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Discontentment

Sometimes we fall in to a trap of being discontent. “She has a nicer house than me.” 

“His ideas are always better than mine.” 

“They’re more gifted than me.” 

We can quickly begin to feel sorry for ourselves or like we can’t possibly be useful in furthering the kingdom of God. This is a lie from Satan that he uses to keep us from being successful in spreading the love of Christ. Maybe you feel like you can’t possibly be of any use to God, maybe you feel like you don’t have the right kind of spiritual gifts to properly show Christ’s love. 

“I’m not brave enough, I’m not strong enough, I’m not worthy, I don’t have the time, I can’t…” 

For whatever reason we have an excuse as to why we can’t do the things we know God wants us to do. We have to be willing to do what God calls us to and to be joyful in it, even when it is something hard. 

Psalms 4:6-8 tells us: 

There are many who say, 

“Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” 

You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. 

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. 

For me, this verse reminds us that even when things are hard and we are searching for the good in every day life we need to remember the Lord. He puts joy in our hearts more than any possession or success ever could. Our fulfillment should be coming from the Lord and not from our own success, or other people. Even when we have very little to offer we should still offer what little we do have up to the Lord so that He can take what we give and multiply it to bless others. In our every day lives we have the opportunities to share Christ in huge ways if we would just be willing to take them; if we would follow God’s callings in our lives He could transform the world through us.

Sometimes it can seem hard, or scary but knowing that we serve the same God who was able to take five loaves and two fish and feed over 5,000 how can we truly say He won’t provide for us? How can we be worried about safety and provision knowing our God is the same God who brought the Jews out of Egypt and through the desert raining down manna and water? Sometimes when we follow God’s lead, things don’t go according to the plan we made in our heads, but they always go according to God’s plan.

-Heather Wrench, GEM Missionary

If you’d like to support Heather as she serves with GEM in Mexico, you can do so HERE. You can also contact her directly to talk further about what it means to be on her support team and find out how you can be praying for her!
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Slowing Down

Im reading a book right now called The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. It’s been so challenging and convicting and a message so relevant to our culture today.

Before I read it, I figured it would just be an easy read considering I live in a small mountain town where no one is in a hurry. Man was I wrong. Through technology and the culture I was raised in, a lifestyle of hurry comes so naturally. From the moment I wake up in the morning there are temptations lurking everywhere causing me to not be able to focus on what my heart truly needs and deeply desires.

Sometimes I struggle to connect with God and my prayer is normally, “Lord, please give me more of a desire for you.”

But when I truly think about it, I do desire Him so much. Yes of course there are parts of me that desire other things but I generally want more of Jesus. So as I’ve pondered and been challenged by this book, I’ve come to realize that the problem isn’t necessarily a lack of desire, it is my inability to truly sit and be quiet with Jesus.

And that is the place where you grow.

Spiritual disciplines are the key to growth but nothing in our culture today encourages them.

I get up to read and pray each morning but how much of that time is my mind filled with thinking of what I need/want to get done or just mindlessly checking my phone.

Im so thankful for the grace God has for us and how when we realize where we are at fault, He meets us right where we’re at and helps us!  Since reading this book, I’ve really been challenged to push against the culture of hurry. And the result of that is that I’ve really been enjoying my intimacy with Jesus. Rules can seem legalistic but they’re actually a good thing. Making a rule to not look at my phone is really helpful. I can actually meditate, slow down, and let God’s word enter my heart when I make that boundary with technology.

I believe our purpose in life is to grow in Christ and to connect with others. If I’m not being intentional to slow down, to be quiet before Jesus, to really talk to Him,  and to remove distraction, I will not be able to carry out these purposes. I must make an effort to fight against the impulses I have to turn to the next thing when the thing in front of me is what I really need to dwell on.

If you don’t have a desire to grow in Christ, pray for it. God will give it to you! If you find yourself in a similar place as me, a desire to grow but feeling you can’t, do all that you can to remove distraction. Get into a place where your heartbeat can slow down to the pace of Jesus’ because it is there where we can recall our identity, have our life directed, and walk in peace and slowness with our Savior, our truest friend.

-Annie Balsley, GEM Missionary

If you’d like to support Brett and Annie as they serve with GEM in Juquila to share the gospel with this unreached town, you can do so HERE. You can also contact them directly to talk further about what it means to be on their support team and find out how you can be praying for them!

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The Joy of the Body of Christ 

Life was never intended to be lived alone in our own strength. That’s why God created Eve for Adam, and intended the church to be a body of believers. I’ve been so humbled by this truth in September. 

Let me start by saying I hate going to the doctor and I hate missing work. This month I have done both of those things way more than I am comfortable with. In the last 30 days, I somehow managed to take 9 trips to the hospital, yes 9, and missed 8 (and counting) days of work. I have been reminded daily that we can’t control our lives and our bodies have not yet been made perfect. However, I have also been reminded how sweet the gift of community is. I have had to rely on the help of others this month, like never before. Things that once were so easy, like getting out of bed, walking, driving, and eating, became difficult to do without the help of others. Not something I imagined I would say at the 24. However, in the midst of feeling like my body was useless, the Lord showed me two sweet truths. 

Truth one: The Lord’s timing is always sovereign. 

I would have never chose to go through all of the trips to the hospital and or to have an organ removed from my body if it were up to me. I just started developing relationships with my students, parents, and the other teachers, and it did not seem like an opportune time to fly back to the states for surgery. But, the Lord saw it fit in his timing to pull me away and take care of my body. And while I have been recovering, I have been able to spend so much more time with the Lord than I would have if I were in the classroom. He has used this time to refocus my gaze on Him and not the day-to-day tasks that seem so urgent. The more time I spent with the Lord, the more I realized how many things I was relying on my own strength and ability for, and not the Lord’s. Without this big interruption in my life, I may have easily gone months of teaching and trying to share the Gospel with my students in my own strength. But, the Lord is so good, and gracious to us that He sweetly reveals to us our sins and shows us how magnificent He is. Praise God for his plans, and not our own. Praise God for the Holy Spirit who saves souls, and not us. 

Truth two: We need community. 

I would have not survived this month without the help of my friends, coworkers, church members, and family. They reminded me that we truly need one another, but also they reminded me that I need to consider how I can love and serve others better. These sweet souls served me so well, but putting my putting my needs above their own. They displayed how the members of the Body of Christ are called to love one another. Just as Paul says in Phillipians, we are called to love others and count them more significant than ourselves. And I am so thankful for these faithful believers who lived out this command in my life this month. Not only did they make it possible for me to get around physically and prepare sub plans, but they also reminded me of the immeasurable kindness and grace our God shows to us. None of these people were obligated to help me, yet they willingly and joyfully stepped in to help me, when I didn’t even know what I needed. They reminded me of Jesus, who served those around him by sacrificing his sleep and his time to heal and teach people. And ultimately he made the ultimate sacrifice, by dying in our place, so we could be restored to a relationship with God. So thank you to the sweet people in my life who made sacrifices for my sake, and so graciously reminded me of the Gospel in the midst of my hardships. 

Let us Strive to Put Others Before Ourselves 

Paul speaks about the beauty of the body of Christ in Phillipians. In his letter to the church of Phillippi he writes that he rejoices in the Lord because of the kindness and concern the Phillipians had towards Paul in his affliction. The Phillipians provided for Paul in some of his deepest afflictions and thus displayed the beauty of the Gospel. So let us be encouraged to count others more significant than ourselves. Let us strive to love our brothers and sisters well to the glory of God, but also those who might be hard to love and serve. Let us put aside our own interests, and count the interests of others more significant. 

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Phillipians 2:3

– Kayla Sumile, GEM Missionary

If you’d like to support Kayla as she serves with GEM in Mexico, you can do so HERE. You can also contact her directly to talk further about what it means to be on her support team and find out how you can be praying for her!

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God is Working in Juquila

Before Annie and I arrived in Juquila we had no idea what was going to happen. We didn’t know if the people would be welcoming or cold, whether they would accept the message of the gospel or reject it. From the things we had heard in the past we didn’t think they would be to fond of our school and the message we had to share.

Our first year we had about 20 students, a few brave families that were willing to try an alternative education (there aren’t many christian schools in Mexico, especially our region). We were able to share the gospel with these 20 or so students along with their families, they were receptive but we had yet to see much fruit from it. The parents were telling us that their children were different, that they were kinder, happier, and excited to go to school. We saw this as some fruit of the school. Parents would have us over for dinner and we would have opportunities to share God’s word with them.

This school year we now have 35 students! More kids, more families, more work, but also much more opportunity to share the love of Jesus.

One of our new students this year, Ivan, is always excited to learn about the Bible in Bible class and also in Chapel. He is always telling the Bible stories and verses to his parents. One day Annie and I were in a store and some man who appeared to be drunk was saying my name over and over, we asked him who he was and he said that he was Ivan’s dad, he then began to recite a verse back to us that our students had been learning, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10). He went on to say that he was so happy his son was in the school learning these things, and that he didn’t want him to end up a drunk like him. We reassured him that it wasn’t too late for him either. A few months passed and Ivan’s mom came to the school, she asked us what religion we follow, we said we are Christians, and then she asked if she could come to church with us! We were so excited! We are coming to find out that our students are sharing the gospel and the Bible with their own parents, how great is that!?

We have another new student this year named Bryan, his parents decided to put him in our school because he experienced lots of bullying in the other schools. The first few days of school we could tell that Bryan did not have a good school experience in the past, he was very quiet and didn’t appear to be happy. With time he became more and more talkative and happy, a few weeks in and his parents said that he couldn’t wait to go to school in the mornings. In December Bryans mom came to the school to talk with us, she began to tell us how much Bryan has changed. She said that one day she walking into his room and she saw him down on his knees praying, the mom was overwhelmed at how her son had changed! She said that he will often lead prayers with them and teach them things from the Bible. A few weeks ago we got invite Bryans family over to the school to have dinner, we ate together and shared from the Word with his family. After we finished talking with them, Bryan’s dad spoke up. He began to share how thankful he was that we had been investing in his child and his family. He also told us that he wanted to learn more about the Bible, he said that he was relieved at how simple the gospel was, that all we have to do is put our faith in what Jesus Christ has done for us, not the Virgin of Juquila or anything else. They are excited to learn more abut Jesus!

These are just a few of the things that God has been doing in Juquila! Please continue to pray for our school La Luz and the people of Juquila. That God would continue to soften hearts and draw people to himself!

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Wisdom in Silence

Alongside my position with Global Education Ministries, I also get to run a coffee shop with my husband. It’s our dream business, and we have been up and running for almost a year now – praise God! One thing that comes along with being a barista, is getting to know my customers. I always say that baristas are the new bartenders. People for some reason really let their guard down and love sharing with the person providing their daily caffeine fix. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. I love getting to know people who I normally would have never crossed paths with. I enjoy hearing about the highs and lows of their days. And I’m blessed to even get to see so many customers turn into true friends. 

Anywho, where was I going with that? Oh yeah. Hearing about people’s problems. Everyone has something difficult going on in their life, and some people just feel good about sharing that. As an extrovert (and an enneagram 2), I love talking back and forth… and I especially love the opportunity to give advice. I hear a problem, and my instant thought is: “how can I help solve this?” This happens even with my family, friends and in my marriage. 

Recently, I’ve been reading the book of Job. If you’re not familiar, the book of Job tells the story about a faithful man of God named Job who was blessed with great abundance. The story starts in Heaven with a conversation between God and Satan. Satan implies that Job only loves God because he has such a great life, and he would surely deny God if it was all taken away. Confident in his faithful servant, God allows Satan to strip Job of everything he loves– his family, his wealth, and his health. Job suffers terribly, even though he didn’t sin or disappoint God in any way. Most of the story describes conversations between Job and his friends, who assume that Job must have sinned greatly if he is suffering so terribly. Although Job goes through horrific events that most of us have never seen, he keeps his faith in God and remains steadfast.

I remember reading this story in the past, and my main takeaway always was– “Wow, look how strong Job’s faith was! He must really trust God. I need to trust God like that.” Which is a great takeaway and lesson to learn. But this time I noticed something different. When Job’s suffering began, his friends came to his aid – but for the first week they didn’t have any words. They just sat with him in silence. After some time, they began to “give advice,” emploring Job to confess his secret sin and repent so he can be healed. They described the horrible ways God will judge wicked people, insinuating that Job must be wicked because his life looked that way right now. Great friends, right? In the middle of losing everything, and they only come over to tell you how wicked your are.

While reading it these speeches made by Job’s friends, it’s easy to pick out truths that they share. The way they described God’s hatred of wickedness is TRUE. God does detest sin and evil, and he will bring judgement to all of those who don’t come to Him in repentance. But this wasn’t true in Job’s case. His friends had NO CLUE the interaction between God and Satan in Heaven… They assumed they knew everything which in turn made them out to know nothing at all. It is crazy to think that you can be so right (speaking truths) and so wrong (speaking them out of context, or assuming God’s will) at the same time.

The commentary I was reading during my study time turned to the fact that the wisest thing any of Job’s friends did during the entire story was the very beginning when they were silent for one week. They sat with Job and said nothing. This made me think of all the times anyone has brought problems or suffering to me, and how quickly I am to jump in and add comments, truth, or advice. I now realize how much wisdom there is in silence. In listening. In being humbly quiet before your friend and before God. I can speak truth after truth, but how do I know what God is really doing in the hearts of others if I’m so quick to assess the situation and put my human spin on it. 

There is humility in acknowledging that I don’t know everything, and I especially don’t know God’s purpose in every problem or trial that myself or my loved ones encounter. Of course there is time for lifting up and encouraging, and maybe even speaking into a situation with truth and love – but I think that should come after the silence. After the listening. After the quiet seeking of God’s heart and guidance. So that’s what I’m aiming to practice in the coming weeks with my friends and even my customers. Let’s see how God can speak to us if we are quiet enough to listen, even on the behalf of others. I don’t want to assume that my advice is needed or even wanted. I want to walk in God’s leading and love others the way He will guide me to. That’s my takeaway from Job this go around reading it, and I can’t wait to see what God will teach me next time.

– Rachel Ellzey, Director of Communications

Rachel graduated in 2014 from the Communication Studies department at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, with a focus in video production. She loves her home state of Texas, where her family still resides. Rachel served as a missionary teacher for a year and is now living in North Carolina with her husband working as GEM’s Director of Communications and running their coffee shop, Social Coffee & Supply Co.

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We Have Nothing To Lose

Pontius Pilot, a Roman governor of Judea from A.D. 26-36, will forever be known for his role in the crucifixion of Jesus. Historical accounts of Pilot describe him as a cruel, ruthless, and an unimpressive man governing a seemingly insignificant Roman outpost.  He was given his position through marriage to the granddaughter of Caesar Augustus. The historical accounts are consistent to what we see in scripture where he tortures Jesus and condemns him to death while knowing he’s innocent. 

What I notice the most in scripture is how weak and cowardly Pilot is.  His driving emotion, through the whole encounter with Jesus, is fear. He was afraid of the mob, the Jewish leaders, Jesus, Caesar, etc. One of his last acts, motivated by an evil fearful heart, is recorded in John 19:16. “Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.”

I’ve read this many times but today while I was reading a commentary I was really impacted by the words of Charles Erdmen. He said: 

“You may do today exactly what Pilate did. He is simply an example of a man who lacks decision of character, who does not possess the courage of his convictions, who tries to compromise with wrong, who disobeys conscience through fear of personal loss.” 

His words struck me because I know much of my Christian life has been lived like this.  Lacking decision of character …not possessing the courage of my convictions…compromising with wrong…and disobeying my conscience. Sadly much of my Christian life has been lived looking more like Pontius Pilot than like Jesus Christ.  

On the surface, it might seem like Pontius Pilot and I have nothing in common.  But look at his fear…the motivation for his actions, the thing that sets him on his course in his life. He was weak, cruel, and unremarkable, and his decisions were motivated by fear of personal loss. He wanted power, comfort, and respect.  And his chief concern was making sure that nothing disrupted that. It’s at this level where he and I (and probably many of you reading) converge. Fear of personal loss is where I start to look a lot like Pilot.  

It’s discouraging and sad…but it’s not the end of our story. 

God is gracious and loving to us.  Not only did he sacrifice Jesus on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, He has given us His Spirit in this life to guide and help us.  We are forgiven and we are given the Spirit of power. God knows our weaknesses, fears, and sin, and He has chosen to remove our offenses from us and remember it no more. We truly are free people who have all things in Christ. Even though we struggle and fail, in Christ, we have nothing to lose. Our hope and our salvation are secure.  We have a loving Father who meets all of our needs in this life and the next. What an incredible and blessed thing!

What is your driving motivation? Is it fear of personal loss? Maybe people won’t respect you, like you, or want to spend time with you if you are unwavering in your convictions? Maybe it loss of comfort if you actively engage in missions and sacrificially give of your time and money? 

As Christians, missionaries, people looking to eternity, let’s look more like Jesus than Pilot.  We should be motivated by love, not driven by fear. Imagine what impact we would have on our families, our neighbors and our world if we consistently were people who had unwavering courage to our convictions, and who refused to compromise with wrong.  Compromising with wrong, giving ground to evil, little by little is a reality in our lives because we fear personal loss. Imagine if we lived as people that embraced the reality that we have nothing to lose.

– Casey Herring, GEM Co-Founder

If you’d like to support Casey and his wife, Meg,  as they serve with GEM in Mexico, you can do so HERE. You can also contact them directly to talk further about what it means to be on their support team and find out how you can be praying for them!