Cultural Organizational Methods

I went to the grocery store today and I had everything that I need except mayonnaise. I went over to the condiment/canned goods isle to get it. I walked down the isle and didn't see any mayonnaise, but there was mustard, ketchup, salad dressing, BBQ sauce, and soy sauce etc. I thought, "Surely this is where the mayonnaise is. " (I have only bought mayonnaise one other time here and it was over a year ago.) So I walked down the isle again. It still wasn't there. Now, when I first came I was really frustrated by the way that the grocery stores organized their food products. Like the baking yeast being with the jello or how eggs and milk are not always refrigerated. However, I have gotten use to this. But in my mind all condiments were and should be together. I had no idea of where else to look so I started wandering around, reminding myself that things are in different places here. I walked down all the isles (all 5 of them!) just in case. I ended up back down the supposed "condiment" isle. The mayonnaise had not magically appeared, unfortunately.
So I meandered over to the refrigerated products area. I walked down the meat isle and next to the meat was the butter and I thought, "That's weird. Butter is suppose to be by the milk." Then I looked next to the butter and there was the mayonnaise above the packaged herring! Go figure! I should have know! (????)
That is my random story and a glimpse into daily life here AND the small differences between cultures that we usually don't even think about.

Linksmių Velykų!

I hope you have a wonderful Easter, celebrating Jesus Christ victory over death and his glorious promise of eternal life for all who believe in Him!

His resurrection symbolizes the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him. The meaning of Easter also symbolizes the complete verification of all that Jesus preached and taught during His three-year ministry. If He had not risen from the dead, if He had merely died and not been resurrected, He would have been considered just another teacher or Rabbi. However, His resurrection changed all that and gave final and irrefutable proof that He was really the Son of God and that He had conquered death once and for all.

THANK YOU, JESUS!

Day with the Lord

Me at my favorite coffee shop


Yesterday was our monthly Day with the Lord.
I wanted to be intentional about my time with Him, to plan a special day.
So I decided to go to some of my favorite places in Kaunas and enjoy them with Jesus.
The first stop was my favorite coffee shop. I spent a couple hours journaling through the first part of Psalms. What stood out was David's passion with and for the Lord. Their relationship that is displayed through the Psalms made my heart long for that type of relationship with God. David was passionate when he was angry, even at God, he was passionate when he had heart-wrenching sorrow, he was passionate when he was happy and praising God. I want to be this passionate with and for the Lord. I want to have an ongoing heartfelt love affair with Jesus.
Then it was lunch time so I went to Pizza Hut and listened to a Podcast about why the Gospel is worth enduring for. It talked about striving to make the Gospel central in my life. To strive to make it the driving force in all that I do and striving to see the power of the Gospel poured out into the world. The Gospel is worth enduring for because our Lord is the triumphant Messiah. Our Lord is the victorious promised one. It is also worth enduring for because it's message is the power of salvation! It will change lives and bring people to eternal salvation. After lunch, I walked around the mall listening to another podcast, praying, and listening to a special playlist I created for my day with Jesus.
I look forward to this day every month. A day where the only thing that is on my agenda is to meet with Jesus, to listen to him, to get to know more of his heart, and to read his word. That is a great day in my book! :)

Lover of My Soul......

I have the most wonderful bride in the world because...

...you are a gift me Me; I’ve had my eye on you since before the world was created. I knew you were Mine, and I could hardly wait to have you (Ephesians 1:4)

...you let Me into your life. You are so much a part of Me that it feels as if you are My own body (1 Corinthians 12)

...you’re so beautiful to Me that I can hardly take My eyes off you. When I look at you, I can’t find a single stain or blemish-I can’t even find a wrinkle (Ephesians 5:25-27)

...you come from a great family. I know there’s royalty in your blood (1 Peter 2:9)

And, by the way, I think your Father’s the greatest.

- Lover of My Soul: Delighting in God's Passionate Love
By Alan D. Wright

What am I willing to give my life for?

This is something that I have been asking myself lately.

I once heard or read that a man has not truly lived until he has found something worth dying for. (paraphrase mine. If you know where this came from I would love to know!)

I have been thinking about the aim of my life.....

I have come to the conclusion that I don't just want to live the "American Dream." I believe there is so much more to my life then getting a great education, more then being successful, more then my happiness and comfort, more then my wants and desires, and more than accumulating material possessions. There is nothing wrong with any of these in and of themselves. I believe God delights to bless me with many of these. It's when I make more of them then I ought to; when they take the place of Christ in my life.

I want to live for something great. A purpose far bigger then me, a legacy that will last after I go Home.

I have decided "there is nothing greater to give my life away for then the Glory of God and the mission of God in the world." (Jeff Olson-Coram Deo Fellowship.)
Where ever the Lord calls me, whether it is to the villages in Africa or climbing the corporate ladder, I want my aim in this life to be bringing the Good News and love of Jesus Christ to every person that I come in contact with. I never want to loose sight of this.

A friend from Bible School is at New Tribes preparing to go be Jesus' hands and feet to the world and she wrote a blog about it. I read it a couple times and was challenged, encouraged, and excited. I would like to share some of it with you...
This is an excerpt:

"It is worth any sacrifice I could make. It is worth giving up the ease that my country offers me, that God has put me in. It is worth forsaking my heart language. It is worth getting foreign diseases. It is worth possibly not getting married or having children. It is worth leaving my family. It is worth devoting my entire life to.

It is worth it because He is worth it. He died for all mankind, and He deserves the worship and praise of all men. They will die and go to hell if no one goes and tells them. They are real people who live in darkness, and the Savior died for them. They need a real hope, and I have the real answer. I have two hands, two feet, a good mind and an aching to see Christ proclaimed in the ends of the earth. I can go, I must go."

She said it so much better then I could! She is talking about going overseas to minister, but not everyone is called to be a missionary in another country and that is okay. However, I believe we are called to be ministers of reconciliation as Christ's ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:18-21), wherever we are at.

These are just some more of my ramblings, thoughts, things that I am learning and going through.