Great is Thy faithfulness.

as 2014 comes to a close, i look back on this past year and the places i have gone, the things i have done and all the ways that God has taught me through each experience! each time i go somewhere, i get scared and nervous about the trip. i wonder and worry. and each time God draws me closer to Himself and shows me His faithfulness! 

"God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." 
                                                                                                      - 1 Corinthians 1:9

 2014 started out with a trip to Oklahoma for a leadership week-long retreat with TeenPact Leadership Schools. this week was filled with laughter and learning, friends and fun and many, many memories! God taught me a lot about learning to trust in His plan even if it didn't match the plan that I had for myself. a few weeks after, i received an email from TeenPact's national office asking me if i would be willing to go to Rhode Island. i got that email on a tuesday and they were asking me to leave on friday. yikes! talk about a big decision in just a few days! i really dislike decisions but i knew that if God was calling me to go, He would make it clear. while i was in Oklahoma we sang the song oceans. and the part that i kept repeating to myself was "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. Help me walk upon the waters WHEREVER you would call me." i knew, deep down in my heart, that God was calling me in this adventure. and so i followed and boy, am i glad i did! i met so many great and encouraging friends, learned a ton and became more adventurous!

the adventure to rhode island led me to another adventure in Kentucky! the week before the KY adventure, i spent the week in Lansing teaching the MI TeenPact class. this week was great fun! even though it didn't seem as exciting as going out-of-state, God taught me that those around me are just as important as those that i meet in another state. sometimes i put labels on people and and i am only kind to those that far away. but Jesus didn't call us to choose who to show His love to. He has called us to show His love to those far and to those near!

and then off to kentucky i went! this was a week filled with much laugher and great friendship! i learned that each experience in our lives is planned by our heavenly Father. there were times that i felt like i didn't belong there but God orchestrated that week so that I could have 2 conversations with 2 different people about 2 different things but God was in both of those situations and changed lives! it was amazing!


in may, i went to TeenPact's National Convention where i connected and re-connected with friends that i had met the past year in TeenPact. it was a great week hearing how God had changed lives the past season and during that week, mine included. i also learned that sometimes things don't turn out as i expected but those plans are God FIRST best for you not His second best because there i no such thing!



july came and so did a whirl-wind of a week! it was a wonderful week and filled with many friends and many memories but boy! did we do a lot in just 8 short days! on july 19, my youth group and i loaded into 3 vans drove to MI city, took the train to chicago and then flew to nicaragua. while we were there, we went to a young life camp, carried rocks up a hill, played games, laughed a ton, took cold showers, sang songs in spanish, painted a roof, went shopping and zip-lining and i learned specifically what it truly meant to forgive.
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i was home for 2 weeks and then off to colorado to a girls retreat i went! this was an amazing week of growth for me. it was not what i expected but it was God's #1 plan for me and i am so thankful for it. there were hard times during the week but if it was easy how would i have learned to trust in God's plan and in His love? one of my favorite parts of the week was a mud fight! i also loved that us girls were so real with each other. we had mud fights and sang songs. we roasted hot dogs and had a tea party. we laughed until we cried and then recited proverbs 31. most importantly we learned how to become women who seek the Lord in our culture.  

i was home for about 2 months and then off to Mexico! oh, it was so great! before i left though i was stressed out and i honestly didn't know why i was going. i was going because God said to go and even now, i don't know the real reason. i learned a lot. mostly about living by faith and not by sight and trusting in God's plan for my life. i also met brothers and sisters and was encouraged. and most importantly i played with my dear little cousins! and i realized that little people can teach big people so much. most of my learning came from my 4 and 2 year old cousins!  

Christmas came and went but i realized once again the beauty of family. i have been very blessed with 2 very dear families. they are both so encouraging and fun to be around. i don't think there is a christmas where we don't laugh together!

and another year. another year of adventures. another year of learning. another year of laughter. and year of seeing God's faithfulness. looking back i see that most of my trips brought me closer and closer to the realization of God's plan for my life and that my response to that plan should be trust and obedience.


"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders...

                                     ...help me walk upon the waters...

                                                     ...wherever you would call me."

the feelings of christmas.

“it doesn’t feel like christmas!” 

i have been hearing this phrase a lot in the weeks leading up to christmas. I have even been saying that myself. there’s no snow. life is crazy. there is so much on my mind.  there are just so many things going on in my life that it just doesn’t FEEL like christmas.

but really, what should christmas FEEL like? 

let’s start at the very first christmas because i think christmas should be more than a feeling. i bet that on that first christmas there wasn’t any snow. and i guarantee that Mary and Joseph wished that their life was less crazy and less unpredictable.

 think about it: two normal, human beings that God chose to use. 

  Joseph, a young, normal man, a wonderful yet strange story from his fiancé, seeing an angel in a dream then a decree to go to Bethlehem...

  Mary, a teenager, seeing an angel, the promise of the Messiah, pregnant, an unexpected journey with her fiancé to a new town...

 “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:6-7)

what were Mary and Joseph feeling that first Christmas? i bet it was a mixture of wonder, awe, humbleness, and thankfulness. these are the feelings that we should feel each christmas. it doesn’t matter if there is snow on the ground. it doesn’t matter if your life is crazy. it doesn’t matter that there is is much on your mind. take a moment and ponder the phenomenal miracle of God coming down to be our Emmanuel, God with us, in the form of a human baby born in a manger.  

i pray that my response to this christmas miracle would be the same as Mary that very first christmas...

“...but Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)

so even if today doesn’t FEEL like christmas because there is no snow or whatever the reason, remember the feelings that Mary and Joseph felt that first christmas. And take a moment and thank God for becoming a man and being born as a baby to be our Emmanuel. 

Merry Christmas!

one step at a time.

to be honest, i haven't done much on that list that i posted last week. and it makes me really discouraged. i haven't taken a spanish class or a seminary class. and i could continue and go through and write all the things that i have failed on.

but there are things that i have started working on and making new and better habits. instead of focusing on the habits that i have been improving i am focused on the failures. which is dumb. each day i am discouraged because i am not working on ALL of those goals.


<-- hanging out with my friend! checked off one of my goals but this goal is an ongoing goal. Here we are hanging out with Ralph T. Moose.

the purpose with goals is to work on them. not all at once. one step at a time. that is the only way you are going to move. start with one step.

so even though i have sometimes wished that i didn't share my goals, it has helped MORE to keep these goals in the front of my mind. since i have been home, i have been listening to LIFE CD's (lifeleadership.com) these CD's are focused on helping you live the life you've always wanted. in one of these CD's, they talked defining what you what in life, learning how to walk that path and then actually doing it. most of us live our lives by doing something, learning specifically and then allowing that job and that lifestyle to define us. that is not they way that we have to live!


write down your dreams!

look at those dreams daily!

take one step at a time!

actually live out those goals!


yes, it takes work. yes, it takes time. yes, it takes people around you to encourage you. but it is worth it! make a list and check it twice. wait, that's christmas music. but really, make a list and check it more than twice!

Define. Learn. Do.

it takes courage to define. it takes courage to learn. it takes courage to do. but it's worth it. live the life you've always wanted! even though, you might get discouraged know that's normal but make sure you keep taking one more step, because that's the only way you are going to climb a mountain.

one step at a time.

home again.

so, now i am home. and it feels good and yet it's hard. it's the same and yet it's different. 

i start to ask myself if i really lived in Mexico for 5 weeks. and then i look at pictures and remind myself that i did. and while i was there i learned a lot but what good does that do in my life now? 

what good does learning something do in your life if you aren't going to apply it? 

in the airplane (after waking up late, speeding to the airport, running through the security, tripping over my shoes, falling and getting to my gate just in time...) i started to cry. i cried tears of gratitude. i cried tears of sadness. i cried tears of thankfulness for God's leading. i cried tears of leaving. i cried tears of love. i cried tears of why am i crying? 

and after those tears i decided that i wanted to change. i wanted to put into practice what i learned. and so i wrote it all down:

what i learned that i want to do:

-learn spanish (learn to think in it!)

-take a seminary class

-research counseling

-research foster care and things that i would need for that.

-maybe volunteer with bethany christian services.

-read the bible more. like the actual bible, not just devotionals. read the psalms. daily.

*remember not to do too many things and not do them well. just choose a few things and do them well. even the “shallow and mundane.”

*also remember that God has given you a passion and a purpose that are intertwined. His will for you isn’t a thin fine line that you have to search for; live your life for God and with God and THAT is His purpose for you!”

things i want to change in my life:

-answer nicely and kindly. each person has feelings. build each other up.

-be more genuine and learn to love like Jesus Christ.

-use my time wisely. (what you spend your time on, defines you) each moment honor God even if you are just “sitting around or waiting in the car or WHATEVER YOU DO.”

-stop living a fake life on facebook. "the thing you spend the most time on is the thing that molds you most." 

-stay in better contact with people. take time for them...just like you want people to take time for you. (“let’s go out for coffee...let’s skype... etc.”) “do to others...”

-hunger for God Himself. hunger for His Word. hunger for more fellowship with Him. 

-stop my sinful habits. (hebrews 10:26) claim a truth and stand on that promise. come back to this truth daily. the Word of God is powerful!

things i learned:

-each day is important. each moment is a gift. this should drastically change the way you live.

-God loves people and you are an imitator of Him. LOVE PEOPLE.

-live by faith. even when things don’t make sense. follow Him in everything, daily.

-that breakfast can be more than just peanut butter and blackberry jam :)

-do things and be crazy! have fun! live your life to the fullest! 

-God does not forget His people. Psalm 13

-the church is a place of worship, growth and fellowship with those around you. but also, even if you don’t “feel” like going, God commands us to go. Worship isn’t about you, it’s about Jesus. 

-live your life in the “shallowness” don’t wait to live for Jesus only in the “profound.”

-redeem your time.

*apply these in your life. “don’t merely listen to the Word...do what it says.” James 1:22 

i realized that writing those things down while i was still away helps me now to fully remember what God taught me while in Mexico. and i pray that posting these things here will keep me accountable and remind me to change. to fully change. 

i don't want to become like the man in James 1:23-24 "...who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."

Lord God, please help me change. and grow closer to you.

memories made in mexico (cuatro)

i am going to be completely honest.

sometimes i just don't feel like blogging. sometimes i blog to make me look like a good christian. sometimes the week speeds by and i didn't learn anything worth blogging about. sometimes i make something up just to keep up my good christian image. but life is real. sometimes life is hard. sometimes the needs of the day make me so tired that it is much easier to go to bed without kneeling to pray. sometimes skies are grey and it is much easier to wish the day was over without doing anything important. 

and so i am laying here on my bed thinking of all the things i should be doing while the kids are having quiet time but because of the grey skies i don't feel like doing school or devotions or anything of importance. and so i sit on facebook. facebook is my past-time that is a time-eater. it seems like i have enough "energy" for facebook but not enough energy for God. how dumb. how selfish.

but with God's help, my dear little cousins are teaching me SO much without even know it!

everyday, they wake up with such enthusiasm. throughout the day, in whatever we are doing, they are excited. after quiet time, they can't wait to start playing again and they dread bed time because they have to calm down and stop having fun.


even if skies are grey, they are full of smiles. even during the rain, they are filled with joy. in whatever they are doing, they do it to the best of their ability and with 100% energy.

and this reminds me of something that we did a few weeks ago despite the grey clouds and rain.

it was monday, the day that they treat as their sabbath and that they do something fun and different. we had been planning for a while that this particular monday we would go the lake. and you guessed it. it was raining but we decided to go anyway and maybe it wouldn't be raining at the lake because it was 3 hours away. and so we packed up midst the rain, jumped into the car and the kids were so excited to be going to the lake even in the rain!


when we got there the skies were grey and it was sprinkling but we were NOT to be deterred! even though the locals probably thought we were crazy and even though i thought we were crazy, we all put on our bathing suits and went swimming in the rain (thankfully there was not thunder or lightning)! the lake is spring-fed and so it was nice and warm even warmer than the air! we had such a great time and had the whole lake to ourselves!

and the whole time my cousins were laughing and swimming and playing and having a grand 'ole time despite the weather and the 'not-so-fun' conditions.

...okay, so back to the grey skies of today. sometimes, it is hard to make the grey skies and the rainy day as fun as that one day at the lake. and like i said before, sometimes you just don't feel like it. but in Psalm 118:24 it says,

"TODAY is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." 

it just hit me. this verse doesn't say "...let us rejoice 'if we feel like it' and be glad..." and it doesn't say "' most days' are the day that the Lord has made..." it says "TODAY is the day that the Lord has made. LET US rejoice AND BE GLAD in it." 


each and every day is a day that God has made for you. even the days with grey skies and rain. they are each a gift from God Most High to you.

but to be honest, some days it is easy to forget and to go on facebook and to waste my time and to forget to pray all the while keeping up a "good image." those are the times when i have to remind myself that today is a gift. "my" time really is not my time. it's God's time and it's God's day; it all God's!

"Dear Father, please forgive me for wasting the gifts that You give me each day. I pray that Your Spirit that is living inside of me will convict me when i am wasting Your time. Please also fill me with Your joy and enthusiasm each day even when skies are grey. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

memories made in mexico (tres)

“why?”

that’s the question that is heard CONSTANTLY around here. 
when it is asked by the four-year-old, sometimes the two-year-old responds with “because that’s why.”

and i have found myself constantly asking that question too.

“why am i here?” “what is the purpose of me being here?” 

ever since the first day here, i have asked God that question. and to be honest, He hasn’t answered how i thought He would...

...i wanted the answer to be something like i am here to change someone’s life. or i am here to bring someone to know God. or i am here to encourage someone. 

and then i realized that all those begin with “i am...” and instead they should be “God is...” 

God is the only Person who can change someone's life. God is the only Person who can bring someone to know who He is. God is the only Person who can bring real encouragement to someone.

 sure, God might use me for some of those things but that shouldn’t be the main purpose of my life. nor should it be the main purpose of my trip. so this leads me back to the “why” question...  
     
and slowly but surely God is showing me that sometimes you don’t have to know why. for example, He led Abraham into a new land and Abraham didn't see the fulfillment of the promises and he probably asked "why" a thousand times but kept on believing. 

Joseph didn't know why his brothers sold him into slavery, he didn't know why he was unjustly thrown in prison, he didn't know why he was forgotten for so long in prison but he kept on believing. 

there are so many other people in the Bible who didn't know why something was happening to them but they kept on believing...I want to be like that. I want to “live by faith, not by sight...” (2 corinthians 4:7)  

next time you wonder "why" just remember, in the words of the two-year-old "because that's why...because that's how God wants it to be in your life...He is using it for your good."

because that's why. 

memories made in Mexico (dos)

after living for 2 weeks in a city with around 1.5 million people it starts to sink in...

God sure loves people.

and each one of those people has a life. has a personality. has a soul and a spirit. has dreams and aspirations. has struggles. has friends. is looking for purpose and meaning. is being pursued by God and His love. and some of them are running away from God. some of them are running towards God. some are running but don't know where. 

that last group of people break my heart. but it breaks the heart of God more. and he knows each of those people by name. He knows their hearts and their minds. He knows everything about them. He made each one of them and has know them since the creation of the world. 

these reminders have opened my eyes because i was wondering what my purpose for being here in Guadalajara was and is. and at first i was convinced it was helping my cousins (which it is, partly...) and then i thought it might be changing peoples lives...

 but why me? why should i be the one to ‘change lives?’ what makes me so special? is it just because i am from the united states? do i think i am better than the beautiful people here just because i was born in a country of plenty?

NO! everyone is equal at the foot of the cross. we all have struggles and we all sin and we all need Jesus Christ. everyone. and Jesus loves everyone. He loves every single person on this planet and He created everyone and knows each one of us by name. 

Jesus loves you.

Jesus loves me.

Jesus loves every single person here in Guadalajara. and He knows each of them by name. 

He is the one who is going to be changing lives here. not me. yeah sure, He might use me but life isn’t about me...

life is about Jesus. 

and so, after being reminded of the simple-yet-not-so-simple truths, i have been remembering that God has a plan for this city. He is the God of this city. not me. He is in charge. not me. He loves each and every one of the 1.5 million people here in Guadalajara so much more than me. and He is the ONLY one who can change lives. 

Jesus is the God of this city.

Jesus is the King of these people.

Jesus is the Lord of this nation.

and greater things are still to be done here! 

(with or without me. because life is about Jesus and what He is doing in the hearts and lives of the Guadalajarans!) 

memories made in mexico (uno)

wow! i have been in mexico for less than one week and yet i feel like i have been here forever. maybe it's because each day is filled with many things including entertaining a 4 year old and a 2 year old!

the other day, while we were playing in the sandbox, i was thinking to myself as we were making mud bread; "what is the purpose of me baking mud bread? why am i here? am i really just going to be playing with my adorable cousins each day for the next 20 days? this seems kinda pointless..."

(don't get me wrong, i absolutely love playing with my cousins, but sometimes it feels mundane and the days seem to drag)

but encouragement comes in many different shapes and sizes! i am so in awe of God, my Father and in the way that He draws us to Himself even if it's hard (and in a different language...) first God used Oswald Chambers to open my heart and prepare me:

"Maintain God's perspective and remember that it must be done every day...we are here only for ONE purpose...to be captives marching in...Christ's triumphs..."

Maintain God's perspective EVERYDAY! even when it's hard. even when life is mundane. even when it seems pointless. even when you can't seem to put one foot in front of the other. remember, we are living in Christ's triumphs!

And so, after God touched my heart and told me to fix my eyes on Him, i started helping my Aunt prepare supper and during that time she just said thanks. thanks for devoting your time to my children. thanks for playing with them. thanks for loving them. thank you! (sometimes that means SO much!)

and then, i went with her to bible study. we started out time together by praying adoration to God. i had never done this before. yeah sure, i had said " God you're great." but i had never devoted 10+ minutes just praising God through prayer for His faithfulness. (try it sometime, you will be blessed!)

but God had more to teach me. on saturday, i went to a seminary class (in spanish) i sorta, kinda understood but what really stood out to me was the true and deep devotion that the 7 other attendees had. they were focused. they were interested. they were hungry. they wanted to learn. they were willing to devote their saturday morning to go to class and learn about God.

i want devotion like that.

i want to be that hungry.

i want GOD ALONE to fill me.

i want to remember to maintain God's perspective.

the next day, sunday, i went to church (also in spanish. i'm learning though.) and i fell in love with this church! why? because the people there were in love with Jesus Christ. you could tell by the way they greeted each other. by the way they worship. by the way they prayed. by the way the Word was preached. the part of the sermon that i did understand was that the preacher kept repeating that God is our Father. He is our pappito. our daddy.


that evening, i went to my Uncle and Aunt's church (english fellowship. in english!) i fell in love with this church also. i met God's children from all over the world (literally) and worshipped alongside of them. it was a glimpse into what it's going to be like in heaven.




now, after learning so much, tomorrow is another day. a day where my little cousins will say "can you play in the sandbox with me? can you read to me? let's color! let's play with blocks!" yes, it's easy to say, while they are in bed, that i am going to have Christ's perspective and live with purpose and love them with His love but it's hard. sometimes life does just seem pointless and meaningless. so then what?

each day we have to choose. each day we have to ask God to give us His perspective. each day we have ot remember that we are captives marching in HIS triumphs. we don't have to be perfect but we do have to try. tomorrow morning, when you wake up, say:

"Good Morning, Daddy! Today is YOUR day! Please give me your perspective. And help me to love like You."

royalty.

"...but YOU are chosen people, a ROYAL priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light."
                                                                                                                          ~ 1 Peter 2:9

you. me.

you are part of God's royal priesthood. i am part of His royal priesthood.

we are a people that BELONG to God.

He cares for you. He cares for me.

He loves you. He loves me.

He wants you to be His royal child. He adores you. He knows all about you. He would do anything for you, all you have to do is ask in faith. He gave His all for you so you could be His child.

Imagine yourself behind closed doors. and behind those doors, the King of Kings is waiting for you to come and talk to Him and present Him with your requests...you are very nervous and you don't know what you are going to say or what is going to happen...suddenly the doors swing open and someone tells you the King is ready to see you. you walk in and stare at the floor. He calls you, by name, to come close to Him. you stumble closer. He reaches out and pulls you into His strong and caring arms. you sit in His lap and He asks you your request. you look up in His face and see His love for you. He asks you your request again. you look again into His eyes, and ask Him your request...

......this is what happens every time you pray. the King of Kings is listening to you in love. He waits for YOU to talk to Him. He loves to listen to you.

this video summarizes the gospel in a powerful way. please, please take a few moments to watch it. it has really inspired me ...  Eric Ludy - The Gospel 






...and you know, just to drive this point home, pretend, if you want, that you are all dressed up - just like a princess!


(...this is me, dressed up like Ariel for a parade the other day. i was just reminded to live like a princess everyday because the King of Kings is my loving Father!)

Set Out.

my family and i have been reading through the book of Numbers. it is a very interesting book of the ways that God wants His people to live set apart lives. tonight, the chapter we read made me laugh and then it made me think.

"Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; whenever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the Lord's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped..." (verses 17-18)

 Numbers 9:15-23 says "set out" nine times. it is very repetitive but why is that important?

before we figure out why, let's learn some history. The Israelites were on their way to the Promised Land. they were following the cloud of the Spirit of God through the desert. and the Tent was their Tabernacle, the place where God dwelled among His people.

every day, the people would look to the Tabernacle and look to the Cloud of God to see if they were to stay ENCAMPED or if God was leading them to SET OUT.

"When the cloud remained over the Tabernacle a long the, the Israelites obeyed the Lord's order and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was over the Tabernacle only a few days, at the Lord's command they would encamp and then at His command they would set out." (verses 19-20)





so why is this important and how does it apply to me?

what if we lived like this? if you have asked Jesus to come into your heart you are a part of God's family, of His chosen people. He has now asked you to follow Him every day. He has given you His Spirit to lead you and guide you.

just like the Israelites looked to the cloud everyday to see if they should stay encamped or if they should set out. we, as God's chosen people, should live like that also. look to God everyday, listen to His voice and ask Him if you should "stay encamped" or if He is calling to "set out."

clear the stage

on August 8 through August 16, i had the opportunity to go to Colorado and help lead a girls retreat (http://teenpact.com/alumni/endeavor/) in Breckenridge. the focus of the week was "to encourage and equip young ladies to glorify and enjoy Christ now and throughout their lives."

the week was filled with many fun and exciting adventures - shooting guns, tea parties, poise, hikes, mud fights, deep conversations, paintball, laughter, sessions and even a 4-course meal!    

during one of the sessions, we talked about our lives and who was on "center stage." at the end of this session, we listened to a song by Jimmy Needham that talked about the idols in our lives. when i heard this song, it convicted me. please take a moment and listen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6smGew7dGto)

i have listened to this song a lot since i have gotten home. one of the lyrics that sticks out to me every time i hear it says "...we must not worship something that's not even worth it..."

WE MUST NOT WORSHIP SOMETHING THAT'S NOT EVEN WORTH IT.

this got me thinking...what do i worship? what is worship?

worship - "show reverence and adoration for a deity...treat someone/something with reverence and adoration..."

what is in my life that i am adoring more than Jesus Christ?

MAKE SOME SPACE FOR THE ONE WHO DESERVES IT.

"...anything i put before my God, is an idol...

...anything i want with all my heart, is an idol...

...anything i can't stop thinking of, is an idol...

...anything that i give all my love, is an idol."

what do you put before God? what are the priorities in your life? do they reflect who is in the center of your life?

what do you want with all your heart? is that what you are focused on and occupied with fulfilling? "the more you fulfill yourself the less you will seek God." -Oswald Chambers

what consumes your thoughts? are they good and pure thoughts? "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

what do you give all your love to? love = time, talents, energy. how do you spend your time? how do you use your talents? where do you invest your energy?

what do you have to do in your life to "CLEAR THE STAGE ... IF THAT'S THE MEASURE YOU MUST TAKE TO CRUSH THE IDOLS."

"You shall not make for yourself an idol..." (Exodus 20:4) "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy..." (2 Corinthians 11:2)

Thank you Jesus for the wonderful week in Colorado and for teaching me. Please help me to crush the idols in my life and to focus on you and on you alone because you are the only one who is WORTH IT (revelation 5:12)

Follow Jesus

Follow Jesus. That’s it. So simple, right? Not so easy to do.


I want each of you to be serious about Following Jesus.  This is message is derived from Luke 9:57-62. 

  As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

When I first read this, I thought to myself “Why is Jesus being so hard-hearted? Why does He not care?” The first man that Jesus encountered in this story came to Jesus and was very enthusiastic about following Jesus WHEREVER HE WENT. So why did Jesus crush his dreams? This really confused me the first time I read it but as I thought more about Jesus’ response it made more sense. Jesus is just telling the first man that following Jesus is not easy, sometimes He doesn’t even have a place to sleep.  As I read about the second man I thought about his excuse and applied it to mine own life. “Lord, first let me...(you fill in the blank)” Think about how many times we do that. When was that last time Jesus asked you to do something? Did you Follow Him? Or did you come up with an excuse?  When I read about the third man’s excuse I wondered why Jesus hated families. But that is not what this verse is implying. Jesus is saying here to love Him SO much that all the other people you love in this life not even compare to the love that you have for Jesus. Make Jesus #1 in your life and have there not to even be a second place. 

Did these men end up following Jesus or was the cost too great for them? Is the cost too great for you? If you have to give up so much for Jesus, what is the reason for following Jesus? Compare what these men would have given up for Jesus for the things that Jesus gave up for you and me. Jesus gave up EVERYTHING for you why not give up a little for Him? 

Now I want to think about the three men. Did they follow Jesus or not? What if they did not follow Jesus? What did they miss out on? But what if they did follow Jesus. Think of all the adventures they would have went on with Jesus and all the miracles that they could have witnesses. Let us now relate this to our lives. Each of us has a choice to make and to choose is not to have chosen. What will you do? Is following Jesus too much for you? Or are you willing to surrender and follow. You will never know what kind of adventures you will have with Jesus until you decide to Follow Him.

<- - Follow Jesus. Imagine Him as the mother duck and we as the ducklings. Follow Him WHEREVER.

 I can think of many times where it would have been easier for me if I didn’t follow Jesus but I would have missed out on many, many adventures and many, many lessons  to be learned. These adventures were scary and, honestly, I didn’t know why I was going but I knew God was with me and wouldn’t leave me. I love the promise that Jesus makes in Isaiah 41: 13 

“For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear: I will help you.” 

It is easy to think about adventures being the only thing we need to follow Jesus in but that is not true. We need to follow Jesus in our everyday lives. Follow Jesus in everything you do even if that is just sitting at home or if that is going on an adventure. Remember, Jesus is with you WHEREVER you are. 

“I will follow you Lord...” Luke 9:60  --->  Are you ready to Follow Jesus? 

Here we go on an adventure...

      This past week I had the opportunity to go to Rhode Island and help staff the TeenPact Rhode Island class (TeenPact is a christian leadership school that trains youth to understand the political process, value their liberty, defend the christian faith and engage in the culture at a time in their lives when typically they don't care about such things. Check our their website http://teenpact.com) I was invited to help staff this class four days before I had to arrive. I was given one day to decide if God was calling me to Rhode Island. If you know anything about me, I dislike making decisions. I would much rather have someone tell me what to do. And so, I started looking at flights to RI and the surrounding areas. Every time I thought about this adventure, I would get excited! On Wednesday, my dear brother found a flight to Baltimore, Maryland and I decided to follow God's call and GO! 
      After a day of trying to get everything done and pack, I left early Friday morning. I WAS SO NERVOUS AND SCARED AND WORRIED. BUT GOD WAS WITH ME THROUGH IT ALL! On Friday night, I stayed with an amazing family in Annapolis, Maryland and they welcomed me into their home. That night we had a Valentine party! The next day two other guys and I drove up to RI. 

      
A picture from the plane. God is good! - - >             
     I don't really know how I made it through that week. I didn't really know that much about the RI government except that they call their capitol the statehouse :) Because of encouragement from the staff team and strength from God, the week in Rhode Island was a fantastic week! ALL GLORY BE TO CHRIST! There were times that I didn't know what I was going to say or what I was going to do, but those are the times that I cried out to God and He showed up! 

< - - this is a picture of the godly young people I had the opportunity to work with in RI!

       God taught me this week to GO! He reminded me to TRUST in His plan that is beyond our imagination! When He calls you to do something, all the pieces will fall into place and He will walk you through that adventure! Just remember to hold tightly to His hand and He won't let you fall! And sometimes, the adventure God has planned for us is the adventures that can happen right at our doorsteps. I had this idea that adventures only happen when you go, but that is not true. Open yourself up to God and His will for you and the adventures He wants you to be a part of will fall into your lap. JUST BE OPEN TO HIS LEADING! And always remember that He created YOU for a purpose that ONLY YOU can fulfill! He created you with special strengths and abilities to impact people only you can impact. 
      It might seem like you don't have any 'adventures' right now, maybe life seems very mundane and boring. "How can God us me?" you might wonder, " How can I impact the people in my life right now?" I struggle with these thoughts too. Rest in the fact that God uses these times of doing 'nothing' to teach us and prepare us for the next adventure. Take the time today to listen to God and ask Him what He wants you do to and where He wants you to go. Remember that maybe He wants you to stay in your community and love the people He has placed around you! Always know that wherever you go, even if you are just sitting at home, God is with you!

"The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you..." -Deuteronomy 31:8