Today has been a great day here. We have an off day which is always nice. On top of that, I went to church today which was amazing. Once a month the church has a combined church service meaning that they combine the Turkish and English congregations and do one service. How amazing it is to hear the name of the Lord worshiped and praised in a different language. It gives me a little taste of what Heaven is going to be like. All of the songs we sung today were sung one time through in English and one time through in Turkish.
We had the privilege of hearing from a guest speaker today. He came from Sarasota, Florida with a group of short term missionaries; most of his team was serving in the children's church during the service.
Kut Church
02.07.2016
Guest Speaker
Sarasota Calvary Chapel Missions Pastor
A DAY AND A LIFE OF A MAN BORN BLIND
JOHN 9
John 6:38 - The work of Jesus is the Fathers's work.
Jesus says He is the light of the world.
*about the power of God
If we look closely at John Chapter 9, perhaps we can see ourselves as well.
"Saw" - means to understand not just "see"
- Jesus saw more than just a blind beggar
A man born blind would have incredible hearing. The disciples ask a question to Jesus as to why he is blind right in front of the blind man like he isn't there.
Isaiah 48:10 - Through suffering God refines us.
Jesus heals the man. Just as Jesus was sent by the father. Jesus sends this man (blind man) to the pool called "sent" to wash his eyes of the mud so he can see.
"Simple obedience always draws a result."
There is a private price that is paid for "Opened Eyes".
The blind man sees and understands...the Pharisees do not. The blind man's parents don't understand either.
Psalm 27:10 - We won't be disappointed by Jesus.
"Following Jesus isn't always easy."
Isaiah 35:5 - "blind and deaf healed"
KEY: Seeing and understanding Jesus; the power of a testimony can be a great encouragement!! What has God done in your life that you can share with others?
One thing I know: " I was blind but now I see." - thankful for the Lord allowing us to see.
"Those who reject Jesus reject the Light."
This week will be a busy week, but kind of like most weeks. We have 2 practices tomorrow. Our upcoming game was supposed to be played on Sunday, but it will be played on Saturday. Right now we stand at 8-10 in the Turkish League with 8 games left. We have one more game left before we will have a 2 week break from games. We will then resume play February 28th and finish our season April 3rd or 4th. We also have the Turkish Cup game/games that will be played the first weekend of March.
It has continued to be an interesting season for me. I was figuring it up the other day and since arriving here November 1st I have only played in 7 games. Never would I have imagined the season going this way, especially after the many allowances the team made for me, and yet I can say that despite the current situation, this I know...that my God already knew what was going to take place this season. One take away from all of this, is that I feel like the Lord is giving me a fresh perspective on how important it is to be honest and to be a woman of my word. I had the amazing blessing and privilege to be raised by some incredible parents. They modeled for me the importance of being honest as well as the importance of persevering and not giving up. Unfortunately, not everyone has had the privilege of coming from an amazing home, and most importantly there are many lost people out there who don't know the Lord.
I have been blessed to have some great coaches throughout my basketball career as well. My dad to this day is still my most favorite coach that I have ever had. I can sit and reflect on every basketball experience that I have had and see where the Lord has grown me through each experience. Although this season has been quite a rollercoaster, I am blessed to serve a consistent and honest God. He goes before me and each and every one of you daily. What may seem confusing or hard to understand to us, is usually the very thing God has allowed or is using to groom us and continue to mold and shape us into a better reflection of Him. With each and every circumstance that we go through in life we have the opportunity to become better or become bitter. I think so many times our carnal self gets in the way and we choose to wallow in self-pity or discouragement rather than take the higher road and that is to say, "Lord, what can I learn from this situation?". It has been amazing to me how the Lord has given me a peace daily as I continue to wade through unknown waters each week not knowing if and when I will get to play. My identity is not in whether I score 20 points, 2 points, or 200 point (yes I know it is impossible to score 200 points in a game...just had to put some humor in there :)...my identity is in Jesus Christ. I have had some awesome conversations with some of my teammates as a result of me having to go through what I have. We all have the opportunity to reflect Jesus to those around us. It is not always even in what we say, but most importantly how we act.
My challenge to you and a continued challenge for me is to reflect the Lord in our attitude, in what we say, and in how we act, regardless of the tumultuous circumstances going on around us.
I hope everyone has a great day of rest. May we seek the "higher road" in the coming weeks and months, and that is to strive to honor and please Jesus Christ.
God bless,
Megan