Please Pray for me.

Monday January 22nd I went to the Lansing Healthcare center to get my first of 3 routine Hepatitus B shots.

The next day I was showing symptoms of abdominal pain, fatigue and general discomfort.
As the week progressed the abdominal pain decreased but the fatigue and my tiredness got worse and worse. So last Friday I called my doctors office to set up an appointment.

This last Monday I went in for the check up and my doctor decided to have some blood work done.

At first there was a possible prognosis for mono, or anemia.

Today we received the results from the blood test and discovered I have irrationally low thyroid. Which after another blood test should determine if I have hyperthyroidisim.

The process of figuring out what I have and how to treat it is a long one indeed and very frustrating. Please pray for strength and less symptoms of fatigue. For I'm sleeping 11 hours a night and waking up exhausted and tiredness is cutting into my ability to maintain my 4.0 in classes.

Also after an orthodontist appointment today I have a scheduled oral surgery to get my wisdom teeth removed for next Tuesday.

Anyone wanna trade bodies? :)

Matthew 5

new living translation:
Go the Second Mile
38 You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
Love Your Enemies
43 You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Often times in the past friends who have gotten close to me have realized that I am the happiest when being used. How wack and messed up is that? Mostly Alex and Sherri have been concerned that I let others take advantage of me so often.

I have always known the principles of right and wrong ever since I was a little girl. My Dad being a pastor ultimately means I've been in church my entire life. It's just how I've grown up. When someone takes advantage of me sure I get upset. Mope around a little. But overall I have never sought after revenge on a person. It just has always seemed immoral to do such things. It was the way I was raised. I was extremely blessed with my parents being amazing Godly people.

However I am seeing the importance of relating all things to scripture. One of the biggest battles I get being home in Michigan is "Why would you go to IHOP, they're charismatic there and with them it doesn't really matter what the bible says because they're hearing God up close and personal". It's a complete lie! I belive Mike Bickle said it best while preaching on going deep into God and encountering Jesus. He said "Don't throw your brain away. If it's not in the bible don't accept it. Be anchored in the word of God".

It's so important! So good!

So why does Jesus teach us to pray for those who persecute us? How come that is a way of living righteous? Well he says it in verse 45. God sends forth the sun for the good as well as the evil and sends the rain for the unjust as well as the just. God loves everyone. We are to be perfect as our Father is perfect, as Jesus was perfect.

I guess the big revelation I received while studying this passage, as well as the rest of Sermon on the Mount was that if there is someone who is saying evil things about you, making fun of you, bullying, consistantly doing things to harm others. The reason we should pray for them is because it is their heart that is distraught and vulgar. If we were to seek revenge or our own earthly form of punishment towards them it would blacken our own heart making it unpleasant to the eyes of God.

Ironically enough I was reading in 1 Samuel this past Tuesday. Where David meets Abigail (the woman I am named after) and she convinces David to not seek after his own revenge on Nabel (Abigails husband), but convinces him that God will take care of the judgement and punishment for our adversaries. David wanted so badly to get this guy (Nabel) back for the disregard of hospitality he was shown. Suffice to say Nabel has a stroke and soon after dies of another. David therefore remained a man of righteousness for not sinning against God by going and killing Nabel. Since I know you're dying to find out what happens to Abigail next, her being the heroine of the story. David takes her to be his wife, and she has a son named Daniel.

Once at a youth meeting we were discussing self image, comparing and contrasting God's image of us. Our youth pastor said that when people say things like "you're ugly" they're not really having a problem with us, they're having a problem with God. The reply to that comment was: "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way. Because I, just like you, had no input in the matter of the way I was formed and if you have a problem with the way I look, you have an issue with my creator, not me".

God is fair and just and he is incharge and the creator of our lives. If someone has a problem with me. I'll no longer get upset. I'll pray for them. And hope that they change their hearts attitude before standing infront of their creator.

Lastly, an encouragement to those who are praying for their persecutors. I once heard of a man who worked with a woman who would drive him absolutely insane. She'd always over analyze his work and made his job seem unbareable. So he started praying for the woman. That woman was then blessed to the point where she was so advancely promoted he no longer had to see her. She had been blessed out of his life.

Thanks to any of you out there who actually read this stuff. :)
<3 Abby

Home.

Tonight while practicing/messing around on the piano my gaze was turned toward a picture on the wall. Below the picture is quoted "Home is where your heart is"

Matthew 6

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;

20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

My heart's in Kansas City. I'm in Michigan without a heart. Living the same simplistic lifestyle of prayer, fasting and meditation on the word but with the mediocrity of boring surroundings.

Question: What fun are people if they're not pressing into the heart of God?
Answer: In this town... sinful.

I'm surving purpose here.
Tonight at Campus Life during a discussion of different personality types we got into a radical evangalistic debate concerning sin and Jesus. It was cool no doubt. Witnessing, sharing the knowledge. It was purposeful. Then of course my Sunday School class continuously amazes me.

I don't know where my mind is. But my heart is bored with western religion medeocrity. 6 more months. I suppose I better just start a revival. Then maybe I won't be so bored.

I'm not a good evangelist.

Michigan!

It's so beautiful here right now. Michigan weather is usually a pain, but everyone seems to be happy that we finally have snow. I went sledding yesterday with some friends :)

My heart right now is in a pickle between some different things. Here's what's on my mind...

1. Missing Kansas City. The other night some friends took me out for smoothies and we got in a debate about IHOP. I grew up in a seeker friendly charismatic baptist church. Then went to a dispensationalist southern baptist youth group through out high school. The friends I have here come from those backrounds. I'm quite excentric in their eyes after spending time at IHOP. The discussion was geared toward God moving in extravagant ways at IHOP but wasn't moving in extravagant ways in Michigan and why there was such a difference. It was relentlessly motivated to press my heart and ask myself the questions of Why 24/7 prayer? What is intercessory missionaries? Why are revivals frequent in Michigan? I meditated on scripture and pulled up the prayer room webstream for a few days and really feel more than ever IHOP is where I am called to be.

2. The ever long progression of trying to gain a pure heart, live the sermon on the mount, obtain a lifestyle of righteousness and be humble in all things. I want to be a light for my Father in heaven. But I hate my pride. "It's all about you Jesus, and all this is for you."
"Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and all shall be added"

3. My Sunday School class! I love love love these kids so much. Even though they're all crazy! However, they make my living at home this year feel purposeful. We plan to begin the Omega course very soon!

Pray for me. Thank you for reading!

Scriptural Insights.
Judges 6:36-40

36Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised,

37 prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.”

38 And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water.

39 Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.”

40 So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew.

Last night after reading this passage of scripture I prayed for God to give me a sign. I dreamt as I had never dreamt before.

America

Deuteronomy 32:15
15 “But Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed! Then they abandoned the God who had made them; they made light of the Rock of their salvation.

Reading through the first 5 chapters of the bible was interesting indeed. God has opened my eyes for I have made harsh judgements upon Israel thinking them to be a bunch of unrulely lunatics. My first reactions when God wanted to destroy the lot were that of God being pretty vicious. But in continuing my reading I found that I would have temptations to destroy them all the same.

That's when it hit me. Often times I've heard people say "America is so blessed by God because we're a large worshiping nation". However the Israelites were God's chosen people! And God was mercifully angry with them a ton!

I wrote the verse above (Deuteronomy 32:15) and marked it as a noteable verse because it personally keeps my heart in line with my passion for OneThing. Once we get fat, plump, stuffed on earthly things, we abandon God.

The first Beatitude:
God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs

I do not want to become full with things of this earth. I want to consistantly desire Christ and always pursue a path of righteousness.

I emotionally love to live righteous before you.
I emotionally hate the wickedness in my life.

I Love God!

Deuteronomy 19

4 “If someone kills another person unintentionally, without previous hostility, the slayer may flee to any of these cities to live in safety.

5 For example, suppose someone goes into the forest with a neighbor to cut wood. And suppose one of them swings an ax to chop down a tree, and the ax head flies off the handle, killing the other person. In such cases, the slayer may flee to one of the cities of refuge to live in safety.

Blog Ratings!

Well Shawn Blanc decided to have a contest on his website for the best blog of 2006.I did not choose to submit an entry, however I did vote on the selected chosen few.

Here's what I thought.

1. I Miss Mix Tapes
Generally speaking I could not relate to this post because I grew up in more of a cd era of time. Also the author decided to use words such as 'jammy jam' and confessed to at one point in time being a Beck fan. So I lost some respect for them :)

2. Most awkward/embarassing moment of the year
This post got my vote for being best. It was written well, and had me laughing out loud. The post made my day better. It was exactly as a good post ought to be.

3. If you have a cat, give him some grass.
I'm a big supporter of cat nip for there are 3 cats in my home. However this post was too general for myliking. Funny as it was, I feel guilty in supporting any references to drugs even for laughing matters. :)

4. I love you Today. I hate you tomorrow.
I did not read past the 1st sentence because I don't like swear words. I believe they are an indication of lack of vocabulary. Plus, I feel Jesus doesn't like them very much.

5. I'd like to introduce you to our son...
This was a good one no doubt. I enjoyed reading this post. I have a big heart for Africa and I love family! However, the guy who posted #2 had a South African wife, and he made me laugh! Haha. So my decision was easy.

6. The first blessing
First of all, major appologies to Stephanie! I didn't even see/read this post. Soooo Weird. I love that you posted about a beatitude because that is exactly where my heart is at the moment. In the New Living Translation it says "blessed are those who need God". Which I think seems to be a common theme in your post! Your entry reminded me of the verse "It is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven". A wise man (Shawn Blanc) once said that the Sermon on the Mount is in a way saying the same thing 3 different ways. One of the major points Jesus is getting across in my opinion is that God is the soul thing we should be focusing so why are we worrying about getting rich, dressing nice, or having the things we need. God will provide. So I very much enjoyed reading your post. :)

Thank you Shawn for holding this contest. I think another should be held in the near future. I may consider submittingan entry.

P.S. I am very surprised after looking at the polls for who everyone thought had the best post.

Sermon on the Mount

1. Beatitudes = good stuff.
2. Blessed are those who seek after righteousness.
3. I don't want to practice lawlessness.
4. I desire satisfication.
5. I want to have emotional hatred toward wickedness.
6. I want to be obediant.
7. I want there to be an impact in this generation.
8. I long for a pure heart.
9. Absolutely is a good word.
10. Abby-solutely. :)

abbysec: define lutely
SmarterChild: I can't find "lutely" in the dictionary. Try one of these:

1 lately

abby-so-lately

2 cutely

abby-so-cutely ;)

3 mutely

abby-so-mutely :-x

Devotion tonight was fun.

Oh wow! OneThing was Awesome! Pictures to come soon!