Crazy Americans!!

Well..we have a bunch of people here from the southern states this week. I almost forgot how obnoxious Americans and Canadians can sometimes be. It's not that they are trying to be, but compared to the German and Austrian culture they come across as quite rude sometimes. :) Oh well..I guess I'm just getting used to reserved people. It has been fun though to talk to some people who speak my language fluently. I am feeling a lot better than when I had the flu, but I have now managed to get another cold. Last night I didn't sleep as well as I would have liked, but today I'm just taking it easy since it's my day off. I'm really looking forward to lunch here today. We are having chicken legs and mashed potatoes. Yum!! Tomorrow I am on devotion again, so I'll share with you what I'm going to share with them. This is word for word..I didn't take the time to change it for on here. Sorry. :)

I just want to share a few thoughts that God has been laying on my heart lately.
You are all here on vacation, trying to be refreshed and encouraged before you go back to work. You probably have some expectations about this week. You probably want to be encouraged spiritually as well as refreshed physically. I came here with basically those expectations as well. I wanted a break from my job, and my lifestyle at home. I’m a pastor’s daughter in a small town in rural Manitoba. It is a Christian community and almost everyone has heard the gospel for most of their lives. I worked in a Credit Union for 1 year and 8 months. They gave me a leave of absence to come here and I plan to go back to the same job. Over the past few years I fell into complacency. I lost my passion for God’s work. Being here has helped me to rebuild a structure of good habits. Prayer and devotion in the mornings, bible studies in the evenings, having to prepare devotions to share with guests, being encouraged to partake in physical activity. Having a far more physical job than the one I left back home. One of the things that has really encouraged me to have a good attitude is the prayer times in the morning with the kitchen and house staff. Making a decision to have a good attitude about the work during the day and praying for each other and the other staff as well has really made an impression on me. Since the first few weeks here, feeling closer to God than I have in several years, I’ve been struggling a bit with the thought of going home. It is going to be really hard to keep up the good habits that have been structured here for me. The program and people here are not going to be with me back home. How can I not fall into the same complacency? How can I be motivated to change my lifestyle at home? It’s going to take a huge concentrated effort on my part. Conscious decisions to spend meaningful time with God each day, and to have the attitude of doing everything to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 says..So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
To have an attitude of being excited for all the opportunities God provides me with each day to build others up and show the love of Christ to others. To seek out relationships that will encourage me and allow me to encourage others.
Hebrews 10:24-25 says..And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage each other and all the more as we see the Day approaching.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading in Paul’s epistles lately. One verse that has always stood out to me is 1 Corinthians 11:1 Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.
Paul was joyful in the midst of persecution and let God use him in all circumstances. I’ve never thought of my life back home as hard, but that was the problem..the fact that there was no challenge should have been a challenge in itself. All of us have challenges and mine at home is to make a conscious effort to glorify God in all my actions and thoughts, to be excited to live each day for Christ.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says…Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, be we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly. I do not fight like a man beating the air. No I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
A song that has really touched my heart is called "Mistaken for Jesus" by Warren Barfield.
The Chorus reads: Til everyone I talk to hears His voice, and everyone I touch feels the warmth of His hand, Til everyone I meet sees Jesus in me, this is all I want to be. I want to be mistaken for Jesus.
I worked at a summer camp 3 years ago for the whole summer. It was a lot like being here. My time was structured, we had bible studies and chapels to go to and we had to prepare devotionals for the kids. I remember going home at the end of summer and feeling very discouraged for a while, because after camp I went back to "life as usual". It is very easy to feel discouraged after a time like this, because we go through an emotional high, a spiritual high, and even a physical high while we’re here and it can be difficult to prepare ourselves to go back to our lives and be happy with our lives at home. For me it will be important to set goals for myself when I get home, to make sure that I keep my life on track, to make sure that I am spending time on my relationships with God and people. It will be difficult, but I’m convinced that it is worth it.
In Philippians 4:11-13 Paul says..I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. Whether well fed or hungry, in plenty or in want. The secret is…I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Paul went through many trials and God gave him the grace and strength to persevere. God is still the same today. He wants people like Paul. God didn’t put Paul’s story in the Bible to make us think it’s impossible to be that great. God wanted us to be encouraged to follow in his example. Paul was just a man and apart from Christ he wasn’t anything special. We have the same God to give us the strength and opportunities to do great things. It isn’t easy. We can’t just sit around and wait for life to happen to us. We have to be an active part of life, making a conscious decision to live for Christ. Sometimes it won’t be fun physically or emotionally, but it is eternally rewarding. John 10:10 says..I came that they may have life and have it to the full.
And 1 Timothy 6:17-19 says..Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

So..that's my devo for tomorrow. You can all pray for me that I would be able to speak clearly and not be too nervous. Thanx. :)