Some Thoughts I Wish I Would've Remebered in the Past

     "Where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is also disorder and every kind of evil" James 3:16. 
-I like the saying that jealousy comes from counting someone else's blessings instead of your own. There have been times when I have seen someone's blessings, and I become selfish by being jealous that I was not "good enough to deserve such a benefit". Jealousy and selfishness are twins. 

    "But the wisdom from above is pure first of all; it is also peaceful, gentle, and friendly; it is full of compassion and produces a harvest of good deeds; it is free from prejudice and hypocrisy" James 3:17. 
-There is so much to aspire to be in this verse. Pure: good, clean, kind. Peaceful: mediator, calm, optimistic. Gentle: soft, soothing, honest nicety.  Friendly: welcoming, inviting, uplifting, investing, caring. Compassion that come from God's word must be the foundation to these attributes or they will not be sincere. Not judging, not lying, not self-seeking, not favoring.


   "And the tongue is like a fire. It is a world of wrong, occupying its place in our bodies and spreading evil through our whole being. It sets on fire the entire course of our existence with the fire that comes to it from hell itself" James 3:6. 
-Choose words carefully, speak honestly, speak boldly, speak truthfully, speak kindly.

    "My friends, as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, you must never treat people in different ways according to their outward appearance" James 2:1 GNT
   "My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?" James 2:1 NLT
-When I read this verse before, I connected the word appearance with attire. Now, I connect appearance with conduct. It is difficult for me to have empathy for people who cry for attention. Because of people in my past, my first response is to avoid these people.. in that way they give me the least amount of trouble. A common thread between these people is that they are usually never satisfied and they tend to suck the life out of people they want the attention from. 
I know I favor "normal" people over these people who cry for attention.. I have had such bad experiences with people like this in my life that I have a habit of writing them off as crazy. Honestly, a lot of them have been. But, not all are. Crazy or not, favoring others over these people is still ungodly.

James has always been one of my favorite books of the bible. It's only five chapters, but it's deep. When I read James again, it always seems like there is something in James I have forgotten.

Anti-Wrinkle Cream.. Start ASAP

I never considered that it would be wise to start using retinoids while I'm young until recently. I look at women in their 30s-40s who loved the sun too much, and they do not consider using anti-wrinkle cream until they actually have wrinkles. Well, not me. I would rather not look like a tragedy when I'm 45... while i'll already be sad about weighing more than I did at 25, I do not want to be sad about my face too.

I bought Ponds a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, some celebrities use this brand, so I figure until I get a wrinkle I will try it out too! Pond's cream has been around since the 1800s!

PONDS Celebrity Review #1
PONDS Celebrity Review #2

School Brain

   Well, classes started yesterday, and I am so ready to demolish this last year at Ivy Tech. I started my morning getting work done for my online classes, and I ended the day with submitting my application, essay, and fee for Liberty University. Man am I excited! I will definitely be getting some scholarship money for applying early. My family and I will be taking a college visit at LU in October, the week after Nik's parents want to visit him. Therefore, I will be seeing Nik two weekends in a row. I am super stoked!

    Last night, a friend of mine brought an author named Isa Adney to my attention, and I ended up buying her book on the spot. I need some advice and motivation through my final year at community college. The most important thing I can be doing for my education this year is keeping my GPA over a 3.8 and applying for scholarships. Since I am a Phi Theta Kappa member, I will have lots of scholarships in front of my face. However, there are never enough to apply for. My awesome cousin Ben told my mom some pretty solid advice about scholarships that I am definitely looking forward to trying out. He told me to incorporate my trip to Africa in the essays as much as possible. That's definitely genius. Since my cousin had his PHd by the time he was 26.... he definitely knows what he's talking about.

   I have been finding some scholarships that students need to be nominated for in order to even apply, so I have been sending emails to program chairs and counselors at my school. I don't even know if my school has heard of some of these scholarships before either, so Ivy Tech definitely needs to get on board.

Aside from school, I am working two jobs. This year will definitely consist of a lot of saving. I was asking someone what they do to save money, and he told me that he has half his checks go straight to his savings. He then budgets how much gas he usually spends in a month and sets aside money for that. He said that he plans out his savings so he can potentially survive without a job for six months. I am so excited to get started on that. Since my boyfriend is gone, it will definitely be a lot easier to resist spending money and give up going shopping every weekend like I did in the summer.

I have a lot of plans and goals for this school year, and I am really anxious to get started on them. Liberty University is my plan for my bachelor's degree and possibly for my Master's if I want to stay there for that. If LU doesn't work out I will be pretty bummed, but I have to keep marching forward with the knowledge that God's way is the ultimate way. I only want what God wants anyways.

The Separation

Today i was reading in Acts and my brain focused on this passage:

"After some time Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.'  Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark. But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work."

*"Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated."     Acts 15:36-39


I don't remember where I heard this sermon before, but it has stayed with me. These two disciples Paul & Barnabas disagreed on something heavily. They probably argued about their different opinions as anyone else would. The scriptures don't say if their disagreement ended well for the friendship of these Christians or not, but the word sharp has got to mean something significant. Either way they chose to separate because obviously their disagreement was distracting enough to have an impact on more important things.

When you read more through this chapter and the next, you see documents of  what they are doing a part. However, this verse is awesome:

"So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew larger every day." Acts 16:5

CLEARLY, despite the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas, good things came from their separation.  Why? Because they continued to put God first in their lives and not focus on petty opinions.

Barnabas could have focused on Paul's reasoning for not wanting to include John Mark, and he let that get in the way of his ministry. Who knows- maybe Barnabas thought that Paul was not being forgiving of John Mark for not finishing up his work. Maybe Barnabas thought Paul wasn't being "godly enough". 

On the opposite end, maybe Paul thought John Mark did not see the importance of their work in a way that would upset Paul and cause him to make poor decisions. Maybe Paul thought that John Mark was a bad influence on Barnabas. Maybe Paul thought John Mark's faith was on a different maturity level from other leaders and did not personally think he was ready.

There are all sorts of opinions and reasons that could go with this situation. However, they do not matter. The point is that there was no convincing Paul and there was no convincing Barnabas. Therefore, the wise decision was to depart. 

The boundaries here did not mean that Barnabas hated Paul or that Paul hated John Mark. The boundaries did not mean that Paul and Barnabas would never speak again or be friends (I'm unsure of what happens next in the story... perhaps if i find out i'll blog about it). The boundaries just show that both of these Christians recognized that they had different opinions and emotions that they would not allow to taint their testimonies.

"Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster" Proverbs 17:19

There are times when boundaries are pretty necessary. People who do not have them are only hurting themselves. I think as Christians we sometimes think that if we separate from a friend or disagree with another believer, that we are sinning or being unkind. That's definitely not true. Our attitude towards those we disagree with has got to be controlled. When we disagree with someone so deeply that it hurts us and affects us, separation is a wise idea. However, treating that person like they don't exist or like we don't care about them is wrong. We need to be real with people. We need to be kind to people. And we need to respect ourselves.

How to Deal with Psychos

Signs that you may know a crazy person:

1. They think you are their best friend...

2. Their tweets are super awkward, tmi, or emotional.
examples:

3. They keep friend requesting you on Facebook.

4. They are super clingy to all of their friends. God help their boyfriends.

5. If they feel like you don't like them... it's their mission to change that.

6. When you look at them they are already staring.

7. They are easily offended.

8. They lie.

9. They have crazy eyes.

10. They creep you out.

11. They are narcissists... they constantly talk about themselves.

12. Sometimes, they think they are famous.

13. They think they have a chance with your boyfriend.

14. They love your boyfriend..... and they try to be friends with you.

15. Their Instagram photos make you embarrassed for them.

16. They have to publicize every nice thing their boyfriends do for them.

17. They stalk you.

Disclaimer: The easiest way to tell if someone is a lunatic is if they are not a teenager yet they still act like one. And let me tell ya, it's definitely more difficult to pick out the younger crazy people at first glance.


If you are pretty naive and just realized that your very best friend is a crazy person... be a friend and tell them. There is hope. Wouldn't you want the same treatment?

How to set up boundary lines with psychos:

1. Do not fall into the trap. When the crazy, clingy people ask you to get lunch with them to "talk" (unless there are some unresolved issues).... DO NOT GO. Be honest and tell them, "no thank you" and any other necessary side comments.

2. Don't give in. Now some weirdos like to pester you to hang out, get lunch, and "be friends"... there needs to be a point when you're honest with them. "Like I have said every other time you asked me... no thank you.. I am not interested." 

3. Don't let them see your personal information. Though I think it's ridiculous to post your personal life online... if you're the type of person who does, then don't let the crazy people see any of it. You don't know what they're capable of. 

4. Be polite and kind.... they are people too. We all have problems, and there is no reason to judge them and act like you are innocent of wrongdoings. If you see them in person... don't act immature and turn your head if you lock eyes. Say hello and smile!

5. Do not lead them on into thinking that you're friends with them if you do not want to be. Let's be real... sometimes we are guilted into doing things we don't want to do. We don't want to be confrontational or mean, anyway. Crazy people will do what they can to guilt you into being their friend. Be bold, be polite, step aside.

6. Flee from fights. If they try to argue with you back and forth... just stop responding or walk away. Don't waste your time and your words. 

7. Do not care about what they think of you. There is no reason that you should be offended by someone's lies and opinions. Crazy people twist everything you say to humor their own narcissism. If you have integrity at all... people will have a difficult time believing what they say anyway.

8. Do not be afraid to limit family. Sometimes we are unfortunate and there are people that we love in our family who are a little cuckoo. Naturally, decent people are nicer to family members than strangers, and family should get special treatment. However, do not put up with crap. There are times when you need to protect yourself. If your mother is insane and is attacking your husband... set her straight and protect him. If your mother-in-law is out to get you... if your husband is a good man he will protect you too. 

The Deeper Issue

Now on a serious note. Usually, the root to people being crazy is that they care so much about themselves that they do ridiculous things to others. They twist words that you say because they are "always right." They are very self-focused. In fact, they don't know that they're crazy. They always talk about themselves and will probably spill their entire lives to you if you're kind to them. They want to be lifted up, so if you are naturally encouraging.. you're gonna be the victim. They honestly just need love and patience. And most of all (like everyone else), they need Christ's redemption in their lives. The best thing to do for them is to pray for them! Therefore, we need to treat them as Christ would. 

Crazy people are usually very lonely. There is no reason to snap at them, be rude to them, or treat them like the potential serial killers they could become (just kidding). You don't need to be their friend if you don't wanna be. Personally, i prefer to keep a healthy distance from crazy people. However, some people are different and don't care as much.. and that's great. 

Be honest with yourself... if crazy people make you think rude things about them or make you uncomfortable... it'd wise for you to limit contact with them. There is an extent that you need to protect and respect yourself too. That's why crazy people are so frustrating... they only think of themselves.

All I'm Askin'...

Lately i have been spending time with various good friends of mine, and we have been chatting and having what i like to call, "soul food conversations". I know that soul food is technically southern black cooking, and man that's some good cooking. But pertaining to conversation, I see soul food as encouraging words and new discoveries for the soul. Through these great friends and our conversations, I have been learning a lot this summer.

There is so much that i have been learning that i can barely put everything to words. Side note:] That's when you know that your conversations are soul food... they're sometimes so good that you can't describe them or remember them right away. Those wise discoveries usually pop up unannounced, and you're filled with joy as you think back. However, of all the things I have been talking and thinking about lately... i wanna blog about respect. And not even the "respect your elders" type of jibber jabber.. we've heard about that enough... at least i have. I wanna talk about respect among my generation.

I am a young adult, and I am out of high school. Since high school I have grown in maturity. I have a ways to go as anyone does, but I am not a part of the usual high school mentality anymore... i have been broken free from those chains. And when I am older, I will be broken free from my current maturity level. That's a life cycle that comes with experience.

First of all, I never want anyone to feel like I am calling them out individually in my posts. That would mean that my motives behind my updates are foul- and they definitely are not. I am simply discussing something that I have seen a lot of lately that has not only convicted me personally, but has also made me fed up. 

Why do we as Christians.. not even just Christians... as human beings... treat others in ways that would cause us to throw tantrums if we were treated the same? Why does the Golden Rule seem to slip our minds when we interact with other people? It's ridiculous. Such a simple guideline about how we should act towards others has been ignored. 

We can't even put the blame on a specific group of people because everyone does it. People in the church are just as guilty.

I hear things that people say about others... even about their past friends or present "pretend friends".. and it's been a habit just to listen and to believe it. Honestly, if someone tells me something about someone else.. naturally i don't care enough if it's true or not. i'm too lazy to think about it much more. I just assume it's true and move on.

"The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps." Proverbs 14:15

I DO NOT CARE, which is healthy only to an extent. The part that's bad is that I don't care so much that I just accept someone's opinion over thinking that they could possibly be wrong.. (intentionally or unintentionally). However, if someone were to say something bad about one of my best friends I'd probably chew them out a little and set them straight. I have a habit of sticking up for people I care about closely and not really caring about the integrity of other people who deserve to be respected too.

That needs to change. If somebody.. ESPECIALLY if somebody from church.. tells me something about someone else... I want to care enough to protect myself from the assumptions that I may develop from that conversation in order to protect that other person. Also, i only want what flows from my mouth about someone to be words that i could shamelessly tell to that person's face.

You're probably wondering why I said ESPECIALLY someone from church above... well, you know what... when Christians hear information from church people... we make positive affiliations with the idea of church and those gosh darn good people... therefore, i need to protect myself even more and remember that those good people are incorrect people sometimes too.

So why disrespect someone else if we want to be respected? It makes no sense. It's a double standard really.

People will always irritate us either deliberately or unknowingly.. it just happens. But we must respond with kindness and be truthful.

These two women are my favorite icons of all time. They are examples of well known ladies (who aren't necessarily Christians either) who have earned so much respect from others.... even Audrey as she is respected from people who were born after she died 19 years ago. You know why?

"A gracious woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth." Proverbs 11:16

I think courteous is my favorite synonym there. I also like indulgent. 

Lauren Conrad and Audrey Hepburn respect others and respect themselves. They are gracious and they are thoughtful and they are honest. They aren't loud or obnoxious, but they sure are bold.

Now pertaining to you men readers and your respect role models... Chuck Norris? Ronald Reagan? I don't know... I'm stuck.

When it says in the bible to love our enemies.. (and pray for those who persecute you) i can't help but feel like God wants us to respect them too. Not respect in the admiring or appreciating kind of way.... or even respecting them because you think they have dignity or have earned respect....

but we need to respect where they are in life and to be empathetic. Not that we excuse their choices  or that we are not hurt by their actions. But we have self-control in how we respond despite the offense and we have discernment of when it's appropriate to confront them.

"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy." Titus 3:3-5a

We need to practice mercy. That pulls back to the Golden Rule talk above. 

Now, I was recently in a situation when this person.. who is probably 5 years older than me was being rude to me because she was very insecure. I hardly talked to the girl so it took me awhile to realize that she wasn't the sarcastic type.. she just didn't like me. Side note:] I am only speaking of this situation because I have no form of communication with this girl... we never cross paths. We would both prefer not to. However, if she were to ever bring up this issue then i would tell her everything I am writing here plus some more. :)

It was very, very difficult for me to be respectful towards this girl who.. i really just don't like at all either. And the best part about this.. she is a Christian! Doesn't that make it harder? Because as Christ followers we are thrown off when other Christ followers appear to not know the "basics" or whatever that means. But when people who don't know God are rude we kind of just assume that their actions are the result of not knowing God. 

Reminder: being a Christian doesn't mean that you're kind. Not being a Christian doesn't mean that you're not kind. Though we all should be kind... it doesn't usually come naturally.

But this little issue I had was quite a wake up call about how difficult AND necessary it is to be respectful to everyone. Again, respectful in a way that merely shows compassion and mercy towards those people we would hide from if we saw them in Walmart. 

Because i tell you... they definitely need to receive kindness in their lives anyways. We don't need to pretend to be their friends... that's fake... and that's lying. We don't need to understand them. We don't even need to be all "nice"... which is another word i just don't like because it has to do with pleasing others as opposed to being real. 

There are too many nice people and not enough kind people. But yeah, we need to be KIND. Being kind just seems more sincere. Being nice just sounds fake and being kind just sounds strong to me. Because kindness is more powerful than niceness. It's harder to be kind than it is to be nice.

Now, when it comes to being respectful in simpler situations... here we go. 

(These are commands to myself as well.)

Don't get offended when people tell you how they feel. They are speaking the truth of what they are experiencing to you.. be thankful for the truth because it's often scary to give. Now, give them that same truth back.

Don't get offended when someone won't agree with you. It's very immature to try to control people (ESPECIALLY FRIENDS) because you think that your opinion is right or triumphs over someone else's. Part of being a friend is respecting your friends. 

Don't get offended when people put up boundaries. That means that they respect themselves, and that is necessary. It's healthy to respect yourself when it's not conceited. 

INSTEAD

Be kind to all people. Express gratitude to those who are truthful and be truthful in return.

Don't control your friends. Let them go as they please.. as hard as that may be. Your way isn't always the best way. Be a friend to keep your friends.

Respect others' wishes even if you don't like them or understand them. If someone isn't in the mood to hang out with you... respect that and don't take it personally. Just be an adult about it. 

Be considerate enough to someone that you won't talk about them negatively. And if you can't handle that.. you'll learn the hard way when it all comes back to you. 

I know that this is a time in life where people my age are transitioning from a teenage lifestyle to adulthood. It's often hard because some people are not there yet, while some are ahead. But we need to respect people where they are at and give them the kindness that we would want to receive in their situation. Kindness is extremely impacting. And if we can't get kindness down... we'll never get respect down either. Also, we won't be respected back. 

Why Shouldn't We?

Last week I was finishing up my reading in Mark, and a certain few verses have been stuck in my mind ever since. This is when Jesus rose from the dead, right before he was going back to heaven. Mark 16:15-16 is the great commission. However, in verses 17-18, Jesus said,

"These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: 

They will cast out demons in my name, 

and they will speak in new languages. 

They will be able to handle snakes with safety, 

and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. 

They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed."

I read these promises, and realized that many Christians, including myself, seem to forget about just how powerful the Holy  Spirit is, who is living in those who are following God. 

Do I really believe that I can cast out demons in Jesus's name?

Am I certain that I can handle snakes and drink anything poisonous without being harmed?

I want to live a life that is so empowered by the Holy Spirit, that I become careless about the judgments and criticism of this world.  I never want to get caught up in the stupidity of this temporary life again. I don't want to lose sight of the ability I have through the Holy Spirit. 

Tonight my mentor and I started talking about what the Holy Spirit can do through Christians who allow Him to work. 

Jen brought up a verse that has been on her heart lately, 

"I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms." 

Ephesians 1:19-20

When we allow the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we allow the same power that conquered death to work in us!!!

Why don't we remember that or believe that? It's so powerful.

I'm sure that once we have seen the Spirit work in our lives in such a powerful way, we'll never forget or let go of it.

A couple years ago I was limping because my knee was in pain. I was at "church camp" and all the walking did not help one bit. During worship that night, I felt a nudge from God to pray over my knee. When I prayed I said, "In the name of Jesus, please heal my knee so walking is not painful." Well guess what? As soon as I was done praying my knee was better, and walking didn't hurt anymore. I will always remember the power of that prayer and the faith that I had in that moment. 

The problem with this story is that it was a couple years ago. I don't want to ever again have to say that the last time the Spirit miraculously moved in my prayers was "years" ago. 

How can I change that? I think that the first step is to pray for more faith and discernment in my life. I think another thing I have to do is pray every morning for the Spirit to fill my heart and mold it into God's will, not mine. 

I think sometimes, I can be afraid to let God move. That sounds odd because most people are excited for Him to work. I'm not saying that I don't want him to perform miracles. I think sometimes I get in the habit of being afraid that he won't. You know, sometimes God has other plans in mind. 

That night when my knee was healed, that was in His will. Maybe, sometime if I am praying for something else, God will not answer it. So what? I should not be afraid of His Will being done. I shouldn't be afraid that I look "naive" if I believed He would but  then He didn't. 

**My prayer life should not be about believing that God will do something a certain way... it's about believing that HE CAN and HE IS ABLE, but with that being said, in the end, I only want what He wants for me because His ways are perfect. His ideas are far beyond what I can comprehend. (Psalm 23).

**" 'My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,' says the LORD. 'And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.' " Isaiah 55:8

It is time for some change. I have known that the Holy Spirit can perform miracles through me. I've seen it in my own life and others' lives for years. Now, it is time to embrace the Spirit's power more in my life.


God has given everyone the same purpose in life but with little tweeks in the end to fit them. 
What I mean by that is.... we're all called to share the Good news of Jesus Christ and lift His name high. However, we have different callings in order to share Jesus. For me, I feel a pull to some type of girls or women's ministry in my life. My best friend feels a call to nursing and counseling. People are always called to be disciples, but God brings His people to different and unique plans that fit them personally .


With that being said, In order to go and make disciples of ALL nations, we have to be disciples of Christ first.


As a Christ follower, I need to embrace and believe in every part of the living Bible.
"For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." Hebrews 4:12


I want the power of the Holy Spirit to be alive and evident in me. It's time to have full-fledged faith in the Power of God. I hope you will too. 


"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 1 Tim 1:7



If anyone has any comments or ideas.. please share!

WE are ABLE to Fight for Justice

A woman at my church felt called to get a group together to help stop the sex-trafficking that goes on heavily in the world. In January, this lady met with my college group (Engage Ministry) to tell us about how we could help. What we didn't all know was that sex trafficking IS in America... it has no limit and it's everywhere. We were told that during the Super Bowl every year, pimps bring their sex slaves to that city for entertainment purposes. This woman found an organization (i'm keeping the name private) that has found a successful way to rescue these abducted girls (and boys). The founder of this non-profit organization was actually taken from Michigan. When she was rescued she knew she needed to stop this madness.

Every year, this group buys several boxes of soaps. Then, they print stickers with their sex-trafficking help hotline phone number, and they put the stickers on the soap packaging. Since these poor girls are always needing to look their best, when they leave hotels they take all the soaps with them.



The company then calls all the hotels in the city or near the city that hosts the Super Bowl every year to tell them about their organization. The hotels that agree to accept this company's soap not only gets FREE soap for a few weeks, but they also choose to fight for justice.

On January 29th, I met with a group of volunteers who were willing to help. Speakers from this anti-sex trafficking organization trained us and equipped us to help out. They had us pasting stickers on soap for an hour, and then they sent us off to specified hotels in Indianapolis.

My group had 5 people: Megan, Mark, Trey, Carlos, and I. We were given only 2 hotels, and they had not agreed to take soap, so we were pretty nervous. Before getting out of the car my group would pray for the hotel, the workers, for our presentation, and for the customers. Then, three people would go in one to talk, one to handle the pamphlets, and the other to take notes. One hand out was a booklet of local missing people (Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky). The other paper had instructions for how to react if a hotel recognizes a girl.

The first hotel we arrived at had absolutely no interest in helping. It was kind of sad, and in my opinion, we could not do much more than be kind to the manager and leave her be.

The second hotel that we went to did not have their manager present, so they could not officially agree to put out our soaps. However, they took a box of five hundred bars just in case their manager was up for it. One guy at that hotel really stuck out to me. I could tell that he really, truly cared for this cause and wanted to get involved. This guy's attitude really touched me, and it was particularly relieving after experiencing the other hotel's manager. The other guy next to him was more reserved and professional.

At the end of our trip I have to admit that it was some what disappointing. It was not fun to be a part of something big, and have no idea if my group really did anything at all to help besides pray. However, we did plant seeds. I tried to keep positive about it and to be grateful for the experience. I knew that whatever happens is in God's hands and that I just needed to continue to trust Him and not doubt Him.

Well, I was ecstatic to hear a month later that the soaps in Indianapolis hotel ended up rescuing
14 girls!!!!!!! I am so excited. I don't know if any other groups besides Engage went out to deliver soaps, but the feeling of being a part of something great and fighting for justice is absolutely irreplaceable. Fighting for justice is becoming my passion.

Here's one of the news reports I could find regarding this issue.

And now, as Invisible Children's cause gets BIG. As the war criminal Joseph Kony becomes famous.. I encourage all of you who have a heart for this issue to GET INVOLVED! Spread the word, go to Cover the Night events, donate money, PRAY, and do whatever you can to help. God can use you in ways that you can't imagine. Please, just.. LET HIM. Trust Him and let Him use you. You will not be disappointed.

#STOPKONY

My 19th Birthday Challenge.. (The Radical Experiment)

A year ago on my 18th birthday, one of the gifts my boyfriend got me was the book Radical by David Platt. Since I am the kind of girl that will read several books at once, I was reading too many to start Radical right away. In October my mentor and I started reading Radical and we just finished it recently. At the end of the book Platt gives readers 5 challenges to fulfill:

1. Pray for the entire world
2. Read through the entire Word
3. Sacrifice my money for a specific purpose
4. Spend time in another context
5. Commit my life to a multiplying community

I thought what better way then to start this challenge on my 19th birthday (February 23rd) and be transformed in my last teenage year in a radical way for God!

For challenge #1 I'm getting this awesome One Year Woman's Study Bible for my birthday. This One Year Bible consists of daily Old Testament readings, New Testament readings, Psalms, and Proverbs.

As suggested by my mentor and Platt in Radical, I will be praying daily for the world using a book called Operation World for challenge #2. This prayer book is laid out to pray for different countries daily. It consists of information about each country such as how many Christians live there, the dominant religion, economic stance, major needs and  other informative details.

For challenge #3, I will be sending a monthly donation to Voice of the Martyrs.. to support persecuted Christians throughout the world.

I will be going to Kenya on June 7-18 2012, so challenge #4 is going to be covered! Check out my Kenya blog... click here!

For challenge #5, I feel like I am already doing that with church and Engage Ministry, which is a college ministry at my church. However, I can always be more involved then I currently am. I think it would be wonderful to mentor a younger girl or be involved in a woman's small group or bible study that would help me commit to this challenge.

Overall, I am so very excited to begin this on my 19th birthday! I am looking forward to seeing what God will do with me in a year. Radical is an amazing book that truly changed my whole perspective on God's call for His followers and opened my eyes to a lot of truths. I am so excited to grow and learn.

Kenya Blogging

http://erikagoestokenya.blogspot.com/



Go to that blog! This is where I will be updating viewers
on my Kenya missions trip progress.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms from Epicurious.com

Okay so I HAD to share a stuffed mushrooms recipe I found online- this tasted too dang good! I give it double thumbs up! 

WHY I LOVE JESUS AND HATE RELIGION's lazy, faithless tendencies

Alright. Well, Jeff Bethke's "Why I Love Jesus and Hate Religion" video has gone viral, and I am extremely excited about that. When God is honored in all we do, amazing things happen!


I have read a lot of NEGATIVE responses and disagreements to this video that I have thought over.
Truly, the only wrong I see with Jeff's wording is that Jesus specifically hates religion. Now, I believe that Jesus HATES when people worship other gods in their own frail religion; however, regarding Christianity and Catholicism I believe that Jesus hates when His proclaimed "followers" stay pew sitters. Pew sitters make church a routine. They fail to be engrossed in God's word. They fail to talk to God and pray. They fail to be humble and self-less. They fail to have a GENUINE RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS. Honestly, the only thing they care about in their "religion" is that they attend church. How is that any different than a Colts fan going to every game? You're just going. Does this Colts fan necessarily know Peyton Manning... NO! Now that was a sketchy example, but I think you get my point.




Here's how it is. We are all imperfect human beings who make mistakes and backslide. Though we can never be perfect on this earth because no person can own up to God's eternal sovereignty; God washes us clean, helps us see, and makes us right. Going to church does not. Going to church simply helps us learn more about God and fellowship with others. Going to church presents us with opportunities to lead and be led. God calls us to have relationships with other people. On top of learning new things about God, church provides opportunities for a person to have relationships with other people that share the same beliefs.


A huge argument that people have against this video is that some believe that Jeff is suggesting that we don't need the "rules and guidelines of a religion" since Jeff "Loves Jesus But Hates Religion." By paying attention to the video Jeff states, "Now let me clarify: I love church, I love the bible, and yes I believe in sin." By this line it's obvious that Jeff is NOT saying that we are free to make up our own rules and excuses either. By following Jesus (as Jeff says we should be doing instead of following the routines of a religion), and in turn following the Bible that was God-breathed, we're following God's Word and commands.


Jeff Bethke is trying to send a message to our world that we need to do more than be "religious". We need to take ownership of our faith and stop thinking that going to church is all we need from a religion. Jeff was showing us more of who Jesus is as a savior so we will stop putting our religions (Christianity and others a like) on a pedestal instead of our Savior, Jesus. 


We all need a wake up call once in awhile. We need spiritual check-ups. Are we being real in our faith or are we just trying to not burn in hell one day? Because, let me be blunt, simply going to church once a week is not what saves us from the fiery pits of hell. Jesus does.