Humble Gratefulness

Fresh in our hearts is to "give thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20). We are humbled and grateful for the kindness that has been extended to us through donations and prayers as we prepare to go to India in less than two months. That support has come from those that we are extremely close to, friends and family, and brothers and sisters in Christ that we may or may not know. We are so very aware that all good things come from the Lord and it is through Him that donations are coming in and prayers are being answered. We know that it is because of Christ that people so freely give out of their pockets to support us as we go to equip pastors and students there.    So as I write today, the words are hard to find to express how humbled we are by people's generosity to us.

I must say that this has at time been trying for us. Michael and I have both been discourage at various times as we seek to raise the funds we need to go to India. Earlier in the week I was contemplating how we could possibly raise enough money and in my car the Lord silenced me. It felt so clear to me in my spirit that the Lord was questioning who I was putting my dependence on for these funds. It suddenly shone his sanctifying light on my sinfulness and lack of faithfulness to seek him for all things - especially money to get to India. I realized (via the Holy Spirit) I had to be fervent in prayer about this and I had to, in faith, trust that if he sent us he would provide.

The next day I had a man come to me at school and call me out of class. He opened his wallet and gave me a sizable donation. I was completely humbled. The first thing I thought of was not - "wow, I just got some money!" Nor was my initial thought to praise this man for kindly donating to our mission. Rather, I was silenced out of sheer amazement and reverence of God being faithful once again to one of his children. I immediately felt the Spirit so strong give me assurance and a peace that he was sent by the Lord. This man may never know what all his donation stood for, but that was the beginning of donations coming in and the Lord never ceasing to supply.

We are half way there to our goal to raise for India and now I sit a week later confident that the Lord will surely provide.

"You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 118:28-29)

Reminscing...If only I could have known how I should cherish every moment.

Learning to cherish every moment that the Lord has given you is very difficult, especially when you lack wisdom and experience. I look back now and people that I have met, places I have been, and things I have learned have never been more sweeter.

I have days when a song or a phrase reminds me of someone that the Lord has so graciously placed in my life. I am so indeed thankful for his goodness to me in providing those people to me.

I could try to write all of the things and the little details that I didn't understand then, but it would far outweigh the amount of time that I have to write. I would be writing those memories until my last breath. But for now, I will only say how grateful I am for the Lord's goodness to me despite my unfaithful running away from everything that he placed before me. Oh how he pursued me relentless like he told Hosea to do to Gomer. I am so very grateful that he came after me with a relentless pursuit. After all, that is exactly what our gracious Father does. He comes after His own.

I am reminded that in blatant disobedience, He placed those people in my life that would force me to follow His will even if they were not aware. I'm thankful for a boss who told me to go and serve one summer and preserved my job so that it was there when I returned. For in that one summer, God ordained me to meet my husband. God gave my husband a clear direction as a result of that summer. God granted so many tiny (seeming at the time) details during that single event that effected not only our lives but the lives around us - and for that, I'm so thankful.

I guess to sum this up since it has been a draft for quite sometime is this - I may not understand (nor like) sometimes why we are here, why I am a teacher, why this or that, etc. but I do know that in every single event, every day, every moment, God is doing a million different things all pointing the world back to himself, all to glorify himself, all to result in good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. So what if I don't "like" something or understand what's going on or what he could possibly be doing in a situation. I must have faith that he is working all things for His glory, for the sake of the world knowing of His Son. This alone will be my focus and what will get me through even those toughest days. After all, he has been faithful and proven himself a million fold!

We're going to India!!!

 

Months ago, Michael and I were asked if we would be willing to travel half way around the world. After weighing options, we agreed to go without really knowing any details at all! We now know that we will both be teaching at a seminary/college in Trivandrum, India. We are excited and eager to go and equip pastors and students who will then go back to their villages/cities where it may be very difficult for them to spread the Gospel.

 

Below is the letter that we sent to our family, friends, and coworkers:

Michael and I will be traveling to Trivandrum, India from July 29th through August 12th. We will be serving Agape Royal Ministries, led by Abraham Thomas, by training pastors and other workers at the Logos School of Theology. Michael will teach biblical interpretation and I will teach English to college students. The expected cost of our trip is approximately $4,500.

First, we ask that you would pray for us. Pray for us as we prepare our hearts to enter a country where the largest percentage of unreached people groups in the world lives. Pray for us as we make preparations for teaching men and women who will go back into their own country and share Christ with those who are lost. Pray that the Lord would grant us opportunities to clearly proclaim the gospel to the people we encounter. Pray for our safety as we travel and that the Lord would strengthen us when we grow weary.

Secondly, we are hosting an All You Can Eat India Mission Trip Benefit Dinner to raise financial support on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 at the home of Rick and Robin Garner. Their address is 1207 Confederate Road, Lincolnton, NC. The dinner is from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM. We are selling tickets in advance – $12 Adults; $6 Child’s Plate. The meal includes marinated grilled chicken, sautéed green beans, baked potatoes, tossed salad, homemade roll, desserts, and drinks. (FYI: to-go plates are available; the dining is outdoors in a nice backyard setting.)

If you would like to purchase a ticket, please email us at janaljonas@gmail.com or themdw@gmail.com to reserve your tickets.

If you are unable to participate in the dinner and you would like to make a financial contribution, we would certainly welcome that as well and we can give you an address where you can send it.

Grace to you in Christ! - Michael and Jana White

We know that you probably give to various things throughout the year and are pulled in many ways, but we would like to ask that you at least partner with us in prayer as we go. Grace to you in Christ!

 

I will try to continue to post here so you can be updated as we watch the Lord raise the funds we need to go! We are anxiously anticipating him meeting all of our needs! Thank you for partnering with us in prayer!

 

 

 

A Legacy

The legacy that my grandparents left is so valuable and I'm not sure I would have realized it this early had it not been for God graciously showing me as I thought on fond memories of momaw and popaw. So what is this legacy? They taught me to love the Lord with all my heart, with all my sould, with all my mind, and with all my strength.

My momaw and popaw taught me that loving God was important and not just important on a weekly basis, but everyday. I can remember from my earliest days of staying with momaw and popaw that we never watched our "night" shows or went to bed without spending time in God's word. We never went to sleep without spending time talking with the Lord especially when we were scared or was having trouble sleeping for momaw taught us that God is with us in all things - even the bad, scary times.

I remember popaw always listening and always testing everything that was said against what was in God's word - I was to be no different.

He taught me, and I've yet to master this, how to be humble - how to apologize when I am in the wrong.

He taught me that even though you want to stand up for something that is right, if you do it in the wrong way, it is sin and he taught me that by humbling admitting when he was at fault.

Momaw taught me what it meant to care for people.

They taught me what it means to visit the sick and care for them.

When the Bible speaks of being a woman of a "gentle and quiet spirit," she so very much displayed that more than anyone else I've ever known. I never heard momaw ever say anything bad about anyone and she didn't like to hear anyone else do it. She set an example for all of us.

It's a wonderful thing though to get older and look around and see that not only was this my momaw and my popaw, but it was their families as well. And obviously, this legacy far preceeded them.  I can see that the legacy was started in their parents and probably beyond that.....and so it continues.

There is no greater blessing than for the Lord to reconnect cousins - those of us who are great grandchildren - and for us to see that the Lord is the Savior of our lives. I don't believe they look down on us because they're in the presence of Almighty God, but I have to think that if they knew (and some of them did - such as my momaw and popaw) they would rejoice in our relationship with the Lord.

Obviously, you cannot take anything with you when you die nor can you quickly go back and make sure you leave something behind for those who remain. However, thankfully, they realized that the One thing that overpowers the grave - the one thing that live on - is the lessons that they have taught to their kids, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, etc and that lesson was founded in their relationship with the Lord.

Sometimes as I was growing up, I often felt like I was walking with very few as I strived to follow the Lord and daily surrender my life to his lordship. But as I get older, I am having the privilege of seeing my cousins actively walk with the Lord. I know how the Lord changed my heart and I see how he has changed my family's hearts. I'm so thankful that the Lord has been gracious to our family. I praise his for his kindness toward us. I praise Him for saving our grandparents, our greatgrandparents, etc. I see how much walking with the Lord and making him the center of your life changes everything. It changes your life. It changes your sons and daughters. It changes your granddaughters and grandsons. The Lord in His kindness used it to greatly impact so many of us for His glory! And for that, I speak on behalf of those of us who have been impacted by their legacy, thank you. Thank you for living out the Gospel. Thank you for teaching us who God is. Thank you for always pointing us to him in both the good times and the bad ones. For you taught us that in all things, Christ does and will have the preeminance.

I'm a Backslider

I'm so very thankful that a friend tweeted this blog by Joe Thorn (http://www.joethorn.net/2012/10/16/25-marks/) this afternoon. I was in the gym looking through my twitter feed and when I saw the tweet, it immediately drew my attention. So I went on to read it and found myself slowing down on the elliptical and trying to remain together as I read through the 25 Marks of a Backslider.

I have included the 25 evidences of a backslidden condition as follows:

1. When prayer ceases to be a vital part of a professing Christian’s life, backsliding is present.

2. When the quest for biblical truth ceases and one grows content with the knowledge of eternal things already acquired, there can be no mistaking the presence of backsliding.

3. When the biblical knowledge possessed or acquired is treated as external fact and not applied inwardly, backsliding is present.

4. When earnest thoughts about eternal things cease to be regular and gripping, it should be like a warning light to the backslider.

5. When the services of the church lose their delights, a backslidden condition probably exists.

6. When pointed spiritual discussions are an embarrassment, that is certain evidence of backsliding.

7. When sports, recreation and entertainment are a large and necessary part of your lifestyle, you may assume backsliding is in force.

8. When sins of the body and of the mind can be indulged in without an uproar in your conscience your backslidden condition is certain.

9. When aspirations for Christlike holiness cease to be dominant in your life and thinking, backsliding is there.

10. When the acquisition of money and goods becomes a dominant part of your thinking, you have clear confirmation of backsliding.

11. When you can mouth religious songs and words without heart, be sure backsliding is present.

12. When you can hear the Lord’s name taken in vain, spiritual concerns mocked and eternal issues flippantly treated, and not be moved to indignation and action, you are backslidden.

13. When you can watch degrading movies and television and read morally debilitating literature, you can be sure you are backslidden.

14. When breaches of peace in the brotherhood are of no concern to you, that is proof of backsliding.

15. When the slightest excuse seems sufficient to keep you from spiritual duty and opportunity, you are backslidden.

16. When you become content with your lack of spiritual power and no longer seek repeated enduements of power from on high, you are backslidden.

17. When you pardon your own sin and sloth by saying the Lord understands and remembers that we are dust, you have revealed your backslidden condition.

18. When there is no music in your soul and no song in your heart, the silence testifies to your backsliding.

19. When you adjust happily to the worlds’ lifestyle, your own mirror will tell the truth of your backsliding.

20. When injustice and human misery exist around you and you do little or nothing to relieve the suffering, be sure you are backslidden.

21. When your church has fallen into spiritual declension and the Word of God is no longer preached there with power and you are still content, you are in a backslidden condition.

22. When the spiritual condition of the world declines around you and you cannot perceive it , that is testimony of your backslidden stance.

23. When you are willing to cheat your employer, backsliding is apparent.

24. When you find yourself rich in grace and mercy and marvel at your own godliness, then you have fallen far in your backsliding.

25. When your tears are dried up and the hard, cold spiritual facts of your existence cannot unleash them, see this as an awful testimony both of the hardness of your heart and the depth of your backsliding.

(taken from Revival, Richard Owen Roberts)


Church-goers alike (I included) piously act as though backslidding is only for "those" people who don't attend church and do "bad things". How foolish we are! Some items on the above list we treat as obviously "bad things" such as cheating your employer because we immediately think that would unmistakeably mean stealing money from a cash register or such. But have we neglected to think about the break that we were not to take, or slipping out earlier because no one will notice or such and such does it everyday, etc. Hear the truths of Scripture: "Our hearts are deceitfully wicked above all else, and desperately sick; Who can understand it?"(Jer. 17:9)

I say those things not to point fingers at anyone or slam anyone, but to gauge my own heart. These evidences are much more revealing of my own heart than anyone else's.

I was humbled, mortified, and ashamed as I read through these evidences, but my heart broke when I got to the last one. "When you tears are dried up and the hard, cold spiritual facts of your existence cannot unleash them, see this as an awful testimony both of the hardness of your heart and the depth of your backsliding." You see, my heart gets hard quickly. If I'm not in the Word, my heart grows hard. When I get hurt, my heart gets hard. When I don't spend quality time with the Father in prayer, my heart grows hard. It is then that I hate myself the most! I grow so disgusted with myself - I know how to fix it, but now my prideful, hard heart will not admit to defeat and throw myself at the foot of the cross where I should be. Oh beloved, it's not too late! Just as I have so many times before; just as I do now - daily, throw yourself at the foot of the cross and cling to the One who came and lived a sinless life, die on the cross to pay for all the crap listed above that we do, and not only died for us, but gave us His righteousness so that we may stand before the Father. With news like that, why do we waste years in a backslidden state?

Today is the day - let's make it count to the glory of the Father!

Sola de Gloria!

(More thoughts to come...)

First Meeting of Girls Gone Wise Bible Study 9/30

Last week was our first Fall discipleship class. This will be our 4th semester of discipleship classes. That is incredibly hard to believe given the amount of prayer, time, and planning that occurred years before the first class ever started. It's hard to believe that Michael and I have already been at Gainsville 3 years and are now standing on this side of the whole debate on Discipleship classes.

With all that to said, this semester I'm finally getting the chance to lead a girls Bible study that ranges from girls in middle school to girls who are in their later years of college (and a some older) :-) Saying that I'm totally excited and grateful these girls have come would be an understatement! In previous semesters, I have had the privilege to teach children - how to study the Bible and who God is! What an awesome opportunity it has been to teach them; however, my God-given desire is for girls and to see them turn radically to Christ and find Him as their all-sufficient Savior!

Last week in our introduction, we looked at what the culture defines as wild and wise. We looked at the hottest and latest fashion/teen magazines for "guidance". To say the very least, our culture is full of selling wild and foolishness disguised as wisdom. As I thumbed through the magazines, I wish I could say that it shocked me, but sadly, this was not the case. For some of the younger girls, they were somewhat shocked, but my high schoolers were not phased in the least. Don't get me wrong, they knew it was foolish and, thankfully, none of my girls dress like the examples we saw, but still...As a matter of fact, I face it everyday as I look at my students and other students walking in the hallways. What are they thinking? I wish I could grab hold of them and shake them. I want to wake them up! I want them to see that their path leads to destruction.

What keeps me from shaking them and asking them, "Why do you dress like that?" or "Why are you hugging and kissing all over that guy one day and another one the next?" or "Why are you using that kind of language?" The questions could go on and on, couldn't they?

What keeps me from doing that?

Their heart.

It is dead.

I weep as I write those words. O God, save them. I hear Paul's word through God's inspiration echo "And you were dead....dead...in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world."

Those apart from Christ are dead. I was dead.  When we are dead, what do we do? According to Scripture, we walk following the course of this world. We cannot expect non-Christians to suddenly act like Christians apart from being in Christ. Likewise, we SHOULD not expect or tolerate Christians who "follow the course of this world." The Bible identifies that as sin.

Now before you think that I'm suddenly going to start a whole think on hypocrisy, I'm not. As I challenged the girls on Sunday night, we looked at Ephesians 5. Our primary focus was on Ephesians 5:15, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise." I asked our girls to look back at verse 1. "Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children." We looked at what "therefore'' was there for. In light of the Gospel - God, in his grace, sending Jesus to die on account for our sins and fully taking on the wrath of God that was rightfully due to us, taking it upon Himself and exchanging our sin for His righteousness so that we could fellowship with Christ - now, in light of that - "Be imitators of God and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us." In the following verse Paul outlines things that believers, true followers of Christ, should not do. This is not a checklist that Christians should do this and not do this, but it all rests in verse 1 - be imitators of God. That is what true followers of Christ are to be - Imitators! With all my heart I desire to be an imitator of God. With all my heart I desire for our students - the girls sitting in this Bible study to be imitators of God. Please pray that we would be faithful followers and imitators of our Most Holy God. After all God Himself said, "Be holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44; 1 Peter 1:15)

In closing, I know that some of you reading this are and have been praying for our bible study and for that, I'm incredibly grateful for. I desperately covet your prayers -  I need them as I am unable to faithfully teach them apart from the Spirit's work and for them, as only God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit can change their hearts. I sense the Spirit eager to work and that causes my heart to fill like it will explode!

Homecoming Week

So I know I'm weeks late, but I wanted to make sure I posted pictures from Homecoming Week. I have to say it's one of the advantages of working in a high school.

 I personally have two days that tie as favorites for me...

The first one - tacky day! Love it! Love the fact that I can wake up and pull one of EVERYTHING out of my closet and put it on! And to top it all off, I don't have to care about what I look like, which equals awesome for me :-)

Love the boots, right?

Love this picture! We were taking a picture and next thing I know, I'm being lifted off the ground!

 

The second one...Decade Day! This year my style was 80's workout!

On my way to school...Michael wasn't up so I couldn't get him to take a quick snapshot before I left the house!

Ashton and me before class started.

Me, Layn, and Kirsten

Twin day has never really appealed to me honestly, but it's because I have a twin everyday of the year. However, I had inspiration this year. If only every teacher could be like Mr. Steven Peeler...

And of course, I represented the Gamecocks on Favorite team day since it's football season and all...