Are You a Pharisee?

Quick Bulgaria Update:

I am so excited to announce that our dates and flights have been locked in! We are leaving April 14th @ 5:00 PM from RDU. We will be flying for about 8 hours then stop in London for a 2 hour layover. We will then fly to Sofia and then drive for about 3 hours to get to Svishtov, Bulgaria. We will be flying American and British airlines, which aloud us to drop our flight price from $1400 to $1250. We will come back to America on the 24th having a 2 hour layover in Paris and then home! God has already started a mighty work in our team, and we have already had the chance to see Him do some amazing things already!

Are you a Pharisee?
Mark 3:1
1And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. 2And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. 3And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. 4And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. 5And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. 6And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

3 ways to know if you are a Pharisee 

1. You come to church to watch instead of worship.

2. When you could say something positive to help, you stay silent.

3. When it's all said and done, you did something, but then you huddle and talk, later. 

God was speaking to the people of the church in this passage, and He's still speaking to the church through this passage today. Way to many "Christians" sit around doing nothing because it's "not their problem", but you see it is. When one of your brothers and sisters in Christ are hurting and are in need of help, you should be hurting and right there to help. 

So my question for you is are you a Pharisee? Do you sit around doing nothing, when other need your help? 

Bulgaria Update

Well, we just had our fourth Bulgaria meeting and things are going swell. As of right now most of us are about a quarter of the way to paying for our trip, and we have only had one fundraiser. So to God be the glory for that. We received information that the  price for our plane tickets may be able to go down a little, which would be absolutely amazing! Most, if not all of us, have gotten our passports already. ( I've sent mine in just waiting for it to return.) 

A Special Prayer
Mrs. Lydia, the lady that is a missionary there in Bulgaria, father passed away this past week. I would really appreciate it if you could keep her and her family in your prayers, but most importantly, that through her fathers funeral God was able to speak to the people of Bulgaria. They need the hope of the Gospel more than anything in this world. I was reading something that was sent to me about the people there, and it said that they love to mourn. They even have competitions to see who can mourn the best. Sad right? I just really hope and pray that there is a movement and work of God already being done in Bulgaria, while we wait, as a team, for the time where we get to continue planting the seed. I can't wait to see all the amazing things God is going to do through this trip: to all the people we come in contact with there, and also in my team and I's heart. I feel an army rising and growing and I can not wait to see God move!

Jesus I come !

I found myself weak this afternoon. You know how sometimes you are talking to God, but it feels as if your prayers are hitting the ceiling  and you can't even comprehend what you are reading in the Word. Well that was me tonight. A complete mess wondering why my God was not speaking to me and this song comes on and reminds me of His perfect, unconditional love. Whew AMEN. My night is now made!

"Jesus I Come"

Oh how I need Your grace

More than my words can say

Jesus I come Jesus I come

In all my weaknesses

You are my confidence

Jesus I come Jesus I come

I will rise stand redeemed

Heaven open over me

To Your name eternally

Endless glory I will bring (oh)

Oh what amazing love

We need Your cleansing flood

Jesus I come Jesus I come

In every broken place

You are my righteousness

Jesus I come Jesus I come

Thank You Jesus

Just as I am I come

Hallelujah

Oh what amazing love

Bulgaria, here I come!

I am honored to announce that I will be headed to Bulgaria on a 10 day mission trip in April. I can not wait to bring the greatest light (Jesus) to one of the darkest areas. I am so excited to see everything God is going to do through this trip!

A Little Bit About Bulgaria. 

   

          This is their flag.

Bulgaria was previously a communist country so their government was corrupt and they were lied to for some time. Because of all the damage communism did to their country it left the people there with barely any hope whatsoever. They have trust issues because of the fact they were lied to for so long. So we must not only talk the talk, but it is important that we walk the walk. They will be able to pick out a fake Christian in a heartbeat.

What We Will Be Doing. 

During, our time in Bulgaria we will be working in a high school for a big amount of time. We will be given the chance to pair up, a Bulgaria and an American, to learn a little about each other's language, lifestyle, and also have the chance to share God with them. We will also be doing labor work in an orphanage. We will be helping with the English club at the church we are helping out. Lastly, we are hoping that for one night two American teens will have the opportunity to spend an evening with a Bulgarian family to see what life is truly like there. 

 

How We Have Prepared So Far.

So far our team meets every Monday morning at 7:00 AM for one hour. Our leader shares something from the Word of God and then we dive into to prayer with partners and other little things they have planned for that day.

How You Can Help.

Our number one thing right now is prayer. We need as much of that as we can get . But we also , all nine of us, have to raise $2,000 each. I have so far raised about $400 so to God be the glory for that!

I ask each and everyone of you that read this post to keep us in your prayers. For many of us, this will be our first ever international mission trip. So pray that we are able to let God shine through us, to die to self, to be humble and kind, to be transparent, and to live completely out of our comfort zones there, living to the fullest for Chirst!

Thank you so much for your support! 

When Life Gets Ya Down

Hey, fellow bloggers I know it's been a while since I last posted something, but God was weighing something heavy on my heart tonight and I just had to share! 

This past week has been point blank, rough. With my relationship with God growing stronger it seems as if the devil is attacking more and more frequently. Besides having to juggle everyday life it seems as if the relationships around me and future decisions and responsibilities are getting awfully stressful. The devil seems to always creep thoughts in my head like "you are not good enough" or "you are constantly disappointing everyone". And to top it all off I picked up some kind of stomach bug this week and let's just say it was terrible... But now to the positive side. So I continued my study of Paul and how he fought through all the trials and how he was able to praise God through the bad and the good. And that's when God began to speak to me. He allowed me to see that I'm not the only one going through these rough patches and that most importantly I do not have to go through them alone! The Lord has placed so many people in my life in the exact time that I needed them. He has provided for every need and whenever I seek Him I find Him. He allowed me to know that I was not alone and that nothing or no one could touch me or bring me down when I'm in the center of His will. I'm going to praise Him in the midst of this storm. And though it may be long, it's just a season and it will all come to an end soon! 

It's time for a revival!

    I'm baffled and heartbroken for the families all over, who lost their love ones this week. This country has gone completely insane, and people have the nerve to ask "Where's God." 

  Well ill tell you where He is. He is exactly where we left Him at. The moment we took God out of everything was the moment our country quickly accelerated  down hill.  We have no one to blame but ourselves. And the only way we can fix this problem is by going to God in prayer and supplication. 

   I haven't lost hope in our nation. You see the news only tells us of all the bad things going on, but below the surface there is a revival breaking out. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. My God still saves and He is. He is on the move and I will not be discouraged or hopeless. I will stay in prayer and in the Word because it's my life support and the only thing that gives me hope! 

God in the Valley is God on the Mountain.

    Well, I just arrived home from a much needed family vacation! Beech Mountain was amazing, but the people were even more amazing. There is just something about the mountains and its fresh, cool breeze, that is extrordinarly peaceful and self-reflective. 

     As we jouneyed home, making our way through valleys and up mountains, I could not help but think about life and that old song "God in the Valley is God on the Mountain."  I've come to the realization that life is a series of valleys and mountains (the ups and the downs.) There is absolutely no doubt that you will face them, but the amazing part of it all, is that we have a God that will face them with us every step of the way. "He will never leave us , nor forsake us. (Heb. 13:5). My God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and I will trust in Him. 

The boy that stole my heart...

       

Words can not explain how much I love this little boy. He stole my heart the first time I saw him and he steals it even more  every time he calls me "KayKay." 

Let me start by telling you a little about him. His name is Shane Lucas. He's currently one and growing way too fast. He's my cousin, but feels just like one of my own. But you see his home environment is not that safe nor stable. It breaks my heart so much knowing that I can not do anything except pray for him. 

He is one of the happiest babies you will ever meet and that smile, oh boy that smile, can brighten anyone's day! 

Wonderlust.

Wonderlust. The one word that describes my heart right now. It means "a great desire to travel and rove about." 

Don't get me wrong I love my home, but I want nothing more than to widen my horizons. To see things and cultures that I have never seen before. My heart yearns for these places and I, one day, will pursue this passion! 

Learning to Let GO and Let GOD.....

It's week one of summer break and i'm finding it extremely difficult. You see this summer I was suppose to head to Africa for a whole month. It was the journey and the mission that kept me going all through this past school year. When i wasnt daydreaming about it i was dreaming about it in my sleep. But it turns out that mission was not in God's plan for my life, and i had an extremely hard time accepting it.

During my time of daydreaming, I had completely lost sight of reality. I was trying to control something that I couldn't. I didn't realize how many people around me were hurting and in need of Christ. .... it's crazy... how one can be sooo oblivious to those things.
so here is where the title of this post comes in. You see I was angry. I was angry at God. At my parents. And especially at myself. I felt like I was alone even when I was surrounded by so many people. I wanted nothing more than to go to Africa and to hold those babies and give them the love they've never had. But I had quit listening to God. It had become all about what Michaela wants and not what God wants.

So now i'm sitting here writing this post telling whoever you are to Let GO and Let God because when you start to depend on yourself instead of Him you will fail every single time. And i'm telling you if you don't you are in for a rude awakening of a reality check.
Even though my heart yearns everyday for those babies in Africa and i'm still dealing with my complete heartbreak, my relationship and my faith in Christ has grown abundantly!

My challenge for you today is no matter what you are dealing with, quit trying to do it by yourself. Ask God to give you the strength and to carry you every step of the way.
Reader I challenge you to LET GO and LET GOD!!!