The feet - and hands - of Jesus

"So after He had washed their feet, and had taken His garments, and was set down again, He said unto them, 'Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.'" So said Jesus in John 13:12-15.

Yesterday we celebrated communion at church. As always, we had the footwashing service before taking part in the bread and juice. I followed some of the other ladies into the room where we would wash each others feet. Being a visitor, I didn't know the church members very well. When I walked into the room, there were two or three of the regular members already in the room. Immediately, I noticed her. I saw her every time I visited this church. She has one hand that's dramatically twisted at the wrist and her fingers dangle uselessly from that hand, though her other hand is normal. I heard the voice of my Best Friend whisper in my ear, "Go, serve her." Sitting in the empty chair next to her, I asked if she had someone to serve her. The reply was a quiet no. "May I?" I asked, wondering if she would feel comfortable to serve and be served by an almost complete stranger. As she whispered "Yes!" I saw her eyes sparkle. Taking the bowl of warm water and the towel, I knelt at her feet and began to wash them, feeling as though I had the privilege of washing the feet of Jesus Himself. In fact, I did wash the feet of Jesus in the person of my sister. What a privilege!

Then she brought another bowl of water and another towel, and bent to wash my feet. As she gently took my feet in her deformed hands to dry them, I almost cried. Jesus was washing my feet. Oh, for the day when her hands will be straight and strong! But what a privilege was mine that Sabbath. I washed the feet of the Savior when I washed my sister's feet, but Jesus washed my feet in return when my sister washed my feet.

"Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Lord, let me always serve You in the person of Your hurting children.

“Love me!” is her silent plea;

She says it when she bats her eyes;

She says it when she misbehaves;

She says it even when she lies.

She says it in a thousand ways –

A rolling of the eyes, perhaps;

Or, disregarding what you say,

In church she doesn’t listen, but naps.

All these and more are simply this:

Her silent call, her deepest need,

A longing to see Christ in you –

“Please, show God’s love to even me.”

Deaning is a unique opportunity for ministry. I'm thrilled as I watch "my" girls catch the vision of God's plan for their lives. And when one makes the choice to give herself to her Creator, to surrender her will to His, my cup of joy overflows! On the flip side, when one of "my" girls gives in to the tempter's whispers, my heart breaks. The past several weeks have seen both an overflowing cup and a broken heart. 

But I know that I do not bear these dear girls on my heart alone. My High Priest carries them -- and me -- on His heart and in His hands. I can see Him there now, standing before the Father's throne, asking for reinforcements of angels to be sent to aid one of my girls as she struggles against the foe, or rejoicing to tell our Father of another soul won. Friend, can you see Him, too? He's pleading on your behalf, as well, for He carries you on His heart, too. "What wondrous love is this, O my soul?"

WANTED: WATERPOTS

Jesus was a guest at the wedding. “No more grape juice,” came the report. In the corner stood six stone waterpots, and servants waiting for His command. Stone waterpots. Each pot could hold 20-30 gallons of water. These were no low-quality waterpots, either. They were made of stone; they were solid; they were made to serve. 

“Fill the waterpots with water,” Jesus commanded. The servants yielded immediate, unquestioning obedience. And not content to just fill the pots, they filled them to the brim, the Bible says. So full the pots could hold no more. And the need for refreshment was supplied.

Stone waterpots. Powerless to fill themselves with water, powerless to empty themselves to receive the water.

“…no man can empty himself of self. We can only consent for Christ to accomplish the work. Then the language of the soul will be, Lord, take my heart; for I cannot give it. It is Thy property. Keep it pure, for I cannot keep it for Thee. Save me in spite of myself, my weak, unchristlike self. Mold me, fashion me, raise me into a pure and holy atmosphere, where the rich current of Thy love can flow through my soul. It is not only at the beginning of the Christian life that this renunciation of self is to be made. At every advance step heavenward it is to be renewed.” Christ's Object Lessons 159.3, 4.

“God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27)

Powerless to empty myself of self, powerless to fill myself with the Water of Life.

God wants waterpots.

God sees the little sparrow...

I remember Mom singing to me when I was little the following song:

 

God sees the little sparrow fall,
It meets His tender view;
If God so loves the little birds,
I know He loves me, too.

He loves me, too, He loves me, too,
I know He loves me, too;
Because He loves the little things,
I know He loves me, too.

He paints the lily of the field,
Perfumes each lily bell;
If He so loves the little flow’rs,
I know He loves me well.

God made the little birds and flow’rs,
And all things large and small;
He’ll not forget his little ones,
I know He loves them all.

Today, Pastor Soler and some of his academy boys knocked at the girls' dorm. "Miss Rebekah," Pastor Soler began as I opened the door, "would you like a baby bunny?" There in his hands was the sweetest little brown bunny! He and the boys had found it while they were working and they brought it to the girls for care. The poor thing was so weak it hardly seemed to care what was happening to it. The dean and I tried to figure out what to do for it, knowing we couldn't keep it in the dorm. There was no way we could give it the time, care, and attention it would need, besides the rule of no animals in the dorm (except fish). After finally getting half a drop of soymilk down its throat (the best thing I had available for it), Abby (the dean) and I took it over to the office to see if we could find someone to adopt the poor thing. I'm so glad that our God cares for the little creatures! My friend Beth was in the office, and as soon as she saw the bunny lying on its side, looking like it was about to die right there and then, she almost cried. "I want him!" she exclaimed, gently taking the box from my hands. "I know my mom will help, too." 

About an hour later, Beth texted me to say the bunny had taken more milk and was doing much better. Yes, God doesn't forget His little ones, and "because He loves the little things, I know He loves me, too!"

Down Memory Lane...

 

This took place December 2012-January 2011, right at the end of my time in India. I shared this story with one of my friends, and she encouraged me to post it. So Beth, here it is. :) 

She was a young girl, maybe 17 or 18 years old. Quiet, hard working, sweet-spirited, everyone loved her. She had committed her life to Jesus in baptism just that summer. I’ll call her Mary.

 

Mary went home to her village in Assam, India, for Christmas break that year. A few days after she left, we got the news that she was demon-possessed. One of the staff was already close to her village with some other girls from the orphanage, so the staff member and the girls went to Mary’s village and brought her back to the orphanage. When the group arrived, I was shocked to see sweet Mary in such a condition. She acted as though drugged, until someone started praying, singing, or speaking of Jesus. Then she went into an “attack,” as we came to call it. The devil was trying to get her to kill herself. In her few semi-lucid moments, Mary told us that the devil was telling her that she was too much of a sinner, that Jesus couldn’t forgive her for something. Then she would start thrashing around, trying to beat her head against the concrete, or some other dangerous action. At times it took seven people to restrain her from hurting herself.

And so the battle began. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” For three weeks we fought for Mary’s life, both physical and spiritual. We fasted and prayed. We sang and prayed. We read the Bible and prayed.

At one point early on, I was trying to hold one of Mary’s arms during an attack. I weighed just over 100 pounds soaking wet, but that ought to be heavy enough to keep one arm from flailing so she doesn’t claw herself, right? Wrong. Not if that arm is flailing under the power of the devil. As we were singing, I was about to lose my grip on her. “Lord,” I prayed, “I can’t hold her any longer! Help me!” Immediately, I felt another pair of hands on mine, and Mary’s arm, though still flailing, was under control. Looking down, the only visible hands on her arm were my own. The memory still sends shivers down my spine.

The devil hated to hear us sing, pray, or read Scripture. As we pulled out the hymnals, Mary would try to grab them out of our hands. As we sang, the demon would shriek and scream at us to stop. I already loved the old hymns and their deep meanings, but they became absolutely precious to me through this experience. Would you like to know some of the hymns the devil hates to hear? Here is a short list, though we sang many, many more:

Power in the Blood

Just as I Am

Amazing Grace

Whiter than Snow

Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It

There Is a Fountain

Take My Life and Let It Be

Nothing Between My Soul and the Savior

My Jesus, I Love Thee

Near the Cross

A Mighty Fortress

I Surrender All

Jesus Loves Me

Draw Me Nearer

Amazing Love

Let me share some of the words to that last one, “Amazing Love.”

Long my imprisoned spirit lay

Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;

Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray,

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

My chains fell off, my heart was free;

I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread;

Jesus, and all in Him, is mine!

Alive in Him, my living Head,

And clothed with righteousness divine,

Bold I approach th’ eternal throne,

And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Can you see why the devil hates the hymns?

After three weeks of this struggle, we were finally able to arrange an anointing service for her. The Lord set her free from the demons in answer to our faith. Mary slept for most of two days. After she had somewhat recuperated from her ordeal, she began to tell us what the demons had told her. Ever since her baptism that summer, she had heard voices in her head telling her that Jesus couldn’t forgive something she’d done, that she should stop reading her Bible and praying. She didn’t tell anyone about the voices. When she went home for Christmas break, she gave in to the voices and stopped reading her Bible and praying every day. As soon as she stopped, the demons took control of her, trying to kill her. She said that when we sang, she wanted to sing along, but whenever she opened her mouth to sing, the demons would speak instead. They wouldn’t let her pray, either.

Several times a day, we told Mary, “Come, let’s read the Bible together,” or “Mary, let’s go pray.” The first few days of her freedom, she joined us in worshipping the Lord, but after a couple days she began to say, “You go ahead without me. I’ll pray in a little bit,” or “I’ll read my Bible later.” “No, Mary,” we’d tell her, “you need to do it now. Don’t put it off! Remember what Jesus said about the devil coming back to the heart after he’s been thrown out? You need to spend time with Jesus right now, don’t put it off!” “I’m fine,” she’d insist, “the devil won’t bother me. I’ll spend time with Jesus – later.”

And so she put off communion with her Savior and Protector. Sure enough, just as Jesus said would happen, the demons came back. This time the attacks were worse than before. The first time around, Mary would only hurt one of us if we got in her way while she was trying to hurt herself. This time, she became violent towards her caretakers as well. One evening, she hid a knife in her waistband and tried to stab one of the staff. Finally, Mary made her decision to put her trust completely in Christ and to give her heart fully to Him. After a long struggle, during which the devil tried his hardest to stop her, she was able to pray a short prayer, giving Jesus her heart. Then she said loudly and clearly, “Satan, you can’t have me, for I belong to Jesus now!” With that, the demons left, and they haven’t bothered her since. Praise the Lord!

I learned a lot from Mary’s struggle. I gained a deeper appreciation for the hymns and Scripture songs. Still to this day, every time I sing a hymn that we sang with Mary, I hear again the sound of the devil screaming in fury, the sound of the vanquished foe. I learned the importance of spending time with Jesus each day, and of not putting off that precious appointment for anything! I saw firsthand part of the intensity of the great controversy that is being waged for each soul. I saw the power the devil has and that no human being can win the victory against Satan without help. But, praise God, I also saw firsthand how powerful our Savior is! While it’s true that no human can win against the devil, it’s even truer that the devil can never win in a fight with the King of heaven!

“He (Jesus) is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Heb. 7:25. “Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the LORD, ‘Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.’” Isaiah 49:24, 25.

Another semester has begun!

By the way, I'm back at Ouachita Hills College, starting the first semester of my sophomore year as an education major. I love my classmates and teachers, and am excited about all my new classes! I am thoroughly enjoying meeting all the new students and hearing everyone's summer experiences.

This weekend we will be enjoying our beginning-of-the-semester retreat at Camp Yorktown Bay. The time of spiritual refreshing is the best way I can think of to start each semester.

On Sunday the academy students will arrive for registration. My girls will soon be here! :) Yes, I am the assistant dean for the academy girls again this year. I can hardly wait to see the returning girls and meet the new ones!

I am so excited to see what the Lord does this semester!

To be continued...

Birthday Thoughts...

So, as of this past Sunday, I'm another year older. Almost a quarter of a century old. :) I hope and pray that this year will bring opportunities to grow more like my Savior and to share Him with others.

Another year has come and gone.

What has its burden been?

With what have its days and weeks been filled?

What has each moment seen?

Have I improved each heaven-sent

And golden opportunity?

Have I made the most of each blessing lent

And lived my Christianity?

Have I wasted my precious moments of time;

And instead of living, was I content to mime?

Another year of life has passed.

Its record through eternity will last.

Another year is coming new.

What will its burden be?

With what will I fill each day and week?

What will each moment see?

Lord, help me each day to gain some ground,

To make the victories mount.

I want to reflect Christ's image sweet,

To make each moment count.

So, I finally have time (and internet access!) to update this blog with a few stories from my canvassing experience this summer. Enjoy!

As I was approaching a cycle shop, I saw two gentlemen get into a pickup truck and get ready to leave. The little voice whispered to me, “Go talk to those men and start with a Great Controversy!” As I walked up to the truck, I was trying to think what to say to stop them before they drove away. Suddenly, the passenger saw me and called out, “Hey there, young lady. Whatcha got?” As soon as I started showing them the Great Controversy, Scott (the passenger) told me how he believed that Jesus is coming soon and that God is preparing a group of people to meet Him. He continued telling me that he wants to be ready to meet Jesus and be part of that group of people that God will use to prepare others to meet Him, too. He was so excited over the Great Controversy. When I mentioned free Bible studies, Scott's response was, “Oh yes! I love studyin' the Bible every chance I get! I join every Bible study I can! Sign me up!” I love meeting those souls who are hungering and thirsting for truth!

One couple was very interested in the books I had. The lady finally chose Ministry of Healing and a DVD on Daniel 9 and the prophecies about Jesus' first coming. When she went to get some money, I heard her tell her husband, “Maybe she's an angel, honey! I think she might be.” After bringing me a $20 donation, she said, “My husband said he'd be right back. He wants to give you a donation, too.” Just then, her husband came back – with a $100 bill! I'm definitely not an angel, but I love working with them!

A couple kids were playing outside and wanted to know what I was doing. One girl, 9-year-old Piper, loved the cookbook, but her mom wouldn't buy it. However, Piper really wanted to come with me, so her mom gave her permission to go with me up to a certain house. She loved knocking on the doors, showing the people the cookbook, and leaving the Bible study cards in the doors. Before she left, I let her choose which of the kids' books she wanted. She chose Prince of Peace, the story of Jesus.

The Happiness for Life (Steps to Christ) booklets have a picture on the front of a hummingbird drinking from a hibiscus flower. One lady I canvassed had rejected me on all the other books, so I started to show her the "Happy D," as we call it. Before I could say anything about it, her face registered shock and excitement. “I have almost that same picture tattooed on my shoulder blade! I've got to have that one! I'll be right back!” She came back with $5 in quarters, asking “Is this enough? I've got to have that book! It must be a sign from God for me!” The Lord sure uses some strange ways sometimes!

“The value of a soul, who can estimate? Would you know its worth, go to Gethsemane, and there watch with Christ through those hours of anguish, when He sweat as it were great drops of blood. Look upon the Saviour uplifted on the cross. Hear that despairing cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Look upon the wounded head, the pierced side, the marred feet. Remember that Christ risked all. For our redemption, heaven itself was imperiled. At the foot of the cross, remembering that for one sinner Christ would have laid down His life, you may estimate the value of a soul.” – COL 196.4

Not all the stories had happy endings, though. I approached a man who had just driven up to his house. Before I could say anything, he held up his hand and said, “Your books and I won't mix. I'm going into my house to have a smoke. See, I've got my weed in my hand already.” And he held up his hand, showing me the joint. “No, your books and I won't mix.”

The truest value of a soul
Lord, who can estimate?
Can price be writ in terms of gold,
Of wealth or treasure great?
Not one of these can rightly tell
The value of one soul.
No ink can write, no pen can trace
The cost to make us whole.

What can we use as a measure true
The value of a soul to find?
Let's go to lone Gethsemane;
Picture it in your mind.
See the Savior kneeling there
The blood upon His face;
See Him as He prays for strength
To free the human race.

Now let's go to Calvary
And hear the mocking cries.
See the spotless Lamb of God
As for our sins He dies.
Here is the only place I find
Our value revealed to the human mind.

The only way to measure true
The value of one soul
Is to understand the cost that was paid
Just to make us whole.
The value of one human soul
Is the life of the Son of God.

Time for another post! I am spending the first five weeks of my summer break in Dayton, Ohio. "Why?" you may ask. Because I believe that Jesus is coming soon and there is much to do before He comes. I believe that our books contain truth that needs to be brought before the people. I want to make every moment count in light of eternity. I want to see souls in the kingdom of heaven because of my work this summer. And so I am canvassing. I've only been here two weeks, but I've seen God work in amazing ways. I'm sad I won't be canvassing the whole summer, but I know that God will make the rest of my summer just as useful to His work as the first part has been/will be. Working with Jesus is the most exciting adventure in the world!

The Lost

The Lost haunt me.

Their faces fill my dreams.

I cannot sleep.

Empty faces, crying faces, frightened faces –

They make me weep.

The Lost haunt me.

The Lost haunt me.

Their voices fill my night.

My ears ring.

Terror, anger, a child's anguished cry –

How can I sing?

The Lost haunt me.

The Lost haunt me.

Their eyes burn into mine.

My heart aches.

Angry eyes, hurt eyes, wicked eyes, tearful, fearful eyes –

My heart breaks.

The Lost haunt me.

The Lost haunt me.

I cannot forget them.

I must tell them of Jesus.

The Savior of the world, our soon-coming King,

The One who will not leave us.

The Lost haunt me.

The Lost haunt me.

Lord, my question is this:

What can I do

To heal their wounds, comfort their hearts, dry their tears –

How to lead them to You?

The Lost haunt me, Lord.

I know they haunt You, too.

What does your soul delight in? As I was pondering that question this afternoon, the answers came in the form of a poem. (I said last time that I love writing poetry!)

My soul delights in lovely things --
In tiny little flowers,
In the colors of a hummingbird's wings,
In the forest's leafy towers.

My soul delights in quiet things --
In the whisper of the wind,
In the crispness that makes the crickets sing,
In the scuttling clouds o'erhead.

My soul delights in lively things --
In swallows darting round the barn,
In children playing tag around the tree,
In a kitten tussling with my yarn.

My soul delights in mighty things --
The thunder's deep-toned roll,
The eagle, beating the air with its wings,
The surf, pounding against the rocks.

My soul delights in heavenly things --
In Jesus' precious love,
To join the angels as they sing
Their praise to Him above.

Someday I'll meet my Savior dear --
Purest delight 'twill be!
His voice, so sweet, will sound in my ear,
"My daughter, I delight in thee!"

Oh, how much I want my Savior to delight in me! I want to put a smile on His face with everything I do and say!

I love springtime! Spring is the time when Nature stirs from her winter's nap, stretches, and smiles again. What lessons we can learn from the little things all around us! This semester, in my English class, we've spent some time writing poetry. I've always loved poetry, and always enjoyed writing it. So having to do it as an assignment was wonderful! My creative juices have gotten flowing again, like the sap in the trees during spring, and I've been writing many more poems than I needed to for class. :) Here's one of them:

Conversation with a Bumblebee

One day amongst the clover blooms

I spied a bumblebee!

It seemed to me quite obvious

That he was watching me!

If you please, I'd like to know,

Just what you have to say.

“I speak of my Maker's tender care

Through each and every day.

“I'd tell you of His mighty power

Who blows the clouds on high,

Who dresses the little pansy flower,

And teaches the wind to sigh.

“If I could, I'd teach you well

Of Him who stirs the deep,

Who makes the ocean tide to swell,

Who rocks the birds to sleep.

“But you who have His Word so dear,

Why can you not perceive

That He who makes the sunlight clear

Will His dear ones receive

“As sons and daughters in His house?”

Yes, He who cares for bee,

For whale, for sparrow, and for mouse,

Will surely care for me!

As we go through our spring days, let's not forget the One who gave them to us. "God would have His children appreciate His works and delight in the simple, quiet beauty with which He has adorned our earthly home. He is a lover of the beautiful, and above all that is outwardly attractive He loves beauty of character; He would have us cultivate purity and simplicity, the quiet graces of the flowers." Steps to Christ pg. 85.

So, after trying to resurrect my old blog, I finally gave up and just started a new one. It was probably better, anyway, to do it this way. My other blog, "The Adventures of Little Bo Peep," was focused on my adventures in the mission field as I served the Great Shepherd overseas. Now that I'm back in the States, going to college, and settling back into American life (if that's possible for a returned missionary), I feel like my life is rambling. I certainly haven't left the service of the Shepherd, I'm just at a different job site! And if there are any lessons I learn that someone can benefit from -- wonderful!

Today the sun is shining, the daffodils, spring beauties, and peach trees are blooming, the wind is whistling a merry tune, and students are bustling about the campus. I'm so thankful for such a loving Creator! He didn't have to make this world beautiful, but He did because He loves us so much.

"In the beginning, God was revealed in all the works of creation. It was Christ that spread the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth. It was His hand that hung the worlds in space, and fashioned the flowers of the field. 'His strength setteth fast the mountains.' 'The sea is His, and He made it.' Psalm 65:6; 95:5. It was He that filled the earth with beauty, and the air with song. And upon all things in earth, and air, and sky, He wrote the message of the Father's love. Now sin has marred God's perfect work, yet that handwriting remains. Even now all created things declare the glory of His excellence. There is nothing, save the selfish heart of man, that lives unto itself. No bird that cleaves the air, no animal that moves upon the ground, but ministers to some other life. There is no leaf of the forest, or lowly blade of grass, but has its ministry." -Desire of Ages pg. 20

"This is my Father's world,
And to my listening ears,
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres."
                -Maltbie D. Babcock