The Salt of the Earth

Matthew 5:13 starts off by saying, "You are the salt of the earth..." Most of the time, I just keep on reading. But, for whatever reason, I stopped today. What does it mean to be salt? Merely curious, I looked it up on the Bible Study Tools website.

Apparently, salt is translated as 'halas' in the Greek. It has three main definitions, with one in particular standing out to me. Salt is a preservative, added to many foods to extend their shelf lives and at one time was used to preserve meat. This reminded me of a story in Genesis 18. You see, Abraham's nephew, Lot, was living in Sodom. Sodom was wicked in the eyes of the Lord, and His wrath was about to be unleashed on that city. But Abraham, loving Lot, pleaded with God, "Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be is from you to do such a thing!..." The Lord replies, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake." (see verses 25-26)

You see, God spared Sodom for a time due to Lot's presence. It was Lot's being in Sodom that protected the wicked from being utterly destroyed. If you've noticed, America is becoming a more and more wicked place, much like Sodom was. We too deserve the wrath of God. But, America is still here nonetheless. Reading about Lot and Sodom and my role as a preservative puts a burden in my heart for those around me. God is postponing His wrath; I'm praying for those around me, that they would come to know the Lord while destruction is put off.

Another thought on salt: it is mixed in with food. It's not left in a lump off to the side but rather is incorporated into the whole batch. Do you know what that means? The salt isn't kept together. You and I aren't kept together. This revelation has been most encouraging to me, as many of my close friends have moved pretty far away. But, the Gospel can't spread; disciples can't be made; and the lost can't be preserved if we all stay in a lump.

Be encouraged my friend!

Lauren

Feeling Fat?

Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave

Feeling fat? Me too. And so are a whole lot of other people around you, believe it or not. This week, I have talked to more girls than I can count about body image issues, guilt about eating, disordered eating patterns, and discouragement from not being able to fit into certain clothes.

      I’m not a writer, and I’m not a theologian. But as I was sitting here tonight, God really burdened my heart to share some thoughts that He’s given me today. So, if you’re feeling fat, feeling discouraged, or are just curious, then I suggest grabbing your Bible and a pen and spending a few minutes reflecting on God’s Word.

      Romans 12:1 says, “I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Read it again. Let it sink in. Your body, if you are a believer, is a living sacrifice to God. That means that everything regarding your life belongs to the Lord. Your entire life should reflect Him and should be focused on Him and Him alone. You should wake up in the morning with the intent of doing nothing that day except for being obedient to what God puts in your path and to bringing glory to His name. Your thoughts should be centered on praising Him and your heart should yearn to truly know Him.  I don’t know about you, but as a girl that has struggled with eating and body image problems for years, I spend a whole lot more time worried about calories and weight gain than I do Scripture. My biggest fear is not disappointing my Lord but outgrowing my pants size. I’m forced to ask myself, “Is my lord truly Jesus Christ or is it myself, my body?”

      If you keep reading, you come to a Scripture that we’ve been reading in youth group and on t-shirts for years now but listen to what it says. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Not only are we living sacrifices, but our mindsets are also supposed to be completely different from that of the world. Guys, my mindset is not different from that of the world where weight is concerned. I am still caught in the trap of comparing myself to every other girl that comes along. I still squirm in my seat when some guy looks at me too long and I feel fat. I still spend way too much time figuring out how to eat my favorite foods while skipping the calories that are in them. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be. Our thoughts are to be 100%, completely devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ. Forget counting calories, worrying about the extra weight you’ve put on, etc. It’s time to focus on the Lord. It’s time to praise Him for giving us bodies that work. It’s time to use our bodies to go find others who don’t know Him. It’s time. Not just for you—for me too.

When we do this, Satan no longer has control. He can’t rule our thoughts anymore or distract us from all that God has for us to do—because it’s a distraction after all. Psalm 16:8 says, “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” When the Lord is always before you, you won’t be shaken. You’ll be strong in the Lord. You’ll be able to fight back. Guys, I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m not saying that it’s going to be easy. But Christ has the victory; He won a long time ago. So praise the Father for His saving grace and “be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

      Here are a few Scriptures that have helped me in my journey in taking back my mind. Check them out—and find your own Scriptures to cling to.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

Romans 13:12-14 “So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarrelling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

Psalm 34:5 “Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.”

Lamentations 3:22 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to and end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Hebrews 4:15-16 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Less than a week to go!!

Hello everyone! Well, this time next week I will be at training camp for Africa! I am totally pumped and cannot wait to start this new adventure in my life. I've bought pretty much all of my supplies (a 2 lb. tent, a sleeping bag the size of a milk jug, lots of peanut butter, batteries..), and am just waiting for Friday to get here. Of course, I'm doing my best to prepare spiritually. I'm currently reading a book about the Holy Spirit while I read the ministries of the apostles in Acts (which is where the Holy Spirit becomes a part of the New Testament story). I'm praying that God will continue to prepare my heart and weed out the weeds of the world that are constantly contaminating it. Please continue to pray for me, my team, and my parents ( :D ) as we plan to go. 


As for when we get there, we will be meeting for training in Chattanooga on Friday the 3rd and will train for four days. Then, on the 7th, we will fly into Entebbe, Uganda. We will be there for 55 days, after which we will return to the States for a night of debrief before we go home. We've been told to expect of a lot of prison and hospital ministry and a bunch of playing with street kids. Bring it on :) 


If you want to hear what we're doing and how we're doing while we're gone, please visit the team blog at: http://expedition.adventures.org/ 


Thanks for your support!


Lauren

My Provider

Have you ever been challenged by God but afraid to obey because of circumstances? If you have, then you'll know how I felt. A couple of weeks ago, I was called to do something. I was called to give. I like to give. But this time, it made me nervous; after all, I owed Adventures in Missions $2500 at the time. I prayed that God would make it really really clear to me that I was supposed to give, to whom, and how much. Of course, he did. It was hard, but I obeyed.

The amazing part, other than the peace he gave me, was what came in the mail just a few days later. The exact same amount of money that I gave to others what given back to me for my trip. The exact same amount. Now tell me that that isn't an awesome God! 

Still later, today I received another huge blessing. My uncle works for Cook's Pest Control on the corporate side. Apparently, he was talking to a district manager and somehow got him to donate $100 to my trip through the company. A couple hours later, two other managers and a friend had also agreed to give. So in one short day $400 was donated toward my trip!

I don't know why I worry. God is such a provider. He has never failed me, and I don't know why I would think He would now. Praise God.

Malachi 3:8-10 — “ ‘Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, “How do we rob you?” In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’ ”




2 Corinthians 9:6-9 — “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: ‘He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ ”


Lauren

Satisfactory Weakness?

'I don't pray enough.' 'Man, I forgot to read my Bible!' 'She is so much better of a Christian than I am. I didn't even think to ask how I could help out.' 'Why am I still struggling with this sin!?'

It's thoughts like these that have plagued me lately. Actually, they've plagued me for at least this whole semester. I never seem to be a good enough Christian. Either I don't pray enough, forget to call a friend, don't read my Bible for a couple of days, snap at one of my friends, or simply get intimidated by people who are farther in their walks with Christ than I am.

That was the mindset that I had as I began my devotion time this morning. I just picked up where I had last left off, right in the middle of Hebrews. I wasn't very excited about my Bible time, simply because I felt so condemned that I haven't stuck to my recent resolution to spend more time with God because I've been swamped with school work and studying. So I was reading rather dejectedly. But as I read, I began to absorb the words that my eyes were flowing over. Jesus Christ is my high priest. Unlike other high priests, though, he doesn't make a sacrifice on a regular basis. He did it once, and He did it for all. As I continued to read, I began to feel a weight lift off of my shoulders. I'm not perfect. I daily fail at the Christian walk. I fall short in some area every single day..but that's why Christ died! I don't have to be perfect! His sacrifice, His death, covers up my sin so that God sees me as an absolutely beautiful perfect being. There is nothing I can do to prove my worthiness--not even go to Africa.

I kept reading, and God reminded me of a verse that I read a few days ago. It pretty much sums up everything, all of the encouragement that I needed. 1 Corinthians 12:9 "and he said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness.'" God completes my weakness and can use me whether I am always pure or not. Of course, I still strive to be righteous, as we are called to. But when I forget, or simply get tired of it and stop, it's okay. God's strength is made perfect even though I'm weak. Thank you God.

His Ways Are Not My Ways

Isaiah 55:8 "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' saith the LORD."


The ways that God has been providing for my trip to Africa have definitely been different from how I imagined, and it has been incredible to see how He has worked! Just before my 50% deadline was here, only 3 days before, over $600 was donated to my trip to Africa by people that I didn't even send letters to! Since then, I have continued to receive donations that I didn't expect, be it from classmates, my parents' friends, or even strangers. 


Now, I know you all are probably wondering how the Zaxby's fundraiser went--sorry it's taken me so long to report on it! We had a pretty great turn-out, with Zaxby's selling over $400 worth of food. What really made the fundraiser worthwhile though were the many extra donations that were given to me from those who either had leftover change or simply handed me a check. From that fundraiser, I received about $170 total from Zaxby's and friends. So thank you to all of you who came out!


Also, ALL of the t-shirts have been sold! I do still have a few bracelets if anyone wants one, but those have also sold very well. 


Of course, I am still far from having my trip paid for, and my next deadline is TOMORROW! Seventy-five percent of my money is due, and I still need about $1000 to meet it. If you would like to donate, simply visit https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=partFund&multi= and type in my name, Lauren Veitch. 


Other needs that I have include: international insurance, a backpacking pack, various travel supplies, and one vaccination. Let me know if you would like to help me purchase any of these items!


Please remember to be praying for me as I prepare to leave for Africa (in only 47 days!): for financial support, safety on the field, and most importantly, spiritual preparation. Once again, thank you so much for your support.


In Christ,


Lauren 

67 days and counting!

I leave for Africa in 67 days!! Yahoo!! I cannot wait!

I am beginning to feel a little bit of pressure though, since it is coming so quickly. My first financial deadline is only 8 days away, on April 4, with $2650 due. I'm about halfway there, so I'm getting slightly stressed about getting it all in on time. If any of you are interested in helping me meet my goal, simply send a check made payable to Adventures in Missions to Adventures in Missions, PO Box 534470, Atlanta, GA, 30353-4470. Thanks!

I have sold some t-shirts and wristbands (I still have a few if you're interested!), so that has helped out a little bit with raising money. On April 5, Zaxbys has agreed to donate 20% of their sales between 5 and 8 pm when customers give them a coupon saying so (I have to distribute those still). On April 23, I will be doing a carwash at home that Dad has organized for me. So, I'm far from my financial goals, but I do have several fundraisers that should help me make more progress.

Aside from the that, I already have my passport and several shos. I have an appointment over Easter break to go receive the rest of my vaccines, and I already have a prescription for anti-malaria pills. I am also starting to look at packs to buy. If anyone knows of a place where I can get a good pack inexpensively, let me know! Those things get expensive! In short, I am spending most of my time planning fundraisers but am beginning to work on other details as well. I am feeling the stress but am confident that God will provide in His own timing and unique ways (even though I at times struggle to remember that!). Thanks for the prayers and support!

Lauren