I've often spoken of the term 'process' on my blog. And in conversations. Many of them. My friend Jenn would say that if there is a word that I use more than any other in describing life, it would be process.
It's because sanctification is a process. It's sometimes a gruesome journey but with a worthy ending, thus making it a beautiful process. I was reading 1 Timothy this morning and got a sweet glimpse of Paul's relationship to Timothy. He covered so many topics in his letter to a young man whom which he was entrusting the torch of ministry. He calls Timothy his son in the faith and encourages him to live a godly example even in his youth. Timothy seems to very much be on the right track in godly living, and yet in Paul's greeting he quickly prays that the Lord give him grace, mercy, and peace. In chapter 4, Paul talks about training for godliness.""Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come." This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers." This resonates specifically with me right now as I have recently started some physical training for our upcoming wedding. As I write, I am so sore. The gym kicked my tail yesterday and I'm feeling the pain today. Even though it hurts and it's tough, it'll be worth it. The same truth applies to training for godliness. It isn't always easy, and often the sanctification process calls that I deny myself and be obedient to Christ. But there is grace. :) I flipped over to Hebrews 4 after I finished 1 Timothy to one of my favorite passages. It's the last section in Hebrew 4. "This High Priest of ours (Jesus) understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, and yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." God knows we need Him, we need his grace. He's the One that started this process in us, and He will be faithful to complete it. I love knowing that it's o.k. to come before Jesus when I've blown it, or feel like I'm about to blow it, or when I just feel tired, or when I'm joyful beyond belief and just want to enjoy that with Him. I love the way that Jesus has and continues to capture my heart. His love is overwhelming. He saved me and is in the process of training me in His ways. he's replacing my heart with His. All in His grace and mercy. Unbelievable...yet it is!
Joey asked me to marry him and I absolutely said yes!
It was the best proposal ever...on top of Pike's Peak in Colorado :)
Looking forward to being Mrs. Joey Wilson on May 1, 2010!
We tried to do a video blog to tell the story and had some techy troubles. hopefully we'll get the whole story posted in a couple of weeks!
Glocal. Global and Local.
This concept has been spinning around in my head all day long, specifically how we as the church engage at the local level and at the global level. I know this isn't a new concept - I mean, I heard and talked often about this topic as a "Moody". I was in a unique place - though I'm not sure I realized how privileged it was at the time - of being at a school that was constantly in the know about what was happening globally in missions. I also happened to have the opportunity to work with two local church plants over the course of 5ish years. I had a sweet bird's eye view of what glocal looked like in the church.
I most personally was involved at the local level, and would say that I had an awareness of what was going on globally. My time was definitely spent being divided between school, work, and the local church.
Now that I'm a Grad, the view is a bit different. My heart is still drawn to the local church and I feel strongly that in this season - and maybe for a lifetime - my ministry will be to the local American church. But I'm wondering, is God calling me to a global mindset at the same time and if so, what does that look like? How do you fully engage in one and also not neglect the other?
What are your thoughts on this, People who love Jesus... Do you find yourself being able to engage in both and indeed be glocal? And if so, what does that look like for you?
