Reflecting on ... wanting to be moldable and the things that will last :o)

I wanted to share a bit about some things the Lord has been speaking to me lately ... but first wanted to just give a quick update on my weekend. The weekend was nice. Lots of time spent in volleyball throughout the day on Saturday, with various people! :) (first in a tournament with a group from church, then later with friends from work!) Great times in the gorgeous weather. And ... the Lord enabled me to make a new acquaintance and invite him to church! Please pray that the Lord will work in his heart ... that he will indeed come out and get plugged into the group (particularly with the other guys there as they can invest in his life in ways that wouldn't maybe be as appropriate for me as a female) and, especially, hear and respond to the Gospel! :)

Saturday night I went to Bible study and we all ate afterwards and then a bunch of us played Catch Phrase and Balderdash. :) So fun.

The Lord has really been speaking to me through my Experiencing God study ... as I was working on it earlier today, a phrase that really stood out to me is, "You cannot stay where you are and go with God." I so much want to grow closer to Jesus and know Him more each day. This was such a great reminder that I can't afford to stay "as I am" ... I must be willing to make adjustments in my life as He shows me where I need to change. It's exciting and scary all at the same time ... exciting because as His Word says, the spirit is willing, yet the flesh is weak.

But I love Jesus so much and want to know Him more. I thank Him for working in my life and for His incredible unending patience with me ... that He doesn't give up on me, even when my self-will can be so stubborn at times. ;-D I thank Him that as I continue to seek His face and ask Him to break my will in areas of my life, big or small, He will! If we have Jesus in our hearts, He will continually work in us to make us more like Him. (Philippians 1:6) And I have seen evidence of Him doing this in my life through various trials and challenging times. Praise God, for this is my deepest desire, ultimately!

Another thing I have been thinking about some lately is something I heard from the message last week at community fellowship in south Dallas. One of the leaders from my church gave such a good message ... and the thing that jumped out to me was when he urged us to hold on tightly to the things of Jesus, and loosely to the things of this world. I want to practice this more and more in my life! Isn't it so wonderful that, as believers in Jesus, we have a much dearer treasure ... infinitely so ... than we could ever hope to have here on this earth? And a lasting one, too, instead of just temporal. This is incredible ... yet, too, I think something we can so often forget when we are, in a sense, surrounded by the "here and now."

A friend of mine called me last week, sharing of her heart to be investing in things that matter ... things that will last for eternity. It is so refreshing to hear her heart to be part of those things that will last ... and a good reminder to me, too, about what life it all about ... and that I want to stay focused on Jesus and His eternal kingdom. :) She wanted to hear more about the ministry where I work. So tomorrow a friend is coming out to tour the ministry, eat supper with a mutual friend (Michele) and me, and come out to our prayer meeting. :) I am so excited that she can come out - and she's excited, too! I know she will be blessed and encouraged as she hears some of the stories from the mission field of the incredible faith and perserance of the believers over in Asia. I am often so encouraged and challenged in my walk with the Lord as I hear about their lives! :)

Well ... I guess that's all for now. :) Thanks, everyone, for letting me share a bit of what the Lord has been teaching me. It helps me so much, somehow, to verbalize it ... and I pray it will encourage you in some way as well. How grateful I am to know Him ... and for your friendship and fellowship in the Lord, too. :)

[and if any you reading this blog don't know Jesus yet ... I would love to introduce you to Him ... you will never find a greater Friend. :)]