Tuesday, December 30, 2008

2008

I am so one of those people who come to the end of a year, and get all reminiscent about the year that has passed, and get excited about the year to come!! 2008 will be one of those years in my life that will stand apart from other years.. It was the year I led my final winter of games at Monadnock, one of my favorite ministries of all time...it was the first year I was the speaker for a teen girl conference, Authentic Beauty, where God confirmed my passion for speaking to young women...it was the year I faced painful truth about my own family, my past, and God revealed Himself to me as a God of Agape...It has been a year of HUGE changes, living with my parents for a while, leaving MBC after 8 amazing years of ministry there, coming to Chapel of the Cross to work with their incredible youth, changing jobs, house, state, schools....CRAZY changes....a year where God took what began in Jan 08 as an ok friendship with Him, and through towering mountain tops, muddy ditches, a ton of hurt, even more joy, and began molding it into an intimate reltionship with Him!!
So, honeslty as I think about 08 and all it held, I can't decide whether to cry, rejoice in all God has done, or run with my hands high to the theme of "Rocky" just for surviving it...I am thinking all of the above might be in order:)!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Christmas!!

I LOVE Christmas, always have!! I must confess though I am one to get caught up in the world's "christmas spirit". Not even all bad things, some of it is the excitement of giving, and blessing others this season! This morning as I sat and pondered Christ, who He was, what his coming meant, the fact that He came to redeem us! I was challenged even in this as I read this morning.... I often see Christ coming as God's way of cleaning up the mess we made, as rebooting His plan at creation, and giving us another shot to know Him as Adam and Eve once knew Him. A thought struck me hard this morning though...God wasn't "cleaning up our mess", and "rebooting His plan", Jesus was His plan all along! He planned to redeem us to Himself, to set us free once again from the bondage of sin, and make a way for us to know Him again!! Then the reality of who Jesus is hit me, and what an incredible gift of Love God gave in sending Him to earth to die that we might be redeemed!!! So, this Christmas more than getting gifts, or even giving gifts, more than seeing family, and eating tons of Christmas goodies, I am most excited to celbrate the birth of my SAVIOR!!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Feeding on God's Word

For a lot of years I have heard different sermons on the Word of God and prayer being like food and water for a Christian. I got it, you know as believers it makes sense that we should desire time with God as we desire to feed ourselves...but need it? I have to admit I never got that, or honestly felt that...desire yes, but to need it the same as physical nurishment?
So, I mentioned in an earlier blog what an amazing new job lifeguarding has been. Its given me 5 hours each morning to spend in the Word, and talk to my Savior! This morning I had the opportunity to share my faith with a coworker who was visiting me in the pool. Her words being, "you can't get much different than us (her and I), myself an atheist lesbian and you being religeous." It was a long conversation to try and mark down, but it went from her asking me what I believed about whether gay people are born gay, or its choice, to my sharing about the Love Jesus loves all of us with, and how as a believer I am called to love others the same!! It was an intense, amazing, challenging conversation, and when she left the room, I sat thinking about how impossible knowing God and accepting His gift is apart from God! In that moment, came this hunger, rather a starvation to eat, feast on His word... it was similar in desperation to my desire for salt a week before aunt Flow comes around...It was then I understood! I finally felt it...the desire for His Word, and prayer like that which I have for food and water!
All this to say it finally makes sense to me...the more time I spend in His Word, seeking His face, not even trying to be what I think I ought, but just spending time in His presence and learning to let Him be in me, the more I desire that time, the more I am aware of how desperately I need this time not as much but more than I need my bread and water!!
Thank you God, for making yourself known to us, through the gift of Your Son at Calvary, and I ask God that You might in Your time open the eyes of Danielle's heart that she might desire to know you, and that in seeking she might find You!!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Birthday Wish

I have been reading this book called "Pierced by the Word", and this morning it was talking about pride. It mentioned different ways pride shows itself, and I realized as I was reading just how much pride has a grip on me. I was not really a popular kid growing up, and definitely not the smartest kid in school, so I discovered whit:)... I could joke my way out of any situation where I might come out looking dumb, or being embarrassed! Even if it meant a white lie, or a BIG lie I would talk my way into being right, and sometimes leaving those around feeling embarrassed or dumb! What a horrible habit I have fallen into, and how many I have hurt over the years!! If any of you reading are among that group I am so very sorry! I realized that slowly I have really allowed this pride, to take hold of me and it needs to go!!!
So whats this got to do with a birthday wish? I wonder if you can ask God for something on your birthday? I know realistically speaking you can ask anytime of the year, but since this all came right alongside my birthday, I was thinking what I want more than anything this year, is for my pride to be broken!! I know," never ask for humility or you will receive", but honestly I REALLY need for my pride to be broken, cause I know it will come between me and God, and the more I am coming to know Him the more I am wanting to lay everything down in order to know more!!! I can't afford to hold onto this sin anymore, not matter what the cost of letting go, I want to give it up!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

ONE DAY

So God has been doing a work in my heart, placing there a strong desire to LOVE others, like real Agape love! To open my eyes to the world around me, those in need, those hurting, those searching....to get my thoughts, my concerns, and my investments off of myself, and love as God has called me to love!!
If you are like me, the whole idea of helping and giving can be daunting! So many needs, I can't help everyone...once overwhelmed I find myself months down the line having done nothing! Then another moment, a Haiti video, or World Vision presentation, maybe an add on tv, and I get a glimpse again of the need there is, this conviction to help, a realization of how much need there is, I get overwhelmed...and again I do NOTHING!!
So, its time to put a stop to this cycle, to do as I am told in 1 John, and love not only in my words, but TAKE ACTION!!!
I want to help those in need as well as those stuck in my cycle, by beginning a work! I'm calling this ONE DAY!
Basically I will choose one day (probably fall '09) and put out a challenge to people all over the US to give that days earnings, just one day's wages to something beyond themselves, to help others in need. It could be through World Vision, a local homeless shelter, whatever they choose, but give to SOMETHING!!
If you want to get involved, get your youth group or church involved, or maybe you know people or have connections with people who could help spread the word, send me an email at bethanyneedham@hotmail.com, or call me at 774 258 2419 So excited to see what God has in store!!!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

New Job

I began my lifeguarding job Monday, and I have to say for "the most boring job ever" it is the most amazing job I have ever had! I begin at 4:30, and since very few people actually swim at that hour I find myself sitting by the pool, in the silence, reading God's Word, and spending the entire five hours enjoying His presence! I am realizing after only a week, what power the Word of God has, what an amazing love the Father has for us, and what an incredible inheritance we have as believers!!! I ride to work in the morning now so excited for the time I get to spend with my Savior, and desiring so much that as I spend time in His Word, and in prayer that His spirit would work in me, and transform me into His image more and more....a work only He can accomlish!!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Moving Forward


I am working on getting a packet out to camps/conferences to advertise my speaking..Its been a scary,exciting, nervous, weird, all kinds of emotions experience! I am sharing this cause I am at the final stretch, and struggling to get it out...I know God has asked me to do this, and I am excited for what He might have in store, and still there is this voice, this LIE inside that someone left on repeat, telling me again and again how rediculous it is that I would ever consider being a speaker!
I know its lie, not because I am so confident in my having some mad skills:), or even because it feels like a lie(cause honestly it feels very true)..I know its a lie, because my Savior tells me something different in His Word!! There is no condemnation...I have been approved by God to share His truth...
I have no idea what God might have ahead for me, but I know I want to give it all to Him, to truly die to self, and that my life in whatever way it can, might bring Him GLORY!!! No more wasted minutes...

Jehovah Jerah

Its been a while since I have written... I cannot believe its almost Christmas and its taken me this long to get into the spirit! Thanks Maggie for the cd's thats so helped me get there:)!! I am going into this Christmas realizing how incredibely blessed I am and really wanting to pass blessing on to others! Like that movie "Pay it Forward", ever seen it? I won't mark any ideas down here incase some of those people read these, but I did want to write a praise blog:
Praise God for:
My AMAZING family,
Chapel of the Cross
Our Wonderful Home,
Best Friends Ever,
Best Youth Group Ever!!,
Basically God has not only provided for our needs, but has blessed us above and beyond anything I could have dreamed!!!!


Friends,