the weekend is over! sobsob :'( but ive never been clearer on my life, and ive been so inspired over saturday and sunday that i cant wait to go back to school! [listen to me, ive just gone looney] haha! but seriously. i cant wait to go back to school despite the fact that my lawr classmates declared to me this afternoon that there were another fifty pages of readings that i have to finish my tmr [of which i have finished about forty so im happy!]

got to talk to Pastor mitch about the things that've been bugging me, filling my mind and stealing my sleep at night. and i couldnt help but give thanks for the amazing amount of spiritual guidance the Lord has given to our Pastors at Bethany and its just. amazing to me when i look at their lives. and i just KNOW theres something so very different about Bethany, something that i intend to spend my entire life discovering. its uniqueness, why it stands out. [and may it always be this special ;)] but anw point was that, i was just dead clear after that. and i reallyreally thank Him for clear guidance (: haha my mind went back to the verse jonglong/jinglin sent to me the other day

"You will keep him in perfect peace, who's mind is stayed on You, because He trusts in you." -isaiah26:3

and last night before i feel asleep, i pictured giving Jesus each and every one of my burdens. six of them in total. and im reminded! give them all, give them all to Jesus- shattered dreams, wounded hearts and broken toys. give them all to Jesus, and He will turn your sorrow into joy!

today, Gideon's International came to our church to talk about their ministry of distributing the Bible all over the world. and i was greatly inspired by the story the representative of Gideon's International began with. he told us of a peasant who came looking for 'the man with the little blue book that talks about Jesus'. im not a very good story-teller so forgive my incoherence if you come out of this wondering what on EARTH i was trying to say but anw..the story went

a missionary visited the little village where this peasant came from and taught from the Word of God. when he decided to move on from their village to the next village, a few of the villagers requested that he leave behind the book that 'talks about Jesus' so that they could learn more about salvation and God's love. but the missionary told them he could not because that was the only copy of the Bible he had. so he told the villagers of that village to go to the city and look for 'the man with the little blue book that talks about Jesus.' and the peasant came, travelled miles from his village, just to find 'the man with the little blue book that talks about Jesus.'

the point that was being illustrated was the ministry of Gideon's International, of distributing copies of the Bible to people all around the world. but i was greatly rebuked by this particular account because of the desire these villagers had to know God's Word, and the great worth they placed on it. me? i have many 'little blue books that talk about Jesus.' i could buy more if i wanted to. and me? i have not given the 'little blue book that talks about Jesus' the due attention, respect and love that i should be giving.

the lack of love for God's Word is something that i worry about. and i pray so much that as i grow, my love for the Lord and His Word will grow so much more as well. i was very struck by the video kenneth showed us about the missionary corrie ten boom a week ago. there was a scene where corrie ten boom and her sister were trying to smuggle their Bible into the prison camp where they were being held captive by the nazis, and they prayed for God to help them bring His Word through 'the gates of hell.' that prayer brought tears to my eyes because here are people who have such extensive knowledge of God's Word, they understand its worth, and they are more than willing to lay down their lives for their faith. me? would i dare bring God's Word 'through the gates of hell'?

for such a time as this,
we've been summoned here by God
for such a time as this!
we will not be shaken,
we will not hold back-
we've been summoned here by God
for such a time as this!

i want to keep searching, keep asking, keep growing, until my love for the Lord and His Word becomes irreplaceable. until i stop trying to fit things into the God-shaped hole inside of me.

i am inspired, to hold the little blue book that talks about Jesus, right in the centre of my heart. :)