A Full Life…

Are you struggling with contentment? Wanting more out of life than what you see day-to-day? If I only had __________, my life would be complete. How would you fill in that blank?

What does it mean to have a “full” life? A typical American might say a full life includes a fulfilling career, a spouse, and a couple of children, possibly good health and just a little more money than necessary, to be able to travel or at least take extended vacations, perhaps having an interesting hobby like art or sailing (and maybe a few infomercial gadgets). Other cultures might place more emphasis on one or another of those qualities. Many people in the world have good intentions and place their “fullness” of life solely in their family; as long as they have that, their life is “full”.

I would like to propose that not only are none of the above things necessary for a full life, but that having them can actually take away from the fullness of life. Hear me out…

A year ago I was expecting twin girls. On this date last year, I was almost 12 weeks along. We were about to make the official announcement. I was noticeably excited. And I truly thought that having children was going to make my life FULL. And if I had asked anyone around me, they probably would have said, “Yes, your life will be very full now – with twins!”

But God had other plans. His story for my life was going to be different than I thought. Life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect.

So, my question for you to ponder is: Is my life less full now that I don’t have the girls?

I’m here to praise God that it isn’t so. My life today is fuller than my life was a year ago. Why?

Is it because I filled my time with Seminary classes, volunteering at my church, remodeling my house, and directing a children’s camp? Is it because I spend more time with my husband and my friends? Is it because I started running and training for a half-marathon?

No. My life is fuller because before doing any of that stuff, I came to realize what makes life FULL.

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” 

~Jesus, in John 10:10

Jesus didn’t come to the earth, die on a cross, and rise again 3 days later just to save you…He came so that you can have a FULL LIFE. A life full of HIM. He is what fills life to the brim, so that everything else pales in comparison.

What happens when a cup is full of water and you try to add more water? It spills over. THAT is the abundance of life God wants for you. HE wants to fill you up so that everything else in your life is an abundance, a spilling over!

Do you have this abundant life that Jesus talks about in John 10:10? Don’t you WANT IT? What more could we ask than for Jesus to come into our lives and FILL IT UP?!

Water282...

Today I want to tell you all about a new ministry that is very quickly becoming close to my heart. A friend of mine from college recently had some life changes (don't we all know about those?) and God is leading him in a new direction that is very exciting.

Presenting...

In a remote area of the bush in Zambia, far off the beaten path lies a village. In this village there are babies dying each year from dehydration and disease. There are children running around, supervised only by their older brother or sister because their mothers are tied up several hours each day gathering water. The ladies all have severe back problems from carrying 40+ pound containers on their heads for hours every day. The children are not in school. The men are nowhere to be seen because they are walking and hitchhiking into the nearest town to try to trade their meager crops for shoes or clothes, but most of the time because they have no irrigation they have nothing to trade. In this village, disease and sickness are the norm instead of the exception.

On the other side of the world, in a little town in the United States, there lies a church. In this church there are people who want to make a difference in the world. They know that there are huge problems in the world, but they don’t feel like their little church could possibly make a dent in the problem. This church is full of people with great hearts that have the willingness and the resources to do something, but don’t know where to start.

The Zambian village and the American church are going to change each other’s lives. They just don’t know it yet. The church is about to dig a well in the village, to provide the 300-400 villagers with fresh, safe water for the next 25 years. The story of the African village is going to touch the hearts of the church so much that they are overflowing with generosity towards the village. All the church members are going to grow closer together as they tackle this common goal and rally together to attack such a huge need in the village. They will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they had done something awesome to change the world and impact hundreds of lives in a huge way.

That connection is the reason for the existence of Water282. We believe that we can do something big to change the world in a sustainable way, and use the model of connecting one church with one village in need of water to accomplish this. We will visit a specific African village and tell the story of that village through video and pictures so that the church knows the people they are helping and the depth of their plight. Church+Village+Water. That’s how we are going to do our part to end a very solvable problem.

"We believe that...the church will really connect with the villagers' stories and will be changed as much by being the hands and feet of Jesus to those people as the villagers lives will be changed by having water. I think that dual impact is what makes our ministry different. That we don't just ask for someone to shell out some money to a good cause, but we let the villagers tell their own story and then let God work in the hearts of the church as they see how their lives can make a tangible impact to people that they know in a way."  ~Jacob Eubanks

Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

~2 Corinthians 8:2

I'm asking my readers to Get Involved. What does that mean? Well, first of all: PRAY. Yep, right now...

Yes, really, right now: Pray for the villagers who will be receiving the wells and the Gospel one day soon. Pray that God would move people’s hearts to fund the ministry. Pray for the churches that will be partnering with us to dig the wells.

Also, you can: GIVE. Fundraising is very important at this early stage of the ministry. Contact the ministry at water@water282.org to find out how you can give.

And finally, CONNECT. You can help by connecting the ministry with pastors or local churches who we can speak with about partnering with us and adopting a village to dig a well. I'll be speaking to my church; won't you speak to yours?

Thanks for reading about what God is doing through my friend and this incredible ministry.

Visit the website to watch VIDEOS, learn about VILLAGE LIFE in Zambia, and to GET INVOLVED.

We constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace or out God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

~2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

North Carolina vacation…

So, a couple of weeks ago, I went with my bestie to Hot Springs, NC to visit her family. We had such a great time! They live right across from the French Broad River, so we were IN the river almost every day!

This is the view from the house!

Here’s the path that we took to get in the river in our tubes.

And here’s the last set of rapids before the above path!

We didn’t go down those rapids via tube, but we did get to experience those and many other rapids when we went…wait for it…White Water Rafting! Yep. SO MUCH FUN.

It was definitely an adventure. We got to maneuver some class 3 and 4 rapids, which were a lot of fun! AND, on one particularly slow stretch of river, we were met with a RAINSTORM. Like, pelt-your-face-with-tiny-raindrops-and-paddle-for-your-life rainstorm. But it was FUN! We just yelled over the rain and thunder and continued down the river. It finally stopped raining and we were able to enjoy the rest of the rapids.

Here are the pictures that Huck Finn Adventures took for us (I’m on the front left, as you look at the boat):

(I know there are a lot of pictures…but I thought it would be fun to see the sequence of us going through this rapid!)

 

On our last day in North Carolina, bestie and I went to this sweet little Presbyterian church in Hot Springs. There were maybe 15 other people there and everyone was SO nice. We also learned a little history about the church and the town from one of the church members.

That afternoon we took a walk up the Appalachian Trail…

and took some more pictures…

We had such a great time and I LOVE bestie’s family!

Have you ever been White Water Rafting?

Update...

Terribly sorry I haven't updated here in a WHILE. Life has just been REALLY busy, and I just haven't had time to blog. I hope to catch y'all up on the happenings around here very soon.

For now, here's a short recap:

Next week is Mega Camp at church and I'm in charge, so I've been up at the church getting set up...

Last week I went to North Carolina with my bestie to visit her family (LOVE Y'ALL!). We went white-water rafting and tubing (several times) and generally had a wonderful time! (I promise to do a whole post with pictures soon).

Running is going WELL. We are up to 6 miles on our long day, and that was pretty tough to run in NC, where there are HILLS. But it was okay. Today's run actually felt really good. I've mostly been running indoors on the track, though...gotta get back to the pavement!

I finished my Ministry of Teaching class and am deep into New Testament II and Systematic Theology II. The coursework load is a little heavier this time, so that's the main reason for the lack of blogging! I'll post some of my assignments here for your reading pleasure. :)

I hope everyone has had a great couple of weeks! I promise to be back on here SOON.

I leave you with a verse that I found recently that has spoken to me...
"Therefore, I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air."
~1 Corinthians 9:26