Sunday, May 31, 2009

India Trip

Today, we had one of our missionaries in our church. Bro. G.S. Nair and his family stopped by our area, and we were blessed to have them here.

As a result, we are planning on some of the folks from our church visiting them over in India in December, 2010, for an entire month. Please keep this endeavour in prayer, as we will each need over $1300 for plane tickets, passports, and visas, etc.

Lord willing, our pastor, his wife, Mrs Flory, Katie, Abraham, and I are planning on going. I'm not sure who else. Please keep this in prayer.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Been Up All Night

Hey all,
I've been up all night posting pictures to my photography blog (mostly because I didn't realize what time it was). There's a link for it with the other links. Go there and comment on them, what you liked, what you didn't like and what I could do differently! Hope you enjoy them!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Contentment Is A Skill

The apostle Paul had it right when he wrote in Philippians 4:11b, "...for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

More and more lately, I have been noticing, even in my own life, how discontented we all seem to have grown. Gone are the days of settling for what we can afford, these are the days of credit cards, and buy now/pay later. Get rich quick schemes are all around us, filling our heads with more ways to get more money for doing less. Gone are the days when having a two pairs of shoes-one for church and one for work- was good enough. Or when having a few outfits would last forever it seems. Nowadays we all have to have name brand shoes and clothing. Now name brands are a sign of status. Now, if you don't have the latest gadgets, you are a social outcast. Whatever happened to "And having food and raiment let us therewith be content."

Contentment doesn't come naturally, it has to be LEARNED, just like any other skill. Just like playing an instrument takes time, so does learning contentment. Let me give you an example.

When I started teaching myself to play the guitar, it was long and painful. My fingertips were cracked, sometimes bled, and often were too sore to play piano. But I kept at it. Pretty soon I knew a few chords. Calluses formed on my fingers. I learned how to coordinate those few chords with a few songs. My fingertips were no longer hurting, they were accustomed to the neck of the guitar. But I've found that if I go for days without playing guitar, my fingers will hurt a bit when I play.

Just like learning to play a guitar, learning contentment, I'm finding, is also a long, sometimes painful process. When you start off, your mind and body are weak. You are used to having everything you want. Then comes the time when you realize that God's ways are always the best. So, you suck it up, go on with your life, trusting God to lead you. Pretty soon, you are content in a few things, such as: being the odd duck, money being a little tight because of missions and tithe. But then, things come along that you are not content in. Suddenly, you find yourself a little bit sore, chafing at the spots where discontentment is rubbing you wrong.

I must be truly candid with you, this is a lesson I am having a difficult time learning.

I am having a hard time with contentment in the aspect of relationships, a boyfriend, whatever you want to call it. I have never had a "boyfriend", never been in a relationship that went beyond friends. And while I am not lamenting that fact, something inside me longs to be with the person God's chosen for me. I don't know yet who that is or will be, and I am quite willing to wait. But, my flesh is so weak, and I see others around me, so happy in their relationships, and every time I see them I am discontent.

Then the flesh and the spirit begin to war, one with another. There IS a man that God has chosen for me, I know this for a fact. Therefore, I will not "go out with" any Tom, Dick, or Harry, just for the sake of having a "someone".

I MUST learn to be content! Hebrews 13:5b says, "and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

CHRIST IS ALL I NEED...now if I can just get that through my thick head......

Friday, May 22, 2009

Being Different

Different.

This word is defined as "Not alike in quality or character, differing, dissimilar, not ordinary, unusual."

I've been thinking alot about this word lately, even more so now that I'm in school and working. I was greeted just the other day at school with, "And there's Bethany and she's wearing a skirt...just like always." To some, that may have seemed to be an insult, but I thought of it as a compliment.

I enjoy being different.

The Bible says, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord.... 2 Corinthians 6:17."

It's not hard to be different. But it IS hard to WANT to be different.

In a society filled with conformity, being different is generally frowned upon. In a world where good looks and a good body can get you anywhere, being different isn't glamorous. To some, being different means, getting a new tattoo, a new piercing, etc. But in my world, that is not at all what being different means.

This world seems to flaunt the strive for individuality all the while producing an image of perfection that people strive to attain. The latest fashions, cars, and homes are embraced without a passing glance at the price tag involved. And not all these price tags are monetary. Being the same as everyone else can take a toll on every individual involved. "Keeping up with the Jones'" seems to be the way of life, and probably will continue for a very long time.

To be different in my world would mean to break free from your comfort zone, to get a divorce from public opinion, and more importantly, to want to live your life in such a way that it is viewed as holy and acceptable unto God.

It's not always the easiest thing, as I'm sure many other Christian ladies would agree, to be the odd duck, to be the only one around that looks, speaks, acts, and dresses differently than the horde of people surrounding them.

I am not ashamed of the way I look, the way I dress, speak or act. I do the things I do because I believe they are right. They may not be right or politically correct in the sight of this world, but they are right in the sight of my Creator. And that's all that matters.

If you strive to be different, you will be. If you are content to dwell in this world and never stand or stand up, examine your heart. If you are a Christian, examine your priorities and your standards and convictions. I have challenged myself to do this very thing.

Pretty soon, I will be posting a series, "Why I Do What I Do". I will have Scriptural references for each of the things. Some of the posts will include topics such as:
Why I Wear A Skirt
Why I Obey My Parents (even thought I'm an adult)
Why I Will Not Swear
.....And so forth.


Hope you will enjoy and be blessed somehow through these.

His handmaiden,
Bethany J. Brady

Catching up...again

OK, things have gotten a bit crazy so I'll fill in the spaces as well as I can.

School has been going quite well, and clinicals are almost finished. My test date is June 12th,, and, Lord willing, after that date I will be a Certified Nurses Aide. My grade for clinicals is 100%, and so I am just studying for the written test and the skills test.

I have also been working at the IRMC as an aide on the sixth floor. Today was my second day actually on the floor and as I was walking into work this morning I thought, "Wow! I LOVE my job!!" I thank the Lord for being able to work there and be a testimony.

Tomorrow is Paul's graduation and we are waiting up for Scott and a friend of ours to arrive safely sometime in the early morning.

I'll try to keep you all posted as well as I can due to intermittent Internet service.