Thankful Challenge

I like a challenge. It just motivates me like nothing else. It seems like if I can make up some challenge to myself and set a time specific goal, it is almost ALWAYS achieved. Probably because I hate disappointing people, even myself...my biggest critic. 

I have had several self challenges over the years...most frequently weight loss/control, challenges of faith, how much I could clean out of my home and rid of stuff, fasting and praying, attempting to tame my tongue (probably the least successful :)....lots of things.

My current is the Thankful Challenge. Life has been weird the last few months. I was married in May and that brings up all sorts of change. And I started a new job three months before that. I practically have a new life and it has been crazy weird and hard at times! But I know in my heart of hearts that the Lord is faithful (Exodus 34:5-7, Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 36:5-6 , Psalm 71:21-23, Psalm 100:4-5, Psalm 117:1-2 , Isaiah 61:7-9, Lamentations 3:22-24, 2 Thessalonians 3:3)

It has been SO easy to sulk in my perceived dejection of wishing things were easier, NOW, but the LORD really put it on my heart just to be content and praise Him for all the wonderful blessings I already have. After all, ..."godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6

So I started the 40 days of Thanks, leading up to Thanksgiving! It started October 13th and I focus my prayer time each day on what I am thankful for and pray for what is on my heart. You know..."by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Phillipians 4:6)  I also recently read this article: http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/effects_praise ,which talks a ton about the scriptural command to praise God, reminding me, "for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and the effects on satan when we praise God. Anything I can do to take a jab at satan, I do swiftly and often! Lord knows I owe him a few. 

I am looking forward to learning true contentedness .... and praising God all along the way!

Here goes...something...?

Hmmm. I am really not sure what I am doing here. OK. I am sure about WHY I am here, but not sure about why I really am here typing away on my computer. Does anyone really read these things? I know I do, and love the ladies whose blogs I follow, but really....outside of our little oikos, does this have any impact? 

Here goes my attempt to find You...

I am not a writer. Just not. Never won, nor competed in any poetry nor prose readings. In fact, I could not stand them. I have never been a fan of poetry in general. Flowery words wrapped up with extra drama just never has been my thing. I was much more in to acting it out. My best friend in high school was a great actress and I loved sitting through her countless rehearsals and shows. Watching her live out other people's lives somehow gave me hope that mine would be important some day. To be determined...but something about acting made my heart soar with excitement. It is probably because I never let myself live in an alternate reality except when I was watching plays, or movies. She and I would talk till wee hours in the night after rehearsal about the love lives we wished ahead of us, the ways we would achieve fantastic careers, raise our children, marry a prince, rule the world, all sorts of things. I had some hope that my life would be like those plays and movies someday; that people would be so compelled by my story that they would sit for hours enthralled in the drama that ensued. There was always plenty of drama in my life, but not the kind I thought any soul in their right mind would want to see. Which is why I never let myself dream too much outside of "play time". It just never seemed possible that I would break free. Only God would know that the next 10 years of my life would be a multi-Grammy/Oscar/Emmy award winning performance. No credit to my own acting by any means. More to follow on that I am sure.
Fast forward  and you find me here typing away without clear direction. Just to write. I am not even a good writer. I have TONS of words but most of them fly out of my mouth so fast I cannot even keep up with my own conversations. If you are still reading, I am humbled. Sincerely.
And that is the only "why" that I know I am here. Humility. I read a blog (ironic, I know) this week that quoted 1 Timothy 4:15. "...Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress." NLT

This is my THROWING myself into my tasks. So that I can share my progress. If you will look back at my old posts when I first started this blog thinking I could become a compelling writer, that was precisely one of the titles of my blog, Fully Exposed. I think that is "why" I am here. And in faithful obedience after prayer and tugging on my heart, He got me here. I guess I have a story to tell. Stay tuned. I'll try to make this worth your while.


much love,

nikki

from the girl whom much has been given...

this might catch you by surprise, but I believe the Gospel is can be boiled down to one word. Love. And that is what I live my life for. His Love, and sharing that Love with others. There is no greater joy. Read Luke 12. It is most apparent to me after reading: "To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked." I have been given much too much. Much more than this sinner deserves for sure. I cannot help but ask "Why me, LORD?" Not in times of despair, but in times of joy and abundant blessings. How did I, a broken and weary child, with a life that I even I shudder at when I recall past memories, get here? A dear friend said it best in a recent conversation when she looked at me with the most beautiful smile and said, "Nikki, WE are not supposed to be ok!" And she is right. Culture and statistics could prove that moreover. It is only by His Grace and Love that I am here. What a joy to be able to tell that story for the rest of my life, and all that has yet to be revealed. 
As you know, I board a plane tomorrow for Ghana, Africa. 
First, I would ask you to please pray for the people we will meet. Pray that He would prepare their hearts for the Gospel, and for those that are believers, that we would be able to encourage them by our presence. 
Second, for my two friends and I on travels. Pray that He will protect us, and that it will be a smooth trip with luggage that does not get rummaged and does not weigh too much.


And, from my heart...


I have two personal fervent prayers for my growth there. 
One, I am claiming Luke 22:31-32 for this trip, for myself. I desire a stronger, unmovable relationship with my Savior, just as Peter did during this time when Christ spoke to him and said, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Second, Matthew 17. "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Disclaimer: This is not my attempt to claim my rights in some form of the prosperity gospel, by any means. My desire is to achieve great things for the Kingdom, and that will require unshakable faith, and some serious sifting and strengthening. This is just the beginning and the difficult weeks that I have seen of late, and that have kept me from updating this for some time, are only the tip of the iceberg to prepare me for the desires of my heart in serving my King. 


A few weeks ago, I boarded a plane with some of my best friends and JUMPED! (I went skydiving) It was nothing short of the most incredible experience of my life. And the next coming weeks, I am expecting that to be thoroughly trumped when I again board a plane and take a faith jump, leading to a closer walk with my Beloved. 

thank you for reading and praying. I cannot wait to update from Africa!!!


grace &  peace,
nikki

Away she goes...

Dear Friends,

It is amazing what God can do in one year. Actually, less than one year ago, I would have questioned my own motives in what I am about to share with you. And today, I have never been so certain of something in my life. For those of you who know me, you know I am a bumbling, broken, clumsy spirit, who desires nothing more than to pursue my Savior with all of my heart. I am certainly not shy about what goes on inside my head, and sharing my experiences, in hopes that others will not follow some of my examples. That is how I learn…by falling and getting up again and again. And that is why I am writing to you today. I have a beautiful story of redemption in my heart, and I want to share it with others, not only here, but also across the world, and I want to start this in Ghana, Africa.

If your jaw just dropped, welcome to my world. It is the craziest thing I have ever heard. Me, AFRICA? What? I can recall a conversation in May of 2010 where I blatantly stated that I was “happy right here, with all of this” (referencing my comfortable life) and “why do we need to travel across the world, when there are people here to minister too as well”. Albeit true, and I certainly have a heart for domestic missions, we are called to “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”(Matthew 28:19-20) That can mean several things to different people, and to me, it means traveling to Africa. My dear friend who traveled to Zambia, Africa last year came back with a beautiful story of miracles and His love. When she looked at me and said “you HAVE to go, Nikki, they need to hear your story”, I laughed inside my head. I had ZERO desire to do so, but little by little God has been chipping away my doubts and fears. I began to pursue missional opportunities for the coming year, to anywhere BUT Africa, in November. I had also begun a growing and wonderful friendship with someone with a heart, and plan to travel, for Africa. She off-handedly asked me to join her, and to my own surprise, I said yes. With much prayer and debating with God, that is how I am here.

In April of this year, I will travel to Nalerigu, Ghana to work with The Baptist Medical Centre (http://baptistmedicalcentre.org/) there. 

The team in which I am traveling with will be working in the hospital, which houses 123 patient beds and remains overloaded. My part in this trip will reside predominately with an orphanage on campus, sharing the Love of Jesus Christ with the children, and whatever else I can get my hands into to serve. It is my most honest step of faith, as I truly am not sure what this journey will mean for me, except the most desirable outcome, a closer relationship with my Beloved. From the BMC website, “Currently the BMC is a 123 bed hospital whose reputation brings people from as far south as Accra, as far east as Togo and Nigeria, and as far north as Burkina Faso and Mali. Most recent yearly statistics are as follows: 60,000 outpatient visits, 10,000 inpatients, 1,200 major operations, and 2,500-3,000 minor procedures. Over that past 50 years, it is estimated that over 3 million patients have visited the hospital and around 70 Baptist churches have been planted in Northern Ghana.”  I have included links below to a video and article that particularly touched my heart as I have been on this pursuit to Nalerigu.

Most importantly, I need you for this trip. I need your prayers. I know this is an obedient walk of faith, but it will not happen without some serious praying over the next couple of months. 

Please pray:

• that I would be prepared over the next couple of months by being faithful to spend time praying and in the Word
•  for the children in Nalerigu that I will meet
• for the team that I am traveling with; two doctors that will work in the BMC
•  for the predominately Muslim population in Northern Ghana; that God would prepare their hearts for His Gospel to be shared with them
• for BMC, Greg Nyhus, and other missionaries there; that God will sustain and continue to encourage them

For updates on this journey and my walk with God, please visit my blog at http://nikkirodden.blogspot.com/. Thank you for your time and encouragement. If you would like to support my mission financially, please send gifts before March 15^th to The Church in the Center, P.O. Box 300781, Houston, TX 77230, with “Ghana NR” in the memo line.

grace & peace,

nikki rodden

Please take a moment to visit these sites:

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=172513

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CrazWgjrp8

 

Fully Exposed.

I recently had the most amazing "God-experience" of my life. My heart-twin, appropriately named after discovering that we shared the same heart verse, and I were chatting, venting, etc and decided to pray in 2011 RECKLESSLY. We have seen some similar circumstances in our years and are walking this incredible journey together. While talking, we decided to start praying...and we prayed All Night Long! We prayed for everything you can think of...crazy big dreams, loved ones, people that have hurt us, people that we do not know, people that we wish we did not know, everything! It was phenomenal and God sustained us both completely through our commitments the next day. In a hotel room days after, I grabbed the hotel-provided conditioner. I needed more than I had packed and was happy to use the cute little mini bottle that I find amusing for some reason. Examining the bottle prior to slathering it on my hair, I see the name of the conditioner, Renew. The word immediately struck my heart and I thought, "Yes, I have been renewed" with a smile. After showering, I spent some time thorough a Cynthia Heald study I am finding new truths in, "Becoming a Woman of Simplicity" and the word came out again, "renew", as well as countless examples in scripture. One in particular is Lamentations 3:22-24
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, 
   for his compassions never fail. 
²³ They are new every morning; 
   great is your faithfulness. 
²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; 
   therefore I will wait for him.”
That would only be the beginning of my renew journey, though. The weekend then followed with lots of playful fun, parties, dancing, seeing old friends and showing a dear friend bits of my past...healing in some ways and exposing in others. How easy it is to fall in to the ways of this world. I like to think of myself as devoted and I certainly know that my heart is 100% in crazy, fall on my knees, heart-pounding, butterfly-exciting LOVE with my Savior, but I didn't act like it this weekend. I came home feeling defeated, fallen, and exhausted. What on earth was I thinking? I know so better than to let myself get swept into keeping up with the crowds and all that mess. Ugh! Why oh why do I find myself learning lessons over and over again? The answer came to me this morning...because I am a sinner and forever in need of a LORD and Savior. The beauty of the cross is more evident than ever. We get to be "renewed" over and over again. But, I would still carry the burden for two days to come, battling untruths in my head, and even after talking to friends and family, the yuck, well, stuck. Even with truth blaring to me on the radio like "the beauty of the cross is that Your Grace has found me just as I am". It would not go away despite the revelations in praying about it and obedience, until I talked with my earthly father, whom I have had a broken relationship with in past years. And dinner that night afterwards, with that heart-twin person I adore, confirmed it for me. I am a child of God. I need my Father to tell me that everything will be ok when I fall, which I am destined to do. So this is why I am writing...to put it all out there. I find myself telling friends and family things that I am scared to say to Him, but no longer. That is where the reckless part comes back in to play. I am looking forward to seeing what 2011 has in store. Promise to keep this updated. Thanks for reading.

Joy in the morning

Strange how things hit you when you least expect them. As I was praying (admittedly briefly tonight as I am tired) I distinctly remember thinking, "boy, for someone who is attempting to challenge themselves to a month of prayer, you suck!" I looked at the clock and realized that I could start a new book that I have been wanting to read, "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Don Piper. I am sure you will hear more about the book soon, but tonight something else struck me. As I finished reading for about 45 minutes, just to the point where my eyelids were blissfully droopy and I could fall asleep with little randomness inside my head, I turned the light off and rolled over to enjoy my oh so comfortable bed. I then moved to thinking about what lie ahead for my day tomorrow, with a little disappointment. It will be a busy and active one, and cold. These thoughts are proceeded by the start of this day and I smiled remembering what a wonderful silly moment I had pulling out of the garage this morning. As I plugged in my iPod, Michael Jackson blared through the speakers, volume left inappropriately set from my last workout. "Man in the Mirror" was just starting...one of my favorites! "Yes!", I thought, and turned it up a little more. I then went through two lights and entered Highway 59 with not one thought of anything except how much I love this song and with ridiculous dancing...as much as one can possibly do behind the wheel of a vehicle, plus some! I was ready for what was BOUND to be a wonderful day! And then, stop after stop, phone call after phone call, hour after hour, my day just sort of ebbed and flowed, concluding with exhaustion. Some great moments, some average ones, some not so great. How could a day that started like that turn out to be average? And tonight it hit me...That is life. And the fulfillment of the Promise of joy in the morning. As I rest tonight, I know that the same joy that I saw this morning is certainly ahead of me again and again. Thank you Father, for daytime and night time, for beginning of weeks and weekends, for new months and new years! For fresh starts that are all around us. No matter what each moment of my life holds, may I always be thankful for the Promise of joy in the morning.

Psalm 30:4-5

Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing (joy) comes in the morning.

A special Christmas lesson

Hello! After talking about doing this for months, I finally did it! Helps that I actually have a few (really FEW) free moments right now. This blog will predominately be random thoughts by me...after all, isn't that what this thing is all about? But, you will see a frequency of postings about Table Ministries, a newly formed ministry with many of my dear friends, to aid and love on the homeless in and around Hermann Park in Houston, TX. This posting, though, has nothing to do with that by any means. It is just a quick thought that has come to me during prayer time recently.

Time
Why do we always say that time "goes by"? Really? But, where does it go? Should we, rather, be thinking that time "comes"? After all, if the All Mighty Savior knew that this day, this moment that I am typing, would come before I was even born, didn't it already exist? This very moment, sitting in my comfy chair, with my most trusted companion (my dog) next to me, watching Polar Express in 85 degree Houston weather and trying desperately to be in Christmas spirit, with a broken but mending heart, learning so much everyday about His love...this EXACT moment. He knew it would occur, so the time CAME for me to start a blog. Just as the time CAME for God to create light, and for Him to create Adam, and for Him to provide a companion, and for a flood, and for judges and kings, and for 400 years of silence and for THE MOST AMAZING GIFT EVER! The time CAME for Christ to come to earth as it had been proclaimed for years...it CAME upon a midnight clear. I think that is the best lesson I have learned in my walk. Well, besides the difficult lessons of learning His love and to trust and forgive, this to me, proves the existence of a Savior most of all. He is so in tune to our lives that time comes for everything. I so often find myself wandering through life expecting something to happen as soon as I learn this lesson, or achieve this goal, or mature in this way, or whatever. But it is not that time is going by while I try to grow closer to Him; not at all. It is that time COMES for every moment of my precious life that He holds so dearly. I have been praying so much this year that I would grow closer and learn something new this advent season, other than how not to shop at Target on the Saturday before Christmas (a lesson I have once again failed)....and once again, my Beloved has proven faithful in teaching me this. I pray that you, too, if anyone should ever read this, learn that the time will come for all of your heart's desires.

Merry Christmas!

grace & peace,
nikki