Concerts and Opportunities

When I posted yesterday I forgot to give an update on the festival I took my sister to, and another new ministry opportunity! =]

Sooo, I'll make a story out of the concert-going, here it is: I told my sister I would take her to a Skillet concert for her 13th birthday. She found one right around that time, but because they are a heavier rock type band, it was with some other groups that weren't appropriate for her. I told her that, and we decided to look for another one, which she found. What she found was the one we went to; it was at the Big Ticket Festival. This was a three day event with over one hundred bands, and Skillet was playing the first night (..at 9:45pm..), so we decided to go for the day and see some other bands before . Well, leaving at noon turned into leaving at one, and the help of a GPS (and cell phone navigator!) turned into an extra hour of driving because of incorrect directions (and lots of back roads..), and we finally arrived around 4:30pm. We had hoped to be able to see Sidewalk Prophets.. but all we caught was part of their last song as we were trying to find the ticket booth, ..oh well, we got there safely and by that time I was so frazzled that I all I cared about was arriving safely =] [[[[On a side note, I'll just mention that it had rained A LOT before we got there, and the fairgrounds are lower than the roads.. yup, you guessed it.. so, when we got there it was already and mess, and we left shortly afterwards on a Wal-Mart run for rainboots. Which we wore the whole time we were there]]]] We did get to hear Leeland, Sanctus Real, Parachute Band, and speaker Bob Lenz though, and they were all great! The speaker was on the main stage, so while he was speaking, we started to wiggle our way closer and closer to the front.. which proved difficult. Of course everyone was doing the same, because Skillet came on next, and they wanted front row standing area as well. But, because we are both really small, a lot of tall people in front of us let us in front of them.. so we just kept wiggling our way up closer to the stage. By the time the concert started, we were about ten feet from the front of the crowd, and could see if we peeked through the heads of tall people, and that was just fine with us! =] The concert was amazing. They are awesome live. Bot of us girls had a great time, and were hyped that we finally got to see them in concert (I checked it off my bucket list.. haha). The effects they used were great, and both of us were intrigued by how much fire they used! It was really cool, but it fit the band and the music perfectly. They also explained some of the songs, and that was really cool because I didn't know the explanations; it was quite eye opening. The light rain that was blowing onto the stage, and falling on the rest of us, fit the concert also, and my hair was soaked by the time we got to the car. By then it was 11:30pm, and we were beat. I'm sooo glad that my amazing sister-in-law let us stay at her place that was only about 40mins away, because I really didn't have the energy to drive home. So, we stayed the night there with her and another friend.. and ended up playing Apples to Apples until 3am =] The next morning I woke up to a call from my hubby and the day was underway. After some yummy waffles (as promised by my sister-in-law!) us girls got to talking about the bands that would be playing that day... and decided to go for round two on a whim! Soo.. on went the rain boots and we headed out for the day. We got to see Kerrie Roberts, Chris August (who was fantastic!), the Afters, Rebecca St. James, Marvin Sapp, KJ-52, and worshiped with Sevenglory. But, our main reason for going that day was because TobyMac was there! =] He came on stage at 9:35pm, and we made our way up as close to the stage as we could, which ended up being right under one of the screens to the side. But he (and Diverse City) put on a fantastic concert. After we got back to sister's apartment, we headed home and arrived at 2:45 am. Driving home as tired as I was definitely wasn't a smart choice, but thank God He got us home safe. All in all, it was a great two days!

One of the things that really made me think after the concert was seeing the diversity among the people who had all gathered at the fairgrounds to see their choice of bands. The more rock type bands like Skillet, and the more hip-hop or rap bands like TobyMac and KJ-52 attracted the largest and most diverse crowds. All three attracted people of all ages, and those people all had very different appearences. Some looked like they would fit the group some call 'emo', some looked like everyday Joes, some appeared more well off, etc., but they were all there to listen, all there to hear a message, and what a message they heard! All the bands talked about God's love, and whether the people there wanted or didn't want to hear that message, they did! It also struck me that if the concert had only hosted mello Christian artists, some of the people may have not came. I guess I hadn't thought of that before... hip-hop or rap bands spreading God's love and message through their music to reach people who may not hear it otherwise.. people whose culture it is to listen to that kind of music instead of mello gospel stuff. Music really does speak to the soul, and I am now so thankful to have a different perspective on how music that frequently gets looked down upon can be used for God's glory to bring people to Him. Here are pictures of the three bands I just mentioned:

Skillet (above)


TobyMac


KJ-52

**Last but not least, is a new ministry opportunity that Caleb and I are waiting to hear back about! I can't really share any details because we don't know much yet, or if it will even happen (but it looks good!), but I can tell you that we had both been open to and praying about this opportunity before it was even presented to us. We had been thinking/praying on it individually first, and were surprised to find out the other had been thinking the same thing when one of us brought it up =] I love how that works.. on the same page even before we knew it ;) That was back in January. Well, we talked about it, but couldn't do much more than that at the time. I then went to a church ministry conference in March, and someone presented the idea to me, and I made sure they knew we were both very interested in the opportunity, and would be more than happy to do it. So after that we were hopeful to see some movement towards it happening, but again, nothing. Then, just recently someone (different than the first person) presented it to Caleb this time, asking him if we specifically would be willing to do it. We are so excited! I guess there was a meeting prior to Caleb being asked where our names were brought up with the idea of the opportunity, and we were excited to know that. Knowing that we were the people they thought of for this opportunity is so encouraging, and is making us even more excited to see what happens! Caleb told the asker we would love to and be more than willing to take the opportunity. So, as of now, thats really all we know. All parties involved know we are very interested in undertaking this task, and we can't wait to see what God has in store for us and this new ministry opportunity! Please be praying for us! I'll update when I know more =] Thanks!**

Pure

A pure heart

A pure mind

A pure spirit

A pure love

A pure life

Those are the things I desire to have

Here are some of the words or descriptions Webster gave me when I asked what the word pure meant:
"Free of extraneous elements of any kind, unmixed, free from discordant qualities, not diluted, faultless, clean, free from defilement, free from that which harms, genuine, real, perfect"

So, on my blog's main page, in writing 'In me, oh Lord, can You create: a pure heart, cause I'm afraid: that I just might run back to the things I hate', I am asking God to strip away anything from my heart that would cause me to not be more like Him, because I don't want to return to doing the sinful things I used to do, the sinful things I hate. Those words are actually lyrics from a Tenth Avenue North song called Satisfy. It is a beautiful song, and talks about longing to be satisfied by God before the day starts, when it ends, and begs God to help us see that He is really all we need.

A pure heart is a heart that is clean from the immoral and sinful things that this life has to offer, one that focuses on God rather than meaninless things.

A pure mind is a mind that does not think the same way as the world thinks. It's thoughts are clean, not negative or mean.

A pure spirit is a spirit that is free and lighthearted, because God has created a beautiful freedom for us to enjoy. It is kind and gentle, like Christ.

A pure love is a love that is unconditional. It continues even if it is not reciprocated. It keeps no records of wrong, and never fails.

A pure life encapsulates all of these.

Do you want those characteristics? I know I do, and as Christians we ought to. Many people often think of being pure in terms of sexual purity, but not purity of your whole life. However, purity in each of the areas of your life stem off each other. If your heart isn't pure, it will cause thoughts you shouldn't be thinking, which can cause you to have a wrong spirit, which can make you love people or things incorrectly.. and effect your whole life in an impure way.

But how do we become pure? We strive to love God with our whole being. In doing this, we grow closer to Him, and become more aware of our sin as Christ makes those areas of our lives evident that we need to change.As we continue to grow, we strive more and more to become like Christ, and desire to sin less.

Prayer Requests #2

Ok guys (and gals..) here they are as promised - more prayer requests from my friends at camp. This time, there are some from another camp as well as Lake Ann. The other camp is Camp Lamoka. A mission team from our church worked there one week for a few summers, and it is a fantastic place. I was on that team for two years, and the experience made a huge impact in my life. It is a small, homey camp run by people who love the Lord and want to serve Him and others. They are real and down to earth, and defnitely open to being used by God and His will for them and the camp.

Lake Ann:

• For God to continue to challenge the staff and work in their lives
• For good attitudes planning game time for the juniors group, even when it is hard and the students' attitudes aren't that great
• For wisdom as one of the people of a two person team have to be away for a week to do college things. These two are a great tag team, so pray for wisdom for both - for things at the school to go well, and for the other at camp, that he'll have wisdom, energy, and strength to get everything completed well
• For the one who is at college for the week to remember that there is a reason she needs to be there - even though she would rather be back at camp
• For a friend of the couple as her sister was found dead unexpectedly
• Traveling mercies for the drive back to camp after the week full of college stuff
• To continue to grow and be challenged. (I have already heard of an awesome amount of growth in relationships with God! This is exciting for us as those who are praying as well as exciting for the individuals!)
• That the 'tag team' will allow God to work and not let their own feelings, motivations, etc. get in the way as they are continually faced with new hurdles.

Lamoka:

• Pray for a great start to the summer as staff training started yesterday
• The staff, as there are many new and young individuals either helping or counseling
• That the staff will continue to point to spiritual applications for activities, because it is so easy to get caught up in the fun and miss these opportunities

Let me know if you would like specific names of the individuals to put with these requests, or if you have other questions about either camp and it's functionings! Have a great day - and thanks so much for praying!

A Few Videos

Here are two songs that are among my favorites. They get very graphic, so just a heads up.

Neglect

Do you ever have that feeling of sheer need, but can't figure out what your need is? Well, I've had that feeling for a few months and just recently figured out what it is. I realized that I'd been putting so much time into planning my wedding, being involved and helping with the TWEEN and Youth Groups, PreSchool, and everything else, that I'd neglected the desire to spend time with my Jesus, and neglected spending time in fellowship with people of my own age. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being with children and helping in every part of ministry that I do, but an adult conversation is a much needed thing once in a while. Some of my closest friends here that I share most of these conversations with are a few years older than I am - which has always been the case - and are as busy as I am, so finding the time to sit down and actually talk has been much harder than I would like. Being busy is how my life functions, so naturally I didn't think much of it at first, but it has taken it's toll on me, my mind, my relationships, etc.

Along with neglecting fellowship, I had neglected maintaining open and good communication lines with some of the most important people in my life. In doing that, many things have become confusing and frustrating. Just last night there was a misunderstanding that led to going to bed angry and frustrated and silent. I don't want that, but I don't want to fight people either. Soo all of those things built up, and I just started to have a negative attitude. Not all the time, but it started to come more easily. After realizing all these things, I remembered a quote that my youth pastor repeated often;

   "When you stop reading God's word, you stop thinking like God" 

Not only had I neglected fellowship, but I had neglected spending time with my Jesus in prayer and reading His word. So, just like the quote said, I had stopped having a Godly thought process, which fueled the fires of anger, frustration, confusion, neglect, and maintaining my relationship with Him. Well, I guess I figured out the sheer need..

I write these things because I have experienced that sharing testimonies can be powerful and effective. You may need to read what I have to write, what I have gone through, and what I have to share, without me knowing the reason why. I don't need to know why, I just know that I write what has been put on my heart, even if it means taking a risk, because it has been put there for a reason. As a Christian, I focus on being real, because so many people act like they're OK, like they're happy little people who don't have problems because they know Jesus. That is so wrong. As followers of Christ, we are told there will be trials, hardships, and things that we just flat out don't like. But, we are also told that God will be with us and help us through all of those things, and we will become more like Him in the process. Its OK to have hurts, to be angry, or to have regrets - that is what makes us who we are, and that is why Christ came - because we can have a beautiful freedom from those things. Its not about being 'just OK', its about being real, because putting on a face that nothing is ever wrong is deceiving yourself and others, when they could be helping you through your hard times. Give it up - and let God help you. Those things I wrote in the previous paragraphs.. ? Yeah, thats real stuff, but I can do something, with God's help and with the help of others.

Here's what I - and anyone else - can do:

• Put time and effort in my relationship with Christ - daily
• Not neglect fellowship and seeking help from others
• Try my best to have a positive outlook and attitude
• Keep communication lines open and honest

Prayer Requests

Hey all! A few of my close girl (and guy) friends are working up at a camp this summer as counselors, photographers, program directions, etc, and are going to be sharing prayer requests throughout the summer. These individuals are mostly college age, have a heart for serving the Lord, and are giving their summer to help students of all ages at this camp. One of the best things we can do to help them is be their prayer warriors, so I'll be sharing those requests  with you as well on here. Please pray. God does amazing things in peoples' hearts and lives at this camp, I know that first hand. So, again, please please pray!

3 Requests Shared Yesterday:

• The need to give GOD control of planning, lives, etc. 
• For the other student staff; as they are doing jobs that aren't always the most glorified, pray that they will remember who they are doing those jobs for, and that God is also glorified through the small stuff. 
• The desire to grow closer to God, and in prayer and scripture memory. Pray that these individuals will continue to grow, and continue to have this desire. 

From visiting this camp for many years, I know that being on staff isn't a piece of cake, its hard work. These individuals have the desire to serve God through camp, and that is an awesome thing in itself. Pray for them as the summer is just starting and God is already doing great things in their hearts and lives! 

Here is the link for the camps website. I really encourage you to check it out, its a wonderful place! http://lakeanncamp.com/#/home

Thanks! 

Self-Serving vs. Servant Leaders

The one thing that has been on my mind for the past hour and a half was what I read this morning in my devotional book. The scripture came from 1 Corinthians 4, and the little message in the book talked about how self-serving and servant leaders are different when things happen to them. It keyed in on verse five that says;

"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God"

The thought provoking paragraph talked about how self-serving leaders 'react' when something happens to them, and servant leaders 'respond' when something happens to them. My question, 'whats the difference?' Well, I consulted Mr. Webster, and I learned that 'react' has more of a negative connotation, is associated more in terms of physically doing something, and is meant more in terms of opposition. To 'respond', however, has more of a light-hearted association, meaning to correspond, and to answer or reply in a more verbal way. So, to put it in my own words, self-serving leaders lash out in a negative manner when something happens, and servant leaders verbally talk it out.

Which one of  these leaders do you strive to be most like? As children of the living God, we need to strive to be like the servant leaders. We are, after all, servants of Christ, and in that we are also servants of other people - intending to show His perfect love because He first showed it to us. These thoughts hit me hard. There have been some issues I've been dealing with in my heart concerning other people I work with in leadership positions. I realized I have not been 'responding', but 'reacting.' Not physically, but negatively in my thoughts and words. When I read the book and my passage today I just stared at the page. It was a '..wow, God, ..I get it..' moment. It felt like a brick had just smacked me in the face that said; 'self-serving! self-serving!'. But I'm thankful that God forgives, and gives me those moments, so I am able to see my faults and sin. Needless to say, being  a servant leader instead of a self-serving leader will definitely be something to work on in my life.

Life As Newlyweds

Reading other peoples' posts makes my day, especially when they have experienced something good. I just read a post that started out as a story of "one of those kind of days.." that ended well and it made me smile. So, in light of that, I figured another entry from me was due also, especially because this one (unlike the past few) brings good news and will be cheerful =]

It has definitely been quite the two weeks. I have been frustrated, happy, sad, excited, and overwhelmed during the past fourteen days, but it has been an amazing journey. My husband and I are now getting settled into our temporary home together, he's back to work, and I'm back to work - with a second job! (Praise God for that!) All the stress I had written about before is over, and I'm slightly embarrassed by some of my actions and comments from previous posts, so I guess you could say I learned not to badmouth things. If you felt any of those comments were aimed at you - I'm genuinely sorry if you were hurt, they were out of frustration, and a heart that I realized was bitter.

That said, everything on our wedding day went so smoothly I was honestly surprised. The day before was super busy and crazy, but I somehow managed to get almost six hours of sleep, get up and showered, go to the store, and get to the church all before ten a.m. the day of our wedding! Then all us girls got ready and took some pictures before the ceremony started. Us girls hid in the library, where my eyes were glued on the clock and I was all nerves. It seemed like I looked at the clock every two minutes and time went super slow. Even talking about it now I'm getting nervous.. haha =] Anyway, I got even more nervous after the bridesmaids left to line up. I was pacing. Yes, actually pacing. When someone finally came and got me, I was shaking, and when I saw my dad my eyes welled with tears. I never used to be very emotional, but lately I have been. Needless to say, I didn't see my dad cry, because I did all the crying for him! He walked me down the aisle and gave me away. When Caleb and I stepped up by the pastor, the pastor paused and gave me a tissue and everyone laughed (including me). The service was beautiful, and went flawlessly. I'm really glad Caleb understands me, or else he might've thought I was a nutcase because I was squeezing his hands so hard.. haha. The reception was a blur, and we left town by eight p.m. We got to our secret location (Mackinaw City) before midnight and the rest of the week went wonderfully. We explored town a bit and did some shopping, we got deep tissue massages across the bridge, went for a carriage ride on the island and a trolley ride on the mainland, and even went to a lumberjack show! We also tried the famous "pasties" (pronounced "past-eez" not "paste-eez" we were told by our tour guide during the trolley ride), which are sort of like meat pies, but neither of us were impressed. There was, however, an amazing Italian place (Nonna Lisa's) that made delicious wood fired pizza and salads! =] It was a great trip, and though neither of us really wanted to come home, we were ready to come home, together.

So, what started out as a crazy two weeks has settled down a lot. Caleb is an amazing man, and I'm so lucky to have him in my life, and even more lucky that he is my husband. He goes above and beyond every day and  goes out of his way to do things for me. I only hope I can be as good to him as he is to me. Love you Caleb!

What have I been doing since we got back? Well, besides feeling like I see my husband a fraction of the time that I did before the wedding ;), Relay for Life was the weekend we got back, and while I was only there for a few hours when I could manage, Caleb was there the whole time. I worked Saturday, and then Sunday was our recovery day - which was still busy. Monday, Caleb worked, I helped at Bible School, went to the beach with some friends, and then got to visit a new mom and her three day old baby (uh-mazing!). To top some of this stuff off, Caleb started to not feel good Sunday night and mentioned a sore throat and feeling congested.. well, what do you know?.. guess who else woke up with a sore throat and the same symptoms he had this morning? Yeah, this girl. So hopefully neither of us gets really sick and we can just push through whatever is going on with our bodies. Today we both worked, and tomorrow we will do the same. Then this weekend is Gus Macker, a huge annual basketball tournament, and Fathers Day. Next week we'll be working, and then Thursday I'm taking my sister to the Big Ticket Festival to see SKILLET! (one of her, and my, favorite bands by far!) So, life will still be pretty crazy, but I've learned thats just how it goes =] I'm thankful I am able to do everything I can, and am loving each day God gives me!