Exodus is pretty awesome

I'm reading through the Bible. I'm trying to be very intentional in how I read through the Bible, instead of flying through a chapter a night. Sometimes I make it through about four verses, sometimes I make it through a chapter. It all depends on how well I'm paying attention to what I'm reading. And let's be honest, sometimes I'm paying very little attention to what I'm reading. I hope I'm not the only one!

I started Exodus a few weeks ago, and I'm in chapter four right now. You do the math. Anyway, the past two nights in Exodus have been pretty awesome! As most of you know, Matt and I are doing a fund raiser that will reach the final leg of its journey this Sunday, October 31. If you don't know about the fund raiser, visit our website: www.teamipswichaustralia.org (I can't help but put in a plug). Anyway, so as with the rest of life for the past almost three years, it's been fund raising, fund raising, fund raising. It's very hard to find that line between "God will provide" and "you're not doing enough". I pray that I'm doing enough trusting that God will provide! Anyway, with fund raising on the brain and heart I read these words from Exodus three a few nights ago:

¹⁸ "The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.' ¹⁹ But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. ²⁰ So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.

²¹ "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. ²² Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."

The last thing I want is for God to put some spell on the people we're asking for money so that they empty their pockets and give us all their mother's silver...but wow! God was going to make the Egyptians "favorably disposed", and I am praying that he makes the people we have invited to financially partner with us favorably disposed toward us and our cause. After all, we really do believe that it is God's cause and not our own. I felt like God had that story just waiting for me this week.

Last night before I dove back into Exodus I was thinking about real, everyday life in Ipswich. It's well and good to have big dreams about what can be, but how often do we really sit down and think about the nitty gritty of what we'll be doing? I think that's a good question for any big decision being made in life! Before reading I thought, "What if we go years without anyone being the least bit interested in what we have to say about God? What if no one believes our story and takes it as their own?" Then I turned to Exodus four:

¹ Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"

² Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?"
"A staff," he replied.

³ The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground."

Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. ⁴ Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. ⁵ "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you."

⁶ Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow.

⁷ "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.

⁸ Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. ⁹ But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."

Really?!? I'm doubting, scared, and ask God, "What if no one will listen?" and He says, "I'll give the Israelites plenty of signs". I can't help but believe that God was saying the same thing to me last night, "I'll give the people of Ipswich plenty of signs".

There are plenty of things to make us nervous (I mean people in general, not just Matt and me), pressure from family, friends, and supervisors at work, health issues, money problems, the list goes on and on. Sometimes I think we all have to ask, "how am I going to do this?" We really easily forget that God is capable of doing a lot more than we give him room to.

I can't wait to see what chapter five has in store for me!

Over the sea and back again

Matt and I returned from our two week long trip to Australia last week. I say two week long trip, but we were really only in Australia seven days. You heard me right...seven short days. It was a crazy, busy, exciting, exhausting, convicting trip! We met some fantastic people, got some good ideas, learned a lot, and experienced quite a few adventures! Those stories can be shared another time, or you can ask me about some adventures.

We got into Dallas Thursday afternoon, where Matt's dad was. Keep in mind that Matt's dad actually lives in Australia; we stayed in his house while we were there. However, David was in Dallas seeing his new grand baby. It was strange not seeing David in Australia, and instead seeing him in Texas! Matt and I got back to Abilene 12:30am Saturday morning, and have been running ever since. David came to Abilene to see us yesterday and today, and we had a great time showing him around good ol' West Texas. This place is different than any other!

Matt and I would love to slow down, but this weekend will not be any better. For no other reason than the fact that we won't have anymore weekends until well into November, we will be painting the exterior of our house Saturday. That will be quite a chore, but it needs to be done and will really help the house look better. We will also be finalizing some of the details of FSFA. What is FSFA, you ask? Well, I'm glad you did!

FSFA is Fifth Sunday for Australia; it is the fund raiser Matt and I will be hosting on October 31. What we have found in our almost three years of fund raising (yep, three years) is that people are unable to give to long term mission work in Australia...for whatever reason. However, plenty of people are able to give a small, one time donation to our work. We're inviting churches and individuals around the country to participate with us on October 31, and give a one time donation to the work we'll be doing in Australia. We're talking change collected over the course of a month, eating out money saved from the weekend, whatever people have. It's that simple! Give on your own, or get together with your family, friends, and church to combine your gifts to send to us. Checks will be made out to our sponsoring congregation to ensure that gifts are tax deductible.

Join with others around the country as we are a testimony to the world that many members form one body in Jesus Christ. Please visit our website for all the details regarding how to give on FSFA. There you will find specifics on how to make out your check and where to send it. You can also email us to find out more about FSFA, or more about our team in general. We would love to hear from you. Visit our website, www.teamipswichaustralia.com, or email us at info@teamipswichaustralia.com

Words in Action

Wow, what a crazy couple of weeks! We can see evidence that our move is nearer and nearer. Conversations, gifts from neighbors, endurance, growth, and frustration revolving around our move have all been strong and constant. We are grateful for this journey with all its ups and downs.

Matt and I were working out last night, and something funny happened. The trainer on the video said, "I know you're doing good right now". Matt said, "Shawn T., how do you know I'm doing good right now? I could be sitting on the couch!" Yes, we address the trainer as though we are old friends. Anyway, I chuckled as Matt said that because I thought, how ridiculous would that be? Seriously, to sit on a couch, watch a workout video, and think it is going to get you into shape is just stupid. However, in our culture I'd almost believe that someone might do that! We buy things or read things, thinking that just watching them happen will change our lives. It's ignorance in the grandest form.

After reflecting on that for a few minutes I thought about James. Not my one friend named James, but the James who wrote part of the Bible. In the first chapter of the book of James he said, "don't just listen to the word and so deceive yourself, but do what it says". Why did he write that? Because that's the lifestyle Christians were living. They were reading about abundant life but not practicing or enjoying it. Well you know what, not much has changed. I read words of life from God's word and don't live them out. It's like I'm sitting on the couch watching a video on how God can transform my life and wants me to share that transformation story with others, and then just turning off the DVD player and not doing anything about it. I have to get up and exercise this faith!

I've been learning and thinking a lot about how living as Christ in this world does not have to be so hard. Sure, being a Christian means I have to make tough decisions about the person I'm going to be to those I'm building a relationship with, but the actual first step of loving people in the name of Jesus does not have to be so hard. After all, the God I follow IS LOVE. He's not like love, He is love! The problem is that I'm an analytical introvert. I've got two things going against me; I over think things way too much, and half the time I'd rather be alone than surrounded by people! I'm working through those, and am trying to just relax when it comes to pursuing relationships with people.

So what are you sitting on the couch about, instead of getting up and exercising abundant life?