Comments (0)

By bethany (dreadlock girl), August 4, 2009 7:13 am

Our friends, the Bocks (they have known me since I was 5 years old!) are leading an amazing ministry in Spain and all throughout Europe known as On The Red Box: Proclaiming Christ on the Streets of Europe.

They gather and pray together and then use props to help the listeners remember and relate to the concept they hear. From my time in Spain I know that witnessing in this way is one of the most humbling things that one can do. You stand there and people who don’t even know what you are preaching yell at you as they walk past, they laugh at you and then you realize just how much you rely on approval, and on the common consensus being that you are cool. It always made me think of Jesus and how much more it would hurt him, because when He was being laughed at it was direct, when we are mocked it says in the Bible that they are persecuting Christ, not us.

I had only heard about On The Red Box since about 6 years ago, but since there are videos up I just had to share them too. It is powerful stuff, the word of God spoken in the streets.

There is something about standing there proclaiming Christ that makes your blood run quickly through your system. Fear, energy and the power of God all contribute to the adrenaline rush, but just as God said, where His word is preached it will not come back without bringing change.

In this next clip Ben Bock (the son of the man preaching above) who is a college freshman pours out his heart to the crowd. It says something about a ministry when the kids are fired up enough by the parents to walk the walk too. It is a testimony of God’s faithfulness.

The Mirror from RedBoxMadrid on Vimeo.

When you do street ministry, you realize more than ever just how people would really see you if you were wearing a billboard sign that said: I am a follower of Christ, redeemed and forgiven- not by what I have done or will ever do. ASK ME HOW. Maybe I should make a shirt out of that. I love how people all the way in Europe can stir me on, inspire me to be aim to be Christ seeking instead of self-seeking and how to really lay it all down.

Thank you to all the peeps at On The Red Box, you inspire me!

For more information go to: On the Red Box

All images in this post are Copyright THEREDBOX 2009

Comments (1)

By bethany (dreadlock girl), July 9, 2009 1:23 pm

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news,
proclaim peace, bring glad tidings of good things,
proclaim salvation, and proclaim to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Isaiah 52: 7

When He says “Go”, pretty much all you can do is say, “sure”. I guess “No” would work too, if you had no fear of God or disobedience (think Jonah).  God is calling us to move to Spain long term, to be missionaries, all we know now is that we need to be obedient, each little decision and step at a time. We are asking Jesus to call us out onto the water with him, to feel the faith within us swell when we are walking on the water, and then the second fear and dobut seep in His hand is there to catch us.

This is what our son Jackson (5 years old) had to say about Spain, the following conversation is what he said the first time we told him that we were moving to Spain for good:

b: God is telling us He wants us to go live in Spain and tell people about Jesus. We are going to live there and be missionaries for a long time.

j: (Huge smile) That is so nice of Him!

b: what do you mean?

j: I mean, we like Spain and it is so nice of Him to send us somewhere we already want to go! Isn’t that nice of Him?

It is more than nice of Him, we are honoured to be called, it is an honour to go, to be used, to get to live in a far away place, and get to sew seeds into the place where I grew up. Spain, it certainly is nice of God to let us go somewhere we want to go. Children and their blind faith–but maybe it is more than that, God spoke through a donkey didn’t He now?

Comments (2)

By bethany dreadlock girl, January 22, 2009 4:23 pm

Each week we pick a night to worship together and read the Bible. The boys (and the daddy) play their guitars with me as we sing “Jesus Loves Me” (the ALL TIME favourite), and then they put down their instruments so that they can sing the remaining songs with me.

After a worship time we read out of the Bible, this year we are learning more about the fruits of the spirit. January is the Love month, we learn about how God loves, how we need to love and pray that God would help us love. Both B and I have felt God leading us to seek the fruits of the spirit much more seriously. The boys love learning about the fruits. These are sweet times we get to spend together.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against which there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23

Comments (0)

By bethany dreadlock girl, January 22, 2009 3:01 pm

I am using the Into Thy Word Bible Reading Guide, I am starting a month late, but hope to make up my lost time. This is the most important book to me. I am going to try to read it all this year. I will cross off the books as I go along.

This challenge is hosted by becky at Operation Actually Read Bible. Just in case you’d like to read along and talk about it with me, you can go to the first link. I will check off the chapters on a regular basis as I get to it below. If you are interested in reading this way too, let me know.

Genesis 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Exodus 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Leviticus 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Deuteronomy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

Joshua 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Judges 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Ruth 1 2 3 4

1 Samuel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

2 Samuel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

1 Kings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

2 Kings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

1 Chronicles 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

2 Chronicles 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Ezra 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Nehemiah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Esther 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Job 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42

Psalms 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150

Proverbs 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Ecclesiastes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Song Of Solomon e="font-size:12px;"> 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Isaiah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66

Jeremiah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52

Lamentations 1 2 3 4 5

Ezekiel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

Daniel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Hosea 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Joel 1 2 3

Amos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Obadiah 1

Jonah 1 2 3 4

Micah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Nahum 1 2 3

Habakkuk 1 2 3

Zephaniah 1 2 3

Haggai 1 2

Zechariah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Malachi 1 2 3 4

Matthew 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Mark 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Luke 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

John 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Acts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Romans 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

1 Corinthians 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

2 Corinthians 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Galatians 1 2 3 4 5 6

Ephesians 1 2 3 4 5 6

Philippians 1 2 3 4

Colossians 1 2 3 4

1 Thessalonians 1 2 3 4 5

2 Thessalonians 1 2 3

1 Timothy 1 2 3 4 5 6 <
/p>

2 Timothy 1 2 3 4

Titus 1 2 3

Philemon 1

Hebrews 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

James 1 2 3 4 5

1 Peter 1 2 3 4 5

2 Peter 1 2 3

1 John 1 2 3 4 5

2 John 1

3 John 1

Jude 1

Revelation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

The Bible contains 1189 chapters: 929 in the Old Testament and 260 in the New. Reading 3 chapters each day and 5 chapters on Sundays will cover the entire Bible in one year. Follow some plan. Even one chapter each day will cover the New Testament in only 9 months. God’s Word is alive. The more you expose yourself to it, the more it will expose itself to you.

© 1980, 1998 Permission to copy and pass this out! Print this out in your printer’s best ‘dpi’ setting and cut it out and put it in your Bible! R.J. Krejcir www.intothyword.com

Comments (2)

By bethany dreadlock girl, January 19, 2009 4:00 pm

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted…

-Romans 13: 1+2

Politics, it can be a heated debate.

I am happy and proud that America voted in its first minority, I don’t agree with him on some major issues but he is due to be our leader as of tomorrow. If I lived close I would go see, it is an event of a lifetime, even bigger- an event that will go down in history.

I don’t fear, and I won’t fret because I am told not to. I am told that to trust is what I am called to. Do we think that we as a nation put this man into office? That our votes brought him there?
This man, he is being placed as a leader of our nation and he is there because it was God’s will. I am not saying he will be a good leader, or that he is godly, or any such things…but he is there, he will be there because God willed him there. This doesn’t mean that he is anointed, that he is holy or any type of divine being. God spoke through a donkey, he could speak through rocks and he will use anything he chooses.

Jesus placed himself under authority even though he owned all authority. He knew God’s plan and purpose would shine the strongest through obedience and subjection, even to a sinful man- but still the leader. At the same time he is never confused about who’s power he really is living (and soon dying) under.

“Do you refuse to speak to me? ” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

Jesus answered, ” You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above”.

From then on Pilate tried to set Jesus free…
John 19: 10-12

God does the same for this nation, he is not threatened- this was in his plan, Obama being president was in God’s plan. My trust is not in man, it is in God. I don’t know Obama, but I know that all men are imperfect, they will all fail they will all come up short. God is big, bigger than any rockstar-president-idol. Why do any of us need to worry or fret. If we are walking the way God has called us, if we are living daily the way that He has asked us to, with fire, passion- we should have no worries, no stresses. Who am I to say that this is good or bad- only that God will use it as he wills as he chooses just as he has throughout the generations. Take a step back, see the bigger picture.

I am his servant, his daughter and I know with certainty that he loves me, and with security that he will do what is best for me. For a long time I thought that meant that he would keep me safe, protect me from heartbreak, hold my little hand and always whisper sweetness in my ear. I thought what was best always felt good. I am so humbled to come to a place of deeper understanding. How could I have ever thought that? In all truth, for me to learn most of the time it is through difficulty, heart ache and loss. I no longer need my life to be padded to know that He is there, I no longer need soft soled shoes to make my feet comfy- growth is thorns and thistles, it hurts.

Comments (0)

By bethany dreadlock girl, December 5, 2008 9:31 pm

I know this could become a heated debate when I say I don’t think that it should, but please listen for a second. It isn’t something I am super-insanely promoting or anything, I just got a forward from someone at our church telling us to be sure to head over to MSNBC’s Live vote on: Should ‘In God We Trust’ be removed from our currency? I went there, eager to see the results and then sat here staring at the computer screen. For the first time I felt funny about clicking that it should remain, for the first time…I feel more confused about how I feel, or more clear, I don’t know.

Should it? I will give you my scattered feelings on it, and they are just that feelings…I haven’t researched at all.

Should our currency say in God We Trust when they don’t?
There are so many people, so many faiths, so many beliefs and I personally am not concerned with offending them by keeping those words on there, I am however concerned with pretending that they ARE like us, that they DO trust in God and that we are still one big happy united family. It seems deceitful to do that, like we are holding on to a past that is gone, and yet are still pretending. Why should they be proclaiming that they trust in God when they don’t? I don’t want them to say that they do if they don’t, I would rather the boundaries be put back into place, and I feel that holding onto the notion that the US is a Christian nation is not really acceptable.

Why does it matter if our nation proclaims Christ? Does that affect how we walk? How we act or see things? NO! We are called to walk upright in the midst of any adversary, to stay the course in wet and dry seasons, and to have enough faith so that even if all around us the world falls, we stand steadfast in Christ. I say strip ‘In God We Trust’ off our dough and tattoo ‘In God I Trust’ onto our chests! Haha, maybe that is a little extreeme….but that is how we are called to walk, as if only He sees, and only He knows…and like every day is our last, right?

Okay, this all came out a little more animated than I had expected, but I spent the morning cleaning the bathrooms and sweeping and maybe the endorphins are kicking in. I’d love to hear your thoughts thoguh on why or why not you think it should go( or if you are going to get a good tattoo). What do you think?

Comments (9)

By bethany dreadlock girl, December 4, 2008 10:51 pm

“Are you done?” That question for a long time has been a loaded one here at the bungaree place. B looks at me, I smile and look at him and whoever is asking it is trying to figure out what exactly the inside joke is. Yes, I am referring to the question, ” Are you done?” as in “are you done having children?”. It has been one of controversy…but no more, at least not for now.

We have been praying about it, thinking about it, talking about it and up until several days ago it was still a debate when brought up. But then something changed, in both of us at the same time and yet separately God was working on us. I recently have been praying for a peace about NOT having more kids and I felt like God gave me that peace, so when it all changed I was a little surprised. The most surprising thing is not that he told me, but that he communicated it clearly to B, as he has been the one who was determined to not have more EVER.

I think it is so funny that whenever we say we will NEVER do that, or this….it almost seems like we have to swallow those words and do it to walk in obedience. I wonder if God uses that as a challenge? haha, I know he doesn’t but that has happened so many times!

So what changed? Well we know for sure we are going to have one more, somehow I feel maybe two more….but we are taking this one step at a time! B and I sat on the couch to talk and so I expressed to him that I really just didn’t feel right about not having any more, he smiled and admitted that God had been telling him the same. Okay, if you have been around B lately, you KNOW that is a miracle. We both agreed that we couldn’t disobey, and that it would only be out of selfishness that we wouldn’t have any more. Personally I don’t feel thrilled about being pregnant again, or having to go to the doctor every two weeks and have them poke and touch me. I don’t want to gain the 50 lbs that I gain with each pregnancy and I don’t want my skin to be stretched out like that ever again. Beyond pregnancy I know what it is like to have babies, they cry, they go through teething, they fight sleep by keeping you up all night….but all those things are so selfish. And we are not called to walk in selfishness….ever.

That we can limit his blessing by what we allow into our lives, for us right now it is about kids but there are so many things that fit into this category, is a gift and a curse. We could do that so easily, by not listening and closing our eyes, but are we really done being blessed by God with children? We can ignore, but we’d be missing his best for us.

Disclaimer: This is for us, and only us. God has given this burden to our family and it does not mean it is wrong to have one, two, or ten…this is a personal thing that I wanted to share with you, not some conviction that I feel you should share too.

Comments (4)

By bethany dreadlock girl, December 1, 2008 4:17 am

Advent starts today, the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The boys really haven’t been old enought before to do anything too involved, but this year they are ready. We are going to innitiate two traditions, both advent things, both which celebrate family, gathering together, and what we are waiting expectantly for which is the celebration of Jesus’ birth, Christmas.

Jesse Tree:

We are going to do the Jesse Tree which is a daily devotional time spent together learning about the specific incidents in the Old Testament which lead up to the Birth of Christ. Here is a definition I found at disciples now:

An ancient tradition of visually representing Jesus’ family tree used by generations to prepare for Christmas. Based on the prophet Isaiah’s references to the “root” and the “branches” of Jesse (King David’s father) when Isaiah prophesied about the hope of the Messiah, the Jesse Tree reminds us that God’s plan has been forever and that we are a part of it.

Each day you read through the verses, and then hang one symbolic ornaments on the Jesse Tree. We started today.

4th Sunday before Christmas:
Persons, Events/Themes: Introduction to the Jesse Tree
Scripture: 1 Samuel 16: 1-13, Isaiah 11: 1-10
Symbol/Ornament: The tree

Additional Resources:
The Jesse Tree: Celebration of Advent

Bungaree Advent Calendar :

The second tradition we are going to do is we have an advent calendar that starts on the first of December marking the days up until Christmas. I know that kids can be excited about many more things than material gifts, but we can soon make them calloused to our gifts of time, energy and togetherness. This is a season to celebrate Christ, but we also would enjoy celebrating the gift that we have of spending time together. Each day we will choose a new thing to do together here are some of the (age appropriate) things I have come up with:

*make cookies for some friends and deliver
*play a game together
*listen to Christmas music while eating popcorn
*drive around looking at Christmas lights
*make a gift together for someone
*watch a good Christmas movie
*go to a coffee shop for a special hot drink
*read the Christmas story together by the tree
*make cut-out snowflakes for the windows

Do you have any special holiday memories? Do you have a tradition that you look forward to every Christmas season? Do you have any more ideas for things to do with our almost-5 and almost-3 year olds? Oh, do share!!

Comments (4)

By bethany dreadlock girl, November 15, 2008 7:28 am

What is it about truth that makes us hungry? What about truth brakes our ropes and releases us in freedom? How can kids grasp this hunger for all things right, all things pure, true, honest and noble? I have no idea other than to teach them. Ever since our move to calvary chapel in corvallis, not only have B and I had an increased hunger- but the boys have as well. J comes home from church describing Bible stories, telling little o in the backseat that if you love Jesus and ask him to be your God, your only God you will get to be with Him in heaven. He fully gets that Jesus basically said to God, “spank me instead of them, even though I have not done anything”. Seriously…Kids get it!

I have no idea how to fan the hunger, except to feed it and that is what we do. These two little ones are captivated (no I did not ask them to pose). Every day j asks to read bible stories. We have a BIG God, that is so simple that kids get it!

Oh, and for FOREVER he was obsessed with the story where Moses had to make the brass snake. He wanted to read it every day! that is what they are reading (looking at) here.

Jesus answered, “I am the way the truth and the life, No one comes to the Father except through me.

john 14 . 6

Start children off on the way that they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

proverbs 22 .6

Comments (2)

By bethany dreadlock girl, September 24, 2008 3:53 pm

Vino una mujer de Samaria a sacar agua y Jesús le dijo: Dame de beber.
La mujer samaritana le dijo: ¿Como tu, siendo judío, me pides a mi de beber, que soy mujer samaritana? Porque los judíos y samaritanos no se tratan entre si.
Respondió Jesús y le dijo: Si conocieras el don de Dios, y quien es el que te dice: Dame de beber; tu le pedirías, y el te daría agua viva.

La mujer le dijo: Señor, no tiene con que sacarla, y el pozo es hondo. ¿De donde, pues, tienes el agua viva? ¿Acaso eres tu mayor que nuestro padre Jacob, que nos dio este pozo, del cual bebieron el, sus hijos y sus ganados?

Juan 4:7-12

Lo que realmente me habló esta vez de esta lectura es que la mujer samaritana por ella misma habría perdido la bendición, o el regalo de la agua viva porque su mente no lo podía comprender. Ella es como cada uno de nosotros, vamos por la vida sabiendo que Dios tiene algo bueno para nosotros, pero cuando El dice o hace algo que esta fuera de nuestra comprensión, nos cuesta aceptarlo. Ponemos escusas, nos quejamos, y si solo dijéramos: no lo entiendo, ¡pero lo quiero!
Quiero que mientras menos lo entienda mas preparada este para agarrarlo con todas mis fuerzas. Si dejara de tratar de comprender sus planes, y confiar en que El sabe lo que hace: ¿cuanto mas me podría cambiar, moldear y transformar? Mira lo que Jesús tenia, cuando ella solamente pensaba en agua común.

Cualquiera que bebiere de esta agua, volverá a tener sed; mas el que bebiere del agua que yo le daré, no tendrá sed jamas; sino que el agua que yo le daré sera en el una fuente de agua que salte para vida eterna.

Juan 4: 13,14