"Closed for Spiritual Maintenance"

You may have seen my post Friday night: 

     In the hustle and bustle of one busy week after another, I'm sure I'm not the only once who grows weary. And by weary I mean emotionally spent and spiritually dry. It's not that I haven't been spending time with God and in His word, because I have been, every day. But I do believe the things of this world can have strong influences on our spiritual well being. Yes, God is bigger and more powerful but when we open our hearts to other things and not be solely focused on God and growing closer to Him, we lose our grasp on our relationship with Him. He doesn't hold us with a tight fist and never let us walk away. He wants us to want Him and so He lets us choose and most of the time we don't choose Him. 

     Over the last couple weeks I'd spent more time in worldly entertainment (such as tv shows on Netflix) instead of pouring into God. I told myself that I was tired and needed a break from reality plus the show I was watching was just so funny. But the constant in and out of relationships of the characters left my expectations where they shouldn't be. I lost my contentment and peace. It left me sad and dry. A place that God doesn't want me to be in. He wants me to find my joy in Him and find my purpose and peace in Him, not the flamboyant lifestyles of fictional characters in a TV show. But that's our culture, isn't it? They throw all this garbage in our faces making us think that the only way to be happy is to be throwing yourself at whatever whim you want to on a daily basis.  That couldn't be farther from the truth. 

     God has good plans for us. Better plans than anything we could ever come up with. And it can be hard to hold onto that hope that God will work it all out if we but believe and trust Him. But it is going to be so worth it when we do! There will always be valleys that we will face and we can either let the weight of the world hold us down until we are sinking or we can cling to Christ, the greatest hope of all. He loves us as only the best Father can. He wants to take care of us. But we have to trust Him to do so.

     I wasn't really planning on going into all that. I really wanted to just focus on what I learned about myself in my 48hour phone/social media fast. It was a relaxing weekend (with a couple stressful moments lol). Saturday was a great day. I got everything on my To-Do list done! Which rarely happens because half my day is spent on social media. Just being honest.

     I also realized that I am a very impatient person but I never really realized that until I took away the very thing that gives me access to immediate contact and information. So many times I wanted to take a pic of what I was doing and snap it to a friend. Or text my mom telling her about something I got in the mail. I did relent and turn my phone on so I could take some pictures of my cats.

     It was very refreshing to not feel attached to my phone. I was able to stay 100% fully engaged with my family when I visited them on Sunday or my friend on Saturday night. 

     So how will this change my way of life as I continue forward? Well, I'm keeping my notifications off for Facebook and Instagram. I'm less likely to get sucked into scrolling when there is no reason to open it. I might do these fasts more often as now I don't feel so glued to my phone. 

     Overall, it was a great refreshing weekend. I got things done. I rested. I spent time with God. He refreshed my soul and I'm able to move forward in this new week back where I should be- content and at peace in Him. 

Waiting Well

"I am the good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-"

- John 10:14

I feel like when it comes to the theme and lesson of waiting, I am on a never ending round-about, continually going in a circle : learning, forgetting, remembering, forgetting and so forth.  Maybe it isn't so much forgetting as it is losing sight of the truth of what it really means to wait.

I feel like I am in a constant state of waiting. I'm waiting for funds to come in for my summer mission trip, I'm waiting for my life to keep going forward in new directions, I'm waiting for friends to return to Jesus, I'm waiting for my future husband and the life we will share together, waiting and waiting and waiting...waiting for the waiting to end.

Some days I don't wait very well.

Some days I'm tired of waiting and I sink into despair and self pity. A place that as a child of God I have no place being in. Because in that place my eyes are not on my ever loving Father. My trust is not in Him.

Our Father is the good shepherd. He knows us best - better than we or anyone else knows us. He knows our hurts and our deepest longings. Our cries do not fall on deaf ears. He is listening. But His timing is not our timing and it's hard when you are impatiently waiting.

His timing can be so hard. So very very hard. But we can't give up because it's worth the wait. God is worth the wait. God is worthy of our waiting...of our waiting well.

Waiting well...

What does that look like? It's more than having patience. Patience isn't something you just magically get one day. Patience is a process...a process of waiting well.

Psalm 27:14

Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD.

So what does waiting well look like?

Psalm 37:5

Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

My study Bible's footnote says "Commit your way to the LORD- Literally roll your way upon the LORD.

Roll your way upon the LORD? What in the world does that mean?

Mathew Henry's Commentary had this to say about this verse :

"Commit thy way unto the LORD, roll thy way upon the Lord, so the margin reads. Cast thy burden of thy care. We must roll it off ourselves, not afflict and perplex ourselves with thoughts about future events, but refer them to God. By prayer spread thy case and all thy cares before the Lord, and trust in Him. We must do our duty, and then leave the event with God. The promise is very sweet, He shall bring that to pass, whatever it is which thou has committed to Him."

- I think waiting well is not worrying about things. It's placing the stresses of this life and the things that consume our thoughts at the foot of the cross, leaving them with Jesus to handle.

- Waiting well is living in the moment, not in the future. It's pursuing God with what you have already been given instead of waiting for more.

Luke 16:10

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little  will also be dishonest with much.

- Waiting well is spending time in the Word, in prayer and in worship. It's growing closer to your Father who will reveal those things that you seek in His perfect timing.

You can't expect your life to change if you don't spend time with the one who created your life.

So whatever you are waiting for whether it's a new job, more stable finances, a new direction, a new relationship, etc, continue to pursue the Father.

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Because He truly is a good, good Father, the good shepherd who was willing to lay down His life for the sheep, for us. He is not only worth the wait, but worthy of our waiting.

Honor Him today by waiting well.

Isaiah 40:31

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

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Questions, comments, prayer requests, feel free to reach out to me!

~Beka

A new year brings new adventures!

Hey everyone! So I know I've been teasing with the information about my text trip so without further delay, here it is!

Next summer I have the incredible opportunity to be the nanny for a precious baby, Ezekiel or 'Zeke'. I had the privilege to serve with his parents, Jack and Kelsie, in Scotland 2015.

When they asked me if I would be interested in being their nanny next summer, I could barely hold in my excitement. Throughout my years serving with Reign, I’ve met and interacted with several nannies and I’ve always had the desire to serve in that role. I love foreign missions and I love babies. Being a nanny on a royal servants summer trip is combining two of my greatest passions. After taking time to pray and seek God, I came to the conclusion that this is what He is calling me to next.

    June 5 will begin my summer with about three weeks spent at training camp and the rest of the summer will be spent overseas. As Jack and Kelsie will be serving as staff on a trip, they won’t find out which team they are assigned to until the spring. Royal Servants goes all over the world and we could be assigned to any one of them.

But no matter where we go, my mission remains the same. As the team begins ministry overseas, I’ll watch from behind the scenes. I get to be the hands and feet of Jesus in such a unique way this summer as I watch Zeke. This frees up Jack and Kelsie to lead the team well and effectively on those ministry days without having to worry about Zeke. I’ll be there to help with travel, meals, baths, naps and anything else Zeke throws our way. And let’s not forget all the playing and snuggling Zeke will need this summer as he continues to grow and learn and experience this world for the first time.

Below is a little blurb from Zeke’s parents on my role this summer:

"This will be our first summer traveling with a child. Ezekiel will be 9-11 months old while we are at Training Camp and overseas. As we began to contemplate who might best aid us in caring for our child, Beka immediately came to mind. Her devotion to Christ, her love of young children, and her commitment to discipleship made her an obvious choice for us. We have many responsibilities throughout the summer and will not be able to give Zeke the full attention he deserves but to have someone solid like Beka step in and help love him is crucial to our family and our ministry. My wife, Kelsie, and I had the privilege to serve with Beka in Scotland two summers ago. She was one of our small group leaders and her love for and commitment to her four high school girls was unmatched. We are thrilled she has agreed to serve this summer as our son's nanny. We heartily encourage you to invest in Beka this coming year, both in prayer and financially, that she might be fully funded and spiritually equipped for her ministry to our son."

    Because we don’t know what specific team we’ll be on, the cost of the trip varies. I’ll be needing around $4,000 for this trip. I intend to contribute as much as I can personally earn, however I can’t do it alone. I am seeking financial supporters who will come alongside and enable me to serve God on this trip. Therefore, I am praying for a team of 40 people who will support me with a special gift of $100. I understand that not everyone is able to make that kind of commitment, but any gift amount whether it is $5 or $50 is greatly appreciated. I also need people who will agree to be my prayer partners during the summer. Your prayer is a crucial contribution to this ministry.

Would you prayerfully consider partnering with me by being a prayer and/or financial supporter?  Please, don’t hesitate to send me any questions you may have.

   

   

I am so excited to spend the summer with this adorable little guy!

Thank you!

How to give:

Send A Check By Mail (all checks are electronically deposited) Online At  

Make your check payable to Reign Ministries. Indicate the purpose of your gift. You may write your purpose for the gift in the memo or provide other instructions on a separate sheet.

If you are sponsoring a missionary staff member or student and you know their fund number (Kopenski, Beka (P007656) , please include it. It will ensure proper processing. We will promptly return a receipt for your gift stating how your gift was processed.

Mail your contributions to:

Reign Ministries

5401 West Broadway Avenue

Minneapolis, MN 55428

Online At:   https://reignministries.org/make-a-gift/

1. Choose the box that says Royal Servants
2. When filling out information, scroll down and be sure to find my name, Kopenski, Beka.