I love this pic! It looks like Brook and I were cut and pasted into it! Speaking of Brook, I want to send a shout out to this great woman of God! This girl is going to rock your face off for Jesus. I know she is going to be an amazing college pastor some day. I look forward to hearing in the future the creative, cutting-edge things she is going to be doing in churches. So rock on Brook!!1

Don't Bother Me!

A friend of mine gave me an incredible book to read. It is by Greg Steir and has to do with learning how to share your faith. It is written to teenagers...but this youth pastor at heart loves the message of it. I was rocked by a poem that Greg wrote when he was in high school that he includes in this book. It is called Don’t Bother Me.

"Don’t bother me with souls to save, I’ve got my own agenda. Theres school to do, sports to play. Important stuff to attend to. Don’t bother me with the little girl, The girl playing down the street. She’s much to young to understand the Savior she could meet. Don’t bother me with my friend at school. He’s got his own religion. I don’t have time to change his mind. He’ll make his own decision. Don’t bother me with the distant sounds I hear, the sounds of people screaming. Althought I wonder who they are. What are these victims shrieking? Don’t bother me with who they are. I really don’t want the blame. For its the little girl and my friend at schoo who from Hell scream out my name...but don’t bother me."

When I read this the other night, tears filled my eyes. The reason is that so often no matter how hard I try I tend to get this don’t bother me attitude. Don’t bother me with the lost when I can hang out with my best friends or the guy I like. Don’t bother me when I have ministry to do. Don’t bother me when I have homework to do. Gosh...how far from the heart of the Savior is this attitude.

I am reminded of another story Greg shares in this book. He says to see everyone with a sign on their forehead thats says bound for hell.

God shake me to my core. Help me to reach beyond myself and begin to be bothered by the lost students in this generation. Help me to be bothered by the junior high kids I work with that don’t know you. Bother me with the people in the streets that don’t know you. Bother me until I get up and do something about it. Forgive me for my attitude toward the lost. Break my heart and inspire me to reach a generation of students hungry for the love of my precios Savior Jesus Christ

The Unexpected!

So sometimes life is full of surprises! Wonderful unexpected things that come out of nowhere and shock you. If you see a smile on my face lately....there is a reason. I am experiencing a lot of the unexpected. I am reminded of so many prayers I have thrown up to heaven. I am seeing God's provision. I am experiencing something so incredible that my human hands and mind could have never engineered or imagined. Now...I am not saying that this time is free of its hardships. Its far from it. When the unexpected happens, you have to come face to face sometmes with your greatest fears and learn to trust all over again. Trust...ahhh...thats hard for me. However, I am learning that as I let my guards down...great things can come about.

So....I am thankful tonight that God has given me the unexpected. It is a blessing I am so thankful for! :)

Overcoming Fear has been a desire of mine for a long time! However, it just seemed that I could never look my fears in the face. One of my greatest fears is snakes. One of my friends has too snakes....pythons of some sort. Well...a friend of mine challenged me to hold the snake! Now over the process of a week, I decided to take AJ up on his challenge and I found myself actually holding a snake. I cried and pretty much hyperventalated in the process...but I am thankful I did it. I am also thankful for friends that challenge you out of your comfort zones to move beyond fears!

This is my friend AJ who is in love with Lilith...the snake!

Valentines Day this year was a blast. I spent it with some of my favorite people on the CBC campus. So many of them are going to do such courageous, awesome things for God. Just wanted to send a shout out to some of the greatest! :)

ICE SLEDDING!

I must say that this was a first for me. I have never sailed down a hill on a cardboard box and felt like I was on a roller coaster only not secured...but it was a blast! I would not trade the memories for the world. I went two nights in a row. Now my body is bruised up and sore...but it was worth it! :) Yah...for ICE SLEDDING!

The Unexpected!

The UNEXPECTED!!! I learned that is is a part of life. I either love or hate it. Sometimes you have weeks that bring you both good and bad unexpected moments. This week was one of those weeks for me. I realize this is what is ahead of me for awhile as I approach the future. Everything that lies ahead is going to be full of unexpected. For the longest times I have been fighting it. However, the other day God spoke to my heart that he can most fully work through me during times of the unexpected. As soon as God gripped my heart with that reality I have been forced to live it all week. So many unexpected things have arisen that have tested me to the max. However, I find that in the unexepted something happens to me. I begin to take risks. I find myself jumping finally when during times of normalcy I never would.

The other day I realized I have been standing at the edge of jumping off the cliff of God's will for my life. I have been so scared to jump. I keep making excuses for how their are jagged rocks below and no one to catch me. I complain about how I will die in the process of jumping. I cry out to God daily, "I won't make it." However, God keeps saying to jump. This past week, I finally jumped in so many ways towards what God is leading me to. You know what I found....all along God was there to catch me. Its crazy to me how it is so hard to just do what God speaks sometimes. I am thankful that in unexpected times God can help me take the leaps I need to.