If They Could See Us Now

As I sat in church last Sunday, I stood behind quite a few students who come to Navs. I stood and worshiped as I looked at them and smiled. I am so thankful for them. And then the tears welled up in my eyes. I began thinking of the stories that each one has...some that I know and some that I don't. The thought of the change in the lives of these students was overwhelming.
And then I started thinking about the people who have poured into the lives of those students. They would probably look at them and smile too! But the thought got bigger. I usually think about generations to come..the people who will come to know Jesus from the people I now know. This time, I thought of the generations PAST. What if the people who went before us, the people who gave their lives away, who shared Jesus with people, could see those students praising God? The people who obeyed God in years past had no idea the lives that would be forever changed because they were faithful.
Makes me so thankful that people shared Jesus. Makes me so grateful and honored to have the opportunity to do the same thing now. Makes me want to persevere even when I feel like nothing is happening. Makes me praise God for what He has done.

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
1 Corinthians 15:58

In the eyes of the Beholder

A few years ago I went to the Andy Warhol museum in Pittsburgh. I figured since I’d lived in Pittsburgh my entire life and had never been there, it should happen. I walked around and didn’t get his art work – at all. This summer I went to the National Art Museum in Washington, DC. Again, I saw lots of art that I just didn’t understand. And when we got to the modern section I laughed because some of the pieces seemed absurd to me. Who gets to call strokes of paint an expensive masterpiece? On the other hand, when we got to other sections of the museum and saw works by other artists, I did enjoy it. And a few weeks ago I was in a student’s house and saw some of her paintings (that she popped out in one afternoon) and was amazed.

In church right now, our pastor is doing a series on Ephesians 2:1-10. Verse 10 has always struck me. One version says we are God’s masterpiece. Somedays I don’t feel like a masterpiece. Tonight it hit me again. It doesn’t matter what I think. Just like it’s not up to me to decide the value or worth of a piece of art, it’s not up to me to decide my value. The value comes from the artist, the creator. My take on a piece of art, my opinion does not change the fact that it IS a masterpiece (lucky for Andy Warhol!). My opinion of myself some days does NOT change the fact that my Creator looks at me and is delighted. I’m so glad my thoughts on this matter don’t matter! I can’t change His mind – even if I try hard to do so.

And this brings me to the second part of the verse that somehow I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about. He has created me as His masterpiece so that I can do good works that he has prepared for me to do. Not good works that will determine my worth (b/c my worth isn’t dependent on my works), but good works that will point people to Him. When I live as if I have no worth, it affects the way I do things. I live in fear and shrink back. I try to earn my worth by the things I do – so my “good works” are about bringing me recognition. However, if I would live as the way God sees me, if I would believe that I am his masterpiece, my actions would be transformed. I would walk in boldness. I would not care about the pat on the back or about what others thought of me. I would do things not so that I would feel better about myself, but because God asks me to. I would not have a bad attitude about doing the “little” things that nobody will ever see. Somedays I feel like He doesn’t have good things for me to do – those are for everybody else. If I believed my truth worth and value, I would see that He does have things just for me to do. I wouldn’t have to compare my good works with others’ because my worth isn’t based on theirs!

I need to chew on this for a while because it will affect the way I do ministry (and the ways I feel I need to impress people by what I do), the way I do life. It will affect the way I love people, the way I see them. It will rock my world of pride.

Tonight I am taken aback by my Beholder. It's time to stop arguing with Him about His creation.

Victorious

Last week I had the privilege of speaking at our Nav Night. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time, but could never quite muster the courage to do it....a group of 200 is a bit different than a group of 30! I figured enough is enough...I needed to step out! God was so faithful by not only filling me an amazing peace, but by also opening the ears of the students to hear His truth.
I started out by showing this video by Francis Chan. I began by sharing reasons why I believe we cling to that balance beam (gotta watch the video to figure out what I'm talking about!). I believe it's fear of failure, fear of past mistakes, fear of people (fearing them more than we fear God) and finally I believe we don't rely on the power of the Holy Spirit.

I heard a sermon while I was in Pittsburgh over Christmas. It got me thinking about how so many Christians live as if they need to do their faith on their own, they don't truly rely on the gift of the Holy Spirit. And by "they", I guess I mean me! I try harder and harder and then fail and wonder why. And I began to realize something. Ephesians 1:13 says that we each have the Holy Spirit in us once we believe. And John 16:13 talks about how the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth. And Romans 8:11 says the same Spirit that rose Christ from the dead lives in us. So, if we believe, we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us. And not just any power, it's the power that rose Christ from the dead. Read that last sentence again...it's powerful. It's not about more determination, it's about relying on the power of Christ that has already overcome everything. I love Chris Tomlin's song "I Will Rise". It says "Jesus has overcome and the grave is overwhelmed, the victory is won, he is risen from the dead". How amazing. We have victory because Christ was victorious. We are more than conquerors because Christ conquered death.

So, do we live as though we need more determination or do we live in the truth knowing that the power of Christ is in us that will enable us to be victorious in our every day life?

It's a daily thing for me. A daily reminder that I need Christ that day. A daily reminder that I need him in order to have victory in my day. I'm nothing without him, it's not about me. Takes me back to my theme verse, Habakkuk 3:19 - HIS strength enables me to go on the heights.

I ended the evening with the song "Stronger" by Hillsong. It's one of my new faves. We don't need to break our sin patterns or conquer our fears on our own. Believe that the One who is STRONGER has given us everything we need, through his incomparable power, for life and godliness.

Dance on..and on...and on...and on

This weekend was a big weekend at Penn State. A weekend students wait for all year - the annual dance marathon...better known as THON. It's the largest student-run philanthropy in the world! THON is a year-long effort that raises funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer and the culmination is this weekend. This year they raised a record-breaking $7.49 million!! 700 student "dancers" stand on their feet for 46 hours straight...no sitting, no sleeping (needless to say, people go a little delerious). It's a remarkable thing to see..I don't think words can even do it justice. I remember being a student and wanting to dance (I even tried to climb under the fence to get onto the floor...only to be immediately caught and sent back under!!). Ten years later I wonder how I could have even entertained the thought..I need my sleep!
This year Navs had 4 of our own dancers (two of them are pictured here in green...the girls are in the middle of one of the dances!). They were champs! We even made the front page of the student newspaper. We also had the priviledge of having a THON family this year. The family has a 12-year-old son, Mac, who was diangosed with a brain tumor last January. Our students got to know the family pretty well over the past few months and they were here the entire weekend. It's been an incredible opportunity for the students to love on the family and show them Christ during this difficult time. There are hundreds of families who are like Mac's family who are impacted by THON (they receive money from the funds raised that help to cover medical bills that insurance doesn't cover). It is heart wrenching to look out on the dance floor and see children with little hats on, to cover the fact that they have lost their hair. And yet at the same time, it's heart warming because they are having a blast running around the floor playing with the students. I'm so proud of our students and the ways they have loved Mac and his parents. And by doing that they have shown them Jesus. They kept Christ at the center of everything they did this weekend. Did I mention how proud I am of them?!

30 + 1

I spent a lot of time dreading the big 3-0. I can remember a day, 6 months BEFORE my birthday, when I woke up from a nap in a complete panic. "I'm going to be 30, my 20's will be gone, I'm getting old!" I vividly remember my father's 30th surprise birthday party. It was an "Over the Hill" party. And I truly did think he was old. So, I was amazed that it was my turn.
I got to a point where I decided that I was going to celebrate this day, not dread it. So I entered into my thirties with a bang...I took a trip to Hawaii! I went with two wonderful friends. It was the most amazing trip of my life...the beauty amazed me and I often verbally reminded us that we weren't dreaming, but in fact were in Hawaii. Before I left, my friends told me I needed to do something every day that scared me. I took ther challenge and met it! We surfed, we snorkeled, we went parasailing, went for a helicopter tour, rented mopeds, ate shrimp from a truck on the side of the road (who knew sketchy could be so good?), tried on a $107,000 ring at Tiffany's, got up and did some hoola dancing in front of a large crowd (which is way harder than it looks, those women have mad skills!), had a picnic on the beach...you name it, we did it! What a way to start this decade of life.
Somewhere along the line during this year, something changed. I LOVED being 30. I had worried for so long and instead was blown away this year. Maybe it's the ring of it...I love saying "I'm 30". Maybe it's the shock of it (I still look like I'm 22). Maybe it's realizing I'm more mature. But I also think it was seeing the blessings that God brought this year...he made the year more than I could have asked or imagined.
I found myself getting anxious about officially being in my thirties. And then remembered what God has done in the past year. I love that word - Remember. I don't think I often take enough time to do jus that. I forget to remember! God called the Israelites to remember a lot. It helped them see God's faithfulness, it helped them remember who He was and what He was capable of doing, it helped them press on. Even as I write this, I'm speaking to myself yet again! I can be excited about what is to come. I know God's character and I know what He is capable of. So, I look forward to this next year, 30+1 (I can't quite bring myself to say 31 yet), with anticipation for what God will do in and through me.

Came and Went

Before I lived in Colorado, I thought it was normal to have gloomy days for a few months straight. Then I learned what it was like to have sunshine nearly 300 days out of the year. And life will never be the same! I love being near family and friends, but why can't we just move Colorado here?!
My roommate and I needed a little pick-me-up and bought some crocuses a few weeks ago. They started to bloom and we have been enjoying our own little spring in right in our kitchen. For a few days this week State College had "spring" not just in our kitchen, but outside. Sunshine. Warm weather (for a few brave (or stupid) souls, it was even shorts weather). Birds chirping. Melted snow. I knew it was too good to be true, and yet there was part of me that hoped maybe it was here to stay. Last night brought some rather gusty winds...and with it the freezing weather. It was all a tease. It wasn't as cold as the picture makes it look (I took it from my front window a few weeks ago), but the wind sure did make it feel pretty darn close...it chills me to the bone. And so I'll bundle back up and put my bright pink hat back on and cuddle under my big, brown, fuzzy blanket for another two months or so. And in the mean time enjoy the beauty of the snow we'll surely get before now and the real deal. And maybe just pretend I'm back in Colorado with all the sun. Actually, if I'm going to pretend, I should aim for something even better...Hawaii, where I'd get sun AND warmth :)

So far...

Here's a glimpse into the past few weeks:


Dinner at the Corner Room with "B Stud"


Standing on frozen water at our winter retreat (yes, those would be cracks beneath their feet)


200 Students gathered for a regional conference. Times of worship were my favorite part.


The beautiful sunset over the Maryland Bay..I ventured out onto that ice to get this shot..maybe not the smartest move, but worth it!