The Graciousness of Uncertainty

So I have shamelessly stolen the title of this entry from Oswald Chambers, much like I will steal his entire entry in his daily devotional "My Utmost for His Highest" at the end of my post. I am blown away today by God's personal touch in our lives to give us a word in season (Isaiah 50:4). I think whether we are on the mission field, working a full time job, being a full time parent, or maybe in a state of unemployment we all have thoughts of "What is God doing in my life, and what is taking Him so long to DO it". Our natural tendencies are so results oriented that it's hard to think in the supernatural. Many days I wake up in the morning and wonder what this day will hold, what God will have me to do here in Berlin today, and before I even give Him that thought my mind is already flooded with "do, do, do, DO!" How often I allow myself to get overwhelmed with what God would have me to do, and what God is going to do in certain areas of my life that I don't rest in Him and His promises. And how much more do I allow myself to get overwhelmed thinking "when is the Lord going to DO something for me?" God has called us to a life of rest in Him, enjoying getting to know Him more and more each day. He will DO and we are to REST, and throw away your concepts of time because God is living in eternity. This morning, reading Oswald Chambers devotional was so personal to me that I have to post it here below. 

"Naturally, we are inclined to be so mathematical and calculating that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We imagine that we have to reach some end, but that is not the nature of spiritual life. The nature of spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty, consequently we do not make our nests anywhere. Common sense says- 'Well, supposing I were in that condition... ' We cannot suppose ourselves in any condition we have never been in.

'Certainty is the mark of the common-sense life: gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means may bring forth. This is generally said with a sigh of sadness, it should be rather an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. Immediately we abandon to God, and do the duty that lies nearest, He packs our life with surprises all the time. When we become advocates of a creed, something dies; we do not believe God, we only believe our belief about Him. Jesus said, 'Except ye... become as little children.' Spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, but uncertain of what He is going to do next. If we are only certain in our beliefs, we get dignified and severe and have the ban of finality about our views: but when we are rightly related to God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty, and expectancy.

'Believe also in Me,' said Jesus, not- 'Believe certain things about Me.' Leave the whole thing to Him, it is gloriously uncertain how He will come in, but He will come. Remain loyal to Him."

~Emily

"It doth not yet appear what we shall be" I John 3:2

New Bikes!

We have been praying for God to give us bikes since we got here, specifically in these past few weeks as the weather has gotten so amazing. Well here's the story! Emily was checking on Craigslist last Monday to look for second hand bikes. She found two bikes, one man and one woman's bike for 120 euros for the pair! Used bikes in Berlin can usually cost around 200 euros just for one. So we emailed the couple that was selling the bikes telling them we were interested. We heard back later that afternoon and found out that we were the first to respond, and they had had a lot of people interested so we had first priority. We set up a date to meet them and take a look at the bikes. As great of a deal as this was, we had one problem... we don't have an extra 120 euros. So we told God that we are not going there without the money to pay for the bikes, so please give us 120 euros in two days. Hah, sounded impossible. But that night at Bible College we were literally handed an envelope from someone with our names on it. We got home that night and opened it and it was filled with a bunch of euros in different sized bills that totaled exactly 120 euros! We could not stop laughing, and saying "We're getting bikes!" So we picked them up yesterday afternoon and rode them home for the first time! 

Prayer Requests

Please keep the following in prayer for us over the next couple of weeks:

• For God to raise up funds to go to the conference in Sweden the first weekend of May, we need 50 euros a piece for the bus ticket (about $65).
• For God to open doors to have a teen camp this summer in Berlin
• Our upcoming meeting on May 15 with the Foreigner's Office regarding our visas. We are also praying for God to provide the 100 euros a piece to pay for each Visa.
• God to open up an amazing apartment for us. We have been staying with a couple in the church since we got here which has been an amazing provision, but our prayer is that God will provide us our own place when we return from the summer.
• For plans to have a church play this fall that will go on the road through Germany.
  

In Him, 

Matt & Emily

Outreach at Nollendorfplatz

Every Tuesday we go to a part of the city called Nollendorfplatz. This area is mostly known for the Hartnackshule, a private language school. Every week we set up a book table right on the corner street, where the students walk by in between classes. This book table has literature about the Bible in a variety of languages (Chinese, Vietnamese, Pharsi, Turkish, Spanish, etc...). We hand out tracts, invitations to church and give out the free literature to those who are interested and are looking for something to read in their native language, or perhaps a language that they are learning. Last Tuesday we had a Chinese Bible on the table that was covered in a blank book cover, since they are not allowed to have Chinese Bibles. I prayed that someone would want the Chinese Bible, and just after I did a Chinese woman walked up to the table and said "I'm Chinese, do you have a Bible I could read?" Amazing!

Pray for souls to be saved, and people to be drawn into the body of Christ by this outreach. We have two church members who were brought in by this outreach. There are people looking for answers on this street!

Oster Montag (Easter Monday)

Easter Monday is just as much of a holiday in Berlin as Easter Sunday is. All the stores are closed, and there is no work or school. We took the opportunity to take a bike ride, since the weather has been so amazing. We borrowed bikes from a family in our church and rode with the Groenewold's to Starbucks (which of course, WAS opened). We have a Starbucks right in our town of Zehlendorf, and there are many scattered throughout the city, but we had planned to meet at a Starbucks in Hackeshermakt (the old Jewish section of the city). This particular Starbucks has lots of seating, so it was a great place to meet everyone from the church. Our bike ride took about 1 1/2 hours, about 15 miles one way. We had a great rap at Starbucks. Pastor Gary spoke an awesome little message about how there are two types of living. You can live knowing how to do something, or you can live doing that. For example, I can know how a house is built... know all the architectural detail, but that doesn't make me a builder. In turn, people can "know" religion, or good and evil, they can even know what it means to be born again. But that doesn't make that saved. That doesn't mean that they have eternal joy, that they have peace in their soul, or that they have eternal security. God has brought us from knowledge into experience. 

We biked back through the city, taking the scenic route. We biked past the Berlin Cathedral, around museum island and past the Brandenberg Gate. Hands down, biking is the BEST way to make your way through Berlin. Almost every sidewalk has a bike path, and almost every intersection has traffic lights just for bikes. 

Easter Weekend in Berlin... Spring has SPRUNG!

We had an amazing Easter Weekend here in Berlin. It was a full 3 days of time together with the body here. We celebrated Karfreitag (Good Friday) by going to Volkspark. We played volleyball, softball, and had a small rap about being accepted in the body. It was a great time for everyone in the body to get together, eat, fellowship and LAUGH. 

Sunday Morning, Easter Service was also a great time. Pastor Gary spoke from Luke 24:13-35 about following

 God. We follow God because He is the

 good shepherd, He knows what I go through and how to encourage me. Pastor Gary said, "To follow God with all of your heart is to not trust in your own thoughts." 

(Notice in the picture below the worship service... Matt plays the guitar every service and Nick has just started playing drums in worship service. Emily switches back in forth between singing and taking care of the projector/recording services.)

This is a wonderful family in our church who sang a German song on Easter morning.

The girls, after Easter Service

We had a great time after service at the Groenewold's house. The kids had an Easter egg hunt, while the men went down the street to the nearest field and played soccer. On the right, this boy Benjamin showed up when the other kids hadn't gotten there yet and he started finding all of the chocolate hidden around the yard and started collecting it all. Astrid, on the left, set up the Easter egg hunt, and everytime Benjamin found chocolate he would bring it Astrid and she would tell him he had to eat it if he found it. This poor boy's parents could not believe how much chocolate he ate that afternoon!

Am I close to God?

Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish:" the word for perish in the Hebrew means to become lawless, undisciplined, to let go, or to loosen. When I have a vision from God, my relationship to God has purpose. If I am honest with myself, I don't truly see the purpose of being close to God moment by moment when I have not received a vision from God. The only reason I am somewhat close to God is because of my religious service I feel I must fulfill. A true vision from the Lord is something that is impossible for me to accomplish on my own, therefore, I must rely on Him for every moment of my life, to fulfill that which He has called me to do(Philippians 2:13). But without a vision, the people begin to let go, or loosen. What do they let go of/loosen? Their close relationship to God. If I don't need to trust God to operate through me and accomplish what He has called me to do, then why must I be SO close to Him? "I need my 'own space' sometimes too," we find ourselves saying. We begin to loosen and let go of our faith, the very thing that we must live by. 

In everything God has called me to, I must operate in the vision He has given for that call, or I will not see the purpose of God in that specific call. The Great Commission is NOT a chance to fulfill my religious service to God; it IS an opportunity for God to reveal the depth of my relationship to Him, and the depth of His relationship to the world. I don't need to prove my service to God, He looks at the heart(1 Samuel 16:7). God wants to show me I need to trust Him, and draw close to Him.