The Cave

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4UwnYyUrKA

This song... watch and listen.  It screams Psalm 116.  It also says God will not let you choke, and will help you hope.  He answers.  He listens.  He rescues.  He wants us to come out of the cave of our darkness and meet our maker.  He knows your name and calls it.  This was the message tonight at YL.  What an honor to share my story it's dark parts and hard parts in hope others will find hope.  In hope that others will see God rescues, He listens, and He answers.

Psalm 116

 ¹ I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;
   he heard my cry for mercy.
² Because he turned his ear to me,
   I will call on him as long as I live.  ³ The cords of death entangled me,
   the anguish of the grave came over me;
   I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
⁴ Then I called on the name of the LORD:
   “LORD, save me!”
 ⁵ The LORD is gracious and righteous;
   our God is full of compassion.
⁶ The LORD protects the unwary;
   when I was brought low, he saved me.
 ⁷ Return to your rest, my soul,
   for the LORD has been good to you.
 ⁸ For you, LORD, have delivered me from death,
   my eyes from tears,
   my feet from stumbling,
⁹ that I may walk before the LORD
   in the land of the living.
 

Fun

There are many highlights to this job.   First and foremost it is earning the right to be heard and sharing Jesus Christ to adolescents.  Second, it is the odd, creative, and freeing way we earn that right.
Last night after the BB game- Go Bronco's... I had kicked my husband out and had 10 YL girls spend the night.  Here is what happens at 2 am and in the name of earning the right to be heard.  :)  By the way I give all credit to Katie Allen for teaching me how to clog in 8 min., she actually knows what she is doing.  I as you will see don't.  God is good and that was fun!  Love you girls and all that couldn't make it too :)

Nobody

A prayer... passed on to me.

Jesus,
I wanna be a nobody.  You came and you could of been a somebody and you chose to be a nobody and serve and love us.  I wanna be a nobody for you.  Help me with my struggle to wanna be a somebody.
I wanna be a nobody. 

Servant Discipleship- was an annointed, blessed, and breath taking.  It is awesome to see God work in the hearts of kids and others.  I'm so proud of you all....
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old is gone, the new is here.
2 Corn 5:17
I had the honor of actually seeing this verse come to life.  I am blessed.  I wanna be a nobody and serve you Jesus, always.

God never Fails!!!

I had the pleasure of taking YL kids interested in growing in their faith and possibly doing Work Crew ( serving at a YL camp for 1 month this summer) to Servant Discipleship.  Thsese kids missed courtwarming, cleared their schedules to pursue Jesus.  We have been meeting the past 2 Sundays and this past weekend had a service project overnight... where we served at the local homeless shelter and also attended Friendship Baptist Church.  Dang... lives and hearts were touched.  These kids inspire me, encourage me, and remind me God never Fails!  Thank you Brooke, Christie, Kaitlin, Audrey, Nicole, Michael, Megan, Brian.  God is using and calling you deeper!  Check out the video from Frienship Baptist- God never Fails.  "I think this what heaven must feel like."  Brooke

Hope grows the rope

How long can you hang in there?  How long is your rope before you come to the end?  How long can you wait for prayers to be answered?  Well I can say I thought I was at the end of my rope many, many times... but amazingly hope grows the rope.  I have hope in Jesus Christ to be our provision.  We've been waiting for Billy to find a job since our return from Thailand.  We are still waiting.  My rope has gotten longer because of hope in Christ... in time with Him through prayer, in tears of asking God for help, in encouragement from community, and through the wisdom of His word.  He is our provision.  He will never leave us or forsake us.
He loves us and I will trust Him. 

Home

I've been away for YL New Staff Training and Regional training for what seems like months.  I'm home!!  It feels so good to come home.  Home to my own bed, my church, my community and home to Lee's Summit North.  I went up after school and hung out in the events lobby and it felt good to be tackled with hugs and high fives, to be texted and texted by YL kids!  It feels good to be home and hang out and have great conversations with my YL girls.  It feels good to be home and go to a basketball game with my YL girls and Buffalo Wild Wings.  I love this job!  But most of all it feels good to be home and know that I have grown spiritually and LOVE Jesus more than when I left.  My hope, my love, and my home comes from Him.

Word

Do you know the Word... do you hide in your heart and claim it's truth when lies invade?  I'm challenging myself to know more of it and use it in my life. 
Psalms 63:1-8

O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thrists for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

I have seen you in in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisified as with the richest of foods,
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the night.
Because you are my help I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.