LIONHEARTED LANDLOPER

      We know that the mission of God’s people is and has always been to make His name known among all peoples. This was the mission at the very beginning and it is still what Jesus commissions us to do today. We also know that we are called to worship and glorify God with our lives. We incorporate congregational worship into our weekly gatherings and sing praises to the Lord regularly. But how do these two relate? Do they relate at all? Does worship have anything to do with missions and does missions have anything do to do with worship? The answer is “yes.” As Zac Hicks writes in his book to Worship Pastor - a Call to Ministry for Worship Leaders and Teams , “just as a heart has no purpose without veins and arteries, and just as those veins and arteries are useless without a heart, so worship is inherently missional and mission is essentially doxological” (Hicks 98). We were created to glorify God and declare His goodness. We read this repeatedly throughout the Sc...

       For years of my life, I’ve been eager to leave the United States. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not because I don’t like the U.S. — I love it here. And It’s not because I don’t think there’s ministry to be done here — there is no lack of need in all the world. Nor is it because I feel I can’t fulfill my calling here — I know God is guiding my every step and there’s a reason He has me here. So why do I want to leave? Simply because of the fact that I have a burning, growing passion for the lost. The more I learn, the more I want to do everything within my power to change the state of the world. The older I get and the closer to God I become, the more devastated I am by the fact that there are millions of people who haven’t even heard Jesus’ name.        Yes, I feel called to go .        I’ve prayed so many times for opportunities to arise. I’ve been discouraged by the years I know I will have to spend in America to prepare a...

This is a poem I wrote while I was in Tennessee. My mind was racing and I couldn’t fall asleep. I needed a new perspective. So, I got out of my hammock, didn’t even put my glasses on, and went for a walk. The poem is called “Reflecting” because while the Great Blue Heron reflected on the surface of the pond — I reflected on my life. In the dark of night, on a small dock, on a small pond.  Blurry vision, flickering street light, quiet heart. Raining so softly it produced no sound, just a sparkling pond. In the middle of the water — a Great Blue Heron. Standing with me. Together, we reflected.

10-11-18 The air is hot and thick. People on mopeds weave through traffic. I know it’s on the other side of the continent, but it’s already bringing back so many memories from South Africa. We were greeted at the airport by some buskers who serenaded us until they realized we weren’t going to give them money. We rode a bus to WAAST where Mary Ballenger talked to us and we ate pizza, salad, and fruit. The pizza had barely any cheese on it and tasted like hamburger meat. They have good pineapple. There was also some kind of melon. I am staying in house #95. ... It feels so good to be here. Even though I’m tired, sweaty, and my stomach hurts — experiences like this are like a breath of fresh air for the soul. I have finals due this week and it feels impossible. I have no idea how I am going to do it. But I will, and I’m happy and God has created such incredibly diverse beauty to fill this earth with. 10-12-18 I woke up at 6:00 AM, took a shower, and got dressed for the day. I h...

        Recently , I had the opportunity to spend eight days in Lomé, Togo, serving at the West Africa Advanced School of Theology (or WAAST). First of all, Togo is a beautiful country full of beautiful people. Even the dirt is my favorite color. All the plants thrive and there are shells on the ground when you’re not even on the beach. There’s lizards of all sizes and colors and more shades of green than you probably realize exist. Everyone wears vibrant patterns and big smiles. The people and vehicles flow down streets in a way that can either look like chaos or the most impressive feat you’ve ever witnessed (depending on your mood). But the most beautiful thing is how quickly the kingdom of God is advancing in that country. Every single church tries to plant at least one more church a year. The alter calls are consistently bringing life-change. The Christian community is marked by unity, kindness, encouragement, and passion. We met missionaries who had been in min...

       I have had two experiences with very generous anonymous individuals. 1. Someone bought me real Chacos — my size and favorite color. Like, brand new Chacos. What on earth? Why? Suddenly I felt so encouraged. Yes, God provides for our needs — but He also goes above and beyond just because he loves us. I felt like someone could see me and truly cared. 2. Someone paid the remainder of what I owed to go to Togo. That was a lot of money.  This reassured me that I really am doing what God wants me to do. I’ve never seen generosity so extreme before, and it really touched me. Why would they do this? Why for me? I struggle to pay for all my school and necessities already, so raising money for this trip seemed unlikely. Yet here I am today having been totally and unimaginably provided for. I have no idea who these people are or what compelled them to be so incredibly kind to me, but I feel so blessed. I want to say thank you.         To t...

       The doctor casually walked into the room, sat in a chair, and looked at my mom.        “So, your scan looked pretty good.” He said without much thought.        “What?”        “Your scan. The MRI. It looked pretty good. I was actually pleased with how it turned out.”        “What do you mean?”         “You know how there were all those spots and stuff in your brain? Like, they’re almost gone now. Barely even visible.” He explained. The lack of emotion in his demeanor was so incredibly unsettling that none of us thought we were hearing him right.        What does this mean? None of us know.  But something has helped my mom improve substantially and (at this point) the cancer has pretty much stopped progressing entirely. The doctor said it’s not a permanent fix — cancer will be back eventually. He said he didn’t know if that w...

“Giving to those in need what they could be gaining from their own initiative may well be the kindest way to destroy people.” - Robert D. Lupton ***        A lot of times, people have a certain mindset regarding mission trips. "I'm going to save people," they think to themselves, "I'm going to change the world." But, in reality, you're not.  Long-term missionaries spend years building relationships and working among people in order to learn their culture and earn respect. Spending two weeks in a country you know little about does not make you a hero nor will it spark some major revival. Do not go if you think you are going to "fix" their country or do something they cannot do for themselves.        Whatever it is that we are going to do, there are people already in the country who could do it just as good (and probably better) for cheaper than the price of our plane tickets to even get there. More problems arise when people show u...

For context, read my previous posts: Hospitals -&- Thanksgiving ,  Hospitals -&- Christmas . ***         The day started out normal. A good day, actually. A fun day; a school day. I showed up to school at 9:00 AM, per usual. It was one of the first days with sunshine and blue skies in a while. I found Jaren wandering the hallways of the church in his big camo slippers. I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk and we ended up pretending to be spies and dramatically running, rolling, and hiding around corners. We found Tracie and asked her to be a spy with us. After maybe 10 minutes of sprinting past doorways and "spying" on innocent bystanders, we discovered that the baptismal pool was open, warm, and unoccupied.        "We should all three put on our swimsuits and sneak into the baptismal pool when no one is looking" Jaren suggested.        And although we all knew he was originally joking, it somehow se...

This is a paper I recently worked on in my English class. The topic was one very close to my heart, and I found my research to be very fascinating. I think every Christian should be aware of this issue and have an idea on where they stand. This paper attempts to present the ideas at either end of the controversy without taking either side. ~***~ Insider Movements        Among Christian missionaries today, there is a topic that has caused much controversy. This is the issue of insider movements. The term refers to “. . . any movement to faith in Christ that remains integrated with or inside its natural community” (Higgins, 2009, p. 75). Specifically, a group of people within a highly religious culture who, although confessing faith in Christ, still identify with their original religion. Most commonly, this refers to the occurrence among Muslim people groups. The issue is regarding syncretism and heresy — how much of Christianity as it is today is necess...

    "Next year I will be better." She said simply, as if somehow she had disappointed me by being sick on Christmas.     But I don't need you to be better. I don't require that from you, mom. The holidays aren't for you to entertain or please me. I would rather be with you right now than anywhere else. This is time for us to be together.     After doing a biopsy on my mom's brain, the doctors were able to diagnose her with Central Nervous System Lymphoma. I never saw any of this coming. But I guess.. How could I?     Mom has gotten progressively better since they started treatment. She wears normal clothes and eats normal food. She can wheel herself around in a wheelchair and she keeps getting stronger. Sure, it's hard to see her like this -- but it's nice to see her improving.     I did not know I would be spending Christmas in a hospital this year. And no one knew the Messiah would be born in a mang...

    Hospitals are peculiar places. Each day in a hospital feels incredibly long -- yet somewhat like it only lasted around four hours. It feels like you entered some other dimension where the outside world just pauses until you leave.  The only way to occupy oneself and escape from the tormenting thoughts demanded by your surroundings is to stare blankly at a small table in a waiting room nearby and lethargically put together a puzzle that is most likely missing pieces.  I met a woman in that waiting room. Her name was Lily. Lily was beautiful and alone. She spoke broken English and had a broken heart. She told me about her husband who either had cancer, a stroke, or both (it was hard to understand some of what she said). Either way, she was obviously afraid. I asked her if I could pray with her, and she let me.  ~let's rewind~ Everything started when I was at a conference playing the cello in the band. I got a call that my mom was taken to the...

        Something inside of me is starting to feel restless. Partly because I don't feel very "Beccca-y" anymore, and partly because I miss the short, refreshing adventures that gave me a break from the humdrum of daily life last year.        I feel like I don't get to be myself. I feel slightly too common. All I do is go to school, do homework, go to work, and sleep. Markers, dictionaries, and journals are collecting a little too much dust. There's not any free time to set up a hammock and spend an hour doing Beccca stuff like I'm so used to. Part of that is okay and just necessary in this season of life. But also, having that time to fully be myself is very important. The lack of it leaves me feeling slightly unfulfilled and unsatisfied. I need some sort of outlet to express my manymanymanymany thoughts, opinions, and feelings. I need time to draw pictures and play with cardboard and sing as loud as possible. But I also need to understand t...

School has been so good. I love my ministry internships, roommate, classmates, job, and the absence of obtaining student debt. I love the mountains. I laugh harder here. I feel more independent here. It's good for me, and God is so obviously working. I am confident in the fact that I am where I need to be. Also, my life is hilarious. So I started making videos with my roommate.

    So now what? Now that I have completed Pack Your Bags, what am I going to do with my life? I mean, PYB was my ONE BIG ADVENTURE, right? What even is there to live for anymore?      Well, God is always taking me on new adventures. In a couple weeks, I will start school with Canvas School of Ministry here in the Flathead Valley through Northwest University which is based in Kirkland, WA. Basically, I get to earn a degree (Ministry Leadership) and actually be able to pay for it as well as get ministry experience and connections as I go. These connections will set me up for an incredible start on the mission field when the time comes.     I have been attending Canvas Church (formerly Kalispell Christian Center) for 14 years of my life. While I was at Trinity Bible College, I was able attend Montana Youth Conference as a Representative of my school. While I was there, I was given the job of guarding a door that happened to be near two men who were...

Me and Jaren have a holiday called "Double Eight Date Day" which occurs on the eighth of August every year. This year, we did something crazy. Something crazy awesome

a few things I love     I've been home for a couple months now, and I love it. I loved being at school and I've loved being at home. The thing is, I just love being where God takes me. God is equally at work in my life and in this next season as He was when He took me to the other side of the world.      It's nice to see mountains and sunshine. It is nice to hear the river as I sleep in my hammock outside every night. And in an odd way, it's a little bit comforting to live somewhere where people shoot fireworks at each other frantically on the Fourth of July.     I miss my friends -- and sometimes it's weird to go from being with so many people all the time to trying to find someone who will even hang out. But at the same time, I've made new friends (including two hermit crabs, Ripsnorter and Archie), and I've been able to get really involved in my church and with different areas of ministry.     Sometimes I worry about paying for sch...

Old Faithful Recently, I had a birthday. One of those significant birthdays that make you sit and think for a second "wow, I'm older." I turned 20. I am no longer a teenager. I'm just one of those people in their twenties who have their whole life in front of them and have to take responsibility for it. Like, there's no excuse anymore. And that's a good thing. I had the wonderful opportunity to go with my sister and camp in Yellowstone National Park and also visit the Grand Tetons. I've had so many incredible opportunities in my life this far and I cannot wait to see all the different adventures God brings along while I'm "in my twenties" I mean really, anything could happen

    Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me this year. Thank you to everyone who has been reading my blog. Thank you to everyone who helped me come to this school and see what I have seen. Because of you, I have had my worldview widened. I have figured out a little bit more of who I am as an individual. I have traveled the world. Also, I have gotten a huge rash on my face and hands in South Africa -- but I won't blame you for that one.     Thank you for giving what you felt led to give (resources, prayer, encouragement) and joining with me while God took me on this great adventure. He always does things better than I would have known how to if I were in charge. Fortunately, I'm not. Blessings, Beccca B.