LESS than a week...

If anyone has ever been on a trip with me you know that I don't normally pack until the night before and I pack WAY TOO MUCH STUFF in order to be prepared for anything and everything.  Well, this morning, with the help of a friend, I PACKED FOR ETHIOPIA!  Not only did I pack, but I fit all my stuff in a small duffle bag.  

I also got a wonderful package in the mail today from my family.  I will be set for my flight...my family knows me really well and sent me my favorite snacks for the trip.  They also sent me an Irish Cross of protection! I am so blessed to have such a loving family.

Tonight at church they prayed for us and our trip and pastor Mark preached a good word!  I left church feeling so full and so hungry at the same time!  At the end of the service Pastor Chris said that he was singing so loud that his voice hurts and I feel the same way sitting here right now.  The room was filled with the Spirit and God was glorified in that place.  We truly were singing to the King and it was intense!

We sang the song "Mighty to Save" and part of the song says:

"Savior, he can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save, he is mighty to save"

It made me think about Ethiopia and Entoto Mountain.  God is mighty to save the people living on that mountain and I can't wait to see how he moves in us and through us in that place!

So awesome to have a sore throat from worshipping God! Great night, I'm hungry for more!

Africa

I'm reading a book in preparation for my trip to Ethiopia called The Invisible Cure: WHY WE ARE LOSING THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS IN AFRICA by Helen Epstein.  It's been a really awesome read. It's a true story about this woman who leaves her job to go to Uganda and search for a vaccine for AIDS.  Her struggles are numerous, but her focus is amazing despite them.  At one point in the book, after her project is put on hold in order for her samples to be tested at her home lab in the states she has a conversation with a colleague that is supposed to take the samples where they need to be tested.  He promises to do this and knows that her project rides on this shipment.  Well, the samples never made it where they needed to go.  Helen writes:

"Everyone seems to know what Africa needs, but sometimes I think our minds are not really on it.  Most of us see only Africa's contours, and we use them to map out problems of our own.  Africa is a career move, an adventure, an experiment.  It fades into an idea."

One thing I love is that we all have different desires in our hearts.  We do not all feel called to carry the same burdens.  Often times when we feel burdened for something we can't understand why not everyone feels the same way, why it fades into an idea instead of a life calling.  Just as Helen realized, I am realizing that when you have a burden for something so strongly all you can do is GO!  You have to or else there is a part of you that is not living.  This is how I feel about my opportunity to go to Ethiopia.  I was talking to my roommate last night and I told her that I've always had a dream to go to Africa, but I just never thought I would.  She asked me why and I said "I don't think I had enough faith".  That's the truth. I didn't think I'd have enough faith to jump out and WITNESS what has burdened my heart for so long because then I CAN'T SAY I DON'T KNOW!  Forever I will KNOW FIRST HAND what suffering looks like there and then I will HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!  This whole experience of saying "yes" to going on this trip has made part of me come alive in a way I never knew possible. I never knew part of me was not living until this experience and now I don't know what it would be like to go back...all I know is that I can't!  Whatever is to come of this amazing journey, whether it be to move there for an extended period of time or whether it be to go back for a short term mission trip again, I know this will not be the last time I GO!  

I don't expect others to feel the same way, just as Helen finds out in her book.  We are all made differently, with different passions.  All I know is that I am so thankful for all the support I have from family and friends because while Helen feels alone doing what she's doing I feel as though all of you are GOING WITH ME!  Where this will lead, I don't know, but I know who does and that's enough for me!  

VOTE FOR EBENEZERS!

Ebenezers was voted 2008's #1 Coffeehouse in the metro DC area by AOL CityGuide.  This year Ebenezers has been nominated again by the City Paper!!!  

Do you love Ebz?  Then vote:

amazed at their unbelief

"And because of their unbelief, [Jesus] couldn't do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them.  And he was amazed at their unbelief."

-Mark 6:5,6

These sentences are really interesting to me and say a lot about Jesus.  First of all, healing a few sick people is pretty awesome so the fact that it says he couldn't do any miracles except to heal a few sick people is pretty awesome.  To Him, that's nothing. To me, it's amazing. For Jesus to be amazed and affected by their unbelief is striking to me.  It is because of these people's unbelief that He is unable to do miracles. I just love that line...Jesus was AMAZED!

We are in a series at NCC called "Greater Things".  The question "what is holding you back from achieving greater things?" has been brought up numerous times in various ways.  It's interesting in light of this passage because a lot of times we lack the faith to see the miracles of God.  It's not that Jesus is UNABLE because of us, it's that we are UNABLE to see when our eyes are closed and our hearts are hardened.  I want to see greater things in my life and I know that God has greater plans for me, but I also know that I will not see them come to fruition unless I increase my spiritual intensity.  I need more faith!  Pastor Joel made an awesome point last night.  "Stop looking for the place and start seeking my face".  Stop looking for the next step or the next great thing and just seek God.  Then you will see greater things than these.  

Don't amaze Jesus with your unbelief, amaze Him with your focus to seek His face.

vaccines

I leave for Ethiopia in about 2 weeks and I truly can't believe it!  I am so excited for the opportunity we have to go there and share the love of God with these people.  We will be coming alongside Beza Ministries so it will be awesome to see them do what they do as well!  Yesterday I went to get my vaccines required for the trip and it all became a lot more real to me.  I only had to get 2 shots (Hep A and Yellow Fever) and typhoid pills.  I also got malaria pills for when we travel outside of Addis Ababa.

I have to admit that I was very nervous to get these shots after hearing "horror" stories from various people.  However, I had a GREAT experience getting my vaccines.  No joke! The man sat down and talked with me about Ethiopia for a half hour and gave me a booklet on Ethiopia, then he told me about every disease and every shot.  Finally it was time to receive my vaccines.  Bada bing, bada boom...it was done in no time!  I realize that the injection site will probably become a little sore, but for now I'm feeling fine.  Now that the shot is actually given I don't care if it hurts!  

2 weeks! CRAZY!  I can't wait!

final answer?

I love Jesus' response in Mark 2 when the Pharisee's once again bother him about "working" on the Sabbath:

   "Then Jesus said to them, 'The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.'

   Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand.  Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus' enemies watched him closely.  If he healed the man's hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.  

   Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, 'Come and stand in front of everyone'.  Then he turned to his critics and asked, 'Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil?  Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?'  But they wouldn't answer him.

   He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts.  Then he said to the man, 'Hold out your hand'.  So the man held out his hand and it was restored.  At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus."

-Mark 2:27-3:6

I love Jesus!  He is direct and to the point, but he is so distressed over the state of the human heart at the same time.  Not only that, but after knowing that the Pharisees were going to use this against him he still healed the man.  It is so evident that Jesus' healing is such a part of him that he can't divorce it.  Truly that is what it means to look out for the needs of others over yourself.   He knew he would be plotted against if he did this and yet he does it anyway.  The best part is that this is not the only time that Jesus finds himself in this situation and his response is always to look out for others over himself.  

The way Jesus addresses the Sabbath in these verses is amazing:

"The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath"

His answer is always love and freedom.  Not hate and chains.

"Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, OR IS IT A DAY FOR DOING EVIL?"

What a question.  With no response from the crowd, Jesus' final answer is to save life and not destroy it.

It breaks my heart when I read that Jesus was "deeply saddened", but a man with as large a heart as his who meets with rejection and hate on every corner must have known that feeling well.  What a God we serve! 

MERE disease!

Psalm 10

  O Lord, why do you stand so far away?

      Why do you hide when I am in trouble?

  The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor.

      Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.

  For they brag about their evil desires;

      they praise the greedy and curse the Lord.

  The wicked are too proud to seek God.

      They seem to think that God is dead.

  Yet they succeed in everything they do.

      They do not see your punishment awaiting them.

      They sneer at all their enemies.

  They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us!

      We will be free of trouble forever!”

  Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats.

      Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.

  They lurk in ambush in the villages,

      waiting to murder innocent people.

      They are always searching for helpless victims.

  Like lions crouched in hiding,

      they wait to pounce on the helpless.

   Like hunters they capture the helpless

      and drag them away in nets.

  Their helpless victims are crushed;

      they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.

  The wicked think, “God isn’t watching us!

      He has closed his eyes and won’t even see what we do!”

  Arise, O Lord!

      Punish the wicked, O God!

      Do not ignore the helpless!

  Why do the wicked get away with despising God?

      They think, “God will never call us to account.”

  But you see the trouble and grief they cause.

      You take note of it and punish them.

   The helpless put their trust in you.

      You defend the orphans.

  Break the arms of these wicked, evil people!

      Go after them until the last one is destroyed.

  The Lord is king forever and ever!

      The godless nations will vanish from the land.

  Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless.

      Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.

  You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,

      so mere people can no longer terrify them.

We studied this Psalm on Sunday at our Ethiopia Team Meeting.  It was really great to look at this Psalm and gain understanding and confidence through it.  We know that we are going to Ethiopia to work with people who are dealing with death on a daily basis and that is heavy, but we also know that God has a plan for these peoples lives. Reading through this Psalm together really made feel excited to GET THERE!  One thing I thought of while I was reading through this Psalm is that if you insert "HIV/AIDS" into every spot where "wicked people" are mentioned this Psalm is very relevant to what is going on in Africa.  Essentially, HIV/AIDS is hunting down people and destroying lives and families.  The last line pumped me up for this trip...God will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed so that mere [disease] can no longer terrify them."  That is what we are going to do...to bring them hope and a purpose to live instead of waiting to die.  It's awesome that it says: "mere people" because the rest of the Psalm seems to be describing its power and strength, but compared to God it is nothing.

 

We also saw a slideshow of pictures of Addis Ababa and the people there and it touched me so deeply.  We will be working with the children a lot and after seeing the Watoto Children's Choir on Sunday I am so anxious to just GO, MEET and SERVE alongside Beza Ministries.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

how can I keep from singing?

I am so overjoyed right now! I keep thinking about the Chris Tomlin song How Can I Keep From Singing because truly the Lord has blessed me and filled my heart to overflowing.  Yesterday in my One Year Bible I was reading Psalm 34.  Verse 18 says "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted".  This verse reminded me that God meets us where we are.  God is close to the brokenhearted, the hurt, the angry, the joyful, the sick, etc.  

I went to church and God met me where I was.  The Watoto Children's Choir came to sing and share some testimonies.  Their joy is so evident.  All of the 1700 children that are currently a part of the Watoto Village ministry have had one or both of their parents die from HIV/AIDS.  They were rescued and brought to a Watoto Village where they go to school and have their needs taken care of.  I was brought to tears listening to them sing...they truly filled my heart with the Spirit. 

Pastor Mark then gave a good word from John 5 and God showed up through it. One thing that Pastor Mark said is that we need to stop trying to get out of our circumstances and learn what we need to get out of our circumstance.  I was convicted by that and felt God tugging at my heart to pray for Him to reveal Himself to me in a new way.  This morning I was listening to music and reading my Bible and I just stopped, raised my hands and was overcome with God's love, God's forgiveness and God's power.  I have been listening to the Watoto Children's Choir all morning, I recommend getting a CD, and I feel like I have seen more of the heart of God which is transforming my heart!  

I can't wait to go to Ethiopia (in less than a month).  I feel so tied to the problem of HIV/AIDS in Africa and those affected by it.  God has been growing my burden for this and I just am loving learning more about myself and God while seeking His heart for these people.  I can only pray for more.    Thank you, God! 

"...and the Father will do greater works than these, so that you will marvel." 

-John 5:20

our bodies

"It's true that our bodies can overwhelm us with their impulses and terrify us with their vulnerability.  What can we do against their demands for food and drink, security and comfort, power and love?  We speak of the troubles of Job.  The events he had to endure that drove him to spiritual despair were all events of the body--either his body or those for whom he cared...

...The human body was made to be the vehicle of human personality ruling the earth for God through his power. Withdrawn from that function by loss of its connection with God, the body is caught in the inevitable state of corruption in which we find it now."

-Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines

Continuing to reflect on The Spirit of the Disciplines, I am brought to this section on our bodies.  Often times we are, as Willard says, overwhelmed by our bodies impulses and terrified by the vulnerability.  However, the body was intended for something else.  The body cannot live out its function if it is separate from God.  We spend so much time devoted to our studies, devoted to our friends, devoted to our leisure activities, but we don't spend nearly enough time devoted to staying connected with God.  Why are we so unwilling to commit the effort He deserves?  

While reading through the One Year Bible I have come to the point of Christ being crucified and reading through the section always causes me to feel convicted about how ungrateful I truly am.  I spend so much time worrying and trying to make my own plans while trying to convince myself and others that I am totally trusting God.  While I do trust God, I have a long way to go because I continue to hold on to things and keep my own plans in the back of my head hoping that if I trust enough MY plans will come true.  In reality, it says "THY will be done" not MY will be done. It is arrogant to think that my plans or actions can change the course God laid out for me.  

In the same way that we neglect to give our relationship with God the time it deserves, we neglect to trust His plans because we still want our plans to succeed.  I have been humbled in the sense that while I can plan and think all I want, it is God's plans that will succeed.  Regardless of my shortcomings and my corrupted body...God intended us to use our bodies to fulfill His purpose and He is faithful to do what He says He will do.  I'm confident that as we work through matters of the heart and body we will continue to be brought back to the truth that we will always be withdrawn from our function if we are not connected to God in the way we were intended, but that takes effort.  Are you willing?

these things always seem to happen to me...

I have said this before and I'm sure I will say it again in the future, but sometimes I feel like my life should be a movie...

Last night I had small group.  I metro-ed/bused there, but on the way home someone offered me a ride to the metro.  After getting in the car and trying to find our way to a metro we were extremely close to the Capitol which means we were extremely close to my house.  So, she decided to just take me all the way home which was so nice.  Well, I got out of the car and as I was walking I felt like I wias missing something.  I realized that I didn't have my phone and thought about running after her car, but then decided that that would not help the situation because by this point she was pretty far away.  So, I came inside and emailed her right away. I used my roommate's phone to call my phone a million times hoping she would hear it.  She finally emailed me back and said she would check her car in the morning for the phone and then we could set up a time to meet up.  This whole situation puts a new spin on how to connect with people outside of small group...talk about bonding! 

For the record, while writing this post I got an email from her saying she did find my phone and we are working on meeting up! I am no longer phone-less, but for a little while I was thinking "Hmmmm, what if it's not in her car?"  That would have been a lot worse.  

I love unexpected bonding with people I just met.  Speaking of which, I really like my small group leaders and everyone in the group! I'm excited to see what this semester has in store.  Hopefully I won't lose something every week, but I'm not saying I'd be completely surprised if that happened!

a few words to ponder

Dallas Willard is an awesome man. I attended a conference this past summer in which he addressed discipleship and it was great and challenging.  I'm currently reading his book The Spirit of the Disciplines, there are a few quotes that jumped out to me and have been transforming my heart over the past couple of days:

"The general human failing is to want what is right and important, but at the same time not to commit to the kind of life that will produce the action we know to be right and the condition we want to enjoy.  This is the feature of human character that explains why the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  We intend what is right, but we avoid the life that would make it reality."

Are you willing to commit to the kind of life that will produce the action we know to be right?  It's a daily process.  It's not a one sentence deal.  In the valleys between the mountaintops how will you choose to live?  When the spotlight disappears how will you choose to live?   

"True Christlikeness, true companionship with Christ, comes at the point where it is hard not to respond as he would."

Oswald Chambers addresses the Sermon on the Mount as a "statement of the life we will live when the Holy Spirit is getting his way with us".  Obviously these are weighty statements and probably easier said then done, but I want this.  These two points especially have gotten into my spirit and I just continue to pray for more of Him and less of me.

When?

  “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.  I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

  “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?  Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?  When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

-Matthew 25:34-39

I've always read this in light of verse 40 where Jesus says "whatever you do to the least of my brothers you do to me", but while reading this passage this morning it struck me in a different way.  In a sense, Jesus is thanking the 'righteous ones' for everything they have done for him, but they have no idea what he is talking about.  All they can see is the immediate: "when did we do THIS for YOU?"  It is too much for them to think about the fact that when they were helping other people out it was as if they were actually helping and serving Jesus.  God always has the bigger picture in mind.  We have a difficult time seeing past tomorrow, but God sees it all.  In the times that we wonder when certain things came to be God knows the very details of how everything worked together.  It amazes me still.  

"When did we do these things?"  

"Well, all those times that you were helping perfect strangers you were helping me."

It is hard to wrap our minds around such a conversation, but reading this time caused me to focus less on the fact that whatever we do to the least of our brothers we do unto God and more on the fact that that logic is not a mistake in God's eyes.  Not only is it not a mistake, but God knew that one day they would wonder why and He would know the answer!

We might do the same thing...ask God "When did we do this?", but trust that God knows what He is doing when he weaves the events of life together perfectly in a way that sometimes doesn't make practical sense to us.

Like I never left

While I was home I visited my alma mater (weird to say that), Geneseo State University! I had a wonderful time catching up with people and spending time with people that I miss. It was great to be back...it felt like I never left which was an awesome feeling. Leaving was not easy, but I know that I have formed relationships there that go beyond the beautiful campus. I know God has a plan and purpose for the time spent growing such relationships and I'm confident that it's a good plan. I did cry when I left, but they were tears of happiness as much as tears of sadness because God has given us each other and while He calls us different places we still have one another to depend on. I added a slideshow of some pictures from the weekend! I did not take a ton of pictures though so many moments that meant a lot to me were not captured. I'm so blessed to have people in my life that support me and encourage me through conversation and prayer!

It was a surreal experience to be back and part of my heart is still there with those people. Part of me wishes that I was still with them physically with that part of my heart because it's not easy being away from people you love. However, I'm sitting on my couch in my house in DC and I KNOW THAT I'M SUPPOSED TO BE HERE! We can often only see tomorrow, but God sees the whole picture of who, what, where, when, how. Awesome weekend, awesome friends, awesome God!

Our God Reigns

How beautiful on the mountains
      are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,
   the good news of peace and salvation,
      the news that the God of Israel reigns!

-Isaiah 52:7

This weekend I traveled back to Rochester, NY to spend some time with family and friends.  It was a great time.  This morning we sang a song in church that comes from Isaiah 52:7 while a "Love Offering" was taken to help send me to Ethiopia a month from now.  I shared a little bit during the service about why I feel called to go and what I will be doing there, but the offering was truly a blessing I did not expect.  Pastor Brad announced that I needed about $800 to meet my goal of $2300.  Honestly I was not even expecting an offering, I was just looking forward to the added prayerful support of this journey.  Well, I was given a check for $800 from the kind hearts of the people at Orchard Community Church where my family and I attend in Rochester.  What a blessed surprise!  God is amazing and never ceases to remind me that He is FAITHFUL and ABLE to do way more than we allow our minds to imagine.

I have been so blessed by many people offering prayers and financial support and I have to say "thank you" to everyone who has partnered with me in this cause and this mission.  I feel so thankful and don't really have the words to express the extent to which I feel that.  While my team is made up of about 20 people we do not go alone.  First of all, God is obviously with us, but each person brings with them tons of people supporting them in prayer and through financial giving.  I would much rather go somewhere with an army of thousands than an army of 20 and through the generosity of people's hearts an army of thousands will be ministering to the needs of the people in Ethiopia!  

I have been learning lately to truly trust God in EVERYTHING! Of course I become impatient or worried at times, but His faithfulness is constant and I KNOW that each of my days have been planned before I was even born.  I know that today was not a surprise for God although it was to me...He has been waiting for me to experience this day since I was born! He loves me so much to allow me to experience this in my own time.  When someone reveals the plans for a surprise party to the guest of honor it ruins the experience, but if we are able to keep that a secret the person feels loved and special.  God loves us so much that although He knows ALL the great things that will happen to us He does not reveal the plans until we are ready to experience the blessing so as not to ruin it.  

Thank you everyone and thank You God for continuing to prove to me that You are faithful and Your ways are higher than mine.  Once again I am overwhelmed and feel like I'm living in a dream! God is good...

pray AND reach

Today was another great day at work! I got a lot done that needed to get done, but it was great for more than just that.  Every Tuesday the staff starts out the day in a time of devotion and prayer.  This morning our college pastor gave a good word to encourage us and challenge us from Philippians about living our lives DAILY with Joy, knowing that we have so much more to look forward to.  No matter our circumstances we have a hope and a joy that is eternal and that should cause us to do all things without complaining and to truly live a life of joy.  It was really good stuff.

Later in the day we had a Protege meeting and Pastor Joel came to talk about missions and outreach.  It was such a great time of sharing and learning about one another.  Joel talked about Acts 3:6-10 :

 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

One thing that he talked about is that Peter did not have anything else to give, but he prayed for him and then after praying for him he physically helped him up.  Peter did not just walk by because he had nothing and even though the man wanted money Peter offered him something else and was active in doing that. Living in DC there are many places I can go and see someone asking for money and while I might even have some change in my pocket I usually just walk by.  Regardless of whether or not I have money, I have something even greater to offer those people.  However, it takes more than just a prayer...I need to be active in sharing the good news to the hopeless around me.  Often times it comes down to just NOT BRINGING UP THE TOPIC OF FAITH to save embarrassing moments or we pray and think we've done enough. I was very challenged by this time in looking at Peter's actions in light of my current place of residence.  I should be doing more than just living in DC and working in DC.  I should be investing and seeking opportunities to share the hope that is in me.  

  It challenged me to be more bold in my faith and to be courageous enough to take the time to 1. be intentional with people that I meet and 2. speak truth into their life by sharing the most important part of my life!  We should be so confident in the God that we believe in and serve that no matter the circumstance we can have the faith to offer the gift that people really need with certainty of God's power.  I want to be more bold! I want to feel less apologetic that I don't have money to give because I have time and I have truth.  It's more than just words though, it's about investing energy and time into making this promise ring true in their lives and seeing hope truly restored! I have become friends with a few of the homeless guys that come into Ebenezers, but what have I done to help them up off the ground.  A smile is nice, but Peter PRAYED and REACHED OUT HIS HAND TO PULL THE MAN UP!  I want to pray harder and reach farther!  

I love Tuesdays at the office! :)

know the Scriptures!

"That same day Jesus was approached by some Sadducees--religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead.  They posed this question: 'Teacher, Moses said 'if a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother's name. Well, suppose there were seven brothers.  The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow.  But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her.  This continued with all seven of them.  Last of all, the woman also died.  So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection?  For all seven were married to her.'

Jesus replied, ' Your mistake is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God.  For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven.'"

-Matthew 22:23-30

I am reading through a Daily One Year Bible and todays New Testament passage really struck me, especially this part.  When I read the words: "your mistake is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God" I tried to imagine what that would be like to hear from the Son of God.  Can you imagine being one of the Sadducees who asked Jesus all these questions and heard a response like this.  Jesus was straight forward and direct, but honest about the situation.  

It made me think about situations I find myself in or feelings that I allow to capture my thoughts and distract me that are not of God. Recently I found myself frustrated and angry which lead to making decisions on the spot.  However, in this situation I did not look to Scripture and I was not clinging to the power of God.  While obviously the Sadducees were hesitant to believe what Jesus was saying about the resurrection, His response to them is key.  They are trying to mentally wrap their minds around things and Jesus is not afraid to tell them that it is a matter of relying and trusting the power of God above the power of our thoughts.  In the next verses Jesus addresses the issue of the resurrection from the dead and says: "haven't you ever read about this in the Scriptures?".  Our first reaction when we have questions is often to try to figure them out logically, but how many things are we missing in the Scriptures that address our questions and concerns?

We often times want immediate, easy answers like the Sadducees instead of answers that take time to discover and trust to believe.  Do you know the Scriptures and the power of God?  If Jesus asked you that question, what would you be your honest answer back?