ARK

The week has been filled with fellowship and service. Some of the activities seem so menial, but I am learning that God can and will teach me BIG things, even in the little stuff if I will only open my eyes.

Tuesday, the youth viewed Evan Almighty at the local theater. It was my second time to see the film because Jody and I previewed it on Monday (you can NEVER be too careful). It is a great family feature, filled with solid Biblical truth, humor, and inspiration. I may sound like a walking advertisement, but there are so many points in the movie on which you can expound. Two of my favorite things about the movie are

1.The way that God is featured as a man, a man with a sense of humor. When Evan addresses God, he is not afraid to question Him. He talks to Him like a friend. Evan does the same thing when he prays, saying things like “Alright God, I’m hanging up now.” I know that we must treat God with the respect that He so greatly deserves. He is GOD, but who said that being respectful means using terms that we do not really understand? Sometimes I find myself praying with words that I would never use in conversation: ye, dear, and beloved. My prayers are so much deeper and more honest when I realize that God understands modern English and lingo; I do not have to speak to Him in English that mimics King James!

2.ARK—Acts of Random Kindness. The movie plays off of this acronym. Evan wants to change the world; God tells him that changing the world only takes Acts of Random Kindness. I have always wanted to do something great for God: go to another country for a season or serve in a local church. However, these “BIG” tasks do not have any more impact than Acts of Random Kindness. Opportunities to serve in BIG ways rarely come our way, but random opportunities to serve are always available: that family who is moving out of their house, can you help them carry a few things? That guy whose car is broken down on the side of the road, does he need to use your cell phone? The elderly lady who is sick, does she need a ride to the doctor? Or what about the man who is just sitting on his porch, can you make time to stop and chat? These simple acts mean more to people than any sermon or Sunday School lesson because they are done out of love and not obligation. They are provided by the Holy Spirit and not man's schedule.

This week I had the amazing opportunity to perform Acts of Random Kindness for a few elderly people from Rothwell (it was random to them, but not so random to us). Yesterday (Friday) eight of the youth baked cookies and delivered them to four senior citizens in the church. All four of these were suffering from some sort of medical problem that limited their mobility. When we pulled up in the drive way, they greeted us with an open door and a smile. No matter the condition of their hair or their house, they were not allowing this opportunity for a visit to get away from them. We stayed in each house for a few minutes (some longer) chatted with them, and tried to soothe their loneliness for a little while. One man must be really lonely; he invited us back to watch Westerns!!! One lady lives in a house that is over 100 years old and has no air conditioning! We had prayer with each of them before we left, and it was obvious that they hated to see us go. I am not sure that the youth will ever realize how much it means to those adults to see a new, smiling face at their door (or any face at all).

God also provided other opportunities for service this week.

Since returning from camp, all of the youth have been looking for ways to serve here in Pooler. The World Changers (a Christian camp where the campers provide free labor to the community as an outreach tool) were in Savannah this week, and Rothwell fed them lunch throughout the week. Kaylie Stevens (a 15-year-old youth with an amazing , spunky spirit) suggested that we deliver their meal one day and stay and work with them after lunch. When we arrived on Thursday, we got our assignment: clean-up. Not a glamorous task, right? RIGHT! Most of the World Changers team was either on the roof replacing shingles or on the ladder painting windows. We were on the ground, moving old shingles from where they landed to the dumpster. I promise this—it felt like the roof of the white house had been torn off and dumped into this backyard. We dug and dug, placing the shingles in a wheel barrow and then rolling them around to the dumpster on the other side of the house. When we finally caught a glimpse of the ground beneath us, we started singing “I saw the GROUND” (instead of “I saw the LIGHT).

After three hours of manual labor we headed back to Pooler, leaving the World Changers to finish the task the next day. We complained about how hot we were and made a show of how dirty our feet and hands were. I wanted a shower SO bad, but at the same time I was proud of that dirt. Didn’t Jesus wash His disciples’ feet, and if He washed them, they must have been dirty, correct? If we are truly the hands and feet of Jesus, I think we should get dirty a little more often. This is only the third time I have done manual labor all summer, and of that I am a little ashamed. Doing manual labor for someone is the ultimate act of mercy; for this act you receive nothing in return expect for a sweaty shirt and dirty feet and hands, but the recipient of your labor receives a vivid picture of Christ and His mercy, which is poured without measure on those who are thirsty.


Picking up shingles.

Taking a pic by the really big dumpster before the hard work began.

When David (of the Bible) was running from Saul, he was tired, hungry, desperate, and quickly losing focus. He ran into the temple, where he received a sword for the battle ahead and bread for nourishment (1 Samuel 21). This bread was meant for sacrifice and this sword was a showcase item for the Israelites, but these things were given to David in an act of mercy. Jesus himself acknowledged this good deed in Matthew 12. About this He said, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” I often give my time, money and talents to the church in an act of sacrifice, but rarely do I offer them to those in need as an act of mercy. Where does Rothwell and West Jefferson Baptist rank in this area? How many desperate Davids are being nourished with spiritual food and equipped with weapons of truth?

FUGE Camp

These are some of the girls that I have the privilege of working with this summer. Aren't they beautiful, even at camp?
This is me with the youth pastor, Jody. We found ourselves busier and more tired this week than we have been in a long time (even after VBS).
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! Romans 10:15
Three girls from church and I were all on the Fifth Avenue team. This means that we, along with about 15 people from different churches, had Bible study and ministered together all week. We went to a nursing home, a children's home, a farm, a GA camp, and a park. The last night of camp, we competed against other teams in MEGA, a huge relay. For this event, everyone dresses in their team colors and paints there faces in a effort to win "THE SPIRIT CUP"! You wouldn't want to mess with us!
This little girl asked to paint my face while we were at the Berea House, a home that ministers to children in a low-income community. While at the home, we were able to share Bible stories with these kids as well as the unconditional love of Christ.
This is our group with the camp pastor, Jon Gillis. Jon has written two books:
The Dawn of Resolution and Substitute Christianity. He is an amazing, in-your-face speaker.

So, as you can see from the pictures, this week was filled with so many different activities. Each one of them was a chance to glorify God in some way; even sitting still in the midst of camp madness became a form of worship. I truly learned the meaning of 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God's glory."

For the sake of space and time, I want to highlight three things that I am praising God for this week:

1. A deep concern over the definition of Christian.
In Jon's book, Substitute Christianity, he discusses this issue. How do you know that you are a Christian? Is it because you asked Jesus into your heart or prayed a prayer? Neither one of those terms or practices are found in scripture. God calls us to confess, repent, and believe. BUT He also calls us to die to self and to live for Him. This is not a single transaction that happens at an altar one day, it is a lifestyle. What is the purpose of Christianity? Did Christ die to save us from HELL? Well, yes and no. He died to save us from sin and sin is what causes us to go to hell. We get so caught up in hell that we forget that sin is the problem and that sin happens now, not later. It ruins our life now, and it can ruin our life later as well. Now, I still have not figured out the whole thing. I am seeking God and His word (they are one in the same, right?) for the answers. For now, I know that I am a Christian because I have trusted Him to save me from my sins, and I have not only called Him Lord but I am attempting to make Him Lord of my life (key word=attempting). Jon says, to remember, if you are not living with Jesus now, you will not live with Him for forever, and if you are living with Him now, you will continue to live with Him for forever, and forever.

2. People worshiping in so many different ways.
This week I saw people jump to worship. I saw them dance. I saw them sing, and it made me worship that much more. On Thursday night, our group had a confession session after Jon preached a message on facades. Many in our group, including myself, admitted to holding up a false appearance. Students cried and as the tears ran, the inner parts of their hearts were opened up for all of us to see. One student even asked Jesus to save him, expressing the desire to be baptized and read scripture with some of the group (you don't meet middle schoolers everyday who want to read scripture). In those moments we grew so much closer together. For many, the greatest blessings of the week, came on Thursday. However, for me the blessings came the next night during worship. I turned to my right to see many of the kids raising their hands to the their MAKER, the one who allows and invites them to be HONEST and drop all the false appearances. Some were crying, others were belting out the song, some were even jumping up and down. I could see their hearts and for many I knew their reason for worship. THAT was the greatest blessing of the week for me.

3. God using me when I didn't expect it. He used me outside my comfort zone (SURPRISE).
This week I was not sure which ministry track to choose--social, children's, games and rec, creative, or construction. Well, I canceled off creative really quickly for obvious reasons but all of the others were still an option. I liked a little bit of each one. I felt pulled toward social, but I did not want to sign up for it because one of the possible ministry sights was a nursing home. My grandmother lives at the nursing home and I don't even enjoy seeing her there (isn't that sad?); I even call it the funeral home on accident sometimes. However, in the end that is where I ended up, and you know what my favorite ministry of the week was? You guessed it, the nursing home. I got to play Bingo with Ms. Virginia White. She shared with me so much about her life. She "crosses and uncrosses her legs" for fun, and plays too many jokes to have any friends. She used to be hair dresser and has skied behind a cow! She was so funny! I and so many others have missed out on blessings because we have ignored the older generation.

As you can see, I had an amazing week at camp. God worked through the youth, and the fire is evident on their faces. Pray that the fire will continue. It will only do so if the leaders and the youth commit themselves to prayer and the reading of God's word. Pray for me, that I will get back into my quiet time after the week at camp, which completely jumbled my schedule, including my sleep. Also, pray that we will continue to minister here in Rothwell as we did in Greenville. The students have expressed the desire to visit nursing homes and children's homes, so Jody and I along with the kids will work this week to plan those activities. Pray for opportunities and for creativity in planning and executing these ministries.

Oh, how I love Jesus (and Fridays!)

It is the end of the week, and (am I allowed to say this?) yeah! We have had Bible school all week. It has been such a blast to work with the kids. The nights have been filled with laughter, joy, prayer, worship, and all the good things that you could ask for, which makes me wonder, why am I so tired and emotionally drained? I am not sure, but I am sure that it was worth it.

Brother Devin allowed me to partner with him and Carol this week as we taught Bible stories to kids in the kindergarten through fifth grade classes. I know that THIS is exactly where God wanted me to be. The kids cycled through in fifteen minute intervals, so I got to see almost all of them everyday. While they were in Bible study, we played a couple of really fun games that tied into the Bible study for the day (and we told the Bible story, of course). A couple of nights, Brother Devin let me help tell the story. People have always told me that the best way to learn something is to teach it, and that proved to be so true for me this week.

When telling a story to children, you have to really be familiar with it because you have to tell it in your own words (they do not understand thee, thou, accord, sanctification, transcends, etc.) without getting the facts wrong or embellishing. Last night, we were retelling the story of the early church. The narration began with Jesus' ascension into heaven (ascension, another word that they do not understand). So, I began to think of ways to explain it. When Jesus went up into heaven, it was like their friend just floating off, like someone suddenly inflated Him with helium. How strange would that be? No wonder they stood staring into the sky for so long. I asked the kids, "How long do you think they stood staring at the sky, wondering where He went?" So many of the kids said, "one hour". How long do you think that it was? I don't guess we could know, but it must have been a long time because Acts says that God sent an angel to tell them to stop staring at the clouds; "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking to heaven?" (Acts 1: 11a). Isn't that cool? They were so dumbfounded that they just stood there, looking up until GOD sent an angel to keep them from breaking their necks :-)

This is just one of the cool things that I saw when I read the Bible stories from a different perspective!

Besides Bible school, there were also alot of other projects to work on this week because we are leaving for camp on Monday, which means that we had to (and still have to) get paper work together, prepare for lessons, and get the van ready. We also have a middle school party tomorrow night! MADNESS!

In the midst of a crazy and draining day and week, there has been so much encouragement. I ran into a guy from UAB at STARBUCKS; he used to hang out in our dorm room and moved to the area for the summer with his parents! It was so great to see a familiar face. How cool? Today alone I got five cards in the mail (really sweet ones too). And, to top it all off, I got to see many kids pray to receive Christ during VBS! We do not know the exact #, but GOD does and He is rejoicing! The kids were encouraged to come forward during the invitation Sunday morning and afterwards be baptized, so maybe they will. Go God!

Thank you so much for your prayers. PRAY for the youth as we travel to camp and stay there throughout the week next week. PRAY for ministry opportunities on the way to camp and when we arrive. PRAY for spiritual growth and unity in the group. PRAY that God will continually renew my emotional and physical strength. Hopefully, I will be able to take advantage of this weekend of rest!

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:30-31

P.S. The pic is from last weekend when Leslie (middle), Kaylie (left), and I (right) went shopping and to SONIC for ice cream (no night is complete without ice cream)!!

His Girl

Tonight was the first session of HisGirl, a Bible study that is produced by Lifeway. We have been planning it for a couple of weeks, but Miriam was out of town last week. She is leading the study, and I am so excited to be helping her. The book has lots of great ideas about how to get conversation started, but Miriam has SO many ideas as well. This weekend, we prepared for the study by discussing who was doing what and going to buy supplies. We decided to prepare for about 15 people(and thought we were over estimating). We went to Walmart to get rings for the scripture memory cards, and they only had ten, but again we thought that would be plenty.

We planned the Bible study for 7 pm, right after evening worship. Georgiana volunteered to have it at her house, so we were going to take the van over there after service. When we went to get on the van, guess what? We wouldn't all fit!! Girls sat on the ground behind the last row of seats and squeezed together. They rode in other cars as well. When we got there, we realized that we didn't have enough of anything! How great is that? We ran out of rings, journals, and even pens! It was so exciting. There were 17 girls there, many who do not usually come to church on Wednesday nights, much less Sunday nights.

Those who prepared for and promoted this study, did such an incredible job! Pray for those who came, that they will continue to come and learn what God has to say about the way we live. It is so amazing to see that God's word has implications today, even though the time in which they lived was so different.

I will have to share with you a little about what we learned tonight. The topic was stress. We used 2 sets of scripture verses: Hebrews 4: 14-16 and Matthew 14. The verses in Hebrews tell us that Jesus went through everything that we go through. That is mind boggling, but also so encouraging.

Jesus was tempted sexually, yet He didn't give in. He was tempted to gossip, yet He didn't open His mouth to tear others down. He was "tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin"(Hebrews 4:15b). Therefore, I can bring Him all of my concerns, and He will, not only hear, but understand! This is the main lesson in dealing with stress: God is capable of taking all of our concerns. When we are stressed out, what are we supposed to do? The answer is so clear: "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).

Be in prayer for the youth. God is blessing this time. Pray that He will use this time to build community and ignite a desire for Him, the Lover of our Souls (and the rest of our being as well). Also pray this week for the entire church. VBS starts tomorrow and the youth is going to camp next week. There are tons of events plans, but our prayer is that they become more than events. When we recognize God's presence with us, that is exactly what will happen!

But for me, the presence of the Lord is my good! Psalms 73:28a

Foundations

The elderly people of the church are those who are the most faithful; they attend every service, give money during every offering, and pray for every need. Yet of all those in the church, they get the least attention. When was the last time that the Senior adults had a fun day (that someone else planned for them) or a special service with "their kind of music"? We have become accustomed to ignoring their voice as that of "the past generation"; of course, there is a time for change and change is healthy. We must not hold on to things just because they are tradition. However, we should revisit our foundations, the things that built the church and that will continue to keep us strong.Today I had the opportunity to do just that.

This week, Jody and I spent some time selecting prayer partners for the youth that will be attending camp. The list consisted mainly of senior adults--the prayer WARRIORS. Jody decided that, if we didn't see them at church on Wednesday night, we would hand deliver them. He warned me that this could take a while. I was expecting to drop off the prayer partner requests and drive to the next house, but these visits turned into so much more! They became times of prayer and encouragement and reminders that great wisdom is lost when we stop listening to the voice of those who are our elders (only by a couple of years :-) ).

The second visit we made was too a lady named Miss Ouida. I was scared to say her name while we were there because I am still not certain of the pronunciation. As soon as we walked into her house, I knew that this lady was going to make a great prayer partner for me (I got a GOOD one!!!). A stack of books the height of a small child sat on her ottomon, which included her Bible, concordance, Open Windows, and other spiritual resources. Each one was worn with love, the product of daily appointments with God. When she opened her mouth to speak, encouragement overflowed. Miss Ouida told us of her deep burden for Rothwell Baptist, which is currently experiencing a sharp drop in attendance. Her passion flowed with every word as she spoke of her desire to "fix it," and the hurt she felt knowing that she couldn't. She then spoke lovingly of her pastor and his work. Every word she spoke was one that uplifted someone else.

Jody and I left, stunned at what God had taught us in those few minutes that we spent with her. Why do we not do this more often? This is the 3rd visit that I have made to the home of a senior citizen since i have been in Rothwell, and each one has been a deep blessing. I can't wait to finish handing out the prayer partner request; hopefully during this time i will be able to gain more knowledge from these saints of God.

I praise God for those in B'ham, like Miss Ouida. They still send their wisdom to me, even here in Pooler. Thank you so much!

Is not wisdom found among the aged?
Does not long life bring understanding?
Job 12:12

Rain On Our Parade

Yesterday, the youth group went to the Braves game, so much fun! It takes about 3.5 hours to get there, so we left the church around 9. After driving for what seemed like forever, we stopped for lunch at a gas station. We kept looking for a rest stop, but since we never saw one, we just ate our sack lunches in the van. We had a big plan for a picnic and devotion, but it turned into a face-stuffing and very quick lesson.

In the van, I had the chance to lead the devotion. I wanted it to tie into the baseball game, so I talked about pride, and how it gets in the way of us and God. one of my favorite things that God showed me in that lesson was this: A baseball team cannot win if all the players focus on their on desires instead of the goals of the team. However, God will be victorious not matter what. Pride just keeps us from sharing in his victory. So often, I begin to believe that God can't do it without me. The pressure of that is more than anyone can bear. When I fail, I think that I let God down somehow; however, I only let Him down when I work for myself and not for Him; and even if i abandon Him, His plan will still prevail!

The clouds had loomed overhead all day, and we went through a few showers on the way to the game, but when we arrived at the stadium, the weather was perfect! The clouds overhead provided just enough shade. However, around the 6th inning the clouds turned dark and at the end of the seventh, they opened up and poured sheets of rain onto the unexpecting fans. They all ran for cover, and most ran home. We hung around, taking pictures and watching the field crew cover the field. Only 20 minutes later, we returned to our wet seats to watch the last 2 innings with wet rears under sunny skys! Nothing was going to rain on our parade!

It was such a blessed day. On the way up there, i finished reading The Way I Was Made by Chris Tomlin (titled inspired by his song). As most of you know, I have no clue where my future is going, where God is leading me. Chris hit so many homeruns in my heart with the things that he said in that book pertaining to his struggle with his future. For instance
--"Looking back, I can see that God was hard at work on my real future. But at the time, I wasn't convinced. So I played it safe. I let God do His thing and I went to work getting into physical therapy school. Not that I had a passion for it, but physical therapy seemed like a logical way for me to make money (just being honest)."

Right now, I feel like that is where I am at, just holding on to my backup plan until God reveals to me a real passion, something that doesn't just make money. Look at Chris Tomlin, he was fixing to start physical therapy school and now he is a world-renowned worship leader, constantly inviting people to glorify God. Who knows what God has for me, a girl who is holding onto a chemistry degree, waiting on direction from God. The book encouraged me to be confident in my waiting, but not to ignore the signs that God gives me.

One year ago, I would have never guessed that I would be here, in Savannah, Georgia, but that is where he led me! Praise Him that He did! and because of this leading, I can trust Him to continue to lead me exactly where He wants me to go.

Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to the completion until the day of Christ Jesus.--Philippians 1:6

I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.--Jeremiah 29:11

Opportunites Passed

Friday at Nagano's (a Japanese restraunt) I shared the table with a girl my age and her mom. We struck up a converstion that lasted throughout the evening meal. When the girl got up to leave, I realized that I had not shared my heart for God with her. Of course, there were plenty of opportunities. She asked me why I had come to Georgia. I talked to her about church. Instead of saying, "I came because I have a friend named Jesus, who provides me with unconditional love," I said, "I came to work with the youth at Rothwell...Have you seen that new Pirates of the Caribbean movie?"

This incident is similar to so many others that I have had both in Alabama and Savannah, GA. I allow the opportunities to pass because my heart is not focused (or maybe my heart and my brain are not connecting!) So, I ask you to pray for the strength to get past the small talk! This same prayer request applies to the girls in the youth: that God will help me to get past the surface with them and discover their hearts so that I can better minister to them.

Thank you so much for your prayers! Because of them I have settled comfortably in Rothwell and have had many chances to share. Just pray that I will take advantage of these opportunities.

This weekend has been alot of fun. As I said, we went to Nagano's on Friday night. Brittany, Emily and Kaitlyn are not here this weekend, so I have been hanging out with Harry and Dennise alot. Yesterday we went to a wedding at the church. I caught the bouquet!! I don't really believe that it means anything, but it was exciting none-the-less. After the wedding I got the chance to hang-out with Leslie, a girl in the youth group who is only a year younger than me. We went to see a movie and ate at Mellow Mushroom...fun, fun!

This week holds lots of excitement, including a trip to the Braves game. These activities are entended to keep the kids involved, but they are also alot of fun for us! Our prayer is that they will be more than just activities, though. That they will be events that allow us to build relationships and love the kids so that they can see and experience Christ's love.