Our Great God...

"The more we know of God, 

the more shall we see in Him to praise. 

The larger our acquaintance and experience, 

the more our hearts will be disposed to 

magnify His name." 

--- Albert Barnes

 

My home away from home...

I've decided it might be worth it for me to build a cot under the sound board at church.

Over the last 72 hours, I have spent 32 of them at church... I mean, it's all been worth it... 
 serving the King and all, come on people! 

I've seen, heard, and experienced 
great men of God speak, 

dealt with strange technical difficulties never been known before 
(What do you mean "this document can't be saved" and then the program crashes?), 

set up and ran Keynote for 4 different events, 

and have had more then my fair share of church coffee :-) (only to supplement between regular trips to both Starbucks and Coffee Bean & Teal Leaf)



And you know what?
I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat... 

and most likely will next weekend...

Psalm 119 Bible Study...

I've been studying and praying and now it's finally come!

If you are a women in the Santa Barbara/Carpinteria/Ventura area,

and would like to dive in Psalm 119 with me, please let me know!

Wednesday nights, 7:30pm, Starting October 1st.

You can join the group on Facebook, leave a comment here, or give me a call!

Metamorphoo...

I regularly watch an 8-year-old boy every week. Recently he was playing with a few friends while I read near by on the grass in front of his house. Suddenly they all came running up to me yelling at me to get a bug cage... oh no... what did they find?

When they got to me I was shocked and amused to find 3 boys with a multitude of caterpillars squirming all over their arms!

We safely transferred them into a bug cage, filled it with leaves, and are now anxiously waiting for them to Metamorphose into butterflies.

Later that day I was sitting and watching the caterpillars crawl all over their container and munch away at leaves. Soon, when they have consumed enough, they will wrap themselves up into a cocoon and emerge a butterfly... it's fascinating.

In Romans 12:2, Paul says: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

The word "transformed" used in this passage
is the Greek word: (Metamorphoo)
which is where we get our English word: Metamorphosis.

We, like the caterpillar, are instructed to Metamorphose into the image of God, that our lives, in all we say and do, reflect who Jesus is and point people to His love and transforming power. But how do we do this? To continue with the analogy of the caterpillar, we are to consume the Word of God. For by doing so, your mind will be renewed, your will, will be captive to the plans of God, and your life will be transformed.

Paul also says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 "We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." The same Greek word is being used here for "transformed".

As a caterpillar consumes the goodness of the leaves and are transformed into a butterfly, so we are to consume the goodness of the scriptures and be transformed into the image of our creator.

It can be a long process, hard, and laborious, but the outcome is beautiful, pure, and is eternally more significant.

Are you being "metamorphoo" today?

In my shoes...

My favorite time of day is when he wakes up from his nap and gently calls out "YahYah..."

Well... at least it's gently the first time... 

Yesterday when I went into his room he growled at me and pointed disapprovingly at his diaper, 

seemingly disgusted with me that it wasn't changed yet... oh well... I try :-)

Accomplishments...

This week I have accomplished many things...

Got my FarFar (that's grandpa for all you non-norweigans) on Facebook:

 

Got my friend to finally get rid of her hotmail and move over to gmail:

 

Got this guy his guitar pedals just in time for him to play at the West Beach Music Festival:

 

and got a house ready for this cute couple to finally return home:

 

... then there's the whole thing with Keynote transforming for the reveal tomorrow at Reality Carp... but that's still in progress :-) I better stop blogging and get to work!

This little light of mine...

"The wick exists only to be consumed. So long as it saves itself there will be no illumination... We will never be, like John the Baptist, burning and shining lights if we are not prepared to be consumed in the process. There must inevitably be exhaustion in self-outpouring, but have the compensating assurance that 'though our outward man perish, our inward man is renewed day by day.'

Power for light-bearing is not inherent in the wick; it has no illuminating power. By itself it will emit only acrid smoke and black smudge. It is only the medium between oil and flame. It cannot conserve its own supply, but it is constantly dependent. It is always on the verge of bankruptcy. Withdraw it from the oil and the light becomes darkness."

J.Oswald Sanders, "Spiritual Maturity", pp.184-185

Reality Adorn...

If you are a "20 something"- 

in college or not -

I hope to see you tonight at 7pm at Reality Carpinteria.

For more info, Check out the Reality College Site: www.realitycollege.ning.com

Faith of a Child...

"A glance of faith may save, 

but it is the gaze of faith which sanctifies"

-- Robert Murray McCheyene --

The 200th...

House sitting pays well, but I have to say, after a week of not being in my own bed, I'm very happy to be back to it today! And as cute as this critter is, it will be very nice to not wake up to her climbing on my head in the morning eager for me to get out of bed!

on a side note... this is my 200th blog post! That's fun times...

Wedding View...

Gosh... I never knew which camera to look at... I tried.

Picture by: Josh @ Treasure Photography

Wordless Wednesday...

Where's Zoe...

I'm house sitting this week. It's nice to just chill and be. 

Although my charge, a dachshund named Zoe, is slightly funny. 

I couldn't find her the first night... and then I realized there was a bump under the covers... 

and she stays there all night long!

as I type this she has burried herself under the blanket next to me... odd.

2 Became 1...

It happened!

Zoe and Ryan became Mr. and Mrs. Hillner yesterday!!!

It was a beautiful wedding...

and don't we make a beautiful wedding party?

It doesn't get much better than this!

-- Click on the picture to see a larger version --

A sticky lesson...

I was back at my job today babysitting Abby and Aaron. I love these kids... and I love them even more when God shows me things through them and uses these precious kids in ways they'll never know.


Today I was sitting with Abby while she painted at the kitchen table. Aaron had been eating a piece of toast with honey on it. If anyone knows a small child, you know the aftermath of anything messy... it's as much on their face and body as it is in their stomachs!


Aaron came over to me and climbed into my lap. He was just sitting there chatting away to me about something I didn't understand. All of a sudden he planted his cute, chubby, sticky, lips on mine and gave me a huge kiss. I laughed, which I think encouraged him, and he did it again... making my lips as sticky as his were.


This evening I was walking back from the beach. I have a lot on my mind and feel like my whole life is changing over the next few months. I found myself humming this lyric from a song "... Your name is like honey on my lips..." and then it all made sense.


I've always tried to really understand this song. What does it mean for the Lord to be like honey on my lips.? After Aaron kissed me, the taste of honey was on my lips for awhile. It lingered, it was sweet, it reminded me of that moment. That's what the Lord should be in our lives. You have intimate times with Him... and those times should linger, they should stick, hours later you should still remember what the Lord has done and who He is. Every word that proceeds from your mouth should be spoken with the flavor of honey on your tongue - the flavor of the Lord evident in your life.


The other thing I noticed as I walked back from the beach was that the honey taste was gone and I missed it. I licked my lips hoping the sweetness was still there. How do we keep the sweetness of the Lord in our lives? By maintaining a steady relationship with Him through prayer and His word... because... "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Psalm 119:103

The things I do...

I just finished filling 120 bags with coffee beans for my best friend's wedding on Saturday  -

with much help from the Morgan kids. 

The house smells like Starbucks now.

I clean up nice, huh?

My lovely friend Lauren got her hands on my face today to see what she might like to do for my best friend's wedding next week... oh my gosh... 1 week... this is crazy!

Now if I can just figure out how to get Lauren to come over every morning and do this to my face!

SEPTEMBER 27th...

 

More info at www.RealityCarp.com

Hear ye! Hear ye!

I can hear! You may not realize how exciting this is to me... I didn't even realize how much I couldn't hear, until as of 2:15pm today, I could hear again... and oh so clearly!

I have issues with wax build up in my ears... I asked my best friend's future mother-in-law (2 weeks!) if she could flush my ears out for me because she is a nurse... She did and oh my gosh... everything is so crisp and clear! 

Even hearing my fingers type on my keyboard as I write this is making me trip out because of the sounds... 

Everything's been muffled and I've had times over the last month and at times I've hardly been able to hear at all. 

I feel like I have a whole new life. 

My own voice sounds new to me... this is weird and cool :-)

I just wanted to share my excitement... and let you know, I'll be able to hear you now... isn't life exciting?

1 Corinthians 12:15 - 31

If the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.

And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.

If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?

But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.

If they were all one member, where would the body be?

But now there are many members, but one body.

And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."

On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;

and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable,

whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked,

so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.

And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.

All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they?

All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?

But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.

SAVE THE DATE...

SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2008

REALITY CARPINTERIA

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

and trust me... it's so worth it.

Motives...

"Purify my motives" has been the theme of my prayers of late. So often we get so crazy busy and into so many different things. Life can be exciting and tragic. It can go full speed ahead or be painfully slow... and every step of the way there are decisions to make.

I find I often get caught up in things, opportunities, people, and I'm going full force ahead until I come to a screeching halt usually resulting in me tripping and falling on my face... I look up and realize I'm back at the foot of the cross and I've forgotten to ask my Savior if I was pushing forward in His plan or trying to make my plan be His plan.

Praise the Lord His mercies are new every morning.

The Lord's plan is perfect... He has promised to never leave me or forsake me. He has promised to give me a future and a Hope. The God who spoke light into existence, who breathes power into the wind, and controls the tides of the ocean, looks at me and says: "I love you."

Tonight that took my breath away. I was at the same prayer meeting I've been going to for the last month. With the same people, interceding for a new ministry in Ventura. But I was where I know I need to be be at this moment. And the second I entered into worship, I heard that voice, I felt that calming hand, I knew... I have a Savior who died and rose again for me. He loves me and cares about what I care about... and He is in control. I don't have to force or make anything happen... I just have to be obedient to Him moment by moment. Whom shall I fear? For the Lord, my God, is for me and not against me.

and then... prayer was over.

As I stood up this sweet women of God asked if she could pray for me and the Bible study I am prayerfully starting in September. I of course agreed. She had barely gotten her fist sentence out and I was in struck in awe of how good my Jesus is. Tears of joy flowed down my face because everything she thanked the Lord for in my life were things I had been praying would be so... this very morning I asked the Lord for certain things to be evident in my life and for specific requests, and she covered it all! I sought the Lord, I stopped, I asked for His will to be done, and here He was affirming His work in my life. Wow.

Thank You Jesus. Your will be done... not mine... never mine... here I am Lord... use me that others might glorify Your name... whatever that looks like... here I am.

What I did today...

I took my "work" with me to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History today... here's a glimpse for you all...

(if you want music with the slide, just click that little speaker guy next to "slide" on the top left)

Can you find me?

Phase III

The Pendulum is in...

gosh... I guess my teeth really are crooked... look at that!

I now have this lovely device fixed to the roof of my mouth. My speech is funny, it's hard to drink a smoothie from a straw, and I feel like I'm slowly turning into a robot.

I'll have this for the next 8 weeks and then I get full braces (as long as my molars obey and move they way they should).

But there are some positives:
1 - I won't have braces when I'm in Zoe's wedding
2 - No more stupid spacers
3 - I've quit biting my nails
4- I don't have any sort of dental appointments for 8 weeks! I've been at least once a week since the beginning of March... this is amazing :-)

... to be continued ...

Reality VBS 2008: Around the World With Jesus: Thailand

Reality VBS 2008 from Kjaere Friestad on Vimeo.

The 40 Day Fast: Eritrea & our family in chains

Today I am blogging for a different reason.
I am part of a project called "The 40 Day Fast".
Blogging with me today is:
Natalie Grant
please check out her post as well.

The little country of Eritrea has been on my heart for a long time. The Lord put it there and I pray, I weep, I intercede for my brother and sisters. The current info from the Voice of the Martyrs site is this:

Eritrea

Eritrea is dominated by war and drought. The Eritrean Marxist government ordered all independent Protestant churches to close in May 2002, declaring only a few religions were legal.

Religion: Muslim 47.97%, Christian 47.43%

Ideological Influence: Military dictatorship/Communism

Persecution: Magos Solomon Semere, 30, died in military prison in February 2007, four and a half years after he was imprisoned for worshipping at a banned Protestant church. He died from relentless physical torture and lack of treatment for pneumonia. He was the third Christian killed within a year. There are at least 2,000 Eritrean Christians now under arrest without trial or legal charges, solely for their religious beliefs. Under the totalitarian regime of President Isaias Afworki, religious repression has escalated further in the past two years.

---
And of those 2,000, many are being held in metal shipping containers! I hate it... but we serve a God who is bigger then those horrible circumstances... and He commands us to PRAY.

Hebrews 13:3
"Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body."

There have been more Christian martyrs in the last century then in all of history.

It is estimated that at least 1 Christian will die for his or her faith every 3 1/2 minutes.

Average Christians Martyred each year since 1800s
1800 ~ 2,500
1900 ~ 34,400
1970 ~ 377,000
2000 ~ 160,000
2008 ~ 175,000
2025 ~ estimated 210,000

Since the birth of the Church in 33 A.D., 70 million Christians have been martyred. And today there are approximately 200 million Christians living under Persecution.

There are bold Christians everywhere standing up for their faith in the face of imprisonment, torture, and death.

Why are so many Christians, young and old, willing to lay down their lives for their beliefs? In the face of certain pain and death of themselves and/or loved ones, why do thousands die every year, for a belief that many in our country call "a lie"?

Because they know without a shadow of a doubt that what the Bible says is true. They do not argue over doctrine, or what color chairs will look good in their church… most times they do not have a church; they simply love the Lord and have hope and joy, despite overwhelming circumstances that demand their very lives.

Many times it is hard to comprehend these stories and statistics we read or hear about until faced with it personally.

A few years ago, I was in Russia and a Pastor there was talking to me about the church in His country and the church in the United States.

“Only 10 years ago,” he said, “the church in Russia was under persecution. It is still fresh in everyone’s mind. Now we have this window of Freedom, and we are going to use every opportunity we’ve got. We know at any moment that this freedom can be taken away. Christians in America don’t function like that, do they?”

That was a sobering day for me. What was I doing with this Gospel that has been entrusted to me? What is the church in America doing? If God’s demonstration of His own love for us, was that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, (Romans 5:8) why should we stop at anything less then giving our lives wholly and completely to Him, and sharing this message of the hope of Salvation?

The responsibility is laid upon Christians to use this freedom, we fight so hard for, and declare who Jesus is to everyone we can. Paul exhorts us in Galatians 5:13, to not use this freedom granted to us as an opportunity for the flesh, but that through love we should serve one another.

Here's some of their faces from Eritrea... in the beginning of June, 34 more were arrested for gathering together. Being accused of treason because of worshiping Jesus. Daniel knew what this was like... and the Lord saved him from the mouths of lions... and the Lord can do it again.

Haile Naizghi, Dr. Gebremeskel, Pastor Tesfatsion Hagos

Write a letter to a prisoner in jail: http://www.prisoneralert.com/

Find out more at: Voice of the Martyrs or Open Doors

Phase II

Well... I just got home from the orthodontist... please notice.... there are still 2 blue spacers in my mouth :-(

One of my crowns was having issues and they had to glue it back down and decided to space out my teeth for 1 more week.

You can't tell... but around the other molars are lovely metal rings that they glued to my teeth. They have fun little things sticking out of them that rub against my cheeks. Next Monday I will get the Pendulum glued to the roof of my mouth and fixed to these rings.

They said they are going to work on moving my molars back before they put the braces on...
so I don't know what the time frame for that is yet.
Back to smoothies and soft foods I go.

... to be continued ...

Phase I

See those lovely blue things squished next to my bling-bling gold crowned teeth?

Those are Phase I of braces: SPACERS.

They are these lovely blue rings (kind of like tiny rubber bands) put in between all my molars on the bottom and the top of my mouth to get my teeth ready for the cement and metal ones they will fix to my teeth next week to hold the appliance in place that will be glued to the top of my mouth... now doesn't that sound like fun?

I have no idea how I am going to eat... when I close my mouth, the rubber hits the rubber :-(

My guess is I won't be doing a lot of eating... more like slurping and swallowing.

Oh, fun times are ahead for me, I'm sure!

... to be continued...

Little Green Men...

Happy 4th of July!
Now excuse me as I destroy Kevin's army...

The Sound of Settling...

Ok... so I figured I took all these video clips on my cell at the DCFC concert, so I might as well share it with all my blog friends.
So here is a mere taste of an amazing concert...
and yes...
I know the quality sucks... but, it's better then nothing!

Beach Cruisin!

Look what Pastor G dropped off for me today :-)
Thank You to the UCSB student who left it behind for me in I.V.

Death Cab Montage...

WOW... Death Cab was AMAZING last night!
I had no idea that we had Pit tickets too! Aubrey and I were right up the closest you could possible be to the stage... pretty much under Ben Gibbard... it was sweet! Here is a video montage of the night.

Ok... it is many hours later since I first attempted to post this and well... I had made a more entertaining slideshow but YouTube hates me right now...
so here is at least something for the time being....

DCFC...

I just scored free tickets to see these guys
tomorrow night at the Santa Barbara Bowl!

THANK YOU ANDY & ANGELA!!!!

----------------
Now playing: Death Cab for Cutie - Grapevine Fires
via FoxyTunes