Posted in A New Year by Ashley Mueller on 4/4/2012
Ireland. Ukraine. Russia. Kenya. Tanzania. Mozambique. India. Nepal. Cambodia. Challenge: Asia. Malaysia.
"Whoever serves me must follow me..." It's interesting to hear Jesus make this point in John 12. It seems like He's making a clear point about a tendency that people have. Jesus is saying, "Make sure that if you're one to serve me, you follow my steps as well." It's not just about serving Jesus through our time and efforts. It's also about following Him. We can't just be missional.
It's been hard to announce my leaving to friends, family and church members. So many people want to congratulate me on my bravery and willingness to abandon life as they know it. While I understand this isn't an everyday activity for most people, I've come to the realization that it's just missions. That's all. It's not glamorous--showers aren't a guaranteed and neither are results. This is just a lengthy stay in different parts of the world where our group will have the opportunity to share the Gospel through word and action.
Since I signed up for the World Race last October, Jesus has been pouring into me ideas, relationships and prayers that I need to birth or ask for before I leave in July. He has been doing this through a series of bedtime revelations. Sometimes, it's simply the vocal realization that I need Him to cover everything that I can't with the World Race. But, mostly, it's Jesus revealing to me things I need to do before I leave.
One of these bedtime revelations centered around the people I would encounter while on the race. My prayers have been drenched with my possible inability to help anyone or share Jesus with any soul, believing or not, the entire 11 months while I'm gone. So, Jesus gave me this prayer: May I have one person per country the entire time I'm gone who I can truly influence. One soul--believing or not, hungry or not, thirsty or not--that I can encourage, love on and speak to.
That's the thing: missions is just about as amazing as any other job I will ever hold. Sure, it's a bit out of the ordinary for me, but so is cleaning my closet. Missions is just an avenue of the Lord's work. What every World Racer and supporter has to be careful of is that we don't forget that Jesus called us to follow Him as well.
We can't just be missional. Jesus was clear--we must also be followers. We must be the type of people who cling to the Word, chew on it's truths and then digest them into action. We must look to the One we follow and lead the life that He has called us to lead.
11 countries. 11 months. 11 people. Let's serve the broken, but let's follow the Healer.
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Posted in General Posts by Ashley Mueller on 3/2/2012
I think it's going to take me my entire life to understand the concept of grace. Sure, I get the definition. I understand theapplication. I was saved by grace.
But, I'm not the kind of person who understands a free gift. Honestly, I think most people struggle with it. It's like we've been trained as Americans to know that if someone is passing out free hot dogs, we should probably decline the offer. But, God in His grace, not only doesn't throw us into Hell for our sins, He gives us eternal life if we believe in the work of Christ on the cross and in our hearts.
Grace--it's not only not getting what we deserve, but getting what we don't deserve.
In the past couple weeks, I've been reading up on the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. And, while many people know this story and have plumbed its depths, there's something that I'm just now beginning to recognize.
God calls the people out of their 430 year bondage to the cruel Egyptian slave masters. He walks with them through their departure by protecting them from death by the hands of the Egyptian army and the waves of the Red Sea. They make it to the other side of the sea, walk through the desert, and then enter the Promised Land of Canaan--a land flowing with abundance.
My story is similar. Before my life in Christ, I was in bondage to wicked and cruel things--things that took over my desires, my life, and my joy. The Lord called me out of that bondage and walked with me through the departure. He protected me from certain death three times. Now, He is taking me into this Promised Land of the World Race--a place where I can't get my eyes off of His abundance.
My story is all about grace--getting grace when I deserved death, getting abundance when I deserved the desert, and getting Christ when I deserved the pit.
Jesus isn't a God who offers us shady hot dogs. He abundantly gives us eternal life, real life now, and the opportunity to work with Him to spread His grace. Whether we're a World Racer, a supporter, or just a blog reader, how will we live in that grace today?
Tim Keller remarks, "The more we realize grace has nothing to do with our behavior, the more our behavior will change." Let's forget the hot dogs and chose grace.
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Posted in General Posts by Ashley Mueller on 2/17/2012
I've always secretly wished that my parents would die in Africa. I know that sounds a bit harsh, but that's how I feel. Wouldn't it be cool to know that my entire family devoted their time, energy and lives to the harvesting of souls in countries who are hungry physically and spiritually?
In the past several weeks, I feel as though satan has been attacking each area of my life in an attempt to destroy all that the Lord has built up. I'm confident that this is nothing new to any believing Christian. But, my coping mechanisms have been a little off.
When a hard time has come, I've turned my head to heaven and sent a prayer of thanks to Jesus that He has called me out of America and out of all of the chains that are so easy to wear here. I've clung to my future and not my circumstances.
However, I don't think that is what Paul was talking about at the end of Philippians when he remarked that he had found out how to beat the system of living in the middle of all he wanted or in the pit of desire: "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
Paul wasn't talking about looking forward to a time where there would be no struggle, even though that is true. He was talking about looking forward to the joy of eternal life with Christ, and the ability to cling to the Father if the present wasn't all that great. Paul didn't just thank Jesus that he wouldn't suffer forever, but rejoiced that he would suffer for His name. Likewise, I shouldn't be thanking Jesus that He is taking me out of this mess I find myself in, but thank the Lord that He has counted me worthy of suffering. I should be grateful for the future, but not live in the future.
It's so easy to think that the joy I've experienced when I've worked in Africa is going to be manifested in the same way when I find myself there soon. But, as a wise friend reminded me, Jesus doesn't want us to cling to the goodness in Africa, He wants us to cling to the goodness of Christ Himself.
It's not about the joy I find in Africa--it's about the joy I find in my Lover. He all that I have that is worth having. He alone won't disappoint and leave me desiring more.
He is my Africa. He is my struggle. He is my joy.
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Posted in General Posts by Ashley Mueller on 1/3/2012
There are some truths that seem so obvious it's hard to imagine why they must be stated.
I plopped down in 24D, my seat on a flight home after the holidays. My eyes shifted to the sign that hung on my tray table, "Fasten Seat Belt While Seated." I couldn’t believe the sign: Why wouldn't I fasten my seat belt while I was seated?
My mother calls me a 'Black and White' person: a person who sees a truth as right or wrong. I tend to look at most things through that lens. She often reminds me, however, that not everyone is like me. There are 'Gray' people: people who see truth as a less defined line. I assume she would look at the "Fasten Seat Belt While Seated" sign a little bit differently.
There are some truths I thought would always be accepted by followers of Christ. In the past several months, however, those truths have been questioned, stomped on and broken by the followers of Christ who surround me. It's been painful to watch my church and my family split over issues I never thought would be doubted.
The holidays were a tough time for my faith. I have been able to handle the attacks on these truths until they reached my lips of loved ones. In the past several days, I have found myself shying away from the throne room of Christ because I, too, began to question what I have held so dear. If I accepted that my faith was out of line, then my entire journey with Christ would have been false. Still, I reevaluated.
I have come to this conclusion: Christ is my Lord and Savior. What He has taught me is not up for grabs--for anyone, including myself. He has led me to this place to teach me very specific things. But, I have traveled with judgment for far too long.
Christ does call us to love those we do not agree with. He calls us to pursue them--not to change their minds, but to love as He has loved. My words and thoughts against those people have been harmful to them, to me and to my God. They have prevented relationships and growth. I am absolutely guilty.
I also know He has taught me unchangeable truths. I cannot budge on what He has revealed. But, I can budge on how I love those who stand in opposition.
I do not claim to know the Word of God in its entirety. I do not claim to know my God fully. He is incomprehensible. This much He has taught me. But, He is my Lord. He has revealed Himself to me through His Holy Spirit and His Holy Word. I must love Him first, and then take that love He has given me into this world.
My prayer is this: May we be men and women who love our God. May we search diligently in His Word to discover more of who our God is. But, then, may we take His love to our world. For, Jesus said, “Others will know you by your love.” –John 13:35
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Posted in A New Year by Ashley Mueller on 12/31/2011
I love my alarm clock. I love waking up and realizing the night is gone—that the misdeeds of the day before are no longer my present reality.
New Year’s resolutions are like this. Resolutions are like grace for the world: the realization the past is not the future. People can change.
For Christians, starting over is critical. Jesus is the author of fresh starts, a new life and a changed mindset. He is the creator of transformed believers.
“See the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.” (Isa. 42:8-9)
When I think about what my New Year’s resolutions will be, it’s easy to think about the things I would love to change in my life: my appearance, my level of happiness, and my ability to keep my closet clean . While these things are worth being on my resolution list, I’m quick to think about how often I have failed at these things—how my New Year’s resolutions of years’ past have never quite turned out. I don’t know if I have the power right now to change these things.
Even if I did have the power, I would question my choices of what I want to change. These are things that I want to see change, not necessarily what God wants me to change. But, if Christ is truly the author of transformation, then His Word would be exploding with suggestions.
It is exploding, to say the least.
Think about the Garden. Think about the Fall of Man and then think about how God then said He would send His son to reconcile the Fall. Think about Abraham. Think about Sarah and Abraham’s blunders. Think about how God blessed them anyway. Think about King David, and how after confessing his sins, the Lord still continued to claim David as a man after His heart. Think about Judas and how Jesus washed his feet. Think about Peter or Paul. Think about yourself. Think about how the throne of grace is exactly what it says it is: a throne we approach to “receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Think about the Lost Son, who, after rebelling against his father, lost everything and then returned home to work as a slave. Think about how the son resolved to be a servant and how his father dumped buckets of grace upon him, his Beloved.
The Bible is story of a redemption, transformation and salvation. It’s about finding grace. It’s about New Year’s resolutions.
In Isaiah, the Lord makes clear several things to His people: “Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow…” (Isa. 1:18)
So, if there were anything I would want this next year to be, I pray that I’ll take a hint of what my Lord wants me to change, not what I, a sinner, want. May we search to know the heart of God and then continue to change until we look like Him.
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