Lord, forgive me for EVER thinking it had anything to do with me!
I've had the opportunity to be a part of the building of God's Kingdom several times recently. Working with the HS ministry at Sevier Heights has been a bigger blessing in my walk with the Lord than I ever thought it would be.
This position in ministry brought with it a major burden on my heart to pray for a young freshman girl. I had a couple conversations with her at the very beginning of my time of service in the HS ministry, and although she was faithful to the "programs" we have at church, she informed me that she didn't know Christ and that she had no desire to change that. Her heart was hard, her spirit was down, and all I knew to do was pray. So I did, fervently and faithfully for 5 MONTHS. Every time I saw her, I just wanted to break down knowing that she hadn't found eternal security in Heaven. This past week at church camp, Brianna was completely broken and convicted of her sin. She confessed Jesus as her Lord and Savior on Monday June 20th. I can't put into words the emotions that came over me when she came to tell me. Excitement, joy, peace... overwhelming state of praise. God came through in a HUGE way! What a great reminder of how He answers prayers!
I had the opportunity to go back to Elk Valley where the HS ministry did mission work just a few weeks ago. It was a great reminder of the faithfulness of God that we experienced while we were up there. I was so proud of our students and how they all responded with heart of service that week in Elk Valley. We were able to do some great things in and around the church that will be huge blessings for that community for (Lord willing) many years to come. New Canaan Baptist Church is a special place and God is definitely at work there. They don't get caught in the routine of church services, instead they undergo each gathering as a time to do whatever the Lord leads them to do. Pure freedom to worship, give testimonies, kneel at the altar, pray, hug... Anything is welcomed and encouraged. What a great reminder of how free we are in Christ!
I have also been blessed to help mentor several girls. Some in big ways and some in more subtle ways. As I have had so many important difference makers in my life, I look at mentoring as a way for me to pass on all the things that these people have passed to me. What an awesome way to live out a heart for Christ than to show young girls through my actions and words! It has truly been a blessing in my walk to reach out to them and hopefully offer Godly counsel and advice.
Over the last several weeks I have seen COUNTLESS lives changed. Mission trip, VBS, Camp at Awanita... Some hearts welcomed into the Kingdom, some rededicated to their True Love in Jesus, some set on fire, some stepping up into leadership roles, some surrendering to the call to ministry... I've been reminded that seeing lives changed NEVER GETS OLD! Through all of His faithfulness, somehow I'm still amazed when He works in big and obvious ways. I forget that is His nature. That even when I don't notice, He's still at work. It's like I'm suprised when He "shows up". What a great reminder of His faithfulness over the past few weeks. He is SO GOOD!
Heavenly Father, thank you for who you are in my life. Lord, thank you for the priviledge to be a part of the building of your Kingdom! Forgive me Lord for the times that I forgot that it was ALL about you!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Just a "God-thing"
There are a lot of times I find myself saying "Man, that was really a God thing"! This past week, there was a time in particular that I felt like God was really at work in a certain situation.
This happened last Sunday at church... I was sitting in the balcony with some of the high school students singing (off key, of course) towards the beginning of the service. During the second or third song I noticed a woman coming in by herself with an usher leading her to her seat. I couldn't see her face, but something about her just grabbed my heart. I saw hurt and distress surrounding her. Now, this isn't something I do every week, or even think about doing every week, but God put her on my heart so heavily that I just started praying for her. Throughout the entire service all I could concentrate on was her and there were millions of things popping in my head about what this woman could possibly be going through. Now remember, I go to a very large church with thousands of people every week. I know that there are people that walk through the doors of Sevier Heights on a regular basis that are hurt, broken, lost, and insecure. But there was just something about this woman that burdened me. She didn't open a Bible or take notes, but it seemed she was intently listening during the sermon. We stood up to sing for the invitation and I was desperately seeking that the Lord would touch this woman's heart. I had my eyes closed and my head bowed as we were singing. I looked up and I saw her halfway down the center aisle walking towards our pastor. I was so overwhelmed with joy in my heart even though I had absolutely NO idea why she was going forward or what the Holy Spirit was convicting her of. It was so encouraging to feel like God had used me to intercede for this woman. I felt blessed and filled and felt as though I was walking very closely with the Lord. I debated after the service whether I should go to the counseling room to speak with her and tell her about how God had laid her on my heart to pray for her throughout the service, but of course I convinced myself that would be creepy and awkward so I left church without saying a word.
I told a couple of my friends about it at lunch but to be honest, as the day went on and I went about my Sunday afternoon I kinda forgot about His faithfulness in the situation and the work that He had just done. I went to night church and sat with friends, not thinking a thing of it. After the service I was standing in the Apex with some friends. They were in the middle of a conversation and I wasn't really paying attention (ADD kicking in) and I saw the woman outside in the parking lot. At our church, the parking lot is pretty far away and she was on the opposite side. I butted in to my friends conversation and I said "THAT'S HER! That's the woman I prayed for today!" I just blurted out "Should I go talk to her?" My roommate had no idea what I was talking about and with confused look on her face she was like "uhh, sure". So I took off running outside and across the parking lot. I'm sure at this point I looked really creepy because the parking lot was pretty much empty and I was running straight at her. I got to her and introduced myself. I told her that it might seem awkward but God had appointed me to pray for her that morning in service. I rambled on for about 3 minutes about the situation and finally looked at her face. She had tears streaming down and her jaw was dropped. She said she couldn't believe it..she and her family were having a really rough time and that she just felt like she needed to come to church that morning. It was her first time at Sevier Heights but she loved it. She said "I even went to talk to the pastor about becoming a Christian!" I was amazed. I couldn't believe that God would use me in such a way! We talked for several minutes and she just couldn't stop talking about how encouraged she was that I had prayed for her without knowing anything about her. I asssured her it had absolutely nothing to do with me, that I was just an instrument for God's Kingdom. She told me she was going to keep coming to church and going to make some major changes in her life. It was indescribable. It was a "God thing"!
So often, it's easy to feel as if God isn't present. Like we are going through life on our own. This particular situation to me was a reminder of God's presence in my life. He is so faithful to use me in ways that only He could orchestrate. I'm so thankful and humbled that I get to be part of building His mighty Kingdom!
This happened last Sunday at church... I was sitting in the balcony with some of the high school students singing (off key, of course) towards the beginning of the service. During the second or third song I noticed a woman coming in by herself with an usher leading her to her seat. I couldn't see her face, but something about her just grabbed my heart. I saw hurt and distress surrounding her. Now, this isn't something I do every week, or even think about doing every week, but God put her on my heart so heavily that I just started praying for her. Throughout the entire service all I could concentrate on was her and there were millions of things popping in my head about what this woman could possibly be going through. Now remember, I go to a very large church with thousands of people every week. I know that there are people that walk through the doors of Sevier Heights on a regular basis that are hurt, broken, lost, and insecure. But there was just something about this woman that burdened me. She didn't open a Bible or take notes, but it seemed she was intently listening during the sermon. We stood up to sing for the invitation and I was desperately seeking that the Lord would touch this woman's heart. I had my eyes closed and my head bowed as we were singing. I looked up and I saw her halfway down the center aisle walking towards our pastor. I was so overwhelmed with joy in my heart even though I had absolutely NO idea why she was going forward or what the Holy Spirit was convicting her of. It was so encouraging to feel like God had used me to intercede for this woman. I felt blessed and filled and felt as though I was walking very closely with the Lord. I debated after the service whether I should go to the counseling room to speak with her and tell her about how God had laid her on my heart to pray for her throughout the service, but of course I convinced myself that would be creepy and awkward so I left church without saying a word.
I told a couple of my friends about it at lunch but to be honest, as the day went on and I went about my Sunday afternoon I kinda forgot about His faithfulness in the situation and the work that He had just done. I went to night church and sat with friends, not thinking a thing of it. After the service I was standing in the Apex with some friends. They were in the middle of a conversation and I wasn't really paying attention (ADD kicking in) and I saw the woman outside in the parking lot. At our church, the parking lot is pretty far away and she was on the opposite side. I butted in to my friends conversation and I said "THAT'S HER! That's the woman I prayed for today!" I just blurted out "Should I go talk to her?" My roommate had no idea what I was talking about and with confused look on her face she was like "uhh, sure". So I took off running outside and across the parking lot. I'm sure at this point I looked really creepy because the parking lot was pretty much empty and I was running straight at her. I got to her and introduced myself. I told her that it might seem awkward but God had appointed me to pray for her that morning in service. I rambled on for about 3 minutes about the situation and finally looked at her face. She had tears streaming down and her jaw was dropped. She said she couldn't believe it..she and her family were having a really rough time and that she just felt like she needed to come to church that morning. It was her first time at Sevier Heights but she loved it. She said "I even went to talk to the pastor about becoming a Christian!" I was amazed. I couldn't believe that God would use me in such a way! We talked for several minutes and she just couldn't stop talking about how encouraged she was that I had prayed for her without knowing anything about her. I asssured her it had absolutely nothing to do with me, that I was just an instrument for God's Kingdom. She told me she was going to keep coming to church and going to make some major changes in her life. It was indescribable. It was a "God thing"!
So often, it's easy to feel as if God isn't present. Like we are going through life on our own. This particular situation to me was a reminder of God's presence in my life. He is so faithful to use me in ways that only He could orchestrate. I'm so thankful and humbled that I get to be part of building His mighty Kingdom!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Refreshed and Refocused
This week my friend Amber and I had the opportunity to get away and spend the week in the mountains in Highlands, NC. I have grown up going to Highlands with my family and I think I've gone on just about every hike possible in the area... but there was something different about this week. I had been praying a lot leading up to the trip, knowing that I needed to have some quality alone time in communion with Jesus. I knew that I needed a time to refresh and somewhat of a refocus before things got busy for the summer. Boy, I didn't know what I was getting myself into...talk about refresh and refocus, He got me!
Lila's rock is my favorite place in the world. It's a beautiful view of mountains as far as you can see and it's private so you don't have to worry about being bothered or talking too loud. I've been up on Lila's rock countless times in my life but this particular time was more breath-taking than ever. I was in complete awe of God's creation at first... the mountains, the valleys, the birds, the colors of the trees, I could go on and on. Then in the midst of all His creation, He gently, but boldly, reminded me WHO HE IS! So then, I was in complete awe of God. I was forced to focus on Him and His character. It was such a refreshing reminder that I pray will lead to a constant burning emotional connection with my King. Amber and I prayed together and sang songs of praise while we were up on Lila's rock. It was such an awesome time to be able to just worship Him in those moments.
It was easy to focus on Him in the mountains. No responsibilities, fewer temptations, no cell phone, beautiful scenery... the stage was set. But I pray as I return back from this refreshing time away, that my eyes will continue to be set on Him and Him alone... that I will stop letting the world get in the way of my emotional connection with my Savior!
Lila's rock is my favorite place in the world. It's a beautiful view of mountains as far as you can see and it's private so you don't have to worry about being bothered or talking too loud. I've been up on Lila's rock countless times in my life but this particular time was more breath-taking than ever. I was in complete awe of God's creation at first... the mountains, the valleys, the birds, the colors of the trees, I could go on and on. Then in the midst of all His creation, He gently, but boldly, reminded me WHO HE IS! So then, I was in complete awe of God. I was forced to focus on Him and His character. It was such a refreshing reminder that I pray will lead to a constant burning emotional connection with my King. Amber and I prayed together and sang songs of praise while we were up on Lila's rock. It was such an awesome time to be able to just worship Him in those moments.
It was easy to focus on Him in the mountains. No responsibilities, fewer temptations, no cell phone, beautiful scenery... the stage was set. But I pray as I return back from this refreshing time away, that my eyes will continue to be set on Him and Him alone... that I will stop letting the world get in the way of my emotional connection with my Savior!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Do not Shrink
I heard Dr. Johnny Hunt at a conference a couple months ago say that many people "want the fruit of Paul's ministry without having to undergo the suffering of Paul's journeys." I'm always so encouraged and humbled when I read about the life of Paul. His obedience was so obvious. His passion was undeniable. He was, (you guessed it!) INTENTIONAL. Recently, the Lord laid on my heart a new life verse. I read it a few weeks ago and I just haven't been able to shake it out of my heart. It comes from Acts 20:26-27...
26 "I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault,27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know."
I was completely stunned by Paul's straight forwardness in this verse. He was so confident that He was walking in complete obedience of God's will for His life that he could utter the words that He had proclaimed everything that God wanted the people of Ephesus to know. Paul knew that the blood of those whom suffered eternal death would not be on his hands. Just a few verses before in Acts 20:24 Paul exclaims that he consider his life nothing unless he used it for God's work. So often I'm guilty of considering what I get out of doing God's work more important than what I put in to God's work.
26 "I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault,27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know."
I was completely stunned by Paul's straight forwardness in this verse. He was so confident that He was walking in complete obedience of God's will for His life that he could utter the words that He had proclaimed everything that God wanted the people of Ephesus to know. Paul knew that the blood of those whom suffered eternal death would not be on his hands. Just a few verses before in Acts 20:24 Paul exclaims that he consider his life nothing unless he used it for God's work. So often I'm guilty of considering what I get out of doing God's work more important than what I put in to God's work.
It is my prayer that sharing the message of salvation will be so important to me that I will never miss an opportunity to share it. I think a lot of times as Christians we pray "God, give me opportunities to share" when really we should be praying "God, make me AWARE of the opportunities you give me". Just like Paul, we all have opportunities to share God's love and the message of salvation all the time. Whether it be through our testimony, the way we live, or straight up sharing the gospel, too often we overlook these God-given tasks.
One day, I want to serve a person or group of people in a way that I can proclaim the same thing Paul did. I pray that I will be able to say that I have been faithful and I never shrunk from telling them everything God wanted them to know.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Intentional... or am I?
I'm really excited about starting this new blog. I hope that as you read what God is teaching me, both through his Word and through the opportunities that He has graciously given me, you will be inspired to seek Him more. Some of these ramblings may not make sense because many of them will come straight from my heart, but it is my prayer that they will only draw you closer to Him and may bring you to examine your own relationship with the one, true God. So here we go... (Be ready, you are about to read the word "intentional" 16 times)
I've been thinking a lot lately about living an intentional life. So what does it mean to be intentional? Intentional is to be mentally determined to carry out some action or purpose. So what am I intentional about? Wow... lots of things. For example, I'm intentional about making good grades. I'm intentional about keeping in touch with some old friends. I'm intentional about hanging out with my friends. I'm intentional about loving my family. I'm intentional about making time to watch Lost and Sportscenter. I'm intentional about those things on a pretty consistent basis. It became obvious that the things that I'm consistently intentional about are the things in my life that I value the most... such as my education, friends, family, my favorite TV shows.
But then when I look to the things that Jesus was intentional about, I'm not so consistent with those things. I'm not always intentional about things like finding time for prayer (Mark 1:35), authentic worship through my actions (John 4:24), seeking His will in my life (1 Peter 4:2), making His presence known to other people (Acts 1:8), and ultimately bringing Him glory in all things (1 Cor 10:31). These are all things that are essential in my growth as a believer. Being intentional about these will only bring me closer to my Father.
God is teaching me right now to really examine my heart to see what I value. It's not fun. In fact, it's embarrassing to think of all the things that I'm intenional about in my daily life and then to reflect on my spiritual disciplines and see how often I lack a sense of urgency and intention.
So can I ask you... what are you intentional about? What areas of your life do you need to step up and have more urgency to see them carried out?
I've been thinking a lot lately about living an intentional life. So what does it mean to be intentional? Intentional is to be mentally determined to carry out some action or purpose. So what am I intentional about? Wow... lots of things. For example, I'm intentional about making good grades. I'm intentional about keeping in touch with some old friends. I'm intentional about hanging out with my friends. I'm intentional about loving my family. I'm intentional about making time to watch Lost and Sportscenter. I'm intentional about those things on a pretty consistent basis. It became obvious that the things that I'm consistently intentional about are the things in my life that I value the most... such as my education, friends, family, my favorite TV shows.
But then when I look to the things that Jesus was intentional about, I'm not so consistent with those things. I'm not always intentional about things like finding time for prayer (Mark 1:35), authentic worship through my actions (John 4:24), seeking His will in my life (1 Peter 4:2), making His presence known to other people (Acts 1:8), and ultimately bringing Him glory in all things (1 Cor 10:31). These are all things that are essential in my growth as a believer. Being intentional about these will only bring me closer to my Father.
God is teaching me right now to really examine my heart to see what I value. It's not fun. In fact, it's embarrassing to think of all the things that I'm intenional about in my daily life and then to reflect on my spiritual disciplines and see how often I lack a sense of urgency and intention.
So can I ask you... what are you intentional about? What areas of your life do you need to step up and have more urgency to see them carried out?
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