Rambles – Rambles & Journeys

ramblesandjourneys

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I’ve thought a lot about the difference between

I’ve thought a lot about the difference between my soul and my spirit. Even Mary, in her prayer, makes a distinction between her soul and her spirit. The soul is the whole person- my will, my mind, my emotions, the physical realm. Mary, with her physical being, proclaimed the greatness of God. The spirit is the unseen part that connects us to God. It is the realm where we connect with God through our whole person. I love that Mary’s spirit was where her rejoicing came from.
At Christmas time, happiness often comes in the gifts, the traditions, the food, and even the spiritual experiences. I think of the playing of Christmas carols, Christmas Eve services, and advent devotions. These are some of the ways in which my soul proclaims God’s greatness during the Christmas season. But the joy, the rejoicing, that is given by God to my spirit. It is the quiet place where I connect with God. It’s that still, small voice that whispers that I am not alone. It is the unseen God who came to earth in the form of a baby to rescue, deliver, and bring freedom. To you and to me!

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I'm celebrating some milestones reached this week!

I'm celebrating some milestones reached this week!

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Journey with me as I unpack today’s word of the

Journey with me as I unpack today’s word of the day!

#ramblesandjourneys.com #ramblesandjourneys #ramblinglassie #wordoftheday

These are one of the many Christmas ornaments in s

These are one of the many Christmas ornaments in storage in America. Our life is split between two worlds. The one we live out in this little corner of East Africa with a few of our Christmas decorations from "home" and the other with all our memories and traditions packed away, waiting for the day when we finally have a permanent home. In the end, it's just things, but I miss those things!

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When the angel visited Mary, he brought her joy. I

When the angel visited Mary, he brought her joy. It was not something she could create, but it was a gift bestowed upon her as a result of God’s favor. God favorited her! She was special, set apart for a particular purpose. Mary received the good news that not only did God favor her but that He was with her! Simultaneously joy was received as favor was conferred.

Reflecting on all of the times in the Word when I am told to rejoice or be joyful, I am learning it is something that does not come from within. While happiness is fleeting and dependent on ourselves, our circumstances, and our interaction with others, joy is from a higher power.

Joy is given to those who have found favor with God. It is Emmanuel, God with us! God with me. With me in when I have plenty and when I have needs. With me when I am grieving and when I am laughing. With me when I am homesick for everything. With me when I feel rooted and when I feel restless. With me, when I feel like I don’t feel I belong. With me, when home is always moving.

It reminds me of the Tim Hughes song. “Everything”, that has carried me through many rough days. This is authentic joy. Joy is Emmanuel, God with us!

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Journey with me as I unpack today’s word of the

Journey with me as I unpack today’s word of the day!

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For the Jews and the non-Jews (Gentiles), salvatio

For the Jews and the non-Jews (Gentiles), salvation is offered and given. This is simple and profound. God prepared from before the beginning of time, light into the darkness for us all through Him. By rescuing, delivering, and setting me free, it provides The Way to relationship, connection, and purpose. The Way to live a life of meaning and freedom for everyone who would receive this Call. I think about how God rescues me by shining His light into those dark places in my life, not to condemn but to bring life. Not to chain me to a set of rules but to deliver and set me free!

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Journey with me as I unpack today’s word of the

Journey with me as I unpack today’s word of the day!

#ramblesandjourneys.com #ramblesandjourneys #ramblinglassie #wordoftheday

Every culture has it's iconic symbols. Often they

Every culture has it's iconic symbols. Often they are borrowed in the past from other cultures and become adopted into the present. I love this little tuk tuk traditionally found in India but a means of transport for many here.

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May I not neglect the journey! #ramblesandjourney

May I not neglect the journey!

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My nomadic life is full of adventures and stories

My nomadic life is full of adventures and stories yet to be told!

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It’s so encouraging to read the account of Simeo

It’s so encouraging to read the account of Simeon’s physical encounter with Jesus and the significance that had on him. He saw salvation encompassed in the infant in his arms. Wow!
His name means to save, help in distress, rescue, deliver, and set free! My future is secure in Him, knowing that this life is not the end. But it is also a present reality. Just looking back to the past few months, there have been so many times when I have needed Him each and every day in the little things when I have been distressed. I have needed rescuing from days of deep discouragement. Deliverance and freedom have gone hand in hand. I sit here in my little tin-roof house in East Africa, still amazed at God’s healing journey for me. It took coming to Africa for my healing from a chronic illness to be complete. While this is not my heart country, like Arabia is, it has been the place where the specific medicines here were able to bring freedom and deliverance from years of struggle and distress. To see Jesus and know Him is to trust that He knows best and that He will bring about His plan for my ultimate good and for His glory!

#ramblesandjourneys #crossculturalworker #hellonomads #ramblinglassie
#blogger #blogpost #nomad #blog #devotional #bibleversedaily
#nomadstories #lifeabroad
#crosscultural #crossculture #crossculturalcommunication
#thirdculturekid #tck #tcklife #lifeoverseas #globalnomads #globalnomad #thirdculture #thirdculturekids #internationalliving
#crossculturalliving #globalworker #thirdcultureadult
#adultthirdculturekid #atck #acrosscontinents

Journey with me as I unpack today’s word of the

Journey with me as I unpack today’s word of the day!

#ramblesandjourneys.com #ramblesandjourneys #ramblinglassie #wordoftheday

All the world around, promises equate to trust, an

All the world around, promises equate to trust, and trust gives assurance and confidence in the one who made the promise. Simeon trusted in the promise the Lord gave Him. I wonder, sometimes, in my days of feeling that life is not fair, that it is actually an unmet expectation of who God really is and what He has really promised. I only have to go ten minutes from my home to see people every day just seeking their daily bread. If they can eat that day, it is a blessing. In my first-world problems, I get annoyed when the littlest things don’t go my way and have a pity party. The world tells me that I deserve this and that, and somehow, if I don't get it, then I am prone to think that God has forgotten me, and I could easily begin to stray. I think again about Simeon and how he reached to the place of being able to die happy because he lived to see God fulfill His promise to him. As a follower of the Lord, I am not promised an easy life, wealth, or freedom from pain or sorrow. But what I am promised is found in Emmanuel, God with me. He journeys with me through all of life's great big disappointments, and he promises that if I trust, in the end, all will be well. So I keep trusting in the promise that this life is not the end but only the beginning of a journey with Him forever!

#ramblesandjourneys #crossculturalworker #hellonomads #ramblinglassie
#blogger #blogpost #nomad #blog #devotional #bibleversedaily
#nomadstories #lifeabroad
#crosscultural #crossculture #crossculturalcommunication
#thirdculturekid #tck #tcklife #lifeoverseas #globalnomads #globalnomad #thirdculture #thirdculturekids #internationalliving
#crossculturalliving #globalworker #thirdcultureadult
#adultthirdculturekid #atck #acrosscontinents

Journey with me as I unpack today’s word of the

Journey with me as I unpack today’s word of the day!

#ramblesandjourneys.com #ramblesandjourneys #ramblinglassie #wordoftheday

We don't have Autumn here in this little corner of

We don't have Autumn here in this little corner of East Africa, but the leaves do fall from trees, and I love that I got a small glimpse of my favorite season, even if it was the sunshine gleaming in a rain puddle.

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In two short verses, there is a glimpse into the l

In two short verses, there is a glimpse into the life of Simeon, a follower of the Lord. The Holy Spirit was on him and he was given insight that guided him. The resulting joy was seeing that which God has promised to him come to pass. I often wonder in the waiting if there was doubt, impatience, or if Simeon lived his life in peace, joy and anticipation for the day when the Lord would answer his prayer. All I know is at the moment when he held the Christ child, peace came upon him. I can’t even imagine how truly significant that was for Simeon. And for me. There are many prayers that I am praying and waiting for right now, not quite as profound as waiting for Jesus, but when they are answered, they will be impactful not just for me but for our family. As I wait for answered prayers, I am trying to live in the place of anticipatory joy of what the day will look like rather than in the place of doubt and impatience.

#ramblesandjourneys #crossculturalworker #hellonomads #ramblinglassie
#blogger #blogpost #nomad #blog #devotional #bibleversedaily
#nomadstories #lifeabroad
#crosscultural #crossculture #crossculturalcommunication
#thirdculturekid #tck #tcklife #lifeoverseas #globalnomads #globalnomad #thirdculture #thirdculturekids #internationalliving
#crossculturalliving #globalworker #thirdcultureadult
#adultthirdculturekid #atck #acrosscontinents

Journey with me as I unpack today’s word of the

Journey with me as I unpack today’s word of the day!

#ramblesandjourneys.com #ramblesandjourneys #ramblinglassie #wordoftheday

Instagram post 18042921059515583

Instagram post 18042921059515583

A fellow traveler got stuck in the mud on safari.

A fellow traveler got stuck in the mud on safari. They hopped in our vehicle for safety from the animals and they arrived safely to the next part of their journey. I loved that we got to be a part of helping others!

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