A good reminder....

Stopping in the NOW to see the light cascading through the trees onto the fall leaves, and relishing this moment!

I'm sure all of us have heard this time and again, but it bears repeating:

"Wherever you are, BE there 100%!" (unknown)

This truth hit me really hard yesterday, again, as I spent time praying with a dear, dear friend and fellow missionary, via skype no less! We talked for about 40 minutes and then began praying, and through prayer, God set both of us free and for me, reminded me of the above statement. It's very easy for me either to live in the past (either in the muck or the glory), or focus so much on the future that I completely forget BEING right here, where I am 100%...consequently, I miss out on all that God wants to do both in me and through me.

Lord, the past is finished...nothing can be changed; Lord, You control the future, and only YOU know it fully, completely, and I release it into Your ever so perfect hands; Finally, Lord, help me to live in the NOW, 100%, focusing on today and ALL that You will bring my way!

Coming up on Friday at 7....

Ha ha ha, I just realized the title of this blog sounds like a commercial! I guess it sort of is! We will be welcoming the praise and worship team from the Baptist Church here in town to lead us into worship at our International Christian Fellowship this coming Friday evening! Thanks Franci and team!

Also, Edith Bond, our dear friend and wonderful teacher from New Zealand, via Debrecen, will share a word with us!

I always grow excited to see what the Lord will do on Friday nights!

Tired?

Ah, exhaustion again. Not fun. The only way out is rest. Figuring out what that looks like can be challenging. For now, it is sleep. Praying for God's perfect restoration.

Getting reconnected!

Not too long ago, someone introduced me to Facebook. At first I wasn't too keen on what I considered to be "yet another distraction", but as I've learned a bit more how to navigate it, I've found it to be a blessing! Probably the best part about facebook is that I'm getting reconnected with friends "from the past". Just today I got reconnected with an old soccer buddy from my university days. In addition, I am finding former students of mine, especially from here in Hungary....I still need to be careful not to let it become too time consuming, but rather let it be a place of blessing and encouragement!

The old and the new side by side

On the left, are the new flats and the new cars...in the background are the "old" flats from the communist times.

A friend of mine lives in these really nice new "suburbia" flats. I went to his house on Saturday morning and as I was waiting, I looked and saw this site....can you see the 1970 grey block buildings in the background? The old and the new, living side by side.

God is doing His work here in Hungary! He is making all things new...in the midst of it, there are those who are newly born in Jesus Christ, and there are those living side by side with them, who still need to hear the Good News!

Pray for us!

Fun weekend!

Tom and Joanna heading to the train station in Szeged!

We sent Tom off on the "silver bullet" to Subotica, Serbia! Yep, a one car train!

Saying "see you later" to Joanna Sunday afternoon!

I had a great visit from Tom Foley, the CEO of CEO and his daughter and my friend, Joanna! Joanna blessed me by staying til Sunday afternoon! I'm thankful for long-time friends, who love me no matter what!

ICF Friday night!

Erik leading worship.

Tom Foley teaching.

Eszter Szabo-Gillinger and Joanna Foley!

The girls enjoying Klari's wedding photos!!!

We had a wonderful turn-out on Friday! 35 people came together to worship the Lord from 9 different nations! Erik led us into worship and Tom Foley brought a message from 1 Corinthians...."Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."

God's love in nature

See the heart?

Looking at............
.....a beautiful...........
.........bride!!!!

A friend of mine and I were taking pictures in the "good light" we had today in Szeged. We happened upon this cool tree....check out the heart-shape at the foot of the tree. Sweet reminder of God's love for us as we enjoy His creation!



I also saw this sweet little girl who was very intrigued by something....the series of pix shows exactly what...every little girls' dream.

Food?

The huge "fish soup" pot on the bank of the Tisza River! It's nearly the size of that small car!

Yep, they actually cook a HUGE pot of fish soup in this!

In the late summer, early fall, here in Szeged, they have a big fish soup festival! They close the road which runs next to the river, and all kinds of stands are set up with various people selling their versions of fish soup, as well as other wonderful foods! It's a big, fun party for families and friends!



As I was walking a few weeks ago, I was crossing the bridge and saw that they had not yet removed the largest of the fish soup pots from the bank of the river. It's pictured above, and made me think about how many people could actually be fed with the soup cooked in this huge pot! Then I got to thinking about God's endless supply of food for us...not just physical, but even more importantly, spiritual food! He is infinitely able to provide ALL we need, but do we go and drink deeply and eat deeply from Him? Or do we at times...I know I do....look to other sources for my "food" and satisfaction?

Sleep Reading

Ok, we've all heard of sleep walking and sleep talking...but sleep reading???? Well, guess what? It exists!

My friend, Dori, has been staying with me for the past couple of weeks. Last night, I turned in to bed about 9:30 and was reading my book, as I usually do. I got sleepy and closed my book, put it on the floor, looked at my alarm clock and saw it was 10 p.m. I was sooooooo excited to be going to sleep so early! I turned off the light and curled up with my cat.

Well, this morning, Dori asked me if I had a tough time sleeping last night. Why? I asked her...."Well, because when I got up to go to the toilet at 12:30 a.m., your light was on; so I went up the stairs and there you were, sitting up straight in your bed with your arms outstretched and a book in them. Your eyes were closed, so I thought maybe you were praying."

I thought she was totally kidding!!! I have absolutely NO recollection of this "sleep-reading" incident! I did wonder why my back was a bit sore this morning when I woke up...must have been sitting up and reading in my sleep! Anyone else out there ever slept-read?

What comes out of our mouths....

The power of words is more profound than, I believe, any of us can ever imagine. In the book of James in the Bible...have a look at it sometime....James compares the tongue to the rudder of a ship. A small object which can steer the entire ship. Throughout the Bible one can read about how the words that proceed from our mouth are a clear indication of what is TRULY in our hearts. Our words are the fruit of the "tree" which is our heart.

So, it naturally follows that if bitter words are coming forth, then there is a bitter root from which those words are flowing. If loving words flow out, then a heart of love has taken root. If lustful words pour forth, then a root of lust is producing that fruit.

Jesus said, "You will know them by their fruit."

Paul, in Galatians, lists the fruit of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.

"Create in me a clean heart O God..." is the cry of my heart today, so that not one bitter or fleshly root remains and my words are life-giving, life-producing, and filled with the Spirit of the living God!

Oswald Chambers

"The Bible does not say that God punished the human race for one man's sin, but that the nature of sin, namely, my claim to my right to myself, entered into the human race through one man. But it also says that another Man took upon Himself the sin of the human race and put it away---an infinitely more profound revelation (see Hebrews 9:26). The nature of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing, but the nature of self-realization which leads us to say, "I am my own god.""

Fun weekend

Author of "The Heavenly Man" speaking in Kecel, Hungary. There were about 500 people in attendance!

Dori and Judit coming out of church on Sunday morning in Kiskoros!

Arden, trying her hand on a 26 year old, east German motorcycle!

Dori's parents....sporting a 25 year old motorcycle!

I travelled to Kiskoros this weekend to hear the author of the book "The Heavenly Man" speak. It was fun to be with two dear friends, Dori and Judit, to hear this Chinese man who has been severely persecuted for his faith and has an amazing testimony, and to enjoy being with a Hungarian family and eating LOTS of great food! Praise God for good weekends like this!

ICF

Zsuzsa, Timi, Katie and Cathy.....a bit surprised by the camera?

Some of our Hungarian delegation!

Some of our Nigerian delegation!

Eszter teaching on Psalm 91!

Fellowship time!

We had a great meeting on Friday night at ICF! 20 of us gathered together for worship and a wonderful teaching by Eszter Szabo based on Psalm 91! She helped us to see through this Psalm God's protection, the dangers we face, and God's promises for deliverance!



As the various nations gather (7 different ones represented last night), continue to pray for us and these who are seeking to know Jesus more and more!

Life and death

One of my dearest friends in the world sent me an email this week. In it, I learned of her father's passage from here to heaven. This transition for him has been expected, but it still doesn't make it any easier on those left behind to grieve this loss. God did a very cool thing just before taking this man home...He allowed this man's daughter to give birth to her first baby, 3 weeks early, and allowed this man to talk to his daughter and see his grandchild...all the evening before he took his journey into the arms of our Heavenly Father!

Life is precious, and death is difficult for those of us left to grieve and miss the one who is taken home. However, life with Papa (thanks William P. Young, author of "The Shack") for eternity promises to be an amazing reunion in His great love!

We loved and love you Mert!

Wildlife

A friend of mine and I went walking and suddenly, we saw this red fox next to the path! I fully expected it to run away, but we quietly approached and got these couple of shots of it. It was a sweet surprise!

How often is God like that? Placing sweet surprises on the path right in front of us as we walk through life!

Friend returns to Szeged

This is a pic of me and my dear friend, Dora, who recently moved back to Szeged after having been gone for 2 years! We are so excited to have her here...I've loved having her stay with me until she finds a flat of her own.

God is reminding me how incredibly blessed I am with friends! He's so good all the time!

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.