Guess what?
I'M GOING TO TEXAS!!
I will be a full-time youth ministry intern at River City Community Church in San Antonio, Texas for ten weeks this summer. Praise the Lord!
If you wouldn't mind, you can be praying for that and for blessings upon all the details that are involved with it.
You can check out the church at http://www.reallife.org/
February 18, 2010
EPIC
For anyone reading this that doesn't know, there is a church that I go to here in Indiana.
Epic Church - awesome name, huh?
Epic is a new church plant here in Mishawaka. It is being held accountable and supported by a other churches in the area, and its mission is to "Live in and Live out God's love."
Just to give you a little background... This is off of our website: http://www.epicmishawaka.org
"Why are we called Epic Church?
1. An epic is a poem. Our lives are like a poem and God is our composer. We believe that God longs to narrate more and more of His love for us on the pages of our heart. We are his masterpiece (Eph. 2:10). We are on a journey to discover and live in the love that He has for us.
2. An epic often has a central hero. We recognize that we are far from perfect people and yet we have a hope that is found in following after the ways of our hero and rabbi, Jesus.
3. Finally, an epic is something BIG. As we come to understand more of God's love, we believe that God will transform our lives and our community to see people and circumstances through His eyes. As a result, God will do big things in us and through us as we live out His love to the people of Mishawaka and throughout the world."
I have been blessed with leading guitar as part of the worship team for a few weeks already. Well, Epic Church is moving to its new location, Meadow's Edge Elementary School, and also moving to mornings at 10:30am this Sunday. I can't believe it! We have two "preview" weeks and then our official Public Launch.
Please keep us in your prayers. God's grace is so amazing. The pastor, Jeremy LeVan used to be the youth pastor at Northbrook in Milwaukee, and so we know some of the same people (from Elmbrook and Westbrook). Crazy small world! It had been his passion ever since his time at Northbrook to plant a "brook" church here in Mishawaka, and that has been his vision for Epic all along. He had been praying for some connection, and lo and behold here I come from involvement with Westbrook. It's really crazy, because out of all the people, God chose me - an 18 year old freshman in college from Wisconsin. Okay God, what the heck!! It's humbling, and exciting and unbelievable and nerve-wracking all at the same time - but God keeps pouring His peace on me.
I officially joined their Launch Team and am getting plugged in with a home group, but I had to turn down a request from the Children's department. They are in need of teachers and leaders, but at the moment I cannot commit to that, as I have other commitments at Epic and at Bethel, etc. It's always hard saying no to someone, and I love children, but I can't and don't want to be a part of something if I cannot be fully into it, and frankly it wouldn't be good for them or for me.
I am SO excited and am astonished at how God's hand is on us. He has every detail and each person involved smothered with His grace and leaking with His peace and love.
Praise His NAME!
Epic Church - awesome name, huh?
Epic is a new church plant here in Mishawaka. It is being held accountable and supported by a other churches in the area, and its mission is to "Live in and Live out God's love."
Just to give you a little background... This is off of our website: http://www.epicmishawaka.org
"Why are we called Epic Church?
1. An epic is a poem. Our lives are like a poem and God is our composer. We believe that God longs to narrate more and more of His love for us on the pages of our heart. We are his masterpiece (Eph. 2:10). We are on a journey to discover and live in the love that He has for us.
2. An epic often has a central hero. We recognize that we are far from perfect people and yet we have a hope that is found in following after the ways of our hero and rabbi, Jesus.
3. Finally, an epic is something BIG. As we come to understand more of God's love, we believe that God will transform our lives and our community to see people and circumstances through His eyes. As a result, God will do big things in us and through us as we live out His love to the people of Mishawaka and throughout the world."
I have been blessed with leading guitar as part of the worship team for a few weeks already. Well, Epic Church is moving to its new location, Meadow's Edge Elementary School, and also moving to mornings at 10:30am this Sunday. I can't believe it! We have two "preview" weeks and then our official Public Launch.
Please keep us in your prayers. God's grace is so amazing. The pastor, Jeremy LeVan used to be the youth pastor at Northbrook in Milwaukee, and so we know some of the same people (from Elmbrook and Westbrook). Crazy small world! It had been his passion ever since his time at Northbrook to plant a "brook" church here in Mishawaka, and that has been his vision for Epic all along. He had been praying for some connection, and lo and behold here I come from involvement with Westbrook. It's really crazy, because out of all the people, God chose me - an 18 year old freshman in college from Wisconsin. Okay God, what the heck!! It's humbling, and exciting and unbelievable and nerve-wracking all at the same time - but God keeps pouring His peace on me.
I officially joined their Launch Team and am getting plugged in with a home group, but I had to turn down a request from the Children's department. They are in need of teachers and leaders, but at the moment I cannot commit to that, as I have other commitments at Epic and at Bethel, etc. It's always hard saying no to someone, and I love children, but I can't and don't want to be a part of something if I cannot be fully into it, and frankly it wouldn't be good for them or for me.
I am SO excited and am astonished at how God's hand is on us. He has every detail and each person involved smothered with His grace and leaking with His peace and love.
Praise His NAME!
Dove's Eyes
There's a song I've been listening to called Dove's Eyes by Misty Edwards:
I don't want to talk about You like You're not in the room.
I want to look right at You.
I want to sing right to You.
I believe that You are listening.
I believe that You move at the sound of my voice.
Give me dove's eyes.
Give me undistracted devotion for only You.
God, grant me a heart of willingness and undistracted devotion for only You. I am faint with love, Abba. You sustain me.
I don't want to talk about You like You're not in the room.
I want to look right at You.
I want to sing right to You.
I believe that You are listening.
I believe that You move at the sound of my voice.
Give me dove's eyes.
Give me undistracted devotion for only You.
God, grant me a heart of willingness and undistracted devotion for only You. I am faint with love, Abba. You sustain me.
Learning To Let Go
God's been teaching me a lot about willingness lately. Especially in the contexts of Job and everything with Abraham and Isaac in the Bible.
Abraham was in the middle of sacrificing his son, when God gave him an out because of his hearts' willingness to obey. In Genesis 22:12 God says "Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Right after, an angel of the LORD declared, "I swear by myself, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
That's what He wants from us.
Personally, I've been putting this in the context of people in my life. I value them so much, and quite honestly, sometimes above God. He's been teaching me that I need to have the willingness in my heart to drop any given friendship or person in my life in the blink of an eye, and on the contrary, to be willing to take on any form of friendship with anyone also. Super hard, but it removes any and all dependency that I have on people. WOW!
I am going through the book of Job with one of my friends on campus. Last week was our first, and I am so excited for it.
After Job's first test at the end of chapter 1, it says that, "At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head"(which symbolized grief in his culture).
"Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
'Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised.'
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing."
THAT IS SO CRAZY! It makes me think, "What the heck! That is so unnatural and bizarre... crazy."
Job FELL DOWN TO THE GROUND IN WORSHIP!!!
Abraham was in the middle of sacrificing his son, when God gave him an out because of his hearts' willingness to obey. In Genesis 22:12 God says "Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Right after, an angel of the LORD declared, "I swear by myself, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
That's what He wants from us.
Personally, I've been putting this in the context of people in my life. I value them so much, and quite honestly, sometimes above God. He's been teaching me that I need to have the willingness in my heart to drop any given friendship or person in my life in the blink of an eye, and on the contrary, to be willing to take on any form of friendship with anyone also. Super hard, but it removes any and all dependency that I have on people. WOW!
I am going through the book of Job with one of my friends on campus. Last week was our first, and I am so excited for it.
After Job's first test at the end of chapter 1, it says that, "At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head"(which symbolized grief in his culture).
"Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
'Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised.'
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing."
THAT IS SO CRAZY! It makes me think, "What the heck! That is so unnatural and bizarre... crazy."
Job FELL DOWN TO THE GROUND IN WORSHIP!!!
February 3, 2010
The Hurricane and the Tree
One of my friends told me that she received a picture for me the other night.
She said that as she was praying for me, she received an image in her mind-- I was standing in a town and there was a hurricane going on, but during the whole time God's hand was hovering over and above it. She asked Him what it meant, and He said that it's like that song "How He Loves" by Kim Walker...
He "Loves like a hurricane and I am a tree, bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy. Then all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, and I realize just how beautiful You are and how great Your affections are for me."
My friend told me that the hurricane represented God's love that is ripping out and tearing apart the old in my life, whether it be memories, lies, things I've done, thought, or seen, and He is taking me through the process of replanting. Making me new.
There's a new song I've been listening to lately and some of the lyrics go "Be gentle with me Jesus, as you tear me apart," and that's exactly it.
He is SO tender, and gentle and patient.
Lastly, my friend told me that His hand over the whole situation meant that through all the chaos, and in the midst of "the hurricane," He was consuming it with his shadow of love.
OH, YES He does! How He LOVES.
She said that as she was praying for me, she received an image in her mind-- I was standing in a town and there was a hurricane going on, but during the whole time God's hand was hovering over and above it. She asked Him what it meant, and He said that it's like that song "How He Loves" by Kim Walker...
He "Loves like a hurricane and I am a tree, bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy. Then all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, and I realize just how beautiful You are and how great Your affections are for me."
My friend told me that the hurricane represented God's love that is ripping out and tearing apart the old in my life, whether it be memories, lies, things I've done, thought, or seen, and He is taking me through the process of replanting. Making me new.
There's a new song I've been listening to lately and some of the lyrics go "Be gentle with me Jesus, as you tear me apart," and that's exactly it.
He is SO tender, and gentle and patient.
Lastly, my friend told me that His hand over the whole situation meant that through all the chaos, and in the midst of "the hurricane," He was consuming it with his shadow of love.
OH, YES He does! How He LOVES.
Tender Mercy
"I just want to douse you in my love so you won't be afraid anymore."
This is what God has been speaking to me lately. He wants to rip open the veil and all the walls and barriers that keep His love from freely flowing.
"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe." Proverbs 29:25.
AND that's a promise :)
Luke 1:78-79 tells us that "Because of God's tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us. To give us light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace."
This is what God has been speaking to me lately. He wants to rip open the veil and all the walls and barriers that keep His love from freely flowing.
"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe." Proverbs 29:25.
AND that's a promise :)
Luke 1:78-79 tells us that "Because of God's tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us. To give us light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace."
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