1. Weddings! Lots of friends getting married this year, and it is such a privilege to celebrate with each of them. It is also a great reminder at each wedding of the love that Christ has for his church, and his perfect plan in creating marriage!

2. Grace for each new day, and being able to start fresh every morning

3. Susie and Darla! Love their wisdom, insight and the way both of them listen and help me process through life. Thankful for their friendship and mentor-ship these past few years!!

4. Hot tea on cold mornings

5. Praying together as an office each Thursday morning. Great way to close out the week!

‘Always’, replied Müller, ‘He has never failed me! For nearly 70 years every need in connection with this work has been supplied. The orphans from the first until now, have numbered nine thousand five hundred, but they have never wanted a meal. Never! Hundreds of times we have commenced the day without a penny in hand, but our Heavenly Father has sent supplies by the moment they were actually required. There never was a time when there was no unwholesome meal. During all these years I have been enabled to trust in God, the living God, and in Him alone. One million four hundred thousand pounds have been sent to me in answer to prayer.  We have wanted as much as fifty thousand pounds in one year, and it has all come by the time it has been really needed.’ (emphasis mine)

Müller was born in Germany, and moved to England as a missionary in the early-1800′s. He started out his ministry as a church planter and pastor, but after seeing a desperate need for good orphan care he shifted his focus to starting homes for children. For over 50 years he ran an orphanage that consisted by the end of 5 houses that cared for over 1,200 children (at one time!) from birth-17 years old. He revolutionized orphan care in the nation of England, and by the time of his death the entire system had been transformed, largely because of his efforts.

In addition to the orphanage, his church supported missionaries all over the world, including Hudson Taylor in China! He started the Scripture Knowledge Institute that trained hundreds of men in theology and teaching, and spent the last twenty years of his life traveling over 200,000 miles around the world sharing the gospel to thousands upon thousands of people.

All of this work was accomplished by bringing his needs before the Lord only. He founded his organization on the conviction and belief that God would answer when asked. That blows my mind. As I read his biography (Delighted in God by Roger Steer), I was/still am a bit at war in my heart on what I thought about that. One cannot deny that God clearly provided for Müller, and that his approach brought God much glory. But I alos have wondered if they would have seen God provide even more, had they simply asked and made their needs known. There is a balance, I think, between trusting God to provide without ever speaking, and trusting God to use your voice in drawing others closer to Himself as they give.

Sometimes I have doubts that God is really big enough to provide, but reading about the life of this man has given me renewed faith in God’s provision. So often I have a limited view of the omnipotent God. I start to worry, but then am reminded that I am the finite one, He the infinite. I have limitations, He is the owner of everything we can and cannot see. I am broken and flawed, He is perfect and Holy. I can only see one minute at a time, He sees every moment at once. I only know what I need moment by moment, He knows all of my needs and exactly how He is going to provide!

You know me, I love all things tea. Tea parties? Totally my sweet spot. I love it all – the dainty cups, the pretty food, the tea, being 100% girly, wearing cute clothes, you name it.

Well, last Wednesday the Butler Cru girls did a tea party outreach, and each table was hosted by a different group. The Athletes in Action girls decided to host a table, which was awesomeeeee. They decided to make their table theme “athlete casual”, so all the table decor was paper/plastic, and the girls all wore sweats/comfy clothes. I was invited to join the fun, and had a delightful time. Even in my sweats. I love these women so much, and it was totally worth breaking out of my normal comfort zone to spend time with them!

For over half of the 95 ladies who attended, this was their first Cru event (including 4 ladies at our table!). The speaker did a great job sharing the gospel, and our prayer is that this will open many more conversations with the Cru women who invited them!

The AIA table...they did a great job color-coordinating!

A bit blurry, but I enjoyed hanging out with these girls for the evening!

Erika and Claire, two of the ladies involved in AIA!

Chocolate covered Strawberries are essential to a tea party...and these were delicious!

1. Sunshine in the midst of rainy days. So good for my soul and general outlook on life. I love how quickly the presence of the sun can lift a gloomy mood and put a smile on my face. And I love watching the same thing happen to those around me when it breaks through!

2. Having fun at work! We got some new TV’s for childcare to replace our old ones (hooray!), and we want to make sure they all work before we put them in storage until the fall. So, this afternoon is team bonding/movie time for the conference team.

3. Vaccines. Although they are quite pricey, I am thankful that I am now protected from Typhoid, Malaria and Yellow Fever for my upcoming trip to Benin!

4. Getting a hotel for IKW (finalllllllllyyyyyyyy!!!!!). I’ve been working on this since last summer. Last. Summer. The hotel we are going to is not our first choice, but we are thankful that they have both sleeping rooms AND meeting space on the weekend we would like to have the conference. Apparently we picked the same weekend that everyone and their mom planned their event in Indianapolis as well. So glad we serve a God who provides above and beyond what we can imagine!

5. The unstoppable, never-gives up or fails, everlasting and complete love of Jesus.

1. A comfy bed and a good breakfast at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Knoxville, TN on Sunday night to break up the long trek from SC back to Indy.

2. Running into my friend Katie in the middle of Spartanburg, SC at the only Starbucks in town…located in the Barnes and Noble! I was in need of a snack and some coffee, and it was literally the only place for several miles. How neat of the Lord to get me off at that stop and bring me to that shop so we could reconnect! Crazy fun.

3. Time to get things done, like cleaning my apartment and getting an oil change

4. Things being on sale

5. AIA students who love Jesus and live out their faith while playing their sport. It is always a challenge to get myself to a bible study that starts at 9pm, but once I am there, it is always worth it. Love to dig into the Word with them and experience life together.

I read this great article the other day that shares some of the ways that Indianapolis and groups of people are standing together to provide a way out for trapped women. As we enjoy the game and events this weekend, my heart has been burdened to pray for this whole situation to be shut down. Will you join me this weekend in praying for these women and those who are selling them? Pray that the light of Christ would shine forth, that the women and girls will be rescued and helped, that the men in control will be caught and stopped.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

This is a rich passage that both convicts and comforts. There is so much to get out of it, but one thing from the sermon stuck out to me that I have been mulling over the past two days.

for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Where your treasure is [present tense, right now, in this moment], there will [future tense, later, ultimately at the end] your heart be also.

Treasure leads the heart. Or, to say it backwards, your heart will follow after what you find most important. This is why it is so crucial what we are treasuring right now. What we choose to spend our time investing in at this time is where our hearts will lead us in the future – either closer to Jesus or farther away from Him.

There are many ways I store up treasure on earth – investing my time, energy and talents in things that are just going to burn up one day – rather than storing up treasure that will last for eternity. One would think that eternity would trump temporal every time. But sadly, it doesn’t.

Most often it is because I fail to see Jesus as the ultimate treasure.

When I am pulled in by the things of this world, my “eye” becomes dark and my vision is blurred, and suddenly my allegiance has shifted. You see, it’s not about the stuff; stuff is fine when viewed rightly. It’s about attitude, and recognizing that Jesus and His kingdom are the only things that are going to last forever. Everything else, everything else, is going to burn up. We are called by Jesus to invest our lives in eternal things, and rightly understand that earthly things, while sometimes good, are all temporary.

Where is your treasure being stored right now?

1. The weather right now. This is unusual January weather even for South Carolina, and I am thoroughly enjoying these days of 70 degrees and sunshine. I went for a run yesterday in shorts and a t-shirt! What? Awesome.

2. The Holy Spirit, and His ability to close my mouth when it is most glorifying to God that I remain silent, and then also give me the words to say when truth needs to be spoken.

3. Learning new things all the time!

4. A second home. I love being at the Fowler’s house – I am just as comfortable and “at home” here as I am when I am home with my parents. Such a blessing to have great friends we have known for almost 20 years!

5. Almost being home! I’ve been home a total of 10 days since the first week of November, so as much as I have loved this time traveling and seeing dear friends, I am also very ready to be at home for more than 3 consecutive nights.