Friday, November 21, 2008

Taking some time

Life is tricky. I've always wanted to have purpose in how I make my choices and how I spend my time. However, I often find that instead of having purpose, I am either busy or bored. I am amazed at how much time one can waste on the computer. . . But it is equally true that I can be cleaning my house and teaching my kids and going to church and accomplishing no more than if I were just pounding around the internet from my keyboard.

Purpose, for me, is living in such a way that God is in the midst of my words, my actions, and my perspective. The more I learn to walk with Him, the more I am addicted to the adrenaline of His Spirit moving in me. There are times when the activity that engages me is not necessarily fun or exciting, but I have a deep sense of rightness, that I am doing just what He wants of me with that block of time. Helping my mom battle cancer, encouraging a friend in a difficult marriage, doing my part at the preschool ministry at church...and also cleaning my house, teaching my kids...God has placed me where I am in my life so that I can be salt and light. He has purpose for me in every day.

I know that time moves fast, but I am also amazed (especially when I am wasting it) at how much time we are actually given. Years seem to fly past as I get older, but still every morning when I wake up, there are quite a few hours ahead of me. Every day I choose how I live. May the Lord give me eyes to see the time He has given me, and may I be still enough to hear Him direct me in how to spend it.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Write a letter

I wanted to encourage anyone who sees this blog to check out a new website I found: www.prisoneralert.com. This site is run by Voice of the Martyrs and focuses on believers who are imprisoned around the world. They have a tool that allows you to write a letter in the language of an imprisoned pastor or lay leader. I am certain that officials take note of those prisoners in China, North Vietnam, etc., who receive mail from the United States. It takes very little time, and will cost you about $1 to mail the letter.

The following describes the "crimes" of a man arrested over a year ago in Vietnam:

Location: Vietnam
Arrested: March 2007

In May 2008, Nguyen Van Dai, a Vietnamese Protestant church leader and lawyer, was sentenced to five years in prison and followed by four years of house arrest. Nguyen was accused of a wide range of crimes, including “conspiring with terrorists, in their efforts to promote human rights efforts, including religious rights and democracy.” He was also accused of compiling “evidence of Vietnam’s suppression of the Protestant religion and providing it to the U.S.-based Committee for Religious Freedom in Vietnam and the U.S. embassy.”