Donna L.H. Smith

Preparing for Storms – Part 1

Posted on August 16, 2023     Leave a Comment

Personal Preparedness

Storms in life come in all kinds of ways. They can come personally, or as we saw, in a fire ravaging a whole Hawaiian town – or in the form of a tornado, a flood, or a war. But personal storms can come from a job loss, an illness, a divorce, or a death of a loved one. These tempests, such as the Lahaina fire, often come unexpectedly and generally catch us unaware. What can we do to prepare for the storms of life? We’ll discuss that in this blog post and more to come.

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GATS Brazil Trip – Part 9

Posted on August 10, 2023     Leave a Comment

Wrap-Up & Team Picture

If you’ve read all the posts until now, thank you so much for your interest in our trip. After writing all these posts, which originally were to share with you what happened, I came to see more seemed to happen after I got home.

One thing we did after every service on the bus, on the way back to the hotel, was to take statistics. Here’s the total.

I could have spent more posts on what happened in Brazil, like:

• Praying for one person after another and they get healed of something, even if you pray several times. I did mention that. I could have expanded on that, I suppose.
• I could have mentioned how LOUD the worship was. Oh, I think I did. We all had to wear earplugs.
• I could have talked about the “quirks” of the hotel, and how some things are different than here in the U.S. One being their standard weights and measures and how elevators act goofy if too many people are on board. (Did I mention that?)
• Sao Paulo’s population is around 22.6 million people, that’s more than twice the size of New York City, which is 8.4 million. You can drive several hours around Sao Paulo and never leave the metropolitan area. It’s buildings, buildings, buildings, wherever you look. It’s a sprawling metropolis.
• That “cakes” in Brazil are what we would call quick bread. I didn’t ever see a “cake” as we know it.
• I also mentioned that they provided full meals they called “snacks” at around 11 p.m. or later. That’s why I was careful about eating too much, but that one chocolate banana pizza was too tempting to resist (see photo).
• Our team was originally going to only be about 30 people, but so many more wanted to come from the master’s program that we rented another bus, and they paid more than those of on “scholarship.”

I love seeing the power of God come on people. I love it because I know that the King of kings and Lord of lords is touching them, healing them, and imparting more of His Spirit to them, so they will have a closer relationship with Him. I just love that.

The Brazilians are very expressive emotional people and they’re fun to watch in worship and when praying. And they receive from God so easily, as opposed to the part of the country I live. We are very UN-emotional in a lot of ways, because of the German, Swiss, Mennonite, and Amish populations that live here. Mindsets from the 1700s are still having influence.

Again, thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think, you can leave a comment on any of the posts.

Next: a new series called “Doctoral Dribbles.” Nuggets from my studies, which begin at the end of August, but I have two semesters I can draw on until then. Fun little things about how different doctoral studies are than the lower degree programs.

GATS Brazil Trip, Part 8

Posted on August 9, 2023     Leave a Comment

Ramifications, Part 2

When God brought the Hebrews out of slavery from Egypt, He gave them the Law, and one of those provisions was called the Nazarite vow, which is detailed in Numbers 6. Samson’s mother lived as a Nazarite from the time the Angel of the LORD told her she would have a son. Samson was to live the Nazarite life all his life from the time he was born. As we know, he had difficulty with that, as many would today.

What would it look like today to be a “spiritual” Nazarite? This is what I wrote in my journal the second week of July. I was still cocooned with God during this time, but I was beginning to feel a little bit better and could write things down.

“This is the ultimate. The Nazirite vow was very serious and not undertaken lightly. But oh, the results. It was more than a vow; it was a lifestyle … for the length of the vow. I wonder if many took it for life. It was a very severe set of “rules” — but those outward rules were to strengthen the soul and spirit—showing a FIERCE dedication to God.”

What would that look like today? The Nazirite was to never consume anything from the grape. Not grapes themselves, not wine or any other product from grapes. They were to never go near a dead person. They were to never cut their hair during the length of the vow.

Spiritually speaking, I think, and it’s only my opinion, I believe a spiritual Nazirite would be someone who would separate themselves from the things of this world. Whatever parts of the world they have engaged in, that is what they would separate from. Our pastor believes many of our congregation have endangered their royal priesthood by too much involvement in social media. I said this before, our pastor is the holiest man I know. He practices what he preaches.

As for me, television, and to some extent social media are things I am separating from. Television is already gone. I am cutting way back on social media so that my priesthood isn’t “mixed” with black brine (see previous post).

For me especially, God has brought to my attention, that violence is never acceptable to watch. When we see violence, we can eventually become desensitized to it. Studies have been done that bear this out.

Next time, Trip Wrap-Up & Team Picture

GATS Brazil Trip, Part 7

Posted on August 8, 2023     6 Comments

Personal Ramifications

Sometimes, you want to change your life, but you don’t seem to know where to begin, or how to do it. When I finished my M.Div. at the end of 2021, I really wanted to re-consecrate my life, as I had done so in 2000, when I stopped watching all secular television programs. I didn’t even attend popular movies at the time. I was separated to God and pulled myself away from the things of this world.

I lived that way for years. Somewhere around 2010 or a bit later, I remember distinctly asking myself, “Why?” Why am I still doing this? I’d had a severe disappointment and turned away from “ministry,” seeking something else to “do.”

I had a period where I watched TV14, but I would never watch “R” rated movies, because back in the 80s, I watched a couple of things I shouldn’t have, then repented and God healed my memories.

Psalm 119:37 says, “Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word.” Just my opinion, but how much more worthless can you get than secular television and movies, especially movies. Very few have any kind of redeeming value these days. It’s up to you, but remember, we’re going to stand before Jesus someday to give an account of our lives. That’s why I say our eye gates are extremely important.

Here’s what I put in my journal about sanctification in mid-July. “This process will help us to become pure. We have so many ‘things’ and distractions in our lives, we don’t always realize how all that ‘activity’ — even Christian activity — can keep us in the old familiar patterns, when we should be seeing what we can strip off, leaving behind those things scripture says holds us back … habits, attitudes, practices, etc.”

So for me, I’m back to the sanctification that I had 23 years ago. Mostly, I read or play piano, or if I have a better hearing day, I can sort of hear a worship CD. And nap when I need to. Maybe at some point, I can re-engage more Christian TV and movies, but for now, God has allowed me only one “channel” so to speak that I can watch – Biblical stage productions here in this region. It helps me because I am highly visual, and some of the songs really minister to my spirit and soul.

Next time, Ramifications, Part 2 (Purification)

GATS Brazil Trip – Part 6

Posted on August 3, 2023     Leave a Comment

Revelations

I grew up in the fifties and sixties. Yeah, we played outside or inside, but our main entertainment was television. And since I am a redhead with very pale skin, I couldn’t play outside in the summertime like all my friends. The older I got, especially in junior high and high school, I started watching more and more television in the summer, and after school.

From time to time in my life, I have taken extended breaks from television, and as I grew in the Lord, began to change a lot of what I watched. Our eye gate, what we see, is one of the most important things we need to guard. This is one thing God began dealing with me about. At church, during January, we go on a fast. Our pastor strongly urged us to cut out social media or anything that keeps us from deeper fellowship with God.

Television has always been my main “comfort.” For the last year or so, I have focused on watching fifties and sixties TV westerns. During this cocoon time, I felt God show me that no violence I watch is acceptable. I felt bad because I had grieved the Holy Spirit. So, I’m not watching television for six months. At Christmastime, He and I will take another look at it, but I don’t expect anything to change.

That was the first thing God dealt with me about. Next, He told me three stories about priests or Levites. The first, He called “Old Levi,” a model priest, never purposely doing anything wrong, living his life holy. The second was “Harry and Finn, ” contemporary priests based on Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron who burned a strange fire, they had so compromised their call to be priests, that they were immediately judged. Aaron wasn’t even allowed to grieve them.

The last story was Me. He told me my story – as if I didn’t know it. He reminded me of a vow of consecration I took 23 years ago. He reviewed my “decision” to drift away from that because of disappointment and some different directions my life took because of the disappointment. He was gently calling me back to my consecration vow, something I have been contemplating for over a year.

There was so much more. I’ll share a bit more next time and the implications for my life.

Next time, Personal Ramifications

GATS Brazil Trip – Part 5

Posted on August 2, 2023     Leave a Comment

Cocooned with God

The night after I got home, I coughed out of control for around 10 minutes. When I woke up the next morning, my hearing had tanked, my voice was totally gone, and my sense of smell had disappeared. A week later, I went to the doctor who diagnosed me with bronchitis.

My husband was very busy at work the first few days after I got home. He celebrated his 40^th work anniversary at the store and was gone all day. But after that, he was there, waiting on me, helping me in every way. He’s such a precious.

Because I couldn’t hear or talk, when I was alone, the Holy Spirit seemed to just hover over and around me, especially at night after Kirby had gone to bed. The Lord spoke to me about many things. I wish I could remember them all. But there are a few things I remember quite well.

He showed me pictures, told me stories, and gave me downloads on a couple of topics He is concerned about. It’s hard to describe, but my total focus was on Him, not myself, not my illness. I knew it was a special time, and I was committed to going with God’s flow, not worried about anything. And I knew it wouldn’t last forever, so I wanted to be attentive. The problem was, I didn’t feel well enough to even journal that first week. However, I believe things are sealed in my spirit, and whatever God wants me to remember, I will recall.

In trying to describe how this time felt, the best image I could come up with was a cocoon. A worm weaves a cocoon, and during its time in this place of rest, shelter, and protection, the worm changes into a beautiful butterfly. It’s one of the best pictures of a transformation we have on this earth. I felt like I was in a protected and special place, where it was only God and I. His voice was so clear, so loving, so kind. Yet, there were some strong things He said about how we live our lives, and how we, as part of the royal priesthood of believers, should be living, but we don’t. And that grieves Him.

Next time, Revelations.

GATS Brazil Trip – Part 4

Posted on August 1, 2023     1 Comment

The Challenges of Returning Home

It was a challenge to get home in so many ways. Monday was a very long day. We got to the airport around mid-afternoon. My flight wasn’t going to leave until 11:00 p.m. or so. We couldn’t even check in until 5:00 p.m. After check-in, I was by myself for hours because everyone else was shopping. I couldn’t. Eventually, I bought a bottle of water and some potato chips. After a while, I spotted another GATS student and she gave me her immune supplement, and I took one “dose” of large granules. She had more at home. But later, I fumbled the container, and spilled the last of it. But I was thankful she had offered it.

Suddenly, I realized we should be boarding, but no one was at the gate. I messaged another woman on my flight — and she informed me they had changed the gate! So, I hustled as best I could — the equivalent of a city block — to get to the right gate. They let me board immediately, for which I was very thankful.

The gentleman seated next to me put my carry-on in the overhead bin (because I was too short to reach it). He could also tell I wasn’t feeling well. He offered a whole box of cough drops. He said his wife always made sure he was well-stocked whenever he flew overseas with immune things and cough drops. I took one and put it in my mouth, the rest went into my carry-on.

The flight to Atlanta was uneventful because I slept all of it. I’ve never done that before. I woke up a time or two, and the cough drop was still partially undissolved in my mouth. I really needed the rest. There would be challenges the next day.

I was very thankful to be back on American soil, but I was so weak, and my back hurt, they got a wheelchair for me, stowing my carry-on on a sort of shelf underneath. A very nice porter-type man wheeled me to my gate and placed the wheelchair next to the wall (about five feet away) for when I would need it to board the plane. I fell asleep, and when I awoke, the wheelchair was gone! And so was my carry-on! The girl next to me said someone had just taken it about 10 minutes before. We got the employees involved, but nothing could be done. I was going to have to leave my carry-on in Atlanta and put in a claim for it later. At this point, I said to myself, “it’s just ‘things’ — they can be replaced.” Once in Harrisburg, I had to drive home, because I had driven our car to the airport.

That was my next challenge. I should have pulled over and called my husband to see if he could find someone to come and drive me and the car home. But it was July 4^th, a big summer holiday. Who knows how long I would have had to wait for someone to come? I asked God to help me drive carefully and get home safely. Thank goodness for those vibration strips on the shoulders. They helped when I didn’t even know I had drifted. I drove much slower than usual. It took longer, but I did make it home. I was so glad. God had given me great grace, and I was so thankful.

Next time, Cocooned with God.

GATS Brazil Trip Part 3

Posted on July 28, 2023     2 Comments

Afternoons With Faculty & Students

One of the reasons this special GATS only trip was put together, was to get the students and faculty in-person. GATS is a totally online seminary, except for the doctoral program, which has an in-person “Intensive” twice a year, in order to fulfill certain accreditation requirements.

For the master’s program however, there is no way for students and faculty to meet in person except through a short meeting at the Global Awakening conferences. The Mission Statement for GATS is: To Study the Word of God To Gain the Heart of God To Demonstrate the Power of God. I like that. That’s one thing that drew me to this seminary. Did you know that many seminaries are jokingly called “cemeteries?” Isn’t that terrible? This should not be.

I’m in seminary to learn as much as I can about what pastors and professors know, so that I can pass that along to whomever God puts in front of me. Many people can’t afford “extra” education, like Bible schools or college degrees, etc. I’m a small group leader in my church and I’m passing along to my group members some of what I’ve learned. My group members are hungry, and they “eat” it up.

In the afternoons on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we got together for a time to get know each other a bit in small groups, then with the faculty, we discussed issues in the Body of Christ. I thought I would take copious notes. I had a journal there to do just that. But I found that I didn’t want to do that. I just wanted to listen to what was said and see if anything “stuck.”

We talked about revival and what could help that happen. We discussed how to handle “hot button” issues in the church today. And more. Many of the students are already pastors or are studying to become pastors. We had both doctoral and master’s level students there. And we had a few faculty, but not all of them were part of the panel discussions.

Both my advisors, from master’s degree and my doctoral program were in attendance. I really liked both. Dr. Litteer helped me in my M.Div. program and Dr. Turpin is my advisor for the doctoral program, (which I never would have thought I would ever do but see last fall’s post about that).

Next time, The Challenges of Returning Home.