Blessings from Raindrops

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:9

Corrie Ten Boom said, “Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives, is perfect preparation for the future only He can see.”  It’s easy to look at this quote and think about the good experiences and how those have prepared us for future events.  But it’s hard when the experience God gives us is a hard one – one where we find ourselves in a valley of grief, loss, and heartache.  

It goes against our understanding to imagine blessings coming from difficult times, but they most definitely can.  These blessings won’t be immediately visible and it may take some time before you fully understand why God allowed you to walk through the valley – but His “ways are higher” and His “thoughts are higher” (Isaiah 55:9).  AND God will be there to walk the valley with you; going before you every step of the way (Deuteronomy 31:8). 

God is a good, good Father, full of compassion, mercy, and grace and even the hard experiences He gives us are preparation for the future only He can see.  Remember - He knows the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11) and He works all things together for His good (Romans 8:28)!

Abba Father – thank you that Your blessings come from raindrops, Your healing through tears, and that the trials of our lives are Your mercies in disguise.  Claim Philippians 4:8 today and think of all the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy things He has blessed you with!  

What's in a Name?

"See the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which is translated "God is with us."

- Matthew 1:23

How did you get your name?  Was it a name your parents liked?  Was it a family name?  Was it a name that was popular in culture during the time period you were born?  My first name was a name that my parents liked; and one of my middle names is a family name.  I also know of many children who have names that were based on movies or celebrities.  Names can be anything from traditional to interesting to down-right “what was the parent thinking?”  God knew what He was thinking when He chose the perfect name for His Son.  He chose a name that would span the ages of time and would be meaningful to all.

In the New Testament, we find that God, through His angel messenger(s), gave specific instructions to Mary and Joseph about what to name His Son.  In both Matthew 1:21b and Luke 1:31b, the couple is told, “…you will call His name Jesus.”  It’s interesting to note that in Hebrew, this special name means “The Lord Saves.”  Coincidence?  I think not.

As we study the Scriptures, we find that our Savior Jesus has many descriptions, which we also refer to as “names,” woven throughout the Bible.  Isaiah 9:6 tells us our Savior will be the, “Wonderful Counselor, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.”  He is also described as Christ, Lord, Master, Messiah, Son of Man, Lamb of God, Light of the World, and so many more.  These descriptions help us to connect with and worship our Savior for the great and amazing things he has done and is doing in our lives.

In this season of my life, my favorite name of Jesus is “Immanuel.”  It’s actually the name that was prophesied for Jesus way before He was born.  “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).  The name Immanuel means “God With Us.” 

About this time last year, I was ever so mindful of the name Immanuel.  I was going through a very hard time of grief and loss – something that I haven’t really talked about publically.  It was one of the most painful things I have ever gone through in my life and I felt so alone in my sorrow.  Don’t get me wrong, my family and some close friends were there for me and walked with me through the valley, but I still felt like no one anywhere understood my exact feelings and my exact grief.  I came to really rely on the name of Immanuel because I knew He hadn’t forgotten me and was the only one who would walk every single second with me…and He has.

Our world is so uncertain and in such upheaval right now that having Jesus with us is about the only way we can make it through.  Devastation, loss, grief, violence, hatred – all of these are situations happening even as you read this blog that make you shake your head and feel hopeless.  If we place our hope in Immanuel, however, we can change our attitude into one of confidence because we know God is with us…always!  He will guide and direct us.  He will lead us through the valley.  He will help us know what to say and how to help others in their time of need.  Can you imagine how the world would react if we changed our attitudes to be one of hope during hardship?!

I find it so significant that Jesus’ last words on earth were such a testament to His name Immanuel – the name He was given and that was prophesied so many years before.  While ascending into heaven, looking at His disciples who were scared and unsure of when their Savior would return again, Jesus comforts them – and us, because we’re waiting too – with words that are so indicative of His given name.  “And remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).  Amen!

Forsaken for Me

"About three in the afternoon, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lena sabachthani?' (which means 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?')" - Matthew 27:46

Loneliness and abandonment are situations that most people hate enduring.  Feeling like you don't belong and that you're forgotten can bring even the most strong-minded person down in a deep, dark valley full of tears, hurt, and depression.  Thankfully, we know that no matter what we go through in this life, Jesus is our constant and ever-present friend that sticks closer than any brother ever could (and maybe even would).  We don't have to fear being completely forsaken in this life because we know Jesus will be there to walk with us through ever single moment - good or bad.

Can you stop and imagine, however, if Jesus wasn't there for us during our hardest moments?  If you're like me, you probably don't want to even imagine it.  To imagine going through pain and hardship completely and utterly alone seems like more than I could ever endure.  Yet someone did just that...and it is the very person that is with each one of us during our pain and hardship - our precious Savior, Jesus.

Matthew 27 outlines - in detail - the events leading up to the death of Christ.  He endured far more than hardship...He endured torture and agony.  He was accused of lying, when all His words were complete truth.  He was mocked by those who, just days earlier, had praised Him.  He was scourged and beaten and forced to carry part of the cross to which He would soon be nailed.  As hard as all of this is for us to even read, none of it compared to the torment of abandonment Christ felt as He was breathing His final breaths.  Matthew writes that around 3:00 in the afternoon, Jesus yelled to His Father, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).  While this was actually a portion of a Psalm that Christ was quoting (Psalm 22:1), I don't think He was saying this to "just" quote Scripture, I believe that when Jesus said this, He meant it with every fiber in His being.  The torture of having to endure this horrendous suffering alone was now a reality for Jesus - He was completely alone with people laughing at his demise, with blood pouring from his head, hands, and feet, and with death waiting right around the corner.  And God wasn't - really He couldn't be - there.  That is scarier than any horror movie could ever be.

God still loved His Son, He just couldn't be there for Him because God knew that this action and the feelings - all the feelings - associated with it were a necessary step in the redemption of mankind.  As humans, sin separates us from God, and as we learn in Romans 6:23, the punishment for sin is death - eternal separation from God.  When Jesus was nailed to the cross, He took that punishment for us which meant He had to endure it - being separated from everyone and every.single.thing.  So when Jesus was on the cross crying out in a loud voice this portion of Scripture, it wasn't just a repeating of a verse He had learned as a child in Hebrew AWANAs, it was a proclamation of how He felt at that exact moment.

My NLT Study Bible commentary states, "Jesus was not questioning God; he was quoting the first line of Psalm 22 - a deep expression of the anguish he felt when he took on the sins of the world, which caused Him to be separated from His Father.  This was what Jesus dreaded as he prayed to God in the garden to take the cup from him (26:39).  The physical agony was horrible, but even worse was the period of spiritual separation from God.  Jesus suffered this double death so that we would never have to experience eternal separation from God."

As hard as being forsaken by others may feel to us, Jesus is the one constant we have to depend on - always.  Jesus had no one.  He was forsaken so we wouldn't ever have to be.  What a friend we have in Jesus!  

As you reflect on this past Easter weekend, I hope you will continue to take to heart the sacrifice Jesus has made just for you.  He sacrificed everything - His relationships, His emotion, His identity, and His life - all so you wouldn't have to endure eternal separation from God and be alone for eternity.  He loves you THAT much.

If you are struggling with feeling forsaken or abandoned by others or someone in particular, remember Jesus' last words on earth and let them be an encouragement to you as you walk through this lonely time - "And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20b).

Below is a video clip of the song that inspired this blog post...one of my favorite songs that has ministered to me so strongly over the past few months.

2015 in Retrospect

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”  - Lamentations 3:22-23

At the end of each year I devote a blog post to looking back at the past year and “snapshotting” it.  2015 was for sure a year I will never, ever forget.  I think it will be a year ingrained in my memory for multiple reasons until Jesus comes back.  2015 offered for me exciting and new changes, and in tandem hard challenges as well.  It’s been an exciting year to watch my dreams become reality and to take on new and exciting opportunities, but it has also been a challenging year as homesickness and heartache among other emotions, have crept up at the most unexpected times.  Through every millisecond, though, God has been my constant and enduring support and has most definitely shown me this year, in ways I’ve never experienced before, that He is always with me.

NEW JOB

When I get off the elevator to my 7^th floor, downtown Nashville office, there is a big emblem on the floor that says “Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention.”  I want to shake my head every day as I exit the elevator and walk to my office for the pure fact that I cannot believe I work here.  Many of you know the story of my journey to my “dream” job.  If not or if you need/want a refresher, I shared about it in last year’s retrospect (click here to read) and also in some earlier 2015 blog posts (New Beginnings and Six Month Nashville Update).  

Floor Logo at SBC Executive Committee Office

I have learned SO INCREDIBLY much about the Southern Baptist Convention this year.  I thought I knew a lot, but boy was I wrong!  It’s been really neat, for me, to see the processes and “behind the scenes” things that happen that make both the Southern Baptist Convention and the summer Annual Meetings succeed in our SBC world.  Before I’d only really been a recipient of the things the Executive Committee had arranged or put together.  Now, I’m a part of helping to put those things together and if you know me, you know that’s exactly where I love to be – right smack dab in the middle of working with others to accomplish great things for the Kingdom!  And my workplace does that each and every day and I am so blessed to be a part of it!

The highlight of the year for me, of course, would have to be the summer Annual Meeting that was held, this year, in Columbus, Ohio.  If you are unfamiliar with the Annual Meeting it is basically a big gathering of Southern Baptist churches/leaders/organizations where over 5,000+ people (sometimes more) are in attendance and make decisions for our denomination while at the same time hearing preaching and singing worship songs.  While this was not my first Annual Meeting to attend, it was my first one to be an actual employee.  The week was very fast-paced, but that’s what I love about it!  My main duty was to put together and send to print our daily bulletin publication that contained up-to-the-minute information that could only be printed once sessions were completed.  This was fun, but challenging too.  I don’t think anyone could have prepared me for how it would work; I was only going to know how it worked after experiencing it.  Everything worked well, however, and I have some mental notes of how to make next year more fluid for myself.  

My view of the 2015 SBC Annual Meeting from the stage

I also was able to coordinate the pages this year at the 2015 Annual Meeting.  My first true introduction to Annual Meetings was actually as a volunteer page (aka gopher, runner).  I was responsible for taking the motions people had written or discussed and making copies of those and delivering them to the appropriate individuals.  I had commented in previous blogs that I wished I could be a page for life…and as it turned out, that wish came true!  This year, I not only got to do my “old paging job,” but I also helped to coordinate the pages that worked the microphones by having their supplies ready and also giving them information of what to expect, times they were needed, etc.  It was like a full-circle experience for me and also for my (now) co-workers.  These individuals had remembered me working as a volunteer page and one even had a nickname for me – “Motion Girl” – which is now a nickname that some people call me around here. :)

My accomplishments this year include all of the publications that I am responsible for putting together.  A lot of my job requires compiling information/advertisements from our various SBC entities around the country (these include seminaries, mission boards, and the like).  It involves organization and checklists…lots and lots of checklists!  The other part of my job involves putting together publications that contain this information I have compiled.  Most of the publications are for the Annual Meeting.  However, because I am responsible for about 3-4 different publications for this one event, I have to manage my time out from January to May as I work on these publications at the same time.  Talk about time management!  The other publication I work on during the same time and also after the Annual Meeting is the SBC Annual which is a book that contains all the information about what happened during the previous year.  I’m so thankful for a very detailed and organized predecessor who left me copious notes and timelines so that I could stay on track with all of these publications – she made an intense task be a lot less stressful for me…and for that I am very grateful!  I have also had the opportunity to take on other projects this year and have enjoyed working with others to get those projects accomplished.

A few of the SBC publications I created and designed this year

This past year of working at the SBC headquarters has been like a dream for me.  I’ve had the honor of hearing amazing speakers, meeting people I’ve only ever read about, and also working with some pretty incredible people.  My coworkers are what have made my experience here so much richer than I could have ever imagined.  They’ve been there for me and supported me through all of my emotions.  They’ve prayed for and with me and have been there when I’ve needed them.  God is blessing me here at my job and I am excited to see what 2016 brings for us at the Southern Baptist Convention!

NEW CHURCH

When I moved to Nashville, I visited many churches, seeking God’s will for the one He would have me join.  About the third month in, I settled on Brentwood Baptist Church.  This church is special to me for a number of reasons.  First of all, my family’s pastor of the church we were a part of when we lived in Hong Kong is now the missions pastor there so I have known he and his wife since I was a child.  Secondly, I had traveled with Brentwood Baptist on three of their past six mission journeys to Hong Kong.  Brentwood is what most would consider a mega-church, but the only way you get yourself out of that mindset and into knowing and fellowshipping with people is to get involved!  And if you know me, you know that’s right in my wheelhouse!

My main involvement at Brentwood Baptist this year has been in Children’s Ministry.  In looking at how I could be involved in the Children’s Ministry and in talking to the Children’s Minister at Brentwood, I decided to become the 5^th grade Life Group (Sunday School) director.  No one had wanted to take on the responsibility of this particular class because it is the only children’s class that combines all of that particular age group together…which of course makes for a really big class!  My average each week is around 50 kids.  The large group makes for an interesting Sunday each week, but we have a great time and they are really good listeners and add a lot to each lesson.  I couldn’t do it, though, without some amazing co-teachers and they really help make my directorship easy!!  

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to be a part of a mission trip designed specifically for 5^th graders.  This was actually with my 2014-2015 group (who I began teaching in April 2015).  The 5^th graders were responsible for planning and leading an actual Vacation Bible School at a local BBC church plant.  It was such a blessing to watch these kids who I was teaching on Sunday mornings “take over” this Vacation Bible School and share Jesus with kids in the neighborhood of this church.  They really stepped up to the plate and surprised all of us (adults).  I was and am so incredibly proud of them and know their missions hearts will only get bigger from here on!

The 5th Grade Mission Trip participants and leaders

Towards the end of the year, I started helping out with Brentwood's Wednesday night children’s program.  I’m helping in the 2^nd grade class.  It’s really fun to have some diversity in age groups each week and I am excited to get to know all of these precious kiddos as 2016 progresses.

As for my own spiritual development, I joined my own age-range Life Group that meets on Sunday nights.  While I do enjoy and am growing through teaching my own Life Group, I also need to grow spiritually myself and my Sunday evening Bible Study allows me to focus on that.  I enjoy gathering with girls my own age each week and going deeper into the study of the Bible.  This past year I also took part in a 7-week Bible Study focused on young, single women being mentored by older, married ladies.  Not only were we spiritually fed, but we were physically fed and loved on as well.  This study was such a blessing and these ladies really ministered to my heart and made me feel so loved.

My mentorship group called Blossoms; I'm at the back right

I will officially become a member of Brentwood in February of 2016 (the church has a pretty thorough membership process…which is actually a good thing) and I am really excited to be a part of this fellowship!

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

I’ve had a number of new opportunities to be involved in this year outside of work and church.  The first is with the Tennessee Baptist Convention WMU.  Each year the TBC WMU puts together a children’s missions conference and the while I’ve worked location-wise with them for this conference before, I’d never taught at the conference or anything like that.  This year, my TBC contact, after knowing I’d moved to the area, asked if I would teach at these conferences (3 conferences in 3 different parts of the state) and also if I’d help develop some activities for the missions fairs.  Of course I was THRILLED to do so!  It was fun coming up with activities for the fair and I had the time of my life travelling across Tennessee over the course of 3 weekends in October teaching kids about missions.  It affirmed for me my heart's passion – children & missions!

Teaching missions to kids at the Middle TN JAM Children's Missions Conference

The other opportunity I have had the blessing of being a part of, recently, is the children’s program for the downtown Nashville Christian Women’s Job Corp (CWJC).  Women come to CWJC to work on getting their GEDs and so they go through tutoring and the like.  Many women bring their children, but the children’s program is one of the areas that gets overlooked volunteer-wise.  Right now I volunteer two times a week and help out with crowd-control, homework, and Bible teaching.  These kids are so precious and I love getting to know them.  Some of these kids have not even heard the stories of Jesus before so it’s never far from my mind that these times with them may be the only Jesus they see each week.

I've even had opportunities to travel.  I traveled to new places across TN for the children's missions conference, I visited my mom's family in Louisville quite a few times this year, and I even got to travel with my good friend Bethany to The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary to attend their Fall Festival which was Adventures in Odyssey themed!  Adventures in Odyssey, a Christian radio drama produced by Focus on the Family, is my favorite radio program and has been since I was a child.  The Seminary literally brought this fictional town to life and they even flew in 3 of the actors who play main characters on the program to have a live Odyssey program!  It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it was literally a dream to actually watch these actors voice these characters I have listened to since I was eight years old.

I finally made it to the town of Odyssey!
Below is myself with (L-R), Andre Stojka who plays John Avery Whittiker, Katie Leigh who plays Connie Kendall, Phil Lollar who is a co-creator and has played various characters, and Will Ryan who plays Eugene Meltsner.

NEW CITY

Living in Nashville is definitely different than living in Morristown!  The traffic took a bit of getting used to, and some days the traffic patience wears a little thin, but for the most part I like living in the city!  There is so much that goes on in Nashville – from Opryland to Downtown to historic Franklin – there’s always something to do.  This year I’ve gotten to do fun things in many of those parts of Nashville – I saw an American Idol sing/be filmed downtown before the finale show, I met Christian singers Sandy Patti, Jaci Velasquez, and songwriter Keith Getty at various concerts I attended, and of course I’ve shopped ‘til I dropped at the Opry Mills Outlet Mall!  (And no, I haven’t seen anyone “famous” yet out and about in town).

Me and the Downtown Nashville Skyline

I moved into my first apartment in March which was exciting and different for me.  You sure do learn many life lessons when living on your own!!  :)  If you know me, you know I’m not the greatest cook, and this has proved true still to this day…I’ve had some kitchen mishaps (nothing catastrophic, but still)!  It has also been different for me to keep up with things like bills and the like.  Not saying it has been hard, but it’s just been a new adjustment for me.  Thankful though to have my parents and close friends to offer advice and help when those adjustments don’t make a lot of sense.

NEW CHALLENGES

Apart from living on my own, I have had some challenges this year – homesickness and heartache, among others.  I have and continue to miss my family so incredibly much.  We were a complete family unit for a good 25-26 years of my life and within the past year we’ve all moved to separate areas of the South.  Thankfully we had the blessing of getting to spend some time together this year – Chattanooga in March, Orlando in early August, and most recently Christmas at home – but those times aren’t ever enough.  I know that Nashville is where God has called me and I know the areas where my sisters and parents live is where God has placed them for such a time as this, but it doesn’t lessen the fact that I miss them every single day.  I’m so thankful for texting and Facetime, however, which afford me the opportunity to speak to everyone at the push of a button – thank goodness for technology!!!  

From our 2015 Young Family Summer Vacation

There have been other challenges and heartache as well, and those times have been quite emotional for me.  While this isn’t the time or place to go into any of it, I will say that the heartache I have felt has been unlike anything I’ve ever gone through before and I’ve had a hard time going through it without my family being physically here with me in Nashville; I'm thankful, though, for close friends here in Nashville who have helped walk me through these tough times.  Ultimately, however, through all these challenges, I’ve felt the loving arms of the Father reach down and wrap me in his everlasting arms letting me know that He’s got my back and He is all I need (Deut. 33:27a).  And for that I’m thankful.

NEW REQUESTS

I appreciate your prayers for me in the upcoming year as I continue to adjust to living here in Nashville.  Pray for me as I begin a new year of publications and opportunities at work; pray that Christ would be glorified in it all.  Pray for me as I lead my 5^th graders and as I continue to be involved in church and other ministry opportunities.  Pray for me to make wise decisions as I live life on my own and that God would keep me safe.  Finally pray for me as I continue to struggle with homesickness and other emotions; pray I will continually be reminded that God is always there for me.

NEW CHAPTER

Beginning this new chapter in my life has been a whirlwind!  There have been good times and not-so-good times.  There have been gigantic smiles, moments where I go “Is this really my life?!”, heartache, and there have been tears.  I think all of that happens when you first fly out of the nest and figure out life on your own.  I wish I could sit here and say this year has been a cinch, but it hasn’t.  Leaving home and all that you've known, moving to a new place, and beginning a new life isn’t for the faint of heart.  I will say it helps to have a support system; and for the most part, through family and close coworkers and friends, I have had that.  This new chapter would’ve been a whole lot bumpier without them!  

I don’t regret this new chapter, however, because I am living my dream and also because I have grown in my walk with Christ by leaps and bounds.  He is the author of my story and has never made that more evident to me than this past year.  The opportunities and experiences He has given me have left me awestruck (Psalm 37:4); the challenges and heartache I’ve felt have let me know He is omnipresent and that I need to give all of my cares to Him (Psalm 55:22, 1 Peter 5:7).  As this new chapter continues to be written, I’m anxious and excited to see what new things God has in store for me as 2016 begins.

THE WORD OF THE YEAR

Since I started these “year in retrospect” posts, I have encapsulated each year with a word.  Previously they have been words like peace, trust, blessed, and so on.  This year my word is “NEW.”  If you look at each heading above, you’ll see that this word is used for each category of this year’s retrospect post.  I think the word “new” most definitely speaks to this past year as pretty much everything in my life was new.  

Isaiah 43:19 talks about how God is doing new things in our life and to look towards those new things.  I have most definitely lived out this verse this year!  However, I think a better verse that encapsulates the word “new” as it relates to me this year is Lamentations 3:22-23.  I keep this verse on my desk in a place where I can see it daily and it says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”  I’m so thankful that God’s mercies are new every morning because that means if we are homesick, struggling, or just having a no-good-bad day, that the very next morning He will have a new promise or blessing or kind act waiting for us.  It may be huge, it may be small, but His love will never end and He will be with us in all the experiences and situations in life – whether they be new or old, recurring or once-in-a-lifetime, long or short, easy or hard.

I pray that as I say goodbye to 2015, a year of new and unforgettable memories, I will always remember how God carried me through each moment and reminded me daily of His love and provision for me.  I pray that I will never doubt His plans and that I will continually trust Him at all times.  This year, God’s mercies didn’t come to an end – just as He promised, each day afforded a new one – and I look forward to 2016 as His mercies begin anew.

Heartbroken

Today a precious little girl stopped me in the sanctuary and said, “Miss Allison, I have something for you.”  I smiled and she reached out her hand to give me a little offering envelope with writing on the back that said, “Love I You” written in her sweet kindergarten handwriting.   I know I say this often, but I am SO blessed to have the opportunity to work with children.  I pray that I never take my time with them for granted.  I pray that I always make sure they know that that I care about them.  I pray that they always know that Jesus loves them and is with them every step of their lives.

I can’t begin to understand the senseless act that took place in Newtown, Connecticut yesterday.  Knowing that children saw horrific scenes, heard terrible sounds, and endured such tragedy tears my heart to pieces. 

As I poured over the names of the victims of the shooting, seeing the ages of 6 and 7 made me so sad.  Little ones with big dreams…ready to begin their educational careers.  Emerging readers, intrigued minds, children who were probably really excited to go to school just so they could learn something new.  Precious lives taken too quickly...now safe in the arms of Jesus.

Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”  I don’t understand why this happened, but I know that God is here in our midst.  He is the refuge and strength for the families who have lost loved ones.  He is the refuge and strength for the children who witnessed this gruesome scene.  He is the refuge and strength for community of Newtown.  And He is also the refuge and strength for America and the world as we struggle to come to grips with such evil.

All I have left to say is that I can’t wait for Jesus to come back.  We won’t ever have to worry about evil, sadness, or pain again.  Revelation 21:4: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

Even so, come Lord Jesus.