Wow. Wow. WOW! God is so good! I can't believe that I've finished two weeks of camp! I've been thinking and dreaming about it for months. I am so blessed! I don't even know where to begin. I've experienced so many special things, and I wish I could write about them all.
First of all, my partner who I'm working with this summer. Amazing. I'm so glad God put us together.
We finished our second week of training in Estes, and made the trek across the country to Ohio. This city is great!
Our Monday evening program went okay, none of the campers seemed to grasp the message, they had a lot of energy. But the coolest thing happened, (we found out) afterwards, One of the campers was really shy and the youth leader said he had only spoken a few words in the past, and last year at Group, he shared with their whole youth group. So Taylor asked a kid next to him (not knowing any of this) to read the bible for the night, and the kid said, hey, this other kid (the one the story is about) should do it! And he got up there and did it! The youth leaders were thrilled!
Tuesday was hard. The work projects that day were great, but as soon as everyone got back to the church, it began to storm. And it was a crazy one. The rain was coming down so hard, and the wind blowing so much that even opening the door you would get soaked. And then the basement started flooding. So we spent most of our day off bailing water out of the basement. Eventually we were able to get away for a quick dinner out.
Wednesday evening was amazing. So incredible. Wednesday is what is known as "cry night" by some people. This is where we present the message of Jesus Christ being our savior, and it is moving to most of the campers. God was working and I could feel his presence in that room. One kid accepted Christ as he had watched his brother become a Christian and wanted the same thing, but finally was able to accept it. He found his youth leader and was like, I need to get baptized. So his youth leader baptized him over a garbage can. Everything of that night was so amazing and it was so cool to see God break down these kids and make them yearn for him.
The rest of the week was awesome, and it was fun getting to know some of the campers, but they all left Friday morning.
The next week, campers started arriving early, so we jumped right into that week. The first couple days of the week was really tough. I didn't think I would be able to make it through the week. There were so many last minute switches I had to make in the crew assigning that it messed up a bunch of vehicle situations, and there were just a lot of problems with it. Many of the youth leaders seemed a little tired and crabby. There were also problems with the rooming situation. Some of the girls had spread out a bit, and then a youth group that got in late wasn't able to find places to sleep. There was just so much going on at once. Monday, and part of Tuesday, I was just feeling like I wasn't adequate at my job, and I couldn't do it. But God showed me otherwise.
Our night off was so much fun! We went downtown and hung out with our HTMs. They were such a blessing! (Kris and Christen) Seriously, we couldn't have had better HTMs. HTMs our our volunteers for the week that basically do everything we can't do, and help us do everything. They are so great. But anyway, we had beautiful weather Tuesday and we weren't bailing water out of the basement so I was so excited and happy about that! We just had a great evening/ night off. Wednesday, it seemed I was starting to really connect with campers. Wednesday evening program was awesome. I had campers coming up to me, thanking me and giving me a hug. God was so present in that room, it was incredible. This came to the point where God was teaching me, that even though I feel week, he is strong and he used me, to change lives. And I feel like I didn't do anything.
The rest of the week was so much fun, and an absolute blast! When I went to visit sites, it was hard to leave because I wanted to hear the campers' stories of the day, and things that had been going on. The campers this week just loved getting to know us more, and hanging out, which made camp so much fun. They really enjoyed our lights out, because we wrote them songs, read them stories, and on the very last night, did the hoedown throwdown dance, and they loved that because they could join in. It was all just so much fun!
One of the youth leaders had actually graduated from Cornerstone so we got to share college stories, so that was fun.
These campers were just a joy to hang out and be with. God changed my heart as I had a bad attitude going into the week.
I'll end with a story that make me know without a doubt that God's hand is on this camp. One of the groups was from Pennsylvania and on Thursday, their bus broke down. They were able to get it into a shop right away and the guy there was so awesome. He was able to get the bus in, to work on it starting the next morning. (Friday) Dave, the bus driver had said he figured it would cost around $500 to fix it, but the after hearing the story of why they were here, the guy at the shop ended up bringing the price down to $73. He had taken $200 off the bill, and said, we'll find a way to make that up somewhere. What a blessing! The group was finally able to get off around 6 PM Friday, and get off safely to Pennsylvania. God was so good this week, and not only changed lives of the campers and adult leaders, but also my life as well.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him all creatures here below,
Praise him above ye heavenly hosts.
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!
Amen.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The Adventure Has Only Begun
I've spent my first week in Colorado. What am I doing here? Training for Group Cares, where I'll be working with their week of hope program to do short term missions. That's just a brief overview of it.
My first day was long, but as the plane descended into the Denver airport, I caught a small glimpse of the majestic mountains. And this was only the beginning. It was awesome and odd as we met in the airport with the other summer staffers. But it didn't take long for us to make good friends.
We started training on Sunday, and began meeting everyone. Sunday night we sang some worship songs and then found out our crews and where we would be serving for the summer. They made it super dramatic and I almost couldn't stand the suspense. I was hoping I would be put with one of the girls I already met, but God had something better. I was also hoping to go somewhat out of the mid-west. Well, God has a way of doing things his way, because he knows it's best.
When I got matched up with my partner, I just knew it was going to be a good match. Then, I found out I was going to Cincinnati, which at first, I was kinda bummed but now I'm excited for it! We'll be pretty close to Kentucky and the Creation Museum which is something I've always wanted to go to. As Taylor (my partner) and I got to know each other more, I realized that this is going to be an awesome summer! We get along really well, and she's just awesome. I had been praying for her to be someone that I could grow spiritually with, get along with, and become good friends, and I've seen that God has answered every single one. How great is that?
The rest of the week we stayed pretty busy with training. It seemed like all we did was training, eat, training, eat, and go to bed. We've been learning a lot, and I'm definitely starting to feel a lot more comfortable about this summer. One day, they had CPR/ First Aid training, and since I'm already certified, me and some of my friends decided to go for a hike. We had an awful map, and couldn't find what we were looking for, but ended up having a great hike anyway. It was such a beautiful view from the top. Here are the girls I've come really close with. We do a lot together, and they're basically awesome!
Friday, we moved from the YMCA of the Rockies to Estes Park Middle School. We then had some time off and could explore a bit of Colorado. The time off was great! Last night, we hung out in Estes Park, and went geocaching. I actually found it, and it was really exciting! Today, I hiked a mountain. A large group of us summer staff went into the Rocky Mountains and went on a hike. It was so amazing because just when I thought the view and the mountains couldn't get any better, they did. God just showed me how big he is. And along with that, I was reminded that I shouldn't have to be by the majestic mountains to do that. When we got to the end, we read some Psalms, enjoyed the beauty of Emerald Lake, and sang a few worship songs. It was so much fun, it took us around 4-5 hours, but was totally worth the sweat, heat, and cold snow. There were a few parts where we decided to "hike up the cliff" and it was really fun.
This is Emerald Lake, even though you can't really see the lake here, but it's down there, I promise. (:
Tomorrow we get to go to church in Loveland and hang out by a lake, and have a picnic. And then it's back to training! It will go by fast I'm sure, and then next Sunday, I leave for my trip across the US to Cincinnati. Me and Taylor are really excited for this summer! Thank-you all who are praying for me in this endeavor, and I hope to update again soon!
My first day was long, but as the plane descended into the Denver airport, I caught a small glimpse of the majestic mountains. And this was only the beginning. It was awesome and odd as we met in the airport with the other summer staffers. But it didn't take long for us to make good friends.
We started training on Sunday, and began meeting everyone. Sunday night we sang some worship songs and then found out our crews and where we would be serving for the summer. They made it super dramatic and I almost couldn't stand the suspense. I was hoping I would be put with one of the girls I already met, but God had something better. I was also hoping to go somewhat out of the mid-west. Well, God has a way of doing things his way, because he knows it's best.
When I got matched up with my partner, I just knew it was going to be a good match. Then, I found out I was going to Cincinnati, which at first, I was kinda bummed but now I'm excited for it! We'll be pretty close to Kentucky and the Creation Museum which is something I've always wanted to go to. As Taylor (my partner) and I got to know each other more, I realized that this is going to be an awesome summer! We get along really well, and she's just awesome. I had been praying for her to be someone that I could grow spiritually with, get along with, and become good friends, and I've seen that God has answered every single one. How great is that?
The rest of the week we stayed pretty busy with training. It seemed like all we did was training, eat, training, eat, and go to bed. We've been learning a lot, and I'm definitely starting to feel a lot more comfortable about this summer. One day, they had CPR/ First Aid training, and since I'm already certified, me and some of my friends decided to go for a hike. We had an awful map, and couldn't find what we were looking for, but ended up having a great hike anyway. It was such a beautiful view from the top. Here are the girls I've come really close with. We do a lot together, and they're basically awesome!
Friday, we moved from the YMCA of the Rockies to Estes Park Middle School. We then had some time off and could explore a bit of Colorado. The time off was great! Last night, we hung out in Estes Park, and went geocaching. I actually found it, and it was really exciting! Today, I hiked a mountain. A large group of us summer staff went into the Rocky Mountains and went on a hike. It was so amazing because just when I thought the view and the mountains couldn't get any better, they did. God just showed me how big he is. And along with that, I was reminded that I shouldn't have to be by the majestic mountains to do that. When we got to the end, we read some Psalms, enjoyed the beauty of Emerald Lake, and sang a few worship songs. It was so much fun, it took us around 4-5 hours, but was totally worth the sweat, heat, and cold snow. There were a few parts where we decided to "hike up the cliff" and it was really fun. 
Tomorrow we get to go to church in Loveland and hang out by a lake, and have a picnic. And then it's back to training! It will go by fast I'm sure, and then next Sunday, I leave for my trip across the US to Cincinnati. Me and Taylor are really excited for this summer! Thank-you all who are praying for me in this endeavor, and I hope to update again soon!
Monday, May 9, 2011
The end to the new beginning
My first year of college is done. It was so fast. I can't even believe it's over! So where do I go from here? I'll talk a little about that later. But first I must talk about this year. It's crazy coming home to my small town after being in a much bigger (but not super big) town. I'm definitely experiencing some reverse culture-shock here. Kind of pathetic, I know. Also missing my college friends, and my dorm, and roomates which won't be my roomates next year. I already am looking forward to going back, because there's so many new things I can't wait to experience. I'm excited to catch up with my good friends here however.
I can't even everything that's happened this year. I've done so much, experienced so many new things, grown so much. It all happened in not even a year. The second semester itself was intense. The first half was great! It was very joyous and God was doing some amazing things. The second half, God was testing me and trying me. Things were really hard the whole time, but looking back, I see it as a time of growth. I could go into more detail but, it's really something that you'd have to talk to me about it person. It has a lot to do with a few other people, and I'd rather not talk about it here.
I will say more generally what I've learned. I think everything as a whole has been God teaching me to trust him. I've learned to know why I believe what I believe. He's just taught me so much about him, and I've come to see that he needs to be in control and I should seek to please him only. I'm not here for anything in this world, if I'm trying to make people happy, I have nothing. "Set your mind on things above, not the things of this world." (Colossians 3:2) Our society is so consumed and fed up with things. It's called consumerism. How many people have a cell phone, i-pod, TV, laptop etc? I even have a cell phone and a laptop, but we so often get things without even thinking about it. Do we really need the new i-pod? How would my life change with it, or without it? What if we didn't have the cool new technology "toys" (I'll call them)? It makes me to sick to think how easily Christians (including myself) fall into the trap of having stuff. Yes, these things are nice, and they're good to have every once in a while. And yes, many things can be helpful in church and spreading the gospel. What's not okay is when it consumes us. I challenge everyone reading this to evaluate your life, and the things you have. This world is so meaningless, and what if we die tomorrow? What will I have gained by having the best laptop, i-pod, phone etc.?
When Jesus called his disciples, he asked them to leave everything behind. How many of us could do that? Just up and leave our home, lives, our stuff, our friends, and family. But isn't that what God wants us to do? "Let us throw off everything that so easily entangles us, and run with perseverance, the race that is marked out before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." (Hebrews 12:1-2) That's the challenge for my life, and I would hope for yours.
But God is good. He will give us everything we need. Just what we need. Recently, I've been struck by the words to the song "This is Our God" by Hillsong.
Now, I want to share a little about my plans for the summer. I will be working with an organization called Group Mission trips where I will be working with youth all summer long, as they do a "short term mission/ outreach trip. My job is to partner with all the ministries in the local community in which we will be serving. They have camps all over the US. First, I will be traveling to Colorado for staff training, and then they'll send us out for the summer. There's around 100 other summer staff, and there will be about 25,000 youth this summer This is an absolute amazing experience for me, and it was incredible how God worked things out so I could get this job. I don't even know what I'm getting into, but I know God will bless it, as I am stepping out on faith. So I hope to update this summer from my blog, and share some things that are going on. I'm not sure how much time I'll have for it, because I basically only get time off on the weekends. It will be intense, but very rewarding.
If you could pray for me and the other staff this summer, that would be awesome! I leave in a little less than 3 weeks, so just pray for God to prepare my heart for ministry, and for God to work in the lives of youth this summer. Pray that he will not only prepare my heart, but the youth as well.
Thank you all for reading this, I appreciate it. Feel free to comment and tell me if you hate it or if it was encouraging. May God's grace be with you.
I can't even everything that's happened this year. I've done so much, experienced so many new things, grown so much. It all happened in not even a year. The second semester itself was intense. The first half was great! It was very joyous and God was doing some amazing things. The second half, God was testing me and trying me. Things were really hard the whole time, but looking back, I see it as a time of growth. I could go into more detail but, it's really something that you'd have to talk to me about it person. It has a lot to do with a few other people, and I'd rather not talk about it here.
I will say more generally what I've learned. I think everything as a whole has been God teaching me to trust him. I've learned to know why I believe what I believe. He's just taught me so much about him, and I've come to see that he needs to be in control and I should seek to please him only. I'm not here for anything in this world, if I'm trying to make people happy, I have nothing. "Set your mind on things above, not the things of this world." (Colossians 3:2) Our society is so consumed and fed up with things. It's called consumerism. How many people have a cell phone, i-pod, TV, laptop etc? I even have a cell phone and a laptop, but we so often get things without even thinking about it. Do we really need the new i-pod? How would my life change with it, or without it? What if we didn't have the cool new technology "toys" (I'll call them)? It makes me to sick to think how easily Christians (including myself) fall into the trap of having stuff. Yes, these things are nice, and they're good to have every once in a while. And yes, many things can be helpful in church and spreading the gospel. What's not okay is when it consumes us. I challenge everyone reading this to evaluate your life, and the things you have. This world is so meaningless, and what if we die tomorrow? What will I have gained by having the best laptop, i-pod, phone etc.?
When Jesus called his disciples, he asked them to leave everything behind. How many of us could do that? Just up and leave our home, lives, our stuff, our friends, and family. But isn't that what God wants us to do? "Let us throw off everything that so easily entangles us, and run with perseverance, the race that is marked out before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." (Hebrews 12:1-2) That's the challenge for my life, and I would hope for yours.
But God is good. He will give us everything we need. Just what we need. Recently, I've been struck by the words to the song "This is Our God" by Hillsong.
Freely You gave it all for us, surrendered your life upon that cross. Great is Your love, poured out for all, this is our God.
Lifted on high from death to life, forever our God is glorified, sovereign king, rescued the world, this is our God!How powerful is that? This is the God we worship, and the God we serve. He is greater than any other, and if we truely love him, we would be willing to give up some of ourselves for him. To bless his name. To bless means to becomes less so he can become greater. (John 3:30) He will provide all of our needs, so we don't need to worry or fret about tomorrow. He is greater than that.
Now, I want to share a little about my plans for the summer. I will be working with an organization called Group Mission trips where I will be working with youth all summer long, as they do a "short term mission/ outreach trip. My job is to partner with all the ministries in the local community in which we will be serving. They have camps all over the US. First, I will be traveling to Colorado for staff training, and then they'll send us out for the summer. There's around 100 other summer staff, and there will be about 25,000 youth this summer This is an absolute amazing experience for me, and it was incredible how God worked things out so I could get this job. I don't even know what I'm getting into, but I know God will bless it, as I am stepping out on faith. So I hope to update this summer from my blog, and share some things that are going on. I'm not sure how much time I'll have for it, because I basically only get time off on the weekends. It will be intense, but very rewarding.
If you could pray for me and the other staff this summer, that would be awesome! I leave in a little less than 3 weeks, so just pray for God to prepare my heart for ministry, and for God to work in the lives of youth this summer. Pray that he will not only prepare my heart, but the youth as well.
Thank you all for reading this, I appreciate it. Feel free to comment and tell me if you hate it or if it was encouraging. May God's grace be with you.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Reflections on some experiences
Discerning God's will. Probably one of the hardest things to do. I can't even begin to give advice on how to do that. I'm learning and trying so hard to right now to understand God's will for me. So much, that it hurts. How do we understand the things that happen without questioning that God is good, and his plan is sovereign? These are some of the questions that are coming to mind as I am searching myself.
I just have to keep remembering that God is good. He is perfect.
So i'm just randomly throwing this in here, but my friend's status on Facebook was this: "When I try, I fail, when I trust, God succeeds." This is so true. We cannot even learn to discern God's will without his spirit leading in our lives. It's crazy to think about that.
God has definitely shown himself in this year. I have seen him work in my life, and I have much more to learn. This year, God's given me many new experiences and has stretched me. I've been given success and disappointment in not getting something I thought was supposed to do. Just this week, I was disappointed because I didn't get a certain leadership position that I thought I might be doing. But I know it's part of God's will. It hurts, but I have to trust him. God has shown me his heart and forced me to continually trust him daily because he has and knows my ultimate plan. I have to learn every day to seek his will, and not my own. It's so easy for me because I'm a planner, and I want to have my whole life planned and figured out. But instead God just shows me his will little by little, and I have to trust him that he's in control.
God really showed me how was in control over this past spring break. My choir was on tour in Florida and I was getting ready for one of the concerts, and burned my hand on a straightener. It hurt really bad and I was really frustrated and mad at God that it had to happen right then. Through all this, God just broke me and said, "I'm in control, stop trying to take over." Which is totally what I was trying to do. Today in chapel we sang the hymn, "I Need Thee Every Hour" and this phrase really stuck out to me:
To end, I didn't end up talking much about discerning God's will, but I know that it's hard, and God wants us to trust him. He created us for his perfect and awesome plan, and eventually we end up connecting the dots. It's one of the hardest things to do, but the more we seek Christ, the more we find it. Patience, perseverance, and having faith/ trust in God, is going to help. I'm still trying to learn how to discern his will and listen to his voice. Feel free to comment on your thoughts about this. I'll end with a quote from A.W. Tozer which is so true and good.
So really to end, here are the words to Tis so sweet. This song has been my prayer since I auditioned on it for the music program at Cornerstone. I don't understand exactly why God has brought me here or why I am doing music, but I've come to peace to know that I am trusting him.
I just have to keep remembering that God is good. He is perfect.
So i'm just randomly throwing this in here, but my friend's status on Facebook was this: "When I try, I fail, when I trust, God succeeds." This is so true. We cannot even learn to discern God's will without his spirit leading in our lives. It's crazy to think about that.
God has definitely shown himself in this year. I have seen him work in my life, and I have much more to learn. This year, God's given me many new experiences and has stretched me. I've been given success and disappointment in not getting something I thought was supposed to do. Just this week, I was disappointed because I didn't get a certain leadership position that I thought I might be doing. But I know it's part of God's will. It hurts, but I have to trust him. God has shown me his heart and forced me to continually trust him daily because he has and knows my ultimate plan. I have to learn every day to seek his will, and not my own. It's so easy for me because I'm a planner, and I want to have my whole life planned and figured out. But instead God just shows me his will little by little, and I have to trust him that he's in control.
God really showed me how was in control over this past spring break. My choir was on tour in Florida and I was getting ready for one of the concerts, and burned my hand on a straightener. It hurt really bad and I was really frustrated and mad at God that it had to happen right then. Through all this, God just broke me and said, "I'm in control, stop trying to take over." Which is totally what I was trying to do. Today in chapel we sang the hymn, "I Need Thee Every Hour" and this phrase really stuck out to me:
I need thee every hour, teach me thy will; and in thy rich promises in me fulfill.The more we seek his will, the more he will show himself faithful in our lives and fulfill promises in us. It's not always what we want. Sometimes it hurts and it's not what we want. But we will see someday exactly why things happen. Sometimes God is trying to speak to us, and we don't listen, so he has to cause us pain to get our attention. I definitely strive to be like Paul, who learned to thank God for suffering. "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope." (Romans 5:3-4) All the hard things I've dealt with, has helped me grow so much closer to my savior and made me the person I am today. So if you're reading this, and are hurting and wondering why so many things seem hard or wrong, be encouraged that God is working in your life, and you will come through a better person in Christ. I believe that with my whole heart.
To end, I didn't end up talking much about discerning God's will, but I know that it's hard, and God wants us to trust him. He created us for his perfect and awesome plan, and eventually we end up connecting the dots. It's one of the hardest things to do, but the more we seek Christ, the more we find it. Patience, perseverance, and having faith/ trust in God, is going to help. I'm still trying to learn how to discern his will and listen to his voice. Feel free to comment on your thoughts about this. I'll end with a quote from A.W. Tozer which is so true and good.
"The man or woman who is wholly or joyously surrendered to Christ can't make a wrong choice. Any choice will be the right one. Maybe your question should not be 'What should I do?' but rather, 'Am I wholly and joyously surrendered to Christ?"That's the bottom line. Seeking Christ, and he will encourage you and help you understand. It's not something that comes overnight, but over time. Something I'm still working on.
So really to end, here are the words to Tis so sweet. This song has been my prayer since I auditioned on it for the music program at Cornerstone. I don't understand exactly why God has brought me here or why I am doing music, but I've come to peace to know that I am trusting him.
- 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”- Refrain:
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er;
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
Oh, for grace to trust Him more!
- Refrain:
- Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood;
And in simple faith to plunge me
’Neath the healing, cleansing flood! - Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace. - I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Greatness of Our God
So I haven't updated in a while. I figured I should maybe write something for you 3 people who read my blog.
This week, God did some really cool things. His faithfulness to me is so present. He is so good! He is still doing good things.
It all began with at the beginning of this week, when I got a few calls for summer jobs I'm applying for. Basically I've applied to Group Mission Trips, and TEAMeffort, organizations that put on a short term mission trip/ service project week for youth groups. It's been amazing because God has bee so good in them! I didn't really know what I was getting into when I applied, but just followed God. I ended up having an initial phone interview with Group Mission Trips, and then they contacted me and had me create a interview video! Then this week I got calls from both places, and Group Mission Trips told me that I was moving on to the final interview! I couldn't believe it! TEAMeffort then had me have an interview, so that was Thursday, and it went well! I just can't believe how God's been providing and making everything come together. I still don't know if I'll get either job, but I'm so blessed to have made it this far! I've already learned and been able to grow soooo much from both experiences.
So that's Thursday. And Friday was even more amazing. I got an email in the morning saying that I had my check for my overcharge on my bill, and that I could pick up a check in the business office. So after my class, I went to go pick it up, and it was 3 TIMES as much as I thought it was going to be! It is definitely a significant amount of money which will help me pay for school next year! I just started crying because God's really been forcing me to trust Him with money. Basically right now, I don't have a job, I almost got a job at my school's library, but ended up being "runner up." I had also applied at a lot of other places, and no one hired me. I was however put on the housekeeping sub list, so I get called sometimes, it's usually random. Definitely forcing me to trust God because I don't know when I'm going to be getting hours. God was good in this, because I was able to get 10 hours of work last weekend! And then this check, God's just providing for me! It's so incredible to watch it happen. And, I got a letter from my friend Sarah! It was AWESOME! She drew me pictures and everything.
Then, it was later that evening, I found out that I was getting the final interview which I already talked about and God also provided for my University Chorale's spring tour. We didn't have a place to stay for a few nights, and someone who originally said that it wouldn't work out, called back and asked if there was any way he could help. So his church or whatnot will be hosting us, and we've gotten another concert! God totally had it all planned out.
So today (Saturday) was also incredible. My friend Cat had invited me to do some kind of children's ministry with her, and I didn't really know much about it, but she said that there was a lunch thing that we would be going to today, and we thought we would be serving, but really it was a lunch for all the volunteers. It was great, it ended up being Urban Family Ministries, and we were going to end up working with the Super Saturday that they run, Saturday nights, at Calvary Church which is right across the road from Cornerstone, within walking distance! I met a few people who worked with Urban Family Ministries that had graduated from Cornerstone. And then I met a few people who know my choir director very well, and it was amazing. Mary, one of the ladies, is a very special woman. Our Chorale actually went to her house for a retreat, and rehearsed in their barn. She also had worked with Dr. Walters for many years while he was a worship minister. This was just an amazing and crazy connection, where I think God was telling me that this is what I was praying for. I have been praying to get involved with a youth group/ some sort of church ministry, and I know that this is an answer to my prayers. The lunch was great, I met some amazing people, who really have a heart to serve. I was able to get into a deep conversations about Crazy Love, which was so encouraging. All the people seemed so excited to have us volunteer. There were also a lot of really adorable older ladies. Then this evening, Cat and I went to Calvary to work at the ministry, and it was really a great time. Some of the volunteers were like, oh "who's the worship leader?" (Referring to me) and asked me to help with music. I just had an amazing time with the volunteers and kids that evening, they are all wonderful amazing people. I feel right at home.
God has just been so good. And he's still working in my life, as I am doing my interview tomorrow. Honestly, It's been just overwhelming how great God is, and how he's giving back. I'd encourage you all to see areas in your life where God wants to use you. Developing an intimate relationship with Christ, by making specific time to pray, study his word, will bring so much blessing and joy to life. That's how I'm feeling, and I would absolutely love for every Christian to be able to obtain that joy. I still have a lot to work on, and I'm nowhere near perfect, I don't want anyone to take this as me being boastful, but as me encouraging you by sharing how God's working in my life, so that he may do the same in you!
In closing, I would like to share some song lyrics, just really amazing song for me this week. It's called Greatness of Our God. Those times where my heart was anxious, but I had to remember that God is greater than my fears.
Give me eyes to see more of who you are
May what I behold, still my anxious heart.
Take what I have known and break it all apart.
For you my God, are greater still.
[Chorus] And no sky contains, no doubt restrains all you are, the greatness of our God!
I'll spend my life to know, that I'm far from close to all you are, the greatness of our God.
Give me grace to see beyond this moment here.
To believe that there is nothing left to fear.
That you alone are high above it all.
And you my God, are greater still.
[Chorus]
And there is nothing, that could ever separate us
No there's nothing, that could ever separate us from your love.
No life, no death, of this I am convinced!
You my God, are greater still!
[Chorus 2] And no words could say, or song convey all you are, the greatness of our God!
I'll spend my life to know, I'm far from close to all you are, the greatness of our God!
This week, God did some really cool things. His faithfulness to me is so present. He is so good! He is still doing good things.
It all began with at the beginning of this week, when I got a few calls for summer jobs I'm applying for. Basically I've applied to Group Mission Trips, and TEAMeffort, organizations that put on a short term mission trip/ service project week for youth groups. It's been amazing because God has bee so good in them! I didn't really know what I was getting into when I applied, but just followed God. I ended up having an initial phone interview with Group Mission Trips, and then they contacted me and had me create a interview video! Then this week I got calls from both places, and Group Mission Trips told me that I was moving on to the final interview! I couldn't believe it! TEAMeffort then had me have an interview, so that was Thursday, and it went well! I just can't believe how God's been providing and making everything come together. I still don't know if I'll get either job, but I'm so blessed to have made it this far! I've already learned and been able to grow soooo much from both experiences.
So that's Thursday. And Friday was even more amazing. I got an email in the morning saying that I had my check for my overcharge on my bill, and that I could pick up a check in the business office. So after my class, I went to go pick it up, and it was 3 TIMES as much as I thought it was going to be! It is definitely a significant amount of money which will help me pay for school next year! I just started crying because God's really been forcing me to trust Him with money. Basically right now, I don't have a job, I almost got a job at my school's library, but ended up being "runner up." I had also applied at a lot of other places, and no one hired me. I was however put on the housekeeping sub list, so I get called sometimes, it's usually random. Definitely forcing me to trust God because I don't know when I'm going to be getting hours. God was good in this, because I was able to get 10 hours of work last weekend! And then this check, God's just providing for me! It's so incredible to watch it happen. And, I got a letter from my friend Sarah! It was AWESOME! She drew me pictures and everything.
Then, it was later that evening, I found out that I was getting the final interview which I already talked about and God also provided for my University Chorale's spring tour. We didn't have a place to stay for a few nights, and someone who originally said that it wouldn't work out, called back and asked if there was any way he could help. So his church or whatnot will be hosting us, and we've gotten another concert! God totally had it all planned out.
So today (Saturday) was also incredible. My friend Cat had invited me to do some kind of children's ministry with her, and I didn't really know much about it, but she said that there was a lunch thing that we would be going to today, and we thought we would be serving, but really it was a lunch for all the volunteers. It was great, it ended up being Urban Family Ministries, and we were going to end up working with the Super Saturday that they run, Saturday nights, at Calvary Church which is right across the road from Cornerstone, within walking distance! I met a few people who worked with Urban Family Ministries that had graduated from Cornerstone. And then I met a few people who know my choir director very well, and it was amazing. Mary, one of the ladies, is a very special woman. Our Chorale actually went to her house for a retreat, and rehearsed in their barn. She also had worked with Dr. Walters for many years while he was a worship minister. This was just an amazing and crazy connection, where I think God was telling me that this is what I was praying for. I have been praying to get involved with a youth group/ some sort of church ministry, and I know that this is an answer to my prayers. The lunch was great, I met some amazing people, who really have a heart to serve. I was able to get into a deep conversations about Crazy Love, which was so encouraging. All the people seemed so excited to have us volunteer. There were also a lot of really adorable older ladies. Then this evening, Cat and I went to Calvary to work at the ministry, and it was really a great time. Some of the volunteers were like, oh "who's the worship leader?" (Referring to me) and asked me to help with music. I just had an amazing time with the volunteers and kids that evening, they are all wonderful amazing people. I feel right at home.
God has just been so good. And he's still working in my life, as I am doing my interview tomorrow. Honestly, It's been just overwhelming how great God is, and how he's giving back. I'd encourage you all to see areas in your life where God wants to use you. Developing an intimate relationship with Christ, by making specific time to pray, study his word, will bring so much blessing and joy to life. That's how I'm feeling, and I would absolutely love for every Christian to be able to obtain that joy. I still have a lot to work on, and I'm nowhere near perfect, I don't want anyone to take this as me being boastful, but as me encouraging you by sharing how God's working in my life, so that he may do the same in you!
In closing, I would like to share some song lyrics, just really amazing song for me this week. It's called Greatness of Our God. Those times where my heart was anxious, but I had to remember that God is greater than my fears.
Give me eyes to see more of who you are
May what I behold, still my anxious heart.
Take what I have known and break it all apart.
For you my God, are greater still.
[Chorus] And no sky contains, no doubt restrains all you are, the greatness of our God!
I'll spend my life to know, that I'm far from close to all you are, the greatness of our God.
Give me grace to see beyond this moment here.
To believe that there is nothing left to fear.
That you alone are high above it all.
And you my God, are greater still.
[Chorus]
And there is nothing, that could ever separate us
No there's nothing, that could ever separate us from your love.
No life, no death, of this I am convinced!
You my God, are greater still!
[Chorus 2] And no words could say, or song convey all you are, the greatness of our God!
I'll spend my life to know, I'm far from close to all you are, the greatness of our God!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Overwhelmed By a Relentless God
You can never out-give God. Never. God is just so good.
I've been reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. If you have not read it, please do! I'll even buy it for someone if you'd like. Seriously, this book is changing my life. I can look at life in such a different way. Well anyway, the book has been talking about giving and how God is going to provide for you. I can't out-give God. He's going to take care of me. Here is a quote from the book that is so true: "If you really want to experience God's supernatural provision, then do as He says. Test Him. Give more than you can manage, and see how He responds." He says that this is the only place in the bible (Mal. 3:10) where it says we can test God. I mean, we can't give Him back more than He's already given us. And why do we give? Because we love God. We can't look at it like a chore, but if we do it out of love, it IS love. Love for Christ.
So I took this challenge and decided that anything I needed didn't matter, but in my love for God, I wanted to give back to Him. I had not given to God all semester, and I had already paid my bill for the spring, except my parents paid around $250 which I didn't have. I was thinking I should save the money in my account to give back to them, but after reading about it Crazy Love, I knew I had to give back to God, and that should be my priority. So I gave back to God, and decided that I would give all I have, because I love God. And how did God respond? Just yesterday I got an updated bill from Cornerstone that they had a mistake on one of my charges, and that it was actually $100 less than what I had already paid. So I will be getting $100 back. That's more than I was even able to give in the first place. God is just so good. And I want to share His goodness with the world.
Another thing Chan talked about in the book was how the Corinthian church, everyone gave to help eachother out so that there was a balance of needs. Those who had less, were given so they became equal to those who gave to them.
God gave EVERYTHING for us. He gave us Himself. That is the greatest thing anyone could give. We can do our part and give back to Him.
My challenge to anyone reading this, what are we waiting for? Since "God so loved the world that He gave" why aren't we that motivated to give back to him.. Our love should push us do great things. Jesus was considered crazy or even radical in the way He loved. If we took this challenge and adopted this kind of crazy love like Jesus had, how would our world change? I challenge anyone reading this to find a way to love that may be slightly crazy to today's standards. It could be that you're called to raise money to feed hungry children, or to help aids in Africa. It could be as simple as giving away things you don't need anymore. I encourage you all to evaluate your hearts and see where you can give back to God. It's the least we can do.
Who rather, being in very nature, God [Jesus] did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage. Rather, He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, and being found in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a human being, He humbled Himself, by being obedient do death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place, and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ, is Lord.
I've been reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. If you have not read it, please do! I'll even buy it for someone if you'd like. Seriously, this book is changing my life. I can look at life in such a different way. Well anyway, the book has been talking about giving and how God is going to provide for you. I can't out-give God. He's going to take care of me. Here is a quote from the book that is so true: "If you really want to experience God's supernatural provision, then do as He says. Test Him. Give more than you can manage, and see how He responds." He says that this is the only place in the bible (Mal. 3:10) where it says we can test God. I mean, we can't give Him back more than He's already given us. And why do we give? Because we love God. We can't look at it like a chore, but if we do it out of love, it IS love. Love for Christ.
So I took this challenge and decided that anything I needed didn't matter, but in my love for God, I wanted to give back to Him. I had not given to God all semester, and I had already paid my bill for the spring, except my parents paid around $250 which I didn't have. I was thinking I should save the money in my account to give back to them, but after reading about it Crazy Love, I knew I had to give back to God, and that should be my priority. So I gave back to God, and decided that I would give all I have, because I love God. And how did God respond? Just yesterday I got an updated bill from Cornerstone that they had a mistake on one of my charges, and that it was actually $100 less than what I had already paid. So I will be getting $100 back. That's more than I was even able to give in the first place. God is just so good. And I want to share His goodness with the world.
Another thing Chan talked about in the book was how the Corinthian church, everyone gave to help eachother out so that there was a balance of needs. Those who had less, were given so they became equal to those who gave to them.
Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time you plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little." - 2 Corinthians 8:13-15What if we did that for each other in our society today? We might be looked at as Crazy, but why should we hoard everything we have to ourselves because it is so brief. Our life on earth here is so brief, so we shouldn't hold on to material things, but if we can help someone else with the things we have, I think it will bring much blessing. What would happen if we could all love in this way?
God gave EVERYTHING for us. He gave us Himself. That is the greatest thing anyone could give. We can do our part and give back to Him.
My challenge to anyone reading this, what are we waiting for? Since "God so loved the world that He gave" why aren't we that motivated to give back to him.. Our love should push us do great things. Jesus was considered crazy or even radical in the way He loved. If we took this challenge and adopted this kind of crazy love like Jesus had, how would our world change? I challenge anyone reading this to find a way to love that may be slightly crazy to today's standards. It could be that you're called to raise money to feed hungry children, or to help aids in Africa. It could be as simple as giving away things you don't need anymore. I encourage you all to evaluate your hearts and see where you can give back to God. It's the least we can do.
Who rather, being in very nature, God [Jesus] did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage. Rather, He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, and being found in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a human being, He humbled Himself, by being obedient do death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place, and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ, is Lord.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)