purposed to be a masterpiece

for Christmas last year (2008) my parents bought me the costly call books 1 & 2. as i read the amazing stories in the first one, i was in awe of how bold those people were. in the midst of horrifying events they boldly claimed the Truth of the Father. even if it meant their death or disconnection with their families. i remember talking to a friend about it once on a chick-fil-a date. i told her that i would hope i was that bold if i was ever placed in that that type of situation. she agreed. the stories amaze me.

i recently finished the first book and picked up the second one today to read the introduction. i was not planning on reading the first story today as i knew i had Chinese to learn. curiosity got the best of me and instead of grabbing the book i NEEDED to read, i grabbed the costly call book 2 instead.

the first story blew me away and i will forever be changed. seriously. it was the story of DeWei, a Chinese (how ironic?) man who knew and believed in the Truth. he was a successful business man with a wife and 12-year-old daughter. he "thought the world was in the palm of his hand" as everything seemed to be going his way. up until that point he had only heard of persecution of Believers from other people. then one day he was attacked after work by muslim men, and another day they threw bricks at him and his wife as they were leaving the mall. he then began hearing about churches being burnt down while people were inside. DeWei said the days and weeks that followed became increasingly violent until the worst came. a large group of muslim men broke into his house one night while his family was sleeping and attacked him, his wife, and his daughter. they beat his wife until she was unconscious. they broke both of his legs and knocked him unconscious but he woke up to the sound of screams only to see his baby girl being raped by each of the 12 men. he tried to get up but couldn't because of his broken legs. when the men noticed they knocked him out again only to wake up this time with a shattered chin and broken arms. he was helpless and had to lay in his own blood watching his precious daughter being molested and then beaten to death by the men. as the group of men left one sneered at DeWei asking him "where is your Savior now?" as the police came and took him and his wife to the hospital where they were for almost 3 months he found out he had 32 broken bones and 47 lacerations while his wife had 9 broken bones and 26 lacerations. DeWei was furious at the Father and questioned why He took his little girl. he went to counseling with his wife at their church to work through their pain, but he was still angry. it took a year for him to heal and forgive those men of what they did. he didn't fully heal until one Sunday morning when the Father clearly spoke to him through that mornings message.

it was simply titled "purposed to be a masterpiece" with ephesians 2:10 being the scripture verse. 2:10 states that Believers are the Father's masterpiece. as the message went on it was explained that all the famous painters in the world could create whatever they wanted on their canvas and use whatever colors they chose--whether they be bright reds, blues, oranges, and yellows, or browns, greys and black. the canvas has no say as to what colors are to be used. that is left up to the master artist. just like in that analogy, the Father (Master Craftsman) has the same right to choose what colors to paint into our lives to make us the masterpiece that He desires. there will be bright colors (the good times in life when things are going well). and there will be times when the Father will use dark colors in our lives (tragedies, sickness, and persecution). He does this in order that we might be His masterpieces, used to bring honor and glory to His Son.

DaWei was completely healed by the Father after hearing that message. after a while he went back to work, but another muslim man set fire to one of the rooms in his business. he decided to not press charges and refused to testify against him. after a year in prison the man came to DaWei telling him he was sorry and would repay him for the rest of his life. it was then and there that DaWei was able to share the Truth with him and lead him to believe. DaWei gave him a job at his hotel and instantly became good friends with the man, becoming "Uncle DaWei" to the man's daughters. something only the Father could do...a Chinese man uncle to a Javanese family. all doing it by painting dark colors on the canvas of his life.

so i know this is lengthy but to grasp what i grasped without having the real story in front of you, i had to give details. it brought a whole new meaning to how i viewed life. i'm not even sure i can explain it being that it is so late. but DaWei said it best..."Yahweh Himself does have the right to paint any color into my life that He wishes. i am not asking Him to paint dark colors in my life. however, i am telling Him that if He needs to put more dark colors on this canvas, He is free to do so. i just want Him to be pleased with this canvas. i truly want to be a masterpiece for my Father."

dang. i'm speechless. really. my deepest heart's desire is to be a masterpiece for my Father. going to China and experiencing EVERYTHING new is a part of what he is painting on my canvas. there will be bright colors as well as dark, but it will all be a part of His plan for the masterpiece He is creating.

for we are the Father's masterpiece. He has created us anew in His Son, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10

a fab four reunion

so friday night, after over a year of being separated, the Fab Four (keshia, kendra, aly, and christine) reunited for a random night of reminiscing the years spent at spartanburg methodist college.

it was a fast paced night as it always was with the Fab Four and here is what went down:

• quick visit with Kim Day
• dinner at boot's and sonny's (a local hot dog joint)
• soccer and frisbee at barnet park
• 10 frames of bowling at paradise lanes (formally known as shamrock lanes)
• arcade games
• ice cream at bruster's
• "good game, pat"s on the tennis courts
• ding, dong, ditch at kim day's
• fresh, hot donuts at krispy kreme
• elongated goodbye's in kim day's yard

by the time we hit the tennis courts it was 9:30 and i guarantee you we were ready to go to bed by then. back in the smc days 9:30 is when we were just getting started. :] boy how the time has flown. it was great to see that chris and i were still the "crazy" ones trying to coax kesh and ken to join in on random things...like skipping, boob tags, and pony rides. man the mems i have with these girls. i loved how it had been so flippin long since we had been together, yet after we get through the first 30 minutes of awkwardness (thanks to no one other than queen awkward herself...ME-ha) it was like sophomore year never ended. the bond between the four of us has never been broken no matter the distance. i hated how fast the night went, especially the goodbye at the end. of course, we delayed it like always. kesh had to break it and just decide to leave. i mean, she is the oldest. the rest of us "young ens" always followed by example.

the entire night was captured on film. we had five cameras out snapping photos or taking videos. it really was a great reunion. here are a couple of "then" and "now" pictures just because they are hilarious to see.

i'm FAR from normal

well i never thought this would happen, but here i am less than a week and i'm posting again. heart attack, i know. hope you all are able to catch your breath. :)

just got in from "the spring" (Newspring) in greenville and really amazed at how the Father works. like, really. i am in awe of how He has worked in my life and in the lives of others around me. Perry shared four words (rhyming words too) that relate to when the "brook is dry" (1Kings 17:1-8).

1-Invitation: the last thing the Father calls us to be is normal. [i smiled when Perry said this because I KNOW i'm FAR from normal :)] follow Him and He will show you things that are not ordinary, and you will experience things that are not ordinary.

2-Desperation: when "the brook is dry". after you follow His will for you and you come to a dry place, pretty much everyone will call out in desperation to the Father. "why is this happening when you told me to go here?" "where are you now?"

3-Revelation: it always seems to be during the hard times in life when we hear the Father speaking to us. in those times of desperation we cry out to Him, desperate for His touch. even though we were doing what He said, sometimes He will cause the brook to dry up to get our attention. again, we listen to Him and hear what He has to say.

4-Celebration: when you realize the brook is dry, when you finally call out to the Father in desperate need of Him, when you listen to Him, there is cause for celebration. yes, the time may be tough and difficult but..."when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy".

Perry shared the vision of Newspring and what would be happening at the greenville campus. long story short, they are moving from a permanent location to a portable location in greenville but they are not weary. they believe the Father will pour out more blessing on the fact that the greenville campus will be able to hold more people!

as we drove back from greenville i couldn't help but be super pumped about what the Father was doing at Newspring. yes, my heart broke a little knowing i will not be able to be a part of most of it considering that in two weeks i will be in rock hill and then at the end of the summer i will depart for China. however i know the Father has great things in store for Newspring and for me, even if that means i won't be able to attend on a weekly basis.

i also thought about the story in 1 Kings about Elijah and the brook and how it related so well to my life right now. i talked about it in my last post about walking through this "birthing place". well, the brook is dry right now. i am in a new phase (chapter) in life where things are kind of just at a standstill. for the next three weeks i have not a darn thing planned. no job, nothing. and while i had such a hard time adjusting to that fact until a couple days ago, i now know and believe the Father had it planned this way since the day i was born. the two months i will spend in rock hill as a camp director will be another learning and growing experience that i will hold dear to my heart. then in three months, the Father is leading me to China where i believe i will see so many things happen to me and the lives around me that are definitely NOT ordinary. all for the Glory of the Father. tonight my excitement for China kicked up not only a few notches, but A LOT. as well as being in spartanburg for three weeks and then rock hill for two months. big things are about to happen, i can feel it.

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9