following an unknown path

friendships needed

In life, we need friends.  But, we need different kinds of friends.  From Paul's life, we can see some of the different kinds of friendships we need.  I think we need in life:

1. a Barnabas,
2. a Paul,
3. a Timothy,*
4. and other companions.

Paul and Barnabas were close friends.  Barnabas helped Paul get started in the ministry (Acts 11:19-26).  After that, their names are mentioned together as a pair twenty times in just a few chapters of Acts: Paul and Barnabas, Barnabas and Paul.  These two spent quite a bit of time together preaching the Good News; they were co-workers in ministry.  Paul and Barnabas also had the freedom to "disagree strongly" with each other (Acts 15:36-40).  We all need friends who we can accomplish like-mind goals with, people who will be there with us and have the same vision and heartbeat that we do, but who are not afraid to challange us and hold us accountable to truth.

In addition to needing friends to walk along side us, we need friends who can mentor us and friends who we can mentor.  In 1 Timothy 2:1, Paul calls Timothy his "true child in the faith."  It is obvious in his letters to Timothy that Paul is teaching and guiding Timothy, taking him under his proverbial wing.  I have always treasured the "Pauls" in my life, older women who have walked the path before me who can help me to follow it.  And, the same for me--to look back and help the others coming behind me.  I think it is important that we have mentors in our life and that we mentor others as well. 

I often tend to picture Paul "out there" on his own trailblazing and spreading the gospel alone.  But that is not an accurate picture.  Paul had other companions, male--Titus, Silas, Luke, Mark, Apollos, Epaphroditus, Aquila--and female--Pricillia, Phoebe, Lydia, Euodia, and Syntyche--just to name a few of his brothers and sisters in the Lord.  In Paul's letters to the various churches, he mentions some by name sending greetings or thanking for help sent.  Paul clearly had many friends who he lived in close communion with and considered beloved.

I too need others.  I need to be supported and helped.  I need comapionship and fellowship.  Friendships and friends in all shapes and sizes are needed! 

I may be walking an unknown path, but I do not walk it alone--praise the Lord! 

*This idea is not originally mine.  I once heard a speaker in college talk about finding in our lives a Paul, a Barnabas, and a Timothy.  His idea of types of friends to seek out has never left me.

carnival of beauty: comfort food

This week the Carnival of Beauty's topic was comfort food.  I have already run into a few of these posts online . . . they look fun, please go check out Heather's mom2momconnection to find her post with the Carnival listed.

I didn't participate this time because, well, I am not yet a cook or a baker.  I do prepare meals for myself and make brownies for my students . . . but nothing with a real recipe.  Dark chocolate is my comfort food. :) 

Just kidding, actually the idea of comfort food has changed for me since I now live in Taiwan.  The first year I went back to the USA, I wanted Tex-Mex all the time.  The second time I just wanted "beef" . . . give me beef.  And I don't know what it will be I long for the next time I go home.  I do love my grandmother's homemade roles and "coke jello" and my mother's "meat, tators and corn" dish and chicken dumplings.

Anyway, next week the Carnival of Beauty's Topic is Friendship and is being hosted by Michele at Chasing Contentment.  Please join us!!

the carnival of beauty: contentment

Bethany is hosting the Carnival of Beauty this Week.  Check out her post which leads to 15 other posts written by godly women on the Beauty of Contentment.

Below is the listing for the coming weeks.  If you haven't joined us yet, please do!  It is a very welcoming, humble group of women who would be happy to have you join!  To find out how to submit a post, go to Sallie's--she is the sponsor.

February 15 - Comfort Food (include a favorite recipe and story) - Heather at Mom 2 Mom Connection
February 22 - Friendship - Michele at Chasing Contentment
March 1 - The Bible - Marla at her blog that she is currently renaming
March 8 - Order - Blair at Scribblings by Blair
March 15 - My Life - Sallie at Two Talent Living
March 22 - God’s Sovereignty - Iris at eph2810
March 29 - Flowers - OPEN
April 5 - Technology - OPEN
April 12 - Aging Gracefully - Carol at She Lives

the irony of contentment

A few months ago I wrote about longing to be content in regards to being single. 

I used a passage from Philippians in which Paul says "I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty."

I would love to claim alongside Paul that I have found "the recipe."  How wonderful it would be to not have a sense of needing anything personally!  I think Paul might have mentioned it earlier in the chapter--just a few verses before the ones I quoted.  "I'm glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess."

It is ironic.  Being glad or delighting in God is one area in which I should never settle--never be content.  What I mean is . . . the more I know Him the longing to know Him even more grows ever more strong.  So, the more I delight in Him, the less content I am with how much I know Him, but the more content I am with where I am, what I have, and the circumstances I find myself in. 

Oh, how great it is to be able to delight in a God who satisfies and lets us be happier than we could imagine possible!

the beauty of serving

Today, it is my privilage to present eleven stellar posts on the beauty of serving for the Carnival of Beauty. 

Iris at Eph2810 had to evaluate her service to God last winter, after getting sick. Was her service to be in 'public' or her own four walls? Read her thoughts regarding service in this week's entry "Where do you Serve Him?"

Blair from Scribblings by Blair loves being a homemaker but finds that she doesn't quite enjoy the aspect of cooking.  In this post she sets out to discover a new outlook as well as a new method for the task at hand.  Check out her post: "Hey Cookie, that's mighty fine grub!"

Sarah's Daughter, Natalija, describes how God changed her outlook on housework and service to her family over the years in "Who am I serving?"

Carmen of Full Contact Christ Centric Living portrays the Beauty of Service in her post “It’s Right!” She visits the question, “Should young men and women risk their lives to fight a questionable war in foreign lands?”

Ellen from MzEllen & Co. finds that who you are serving is more important than how you are serving in "How Do You Serve?  WHO do you serve?"

In "Serving a Need" at "Of Christian Women", Carrie shares the importance of considering the need when serving.

God created us to glorify Him.  God wants us to serve others.   When does our service to others glorify Him? When does it not? At She Lives, Carol asks these questions and offers a challenge. Are you willing to take her up on it as She Serves.

In her post, "No More Lemony Looks For Me," Heather from Mom 2 Mom Connection wants to offer her positive attitude as a gift of service to Christ. By choosing to dwell on uplifting thoughts instead of negative, she hopes to bring more joy into her life and the lives of others around her.

A wife fulfills her God-given purpose with service to her husband, which blesses them both.  Find out how by reading Mrs. Happy Housewife's post The Beauty of Service.

The beauty of serving is found as we lose ourselves in Christ and service in His grace. It is seen on the faces of those who have been served that Christ be glorified. Come and see The Beauty of Serving in Christ on Patricia's Pollywog Creek Porch.

There are so many things Amanda, who is following an unknown path, says she could write about serving and its beauty.  However, for the Carnival chose to write about one of the most memorable moments in her life when she was served.  Read the story: washing feet.

In the next two weeks the Carnival of Beauty will be:
     January 31 - Gentleness - hosted by Iris (eph2810)
     February 7 - Contentment - hosted by Bethany (A Picturesque Life)
If you didn't join us this week, please come join us as we reflect on the beauty of Christ in our writing in the coming weeks.

washing feet

I was so mad at her!  She had been doing little things all month long that just left me feeling upset.  It is never easy to live with someone else, and my roommate was really starting to just bug me.  And in all honesty, I was making the situation worse because instead of confronting her and letting her know I was upset, I just kept building anger, pushing it down, and becoming more and more resentful towards her.  And, because I was hurt, I was being rude right back to her.

One day when my anger towards her was simmering, I entered our dorm room; she wasn't there but she had left a note for me on the white board: "I want to talk to you tonight when I get off work."  Great!  She is mad at me too! I tried to study while I waited for her.  But I couldn't.  Instead I rehearsed in my mind the words I was going to say to her to confront her with my list of grievances.

Finally she opened the door and came into our room.  My heart was pounding.  The anger inside that I had been surpressing wanted to spew forth.  Her first words were, "Can we go somewhere else to talk?"  Ok.  "Can you drive us since I don't have a car?"  Ok. 

We didn't talk in the car except for her telling me where to go.  She had me turn into a grocery store parking lot.  Away from the store and most of the cars, she had me park near a ledge.  She asked me to go sit on the ledge and wait for her.  As I obeyed her, sitting close to the lamp light, I wondered what on earth she had planned. 

She knelt on the ground in front of me and began to open her backpack.  She pulled out a towel, a bowl, and a bottle of water.  "Is it ok if I wash your feet?"  And there in the grocery store parking lot, at ten o'clock at night, she washed my feet.  Then she opened her Bible read some scripture, apologized for being grumpy and selfish recently, and said nice things about me. 

I was in tears. She was in tears.  I repented of my anger and of the behavior towards her, and we both forgave each other. 

I have always admired her for the way she handled our spat.  How wise she was to end our silent fight by being a servant! 

Jesus says we "should be quite different [than worldly leaders]. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all.  For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many"  (Mark 10:42-45). 

Picture is of the "Divine Servant" statue by Max Greiner, a Christan artist from Texas; one of these statues is on our alma mater's campus, a school where servant leadership is fundamental.

the beauty of hope

The Carnival of Beauty is up for this week!!  This week, the theme of hope, was hosted by MzEllen & Co.  Go take a look and visit some of the posts on hope. 

Next week the theme is "the beauty of serving," and I am the host.

For guidelines and how to submit a piece to the Carnival, please read this post at Two Talent Living.  And just as an extra reminder, please send links to both the indivdual post and to your whole site.  In addition, if your few lines of description could be written in third person that would be very helpful!

Thanks!  I look forward to reading all the submissions and hosting the Carnival this week!  Submissions can be sent to amanda47 [at] gmail.com.

Oh . . . and if you wanna know a random fact: 3:00 pm EST on Tuesday will be 6:00 AM on Wednesday where I live! :)

what are you hoping for?

I will never forget that day.  She asked lots of questions, but the one that I had no answer for was "what are you hoping for?" 

Blank. 

What seemed like 5 minutes passed, and she said "don't try to give a perfect answer.  Just say the first thing you think of--what are you hoping for?"

That advice didn't help.  My heart and mind were still blank on the matter.

Then she challenged me to make a list of things that I thought were impossible but that I hoped would happen.  I was to begin praying for the items on that list.  You see, as long as my hope was in Amanda I could not make that list--perfectionsim and the desire to not fail kept me from hoping because my hope was in me. 

When I finally allowed myself to place my hope in God, it became much eaiser to hope because not only is He the Hope-giver, but with Him all things are possible.  When I was able to hope I was able to experiece joy and peace as well.

I had never before seen the connection of having hope to peace and joy.  But, oh!  How very connected they are!!  Even Scripture puts them together, Paul says in Romans 15:13: "So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."

Here are a few of the things I was finally able to add to my "Impossible with Amanda but Possible with God: A Hope List":

• For my brother to be become a Christian
• To see some of my students become a church
• To see that church start more chruches among other students
• To see the entire island become a nation of believers in Christ
• To have my family come see me in Taiwan
• For a man God has choosen to "find" me and want to be my husband
• To be a wife
• To be a mother
• To visit Korea
• To visit Thailand
• To pay off my school loans quickly
• To live debt free
• To bring glory to God

I still keep a "Hope List" in the back of my journal because "for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly" (1 Corthians 13:13).

So, what are you hoping for?

carnival of beauty

Thirteen godly women have written about the beauty of winter for this week's Carnival of Beauty.  Carol is hosting this week's entries on her She Lives blog. 

For the next few weeks, different women will be hosting the Carnival of Beauty:
January 15 - Hope - Ellen (MzEllen & Co.)
January 22 - Serving - Me (following an unknown path)
January 29 - Gentleness - Iris (eph2810)
February 5 - Contentment - Bethany (A Picturesque Life)

Please come join us as we reflect on the beauty of Christ in our writing.

the beauty of winter

As I pondered "winter" my thoughts turned to bleakness, dead trees, deariness, death. Not very beautiful. Then I started thinking about times in my life that were like that. Times of depression. Depression is like being in the dead of winter--it is dark, lifeless, and miserable.

Another way in which depression and winter are similar is in how they find their beauty. The beauty of winter and the beauty of depression are in their ending. Of them yeilding to spring.

I spent much of 2004 and part of 2005 depressed. But, God in His mercy lifted me out of the deep, dark pit I had fallen into. The joy that filled my life in the following days was immeasurable! As I learned to live and love again, I kept looking back into the dark prison from which I had emerged only to marvel about how amazing my God is that He was able to resuce me and set me free to enjoy Him and the Life He has given me once again.

Yes, the best part of depression (and there is no other good thing about it) is coming out from under it. And for me, that is also the beauty of winter--the promise of the coming spring!

And as a sidenote: I am glad that the analogy ends there. Winter must happen every year; it is part of the cycle of life; depression does not have to happen. Praise God. Moreover, there is nothing good about depression except being rescued from it; whereas winter offers several nice things worth enjoying--like snow falling gently blanketing the earth below, like sledding down a hill while screaming and laughing as loud as I can, like ice skatin, and like warming up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.

Oh, but I now live on a tropical island, and winter days spent like that are only pipe dreams. My most wintery of winter days now consist of weather in the 50s with no heater--and that is a "cold day."

Photo originally uploaded by Lady-Bug.

carnival of beauty posts are up

I am a little late in posting this--its been "school-focused" week as I am nearing the end of the semester.

Nevertheless, Sallie at Two Talent Living has this week's Carnival of Beauty Posts on "The Beauty of Limits" up for the viewing. 

When I first thought of "limits," I was not able to see the beauty in them all.  I thought about constraints, binding, shackles, and so on.  All very bad images.  Nevertheless, several ladies all wrote about how limits truly can be beautiful (including me eventually).

Go read . . . and find out the multiple ways in which limits truly can be beautiful.

learning to say "no"

My mom has a cute plaque in her house that proclaims "Stress is what happens when your gut says 'no' but your mouth says 'yes.'"

As one who longs to please others, I thought I had to do it all.  If someone at church asked me to do something, without even thinking I would respond "sure!"  If one of my friends asked if I was free, as long as that spot on the calender was open regardless of what I had personally planned for that time, I answered "of course!"  Only thing is that later, I would regret my "yes."  I would begrudgingly go--mad at myself and resenting the person who asked me.  Or even worse yet, sometimes I would call at the last minute and cancel. 

In some warped way, I thought telling all people "yes" all the time is what I was supposed to do.  I was being a "good girl."  But, really telling people "yes" made me angry, stressed, resentful, tired, and at times even unreliable.

In America, full time for college classes is considered 12 hours.  My second semester, I took 18 hours, worked part-time, and was a member of at least half a dozen groups, and my door was always open to visitors, and I never said "no" to anyone  Why?  I wanted it all.  I wanted to please people and make friends and graduate on time because "I was perfect." 

Once, at about midnight, I was in the midst of complaining to my roommate that I was stressed and tired and worn out from school work and always helping people.  Knock!  Knock!  Knock!  An sweet international student was at our door, "Amanda, I need help. I can't . . . . by myself.  Will you please come?"  As, the words, "sure I will" were forming in my mouth, my roommate placed her hand on my shoulder, "she can't tonight, but I can." 

Why?  Why could I not say no? 

I had several conversations with a dear college friend, Melissa, who began to share with me her convictions about how God had not designed us to be so busy and stressed.  That we were to live more simply and enjoy him and enjoy who he had created us to be.  I saw how much peace she had, how she enjoyed doing what she did choose to do, and how effective her impact was on campus.  She might not ever have known it, but she was the one who taught me that it was ok to say "no."

After that semester, I never took more than 12 hours a semester.  I choose my classes carefully, and I only graduated one semester late (and that was because I chose to be a exchange student for a year).  I carefully selected to be a part of the one group that matched my talents and gifts.  And, I began to feel free to tell people no.  Life was worth living again.  I wasn't so stressed.  I enjoyed my courses.  I enjoyed helping people again.  There was joy in the service--not guilt and resentment and frustration.

I also had a classmate who was legally blind.  He often needed help.  He was actually one of the first people I told "no."  He asked for something that wasn't pressing on a week of a big test.  Years later, he told me, "Amanda, would you like to know why I feel comfortable asking you for help?"  Of course I would.  "Well, you were able to tell me 'no.'  If someone, tells me 'no,' I know I can always ask and not ever become a burden to them." 

Now as a tent-making missionary who teaches college students there are many, many things that can fill my time.  I have choosen to keep things simple.  To invest fully in the things God has created me for rather than the things "I could do because I have time for them" or "I could do because someone asked me to do them."  That doesn't mean the welcome sign on my door is gone and that I am a hermit.  It simply means, I no longer feel guilt when I say "no."  It means I choose wisely my commitments and how I spend my time.  It means my "yes" is truly a "yes, I'd love to."

Taiwanese people do not understand why I don't easily add a few classes for lots of extra money--I am single, have no kids, why not fill every waking moment with money making opportunities while I can?  Well, its simple really, I want to be the most effective Amanda I can in order to glorify my God.  If I don't have time to rest, to be with Him, and to refuel, I am not effective and can't enjoy life or Him. 

Knowing my limitations is a beautiful thing.  Being able to say no--to myself and others--is not easy for this reformed people-pleaser and perfectionist, but the benefits it yields are well worth it for me and for those who ask for my time! 

The Carnival of Beauty

What is the Carnival of Beauty?
Each week women from around the world write on a specially selected topic allowing them to reflect on the beauty of Christ in the world around us.   

The Carnival of Beauty was started by Sallie near the end of 2005.  For over a year she sponsored the Carnival of Beauty which is hosted by a different Christian woman each week. In the spring of 2007, Sallie passed on the sponsorship of the Carnival of Beauty to me here at following an unknown path. 

 Please join us as we seek to glorify Christ in our writing!

What is the purpose of the Carnival of Beauty?
1. Encourage women by reflecting the beauty of Christ in our writing.
2. Meet women online who cherish the beauty of Christ that we might not have met otherwise.

Who can participate?
Any Christian woman can participate as long as she falls under these guidelines:

1. Is in personal agreement with the following statement: I believe in the Godhead of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit as revealed in the Holy Bible. I believe that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God and my only means for the forgiveness of my sins and my salvation. My salvation is found in no one but Jesus Christ.
2. Is not a Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, or Seventh Day Adventist.
3. Does not promote the emergent conversation/movement on her blog.
4. Does not promote theological distinctives in her Carnival post so as to refrain from controversial debate.

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What do we write about?

Past Carnivals (2005-2006)

2007

January 3: The Beauty of A New Year
January 10: The Beauty of Christ
January 17: The Beauty of Bread
January 24: The Beauty of Mary and Martha
January 31: The Beauty of Chariots of Fire 
February 7: The Beauty of Creativity
February 14: The Beauty of Innocence
February 21: The Beauty of Isaiah
February 28: The Beauty of Red
March 7: The Beauty of Saul/Paul
March 14: The Beauty of Fragrance
March 21: The Beauty of Photographs
March 28: The Beauty of Being Made in the Image of God
April 4: The Beauty of the Resurrection
April 11: The Beauty of Femininity
April 18: The Beauty of God’s Provision
April 25: The Beauty of Patience
May 2: The Beauty of Flowers
May 9: The Beauty of the Holy Spirit
May 16: The Beauty of Sunshine
May 23: The Beauty of Sacrifice
May 30: The Beauty of Esther
June 6: The Beauty of Strong Men
June 13: The Beauty of Truth
June 20: The Beauty of Babies
June 27: The Beauty of Humility
July 6: The Beauty of  . . .
July 13: The Beauty of Summer
July 20: The Beauty of Grace
July 27: The Beauty of Play
August 3: The Beauty of (free)
August 10: The Beauty of The Lord's Day
    

August 17: The Beauty of Prayer
     (a dusty frame)
August 24: The Beauty of Change
     (Ashley @ twentysixcats.com)
August 31:The Beauty of Learning
     (Bethany @ A Picturesque Life)
September 7: The Beauty of (free)
     (Anna @ Little Soul, Big World)
September 14: The Beauty of Autumn
     (Ashley @ twentysixcats.com)
September 21: The Beauty of Discipline
     (Blair @ Scribblings by Blair)
September 28:  The Beauty of Hope
     (Sara @ Stones of Remembrance)

Oct 5: The Beauty of Love by Amanda
Oct 12: The Beauty of Joy by Vicki
Oct 19: The Beauty of Peace by Sara
Oct 26: The Beauty of Patience by Ellen

Nov 2: The Beauty of Kindness by OPEN
Nov 9: The Beauty of Goodness by Blair
Nov 16: The Beauty of Faithfulness by Sara
Nov 23: The Beauty of Gentleness by Susanna
Nov 30: The Beauty of Self-Control by OPEN

Dec 7: The Beauty of Praise by Sara
Dec 14: The Beauty of Tradition by Ellen
Dec 21: CoB Takes a break
Dec 28: The Beauty of This Year by Susanna

 

The hostess will announce the Carnival pieces on Friday.  Your entry should be a newly written piece, published the week of the Carnival.

Although the goal is about promoting the beauty of Christ, the piece does not have to be explicitly about Christ. It can be about family matters, home life, children, marriage, creation, friendship, cooking, homemaking, hobbies, etc. Anything that reflects the beauty of Christ and fits the topic.

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How do I submit a piece to the Carnival?

Send an email to <[email protected]> with the following information:

1. Your first name
2. The name of your blog with the link
3. The name of your piece with the link
4. A brief one or two sentence description of your piece that will be in the listing of the Carnival submissions.
5. Send your submission on or before Thursday by the deadline the hostess sets.

What else do I have to do to participate?

1. On Friday, remind your readers that it is Carnival day and provide a link to that week’s hostess.
2. If you would like to use the Carnival of Beauty logo on your blog, feel free to do so. If you would link it back to this main Carnival of Beauty page, I would appreciate it.  If you would like a logo already coded, please email me.
3. You do not have to participate every week to be a part of the Carnival.  Submit pieces as you are able.
4. Feel free to join our Carnival of Beauty Google Group.  You can get email announcements about hosting and reminders of upcoming carnival info.

       

Subscribe to Carnival of Beauty

Email:

Visit this group

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How do I host a Carnival?

1. On Monday of the week you are hosting, please post a message that lets people know (a) you are hosting, (b) how to submit a post, (c) set the time deadline for when you stop accepting submissions on Thursday.  Also feel free to email the google group during the week to send a reminder about the CoB.
2. On Monday, please email me--amanda--and let me know which email address I should forward the [email protected] emails too.
3. When you receive a submission, it is nice to let the blogger know you received her entry.
4. In the past, the CoB hostesses have listed the posts in the order received with their own post last.  Let's continue this tradition.
5. Feel free to adjust someone's description if needed; also, writing all entries in third person makes the CoB sound more consistent.
6. Also, please feel free to be creative and add your own personal touch to the CoB. 
7. If you have any questions about the appropriateness of a submission and/or blog/author, do not hesitate to contact me.
8. On Friday, publish the CoB! :)  Email the google group to let us all know that the CoB is up and ready to be read.

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Anything else?

1. Continue to send recommendations for topics as they come to mind.
2. It is nice if we take the time to leave a comment and thank the hostess each week.
3. Enjoy the beautiful writing we are all sure to discover!