Swazi Countdown

29 days

Guard your hearts

Dear Ladies:

There are two kinds of men: Godly men and worldly men. What kind of man do you want? I'm betting most of you said a Godly man. Someday, you want to marry a man who loves God with every fiber of his being because he will be an excellent husband and father. He will honor and be true only to you. Most women want a Godly man or at least think they do. Well, I think I have found a way to tell you exactly what kind of guy you will get. I don't even have to know you! All I have to do is look at you. The kind of guy you want or will get is advertised by the clothing you wear. Men were created differently than women. They have different desires and priorities. Their eyes and minds react very differently to some things than women do. It isn't disgusting, perverted, or wrong; it is wonderful and good! It is how God made men. It's how they handle the differences that seperate a Godly man from a worldy man."WORLDY MAN--A worldly man doesn't control himself, rather, he looks at anything that attracts his attention or gets him excited. A wordly guy has no problem when girls wear clothes that show off skin, like boxers, high or low cut shirts, low rise jeans, and "cute" little swim-suits. He's a fan of tight-fitting shirts and pants that show off your form, he think they're fine! Worldly guy watches a lot of TV and R-rated movies, isn't really offended by sexual content or nudity and secretly dabbles in pornography. He's a "Christian" and makes up a significant portion of your church and youth group. He's a really nice guy and sees you mainly for your body. If you were to marry a worldly guy, he'd bring lots of baggage into the relationship, have intimacy problems, entertain thoughts of other women, and possibly cheat on you.""GODLY MAN--A Godly man is in control of his drives and desires. He constantly seeks God and reads his Bible. He "walks in the Spirit" and isn't set off by everything he sees. When immodestly-dressed girls, magazine covers, or risque advertisements come into view, Godly guy quickly "bounces his eyes" away from the image. He's constantly guarding his thoughts and what he allows into his mind. He hates being around girls that disrespect him and his struggles by wearing inappropriate attire. A Godly guy doesn't watch much TV and is selective about movies he sees. He views you as a person, knows you, and respects you. He has your best interests in mind and guards against inappropriate thoughts of you. If you were to marry a Godly man, he would give you the emotional attention you need, he would ignore other women and remain faithful to you no matter what." Unfortunately, there are more wordly men than Godly men; and to make matters worse, to the untrained eye, a worldly man looks a lot like a Godly man. So what can you do to only attract a Godly man? Basically, how you dress. The clothes you wear advertise what kind of guy you are looking for. It all comes down to the kind of man you want to spend your time around and eventually marry. You cannot afford to be complacent in this area of your life! You will pay the price someday. This issue isn't limited strictly to you and your future relationship. The way you dress directly affects other men and women and their relationships. You don't see the struggles, pain, tears, and the sin that you cause, but I can promise that you would be shocked if you did! As any Christian young man; we've all seen it. It's kept hidden but it is definitely there. By dressing immodestly, you effectually spit on the struggles of our weaker ranks, appearing to care more about toying with us than helping us. You'll never know how many broken relationships and lifestyles of sin you've contributed to simply by the way you dress. You want to marry a GODLY man someday, well so do many other women. Don't just help yourself and your future, help all women and their relationships by showing discretion in your dress.But remember, for every sacrifice you makek to honor God with your image, Godly men are making sacrifices in their lives that are just as hard, if not harder! They will and do respect you so much for choosing to be modest! A real lady is conscientious of the image she presents and real men want a real lady. What kind of man do you want? There are Godly men out there, even though it doesn't seem like it...wait for one, wait for one that God has chosen for you; you won't regret it at all!! It will be the most amazing love story you could ever want!!

Ladies, guard your hearts!

Funds are IN!

After getting back from an amazing weekend with my EDGE team for Mali in 2010, I decided to check my email. So I saw the title "OSO" which is the application I applied for to receive some financial support for my trip this summer. I thought maybe I would receive around $50-100 to help me out. Well, was I in for a surprise! A check is waiting with my name on it for an amount of $400. Yes, FOUR HUNDRED! God knew what I needed.

I asked.
I prayed.
I waited.
He supplied.
He provided.
His timing.

I am covered for my costs for Adventures in Missions (AIM), but am still seeking and praying for financial support for the rest of my costs including my ticket to ATL ($500) and my shots and pills (about $200). So I am one hundred over what I need for AIM, and don't have to even put in a worry about it. Wow God, how is it that you made me so confident in you? How did you teach me so well to trust you through these last tough months. Wow have I grown just in this experience, and I'm not even in Swaziland yet.

Jesus, I am so in awe of you. There is none like you...

Thankfulness

I have such a grateful and thankful heart. I have watched God time and time again supply my needs for everything, especially Swaziland. I realize that it is truth to say "When God calls, God provides" but then again we don't seem to believe it in our hearts until we experience the way He provides. I have been comparing myself to my teammates, where many of them are already fully funded and lets just say yes I was a bit jealous because I have been raising support longer than some of them. But then again, it's not a competition nor is it about who gets more and who gets it faster. God supplies in His timing for certain reasons, such as strengthening our faith in Him to provide. I have surely felt and experience the calling God has for me this summer in the last couple months. He has made it so darn clear to me that I am on the right track. When I first began this process I basically prayed about it but didn't really know what He wanted for me. But, I did ask Him to shut a door if it wasn't His will. He never did shut the door. It's still wide open, and my support is still coming in little by little. I have about 4 weeks from this Friday till its due. That is enough time to receive the rest. I am just needing about $300 to cover AIM's, but at the beginning of this process I communicated with God that I wasn't going to pay for it and He would provide it all if I was going to go. Therefore, for all of it to be covered, it would come to a total of $5300 instead of $4600 (AIM's cost). My ticket to ATL was expensive and then i had to get 2 more shots. I have set my goal at $5000 though. If I can reach that, I will be pleased. If I can reach the full amount, wow, my heart will completely melt of thankfulness.

What I've learned is that it is quite easy to be confident in Christ, actually. Do you even realize how BIG He really is? Or do you put Him in a box as if He is limited to what He can do? Well, I have news for you- HE HAS ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD AND CAN DO WHATEVER HE WANTS! Now, that should help you out. All you have to say to yourself daily and continually is that if you know your direction and God has made it clear, than just be confident He's going to get you there, even if it doesn't happen until the last day (such as support received). Soon, you will believe it in your heart, not just your head.

He is truly the Lover of my soul. No one else can satsify such a desire, nor fulfill an empty hole. Only Jesus.

Jer 29:11

I was reminded by God's truth today. Alot of times it seems so easy to just believe "For I know the plans I have for you..." in Jeremiah 29:11. All too often I kind of brush past this verse and not think about what it really means because so many people use it and it seems that it becomes a bit dull. When things change, especially things that you don't want to change, it is so utterly difficult to comprehend and recall the belief you say you have in the Lord and His plans He has laid out for each person. It's so easy for someone to say that God's plans are much more rewarding, satisfying, and beautiful compared to our own because of who He is and who we are (not that we can actually compare ourselves to His majesty). I love when the Holy Spirit pops verses into our heads at the time you need them. What would I do without God the Son, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit? How could I live a life worth living for if we didn't have Jesus? Some events make some people want to forget about their dreams and passions...but I say, don't. If you are in line with God's will, waiting on His direction and asking Him to lead you, those dreams are there for a reason. He is going to use you for His Kingdom. Hallelujah!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Sacrificial Love

They wanted to kill Him. They wanted to crucify Him.
So He was crucified. And, He was killed.
He did nothing wrong.
Sin was the reason. Our sin. Our sin was laid upon Him.
He took it from us.
God sent His only Son.
It was voluntary. Jesus chose to die on the cross.
Jesus chose to come to earth. And take away our sins.
All for one reason. One. To bridge the gap between me and my Father.
To bridge the gap between you and God.
He has paid the penalty.
He has taken it from us.
So we might live. We might have eternal life.
So we could be with Him. In His presence.
What pain He bore. Pain we will never understand.
Only God His Father understood.
Why the cross? Why death?
For life.
His sacrificial love for us.
Love is a sacrifice.
There is no other way.
Even until that day, it was still difficult for Jesus.
He practiced.
He prepared.
For this day.
Yet, it was still difficult.
"Is there any other way, Father?"
It was the only way.
He died. But He rose. He is risen.
Not just that day.
But He still lives today.
In our souls, in our hearts.
In US.
He lives.
Ask Him to live in you.
What a sacrifice Jesus chose. What a sacrifice God gave up.
His child.
For now, death is conquered.
Darkness is overcome.
And Satan is beaten.
Run to Jesus.
Let Him hold you in His loving arms.

http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=9cb93b2d07e2b9689dae

Sacred Claim

The principle of the gospel is this:

The gospel always brings life to the receiver. And death to the giver.

If the gospel brought death to Jesus Christ

why would we think that in preaching the gospel it would be any less for us?

So no, he says, “If anybody would be my disciple

he must take up his cross and follow me.

If it kills him to give life to us.”

And he invites us then to be saved.

Why would we expect that it would be any less?

So the mixture of our message is life and death

and laughter and tears and such it is,

but for us life is never ordinary.

Life is never flat.

And this is what Jesus said about his father in John 17:

the reason my Father loves me is that

I laid down my life only to take it up again;

no one takes it from me.

Jesus was not sentenced to die by His Father,

He was allowed to choose.

I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again.

And this is why my Father loves me.

God the Father had this

extraordinary plan of winning you and me for eternity

by having his son killed.

But his son voluntarily responded.

No it’s not so easy for him to respond. In fact he spent his whole life practicing. And even the night before it was still difficult for Jesus.

And He said, “God is there another way?

Is there another way?”

And I know many many people in the church say “is there another way?” And in our Hong Kong churches it does look as if there is another way. Normal Christians live a normal Christian life. Go to meetings, jump up and down on stages, while we are exhausted and tired.

“Wow you got such a special ministry Jackie.”

Well no, I think we are all

called to give up our lives.

Would you like to do this with us because we would really like some help?

The poor people all over the earth who have never heard of Jesus---they are the poorest people.

They are desperate for food,

they are desperate for blankets,

and they’re desperate for medicine.

They are desperate for water.

The most number of the people of the world who have not heard of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ---they are desperately poor.

And they are not going to come here to hear the gospel.

We have to go there.

So why haven’t people gone?

Something to do with God in our life.

And living a normal life so other people can go.

But I say no why don’t you all go if you’ve tasted such good things. Go to the ends of the earth because those poor aren’t going to watch Jesus on TV.

They haven’t got electricity.

They aren’t going to hear about Him unless we go.

So would you?

I’m here with a plea for you.

If you’ve known the love of God. if you’ve tasted of his sweetness at all.

There’s no other way to serve him except giving up your life.

And this is voluntarily.

This is not a sentence at all.

We’re not sentenced to death.

We’re just privileged to answer His call.

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For whosoever will save his life shall lose it,

and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Whatever ye do unto the least of these Ye have done it unto me.

He that hath my commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me.

Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life.

And he that taketh not his cross

and followeth after me is not worthy of me

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this:

To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.

Hath not God chosen the poor of this world?

May we never forget the sacred claim upon our lives.

---Sermon by Jackie Pullinger---

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX1iDtsAMHE

dates

It is exactly 50 days till I leave for training camp. June 3rd I will be flying across the ocean for 16 hours to Johannesburg, South Africa. We will then drive eastward to Manzini, Swaziland. Wow. Thank you Jesus.