Revelations:

I don’t know about you but I love getting revelations from God. They are one of the coolest things that happen to me. Some of the best ones, to me, are the ones that come from something you’ve heard over and over and one day that just hit you like never before. The story you’ve been told a thousand times just sneaks up and blows you away with new angles.

One of my favorites was the day that the parable of the mustard seed hit me. You know people can tell you things a million times but you won’t really get it until the day comes when you fully understand it. I was driving to my parents house one afternoon when the mustard seed parable hit me. I had stopped by the local Christian bookstore and bought a few things. Among my items I had purchased a little gold cross with a seed where the two beams came together. On the cardboard it was attached to was the parable about the mustard seed. The small seed on this cross was a mustard seed. I had never seen one before that day. Well, I did a dangerous thing I read the parable on the card while driving, and I started laughing to myself about how small this seed actually was. (At the time this happened I was struggling in my faith and wasn’t sure if I “had enough faith to count.”)

The parable says that if we but have faith the size of a mustard seed we can move mountains. Even in my lowest state (I told myself) I surely have faith the size of that tiny seed. And that’s when God just started laying it all on me. God spoke to me about that seed and my faith all the way to Dadeville. That was 2 hours of some quality God and Stella time.

When I went to Massachusetts to work at a theatre one summer God hit me with another one. This one was not so much about me and my faith as it was just a veil being removed. While at this theatre I work in the costume shop as a stitcher. Almost every night after work everyone in the shop would go into town to a little bar called The Red Herring. I was not allowed to drink that summer not because of age but because of a commitment I signed as a BCM council member. Nevertheless I would go and hang out with my co-workers.

Well one night after we were done for the day everyone decided to take a nap before going out that night. I went back to my dorm room for some sleep when the urge to read my Bible overtook me. I felt led to read Revelation. (I’ve never before or since felt led to read that book.) I was surprised when I started reading the book, because all that I was reading was making sense like never before. Before when I would try to read Revelation it was just me reading words on a page with no comprehension whatsoever. I was half way thru Revelation when there was a knock on my door. It was one of my co-workers coming to wake me up to go to the Herring. I put down my Bible, got dressed quickly, and walked with Meghan to the bar. On the way there she asks me if I was ok because I had a strange look on my face. I told her about reading Revelation and it making sense and that I was in a state of shock because of the clarity in which I had been reading it. She like I was amazed. We got to the bar and sat down with our co-workers. A few of them asked me if I was ok, and before I could answer Meghan told them what I had told her. Some understood. Others just “looked past it.” After about ten minutes or so I excused myself from the table, telling them that I just had to go back and finish the book. It was the best decision of the summer. God just continued to open up Revelation to me. It was a great night with God!

~Stella

Missions....

Some people have the misconception that missions mean you have to leave the country to tell people about Jesus. Missions is simply going forth and telling people. Jesus didn’t command us to leave the country. He told us that while we are going we are to spread the good news. That means that you are suppose to be telling people you come into contact with everyday. And I don’t know about you but even I don’t come in contact with a foreign country everyday. The closest thing to that would be running into someone from a different country, and that doesn’t happen everyday either.

We are suppose to be telling people here, there, and everywhere that we presently are. Yes, some people are called to leave this country and go out and tell people in a different country. Some people are called to just leave their particular state and tell people. Some people are called to just stay in their own city and tell people. What binds all of us together is that we are all called to tell people the good news.

I know that fear is a hindrance for some, but that’s not a valid argument for the simple fact that fear doesn’t come from the Lord. We are told that in the Bible. Fear is Satan trying to hinder you from doing what it is that God has told you to do. So when fear creeps up on you, call out to God and He will reassure you.

I have been told by some that they don’t feel equipped or qualified to do missions. Well, my campus minister said it best when he said, “ God doesn’t call the qualified. God qualifies the called.” What is it exactly that you think you have to know? Do you think that you must know everything there is to know about God before you go? If that was the case nobody would ever go tell the good news. Because we will never know everything there is to know about God till heaven. And people, once we get to heaven we can’t tell nobody, still on earth, anything. If you have Jesus in your heart and God in your life, guess what you’re fully qualified to share the good news.

In my time here on this planet one thing I’ve learned is that with God in your life you can hear His message even from the worst speakers. When looking around for a church to go to I discovered that even some one not living their life the way they should bringing the message, God still reaches His people. God whispers something to me in every message I hear. It has stemmed from one sentence in a sermon before. I was sitting in a church trying my best to understand what this preacher was saying and God said grab onto that last sentence and let Me tell you what I want you to know. I didn’t hear the rest of the sermon because God was revealing things to me thru just one sentence from that preacher. From that day on, I knew that I could go to any church I wanted to, because God was going to make sure that I got what He wanted me to out of the message.

Having said that I will say that I would not become a member of a church that I didn’t feel led to join. Of course that’s neither here nor there when talking about missions per say. But a church that isn’t missions minded is not a church I would ever want to be a part of, unless told by God to join. Missions are the walking to all the talking we as Christians do. I’m big on doing what you talk about. If you’re always saying one thing you shouldn’t do the opposite. That would mean you don’t really believe what it is you’re telling people (backsliding aside, for I know we all do it from time to time because we are not perfect).

Analysts at 2am

I find that some of my best analysts on life come at 2am. It’s now 2:31am and here is what’s on my mind. I need to learn how to share what’s on my mind better. The biggest thing I have to do is learn how to share my thoughts when I have them and not wait till they build up. When they build up and finally come out, they never come out right. They get all jumbled up and come out all mixed up and nobody understands where I’m coming from.

I was told once by a prophet that I see and know a lot more than I share. I told that man that he was very right. After talking to someone for a while, I can see their “two sides” (as I’ll call it). I can see the kind of warrior for Christ they could be, if they were to choose that path. And I can the flesh person that they are/will be if they choose the worldly path. It has been known to be a very creepy thing at times. When you meet someone for the first time and you can feel the evil in/around their life it’s kind of creepy. I have met some people that are as nice a person as you’d ever want to meet, but been turned off by them because of the evil present in their life.

I never knew what to do with that kind of revelation until here lately. When people ask me what I think, I have to ask God’s permission before divulging that kind of information.

Speaking the truth in love is hard to do sometimes. I used to avoid it all together, but God’s showing me when and where to speak truth into other people’s lives. He also tells me when I need to take my own advice. Which is funny to me when that happens because the advice I give comes from God in the first place, but He doesn’t say take His advice, He tells me to take my advice. What can I say, God knows me to well.

God’s wisdom is complete. He knows that sometimes we like to think something was our own idea, when in fact it was His idea. Of course when we figure that out we should totally turn around and give the glory and thanks to God.

I think or rather I know that I would be completely content just to sit around and do nothing but learn about God all day. That’s always been a plus to doing mission work. The entire time I’m on the field I’m learning about God. That want to know more about Him and be closer to Him always puts seminary in my mind. I just don’t know if that’s something that is as fun and fascinating as I hope it would be. Me and schooling have never really gotten along unless it’s been hands on. This is sad at times, because I’m sure there are things out there that I need to know, but I just can’t sit in a class and listen all day. It bores me to tears.

High School was a perfect example of that. In my last two years at DHS I went to the trade school. That school was made for students like me. It’s 10% lecture and 90% hands on application. So needless to say I had almost a 100 average in my Modern Tech Electronics class while back at DHS I was barely passing my applied physics class. And for those of you who don’t know, those two classes are almost interchangeable at times (so I should have had an A in both).

The mission field is like a hands-on application of Sunday school when you really think about it. Sunday school is the lecture part, and going on mission is the application part. And that’s how everyone should know that missions is for them (here or abroad). Sunday school and sermons get you knowledgeable about the field and the act of going, but it’s not until you actually apply what you know that it takes root in your life. With out ever knowing what it’s like on the field all you can do is imagine. You can’t fully understand until you’ve been there yourself.

And yes, everyone’s experience on the field is different, but it’s still an up-close encounter with God, and NOTHING can compare to that wonderment. Nothing on this planet can get you to that feeling. It’s something that can only be experienced in person. And man, it is so worth it!

Seeking

God, show me what's next. Where do I go from here? What would you have me do? I can't hear you like I used to. I know that's my fault for not listening like I should. Draw me close to You.

~Stella

New Experience

So, Friday night was a first for me. For those of you who don't know I work at Papa John's Pizza. Well Friday night we were robbed. Not a delivery driver; the store. Me, Matt, Chase, and Jesse were all there. I was made to open everything for them. And while I was doing that one of the robbers pointed at Matt and said, "If he moves, kill him." (Cause that'll make me move faster.) I don't know if any of you have ever been through a robbery, but when someone tells you to do one thing and then says they're going to kill your boyfriend, you get a little nervous, a little shaky, and you tend to forget what key to use. I was calm as can be until they said that.

It was a little on the ridiculous side as well. I'm a weird person cause I actually found a lot of humor in the situation. After talking with Chase tonight I wasn't the only one that had a little laugh at the situation. One of the guys actually thought he could throw a container of rolled coins into a trash bag that was meant to only hold paper. You know the ones, most places use them in their offices. So when he threw them in there the money spilled all over the floor and some of it fell on Chase. Who until tonight wasn't sure what the guy put on his back. So we had a good laugh at that.

Anyway the night of was a pretty stressful night for all of us that were there. I had to have Chase taken to the hospital to get checked out, and Jesse had a headache from being hit on the back of the head. I was shaken up after it was all over, and Matt was just really mad. We were all scared at one point or another. Something like this can really mess with your head to say the least. I was very thankful that no one was seriously injured.

I wish I could say that's where my and Matt's night ended, but I'd be lying. We got to have another fun incident where I wanted to call the police, but he didn't want to. I won't go into it because it's been handled. hopefully once and for all.

For now life is great. I couldn't ask for a better family, better friends, or for a better man's love. I'm a very fortunate individual, and I thank God for everything. The good and the bad. Cause the good is good and the bad teaches you how to handle bad situations later. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. I love you all!

~Stella