Hi everybody!
I thought I would take some time to update on what's going on with preparation for my trip!
Where to start?
God is being faithful to me and providing the funds necessary for my trip. I am over half way to my support goal! I have a presentation this Sunday, that I am excited/nervous about! Your prayers would be much appreciated if you think of me!
Everything seems to be falling in place perfectly, which is just more confirmation to me that this is what God wants me to do! I am so excited to go and minister to people in Costa Rica.
There are going to be so many new experiences. I'm just overjoyed to be serving our amazing God!
Hope you all have a blessed week!
With Love,
The Cook
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
What if we were real??
I love this song.
The lyrics make sense and the message is a good one.
I don't know why we all try to make our lives look perfect. Especially when it's not. Why not just be real? Show your true self. I think most people will appreciate seeing you for who you are. Nobody wants to see the fake you! Why don't we share our brokenness and worship our God who fixes us?
Let your "past" go and trust that God has everything in control.
The Cook
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Happiness
Happiness. It's not in what you don't have, but what you have.
Despite the doubts of many. All the Iphone models in the world won't make you happy. The newest Xbox isn't going to make you a better person (it will probably make you the opposite of a better person).
Friends, I am not saying these things are bad. Just that they aren't a need. Basically if you were to cut it down to life or death needs, you would find that you have LOTS of wants sitting around.
Lets go further though. Needs and Wants aren't going to make you happy.
Happiness is a choice. You can choose to simply be happy because the sun is shining. You can even choose to be happy that it's raining, knowing the rain will provide the nutrients for the grass and flowers. In turn providing a different day with beauty and gorgeous colors.
The rain in your life will provide beauty if you allow it to. If you choose to praise God for the hardships. God uses the "rainy" days to shape us into who He wants us to be.
So choose to be happy and put a smile on your face even while struggling. Choose to trust that God is using this trial to make you who HE wants you to be. In fact we should thank Him for the hard times. Just try it. Thank Him for the bad week and ask Him to reveal to you the lessons and beauty that came out of it.
Trust that HE has gone ahead of you. HE has a plan for you.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.~ Jeremiah 29:11
The Cook
Despite the doubts of many. All the Iphone models in the world won't make you happy. The newest Xbox isn't going to make you a better person (it will probably make you the opposite of a better person).
Friends, I am not saying these things are bad. Just that they aren't a need. Basically if you were to cut it down to life or death needs, you would find that you have LOTS of wants sitting around.
Lets go further though. Needs and Wants aren't going to make you happy.
Happiness is a choice. You can choose to simply be happy because the sun is shining. You can even choose to be happy that it's raining, knowing the rain will provide the nutrients for the grass and flowers. In turn providing a different day with beauty and gorgeous colors.
The rain in your life will provide beauty if you allow it to. If you choose to praise God for the hardships. God uses the "rainy" days to shape us into who He wants us to be.
So choose to be happy and put a smile on your face even while struggling. Choose to trust that God is using this trial to make you who HE wants you to be. In fact we should thank Him for the hard times. Just try it. Thank Him for the bad week and ask Him to reveal to you the lessons and beauty that came out of it.
Trust that HE has gone ahead of you. HE has a plan for you.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.~ Jeremiah 29:11
The Cook
Monday, February 20, 2012
Faithful Monday
: : Faithful Monday will be the day once a week where I will tell you how God has been faithful to me. Hopefully this will be encouraging to you and me on the most dreaded day of the week! MONDAYS! : :
So this week I'd like to tell about a verse that God revealed to me in late fall of last year.
In that time my parents and I were still praying about me going to Costa Rica. I was in my room reading my assigned Bible reading for the day. As I do a lot of the time I started to daydream. I was thinking about Costa Rica and started having doubts as well as worrying about things that could happen. I looked down and this was the verse that was staring back at me.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
This verse has been a rock for me in the preparation process. When doubt and fear try to creep in and take over. In my head it was like God was looking at me and saying "Do you see that? I will be with you WHEREVER you go!"
He is guiding me and teaching me to rely on Him.
The Cook
So this week I'd like to tell about a verse that God revealed to me in late fall of last year.
In that time my parents and I were still praying about me going to Costa Rica. I was in my room reading my assigned Bible reading for the day. As I do a lot of the time I started to daydream. I was thinking about Costa Rica and started having doubts as well as worrying about things that could happen. I looked down and this was the verse that was staring back at me.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
This verse has been a rock for me in the preparation process. When doubt and fear try to creep in and take over. In my head it was like God was looking at me and saying "Do you see that? I will be with you WHEREVER you go!"
He is guiding me and teaching me to rely on Him.
The Cook
Saturday, February 18, 2012
It's ok to admit.
Life can be a mess.
It's ok to admit it.
At more than one point in our lives here on earth it's going to be a mess. Every person will go through it. Nobody is immune. It's this thing called sin that we are ALL born with. Everybody has their own extremely huge pile of junk. The things they wish they hadn't done. The choice you wish you hadn't made. The words you wish you hadn't absentmindedly allowed to escape your lips. You can't change the past. Dwelling on it is not going to make a difference. The future can be changed though. Jesus isn't going to condemn your past. HE came to save you.
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." ~ John 3:17
Hard concept to accept.
A free gift. In our society a free gift always has a loophole. If you don't read the fine print you'll probably get cheated out of something. This gift has no loopholes.
Back to what I was saying though. It's ok to admit your downfalls. Sooner or later you're going to learn that EVERYBODY has a "past". A year they wish never to repeat or speak of. A day that will forever be kept secret. An hour when instead of following God they turned their back on Him.
God can use our "past" for His glory. To teach others and to comfort others. We can use the comfort we received in giving our troubles to Him, to comfort others who are going through similar situations.
"3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4
who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in
any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4It's ok to admit it.
At more than one point in our lives here on earth it's going to be a mess. Every person will go through it. Nobody is immune. It's this thing called sin that we are ALL born with. Everybody has their own extremely huge pile of junk. The things they wish they hadn't done. The choice you wish you hadn't made. The words you wish you hadn't absentmindedly allowed to escape your lips. You can't change the past. Dwelling on it is not going to make a difference. The future can be changed though. Jesus isn't going to condemn your past. HE came to save you.
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." ~ John 3:17
Hard concept to accept.
A free gift. In our society a free gift always has a loophole. If you don't read the fine print you'll probably get cheated out of something. This gift has no loopholes.
Back to what I was saying though. It's ok to admit your downfalls. Sooner or later you're going to learn that EVERYBODY has a "past". A year they wish never to repeat or speak of. A day that will forever be kept secret. An hour when instead of following God they turned their back on Him.
God can use our "past" for His glory. To teach others and to comfort others. We can use the comfort we received in giving our troubles to Him, to comfort others who are going through similar situations.
This is why as Paul said "I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness."
"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
~ 2 Corinthians 12: 8-10
I love that last line. "For when I am weak, then I am strong."
The Cook
Friday, February 17, 2012
What is this blog for?
Hi Everyone,
As some of you may know, I'll be going to Costa Rica this summer on a missions trip. The purpose of this blog is to keep you all up to date on what is going on in my life as I am going through this process. I will try to keep this blog up to date with the latest happenings and things I am learning through this process. God has been teaching me so much and I am so excited to share this adventure and the changes in my life with you all!
This blog will also provide me a place to share what happened on my trip when I return, hopefully great stories and pictures!
Through all of this God has shown me how to rely on Him more and more in times of stress. He has given me amazing peace when I have become anxious or afraid. He is also providing the funds for me to go as I am almost half way to the amount I need to raise.
I'm hoping to write another post sometime this weekend!
The Cook
As some of you may know, I'll be going to Costa Rica this summer on a missions trip. The purpose of this blog is to keep you all up to date on what is going on in my life as I am going through this process. I will try to keep this blog up to date with the latest happenings and things I am learning through this process. God has been teaching me so much and I am so excited to share this adventure and the changes in my life with you all!
This blog will also provide me a place to share what happened on my trip when I return, hopefully great stories and pictures!
Through all of this God has shown me how to rely on Him more and more in times of stress. He has given me amazing peace when I have become anxious or afraid. He is also providing the funds for me to go as I am almost half way to the amount I need to raise.
I'm hoping to write another post sometime this weekend!
The Cook
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