Boredom

I heard someone say recently that they were bored; in fact, I’ve heard lots of people complain of this particular ailment recently, and it has gotten me thinking.  I’m accustomed to hearing kids complain of this particular issue, I certainly did – usually the complaint was followed by a suggestion from my mom that there was always loads of cleaning etc. that I could do, but only in my generation has it become common for ADULTS to complain of this malady, and that has me concerned.  Why are so many people bored?!? 

Have we become a culture that must be constantly entertained by someone else? Are we losing our ability to be creative and find something constructive to do with all this extra time we find on our hands?  I would say that we certainly are, but yet, it kept nagging me that it was more than this.

Then it hit me.  When we spend our lives living for ourselves that is what we find, boredom. When life becomes all about me, me, me and everything isn’t falling into place the way we want it to so that we are happy and can do what we want, then we become despondent and this despondency is rapidly transformed into what we call boredom.  How do we overcome boredom?

It is really quite simple.  If we choose to no longer live life with ourselves and our own wishes at the center, if we make it our life ambition to live for another, namely the One who created us (I don’t mean accepting Yeshua as Savior to avoid Hell, I mean seriously live our lives as if they are NOT OUR OWN), then I can honestly say there will no longer be a spare moment for boredom.  When everyone’s in bed or out partying and previously we would have succumbed to loneliness and boredom, we will instead spend some much needed time with our amazing Bridegroom.  We will turn on some worship music and have a little party, just the two of us!  In our every waking moment we will be listening to the One we love, waiting to hear His next words of guidance, looking for the next opportunity to show His love.

However, it is not something to be taken lightly, this decision to live for Another. Many have died for making that very choice. It will cost everything, and yet nothing that was worth anything in the first place. It can be a life filled with excitement and adventure, but also pain. How much is it worth to you, never to be bored again? What are you willing to give up in order to gain this?

Hello from Home!

Hi everyone! 


I have been home for a little over a week now, just in time to get snowed in.  It was quite fun to see such a huge snow (for Arkansas at least) of 16”.  I’ve been greatly enjoying the family time, and now I’m full swing into wedding planning – can’t believe how quickly it’s coming!  Please pray that we can get everything done quickly and without getting stressed. 

I have received a few emails over the last two weeks about things in Egypt; Mubarak stepping down was not what we were praying for. The biggest issue is just praying that whoever does take power in the end is not controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood. At the moment the only man being promoted for the job (that I’m aware of) is most definitely connected to the Muslim Brotherhood even though he has the appearance of being a well-rounded man with lots of experience in the Western world.  I heard some reports from Egyptian believers saying that the majority of the natives were NOT for Mubarak stepping down and even came together in a massive number to support him. They were saying that the rioters shown on the news were a separate group and appeared to be well organized with matching blankets and the same cell phones. They felt that it was used by the media and Muslim groups to promote their agenda. Obviously I have no way of proving this; it’s just what I received in an email from local believers.

The Middle East still needs great amounts of prayer as a number of countries are ripe for violent revolutions. Revolution isn’t necessarily a bad thing for these countries, they need it. The problem is that when these countries go into this type of violent revolution the doors are opened for more radical Muslim groups to sweep in and gain control, thus completely shifting the power balance in the Middle East. Egypt is a huge piece when it comes to this, for a long time they have been a more moderate country, helping to keep some more radical countries in check, if we lose them to the radicals we will see a MAJOR change in the Middle East.  Israel will be far more vulnerable to attack.  Please be in prayer for this.  Since writing the above, I have received an email stating that there are presently Iranian war ships approaching the Suez Canal. Egyptian authorities say that warships must request permission to cross 48hrs ahead of time and that up to now they have not received such a request.  Other sources say that Iran claims they will be stationing several warships off of Syria for the next year.  Israeli authorities are closely watching the movements of these ships.

Also, please continue to pray that those trying to further split Israel and split Jerusalem will be stopped.  This could very easily lead to a lot of what we read about in Revelation, it’s serious. Yes, someday it will happen, just pray that it happens in God’s timing, not man’s.

On a personal note, please pray that I will be able to find a job ASAP.  There were a few things I was hoping would open up, but so far they aren’t helping for this month’s bills. I still need a chunk of money to pay the rest of this month’s bills. I will be doing some more job hunting this afternoon and Friday, so just pray that I find the best option for that! Thanks so much for all of your prayers over the last year and a half; you have been such a blessing to me!

~Lydia

New Adventures

Shabbat Shalom!

I am enjoying the rest of my last Shabbat in Israel! It is very strange to think that this is the last update I will be writing from Jerusalem for this season. It has been a great season and I’m so grateful to each and every one of you for coming on this journey with me and for the part you played to make it a reality.  The future appears to be full of adventure and great opportunities.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s this, as long as you allow God to place you where He wants you to be you will never run out of opportunities, though the types of opportunities may differ greatly.  It’s a bit sad to be ending this season, but very exciting to be entering a new one.  I hope, if nothing else, that I have encouraged each of you in your own journey and opened your eyes to a bit of what really happens on this side of the world.  Here are my thoughts from my last week in Israel.

One of the sets this week was particularly challenging. Often we get challenged, run with it for a while and then slowly forget, at which point we need to be reminded again. So that’s what I felt God was doing this week, reminding me of a few things I had begun to slack on. We began with the verse (Rom. 13:14) which says “make no provision for the flesh”.  What immediately popped into my head is how we make excuses for ourselves.  Often when we stumble or just simply miss the mark, or when we find ourselves reacting to someone in an unloving way, when we recognize the wrongness of our behavior we immediately make an excuse for it.  We say, oh I was having a bad day, or they just kept pressing my buttons and wouldn’t stop, or I just did what I thought He wanted me to do.  Those are usually true, it’s not wrong to acknowledge the truth. But it is when we say those things for the purpose of justifying our wrong behavior that we are “making provision for the flesh”. Yes, we acted in a wrong manner, but instead of justifying it we should be repenting and asking God for the grace not to repeat the behavior in the future.  There have certainly been times when I have justified my actions, but I want to reach aplace where I am humble enough that I have no need to justify the wrong in order to save my pride.

From here we continued on to the “how”. How do we “make no provision for the flesh”?  In Ephesians 5:8 we are called to walk in the Light, as we are now children of the Light. Galatians 5:16 says we are to walk in the Spirit and then we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.  Still, there are times when this can be challenging to walk out every moment of every day.  So we need some tools. There have been seasons when I have diligently prayed in tongues as I went about my daily tasks, but sadly, I have slacked on that recently. Why is this important? Paul wrote Romans, which speaks a lot about not sinning any more, overcoming the flesh etc. He also boasts that he prayed in tongues more than everyone else. Why? Praying in tongues builds up our spirit man, which is what we fight the flesh with. So the challenge is, to learn to be in tune with Him through praying in the Spirit while also going about our daily tasks. The times when I have done this I have had much greater clarity in hearing his voice.  When we are overflowing with the Holy Spirit we will be filled with His power.

Recently there was a mud slide and flooding in Brazil that left 600 people dead (the 12^th of January).  On the 13^th a team of 10 doctors and nurses arrived for a previously scheduled trip.  All of them were Christians, but only one woman was filled with the Holy Spirit.  On the morning of the 15^th they were having a chapel time when the woman read an email to encourage them in their work. Afterwards the Holy Spirit fell on them and they could not move for an hour.  When it lifted they all felt God say they were to go to the morgue and they felt He gave them the number 16, but they weren’t sure what that meant.  Five men decided to stay on the street where there were many bodies lined up and the five women went to the morgue.  The men had no idea what they were doing, but they felt they were to proclaim life and worship, which they did.  Five bodies began to shake and after a short time sat up and then stood up. The women in the morgue weren’t sure what to do either. They joined together at the back of the room and with one voice proclaimed life. They said it was as if another voice came from within them, a booming voice.  Ten bodies began shaking and eventually stood up as well.  All 15 of these people had been dead for 3 days.  They found another body as they were leaving and proclaimed life and it also returned to life!!! These were ordinary people who had never seen the power of God, but they were willing vessels and they made room for God to fill them.  This was reported in a newspaper in Brazil.  Some sites say that they are in the process of confirming all of the details. The point is, God wants to do these things through us, but we have to be willing and open.  When we hear the Spirit and follow, things will happen.  The earth is groaning and waiting for the day when we follow the leading of the Spirit and live as the sons of God that we are called to be.

We were created for this.  I recently heard someone say that when a heart gets off rhythm and then returns to the correct rhythm, in the medical world they say the heart has converted to normal.  I find this fascinating. God created us to be with Him, to walk with Him and hear His voice.  That’s what is normal.  When we walk according to the flesh and in the world our hearts have begun to beat off rhythm.  We live in a world of people who are off rhythm, some of them are on the streets and some of them are in our churches.  God wants us to be vessels through which His voice can speak and cause their hearts to convert to normal.  I get excited when I think about one day seeing a group of people whose hearts have all converted to normal and who all walk according to the Spirit.

I know none of that had anything to do with what’s currently going on in the Middle East, so here’s my bit on that! We must pray hard for Egypt right now. The country is in great turmoil. Should Mubarak be removed from office and replaced by a radical Muslim, then the way would be open for Iran to bring their war ships into the Mediterranean by way of the Suez Canal, which is what they want to do.  This of course, would make it extremely easy for them to attack Israel’s coast.  Also, Lebanon is now controlled by Hezbollah and Jordan’s government is in uproar as well.  There is upheaval in Tunisia, the Ivory Coast, Yemen and Gaza. It is extremely important that we “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” and all of Israel. Pray for protection for the believers in all of these countries as they are now under far greater attack from the Muslims.  Things are moving and shaking over here, we must pray that none of it happens outside of God’s timing – which is what the enemy always tries to do.  Also, President Obama has not seemed likely to veto the UN’s most recent motion to remove all Jewish settlements from the West Bank etc. This would be a first for an American President and would put relations between Israel and the U.S. at an all new low.

Prayer:

1.       For the unrest in the Middle East, that all would be done in accordance with God’s will. Pray for the leaders who are not radical Muslims to be strengthened to remain for as long as possible.

2.       Pray for the believers to be strengthened and encouraged as they are entering an even more challenging period. 

3.       Pray for Israel to call on their God for protection and not on man.  Pray that revelation of Yeshua would flood across this entire region, that blind eyes would be opened!

4.       Praise the Lord, all of my bills were paid this month. Pray that it would be a quick and easy thing for me to get work when I get home so that they can continue to be paid!

5.       Pray for a safe and easy journey for me as I cross boarders and return home. 

6.       For new people to step up and become watchmen on the walls, specifically for natives of the land.

7.       God is highlighting Tel Aviv as a new area to be targeting with heavy prayer, so pray for the new room there, that it would be established quickly.

8.       PRAY FOR RAIN!!!! It has sprinkled a little over the last few days and the forecast says it should rain from Sun-Wed, pray that is DOES!!!!

Photos:

1.   My last time on the Temple Mount in this season. 

2. Rocket sitting on a building in town, ready. At night it has flashing lights 

3. Shalev

Prayers

Hello Everyone!

I am heading back to Israel on Thursday and I look forward to being back in the middle of everything for a few more weeks! This email is mainly just a quick prayer bulletin. I will send a more detailed report sometime next week after I’ve been back in Israel for a few days.  Below I have listed several things that need prayer.  Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support over the last 6 months, you have been a blessing.

1.       An Orthodox paper ran an article about plans to build a “spiritual university” in the southern portion of Israel (out in the desert somewhere).  The article stated that though the paperwork for this has not given any specifics as to the curriculum of this “university” it is being headed by an Israeli woman who is a Buddhist Lama (a spiritual guide etc.).  She is closely linked with the Tibetan Buddhists. We must pray that they eyes of Israel are opened to the idolatry within their nation and the doors it opens spiritually.  Pray that these plans come to nothing.

2.       Lebanon is in a great amount of turmoil at the moment due to the investigation into the assassination of their Prime Minister back in 2005.  It is believed that this was carried out by Hezbollah, and they are threatening people in the government in response to this investigation.  This is a key time in regards to whether Hezbollah gains control of the country from the Sunni’s.  Pray that Hezbollah is not able to gain any control over Lebanon’s government.

3.       Israel is still in desperate need for rain.  Pray that the hearts of God’s people be turned to Him completely so that He can open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings upon Israel once again (Deut. 28-29). 

4.       I will be entering Israel on Thursday the 20^th. Please pray that I have favor and not run into any difficulties entering the country.  Even though I have the correct visa they are often skeptical when single women travel alone.

5.       Please continue to pray with me and believe with me that God will do a miracle and bring in the money still needed to cover my bills for the month of January and that He will open doors for me to get a job quickly when I get home in February.

I pray you all have a blessed week and find time to just be with Him and pour out His love to those around you. 

Hugs to you all!

It has been requested by several of you that I include the following information in my updates, so here it is:

If you would like to donate and receive tax credit make your check out to IMWA and send it to

IMWA 

2268 Forrest Hills Blvd 

Bella Vista, Arkansas 

72715 

Be sure to include a note stating that it is for me.

If you don’t want tax credit you can send a check made out to Lydia Childress to 

2914 Richwood Cir. 

Rogers, AR. 

72756

Or if you would like you can donate funds by clicking on the Paypal link in the sidebar to the right.

Photos: 

1) at a nearby ice-covered pond

2) at the park with my future nieces

In the Sight of El Roi

Shalom Friends!

I am writing this from England, but will be heading back to Israel for a few weeks soon and then on home to plan a wedding!!  I have definitely missed Israel, it really has taken hold of a portion of my heart and it refuses to give it back.  But I am embarking on a new journey and it promises to be a wonderful one full of surprises.  

I have been getting reports from friends in Israel and they are consistently mentioning an increase in violence. One report says that 250+ rockets etc. landed in southern Israel over the last year and it doesn’t seem to be slowing as we enter 2011. There have already been several people wounded from such attacks this year. Some fear this will lead Israel to organize another mission into Gaza in an attempt to debilitate these areas as far as shooting rockets into Israel.  I say fear because any time Israel tries to protect their people from attack the rest of the world gets angry with them.  We must be praying that the leaders of Israel would come to a true relationship with their God, and subsequently lead the people as He wants and trust Him for protection.

They are still in desperate need of rain. The Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) is less than one centimeter above the “red line”. Past this line they are uncertain how healthy it is for the people to consume the water. God is calling to His people, and we must (as the branch that wasgrafted in) cry out for the root to become whole again and produce life. This year could be a very rough one for them.  We also need to continue to pray for our believing brothers and sisters, both Jewish and Arab. I read a report today that says believers in Gaza and the West Bank are the most persecuted believers in the Middle East.  They are paying a great price for the Truth they have received.  Persecution is increasing in Pakistan and Egypt as well. We are one body so it is essential that we pray for and encourage one another.

On that note I would like to include a few clips of words from a song off Corey Russell’s CD, Eyes Opened, the song is called “Behold God is Great”. (It is taken from portions of Job, good book!).

“Behold God is great and we do not know Him, He’s so much bigger than any image I’ve made in my head So lift up your eyes to the heavens and behold your God, he’s so much bigger than, he’s so much greater than. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth, where were you when I spoke and commanded the morning, where were you when I gave the sea its boundary and said no more?”

On a personal note…I felt like God highlighted circumcision to me several weeks ago. So I’ve been mulling over it and asking Him some questions about it. Why would God ask His chosen people to do this? What is the purpose?  I felt like He pointed me back to Genesis 2:25 where it says “they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were unashamed”. Why does it make a point of saying that?  They were in a state of complete one-ness with Abba and with each other, they hid nothing.  Their immediate reaction to eating of the fruit was to cover their nakedness, to hide it both from each other and from El Roi – the God Who Sees (specifically - me).  From that day on man has been trying to hide from God.  It then hit me that when a male is circumcised, that which was hidden is uncovered.  I have not been able to think of any other body part that happens to have an extra layer of skin which if removed will not harm the functioning of the body.  Is God trying to say something?  Then I remembered Jeremiah 4:4 which says, “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart…” 

Circumcision was meant to be a physical picture of what God was wanting to take place inside of us, therefore circumcision applies to all of us. The question is how do we circumcise our hearts?  I don’t think I’ve reached to complete understanding of this, but I think it begins with us purposely choosing to remove those things we have hidden behind.  The layers we have placed around our hearts in an attempt to keep the God Who Sees from seeing (which, by the way, is impossible).  We were created to be naked before Him and be un-ashamed.  I want to return to that place, to function fully as God created me to be, naked before Him.  He sees everything, regardless of whether I choose to be naked before Him or not.  The difference is that if I choose to hide I live ashamed, if I choose to be naked I can live unashamed and in unity with Him.  There’s my thought for the day!

Hugs to you all and looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible when I return to Arkansas! 

Sorry, no pictures this time! I will be sure to include some next time.

Prayer/Praise:

1.       Thank you for praying for my grandfather. The last report I received was that he was recovering well.  Please continue to pray for them.

2.       PLEASE pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who currently have it much worse than we do.

3.       Pray for the U.S., we are hanging in the balance.  This year could determine the future of our country in a major way.

4.       Please pray that I never forget how great my God is, and how small my needs are in comparison.

~Lydia

Limited Increments?

Hello Everyone!

This note is more for the purposes of prayer requests. But I did have a few things I wanted to say first.  So far things are going well, I am still in England and should be here for just a bit longer.  I’ve been enjoying meeting Mark’s rather large family and getting a better feel for the culture in Liverpool.  I was very happy to find there is a church here with some level of a healing room ministry!  Not sure yet if there are any prayer rooms here. 

We were reading in John today when a verse just really stuck out to me and I wanted to share it with you as we embark on this New Year and continuance of our journey. 

(I am using the Restoration Scriptures True Name Edition study Bible for this reference)

For He who YHVH (God) has sent speaks the words of YHVH: for YHVH gives not the Ruach (Holy Spirit) to Him by limited increments.

-John 3:34

Here John was referring to Jesus, but we are called to walk in His footsteps and do the same and greater things.  So I want to point out the second half of the verse.  It says He doesn’t give the Holy Spirit in “limited increments”, yet we often live as if we have received Him in “limited increments”.   We pray and sing songs that say “give us more of Your Spirit” etc., but how can He give us more if He has already given us all of Him?  I believe it has more to do with our allowing Him to have all of us and do with our lives as He wishes.  We must release Him to fully function in our lives and not try to keep Him within the confines that make us comfortable.  So my challenge to myself is to walk in the truth of having received the Holy Spirit in fullness.  Many blessings to each of you in this New Year! May we all experience a closer relationship with Him.

Prayer Requests:

1.       Please stand with me as I believe for the finances to come in for January, I know He will do it again!

2.       That everything would continue to come together for Mark and I as we sort through the many things that have to be taken care of in order for us to get married this year.

3.       For my grandfather.  He had a stroke last week and has been in the hospital since. He is doing much better so far; they ran some tests and can’t find any of the clots they previously found!! Praise the Lord! Pray that his recovery will be a quick one and for strength for my grandma as she will be looking after him when he goes home. 

~Lydia

Photo:  Mark and me on Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas!

I’m so sorry to be sending this out this time of the month, maybe you will have time to read it after your festivities are over!  I’ve been a bit busy the last few weeks and have much to share. 

I will begin with news from Israel. Please be praying for the peace of not just Jerusalem but the entire country. Over the last few weeks rockets have been shot into the southern part of Israel once again.  So far no one has been killed that I have heard of, but I did hear of a girl being injured when one hit near her school.  It’s only God’s grace that has kept it from being any worse. 

Last week a tour guide went for a hike with her friend in a “forest” outside Jerusalem, where I have actually gone on several occasions. The two of them were attacked by some Arab young men who stabbed the tour guide in the chest as well as other places, she played dead until they left and then managed to get to an area where people saw her and called for help. She has been recovering in a nearby hospital; it’s a miracle that she survived.  Her American friend was kidnapped by the men and later found, but she did not survive.  

I believe I mentioned a while back that the religious leaders in Israel fasted and prayed for rain, but did not receive the immediate response of rain like they did last year.  Weeks later the worst fire in Israel’s history (since 1948) broke out in Haifa and raged for days, in spite of help from a number of countries.  During that time I spoke a Jewish friend of mine and he said when they called for the day of prayer and fasting for rain he felt in his spirit that they would not receive the rain in the timing they were thinking. He also felt God say that He was going to send His judgment before he sent His rain.  A few weeks later when the fires broke out he knew that what God had said was what he was watching happen.  Several days into the fire the rains finally began (I believe it began on the night of the 5^th of Dec., which was during Hanukkah).  The rains came in an overabundance, causing flooding issues in the southern parts of Israel as well as in Haifa where they had major mud slides due to the fires.  In the northern part they had some large snowfalls!  The rain did come, but at a great cost. It is better to repent for real, rather than to make an outward show of something that isn’t even in your heart. God sees the heart and judges or blesses according to what He sees there, it is arrogant to think He can’t see what’s in our heart and can be fooled by our outward behavior.  I hope that we won’t see a repeat of this anytime soon.  Pray that there be a change in the hearts of the people.  Things like this also cause me to look into my heart to see if there needs to be any changes there too.  I pray that America will learn a lesson from Israel’s mistakes, because we are heading to far worse if we don’t.

Now for some happy news! I am actually writing this email from England where I am spending the Christmas holidays with my FIANCE and his family! Yes, you heard me right! On the 4^th of December Mark proposed on the Mount of Olives and I accepted, hopefully we will be having a wedding in the States in 2011. For those of you who don’t know, I met Mark a year ago in Israel at a friend’s wedding.  We have spent the last year getting to know one another and our families and all I can say is it has been a very good year!!!  I pray that you all have a very Merry Christmas with lots of great memories to cherish for years to come.  Hope to see you all sometime in the New Year!  Hugs to all of you!


~Lydia

Prayer Requests:

1.        For wisdom for us as we look into the legalities of marrying someone from another country.

2.       For continued financial provision

3.       For protection of our brothers and sisters in Israel

Photos:

1.       Mark and me just after he proposed

2.       Winter in England!