Put me in Coach!

I am still in Las Vegas, and part of me feels like I'm a high school basketball player who's been benched. I'm sitting on the sidelines, on the edge of my seat just waiting. Hoping that at any moment the coach will call my name, and tell me it's my turn to play...

On Sunday, I got to share a little about 24-7 Ibiza at church. It was awesome, as I always love talking about what we do in Ibiza.

It was a bit challenging, because the pastor gave me 5 minutes to share! Don't get me wrong, I was very thankful for the opportunity...it's just that as I began to write out everything I wanted to share, that 5 minutes got smaller and smaller. I had to cut, and edit and really get to the heart of what we do.

The purpose of his invite was to help me with fundraising, but anytime I get to share about 24-7 Ibiza I want people to understand what it means to me. I wish I could just zap them to the West End on a Wednesday night at about 2:00 in the morning. If I could do that, I think my fundraising goals would be met a lot easier!

Trying to explain the streets in words can be tough. But I do my best, and then pray that the Holy Spirit does the rest!

Still wondering what goes on in Ibiza? Just check out the What's Poppy Doing in Ibiza? page of this blog.

Don't forget to sign-up for my monthly newsletter. The next issue will be coming out in a few weeks.

Hot Off the Presses!

Even though I'm not in Ibiza yet (still waiting on my visa) I have officially launched the monthly Poppy in Ibiza Newsletter. The May issue has been sent out to all my subscribers, full of the latest Poppy in ibiza news.

If you want to subscribe, just fill out the form over here --------- >>>>>

Here's a peek at what you'll be receiving each month...



And that's just the top half! Check out this months full newsletter HERE

This week, I've been reading the book of John, and John 4:34 really stuck out to me.

Then Jesus explained: "My Nourishment comes from doing the will of God who sent me, and from finishing his work."

Here's how Webster's defines the world Nourishment: Sustained with what's neccessary for life, health and growth. To strengthen, build up or promote. To Cherish, foster, or keep alive.

There is nothing like the feeling you get when you know you're doing exactly what God wants you to. It's the ultimate sense of PEACE. I love that Jesus uses the word Nourish. By doing God's will, we not only find peace, but we also find spiritual growth. Doing what God wants for us each day is the thing that sustains us!

Jesus should be our example as he looks to God to nourish him, and not anything else. God wants to sustain us, to strengthen us, to build us up and promote us.

So let's get busy doing the things that God wants for us each day. And remember, It doesn't have to be some huge undertaking...it could be showing kindness to your neighbor today. It could be showing forgiveness to someone who's hurt you. The cool thing, is that if we ask, God will show us what to do...

Discipline is Not a Dirty Word

(Source)
One of my top 10 favorite movies is The Last Samurai. I watched it last week (for like the 30th time!). There's a scene in the movie where Tom Cruise's character starts talking about the Samurai. Here's what he says...

“From the moment they wake, they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue…I have never seen such discipline.”

Every time I watch this movie, I’m always struck by that line.

I start to think about my own life, and my lack of discipline, and wonder…what if?

What if I woke up each day with that kind of devotion towards my relationship with God? Completely putting away yesterday and tomorrow and just focusing on TODAY.

Some nights when go to sleep, I have this moment of clarity. As I lay there in the dark, I look back on what I did that day, and sometimes recognize that I didn’t really do much of anything that matters.

I spend so many of my days worrying about and longing for what’s coming…or dwelling on and regretting the past…what about today? I want to let those things go, and give God my focus NOW.

What can I learn today?
How can I do to grow in my knowledge of God today?
Who can I serve today?

I don’t want to live my life on auto-pilot. You know what I mean. Those days you wake up and start going through the motions of life. You’re just doing what you normally do, without even thinking about it, and before you know it, it’s 3:30, and you haven’t really put forth much effort.

I want to be AWAKE and ALIVE for every second of the day. I want to be OPEN and ready to SEE and HEAR…

I’m really trying to have that attitude today as I’m anxiously waiting for my Spanish Visa. Instead of worrying about how long it’s taking, or dwelling on the fact that I want to be in Ibiza like YESTERDAY, I want to focus on God here in Las Vegas in this moment. What can I still do while I’m here?

Standing on the Edge...

My time in the states is getting shorter and shorter. It's almost time for me to head to Spain...and I'm so excited! Right now I'm just waiting for my Spanish visa.


I would like to officially say that waiting sucks!

While I wait, I'm preparing in other ways. I've been going through all of my stuff. It's amazing the amount of boxes one can accumulate. I'm throwing things out, and trying to downsize. I'm also trying to figure out what I NEED to take with me. Notice the emphasis on need. There's lots of stuff I'd LIKE to take, but if I take it all I'd be paying $1000 in overweight luggage fees alone!


I think it's finally starting to hit me that I'm actually going to do this!


I feel like this...

...like I'm on the edge of a great adventure. I'm about to jump in, trusting that God is going to lead the way. The amazing thing is that I'm not afraid.

I'm Expectant

Hoperful

Anxious

Eager

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all." - Proverbs 3:5 (MSG)

Three Years

Like I mentioned in my previous post...I am headed back to Ibiza! This time I've made a three year commitment to the ministry.

I can't tell you how excited I am!

I went to Ibiza for the first time in 2009, and I'd by that fall I had an idea that maybe God was calling me to go to Ibiza more long term. After spending 3 months on the island in 2010, I knew for sure that Ibiza was going to be my home for a little while.

The funny thing is that for me, the "Call" was the easy part!...now comes the fundraising, and the red tape of trying to get a visa. Now comes the "Trusting" part...

I'm learning that I have to trust that if God called me, he's going to provide everything I need!

Ibiza Update

For those of you who don't know...I'm working on heading back to Ibiza for the next three years! I'm so super excited, and in in the middle of the process to make that happen.

I'm working on Getting a Spanish Visa

I'm raising money

I'm trying to decide what to do with all of my stuff! (I'm tempted to just sell it!)

This past weekend I went to California to visit two churches that are dear to my heart. CFC and Grace Christian Center. I felt so loved and supported, and it's always good to get to talk about my passion and heart for Ibiza.

I'll be heading to Kansas this next weekend to see by best friend Jenny (Woo Hoo!) and to raise a little more money!

So thankful for all of the people that God has put in my life!

Part 2

Finally posting the 2nd part of THIS post….

Thanks so much for your comments!  Lovey, you make an excellent point. I think other people can have a HUGE affect on how we view God. Here are some of the reasons I came up with:

Why do we have these misconceptions about God?

1. Sometimes we humanize God. We expect him to act the way we would in a situation. We need to remember that God’s ways are different then our ways. His love is revolutionary!

Ephesians 3:18 – “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his live is. May you experience the love of Christ through it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

God’s love for us is so much bigger then we can fully comprehend!

2.Sometimes it’s easier to believe that God is going to give us we we think we deserve. Grace can be hard to accept.

When I lived in California, I use to drive a silver Volvo. It had over a 100,000 miles on it, and one day it started making a strange noise. I knew I needed a new car, but I also knew that I didn’t have the money to buy one. I really didn’t know what I was going to do. I asked for prayer about my car dilemma during my small group meeting one Sunday night. One of my group members told me about another lady in our church who had just purchased a new car. It seems she was looking to sell her old car at a good price. She suggested I call her to check it out. Even though I really had no money to buy a car, something told me to just call her. When I did she shocked me when she told me that her plan was to give away her old car to the first person who called to ask about it. That person was me, and before I knew it I was driving around in my new FREE car!

Ephesians 2:8-9 - “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast boast about it.”

Me getting that car reminds me of God’s grace. I didn’t do anything to deserve it. That car was a gift that I didn’t earn. Grace can be hard to accept, because there’s a part of us that feels like we need to do something to deserve it. Which brings me to my next point…

3. It’s hard to wrap our heads around the fact that we don’t need to work for God’s affection. It’s a gift that we just need to accept. That means we can’t boast about it, but that also means that we don’t have to worry about working to try and earn it.

I think if we realized the depth of the LOVE God has for us, it would change the way we live our lives…

Psalm 139:17-18 - “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!”