some asked me to re-post this :)

Shhh…
Be still.
Do you hear it?
Do you hear Him?
He is calling out
Crying out…
Out to you, can you listen?
Can you hear Him?

When God speaks, there is no question
No need for wonder or translation
No excessive floundering of words
Or useless verbs
He does not, will not
Leave room for curiosity or worry
Over menial things
Like time, money, materialistic relief
He is more than that.

When God speaks, there is authority
And pure understanding
It is not to be debated
Or to be taken lightly
It is to be immediately acted upon
Spoken
Done
It is to be done.
It is His will be done
Thy will be done, Lord
Thy will and only Thy will be done

When God speaks, He speaks directly
He says “Go.”
He says “Stay.”
He says “Worship.”
“Serve”
“Love”
“Pray”
Rinse, repeat…
Rinse,
Go forward.

When God speaks, He is persistent
Insistent
Never faltering
Never pausing
Continuing and true
Until you comply,
You do

When God speaks, He does not speak
Through words or rhyme
Or through that song we’ve sang
A thousand times
He speaks through circumstance
God knows our circumstance
He knows us more than we know ourselves
More than my momma that bore me
More than my friends who console me
More than Pastor Darrell or Wayne
Or even you.
He knows my comings and my goings
When I sleep and when I wake
He knows the hairs on my head
And the life that I’ve lead
God knows my circumstance.
He knows my sin, my wounds
My joy, my sorrow, my insecurities
He uses our lives, our stories
He uses our circumstance.

When God speaks, it is not by chance
It is with direction
Not like the voice on your GPS
Not like Mapquest
It is without earthly destination
It is like Abram leaving without knowing
It is like Isaiah saying “Send me” and going
It is like Paul, a disciple called
A man’s life doing a complete 180

When God speaks, you hear
His voice is not the loud thunder
Or the roaring fire
Or the earthquake from under your feet
No.
Freeze.
He is the calm.
He is the peace
He is the whisper that is louder than
The bass on the teenager’s car next door
He is serenity
Tranquility

When God speaks, He speaks with wisdom
This is the truth
The truth is what sets you free
He knows you
He knows me
He is calling us each
To do his will, his works, his deeds
To serve and love
Not boast or be proud
To go and to grow where He sends us

When God speaks,
Listen.
Just listen,
He speaks.

training struggles and Biblical struggles...

i have had quite a few struggles these last few days at training...
and yet, the hardest parts are yet to come, i think.

today, I struggled with a woman with seemingly no passion about the subject talk about violence against women. i would dare to say she's never had any experience about it. uber-annoyed by that presentation.

then i listened to that same woman with seemingly less passion talk about racism in world cultures. since when does Mexico not judge based on color of skin?! MEXICO's class system is often times thought as worse than ours. srsly?! i would dare say she's never traveled outside the US and experienced racism in other cultures. uber-annoyed again.

luckily, it was followed up with some great speakers on the same subjects who really helped to level it out a bit.



let's talk about Abram.
go read Genesis 12.
then read Genesis 13.

is what he did based out of faith? or foolishness?...
it's what i'm struggling with right now.

thoughts of the day...

just a random thought provoking quote that was said by a presenter, but it's been passed on for some time.

"a person's character is defined by what they would do when no one is looking."



today, we met each other in some serious depth. the next four questions were asked of us and i thought i'd share them with you all as well.

when was the last time you cried? ... the last time I cried was when I was extremely frustrated with the outcome of a decision I thought I'd given to God=the decision of my replacement for the year. i'll never forget calling David and just collapsing in tears...

what are three things that are unique to ONLY you in this room? ... i have my eyebrow pierced, i used to be an electronic DJ, (and this proved to be not true) I have two tattoos

what recently brought you joy for more than 24 hours? ... having my baby brother home from Iraq/Kuwait for Christmas. :)

who do you love? who do you hate? ... i love people. I love my family. i love my friends. i love to love others. ... i hate only one man who remains nameless and faceless and i think that's why i hate him most. this man stole my life as it was, but through God alone, I've been restored.



goodnight, my friends.
grace and peace be with you.

deep question for the day...

"Does God choose who He does and does not redeem?"

see John 15:9-17

it's the current thing I'm wrestling - because my personal stance has always been one way... but the RCA (my church) has a statement of belief that says something completely different.
hmmm...

Chicago Bound!

in 1.5 hours, I will be headed to Chicago for training.
it'll be a long and busy two weeks, but it will be good.

I'm excited about the car ride - about getting to know three guys, including Jeff, who's headed to Hungary with me.
I'm excited about meeting people - networking and sharing stories!
I'm excited about Chicago - i miss that city so much!
I'm excited about the fact that when I get back, I'll be less than a month from leaving.

wow.

last day! $8000! Prayer Requests!

so... ready for this? tomorrow is my last day as the FSR Team Supervisor at Multiband. it's been a good run and I've enjoyed it. I'm thankful, too, that tomorrow isn't my LAST day there, as it could have been. Luckily, they're letting me come back after my training in Chicago for two weeks as a floater in tracking/fsr/wherever they need me. seems to be a small thing, but it'll be huge for sanity/finances/transitions.



also, funds hit the $8000 mark recently - that means only $4500 to go until the goal is reached. I'm nervous, but Jay, the coordinator for us mission volunteers doesn't seem to be worried at all. Odd. However, I have been so blessed - I can't believe there's been so much support for this project. Who would have thought that answering this call meant that in one year, life would be turned upside down/right side up (whichever way you want to look at it!)

however, there is still much to do. If you feel God calling you to be supportive of the ministry in Hungary, please don't hesitate. Prayer and finances are the greatest needs right now - and I'm lacking in both. I have many prayer requests and while some are personal, others will be posted down below.

if you wish to donate - you can do so online at rca.org/volunteer - click "donate" and then select "Tracy Richter" from the drop down list

or, you can mail a check made out to "RCA Mission Volunteer Program" with my name in the memo to:
Reformed Church in America
P.O. Box 19381
Newark, NJ 07195-1938



Prayer Requests:
* health --- i am battling migraines 24/7. it's not pleasant and it only stresses me out more. it kills my focus and forces me to dark/quiet places or back to bed to knock them out.
* Church things --- there is a huge transition taking place at Home Acres Church and I'm sad/worried/upset/happy/anxious/nervous/proud all at the same time. quite the combination, but please pray for wisdom and peace and God's guidance on the entire situation.
* finances --- on a missions standpoint, i still need $4500. personally, I haven't received monies promised to me when I accepted my supervisor position and am worried that I will never receive them once I step down. It's only helping to add stress and worry and anxiety to my life.
* friends and family --- i shared with the missionaries the fact that I'm worried about leaving certain friends. I only hope that this can strengthen our friendships, not separate us.