Wailing Wall

Someone told me I needed to bring a journal... They were right. I'm standing at the wailing wall, the western wall of the old temple. The wall where millions of people come to be as close to the temple as possible...to pray, to cry out to God, to read the Scriptures, bowing their heads every single time they come across or say the name of God. A God, who in their opinion, has still not yet come to fulfill His promise of sending a Savior. 

Yet here I stand, with the full confidence that He already has. Knowing full well that He loved me enough. To pay the ultimate price to rescue me from my sins. Where's my commitment? My dedication? My reverence for this God. The same God they worship, I struggle to find time for, yet I know the rest of the story. I know He has already come. And that He'll come again. Wow! So humbling. So humiliating. To watch and be reminded of the reverence and awe that I should have for my God. My Savior. The one who loved me enough. We kneeled. We prayed. We begged God for their souls. That one day they would come to recognize that He loved them enough.

Day Two- Bethlehem

This morning started after a good full night's sleep. Uncle JoeJoe made us a nice breakfast and then we headed out for Bethlehem. 

Mistake #1 of the day: underestimating the cold weather! My toes were numb in my flip flops!!! Oops!

We headed toward the bus stop that had been pointed out to us and hopped on. 

Mistake #2 of the day: getting on the bus headed the wrong direction. Thankfully we are the last stop before the bus station so we didn't go far out of our way. Hopped back on the bus and we were off! 

Arrived in Bethlehem to discover: 

Mistake #3 of the day: choosing the ONE day of the ENTIRE year when the manger scene is closed for cleaning!!! What?!?! 

So, we met a nice couple who told us we should just walk around to the backside and at least peek in the church. So we did. And there we met a priest who at least let us peek though a hole the size of a dime in a door where we could see the beloved spot where Jesus was born. Yes, really. We figured that would be it for us! 

Here's a picture of the girls standing by the door that we peeked through. 

But... Thankfully, we heard that the cleaning would be finishing earlier than expected and the manger scene would reopen in about an hour. 

So, we headed off to look around and the girls found some cute boots! I wished I found some cute boots but I was happy for them. My toes, on the other hand, were not so happy. 

Seeing the place of Jesus' birth was a really cool experience. Imagining what it must have been like. You can see the spot where the shepherds would have been standing on the mountain which is pretty neat too. 

The girls at the entrance in their new boots. 

We then found a cute little authentic restaurant a little off the beaten path and had our first taste of the famous falafel which was delicious and some hummus that was out of this world! 

We found a few souvenirs and then hit the bus back to our place. But not before Kiley gave us all a good laugh/scare. At the restaurant, we were discussing some of the current events and history behind these countries. Kiley says so sweetly "I don't want there to be a war or anyone to get hurt, but if there is, I hope Israel wins back their land!" Oops! We said "shhhh!" right away and explained that now is probably not the best time to share whose side you're on! ;) It's one of those times you're not quite as excited that your seven year old is so up to date on her historical knowledge. 

The girl is rocking Old Testament history, btw, thanks mostly to her stellar dad. She was spouting out places and events that I truly knew nothing about. She was so excited to see the mountain that King Herod leveled out to build a temple on?!! Who knew. And she's ecstatic about heading to the Western Wall tonight. 

We're resting now, well, I'm blogging and Kiley's asking every five minutes how much longer. But we're supposed to be resting to be ready for tonight's adventures. 

Have a great day everyone! And Happy New Year!!! 

Israel Day One

Random thoughts on Day One: 

-this place is PEACEFUL!  Over and over people warned us about how crowded and how much traffic there was here. We sort of forgot we were coming from India! When we got here, it literally felt like silence has swept over the land. It's so beautifully calm and peaceful here. 

-it feels good to be in the passenger seat of a car with my husband at the wheel! Jason was a bit nervous about driving a car on the right hand side of the road again! And, I won't even tell you how many times I tried to talk him out of renting a car. But it feels so good to be able to get up and go in a four wheeled vehicle on the peaceful streets anywhere we want to go! 

-the people are courteous! We were shocked at how many times people let us slip into the lane when we needed in. It was funny how it caught us by surprise. And a few times, I wondered if Jason appeared rude because he's so used to having to take his place if he wants it. 

-by far, my biggest culture shock is... THE PRICE OF FOOD!!! Oh my word!!! I had a near heart attack when I paid $16.53 for ONE ten-piece nugget meal at McDonalds. And, I wanted to believe it was only triple the price because it was American, but, no, EVERYTHING is that expensive! We stopped in at a grocery store to grab some snacks, thinking we would save that way. Wow! I was in awe at the cost of everything. We did splurge on some AMAZING looking strawberries because we don't get those in our country and we are all so excited to eat them! They're huge! 

-speaking of huge, the fruits and veggies are gigantic! I understand more the story of Joshua and Caleb going into the promise land and coming back with grapes so large they couldn't carry them alone! ;) We were pretty impressed with the size of the fruit! 

-lastly, the sadness of watching people faithfully perform rituals as they wait patiently for their Savior to come, as I sit back and realize He's already come. They're waiting so patiently. They're so sweet. Today, it just so happened that Romans 11 was what I was reading in my devotions. It's a great explanation of how the Gospel came to me, in part, because of their lack of belief. And, so, for these people I am thankful. But, my heart goes out to them for the day when they realize, He CAME for them. 

That's day one. We arrived after having been up the whole night before and just took today to get acquainted with the place. Met the nice man who runs the place we're staying. The girls are already calling him Uncle JoeJoe and he's already spoiling them with Oreos and hot chocolate. Off to Bethlehem today! 

Here's Kamden holding a pomegranite as big as her face! 

What a Difference a Year Makes

Many of you have heard the stories about how bad, no, not bad, difficult our first Christmas was on this side of the world.  To be honest, it was so difficult that I couldn't put it into words at that time.  To be honest, I naively, didn't expect it to be hard.  I was actually somewhat looking forward to our first Christmas away.  I pictured this peaceful, quiet day.  Just us four around the Christmas tree enjoying family time and a picture perfect holiday meal on the table.  WRONG!!!!! I found out, I think, one week before Christmas, that Christmas here is celebrated much differently than that.  Silly me, I thought "Well, if we're the only 'Christians' here, then surely we'll celebrate quietly".  No! It's not that way.  And one year later, I LOVE that it's not that way.  But back then, not so much, or not at all.  That Christmas Eve, we ended up traveling all over town visiting people's homes with barely enough hindi of our own to hold a conversation, let alone tell them "no" we don't feel like coming.  We were exhausted and had volunteered to bake for a big Christmas Day celebration at the local church and a whole lot of other responsibilities.  Not to mention, how our girls felt hounded for pictures and hugs and cheek pinches.  I won't go into detail about all that felt wrong that day (mainly because now most of what felt wrong then, feels right now), but it just did.  We ended up bailing out on the service early (before the big celebratory meal) and rode home in the freezing cold (which we also hadn't prepared for) and sat down to open presents (after ordering, of all things, Pizza Hut pizza for our big Christmas meal).  Sitting by that tree, the tears found my eyes and started pouring out.  I was speechless.  I couldn't explain why I was crying but I was.  That day was hard.  Plain and simple.  But something in me made me pull myself up and keep going.  Well, not until AFTER we called it quits and took a big, long, afternoon nap.  We ended up eating dinner at midnight and I was determined my family would have some type of Christmas dessert so at 2:30am we found ourselves eating oreo balls and hitting the sack around 3am.  And, so began the Christmas Day family nap then stay up as late as possible tradition.

Not long after that nearly miserable day, I told Jason that now that we know what to expect, I think I can at least survive being here for Christmas another year.  (On Christmas day, we were ready to book our visa run tickets for Christmas Day so we wouldn't have to suffer through that again!)

And, now, one year later, I sit here and say with all honesty, that this has been my very favorite Christmas season EVER.  We didn't just survive this year, we thrived.  No doubt due to a lot of amazing people praying for us.  So this Christmas, this place felt like home.  We started celebrating (quietly) on December first with a couple different advent calendars.  We watched as our once overly shy girls blossomed into willingly visiting and sharing with neighbors and friends.  We actually decided on our own this year to visit neighbors and friends with cookies (not because of a lack of language and ability to say no), no, this time we chose to go, because we wanted to.  We got to share the Good News and some warm gloves with a lost people group.  We even willingly baked this year! ;) (even if it was full of minor frustrations like lack of electricity, no lack of bugs...) We just really enjoyed using Christmas Eve as a day to share with as many as we could WHY we celebrate Christmas.

And then there was Christmas Day.  Wanna hear a secret? About a month ago, Kamden was found lying in her bed complaining that we 'had' to go to church on Christmas.  Do you know she woke up Christmas morning, went to church, and I caught her smiling and laughing many times throughout the 3 and 1/2 hour service! As a matter of fact, I have quite the video of her and a friend singing obnoxiously loudly into the microphone when the kids got up to sing Jingle Bells! We made it home near 4pm and hit the sacks after opening the girls' stockings.  Slept till 7pm and then opened presents, played and played, ate dinner (pizza again, this time homemade) at 1am and dessert at 3am (oreo balls, of course).  We went to bed happily at 4am! And this time, the whole month felt flawless! We celebrated His birth! With joy! With excitement! And with a sweet, peaceful feeling of home!

It's amazing what a difference a year makes.  So much has changed in our hearts and in our home in the past year.  With the change comes the realization that we just aren't exactly who we once were, nor who we will be when He's done with us.

I'm thankful now for that first Christmas here.  My girls have heard the story told a number of times and reminisced with us about all the funny things that happened that weren't really all that funny back then.  We've learned together to be flexible, to be willing, to celebrate Jesus' birth with open and willing hearts to be used by Him during that time.  After all, that's what He asks of us... He wants our hearts.

-The 4 Cokes

Count the Cost

WE WILL NEVER FULLY UNDERSTAND THE TRUE COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS!

And today, as I sat across from a lady telling me, "I want to believe in Jesus, but I CAN'T!", in that moment, I wished I had experienced just a touch of the suffering she had experienced in her life in an effort to be able to empathize with her.

What do you say to a woman who tells you, "My husband is very angry that you are telling me about this Jesus." How do you respond when she says he beat her for holding a 'worship service' in their home.  How small does your own faith feel when you begin to feel so hopeless for those people and shake your head and think, "You're right... it would be nearly impossible for you to believe in Jesus."

We have NO EARTHLY IDEA THE TRUE COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS!

-The 4 Cokes

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like...

CHRISTMAS!!!!! Ok, not really. Ok. Not at all. ;) Inside our house, yes, but out there, you'd never know. So, we had the privelege today of going out into the villages together as a family!!! 

We hopped in a taxi, Jason with his gps, me with my experience of having been to this particular location before, and off we went! 

Well, sadly, it took me FAR too long to realize we were NOT headed in the right direction! (Cut me some slack, everyone knows I am directionally challenged!) 

Jason looks again at his map... Yep, there are two villages with the exact same name. We were going totally the wrong way. 

So, a smart person calls up one of the girls we are going to visit and has her speak to the taxi driver to get the most accurate directions possible, right? Right! Exactly what I did. Except, well, turns out, she wasn't home today...She was visiting family in a city even further away!!!! So, when we had PASSED the village we were looking for AGAIN, and I mean, an hour past, I realized again that this simply couldn't be right! So we went BACK! Found the village, called her, and that's when we finally realized she wasn't home and that's why she had give completely different directions to the taxi driver! (He was cracking us up, btw, he kept saying "that's why you have to speak to gents, because ladies give bad directions!"! Hilarious! And, we were thankful for his sense of humor!) 

A lot of fun was had today, in spite of spending 4 hours in the car! Jason randomly started singing, "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..." And the girls are yelling, "No, it's not!" And then we all just started pointing out all the "Christmasy" things we saw, followed by breaking out in a Christmas song that went with that particular Christmas symbol. You know, like, all the workers in the fields certainly had to be elves, while the three camels and riders we passed were most definitely the wisemen! We passed a sweet little marble shack type thing that had to have resembled Bethlehem, and there's no doubt that little boy riding the bike was the little drummer boy! 

It was a quite enjoyable ride. One I wouldn't have traded for anything. And, then it hit me... This is what we should be doing with these last few days leading up to Jesus' birthday! Making every attempt to share the joy we've found in Him. 

We eventually did get to sit with one young man who has accepted Christ and who seems passionate about learning more. And, we found our second village, and tho no apparent fruit came from that visit, one thing is for sure, hearing my (often shy) daughters singing "Glo-o-o-o-o-ria" with us to a group of men and children in an effort to share the joy of Christmas, well, that touched my heart in a way that I don't want to forget! 

So, it's a day for the books. We came home having munched on cookies, sweets, chai, and soft drinks all day long and with hungry tummies and full hearts! 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night! 

Kamden making friends with a baby buffalo. 

Kiley watching our new friend play this Indian instrument. 

Kamden & Kiley after a long day having sang with us a couple Christmas carols for this crowd. 

Lately

What's been happening lately? Lately, we've been living life.  We're in a sort of routine.  Probably more of a routine than we've ever had in our life.  And, I'm loving it! We still like to do the spontaneous so as things sneak in, we readjust.  But, for the most part, life is just happening as normal as possible.

Currently, Jason is out of town for a two week language intensive.  We.  Miss.  Him.  Terribly! BUT, things are going surprisingly well.  It's allowed for a lot of special one on one time, not only for me with the girls, but for the girls with each other.  They have been amazing buddies the past few days.

What's the typical day look like for the4cokes, or at least the 3 ladies of the4cokes?

Monday - Thursday are our typical homeschool days.  So, on those days, we try to start our day with breakfast at 8:00.  I try to get up prior to everyone else because I like the quiet before everyone awakes.  I often let the girls sleep if they need the extra.  Sidenote: did you know that living overseas, especially in a place so stimulating as this, can cause you to need as much sleep as a newborn? And, it makes sense.  Just as a newborn is making new discoveries every moment of everyday, so are we.  So, if they sleep, I often let them.  Then we get started right away with breakfast and Bible.  We are reading through a very detailed children's Bible and it's taking us forever to get through, but the girls seem to love it! We learn a Bible verse a week using the "Seeds of..." series, and the girls have a little devotional book that they love doing.  If there's time, we use the next 30 minutes for any type of activity I feel like having them do that day.  Usually that time slips by rather quickly.  The girls then move on to handwriting, followed by Kiley's independent math time while I teach Kamden phonics/reading.  Two days a week, we then rush out the door to ride bikes to the local part to play with our friends.  Sidenote: I never dreamed my girls would be riding bikes on the crowded streets here! I'm so thankful for the opportunities they get.  After recess, I bring the two smallest of the five girls back for math class, while the other three stay at our friends' house for writing and spelling class.  On the other two days a week, we take it easy by staying here and doing afternoon work in reading/language etc. and have a Hindi class here as well.

Those are the weekdays.  Then, on Friday, I go to the village where I've been released to lead small house churches in a few different villages twice a month.  It's challenging, rewarding, a huge learning experience, and great to have an organized planned day for ministry.  I'm enjoying it.

Our evenings seem to go by so quickly! The girls play... and play... and play some more, while I make dinner, study Hindi, and try to get in some time reading to them as well.  We eat and then it's usually off to bed.  For the girls, that is! ;)

This month, we've added some activities to our daily schedule.  And, so far so good! We're really enjoying celebrating Christmas this year with a couple different activities.  At first I wondered, "too much?" but then I remembered, that if I don't do it, who will? They aren't surrounded by the "reason for the season" here with Sunday School, children's church, etc. so I decided to go for it and we're loving it.

We are doing three advent style activities.  But total, they probably take 10 minutes to complete.  The girls are doing a good deed every day on one of their calendars.  On another, they are praying for a different people group each day using a beautifully hand crafted advent calendar complete with dolls representing each group.  It's awesome and they are awestruck by it.  And then, we are finishing the night with the Jesse Tree devotionals.  Short, sweet, and to the point.

I'm loving these days.  Someone once said, "The days are long but the years are short." But in this season of my life, I disagree.  My girls are in 'the soft spot' I'd say.  Being around them is enjoyable to me.  And, most days, I don't want to lay them down.

SO, this is a just quick glimpse at what's going on around here.  Life is good.  God is great.  We are blessed!

-The 4 Cokes

Engineering

Today, I watched this short video clip advertising a new line of toys for girls that's supposed to encourage engineering thinking in girls. I didn't think much of it and went on about my day. 

Later, we had a little surprise birthday party for our friend where I hung balloons from the ceiling fan. 

After the party, Kamden asks if we could turn it into a swing for her baby doll! So, together we three maneuvered it to work as a swing for her baby while the girls just laughed and laughed and I silently prayed we wouldn't pull the already loose ceiling fan out of the ceiling! 

After the fact, I caught Kiley trying a variety of her dolls on the rigged up swing and it reminded me of the video. Ha! 

So, I let the girls watch it and they loved it, ran off to their room to set up their own cause & affect obstacle course. 

They were already cracking me up with all their excitement when Kamden says, "Mommy! Those girls had a pool in their house!" (Speaking of the video) And Kiley says, in a slight whisper yet so matter of factly and as if it were big news, "Kamden, people in America have YARDS!" 

Haha. Oh the life of a TCK! Have you thanked God for your yard today? We may be reteaching the girls what that is when we come back! ;) 

*Here's their doll swing. Looks like they must have turned it into a two seater. Sweet! ;) 

Trust Jesus or Else

For those of you who enjoy my embarrassing moments here in our new country, I think you'll enjoy this one. 

Today, while sharing in a village with a woman who is on the fence about following Christ, my friends had the opportunity to share straight-up truth with her. I kept quiet most of the time, intimidated over my lack of language ability compared to theirs. 

Throughout the meeting, the cutest little 8 month old girl had been chewing on whatever she could get her hands on. One of those items being a very real looking toy gun. I had made mention (in English) how that weirded me out and I didn't love the idea of it. 

Well, towards time to leave, I finally decided to speak up and share how when we follow Christ we must be obedient to His commands. I had kept quiet the whole time and when I finally decided to speak, it turns out that without even realizing it, I had picked up that toy gun and was waving it rather wildly as I spoke! 

After leaving, my friends were cracking up and I had no idea I had even done it. They said it was rather comical to watch as I appeared as if I was holding a gun to their head, saying, "Trust Jesus or else!" 

Like Newborn Infants

Most recently, I've been heavily convicted about one thing: my time with The Lord. These verses from Saturday night's house church hit home. I can't get them out of my heart and, though it's taking me a long time to get it, God is being ever so patient with me. 

"Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation-- if indeed you have tasted that The Lord is good. AS YOU COME TO HIM... You are being built up as a spiritual house..." 1 Peter 2:2-5 

Throwback Thursday

Maybe it's the sappy Christian music my husband has playing tonight... Combined with the fact that two of my favorite people just left after an amazing visit... Combined with the fact that sometimes life is just difficult and slightly confusing... Combined with the fact that life is really good all the while... Combined with the fact that I'm ecstatic that my parents will be here in one week... Combined with the fact that one of my best friends just sent me a picture for Throwback Thursday that finally just brought me to tears.

It's the STRANGEST feeling.  I looked at the picture and immediately this strange emotion came over me and this strong compulsion that I could just step right through the screen and be standing in that very moment.  It was as if I was there but yet I'm not.  And, then the tears began to flow.

And that, my friends, is the best way I can put into words the emotions that I face on a daily basis.

Here's the guilty! ;) Thanks for sending it, Amy.  It really did make my day.  In a strange sort of way! ;)

-The 4 Cokes

What If?

The scene: 

I had just laid the girls down for rest time and I had gotten myself a sweet to munch on and grabbed my Bible & my Hindi book to try to get some studying done in both. 

But I was discouraged. I was having yet another case of the "what if's". "What if we'd just stayed home?" "What if we had never left?" And I was pondering the ever pressing question "What have I gotten myself into and why am I here?" 

So, I typed a quick note to some of my prayer partners: 

{Prayers as you wake up this morning. Struggling momentarily. Surely to be short-lived with adequate prayer and some time in the Word. Thanks a ton!}

I then sat, as I read a few verses from my Bible, almost frozen in this strange feeling that I couldn't figure out. I stared at the door for a good two minutes feeling like someone was going to walk in on me. I kept reminding myself the door was locked so it wasn't like I was going to be taken by surprise but I felt unsettled. As if I was waiting for someone. Little did I know, it was the Spirit inside me who was waiting for someone. 

Sure enough, a knock came on the door. It hardly caught me by surprise since I'd been waiting for it so expectantly. 

When I answered the door, I found a girl not much younger than myself accompanied by a house helper. The girl introduced herself and asked if I did tuitions in my home. Inwardly, I rolled my eyes because I thought I knew what was coming next. "Yes, I teach my own children," I replied, "but I don't teach any others. You have children?" 

"No." She said. Which came as a surprise. Turns out, she is a housewife who has made zero friends since moving here about two years ago and had come looking for a friend.

Our conversation quickly turned to Christ as I tried to explain why people do the things they do and act the way they act. Of course, after mentioning His name, she admitted she had never heard of Him! 

So, I thought "Here goes nothing!" And started into Creation to Christ. I finished with "The Bridge" Gospel presentation and, looking into her eyes, realized that she had tears. I knew immediately that she understood and that God had led her straight to my door. So, I asked her if she wanted to place her trust in this Jesus. Her response? 

"Definitely! Why would I NOT?!?" 

Wow! Chew on that for a minute and let it slap you around. 

We continued chatting and she soon admitted she had come there looking for a friend. I excitedly told her she came looking for a friend in me but found Jesus instead. 

I went back inside awestruck over what had just happened. Thanking God that only minutes after wondering why we are here, He not only showed me but allowed someone to become a child of the King through His answer! 

Praise Him that He uses us in spite of us. And cares enough to answer those silly little cries of "What if!" and "Why?" 

Please pray for my new friend.  And for me as I try to teach her Truth. It's not an easy road. 

First Day of School!

Shwew... Just taking a quick breather after a jam packed day. Today was... The first day of school! Yay!

A little background... I've been anxiously planning for this day all summer. I really felt like, at least for this season in our lives, we really needed some structure. A schedule. Some consistency. But, that's just so not me. So I've been praying over, planning, and preparing all summer. 

Well, then came anniversary, then came fever, then came up all night because of said first day of school along with crazy loud 3AM parade. Not to mention, the morning routine I created for myself was near impossible! 

BUT... I was most determined to keep a positive attitude and ENJOY this time! Which, I think I managed to accomplish! 

The day started for the girls with a new t-shirt they'd been eyeing. :) Fun! Then we got started on Bible. My plan was to skip Bible today to adequately explain the schedule and then it hit me... Where better to go to talk about plans. So, we sat and looked up verses about plans. And, nope, didn't even make it through the first day of Bible class without crying. 

Here I was stressing about the plans of homeschool and recognizing that His plans for me will succeed AND that they are far greater than my own. Good news for a first day of school! 

Then we prayed about what plans we were nervous about. Sweet Kamden whispered to me that she was excited about dance class but afraid. So we prayed. For that sweet little honest girl who loves dance with her whole heart. I just love her. 

The rest of the day was just dandy. Rushed? A little. Did I feel like I was chasing objects around and do I feel utterly exhausted now? Yes. But we all had a great day! 

Some low lights: 

-Handwriting for Kiley took longer than expected. She's learning cursive this year! But, it's challenging! And I want her to stay excited about it. So that was hard. 

-I definitely felt like I was chasing things here and there, but I know it will get more organized as we go. 

Some highlights: 

-Kamden loved her phonics time. She got to make a craft and did great on it. 

-Kiley's math is fun and great for her. She even chose to do the parts we had to skip early on because of handwriting, later in the day. 

-Teaching the little girls Math was fun and rewarding. They learn so fast. I'm excited about what all they'll pick up this year during that time. 

-Kiley is as excited as ever about reading. That's always nice! 

-For the first time in quite a while, the girls got to play outside with friends for recess! 

I'm excited about this year. Nervous still. But excited. 

Heart-Wrenching, Soul-Disturbing

The heart-wrenching, soul-disturbing cultural experience I had tonight traveling home from the train station, if seen and experienced in person, should draw Jesus followers from around the globe to ensure these people get a chance to hear of the saving love of Jesus! 

Tonight, in our city, H's lined the street to celebrate the bringing home of "holy water" from the Ganges river to pour over their statues in order to give those statues strength and power enough to forgive their sins and shower them with blessings. 

Meanwhile, M's gathered in mosques to celebrate Ramadan. We passed the open doors of an M temple and watched in awe as they performed their ritualistic prayers. 

As we drove home on these overly crowded streets, I wanted so badly to SCREAM! And, then my heart went immediately to "We need more people!" These people must hear that there is a better way... The only way! 

"If the church of God fully realized her heritage in the Gospel, she would send ten thousand fresh messengers to the farthest parts of the earth to proclaim Jesus." -John Paton

    -a water carrier proudly walks up to 125 km one way to collect water from the river to take back home to his gods. 

Proverbs 22:17

How do I get wisdom? What's the key? What's the magic formula or the secret recipe? 

If there is one, I found it yesterday when I was reading Proverbs 22:17! 

"Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge"

Looks to me like there are three steps:

1) Incline your ear... Prepare it. How? By studying wisdom, being around wisdom, picking the brains of the wise, praying for wisdom. 

2) Hear the words of the wise. Simply hear and listen to the wisdom that you've prepped you ears to hear. Because after prepping your ears to hear wisdom, you'll begin to hear it at work around you. 

3) Lastly, apply your heart. Apply what you've heard. 

Simple yet profound... Straight from the word.