....never fails

love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely; does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

Be Thou exalted over my reputation.

Be Thou exalted over my reputation. Make me ambitious to please Thee even if as a result I must fall into obscurity and my name be forgotten as a dream. ^A.W. Tozer

recently i have fallen in love with this peom. =) jimmy needham wrote it, and it comes from the quote above. he even reads it on his latest albumn (so go check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a72yM5D2oSA it's only 2 minutes.)
 nightlights.
be thou exalted over my reputation,
'cause applause is a poor form of soul medication.
and I've tried it for years, but my symptoms remain:
still fretting the day that they'll misplace my name,
still selling my soul for american fame.
treating the promotion of Jesus like a well oiled machine,
advancing His kingdom just to snag some acclaim.
now, i'm both comforted and haunted that it isn't just me though.
i see a nation of people needing to feed their own egos,
parading status like steeples.
do we not know it's evil to love ourselves more than both God and His people?
but see, here's where you turn this poem on it's head,
'cause the greatest among us came as servant instead,
and You humbled Yourself to the point of Your death.
apparently love for the Father's glory runs red.
so friends, will we point to the Son till our own flames grow dim?
will our bright lights become merely night-lights near Him?
words echo once, let them echo again:
be Thou exalted over my reputation

innocent as doves

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.

^Matthew 10:16

George Müller.

growing up, i loved the stories of faith that i read about a man - who lived in england- and cared for 10,024 orphans. this same man opened 117 schools that brought Christian education to over 120,000 children. he never made requests for financial support, nor did he go into debt; and still God allowed millions of dollars (equicalent of $150 M) to pass through his hands. through his prayer and example hundreds of thousands were led to the Lord, and he lived to be ninety-three years old. what was his 'key' to success? what brought this unwavering faith and security that drove away the fear and stress he probably could have been under?

^Phillipians 3:7-9
    "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him,"

Mr. Müller's faith in God was strengthened each day and he spent hours in prayer and Bible reading; and, in his later years, he read the entire Bible, cover to cover, four times every year. his prayer was 'legendary', and there are countless stories of modern day miracles, present day examples of God's strength. he prayed about anything and everything - and - expected each prayer to be answered. this courage was not out of pride or false trust, but of faith. it wasn't of a spoiled son who asked for what he wanted, but of a servant who's desires were exactly like his Master's. one who knew His heart well.

when he was asked about his faith, he said:

"I was converted in November of 1825, but I only came into the full surrender of the heart four years later, in July 1829. The love of money was gone, the love of place was gone, to love of position was gone, and the love of worldly pleasures and engagements was gone. God, god alone became my portion. I found my all in Him; I wanted nothing else. And by the grace of God this has remained, and has made me a happy man, and exceedingly happy man, and it led me to care only about the things of God. I ask affectionately, my beloved brethren, have you fully surrendered the heart to God, or is there this thing or that thing that which you have taken up irrespectively of God? I read a little of the scriptures before, but preferred other books; but since that time the revelation He has made of Himself has become unspeakably blessed to me, and I can say from my heart, God is an infinitely lovely Being. Oh, be not satisfied until in your own inmost soul you can say God is an infinitely lovely Bing!" [Man of Faith and Miracles by Basil Miller]

may i always surrender like that. may i always prefer Him. and may i always be a woman of prayer.

when asked about prayer: here are some of the things he said....

"I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord's will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.

"Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impressions. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.

"I seek the will of the Spirit of God through or in connection with the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also.

"Next I take into account providential circumstances. These plainly indicate God's will in connection with His Word and Spirit.

"I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.

"Thus through prayer to God, the study of the Word and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters and transactions involving most important issues, I have found this method always effective."

My Father.

My Father.

today is my dad's birthday. he was born exactly 48 years ago. i always love how he is almost exactly 30 years older than i am (because i never have to think twice to remember how many wise years he owns).

i have an amazing papa - and i have come to repect and admire him a whole bunch. i can easily fill a book with all that he has taught me, his funny quirks, and his life experiences (and one day, maybe i will); but right now, i think i will just boast (or brag) a little with all this pride i feel. =)

my father loves God. he loves Him with all his heart, and you can tell when you watch him pray. you can also see it when he worships (often singing off key). ;) one day i want to capture that look, but many times it seems so reverent and too special to interrupt with the sound of a shutter.

my dad is a teacher. when 'my old man' (no offense!) has a passion for something, i want to be the first one to sit down and learn what he hast to say! if there were 2 words that would be his 'soundtrack'.....so to say....it would be Carpe Diem. seize the day. i was taught that seizing today starts with glorifying God, then is closly followed up with how i relate to my family, my friends, and even total strangers.

my papa is handsome! (...notice the exclamation point) and he is almost all mine. =D You see, i have to share him with 2 other girls here. Well - technically - he's my mom's. but she has to share....a little bit.

i can easily to on and on about his amazing adjectives. i feel so luck to be a daughter to a really amazing guy! i get to have my inbox filled an amazing quote, and i also get to see him serve on a regular basis. i get to be the one doubling over in laughter because of an impromptu song, and i also get to see him when he is grumpy with bed hair. ;) all in all = i am so thankful!

i pray that i grow to be as patient, funny, smart, creative, discerning, tactful, and as much of a leader as him. Gary Anthony Wayne. MY dad.

here is an email that he sent this month....so you all get to be inspired - in his own words. ;D enjoy!

~~~~

"Great minds have purpose, others have wishes."  -- Washington Irving, American Author

Gang,

Do you think you have “purpose” in your life? Do you have “wishes” that you hope will come true someday?

Ask yourself the following questions: “Am I living my life with purpose – actually intentionally living with certain actions & behaviors that I am in control of? Or am I living my life more as a general floating around without my direct control with hopes & wishes that might become reality some day if I get lucky?

Most of the world lives within the realm of the second question above. God wants us to live our lives each & every day with a “yes” answer to the first question above. We have the choice as to the mindset we want to implement – and when we implement the correct & godly mindset, then God has more active involvement in our lives and the Holy Spirit can move more powerfully. All we need to do is be open to God’s Spirit by intentionally inviting Him into our lives each day and having control over our emotions & our actions. If we align our actions with God’s commands, He will bless us and we will live a fuller & more abundant & peaceful life. If we live according to our emotions and we live more selfishly, then God will allow natural circumstances to pervade our lives and it will not be peaceful and it will not be in deep fellowship or communion with Him.

In other words, we will reap the life that we sow. So let’s plant seeds of purposeful thought. Seeds of actions & behaviors that God will be pleased with and that will honor Him. Seeds of living life with a definite purpose that great minds possess.

Are we living life or letting life happen to us?

Let’s have the mind of Yeshua. Let’s ask God to develop our minds into His purpose – a great purpose!

Love you all,


Papa

.my favorite quotes

i love quotes. every day i find myself jotting another one down into my 'quote book;' and i continue to look back occasionally just to feel that wow moment again. i think that my dad taught it to me, because - almost every day -  he sends a 'quote of the day'....and with each quote he writes a short, compact little devotion. in his folder i have over 200 emails, and the majority are those passion filled little paragraphs that i have come to love. =)  there are so many times that i don't know how to word things and find myself borrowing from some pretty amazing heros of mine. so here are just a couple that i love, and i'm sure that there will be many many more to come!

oh, and feel free to comment with some of your fav. quotes, too. =)


"Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself." ^Susanna Wesley

"One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving." -Amy Carmichael

"The nature of Christ's salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day evangelist. He announces a Savior from hell rather than a Savior from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of Fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness." ^A.W. Pink

“Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves. When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little. When we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord.” ^Francis Drake

"Carnal Christians profess Christ as their redeemer but their actions and decisions are for the sake of their own interests and who they are in themselves rather than God's interests and who He is. Their minds are still the workshops of the devil, for he can persuade countless numbers of professing Christians to try to be Christians without Christ." ^Ian Thomas

"Loneliness is a required course for leadership." ^Elisabeth Elliot

"American Christians have fallen for a counterfeit peace and joy. Instead of going to God and understanding experientially that in His presence is the fullness of joy we go to Hollywood, we go to the music industry, we go to professional sports - and that's where we get our rush and our sense of fulfillment." ^Leonard Ravenhill

"All your circumstances are in the hand of God, therefore never think it strange concerning the circumstances you are in. Your part in intercessory prayer is not to enter into the agony of intercession, but to utilize the common-sense circumstances God puts you in, and the common-sense people He puts you amongst by His providence, to bring them before God's throne and give the Spirit in you a chance to intercede for them. In this way God is going to sweep the whole world with His saints." ^Oswald chambers

I truly believe that when God says no its always because there is a greater yes in the future.

"Follow Me beyond what you can control, beyond where your own strength and competencies can take you, and beyond what is affirmed and risked by the crowd, and you will experience ME, and My power, and My wisdom, and My love." ^Gary a Haugen

"Books are missionaries, they work even while you are sleeping." ^Marlyn Hickey

"God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me...That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave." ^General Thomas ''Stonewall'' Jackson

"It is a safe thing to trust God with the desires of your heart, because they are the desires He has created." ^Amy Carmichael

"A pure heart is one to which all that is not of God is strange and jarring" ^Tauler

"What is the secret of great living? Entire separation to Christ and devotion to Him. Thus speaks every man and woman whose life has made more than a passing flicker in the spiritual realm. It is the life that has no time for trifling that counts." ^Amy Carmichael

"The preoccupations of young women don't seem to change much from generation to generation. But in every generation there see to be a few who make other choices." ^Elisabeth Elliot

"When we deliberately choose to obey God, He will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us with all His almighty power." ^Oswald Chambers

“I have rightfully no other business each day but to do God’s work as a servant, constantly regarding His pleasure. May I have grace to live above every human motive, simply with God and to God.” ^Henry Martyn (missionary to India)

“God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks to our conscience, but shouts in our pain. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” ^C.S. Lewis

Let's Part the Clouds and Show the World the Son!

Valerie introduced me to a new song this week. I can say that at this moment, right now, at 7:03pm October 9, 2010 - it is my favorite song. ;) So I thought I would right to share it with you! Why not, right?

*inspirationsal music*

Anyway. This song's lyrics are - simply put - "BRILLIANT" (quoting valerie).  So listen and read the lyrics. Then tell me what you think! :D

Signing out from Breckenridge!!! IT IS SO PRETTY HERE!

I like, like to be liked
And no one likes to hear the truth
And I've seen what the truth can do
So I tried, tried to downsize
The part of You that's hard to tell
But the layoff didn't go so well
Beat around the burning bush
Till that fire went away
God was once so palpable
Before the shades of gray

We might as well just fold our hands
If we can't call a spade a spade
Cuz we will miss the heart each time
If we won't ever shoot them straight
These pleasantries shading me and you too
Let's part the clouds
And show the world the Son

We think, think we are helping
By giving You a little flare
But it doesn't matter what You wear
Cuz runways aren't Your forte
You prefer the narrow road
Even though its not en vogue
The gospel looked so very cold
One night as I passed by
So I gave him my best sugar coat
And dressed it in a lie
We might as well just fold our hands
If we can't call a spade a spade
Cuz we will miss the heart each time
If we won't ever shoot them straight
These pleasantries shading me and you too
Let's part the clouds
And show the world the Son
Oh, Oh, Whoa

This living water will not quench us
If its watered down
Its not our place to hide again
This treasure that we've found

We might as well just fold our hands
If we can't call a spade a spade
Cuz we will miss the heart each time
If we won't ever shoot them straight
These pleasantries shading me and you too
Let's part the clouds
And show the world the Son

L'Shanah Tovah!

Rosh HaShanah is coming! It is crazy how time has flown by. It's September! This time of year always brings a smile to my face. :D All the memories every year come back, and I just can't help it! There is 1 short week left until our family celebrates the "Feast of Trumpets" and wish everyone a good year. I am so excited!!!!!

       When we wish each other a Shanah Tovah, a good year, we think of the Hebrew word shanah, or year, and extend greetings for a good year. But the Hebrew root - shin, nun, heh - has another meaning as well, from the verb le-shanot, to change. Further, the same root - shin nun heh - also denotes repetition, as in the name of the fifth book of the Torah, Mishneh Torah, the repetition of the Torah.
        In other words, a shanah tovah, a good year, is a year of le-shanot, of change, of doing things differently and better. And it also denotes a year of repetition, of relearning all the old lessons that our tradition of truth and wisdom has been teaching us for many centuries.
       Shanah is a unique word. And may the new shanah be a unique year, one in which there is both repetition of the old, and change for the better. ~Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins

Cute Ciddos! ;)

Last night I had the wonderful privilege of babysitting. I LOVE BABYSITTING! I always have and always will. Taking their pictures are almost just as fun. To capture the smiles and bundles of joy in a second is what makes me smile....and sometimes laugh! One of the little girls last night told me that when she grew up she wants to be a babysitter. How true is that? I giggled and gave her my consent on such a fabulous choice. =]

Bless His Holy Name

*The soul of every living being shall bless Your Name, Hashem, our God; the spirit of all flesh shall always florify  and exalt Your remembrance, our King. From This World to the World to Come, You are God, and other than You we have no king, redeemer or savior. Liberator, Rescuer, Sustainer, and Merciful One in every time of distress and anguish we have no king but You! - God of the first and of the last, God of all creatures, Master of all generations, Who is extolled through a multitude of praises, Who guides His world with kindness and His creatures with mercy. HaShem neither slumbers nor sleeps. He Who rouses the sleepers and awakens the slumberers, Who makes the mute speak and releases the bound; Who supports the fallen and straightens the bent. To You alone we give thanks. Were our mouth as full of song as the sea, and our tongue as full of joyous song as its multitude of waves, and our lips as full of praise as the breadth of the heavens, and our eyes as brilliant as the sun and the moon, and our hands as outspread as eagles of the sky and our feet as swift as deer - we still could not thank You sufficiently, HaShem, our God and God of our forefathers, and to bless Your Name for even one of the thousand thousand, thousands of thousands, and myriad myriads of favors that You performed for our ancestors and for us. You redeemed us from Egypt, HaShem, our God, and liberated us from the house of bondage. In famine You nourished us and in plenty You sustained us. From sword You saved us; from plague You let us escape; and from severe and enduring diseases You spared us. Until now Your mercy has helped us, and Your kindness has not forsaken us. Do not abandon us, HaShem, our God forever. Therefore, the organs that You set within us, and the spirit and sould that You breathed into our nostrils, and the tongue that You placed in our mouthe - all of them shall thank and bless, praise and glorify, exalt and revere, sanctify, and declare the sovereignty of Your Name, our King. For every mouth shall offer thanks to You; every tongue shall cow allegiance to You; every knee shall bend to You; every erect spine shall prostrate itself before You; all hearts shall fear You, and all innermost feelings and thoughts shall sing praises to Your Name, as it is written: "All my bones shall say: 'HaShem, who is like you?' You save the poor man from one stronger than he, the poor and destitute from one who would rob him." Who is like unto You? Who is equal to You? Who can be compared to You? O great, mighty. and awesome God, the supreme God, Creator of heaven and earth. We shall laud, praise, and florify You and bless Your holy Name, as it is said: "Of David: Bless HaShem, O my sould, and let all my innermost being bless His holy Name!"

*A prayer from the Sidur read every Shabbos! ;) Isn't it pretty????

Butterflies*

Copyright by me. =)

My favorite words....

Glory. I want to learn to Glorify God and have His name be Glorified in my life so that I might bring Him Glory.

Bless. I want to learn to be a blessing for Life. I have been blessed, and in turn I want to Bless.

Serve. Something my amazing Maman has taught me. I want to be as selfless as my mother (and my God)...

Super-Dooper, Fantabulous, Marvelous, smiley, Terrific and any other colorful way to describe how I’m feeling. :D

Exactimonely. Because it is a word I made up….kinda

.a servant

“I have rightfully no other business each day but to do God’s work as a servant, constantly regarding His pleasure. May I have grace to live above every human motive, simply with God and to God.” ^Henry Martyn (missionary to India)

What does it mean to be a servant? Yeshua says, "But the greatest among you shall be your servant" (Matt. 23:11). I find myself thinking about so many - in the Christian population - that I come in contact with...and how mediocre they are. Many haven't ever read the whole Bible (or continue to read it), they rarely pray (and I am talking about not just before you eat....), so who can recognize them as believers? Many times I can't. How can the Lost get found and know that He is Lord when God isn't sanctified by the people already called by His name?


Matthew 25:40 and James 1:27 are so important! That is what it means to serve. And that is what I want to become. I want to be known.......as a servant.

A Call to Anguish:

This pretty much sums up what God has been teaching me recently. Why are we - as believers in the one true God - not having the passion to tell others about Him? Where is Yeshua's heart in the Church? Are we changing the world, or is the world changing us? This morning my family and I were reading Numbers 25. It is SUCH an amazing chapter, with a whole bunch of cool nuggets. It was talking about the zeal of Phinehas (Aaron's grandson). This guy had the courage to assume leadership in front of Israel to defend the name of God. He fought for God with a sword, yet how many of us can't even do it with our mouth? Why do we shrink back and hide...excusing it, "because we don't want to look weird" or "we want to be polite and not judgmental". We serve a jealous God. A God who is jealous of the attention that we give movies, facebook, texting, friends, and hobbies, over HIS glory. I don't know about you, but I want my life to be consumed with zeal for God (just like Phinehas), filled with His righteousness. I want to be radical for the sake of His great Name.

'What is the secret to great living? Entire separation to Christ and devotion to Him. Thus speaks every man and woman whose life has made more than a passing flicker in the spiritual realm. It is the life that has no time for trifling that counts.' *Amy Carmichael


~felicia

My First Jumble of Words....

    I would like to think of myself as a blogger (i.e. a person who enjoys posting *stuff* on a blog), but truth be told....even though this is just first post, I already know how horribly inconsistent I am going to be at it.
                                                Scraps. Volume 1. Number 1. Page 1.
     It is usual in publishing the first blog post to give the reasons for beginning it. So I will try to relate the circumstances that led up to the existence of Scraps. Well. There isn't much of a good reason. ;o) I have just wanted to create a place where I can chronicle and record all the miracles that He created! So you may see poems, or pictures, songs, videos, quotes, or just and burst of letters that hopefully become a beautiful paragraph. In other words, God has taught me so much, and I just wanted to be able to share it! :D
     Though I want to be able to claim that I came up with the name....Scraps....I didn't. The lady who said - "It is the life that has no time for trifling that counts" - did. You can say that when she was alive, Amy Carmichael had a blog too! So here it is. My version and my style.

    ~felicia