Making Rough Places Smooth

"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16


We are blind. Whether we like to admit it or not, that is what we are. We don't know what is going to happen in 5 years, 1 year, 1 day, or 1 minute. God does, however. He promises to the lead the blind, you and I, by ways we have not known. He promises to guide us, turning darkness into light and making rough places smooth. 


Honestly, I hate to think of myself as blind. I like to think that I know what my life is going to look like and think that I have a great plan for myself. It's a pride issue. A big one! I like to think that I can see what will turn darkness into light in my life. I like to think that I have the ability to make rough places smooth in my own strength. Well, if I'm blind to what is going to happen a minute from now, how I can I possibly know how to go about my life in a manner that I think is what God wants for me unless I'm giving over my pride and admitting that I'm blind and need Him to guide me? 


This concept of blindness is nothing new for me. It's been something God has been revealing to me over and over for the past year, yet I'm so quick to forget. I even have that verse as a sticky note on my computer and forget even still. It's not just admitting that I can't see. I can do that. The big thing is saying "I can't see and I need you to lead me, Father." Then I think to myself, "Why is it easy to ask my earthly father for direction, for guidance, for help, yet so often unwilling to ask my Heavenly Father?" It's silly. With an all-knowing, all-loving, all-gracious Father, why would I not want Him to guide my steps and make these rough places smooth? 


Pride. 


C.S. Lewis calls this "the great sin." My Father just wants me to know Him. He wants to give Himself to me. In order to become humble, to be joined closer to the Lord, we must admit that we are proud. That is step number one. What comes after that, I'm sure, is a glorious journey in which the Father is leading His child through this mess of life, making it smooth. Not necessarily easy by any means, but He promises He will not forsake us. Will you admit with me that you're blind and proud? Let's humble ourselves before the Lord and ask Him to guide us in life, depending on Him fully to lead us. God will not let His children out of His hand. 

Writing To Change The World

Writers change the world or so I've been told. After months of not blogging, I've decided I'm going to try to be more disciplined with putting my thoughts out there. God has been doing so much in my life and my knowledge of Him and the world has been increasing greatly and I don't want to be selfish anymore. Learners are earners. Readers are leaders. Writers change the world. I want to change the world for the sake of Christ. So, if you're reading this and continue to follow my posts, I pray that the Holy Spirit would use me to minister to your life through what He is teaching me. Here goes nothing! 

Depending on my Rock

School started on Wednesday and I can already see that I am going to be overwhelmed. I'm taking 18 credits and wanting to get all A's, have responsibilities with Global Outreach, responsibilities in my hall, want to be involved at my church and in the community, want to have a lot of fun with my friends, have fitness goals, want to be a better guitar player, and most importantly want to grow in my faith. All these things are staring me in the face and it's very discouraging. I want to do it all but my body and brain say, "NO! It's too much!" 
But when I look at these things, they are all good things and all ways in which I can glorify God. I don't want to give up on these things. I want to look back after this year is over having accomplished all these things and say, "God did that! Praise Him!" My body is going to fight all these things and I know Satan is going to be on the prowl trying to steal my attention away from giving God the glory in my life, but "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped." Psalm 28:7. I want more than anything for God to receive the glory and praise He deserves and in this final year of college, I see that how I can do that is to let Him be my strength and my rock and pull me through all these things I have on my plate. He is good and He is faithful and I trust in Him. 

Hiking With Dad

Your dad says he wants to take you on a hike to the top of a mountain. You've never really hiked before and don't know what to expect. Your dad has been doing this for years, and you trust him to take care of you so you agree to go with him. 
You start this hike and discover quickly that it wasn't as easy as you thought it'd be. There are lots of rocks that are hard to walk on. Rushing rivers are in your path that you must cross. You fall down. You get beat up. You're tired and just want to turn around and go back home to your simple, easy life. No more of this hiking nonsense. You don't know what you're doing so why try? 
Then you look at your dad. He's climbing the rocks with ease, the rushing water did not move him, he is not tired or weary. You were trying to climb the mountain out of your own strength, but your dad wanted to do this journey with you and be your strength. He knows there is no way you could do it on your own, that's why he came along. You realize this and cry out, "Dad, help me," and he stretches out his hand and takes hold of yours. 
You continue to climb to the top. The path turns rocky, but your dad clears the path and makes it smooth for you. You come to another rushing river and he picks you up and carries you across. Day turns into night, but he knows just where to go. He says gently, "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to leave you, just stay close to me." You slip but he catches you. You are beginning to get frustrated because you've been climbing for so long and it's not getting easier. You're seeing just how weak you are and how dependent you're having to be on your dad. You want to do it on your own. You are exhausted, but your dad tells you to rest your head on his shoulder. He reminds you of how much he loves you, tells you how proud he is of you and is so glad that you came with him on this journey. He knows it's tough. He's done it all before and can sympathize with your pain and welcomes you to tell him how you're feeling. You say, "Why is it so hard? I'm beat up, my feet hurt, and I can't keep going. It hurts too much. I thought you were going to make it easier. You're not tired at all and here I am crying because I can't seem to muster the strength to keep going." 
Your dad looks at you with his loving eyes and tells you to look down the mountain. "Look how far you've come, child," he says. "Remember what the journey was like before you cried out to me and what it was like after that." You look at your bruised body, feel the sweat pouring down your face, see your torn up shoes, and then you look at your father. He's as strong as ever, still inviting you to come to the top. He brought you up this far and there is no way you can go back now. He's been there the whole time and promised he wasn't going anywhere. He said he'll carry you when you're weak, will delight in you always, and is just so excited that you're spending this time with him. It brings him such great joy. He didn't promise that the rest of the climb is going to be easy, but he'll make a way. He's hoping that this climb becomes one of joy for you, knowing in the end you will have the most beautiful view and story of how your father brought you into glory. A story of a strong, loving father and his dearly loved child climbing this mountain together hand in hand. 

The Final Days

Hello readers...


My time in Vienna is coming to a close. I'm very sad to leave this place, yet excited at the same time because I miss my family a lot. Over the last two weeks, it has really started to feel like home. If you would have asked me two weeks ago if I was ready to go home, I would have said yes, but since then, God has really started to shape my heart to see what He sees when He looks at this city. He has given me eyes to see a need that goes so much deeper than seeing drug adicts standing outside Karlsplatz. 
Also, in the last few weeks I have begun to see just how important this community is to me. I love the interns that I work with, Lindsay, and the Hunters so much! It has been such a gift from God to work with all of them this summer. It's going to be hard going from such a close knit community, where we have been so open and honest with each other, to a community at college where I've known those people longer, but they don't know my heart. I, as well as my whole team, have taken great risks to make the most of this summer--exposing our sins, loving deeply, and living in such close quarters--and because we loved deeply, the loss will be deep. 
Please pray that during this last week, that the God of all peace will be in our midst and we will feel Him as we say goodbye to this city and to each other. Pray that we would be able to adjust well to life back home as we go through reverse culture shock. Pray that the work that God has been doing would continue in the lives of the Austrians we have met as well as in our own lives. 


Here's my schedule for this week:
Monday: shopping for gifts, retreat time (lunch and quiet time at Schönbrunn palace), baby date with Allie, and roomie night.
Tuesday: prayer walk at International Christian School of Vienna, tourist time, date with Alli and Allie, family night. 
Wednesday: Clean the church, discipleship with Lindsay, tourist time, time with roomies.
Thursday: Clean the apartment, dessert night at our apartment for church ladies and friends.
Friday-Saturday: Debriefing 
Sunday: church activities
Monday: goodbyes, packing, and family night. 
Tuesday: leave bright and early  

Reflections--Sonship Retreat Schladming Style

I spent 5 days in the Austrian Alps in this adorable town called Schladming with my team going through Sonship. Sonship is curriculum put out by World Harvest and I would highly recommend you look into it. The Gospel was presented in a beautiful way and I was reminded yet again that the Gospel is more than just the entryway into the Christian faith, but that it is so much more powerful than that. 


Here are some of my thoughts about Sonship: 


This life, therefore, is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness; not health, but healing;  not being, but becoming;  not rest, but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it.   The process is not yet finished, but it is going on. This is not the end, but it is the road. All does not yet gleam in glory, but all is being purified. --Martin Luther


We analyzed idols in our lives: things we put our trust in, desire, or fear above God and how these things blind us to God's love. Sometimes these idols can be good things that we just allow to take priority in our lives and put before God. The good news is that God never tires of forgiving us. His well never runs dry. He still calls us to Himself as His beloved children. This blows my mind and what it really did was break my heart. How can I, such a wretched sinner, be so incredibly loved and still smiled upon after all the sins that I commit on a daily basis? Still rejoiced over? (Zeph. 3:17) I thought of Psalm 51:17, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." When we present ourselves broken to God, He welcomes us with open arms as His child. The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I see my sin and my need for a Savior. Thank God that the Gospel continues to work because you cannot look at the intensity of your sin and the holiness of God unless you have a huge Jesus to bridge the gap between the two. This life is a constant process of sanctification and it is pretty messy. Sometimes it's two steps forward, three steps back. But God does not grow faint or weary and He will keep pushing us along, always looking at us with favor because we are His children and He delights in us. 


While enjoying some quiet time in the mountains, I felt what it was like to be rejoiced over. That the King of the Universe delights in me, this vapor, and a sinful vapor at that. I felt so little sitting in the middle of these giant mountains, yet felt so at peace and so loved by my creator. He loves me in spite of my sin and still wants me to draw near to Him and discover His heart. 

Strength in Weakness

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.--2 Corinthians 12:9-10.

My tendency has always been to hide my weaknesses to protect my reputation, so that I may still appear to be a good Christian, a good role model. The thought never really crossed my mind that showing weakness was okay because it could point people to Christ. When I admit my weaknesses, Christ gets the glory because I show that I need Him and that I'm not self-sufficient, yet dependent on a great God. I am a weak vessel that He has chosen to be a light in this dark world. A weak vessel with a powerful God living within me. Because of this fact I can say, "Hey, I am utterly weak and without God's grace I would be nothing, but praise be to God for giving me the strength and making me a competent minister of His glorious grace. There is nothing that I could have done to become who I am today on my own. It is the work of God within me." When we admit our weaknesses, our fears, our sin and let the Spirit of God move in us, it is a beautiful, freeing thing. It allows you to delight in the Lord so much more than when you thought you could do it all on your own and when you hid your weaknesses. Admitting weakness, though at first it may seem detrimental, it strengthens you because it lets God fill you up with His strength. 

So there you have it world: I am weak. I am sinful. I am wretched. But my God is strong. He is gracious. He heals. He gives hope. He gives life. He delights in me when I cry out to Him. He saves. He loves. 

Summer Highlights Part 1

Well, my summer in Vienna is half way complete. It has been joyous, difficult, challenging, uplifting, and so much more. I want to list off some of my highlights of this adventure thus far...

• Walking around the 1st district both by myself and with my team
• Discipleship with Lindsay
• Coffee and lots of it :) 
• Lots of good Jesus time. Hard, but much needed lessons learned.
• Day trip to Bratislava, Slovakia 
• The food!!! Meat, cheese, bread, chocolate, nutella, bratwurst, wiener schnitzel 
• Getting to bond with the Hunter kids
• English camp. Though exhausting, I love those kids. 
• Shopping at H&M 
• Reading in historic areas of the city 
• Sacher Torte at the Sacher Hotel 
• Hearing Handel's Messiah at St. Stephan's Cathedral 
• Skyping with my family, friends, and boyfriend. They provide a lot of stability when I'm feeling feeble. 
• Going the Prater and riding the sketchy roller coaster and 383 ft. swing
• Enjoying some amazing views 
• People watching 
• Hanging out at the Naschmarkt
• Bonding with my fellow interns 

The summer is still young. I look forward to writing the second part of this post in 4 weeks with more highlights! 

Incompetent, Yet Beautifully Capable

Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinithians 3: 4-6.

I've been thinking lately about how I feel inadequate and incapable of leading and ministering to people. It's been bringing me down lately and I just verbally processed it today when I met with Lindsay for discipleship. I've been feeling that my age, and in turn lack of life experience, makes me less important and much less qualified to do anything--especially speak truth into people's lives. I'm the baby of the group here in Vienna and when I get back to school in the Fall I'm going to be a leader in both my hall and the student body as just a 2nd year student. In the past, I've never really felt as though I've been lacking anything when it came to leadership--it's one of my spiritual gifts. I've always been a part of student council, been a leader on sports teams, part of NHS, etc. But I was leading people my age... I think now that I'm in a position where I'm speaking into the lives of people who are much older than me, it is intimidating me and Satan is trying to convince me that I am not capable of leading people who are older than me and have more life experience. He's trying to convince me that I don't deserve to be listened to because I am not as wise or mature as some people. He's trying to convince me that I need to stay silent because no one cares what I say because I'm just a kid.

BUT, God promises that He makes me competent to minister through the work of the Holy Spirit in me! It's not because of anything that I do, because without Him I am most definitely incompetent. He makes me capable to speak His truth into the lives of others, whether they are 5 or 50. "You a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts." 2 Corinthians 3:3. Because of the work of the living God in me, I am a letter to people's hearts! That is the power of the Holy Spirit! So as I continue to wrestle with what my role is in ministry, as a 19 year old, and as a daughter of the King, I find comfort in this verse--"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

My Prayer

Oh! for a heart that is burdened!
Infused with a passion to pray;
Oh! for a stirring within me;
Oh! for His power every day.
Oh! for a heart like my Savior,
Who being in an agony, prayed.
Such caring for others, Lord, give me;
On my heart let burdens be laid.
My Father, I long for this passion,
To pour myself out for the lost
To lay my life down to save others
"To pray," whatever the cost.
Lord, teach me, Oh teach me this secret,
I'm hungry this lesson to learn,
This passionate passion for others,
For this, blessed Jesus, I yearn.
Father this lesson I long for from thee
Oh, let Thy Spirit reveal this in me.
--Mary Warburton Booth

Seeking Jesus

I have been reading Mark and John over the past week trying to learn more about how Jesus presented himself to people he met and also to just learn more about the person of Jesus. I've been noticing that even if Jesus had an agenda to get somewhere, he would take time out of his day to heal others, to teach, and to edify. In America especially, we get so caught up in our busy schedules that we forget to be Jesus to people. Jesus was more concerned with saving lives than saving time. We tend to have it wrong and flip the two.
I think if we read the gospels and truly understood what Jesus was telling us, our lives would look totally different. There would probably be a lot less "Christians" and more true disciples. In John 8:31-32, Jesus says, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." We not only should look at Jesus as our Savior, but as our role model and the person who we should strive to emulate. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." Mark 8: 34-35. This teaching of Jesus requires obedience, submission, and faithfulness--to make him our role model as well as our Savior. It is not just a call to believe that Jesus is a cool guy. I challenge you to seek out what God's heart is and desire to share that same heart. Look at the life of Jesus and strive to be like him more and more everyday. Be a follower of Christ, not a leader of your own agenda. Take time to save lives and not worry about saving time.

Healing Faith

So, right now I'm sitting in Starbucks in Vienna and outside the window is the opera house. I'm loving this view and being able to watch the people walk by and see the beauty of the diversity of this city. God is so creative. I love it!
I've been reading a chapter of Mark and John everyday to see how Jesus presents himself to others and how I can best present him to the people I come in contact with. This morning I was reading Mark 5 and came across the story with the woman with the issue of blood. This story really hit me hard. This woman had been sick for 12 years and she had heard about Jesus and thought that if she could just touch his garment she'd be healed. So that is what she did. She got down on the ground and touched Jesus' cloak and just like she believed, she was healed. Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your  faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
This story is significant for several reasons:
1. How cool is it that Jesus calls her daughter?! We are so loved by Him that He calls us His children. The parent, child relationship is one of the most precious things there is. This is where our identity rests. You are a child of the King of Kings!
2. This woman's faith healed her. She had been sick for 12 years. If I were her, I would have been so discouraged and just given up. But not her. She was convinced that Jesus could heal her and simply by just touching his clothes! If this woman believed that, why don't I believe in God more? God is so much bigger than any and all of my problems, but so often I think that He isn't capable of fixing them and that I have to take matters into my own hands. I desire to have healing faith. I want to be so desperate for Jesus that all I know how to do is have faith in Him. I want to fall at His feet with fear and trembling and tell Him everything and believe wholeheartedly that He can save me from whatever I may be going through.

The Whole Package

"Suppose there is a wedding, and when it is time for the vows the man says, "Pastor, I accept this woman as my personal cook, or as my personal dish washer." The woman would say, "Wait a minute. Yes, I'm going to cook. Yes, I am going to wash dishes. Yes, I am going to clean the house, but I am not a maid. I'm going to be your wife. You have to give me your love, your heart, your home, your talent, everything." The same is true in Jesus. He is our Savior; He is our Healer, but we cannot cut Him into little pieces and take one part of Him and not another part of Him. When we take Him as our Savior, we are also taking Him as our Lord. When we ask Him for salvation, we accept His command to "Go."--John Willis Zumwalt in Passion for the Heart of God. 

I've been reading this book and it is incredible. I am already beginning to see more of what God wants out of me. I've also been reading Mark and John (the two books I've chosen to study this summer) and seeing more of the character of Jesus and how I need to replicate that. I have already begun to see my shortcomings and how there are certain parts of Jesus that I don't see the need for or don't want because that means giving up some of my independence. Let the pruning begin. Painful, but oh so rewarding. 

Hello Vienna!

Today, after months of anticipation and after 8 hours of flying, my team and I finally arrived in Vienna.

(My team in the Philadelphia airport. One of the long term team members, Sonja, was in the U.S. and helped at our training sessions.)

All I can say is, "Wow!" This city is gorgeous. There is so much history, so much amazing architecture, so much beauty. I was thinking as I was uploading pictures on to my computer tonight that I think it is going to be really difficult to see the beauty of the city and the depravity at the same time. Vienna as a whole is so lost, but by looking at the city itself it looks so well put together. I think once I get over the initial shock of how beautiful it is here, I will begin to have my eyes opened. I want to see this city the way God sees it and reach it for the sake of glorifying His name. Please pray that God would open my eyes and give me opportunities to share His love with others.

Off to Austria

Today is the day that my team leaves for Austria. I'm overjoyed to start this new adventure in life and discover more what God has for me. I'm scared and nervous, but tremendously excited as well. I've been in Philadelphia since Sunday afternoon and have been enjoying getting to reconnect with my teammates and the other interns going to different parts of the world. We went to a conference center called SPADE and had a lot of fun there. We talked about having communion with Jesus and what it means to be in community with each other. These were both really helpful things to discuss before we prepare to depart. I'm so excited to see how God works this summer in Vienna as well as the other places where the World Harvest interns will be.
Please be praying as we all travel. Pray for rest, both spiritual and physical. Pray that we would adjust well to our temporary homes and connect well with our teams. Thanks so much for your partnership.

Prepare for Departure

Vienna is a mere two weeks away and I could not be more excited. It hasn't really hit me until today just how close it is. Am I ready? I want to say yes, but in all honesty I don't know. The adventure part of it, I am so ready. But am I ready to share my faith with others? There is nothing I desire more than to obey the Great Commission and share God's love with others, but I feel so unqualified sometimes. I keep thinking of 1 Peter 3:15, where it says, "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." Am I prepared to answer tough questions about my faith? I've been taking a class in theology and it has really challenged me to answer these tough questions. I'm very grateful for this opportunity to expand my knowledge of the Bible. However, there are so many things that I don't know. What if someone asks me to answer a tough question about predestination? I am going to have to trust the Holy Spirit to give me the words to say. This is really tough for me though because my sinful nature says that I need to rely on my own strength to do so. One thing I do know is that I need to dig into the Word more and rely on God's strength rather than my own. I can't be an effective minister of God's grace unless the Holy Spirit speaks through me. I am first and foremost a follower of Christ, a student of the Word and I need to keep that a priority in life.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul...

"Never be content with your grasp of the gospel. The gospel is life-permeating, world-altering, universe-changing truth. It has more facets than any diamond. Its depths man will never exhaust."--C.J. Mahaney

This year more than ever before, I am discovering how little I know about the Bible. Sure, compared to some people I have a lot of knowledge, but I've been a true Christian for 6 years now. You'd think I'd know a ton of stuff about the Word. For a long time I just analyzed Scripture through my own lens: "What does this verse mean to me?" rather than "What is God saying through this passage in that time, today, to others, to me?" It's a lot more work to look at it through God's lens, but so much better. My professors, pastors, friends, and family have challenged me this year and pointed out things in passages that I've never noticed before. Part of this was due to my selfish way of reading, but also that the word "has more facets than any diamond and its depths man will never exhaust." The beauty of the Bible is that we can learn something new every time we read it.

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward, Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless; innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer. --Psalm 19: 7-14

This is a beautiful passage describing the Word of God. Do we value it the way David describes it or is it just a book to us? God gives us His very word to teach us about Him: the Almighty, Everlasting God! We should rejoice in this, but so often we take the access we have to God for granted.

Paul charges Timothy to "Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales; rather train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:7-8) One of the ways to train ourselves to be godly is to meditate on the Word day and night. Sound daunting? It is, but with the help of the Holy Spirit and a desire to become godly, it is possible. The Christian faith is not a lazy one. So often people make it out to be: go to church, pray before meals, and be a nice person. However, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." (James 1:22)

Christianity is a religion of hard work, not because we need to work to obtain salvation, but because God calls us to become like Jesus (Philippians 2:5-11). If we are true followers of Christ, we will desire to put to death our sin, meditate on His Word day and night, pray without ceasing, and become like Christ.

Why We Need To Throw Out The Term "Good Christian" by Francis Chan

I think it's time we stop asking ourselves the question: "Am I a good Christian?" We live in a time when the term "Christian" has been so diluted that millions of immoral but nice people genuinely consider themselves "good Christians." We have reduced the idea of a good Christian to someone who believes in Jesus, loves his or her family, and attends church regularly. Others will label you a good Christian even though your life has no semblance to the way Christ spent His days on earth. Perhaps we should start asking the question: "Am I a good Christ?" In other words, do I look anything like Jesus? This question never even entered my mind until a friend of mine made a passing comment to me one day.

Dan is a long time friend of mine. In fact, he's the pastor who performed my wedding. He was talking to me about a pastor named Von. Von has been working with youth in the San Diego area for decades. Many of his students have gone on to become amazing missionaries and powerful servants of God. Dan described a trip to Tijuana, Mexico, with Pastor Von. (Von has been ministering to the poor in the dumps of Tijuana for years.) Dan didn't speak of the awful living conditions of those who made their homes amidst the rubbish. What impacted Dan the most was the relationship he saw between Von and the people of this community. He spoke of the compassion, sacrifice, and love that he witnessed in Von's words and actions as he held these malnourished and un-bathed children. Then he made the statement that sent me reeling:

"The day I spent with Von was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus."

Dan explained that the whole experience was so eerie because he kept thinking to himself: "If Jesus were still walking on Earth in the flesh, this is what it would feel like to walk alongside of Him!" After that discussion, I kept wondering if anyone had ever said that about me-"The day I spent with Francis was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus." The answer was an obvious "no." Would any honest person say that about you?

What bothered me was not that I hadn't "arrived," but that I wasn't even heading in the right direction. I hadn't made it my goal to resemble Christ. I wasn't striving to become the kind of person who could be mistaken for Jesus Christ. Isn't it ironic that a man can be known as a successful pastor, speaker, and CHRISTian even if his life doesn't resemble Christ's?

1 John 2:6 "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."

When John made that statement, he wasn't speaking about how to be a church leader or even how to be a "good" Christian. He merely stated that anyone who calls himself Christian must live like Jesus did. So how did Jesus live? You could make a list of character traits to compare yourself to, but it would be far more beneficial to simply read through one of the Gospels. After you get a bird's-eye view of the life of Christ, do the same with your own. Are you comfortable with the similarities and differences?

It's easy to get caught up in the pursuit of "success" as American churchgoers define it. The thought of being well known and respected is alluring. There have been times when I've been caught up in the fun of popularity. I've even mistaken it for success. Biblically, however, success is when our lives parallel Christ's. Truth is there are many good Christs that you'll never read about in a magazine. They are walking as Jesus walked, but they are too focused and humble to pursue their own recognition.

May we make it our goal to someday have someone say of us: "The day/hour/15 minutes I spent with ______ was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus."

As Christians in America, we often complain about how antagonistic people are toward Christ. Personally, I'm not sure that Americans are really rejecting Christ. Maybe they just haven't seen Him.

Try to be COMPLETELY honest with yourself right now. Is the following true of you?

You passionately love Jesus, but you don't really want to be like Him. You admire His humility, but you don't want to be THAT humble. You think it's beautiful that He washed the feet of the disciples, but that's not exactly the direction your life is headed. You're thankful He was spit upon and abused, but you would never let that happen to you. You praise Him for loving you enough to suffer during His whole time on Earth, but you're going to do everything within your power to make sure you enjoy your time down here.

In short: You think He's a great Savior, but not a great role model.

The American church has abandoned the most simple and obvious truth of what it means to follow Jesus: You actually follow His pattern of life. I pray for those who read this article- that we don't become cynical or negative toward the church. Instead, let's make a personal decision to stop talking so much and begin living like Jesus. Then we can say as the Apostle Paul, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1) My guess is that you've never had someone say that to you, and you've never said it to anyone else. Why Not? 

Contentment

1 Timothy 6:6-19

 ⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹ Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

 ¹¹ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³ In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you ¹⁴ to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

 ¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

   

Thinking about money the past few days has been draining. With trying to figure out school loans, support for my internship and summer work, it has just been exhausting. I've felt convicted about worrying about this. Like verse 17 says, put your hope in God who richly provides! God has my finances in order. He has everything in order. Why am I putting my hope in the government to increase my financial aid when I should be putting my hope in the Lord, the one certain thing in this world? 

I desire godliness with contentment. I have Jesus and that is all I need. Why isn't this people's mindset? He has provided everything I need and more for the past 19 years of my life, will He not continue to provide? I think yes! He has provided so much for me and in this passage it is clear that the rich are to be generous and willing to share. I am rich, despite what our culture defines as rich monetarily, and more importantly I am rich in Christ. I need to share more whether that means financially, with my time, or with my prayers. We need to share not only our physical things, but share spiritual things. We need to share our faith with others. We cannot stay silent. We cannot keep to ourselves. We cannot be selfish. Share your things. Share your love. Share Christ. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 

What is man that You are mindful of him?

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You make him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, al that swim in the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! --Psalm 8:3-9

Last Sunday I saw the video How Great is Our God, a message by Louie Giglio. In this 40 minute video, he talked about the glory of God that shines in His creation. It was a lesson in science and although I'm not a huge science person, I was in awe of the things he presented. He basically said we are most definitely a vapor in this universe. We are so small in comparison to the things God has created in the universe, but in spite of this, God put His imprint on us. In Him all things hold together and He loves us more than we can comprehend. When watching this video, all I could think about is that I make myself out to be a big shot all the time, thinking that I am more important that a lot of other things. In reality, I am so small and unimportant, but through Christ I am important because He KNOWS me! I am a daughter of the King and He loves me enough to call me His child.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KqziOKZ4AE