It's been a few weeks since I wrote my last blog update - lots going on in the world of Operations!
The weeks leading up to Christmas were full of meetings and calls and e-mails about details concerning TCX, our annual winter conference. Around 1500 college students are attending TCX this year to be challenged, trained, equipped, encouraged and challenged. It's our hope and prayer that students would not leave this conference without being changed by God in some way that will make a lasting difference in their lives.
God's continually used TCX in my life in significant ways. This year is no exception. Mid-way through the conference this year, one of my impressions is the need for an increased awareness of sin in my life, and submitting in obedience to confess it and repent. I think about my sin a lot, and confess it to God periodically, but I feel a prompting to deal with it in a more direct way.
There are other significant things that God is calling me to do, or pray about, or surrender to Him that He has brought up this week. I'm sure I'll be blogging about them in the near future. :)
I also want to share a link with you: www.tcx2010.com. This website has up to date info about TCX this year, and will hopefully give you a picture of some of the things God is doing in and through students and staff this week. Check it out!
(I've also blogged quite a bit about the other TCX conferences I've been to in the last 5 years. Click on the 'tcx' label below this post to see 'conclusions' drawn from former years at the conference.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Operationally Building Movements Everywhere
Here's a small picture at a typical task for an operations team member with our regional office:
TCX, our annual winter conference is our biggest event. It takes all of our 200+ staff in the Upper Midwest to pull this event off. One of the biggest days at the conference is registering all of our attendees. Successfully pulling off the registration at this event takes a lot of preparation.
My role this year is making sure every student that arrives has a room. Of course, we don't just assign them any room with anyone - we try to keep students with their campus or geographic area (what we call a missional team). If you're from a small school in South Dakota, we try to put you with others from your state.
It's actually a simple process. Once students arrive at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, they check a sign in the lobby that lists what campus is staying on what floor. They head up the elevator to their designated floor, where they meet a staff member who assigns them to a room. From there they drop off their luggage, and finish registering on the 3rd floor of the hotel.
Part of my role involves training 24 staff in how to properly register the students. I love involving campus staff in ministry operations. I think it's important for them to see how important operations tasks are, so we on the Ops team and they as campus staff can continue to work well together.
With around 1450 students this year from over 100 different campuses, the hardest part lies in sorting data. I have an Excel file of every students' name and campus, and will sort through to count how many male and female students registered from every campus. I then consult a list of missional teams, and group the campuses into their geographic areas.
The next step is to obtain a list of rooms from the hotel that we have. I generally planned for 1600 students this year, which means we book 400 hotel rooms. I try to pair the number of rooms needed with the number of rooms available on a floor. Basically, we book the entire hotel.
(Along with the students, we have around 250 staff in attendance, (with their children), 125 high school students for a similar conference of their own, and 75+ Volunteers and guests. Over 2,000 people!)
This task of assigning students a hotel room is just one in a list of responsibilities that I have. I'm betting that not many of the 2,000 conference attendees will think about this process. But it's actually a task I enjoy and an area I love.
It's easy to get lost in the details. It's even easy to forget there are students attending the conference, as my interaction with them is sometimes limited. But when I overhear a student talking about sharing his faith for the first time, or chat with a student interested in serving with Campus Crusade in a role like mine, I'm reminded about the purpose of the details. I do the details in order to build spiritual movements everywhere. It's our hope to continue to pray and think about the ways God can use them to advance His Kingdom - during and after college.
TCX, our annual winter conference is our biggest event. It takes all of our 200+ staff in the Upper Midwest to pull this event off. One of the biggest days at the conference is registering all of our attendees. Successfully pulling off the registration at this event takes a lot of preparation.
My role this year is making sure every student that arrives has a room. Of course, we don't just assign them any room with anyone - we try to keep students with their campus or geographic area (what we call a missional team). If you're from a small school in South Dakota, we try to put you with others from your state.
It's actually a simple process. Once students arrive at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, they check a sign in the lobby that lists what campus is staying on what floor. They head up the elevator to their designated floor, where they meet a staff member who assigns them to a room. From there they drop off their luggage, and finish registering on the 3rd floor of the hotel.
Part of my role involves training 24 staff in how to properly register the students. I love involving campus staff in ministry operations. I think it's important for them to see how important operations tasks are, so we on the Ops team and they as campus staff can continue to work well together.
With around 1450 students this year from over 100 different campuses, the hardest part lies in sorting data. I have an Excel file of every students' name and campus, and will sort through to count how many male and female students registered from every campus. I then consult a list of missional teams, and group the campuses into their geographic areas.
The next step is to obtain a list of rooms from the hotel that we have. I generally planned for 1600 students this year, which means we book 400 hotel rooms. I try to pair the number of rooms needed with the number of rooms available on a floor. Basically, we book the entire hotel.
(Along with the students, we have around 250 staff in attendance, (with their children), 125 high school students for a similar conference of their own, and 75+ Volunteers and guests. Over 2,000 people!)
This task of assigning students a hotel room is just one in a list of responsibilities that I have. I'm betting that not many of the 2,000 conference attendees will think about this process. But it's actually a task I enjoy and an area I love.
It's easy to get lost in the details. It's even easy to forget there are students attending the conference, as my interaction with them is sometimes limited. But when I overhear a student talking about sharing his faith for the first time, or chat with a student interested in serving with Campus Crusade in a role like mine, I'm reminded about the purpose of the details. I do the details in order to build spiritual movements everywhere. It's our hope to continue to pray and think about the ways God can use them to advance His Kingdom - during and after college.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A lesson from rush hour.
This morning, the crazy traffic downtown showed me something that will be very helpful for my job.
I've actually enjoyed my 5 mile, 25 minute commute to the office so far. You've probably heard by now that Minneapolis got a ton of snow over the weekend. The roads are fine now, but there's so much snow that there is generally one less lane on many major roads that have heavy traffic during rush hour. This makes for a much longer commute.
Traffic had just started to pick up a few blocks from the office. I was trying to watch the cars in my lane up ahead to see how packed it was, when suddenly the car in front of me hit their brakes.
Luckily the roads were clear and I stopped in time. I needed to both watch far ahead of me to make sure I was going in the right direction, and immediately in front of me to ensure I didn't crash into some one.
And so it is with operations. The ability to focus on the task at hand is obviously essential, but it is also important to be heading in the right direction as I work. The other day I found myself updating contact information on some forms, when I realized that we wouldn't need the forms for several weeks, and I had quite a bit to do that moment for a conference.
This sort of reminds me of a quote I heard back in the B-School: Climb the corporate ladder. Just make sure your ladder is up against the right wall.
I've actually enjoyed my 5 mile, 25 minute commute to the office so far. You've probably heard by now that Minneapolis got a ton of snow over the weekend. The roads are fine now, but there's so much snow that there is generally one less lane on many major roads that have heavy traffic during rush hour. This makes for a much longer commute.
Traffic had just started to pick up a few blocks from the office. I was trying to watch the cars in my lane up ahead to see how packed it was, when suddenly the car in front of me hit their brakes.
Luckily the roads were clear and I stopped in time. I needed to both watch far ahead of me to make sure I was going in the right direction, and immediately in front of me to ensure I didn't crash into some one.
And so it is with operations. The ability to focus on the task at hand is obviously essential, but it is also important to be heading in the right direction as I work. The other day I found myself updating contact information on some forms, when I realized that we wouldn't need the forms for several weeks, and I had quite a bit to do that moment for a conference.
This sort of reminds me of a quote I heard back in the B-School: Climb the corporate ladder. Just make sure your ladder is up against the right wall.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Bring on Week Two!
I'm excited to get back to the office this week; we've got a lot going on. TCX, our annual winter conference, is coming up in quickly! Two weeks from tonight, December 26th, I'll be setting up our conference office at the Hilton in downtown Minneapolis. It takes a ton of behind-the-scenes work to prepare for and execute a four-day conference for 2,000 people. We have a great website this year with some more info; check it out here.
Also on my radar this week are the international summer missions projects for our region. This year I'll help 6 couples from the Upper Midwest coordinate their 4-6 week long trips to international cities. Each trip will have several staff members, and probably 15 students on average. This week I'll be meeting with a few people who will teach me how to coach our project directors through the process of leading a successful trip. One thing I'll do this week is update the very out of date info on our website - I'm no web designer, by any means, but we don't have one in the office so we'll make do! (You can see the website here).
Also on my radar this week are the international summer missions projects for our region. This year I'll help 6 couples from the Upper Midwest coordinate their 4-6 week long trips to international cities. Each trip will have several staff members, and probably 15 students on average. This week I'll be meeting with a few people who will teach me how to coach our project directors through the process of leading a successful trip. One thing I'll do this week is update the very out of date info on our website - I'm no web designer, by any means, but we don't have one in the office so we'll make do! (You can see the website here).
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Week One Thoughts
Whew! My first week of work at the Regional Office is down in the books. It was great! I really like my team and the other officemates I've met this week. I feel so privileged to be serving with Campus Crusade, especially in the Upper Midwest region.
What strikes me most after this week is that God really does equip those he calls to serve Him. I've heard this promise many times, but I believe it now, in a different way. He's been growing my heart for the world in a few different ways since new staff training, specifically in the last 4-5 months. Looking back I can see Him preparing me for switching to a new role within the Operations team: coordinating our international summer missions projects.
I'm a quote collector (collecting and archiving all kinds of info is one of my strengths). One of my favorites is from Amy Carmichael: It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desires that He creates.
I have desires that He probably won't fulfill in my life, for whatever reason. Some of them are from the world, constantly forced upon me. Some are true desires He's given me. Many people cite Psalm 37:4 as one of their favorite verses: Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. This doesn't mean God will give me what I want. It means He will place the desires He has for my life in my heart. When I take delight in Him, the desires won't matter so much.
God's given me desires to do things that I never pictured myself doing. The reason why doesn't matter, because it's not about me - it's all about Him.
What strikes me most after this week is that God really does equip those he calls to serve Him. I've heard this promise many times, but I believe it now, in a different way. He's been growing my heart for the world in a few different ways since new staff training, specifically in the last 4-5 months. Looking back I can see Him preparing me for switching to a new role within the Operations team: coordinating our international summer missions projects.
I'm a quote collector (collecting and archiving all kinds of info is one of my strengths). One of my favorites is from Amy Carmichael: It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desires that He creates.
I have desires that He probably won't fulfill in my life, for whatever reason. Some of them are from the world, constantly forced upon me. Some are true desires He's given me. Many people cite Psalm 37:4 as one of their favorite verses: Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. This doesn't mean God will give me what I want. It means He will place the desires He has for my life in my heart. When I take delight in Him, the desires won't matter so much.
God's given me desires to do things that I never pictured myself doing. The reason why doesn't matter, because it's not about me - it's all about Him.
Monday, December 06, 2010
100%!
Great news: over the weekend I reached 100% of my financial goal, and today I got the final "ok" today to report to the office! I could not be more excited to head into the office tomorrow to join my teammates in reaching college students with the Gospel.
The "office" I so often speak of is the Upper Midwest Regional Office in Minneapolis, MN. In the US, Campus Crusade for Christ is organized into 10 different geographic regions. One of those is the Upper Midwest, made up the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Each region has an office in a major city, ours being Minneapolis, as sort of a nucleus of staff that offer leadership and support to staff around the region.
There are two main teams in our Minneapolis office: the Leadership Development team, and the Operations team. The Leadership Development team is basically the HR team of the office. They facilitate staff interviews, coordinate and lead our interns, help coach staff in their support raising, among many other things. HR in a non-profit organization really intrigues me; our HR team has more of a focus on training and development than legal/compliance issues that a for-profit company deals with. (There is an HR division in Orlando at our International headquarters, so I'm sure they deal with similar issues as a for-profit company).
The Operations team has several functions, providing leadership in areas of Fund Development, Information Systems, Technology, Finance and Conferences/Events, among others! Our overall goal is the same as campus staff: build spiritual movements everywhere, so everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus!
Well, that's enough ministry mumbo-jumbo for one evening!
Photos of my new office cubicle coming soon! (:
The "office" I so often speak of is the Upper Midwest Regional Office in Minneapolis, MN. In the US, Campus Crusade for Christ is organized into 10 different geographic regions. One of those is the Upper Midwest, made up the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Each region has an office in a major city, ours being Minneapolis, as sort of a nucleus of staff that offer leadership and support to staff around the region.There are two main teams in our Minneapolis office: the Leadership Development team, and the Operations team. The Leadership Development team is basically the HR team of the office. They facilitate staff interviews, coordinate and lead our interns, help coach staff in their support raising, among many other things. HR in a non-profit organization really intrigues me; our HR team has more of a focus on training and development than legal/compliance issues that a for-profit company deals with. (There is an HR division in Orlando at our International headquarters, so I'm sure they deal with similar issues as a for-profit company).
The Operations team has several functions, providing leadership in areas of Fund Development, Information Systems, Technology, Finance and Conferences/Events, among others! Our overall goal is the same as campus staff: build spiritual movements everywhere, so everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus!
Well, that's enough ministry mumbo-jumbo for one evening!
Photos of my new office cubicle coming soon! (:
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Dave Ramsey's Christmas Giving
Dave Ramsey encourages us to "give like no else" this Christmas - here are some of his ideas to get you started:
- Buy several winter jackets at a discount retail store and deliver them to the homeless in your community.
- Pay the power bill for a family who is struggling financially.
- Purchase a restaurant gift card for a young couple who are new parents, and offer to babysit their kiddo for free.
- When checking out at the grocery store, hand the cashier some cash and tell her you want to pay for a needy family's groceries.
- Take a single mom on a Christmas shopping spree for her kids.
- Clean the home of a shut-in and cook for them. Stay and chat with them over dinner.
- Bless your pastor with a Christmas bonus.
- Call your church and ask them if they know a family in need of gifts this year. Then, purchase a gift for each family member and drop it off at their doorstep on Christmas Eve.
- Shovel snow, rake leaves, or pick weeds for an elderly couple in or near your neighborhood.
- Next time you fill up your gas tank, give the clerk $50 and tell him you want to pay for someone else's gas bill.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
A Solid Rock
We got no food, we got no jobs, our pets HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!
One of my favorite childhood memories is hanging out with my older brothers, watching Dumb & Dumber. They thought the movie was hilarious, and I idolized them, so I'd join in whenever they watched it. (I thought it was funny too, but I was only 8 when the movie came out, so it took awhile for me to get all the jokes). I even remember watching Jim Carrey back when he was on "In Living Color" on Fox (...or maybe I remember the syndication). He was hilarious then, and still is.
Early on in my life, I realized that humor could be an effective tool for obtaining and keeping friends. Everybody likes the funny kid. Laughing is better than fighting.
But you can't build a life on humor. Eventually you might take it too far, hurt someone's feelings, maybe even lose a friendship. Your sarcasm that was once hilarious can turn bitter and sickening. Humor is fine, but a continually pessimistic, perpetually sarcastic disposition? Not so fun.
This has been ruminating in my mind for weeks now, mainly as part of a deeper issue: Around/on what do we build our lives?
A few years back, Jim Carrey was quoted in the San Bernardino Sun (Feb 17, 2007):
"I used to think that the parts I did or the fame would define me and someday complete me. After a while, I understood that those things could be crossed off the list of things that will do that. I wish everybody fame and fortune so they can cross it off the list and move on to something else."
Carrey is so close, and yet so far. He's also quoted as saying this about his spirituality: "When it comes to Jesus, you know, he said a lot of incredibly impactful, wonderful things that were amazing and completely misunderstood for the most part. Somebody might not understand “nobody gets to heaven but through me.” They might take it literally. I believe it means “by loving like I love and forgiving like I forgive.”
This topic also reminds me of some song lyrics by the Dixie Chicks: "I've been afraid of changing 'cause I built my life around you." You can't build a life around a person, either.
The tricky thing is, even after we realize Jesus is the one true, perfect, consistent being on which to build our lives, we are still tempted to rely on other things to fill this void or be our rock. We see our value and worth in other things. Whether it's being the most popular, or the most merciful, having tons of money, or tons of faith, we put our trust in other things.
If you're going to build your life on something, Christ is the very best thing.
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
One of my favorite childhood memories is hanging out with my older brothers, watching Dumb & Dumber. They thought the movie was hilarious, and I idolized them, so I'd join in whenever they watched it. (I thought it was funny too, but I was only 8 when the movie came out, so it took awhile for me to get all the jokes). I even remember watching Jim Carrey back when he was on "In Living Color" on Fox (...or maybe I remember the syndication). He was hilarious then, and still is.
Early on in my life, I realized that humor could be an effective tool for obtaining and keeping friends. Everybody likes the funny kid. Laughing is better than fighting.
But you can't build a life on humor. Eventually you might take it too far, hurt someone's feelings, maybe even lose a friendship. Your sarcasm that was once hilarious can turn bitter and sickening. Humor is fine, but a continually pessimistic, perpetually sarcastic disposition? Not so fun.
This has been ruminating in my mind for weeks now, mainly as part of a deeper issue: Around/on what do we build our lives?
A few years back, Jim Carrey was quoted in the San Bernardino Sun (Feb 17, 2007):
"I used to think that the parts I did or the fame would define me and someday complete me. After a while, I understood that those things could be crossed off the list of things that will do that. I wish everybody fame and fortune so they can cross it off the list and move on to something else."
Carrey is so close, and yet so far. He's also quoted as saying this about his spirituality: "When it comes to Jesus, you know, he said a lot of incredibly impactful, wonderful things that were amazing and completely misunderstood for the most part. Somebody might not understand “nobody gets to heaven but through me.” They might take it literally. I believe it means “by loving like I love and forgiving like I forgive.”
This topic also reminds me of some song lyrics by the Dixie Chicks: "I've been afraid of changing 'cause I built my life around you." You can't build a life around a person, either.
The tricky thing is, even after we realize Jesus is the one true, perfect, consistent being on which to build our lives, we are still tempted to rely on other things to fill this void or be our rock. We see our value and worth in other things. Whether it's being the most popular, or the most merciful, having tons of money, or tons of faith, we put our trust in other things.
If you're going to build your life on something, Christ is the very best thing.
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Transformed.
Two weeks ago we had a women's conference in Minneapolis called "Transformed: Laboring for a Lifetime." (Insert your witty comment here about a women's conference with the word "laboring" in the title).
As far as conferences go, this one was pretty typical- worship, a speaker, breakout sessions, campus time, free time, a dance party, lots of laughing, definitely some crying, etc.
It was a really encouraging experience for me as I wait for the last bit of funding to come in. My calling to ministry was definitely confirmed. I'm a passionate person, but not excites me more than hearing about a student coming to Christ in her dorm and seeking to be used by God to reach her friends and family.
I'd love to be able to solve the economic, political and social problems we face in America and around the world. I can't do much about those problems, but I can help college students discover the truth about Jesus. And someday, maybe they can make a difference in the economic, political and social arenas.
Jesus didn't give up his time in heaven to suffer, die, and then come back to life to give me a peaceful, safe, comfortable existence. One day I will have all those things in Heaven. But He came to earth for redemption. And because of this I can glorify God with my time on this earth, which ends up having a lasting difference in the lives of people I meet.
Here is a photo from the women's conference (I am in the bottom left, in front of a laptop at the sound booth).
This is what it's all about. A sea of college students, learning about Jesus. Some realizing their need for redemption for the first time in their lives. Some considering how God might want to use them to make a difference, for the first time in their lives. So awesome.
As far as conferences go, this one was pretty typical- worship, a speaker, breakout sessions, campus time, free time, a dance party, lots of laughing, definitely some crying, etc.
It was a really encouraging experience for me as I wait for the last bit of funding to come in. My calling to ministry was definitely confirmed. I'm a passionate person, but not excites me more than hearing about a student coming to Christ in her dorm and seeking to be used by God to reach her friends and family.
I'd love to be able to solve the economic, political and social problems we face in America and around the world. I can't do much about those problems, but I can help college students discover the truth about Jesus. And someday, maybe they can make a difference in the economic, political and social arenas.
Jesus didn't give up his time in heaven to suffer, die, and then come back to life to give me a peaceful, safe, comfortable existence. One day I will have all those things in Heaven. But He came to earth for redemption. And because of this I can glorify God with my time on this earth, which ends up having a lasting difference in the lives of people I meet.
Here is a photo from the women's conference (I am in the bottom left, in front of a laptop at the sound booth).This is what it's all about. A sea of college students, learning about Jesus. Some realizing their need for redemption for the first time in their lives. Some considering how God might want to use them to make a difference, for the first time in their lives. So awesome.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thoughts on Shane Claiborne's thoughts.
Tonight I had the privilege of hearing a lecture from Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution and Jesus for President.
He touched on a lot of different topics in 45 minutes, but the thing he kept coming back to, even during the Q&A section, was the radical way Jesus lived.
Jesus challenged the pattern of the world when he lived on earth. And he bids us the same. Shane listed a few of the patterns we tend to follow today. Our natural reaction to crime and suffering is to move away from it, into the suburbs. Our natural reaction to a bad economy is to stockpile our money in an effort for financial security. He had a lot to say about this pattern (or I just took more notes during this section).
Americans constitute 5% of the world's population and consume half of the world's material goods. We try to fill the void inside of us with stuff. But it just ends up controlling us. Some of the freest people in the world hold onto stuff the loosest.
Mother Teresa said "the best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them away." Shane goes as far as saying that the more that we have the less we become.
In general, we all stockpile things and over-consume, (yes, even Christians). We live in a world where over-consumption of food is literally killing some of us. One out of three adult Americans are obese. Thousands will die this year from complications from being overweight, while thousands of people die every day from starvation.
Jesus constantly challenged the norm. Shane does the same, and evokes a feeling of fascination that leave you wondering if there are ways you can challenge the norm in your own life.
You may not agree with Shane's radical ways, but at least he believes in what he believes in 100%. I didn't come away from Shane's lecture wanting to buy his newest book or gush about how great he is to my friends. I left wanting to know Jesus more, and to consider what patterns of the world I was conforming to that I wasn't aware of.
He touched on a lot of different topics in 45 minutes, but the thing he kept coming back to, even during the Q&A section, was the radical way Jesus lived.
Jesus challenged the pattern of the world when he lived on earth. And he bids us the same. Shane listed a few of the patterns we tend to follow today. Our natural reaction to crime and suffering is to move away from it, into the suburbs. Our natural reaction to a bad economy is to stockpile our money in an effort for financial security. He had a lot to say about this pattern (or I just took more notes during this section).
Americans constitute 5% of the world's population and consume half of the world's material goods. We try to fill the void inside of us with stuff. But it just ends up controlling us. Some of the freest people in the world hold onto stuff the loosest.
Mother Teresa said "the best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them away." Shane goes as far as saying that the more that we have the less we become.
In general, we all stockpile things and over-consume, (yes, even Christians). We live in a world where over-consumption of food is literally killing some of us. One out of three adult Americans are obese. Thousands will die this year from complications from being overweight, while thousands of people die every day from starvation.
Jesus constantly challenged the norm. Shane does the same, and evokes a feeling of fascination that leave you wondering if there are ways you can challenge the norm in your own life.
You may not agree with Shane's radical ways, but at least he believes in what he believes in 100%. I didn't come away from Shane's lecture wanting to buy his newest book or gush about how great he is to my friends. I left wanting to know Jesus more, and to consider what patterns of the world I was conforming to that I wasn't aware of.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Holidays + Jesus = Interesting Conversations
The holiday season is soon upon us. Turkey. Football. Family. Christmas cookies. Vacation from Work. Family. Putting up the Tree. Pie. Family. Christmas Music. Christmas Gifts. Family.
Oh, and Jesus.
One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to take a seemingly normal holiday conversation and take it down a rocky path to a specific person that everyone often avoids: Jesus. It is particularly fun to do this with total strangers and extended family members that already think I'm weird.
Here's an article for some ideas about sharing the "reason for the season" with your family, friends and others. Click here for the article.
(Sidenote: Is Jesus REALLY the reason for the season? More on that later).
Oh, and Jesus.
One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to take a seemingly normal holiday conversation and take it down a rocky path to a specific person that everyone often avoids: Jesus. It is particularly fun to do this with total strangers and extended family members that already think I'm weird.
Here's an article for some ideas about sharing the "reason for the season" with your family, friends and others. Click here for the article.
(Sidenote: Is Jesus REALLY the reason for the season? More on that later).
Friday, November 12, 2010
Is it worth it?
As a student, typically Campus Crusade-sponsored conferences are pretty amazing. They are generally always done well, feature wonderful, relevant, challenging speakers, passionate worship and sweet fellowship with friends.
I had no idea said conferences would get better as a staff member.
You invest so much time in preparation. The chances that you will get frustrated, at some point, are very, very good. Chances are, this frustration will drive you to tears.
You pray that things will go smoothly. Even though you have a suspicion they won't (which is good, because then you can try to plan accordingly). You pray that a certain number of students catch the vision and register for the event. Sometimes you just end up praying that some number of students show up.
You pray for God to show up.
You may doubt He will, but He always does. Always. I'm continually surprised how He does - I don't know why - I shouldn't be!
You just want God to be glorified - in and through staff, but more important, in and through the students. It's all about God, but it's about them, too.
All the time spent planning, preparing, organizing and praying for things can leave you unsure about the end result.
Here's the thing (thanks Allison!): everything is worth it, so incredibly worth it, when you see students pouring their hearts out to the Lord. It's so incredibly worth the stress when you see God become more real to a student- to many students. You see them take steps of faith for the first time, you see them understand concepts they've never considered before, you see them grow closer to each other and closer to God.
I am blessed and privileged to be a part of bringing someone farther along on their spiritual journey, closer to the living, active, loving God.
All the frustration, confusion, planning, crying, frustration, phone calls, e-mails, voice-mails, frustration and stress and frustration are worth it. I hope you see through my words, at least in part, the excitement I have right now for what God is choosing to do in and through the college students of today!!
I had no idea said conferences would get better as a staff member.
You invest so much time in preparation. The chances that you will get frustrated, at some point, are very, very good. Chances are, this frustration will drive you to tears.
You pray that things will go smoothly. Even though you have a suspicion they won't (which is good, because then you can try to plan accordingly). You pray that a certain number of students catch the vision and register for the event. Sometimes you just end up praying that some number of students show up.
You pray for God to show up.
You may doubt He will, but He always does. Always. I'm continually surprised how He does - I don't know why - I shouldn't be!
You just want God to be glorified - in and through staff, but more important, in and through the students. It's all about God, but it's about them, too.
All the time spent planning, preparing, organizing and praying for things can leave you unsure about the end result.
Here's the thing (thanks Allison!): everything is worth it, so incredibly worth it, when you see students pouring their hearts out to the Lord. It's so incredibly worth the stress when you see God become more real to a student- to many students. You see them take steps of faith for the first time, you see them understand concepts they've never considered before, you see them grow closer to each other and closer to God.
I am blessed and privileged to be a part of bringing someone farther along on their spiritual journey, closer to the living, active, loving God.
All the frustration, confusion, planning, crying, frustration, phone calls, e-mails, voice-mails, frustration and stress and frustration are worth it. I hope you see through my words, at least in part, the excitement I have right now for what God is choosing to do in and through the college students of today!!
Monday, November 08, 2010
The future's not ours to see.
Monday morning rolled around this week, and I decided to grab a cup of coffee at the Panera down the road while I caught up on some reading.
I sat down at my table, arranged all my books and turned on my mp3 player, more out of habit than any other reason.
Deeply engrossed in a chapter about motivating and empowering volunteers, I looked up to see a blond-haired woman in a pink t-shirt and yoga pants standing at my table. She had her hand on the back of one of the four chairs; I assumed she wanted to borrow one, so I just took out one side of my headphones and said Hello.
She reciprocated the greeting, and then sat down. I had noticed her when I arrived - she had been sitting at a booth near me with who I assume is her husband, enjoying a cup of coffee.
I took out the other ear piece, very intrigued as to what was going to happen next. She said she was sorry to bother me, but she was really curious as to how I was able to read and take notes while listening to music. I shrugged my shoulders and explained that the background noise of the Panera microphone and the kids yelling in the mall on their way to swimming lessons were more distracting than a little music.
We continued to converse about the way my generation consumes many types of media at once, why we like to multitask, and whether it really hinders or helps our productivity.
Her eye caught my orange Campus Crusade for Christ book bag, and she asked what I was studying. A book for work, I replied, and the Bible. She lifted her chin and sighed. She shared with me that her son is constantly reading his Bible and talking about church stuff. He's 14. Her face showed obvious concern, and she explained: "I wonder sometimes, what will he grow up to be someday if the only thing he likes to study is the Bible?"
We talked for another minute, and then she was gone as quickly as she appeared at my table.
She thinks her son's hobby is very odd. I think it's odd that she thinks it's odd. And I think that kid is pretty special. His whole future is ahead of him, but whatever happens, he's already having an impact on others around him.
I sat down at my table, arranged all my books and turned on my mp3 player, more out of habit than any other reason.
Deeply engrossed in a chapter about motivating and empowering volunteers, I looked up to see a blond-haired woman in a pink t-shirt and yoga pants standing at my table. She had her hand on the back of one of the four chairs; I assumed she wanted to borrow one, so I just took out one side of my headphones and said Hello.
She reciprocated the greeting, and then sat down. I had noticed her when I arrived - she had been sitting at a booth near me with who I assume is her husband, enjoying a cup of coffee.
I took out the other ear piece, very intrigued as to what was going to happen next. She said she was sorry to bother me, but she was really curious as to how I was able to read and take notes while listening to music. I shrugged my shoulders and explained that the background noise of the Panera microphone and the kids yelling in the mall on their way to swimming lessons were more distracting than a little music.
We continued to converse about the way my generation consumes many types of media at once, why we like to multitask, and whether it really hinders or helps our productivity.
Her eye caught my orange Campus Crusade for Christ book bag, and she asked what I was studying. A book for work, I replied, and the Bible. She lifted her chin and sighed. She shared with me that her son is constantly reading his Bible and talking about church stuff. He's 14. Her face showed obvious concern, and she explained: "I wonder sometimes, what will he grow up to be someday if the only thing he likes to study is the Bible?"
We talked for another minute, and then she was gone as quickly as she appeared at my table.
She thinks her son's hobby is very odd. I think it's odd that she thinks it's odd. And I think that kid is pretty special. His whole future is ahead of him, but whatever happens, he's already having an impact on others around him.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
November Newsletter
By now, you’ve heard about the rescue of 33 miners, trapped in the San José copper-gold mine in Chile. The story captured the attention of people all over the world. One miner, José Henriquez, recently told his story to Christian Maureira, director for Campus Crusade for Christ in Chile. His account of the situation fills in the gaps that news stations often leave out – and shows one way God is using CCC around the world.
On day 16, the trapped miners still had no contact with anyone on the surface. The little food they had was rationed to each person.
But on day 16, the food ran out.
José remembered the story of how Jesus multiplied the bread and the fish, and led the men in a prayer, asking for the box to be full of food by the next day. They prayed for an abundance of food.
The next day, contact was made with rescuers on the surface. “José got choked up by remembering that the next day the probe made contact with them,” says Christian, recalling his conversation with José. “The multiplication was real. They saw how the box was filling up with food exceedingly. It was a miracle, a glorious moment.”
After contact was made with the miners, Christian started contacting public officials to see if he could send the miners a copy of the Jesus Film, a movie detailing the life of Jesus based on the Gospel of Luke.
Through a connection with family of José, Christian was able to send mp3 audio versions of the Jesus Film, and the New Testament in Spanish, down to the miners. José sent a thank you letter up to Christian, which ended with Psalm 95:4 "'In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.'" José asked Christian a few days later if he could get the miners special T-Shirts to wear.
As the miners emerged, each one wore his tan t-shirt, reading "thank you Lord" on the front- and the text from Psalm 95:4 on the back.
Ministry & Financial Update
The next few weeks will be very busy, as the Regional Office Operations Team will help execute 4 conferences for our campus staff, interns, and student leaders. I’ll be helping with technical tasks at our women’s conference on Nov 12-14 in Minneapolis. The theme is Transformed: Laboring for a Lifetime, and will give women an idea of what it looks like to be transformed by the Gospel, and how we as professionals, mothers, and missionaries can be a part of God’s transforming work around the world. There is also a men’s conference the same weekend, centering on similar issues (from a more manly perspective). Pray for safe travels, Spirit-filled speakers, and an atmosphere that will encourage and challenge students.
I am just 7% away from my goal! I’m grateful for your prayers – they have been a constant encouragement to me on this up-and-down journey. God continues to show His Goodness to me in many ways – and each of you is one of those ways. If you'd like to make a contribution to my ministry, click here.
On day 16, the trapped miners still had no contact with anyone on the surface. The little food they had was rationed to each person.
But on day 16, the food ran out.
José remembered the story of how Jesus multiplied the bread and the fish, and led the men in a prayer, asking for the box to be full of food by the next day. They prayed for an abundance of food.
The next day, contact was made with rescuers on the surface. “José got choked up by remembering that the next day the probe made contact with them,” says Christian, recalling his conversation with José. “The multiplication was real. They saw how the box was filling up with food exceedingly. It was a miracle, a glorious moment.”
After contact was made with the miners, Christian started contacting public officials to see if he could send the miners a copy of the Jesus Film, a movie detailing the life of Jesus based on the Gospel of Luke.
Through a connection with family of José, Christian was able to send mp3 audio versions of the Jesus Film, and the New Testament in Spanish, down to the miners. José sent a thank you letter up to Christian, which ended with Psalm 95:4 "'In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.'" José asked Christian a few days later if he could get the miners special T-Shirts to wear.
As the miners emerged, each one wore his tan t-shirt, reading "thank you Lord" on the front- and the text from Psalm 95:4 on the back.
Ministry & Financial Update
The next few weeks will be very busy, as the Regional Office Operations Team will help execute 4 conferences for our campus staff, interns, and student leaders. I’ll be helping with technical tasks at our women’s conference on Nov 12-14 in Minneapolis. The theme is Transformed: Laboring for a Lifetime, and will give women an idea of what it looks like to be transformed by the Gospel, and how we as professionals, mothers, and missionaries can be a part of God’s transforming work around the world. There is also a men’s conference the same weekend, centering on similar issues (from a more manly perspective). Pray for safe travels, Spirit-filled speakers, and an atmosphere that will encourage and challenge students.
I am just 7% away from my goal! I’m grateful for your prayers – they have been a constant encouragement to me on this up-and-down journey. God continues to show His Goodness to me in many ways – and each of you is one of those ways. If you'd like to make a contribution to my ministry, click here.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Why College Students?
There are a lot of reasons that make reaching college students a strategic part of fulfilling the Great Commission. College students today are...
1. Teachable
2. Starting Fresh
3. Leading
4. Unfettered
5. Growing
6. Seeking Identity
7. Global
8. Innovative
9. Integrated
10. Active
A short article written by Ken Cochrum and Amber Kinneer explains each element on the list.
Do you agree? Would you add/remove from the list?
1. Teachable
2. Starting Fresh
3. Leading
4. Unfettered
5. Growing
6. Seeking Identity
7. Global
8. Innovative
9. Integrated
10. Active
A short article written by Ken Cochrum and Amber Kinneer explains each element on the list.
Do you agree? Would you add/remove from the list?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
My head and heart finally agree.
Today, I begin a new challenge: reading Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology from cover to cover. The book is around 1200 pages, so I figure if I read a few pages a day, I'll be done in one year. Very doable.
I decided to take this on after finishing David Nasser's biography "Jumping Through Fires." I was doing some work at Panera yesterday and had brought along the book to read if I needed a break.
At any given time, I'm reading about 5 books at once. But I started and finished this book within 12 hours. It was amazing. I had seen a video about David once at church, and made a mental note to Google him later. I did, and liked what I read, so when I found his biography in a half-price bookstore a few months ago, I grabbed it.
I saw so many similarities between his story and mine- not so much in his life before he came to Christ, but after. For some reason, this got me thinking about theology.
I take shortcuts. It's not smart, I know, but it's something I'm naturally inclined to do and find myself fighting all the time. When I started to develop solid friendships with Christians in college, I could see early on I was far behind these people. I definitely lacked a foundational knowledge of the Bible, but in attempting to follow simple discussions about the Bible, I realized I even lacked the skill to think critically.
I had a lot of ground to make up, in not a lot of time. Hello, shortcuts. The situation was intensified because I didn't want anyone to know I didn't know much. (I didn't even want anyone to know I accepted Christ freshman year. Talk about pride. I'm pretty sure they all knew anyway).
In those days, I soaked up any bit of knowledge from any type of source. It was really fun to walk into church knowing that I would leave knowing God better. I jumped very quickly into campus ministry. I rarely said no to any opportunity that would lead me to grow in my faith.
Because of all this, I had gained a lot of knowledge. The problem is, shortcuts don't pay. The knowledge was great, but I was lacking sometime.
I found this out when I joined staff with Campus Crusade. Part of their ongoing staff training involves taking seminary classes every couple of years. I knew the first two would take place at new staff training. I didn't know a lot about theology, doctrine, or methods of studying the Bible, but I had taken in so much in the last 5 years, I felt pretty good.
I was pretty surprised at what I learned. Knowledge is great, but its value is increased when it connects with your heart. After all these years of attaining knowledge and growing in my faith, I finally began to see and understand the WHY behind much of what I did.
Theology, of all things, showed me that my heart hadn't caught up with my mind.
David expressed similar thoughts in his book- though for him, his mind hadn't caught up with his heart. His story really got me thinking about this. All that to say, I'm going to read more theology, because for me, that helps my heart connect with my head. That, and prayer. But that's another topic and another story. I think studying theology might help other people in this area, too. So, look for more posts on theology down the road!
(Disclaimer: I'm eternally grateful for the friends, Campus Crusade staff, and church members that helped me grow in my faith so quickly. My lack of connection between my head and my heart was surely my own fault. My pride got in the way, so there's no way anyone would have been able to see any of this. Or maybe they did, I don't know. I think the lesson I learned is not something you can teach someone, but only one that someone can discover on their own. I'm definitely not blaming anyone for me turning out this way and I hope those that read don't think they miss-taught or mislead me in some way).
I decided to take this on after finishing David Nasser's biography "Jumping Through Fires." I was doing some work at Panera yesterday and had brought along the book to read if I needed a break.
At any given time, I'm reading about 5 books at once. But I started and finished this book within 12 hours. It was amazing. I had seen a video about David once at church, and made a mental note to Google him later. I did, and liked what I read, so when I found his biography in a half-price bookstore a few months ago, I grabbed it.
I saw so many similarities between his story and mine- not so much in his life before he came to Christ, but after. For some reason, this got me thinking about theology.
I take shortcuts. It's not smart, I know, but it's something I'm naturally inclined to do and find myself fighting all the time. When I started to develop solid friendships with Christians in college, I could see early on I was far behind these people. I definitely lacked a foundational knowledge of the Bible, but in attempting to follow simple discussions about the Bible, I realized I even lacked the skill to think critically.
I had a lot of ground to make up, in not a lot of time. Hello, shortcuts. The situation was intensified because I didn't want anyone to know I didn't know much. (I didn't even want anyone to know I accepted Christ freshman year. Talk about pride. I'm pretty sure they all knew anyway).
In those days, I soaked up any bit of knowledge from any type of source. It was really fun to walk into church knowing that I would leave knowing God better. I jumped very quickly into campus ministry. I rarely said no to any opportunity that would lead me to grow in my faith.
Because of all this, I had gained a lot of knowledge. The problem is, shortcuts don't pay. The knowledge was great, but I was lacking sometime.
I found this out when I joined staff with Campus Crusade. Part of their ongoing staff training involves taking seminary classes every couple of years. I knew the first two would take place at new staff training. I didn't know a lot about theology, doctrine, or methods of studying the Bible, but I had taken in so much in the last 5 years, I felt pretty good.
I was pretty surprised at what I learned. Knowledge is great, but its value is increased when it connects with your heart. After all these years of attaining knowledge and growing in my faith, I finally began to see and understand the WHY behind much of what I did.
Theology, of all things, showed me that my heart hadn't caught up with my mind.
David expressed similar thoughts in his book- though for him, his mind hadn't caught up with his heart. His story really got me thinking about this. All that to say, I'm going to read more theology, because for me, that helps my heart connect with my head. That, and prayer. But that's another topic and another story. I think studying theology might help other people in this area, too. So, look for more posts on theology down the road!
(Disclaimer: I'm eternally grateful for the friends, Campus Crusade staff, and church members that helped me grow in my faith so quickly. My lack of connection between my head and my heart was surely my own fault. My pride got in the way, so there's no way anyone would have been able to see any of this. Or maybe they did, I don't know. I think the lesson I learned is not something you can teach someone, but only one that someone can discover on their own. I'm definitely not blaming anyone for me turning out this way and I hope those that read don't think they miss-taught or mislead me in some way).
Sunday, October 03, 2010
A poor parody of Hamlet
To give, or not to give: That is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of selfishness,
And by opposing end them?
Ok, I'm done. I can't even write a true parody of this passage because I don't really understand the actual context in which it was written. (In fact, I thought it was from Romeo & Juliet until I googled it just now. My high school English teacher, Mrs Robinson, would not be calling me a scholar right now).
Anyway, this week I heard some news about the movie that was to be made about Blue Like Jazz. Apparently production was suspended due to lack of funds, so some guys made a website asking people who have been influenced by the book to considering giving to fund the rest of the movie's production.
Before I could stop my mind from going there, it went there: what if they don't make their goal? Where does my money go? What happens to the movie?
It's like a student asking for support for a missions trip: What if she doesn't go? What happens to my money?
The thing is (thanks, Allison) I don't really have a say in how the money is used. My reaction points out a problem with my attitude in giving: control. It's not my money to begin with. While I should be a good steward of it, it's out of my hands when it's given away.
I ran into this same issue last week, when I was reading Revolution in World Missions by KP Yohannon. He cited many examples of American churches and big-name Christians (without naming names) that wanted to help him in his cause of raising funds for indigenous missionaries in India. But the Americans wanted additional confirmation that the money pledged would be used the way they wanted- through a variety of different stipulations. I admire KP's integrity and character - he would not accept money with ties. And I think he was totally right in asking them to reconsider. It's not that there wasn't any accountability within his system - it's that the people giving wanted to make sure it was done their way.
While we're on the subject of books, let me bring up another one (some of you are probably not surprised I'm mentioning this book). Last year, I read Law of Rewards by Randy Alcorn. It's not a long book, but it took me a whole year to finish; there was a lot to consider and converse about.
This topic of how to decide to give or not to give is one thing Alcorn covers in his book, and also on his website (Eternal Perspectives Ministries). He's got an article entitled Nineteen Questions to Ask Before You Give To Any Organization. They vary from checking a ministry's biblical doctrine, ministry strategies and overhead/admin costs, to talking with people both on the local level instead of just reading literature/seeing promo videos. One thing I'm really glad to see on the list is the importance of giving to the local church. Alcorn suggests we ask ourselves whether or not we've fulfilled our primary role in giving to our local church.
2 Corinthians 9:7 (loosely) says we should decide in our hearts what to give, and to give it cheerfully. I think the kicker comes right before this verse, in 9:6: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously."
As with many of life's interesting issues, the answer probably lies in a balance: giving where, when and how God leads you - which might sometimes be off-the-cuff without much consideration, and might sometimes be after an hour long personal appointment with a missionary from a ministry you've never heard of.
What are your thoughts? Do we have any say in how money is used when we give it away? Why/Why not? Should we extensively scrutinize every single financial opportunity that comes our way with Alcorn's list of 19 Questions?
(By the way, I just checked the Save Blue Like Jazz website, and they made their goal).
Friday, October 01, 2010
My various accents might (finally) come in handy.
Do you need a visa if you're going to spend 6 weeks in France? What's the U.S. exchange rate in Australia? How many airplanes you have to take to fly from Minneapolis to Accra, Ghana? (And in what part of Africa is Ghana located, exactly?)
I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but I'm about to find out.
There have been a few changes in the regional office this fall. Because of this, the Upper Midwest is in need of a staff member to oversee the operations aspects of our region's US Summer Missions Projects for 2011. Last week, I was asked to step into this role, and after considering it, I've decided to temporarily take on this new ministry position.
Simply put, this is huge. Not that my old ministry assignment isn't important (they're eventually going to need me back in that role), but this is maybe a bit more time-sensitive. Planning is already underway for the 2011 Summer Missions Projects. We in the Upper Midwest have strategic partnerships with 6 different countries, each on a different continent. As part of our vision to build spiritual movements everywhere, we are committed to sending students and staff to these 6 countries for 4-6 weeks each summer, and STINT (Short-Term International) teams for 9-10 months each year.
You're probably wondering what these countries are. (Drumroll...)
Uruguay (our newest partnership)
Accra, Ghana (only two? years old)
Brisbane, Australia (about 4 years old)
Montpellier, France (don't ask me how to pronounce that)
4th Journey (Middle-eastern unnamed country)
East Asia (like, a big one)
You're probably wondering if I'll get to visit any of these countries. I have no idea (I doubt it, but the way life on staff goes, I'm not ruling anything out).
You're probably wondering exactly what I'm going to do. A lot of things, yo. This role involves working with summer missions project directors, making travel arrangements (did I mention the 6 countries are all on different continents, with different international rules?).
Another thing I'll be heavily involved with is one of my very favorite conferences: Kingdom Called, which occurs early April each year. At this conference, students going on summer and year-long projects will receive vital training for raising their support, cross-cultural evangelism, and what to expect to feel when they arrive and leave their countries. (We also have a track for students who are about to graduate -- they receive information on how to transition to the marketplace, how to make big life decisions, how to reach their new coworkers, etc. It's a new thing we're trying).
So, this is right up my alley, and I'm very excited for a chance to jump into such a challenging role. I'm going to stop blabbing all about it now, because this is a huge post. Stay tuned for more!
I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but I'm about to find out.
There have been a few changes in the regional office this fall. Because of this, the Upper Midwest is in need of a staff member to oversee the operations aspects of our region's US Summer Missions Projects for 2011. Last week, I was asked to step into this role, and after considering it, I've decided to temporarily take on this new ministry position.
Simply put, this is huge. Not that my old ministry assignment isn't important (they're eventually going to need me back in that role), but this is maybe a bit more time-sensitive. Planning is already underway for the 2011 Summer Missions Projects. We in the Upper Midwest have strategic partnerships with 6 different countries, each on a different continent. As part of our vision to build spiritual movements everywhere, we are committed to sending students and staff to these 6 countries for 4-6 weeks each summer, and STINT (Short-Term International) teams for 9-10 months each year.
You're probably wondering what these countries are. (Drumroll...)
Uruguay (our newest partnership)
Accra, Ghana (only two? years old)
Brisbane, Australia (about 4 years old)
Montpellier, France (don't ask me how to pronounce that)
4th Journey (Middle-eastern unnamed country)
East Asia (like, a big one)
You're probably wondering if I'll get to visit any of these countries. I have no idea (I doubt it, but the way life on staff goes, I'm not ruling anything out).
You're probably wondering exactly what I'm going to do. A lot of things, yo. This role involves working with summer missions project directors, making travel arrangements (did I mention the 6 countries are all on different continents, with different international rules?).
Another thing I'll be heavily involved with is one of my very favorite conferences: Kingdom Called, which occurs early April each year. At this conference, students going on summer and year-long projects will receive vital training for raising their support, cross-cultural evangelism, and what to expect to feel when they arrive and leave their countries. (We also have a track for students who are about to graduate -- they receive information on how to transition to the marketplace, how to make big life decisions, how to reach their new coworkers, etc. It's a new thing we're trying).
So, this is right up my alley, and I'm very excited for a chance to jump into such a challenging role. I'm going to stop blabbing all about it now, because this is a huge post. Stay tuned for more!
Monday, September 27, 2010
bring a friend to heaven.
I'm just sitting here at my desk, thinking about Heaven. It's gonna be so great. I can't really fathom what it will be like. But it will be great, that's for sure.
I heard a quote at church yesterday that's been on my mind a lot today: You can't take anything to Heaven- except a friend. A cute little quote. It's true, though, and it's got me thinking. I like to surround myself with things that make me feel comfortable- my books, my mp3 player, cable, my laptop, my favorite coffee mug, my favorite pair of skinny jeans...
Earlier this summer I went on a week-long support trip through Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. I forgot almost all of my pants. I remember to pack everything else, except any pants. I had a couple pairs of shorts, and some lounge wear, but nothing formal enough for my appointments. Aside from being annoyed that I was unprepared for the whole point of my trip, I was annoyed that I left my favorite jeans back home.
You're probably thinking...get to the point. Ok. I work so hard to surround myself with comfortable things. But I don't do it as much, as often, or as bad as non-believers, or other Christians, so I easily justify it sometimes.
But one of the reasons non-Christians do it is to find significance and security. That's what I did before I knew Christ. Now I find my identity in Him and assurance of salvation through Him.
The things that make me comfortable lead me to not share my faith as much, while non-believers continue to pursue comfort in things because they don't know there's something better out there.
If the only thing we can take with us to heaven is a friend, this is some awful irony.
I heard a quote at church yesterday that's been on my mind a lot today: You can't take anything to Heaven- except a friend. A cute little quote. It's true, though, and it's got me thinking. I like to surround myself with things that make me feel comfortable- my books, my mp3 player, cable, my laptop, my favorite coffee mug, my favorite pair of skinny jeans...
Earlier this summer I went on a week-long support trip through Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. I forgot almost all of my pants. I remember to pack everything else, except any pants. I had a couple pairs of shorts, and some lounge wear, but nothing formal enough for my appointments. Aside from being annoyed that I was unprepared for the whole point of my trip, I was annoyed that I left my favorite jeans back home.
You're probably thinking...get to the point. Ok. I work so hard to surround myself with comfortable things. But I don't do it as much, as often, or as bad as non-believers, or other Christians, so I easily justify it sometimes.
But one of the reasons non-Christians do it is to find significance and security. That's what I did before I knew Christ. Now I find my identity in Him and assurance of salvation through Him.
The things that make me comfortable lead me to not share my faith as much, while non-believers continue to pursue comfort in things because they don't know there's something better out there.
If the only thing we can take with us to heaven is a friend, this is some awful irony.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Blessed are the...busy?
Sometimes I get so caught up in planning and numbers and lists and projects that I forget what it's all for. I suppose this happens to everyone at some point. The details override the reason they even matter in the first place. You can't see the forest through the trees.
My pastor is preaching on the Beatitudes for the next few weeks. Last Sunday he gave a sort of introduction to the sermon series, and explained the important of the "Blessed are those..." statements that are often misinterpreted. My logical brain tends to think, If blessed are the poor in spirit, for they will receive the kingdom of heaven, to experience the kingdom we must be poor in spirit.
But the logic fails. It's not that you can only experience the kingdom by being poor in spirit. The Beatitudes are not ethical imperatives. (I had to google that to get a better understanding of it, which one website explained as "an imperative derived from assumptions of constructivism." whatever that means). In this instance, we don't do something merely to reap the reward at the end.
The pastor explained that perhaps the Sermon on the Mount is like one massive vision statement. It's maybe not about the how, but the why. It's not about what you're doing, but what you're becoming.
Here's hoping this will help me stay focused amidst all the diagrams and details and dates. I love those things, but sometimes when I immerse myself in them, I get more involved in the task than the goal. Maybe blessed are the focused, instead of the busy.
My pastor is preaching on the Beatitudes for the next few weeks. Last Sunday he gave a sort of introduction to the sermon series, and explained the important of the "Blessed are those..." statements that are often misinterpreted. My logical brain tends to think, If blessed are the poor in spirit, for they will receive the kingdom of heaven, to experience the kingdom we must be poor in spirit.
But the logic fails. It's not that you can only experience the kingdom by being poor in spirit. The Beatitudes are not ethical imperatives. (I had to google that to get a better understanding of it, which one website explained as "an imperative derived from assumptions of constructivism." whatever that means). In this instance, we don't do something merely to reap the reward at the end.
The pastor explained that perhaps the Sermon on the Mount is like one massive vision statement. It's maybe not about the how, but the why. It's not about what you're doing, but what you're becoming.
Here's hoping this will help me stay focused amidst all the diagrams and details and dates. I love those things, but sometimes when I immerse myself in them, I get more involved in the task than the goal. Maybe blessed are the focused, instead of the busy.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Hungry.
I've been reading the Bible chronologically this year. I'm really enjoying it. I'm on my third read-through of the Bible from cover to cover, this time reading it in my small NLT pocket Bible. So much is jumping out to me that has never stuck out before- from the change in version, probably, and a different disposition. For a few days this summer I'd switched from the OT to the Gospels, but I soon found myself back in the OT. I can't get enough of it. I'm just starting Isaiah, after reading through a huge list of all the kings of Israel and Judah and all the fighting and killing for the power of King.
I don't understand all of it, but I can't seem to get enough. It's 1030pm, I'm mentally and physically exhausted, but I'm spiritually really hungry. I spent 2+ hours in the Word today at Starbucks. I spent a few hours reading yesterday at my kitchen table. I can't get enough. Every 4-5 hours I find myself opening up the Word and just reading random passages. I don't know why. I generally like to watch TV, movies, I enjoy chatting on facebook and talking on the phone with friends. All of those things seem really boring this week.
Not only that, but I've been forgetting to eat lunch. I never forget to eat. I don't always eat 3 square meals (it's more like grazing on whatever I can get my hands on). But even that is not appealing. It's weird.
Some Shane & Shane lyrics come to mind right now:
Psalm 145:16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
Isaiah 55:2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
This is a really random post, but I just wanted to record this overwhelming sense of hunger and try to organize my thoughts. Thanks for muddling through them with me.
I don't understand all of it, but I can't seem to get enough. It's 1030pm, I'm mentally and physically exhausted, but I'm spiritually really hungry. I spent 2+ hours in the Word today at Starbucks. I spent a few hours reading yesterday at my kitchen table. I can't get enough. Every 4-5 hours I find myself opening up the Word and just reading random passages. I don't know why. I generally like to watch TV, movies, I enjoy chatting on facebook and talking on the phone with friends. All of those things seem really boring this week.
Not only that, but I've been forgetting to eat lunch. I never forget to eat. I don't always eat 3 square meals (it's more like grazing on whatever I can get my hands on). But even that is not appealing. It's weird.
Some Shane & Shane lyrics come to mind right now:
Psalm 145:16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
Isaiah 55:2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
This is a really random post, but I just wanted to record this overwhelming sense of hunger and try to organize my thoughts. Thanks for muddling through them with me.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
First Love.
Every fall, I think about the new beginnings this time of year and I get nostalgic. The middle of August rolls around and I hear kids talk about going back to school and I see backpacks and pencils and rulers in stores and I smile. A new year at school brings such potential.
I didn't really love my school years, until college. The best fall I ever had was freshman year at USD. Hands down, no contest. My excitement about moving on to a new stage of life was nothing compared to my excitement about discovering a God that could be known, and that wanted me to know Him.
Each fall, I think about coming to Christ for the first time. It took a level of faith I'd never exercised before, faith in something I didn't totally understand, but wanted to know so badly I put it above everything else.
That passion is hard to rival, but I feel it coming back within my grasp. I've certainly been growing in my faith in the last six years (6! wow!), but nothing like that first taste of walking with the Lord.
I'm at a huge transition in life. Going right from college to joining staff was a big jump, but I was still surrounded by good friends in a very familiar city. Now I'm making that first big move to a new location and developing more post-college relationships. I can be so introverted, but I've spent so much time alone in MPD over the last year-plus, I love getting out and meeting new people. It's so unbelievable that God works in each of our lives in unique and important ways to each of us...all at the same time. Even when we don't think He's working in our lives, He is. Unbelievable.
So far, moving has actually had a huge positive impact on my spiritual life. I can't do this half-hearted. I have to be all in, totally committed.
One thing that's been aiding in my spiritual growth has been a new small group. It's been several months since I've been in a consistent, challenging, small group, and probably six months since attending one that actually studies the Bible. Both last Thursday and tonight I attended a small group at a local church. It's kind of the typical 20 something group- coed, some married, some single, some in college, some late 20s. But finding a random group of people in a small suburb who have all experienced God in unique and amazing ways is so encouraging.
I cannot imagine being more content with my life than I am right now, in this moment. There are certainly things that I'd like to change, but those will change in time. I'm so excited to be back to a place I haven't been in awhile - seeing the world through new eyes. Redemption is a great thing- and a blessing, knowing we can experience it more than once in our lives.
I didn't really love my school years, until college. The best fall I ever had was freshman year at USD. Hands down, no contest. My excitement about moving on to a new stage of life was nothing compared to my excitement about discovering a God that could be known, and that wanted me to know Him.
Each fall, I think about coming to Christ for the first time. It took a level of faith I'd never exercised before, faith in something I didn't totally understand, but wanted to know so badly I put it above everything else.
That passion is hard to rival, but I feel it coming back within my grasp. I've certainly been growing in my faith in the last six years (6! wow!), but nothing like that first taste of walking with the Lord.
I'm at a huge transition in life. Going right from college to joining staff was a big jump, but I was still surrounded by good friends in a very familiar city. Now I'm making that first big move to a new location and developing more post-college relationships. I can be so introverted, but I've spent so much time alone in MPD over the last year-plus, I love getting out and meeting new people. It's so unbelievable that God works in each of our lives in unique and important ways to each of us...all at the same time. Even when we don't think He's working in our lives, He is. Unbelievable.
So far, moving has actually had a huge positive impact on my spiritual life. I can't do this half-hearted. I have to be all in, totally committed.
One thing that's been aiding in my spiritual growth has been a new small group. It's been several months since I've been in a consistent, challenging, small group, and probably six months since attending one that actually studies the Bible. Both last Thursday and tonight I attended a small group at a local church. It's kind of the typical 20 something group- coed, some married, some single, some in college, some late 20s. But finding a random group of people in a small suburb who have all experienced God in unique and amazing ways is so encouraging.
I cannot imagine being more content with my life than I am right now, in this moment. There are certainly things that I'd like to change, but those will change in time. I'm so excited to be back to a place I haven't been in awhile - seeing the world through new eyes. Redemption is a great thing- and a blessing, knowing we can experience it more than once in our lives.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Judging a Church By It's Website.
I'm attempting to pick a church to visit tomorrow.
Sigh.
I shall not call the process church "shopping" because I'm not doing it to see where I can get the best deal. What's a better word...hunting? I'm church hunting, I suppose.
On to the options. The first choice is only a 1/2 mile down the road- big plus, but their only service is labeled "traditional" at 930am. And it's E-Free, so I don't really know what traditional means.
The second option is labeled a "Worship Center" and at first I thought it was a Jewish Temple. They seem very passionate and Spirit-filled, which are two good things, I gotta say.
The third option has a Pastor that has written several books on the Emergent Church. I also see guitars in the background of some of the preaching photos, and I saw the word "hermeneutics" on one of the slides. Both good signs.
Maybe I'll just do eenie-meenie-miney-moe.
Sigh.
I shall not call the process church "shopping" because I'm not doing it to see where I can get the best deal. What's a better word...hunting? I'm church hunting, I suppose.
On to the options. The first choice is only a 1/2 mile down the road- big plus, but their only service is labeled "traditional" at 930am. And it's E-Free, so I don't really know what traditional means.
The second option is labeled a "Worship Center" and at first I thought it was a Jewish Temple. They seem very passionate and Spirit-filled, which are two good things, I gotta say.
The third option has a Pastor that has written several books on the Emergent Church. I also see guitars in the background of some of the preaching photos, and I saw the word "hermeneutics" on one of the slides. Both good signs.
Maybe I'll just do eenie-meenie-miney-moe.
Monday, August 16, 2010
the lonely "if only"
The long-anticipated day has arrived: moving day! I am all settled in my new apartment in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. I've been waiting for this day for two years, and it finally arrived!
Over the last few months I've thought a lot about my first apartment in the big city. In the grand scheme of life, it's one move to one apartment with one roommate out of many, many living experiences. It's a big deal to me now for many reasons.
As the summer wore on, I found myself day-dreaming about how 'perfect' life would be if I could just leave Vermillion...leave the farm...put down roots. Move on to the next stage of life.
It was fun to dream about it, but every time I found myself going down the lonely "if only" road, I reined in my thoughts like Pa Ingalls trying to keep his team of horses from speeding downhill out of control. There's a sentence I've never typed before...
I so wanted to believe the "life would be perfect if only ---" thoughts that were circling in my head. If only I moved to my apartment, if only my support was raised, if only I had more money in the bank, if only I had a husband/boyfriend/merely a potential date sometime.
Silly, really. Life won't be magical and happy and candy and flowers and rainbows when I achieve the next milestone in life. The milestones are important, but they are dots on a line. It's what happens in life in between the dots that matters the most.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the line after the 'first apartment on staff/in the Cities' dot. The thousands of little choices may not seem like a big deal, but there are several within that thousand that will create and build momentum for many things to come in my future.
Good-bye, lonely "if only's." I don't need you anymore.
Over the last few months I've thought a lot about my first apartment in the big city. In the grand scheme of life, it's one move to one apartment with one roommate out of many, many living experiences. It's a big deal to me now for many reasons.
As the summer wore on, I found myself day-dreaming about how 'perfect' life would be if I could just leave Vermillion...leave the farm...put down roots. Move on to the next stage of life.
It was fun to dream about it, but every time I found myself going down the lonely "if only" road, I reined in my thoughts like Pa Ingalls trying to keep his team of horses from speeding downhill out of control. There's a sentence I've never typed before...
I so wanted to believe the "life would be perfect if only ---" thoughts that were circling in my head. If only I moved to my apartment, if only my support was raised, if only I had more money in the bank, if only I had a husband/boyfriend/merely a potential date sometime.
Silly, really. Life won't be magical and happy and candy and flowers and rainbows when I achieve the next milestone in life. The milestones are important, but they are dots on a line. It's what happens in life in between the dots that matters the most.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the line after the 'first apartment on staff/in the Cities' dot. The thousands of little choices may not seem like a big deal, but there are several within that thousand that will create and build momentum for many things to come in my future.
Good-bye, lonely "if only's." I don't need you anymore.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Peace through Education
I just finished "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I saw the sequel to this book in the USD Alumni Magazine (Mortenson earned Chemistry and Nursing degrees from USD) and thought I'd check out the first installment from my local library. (Random facts: he was born in Minnesota, and grew up the son of Lutheran Missionaries in Tanzania).WOW was it good. Couldn't-put-it-down, wished-there-was-more-than-385-pages good. I'm not one to be interested in foreign films or nonfiction books about other countries, especially the Middle East. But this book had an interesting up-and-down story line laced with factual and historical information.
The most surprising part of the book was Mortenson's knowledge of the relations between America and the Middle East, specifically Afghanistan and Pakistan. When 9/11 occurred, I was only 15. I honestly don't remember much about it, but I do remember that I didn't know much about foreign relations. I've never cared that much, which is fairly typical for an American teenager, I guess.
And now, after my 24 years of life experience, I still don't know much. But I look at the world more objectively, especially after taking a few journalism classes and realizing the power Media has in supplying information in mass form (I'm sure most people find out the media is biased without having to take college classes, but I wasn't one of them). Mortenson cites example after example of Muslims who want peace in their countries, and how providing a place for all Pakistani and Afghan children to receive an education really can promote peace.
Most of what I know about Muslisms comes from the news. And after an awful, horrific event like 9/11, it's hard to resist the belief that any Muslim is a terrorist. We rarely hear about the effects of terrorism on people who are unfortunate enough to live in a country where the terrorists actually live. Three Cups of Tea opened my eyes to the battles that Pakistani and Afghan Muslims fight every day.
It's sad when governments can't (or won't) provide education for their children. But what do you do about it when a terrorist group like the Taliban controls everything with money and violence. Without traveling to the area myself, or performing extensive research about the Middle East, it seems obvious that Mortenson's problem-solving techniques are actually helping quite a bit.
I had several favorite stories and quotes from the book, the explanation behind the book's title, for one, but I'll let you find that out for yourself. So, read the book. Or don't. But if you've read it, I'd love to know your thoughts.
"If you just fight terrorism, it's based in fear. If you promote peace, it's based in hope." - Greg Mortenson, quoted in the Fairfield Citizen News, 2008
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Spiritual Jackpot
Last week, I ventured off the farm to do some work at a local coffee shop (I'm still amazed there's one within a 20 mile range of my house! (Only one, though!)). First, though, I decided to get some lunch. I grabbed a burger and fries at the McDonalds, and took it to a local park to enjoy the beautiful weather. I turned off my car and folded my hands to pray for my meal. As soon as I said the words, I was struck with how odd they sounded: Bless this food to my body. Really?
I seldom remember to pray for my food when I'm out and about, which is an issue for another day. But I found it so odd to pray for a greasy burger and salty fries to bless my body and bring glory to God. There were much healthier options available, I just didn't think twice about it, which is yet an issue for another day. (Guess I know what I'm blogging about down the road...)
How often do I pray for something, knowing God will bless it? The burger isn't a great example, but I think it leads to an interesting question- is it silly to ask God to bless something we know isn't good for us?
I feel like this question brings off the top of the can of worms. Why don't we ask God what He has already blessed, and just do that? Why do we do things we know aren't the best for us?
Then comes the musing: How do we know God's will? How might we know what actions or choices He's blessed?
I've had moments during raising support that I can only describe as hitting a spiritual jackpot: seeing God bless something I feel Him prompting me to do. Whether it's taking a small step of faith or a huge one, seeing immediate rewards is not something we always get the privilege of doing. But I do, I get such a great feeling- that I'm being obedient to God and trusting Him to work things out -- whether I get to see rewards immediately, or be blessed at all in the decision.
Maybe I should pray for God to bless my greasy burger because it is what is is: greasy, and unhealthy, and it would be nice for Him to make it into good. Seems silly. Maybe God doesn't care about a measly little burger I ate at one meal. Maybe He does? A thousand small choices add up to mammoth consequences. A thousand burgers and fries over the course of 20 years (which is only a burger a week!) might lead to a deadly heart attack.
There's probably a lot of theological issues in this post, but it's just some general thoughts I have had lately about being obedient to God when we hear His voice.
Maybe we don't need to know what God's will is in the every day situations to hit the spiritual jackpot. His Word is clear what is beneficial and what is not. Perhaps I should not concern myself with figuring out what He'd bless in daily life, but fixing my eyes on Him.
"whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." {Philippians 4:8}
I seldom remember to pray for my food when I'm out and about, which is an issue for another day. But I found it so odd to pray for a greasy burger and salty fries to bless my body and bring glory to God. There were much healthier options available, I just didn't think twice about it, which is yet an issue for another day. (Guess I know what I'm blogging about down the road...)
How often do I pray for something, knowing God will bless it? The burger isn't a great example, but I think it leads to an interesting question- is it silly to ask God to bless something we know isn't good for us?
I feel like this question brings off the top of the can of worms. Why don't we ask God what He has already blessed, and just do that? Why do we do things we know aren't the best for us?
Then comes the musing: How do we know God's will? How might we know what actions or choices He's blessed?
I've had moments during raising support that I can only describe as hitting a spiritual jackpot: seeing God bless something I feel Him prompting me to do. Whether it's taking a small step of faith or a huge one, seeing immediate rewards is not something we always get the privilege of doing. But I do, I get such a great feeling- that I'm being obedient to God and trusting Him to work things out -- whether I get to see rewards immediately, or be blessed at all in the decision.
Maybe I should pray for God to bless my greasy burger because it is what is is: greasy, and unhealthy, and it would be nice for Him to make it into good. Seems silly. Maybe God doesn't care about a measly little burger I ate at one meal. Maybe He does? A thousand small choices add up to mammoth consequences. A thousand burgers and fries over the course of 20 years (which is only a burger a week!) might lead to a deadly heart attack.
There's probably a lot of theological issues in this post, but it's just some general thoughts I have had lately about being obedient to God when we hear His voice.
Maybe we don't need to know what God's will is in the every day situations to hit the spiritual jackpot. His Word is clear what is beneficial and what is not. Perhaps I should not concern myself with figuring out what He'd bless in daily life, but fixing my eyes on Him.
"whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." {Philippians 4:8}
Friday, July 09, 2010
Hibernatic July on the Farm
If June was nomadic, July is hibernatic. I rarely leave a 20 mile radius of the farm- and when I do, it's only to get provisions.
I don't know the proper word to describe life on the farm. Interesting, I guess. No- a more accurate phrase is: The way life is lived on the farm is very interesting.
The days are long; by 7 am, Dad laces up his boots for a 12 hour day. My parents are getting older, though. Those 12 hours include at least one nap at some point.
Holidays are spent at home, and if we do venture off the farm, it's to a nearby American Legion or small-town bar for supper (maybe even a drink).
But just because we don't get excited about special days doesn't mean we don't get excited. At any instant, the phone can ring. A neighbor, with bad news- "Your cows are out!"
Within minutes, we hop into the truck and speed down the road. More than once I've thought of the ramifications of someone hitting one of our livestock- injuries, possible death- a lawsuit, for sure.
But perhaps more dangerous than loose cows on the farm are fires. The 4th of July, the phone rang- within 30 seconds, I had my shoes on and the car started, while Mom ran to get the fire extinguishers. The contraption that bails hay into round stacks was producing smoke, presenting the potential for fire. (No actual fire, luckily).
Another phenomenon: we pick rock. I can't believe how many people don't know what this means- even people who grew up in towns and cities in more rural areas. This act is comparable to a seasoned shopper in a high-end store. She does not waste her time, but she selects her items carefully, very sure of what she wants. She can tell what items are treasures.
The farmer has a similar trained eye- he can spot a rock from 16 rows of corn away, (sometimes more). He takes one look, and heads back to the tractor for a shovel. That rock is like an iceberg, with a majority of its' mass underground.
Life on the farm seems so different now, after returning from 6 years in the "city" (if you can use that word to describe Vermillion). I may not always love it, but it's home.
I don't know the proper word to describe life on the farm. Interesting, I guess. No- a more accurate phrase is: The way life is lived on the farm is very interesting.
The days are long; by 7 am, Dad laces up his boots for a 12 hour day. My parents are getting older, though. Those 12 hours include at least one nap at some point.
Holidays are spent at home, and if we do venture off the farm, it's to a nearby American Legion or small-town bar for supper (maybe even a drink).
But just because we don't get excited about special days doesn't mean we don't get excited. At any instant, the phone can ring. A neighbor, with bad news- "Your cows are out!"
Within minutes, we hop into the truck and speed down the road. More than once I've thought of the ramifications of someone hitting one of our livestock- injuries, possible death- a lawsuit, for sure.
But perhaps more dangerous than loose cows on the farm are fires. The 4th of July, the phone rang- within 30 seconds, I had my shoes on and the car started, while Mom ran to get the fire extinguishers. The contraption that bails hay into round stacks was producing smoke, presenting the potential for fire. (No actual fire, luckily).
Another phenomenon: we pick rock. I can't believe how many people don't know what this means- even people who grew up in towns and cities in more rural areas. This act is comparable to a seasoned shopper in a high-end store. She does not waste her time, but she selects her items carefully, very sure of what she wants. She can tell what items are treasures.
The farmer has a similar trained eye- he can spot a rock from 16 rows of corn away, (sometimes more). He takes one look, and heads back to the tractor for a shovel. That rock is like an iceberg, with a majority of its' mass underground.
Life on the farm seems so different now, after returning from 6 years in the "city" (if you can use that word to describe Vermillion). I may not always love it, but it's home.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
some quick thoughts on 2 Samuel
I was watching a new show last week- "I Get That A Lot." It's one of those hidden camera shows where at the end, the people get all embarrassed in front of the camera.
Have you had that feeling-that something's so ironic, there must be a hidden camera around to capture your reaction? Once in awhile I'll be reading a verse or passage in the Bible and something will jump out at me, so applicable to my life or exactly what I need to read. Every time it happens I think about these hidden camera shows. (Now I'm picturing Jesus popping out from behind a door and said "Gotcha! You're on TV!" ...)
Anyway, all that to say I read something yesterday that hit me square in the eyes. I've been reading through the Bible Chronologically; I just finished off 2 Samuel, and was struck by this passage:
1 Once again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah,” the Lord told him.
2 So the king said to Joab and the commanders[a] of the army, “Take a census of all the tribes of Israel—from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south—so I may know how many people there are.”
3 But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God let you live to see a hundred times as many people as there are now! But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this?”
4 But the king insisted that they take the census, so Joab and the commanders of the army went out to count the people of Israel.
10 But after he had taken the census, David’s conscience began to bother him. And he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt, Lord, for doing this foolish thing.”
11 The next morning the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, who was David’s seer. This was the message: 12 “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’”
14 “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.”
15 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel that morning, and it lasted for three days.[e] A total of 70,000 people died throughout the nation, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south. 16 But as the angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!” At that moment the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
I don't really understand the significance of some of this, but it reminded me that numbers aren't always important. Maybe that's not the point of the passage; it was just so crazy to me to be praying about focusing on relationships instead of numbers during MPD, and then I read this passage.
So, I there's a loose application of this passage to my daily life (and I'm sure I could go more in depth if I knew my Biblical history better). But what also struck me was David's attitude at the end of the chapter:
17 When David saw the angel, he said to the Lord, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? Let your anger fall against me and my family.”
18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19 So David went up to do what the Lord had commanded him. 20 When Araunah saw the king and his men coming toward him, he came and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. 21 “Why have you come, my lord the king?” Araunah asked.
David replied, “I have come to buy your threshing floor and to build an altar to the Lord there, so that he will stop the plague.”
22 “Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing boards and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar. 23 I will give it all to you, Your Majesty, and may the Lord your God accept your sacrifice.”
24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver[f] for the threshing floor and the oxen.
25 David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
Wow. I will not present an offering to the Lord that costs me nothing. That verse needs no explanation.
Have you had that feeling-that something's so ironic, there must be a hidden camera around to capture your reaction? Once in awhile I'll be reading a verse or passage in the Bible and something will jump out at me, so applicable to my life or exactly what I need to read. Every time it happens I think about these hidden camera shows. (Now I'm picturing Jesus popping out from behind a door and said "Gotcha! You're on TV!" ...)
Anyway, all that to say I read something yesterday that hit me square in the eyes. I've been reading through the Bible Chronologically; I just finished off 2 Samuel, and was struck by this passage:
1 Once again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah,” the Lord told him.
2 So the king said to Joab and the commanders[a] of the army, “Take a census of all the tribes of Israel—from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south—so I may know how many people there are.”
3 But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God let you live to see a hundred times as many people as there are now! But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this?”
4 But the king insisted that they take the census, so Joab and the commanders of the army went out to count the people of Israel.
10 But after he had taken the census, David’s conscience began to bother him. And he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt, Lord, for doing this foolish thing.”
11 The next morning the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, who was David’s seer. This was the message: 12 “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’”
14 “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.”
15 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel that morning, and it lasted for three days.[e] A total of 70,000 people died throughout the nation, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south. 16 But as the angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!” At that moment the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
I don't really understand the significance of some of this, but it reminded me that numbers aren't always important. Maybe that's not the point of the passage; it was just so crazy to me to be praying about focusing on relationships instead of numbers during MPD, and then I read this passage.
So, I there's a loose application of this passage to my daily life (and I'm sure I could go more in depth if I knew my Biblical history better). But what also struck me was David's attitude at the end of the chapter:
17 When David saw the angel, he said to the Lord, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? Let your anger fall against me and my family.”
18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19 So David went up to do what the Lord had commanded him. 20 When Araunah saw the king and his men coming toward him, he came and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. 21 “Why have you come, my lord the king?” Araunah asked.
David replied, “I have come to buy your threshing floor and to build an altar to the Lord there, so that he will stop the plague.”
22 “Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing boards and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar. 23 I will give it all to you, Your Majesty, and may the Lord your God accept your sacrifice.”
24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver[f] for the threshing floor and the oxen.
25 David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
Wow. I will not present an offering to the Lord that costs me nothing. That verse needs no explanation.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Nomad June.
As Nomad June comes to a close I find myself at home on the farm in Minnesota. Living out of my car was fun for a month, but I am excited to be home for ... awhile. However long that will be! Here's a final summary of Nomad June:
39 Hours in my car
6 different states
2300+ miles
8 different sermon podcasts played
longest stretch without getting out of the car:
Champaign, IL to Moline, IL (180ish miles)
(not that impressive)
longest drive in one day:
Champaign, IL to Vermillion, SD (589 miles)
Whew. I'm tired just typing all that. In reality it wasn't that major of a trip, but it made for a fun and crazy month!
39 Hours in my car
6 different states
2300+ miles
8 different sermon podcasts played
longest stretch without getting out of the car:
Champaign, IL to Moline, IL (180ish miles)
(not that impressive)
longest drive in one day:
Champaign, IL to Vermillion, SD (589 miles)
Whew. I'm tired just typing all that. In reality it wasn't that major of a trip, but it made for a fun and crazy month!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
A Promise.
How's this for a legacy? (quotes from wikipedia)
"Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying older sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which is now the world's largest breast cancer organization and largest source of nonprofit fund dedicated to breast cancer."
"Since its inception in 1982, Komen has raised over $1.5 billion for research, education and health services, making it the largest breast cancer charity in the world. Today, the Komen organization is recognized as the leading catalyst in the fight against breast cancer, with more than 100,000 volunteers working in a network of 125 U.S. and international affiliates. Susan G. Komen for the Cure received Charity Navigator's highest rating, four stars."
"Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying older sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which is now the world's largest breast cancer organization and largest source of nonprofit fund dedicated to breast cancer."
"Since its inception in 1982, Komen has raised over $1.5 billion for research, education and health services, making it the largest breast cancer charity in the world. Today, the Komen organization is recognized as the leading catalyst in the fight against breast cancer, with more than 100,000 volunteers working in a network of 125 U.S. and international affiliates. Susan G. Komen for the Cure received Charity Navigator's highest rating, four stars."
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Formulas.
My car was looking pretty dirty the other day, so I took a trip to the local do-it-yourself car wash.
I had a couple dollars in quarters and figured I could get the car pretty clean for about $2.50. I put the quarters in the machine, turned the knob to "Super Soap Soak" and let 'er rip.
Throughout the process of washing the car, I assumed the power washer would produce the water pressure and suds I needed to get my car moderately clean (mainly just less bug-encrusted). I put the money in and got results.
Here's where I tie in the real-life example and the new found spiritual truth you're expecting (get ready): God is not a coin-operated power washer. (Surprise!)
I definitely don't buy into the prosperity gospel that has wormed its way into the Christian subculture. The view that we believers have a right to blessings of health and wealth from God isn't one that fits within the context of the Bible.
But just because I don't buy in to the sham doesn't mean my bed skirt isn't a little ruffled. I have tendencies that result in treating God like a cosmic ATM (relevant mag's words, not mine).
And it's the little lies that we believe, or half-truths that we let slide, that can be the most devastating.
I like equations. Math is always the same. Two plus two always equals four and I take comfort in that. The funny thing is, there are those equations in the realm of Christianity that are always true. God will always love me, no matter what I do (or don't do). I will find Him when I seek Him with all my heart. He will provide what I truly need - and if I don't receive it, maybe I don't really need it. It's funny how easy it is to doubt these things even though they are as true as two plus two. I hate these cliche type of sayings I just listed, but they really are true. Of all the times I complain about not being about to find God, I must admit I wasn't seeking Him that hard. Of all the times I complain about not getting what I want, I really do have what I need.
I suppose instead of asking God to bless the things I do, I should try doing things I know He will bless. I love to make all kinds of plans, especially in the realm of MPD, but things rarely seem to work out the way I want them to.
I expect results when I step out in faith. Sometimes I see exactly what I expect, while other times I don't see any immediate result. Regardless, it's my job to step out in faith. If you're truly living your life to glorify God, regardless of your occupation, you will have to take steps of faith, leaving the results up to God (helloooo witnessing in the power of the Holy Spirit). Hm. I guess there's one formula that always works!
I had a couple dollars in quarters and figured I could get the car pretty clean for about $2.50. I put the quarters in the machine, turned the knob to "Super Soap Soak" and let 'er rip.
Throughout the process of washing the car, I assumed the power washer would produce the water pressure and suds I needed to get my car moderately clean (mainly just less bug-encrusted). I put the money in and got results.
Here's where I tie in the real-life example and the new found spiritual truth you're expecting (get ready): God is not a coin-operated power washer. (Surprise!)
I definitely don't buy into the prosperity gospel that has wormed its way into the Christian subculture. The view that we believers have a right to blessings of health and wealth from God isn't one that fits within the context of the Bible.
But just because I don't buy in to the sham doesn't mean my bed skirt isn't a little ruffled. I have tendencies that result in treating God like a cosmic ATM (relevant mag's words, not mine).
And it's the little lies that we believe, or half-truths that we let slide, that can be the most devastating.
I like equations. Math is always the same. Two plus two always equals four and I take comfort in that. The funny thing is, there are those equations in the realm of Christianity that are always true. God will always love me, no matter what I do (or don't do). I will find Him when I seek Him with all my heart. He will provide what I truly need - and if I don't receive it, maybe I don't really need it. It's funny how easy it is to doubt these things even though they are as true as two plus two. I hate these cliche type of sayings I just listed, but they really are true. Of all the times I complain about not being about to find God, I must admit I wasn't seeking Him that hard. Of all the times I complain about not getting what I want, I really do have what I need.
I suppose instead of asking God to bless the things I do, I should try doing things I know He will bless. I love to make all kinds of plans, especially in the realm of MPD, but things rarely seem to work out the way I want them to.
I expect results when I step out in faith. Sometimes I see exactly what I expect, while other times I don't see any immediate result. Regardless, it's my job to step out in faith. If you're truly living your life to glorify God, regardless of your occupation, you will have to take steps of faith, leaving the results up to God (helloooo witnessing in the power of the Holy Spirit). Hm. I guess there's one formula that always works!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Future Strengths
I've blogged about my strengths before, but lately my thoughts have revolved around my future and so I've been thinking about my strengths a lot. Ok, fine- whether I think about my future or not, I'm often thinking of my strengths and how to use them differently, or more efficiently. God's been doing a lot of stuff in my heart/mind and I'm not real sure how that will play out in the coming months/years. At this point, I'm just grateful for where I am.
These thoughts have partially included the field HR and why I love it so much. I enjoy talking about and thinking about my personality and how I can hone my strengths to make me even better at what I am good at. Below are my top five thought patterns:
People strong in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.
People strong in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
People strong in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.
People strong in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all the factors that might affect a situation.
People strong in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.
A few thoughts on these patterns:
I'm surprised Connectedness didn't make it into the top 5 (having faith that there are links between all things/events). Maybe it was in the #6 spot. At first I was surprised that Achiever (great deal of stamina and work hard; taking great satisfaction from being busy and productive) was not in my top 5, but I'm kind of glad it's not!
Also, the Arranger theme can organize with a complementing component of flexibility; they like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity. This pattern combined with Individualization would be key for HR.
People to pair up with: Activators. Hard core. I stink at finishing things.
These thoughts have partially included the field HR and why I love it so much. I enjoy talking about and thinking about my personality and how I can hone my strengths to make me even better at what I am good at. Below are my top five thought patterns:
People strong in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.
People strong in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
People strong in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.
People strong in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all the factors that might affect a situation.
People strong in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.
A few thoughts on these patterns:
I'm surprised Connectedness didn't make it into the top 5 (having faith that there are links between all things/events). Maybe it was in the #6 spot. At first I was surprised that Achiever (great deal of stamina and work hard; taking great satisfaction from being busy and productive) was not in my top 5, but I'm kind of glad it's not!
Also, the Arranger theme can organize with a complementing component of flexibility; they like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity. This pattern combined with Individualization would be key for HR.
People to pair up with: Activators. Hard core. I stink at finishing things.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Nomad June?
I was supposed to be heading to Chicago today, but instead I am heading back to Vermillion. I'm bummed that MPD stuff in Chi-town didn't work out. It's hard to maintain a sense of urgency in MPD, but I trust I'll get to Minneapolis when God wants me to. (Well, I'm hoping he wants me there August 1, because that's when I'm moving. But I do realize all my support might not be in by then- so I will at least be living in Minneapolis, just not reported to the Ops team. I digress).
Thankfully, God knows what's going on. It's not surprising that I can trust Him so easily with something so hard that isn't going very well. And when things are great, it's hard to relinquish control; especially in those areas of my life that go well when I manage them.
Thankfully, God knows what's going on. It's not surprising that I can trust Him so easily with something so hard that isn't going very well. And when things are great, it's hard to relinquish control; especially in those areas of my life that go well when I manage them.
Saturday, June 05, 2010
Advice to Seniors
I was digging through some junk the other day in my attempt to pack my stuff, when I happened to find a notebook of loose papers. I almost threw it away without checking to see what it was. Turns out, it was notes from a guest speaker in the Business School from my senior year of college.
As I glanced at the notes, I remembered that he was actually was a good speaker. I didn't write down his name, but I remember he was at that time the CEO of the Americas of HSBC. My notes are pretty basic:
-Love what you do. It’s all that matters.
-If you’re in a game you can’t win, you’ll lose.
-Know the boundaries of the circle of competence. What do I do well?
-What do I do when I don’t have anything to do? How can I make money doing it?
I remember appreciating his honesty; we heard so many people come through the business talking about money, politics, climbing the corporate ladder. But there were small glimmers of something different- "revolutionary" ideas that loving one's day job will bring you more happiness than money. (Shocking, isn't it?)
He also had a top ten list - advice for college grads:
1. Manage your own career (60% me, 20% company, 20% luck).
2. Excessive Job Hopping is detrimental to your career.
3. Maintain a keen sense of curiosity; don’t be too complacent.
4. Gain international experience/exposure; a second language is a plus!
5. DO NOT compromise your values and principles at work.
6. Take pride in all aspects of your work. Be responsible. Take ownership.
7. Be a team champion; don’t be a star.
8. Listening is an art and a hard skill to develop.
9. To be held hostage to your job is not a career.
10. Enjoy what you do and have fun!
Even though I'm in full-time ministry, I still want to have a 'career' of sorts. Maybe that's a bad thing. I've wondered at times whether I'll get (any) skill development on a professional level working for Crusade. Whether I will or not, the spiritual and personal development is a lot more valuable to me (and I think development in these areas would help my professional skills to stand out more, anyway).
Anyway, I know this list is just his opinion, or a rip-off of another person's opinion, but I was intrigued by his very first statement: you need to take change of your own career. I know I will get great opportunities professionally with Campus Crusade (definitely comparable to my fellow USD B-School classmates of 2008); but regardless, I must be responsible for my own career development.
I don't worry as much about other items on the list (#2, #4, #5), but the rest are really important. I definitely want to enjoy my work, fostering creativity and curiosity while being responsible for my contribution to the team.
If I haven't said it enough, I'm so excited for what is in store at the Regional Office!
As I glanced at the notes, I remembered that he was actually was a good speaker. I didn't write down his name, but I remember he was at that time the CEO of the Americas of HSBC. My notes are pretty basic:
-Love what you do. It’s all that matters.
-If you’re in a game you can’t win, you’ll lose.
-Know the boundaries of the circle of competence. What do I do well?
-What do I do when I don’t have anything to do? How can I make money doing it?
I remember appreciating his honesty; we heard so many people come through the business talking about money, politics, climbing the corporate ladder. But there were small glimmers of something different- "revolutionary" ideas that loving one's day job will bring you more happiness than money. (Shocking, isn't it?)
He also had a top ten list - advice for college grads:
1. Manage your own career (60% me, 20% company, 20% luck).
2. Excessive Job Hopping is detrimental to your career.
3. Maintain a keen sense of curiosity; don’t be too complacent.
4. Gain international experience/exposure; a second language is a plus!
5. DO NOT compromise your values and principles at work.
6. Take pride in all aspects of your work. Be responsible. Take ownership.
7. Be a team champion; don’t be a star.
8. Listening is an art and a hard skill to develop.
9. To be held hostage to your job is not a career.
10. Enjoy what you do and have fun!
Even though I'm in full-time ministry, I still want to have a 'career' of sorts. Maybe that's a bad thing. I've wondered at times whether I'll get (any) skill development on a professional level working for Crusade. Whether I will or not, the spiritual and personal development is a lot more valuable to me (and I think development in these areas would help my professional skills to stand out more, anyway).
Anyway, I know this list is just his opinion, or a rip-off of another person's opinion, but I was intrigued by his very first statement: you need to take change of your own career. I know I will get great opportunities professionally with Campus Crusade (definitely comparable to my fellow USD B-School classmates of 2008); but regardless, I must be responsible for my own career development.
I don't worry as much about other items on the list (#2, #4, #5), but the rest are really important. I definitely want to enjoy my work, fostering creativity and curiosity while being responsible for my contribution to the team.
If I haven't said it enough, I'm so excited for what is in store at the Regional Office!
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Nomad June!
I've decided to become a nomad...at least for the month of June. The first day of June was spent at my place in Vermillion, amidst half-packed boxed and piles of stuff. June 2 was spent at the home of some dear friends (the Johnson's!) in Des Moines, and June 3 will be spent in the great state of Indiana. I'm looking forward to the nomadic lifestyle for awhile. I've become very used to taking every opportunity that comes my way. My job forces me to...but I've also found a sense of freedom in doing so. Sometimes a regimented routine leaves no room for the Spirit of God.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Campus Ministries Working Together
How does a ministry decide on which students they will focus? How do staff members who can limited time and resources make certain their resources are used effectively on campus?
I love the intense focus within Campus Crusade of winning students to Christ. Our organizational focus is evangelism and discipleship. This is what God called Dr. Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, to focus on when the ministry started in 1951, and this is still our focus today.
I've heard a quote from Bright stating his interest in helping a believer understand and live in the power of the Holy Spirit over bringing someone to Christ. His reason was strategic; the more believers that are actively sharing their faith, the more people that could potentially be reached.
So if we're about reaching students in college and training them to be life-long laborers, the strategist (is that a word?) in me says train them while they're in high school so they can jump right into ministry in college.
A good thought, but there's an alarming statistic to consider: around 80% of Christian high school students leave their Christian faith in college.
So what do we do? How do we balance what God's called us to as a ministry and the current needs of university students?
This issue has been in the back of my mind throughout my college days, and even more now as a staff member with Campus Crusade. Several months ago, a friend shared with this article with me from the InterVarsity website about the importance of the first 72 hours on campus. The story also highlights a great organization partnering with existing Christian ministries on campus. (I love hearing about Christian mission organizations working together. It just makes sense to team up in reaching people with the Gospel).
Youth Transition Network (YTN), was created by Jeff Schadt to help students transition from high school to college. Schadt, a former Campus Crusade for Christ staff, explains that freshman often assume the adjustment to life on campus will be easy, but they often find themselves overwhelmed.
YTN partners with more than 65 organizations, including InterVarsity and Campus Crusade, to help students transition well. "For the second year in a row, YTN is offering SUCCEED 2010 to give high school juniors and seniors and their parents an opportunity to attend a live simulcast that covers the social, spiritual, financial, academic, and time-management issues that students face. “We address their practical needs as well as their spiritual needs,” Jeff said." (From the InterVarsity website. The Article in its' entirety can be found here. More information on this simulcast is available at YTN’s parent and pastor website www.YTN.org).
I'm grateful I had a textbook experience, because the transition to college can be a tough one. My first 72 hours set the course for my college career, and totally changed my life. If my then-Christian roommate wanted to party hard the first few months of college, I probably would have tagged along, I desperately wanted to fit in at that point, so I was willing to take huge steps out of my comfort zone and experience new things. I'm so thankful the Christians on campus were putting themselves out there to meet new people and trusting God to work amongst the new freshman on campus.
I love the intense focus within Campus Crusade of winning students to Christ. Our organizational focus is evangelism and discipleship. This is what God called Dr. Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, to focus on when the ministry started in 1951, and this is still our focus today.
I've heard a quote from Bright stating his interest in helping a believer understand and live in the power of the Holy Spirit over bringing someone to Christ. His reason was strategic; the more believers that are actively sharing their faith, the more people that could potentially be reached.
So if we're about reaching students in college and training them to be life-long laborers, the strategist (is that a word?) in me says train them while they're in high school so they can jump right into ministry in college.
A good thought, but there's an alarming statistic to consider: around 80% of Christian high school students leave their Christian faith in college.
So what do we do? How do we balance what God's called us to as a ministry and the current needs of university students?
This issue has been in the back of my mind throughout my college days, and even more now as a staff member with Campus Crusade. Several months ago, a friend shared with this article with me from the InterVarsity website about the importance of the first 72 hours on campus. The story also highlights a great organization partnering with existing Christian ministries on campus. (I love hearing about Christian mission organizations working together. It just makes sense to team up in reaching people with the Gospel).
Youth Transition Network (YTN), was created by Jeff Schadt to help students transition from high school to college. Schadt, a former Campus Crusade for Christ staff, explains that freshman often assume the adjustment to life on campus will be easy, but they often find themselves overwhelmed.
YTN partners with more than 65 organizations, including InterVarsity and Campus Crusade, to help students transition well. "For the second year in a row, YTN is offering SUCCEED 2010 to give high school juniors and seniors and their parents an opportunity to attend a live simulcast that covers the social, spiritual, financial, academic, and time-management issues that students face. “We address their practical needs as well as their spiritual needs,” Jeff said." (From the InterVarsity website. The Article in its' entirety can be found here. More information on this simulcast is available at YTN’s parent and pastor website www.YTN.org).
I'm grateful I had a textbook experience, because the transition to college can be a tough one. My first 72 hours set the course for my college career, and totally changed my life. If my then-Christian roommate wanted to party hard the first few months of college, I probably would have tagged along, I desperately wanted to fit in at that point, so I was willing to take huge steps out of my comfort zone and experience new things. I'm so thankful the Christians on campus were putting themselves out there to meet new people and trusting God to work amongst the new freshman on campus.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Debt.
A few months ago I finished the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace class. Thirteen weeks of learning financial phrases and budget busters. As with anything that prompts you to make changes to your daily life, it's been really hard to put into practice what I learned. I will say, when I hear the word 'debt,' my ears perk up. :)
I loved the class, because it's incredibly applicable. I've never had to take out a loan before, but I understand how it works. I've owed people money at various times in my life. I understand the heaviness that weighs on your shoulders. The next payment that's due is always on your mind. Constant number crunching and pencil pushing.
After my recent financial learning, I see the concept of Jesus canceling our debt in a new light. The heaviness is gone. The guilt is gone. The constant worry is gone. Can you imagine if you owed someone $10,000? (That's a huge number to me [and is why owning a house and paying on a mortgage scares me to death!!]). Now imagine someone saying "Oh, yeah. I have $10,000 in this briefcase. Here, you can have it."
So it is with Jesus. All we have to do is reach out and take it. And not only does He pay for our debt, He offers a life full of riches, not earthly like we imagine or even desires sometimes, but rich in love and grace (eph 2:7), of His kindness and mercy (eph 2:4).
And Ephesians 1:7 says that in Jesus we have redemption, through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.
And 2 Corinthians 8:9 says this: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."
Despite the size of our bank account, student loan balance or mortgage status, we are richly blessed by God, and the debt we could never pay back on our own is paid in full.
I loved the class, because it's incredibly applicable. I've never had to take out a loan before, but I understand how it works. I've owed people money at various times in my life. I understand the heaviness that weighs on your shoulders. The next payment that's due is always on your mind. Constant number crunching and pencil pushing.
After my recent financial learning, I see the concept of Jesus canceling our debt in a new light. The heaviness is gone. The guilt is gone. The constant worry is gone. Can you imagine if you owed someone $10,000? (That's a huge number to me [and is why owning a house and paying on a mortgage scares me to death!!]). Now imagine someone saying "Oh, yeah. I have $10,000 in this briefcase. Here, you can have it."
So it is with Jesus. All we have to do is reach out and take it. And not only does He pay for our debt, He offers a life full of riches, not earthly like we imagine or even desires sometimes, but rich in love and grace (eph 2:7), of His kindness and mercy (eph 2:4).
And Ephesians 1:7 says that in Jesus we have redemption, through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.
And 2 Corinthians 8:9 says this: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."
Despite the size of our bank account, student loan balance or mortgage status, we are richly blessed by God, and the debt we could never pay back on our own is paid in full.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
My First Sermon.
I have a toothache. I don't think I've ever had one before (seriously!), so you can imagine my annoyance. It's 5am, I've been up for an hour and can't get back to sleep.
So...I thought I'd be productive. I've been working on a "sermon" (I use that term incredibly loosely) for my home church for a few weeks now. It's been on my mind a lot, but I haven't actually sat down to do any writing until this week. I have no idea why I actually have a toothache at this time and on this day, but I just sat down and wrote a majority of the sermon. I'm amazed at how easily it's coming together.
Several times this week, I've just pulled out my Bible at the end of a long day and paged through some passages-and I somehow stumble upon a verse that becomes a major pillar of the message. I'll be writing an e-mail, and remember that a book I read once years ago might have something good for the sermon, so I dig it out and page through it and happen to find exactly what I needed to include in the message.
I don't think I've just been 'happening' to stumble upon or remember these things. It's been encouraging to see God work things out in front of me as I am faithful in working on the sermon. I haven't actually been all that faithful, but it's really coming together nicely. This makes me even more excited because the fact that I don't really have to work hard for it shows me that He's the one orchestrating the events. I like to write, and research various topics, and speak in public. But even with these advantages there's absolutely no way that I could create a decent, thought-provoking sermon without His guidance and influence.
Say what you want about the way God interacts with individuals- whether or not he opens up parking spaces for you at the mall, or cares about which refrigerator you buy. Some days it's easier to doubt His faithfulness (we know then we won't feel let down if He doesn't come through) than it is to believe He will do what we really need Him to. But when you actually see Him come through for you several times in different ways, you know He cares. And it helps you trust Him to be there in other ways, too.
To sum: God wants your availability, not your ability. In my case, I'm amazed that He would even work through my level of incredibly distracted, disinterested availability.
So...I thought I'd be productive. I've been working on a "sermon" (I use that term incredibly loosely) for my home church for a few weeks now. It's been on my mind a lot, but I haven't actually sat down to do any writing until this week. I have no idea why I actually have a toothache at this time and on this day, but I just sat down and wrote a majority of the sermon. I'm amazed at how easily it's coming together.
Several times this week, I've just pulled out my Bible at the end of a long day and paged through some passages-and I somehow stumble upon a verse that becomes a major pillar of the message. I'll be writing an e-mail, and remember that a book I read once years ago might have something good for the sermon, so I dig it out and page through it and happen to find exactly what I needed to include in the message.
I don't think I've just been 'happening' to stumble upon or remember these things. It's been encouraging to see God work things out in front of me as I am faithful in working on the sermon. I haven't actually been all that faithful, but it's really coming together nicely. This makes me even more excited because the fact that I don't really have to work hard for it shows me that He's the one orchestrating the events. I like to write, and research various topics, and speak in public. But even with these advantages there's absolutely no way that I could create a decent, thought-provoking sermon without His guidance and influence.
Say what you want about the way God interacts with individuals- whether or not he opens up parking spaces for you at the mall, or cares about which refrigerator you buy. Some days it's easier to doubt His faithfulness (we know then we won't feel let down if He doesn't come through) than it is to believe He will do what we really need Him to. But when you actually see Him come through for you several times in different ways, you know He cares. And it helps you trust Him to be there in other ways, too.
To sum: God wants your availability, not your ability. In my case, I'm amazed that He would even work through my level of incredibly distracted, disinterested availability.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Food.
I love food. Too much. I fully admit that I eat all the wrong foods for all the wrong reasons. The only thing I want to do at the end of a long day is sit down on the couch with a diet coke and a bag of Baked Lays Cheddar & Sour Cream Ruffle Chips.
I joined the website myfitnesspal.com It's an easy way to keep track of your calorie intake, exercise and overall weight loss goal. This website is how I learned that just because chips are baked doesn't magically make them healthy.
Sad to say, this late-night chip raid generally appeases my hunger for feeling good. It doesn't occur to me to go to the Lord with any of my various needs, hurt feelings or good news at the end of the day.
As if my day-to-day food intake wasn't hard enough to monitor, it's officially that time of year; you know, where every weekend is marked by another spread of wonderful homemade food. Graduation season. Last night I was at a graduation party with the best macaroni and cheese ever. Seriously. Best. Ever.
I was sitting in a laundromat today, knocking out some of the Psalms on my chronological reading plan. I hit Psalm 63 and the following verse stuck out to me in a new way: "My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods." Like my chips. And homemade macaroni. And turtle cheesecake.
Other versions say 'my soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,' and 'I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy.' I seldom feel as good after I spend time with God compared to a delicious homemade meal. Or even frozen pizza.
I'm not really sure how to end this post. Maybe with the words of Jesus from John 6:48: "I am the bread of life."
I joined the website myfitnesspal.com It's an easy way to keep track of your calorie intake, exercise and overall weight loss goal. This website is how I learned that just because chips are baked doesn't magically make them healthy.
Sad to say, this late-night chip raid generally appeases my hunger for feeling good. It doesn't occur to me to go to the Lord with any of my various needs, hurt feelings or good news at the end of the day.
As if my day-to-day food intake wasn't hard enough to monitor, it's officially that time of year; you know, where every weekend is marked by another spread of wonderful homemade food. Graduation season. Last night I was at a graduation party with the best macaroni and cheese ever. Seriously. Best. Ever.
I was sitting in a laundromat today, knocking out some of the Psalms on my chronological reading plan. I hit Psalm 63 and the following verse stuck out to me in a new way: "My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods." Like my chips. And homemade macaroni. And turtle cheesecake.
Other versions say 'my soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,' and 'I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy.' I seldom feel as good after I spend time with God compared to a delicious homemade meal. Or even frozen pizza.
I'm not really sure how to end this post. Maybe with the words of Jesus from John 6:48: "I am the bread of life."
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Small Blessings: Conversation
I was doing a morning devotion today at a local coffee shop when a man came up to me and asked if I was reading "Funding Your Ministry." I won't lie, I purposely bring the book along every time I sit in a public place in hopes that it will lead to conversations. You never know, right?
Finally today, someone noticed. We chatted a bit about the author and another up-and-coming resource for those raising financial support. He commented on my Kansas City shirt (he grew up there) and also made sure he mentioned his fiance several times.
Anyway, it was just really fun to meet another missionary in a random location at a random time. And I was just commenting to my roommate last night that I'd been lacking in social interaction, hence the hanging out in a coffee shop today. I also ran into a friend from church which was also a nice conversation.
Finally today, someone noticed. We chatted a bit about the author and another up-and-coming resource for those raising financial support. He commented on my Kansas City shirt (he grew up there) and also made sure he mentioned his fiance several times.
Anyway, it was just really fun to meet another missionary in a random location at a random time. And I was just commenting to my roommate last night that I'd been lacking in social interaction, hence the hanging out in a coffee shop today. I also ran into a friend from church which was also a nice conversation.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
do we need psychics?
If you knew what would happen in the future, would you live life differently?
A friend and I were talking awhile back about people who decide to remain single for the rest of their lives. Not necessarily that we wanted to decide this, but just how people come to this conclusion.
The conversation led me to wonder how I would live my life differently than I am right now if I knew I would be single the rest of my life. I'd spend a lot more time with God, making sure He's number one in my life. I'd want to make sure I had solid friendships with other single women, but I'd also make sure I spent time with young couples, and families, too.
Then I thought about the flip side; if I absolutely knew I would get married someday, would I live my life differently? Yes. Definitely. I'd spend a lot more time with God. I'd make sure I was seeking Him each day and putting Him first.
I'm making a broad generalization here, but I think the point is an important one to make. Preparation for what life will throw at me down the road doesn't hinge on me knowing what's coming. I probably wouldn't believe it even if I did know what was coming!
A friend and I were talking awhile back about people who decide to remain single for the rest of their lives. Not necessarily that we wanted to decide this, but just how people come to this conclusion.
The conversation led me to wonder how I would live my life differently than I am right now if I knew I would be single the rest of my life. I'd spend a lot more time with God, making sure He's number one in my life. I'd want to make sure I had solid friendships with other single women, but I'd also make sure I spent time with young couples, and families, too.
Then I thought about the flip side; if I absolutely knew I would get married someday, would I live my life differently? Yes. Definitely. I'd spend a lot more time with God. I'd make sure I was seeking Him each day and putting Him first.
I'm making a broad generalization here, but I think the point is an important one to make. Preparation for what life will throw at me down the road doesn't hinge on me knowing what's coming. I probably wouldn't believe it even if I did know what was coming!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Lessons from Kids: purpose.
A little girl came up to me after church on Sunday; she had to interview a missionary for Awana. She asked where I'm going, so I said Minneapolis. She asked what I'm doing there. I hesitated.
How do I explain to an 8 year old what I do on staff? I explained that I will help other missionaries tell people about Jesus. That seemed to satisfy her.
On the way home I contemplated my answer. My reply differs depending on the person or audience I'm talking to. Last year I spoke to an Awana group at a friends' church. I went into much more detail with those kids than I did on Sunday. I remember watching at their little eyes glazed over and I found them slowly nodding along when I looked at them, just like I do when someone tries to explain something I don't understand.
I want people to "get" what I do. I love explaining how my role is a puzzle piece that fit into the larger picture, but I also don't want to lose people while I cast vision. The details are important to me, but the purpose is what most people are interested in. What a good reminder to stay focused each day on the mission instead of getting tied up in the logistics and lost in the details.
How do I explain to an 8 year old what I do on staff? I explained that I will help other missionaries tell people about Jesus. That seemed to satisfy her.
On the way home I contemplated my answer. My reply differs depending on the person or audience I'm talking to. Last year I spoke to an Awana group at a friends' church. I went into much more detail with those kids than I did on Sunday. I remember watching at their little eyes glazed over and I found them slowly nodding along when I looked at them, just like I do when someone tries to explain something I don't understand.
I want people to "get" what I do. I love explaining how my role is a puzzle piece that fit into the larger picture, but I also don't want to lose people while I cast vision. The details are important to me, but the purpose is what most people are interested in. What a good reminder to stay focused each day on the mission instead of getting tied up in the logistics and lost in the details.
Monday, April 26, 2010
I love it when someone knows how I feel.
"The pain of lifelong singleness, Ethan Watters wrote, isn't so much coveting a relationship, but grieving lost dreams. And I fear he is right. We feel that if we’re alone that we will never experience the pleasures, security and fulfillment of marriage, while our friends around us celebrate anniversaries and raise families. But maybe that’s the problem, it’s our dream, and we have pushed God out."
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Facebook Facts & Figures.
Facebook was born the month I turned 18. This was also the first time I had my own cell phone, which I figured would change the way I lived my life.
It did. But six years later, I now find myself forgetting how old I am, and forgetting about life before the popular social networking site.
How did I share my photos with friends? How did I let everyone know I was having a party on Friday night? How did I express my frustrations, opinions and memories?
I just saw a post from a Facebook friend of mine entitled "With over 400 million active users, Facebook is bigger than the U.S." Granted, over 70% of users live outside the U.S., but still! They define active users as those who've logged in at least once in the last 30 days.
30% of people in South Dakota are on Facebook; 10% of New Mexico residents and a whopping 125% of residents from Washington D.C. (They do point out that people from Washington D.C. also live in other states).
# More than 400 million active users
# 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day
# More than 35 million users update their status each day
# More than 60 million status updates posted each day
# More than 3 billion photos uploaded to the site each month
# More than 5 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) shared each week
# More than 3.5 million events created each month
# More than 3 million active Pages on Facebook
# More than 1.5 million local businesses have active Pages on Facebook
# More than 20 million people become fans of Pages each day
# Pages have created more than 5.3 billion fans
# Average user has 130 friends on the site
# Average user sends 8 friend requests per month
# Average user spends more than 55 minutes per day on Facebook
# Average user clicks the Like button on 9 pieces of content each month
# Average user writes 25 comments on Facebook content each month
# Average user becomes a fan of 4 Pages each month
# Average user is invited to 3 events per month
# Average user is a member of 13 groups
# There are more than 100 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.
# People that use Facebook on their mobile devices are twice more active on Facebook than non-mobile users.
# There are more than 200 mobile operators in 60 countries working to deploy and promote Facebook mobile products
It did. But six years later, I now find myself forgetting how old I am, and forgetting about life before the popular social networking site.
How did I share my photos with friends? How did I let everyone know I was having a party on Friday night? How did I express my frustrations, opinions and memories?
I just saw a post from a Facebook friend of mine entitled "With over 400 million active users, Facebook is bigger than the U.S." Granted, over 70% of users live outside the U.S., but still! They define active users as those who've logged in at least once in the last 30 days.
30% of people in South Dakota are on Facebook; 10% of New Mexico residents and a whopping 125% of residents from Washington D.C. (They do point out that people from Washington D.C. also live in other states).
# More than 400 million active users
# 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day
# More than 35 million users update their status each day
# More than 60 million status updates posted each day
# More than 3 billion photos uploaded to the site each month
# More than 5 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) shared each week
# More than 3.5 million events created each month
# More than 3 million active Pages on Facebook
# More than 1.5 million local businesses have active Pages on Facebook
# More than 20 million people become fans of Pages each day
# Pages have created more than 5.3 billion fans
# Average user has 130 friends on the site
# Average user sends 8 friend requests per month
# Average user spends more than 55 minutes per day on Facebook
# Average user clicks the Like button on 9 pieces of content each month
# Average user writes 25 comments on Facebook content each month
# Average user becomes a fan of 4 Pages each month
# Average user is invited to 3 events per month
# Average user is a member of 13 groups
# There are more than 100 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.
# People that use Facebook on their mobile devices are twice more active on Facebook than non-mobile users.
# There are more than 200 mobile operators in 60 countries working to deploy and promote Facebook mobile products
Monday, April 19, 2010
Communication Failures.
I've been thinking a lot lately about how I communicate with others. Relevant Mag just posted an article this week on communication failures so I thought I'd check it out for some helpful hints.
What I got was a boatload of conviction. Some examples:
The Procrastinator: You say you will get back to a caller, eventually. You put it on your list of things to do, and it gets lost.
The Restaurant Manager: Your communication mimics something of a big chain-restaurant manager. You say a lot of things that put up the appearance that you care; but really, you don’t.
The TV Preacher: Every time anyone says something sad to you, you reply with, “It will all work out in the end” or “There are plenty of fish in the sea” or “I know what will help: go help someone who is worse off; you will feel better.”
The Listener: You constantly listen so much that when most people have a conversation with you, they feel better. This often has to do with the fact that you are able to keep your mouth closed and your eyes attentive. Although many listeners are genuine, some are listening because they don’t have much to say and don’t end up sharing anything about themselves. They are very close in spirit to the Shallow One or the The Closer.
The Closer: You are constantly thinking about how to quickly end the conversation. You might have enjoyed an excellent career in customer service. You make people feel like you are rushing through.
Check out the entire article here.
What I got was a boatload of conviction. Some examples:
The Procrastinator: You say you will get back to a caller, eventually. You put it on your list of things to do, and it gets lost.
The Restaurant Manager: Your communication mimics something of a big chain-restaurant manager. You say a lot of things that put up the appearance that you care; but really, you don’t.
The TV Preacher: Every time anyone says something sad to you, you reply with, “It will all work out in the end” or “There are plenty of fish in the sea” or “I know what will help: go help someone who is worse off; you will feel better.”
The Listener: You constantly listen so much that when most people have a conversation with you, they feel better. This often has to do with the fact that you are able to keep your mouth closed and your eyes attentive. Although many listeners are genuine, some are listening because they don’t have much to say and don’t end up sharing anything about themselves. They are very close in spirit to the Shallow One or the The Closer.
The Closer: You are constantly thinking about how to quickly end the conversation. You might have enjoyed an excellent career in customer service. You make people feel like you are rushing through.
Check out the entire article here.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Google It.
Have you ever 'googled' Jesus, or God, Or Does God Exist? If you did, one of the first websites to show up would be Everystudent.com, an online forum for spiritual seekers to research and ask questions about God, life issues, religion, and much more.
In January I received an e-mail from a woman from Puerto Rico who had a question about living out her faith day to day. Since then we've been corresponding via e-mail to discuss religion, faith and life after death, among other important topics.
This week we've dialogued a bit about differences between world religions. A friend of hers converted from Christianity to Islam a few years ago and she's reconnected with her. They have had some interesting in-depth conversation about their beliefs. It's an encouragement to me that this woman who is just starting to make her faith her own is not shying away from talking about difficult topics. At the end of the e-mail she writes:
"The more I learn... I see I should focus less on the rules of religion and more on being a disciple of Christ. We should all be disciples of Christ."
In January I received an e-mail from a woman from Puerto Rico who had a question about living out her faith day to day. Since then we've been corresponding via e-mail to discuss religion, faith and life after death, among other important topics.
This week we've dialogued a bit about differences between world religions. A friend of hers converted from Christianity to Islam a few years ago and she's reconnected with her. They have had some interesting in-depth conversation about their beliefs. It's an encouragement to me that this woman who is just starting to make her faith her own is not shying away from talking about difficult topics. At the end of the e-mail she writes:
"The more I learn... I see I should focus less on the rules of religion and more on being a disciple of Christ. We should all be disciples of Christ."
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Leverage.
My mind is swimming. How do 225 missionaries reach 1,000,000 college students in 2 time zones and 5 states?
I just spent two days with the Upper Midwest Regional Operations Team, where our purpose was two-fold: celebrate what God's done the last year, and evaluate what we did and will do in the coming year in the Upper Midwest.
I knew this would be a great time.. but being with the team really opened my eyes to what it means to use my operational skills to glorify Him and help others reach others. There's so much more that happens behind the scenes than I ever imagined--and I have an Ops mindset. I'm blown away at the goal: reach all the college students in the Upper Midwest Region (1 MILLION!) with 225 staff. I'm excited to see how operations can be used to increase our capacity to reach more students.
I just spent two days with the Upper Midwest Regional Operations Team, where our purpose was two-fold: celebrate what God's done the last year, and evaluate what we did and will do in the coming year in the Upper Midwest.
I knew this would be a great time.. but being with the team really opened my eyes to what it means to use my operational skills to glorify Him and help others reach others. There's so much more that happens behind the scenes than I ever imagined--and I have an Ops mindset. I'm blown away at the goal: reach all the college students in the Upper Midwest Region (1 MILLION!) with 225 staff. I'm excited to see how operations can be used to increase our capacity to reach more students.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Perseverance.
I was pondering the list of books I've read this year, and came across this realization: I really like books about the the Holocaust, Hiroshima, Great Depression, etc. Don't be tempted to think I'm into super sad stories: I just really like books about people who persevere through tough times..REALLY tough times. It's hard for me to read trivial book sometimes about people overcoming 'trials' in life that just seem so...trivial. I can't really come up with a better word, but do you catch my drift? Anyway, if you have any suggestions of books on the above subjects, let me know!
Monday, March 29, 2010
just a thought
I was sitting at a stop light today when a man on a motorcycle approached my car. When he got close enough for me to see him in the rear view mirror, I noticed he was wearing a suit. Seriously! A nice bike, a nice suit. Very nice. That's exactly what I'm looking for in a guy: straight-laced, takes care of business, adventurous, likes to have fun! (I have no idea who this guy was but I judge him based on his demeanor, clothes and vehicle. Could be totally off base).
Sunday, March 28, 2010
I love because He loved me.
I can plan and plan, and strategize and analyze, and think I'm on the right track when..
all of a sudden..
God just flicks me on the forehead and says pay attention here.
This video from Sara Groves is a perfect example of that, and I really hope you'll check it out. It's the background story behind her song Love is still a worthy cause.
Just because I can strategize and analyze doesn't mean those skills are always essential. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut, or listen for that still small voice, or do what makes sense at that exact moment.
all of a sudden..
God just flicks me on the forehead and says pay attention here.
This video from Sara Groves is a perfect example of that, and I really hope you'll check it out. It's the background story behind her song Love is still a worthy cause.
Just because I can strategize and analyze doesn't mean those skills are always essential. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut, or listen for that still small voice, or do what makes sense at that exact moment.
MUHAHAHAHA
Amy left her blog page signed in on my computer so I'm hacking into her blog.
MUHAHAHAHA
That's all.
Alyssa
Amy left her blog page signed in on my computer so I'm hacking into her blog.
MUHAHAHAHA
That's all.
Alyssa
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Quick Thoughts on Faith
I don't generally share stories on this blog. I like to post my random thoughts, what I'm learning from God, and the funny things I see in the world around me...
I don't share stories about people (very often) because I don't have cool, unique, home-run kind of stories that draw in and inspire. I don't even have many lighthearted stories that are purely for fun; and a majority of what I do share is second-hand information.
This hit me today- I'm a second-hand source. I don't really come up with any original thoughts. Those cool stories I see other people blogging about never happen to me. Why?
I don't really know exactly why. Maybe they do happen and I just miss them, or don't blog about them for some reason. But when I read great stories on other blogs, I think there's often a common link: faith.
I think I've minimalized the amount of faith it takes for me to live my daily life. I enjoy routine. I could eat the same thing for lunch every day, (especially if it was pizza). I'm a fairly predictable creature of habit. I don't think a routine is bad...but where does faith come in to play? I get so engrossed in my schedule that at times I miss out on opportunities around me.
Faith. What is it? How to define it? Being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see, taking God at His Word, etc. Those definitions are great but they don't help me make my point. I'm talking more about a lack of faith here. What is faith not? Faith is not a feeling (great book). It's not a function or a formula- you can't nail it down or devise a perfect plan to execute it. One certainty of life is that each day, situations and opportunities will arise and you will have a chance to exercise your faith. How often do I complain about daily distractions, which just might be opportunities to glorify God in ways I haven't thought of yet?
Faith is a tricky thing sometimes.
It's tricky because I make it trickier than it actually is.
I don't share stories about people (very often) because I don't have cool, unique, home-run kind of stories that draw in and inspire. I don't even have many lighthearted stories that are purely for fun; and a majority of what I do share is second-hand information.
This hit me today- I'm a second-hand source. I don't really come up with any original thoughts. Those cool stories I see other people blogging about never happen to me. Why?
I don't really know exactly why. Maybe they do happen and I just miss them, or don't blog about them for some reason. But when I read great stories on other blogs, I think there's often a common link: faith.
I think I've minimalized the amount of faith it takes for me to live my daily life. I enjoy routine. I could eat the same thing for lunch every day, (especially if it was pizza). I'm a fairly predictable creature of habit. I don't think a routine is bad...but where does faith come in to play? I get so engrossed in my schedule that at times I miss out on opportunities around me.
Faith. What is it? How to define it? Being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see, taking God at His Word, etc. Those definitions are great but they don't help me make my point. I'm talking more about a lack of faith here. What is faith not? Faith is not a feeling (great book). It's not a function or a formula- you can't nail it down or devise a perfect plan to execute it. One certainty of life is that each day, situations and opportunities will arise and you will have a chance to exercise your faith. How often do I complain about daily distractions, which just might be opportunities to glorify God in ways I haven't thought of yet?
Faith is a tricky thing sometimes.
It's tricky because I make it trickier than it actually is.