In The Secret, Quiet Place...

There's a beautiful worship song that goes like this:

In the secret, in the quiet place,

In the stillness You are there.

In the secret, in the quiet hour I wait,

Only for You, 'cause I want to know You more.

I want to know You, I want to hear Your voice,

I want to know You more.

I want to touch You, I want to see Your face,

I want to know You more.

Over the past week, I have rediscovered the gift of stillness and quietness, and just "being" in the presence of God. Worshipping God in quietness, without words, is beautiful and renewing for the spirit. And sometimes, might I dare say, it is easier to recognize God's presence and see His many blessings when our goal is just to "be" with Him.

Last week I was out in the country at a summer camp facility for the kids of #9 orphanage along with several members of our team, and I woke earlier than the rest of them. It was a beautiful morning and I took my Bible out to the porch and sat there reading for a little while. Every now and then, I would stop and just listen to the birds singing or the breeze blowing through the trees. A couple of the teenagers walked by and greeted me, and asked me what I was doing. I didn't have a response, because I was just "being". I was enjoying the stillness and the presence of God as He ministered to my spirit.

I need to do this more often - because I believe that it is in the quiet that we get to know God in a way we can't when we are busy with other activities. Don't misunderstand me - God reveals Himself to us all the time in different ways, and there are places and times for all kinds of worship, including voicing praise and prayer requests, singing, or whatever else is on our hearts. But He calls us also to come away and be alone with Him like Jesus did when He found a solitary place to commune with His Father.

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted in the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." ~ Psalm 46:10

Мой Новый Дом - My New Home

I have moved into a lovely little apartment in Krivoy Rog and it already feels very homey! It's clean and completely furnished, equipped with everything I need and several little extras that I wasn't expecting. I've made a few touches here and there to personalize the space...hope you enjoy the tour!

View of the back of my apartment building. The 3-paned window with the air conditioner below it (3rd story from the top, 7th floor) is my living room window...to the right of the living room are the windows on the balcony which is attached to the kitchen, and to the left of the living room is my bedroom window.

This is the neighborhood playground and strip mall -- the building in the middle to the left, directly behind the playground, is my apartment building.

This is what you see immediately when you walk in the front door -- the living room.

As you can see, the bottom of the couch pulls out to make a bed. Some extra cushions are needed to make it comfortable and level with the couch, but this will be very helpful when I have guests.

Upon entering the apartment, if you turn to the left, you enter this space -- I love the storage for shoes and coats and other miscellaneous items!

These are the doors to the bathroom (on the left) and the toilet (on the right).

I love my new shower curtain -- the bathroom now looks fresh and clean and inviting, and the lighter color and material means that I'm not in the dark when I shower anymore!!

A very small washing machine, and very little storage space, so I have made my own.

The fridge is just outside the kitchen, as you can see, but close enough that it's not an inconvenience. I love having a microwave again!!

Great seating and eating space -- especially if I want to have guests over!! The kitchen opens onto the balcony, where I have extra storage space and a clothes drying rack.

Love the kitchen space -- lots of room to prepare food!! I even like the gas stove - I have to use a barbecue lighter to start it, but it cooks really well.

Beside the front door is this lovely little desk/vanity -- one of my favorite places in the apartment! So handy and nostalgic - it was icing on the cake for me!

Inside my bedroom -- the computer desk.

My bed -- which is really comfortable. I love the lights above it too!!

I love my wardrobe -- has lots of storage space and the full-length mirrors are great!!

In the balcony...

And this is the beautiful view I have from my windows -- it's so nice to see green grass and trees and blue sky instead of just concrete!!

What a great blessing to have this lovely apartment!! God definitely prepared it for me and I am looking forward to using it much in hospitality ministry - to share the many blessings God has given me with others! He is so good in meeting all our needs, including my need to have a restful place where I am comfortable. My heart is full of thanksgiving!

Speaking By Grace...

A week ago on Friday I received a certificate acknowledging my completion of the 2-year Basic Russian language course in just 9 months -- but such an accomplishment would have been impossible if it wasn't for the grace of God!

One year ago, I knew only the alphabet and a few words/phrases in Russian and at that time I knew that this was the goal, but I don't think I understood what it would take and how it would stretch and change me as I studied this language! I trusted - by faith - that God would enable me to complete this 2-year course in 1 year and to give me the ability to communicate in the language, and although I did put in many hours of study, it is only by His grace that I have had such success.

I will admit there were times when I doubted over the past months, but as with so many aspects of life, it's in hindsight that you can see most clearly. At times it felt like the process was moving so slowly, but after building the foundation, the pieces started coming together and I realized that I had the tools to figure it out and communicate - at least on a basic level - in the language.

Some people have given me great compliments -- telling me that I speak without a foreign accent, and that I speak Russian well -- but I know that this would not be possible without the grace of God! It was incredibly exciting to meet my landlords on Thursday and to comprehend what they were telling me! I didn't get everything, but I understood the basics. And even more exciting was my first meeting with the orphanage ministry team on Saturday -- for the first time I didn't feel like I was sitting on the outside, looking in and wishing I could be a part of it!!

I still have lots of work to do, and there is much still to learn, but I had to 'give voice' to the thrilling emotions in my heart as I realized that God has accomplished so much in me and brought this dream down to my reach. I am overwhelmed with gratitude that there is opportunity for me to minister -- by the grace of God -- in a country, culture and language that was once completely foreign to me!

As I shared with my fellow students and teachers, "Благодарна Богу, я смогу делать что, однажды мне кажется невозможно." Thanks to God, I can do what once seemed to me impossible."

The Majesty of Humility

This is the Whirlpool Galaxy, located approximately 31 million light-years away from the Milky Way, and containing hundreds of billions of stars (each of them named by God).

This image was taken by the Hubble Telescope, looking into the core of the black hole at the center of the Whirlpool Galaxy ... and when I first saw it, two things happened: 1) an overwhelming sense of awe came over my spirit and I sat in silence with tears in my eyes, and 2) verses from the Bible that I had learned or memorized about God's sovereignty and eternal plan came to my mind.

If you haven't heard Louie Giglio's presentation "Indescribable," you should, because it is powerful -- here's the YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ffFw8_vsa0.
But what I want to share with you are just a few of the thoughts and meditations of my heart as I look at this awesome juxtaposition (placing together for comparison or contrast) of majesty and humility.

Colossians 1:15-20 is a description of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, and in verse 17 it clearly states that "in Him all things consist (are held together)." In verses 19-20 it says that it pleased God the Father "that in Him [Jesus Christ] all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself...having made peace through the blood of His cross."

God clearly reveals Himself through His marvelous creation -- Psalm 19 states that "the heavens declare the glory of God" and "the skies proclaim the work of His hands" -- but He chose to display His majesty and divine authority through the humility of the cross. And He placed the cross in a hidden place deep in the center of a star-studded galaxy so that when people discovered it, they would be humbled by how simply and profoundly our powerful God proclaims His majesty.

2 Corinthians 4:6 states that the "God who commanded light to shine out of darkness...has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Verse 7 goes on to say that "we have this treasure (the knowledge of God's glory through Jesus Christ) in earthen vessels, so that the excellence of the power will be of God and not of us."

I don't know about you, but I'm humbled to know that God has chosen to reveal His majesty through such a weak and imperfect vessel as a fallible human being. He does this in a multitude of ways, and I just want to share a few with you that came to mind:

• Nick Vujicic - a man born with no arms and no legs, who needs help to complete the most basic of day-to-day tasks, through his humility has been given the opportunity to declare the majesty and life-changing power of God to millions of people around the world.
• Fanny J. Crosby - who went blind at the age of 18 months and endured various trials including the loss of her child, in her later years wrote more than 500 hymns. These songs, for which she has become famous, were born out of a humble and deeply intense relationship with her Saviour and the focus of every one is to proclaim His majesty and greatness.
• The persecuted church - in countries around the world, believers must meet in secret due to the risk of arrest, imprisonment, torture and even death for their faith in Jesus Christ, but they do. These churches are growing exponentially despite the intense persecution they face and even sending missionaries abroad. It is through their humble state that the majesty of God is magnified a thousandfold.
• A young woman with a heart for needy children and a willingness to obey a missionary calling takes on the challenge of learning one of the world's hardest languages. It is a long and sometimes frustrating process, during which she has made many mistakes, but as she humbly admits that she cannot do it on her own and trusts in God for her strength and ability, He displays His majesty by giving her the ability to communicate well in a language she has only studied for 9 months!

In what ways have you seen the glory and majesty of God displayed in your life?
What humbling circumstances has God brought to you to remind you that it is His power working through you that makes all the difference?

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside

every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance

the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,

who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross (great humility), despising the shame,

and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (great majesty). 

~ Hebrews 12:1-2 ~