Going Into a Garage Doesn't Make You a Car

Hey y'all!
I'm heading home! FINALLY!! Mission trips are so amazing, especially when they are situated in the deep (well, what I consider deep) South, in the cutest, sweetest little town ever! I'm very exhausted, emotionally and physically, but I figure I should type out my thoughts before my mind gets crowded with other stuff and I forget.

First off, can I just say that God is legitimately the most powerful and incredible guy ever? This past Thursday night, I got to view God at work in one of the biggest ways I have ever seen. People were pouring their hearts out to God, accepting forgiveness, GIVING forgiveness, and praying over broken hearts. Much to my amazement, I had the great privelage (sp?) of being an encourager that night. Letting God use you is pretty much the best thing in the world! I learned to just stop talking to God (for once in my life-to STOP talking!) and let Him tell me what he wants to tell me. Unbelievable.

Family is cool. Um... did I just say that? Yeah, I guess I did. My parents PROMISED me that they wouldn't act like my parents on this trip. No checking up on me, no random hugs or introducing me to every adult they meet, and I held them to that promise. Yet I was the one who kept accidentally calling them my mom and dad (although calling them by their first names was extremely amusing) and introducing my friends to them. I had some kids come up to me and say "Your mom is the happiest person I've ever met!" and I was just like "yep. that's my mom." And whenever I saw my dad up front or walking around doing his staff duties, I'd point him out. "Look, that's my daddy!" Also, I listened to stories of some other people's families and realized my parents are seminormal, and THANK GOD (literally, I did) that they're not all that embarassing. And my brothers!! I think my BIG big bro deserves a hug when I get home, as a thanks for feeding my parakeet and cleaning the kitchen while we were gone! My LESS BIG big bro was willing to hug me this week, which was cool, plus I'm very proud of the way he was a leader within our group and used his talents to organize group devotions! I love my family.

I had some really fun times at this mission trip. Singing, messing around with paint, relentless teasing, ninja and bunny-bunny games, and laughing at stupid little things. I had some good growing & learning experiences too. Being forced to be more outgoing, viewing poverty up close, talking with kids from different parts of the country, having deep conversations about God and the universe, powerful worship times, and caring for other people above myself.

Other things that I learned but couldn't exactly fit into a coherent paragraph:
-It is possible for it to rain and be warm at the same time.
-God WANTS us to rely on Him.
-People love "christian" behavior.
-The true test of character is how you respond under duress.
-80 degrees is NOT hot.
-You can't put limits on God.
-Prayers are answered in God's time.
-Even if I've gotten over fear of singing in front of 20 people, it's still nervewracking to sing in front of 400...
-"Y'all" is easier to say than "you guys"
-They don't have chipmunks in Florida, or at least not many.
-Possessions and happiness do not display positive correlation.
-I know EVERY SONG on Wow 2008 disk 2

2 Timothy 2:22
"Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart."

Luke 9:24-25
"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?"

James 3:17
"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then PEACE-LOVING, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."

Love

Well hey everyone! I'm riding in a van right now on my way to the ocean! Everyone else in here is being awfully quiet, and I've started thinking hard. Today the focus of my thoughts is love. Basically, I'm trying (and failing- big time) to describe God's endless, crazy, unconditional, agape love. Still, I want so badly to at least communicate a vague definition of this supernatural emotion, because then maybe everyone who hears it will be as excited about life, Jesus, death, and especially witnessing, as I am!
God is love. True love. Earthly love is modeled after God's love, but nothing we find here can compare. Not even close. Seriously. So, think for a second about the love we get from other people. Maybe your parents are your main source of love. I know that I have parents who love me more than I can understand. They basically do everything for me- working to have money to buy me things, cooking, going to my sporting events, musical performances, teaching me about life and music, making sure that I know Jesus is my friend. Maybe it's from a husband or wife, or a girlfriend or boyfriend. Would they do anything for you? Possibly. Would they do anything for you, even if you said you hated them, beat them regularily, and hired someone to have them tortured and killed? Probably not. The situation just described is real. We did that. Jesus is that person, the one whom we had tortured. At some point, you might've given your heart to God. You prayed that the Holy Spirit would live in your heart, blah blah blah. You promised yourself to Jesus. In a sense, you were engaged to him- set to be together forever in heaven, not to give yourself to anyone but him, to love him first and foremost. Then, the abuse began. The relationship became disfunctional as you started exploring other options. If you are like me, you've cheated on God. I forgot that I promised him my life, or I at least tried to deny it. I found a different source of love and another thing to adore. I left. Can you imagine? Jesus gave me everything I could ever need and more, and I left! Yes, I am insane and stupid and downright cruel. At this point, my story could describe a number of human relationships, but the similarities pretty much stop here, because Jesus didn't say to me, "Adios chica, you're the one who's missing out. Have fun wallowing in your guilt and loneliness, you deserve it." Instead, Jesus told me, "You are beautiful. I love you more than anything in the world." Wait, what?? I just trampled this guy, took his heart and stuck it in a blender, and he's not mad? He's not going to get as far away from me as possible? That would be the logical thing to do. I mean, what if it happens again? I wish I could say that I felt so remorseful that I never hurt him again. Sadly, I can't say that. Sure, I apologized. I genuinely asked for complete forgiveness, to begin again, and like clockwork, I got it. Forgive me? yes. How about now, even though I told you I wasn't gonna leave you again? yes. Again please, I know I've betrayed your trust but I'd really like just one more chance. yes. Okay, so maybe two more chances. yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE? I don't understand what kind of person would do that. After the first or second or third time, he knew it would happen again. Jesus knew I would break his heart again and blow off his offer for perfect love, preferring instead the sketchy affection that can be found in friendships and dating and chasing boys and whatever else. He knew, and he still took me back. He's still taking me back, several times a day.
The only explanation for this: Jesus loves me. Such simple, overused words, such profound behavior. He loves me more than anyone has ever loved their children or their spouse, more than I love my friends (which is a lot!) He longs for me, to dance with me and hold me safe in his arms. The same goes for you. Jesus will seek you, and he won't give up on you. Not because he has to but because he wants you more than anything in the world. God can create for himself anything that he desires, but instead, he aches for us. He vows to love us even if we stop asking for another chance, even if we choose to push him out of our lives.
How can you deny a love like that??

John 3:16
For God SO loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Life Lessons Learned from Doodle Jump

Who has ever played doodle jump? You know, the little app for itouches and iphones that lets you control a... guy by tilting the ipod and making him land on platforms? Well, I was recently at a sleepover, and since I tend to wake up way earlier than everyone else, I was the only person awake. Since it was 6:30 and no one was likely to wake up until at least 9, I decided to play doodle jump. The peace and quiet got me thinking while I was playing, and I made some comparisons between doodle jump and real life. So, if you've never played it before, grab your itouch or a friend's (um, ask nicely...) download the game- it's free, then try it out (there's also similar versions online) and read these little thoughts of mine:

platforms= your friends, family, mentors

springs & trampolines= great opportunities

rockets & hats= big gifts (aka God's gifts)

monsters= fears

black holes= addictions

shields= Jesus Christ :)

1. Friends come in all different shapes and sizes- there are the blue moving platforms- not very consistent but always willing to help if you can get to them. The green platforms are steady guideposts, keeping you on the right track, giving advice, always there. The orange/red platforms are friends who might help you out once, but if things get tough, they're gone. The cloud platforms are similar, you can count on them for a little boost but nothing that lasts because they can't keep it up. The cracked platforms look like friends, but they really won't offer any help or support, they will just let you down.

2. There are too many opportunities to take advantage of them all. Sometimes if you decide to jump on a trampoline, you miss out on a spring. You have to choose, but you'll end up in close to the same place no matter what.

3. There's really no difference between the BIG monsters and the little monsters. If you hit them from the top rather than freaking out and running into them headfirst, they'll all go away.

4. A lot of times you can ignore the monsters, but getting rid of them gives you a little boost.

5. Shields are very helpful things to pick up- you can still defeat your monsters, but as long as you have the shield, there's no risk of dying.

6. Black Holes don't seem so bad, in fact, it almost looks like you could just jump right over them, but if you get too close, they'll suck you in and there's no escaping.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1-3

Rainy Days and Good Tunes

Well... hello again keyboard. And computer moniter. I'm just sitting here inside, being bored and waiting for the sun to come out. Earlier, I thought the rain looked like fun so I ran out to get the mail. Yeah, that ended up being NOT fun because apparently it's also cold today! Which brings me to here, trying to think of what to blog about. I have plenty of ideas but I sometimes have trouble putting my thoughts into words. Or at least into words that sound good, and don't make anyone hate me. But I shouldn't worry about that, should I? It's not that I care what people think of me, I just care what I think of me, and mostly what God thinks of me. So that's why I try to be nice :)

(Woo- color!) I'm currently listening to a randomly made playlist on my ipod. I think the theme for this one was "Songs to listen to that won't make me so hyper that I can't concentrate on my finals." The song playing right now is called "Firefly" and it's by Jimmy Needham. He has a pretty dang cool sound. It's sort of jazzy and relaxed, but with a strong message (he's a christian!).
Ooo, now here is an amazing song- "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North. I adore this band. Whenever I feel like crying, or can't really see how God fits into my life, I listen to them. I sang "By Your Side" in church once, and my youth band has "Love is Here" in their worship songs list.

I've been realizing lately that I strongly dislike "popular" music. I don't think I'm going to point out too much specific music at this time, but pretty much can't stand listening to anything in the Itunes "Top Ten" songs list. "Bulletproof" by La Roux is an okay song, at least the lyrics don't talk about how hot someone looks while dancing in a club (really, how many songs like that are there??)
Think about what kind of message is being presented in the popular music of our culture. I know that for me, it's not a message that I want being repeated over and over while I'm in the car, or hanging out with friends, or in the hallways at school! These songs talk about getting wasted, hooking up, partying all the time, and umm, things I don't even want to mention. Let's just say that if anyone talked like that in real life, not in a song, they would (hopefully) get slapped.
Soo at this point I'm pretty much done with pop music. I can deal with my friends listening to it, but I have a feeling that at some point it's going to affect the way people think and act, and I really don't want to be a witness to that. For that reason, I hope I can be an encouragement to listen to more uplifting music. Relient K, Camera Can't Lie, The Rocket Summer, and Hawk Nelson are some rock bands that I really enjoy. David Crowder Band, Barlow Girl and Casting Crowns tend to be more contemporary christian, like the kind of stuff you'd hear at youth group. The Wedding, Evanescence, Flyleaf, and Children 18:3 play more intense rock, some screaming here and there, very deep. Needtobreathe is a great country rock band that my brother discovered, and I recommend even to people who don't normally love country music.

Philippians 4:8
"Finally, brothers [and sisters!], whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things."

Excuses, Excuses

Christians, especially young adults it seems, are experts at being lukewarm. We have come up with every explanation possible for why we believe one thing and live another. It really bothers me that we so easily accept God's grace, and sometimes even become an active part of our church community, but then try keep this whole other life separate from God. The Holy Spirit doesn't leave your heart when you leave church!!

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

God created an amazing and exciting plan for the life of each and every person. He knows how we can have the best life possible, but how do we expect to discover that life if we keep God in a little box labeled "Sunday Morning?" It doesn't work that way. Sometimes we blame God if our lives aren't going the way we want them to. Honestly though, how often do we ask God to help us make a decision? It's no wonder we make a mess of things so often! When we seek the Holy Spirit in our DAILY lives, every minute, every choice, every opportunity, we'll start to look more like Jesus, and that is what we are called to do.

One of the worst things we can do to squash the guidance of the Holy Spirit out of our lives is to act like everyone around us.

Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,before you were born I set you apart."

We are not called to blend in with our surroundings so that we can eventually be accepted and then magically change people's hearts to see God. Don't use that as an excuse for sin. Not that we need to earn our salvation, but the rewards of living FOR God are so much greater than the fun we might have if we forget Him. We have been SET APART. We're born different. God wants us to live in such a way that everyone we meet just automatically notices something pure and different in us. Assimilating to culture just totally hides that.

One of the times that I felt closest to God was right after my TEC weekend this spring. I was reading my bible every night, and I had just come out of a weekend filled with hope and the love of Jesus. I had many people come up to me in the days following my return home and tell me that my eyes or my face were positively shining. I believe that's what God meant when He said to shine his light. Everyone should be able to see God's love in us all the time, not just when we are at church. Make people notice that you're different. "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3:15) Be so full of that unconditional love, so connected to your Heavenly Father that people notice a difference in your eyes!!

Wow, a blog!!

Well, I just made a blog! I like, so totally dedicate this first post to the wonderful Aimee Abrahamson! She helped me decide on a name for my signature AND (sighh) the blog itself, which only took a half an hour to finalize, so I guess it helps to work together.

:)

Psalm 119:72 "The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold."

That, combined with my love of the spanish language, was the inspiration for the blog name and signature. God's law and love is basically my entire foundation, and it is very precious to me!

So, it is very late/early and I have to get up early tomorrow. I shall end this post by saying:

I like, totally, like LOST THE GAME!!!