Citywide Gospel Campaign

I realize it's only Monday but I am extremely excited for this upcoming weekend. More specifically, I'm excited for the upcoming Citywide Gospel Campaign!

What is the Citywide Gospel Campaign, you ask? Well it's only the biggest, most organized, most publicized, most prayed about outreach event that Missionary Gospel Church has ever been involved in. In fact, I believe this is the first event of its kind to be put on by a Slavic church in Sacramento. The 4-day event features 3 evening outreach services and 1 Sunday morning service aimed to reach our American neighbors in the Citrus Heights area with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The biggest challenge? Somehow inviting the 83,498 people living in Citrus Heights!

Sending invitations via the postal service proved to be way too expensive so we needed to find an alternative way to get the word out. That meant distributing 40,000 fliers on foot. I guess where there is a will, there is a way because a group of dedicated individuals prepared maps for about 200 routes!

I only did one of those routes but it included 3 apartment complexes. It took me 2 hours and then I ran out of fliers. I don't know how that happened because I grabbed a giant stack of fliers "just in case." Later, I figured out I did an extra apartment complex that wasn't part of my route. Oops.

I love the graphic design of the fliers! 

I was originally planning to do my route on Wednesday after work but after it started raining in the afternoon I decided to hold off and wait for better weather. When better weather didn't come the next day, I still ended up distributing my share of fliers in the rain. Makes for a better experience anyways.

With half an apartment complex still left and no more fliers, I left that night wet and tired (from going up and down all those apartment stairs!) but happy. God is good and it's always such an honor to be able to serve Him even in such small things. I thoroughly enjoyed distributing the flyers and praying for each home, asking God to work in the hearts of  people living there. Even if people don't show up to our event, I know God can still draw them to Himself through other means. Please continue praying and fasting for this event!

I grabbed another handful of fliers at church last night. Gotta go finish off that route today after work!

Check out the Missions Worldwide video with the Gospel message:

Captain of my soul

I was listening to a sermon by Chuck Swindoll this morning and he read the following poem by William Ernest Henley, a British poet and early humanist:

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

The sad truth is that we are not the masters of our fate or the captains of our souls. In fact, we cannot even be masters of our own bodies. Anyone who has suffered even a mini heart attack knows that we can't will our hearts to beat or cause our blood to circulate.

No matter how healthy or fit you try to be, ultimately you are not in control. The reality of this hit me this morning when I got the devastating news that one of my favorite people, my favorite boss ever, has been battling cancer for over a year. Mind you this is the most active and fit man you will ever meet. When we worked together we would run around the college track together during lunch. This man would run 6 miles every day - and that's when he wasn't training for a marathon. He ate healthy. He did everything he could to meet his goal to live until 125. But, cancer shows no favoritism.

Thankfully my boss is doing well and has been cancer free for a year now. I don't know the details of his diagnosis but one thing I do know - Christ is the master of our fate and the Captain of our soul.

A Christian woman once read Henley's "Invictus" too and wrote her version:

My Captain
Dorothea Day

Out of the night that dazzles me,
Bright as the sun from pole to pole,
I thank the God I know to be
For Christ the conqueror of my soul.

Since His the sway of circumstance,
I would not wince nor cry aloud.
Under that rule which men call chance
My head with joy is humbly bowed.

Beyond this place of sin and tears
That life with Him! And His the aid,
Despite the menace of the years,
Keeps, and shall keep me, unafraid.

I have no fear, though strait the gate,
He cleared from punishment the scroll.
Christ is the Master of my fate,
Christ is the Captain of my soul.

Lunchtime with Kristy

Getting my job at Boldt has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. God came through on his promises during a difficult time in my life. But ever since I got the job, I knew that there was a specific reason why God wanted me working for this construction company at this time. A few months later I met Kristy and it all made sense.

Having Kristy around makes work so much more enjoyable! Our conversations are always deep and often focused on God and His Word. We constantly share what God is teaching us individually and we learn from each other. 

My favorite time of day is lunchtime because that's when I get to spend the most time with Kristy. When it was warmer, we'd bring lunches from home and walk over to the nearby Sutter's Fort for a picnic lunch on the grass. But now that it's cold and rainy, we usually occupy one of the conference rooms in the office or head to a local food joint for thai food or sushi. 

Today during lunch we decided to go for a little walk and ended up at Rick's Dessert Diner.

Rick's Dessert Diner is one of those really neat
cake shops that still has  jukeboxes at every booth. 

I couldn't help indulging in a slice of Chocolate Caramel Mousse Tart. And a glass (errr... cup) of milk!

Sorry, I realized I should take a picture of my lovely
cake AFTER I devoured most of it! So yummy!

Since it was a fairly nice day -overcast and cool- we decided to sit outside.  Before long, it started to sprinkle and after a failed attempt to open up the umbrella, we had to quickly head back to the office. 

Kristy being Kristy.
That's one thing I love about our friendship -
we can be completely ourselves around each other!

That pretty much sums up our lunch date. Topics discussed: fasting, Kristy's high school small group, Girl Time with Andrew, whether 2% milk is really lowfat, and my awkward experience with live community theater.

I'm so thankful for this girl! She brightens up my day... Every day!

Aaaaaaaaaand we're back!

I'm terrible at being consistent and dedicated to one thing. I'm the kind of person who likes variety, spontaneity and change. Because of this, it's extremely difficult for me to keep a blog.

But... I'm on a mission. This blog is coming back to life after more than a year of slumber!

Here's what you should expect from ReflectGod:
1. A new post at least once a week.
2. Devotionals similar to the ones already on the blog.
3. Updates on my life and lessons God is teaching me.
4. Links to great articles and other resources.

Realize this is going to be a challenge for me, so if I fall behind a little bit, reserve some grace for me. Other than that, welcome to my blog! Enjoy!