Fruits of the Holy Spirit:
LOVE*JOY*PEACE*PATIENCE*KINDNESS*GENEROSITY*FAITHFULNESS*GENTLENESS*SELF-CONTROL.
Good choices lead to good consequences.
How we spend our time indicates what we value and what we think is important.
In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die. Where you invest your love, you invest your life. (Lyrics from a great song by Mumford and Sons)
Always try to become better than you were before. When that happens, everything around us becomes better too.
Every person on earth plays a role in the history of the world.
"If anything matters then everything matters. Because you are important, than everything is important. Every time you forgive, the universe changes. Every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes. With every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will ever be the same again." -God (from the book The Shack)
Romans 8:28
“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
Our day’s work isn’t done until we build up someone!!
Humility, poverty and happiness are better than pride, ambition and pursuing wealth.
Those who know God will be humble; those who know themselves cannot be proud.
Forgiveness is key to Christianity.
Willingness to learn is a mark of those who are truly wise.
Our lives are not small and significant. We are not isolated or alone.
Do to no one what you would not want done to you. Simple as that.
Prayer is faith+love
Your eyes show the strength of your soul.
From Prayer of Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make me a instrument of your peace.”
Love without conditions or motivations. It chooses to serve without expectation or service of return. Love without counting the costs.
Philippians 1:9-11
“And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.”
Baptism is the first time we receive the Holy Spirit in our lives and all our previous sins are wiped clean.
As God becomes a regular part of our daily lives, our worries begin to disappear.
As we study God’s word and honor God with our lives, we experience his joy in our lives.
The Holy Spirit helps us to be the people we are called to be.
Trust God.
When you do wrong, blame yourself, not others.
Do all you can do to make the world better with your own life.
Hebrew 10:24
“We must consider how to rouse one another to love and do good works.”
Prayer of St. Patrick:
Christ be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ were I lie, Christ where I arise, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The secret to happiness according to Gianna Molla: live each moment to moment and thank God for everything He gives us day after day.
Whatever is done; is done in the glory of God.
Awareness of God’s presence beside and within us will shape how we approach each person and situation. God dwells in everyone!
Jesus is in the people we meet, when we pray together and in the Eucharist.
“To care for a sick person is to pray.” - Vincent De Paul
Turn away from things that take away from a Godly life.
Continue to exam your conscience about the priorities in life.
Our sins can be forgiven if we seek forgiveness.
1 Peter 1:6-9
“… without seeing him you are already filled with joy so glorious that it cannot be described…because you believe.”
The purpose of prayer is not getting what we want, but to become what God wants.
Our life is God’s gift.
With God’s love, love one another.
Phillipians 1:20
“To live in Christ and die is gain.”
Pray to God by opening your heart and acting on what we hear inside ourselves as God’s voice.
1 John:
3:17-18 “If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.”
4:8 “Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.”
4:12 “No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.”
4:16 “…God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. “
4:19 “We love because He first loved us.”
The heart of the Law is love; our love for God and God’s love for us. We express that love in the values we live out. Conflicts occur when the way we rank our values comes into conflict with the way others rank their values.
Stay focused no matter what obstacles try to keep us from doing the right thing.
Encourage and thank those people who sacrifice but also look for what you can do too.
Pray before you act.
James 2:24
“See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
Use the gifts God gave you. If you don’t know what they are, ask God to tell you what they are and how to use them.
Knowing God gives meaning to life; obeying God gives purpose to life.
When you see God’s goodness, thank him!
Do you talk to God in prayer? Study scripture and devote? Do you minister to others and spread the Good Word?
Time is short; ask God to help you spend time on things that count.
Thanks be to God.
~I pray that this post, along with the rest of the blog, exposes and expresses God’s love to all those who read it. Perhaps some of the things I wrote bring up questions within you, and I pray that you do not let them go unanswered!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
"Jesus loves me and He's my friend!"
After homework time, I have been reading the chapter book, The Tale of Despereaux to Bharat and Ratan. They ask me to sit up on their top bunks and read a few chapters each night. When I have to go, Ratan reads some more to himself :) I look forward to it every night and I, myself am really enjoying the story too!
I have recently acquired a lifelong pen pal. She is one of my 8th class students and her name is Sabiya. She invited Liz and me to her home on Tuesday for food. Indian people are so hospitable and I am SO excited to keep in touch with her and see where her life leads her!!!
Final exams are this week so I am finished teaching English. Now it’s just correcting so. many. tests. How many do you ask? 180 until next Wednesday when Liz and I leave for our travels (we also need to figure out final grades as well). When I get back at the end of March, I’m only here for about 3 more weeks! I leave on Easter, which in some ways seems really ironic to me. In devotions with the little boys, I’m going to be doing the children version of the Stations of the Cross twice a week. We already made a list of each persons name and how they can become close to God in the next 40 days :) I got to go to Ash Wednesday mass last week, which was a real treat. The catholic teacher at school was going so we went with her family. It was in Hindi, but it was nice to go to mass. I’ve only been able to go about 3 times since I’ve been in India. The power went out about half way through… but just a typical Indian day, I guess. The mass was a good reminder of what our lives are really about.
I always wonder what kind of impression I am leaving on the boys and students at school in regards to what they are learning and things like that. I had reassurance a few days ago. I guess at the campus wide devotions with all the boys, Thapa shared some versus in 1 John (I discovered how much I love that book in the Bible since I’ve been here) he had to find for his Moral Science final that I wrote for his class. Also at devotions, since Ratan has been listening to The Tale of Despereaux when I read it, shared about always being brave and having a good outlook on life, no matter the circumstances and that God is always with us, even when we are scared. Also, I teach moral science for Ashish’s class and during big devotions too he said out loud the verse he had to memorize for school. I think our “ Getting ready for Easter” poster from small devotions was shared at big devotions too :)
I’m beaming.
For our weekends on I wake up the boys on Saturday morning. It's so fun being there for when they wake up. I like hearing about the dreams they had the night before... yesterday I found myself dancing to Rahul singing, "Put your left foot in... put your left foot out..." Whatever gets them up and moving in the morning!!
Every morning and sometimes in the afternoon I can hear one of the 5th grade boys singing at the top of his lungs. Yesterday it was "Jesus loves me! Jesus is my friend!!" I smile so much here!
I have recently acquired a lifelong pen pal. She is one of my 8th class students and her name is Sabiya. She invited Liz and me to her home on Tuesday for food. Indian people are so hospitable and I am SO excited to keep in touch with her and see where her life leads her!!!
Final exams are this week so I am finished teaching English. Now it’s just correcting so. many. tests. How many do you ask? 180 until next Wednesday when Liz and I leave for our travels (we also need to figure out final grades as well). When I get back at the end of March, I’m only here for about 3 more weeks! I leave on Easter, which in some ways seems really ironic to me. In devotions with the little boys, I’m going to be doing the children version of the Stations of the Cross twice a week. We already made a list of each persons name and how they can become close to God in the next 40 days :) I got to go to Ash Wednesday mass last week, which was a real treat. The catholic teacher at school was going so we went with her family. It was in Hindi, but it was nice to go to mass. I’ve only been able to go about 3 times since I’ve been in India. The power went out about half way through… but just a typical Indian day, I guess. The mass was a good reminder of what our lives are really about.
I always wonder what kind of impression I am leaving on the boys and students at school in regards to what they are learning and things like that. I had reassurance a few days ago. I guess at the campus wide devotions with all the boys, Thapa shared some versus in 1 John (I discovered how much I love that book in the Bible since I’ve been here) he had to find for his Moral Science final that I wrote for his class. Also at devotions, since Ratan has been listening to The Tale of Despereaux when I read it, shared about always being brave and having a good outlook on life, no matter the circumstances and that God is always with us, even when we are scared. Also, I teach moral science for Ashish’s class and during big devotions too he said out loud the verse he had to memorize for school. I think our “ Getting ready for Easter” poster from small devotions was shared at big devotions too :)
I’m beaming.
For our weekends on I wake up the boys on Saturday morning. It's so fun being there for when they wake up. I like hearing about the dreams they had the night before... yesterday I found myself dancing to Rahul singing, "Put your left foot in... put your left foot out..." Whatever gets them up and moving in the morning!!
Every morning and sometimes in the afternoon I can hear one of the 5th grade boys singing at the top of his lungs. Yesterday it was "Jesus loves me! Jesus is my friend!!" I smile so much here!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
It's March!
Nibha told me Shishya means “disciple” in Sanskrit.
I learned from one of the boys' Adventure Bibles that the name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. Interesting little fact.
I didn’t know that almost all of the women and girls in India have pierced noses until I got here!
I feel like my dad when I’m running around our apartment turning off lights with no people in the rooms and turning off outlets with nothing plugged in. I have always been environmentally conscious but I just feel even more compelled here to conserve energy!
Lots of visitors at Shishya lately. An old volunteer was here for a week. Her name is Anna and she is from England. Lisa’s older brother is here this week as well. Her and him made PASTA for us last week! The people that introduced the Lord to Frieda and Yip when they first met are visiting Shishya as well. Anyone who would like to come visit me still can! :)
I learned last weekend that marijuana grows wild here. You can see it growing on the side of the road sometimes. Crazy.
Shishya had a going away party for class 8 with skits, music and games last Saturday. It was fun! The picture of class 8 is below.
I will be doing devotions two times a week now with the little boys. I’m excited to interact with them in a different way! For the last couple of weeks Ratan and I have been reading Revelations together after homework time.
The Shishya boys went and played basketball again at Hope Town Girls School. Last week I went with Yip to interview some girls who were elected leaders there who are graduating high school and leaving this spring. Yip and his team from the youth center implemented some leadership structures in schools and this was kind of like the girls exit interview. I took notes. It was interesting.
The campus at Hope Town is absolutely beautiful. Apparently these girl’s parents are very well off and some even work in parliament!
We celebrated another birthday last week; Pradeep is thirteen!
It’s cricket (the game) time and all of India is so pumped up about the games! I think the Indian team is doing quite well.
Speaking of bugs, since it's getting warmer out there are a lot more in our bathroom and bedrooms! That also means snakes will be about....
I can officially say, “I leave next month” now that it is March. Insane! Time is going so so so fast. We have final exams all this week then Liz and I leave for our two week trip on the 17th. Darjeeling tea anyone?
When we went for a little walk around Shishya last week. I walked by an tall, slender old man with a stick standing in the middle of a dusty road with a cloth wrapped around his head, wearing blue. He looked old and tired and he was just standing there. I regret so much not snapping his photo when we walked past. I should have stopped! I miss so many great pictures of India….but please enjoy these!
I learned from one of the boys' Adventure Bibles that the name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. Interesting little fact.
I didn’t know that almost all of the women and girls in India have pierced noses until I got here!
I feel like my dad when I’m running around our apartment turning off lights with no people in the rooms and turning off outlets with nothing plugged in. I have always been environmentally conscious but I just feel even more compelled here to conserve energy!
Lots of visitors at Shishya lately. An old volunteer was here for a week. Her name is Anna and she is from England. Lisa’s older brother is here this week as well. Her and him made PASTA for us last week! The people that introduced the Lord to Frieda and Yip when they first met are visiting Shishya as well. Anyone who would like to come visit me still can! :)
I learned last weekend that marijuana grows wild here. You can see it growing on the side of the road sometimes. Crazy.
Shishya had a going away party for class 8 with skits, music and games last Saturday. It was fun! The picture of class 8 is below.
I will be doing devotions two times a week now with the little boys. I’m excited to interact with them in a different way! For the last couple of weeks Ratan and I have been reading Revelations together after homework time.
The Shishya boys went and played basketball again at Hope Town Girls School. Last week I went with Yip to interview some girls who were elected leaders there who are graduating high school and leaving this spring. Yip and his team from the youth center implemented some leadership structures in schools and this was kind of like the girls exit interview. I took notes. It was interesting.
The campus at Hope Town is absolutely beautiful. Apparently these girl’s parents are very well off and some even work in parliament!
We celebrated another birthday last week; Pradeep is thirteen!
It’s cricket (the game) time and all of India is so pumped up about the games! I think the Indian team is doing quite well.
Speaking of bugs, since it's getting warmer out there are a lot more in our bathroom and bedrooms! That also means snakes will be about....
I can officially say, “I leave next month” now that it is March. Insane! Time is going so so so fast. We have final exams all this week then Liz and I leave for our two week trip on the 17th. Darjeeling tea anyone?
When we went for a little walk around Shishya last week. I walked by an tall, slender old man with a stick standing in the middle of a dusty road with a cloth wrapped around his head, wearing blue. He looked old and tired and he was just standing there. I regret so much not snapping his photo when we walked past. I should have stopped! I miss so many great pictures of India….but please enjoy these!
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