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Welcome to my blog... the home of complete ordered chaos.
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Friday, July 22, 2005
Camp 2005
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In my attempt to do something other than movie reviews I will tell you about my upcomming week. Dundee Camp 2005. It is the best week of the year for me spiritually. I cannot wait for tomorrow, camp is going to be sooo fun. I once agian am on the Hill this year with 8 other conselors. Our theme this year is City on the Hill (trust me I didn't come up with it)... Anyway, I made the logo agian and here it is:
Also camp this year is extra special because we will have a new Associate Pastor, Bo, who will be starting full time at camp. I pray that God can really unite Bo with Dundee this week and give him clear vision about where he has been called to lead the youth of Dundee.
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Friday, June 24, 2005
New Pastor Bo
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I am SOO excited for this weekend. Our new Associate Pastor Bo Burgener will preach this Sunday. What's so great about this is that Bo will be the next Pastor for Youth ministry, which includes college/20-something ministry (my age group). It is also the best time for him to come on board because camp is comming up in July, and it is the biggest event of the year for Dundee.
On another note, I am taken back by this whole process because I was given the opportunity to be a part of something so great. I have been on the Associate Pastor committee for the last nine months and have seen this whole process of hiring a new minister in action. It's amazing to me that God would give me the opportunity to pick my next pastor. The major thing I have thought about is Why, Why would God pick me? What does He want me to learn from all of this? What do I have that makes me the person for the job?
The only answer I can come up with is that I love the Lord and in doing His work, it doesn't matter if I am capable.
"For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many 'gods' and many 'lords'), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live." --1 Corinthians 8:5-6
He is capable. If I live through Jesus, I am capable, because I am no longer just myself. I am filled with the Spirit of the Lord and nothing can stop the Spirit. The Lord has watched over our committee and I am thankful. He gave us His Spirit from the very begining of this process. He has brought us together in a way that I will never forget. I am so happy to have been apart of this committee. The bonds I have made with the others in this committee won't be broken. Praise the Lord for his unchanging love for us all in the world, love that gave us His Son to die for all the sins of humanity.
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Sunday, May 15, 2005
The Wise MAN, the foolish me
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I was reading my favorite book in the Bible today, 1 Corinthians and I was thinking about my journey with Christ so far... I have gone through a lot in the last 8 or so years and I have seen God change me in radical ways. I think and do so many things because of Him than I did 8 years ago it's not funny. I have been really humbled by my faith, that the Lord has given me, and I truly hope that as time goes on that I can remain and continue to deepen my relationship in Christ. I think about how foolish I was in life without Him and now that I have Him and he is guiding me I do not want to let go of that. I read this passage now and I am just renewed in my fight to march on because the wise man, is leading my life now.
"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.'" --1 Corinthians 1:26-31
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Friday, March 04, 2005
Final thoughts on ONE
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I know with out a doubt in my heart this expierence has changed me. God has sent me through a incredible expierence in the last three days and I am grateful. To anyone who reads my thoughts, I want you to know this: God loves you and you are his beloved. That over everything is what I have learned in these last few days. I have to remind myself daily that I am his beloved. HE LOVES ME. HE LOVES YOU, and NOTHING will ever change that. I need to quit doubting my faith and start living it. I need to look to God for everything. "I will set out and go back to my Father..." Luke 15:18 I WILL surrender to Him and Him alone. I love the Lord and nothing is going to change that. God Bless all who read this.
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Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Day 1 of ONE
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Day 1 or ONE has been great so far... we arrived at Willow Creek Community Church an hour before we scheduled to arrive. I am now sitting in the HUGE food court waiting for the first session of the ONE conference :) God is good all the time, All the time God is good.
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Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Encouraging Word
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"...Didn't I tell you that I must do whatever the LORD tells me?" -Numbers 23:26 This was one of the verses I read in an email from a friend of mine from UNO today. I was so encouraged by this verse I have to blog about it. I feel just like Balaam in this passage. I MUST do whatever the Lord tells me, and I want others to know that. I am NOT motivated by other worldly desires. I will NOT conform to the attitudes of the passive christians out there. I must do whatever the Lord tells me to because He holds all the keys to my life. He knows no wrong. "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate'" --1 Corinthians 1:18-19
And agian it is pointed out later in the chapter:
"but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." --1 Corinthians 1:24-25
His wisdom must become the source of all of my strength because God's worst day is far better than the world's best day. I just hope others can see that too.
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Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Self Reflection
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I have recently had the time to do some self reflection, and I have come to the realization that a lot of what motivates me, is what is hindering me. I am motivated by seeing people I am in contact with, being changed because of something I did or helped them do. This is great and there is nothing wrong with loving my neighbor (Matt 22:36-40), but I am missing out on the other part of Matt 22:39 - "Love your neighbor as yourself". I think there is a lot to take from those two words: as yourself. I have allowed myself to become so secondary that I love my neighbor more than myself. My relationship with God has struggled because of this as of late, and that needs to change. I need to seek God's will in everything I do including helping others. I have to know when to draw the line and have faith that God can fix it. I MUST spend more time connecting with Him because he is the one who gives me life. He is the one who will tell me what I need to do to love my neighbor as myself, because loving God, above all "...is the first and greatest commandment" (Matt 22:38).
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Tuesday, February 01, 2005
My mother
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My mother had open heart surgery yesterday and I have to explain how it felt for me to be in this situation. God has humbled my heart and given me peace about a lot of things this week and this was one of them. I felt at ease about the whole situation. I felt like anything that happened, be it good or bad, I was ready for. It is one thing to know deep down inside that everything is going to be alright and another to react in a way that shows that and I know that God empowered me to do both. I am so thankful that everything has turned out to be okay so far and I pray in the days to come that my mother will make a full recovery, but I know reguardless of the situation God is here with me and my family and He is going to get us through this together. This also has been a bonding expierence for my family. We have really helped each other get through this and that is what families are for. I am certian that this was only the will of God and He deserves all the credit for that happening.
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Monday, January 17, 2005
Reflections
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The new year has gotten me to reflect a lot more. I guess this being in the mist of biggest transistion of my life so far (being a student to being an IT professional) has started to wear on me a little bit more. I realize the value of seeking God in everything I do. I value the time I have with dear friends and family. I so desperately want to feel like God is using me in every way that he wills for my life. I am seeking this everyday, and with that comes my desire to be more open about how I feel towards people that I am in influence with. Be it good or bad, my feelings should be shared because this will better God's message. God will shine through what I say and he will have an effect on them because I had faith enough in Him to know that my feelings are true and I didn't hide them from anyone. Life is much too short in comparison to eternity. If the small things (like hatred, distrust, an unforgiving heart) in this life get in the way of eternity, then the world is lost. I cannot allow myself to let the small things get in the way of the kingdom of God. I can't get caught up in the drama of worldly desires, because God has everything I need to make it. The Word is clear
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. -- Matt 7:7-8
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Thursday, October 28, 2004
Changes
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God is changing me. I have in the last week been so overwhelmed by the power of the Lord that I cannot deny what he is doing in my life. I see him everyday, more than I have in a while. Today, it has really hit me. It says in Acts 3:18-19 "For as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things." That is what I see everyday and it pains me to see it. I want others to know Christ and not live as people of flesh and instant desires. Focus on the things that are eternal. Focus on Christ. This is what Paul is tring to say in this passage. Paul was a man that killed Christians and Christ has changed him dramatically. I want Christ to do the same thing for me and I cannot let the world succeed in turning my life torwards sin and destruction.
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