Bitter- Sweet

I can't believe we are at the end of the semester. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was flying into the Springs, scared out of my mind. The Lord has done a work this semester! It is hard to fully articulate all that I have learned in the past 4 months. However, I tried to capture a little bit in a slideshow.

Following up with my last post, God has taught me the huge importance of seeing the bigger picture. He has caused me to look around and see those He has placed there to encourage, edify and sharpen me. He has begun to show me the importance of taking a step back to take in the bigger picture and to gain His perspective instead of my own finite perspective.

I'll sum it up in one of my favorite quotes, " We are half-hearted creatures, feeling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to u, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased". 


I hope y'all enjoy the slideshow!

The Big Picture

As I hung onto the rock for my dear life, I began to let the thought consume me that I can't make it to the top. The only thing visible was the rock directly in front of me. No footholes, no place to go...I was stuck; hopeless and defeated. My friends below kept encouraging me by saying, "keep going, don't give up" but it didn't sink in. Why would they say that when it is obvious that I am stuck... at least from my perspective. 


Little did I know that I was only a few steps away from the top. But why did I neglect to see I was so close to the top? After sitting (or hanging) in the same place for over 10 minutes, I began to grow weary and tired. It was that point that I began to ask for help. Thankfully, my friends below graciously helped me (despite my stubbornness) to take the last few steps to the top. By the grace of God, I actually did it!


As I repelled back down and set my feet on solid ground, I looked up at the rock I had just climbed. Then, my friend pointed out where I was stuck and how close it was to the top. It was so much closer that I thought, I just couldn't see past what was right in front of me! I couldn't see the big picture.


In Proverbs 16:9 it says, "The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps". He sees the bigger picture. In the midst of struggle, it is hard to see past what is right in front of us. We get so fixated on the circumstance that we neglect to see what God is doing in the process.


The good news is that we are not alone! We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Heb. 12:1). God made us for community. To encourage, sharpen and to share in grace and truth the bigger picture. It is then that the fog lifts, the chains are loosened and we are able to see who we are in light of who God is. We begin to see the struggle we are currently faced with as a small "dot" on our timeline of life. We are free to keep climbing and persevere. 


My dear friend, Maddison shared this verse with me tonight and it was so pertinent to the lesson God has been teaching me about seeing the bigger picture, " O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You. I will give thanks to Your name; For you have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness". That is what our God does...He sees the big picture and works wonders with perfect faithfulness! 


Here are a few more pictures from my first rock climbing experience...

Waiting our turn to climb!

The hardest part was getting started...

I believe this is when I said, "I can't do this!!"

All the guys waiting for their turn...

Meet Brody... This is our little FLI mascot (kinda). He is Kaley's little helper and it was so precious to watch him watch her as she climbed. He was a concerned dog!

Justice for All Outreach: Reflections

Hurting people hurt people. As we began the day on the Auraria campus, I quickly saw this statement portrayed. A flood of emotions swept in as people approached the huge JFA exhibit. The reality of abortion was displayed for all to see and the responses ranged from sorrow to vexation. Needless to say, it was an exhausting day. Nonetheless, I believe I walked away from the JFA outreach with a deeper desire to loose the chains of injustice and set the oppressed free.

After an hour of dialoging with students, my friend Aimee approached me and asked if I would go with her to talk to a rather large guy standing close by. No joke, this guy looked like Vin Diesel. Naturally, I was a little skeptical. What if this guy is pro-choice? He could knock me out with his pinkie! Thankfully, Aimee was sensitive to the Holy Spirit's prompting and we went over and began to talk with him. Ironically, this guy was a giant teddy bear. As we stood with him, we could see the tears behind his sunglasses. He was broken. There are no coincidences. 


Aimee and I stood there heart broken as we heard Eric's story of his girlfriend contemplating abortion. He had just found out this weekend and now he was standing in front of an 8 week picture of a fetus in tears. She wouldn't return his calls and refused to see him. He so desperately wanted to keep this child. 


Phew! What a tough situation. It is hard to see hope in the midst of darkness. However, God was there! Aimee and I were able to encourage Eric to not be passive and to take a stance for the life of this child. We suggested writing her a letter and he agreed that he would. Then, we were able to pray with him in the middle of a campus where Christianity was non-existent and relativism was rampant.  God showed up, He is so good! 


We were able to exchange e-mail addresses with Eric and hope that he will keep us posted. We haven't heard the result yet but are continuing to pray that Eric's girlfriend would choose life. Would you join us in praying for him and his girlfriend? 


I believe I could sum up the JFA Outreach with the words of Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners" (61:1) . We are called to be a voice to the voiceless, to set the captives free. Why? Because were once enslaved and in darkness but God intervened and brought us into His marvelous light! 

Justice For All Outreach

Tomorrow, I will be heading to Denver with the rest of the FLI students to do a Justice for All Outreach. Justice for all is a pro-life organization that seek to show their concern for all humans in and out of the womb by balancing truth and love. JFA goes to secular campuses all over the United States and educates students about abortion. They strive to dialogue with students about the significance of every human being. 


I would ask that you would please pray for me and the other students at FLI as we go to the campus in Denver tomorrow. Please pray that the weather would be good (it is an outdoor exhibit), we would have boldness to create conversations; to listen to understand; to ask tough questions, lives would be saved and have opportunities to share the gospel. 


I look forward to updating y'all soon! 


11 Corinthians 5:17-21, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come." 

Being Still

Ever stop to think why nothing is so loud as silence? In this day in age, silence is a rarity. We live in an age of constant noise. So much so that we do not even fully understand what it means to be still before the Lord.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to do a "stillness experience" with my internship. I know, I have an amazing internship. Basically, we all headed to Woodmen Valley Chapel for an afternoon of stillness. Our supervisor Tim, gave us three hours to be still before the Lord. The only stipulations were that we must turn off our cell phones and Ipods. He gave us an article entitled, The Surprising Rewards of Silence to help direct us and then we were free to be still before the Lord. For me, this was the most humbling experience. I wanted to share just a few things the Lord taught me during this time.

We've all heard the passage, "Be still, and know that I am God" but do we really understand what David was saying? As I began to read over this verse, I looked up what the word "still" means. Still means to stop striving, let go or relax. For me, this gave the verse a whole new meaning..."Relax and know that I am God". It was then that the Lord began to convict me of my restless heart.

Why are we so afraid to be quiet before the Lord? Is it because we want control? Or maybe it is because we are fearful that we will realize our total depravity. A. W. Tozer once said, "Very few of us know the secret of bathing our souls in silence." We fool ourselves into thinking that we are in control. But in reality, we are not in control. Being still before the Lord causes us to relinquish all control.

In Tim Sanford's article he asks a thought provoking question, "Is Christianity just words on onionskin paper? Or do we want something more, something real and living?" Knowing God and being still go hand in hand. True Christianity stems from knowing God personally. So what can be gained from sitting before a God we cannot see? The very things we try to get elsewhere but cannot. We gain wisdom, humility, peace, faith and intimacy.

So I challenge you to be still before the Lord. Let Him speak to you. Just as Job says, " I am unworthy-how can I reply to you? I have put my hand over my mouth...I have no answer-...I will say no more."
(Job 40:4-5)

Make new friends and keep the old...

Words cannot begin to describe how much God has blessed me with amazing friends. My mom always used to say, "make new friends and keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold". As cheesy as that may be it has become one of my favorite phrases.

This past week, my sweet friends; Maddison, Mel and Rach came to see me. That is right, they flew all the way from FL and CA to see me (and amazing Colorado). As you can imagine, they are pretty legit friends! These are the girls I have known since elementary school. I always know that we can pick up right where we left off even if it has been a while since we have seen each other. They sharpen me and challenge me to continue to be conformed into the image of Christ. It is always a joy to spend time with them!

We had a blast sharing stories, exploring beautiful Colorado, catching up and challenging one another. We also were happy to be able to go see Carlee in Greeley, Colorado. It was fun to see her adorable apartment (she will be helping me decorate one day) and see where she has lived the past year!

It was also a highlight to introduce Mel, Maddison and Rach to my new friends at Focus. It is amazing how close you can become in a matter of months! I'm so thankful for the community that has been established here.

Needless to say, it was an epic week! Here are a few of the pictures of the awesome time we had...

Garden of the Gods- a must see in the Springs

Haha. Looks like Jeremy won't be climbing:)

The 4 Amigos!

After Garden of the Gods, we headed to Manitou Springs for dinner

Then, we went back to Garden of Gods to see the amazing sunset!

On Friday, we headed up to Greeley, CO to see Carlee. She gave us a wonderful tour of  UNC!

The campus is beautiful!

On Saturday, we headed back to the Springs. Our first stop was Pikes Peak. We went up 13,000 feet with our sweet rental car. When they got the car, the guy said it was our lucky day. haha. This car is not exactly what you would expect to see 3 girls driving...

Pikes Peak is absolutely breathtaking!

We made it to the top! 

One time, I went to Cracker Barrel 

All of us!

Rachel was finally able to catch a flight and arrived Saturday afternoon!

Needless to say, it was an amazing week with the FL girls! Ironically, right after they left, it started to snow. They apparently brought the nice weather and took it back with them!