So... as you can tell from the gap between December 18 and today, I didn't succeed with my Post-a-Day in 2011. Honestly, I'm pretty happy that I made it all the way to the 352nd day of the year. New Years Resolutions, as I understand, usually don't make it past February or March. So yay.
And now I'm sitting here at the airport on Ash Wednesday- another day when people start "resolutions". This year, I didn't make any New Years Resolutions, and I've been trying to think of something to give up for Lent over the past week, and really haven't landed on anything. SIDE: Lent doesn't really hold any spiritual significance for me- I treated it like a 46 day (I don't give myself a break on Sundays as is done in traditional Lent) opportunity for a secondary New Years Resolution. And really, as I reflect on these first couple of months of 2012, Lent/NYR doesn't quite fit where the Lord has me.
See, He's been revealing to me lately the importance of, and my absolute need of, taking things one moment at a time. I know that sounds a bit cliche and "carpe diem"-esque... but that's really not what it is. I mean in terms of striving for holiness, walking in the Spirit, living in surrender, abiding in Jesus. It's so easy for us to say things like "Lord, I will NEVER do _____ again!" or "Lord, help me to be so filled with the Spirit that I never leave Your side til the day I die!" And I suppose the intention is good- we really shouldn't sin, ever again, and we really should walk fully in the power of the Holy Spirit for a lifetime... But if we're being realistic, the choice to live in the Spirit and not in the flesh is made moment by moment. And if I think of too long a time period, and too long of a commitment like the "Lord, I will NEVER do _____ again!", it's really rather overwhelming. The reality is, I don't have the power on my own to make such commitments. But I CAN choose to trust in the Lord every hour of every day. Whenever my heart begins to wander (ALL the time), I can stop, release my selfish desires/frustrations/distractions to Jesus, and let go of all control to the leading of the Holy Spirit- the very Person of God Himself living in me! And if I wander to the point of sinning in a significant way (which, if we're honest, will probably happen often), then I don't torture myself over having tained my commitment to 70 years of spotless living with one blemish... Instead, I can hand that over to the Lord, who isn't surprised by my mistakes and shortcomings, who keeps reminding me that Christ's death and resurrection have already completely paid for my sins and my sin- for every sinful act/thought/word, and even for my overall state of depraved sinfulness. It's DONE.
If this isn't how I live, then I'm setting myself up for self-hate, torture, and works-drivenness. So, Lord, I want to choose to live by Your strength, moment by moment. And I need You even just in making that choice moment by moment. Thank You for the reminder in Your Word that if I say I have no sin, I am a liar. That it's better to just be honest about my sin and confess it to You because when I do, You promise to forgive me my sin and cleanse me of all righteousness. Man... that's awesome.
So yeah, this year, I'm not gonna lent. It's not that Lent is a bad thing. It's just that right now, where I am in my walk with the Lord, I need to not make these time-based commitments to do or not do certain things. I'm still learning how to walk in the Spirit day by day!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Own Your City
#352
I was sitting at a bakery today having some pastries with my friends Bob and Allison, talking about life and how their spiritual lives in the big city have been like, and I was just so happy, feeling so blessed to have such awesome friends around the world with whom I can have chats like this that are so encouraging and refreshing to my soul. I really hope I can develop a community like that in Honolulu. These guys really own their city in their hearts, as do Parker, Kristi, Jensen, and other friends I've seen out here. I wanna get on it. Lord, thank You for putting me in Honolulu.
I was sitting at a bakery today having some pastries with my friends Bob and Allison, talking about life and how their spiritual lives in the big city have been like, and I was just so happy, feeling so blessed to have such awesome friends around the world with whom I can have chats like this that are so encouraging and refreshing to my soul. I really hope I can develop a community like that in Honolulu. These guys really own their city in their hearts, as do Parker, Kristi, Jensen, and other friends I've seen out here. I wanna get on it. Lord, thank You for putting me in Honolulu.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Full But Restful?
#351
Today I took the day completely off of anything work-ish. But in the last day and a half, I have been able to hang out with my USC Cru friend Allison, another USC Cru friend Parker, two AGO brothers Rob and Jensen, and my sister's boyfriend David. It's been a very full but enriching, restful, and relaxing time out here. And it was FREEZING today. Loved it. Definitely have been experiencing joy in the Lord today as I took a day of rest. Looking forward to a day of productivity and intimacy with Jesus in the Park tomorrow, Lord willing!
Today I took the day completely off of anything work-ish. But in the last day and a half, I have been able to hang out with my USC Cru friend Allison, another USC Cru friend Parker, two AGO brothers Rob and Jensen, and my sister's boyfriend David. It's been a very full but enriching, restful, and relaxing time out here. And it was FREEZING today. Loved it. Definitely have been experiencing joy in the Lord today as I took a day of rest. Looking forward to a day of productivity and intimacy with Jesus in the Park tomorrow, Lord willing!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Soak in His Goodness
#350
Wow. Another much-needed 11-hour night of sleep! Man, I must be TIRED. Got to start a bit of processing today. Sat down at a Max Brenner (favorite restaurant in Melbourne- apparently there's one here! Totally randomly stumbled upon it. YUM!) and journaled for a while. God is really just so good. He knows exactly what I need, when I need it, and wants me to enjoy Him and enjoy the blessings He's given me. Why do I so often choose things other than His glorious love?? I don't get it. So yeah, the processing process (??) has begun- this past semester affected me probably more than I think. Looking forward to going through it with the Lord.
Wow. Another much-needed 11-hour night of sleep! Man, I must be TIRED. Got to start a bit of processing today. Sat down at a Max Brenner (favorite restaurant in Melbourne- apparently there's one here! Totally randomly stumbled upon it. YUM!) and journaled for a while. God is really just so good. He knows exactly what I need, when I need it, and wants me to enjoy Him and enjoy the blessings He's given me. Why do I so often choose things other than His glorious love?? I don't get it. So yeah, the processing process (??) has begun- this past semester affected me probably more than I think. Looking forward to going through it with the Lord.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Gotta Get AWAY To Relax
#349
Got to sleep a long, full night's sleep for the first time in soooo long! And this after a great time catching up with my buddy Parker from SC whom I hadn't seen in like two years! Really encouraging convo with him about what the Lord has been doing in each of our lives. So glad I get to sleep on his floor for a few days! :) Chill day in the city today- getting a lot of my admin work done. Woot.
Got to sleep a long, full night's sleep for the first time in soooo long! And this after a great time catching up with my buddy Parker from SC whom I hadn't seen in like two years! Really encouraging convo with him about what the Lord has been doing in each of our lives. So glad I get to sleep on his floor for a few days! :) Chill day in the city today- getting a lot of my admin work done. Woot.
Keep Cutting It Close
#348
I had a fantastic time having dinner and hanging out with my family last night. This morning, yet again, I got to the airport a tad too late (literally 20 or 30 seconds) to check in my bag, and so they bumped me to standby on the next flight. Reaaaaaally frustrating, but I got a seat on the next flight out, thank God! Plus, at the gate, I became friends with two SC students flying home for Christmas, and got to encourage one of them to pursue his faith for himself (told him to check out Cru hehe), after he shared that he had distanced himself from Christianity after he left for college since it was just something his parents did.
I had a fantastic time having dinner and hanging out with my family last night. This morning, yet again, I got to the airport a tad too late (literally 20 or 30 seconds) to check in my bag, and so they bumped me to standby on the next flight. Reaaaaaally frustrating, but I got a seat on the next flight out, thank God! Plus, at the gate, I became friends with two SC students flying home for Christmas, and got to encourage one of them to pursue his faith for himself (told him to check out Cru hehe), after he shared that he had distanced himself from Christianity after he left for college since it was just something his parents did.
Not Quite Paradise
#347
It's been rainstorming a lot lately, with torrential downpours and crazy winds. So I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when the traffic this morning was absolutely atrocious due to a mudslide. No, seriously, the freeway wasn't moving. I was so late that they had given my seat away (they ended up giving me another one), but I just barely made it. But like 15 people ran up to the gate after me, and apparently even the flight attendants were all late because of the flooding traffic issues. Crazy. At least I got on the plane! And it was a pleasant flight :) Got to talk to the couple next to me about God and such, and let them know that He loves them.
It's been rainstorming a lot lately, with torrential downpours and crazy winds. So I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when the traffic this morning was absolutely atrocious due to a mudslide. No, seriously, the freeway wasn't moving. I was so late that they had given my seat away (they ended up giving me another one), but I just barely made it. But like 15 people ran up to the gate after me, and apparently even the flight attendants were all late because of the flooding traffic issues. Crazy. At least I got on the plane! And it was a pleasant flight :) Got to talk to the couple next to me about God and such, and let them know that He loves them.
No Talking About Work At Dinner!
#346
Another full day of planning meetings. Day 4 means tired and less filtered. We definitely had to deal with a little bit of healthy conflict. God very much led us through it, and I believe we're better off for it!
Tonight, we just went out to dinner and had a sweet time enjoying Japanese food and hanging out in a relaxed, non-work environment. I love my team and feel very blessed to be doing this work with them!
Now off to pack!
Another full day of planning meetings. Day 4 means tired and less filtered. We definitely had to deal with a little bit of healthy conflict. God very much led us through it, and I believe we're better off for it!
Tonight, we just went out to dinner and had a sweet time enjoying Japanese food and hanging out in a relaxed, non-work environment. I love my team and feel very blessed to be doing this work with them!
Now off to pack!
Strategery
#345
Day 3 of staff planning is always hard... But today wasn't too bad! See, our staff team is kind of being totally restructured, so half of our day was spent in two different groups, planning out two different parts of ministry. Jamie and I were very tired but the Lord definitely gave us great direction for our part!
And for dinner, I experimented a bit and made us all a shepherd's pie. I'm not gonna lie, y'all- it was delish!
Day 3 of staff planning is always hard... But today wasn't too bad! See, our staff team is kind of being totally restructured, so half of our day was spent in two different groups, planning out two different parts of ministry. Jamie and I were very tired but the Lord definitely gave us great direction for our part!
And for dinner, I experimented a bit and made us all a shepherd's pie. I'm not gonna lie, y'all- it was delish!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Heart Change
#344
LOOOOOOOONG day of discussions. But so productive. God is totally doing stuff in our hearts to understand this culture better so that we can better reach it with the gospel!
LOOOOOOOONG day of discussions. But so productive. God is totally doing stuff in our hearts to understand this culture better so that we can better reach it with the gospel!
Gotta Start With Jesus Time
#343
Aaaaand staff planning starts today! But today we started with a few hours of spending some time in solitude with the Lord. MAN there was so much I had to process through with Him, and I'm super excited for what He's showing me and leading me in.
Aaaaand staff planning starts today! But today we started with a few hours of spending some time in solitude with the Lord. MAN there was so much I had to process through with Him, and I'm super excited for what He's showing me and leading me in.
Wherever
#342
I woke up sick today! Not fun. But we ended with a fun Cru Christmas party where we got to fellowship, eat, worship, exchange gifts, and pray over people who are no longer going to be here next semester. I love that we always send people out to live missionally wherever they go!
I woke up sick today! Not fun. But we ended with a fun Cru Christmas party where we got to fellowship, eat, worship, exchange gifts, and pray over people who are no longer going to be here next semester. I love that we always send people out to live missionally wherever they go!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Every Nation
#341
Spent some of the day as a staff team learning about the different island cultures of the Pacific. It was FASCINATING stuff. Powerful, when you think about the diversity of peoples that God created, and even more powerful when you think about how every single one of these distinct people groups will be represented in heaven!
Spent some of the day as a staff team learning about the different island cultures of the Pacific. It was FASCINATING stuff. Powerful, when you think about the diversity of peoples that God created, and even more powerful when you think about how every single one of these distinct people groups will be represented in heaven!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
No Rush
#340
We didn't have to rush off to anything after our meeting at LCC today, so we actually got to hang around for a bit and just talk story with some of the students there. It was so fun to do that! One of the tough parts of coaching a movement, as opposed to leading one, is that we get very little face time with students who aren't leaders. So just getting to hang out was fantastic! And God is definitely doing things on that campus- it's really an exciting thing to be a part of (sorry I ended that sentence with a preposition).
We didn't have to rush off to anything after our meeting at LCC today, so we actually got to hang around for a bit and just talk story with some of the students there. It was so fun to do that! One of the tough parts of coaching a movement, as opposed to leading one, is that we get very little face time with students who aren't leaders. So just getting to hang out was fantastic! And God is definitely doing things on that campus- it's really an exciting thing to be a part of (sorry I ended that sentence with a preposition).
Monday, December 5, 2011
Seek First
#339
Seeking God's face. He promises to draw near to those who seek Him. Waiting, as David calls his own heart to do in the Psalms.
Needing strength and motivation from Him as we enter these last four days on campus before 4 days of staff planning, and then back to the mainland!
Seeking God's face. He promises to draw near to those who seek Him. Waiting, as David calls his own heart to do in the Psalms.
Needing strength and motivation from Him as we enter these last four days on campus before 4 days of staff planning, and then back to the mainland!
CHOOSE, Gen!
#338
Church this morning was exactly what I needed. Conviction in the form of Joshua's challenge to the people of Israel to CHOOSE. Will I go all-in for the Lord and walk in obedience and faith all my days? Man, that's actually hard. Counting the cost is a healthy but rather scary exercise.
Tonight's core team meeting was super powerful. Vulnerability, confession, grace, in mighty ways was shown and experienced tonight. Praise God!
Church this morning was exactly what I needed. Conviction in the form of Joshua's challenge to the people of Israel to CHOOSE. Will I go all-in for the Lord and walk in obedience and faith all my days? Man, that's actually hard. Counting the cost is a healthy but rather scary exercise.
Tonight's core team meeting was super powerful. Vulnerability, confession, grace, in mighty ways was shown and experienced tonight. Praise God!
Saturday Rest... FINALLY Becoming Consistent :)
#337
Woke up with a headache, so I rested a lot today. Jesus time, college football (GREAT stuff today), and a nice hang out with Jamie and a couple of Cru guys. God knew we needed a day to rest each week! Praise Him for that. Seriously :)
Woke up with a headache, so I rested a lot today. Jesus time, college football (GREAT stuff today), and a nice hang out with Jamie and a couple of Cru guys. God knew we needed a day to rest each week! Praise Him for that. Seriously :)
FINALLY DONE!
#336
I finished my New Testament Survey class today! I was supposed to be doing it throughout my support raising process last year, as the deadline to take the final exam was Dec 1 (2010!). But somehow I let it pass (not proud of it) and took a really long time with it. So did my buddy Matt, and so did my friend Arijaan who joined staff in 2009. She JUST finished like 3 weeks ago. In fact, the region just changed the rules because of us and now new staff can't report to campus until they've finished NTS. I feel bad, but I think it's a good rule that should've been there for me too!
The class was absolutely fantastic. It really helped bring the New Testament to life for me, and made me fall more deeply in love with God.
SO glad to have passed and be done!
I finished my New Testament Survey class today! I was supposed to be doing it throughout my support raising process last year, as the deadline to take the final exam was Dec 1 (2010!). But somehow I let it pass (not proud of it) and took a really long time with it. So did my buddy Matt, and so did my friend Arijaan who joined staff in 2009. She JUST finished like 3 weeks ago. In fact, the region just changed the rules because of us and now new staff can't report to campus until they've finished NTS. I feel bad, but I think it's a good rule that should've been there for me too!
The class was absolutely fantastic. It really helped bring the New Testament to life for me, and made me fall more deeply in love with God.
SO glad to have passed and be done!
Family Fighting for Jesus
#335
Our final weekly gathering had a tight, intimate, Ohana feel to it. And we followed it up by going out to dinner all together. We're really realizing how much community, trust, friendship is important here in ministry, and are really trying to take steps forward in cultivating deep relationships all over the place.
Our final weekly gathering had a tight, intimate, Ohana feel to it. And we followed it up by going out to dinner all together. We're really realizing how much community, trust, friendship is important here in ministry, and are really trying to take steps forward in cultivating deep relationships all over the place.
God Loves WCC
#334
I got to visit Windward Community College, where Ryan and Jamie have been doing ministry on Wednesdays. They've got some really young, eager, immature kids. I kinda love it. I think they really wanna grow and be used by the Lord- or they wanna know Him (a lot of them seem to not know Jesus yet). Plus, it's a GORGEOUS campus. I can definitely sense some oppression though- I think that the enemy has a pretty strong presence there in the form of spiritual laziness, sloth, and idolatry in worshiping the beauty of the creation rather than the Creator. But God has claimed that campus and it's exciting that we all get to take part in reconciling the campus to the Lord!
I got to visit Windward Community College, where Ryan and Jamie have been doing ministry on Wednesdays. They've got some really young, eager, immature kids. I kinda love it. I think they really wanna grow and be used by the Lord- or they wanna know Him (a lot of them seem to not know Jesus yet). Plus, it's a GORGEOUS campus. I can definitely sense some oppression though- I think that the enemy has a pretty strong presence there in the form of spiritual laziness, sloth, and idolatry in worshiping the beauty of the creation rather than the Creator. But God has claimed that campus and it's exciting that we all get to take part in reconciling the campus to the Lord!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)