I think the highlight of my summer may have happened this last week when I was in Butler... I was chillin' at VBS with this tiny little girl named Natalie when I started talking with her aunt, Christie. Turns out Christie, who is 28, is really cool, and we spent a few hours chatting during VBS each day last week. She has shown more sacrificial love than anyone I have ever known, and she was one of the most fascinating people I have ever talked with, because she has had so many varied experiences. To make a long story short, she decided that to abandon the native American religion of her mother and turn to Jesus as her savior! HALLELUJAH! I was so privileged to watch the Lord reap the harvest of his ministry in her life! I got to buy her a Bible and pray with her, and it was ridiculously awesome!
So prayer request #1: Pray that Christie experiences relationship with Christ in really sweet ways, and that she turns from the ways of this world. She has a powerful spirit, and so I am really excited to see how God uses her!
Prayer request #2: Me and one of the other summer staff girls are co-leading a trip this week, and it is turning out to be pretty overwhelming. We just need a double-portion of Jesus!
Prayer request #3: I am leaving on Wednesday for New Orleans, and I am so exhausted right now heading into that trip. I want to be useful for the Lord, so pray that he gives me both the desire and the energy to do his will there. He is developing perseverance in me, and I just need his hand in mine as he works that out in my life.
I am absolutely loving all the ways that God is revealing himself to me: through different places, people, things, books, etc. Thanks so much for your prayers, because I know the Lord is pouring his favor on me in response to your supplications!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Lyrics for my life
I just finished my first week as a project leader on Friday, and I am so blessed to be able to say that it was awesome! My journal had been riddled with feelings of inadequacy... feelings that culminated the minute the bus of kids arrived and I realized I had to step up. Turns out project leading is pretty straightforward... all you have to do is say "yes" to whatever the Lord asks. It certainly helped that I was blessed with (1) awesome teens who would do whatever was asked of them (whether it was me or the Lord doing the asking), (2) really awesome adults leaders who had a genuine love for their students and who also just happened to be really cool and (3) a youth pastor who knew his kids well and led them with humility and a servant's heart. I can't even begin to share all the ways that God used them, or all the ways that God stretched and used me.
So my song lyric for last week goes a little something like this...
"I hear the Savior say
thy strength indeed is small
Child of weakness, watch and pray
Find in me thine all in all"
The phrase "child of weakness" describes me pretty well ... good thing that though the strong could be God's company, I'm the one he chose.
So now I am in Butler, PA. I spent my quiet time on Saturday morning next to the river, surrounded by a beautiful green landscape, which was a nice change from the concrete jungle of Philly. I am so blessed to see the ministry that God is doing here! There is a junior high group here right now, and they have been doing some of the most awesome ministry I have ever seen! They are eager to pray, bold in loving and desperate to worship.
So my song lyric for this week is...
"I see a generation rising up,
no longer accepting lies
As a band of worshippers runs to the battlefield
they're finding their lives"
Get excited for the work that God is doing in the coming generations, cuz it is awesome!
So my song lyric for last week goes a little something like this...
"I hear the Savior say
thy strength indeed is small
Child of weakness, watch and pray
Find in me thine all in all"
The phrase "child of weakness" describes me pretty well ... good thing that though the strong could be God's company, I'm the one he chose.
So now I am in Butler, PA. I spent my quiet time on Saturday morning next to the river, surrounded by a beautiful green landscape, which was a nice change from the concrete jungle of Philly. I am so blessed to see the ministry that God is doing here! There is a junior high group here right now, and they have been doing some of the most awesome ministry I have ever seen! They are eager to pray, bold in loving and desperate to worship.
So my song lyric for this week is...
"I see a generation rising up,
no longer accepting lies
As a band of worshippers runs to the battlefield
they're finding their lives"
Get excited for the work that God is doing in the coming generations, cuz it is awesome!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Little Birdy
*** Disclaimer -- I hate birds. a lot. I think they are nasty crap. Everyone who lives in Waco understands the plight of parking under trees in "bird season." I guess it makes it just that much cooler that God used a bird to speak to me.
So yesterday we were at coffeehouse -- for those who are unaware, that is one of our ministries where we hang out with the homeless in a empty lot, serve refreshments, and "entertain" the guests with songs and testimonies -- and Jim Snyder had found a baby bird lying on their trampoline below the birdhouse. I can't even describe how funky this little bird looked ... it was about as long as my pinky finger, it had no feathers, wouldn't open its eyes, you could see its veins through its fragile skin. It was pretty much the definition of pathetic. Jim said it was likely the momma bird kicked this little buddy out of his house because he wouldn't open his mouth to eat -- apparently mom birds can tell which babies will survive, and just choose not to waste time on ones that won't make it.
So I ended up holding this desperate little bird, who was trying so hard to move around, but his strength was totally spent. I got to thinking about his plight, and I couldn't help but identify with him. I could just picture myself as a pathetic, blind, fragile creature who refuses sometimes to be nourished by the Lord. I am so glad that God made momma birds so unlike himself ... no matter how much it appears that I am not going to make it, the Lord never gives up on his Beloved. Hallelujah.
So yesterday we were at coffeehouse -- for those who are unaware, that is one of our ministries where we hang out with the homeless in a empty lot, serve refreshments, and "entertain" the guests with songs and testimonies -- and Jim Snyder had found a baby bird lying on their trampoline below the birdhouse. I can't even describe how funky this little bird looked ... it was about as long as my pinky finger, it had no feathers, wouldn't open its eyes, you could see its veins through its fragile skin. It was pretty much the definition of pathetic. Jim said it was likely the momma bird kicked this little buddy out of his house because he wouldn't open his mouth to eat -- apparently mom birds can tell which babies will survive, and just choose not to waste time on ones that won't make it.
So I ended up holding this desperate little bird, who was trying so hard to move around, but his strength was totally spent. I got to thinking about his plight, and I couldn't help but identify with him. I could just picture myself as a pathetic, blind, fragile creature who refuses sometimes to be nourished by the Lord. I am so glad that God made momma birds so unlike himself ... no matter how much it appears that I am not going to make it, the Lord never gives up on his Beloved. Hallelujah.
Friday, June 13, 2008
2 weeks down...
I know I said this in my last post, but it feels like I have been here so much longer than I really have! I think its because we do like 8 different things in any given day, so each day feels like, well...8? I only have like 7 project weeks this summer, and I can't believe two of them are already over. I am so honored to be here, and I feel like I just need to bask in every moment of my time spent here, because it's memories of Philly that sustain me when regular life hits again.
At the end of every week, the project leader explains to the group that there are some people who will ask about their trip, but will only listen to about a one sentence answer. So in order to bring the most glory to God, they are given the opportunity to think through what that sentence would be in preparation for returning home. Does that make sense? So I think I am going to start including my sentences in this blog, although if you are bothering to read, you probably care enough to hear more than one sentence :)
This week: I saw Jesus transplant his servant's heart into 40 students, and then watched those students allow God to use them to passionately further His kingdom in Philly.
The groups that were here this week were ridiculously awesome ... I am was so excited to see fourteen-year-olds have more faith and boldness than most adults I know. When I was worn out from ministry, they were not. I think a large part of it came from amazing leadership ... I was so blessed by the witness and life of the youth pastors here this week. In fact, I am taking a week to go and spend doing ministry with one of them in Butler, PA because I had such an awesome time. I have a lot to learn about what true leadership looks like, and he has so much to teach. The kids got so much done this week, and in all their valiant efforts they inspired unbelievers to join in what they were doing -- people helped mow a lawn, donated sand, gave us sandwiches.... it was crazy! People saw God in these students and they wanted to join! And even more importantly than all their accomplishments, they just sat and the feet of Jesus and loved Him well. It was sweet.
Side note -- God took my heart yesterday and broke it all over again for this neighborhood. I love Philly so much, and I feel so at home here, that I had become blind to the need that brought me here in the first place. One of the youth pastors saw a man shot in the face just a couple doors down from the church where we are staying ... he came back and covered himself in bleach because he had been splattered by blood. I don't share this to give Satan any kind of stronghold, or to glorify what he was attempting to accomplish, but rather to give God glory for the ways that He so perfectly protected our lives and gave us a fervent desire to bring truth into such a broken place. It was a powerful morning, and God allowed us to respond in worship and prayer, and He gave us a place to rest in His goodness. Pray hard for Philly ... God is doing a mighty work here, and He has given us the chance to work alongside him by interceding for the people that he loves so dearly.
At the end of every week, the project leader explains to the group that there are some people who will ask about their trip, but will only listen to about a one sentence answer. So in order to bring the most glory to God, they are given the opportunity to think through what that sentence would be in preparation for returning home. Does that make sense? So I think I am going to start including my sentences in this blog, although if you are bothering to read, you probably care enough to hear more than one sentence :)
This week: I saw Jesus transplant his servant's heart into 40 students, and then watched those students allow God to use them to passionately further His kingdom in Philly.
The groups that were here this week were ridiculously awesome ... I am was so excited to see fourteen-year-olds have more faith and boldness than most adults I know. When I was worn out from ministry, they were not. I think a large part of it came from amazing leadership ... I was so blessed by the witness and life of the youth pastors here this week. In fact, I am taking a week to go and spend doing ministry with one of them in Butler, PA because I had such an awesome time. I have a lot to learn about what true leadership looks like, and he has so much to teach. The kids got so much done this week, and in all their valiant efforts they inspired unbelievers to join in what they were doing -- people helped mow a lawn, donated sand, gave us sandwiches.... it was crazy! People saw God in these students and they wanted to join! And even more importantly than all their accomplishments, they just sat and the feet of Jesus and loved Him well. It was sweet.
Side note -- God took my heart yesterday and broke it all over again for this neighborhood. I love Philly so much, and I feel so at home here, that I had become blind to the need that brought me here in the first place. One of the youth pastors saw a man shot in the face just a couple doors down from the church where we are staying ... he came back and covered himself in bleach because he had been splattered by blood. I don't share this to give Satan any kind of stronghold, or to glorify what he was attempting to accomplish, but rather to give God glory for the ways that He so perfectly protected our lives and gave us a fervent desire to bring truth into such a broken place. It was a powerful morning, and God allowed us to respond in worship and prayer, and He gave us a place to rest in His goodness. Pray hard for Philly ... God is doing a mighty work here, and He has given us the chance to work alongside him by interceding for the people that he loves so dearly.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Back in Philly!
I can't even believe that I have been back in Philly for a week now.... I have just stepped right back into the rhythm of life here, and it feels like I never left. I arrived for training on Weds last week, and I spent the first couple of days getting to know my fellow summer staff and getting reacquainted with the city. On Friday, we went on a scavenger hunt that lasted 6 hours....it was a great time of team-building, running around and introducing the new girls to the area and to the ministries. I freakin' love the other summer staff ... I can't wait to spend a summer getting to know them, and being part of our little "family." Our first team arrived from Boston on Saturday morning, and we were thrown right into our first project. They have been a really awesome team to work with, and we have gotten to do some neat ministry in south Philly. On Sunday morning, we went to "Nations Worship Center," an Indonesian church pastored by a really neat guy named Benny. I don't think I stopped smiling once during worship -- God has blessed us so richly through working with that church! We also got a chance to visit Rock Ministries (a boxing ministry on Kensington Ave) yesterday, and everyone in my prayer group was ecstatic about the sweet ministry that they are doing! Pretty much I just love Philly a lot, and I am soaking in every minute here! I probably won't be bloggin too often (not that I do anyway...), because internet sessions are few and far between. But you can check out trip updates at adventures.org (just click on all the Philly trips for the summer) and that will give you an idea of how the participants are experiencing God. Please pray for our ministry ... we are pushing back the boundaries of darkness here by bringing light, and the enemy is going to put up a fight. Good thing we serve a victorious God! Bam!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Floridian Adventure
This morning I arrived in Baltimore to spend a couple of quick days with my family after a fabulous week in Florida. I spent the first few days in Boca Raton, where my roommate Casey and her family live, then went to Vero Beach to visit my friend Vicky for a couple of days, and then back to Boca for the end.
Some highlights:
- I saw a manatee! Actually, I saw like four. And I swam with them. And touched them. I scratched the algae off their backs, and considered the scum under my fingernails to be a trophy commemorating my adventure. It may sound ridiculous, but I have had a slight obsession with manatees for the last year or so (thanks in large part to a certain Missy Davis) ... I mean, hello... they are floating cows. How can you beat that? They have little puppy dog faces. It was awesome.
- I had some good Jesus time in the Florida sun.
- I slept. A LOT. It was a wearing semester, and it was so nice to enjoy some stress-free slumber.
- I went kayaking in the intercostal in Vero Beach ... it was absolutely amazing! Vicky and I always have the most edifying conversations...now put that in a kayak in the middle of the perfectly quiet intercostal on a beautiful Florida day. It was glorious! We laughed, created some sweet "Woman vs. Wild" videos, and talked about what it looks like to love God in a broken world, all while experiencing his creation.
- I had some impromptu worship with Vicky and her BF... good stuff.
- I put on a dress and rode a bike to eat breakfast at a local restaurant. I felt so, umm... old school? So fun!
- Matt (Vicky's BF) asked me to share what God has taught me about living water with his youth group ... this was an interesting request, since I didn't feel like I had much to say about it. But God has vehemently reminded me this year that I cannot dig my own wells and expect to find living water in them ... I can be a missionary, or go to seminary, or serve the community, but if I am doing it apart from Him, what can I hope to uncover? Springs flow from His hands, not mine -- there is some serious freedom in that! Later in the night, after sharing that with his youth group, Matt told me that I should pursue my possible youth ministry internship...that was a nice encouragement :-)
- I checked by semester grades, and got a 4.0! Take that, appendix...that's the last time you will try and bring me down. ***Disclaimer: This was not done on my own...here's a shout out to the big JC, who helped me quite a bit in this arena.
- I spent a whole day out on Casey's family's boat -- we played in the water, sunbathed, ate watermelon and drove really fast. It was the perfect, climactic end to my trip!
2 other thoughts:
(1) If I have ridiculous amounts of money in the future (something I don't see happening, but you never know), I want to buy a beautiful house on the intercostal and open the doors for missionaries to come and enjoy a free vacation. I would want to cook for them, give them access to kayaks and boats and jet skis and comfy beds....pretty much just spoil them. Because that it what the Wright's and the Fields' did for me, and it was such a unique and meaningful investment in my ministry. The fact that I am entering the summer feeling well-rested is priceless, and it will make me that much more effective for the Kingdom. Feel free to hold me to this plan when I am fabulously wealthy.
(2) Call me a dork, but I freakin' love the Narnia movies. I just saw the second one, and I think it was perfect timing as I transition into the summer. I know that life is a constant battle against the enemy, but most I feel it most poignantly in the Philly when I don the armor of God and walk out against the demons of poverty, oppression, hopelessness, addiction and sin. Watching that movie was like listening to "jock jams" before a big game ... however cheesy it may sound, it was a little bit of inspiration for the weeks ahead. Get pumped, because upcoming posts will be filled with stories of how God is advancing his Kingdom in Philly!
Some highlights:
- I saw a manatee! Actually, I saw like four. And I swam with them. And touched them. I scratched the algae off their backs, and considered the scum under my fingernails to be a trophy commemorating my adventure. It may sound ridiculous, but I have had a slight obsession with manatees for the last year or so (thanks in large part to a certain Missy Davis) ... I mean, hello... they are floating cows. How can you beat that? They have little puppy dog faces. It was awesome.
- I had some good Jesus time in the Florida sun.
- I slept. A LOT. It was a wearing semester, and it was so nice to enjoy some stress-free slumber.
- I went kayaking in the intercostal in Vero Beach ... it was absolutely amazing! Vicky and I always have the most edifying conversations...now put that in a kayak in the middle of the perfectly quiet intercostal on a beautiful Florida day. It was glorious! We laughed, created some sweet "Woman vs. Wild" videos, and talked about what it looks like to love God in a broken world, all while experiencing his creation.
- I had some impromptu worship with Vicky and her BF... good stuff.
- I put on a dress and rode a bike to eat breakfast at a local restaurant. I felt so, umm... old school? So fun!
- Matt (Vicky's BF) asked me to share what God has taught me about living water with his youth group ... this was an interesting request, since I didn't feel like I had much to say about it. But God has vehemently reminded me this year that I cannot dig my own wells and expect to find living water in them ... I can be a missionary, or go to seminary, or serve the community, but if I am doing it apart from Him, what can I hope to uncover? Springs flow from His hands, not mine -- there is some serious freedom in that! Later in the night, after sharing that with his youth group, Matt told me that I should pursue my possible youth ministry internship...that was a nice encouragement :-)
- I checked by semester grades, and got a 4.0! Take that, appendix...that's the last time you will try and bring me down. ***Disclaimer: This was not done on my own...here's a shout out to the big JC, who helped me quite a bit in this arena.
- I spent a whole day out on Casey's family's boat -- we played in the water, sunbathed, ate watermelon and drove really fast. It was the perfect, climactic end to my trip!
2 other thoughts:
(1) If I have ridiculous amounts of money in the future (something I don't see happening, but you never know), I want to buy a beautiful house on the intercostal and open the doors for missionaries to come and enjoy a free vacation. I would want to cook for them, give them access to kayaks and boats and jet skis and comfy beds....pretty much just spoil them. Because that it what the Wright's and the Fields' did for me, and it was such a unique and meaningful investment in my ministry. The fact that I am entering the summer feeling well-rested is priceless, and it will make me that much more effective for the Kingdom. Feel free to hold me to this plan when I am fabulously wealthy.
(2) Call me a dork, but I freakin' love the Narnia movies. I just saw the second one, and I think it was perfect timing as I transition into the summer. I know that life is a constant battle against the enemy, but most I feel it most poignantly in the Philly when I don the armor of God and walk out against the demons of poverty, oppression, hopelessness, addiction and sin. Watching that movie was like listening to "jock jams" before a big game ... however cheesy it may sound, it was a little bit of inspiration for the weeks ahead. Get pumped, because upcoming posts will be filled with stories of how God is advancing his Kingdom in Philly!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Moving on...
So, last night I slept with my mattress on the floor. It was crazy, because I have slept in a lofted bed for the last two years, and my friend Shawn took it down for me yesterday. This is the end of an era. For those of you who know me and my roommates, you understand how big it is for us to be splitting up next year. Granted, we are just living in different places -- I still plan on being friends with them :) But we have had so many ridiculous, hysterical, emotional, and moving moments in University Place #408. I have been so blessed to be a part of everything that God did in that apartment, and to witness the ways that he grew each of us differently. Here's to you, #408, and all the good times we shared with you.
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