WHO DAT?!

So, this is probably the most amazing time in my life. After helping to rebuild a home outside the city this summer and now watching people drive into the city to celebrate last night was unbelievable! People were driving around honking and flashing their lights... Not to mention all of the Yelling of WHO DAT?! All the people standing on the side of random roads with their signs, grown adults doing chinese fire drills at stop lights, the fire dept. standing on their trucks with lights going just cheering!! Some of my friends and myself stood outside in a CrAzY LOOOOOooooong line to get our Super Bowl Champs shirts last night. The Pic is of my friend Tiffany and Myself waiting in line!

The feeling in the city is so amazing! Everyone is giddy! It's hard to explain... but if somehow this city was this excited about Jesus there would be NO stopping it and the whole NATION would be reached! I'm excited to be able to be here for this experience.

So let's reach this city, TODAY!!

WoW really?!

OKay So I haven't blogged in months... Well, that's a lie. I have blogged just not posted them for your enjoyment!

Life has been so crazy, I resigned my church and now live in NOLA. I never would have thought I would live in Louisiana or even be going to Seminary right now... My life is pretty normal, Friends, Class, Studying... It should probably be in a different order, because I spend a lot of time in class and a lot studying! My roommate has moved out not because we didn't like living together, but because she found basically a free house to live in! So, now I live in a 4 bedroom apt by myself! I actually really like it!

One thing that is hard right now is finding a church... I've been to church with friends and haven't really felt like whole heartedly "this is the church for me." UGH! Why doesn't NewSpring have a New Orleans Campus?! haha! But Sunday is coming and it will be a new day and a new church!

I'm looking for a job and have interviewed twice with a Cheer gym for a coaches position! I am praying that if it's God's will that I get it! I love cheerleading and coaching and the fact that it is a Christian gym just adds icing to the cake! Man, I hope it happens and I get a chance to mix my passion for leading teenage girls to Christ and my passion for Cheerleading together!

I have been able to babysit a couple of times and it is just wonderful! I get to spend time with kids and play! Plus, I can be a blessing for parents here on campus that can't find a babysitter or one that their kids like! lol!

Funny kawinkadink, 2 of my best friends at home were Kristy and April... Well, here my 2 best friends are Christie and April! Ha! At least I didn't have to learn new names!

Where does Your devotion lie?

God has really been rocking my world with 1 Cor 7. Some of you know my obsession with 7:17 in the Message, but the whole chapter is full of Godly goodness! So what does it talk about, you ask?! Try staying single and being devoted to God, if you can that is! But seriously, 7: 35 says,

I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

I have found while this month in Seminary that TOO many people are focusing on what I would consider the wrong things. (Some of you are going to laugh thinking that is coming from me, but God is really convicting me.) We are focusing on in a Christian realm would be a worldly thing! WTCrap are we thinking and doing?!

• Marriage and finding the one (UGH! It's driving me NUTS!!! I've even stopped watching "Say Yes to the Dress" that's how much it's bothering me!)

• Theology and NOT reaching people

• Making yourself look good and NOT God

• Their church

• THE SAINTS (okay, I LOVE football and this is SUCH a big deal in NOLA, but we are tending to talk about them and NOT Jesus)

So those are just things I can think of right now, but seriously there are way more I know it! I guess it just kills me that people aren't trying to find a way to reach our city. Now, I am one who is super focused on my studies and very rarely leave campus because of it... Which is a big reason I'm hoping for this cheer job! But the Marriage complaint above is really getting to me... like so much! I hate people asking me "well, have you found anyone there yet?" Okay, really?! Why am I here?! I thought I was here to learn and to grow! hmmm apparently I'm here to find a mate?! Who knew! I wish God had sent me that memo! haha! Okay, so only certain people will get that, but it's true!

Hopefully I will Update again soon!

I just wrote my October Newsletter article. REALLY?! October?! I have no idea where all this time went.

God has really been rocking my face off with Paul's letters to the Corinthians. Especially through 1 Cor 7:17. Eugene Peterson puts it this way

And don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. God, not your marital status, defines your life. Don't think I'm being harder on you than on the others. I give this same counsel in all the churches.
(1Co 7:17 MSG)

WOW! Seriously, he killed me with this verse! God has put us all here for a reason... Maybe it's who you hang out with at work or school or even who you come in contact with at the grocery store... No matter who or where God has placed you there is a reason... Let's step up and step out to share the Love of Christ with everyone!

Now let's think about what defines you... (this isn't in the Greek, but it's something I sure needed at the time! ) As a single it can get lonely... In ministry as a single female it can be AWFUL! When the personnel team rips apart the entire ministry and then when you go home you still feel awful and there is no one to share it with or to help you to start to heal... I guess guys go through the same feeling, but I know how females feel when they just want to be held by the person that loves them the most... It's kinda hard to be loved and held by your dog! haha! But it starts to define you and take on a role in your life that can be hard for a single to handle. So many singles need to take a step back and realize that there is a space that can remain blank in our hearts for a season so that eventually a mate can fill it. As talking to many GROWING Christian singles still have a small space in their hearts that they feel is there even though Christ has filled them... I know for some of you you think I am speaking crazy because God should have our whole heart and Yes, I agree.... BUT I think God puts a desire in our hearts for a spouse if that is His will for us. I really think God would put a desire there and let us know that there is a spot there for that person... I know it sounds dumb, but those are my thoughts hahah!

Summer

So school starts for most of my students tomorrow. That's right SUMMER'S OVER! How unbelievable is that?! This summer has been full of ups and downs and even more ups and even lower downs for our student ministry. I'm just going to focus on the Highs in a list...

Highs
Camp - Deeply Rooted
- Growth in the Students was truly remarkable... We laughed alot and grew as a family. I just love hearing our students say that they actually feel like a family!
- Side note - we had a new student this morning who was invited by another student and the new student walked away saying how much he sees why she says that she has a church family because he felt at home!! WoW! OH and she got to share Christ with him tonight!!!! AHHHHMAZZING what God can do through 14 year olds!!!

Mission Trip - Port Sulphur, LA
- When we got there our contractor was 3 weeks behind... when we left he was 3 days ahead and he got his first day off in months!! whoo hoo..
- Being able to hear my students yell at each other to "DO WORK" or even reminding each other how they would want their house painted or their floors to look so that is how we should do the work!
- Finding out which adults truly love students and their sense of humors!
- Watching a "29" year old woman who has been married 32 years start and finish a spitball war that lasted through 3 states!

Pranks -
- It just so happens that two adults that our students love SOOOoo very much had birthdays in the same week... and we might just have 50 pink flamingos and so toilet paper lol!



Needless to say our summer was incredible!! I just love my students!


Now on to pray over next year and what God wants us to do in and around our church!

Long Time coming...

So I just realized that it has been since November that I have posted. WoW! What has been wrong with me?!

God has grown me so much since November... I am trying very hard to be completely focused on God and not on the silly girlie things that it is so easy to get caught up in.

I had a D-Now planned April 17-19... The theme was THE TRUTH: Guys, Girls, and Dating. "I" had all these plans for it... Well a week before the D-Now some things happened and I had to change all the plans around.. Truthfully the D-Now was NOTHING like I had planned... Instead I can say that God showed up and showed out and we are still seeing fruit and growth off of that weekend. Girls and guys alike were changed! I can't wait to see what God has planned for our Student Ministry next!! If you ever need a camp or retreat speaker I highly recommend Jeremiah Verdin! He was one of my friends from college and he was AMAZING!!

Camp is planned for June 22-26th @ the Lake we went to last year... I love that place... God really shows up every time I'm there, even if it's a weekend with the fam. The theme is "Deeply Rooted."



God has really been working in me lately and I have realized that "I" named our student ministry. Our church staff and church counsel have all gone through simple church and as a church our theme is Round Oak Church - Rooted and Grounded in Love... Well our student ministry is named CONNECT... Connecting with each other and God... I think Connect was a good theme for Last Year, but now I see as since we are one maybe we should just be ROSM - Round Oak Student Ministry - Rooted and Grounded in Love, idk... just something I've been thinking about lately...


I'm trying to think of what has gone on since November... Well I got a dog in Feb!!! She's precious!! Her name is Jasmine, but we call her Jazzy!

That's basically my life in a nutshell... God, student ministry and my dog! hahaha WoW I need to get out more, maybe not I really love my life! :-)

Christians after the election...

I wish many of my Christian friends would be as excited about the gospel as they are their candidates. Now that would change the world! ~Mark Matlock

I'm really shocked how Christians are handling this election... God has everything under control and He is going to put into office who He wants and He wanted your vote! Yes, I voted and Yes, I voted conservative... But that is who I am! Do I have Christian friends and family members who voted Democratic, Yes. Do I think there is a problem with that, NO!

This blog is to no one specific but after reading status updates on facebook and myspace I just feel compelled to speak out! We sit in church and say we need to love and accept everyone, but when we leave the building we don't do that. Is judging people the right way to bring them to Christ? If bringing people to Christ is our biggest task then why are we worried about the election to the point where we are showing our rears and acting in ways that are not Christ-like. God has a plan and even though I might not want Obama as a President, God has a plan and I can't wait to see what God is going to do through this! Our God is BIG... Bigger than an election, Bigger than our churches, Bigger than our Judgments, Bigger than views and opinions... He is Big and awesome and is gonna rock our socks! I wish we could all see our actions and words from the outside and how others view us... I really want our Jesus to look good and I think that starts with us, the Christians...

STOP JUDGING and START LOVING!!

I'm so over the bickering and fighting... I wish everyone would just get along! Who cares who you voted for or even if someone makes you mad... the Christian thing to do is to forgive! How about we try that!

Cheating

So two weeks ago on Wednesday night discussion ended up on cheating. Our student ministries staff and leaders realized via a poll that all but one of our students cheated on a monthly basis. When we started talking about the reasons why my heart broke. The biggest reason they cheat is so they can please there parents by the grades they get. Our students are feeling as though they are not good enough for their parents. So if they peek at someone else's paper to get an answer they do not know it's okay because they will not get yelled at at home for bringing home a bad grade. The students feel that they would rather cheat than be yelled at or feel as though they have disappointed their parents.

I never had this trouble because as long as I tried my best my parents were proud of me and I knew it. In college at one point I felt like a failure and called home scared of how my parents were going to react at the sound of my bad grades and I was so scared that my parents were going to fuss about the money they had taken out of retirement to pay for my semester. Instead my Dad was so loving and said "Oh well, what's one more semester!" I was in tears because I realized that my parents loved me supported me no matter what! So when I see my students craving this attention from their parents it breaks my heart to see the extremes they are going to just to please their parents.