Pre-FaithWalkers 2008

Oh, the peaceful sounds of rain pouring down in torrents. The blissfulness of walking outside in a tee shirt instead of bulky layers of coats. Smelling the smells of springtime in dead winter. Such is life when you attend FaithWalkers, a Christian conference hosted by Great Commission Churches Northwest, in Osage Beach, Missouri. We left home a day early for the day-long ride to the resort because of fore-casted bad weather on the horizon. Thankfully we escaped it, and the further towards our destination we traveled, the warmer it got. We arrived to balmy weather of 63 degrees. It even smelled like spring! After much laughter, talking, and what-not last night, we settled down for an uneventful night of slumber. Early this morning the sun cheerfully arose, but as we sat out on the porch and watched the lake and sky awaken to a new day, dark clouds began accumulating. It wasn't long before that wetness commonly called rain came, and it has now been pouring down in torrents for over an hour.

All matters of weather aside, I feel very grateful to attend the conference. Even in the hospital, with everyone telling me to take it easy and rest, I still wanted to go. (I also thought I would feel much better at this time as well. For goodness's sake, its been nearly 3 weeks since surgery) (Side note: more to come on my hospital stay later...)
Attending these conferences throughout the year help to fill me up when I hit a low. Rich, insightful teachings increase my Bible knowledge and challenge me to go beyond the mundane living I find myself falling into at times. I come away from teachings renewed and inspired, eager to grow deeper in my relationship with Jesus Christ. I have once again been reminded by God the importance of living for HIM alone. HE ALONE is worth living for. When I live for myself, satisfying desires of the flesh and not caring for other people as I should because I am too focused on myself, nothing I try to do for Christ will reach its fulfillment. I must do everything wholly as to the Lord, seeking not my own good but the good of others. I feel grateful to the Lord for allowing me to attend these conferences and learn more about HIM. I pray that as the conference begins tonight and goes for the next few days that God will teach me more about Him and help me to grow in my relationship with Him. I look forward to seeing everyone from Chicago as well, and spending time with everyone.
Yes, because of my "invalidism" or "wounded-ness" I am devoid of things I wish I could do, such as swimming with the young people, or running all around this vast resort. Unfortunately, many good things must come to an end when your appendix ruptures. At least, for a while. Who do these teenagers think they are, running around and swimming and never getting tired? Ah well, I shall soon be back to my old self. As it is, I can't get out of bed without assistance or life anything over 15 lbs. I probably look really goofy when I walk, because I keep one hand close to my belly in case anything starts pulling on it, and bend my back at the waist. Even as I do this, I try to keep my back as straight as possible and walk as rapidly as I can. Yes, I must look goofy indeed. :)

share the savior

“If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.” - Charles Spurgeon (Spurgeon At His Best, compiled by Tom Carter, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1991 reprinted edition, first published 1988), 67. ) (http://www.founders.org/journal/fj33/editorial.html)
“Prepare to meet thy God…” - Amos 4:1

drowning in papers

There comes a time every semester when I wonder if I will make it through. Will I complete everything, turn in everything on time, and earn a good grade? Or will I easily give up, letting go of the high standards I had at the beginning of the semester? If we go to school for the right reasons with the goal in mind of graduating in a timely manner and earning a good grade while we're at it, we need to consider everything that goes with it. For example, last spring I took 19 credits of prerequisites and was student teaching 20 hours a week as well as working 20-30 hours a week. Needless to say, I was in over my head. As a result, my grades didn't reflect all that I wanted them to. My student teaching wasn't planned as well as it should have been. And, most importantly, my spiritual life all but crumbled. I was racing around doing everything but ultimately doing nothing that would last. I was not cultivating my relationship with God and growing in Him. I would fall into bed at night and realize I'd not read the bible that day.
"oh well, I'll do it tomorrow," I would think. However, I was not devoted to growing in Christ as I should have been. I devoted myself to my classes, homework, and work, forgetting my Savior in the meantime. I cannot thank God enough that I went to Chicago and participated in SALT this summer. It truly woke me up to the most important thing I need to be doing in life: Serving God and growing in Him. Praise God for His mercy! He is so faithful when we make mistakes and screw up. Ever-loving, He does not let us stay where we are in the mud and mire, but seeks us out and brings us back to Himself because of His great love.
"We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's." Romans 14:7-8

the evil of two lessers

http://www.visionforum.com/hottopics/blogs/dwp/2008-VoterGuide.pdf

I encourage everyone who is voting tomorrow to look at this simple voter guide that Vision Forum created. What everything eventually boils down to is: are these candidates supporting life or supporting the convenience of getting rid of a "mistake"? are they supporting the fundamentals of preserving God-given life, or not?
So many fellow Christians are on the bandwagon of voting for the lesser of two evils. We need to look at the facts, check out the data, and acknowledge the political history everyone running for office has. Does what they're saying now support what they voted for in the past? Do they show evidence of practicing what they preach? Consider this: We have had a "pro-life" president in the White House for eight years. Abortion is still legal. For six of those eight years, the supreme court was "pro-life" republican-dominated. Life is still being terminated legally. Babies never see light of day because of a few elected official's un-kept promises. Please, don't let the media tell you how to vote. Don't vote out of fear. Vote because you are a Christian, don't vote because you are a Democrat or Republican.
Whoever becomes elected, we as Christians have a huge responsibility. I don't think God punishes countries because of what evil people are doing. They don't know they are doing evil in some cases. Instead, God punishes countries because of the Christians who do nothing. Will you do something?

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save

Till on that cross, as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His, and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from his hand
Till he returns or call me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Encounter Conference

Ah, the joys of christian conferencing! this weekend my friend Allisa and I went to Des Moines for a college leadership conference and were reunited with our Chicago brethren from the summer. it was SO good to see everyone again! I didn't realize how much I'd missed everyone until I actually saw them. the weather was GORGEOUS, and we went wading across the Des Moines River. 4 inches, my eye! more like 4 inches for a giant...lets just say we all got a lot wetter than we planned.
we found turtle eggs (sadly i accidentally knocked sand down on a couple and they fell in the water) BUT ONE OF THE TURTLES WAS HATCHING! it was pretty cool. :-)
on the way back from the conference on Sunday afternoon I got to stop in Des Moines to visit my Grandma, who broke her hip a few weeks ago. It seemed like forever since I'd seen her. I am hugely grateful for Dan bringing Allisa and I back and stopping so I could see my Grandma.
the conference itself was extremely helpful in getting me back on track and renewing my heart. there are so many times when i get stuck in the rut of life and I feel like I'm not being effective for Christ at all. I am just plodding along, doing the mundane tasks of life and so often I can forget God's higher calling. I liked what Tom Short, our speaker this weekend, said:
"yes, you ARE a saint if you've accepted Jesus Christ. I like it when people say to me, 'who do you think you are-a saint, or something?'" "well, actually..."
if you have accepted Jesus into your heart and are living your life for Him, then you are a saint. therefore, you must live like one. OF COURSE people look at you differently and hold you to a higher standard-you are a child of the KING!!!
Lord willing, I will be at Faithwalkers in Missouri this winter. It was an amazing conference last year, and i pray God teaches me more about Himself and shows me areas in my life where i need to grow in Him.

Wondering at Wander

Every time I look at the world I find something out
Every time I look at myself I wonder who I am
But every time I look at You I close my eyes and breath life in

Cause I know who You are
I don’t have to wonder
I know what you did
And I know who You are

Every time I see something
Every time I say something
Every time I grip reality again

I see something more
I never saw before
And I am brought back to
Who You are

Cause I know who You are
I don’t have to wonder
I know what you did
And I know who You are

You are
The One who took my burdens
You are
The One who took my pain
You are
The One who took my sins
Took it all, upon your back

Every time I look around
I see
The wonder of Your majesty
The glory of the King

Every time I think of heaven
I believe
You are who You said You are
And You have done everything.



Do you know Who God is? Do you know God? God is, and has always been. he will never fail us even when we fail him, and he will never leave us even if we feel like dirt. God is love, love so deep we cannot even comprehend it. God is the amazing creator of the universe, the one who had the perfect plan, the only plan that really worked. While we try to save ourselves through good works and 'holy' living, God is waiting for us to turn to Him and acknowledge the truth: we cannot save ourselves. God is waiting for our attention so He can gently whisper, "my child, I sent my beloved Son to die for you so you wouldn't have to die. turn your life over to me and let me do the work in your heart no one else can. I love you more than anything else. that is why I created you!" Do you know God?

Well, I finally have a blog. after several months of thinking of getting one, tonight I made time to create the blog I've been wanting for so long. I look foward in the days ahead to posting random thoughts and experiences of my life for my friends to read about who can't talk face to face with me everyday. The night draws late at the moment, so I must bid farewell for this day. Until tomorrow!