Arrivals & Departures

SKYDIVING. aka: plummeting to Earth

2012-01-20T00:09:00.000-08:00

Iwas planning on going to Eloy to film and photograph Josh, Amy, Bekah, andWillis skydive. I had no idea I wouldend up jumping out of that plane as well! Peer Pressure is the only way I can figure I suddenly went from being abystander to participant that day. Ifound myself in a small room watching a video of everything that could go wrongand signed a stack of waivers so large I actually felt bad for the tree.

Theshuttled us over to put on our harnesses and the next things I knew, a mannamed Dean was introducing himself to me to go over proper jump procedure.

“Areyou afraid?” Dean asked politely, thoughI’m sure he could tell I was whiter than I ever have been in my lifebefore! “Don’t worry…me too,” He said trying to ease the mood.

Thesteps between the golf cart and small propeller plane seemed enormous. I stepped up the ladder and as we made ourway inside, Dean strapped us together in preparation for the jump at 13,000feet.

“Sowhen we get ready to go, I will count to 3, and then we jump.” Deanexplained. ‘What in the world am I doing?!? I paid to do this. I’m not backing out. What if I die? I didn’t even tell my parents what I am doingtoday. Lord, is this is my time,whatever. Ok. I’m going to jump. Ah!’

Thedoor slid open and whatever confidence I had mustered up flew out, it wasprobably somewhere over Phoenix by now. We walked up to the door. Oh my, ohmyohmyohmyohmy.

“Areyou ready?” Dean asked, but didn’treally give time for a reply. “Ok,one…two…” With a push we were tumblingout of the plane! What happened to three?!? Ok Dean, trust gone…but wait, this is kind ofcool! This is amazing! I can see for miles and theheart-lodged-in-your-throat-making-you-want-to-throw-up feeling was nowhere tobe found! I waved to the cameraman andgave a ‘hi mom’ shout-out.

Contraryto the movies, you can’t talk, so Dean signaled by waving his hand it was timeto launch the chute out. I prepared forthe jerk…but nothing happened. I lookedup to see out chute in a clump above us. We had slowed down some, but the ground was rapidly approaching!

“Ohfudge.” Dean said. What?!? Ok God, is this reallyhow you are going to take me?!? That’sit. I’m dead. Alicia dies in skydiving incident. Trust really gone now Dean..really!

“Ok,don’t panic,” yeah right. I need to unhookyou to pull the reserve chute on my chest. Hold on here and here. He movedmy hands to the straps attached to the first chute. Before I could protest or ask what was goingon, my harness was loose. My hands wereclinging to the strap and all I could think was I was going to separate fromhim and die. Whoosh. The reserve chutecame out and Dean quickly tightened my harness to his again.

“Well,that was interesting!” Dean said. What,interesting?!? Terrifying! “Wanna do some tricks now?” I didn’t want to do sometricks. I wanted ground and I wanted it5 minutes ago!

Whenthings don’t go your way, who do you look to?

Doyou really believe God can rescue you from whatever situation you are in?

documenting reasons

2012-01-20T00:03:00.001-08:00

Top Books read of 2011:

Lessons from San Quentin

The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis

A Tale of Three Kings - Gene Edwards

Luke's Story - Lahaye/Jenkins

Redeeming Love

Leota's Garden

Cre Through the Eyes of the Cro

Erasing Hell

Witness

Maniac Magee

Just Do Something

Face Plant

2012-01-10T18:10:00.000-08:00

Have you ever viewed yourself as truly washed pure as snow? Snow is an interesting thing to me. When the sun is shining brightly onto snow it is blinding to look at! This was one of the thoughts passing through my mind as we drove up to Sunrise, a place to ski in Arizona.

I've never been skiing before last Monday, and I've also never had the most interesting shapes of bruises on my body!

I almost hit a tree, I got stuck in a tree, I had more problems standing up combined then I have since I was 18 months old, I flipped over more than once, and I face-planted.

I'm not sure if this is going to make sense to you, but face-planting was one of the joyous events of the day. It hurt a little (not too much Mom!), but I found myself unable to get up because I was laughing full of joy! Sure I didn't make it as far as I wanted on that turn (still haven't mastered turning despite Troy's patience!), but I had to think of how funny I looked to other people! I slid close to my friend Sarah and saw the panic on her face, but I just couldn't stop laughing! As I was taking a second to regain my breath before continuing on, it made me think of the fact, as we are blinding others reflecting the Son with our faces white as snow, we are going to fall sometimes. We are going to face-plant! But the Lord loves us so and lays out a path for our feet. Granted there are times we get stuck in trees or feel like we can't stand up long enough to go down the path, he provides His Spirit, friends, and everything we may need to come alongside and aide us for the journey.

I'm so grateful God doesn't expect me to get everything right off the bat or understand whether the path turns right or left just up ahead out of my vision. I'm grateful for some pretty sweet friends and family both close and afar journeying down the mountain with me even when I can't see them. I'm grateful for the ways God reveals His Glory to me and allows me to reflect it to this world in the ways He has designed for me.

If my face is going to be planted in the snow, I'm glad to know that while it is planted, God will cause the growth to come! Praise the Lord for no major injuries and a sweet time with friends!

The Beautiful Mess

2011-12-19T15:28:00.000-08:00

Baking is Messy.

When I start to bake, I always convince myself I don't need an apron. I never wear one and afterwards I always have more flour on my shirt than in the batter! It's kinda fun that way though. Like when I'm making tortillas and the flour is all over the counter and floor. It's kinda like snow I suppose.

I used to always think I enjoy cooking more than baking which is usually true, but lately cooking seems so exhausting! Constant running around and trying to figure out what to throw in and what pairs well. adjusting the heat and pans constantly so it's cooked jut right! But there is a freedom in experimenting and being able to throw in whatever you want and seeing how it turns out.

Baking is a lot of prep, but once it's in the oven, you need only wait to see how it came out! Is it good? Do I need to adjust anything (or pretend i know how to fix it) before another batch goes in?

But I like that the baking I do comes with a recipe. There is a set list to follow, what ingredients to use and exactly how much. Even a cook time and temperature so I don't have to guess!

Lately, I feel like my life is like cooking adding numerous things here and there. Leaving this out, discovering what pairs well with my passions and desires and being put under a variety of temperatures to come out just right. But lately I'm wishing for my life to be a little more like baking. I'd like to just be told what to do for how long and how much of certain ingredients I need.

But life is more messy than that. It ends up scattered on the counter and while the majority makes it in the finished product, somethings can be tossed aside. I'd like the direction in the midst of the stove top. I guess life can be compared to a blend between the two. We have a general idea thanks to God of where things are going, but until we get to the finished product, we keep adjusting, adding, and subtracting.

I can't wait until the timer goes off!

"Specific step-by-step instruction is not usually how God operates. His way is to show His holiness, declare us Holy in Christ, then exhort us to grow in holiness in daily life." Just Do Something p. 58

On a Mission

2011-12-05T23:05:00.001-08:00

I was blessed to be given the opportunity by our life group leaders to join them volunteering at Operation Christmas Child today. For those of who who don't know what that is, it is a non-profit group that sends shoe boxes of goodies to millions of children around the world in order to display Christ's love in a tangible way. They also partner with churches overseas who have discipleship programs.

So our job had a few different parts. We took the shoe boxes and processed them in a warehouse. This particular warehouse was responsible for 700,000 boxes. This is not the only plant, but a large one! So one person would collect donations for Samaritan's Purse or shipping, and then another person would then check the boxes for items that were not acceptable. Glass breakables or items that could be harmful were removed and replaced with new toys companies donated or candy or books. Then the box was passed off to someone who would tape it up before someone else carefully packed it in a box. Then I taped up the boxes and got to shoot them down this sweet conveyor belt. (picture below)

As soon as the guy further down the line started heckling me to work faster, I made a goal to launch each box down the line as close to that end marker as possible! Approximately a 25 yard-stretch in a shuffleboard type manner! Each box, prepped, cleansed, stuffed, and sealed was traveling with other boxes down the line to head off to bless others and show them Jesus.

It didn't hit me until halfway through our open-mic night at Navs that this is a picture of what I feel God has called me to do in this Missions Mobilizer role. I didn't bring the boxes, or get to see where they are headed, but I am with them for a bit. I get to help at times, as I started today, removing objects from within that are not acceptable and could harm others or the box itself. I work with women helping them see themselves in the way Christ does and point them on towards being blessed to be a blessing. Then I get to help put Jesus and the Word and other good things in. Tools needed to know Christ and make it known. Then after being sealed, the box is placed in a community of other boxes who have gone threw this same process to be shipped off to a destination of which I myself cannot go, but get to push the box and watch how far down the line it goes.

In our case today, the boxes were headed to the Philippines. I don't know where God will send these women and friends I am blessed to walked along. But I get to help see them takeoff and praise God He chooses to use me in the process.

What a blessing to get to serve and see what the Lord is doing.

For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.
1 Cor. 3:9-10

coconut cravings

2011-10-19T00:58:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but this past year my world has been taken over by the coconut. I can't get enough of it! I think it all started when my dear sister Alissa started baking chocolate-dipped macaroons. (Is your mouth watering yet?)

There is just something so beautiful to me about the coconut itself. When I went to Mexico my sophomore year at ASU, my friend Katy ordered a coconut to drink. The man picked one from his cart, sliced the top with a machete, and proceeded to hand it to her with a straw. That was it! Pure coconut!

It seems strange to me that such a sweet and pure white substance can come from the inside of such a hard shell! In considering Psalm 119:11 today, I thought of a coconut. "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." If the Word protects us and keeps us from taunting as we keep reading, what would it look like to hide it in our hearts? Hidden: kept in a safe place within us where no one can take it away. I want the Word of the Lord to be at the center. A delicious feast I can keep coming back to that is protected from the lies of the world and the bugs of the enemy. I want its flavor to permeate into new tastes and show up in new and unexpected ways.

I want my mouth to water for the Word of God the way it does when I think of those macaroons! Oh Father, your Word is like honey on my lips! Too wonderful to describe. Invade my heart with your presence and truth. Remind me I am not alone. Protect me from Satan. Let your goodness and truth be the center of my life.

Skilled Hands

2011-10-17T00:16:00.000-07:00

My grandmother is a master quilter. For years she used to say the only computer she'd ever need was her sewing machine. Unlike most quilters today, she still makes every quilt stitch by hand! Every stitch!

The idea of "all in" has been rolling around in my head the past few weeks. Like how we are told to love the Lord our God will all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength! Wow...what a task to be called to! Col. 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

When I think of how every stitch is planned and purposed and meaningful, it adds beauty to the finished product as you can reflect on how much work and effort went into it. But the end result is beautiful.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

Commanding Waves

2011-09-03T01:38:00.001-07:00

I walked ankle-deep into the ocean just staring out at the lines of waves crashing in. I thought about how vast God is and how great His ways that I could never piece them together. As my mind was headed out to sea, I heard a little girl yelling.

To my right, a girl was building a sandcastle with her Mom. The tide was rising and in fear of ruining all of her work, she pointed at the waves crashing and yelled, "NO! STAY AWAY! Don't come here..GO AWAY!"

She commanded the waves to depart and to her luck, the waves came within 3 inches of her sand castle, but did not touch it!

I think of how funny it is when we try to control God in our life. 'No God, not that...i'll be ok with anything but that! The truth is, we can't control what comes into our lives or what is happening, but we can control if we will let God do what He wills with joy...meanwhile watching others yelling at the waves.

Weakness...

2011-08-31T00:31:00.000-07:00

Our Bible Study Introduction was tonight. Here is what it read in reference to 1 Cor. 1:26-2:5 and 1 Cor. 15:10

Weakness, Humility, & Gratitude :: Walking Perpendicular to the Ways of the World

There is a beauty in taking a walk. There is a rhythm, a movement in which you travel. Breathing in the air, observing the sights, but moving with purpose towards a given destination. When you walk, do you walk aimlessly? Do you ask for directions or follow the same path you have gone before? In a new city, who is your guide in the back streets? If Jesus asked you to take a walk with Him, would you? Would you let him lead even if it meant taking a new road you’ve only heard of before?

Let’s spend the semester walking. Moving purposefully away from the World, unsure where God will ask us to go, but moving into a greater intimacy and understanding with Him.

As we walk, will you travel with your friends in weakness, humility, and gratitude? At times it may feel like they are slowing down your stride, but I want to ask you to embrace them and not run off leaving them behind, but running the race together. Building one another up in grace and truth as Christ first bestowed to us.

5 W's and the H

2011-08-13T02:19:00.000-07:00

In journalism, I was always told to get a good story, look for the 5 W's and the H. The who, what, when, where, why, and the how something took place. Then, piece it all together for others to understand the text clearly.

As I look through scripture, I find the people I connect with the most are those who never received the W's or H and still decided to step out in faith.

Just think of Job. How many questions did he ask and yet in the time of waiting did not sin against God, but put his hope in the anchor. How often did Moses try to find his way out of speaking only to have the Lord prove Himself as I AM and appointing him to be his mouthpiece to Pharaoh along with Aaron. Isiah didn't ask the task, but responded with "Here am I." He didn't pull out his reporter's notebook asking for the location, time commitment, and what it would cost. He went.

I fell like my journalistic nature can hold me back at times. To feel like I see the beauty behind the story as a whole, I want all the details before I can piece it all together instead of letting it happen along the way. Who are you making me out to be? What does this dream mean and how does it fit in? When are you going to reveal yourself yet again? Where will you glorify your name next? Where do you want me to be? Why Lord is this piece suddenly moved across the country? Why are the cinder blocks suddenly on my feet? Why do the colors look like they are shifting? How am I supposed to know what you desire of me?

You see...these answers don't really matter if I am just focused on getting the end result. The end result is Christ Jesus. And He has given us himself in the Spirit, Father of our hearts, and the Word.

The answer to the question truly is Jesus.

Some books are harder to turn the page than others.

2011-07-22T00:10:00.000-07:00

I came across this plague in Boston and I was blown away by its beauty and simplicity.

Here... D.L. Moody accepted the Lord.

I was wondering, what if we had these sort of place-markers in life to remind us of the things God has done in our lives to draw us closer to himself. What if we didn't make the mistake of the Israelites and could remember who God is and what He has done for us.

In talking with friends back in my college-town, I've been reflecting back on the past 6 years of my life. We talk about dorm-life and times we missed class (accidentally of course!) We've laughed about times ministering in Long Beach and ask where other friends are now. Things aren't always happy to reflect on though.

I don't know if the Israelites necessarily liked thinking about slavery in Egypt or wandering in the desert for 40 years, and yet God met them in such big ways during that time!

So I'm thumbing through mental images of placards in my mind. This one reading "Here, Alicia learned how to trust God more. Here, Alicia came to her knees realizing others' lives are in God's hands and not hers. Here, Alicia's heart broke for those on the outskirts, who are misunderstood. Here, Alicia remembered and praised God for who He is despite all the sandstorms blocking her nearsightedness at times."

Selah

now boarding

2011-07-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

I finally got settled in my chair after another woman squeezed passed me to her seat by the airplane window. I opened up my book and was near brought to tears reading the words on the page. Stories of men who had stepped away from the status quo and shared their faith in Jesus in bold ways to friends.

"As soon as I finished my presentation (in Mark 5), there was a question-answer time. the first question was asked by one of the women. Politely she raised her her index finger and made a statement followed by a question: "I want to believe in Jesus. How do I do it?" I almost fell out of my chair. I had not expected a question like that to be asked in public. Most likely her husband was sitting on the other side of the room." (Jabbour CTtEotC p.169)

My heart was flooded with emotion thinking of the many ways in these past few weeks alone God has been reveling himself to me. Not in ways I expected, but in the journey and process of sanctification from this summer. I wanted to cry out and lift my hands praising God for who He is, not caring at all what the woman on the plane next to me may think. I probably would have started crying more to a greater extent had the women a few rows behind me not yelled in this exact moment burdened by an anxiety attack. The flight attendants rushed to her and my heart was filled with compassion that Jesus simply be with her in that moment.

And that is the exact picture I feel from this summer. Everything seems to be fine, but as soon as out plans lurch out of our control; we panic, worry, and question. But all the time, our pilot is in the cockpit granting us good things and peace that doesn't come from this world.

If only we all could respond so bluntly to truth presented in our lives. If only we could constantly cling to Christ, our anchor of hope. Father thank you for your gifts you give. Thank you that even when I can't see it, you are working all things together for my good and your glory.

slow-learner

2011-06-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

I walked outside the bookstore following a man I had just met. His wife and I sparked up a conversation inside and he asked if he could steal 4 minutes of my time. The fact he asked if he could steal my time struck me, so after announcing to a few friends we were stepping out, he simply starred me down for an uncomfortably long period of time.

"I came here to Colorado to share my story," he began. "You see, I always thought I had to be like everyone else. learn the same way, read the same amount in the Bible to grow with God. But I couldn't do that!"

He began tossing a pin up into the air repetitively. His catching was not very good. After the pen hit the ground a few times, he continued tossing it up into the air and said, "you see, i figure if i throw this pen like a fool, maybe you'll remember what I'm sharing!" He was right!

Tossing-pen guy wanted to share what he had learned over the past few years. That he didn't have to read chapters or books of the Bible at one time to grow in the Lord, but he could read small portions. Maybe 5 verse chunks and meditate on it for the day. He finally felt free from feeling like he had to read as if in a sprint, and could study at a pace fit for him.

I love that Robert Robinson was 22 when he wrote the words, "Come Thou Fount of every blessing; Tune my heart to sing Thy grace" When I think of tuning I think of a long process. One small tweak and everything is off! When I was a child, we had a piano. My parent's hated having to tune it because it was so expensive to have someone come out to fix it! Every note, every key had to be tuned to perfection. It wasn't good enough to have one note off.

Tuning my heart to God's is a very long process too. God is not pleased with the majority of my heart being ok. He wants and deserves my all. I think I'm a slow learner when it comes to understanding aspects of God's love and grace. I'm a slow learner at times in receiving the things He'd love to give to me. But my heart is being tuned, and I can't wait to hear the beautiful melodies in heaven.

Batting Practice

2011-06-17T23:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when thinking about funding, I want to turn and ask God, "are we there yet?"

I was at the batting cages the other day with a good friend of mine. Let me be the first to tell you I am not as good as my JV High School Days!

I slid the token into the pitching machine and stepped up to the plate. Feet shoulder-width apart. Bat stretched to kiss the bottom right corner of the plate. Weight on back foot. Bat circling three times before the ball comes flying out of the machine. Focusing on rotating my hips with my practice swing.

The light turned orange and the ball was sent. I starred it down just like I used to and... THUNK. It hit the back drop. Shaking it of I began again. Feet, bat poised, THUNK. The next eight pitches all ended up the same way. My friend coaching me the whole time with an echoing, 'too low... too low" after every swing.

Finally, the sun began to get to me, and I was blinded by my own sweat and the crusted leather from my glove making my left eye stream as if a facet had just been turned on. I closed my eye and the next pitch that came was followed by a CRACK. The ball soared over the pitching machine. It would've been an easy out by the 2nd baseman, but I made contact! The next few I hit as well! A few of them went straight up and I feared they would hit me on the head. (My friend couldn't help but laugh at that sight!) Why in the world was I hitting with one eye closed and not with both open?!?

I realized after the 20 pitches passed, with two eyes, I wasn't focusing on just hitting the ball. I was too absorbed in my stance, and where I wanted the ball to go. I was remember how I used to bat, and expected the same home-run RBI scoring results.

I feel like I'm batting with an eye-patch. I have no idea where the remaining 59% of my funding is going to come from. I know my focus is on God as how with every pitch, He is teaching me so much more. His heart and blessings, through trial and triumph, are evident in every story I am blessed to share with others this summer. I know whether I'm on campus on time or not, I'll get to share even more of what He is doing, even if I don't fully comprehend in the moment. My heart breaks hearing stories of tribulation in others' lives, but I know the Lord wants them to close their eyes and see through His.

So thankful to be under a coach who bats a thousand.

Beautiful Thoughts

2011-06-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

The hymn, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus has been serenading in my mind tonight so I couldn't help but share the lyrics in hopes these truths rattle around in your mind as well.

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conqu’rors we are!

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Nav T-Shirts!

2011-06-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

From now until July 1st, you can order the new CSULB NAV shirt! Ben designed these and they will cost $11/shirt. You can pay me in a check by mail, or I can send you a paypal invoice to send to my bank.

Payment must be to me by July 1st (when I order) or else you will not be getting a shirt!

Let me know if you are interested! We have men and women's sizing S-XL. (I know this is mainly for Long beach students so sorry to my regular readers!)

Distractions

2011-06-02T18:38:00.001-07:00

I have so much fun the past two weeks pouring my free time into a little project I've been working on. It's a version of a game called Settlers of Catan that I've been making out of wood with much help from finding the right supplies at Hobby Lobby!

It's given me the excuse to find fun Lord of the Rings fonts online (and a new Calvin and Hobbes one just for grins) as well as bring out my mod podge, sand paper, and paint for a bit. I still need to get out a saw to cut some roads, but I've enjoyed having the distraction from funding this summer to work on and mess around with.

I like doing things with my hands.

Last Saturday, I even got to drive up to my Grandma's and paint her shed. Boy was that rusted roof a bit wobbly to be standing on! But it was fun, even if my back was mad at me the next day!

I wonder sometimes just how much joy God gets from His creation. I know even in this little project I like seeing what I've done; I can't even begin to imagine how much God must cherish us...His creation and seeing us grow into His design.

plant gardens.

2011-05-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

"This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce." Jeremiah 29:4-5

My dad went off briefly about weeds in the front flower beds today. Just about how he always feels it is a losing battle and it got me to think about this garden exercise I did with my "integrity" Bible study in college. We drew weeds and flowers representing times in our life we were influenced both positively and negatively about a topic. The weeds in our life can be the hardest things to deal with and get rid of. The roots are typically so stubborn and just when we think we've conquered it, it grows back weeks, months, maybe even years later.

I have a friend back in Long Beach who can be a bit random in hobbies, but she and her hubs have a beautiful quaint garden. Pretty good for a small LB townhouse if you ask me. But they enjoy the herbs and fruit they grow themselves.

This section of Jeremiah really encouraged me in my choice to stay on staff as so many times people quote verse 11 not thinking of the context of the rest of the passage. This was not good news to the Israelites. They were hoping Jeremiah was going to tell them they could come home, leave Babylon behind and find their national identity in their physical land again. Instead, Jeremiah tells them to stay where they are and get settled, because it is going to be a while!

I think sometimes we can fool ourselves saying one little seed is enough work for a garden to spring up. When in reality, a garden is not just one plant. It is a myriad of plants and seeds sprouting in growth when the right resources are added. This next year in Long Beach, I want to see a garden of many types, shapes, and designs of plants sprouting up to bear good fruit. It's gonna be work, but I'm glad the soil is already being tended to.

Second-String Lies

2011-05-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

The other day I was comparing the Clippers to the kid at recess who got picked last. Nobody really cares for them to be on their team, but you deal with their existence all the while knowing they can help to make the rest of your team look good.

Then I was thinking, though I was always one of the first picked in elementary school (and used to be pretty happy about it), come middle school, I easily was overlooked to become second-string. Softball, Ultimate, no problem! But basketball...I loved the game and could do great in practice, but as soon as some kid came running up to me, I would end up doing horribly! I would make so many fouls for reaching over girls heads unknowing that my height advantage was not supposed to be used to catch a rebound in that way. The game became less fun when I was pulled before the second half.

I was talking about worth with one of my friends the other day. The lies we believe in being unwelcome in other people's lives and the sadness it brings to see people leave the team, done with a sport that used to give them so much joy. Then I was reflecting later on why people leave, why we can all feel unwanted or as if we have become the second-string.

Yesterday I washed and detailed my car. As I was riding back from a friend's house, I noticed I streaked the windshield on the interior! I immediately felt angry at myself! Like after 3 hours of working on the car I couldn't even get that right!

Sometimes, I can think I'm second-string in God's eyes too.

Like I can't seem to get anything right! That if there were enough other players ready to play, I would be moved to the bench in a heartbeat.

But in God's eyes, I'm the starting quarterback. I'm the clean-up hitter put into the 9th inning when the team is tied. In God's eyes, he is sad I view myself on the second-string. I'm the masterpiece MVP he wants to put on display, and I'm sitting there hiding in a corner.

James 1:18 says, "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created."

Do you get it? We are the firstfruits! The cream of the crop! Put into the game because we want to play! Not because of our own abilities, but because we have an amazing coach!

Selah

Do not pass Go, do not collect your thoughts.

2011-04-13T21:51:00.001-07:00

I SHOULD be working on NavWest at the moment seeing as how I need it completed in 14 hours, but I feel like so many other things are flying through my head right now I just need to get them out.

I feel like in the past few days I've been spoken to pretty clearly by God about something, but I'm not sure what that means! And while I have many things I need to wrap up and do, I wanted to share with you something that's been rattling around in my head today.

Hebrews 11 is one of my top ten favorite chapters of the Bible. I love how so many people are acclaimed for their faith (even though at times they demonstrated faithlessness.) For the past 4 weeks, I've been going through Faith, Hope, and Love in an individual study as well as one-on-one in discipleship with a student. I love the picture we have from Hebrews 6:19 where, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure..."

But faith. If hope is an anchor, what I view as immovable, future seeking towards our hope in heaven, faith is needed every instant. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and trusting God's characteristics above all else.

⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. ¹⁴ People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16

So this is a bit of what is bouncing around in my head.

Abraham lived in a tent.

He didn't posses land of his own and wasn't looking for a country of his own, but looked forward to eternal lodging. I like verse 15 because when I think about the places I left, I can be tempted to go back. Not in a bad way per say, but wishing God works the same way here in Long Beach as He did before, or thinking things would be different had I gone a different way.

I want to long for my heavenly country. I want to be more than fine living in a tent on foreign land. I want to see the promises of God, even if that means at times from a distance. I want my anchor to be grounded and my trust grown.

4th-grade Me

2011-04-01T22:57:00.000-07:00

Fourth Grade Alicia makes me laugh.

I think as a result of too much Mighty Ducks and always having a weird combination of colors, I came to the conclusion in my little journal that I was going to go to Boston College (I thought red and gold were sophisticated college colors, and then I ended up at ASU ) and end up dating, then marrying a Christian hockey player named Elliot.

I really don't know why I thought this so fervently, or why such odd details, but I do know that God works all things together for my good.

I'm at a point where I am tired of change, and at the same time am looking forward to change enthusiastically. This struck me a few weeks ago talking with a friend who was saying as he was off to start a new adventure, one of our mutual friends almost seemed jealous he couldn't go start something too. This next year looking ahead is both exciting and terrifying to me. I am so ready to have a place where I can host dinners and have friends sit on the couch to watch TV or play wii and talk about real life issues without wondering who is next through the front door. But at the same time, for the first time since Kindergarten, I am the one staying in the same place and one of my best friends is moving on.

I wasn't expecting God to use Long Beach as a time to reconnect solely with Him and in some ways withhold community in my life. I wasn't expecting to feel so built up and torn apart all at the same time. I wasn't expecting Him to ask me to stay on staff and my friend to not.

But I see so much good in all these things, and while I begin to store my winter clothes knowing I'm moving in 2 months, all these thoughts of change flood my mind.

I'm wondering what God will do in this next season, what He is teaching me now that I still may not be aware of. What good He will bring to my family and friends in this next time too, and what challenges we all get to rise to.

Breathing...

xanga

2011-03-07T00:14:00.000-08:00

Every now and again I like to take the time to look back on different things I've written over the years and mostly just laugh at myself.

I used to write a LOT more than I have these past two years. In some ways I miss it, in some ways I probably shouldn't write (or say) the majority of what I consider. Even earlier tonight my mouth thought it wise to come up with a Catan battle cry before my brain could scream, NOOOOO!

I don't really have much to say besides that. I think of all the times the Lord commands the Israelites to remember, and when they forget to, he reminds them again. It is good to be humbled reading thoughts I used to be so adamant about that really don't mean much in the grand scheme of things. So if I must be passionate and adamant, it should be about the Lord.

Sorry if that offends you, but really I'm not sorry, I'm sad. Sad you have yet to grasp true life and onto the One who will never let you go. What are you being stubborn about? Are you actually pursuing answers or are you allowing your questions to resonate around a hollow room trying to make sense from the commotion?

I challenge you, seek answers. I'm not going to tell you they will lead you to Christ, I'll just let you see where they lead you. I have confidence in where I stand...do you?

my roommate.

2011-02-18T21:12:00.000-08:00

In flirting around with different ideas of writing a blog about my roommate, and how to best encompass the reality that is my roomie, this is the current result...

Where do you even start really? Do I make it a separate blog full of little commentary and moments that radiate joy and my thankfulness in God's sovereignty for our friendship the past few years? Do I write out every phrase that makes me laugh until my side cramps and eyes tear? Do I tell of how she knows all the words to Beauty & the Beast or how looking at a photograph of herself smiling makes her smile all the more? Or what about deciding she wanted a puppy only to decide she didn't want to deal with poop until babies were in the picture? Or her kindness in waiting a month to rub in her team beating mine in the World Series?

But none of that even does justice to her heart for justice and others, or her love to bake in order to share or her love of beef.

I guess this is just an introduction to my roomie. A dialogue of thoughts. I'm not sure if it will continue much more or often past here. But here it is for now.

Maybe our lives would make a better sitcom than blog, it does more justice to all the sound effects.

masterpiece.

2011-02-18T20:51:00.000-08:00

Walking into a living room, you take in the couches, coffee table, lighting, and art. Over the couch against the wall is a larger piece of art.

It is the target to which the eye is drawn.

The pride of any artist's home.

If in the middle of taking in your surroundings, how would you feel if there was a large portrait of you over the couch?

The artist placed it there as evidence of his prized workmanship.

The house you are in belongs to Christ, He wishes to show you off to the world so they may see His hands in you. Are you a little thrown off to see your mug in a portrait on someone's wall? Do you critique the image hoping your hair was just a little different or a touch of photoshop was performed? Do you try to cover it up or place someone else's image in its stead?

Christ has you as His masterpiece on display for all to see. Do you act in a way that brings the attention and acclaim back to the creator? Or do you smudge off His signature for your own?

"What is we were an abstract self-portrait of God because we were made in His image?"

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. - Eph 2:10

On a different note, we are looking through Ephesians this semester for Bible Study. As we approached Eph. 2:1-10, I loved a few of the titles for the passage the women had to share and wanted to pass them along!

1. Jesus loves Zombies - (based on the whole death to life theme)

2. Proud to be a Zombie - (someone had the same idea)

3. The Painter - (focusing more on the artist persona of God)

4. Wanted: Dead or Alive - (I love the Bon Jovi reference here!)

5. From Death to Life now Seated with Christ - (a little more straight forward)

"spread the love like dandelions"

2011-02-04T22:47:00.000-08:00

::spread the love like dandelions::

I read this phrase online today and thought it to be an interesting thing. Spreading love like dandelions spread their seeds...

When we were younger, we had a crop of dandelions growing in the backyard. I loved to pick them up and blow them to watch them fly away in the wind. Like so many others, I would fluctuate between waving them around in my hands, blowing on them, and inspecting them with my fingers to see how soft they were. I wanted the seeds to go everywhere so I would never be without them.

My father would try to stop us and use his weed killers to get rid of them all, but tried and true, year after year, the dandelions would return. When I was in middle school or high school, I stopped noticing. I stopped looking down to see if they were there, or if I did noticed them, I would just rush by not thinking anything of them.

Last Wednesday, I picked up a dandelion with my teammates and blew the seeds all around the small grass patch we found them at. There were many there already, but I wonder how many will be there next season, or the season after that!

Why can't we desire to spread the hope and truth of Jesus's love in the same way dandelion seeds burst forth? Imagine if all the seeds planted new dandelions, how many would be new the next season as a result! I think sometimes we go about forgetting of those little seeds we could be spreading. Ones that lead our co-workers to see the fruit in our lives or the other mom in your kid's class to ask why you are able to stay so calm with pre-schoolers.

Are you always willing to share love, truth, and your life? As my boss so gracefully put today, "it is called the Great Commission, not the great suggestion."

Who are you living your life for? Where are you spreading seeds?

For my snowed in friends...

2011-02-03T00:18:00.001-08:00

I thought since you were couped up, you may enjoy one of my recent favorite worship songs.

Have you ever played with mud?

2011-01-23T22:31:00.000-08:00

It's a tricky thing that mud. You can climb a hill or dirt or sand and wind up with a little in your shoes, but mud. That's a whole other mess!

You may loose your shoe in it like happened to me this summer, or you may slide downhill on an effort to hike up. Mud is a tricky and messy thing.

Details

2011-01-19T21:04:00.001-08:00

I've had a pretty productive last few days despite most of today spent working on my desk (bed) for over 5 hours. I've been reading The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis and have loved his talk of people unable to hold onto anything in this world to approach heaven. Nothing at all.

Last Friday my car battery died. But God allowed a teammate to come over with jumper cables after I took apart the majority of the battery only to find I didn't have a ratchet for one nut! Then, it happened to be the one day Alissa was home to be able to go to Sears Auto Center with me. My battery also has 4 months left under warranty so the replacement was completely free! And all of this happened the day before we were leaving for EDGE Preview. Imagine if it had happened a day later! I'd have a car-full of students ready to go with no working car! God is so good and His timing is perfect!

I just felt like I had to share this fun piece of God's providence! If you have any recent stories, please do share as well so we may glorify the Lord together!

2011 wha?

2011-01-01T00:02:00.000-08:00

Wow.

One more year down for the record books!

Hard to believe and reflect on all the events of this past year. I don't do New Year's resolutions...I do a birthday evaluation, so I don't have a list to put up.

What I do have, is a deeper relationship with God as a result of a trialing year full of Disneyland-size roller coasters and surprises. Not too much, but just what God knows I can handle.

I'm looking forward to next year. Well, actually this year now! So come on Jesus, let's go! Guide me where you will and fill my heart with joy! Joy in the little things, the joy for Long Beach and the Middle East and Holland and Alicia.

Happy New Year!

May we all remember with Christ, the best days are always ahead!

unsure on a Monday

2010-12-20T14:44:00.000-08:00

There is a child, standing in the middle of the stream.

Mountains surround the canyon leaving a state of aloneness pending. Where to go, what to do? So scared of making the wrong move, all joints tense to make no movement at all. The stress and mental anguish cause both tears and sweat to fall. The stream picks up pace. Staying stagnant is becoming harder to do. Choices to be made. Move out of the stream or let go with the pace. The child doesn't want to be washed away out of purpose, but what if the purpose lies around the bend. Supposed to get out and dry off? Then what? Would that be Jonahish to do? Or following a voice? But is the voice legit? Pretty sure called to fall and believe the stream for life, but holding out for the green light to turn. All roads may lead to Rome, but streams lead to a larger body of water. One much larger than we can imagine. Trying to think and decide, but a foggy head invades thoughts for the mind.

Onward towards Tuesday for thoughts to grow and the heart to blink.

Celebrating the Prince of Peace

2010-12-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

Last tuesday was truly a night where we could invite the students to just spend some extended time in worship and praise with their Creator. Being the last NavNite of the semester, we wanted to pray for one another and focus on Jesus.

Earlier, Lauren, Melissa, and I had focused our time on God's peace and how He provides to us as a resource. Jesus gives peace. Even in the midst of dodging the crazies out at Target and Best Buy buying the latest and greatest gifts for loved ones, we can have peace in our lives.

I think of the story of Jesus on the boat when the disciples were panicked and woke him up to inform him of the oncoming storm...if I were woken up from sleep, I would not have had he same reaction as Christ! I would've been pretty upset or mumbling or asking someone to get me some chai tea before I could function, but He calmed the storm and kept His peace intact right away.

Peace is possible even in the middle of the storms of life, even in the middle of the Christmas crazies running amuck and in the middle of uncertainty where God would have you go in the next season of life.

What a joy to have peace from the Lord and being able to keep in step with the Spirit in such a way. Praise the Prince of Peace who saves us from ourselves!

moving steps

2010-12-01T23:57:00.000-08:00

Have you ever just sat someplace and people-watched? If it were a profession, I'd hurry to find an application! I think my love for people-watching is one of the main reasons I love photography so much.

I asked my campus director the other day if he had a verse that he prays for Long Beach State. I was intrigued to find one of his verses is one I pray as well:

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)

There is one place on campus I love to watch students go by...the escalator. This is one of the main pathways fro the lower union to the upper-classroom areas and most students walk by looking down fumbling with their phones or ipod...alone.

I can't help but sit in my spot with my ipod resting in one ear praying for each of the students as they walk by. It's not that these students all come from Christian backgrounds and simply have chosen not to follow Christ....some of them have never heard of who Christ is! With new life surrounding me this semester, I can't help but look to the beauty of the cross and in realizing so many people have no idea what they believe, but are too afraid to admit it!

How can you not look with compassion to these students! How can I not sit there and pray while they go about their day knowing they may not have anyone else in their life willing to do so on their behalf. I feel blessed to labor in the exact role God has desired for me in this 2010 year.

I just pray the students will stop be carried by something else and take steps of their own off the escalator and towards the Lord. Will you pray with me?

a wonderful aroma

2010-11-29T17:11:00.000-08:00

You know how there are those passages you keep coming back to in your life? One of my many for the past three years has been Daniel 3.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are a few of my heroes. God has used them to teach me a lot of things in the past, such as, letting others see Jesus beside you in the midst of the 'fires' in your life. God has also used them to show me to stand firm against foreign authorities in my life, and how to have enough faith and belief in God to save, even if He chooses not to. But last week, sitting at Starbucks with Laura, it was none of these points that stuck out to me. What I was struck by resides in verse 28.

"Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants!"

Nebuchadnezzar then goes on to defend the Lord by legally putting to silence anyone who speaks against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. This all happened because three men had the courage to believe. They had the faith to know they were Children of God and recognized God's power and sovereignty.

I want God's power to be displayed in my life. I want to walk in such a way others will glorify God and join the path He has set out for their lives.

"But THANKS be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being served and those who are perishing."
2 Cor. 2:14-15

Selah.

silver coins.

2010-10-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

In 1916, mi familia came to America from Mexico. It was by no means a straight path to this country. There is war, death, love, and a train car full of Santa Ana's silver involved.

I started writing a novella telling the full story of my family about 4-years-ago. I haven't finished out of frustration of missing details about my triple great-uncle, and sometimes I am unsure how to paint the picture between the three towns and three husbands held by my great-grandmother. But this much I do know...

Around 1908, my great-grandfather had gone insane as the people in the town of Guanajuato would define. Nearing the end of his life, he was feeble and had the assistance of a cane to get around. This man had bags full of silver hidden in his house that were passed down to him, and yet being frugal and fearing others would steal his wealth if only they knew, he lived as if he were poor. He walked around in rags. He'd yell at the top of his lungs pointing to poorer villagers, "He is cold, give him something to warm his feet," or "This one is my nino, give him food to eat."

Now I don't know if my great-grandfather was a man after God's own heart, but I can't help thinking of Matthew 25:37-40

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Where are we placed to be the voice of justice for God's children? We are far more blessed than we realize. Are you like the widow who gives her two copper coins, or the rich who poor out blessings and are not phased? We are each responsible for the gifts, talents and treasures God has given us. I've been blown away recently seeing how some students are responding to God's calling us to give through our various resources. Let's all follow together!

Flash.

2010-10-18T00:16:00.000-07:00

I still remember the night vividly. We were driving back from Otaki where Alycia and I shared our testimonies to the Chinese food-workers congregation. Sarah, Meredith, and I sat snug in the back of Janeen's car, and as we had been without a radio the entire trip, filling the empty space with our voices had come to be a normal occurrence.

We sang the lyrics to one of our favorite hymns at the top of our lungs, and for a moment, I forgot it was raining as our voices drowned out the sound of drops hitting the windshield.

And then it happened.

We were silenced.

Like a whip, a lightning bolt cracked across the sky and the beam of white light coming from it stunned us into silence.

The blast was blinding.

It took a moment for anyone to say anything. And then we began t praise God again. for His power and creation. For Him silencing us with His love in our lives. For the Chinese. For placing each of us in that car exactly at that moment.

Have you been silenced by God? By His power? By His love?

Why not?

Be silent in awe of Him.

brickwall : waterfall

2010-10-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Have you ever stood in the middle of a waterfall's flow?

I'm not talking about a hard-roaring one that would knock you off your feet, but a slow flow that you can stand under that in a way feels like a high-powered shower.

When I tried snorkeling this summer, after about 10 minutes I realized I was underwater and started having a panic attack! I could no longer touch the ground and the current was keeping me from swimming as fast as I could. I had the tools and ability needed to be completely fine...I'm a decent swimmer..but I still panicked.

I've had that happen in a waterfall before. I'm totally fine and enjoying the pounding of the water on my shoulders, and then all of a sudden, I realize I'm surrounded by water! I was perfectly fine before, but when I freak out I lift my head looking around trying to find a way out to breathe.

In a waterfall, all you have to do is bow your head and you'll have an area to breathe. When you put your hand through a flow of water it simply moves around it. This is the same concept. Your head is blocking the flow.

So many times we do the opposite feeling overwhelmed by things being poured on our head. We look around, seek a way out, and don't just bow our head to breathe and receive life. We are not supposed to run out to breathe and then come back. But live and flourish where God has placed us. In the midst of the flow, bow your head.

Hannah Montana is a Liar.

2010-09-20T00:56:00.000-07:00

No matter how hard you may believe it to be true...you cannot have the 'best' of both worlds.

Matthew 6:24 says, ""No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

Many times I feel like we want to be followers of Christ, but only when it is beneficial to the image of our lives we think we deserve. We want to stand firm knowing our identity is in Christ and yet we place our identity in our work or family or success. We want things to look a way we picture in our minds, and then we tell God we want Him to do what is best for us. We cannot have both.

Do you want Christ to increase and you to truly decrease? (John 3:30) Or do you want to keep playing a game? Where have you grounded your feet? in this world? or in the hope of Christ?

We have to go from tourists to pilgrims in our faith.

Feet....beautiful?

2010-09-03T23:04:00.000-07:00

Birthdays can be a more intriguing time for me, because on top of not liking being singled out in a group, I normally get some great time to process the year with God and reflect on how He's moved in my life over the past year. The reality of welcome week and our kick-off Bonfire being today (praise God for some 90+ students that came!) I didn't have as much time as I normally take to process. But as I was cleaning up, I felt God speaking to me.
One of the gifts I received was from a friend desiring to go get pedicures together. I found myself thinking of the same gift I gave to my secret sister before with Romans 10:15 attatched which says,

"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

I couldn't help but chuckle observing my own feet as I literally scrubbed off blackness from the day! Beautiful...ha! With my bruise from tripping over nothing and my peeling skin...I didn't see my feet as beautiful tonight!

...at first.
My feet are beautiful to God because He made them! That may sound so elementary, yet it's true. God made my feet and I just walk and try to follow Him. I don't workout my feet like I do my arms or legs...I don't tone them, or put effort into bulking them up. I just use them...and that's when God sees them as beautiful...when I'm moving towards Him and I have to stop and brush some dirt off along the way. Feet are beautiful when you are using them to step closer to God.

Thank you Lord for giving me grace to scrub off the blackness that distracts from my path. Thank you for providing us with a way to walk with you. Thank you for year 24 and the people you have given along the way. Thank you for loving me despite my sin. Selah.

Super Size US!

2010-09-02T00:26:00.000-07:00

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my shield my portion be,
As long as life endures.

These lyrics have been floating around in my mind from Amazing Grace ever since our first NavNite last night. I love that God is our portion.

There are numerous verses reminding us of this fact, and yet God chooses to supply each of us with a portion of Himself that satisfies! We always want the larger portion of food in America for the best price. A 5 dollar foot-long from Subway can last for two meals and thereby trumps going to get a $12 custom club sandwich from a different shop. More food for the buck. But God want to give us a great and generous sized portion...and for free!

Well, the portion is not necessarily free...it comes at a price Christ paid and a surrendering of yourself. To want a greater portion of God in your life is not something you hear the mainstream of people saying. It means less of your own wants and desires and more of God's. Eventually you figure out your desires start to line up more with God's as time goes on and your relationship grows, but the portion will remain and satisfy.

The Lord has promised good to me...His Word my hope secures...*walks off humming*

raindrops

2010-07-23T13:30:00.001-07:00

Two days back in the US and I am still quite jet-lagged and slower in my movements than usual. As I sit here in the living room, a random thunderstorm blew over the house for five minutes leaving raindrops dripping from the roof and painting connect-the-dots on the back window. As quick and sudden as it may be, the effects of the rain benefit the grass and trees for long after the drops cease falling.
I feel that represents a lot of this summer trip. In a flash of lighting I felt like I went from moving in with Jen, Justin, and Kevin to teach English to all of a sudden boarding a plane in Germany to come back to Texas. Before I could realize it had happened, the trip was over. But the water from the rain continues to impact both my life and the lives of others in the Middle East.

I couldn't have expected for God to do so many things with one trip, but I stand back in awe of participating in His blessings raining down. I still can't put my finger on how much happened in five weeks, but I'm glad to have the opportunity to process throughout the next few days yet. One week in Texas, one week in Arizona, and then back to Long Beach. I can't wait to hear about what God did in the lives of my family and friends across the US this summer. Still discerning where all the drops went in the midst of trying to discern what all I am being taught. A beautiful place to be.

Bible Cover!

2010-06-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

I finally made my new Bible Cover! Hab. 1:5 and Rev. 21:6!

Thoughts from Francis Chan

2010-06-09T23:28:00.000-07:00

It makes sense that Jesus would say it's to our advantage to have this "other counselor." After all, Jesus merely walked beside the disciples; the Spirit would actually enter their human bodies (John 14:17). You've probably heard this truth a hundred times, but have you marveled at it? Would you be willing to take thirty seconds right now just to dwell on the fact that God is in you?

Astonished? This is not a distant, loose connection. This is the Spirit of God choosing you and me to be His dwelling place. That means that as I write, the Spirit of the living God is inside me. I might wake upon a particular day feeling tired or stressed or impatient, and humanly speaking, those things would probably define my day. But the reality is that I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit. And because of this reality, stress and tiredness and impatience don't have to define my day.p. 110

Prodigal Gospel

2010-06-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

Prodigal is defined as :

1. recklessly extravagant
2. having spent everything

Tim Keller in his book, Prodigal God, tells the gospel in new light as God is the prodigal one in the story having given everything in exchange for us.

This book was a graduation gift last year to me from a dear friend out in AZ. I have been behind on my book pile, but wanted to spend some time this summer putting a dent in it. Having been asked to be very familiar with Luke 15 for my upcoming trip this summer, reading this book could not have come at a better time! 133 pages that I wish I could remember more of what I gleaned right off the bat.

Going through chapters redefining home, hope, lostness and sin, I truly enjoyed this and hope if you want to, you'll pick it up as well. I think I am going to bring a few copies to give away this summer. Thank you Karen for adding this to my bookshelf! I hope a few people borrow it in the fall!

"If we say 'I believe in Jesus' but it doesn't affect the way we live, the answer is not that now we need to add hard work to our faith so much as that we haven't truly understood or believed in Jesus at all." -p. 124

Overcast

2010-06-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

After four years in the desert and the last one in California, I've almost forgotten what overcast days look like, Texas has reminded me the past few days.

It's been raining and storming a bit today, and yet the overcast sky is an interesting thing. It means there is stuff brewing, but not sure what, or if anything, ever comes out of it, but brewing nonetheless. I feel like for the past four months my brain has been overcast. So full of ideas and visions and planning brewing out of my mind and yet filled so much the numerous clouds seem to thwart any hope of clarity in the sky. There are decisions to be made, things I want to do, things God wants me to do, and things I'm not sure how God wants me to respond to or act to take care of.

Just so much.

I've been a little frustrated at cancelled meetings. There have been 4 times the past 2 1/2 weeks I was supposed to meet up or catch up with friends and it just didn't happen. No ones fault, just kinda sad schedules didn't line up. These past two days in Austin, it's been nice. I had an entire day today where again, a meeting didn't happen, so I had time to spare. I got to read part of "Prodigal God" and Isaiah 41. I strolled an outlet mall trying to get last minute items for the upcoming trip. I sat at a table and people-watched, God and I dialogued over a few things, (though I felt I was talking more than listening so tomorrow is His turn to speak) and I got a chance to breathe.

I don't like being this overcast with stuff to think about. I don't like not having peace over idea's of home. I don't like good friends and family of mine walking away from God and make insipid decisions. I don't like not always feeling known. But today has been good. And tomorrow I'm hoping the sky clears up a bit. Because as long as it's not raining, I'm going to Mozart's...my favorite coffee shop in Austin right on the Lake. And there... I am going to sit, and read, and listen to whatever God wants to say. And to top all of that...I get to hang out with my amazing sister and brother-in-law after all of that. Sounds like a great day to me!

Ventures Abroad!

2010-06-01T15:08:00.001-07:00

The team will hopefully be updating http://venturesabroad.blogspot.com/ as we can! Follow and pray with us as you can!

Su-wipe!

2010-05-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

I had to go shopping for a few items for my upcoming missions trip including grammar charts from Spark Notes and a book of quizzes!

The most enjoyable thing is running into random people around town all the time! I saw my high school softball coach, some CBC friends, some Vacation Bible School friends, customers from Blockbuster who I had a weird "i-think-i-know-you-but-I'm-not-sure" stare-down with...and the occasional high school acquaintance thrown in here and there. It's hard to think the team leaves in under two weeks to head across the world! I had so many more books I wanted to read by this time! Off to bed for another day! Who will I run into?!? The mystery awaits!

Nostalsia

2010-05-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

There is something special about concerts. Last year at this time, I had the privilege to volunteer at a concert series in SoCal called Spirit West Coast. While I couldn't work it this year, there is one image I wanted to share as it moves me to tears thinking back to it!

T-bone, a Christian rapper, was one of the headliners for the day's event. It was about dinner time so you could still see the sunlight behind the stage lights. He bagan to share his testimony, and the testimony of each of his band members. It was the bass player's story that touched my heart. He told of how he was ready to kill himself at noon, and at 11:59 his phone wouldn't stop ringing, so he answered it and heard T-bone on the phone saying he needed a bass player and felt that the bass player could really use a friend so he picked up the phone. That was a few years prior to the young man shedding tears hearing how God had saved his life.

So T-bone asked everyone packed in crushing the stage to move back 10 feet. Everyone slowly stepped back leaving a space between the audience and the 20 or so of us on the ministry team. He asked those who wanted to accept Christ or recommit their lives to make a bold statement. When he counted to 3, he wanted them to run, sprint and RUN down to the stage and profess to God they believed in Him. One...Two...THREE!

Teenagers RAN to us. There were two girls who were already in the front who ran straight to me and knocked me off balance as they fell into my arms. They were crying and sorry for the lives they were living, but wanted to accept Christ into their hearts and live for Jesus alone.

What a sight to see people RUN for Jesus. To see a great need in their hearts and not just kick the dirt wishing for a way out, but seeing the solution and swallowing their pride to make Christ first! Do you run when you know you need Him? Do I? Why not start now? Don't bother doing anything else first, get to the source "...those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings of eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Is. 40:31)."

Stop This Train

2010-05-23T00:33:00.000-07:00

There are so many thoughts zipping around in my head and I can't sort through them in a well-enough fashion to write something even my messed up head can comprehend. But listening to John Mayer's lyics, I couldn't resist putting one of those blog posts up. These are the lyrics to Stop This Train. When I think of this song, I imagine someone ridding the teacups at Disneyland and spinning the wheel so it goes as fast as possible.

It's fun at first. Exhilarating.

But then the point comes where spinning on the teacups isn't fun anymore. And though there is no one to blame but yourself, you want someone to come in and swoop you up and get you off the ride. But the train can't stop right away. Other people are on the ride. But you don't want to think about them, you just want off and back home in whatever meaning that has to you.

Stop This Train- John Mayer

No I'm not color blind
I know the world is black and white
Try to keep an open mind but...
I just can't sleep on this tonight
Stop this train I want to get off and go home again
I can't take the speed it's moving in
I know I can't
But honestly won't someone stop this train

Don't know how else to say it, don't want to see my parents go
One generation's length away
From fighting life out on my own

Stop this train
I want to get off and go home again
I can't take the speed it's moving in
I know I can't but honestly won't someone stop this train

So scared of getting older
I'm only good at being young
So I play the numbers game to find away to say that life has just begun
Had a talk with my old man
Said help me understand
He said turn 68, you'll renegotiate
Don't stop this train
Don't for a minute change the place you're in
Don't think I couldn't ever understand
I tried my hand
John, honestly we'll never stop this train

See once in a while when it's good
It'll feel like it should
And they're all still around
And you're still safe and sound
And you don't miss a thing
'til you cry when you're driving away in the dark.

Singing stop this train I want to get off and go home again
I can't take this speed it's moving in
I know I can't
Cause now I see I'll never stop this train

Vie

2010-05-20T00:39:00.000-07:00

Vie used to be one of my favorite words. Which I find heavily ironic! To vie means to strive in competition or rivalry with another. I used to use it in all my poems and writings in Ms. Escalante's class.

My fictional characters would always go against some nemesis of sorts be it self or enemy and in a tight battle come on top victorious! I was always attracted to those types of books and movies as well. The unknown hero who comes out with the shot to win the game at the buzzer or the underprivileged man who beats all odds and influences others for good. Don't we like the hero stories? Someone defying the impossible, but not just for the story's sake, but to pretend we could one day do that if only given the chance.

In Acts 20:24, it is Paul's confession of "if only" that has always grasped my attention. I remember one of my softball coaches grabbing the uniform from my shoulder to look me square in the eyes to be sure I was heeding the advice he gave. That's how I feel about the if only. Pauls says, "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

The thing about hero movies defying all odds, is we typically forget all the other stuff the character went through to be in the place they are in before vying for victory. When you practice, you get better at whatever you are practicing. When you practice spiritual disciplines and culminating your relationship with Christ, it becomes easier. When you practice sin, it becomes easier. When you practice being a person of noble character, it becomes easier. I love the story of Nelson Mandela because coming into power as South Africa's president, he was in a position to pay back all the things done to him. But he chose grace. Not as a whim, but because he devoted his life to finishing the race he started. He turned the other check and chose to walk away from rivalry in an effort to bond a nation together.

Wow, I wish I could do that more. Walk away from rivalry and see the kingdom of God displayed on Earth...if only we could learn to walk away from our sinful nature and turn towards God's face more and more; being transformed from one degree of glory to another.

Visionary

2010-05-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I can get myself in trouble thinking way too much about the future instead of being able to focus on the task at hand. I can dream and think of numerous possibilities in which God may be leading in both my life and others. I've heard 2 talks in the past 2 days that mentioned the word "dreams." In light of this, it is hard sometimes for me to see how God will move into completion of the dreams I have. I've been thinking a lot the past few weeks about this verse in Acts and the implications it has.

Acts 5:38-39 says, "...Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

So when I am dreaming, I must remember to keep dream and ask God to take away the dreams that are not His desire for my life. I have dreams, I have things I would LOVE to see happen in my life, and yet I hold them with an open hand before my God and King anxiously awaiting to see what He will do with the little I can provide. I'm peeking out the door looking to see what He is going to do in the world!

The Stevely Head!

2010-05-06T02:06:00.000-07:00

After seven hours of tough competition, Long Beach State brought home the Stevely Head and won NavOlympics with pride over Universities from all over Southern California! They took the men's basketball prize and ultimate frisbee spot, but in a tie against the University of California - Irvine, a victorious shoe kick by Sarah, Dan, and Steven brought the Stevely Head back to whence it came! As emotional as the Summer Olympics returning to Greece, for another year, all seems to be right in the world!

Socrates and Me

2010-05-05T01:17:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends gave me a Socrates statue before because she said it reminded her of me. In her opinion, I think too much.

While that may be true, we are all made to be unique and different and there are some people I just can't figure out, so I'm left pondering. As soon as I think I have my finger on it, the target shifts and I'm left aiming in the wilderness. In the meantime, I'll just keep thinking some more and trying to figure it all out! How can I be a better friend? How can I best reflect Christ's image while keeping my needs and feelings sorted out and entrusted with others who I don't always feel love from in return?

I guess that's where the God sandwich comes into play as my friend Emily once put it. "We can always trust God, and then we can trust others...but even when they fail us, we can still trust God." I've tasted what trusting others is like and I desire that again, to feel safe, loved, and accepted fully for who I am. Oh to not worry and be caught up in trivial thoughts!

Smeared.

2010-04-30T01:03:00.000-07:00

Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,

I keep your precepts with all my heart.

Psalm 119:69

Have you ever thought about how disgusting it is for something to be smeared? I was at CVS with Rachel last month making the bookmarks for Women of the Word and there was a kodak picture screen that bothered me. There was a video on a loop of a kid with the messy remnants of a PB & J on his face. He stares out from the screen, and then proceeds to smear his nasty peanut butter and jelly filled cheek across the screen. It was gross. I didn't want to look anymore!
Why can't we view lies that way? It is the arrogant who smear with lies...humans and Satan and ourselves included! But for some reason, we accept the filth as something we deserve or a part of who we are. I want all of my heart to be able to keep his precepts. Ps. 73:26 says, "...God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." He is my portion! Set aside specifically for me! How cool is that! We don't receive leftovers, but all the goods! Selah.

Smeared messes can be hard to clean up alone! Thank God for community! Do you realize just how much we as humans and sinners NEED one another?!?

The Pause Button Seems to be broken...

2010-04-29T00:36:00.000-07:00

I feel like life is rushing by my face so quickly I can't even enjoy the gentle breeze, but it tends to take my breathe away. In about 21 days I leave Long Beach to begin fundraising in Arizona and Texas and then head off 3 weeks later for a summer missions trip. What happened to the Spring?

In a Mexican film I watched recently, at the end of the hour and a half, the film had one of those flashbacks to go over different dialogues and images you may have forgotten in the two hour stint, and yet all it really does is leave you feeling robbed knowing the end is coming sooner than expected and robbed a good 5 minutes is spent going over the things you already moved on from. But there is an importance to looking back. My dad used to say we can view our lives as the car windshield. We need to look ahead and know where we are, but the rear-view mirror is in place so that we won't forget where we are coming from and so nothing can sneak up on us from behind. But we also cannot put all our our attention in that rear-view mirror. If we were supposed to, don't you think the car manufacturer would have made it proportionally larger? 21 days left on campus of the semester and 6 of them are spent away in Training and Development.

It's time for me to start looking back and remembering what God has brought me through this year, but the time to look ahead is upon as well...I need wisdom for the balancing act of these last few weeks! Can I just push pause a second and catch me breath? My head moves too quickly for me to write all my thoughts...

Bunches!

2010-04-21T23:46:00.001-07:00

I love my roommate Alissa! Just yet another reason why God is so good in providing me with this job!

Thin, but Not Paper Thin.

2010-04-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's funny to me how I do things the way my parents do just because it's what I know! I was thinking about this today as I ordered my turkey lunch meat from Albertson's.

"How'd you like it sliced?" The women asked.

"Thin, but not paper thin, please." I replied.

This is how my Mom always ordered our lunch meat! I say it out of habit now!

I was thinking and reflecting a lot about family today. I decided a couple of weeks ago to try making the Pan Dulce Conchas...(a form of Mexican sweet bread.) When I was young, we used to call then 'pink bread' since we never could remember their real name! I think my Abuelita just accepted that. As I was picking up evaporated milk from the store, I called my Dad and he told me my great aunt had passed away. She was his youngest Tia on my Grandpa's side and I heard more about her than actually knew her due to an over 50 year grudge held on that side of the family. But still...another family member, holder of our family's story is now gone.

Alissa and I went to the movies tonight to go see Letters from God. It is a Christian film so it's a little cheesy, but wow...what a good film. We were the only ones in the theater and were glad so as it brought us to tears. I don't know the exact reason why Alissa's heart was outpouring that way, but I know why mine was...God is so good! God is so good and there are still families and people that get that and are coming to know truth despite what horrible situations they are in. People chose God over the world and over the lies and over death...not to make it all go away, but to come alongside in the midst. I'm so grateful for a family that can rejoice over pain because we have hope. We have hope to be entering a place where "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (Rev. 21:4)."

God, you are sweeter than pan dulce! Sweeter than sweet bread. You ARE the sweet bread! Selah.

broken harp

2010-04-07T23:56:00.001-07:00

A dear friend of mine asked me the other day if I ever thought David threw his harp (out of frustration.) I laughed at first, and then I wondered, David was called a 'man after God's own heart' and yet he so openly laid his heart out before God with everything frustrating him in it. Psalm 119:116 says, "Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed."

Do not let my hopes be dashed! As I think about this past week overflowing with so many challenges and moves my friends are in, I ask LORD that you not let their hopes be dashed! Show your faithfulness that I know is there and comfort them in these times of hardship and singleness and transition. Sustain life and let us all live life to the full with a hope fulfilled! Oh LORD, hear my plea on behalf of my sisters. Be dash-less to them!

Streams in the Desert

2010-04-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

I was laughing to myself driving into the Arizona desert...when did the desert become a place of rest and refreshment for me?
Oh the irony!
So many times in the Bible we see the desert as a place of temptation or preparation for some other big thing God has in store for the lives of the individual. That's exactly what God used the desert for in my life! It was a time to cling close to God and battle core lies in order that God could better prepare me for where He is leading my life.

Isaiah 58:11 "The LORD will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail."

It was fun to be able to celebrate our Father, Savior, and Counselor together with dear brothers and sisters back in Arizona for the weekend. But we don't get to stay in the desert...time to find a new home and get back to work! Blessed be the name of the Lord!

webs

2010-03-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Job 8:14-15 "What he trusts in is fragile; what he relies on is a spider's web. He leans on his web, but it gives way; he clings to it, but it does not hold."
When you see a spider's web, it is a neat thing to see how strong the spider has crafted its creation to support itself, but even if you could find a web large enough, someone would never be able to lie in one like a hammock for a nap or touch it without breaking...it is not meant to support our weight! What may seem so beautiful to the eye holds nothing we truly need it to. If you saw someone leaning on a web expecting it to support themselves you'd think they were crazy! Thus, God himself sees us looking for things that can never support us and shakes his head. Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (mt. 11:28)." Why are you going to all those things that are not meant to support you or your burdens? Why are you ignoring me? The one true God who would delight if you would trust me and come to me with who you are?

I got to see an old friend this past weekend. Though only for a few hours, it truly was a sweet time. She has been caught up in a web the past seven years, I've only known her eight. So most of our friendship, I've seen this one picture of her, but this past weekend, I got to see a completely new image radiating from her!

Praise God for the transforming power He has done and let me witness in this dear friend and sister!

Chim chim cher-ee...proclaiming from the rooftops!

2010-03-15T23:32:00.000-07:00

Matt. 10:26-27

"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.

As I think about this next month i am really excited to see what all God has in store. In the ministry at Long Beach State, the ladies will be focusing on what it means to be Women of the Word. I was talking with one of my best friends earlier on during the week about how God is allowing her to share her story from this past year. Why I love this passage of scripture has to deal with a few ideas.

1. God speaks when we are in the dark and hard places in life. When you feel alone and can't see where everything is heading, God is there waiting to whisper in our ear if we silence our fear and worry long enough to listen.

2. What is told to us in those seasons, we are able to re-tell or share with others in the daylight. When we look back, we realize so much more of what God was doing during the hard times!

3. Proclaim it from the roofs! God wants to use our stories to help others and praise Him for who He is! 2. Cor. 1:3-5 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

Just a sweet thought I've been meditating on today. I hope you are taking time to hear the whispers and shout from the rooftops with joy!

quoteable quote

2010-03-11T02:13:00.000-08:00

If you look at scripture, you understand that every time God calls somebody to do something, He is calling them to do something that he or she desperately needs God's power and ability to be able to pull off. He is going to call us to do stuff that He is involved in, His power is a part of that, He must be needed...His sovereignty must be there. -Pastor Frank

On Tuesday I wrote this down from a podcast I heard on Monday. Today, (yesterday now technically) this could not have been more true in my life! Praise God it is not my work, but His!

Maniac Magee to Pete

2010-03-04T00:20:00.000-08:00

I went outside on a short run. It only took a few minutes for me to realize the sound of my feet slapping the wet cement was an easy distraction from what was in my head. It wasn't much longer until the sound of my breathe overwhelmed all other noise. So I stopped. My vans were blocking the rain from hitting the ground while I watched the cement being painted with dots all around my feet. I wanted to run, but I was mesmerized. I felt cold from the rain by now and could not tell which were drops and which were tears on my face.
I've secretly always desired Elliot the dragon (from Pete's Dragon) to be my friend and come up to me in those moments to wipe away my tears and tell me it's all going to be ok without any understandable words. But maybe that's just how I envision God coming alongside Job and in moments of my weakness and frustration I want to experience God coming alongside me and comfort me in that way.Maybe it's because though I am anything but, I feel slightly orphaned or unsettled in Long Beach and can't seem to shake feeling that way no matter how I've tried this semester.

Help!

2010-02-27T23:32:00.000-08:00

This is Long Beach's conference video for the Sunland regional TRUTH conference last weekend. It was so much fun to be behind the camera again!!!

I love the Olympics...

2010-02-26T01:58:00.000-08:00

Joannie Rochette of Canada suffered the loss of her mother this past Sunday. I cried as she took the ice tonight giving a bronze medal performance. For once in my life, I'm glad the US did not medal so that she could. Talk about heart pull!

Let My People Go!

2010-02-16T00:29:00.000-08:00

I sometimes wonder how Moses was feeling when God told him that he was sending him to Pharaoh so that the Isralites would be freed and then said in order to do so, "I will harden his heart so that he will not let his people go (Ex. 4:21)."

----------------------------------

Oh LORD Who am I to see you in this way! I am not worthy to be here barefoot on this ground. Oh YHWH, thank you that you have heard the cry of our people! The Egyptians are causing us to suffer. You want me to tell Pharoah for you?!? They will just laugh at me, how will they believe it is you who has sent me?

What? What's in my hand, it's a staff. Whoa, a snake! I wasn't expecting that. Do what now? Put my hand in my cloak? Ahh, I'm a lepor! Now I'm going to have to leave the community! How can I see Pharoah now? Oh LORD I am sorry to have doubted you. I've never been good at speaking and now you are sending me to the ruler of the whole country! Yes, I know you will help my speech, but wouldn't anyone else be better than I? Aaron's already headed over. Ok. I won't forget the staff.

Wait, God. You just told me you are sending me to Pharaoh to ask for your people to be freed and now you are telling me Pharaoh is going to have a hardened heart?!? Look, I didn't ask for this! Now they are not even letting them use straw for making bricks and yet still require the same quota per day! See I've messed up your plan, why are they still captive?

----------------------------------------

Moses did not understand why God had told him his people would be free and then they were not free right away. It took ten plagues for Pharoah to let the Isralites go. When I think of friends or people in my life held captive by the world, I can't help but plead with God reminding Him these are His people who he has allowed to be free by He, Himself coming to Earth to be broken. He has promised to finish the work He began and yet I don't see it anywhere near finished and the clock is ticking! Oh I wonder how God shakes His head at me when I am anxious or impatient at His transformation in other's lives.

Ecclesiastes 3:11, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

Such true words to be recorded.

I want to go to there

2010-02-03T23:42:00.001-08:00

I can empathize with the Israelites.

I find myself at times (particularly when my screen saver scrolls through photos from last year) where I find myself wishing for the past. Wishing to be back at Point Loma for Spring Break sleeping on the floor of a physio classroom building fences and strolling around old town San Diego. I was to carve my name into a tree with SS and look at photographs in a museum while having to remember to put my shoes back on before going into the building.

I don't think about the tears cried with Lauren over where God was calling us after we graduate from ASU. I don't remember the pain of a friend over a relationship. I push away remembering the hurt from close friends in my own life. I don't recall being broke and living paycheck to paycheck.

We choose to remember the good. We want to go back to safety becasue we know how it ends up...with the present. We know we make it out alive and so we can remember the good from a situation and not worry about the things that once kept us up all night.

I want to believe no matter what stage I am at in life, that the best days are ahead.

Is. 55:10-11

2010-01-31T23:23:00.000-08:00

As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Glancing Over my Shoulder

2010-01-24T00:43:00.001-08:00

Today was the kick-off of Long Beach ministry as both staff and student leaders met to both plan and pray about this semester. It was such a sweet time and God really unified our hearts in vision and purpose, yet today I felt 'off.'

I couldn't help but think back to last year at my last Student Leader retreat at ASU. I spent time talking with my other senior friends discussing scripture and the Holy Spirit's role in our life. We had to speak about what legacy we wanted to leave behind and Immanuel shared a song he wrote in Mexico entitled "More than Conquerors" in which the chorus of the song still randomly resonates in my head from time to time. Life is different now.

Our regional conference is coming up and now on staff I so wish for the students of CSULB to attend and hopefully glean as much out of it as I have the past four years. It breaks my heart thinking too of friends from those years who now have made their own choices in walking away from Christ in their lives.

Reading through 1 Samuel yesterday, I was struck by a verse where Samuel is crying out to God distraught the people are asking for a king to be like all the other nations. The Lord responded saying, "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king." What a sad thing to reject a perfect and just king!

One of my favorite painters, Caravaggio, depicted this scene entitled The Calling of St. Matthew. The thing I love about it is he painted Jesus' hand mimicking the manner of Michelangelo's Adam. The limp hand sitting there while God's was stretched out from heaven as pictured in the Sistine Chapel. But Christ came to Earth to die for us so that we may live! He took on human form for us! For an instance in time, Jesus had the ability to be weak as we are. Will you respond?

The Airport Game

2010-01-11T16:56:00.000-08:00

My good friend Sarah has an "airport game" she plays anytime traveling where you try to find someone you know unexpectedly. While I play along, I also have another airport game I play. Aside from people watching, I've been inspired from the movie, The Terminal to always look around and mentally plan how I would survive if I were trapped in an airport for a month or so. Which vendors would I befriend and where I would want to sleep at night. It may seem like a strange thing to think about, but it's a glimpse into how my mind works! (I also have always secretly wanted drawers full of other countries currency separated so if I need to travel I'm always prepared like the spies are in movies or like Doc is in Back to the Future...maybe that all comes from my previous desire to be in the CIA!)
Anyways, I think airports are great places to think about where I've been and possibly am going in life. I look around at people from so many countries and can pray for them while wondering if maybe God will call me there someday. One of my good friends asked if I ever felt like I am in Narnia in life. Wondering which place is really home...Texas, Arizona, California, Holland...sometimes I can feel that way. (I even took a photo by a lamppost in Holland thinking about this!) Even the Levitate tribe upon entering the promised land were not given any land of their own, but they were given God and His promises. In 1 Peter 2:9 it says, "But you are a 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." So as we are the priesthood, we are not always given some place to call a physical home. But really, life on this Earth is just like an airport. We are waiting on our departure to arrive to be with our Lord and Savior in heaven. Meanwhile in London, we are getting glimpses of the world beyond the lamppost while eagerly awaiting Christ's return.

There is only so much time before the flight takes off. How much more then do we need to work towards things that matter.

Singing Songs to Someone they've Ignored...

2009-12-28T07:20:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the month, I went to a choir concert three of the girls from the freshmen Bible Study were in. One of the perks of the job I suppose! It was in an older church downtown with a full sized organ and stained glass windows. I was very pleased to find out the majority of the songs, whether in English or not, referenced Christ and his life and birth so that Santa was not the focus.

The songs were sung beautifully and I couldn't help but think, 'some of these students have no idea what they are singing about!' They have no idea the implications Christ's birth, death and Resurrection has for them personally.

At our church's Christmas Eve service, the story was told of how renown Violinist Joshua Bell experimented for the Washington Post by playing his violin in a D.C. metro. People were interviewed who had simply passed him by saying there was nothing spectacular about the violinist that made them stop. People walked by unaware they were missing the opportunity to hear for free a skilled professional! Only at the end does one woman stop and recognize him.

How much more are people in the world seeing reflections of God's glory and love and still still don't stop and thus miss the opportunity of their lifetimes. By the tree had lyrics that I've always loved saying, "The whole world's looking for a sign...missing the ones in plain view."

Let's choose to stop and gaze in wonder and awe at who God is.

The Rainbow Road...

2009-12-12T23:20:00.001-08:00

The Rainbow Road Track was always the most difficult for me when playing Mario Kart as a kid. It is so easy to fall off the edge and while you are focusing so much on every turn, you forget to remember what you just did as you'll have to come back and face it in another lap.

Yesterday driving back to Tempe from Long Beach, it literally poured down raining for over half of the trip! The really neat thing though was as it went through waves every 10-15 min, I could spot a rainbow in between the clouds. Recently reading through the Old Testament again, I keep thinking back to God's promises and how Abraham was mentioned as a man unwavering in belief of God's promise to him being, "fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.(Rom 4)" So as I was driving, I was thinking back to God's rainbow he gave Noah as a symbol of his promise. So I saw rainbows all along my journey and was thinking about how God has moved at Long Beach this semester...

Sometimes I'm so caught up in God's promise I forget to remember it and observe how He is working(...I think the Israelites' had the same problem!) So I fall off of the Rainbow Road. But the promise continues on throughout the entire journey even when we feel like we are simply going in circles doing laps.

How cool is it that none of God's promises have to do with our ability, but God himself. 2 Timothy 2:13 says,
"if we are faithless,
he will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown himself."

What a great thing to know we have a God who is faithful, loving, just, good, omnipotent, sovereign and holy. He gives us rainbows all along the way! Sometimes they are easier to see after a storm, but that makes us appreciate them and stand in awe all the more!

The Sound of Souls in Unison.

2009-12-08T02:29:00.000-08:00

One of my friends in college used to make fun of me for how excited I got during worship song when the church congregation would sing the "la la's" together or even get to clap!

I love clapping in large groups and here's why...there is something about praising God together in those moments I cannot seem to get enough of. The clapping transcends backgrounds or languages or comparing your singing abilities with the person next to you, and simply lifts a unified song up to God.

I used to decide to not clap in making some sort of rebellious Charles Dalton type of move to exercise my right not too; but truly, I came to realize I was only depriving myself of being able to participate in communal worship that was not intended for me, but my Father.

So next time the worship leader encourages to clap, resist rolling your eyes and join along with your family. Let us praise God with clapping!

"Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.

How awesome is the LORD Most High,
the great King over all the earth! "

Psalm 47:1-2

NavPress Discount! Spread the word!

2009-12-07T12:54:00.001-08:00

wanna help support my ministry in Long Beach? Need Christmas gifts? Order from Navpress.com and enter 23745918 in the coupon code box and save yourself 5% off of your order and donate 10% towards my ministry!

great way to spend 9 min...

2009-12-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

immersion

2009-11-13T16:39:00.000-08:00

During worship last week, I saw one of those typical worship background images and yet it stuck out to me for some reason. There was a girl standing with her arms raised into the sun as she was silhouetted. Here's the cool thing, her left arm was cutting through the space on the image where the sun was. The glare going back into the camera lens was so bright, the arm disappeared into the sun.

I want my life to be like that.

First, that people can look into my life and not help but see the Son. Second, that my life will continually blend into God's that I may become less and He may become more...

"...when darkness and light collide...light always wins."

and by his wounds we are healed...

2009-11-06T02:08:00.000-08:00

There are so many things I could write about Jesus and how amazing He is in this space. But one way this was expressed in my life today was in my inability to journal. I heard this talk on silence and solitude this past week at our Collegiate conference and something about that struck me. I think it had to deal with how multi-tasking my brain can be.

But this last week I ended up hurting my wrist, so as I sat beneath a large oak tree getting time with God intending to journal out my thoughts...my hand hurt so bad I could not write without pain. So I set down my pen and listened. In Ecclesiastes it says to not be in a hurry to leave the king's presence. So I sat and had a sweet time partially talking, but mostly listening to what my Savior had to say. What a sweet afternoon.

The Office Wedding Reception...

2009-10-09T01:32:00.000-07:00

So in honor of Jim and Pam getting married on the office...we held a wedding reception in one of the dorms at CSULB. Complete with wedding cake, sparkling cider toasts to the Halpert's, wedding pics and dance parties...it was one of the most enjoyable times I've had thus far in Long Beach.

ROI- Return on Investments

2009-10-04T21:47:00.000-07:00

ROI's are an interesting concept. Being able to determine as a company where your resources are best put to use by measuring where a profit is produced and determining what to do in the case of a profit loss by changing the company's game plan.

As believers, we don't have this privilege. We are called to love and love well. This does not mean we always get to see the result of our love in a person's life or we can measure where to invest by numbers or seen gain. We don't always get to see the impact we make in someone's life. We do not get to choose who to not love based on their actions or opinions of us, but we are called to love.

There are people who are easier to love than others, though I don't think that justifies us not loving others well. There are times in life I would love to see a return on my investment in someone. Times where I can see that year I invested in some girl was not a waste, but she is pursuing Christ and helping others do the same along the way. But I don't always get that privileged. God has called me to love, not sit back and watch apathetically.

The other week I heard this comparison that has stuck with me...

As Christians, we are like fans at a football game. All sitting around watching a few guys put all of their practice into reality. But really, we are the ones needing to get on the field and play, not expecting the professionals to do it (pastors, missionaries, etc). But realizing we are all supposed to be out there, ministering, exactly where God has put each of us.

We are not called to sit back blessed by God to be fat and happy cheering on the team on the field, but we are meant to engage, to love.

As scary as it can be, I'm grabbing my helmet of salvation and heading out to the field...you in?

Great Game!

2009-10-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

Man, what a great game! This is one of my favorite photos I took! Notice the ball directly in the top middle! Thanks for the error Angels! Rangers victory at the last Angels home game of the season! That feels good! Thanks Gabe for cheering and Alissa for the b-day gift!

Gazebos and Gelato

2009-09-21T22:40:00.000-07:00

There is a Gazebo in Parker Square that I used to love going to hen it just opened. Van Dyke's Soda Shoppe was there and Parker Square was just in its beginnings so that not too many people knew about it. I took the class of 06 Senior portraits there and could be found making gelato trips on too many occasions to count.

One of my favorite things to do there was to sing Sound of Music's "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" while dancing around and jumping from bench to bench with friends pretending we live in a different time. There is something about pretending life is a musical that is just so amazing to me. You look at the Sound of Music or singing in the rain or Newsies or My Fair Lady that makes life sound so more appealing!

Beyond Belief

2009-09-19T21:10:00.001-07:00

In the past 3 days, I started and finished Josh Hamilton's book, Beyond Belief. There is one line at the end I fell in love with.

"You might still be reading a book about Josh Hamilton if I had not turned my life over to Jesus Christ..."

This Ranger's outfielder gets something I wish I could on a more daily basis. This life is not about us. It is not about how comfortable I am or the house I live in or the car I drive or the places I go to. But "He must become greater, I must become less (Jn. 3:30)."

Sometimes in Long Beach I find my heart yearning for comfort. Wanting close friends to hang out with and Suzi at the local boba place to know my order as I walk in the door. I want so desperately to not get lost going to the grocery store and a place to come home to that feels like my own. But if these things were the case, I would not be following God's will for my life at the moment. It's not about Alicia. It's not about comfort, but obedience. The Christian life goes beyond belief into life and practice.

And though it is hard, Long Beach is my new home. We just don't know each other well yet.

happy home

2009-09-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

You have to love the ability we have to get together as a group of friends and bond over things such as card games and Beatles Rock Band! After a long couple of days passing out flyers and getting the Navigators name out, a bunch of students came over for a night of fellowship and games at mine and Alissa's house (shown on right).

Getting the Beatles new Rock band for the wii for my birthday was such an amazing gift! Thank you mom & dad & the wickett's! It's been great to see & sometimes hear the students rock out!

I challenged a couple of the students to a game called Nertz. I think playing with 10 was a little intense even for me!

Jeremiah 20:9

2009-08-22T23:47:00.000-07:00

Today was an amazing day in Long Beach besides the soreness and sunburns I am experiencing as a result of a 3 1/2 hour bike ride! I spent some time in Jeremiah today and it was neat to see in the midst of people turning their backs on God, how I found encouragement. I was encouraged as in Chapter 18 I remembered sometimes God changes the design of the pot for better as is the potter. Sometimes life may not look how I expected, but it is for good.

Then I read Jeremiah 20:9,

But if I say, “I will not mention him
or speak any more in his name,”
his word is in my heart like a burning fire,
shut up in my bones,
I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot.

and in response, I came up with this. It is a mixed media piece and it looks different in person, but I like the reminder. Sometimes it is fun to play with other mediums than photography for me though I am not too good at it. What a sweet reminder before the semester starts.

God of this City

2009-08-18T00:16:00.000-07:00

You’re the God of this city
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation
You are

You’re the light in this darkness
You’re the hope to the hopeless
You’re the peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city

photo of Los Angeles :: (c) Alicia D. Garcia :: 17 Aug 2009 outside Dodger Stadium

Story of my Life at the Moment

2009-08-15T00:35:00.000-07:00

As of today I am going to be calling California home for the next two years at least. I honestly never thought I'd live there in my lifetime!

Happy Birthday Mom! Sorry I can't be there to tell you in person! I love you!

Less than one week...

2009-08-08T23:51:00.000-07:00

It's been so easy to tell people that Aug. 15th is when I'm packing up and moving to Long Beach, it is harder when that reality is less than a week away.

I know for my mom's birthday this Saturday she would love nothing more than me being in Texas and yet God has called me to CSULB for the next two years. I'm not all the way there yet as I am praying hard for $9, 744 in the next 6 days. It has been a little difficult coming back to the desert of Arizona as I am remembered of what I am going to truly miss so dearly.

It seems so odd to me that I moved to the desert and ended up liking it. It's almost time to pack up once again and head west. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

15 books

2009-07-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. List 15 books you've read that WILL ALWAYS STICK WITH YOU. They should be the first 15 you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

1. Maniac Magee- amazing book that I still try to read again at least once a year.
2. Dr. Mr. Henshaw - I totally wrote a journal to a friend just like the kid in the book did.
3. Blue Like Jazz- I love the way Donald writes.
4. Zorro by Isabel Allende- One of my all time favorite books! I don't know why I haven't bought a copy. If you get a chance, read it!
5. Too Many Tamales- This was the first book I read aloud on my own.
6. The Book of Bunny Suicides- Alexa first introduced me to it and it's very interesting!
7. The Republic- the cave allegory is one I love using to illustrate God in our society!
8. The Essential Calvin & Hobbes- It's Essential!
9. Humility by C.J. Mahaney, This book was given to me by a woman on staff at ASU because I house-sat for her...it had some really good stuff that taught me a lot on rest.
10. Case for Faith
11. The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus- the Rhino illustration has stuck
12. Angels & Demons- really intertaining when you take it for what it is...fiction
13. Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
14. The Phantom Tollbooth
15. The Polar Express- when we read this in kindergarten, our teacher lined up the chairs like we were on a train, played a tape with train noises, dimmed the room lights to reveal a Christmas tree and gave us each a hot chocolate with colored marshmellows as she read the book outloud. It was amazing! Thanks Mrs. Murphy!

...your turn!

empty pages

2009-07-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

It seems to me the times I want to look back on and remember are the times I am absolutely horrible at keeping up in my journal! I'm reading in Jeremiah and was thinking about how the Israelites became so distracted they completely forgot all the amazing things God had done for them! I don't want a couple of months or even years to go by and forget all the amazing things God has revealed to me this summer through funding and life. I am going to make it a point to journal more these last few weeks of summer...if you see me, please hold me to it!

Exactly One Month!

2009-07-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

It's so odd for me to try and think that I am only one month away from moving into my new home out in Long Beach. God has led me into this new adventure of serving with the Navigators on EDGE Corps. As I am so excited to get started into this new ministry, it can seem a bit intimidating to start over again.

As weird as it may sound to m Dutch, New Zealand or Texan friends, After four years, I somehow fell in love with the desert unbeknown to me! But God works in His own time and way and has called me to California for this next season. I'm really excited for the training and experience as well as I feel blessed to be able to have Bible study twice a month with dear friends who know me and encourage me!

I truly am excited for this next adventure...I just can't believe it's all coming up so fast! One month!

He knows...

2009-07-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

One of the stories that has resonated in my heart since my time in Colorado has been Mark 12:1-12. It is the story of a paralytic being brought to Jesus by his friends.

Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." (v. 3-5 NIV)

I think of being one of the other people in the room having dirt and debris from the roof falling around them. The sun was creeping in to the packed room through the expanding hole. And yet one of the things I love the most is this man's friends simply knew they had to get him to Jesus. After lowering the paralytic through the hole they didn't give Jesus instructions or tell Him what their friend's need were. They just got him there. And Jesus's response was a greater need than maybe the friends knew...He forgave the man's sin. And then after knowing what the others were thinking Jesus told the man to take his mat and walk as well.

Well, if this room were really crowded and as the verse states, the man took his mat and made his way through the wall to wall crowd to go home. He probably had to maneuver through the amazed crowd just to get out the door!

But here is the part that sticks with me! Sometimes I don't know exactly what my friends need prayer for at the time. Sometimes prayer requests can deter as our humanness may block out of fear what is really going on. So what I am doing in particular for a friend of mine is just praying to put her in front of Jesus. I have no idea what exactly is going on in her heart, but I know Jesus has the answer. I'm not going to lie, she has been through a lot these past few months. So I pray and do what I can to dig through that roof and lower her at His beautiful feet. And as she is lowered through the hole and presented before Him, I pray she looks up and sees Him as well.

Welcome to Babylon

2009-07-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.paradisechurch.com/explore/messages/audio/556.mp3

There are a lot of announcements...but I truly enjoyed this message from my church back in Arizona.

Trusting God...

2009-07-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Most of the 10 days I spent in training at Colorado Springs had something dealing with the idea of trusting God. When I think of trusting God to provide in what may seem to me as strange or odd ways, I can't help but think of Elijah and the ravens feeding him in 1 Kings 17. So meet Elijah the duck. He is being given exactly what he needs by God, who is using a bird to provide.

This is my desktop background so while I am fund-raising $34,000 by Aug. 15th, I won't forget who my bread is ultimately coming from. Will you join me in praising God for the work I know He is doing and is going to do?

worse than silence...

2009-06-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

I love Gomer Pyle. I remember waking up on the weekends and watching this show with my sister. I love how not everything is black and white like the Sargent thinks. I think sometimes we go about things in the wrong way. Preparation is good, but ultimately, decisions have to be made for individuals on their own. Here is the cool thing though, as believers, we are here to hold one another accountable and help see truth where Satan loves to keep it hidden. Gomer gets the point in knowing when to stop role-playing long enough to help Duke, his fellow marine, up. Even if in training Duke had his thumb injured, he probably learned to not stand off-balance, but instead to stand firm.

Though they are instructed to not pause, it is important to know when we need to stop what we are doing to try and help someone out. It's the idea of caring for someone else more than what you think they will think of you. It's caring for someone enough to tell them the truth in the way they need to hear it. There is something special about community, it is not just about living life all happy and contrite, but it is about living life together. And the reality of that is sometimes you do get to celebrate joy with one another, but other times you get to speak truth and appear as the 'bad guy' or outsider. Then there are times yet where you have truth spoken to you.

I think of the scene in Remember the Titans where Gary has a choice to make between letting Ray stay on the team even though he didn't block for Rev or telling him he's off the team. I can imagine that was perhaps one of the most difficult things Gary ever had to do. But sometimes we have to tell our friends the hard things...even if it means losing them for a bit in some capacity. I don't think anyone really likes being Gary in that situation...but how much worse would it have been for him to remain silent?

PRAYER REQUEST FOR MIKE BEDIENT

2009-06-26T01:09:00.000-07:00

So if you know anything about my time with the Navigators at Arizona State, you can bet our campus director Mike Bedient played a large part in why I have grown in Christ these past four years. As he has stepped in numerous times on my behalf, I now come to you on his behalf. Mike is currently leading a team of staff and students in Russia where he and his family used to minister for years.

Mike just had a heart attack while over there and is currently in a hospital in Pushkin. PLEASE PRAY FOR MIKE'S HEALTH! These past two days I have seen tons of spiritual warfare so please pray for Navigator ministries at ASU and other campuses as Satan would love to have a foothold. Clothe Long Beach and Arizona State with prayers speaking of the power of the blood of Christ. Pray for Mike's family as they are in Arizona and are eager to find out news of their father's health.

I'll keep updated as soon as I know anything.

UPDATE FROM A FRIEND'S E-MAIL THAT I FEEL WRAPS IT UP 1am 27 June

Thank you for standing in the gap in prayer. Here is a prayer update I received on our campus director, Mike. He is in stable condition, and they have to transfer him to a hospital in Berlin for a procedure. Things are still critical and unknown, so please keep praying:

Please pray that Mike will stay strong during the flight transfer - they had to find some specialized equipment in order to transport him - and there was concern regarding whether or not Mike was strong enough for the flight
Please continue to pray for wisdom for the doctors and decision-makers - they still need to run some important tests in order to better assess the situation
Mike's family is understandably very shaken by this - pray for peace and comfort for Sheri and the kids
This has all been very taxing (emotionally and physically) on the remaining mission team in Russia - please pray for strength and wisdom to continue the work as God leads
Pray that God would be glorified through this! Especially in Russia, as many Russians have been deeply affected by this

"O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption" Psalm 130:7

UPDATE 11:24pm Sat. night

In case you haven't heard, Mike will have bypass surgery sometime during the next 12 hours. He is now at a heart specialty hospital in Berlin. Sheri is staying with a sister of a German Navigator. Praise God for His family! Keep Praying!!

We got an update from Sheri. It turns out that Mike had a DOUBLE bypass instead of quadruple. He is still in an induced coma, although it is gradually being reduced. Sheri says he may as well sleep because of all the stuff he is is hooked up to! The doctors say he is progressing as they would expect and hope. They are talking of 7-10 days in intensive care. They still have a long road ahead of them.

Good Advice...

2009-06-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

A dear friend of mine left me some very special advice..."If you get exhausted, or depressed, or overwhelmed or something, check out Isaiah 40:28-29. Or really all of Isaiah 40, and just remember how great and comforting our God is." Reading over this passage has been very encouraging to me during the stressful, tedious, and somewhat scary times in funding school.

I only have a day and a half left in Colorado, but it has been an amazing time. It's so amazing to me to see how God brought together 30 individuals and in just under 10 days made us feel truly like family members.

I just wish I could be in Tempe today to wish a very Happy Birthday to one of my best friends in person! So, happy birthday Brad!

Blessed

2009-06-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

How many people get the privilege to say their job training takes place at a castle?

These past four days have been really encouraging as I prepare to venture into the next season of life God has called me into. I've made a bunch of new friends who have a passion to see Christ's irreversible truths spread onto college campuses and into our own styles of ministry. I still can't believe sometimes that I am a college graduate. Please continue to pray for my friends serving in Russia and if you feel so led, pray for those of us in training as well as we prepare to minister on college campuses in New York, Iowa, California, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, and even Australia.

For Amers...Caption Contest

2009-06-14T21:25:00.001-07:00

So this is the chosen shot of the day...
I thought I'd be fun to have one of those caption contests here! So write a caption for this photo and post it and I'll pick a winner! The winner will get a very special prize!!!

For the joy of Russia!!!

2009-06-11T20:51:00.001-07:00

So I'm coming to you asking for prayers for my brothers and sisters who currently are somewhere over the ocean on their way to spend the next few weeks in Pushkin, Russia. This team will be teaching English and sharing the gospel with as many as 45 students coming to the English camp.

Here is why this is close to my heart...

1) Because people are close on God's heart, so they should also be close on ours. Some of these students have been around for the summer teams for years on end and a few of them even came out to Arizona last year. God is working here! Pray these students want to take more steps towards Christ! How cool would it be in heaven to be able to meet someone you could be praying for now?!?

2) The people on this team are primarily staff and students involved with the Navigators in both Arizona and California. What a cool opportunity for God to stretch and grow each of the team and encourage them to trust Him above all.

Along with that, the woman who has discipled me this past year is on this team as well... Sarah Short has been nothing less than a prayer warrior, mentor, encourager, challenger and amazing friend to me in my senior year at ASU. I just served one week with her at a Christian music festival called spirit west coast (you can read more about it on her blog here), and now she is off to spend two weeks serving in Russia. Though commiting her summer to God, she has lost much financial support this past year due to the economy and her funding increased. Here is a copy of prayer requests she wrote in an e-mail both for her and for the trip...

--For travel safety for our team & for unity amongst our team. Pray that the Russians would see Christ through how we love and relate to one another (John 17)

--Pray for us as we teach English—pray that the classroom discussions would draw the Russians out and lead them to ask deeper questions about life.

--Pray for the evening personal belief discussion—pray that the students would take an interest in attending these optional sessions and for them to seek truth.

--Pray for the gospel to advance in Russia; we want to be instruments for God’s use, so pray that we would know and follow His leading.

--Pray for spiritual protection during this time.

--For me personally, would you pray for my energy to press on? The last 3 weeks have been intense, and I don’t want fatigue to be a hindrance. Pray that I can engage deeply with people and know God’s strength.

Would you join me in praying for this Russia team? Also, please pray for my friend that God would be faithful in providing her fundraising so she may return to ASU in the fall on time and serve other women just as she served me this past year. Your few minutes spent praying for God's joy to be spread in Russia are not in vain! God won't give us the nations unless we remember to ask! Thank you for YOUR hearts following after God's! Press on dear friends!

"I have stilled and quieted my soul..."

2009-06-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

REST IS...

...a challenge for me.

It is something I've always been bad at doing and yet I see such a grand benefit in it. Sometimes I feel guilty resting knowing how much needs to be done, and yet by taking the time to rest I can accomplish what needs to be done both more efficiently and cheerfully. Both of which are important. So today I took some time aside for me and God...I feel able to function again. Rest has always been challenging for me, but as a good friend reminded me maybe I should be thanking God for this time instead of wishing for it to fly by. Only 11 more days in Texas until I leave for training and then come back full force to raise funds for the next year. Please pray in this economical time God will already be stirring hearts who have a desire to back God's work that I'll be blessed to have a part in next year through the Navigators. Maybe start praying how you can be trusting God with your finances through giving in general, even if not to the Navs, as many people are shying away in a time they could trust God the most. My prayer for each of you is you can run away with God and rest sometime soon...He's waiting.

Nav Year in Rewind!

2009-06-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

This is the video I put together to celebrate the 08-09 school year for the amazing ASU Navigators...enjoy. (It is in two parts)