living what i say i believe..

So.. my week has been long. It has been hard at times... But life is that way sometimes.

I can honestly say, though, that God has been giving me joy. The joy of the Lord truly is my strength.

I have been thinking and praying a lot lately about this... I went to my friend's church a week and a half ago to tell about my Nicaragua missions trip, and I ended up tying it all together with missions at home and how we are all called to be missionaries even if we never leave the area by telling about the guy I work with that I've written about before. I told the people at Pam's church as they sat and listened to me that... sure, missions overseas is great. If you have the opportunity, go for it. Go someplace and share your faith there. But we have to share it here too. Because... if we do not share God and what He has done for us at home, at school, and even in our local churches... then it is not real. We have to live what we believe here, or there is no point in going somewhere else on a missions trip.

I just heard somebody say this yesterday or today... and now I cannot even remember where I heard or read it. I don't have a clue who said it. But... "You can say what you want. But you'll live what you really believe." OH!! I know.. I think it was this afternoon, as I was watching Casting Crowns' new dvd. Mark Hall, their lead vocalist, was talking about living what we believe and about loving others like Jesus.

Anyway, throughout the good times and the not-so-good, I want to be an example and a reflection of who Jesus is and of His love for us all. Because... I can recite all the verses I want, and say all sorts of great words, but if I don't live His love to those I encounter in my life, then it is all pointless.