WAIT and GET READY!

What beautiful moments on beautiful days filled with the God that I truly adore.
How marvelous is His love and how sacred is His name.
Holy Father.
Move me.
Move us.
Move this nation and this world.
Bring us to our knees.
Show us your mercy, grace and love.
Let us fear your name.

Oh Father, reveal to us more of you. More of your spirit, your wisdom, your joy, your love, your grace, you self-control, your desires, your heart.

I've been asked a few times how my week has been. And I can't truly give anyone a solid answer. Mostly, because I haven't had enough time to think about it. This week has been crazy. God has provided. He has given me strength. He has revealed his desires for me TO me. He has allowed me to celebrate with friends. He has built community in my church this week. He has allowed the bonding of friends to occur. He has given me encouragement through friends and family. He has allowed me to be sad with those who are sad. He has shown me the pain of life. He has shown me the glory of His life.

On Sunday, Paul Gunther spoke at church. And the things that God gave him to say were incredibly inspiring. What was also amazing, was the rain. It rained for two days over the weekend. It was so refreshing and rejuvenating to my soul. Back to Sunday morning, I went to the 8am service, where I was still trying to wake up. The week before that had been busy and I had just been wondering what God wanted for me and from me. But I love when Paul speaks because he goes off in tangents, and he makes it very practical. He was talking about James 5:1-11. (Read the passage! It's a good one!) He was talking about how the the farmers back in those days needed rain. Most of the time, we associate rain with dark and storm-like days. But when the rain came, the farmers saw it as a blessing because that is how they made their livelihood. The rain may seem sad to some, but it's your perspective of the rain that makes in beautiful. I love the rain. For me, it's God saying that everything is going to be okay. On Sunday, I needed that from God. More so, I needed to hear that as I wait for what is next, I need to get ready. If you read my last post, you know that I've been struggling with the waiting to do something. This was my answer.

WAIT and GET READY!

Cell Phones

My phone dies, ALL THE STINKIN TIME. It's seriously one of the most annoying things on the planet. I talk on the stupid thing for 15 minutes and it dies. But it has taught me some quite valuable lessons. My phone isn't that important. Yes, it connects me to people all over Arizona and even throughout the country. But it is not my life line. God is. I know, super cheesy. Really though, when I don't have a phone, it allows me to be more conscious about interceding for people. I'm constantly talking to God about the people I can't call. It pushes me to spend quality time with those around me and not worry so much about connecting with someone else via text messaging. I think the phone is one of the greatest things that was invented. We have access to so many people all over that we wouldn't have access too if it weren't for cell phones. But spending time face to face with people is important as well. More often than not, I see students and friends who put their conversation on hold with the person they're hanging out with to text someone else. I'm all for taking important calls, but it's also important to build relationship with people face to face. One of my friends almost always turned their phone on silent when we hung out, so they wouldn't be distracted by their phone. That is always a reminder to me to build relationship through meeting with people and truly getting to know them.

Yup, that was my rant about cell phones. :)

Servant Leadership

I'm taking this leadership class and I've been working on the midterm for it. For some reason, the fact that it's my midterm kind of freaks me out. I literally have 100% in the class right now, but the mere fact that it is a midterm just rattles me a bit. Anyways, I've been working on it and it's been okay. But while I sit there writing it out, I can't help thinking about all of the people in the world that are hurting.

If you've read my recent posts about the justice conference you'll understand my feelings on this particular subject. Sometimes, I wonder why I'm doing this...going to school, working at church, and all of the other things I fill my time with. I know that this is where God has me and all that. But it doesn't feel like enough. There are kids in other countries being sold, there are young girls in AMERICA being sold for sex. There are people who have been tricked into slavery and cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. There are women crying themselves to sleep after they've been beaten. There are young and old who don't get to eat today. If I continue, I might get overwhelmed. But they need a voice.

I haven't had any super traumatic experience, I haven't lived in poverty. Honestly, I don't know what that's like. But I do know that they deserve to have a voice. I don't just want to start small, I need to do something about it. Not for myself, but for Him. God has put this passion on my heart for a very specific reason.

A Person's A Person, No Matter How Small

Why do we so often forget that the people we work with are people too?
They aren't just our coworkers.
They aren't just friends.
But they are people.
People with stories.

All too often we forget that. We take them for granted and don't treat them as people.

The two greatest commandments:
He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.' and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Luke 10:27

As we live, we are called to a greater love and to love greatly. I know I'm not alone in this. Friends, choose to love sacrificially. Choose to love differently. Choose to love each PERSON you come in contact with. Choose to set aside your selfish desires and wants to love. Choose to love greatly. For you are greatly loved.

 

Post-Justice Conference

If you know me at all, you probably know my reaction to this conference...

IT WAS FREAKIN AWESOME!!!!

The speakers were phenomenal, the message was empowering, the ideas were inspiring...now I must go change the world. 

One of the biggest things that was talked about was not to be overwhelmed by the vastness of justice that is needed in this world. One of the opening quotes that Ken Wytsma, the founder of the Justice Conference, said was first spoken by Dietrich Boenhoffer. 

      "Being a Christ is less about cautiously avoiding sin 

than about courageously and actively doing God's will." 

Uh, YES PLEASE!!! That is all I want to do now. 

Obviously, I went to this conference because I believe in justice for all. That's been my heart ever since I can remember. Seriously, it's a bit ridiculous. But I'm so enthusiastic about it now that I have to know what to do right now. 

Francis Chan opened his talk with, 

"Don't let anyone talk you out of the passion and concern you feel right now!!"

He told us that he had done this on multiple occasions. When you let people dictate how you live and what you're passionate about, you tell God that his ideas and passions are not for you. Why in the WORLD would you do that to God? Yeah, I have NO idea either. 

I don't know what God is going to have me to do, but I know it will have to do with justice. I know that this is what I've been put here to do. Now, it takes the COURAGE to be actively doing God's will. I took so many notes and I want to share them with you, but I need to look back over them and form my thoughts on how to get started. For now, I will be generous with those around me. My money, possessions, thoughts, and feelings are not my own, but Christ's. What would he do with the things he's given me? That is what I will do. For nothing on earth is ours, we just think it is. But we're wrong. Everything that we have is God's. THAT idea has changed my perspective. 

How does it change yours?  

Pre-Justice Conference

So, I'm going to The Justice Conference today and tomorrow in Portland, OR. And here are my thoughts before it actually begins.

Jenna, Marco and I all began our journey to Portland on Wednesday, Feb. 22nd at 11pm. Yes, we drove all through the night and all the next day. We arrived in Portland at 9pm Thursday night. It was freakin insane. We didn't stop too too much, and the longest stop was for lunch with my cousin in Redding. I can't begin to tell you the craziness of that trip. I slept most of it, because I felt sick and the other two wouldn't sleep.

But onto the conference...we registered at 7am this morning then headed to Starbucks straight away. We NEED coffee in the morning. Otherwise, it is not pleasant. I'm SO excited about this conference. When people asked me about it, I never really knew what to say about it. It was a conference about justice. As I walked into the conference hall this morning, it struck me how much my perspective could change after this.

For most of this year (I know it's only been like 2 months), I've felt a stirring in my heart from God that my perspective would be changed in many ways this year. What with going to N. Ireland and Thailand. There are so many ways that he has already shaped me, yet there is always more to be learned.

For my paper in English this semester, I'm writing about the harms of prostitution. As you can see, my heart is very focused on social justice. That is what we have been learning about in college group, which is where this all began. Yeah. I blame my college pastor. Regardless, I know that this is what God is leading me too. Who knows what could happen.

All I'm expecting from this conference is to learn about the justices and injustices happening in this world. And I'm prepared for my mind to be blown. Here we go! Weeeeeeeeeee!

Decision Making

I didn't understand what it meant to make decisions for the rest of my life. But I have a better understanding now. Constant decision making changes the way we think about things. There is no way to fully comprehend how tough each decision will be. Ultimately, it will honor God. He works in every decision, especially when you are seeking him.

For nothing will be impossible with God. 
Luke 1:37

I figured out what was holding me back.

I don't want to disappoint people. 

 Problem? Yes. Because it's not about what other people think. If you know what God is calling you to do, then you should do it without hesitation. So many times, we ignore that and hope that he'll tell us to do something else so we won't have to make the hard decision. I do this. 

Recently, I was reading the book of Judges and the story of Gideon. God told Gideon blatantly what he was supposed to do and Gideon doubted. He questioned God 4 different times.   I am nothing like Gideon. Yet, God spoke and chose to question. It's a reminder of how much of a human being I am. 

On top of not knowing what to do and not wanting to disappoint people, I am sick. It's just a runny nose. But you can tell by my voice and now all I can think about is how I'm going to blow my nose next. 

And in all these things, there is hope. 

Last night was the first night that we had a girls sleepover for my junior high group. There were so many fun moments, conversations, laughs and joyous screams. I can't tell you the amount of love in that room last night. Those girls brightened my week. Because this week has been one of much prayer, seeking the Lord on my behalf and those of my close friends. 

I can do all things through him who gives me strength. 

Philippians 4:13

Today, all I want to do is sleep. I want to go home and just shut the world out and feel better. Instead, I choose to make a difference. Today, I choose to look at others and invest in them. Today, it's not about me and my decisions. It's about listening to others. It's about sharing their burdens. 

Sometimes, 

we have to do things that God calls us to do, 

regardless of what we think or want to do. 

In the end, it's worth it. 

Because you did what God called you to do.