Friday at 7 - ICF

Our intensive prayer time before ICF with part of the leadership team, Judit, Erik and Sara. Sara and Erik were recently engaged and will marry next summer in Sweden!!!

We're all smiles at ICF! :-)

Some of our Nigerian sisters and Kimberley!

Katie from the U.S. and Blanka, from Hungary are two new ladies in our fellowship!

Abraham was called to leave his country and family and go to where God would show him...Abraham at age 75 was told by God that he would be a father to a son and his descendants would be as numerous as the stars above...Abraham had to wait years and years and years...and years to see the fulfillment of that promise...Abraham, at one point, took things into his own hands and Ishmael was born...but that was NOT the way God promised...finally Isaac, the promise of God arrived...then came the test: "Sacrifice your only son, Isaac, to Me!" declared the Lord...by faith, Abraham obeyed...and God provided HIS sacrifice.



Sara Gisel brought this story and a message about the dreams of God which HE plants in our hearts to those at ICF on Friday night! Are we willing to listen for God's voice, believe the plethora of promises He gives us in His Word, patiently wait for God's promises, and obey in all He says?



We walk by faith, not by sight...and that is going to become even more evident in the days, weeks, months and years to come as world events unfold in interesting ways and we are pushed to believe God and trust in HIS faithfulness like never before!

Anything wrong?

I was sitting in the university cafe today when I looked outside and saw this image above. At first I didn't think much of it, but as my eye kept returning to it, I began to notice the oddities. Can you see at least 2 strange things about this situation?

Yes, the two cars are parked on this street.

Year of the Bible

As I went for a walk the other day, I walked past my favorite fountain in town and noticed these banners hanging on the largest museum in Szeged, part of the celebration of the year of the Bible. I pray many who have never picked up this living and active Word would do so, and that God would touch them with His Truth for their lives!

Fall and harvest

Rows and rows of corn!

Practicing self-timer pix!

" Narrow is the gate that leads to life!"

I love going for long walks. I usually take my worship music on my Ipod and enjoy being with my Jesus, enjoying getting a bit out of town and getting some much needed exercise! Here are some pix from my latest jaunt along the river Tisza!

ICF - Szeged

We had a great meeting on Friday evening for ICF! Sorry, no pictures! Erik and the worship team did a great job of leading us into worship! We had 4 new faces, people from 7 different nations, and the fellowship was wonderful, full of joy and laughter! We heard a message on "the voice of God", mostly drawn from John 10:1-30.

For those in Szeged, come join us next week from 7-9 p.m. in the basement room of Honved ter Reformed Church.

Goodbye blue sky!

I THOROUGHLY enjoyed swimming today...the air was chilly, but the pool was amazingly comfortable, and I LOVED it. However, as of Sunday, they will put the huge cover over the pool for the entire winter, probably til late April or early May.

I soaked in the sky and clouds, relishing every lap (I mostly do backstroke) and the freedom that having an open sky above affords!

Change...yes, this event happens every year...but it is still change. Dealing with change in our lives is always challenging, but if God is doing the changing, then we need never fear...never fear...never fear....He loves us so much, and there are seasons when the skies are blue and puffy white clouds scream of warmth; then there are seasons where we are under a covering...both are for our good, when they come from God.

Relish today, soak in the moments, dance in the joy of all that surrounds you, and know that the changes coming in the future, when submitted to God, will be wonderful and for our good and His glory!

Lessons from dried plum jam

I was doing some cleaning out of my fridge when I decided it was high time I throw out some home-made plum jam a friend had given me...quite a while ago. In the bowl, it still looked like jam. However, upon closer examination, it was hard as a rock and stuck in the bowl like super glue!

So, I had two choices: 1. toss the bowl and forget it, or 2. put the bowl under water and let it soak to loosen up the plum jam. I chose the latter. What transpired was interesting....the water simply richocheted off the rock hard plum jam. At first I thought I would have to resort to number 1. above. I decided however, that I would let it sit in hot water and just soak.

The next day, a bit of the plum jam sort of "broke off"....so I ran more water over it and let it soak again. Day 2: more jam disintegrated. Day 3: even more, but a small remnant remained in the bottom of the bowl...more soaking time.

Finally, this afternoon, I ran fresh, hot water into the bowl, and the last remnants of the hardened jam loosened up and washed away. God immediately showed me how similar our hearts can be sometimes. There's a hardness that only the fire of the Holy Spirit can penetrate, and it could take days...or even weeks or months...before things are softened up enough for God to break through, wash away that which keeps us from being clean and ready to be filled with His freshness, for His purposes.

Ah schedule changes!

I arrived at school today to learn that the entire schedule had changed. Now, on Mondays, I teach from 7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Of course I have 4 periods of "breaks" in between all these hours, but this will be the first year I have a 9th lesson! So, I hung around today only to find out at 3:15 that the class I was supposed to teach in the 9th hour didn't know the schedule had been changed. Oh well. I spent a wonderful afternoon talking with colleagues, so it was worth waiting around for that last lesson!

More Wisdom From Francois Fenelon

I wanted to write more excerpts from this amazing book I'm reading, but as I continued to read, I realized that I would simply have to write out the entire book, so instead, I will encourage you in the strongest, most loving way possible: GET THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Let God - The Transforming Wisdom of Francois Fenelon" by Winn Collier. Paraclete Press http://www.paracletepress.com/

Freedom!

This is the theme of my life! FREEDOM! It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free! Each day, I long to experience more and more of that freedom that only the Holy Spirit can give...because that is the ONLY TRUE FREEDOM! All other freedom is simply counterfeit.

I was on a cruise this summer with family, and these seagulls were circling the ship as we departed a port. I am continually struck by freedom birds exude. Lord, teach us to fly in Your freedom every moment of every day!

Our new ICF poster!

Isn't this great! Great work, Erik and Sara!

Friday at 7 - ICF first meeting!

Worshipping.
Erik leading worship!
We were heavy on the females. Pray God brings more males to our fellowship!

We began ICF 2008-2009 this past Friday night and 15 people gathered to worship, share about their summer adventures, pray, hear a short message and fellowship! We are really looking forward to what God is going to do in our lives and hearts and in all those who will come! Join us in praying that God will make Himself known in the English speaking community here in Szeged through ICF!!!

Conference in Miskolc

MJ, translator Eva, Clem and Jason, enjoying goulash and retes for lunch!

Jason, teaching.

Last weekend, I drove to Miskolc in north-east Hungary to attend a prophetic conference. I'd never been to Miskolc, so it was an adventure trying to find the meeting place. But my friend Mary Jill and I finally met up and enjoyed a wonderful day of outstanding teaching and wonderful worship as well. These are just a couple of pix of the conference and the main speakers.

Atlanta friends

Here are two dear friends from Atlanta, Dan and Vicki Chamberlain, who met me at the airport and drove me around, then we had lunch with another friend during my 7 hour layover there on my way back to Hungary! Precious people who love Jesus and have hearts for the world!

Wisdom from Francois Fenelon

To a spiritually lethargic friend.

"Dear friend,
Peace. Just sit in it. It's not your job to work up passion and fiery devotion for God. It doesn't depend on you. All you can do, all you are responsible to do, is to choose the one you will obey. Hand your will, your obedience, over to God. don't hold anything back.

Frankly, it's irrelevant how much intense feeling you have in your spiritual life right now. The more important question to ask is this: Do I want what God wants? Humbly confess your faults. don't hold onto your world. Abandon yourself to God. Choose to love God more than you love yourself. Desire God's name to be made great. Desire God to have God's way---want that more than you want your own life. If you don't feel these things, then just want to feel it, hoping you will someday. In the meantime, ask God to give you this kind of love for him. He will. God will love you, and he will pour peace into your heart."

Some excellent food for thought, isn't it?

The cry of the heart...

"Father, I'm willing to be willing."

Student questions

I have 3 new classes of students this year. One is an 11th grade "advanced level" group. Every new group of students eventually come around to asking the question: "So what brought you to Hungary?" This question usually comes later in the semester, after they've gotten to know me a bit. Today, however, a young lady in this 11g class raised her hand and asked....it was only our second lesson together.

I actually prefer when this question comes later, after we've established a trusting relationship with one another. So I quickly prayed and sensed I was to give her the "short" answer, rather than the longer one.

Short answers...just enough to answer and to peak their interest to know more.

There was someone who did this really well...and people flocked to him...and he was able to speak and declare Truth. Sometimes his answers were short, sometimes long. He knew how to answer because He listened to His Father.

I want to be a listener to my Father, so I can answer my students' questions the way He wants me to...short or long.

Thought for comments

Here's a quote from a Kevin Prosch song:

"The mercy you don't give....Is the mercy you don't get."

Thoughts?

Miracle boys

I love this picture! On the left is Tamas Lauko, and on the right is Denes Lauko! Both of these little boys were miraculously healed by God. Tamas had water on the brain in the womb and God intervened and removed every bit of it before his birth! Denes, suffered from "floppy baby syndrome", where the muscles don't work properly and one cannot even hold one's head up, and certainly cannot push oneself up like he is doing in this picture! His mom and dad, Anita and Zoli, brought him to one of our ICF meetings on Friday nights and we prayed for him. Two hours later, he was already showing signs of being healed by God. He returned to the lead doctor a week after that who declared him "perfectly healthy!"

We serve a good and gracious God! Pray for this family as the Lord has great things in store for them as a family and these boys, for sure!

Finished first week

Thankfully, the Lord has blessed me, once again, with teaching on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. So, I just finished my first week of teaching for my 20th year of teaching!

Opening ceremonies

No pictures...sorry....we had opening ceremonies today at school. It's a "formal" affair with students dressed up in black and white, and teachers as well. They "welcomed" the "new" American teacher...a Fulbright teacher who is here for a year...interestingly, no mention of the three other American teachers who have been here for 3 and 8 years respectively...hm, interesting. The Hungarian national hymn was played then the "extended" version of the American national anthem. After the formal opening, students went off with their advisors and those of us who are not advisors were free to "do whatever". Teaching starts tomorrow! I've been blessed again with teaching Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays so I can spend Thursdays and Fridays focusing on Friday at 7 - International Christian Fellowship. It's going to be a good and very interesting year, I'm sure!