How do you feel close to God?

I suppose, this post is a continuation of my thoughts from the previous post. Actually, I listened to a tape of Rich Mullins recently that prompted some of these thoughts. Those of you who know me, know I am inspired by Rich's words and songs.

In the tape, Rich said that many people ask him, "how do you feel close to God?" He answered, "I don't know. When I read the psalms, many times I think most of the psalmist didn't always feel very close to God. Closeness to God is not about feelings," he adds. "Closeness to God is about obedience. When I read the scriptures, I realize that God has a special place in His heart for the oppressed, for the broken and for the poor. Jesus said, 'whatever you do for the least of these, you've done it unto me.' If I want to identify with who God is, the best way I can do that, is to serve the poor. I don't know how you feel close to God. I know that if we obey, occassionally the feeling follows. Not always, but occassioally. I know if we disobey, we haven't got a shot at it!"

God's Peace

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQnFU5JvuWY

Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks

Wow! What a title for a blog post, huh? But actually it is a verse from Psalms ( 137:9 )

This psalm was written when the children of Israel were in exile. The Babylonians had conquered Jeruselem and the writer is expressing his anger towards the Edomites who were Israel's neighbors and cheered on the armies of Babylon. As he writes this verse, he is imagining the day that God repays them for what they have done. Pretty gruesome yeah? But it is in the scriptures none the less. 

God has brought several verses to me recently, that have to deal with injustice. I admit that one of the hardest things for me to deal with sometimes is fairness or justice. Many times, I witness things that make me feel like the psalmist when he wrote earlier in this text. "But how can we sing the songs of Zion in a foreign land?" ( vs. 4 ) How can we be filled with the joy of the Lord, when we are oppressed by evil? I've been reminded lately, that that's just the way God works. When were we ever NOT in a foreign land?

Just a quick thought

I copied this from a Facebook post. It says what I have been thinking about lately!

Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossip, Mary was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sarah was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old and Lazarus was dead. Now..... what's YOUR reason for thinking God won't use you?
God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies those whom He CALLED

Sometimes, I think that I'm not qualified to be doing what I'm doing. I hope if you ever have doubts about what God is calling you to do, that you will take comfort and find strength in this quote.

Video of Summer

Hey, if you haven't seen this video, it is worth watching! It was made by a group that was here with us this summer and captures what goes on here pretty well. Here is the link....                          

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D4x7_BKFZY

Enjoy!

Patio Project Completion

As I reported in May, we have been working on developing a patio outside the chapel on the hill at Casa Hogar Douglas. Well during the summer months, when we hosted many American groups that helped us pour concrete, install lighting and landscape. I have posted some photos of the finished project. While the photos are beautiful, you really need to see this in person to appreciate the full beauty!

New Playset at Casa Hogar Douglas

This summer, we have been working on a new wooden playset at the Douglas Children's Home. Thanks to the generous gift by one of our Shelter sponsors, the kids will have a new area to play right outside their dorms. The play structure will include an 8' high platform, overhead bridge, skywatch platform, climbing wall, heavy duty swings and monkey bars. We had to purchase and import a few pieces from the states (good quality products are hard to find here) but we should be putting the finishing touches on this thing by the time school is starting. This will be a huge blessing for many kids! Thanks to the Osborne family from Cincinnati for making this happen!