A Day of Remembrance

Today our church remembered a very important day in history. On October, 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. I saw once again how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things for His Kingdom and Glory.

This Theses spoke of how God's Word (the Bible) is Truth. Luther was an ordinary monk who found God and was used to share Truth. It makes me wonder who in my life could be the next Luther. . . will God use me? Luther valued the Bible and it drove him to challenge a church which was valuing tradition and duty rather than a relationship with God. Do I value the Bible like Luther did? Do I truly want to drink in His Word into my life?

Today's celebration reminded me that Sola Scriptura is the ONLY Truth. There is nothing outside of the Bible which holds the Word of God!

Thank you Lord for the Truth in your Word and the confidence of antiquity that proves that Christ's words are reliable!

God's Soothing Love

I have a confession to make. Each year our church puts on a "Halloween Alternative" carnival called Family Fun Night and each year I have dreaded it. I know, I have covered it fairly well (for those of you who know me well).

I have hated this time of year, due to some weird and frightening stuff that happened to me at college. My experiences made me fearful of this time of year and even a bit of a "anti-Halloween" zealot.

It has been a progression of years of healing and God's soothing love that has changed this dreaded time of year to a time of fun and joy for me. Here I am with my friends doing a David and Goliath coin toss booth at our family fun night. I think that this activity is another non-fund raising reason why God had me come back to Denver at this time of year.

During the past few weeks, our Sunday school class has been asking for helpers for the booth we were going to run. I did not want to participate for whatever selfish, lazy reason. I honestly don't think I really had one. The week of our Family Fun Night, one of our member's grandmother passed away and it got me to thinking how my life can not be my own selfishness, but God's instrument to put joy on the face of others. Don't ask me how the two are connected, its a God thing. I had so much fun! It is the first one that I truly had fun just playing with the kids! I am not fearing Halloween this year. God's love is soothing and constant. I just don't allow Him to be felt sometimes. Lord, thank you for your soothing love!

The past few weeks have been filled with meeting with friends and family. It has been a great time of encouragment and blessings for me. Why is it that the things that we may think is not what we think is best, turns out to be the best thing for us? In my earlier posts, I wrote about the fact that I struggled with the thought of being in America for such a long time. I long to get back to Poland! God has shown me though that I needed to come here not only to raise more support, but to also hear His voice in my life.

For eight months, I have seen how God has used my time in Poland to show me the areas where I really don't trust Him. When it was comfortable, I trusted him with everything (or I thought I did). I even moved to another country, in trust. As I look back, I see how He tested my trust and it was found lacking. Wow! To see that and to grieve over that fact. . .

His GRACE is sufficient to cover the sin of my lack of trust! He is faithful even when I am faithless! He is strong when I am weak. He wants me to do one things and only one thing, to trust Him fully. Why is that so hard sometimes? I know that it is because I like being in control. Even when I mess things up, I like the fact that I am in control.

Over the past few months though He has shown me that my control is chaos! My life is chaos when I don't allow Him to be in control. So here I am in Denver and now Katowice learing about what I should have known and practiced. I did in some ways, but not in all.

You're at the Poland Pulse Website

Yes, you are here! Alice Robbins' Poland Pulse. I just wanted to change colors. I lost a few things, but I going to fix them soon! Keep on reading! My links are lower on the page. Check out my website at www.aliceinpoland.com too!

May All Who Come Behind Us Find Us Faithful

On Saturday, I was privileged to go to a celebration of 50 years of ministry of Jim and Dotty Groen and Global Connection International. Who are they? Well, they were the leaders of Youth for Christ when my mom was a teenager. They have since then gone to places that few Americans can go such as Cuba, Cambodia and even North Korea. Jim was VERY instrumental in the life of Ravi Zacharias and literally thousands of young people across the globe.

Imagine going to places where everyone else have been told that it is impossible to go. God paved the way for GCI, and Jim has been in North Korea almost more than any other North American. He has seen some terrible things and yet, he has also the grace of God and hearts that hunger for Jesus. The young South Korean children in the background of this picture paid their own way just to come to America just for this celebration to thank Jim for what GCI is doing in North Korea.

The whole evening had a nostalgia feeling to it. A bit too "older generation" for me at times, but I was so glad I went. I LOVED Dave Boyer and his big band jazz worship music! Wow! I discovered that I had one of his CDs! It is one of my favorites. I never realized that he was that old! :) The evening truly was not able what Jim and Dottie has done, but what God has and still is doing in His world!

There has been no scandal in this ministry and there is only one full time employee in Global Connection International, Jim. Everyone else are volunteers. God has truly blessed this mission.

I discovered that I am a "descendent" of this ministry family. My mother and her brothers were greatly impacted and I owe some of the reason that I am on the mission field to Jim and Dottie's investment in my family's lives. I am hoping that someday, Jim will bring a team to Poland and see what God is doing here.

Thank you Jim and Dotty for your example and faithfulness to God. May those who come behind me be able to say the same in finding me faithful to Christ and His call.

Living In Between

How do you live in a place that is not your home and yet is? I am finding it difficult to do this. I am finding it difficult to be organized and disciplined in everything that I need to do. There are so many more distractions here in the US! I have forgotten how much time I wasted doing "stuff" and yet not getting anything done.

Yesterday I struggled just with being sad about not being in Poland and feeling guilty for wanting to be there instead of here. I love being here at home with family and friends and yet this is not where my life is. Sometimes I wonder if God is placing me here in Denver right now just to remind me that this world is NOT my home. I have to stop being comfortable and rearrange my priorities to the fact that I am just visiting earth.

I am no longer really living here and yet I am not in Poland now. I hope I don't sound like I am babbling. :) I am in the midst of this struggle. I was hit with it full force last night. It was not one specific thing, but I think the combination of many things over the past week since have been home.

The only way for me to return to Poland is to raise the remaining monthly ministry funds and as I am here right now, it seems like it will take forever. . . How many times have I used the word "I" in this post? Is this life just about me and what I can do for God? NO!

This life is NOT about me. It is about God and His Glory on this earth and in my life. I guess He is reshaping my heart and mind. He is the reason why I sing and breath and live!

Being Back in Denver

It has been a good time being here. I can honestly say that it is good being back in my Denver home! It is weird though because I don't really feel like I am back. It feels like a dream and that I will wake up any moment in my bed in Katowice, Poland.

Yesterday was my first Sunday back at church. What a great time of reconnecting with people. I was pleasantly surprised to see all of the new people in my Sunday school class! Wow! I am going go to the bible study and reconnect some more. I feel the need to recharge my batteries as much as do fund raising.

God is good. He has given me a peace amongst the yearning to be back home in Poland. I am going to enjoy this time and take it all in. I had a 5 hour coffee "break" with my friend Jen and realized how much I have missed all of my Colorado friends!

Thank you God for these blessing that you give me!