Awkward things I've done this week

Here are a few things that happened to me this week that reminded me that I really am awkward. They are arranged from least to most awkward

• Food- My nice new khaki colored sweater wanted to taste some lasagna. It's a good thing that red and khaki go together. Good thing I have that Tide-to-go pen!
• Class mix-up- Every Wednesday we have chapel from 9:50-10:50am. I have no class from 8:50 until then and so that become nap hour every M-W-F. This Monday I came back from class, exhausted after about 5 consecutive days of going to bed at 2:00am (average) and waking up at 7:00 (average), and got ready for my nap. I set my alarm, crawled under my snugly blankets, and had an amazing nap! One of those naps where you sleep like a log, where you feel like you slept a full 8 hours in 1 hour, and maybe even relaxed so much as to drool. I got up a little later than planned and rushed over to my photography class. I arrived at the art center just as my friend Megan D. was walking in (she's in my photography class). She asked me what class I was here for. "Strange question," I thought to myself. And then replied in typical immediate-post-nap syndrome straightforwardness "This one!". Megan gave me a confused look. "Pssh!" I thought, "What was that for?!". I finally put 2 and 2 together and realized that I had shown up for photography one hour early. I could have kept sleeping. I could have let myself wake up a little more before I looked at my alarm clock. Then I went and filled in gas, came back to the dorm, and finished my nap. Oh well.
• Something that has never happened to me before! Awkward History. In chemistry (the most painfully boring class I have taken in awhile) The guy behind me (Stephen, actually a pretty cool guy) accidentally kicked my folder off the chair next to me onto the floor. The class is held in one of those lecture hall, tiered seating kind of places with the desktops that swivel up to be used. I leaned over to recover the notebook and heard a creaking (not unusual for these particular desks), felt the tension release (a little odd), and heard the tiny 'ching' of something metal hitting the floor (ummm...). Yah, I broke the seat. I think it's still attached by one screw. We'll see how long that will last. I've never broken a chair before! Congratulations me! I guess I just know how to throw my tiny amount of weight around (watch out attackers!).

That's all the awkward news for now.

I keep hearing "revival" everywhere I go

Just read this article by Jim Wallis (especially the last bit)
The Religious Right's Era is Over

Heed my (reposting of this guys) words, Sterling College

Hey Sterling College: A massive move of God is coming down the pike. We need to get ready. When it happens things are going to change. It's time for us to plant seeds in the Spirit and not in the flesh (Galatians 6:6-10).
That's why I felt that this article is especially important for what is about to explode:
Let me ask you something: Are you ready for revival?
I really respect the author's (Shawn Blanc) writing. He has a special commitment to write about things that are vital to a steady Christian walk in increasingly important times.
Here are some of my favorite snippets from this post:

"The seed of massive global revival is cracked, and the roots are beginning to sprout. You and I have an incredibly short time to get ready. You don’t know when the “suddenly of God” that is planned for your life will happen. All you know is that your time to get intimacy and personal relationship with God is getting shorter by the minute. Seriously."

"You have to plan ahead for meekness. You have to expect that hard times are coming. Promotion and demotion: They’re both hard to respond rightly to. Pride and bitterness both come from the same apple. Your hope to stay steady and be in love with Jesus after the dust settles is to plan ahead now; and you do that by asking God to help you. Asking Him to give you grace."

Please read, consider, and pray about the things considered in this article. It's about to get really, really important.

What a weekend!

This past weekend I had the privilege of leading a group of 30 sterling college students (out largest group ever!) to the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. It was a little crazy at first. I don't recommend putting all 30 people in a living room and tell them to be quiet all at once. All the people that went are amazing! I have loved getting to see close friends and new friends experience new depths of God's love and receive new understanding of scripture. I've loved seeing these new faces dive right in to the deep end and run after God. I am excited to see everyone as we come back to our campus and apply these new things to the daily grind.

One of my biggest prayers for our group was from Ephesians 1:15-20, basically that God would open up their hearts to receive a greater and deeper understanding of His heart and that they would come to know the hope that comes from being the chosen inheritance of Christ. Also that they would come to see for the first time, as well as more clearly what their calling is. God was faithful to answer these prayers in such amazing ways.


God is crazy! He doesn't care what background you have, what doubts you may have, what plans you've made, He will do anything to show you His love and make it easier to love you.


Watch out Sterling College!!!

Yah, that is a picture of the new IHOP stage. My friend Ben took it (no flash!). I love the new stage. It is not all that distracting and I actually felt that they way the stage was situated it involved the congregation more.

Death's Perspective

The other day I was hanging out with Jesus and discussing with Him what this current time in my life is all about. I asked Him whether or not I was headed into another long season where praying and reading the Word seemed boring and if I needed to prepare to press through. Or is this just a hard time of transition for me as I adjust to a new semester, new schedule, new staff that I'll be working under, etc? I wondered why I had to be in this place again, possibly for a long period of time, where I feel so weak and tired and busy and burdened and bad for not spending more time or getting more out of the time I spend. Why do I have to be in this place that is seemingly barren? And then I felt the Lord put this phrase in my head:
"It is only from the perspective of death that He speaks to me about life."
or in other words
"It is only from the place/perspective of death that we can understand life."

That made so much sense to me! Think of all the times where God lead His people into the desert or wilderness and then spoke to them. In Hosea 2, God tells Hosea to tell His prostitute wife (really check it out, it's a cool book in the Bible), a.k.a God is saying this to unfaithful Israel, "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." (Hosea 2:14)

It seems like those who are most afraid of death, talking about it, being around it, fearing their own death, are those who don't really know how to live. It is only when we examine and understand that this life really is just a breath, just a vapor, just a moment that we start to live.

So, even though I hate that place of barrenness and weakness I will embrace it, knowing that every time I say 'yes' to putting part of my own desires, dreams, thoughts, strength to death, God will truly bring life, and life to the fullest, to those things. God is the God of the resurrection and the life. I guess I'm ok with that.

(note to self: He is more committed to perfecting you, strengthening you, teaching you, loving you, etc. than you are. Remember that. God is faithful)

"He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it. " -Jesus

Matthew 10:39

Let's not be afraid of death (to ourselves) or the pain of death any longer friends. Let's embrace it and find out what living is really all about.

Blessed is/Blessed are those...

So I've started a new study on verses in the Gospels on the times when phrases like "Blessed is...." or "Blessed are those...." appear. The plan is to dissect the verse, in context of course, and discover more of the depth of these scriptures as well as understanding who it is who Jesus counts as blessed. The first batch of 'blessed are' s that most people recognize is the beatitudes. From this we obviously see that Jesus doesn't look at things the way we look at them.

Yesterday I studied Matthew 11:6: "Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." in the context of Matthew 11:2-6.
So here's what I got:
It seems that a lot of commentators think that John (the baptist), while imprisoned, had some sort of crisis of faith and so sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he really is who he says he is. I disagree. John and Jesus were relatives and in the womb John even recognized the Messiah (Yes, it's in the Bible). I think that John sent his disciples over to talk with Jesus so that they would realize that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.
So, John's disciples come up to Jesus and say, "Are you the expected One, or should we look for someone else?". Jesus, instead of just saying, "Yah, that's me," answers them with what probably would've been well known scripture from Isaiah 61 "Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM." (v.4-5).
Then Jesus says something that is really interesting, "Blessed is he who does not take offense at me." (v. 6). The word offense in Greek can mean "to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, metaph. to offend or to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey ." As we know and see today, Jesus can be pretty offensive. So what exactly does this mean?
I think that Jesus used scripture to show the he is the long expected Messiah because he expects John's disciples recognize him because of His word. So verse six could really say, "Blessed are those who recognize Me."
So, when we want to recognize God's work in our lives and communities we need to be rooted in the word of God. It can be easy to be offended when change comes, especially if unsuspected, but by seeing how God interacted/interacts with His people in the Word, knowing His promises, and what His thoughts and desires are we can recognize and be in line with what God is doing. If we don't recognize God we could become offended and stumble over what God intended to be a blessing. I believe that as God's children and people that we are meant to recognize God and act accordingly.

At the end of the study I wrote out this super-amplified version of verse 6:

"Blessed is he who knows what to look for, who knows how to prepare, and who is not taken by surprise at my coming or fooled by lies. Blessed is he who recognizes when I start to shift and change things in the Spirit. They will not fall, but adjust their path to walk in My ways. These are the ones who will know me and delight in my presence and faithfulness when the rest of the world is nursing scraped knees, bruises, and their injured pride as a result of their fall."

What do you think?

The Superbowl

I did not waste my time this year. Ha! And no, I don't even care that I missed the commercials.

Teeth and Self-esteem

I just found this article and thought it was really interesting. This is dedicated to all of you out there who have crooked teeth or think you do. Apparently it doesn't affect our overall happiness, so let's move on.

p.s. Isn't crooked a funny word? It seems like it should be spelt differently. hmm.

Random Friday Thoughts

Here are some random thoughts from today let loose from my brain:
Did it really snow two days ago?

Rock the Casbah is an amazing song and I am currently bobbing my head to it and typing in rhythm to its Casbah beats.

I love my roommate. She is a blast. No joke, you should get to know her.

Friday Night Burn is tonight (pray it up into the early morning)-I need that time.

Winter is waging war on my skin.

My heart and mind is all over the place.

One of my favorite things about this semester is getting to know so many different people.

The rush to find a date for Valentine's day is on. Just look around people.

Play Rock the Casbah again! Woot!

I heart Tuesdays

1. 3 classes-Folk Dance, Choir, and Highland singers
2. Tuesday Night Prayer!!!!
3. Learning how to depend on God for all my needs.

There are my pants!

This just in...um....actually in at 10:30 this morning. The pants have been found! Thank you all for your hard work (a.k.a. listening to me rant with such phrases as, "Who would steal my pants!?") and prayers. The pants were recovered in a last ditch effort to make sure the pants disapperance wasn't related to a mistake I could have made. I called my Mom this morning and found out that I had, in fact, left my pants at home. Smooth.

I'm just glad I didn't post any of those flyers I had been designing in my brain. Then I would have felt really dumb.

The aforementioned flyer

Where are my pants?

Tonight as I began setting out my outfit for tomorrow (because I can't function in the morning) I experienced a shocking discovery: one of my favorite pairs of pants is missing!
It is so much a favorite that I even went back to buy another pair of the exact same pant. This pair of pants is also what Stacy and Clinton might call 'investment pieces', a.k.a more money=better quality=longer wear.
So far the four scenarios that I have come up with that could fit in with the college setting:

1. I misplaced them- I don't really know how someone could misplace a pair of pants between moving them downstairs in a basket, putting them in a washer, moving them to a dryer, and then bringing them back upstairs, but it's me so it's entirely possible
2. Someone wanted to play a prank and took them.
3. Someone accidentally took them. (Also weird)
4. Someone stole them. Thieves! Really, if you need pants so much as you would resort to stealing them from another college student I will drive you to the mall and pay for your own new pair of pants. This is a generous community, don't be afraid to ask for help every once in awhile.

Tomorrow myself and my "Operation Pants Rescue/Recovery" volunteers will make and distribute a flyer explaining what the pants look like as well as size and style details. Hopefully some sort of clue or tip will come up and this will not end in a tragedy. I will update as the story unfolds.

God, time management, and college

It is the normal person's response to react to the title of this post with a laugh indicative of unbelief that these three things could be effectively blended in a way that is, first of all, possible, secondly healthy, and thirdly useful.

Recently, as I have heard more and more of my peers desiring deeper relationships with God a simultaneous obstacle and question has emerged: "How the heck do we as college students manage our time effectively so that our priorities are actually represented in our use of time?"

Most people struggle with time management but I think it can be especially difficult for college students,who, at the same time as going to class, doing homework, getting involved with different activities, and building new relationships, are also evaluating who they really are and deciding who they want to be (don't forget about all the other distractions). And as Christian students we are feeling the tension between being responsible and faithful in our call as college students and the intense desire to take the time needed to develop and sustain a healthy, vibrant, pleasurable, fruitful, and mature relationship with God.

So how do we strike this balance? I don't have the right answer as I am exploring these issues myself. I hope that this can be a place of discussion and encouragement. Peers, readers, whoever else, feel free to comment on this post and any that are to come with your advice and experience with time management (any experiences are welcome, but if it pertains to college that would be great).

For now I will give you this link to an excellent blogger,Shawn Blanc, and his series of 168 hours to a focused life .

Lookie a new template

So I have to admit that when blogger wanted to me to switch over to a Google account my first thought was, "Yah right. I like everything the way it is. Like these new features are really that cool. Take that g-mail!" So imagine my surprise when blogger forced me to switch over to this new system throwing in my face the fact that "Beta is dead"! I sucked it up and switched. A few hours later I got really pumped up seeing that I can customize my template without having to know all the html codes for numbers and what not. I am a nerd but not enough to be completely nuts about html stuff. So here it is. Simple. Streamlined. I hope you enjoy this more aesthetically pleasing blog. I hope my writing skills can kick it up a notch as well.

Interterm has been....

long- One class, 3.5 hours a day, huge chunks of free time. For 3 some weeks it has felt quite long.

Frustrating- Have you ever tried to make a whistle out of clay, make coil pots that don't look like a 7 year old made them, or make a pot that is not wobbly(see picture below)? These have been some of my challenges in ceramics. The whistle was probably the worst because it took me 2 and a half hours to make some that looks like a turd and sounds like a piccolo. Just what I needed.

Fun- I got to hang out with my friends every day for long periods of time without the interference of crazy homework.

Interesting-My roomies was in New York for a week thus testing my survival skills regarding rooming alone in college. There was plenty of time and space for me to do what I wanted when I wanted like dancing around or taking my time getting dressed in the morning. I missed her a lot though. It's hard to tell nobody about my day and other random things I tend to think about.

It's been good but it's time for it to be over.
Amen?
Amen.

Immanuel

God with us. Immanuel or Emmanuel-your preference. Immanuel is a name that usually gets pulled out around Christmas time due to the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14. Jesus the Son of God, born of a virgin, put on human flesh and dwelled among men. That in itself is amazing and profound and will probably take all eternity to fully understand.
I don't think that this promise was meant to be shelved away and taken out when it's time to put up the manger set in the living room. I think this is a reality that we need to examine daily in our own lives. I'll put it another way: We can't afford to ignore this reality. Why? Because Immanuel is something bigger that the great things of the Christmas season, the appearances of God to Moses, Elijah, other prophets, and the reality of God coming to earth as a man. Running through all these things stands the desire of a Holy God to be with His sinful, broken, defiled people. That is stunning!

First off there is the original set-up of God-to-man relationship, the Garden of Eden. God created this place where his creation could interact with Him in a very real, tangible way. In Genesis 3:8 it says that God walked around the garden. Imagine living in this time before the fall. Nothing stood in the way of you being with God. God desired to be in uninterrupted relationship with man.
Fast forward to the 'historical books' section of the Bible (which some consider the boring part) where this desire is seen even in the rituals and mosaic law of the Hebrew people. Ritual cleansing, food laws, laws on dealing with lepers, and accidental defilements all had one purpose: to make it possible for God to dwell among the Israelites. Just check out these passages:

"I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God." Exodus 29:45 (emphasis mine)

"Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you." Leviticus 26:11 (emphasis mine)

"You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst." Numbers 5:3 (emphasis mine)

"You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel. Numbers 35:34 (emphasis mine)

The passage that sums up the whole of the God's desire to be with man is, in my opinion, found in the book of Revelation chapter 21:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new " And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." Revelation 21:1-5

A lot of people sing songs and pray prayers that speak of their desire to be in heaven. This desires aren't wrong but even greater than our desire to be in heaven, God Himself wants to dwell among us on earth! This is a desire that runs throughout the entire Bible. God longs to dwell with His people. The same God who Moses was afraid to look at because he would die wants to dwell with man. Like Jesus prayed, "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. " John 17:24.

Not only goes God want to dwell among man, but He wants us to live in that place of perfect peace with no death, mourning, crying, or pain. He is going to wipe all those things out. All of creation will look on in wonder as God steps down from heaven and makes His home among men( Ephesians 3:10). Before this can become a reality a lot of things have to happen. Similar to the way the Israelites had to guard against defiling the camp and cleanse themselves and their camp God will bring about a cleansing and consecration like the world has never seen (see the rest of the book of revelation).

Everything that God does, whether it's raising up or bringing down leaders in the world, allowing natural disasters to happen, changing things in the church, allowing political unrest, or more personal things of everyday life it is all in accordance with His will and desire to dwell among men.

This can give us great comfort as change, pain, or other difficulties come into out life. Not only is this according to God's plan, but look at the plan He has! I would say yes to anything if that is what I will get to experience forever! It can also give us great hope. When you say 'yes' to Jesus and the plan of His Father you are saying yes to a kingdom that is not founded on manipulation or seeking power at the cost of anything or anyone, but founded on meekness and humility. You are saying yes to an eternity without death, mourning, crying or pain. You are saying yes to a God who wants people to know and experience Him, even humbling Himself to dwell among people. You are saying yes to a God who cares about every detail in our lives that seems insignificant, a God who wants to give us power to live lives of love, holiness, and peace, a God who wants to give us the best and the greatest of His kingdom and His heart.

This is our hope.

God desires to dwell with you, even in your weakness, brokenness or the mess of your life. Yes, it is true God wants to dwell with you in that place. This is our destiny!

Sanctify and Consecrate

This is an interesting season in my life and in the life of the Church. I feel like God has given me a lot of opportunity to take part in what He is doing as well as showing me areas where I can follow Him more. To get the most of this season I have decided to fast t.v. and movies for the rest of the semester. Here are a few reasons why:

1. "The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!." Matthew 6:22-23. I don't want to voluntarily fill me heart and mind with things that aren't encouraging or healthy. Over break as I watched t.v. I realized how much the content sucks. Really bad. I'd rather fill my mind and heart with words of life. I want to be filled with light in such a way that others desire God more as well.
2. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8. That's what I want. I want to see God. For real. I want to see Him in His sanctuary. I want to see Him in His beauty and glory. Really, as long as I see Him, it's cool with me.
3. "Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Your ways." Psalm 119:37-What do I want to be entertained by? I want to be fascinated with God. I don't want to waste my time finding enjoyment in things that are truly empty. I want lose my self in wonder, awe, and fascination of the uncreated One.

I am purposefully setting myself apart from something that can be good for that which is eternally better. Let the sanctification and consecration begin.

Final thought: I'm not posting this to boast or to pass judgment on those who do watch t.v. I'm just letting you know what is going on in my life.

Amazing post!

I am called to be an intercessory missionary. That's right I'm going to go sit in a room with a bunch of other people(or no one) and worship God as well as saying back to Him what He tells me to say (praying) for the rest of my life. I'm so excited!
A place and group of people that has encouraged me, taught me, and I feel a certain attachment to is the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (www.ihop.org). If that is where God leads me, that is where I'm heading after college.
Today I came across a post by Dave Sliker, part of Ihop leadership and author of End-Times Simplified, on his blog He is at the door . The Ihop is undergoing a new season, noticeably different after their 7 year anniversary in September this year. Most noticeable is the new stage and their new partnership with God TV. This post explains the changes going on. This excerpt is my favorite part and is a beautiful and sstunning observation of what God is doing at the Ihop. It makes me excited and a little nervous about stepping into this environment.

"Fast forward nearly four years - December 29th, 2006. On Friday afternoon I happen to check the news during a small window of free time from my conference responsibilities - Saddam Hussein was to be executed that evening.
(For a chilling recounting via some solid reporting of the hours, and events, leading up to Saddam's execution, go here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/world/middleeast/07ticktock.html?ei=5065&en=528a2d4d48836088&ex=1168750800&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print)
I shot a quick email to Mike, Allen, Stuart, and a few others as an FYI. Then I jumped in to lead the 5 PM intercessory prayer meeting, which was probably one of the liveliest, action packed two-hour prayer meetings I've ever been a part of. I did not have a moment to think about the evening or the email.
At about 6:50, as we were transitioning off the platform for the next team, Misty grabbed me. She was a bit worked up, which was unusual in itself. "Mike's been looking all over for you!" She said quickly. She quickly filled me in on what was going on - Mike wanted to turn tonight"s worship time into an intercession time for Saddam and the Middle East, involving the God-TV viewing audience, led by myself and six other intercessors he wanted me to find. He wanted to begin almost immediately after the worship time began. The worship time began in less than 10 minutes.
Misty, Brent, and myself hurriedly rushed to the side of the stage as we all worked together to gather the different intercessors. Allen was out - he was preaching that evening. We found Corey and Stuart. Wes was sitting in the third row. Shelly was at her little spot. Before we could even think about what was happening, as worship was well underway, Misty got the signal from the platform. It was time. We were up. Someone shouted over the music to me - "Line us up!" No one wanted to go first, so I volunteered myself.
Since I constantly find myself in the most interesting of situations, before I knew it I was standing up front, waiting for Mike to finish his prayer so that I could take my turn. I was surprisingly calm. I rehearsed a little bit of what I wanted to pray in my head: that the Prince of Peace would be the true King of the Middle East. That mercy would triumph in Baghdad. I wanted to rebuke opportunistic demons and ask the Lord to hold back the works of darkness. I wanted God to quiet the storm of men's hearts and souls, that the Holy Spirit would establish the peace of God. I wanted God to establish the believers in Baghdad in peace, confidence, and power through His Spirit.
In a minute, it was over for me. I went back down the stairs and reflected for a moment on what had just happened - on what I had done and what we, together, were doing.
Rory and Wendy Alec, the founders of God-TV, have a vision. Their desire is to establish a context for the prayer room to be a vehicle to interpret judgment and revival for the nations in the days to come. It occurred to me that in that very moment, in that little arena with 15,000 people; and in front of millions via God-TV around the world, that we had begun to step into that role just a little bit. We had, in a moment, shifted the hearts and minds of thousands of young adults who were part of the group that applauded the execution of Saddam at the beginning of the meeting when we announced it. Now they were huddled in small groups, praying for his salvation.
I sat for a moment in awe of the Lord. "Why us?" I asked quietly in prayer. "We're so simple, so simple" I whispered to myself. The answer came suddenly: "The wisdom of leading a thousand prayer meetings..." The Lord spoke to me in that moment.
I began to weep. And weep. And weep - for quite some time.
The sentence concluded: "so that you are not crushed by the magnitude of the moment."
It was stunning to me, the dignity of our calling as intercessory missionaries. The routine, the mundane, the repetitive and stubborn manner in which we show up to the prayer room, day after day after day, grab a microphone, and ask Him again to change the earth. It struck me that, in the brilliance of His leadership, seven intercessors walked onto a platform in front of millions of people and actually prayed to a Man. They didn't preach, they didn't teach, they didn't get lost in the moment or themselves. They just closed their eyes and talked to a Man. And they weren't crushed by the magnitude of the moment. Simultaneously, hearts were shifted. I believe the heavens were shifted as well - just a little.
As we stepped in that evening in just a little bit to a little piece of our calling and mandate as the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, we did something momentous, something significant, in the plain, simple, mundane act of doing what we do in weakness and brokenness every day.
And I am not sure if, after those moments, anything will ever be the same here again. We have come to a turning point as a people as a ministry. A true new season is upon us. It will surely be messy, and truly be painful at times. But it will also be glorious for those who signed up for the honor and the privilege of watching the true Leader of the prayer movement orchestrate His great plan to usher in the end of the age, and the final moments of history that culminate with His return.
I can't wait to see what's next."

Almost the new year

So it's been almost 3 weeks since I've updated. I've been busy. Last week I babysat my nephew Jackson and I had a blast! Mom, Dad, and I decided to give Ang and Trav a break from their crazy-parent schedule so we took the baby while they went home. He is a bundle of crazy. It's was way fun but also tiring. After that the whole family headed up to K.C. and did all of out Christmas stuff. It was a lot of fun. We opened presents, took a sleigh ride around the plaza, and did some shopping.

The rest of my break has been as such:
The first week I wasted watching T.V. Every time I come home for a break it seems that I have to gorge myself on T.V. (since I don't watch any at school) until I remember how much it really sucks. You guys T.V. is lame. So incredibly lame. Don't be offended. I'm not judging you for watching T.V. Just look at what you are watching. Do you really want to fill your mind and your heart with that? I have to ask myself that question every day when boredom seeps in and I am tempted to believe that T.V. is the only thing that will entertain me.

After that I snapped into gear and finally started to spend time with God. That has been the best part of my break. God has been rooting and grounding me in His love. He has been calling me into deeper obedience (I hate it when I am disobedient). He is revealing areas where He wants to mature me. Side note: God knows the difference between immaturity and disobedience. Yay! He has been burdening me with specific things to intercede for. He has been teaching me about envy. He is building my relationship with the Holy Spirit. He has been teaching me about grace.
I am so thankful that though God always loves me where I am, He loves me so much that He won't leave me in my complacency, immaturity, or disobedience. I am so thankful for this break from school and that God has done so much more with this time than I expected.

Thank you IHOP

Thank you International House of Prayer for making the GBF (global bridegroom fast) free to watch all this week.
Listened to some Merchant Band this morning.
Enjoying some Misty Edwards-ness right now. Amazing!

"You are stronger in my weakness

So I'll lean into Your strength.

You are greater when I diminish

So I'll lean into Your grace"