how are you doing?

How are you doing? What does this question mean? Is it a greeting? A way of saying "Hi"? Are you asking just to be nice? What answer are you looking for? When you ask someone how they are doing you sometimes just expect them to say the most typical answer "GOOD". I do it myself. "How are you?" has become a greeting with no expectations of an answer longer than one sentence. Do we honestly want/care to know how the person is doing when we ask them? Do we want to know? Do you want to invest? Or are you just trying to be nice?

I have been challenged with this more that once here on the ship because "how are you doing?" has become a way of saying "hello" to someone. I do it. I don't want to ask the question just to be nice. When I ask I want to ask because i want to know the answer.

just a thought.

As I sit in Cafe Vivaldi in Koge, Denmark I look out the window and I see snow falling. Soft, white, dry snow. It is beautiful. Earlier when I was walking a snow flake fell on my glove and I looked at it and I could see the intricate pattern. It was so amazing. It quickly melted away into nothing but I didn't miss seeing its beauty. People are so obviously different from each other. You can see God's intricate work in every person on earth. We are all so different but all so beautiful. We are like snow flakes, all made different, no two exactly the same. I cant imagine how much time, effort, love and thought went in to making us. He is so creative and it is so amazing to know that I get my creative nature from the God of the universe, the God who made the stars.

"You still lack one thing.

Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor and you will have treasures in heaven and come follow me."

-Luke 18:22

When it says "sell all you have" and "come follow me" the way those words speak to me today is that I need to give up everything i have, "sell everything" emotionally and physically. Everything in my heart and mind, give it all up to God and FOLLOW HIM.

I have given up a lot to God through the journey of coming to the ship and being here but there is still a lot of things that I need to give to him. I am still not fully surrendered yet but I will be. I know I can do it but I can only do it through God's strength not my own.

two thousand and nine. a new year. a new beginning.

2008 was a year of preparation, preparation for my future serving God. Now I am living what God was preparing me for and that is a bit scary. I believe that 2009 will be a time whee i take all the things I learned in 2008 and the years before and put them into action in my life. It is time to learn, grow and for God to take me in his hands and mold me into the woman of God that he wants me to be. I want this year to be a year of change and growth. I want to mature in my relationship with God. I want to stop saying I am going to do things and not doing them. I want to do what I say and really devote my life to God. I want to give my time to him, give up all control to him. But I think the biggest thing that i need to do (which I am going to do) is dive into God's word, read it, study it, meditate on it, and know it in my heart and mind. This year will be about change and growth in me but really it is all about God and his will for me. I want to focus all of my attention on God.

God, here I am.

Yours to have, to do with what you wish.

God, take me, change me, mold me, make me more and more like you and less and less like me.

Lord I devote this year, this month, this week, this day, this minute, and this second to you.

I am yours, my heart is yours, my life is yours Lord.

Let your will be done in me God.

Let me fulfill the purpose you have made for me.

I am yours Lord.

Amen.