissue, or worse not end up going.

I’ve been off Facebook and Twitter now for five days.  It has already been refreshing.  God is speaking and working in my life.  I’m hearing Him more clearly.

Since I still have that itch to hit the escape button of the hohum, mundane, and stress of work I’ve begun opening up YouVersion and reading a Psalm or two.  That is how I stumbled across the verses I posted a couple days ago.  I can guarantee that I’ve read and heard these verses before, but the Lord has been bringing them up repeatedly in my mind.

I am at a place in life right now where all does seem to have fallen in pleasant places.  Yet, as sure as you have, I have experienced not so pleasant places. Hardships, trials, dry & barren seasons, times when the grass on the other side wasn’t greener because there was just no grass to be seen.  However, even during those times my portion and my lot was in His hand, and the lines were in pleasant places even though I couldn’t see it.

And my inheritance is quite beautiful:

Death to life!

Brokenness to healing!

Shame to glory!

Filthy rags to those white as snow!

I continue to relish in this.  In my adoption.  In my inheritance.

That He loves me that much!!!

Take time today to consider your inheritance, and know that even though you may not be seeing pleasant places God still holds your cup.

I’ll post more on this a bit later but I wanted to share this gem with you.  It’s something I’ve been meditating on and relishing in…

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.  The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

(ESV)