Oceans

So, it's been brought to my attention lately how big the Hillsong United song, Oceans, has gotten at Indianola Community Church. Which is super crazy to think about because I can still remember on March 31st, 2014 when the youth band first performed that song. It was just sort of a new idea, we were unsure of the reception this song would get. But crazily enough, the congregation fell in love with it. We've probably played it more than ten times in the different bands since that day. Now don't get me wrong, I love the song and it is so fun to sing, but after that much playing and practicing time it has started to get old.
Today as I was listening to a live version of the song, I was suddenly struck by the completely amazing message behind the song. All of the apathy I was feeling toward the song faded away, and I was reminded of why we chose this song in the first place. This song is so full of truth and encouragement, but I had to just look beyond the surface.

#1: God is calling YOU

The song starts out with God calling us. This statement is always super easy for me to overlook. I hear it all the time that God is calling me to do greater things, to be more with him. But why do I take it so lightly? Seriously though! Just the fact that God even wants me is so amazing. Him; a perfect, holy God, wanting me; a broken, messed up person. How can I overlook that? How can I possibly think so highly of myself to not catch the weight of that statement! He doesn't have to call after me, but he chooses to pursue me each and every single day, even after I consistently ignore and disobey him.

I think the other thing that really gets me about this point is what God is calling me to do. He's not telling me do what I choose or would feel comfortable doing. He's telling me to go out into the unknown. I mean, that is a little scary when you think about it. Not knowing what will happen or having control of the situation. But that is the beauty of it all. God knows what is going on, and he is in complete and total control of the situation. When you are willing to take the leap, to jump into the new God will meet you in that place and pick up where you left off. He will guide you through.

#2: God will be there with you

I think it is easy to think of God as far off and uninvolved in our lives, when it is actually the exact opposite. I mean, the love that God has for us is so powerful that he was willing to cross that gap and meet us where we are. When you do take that leap of faith, God isn't going to let you fall. He wants to walk hand in hand with you through everything. God's love and grace will cover you and they aren't going to ever stop. I love how the song puts it: you've never failed, and you won't stop now. It's so true. With everything that I go through in my life, one thing is constant: God. He's never left me, never stopped loving me, never gave up. So why would he now? There is nothing I can do that will make that happen, so I need to start acknowledging it. Start living like God is with you, instead of acting like he is out of reach.

#3: God longs to lead you

It's so easy for me to want to control every aspect of my life. I want to know what is going on, and I want to feel in charge of it all. But that isn't what God wants is it? He wants me to give up control and surrender it to him. God doesn't need you to do more for Him. He just wants more of us. God wants us to be fully dependent on him so that he can do more through us. So less of us actually means more of God. He wants to lead us to a place only he can. And I don't know about you, but I long to be taken there, where nothing matters except God. Easier said than done though. I don't really think there is an easy answer for this one. You have to be willing to let go of everything in order to grab hold of Him. Let God lead you to a place past your boundaries and into His love.

So, with all that said, I want to wrap this up with what I believe is the biggest point of the whole song. That through all of this, your faith will be made stronger in the presence of God. Let him be the strength when you aren't strong, your hope when you seem to have none. Because God uses that to do greater things in and through you. Let Him lead you to places of great faith, wherever he calls you to go. Because no matter what happens, you are still His, and he is yours.



All Things New

A couple of weeks ago our high school youth group went on a retreat that was called Unstoppable. We talked about how God takes us and makes us unstoppable through our faith even though sometimes we might not think that it is possible. For me this was extremely important because without even realizing it I had fallen off of the path God had set out for me. Now it wasn't an intentional misstep, it usually isn't. But through complacency some basic laziness on my part I began to settle for decent things, but not necessarily God things. Through the whole thing I just began to write down thoughts I was having and I pieced them all together. I also am going to say some of this on Sunday during our youth worship service, so I sort of based the whole thing around the song All Things New by Elevation Worship, so Enjoy!

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 it says that you have been made new by God. Every single one of you who have accepted Christ into your heart is a new creation, you are no longer defined by what you were or what you did, but by what God is doing in you. You are free from all of the sin and the weights. You don't have to be held back anymore by your past experiences. So let them go, give it all to God because He doesn't want you to hold on to them any longer. Remember that no matter how far away you seem from God, or how long you've been running away, or how many times you've turned your back and went on your own path, God is always ready to take you back with open arms. You are never too far gone to go back to God. God's love isn't conditional and it won't run out on you. And there's nowhere that you can go where He can't reach you. God is just waiting for you to run back to Him. It doesn't matter if you're walking side by side with God or if you are on a completely different city, God loves you and wants to close that gap. He loves you and wants you to be with Him. He's calling you home, will you listen?

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 

the new creation has come:

The old has gone, the new has come!

Dodgeball, Twizzlers, and Duct Tape Bras

Now you may be wondering how those three things can even fit together in one title. The only answer to that question is middle school youth group. Yup, the awesome, loud, and especially smelly students that come to The ROCK every Wednesday sure do fit the description. This year I get the amazing privilege to be a leader for the sixth grade girls.

I got to know some of these girls this summer during a program for our incoming 6th graders. I wasn't sure how well they would like me, but I guess they decided I would do as a leader. Every week of youth group they have been getting progressively more attached.

It started off with some simple texts, but it has grown to almost daily chats with my girls about anything and everything. Whenever they see me I am everything but attacked by them all. I love them, but having a really bad sunburn doesn't exactly help my case (insert silent sobs of pain here). On top of that I was almost dismembered tonight from being pulled so many different directions for game time. During small group they always have a lot to say, but it's not always on topic even though it can be enteraining to us leaders...

So all of this craziness really has shown me one major thing: a renewed love for middle schoolers. I never really understood before why Duey said that they were his favorite, but I am beginning to see why. My girls have so much energy, they just want to learn about things and ask so many questions, they aren't afraid of failure or other people, and they will do just about anything!

I can't wait to grow even closer to them and make so many stupid memories together. No matter what is in store for our group this year, one thing is for sure: I LOVE youth ministry!!

The Struggle to Follow His Plan

     So I have really been meaning to write this post, but I just couldn't find the time that I needed to actually sit down and write it out. The truth is I had time, but I was just wasn't present in it and was focused on other things instead. I was listening to some Jeremy Camp music in class today, (which by the way if you don't have his new album, Reckless, you need to get it because every track is amazing!) and the lyrics just brought me back and I knew it was time to get writing!
     Sunday night at youth group we were watching a Lou Giglio video, which is always a good decision.   We were watching it with the thought of what does God want from my life? Even though I was loving the video my mind began to wonder. Suddenly, God put something in front of me that changed my life completely around.
     First, let's have a little backstory time! For about five years I have been on the medical track. I was convinced that I was going to take high school nursing classes and eventually become a pediatric doctor. Pretty ambitious, but I had my whole life based upon this one thing. I was basically fast-tracking my way through life. Whenever the whole "only God knows what you will do with your life" conversation came up I just went right on through it, because honestly I knew what I was going to do and it was all done with. No negotiating, I was certain of it, or so I thought.
     But back to Sunday night, as I sat there a thought enveloped me, sunk deep down inside me. Like a song you can't get out of your head, a scary movie scene you can't stop thinking about. Something that you can't just leave alone. God was telling me His plan for my life. And to my dismay, it wasn't what I wanted either. He was telling me that the medical field wasn't His plan, ministry was. Now that was enough to completely overwhelm me with emotion. I almost started crying. At first I was in disbelief, this couldn't be right! All of my careful planning, my scheduling, my classes, all of it focused on one thing. And now all of the sudden it is all out the window! How could He do this to me?
     But then I thought about it for a minute. God was giving me my mission. He was telling me my purpose in this world, and that in itself changed my whole perspective around. I was being called to do something bigger than myself, bigger than I had ever imagined I would do. Don't get me wrong, I've always been big into ministry. Since seventh grade I have been looking forward to being a youth leader, and nothing brought me more joy than teaching little kids at Sunday school. But every time it was brought up as something more than just a one day a week thing I turned away. I know now that He has told me it is what I am to do, I laugh remembering my friends who were telling me that all along!
     I know this will not be easy. I am not expecting it to be. I will have to change every aspect of my plans, but I do it with an open heart and an open mind. I am not sure of what area of ministry I will go into, but I trust that God will reveal it to me when the time is right. All the while I am researching and praying for guidance and a calm heart. Honoring God's plan is not always the most convenient thing for us to do, but in the long run it is the only plan that matters.

Mark 8:34-35

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: 

 “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, 

but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it."

My Lent Project (Day 1)

Well it's been a while since I posted my last blog. I've been very busy and sadly haven't made much time for this part of my life. With that said I hope to carve out time more often so I can write more blog posts. On top of my regular posts I will be periodically informing you of my Lent progress. This year I am giving up meats and desserts, so it will be extremely hard for me, seeing that I could basically qualify as a meatitarian. I will try to keep updating my progress/struggles as much as I can. I know this will be hard, but I also know it will totally be worth it!

Now, for a picture of my awesome(not) lunch today! Chocolate milk, breadstick, chips, and wilted salad!(I opted out of eating the mini apple.)

Matthew 19:26 

Jesus looked at them and said, 

“With man this is impossible, 

but with God all things are possible.”

More than a Song.

I am sitting on a bus, which is on it's way to a speech competition in Omaha. I am listening to my regular playlist, just like always. Suddenly a Chris Tomlin song comes on. Nothing new, but for some reason today it sticks out even more than usual. The song is How Great is Our God.

Usually I just listen to this song, maybe sing along, and think nothing of it. But today is different. I am not sure why, but my whole outlook is different as I hear it today. I look out the window and just marvel at creation. How beautiful it is, how pure, how perfect. God made it all, and sometimes we take for granted how spectacular it really is.

As I sit and quietly reflect I am being torn down. God is really letting me have it. How lately I haven't been the true servant I should be, how I have been putting Him off. It hurts when I think of all the opportunities I have been given this week to make something amazing out of a simple situation, and how many times I have turned God down just because I didn't want to. How selfish I have been.

It's not always easy to do what God asks. Most of the time it is just plain hard.
It wasn't guaranteed to be easy, it was just guaranteed to be worth it. I am reminded of that today. So I will try harder to have reckless obedience towards God. We could all use more of that. But my point doesn't end there.

What would happen if songs were more than just songs to us? If when we heard them we actually took the meanings to heart and did more than just sing? Worship is not just singing. It it showing our adoration and thankfulness to God, honoring Him. So maybe the next time a song comes on the radio, you shouldn't sing, maybe you should just sit quietly and honestly reflect on it. The outcome might just surprise you.

"When the music fades, and all is stripped away, and I simply come. Longing just to bring something thats of worth, that will bless Your heart. I'll bring You more than a song for a song in itself, it's not what You have required. You search much deeper within through the way things appear, You're looking into my heart." -Matt Redman, Heart of Worship.

The Stuggle to be Humble

     Today I was reading through the creation story. You're probably thinking oh yeah, big deal, heard it a thousand times. If you are like me and grew up in the church you probably have this story memorized. It starts to seem like just another event, something that isn't that important.
     But that's where you are wrong. In my opinion, this is one of the most overlooked stories in the bible. We seem to minimize this marvelous event, when in fact we should hold it even higher. This is the story of how we came to be! How God made us!
     What gets me most is how much effort had to be put in on God's part: He didn't break a sweat, He didn't even lift a finger! He merely spoke and the world came into existence, the cosmos were created! No big deal for God. This just shows how mightly and powerful our God is.
     But it also shows how small we are. This is were the humbleness part of the post comes in. It's is so easy for us to make ourselves into something so big, like we are the most important, like we're the ones that need exhaulted. We tend to put God in a box of sorts. Store Him away until we need Him because we're okay and we can do just fine by ourselves. That couldn't be farther from the truth.
     We need to realize that God isn't some small thing that can be smothered and put away. He is bigger than we could ever imagine. Think back to the creation story: it was so easy for God to create us, how easy would it be to destroy us? But the God of the Universe loves us and chooses to dwell in us all. He paid the ultimate price for us and just wants our love in return. He wants to have an eternal, never ending relationship with us.
     So shouldn't we give Him more credit? Shouldn't we be lifting Him up instead of ourselves? The next time that you get a big head about something or take all the glory for your talents, remember who created you and gave you all those talents. Maybe you'll be like me, and start to see things in a different light.

Psalms 71:14

But as for me, 

I will always have hope; 

I will praise you more and more.