Eyes Wide Shut May 3, 2010
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God is so much more than a feeling. The Bible says that God is love and love is NOT a feeling. Love is a decision and an action. Love is the way you choose to live your life. Asking God to constantly give you the warm, fuzzy feeling is asking Him to put Himself into a pretty box with a bow on it that you can open anytime you want to. He’s not in a box. He is always opened and always available despite what our emotions are and there’s always more to learn. Our lives cannot be ruled by the emotions that are going on inside of us, if they are then they are idols. Emotions are inconsistent but God is always consistent in His love for us. There is always going to be more growing because there is always going to be a new way to see His love. Because we have eyes that can’t capture the entire beauty of God and so we need to take things one step at a time. As He reveals more of Himself to us, our eyes open wider and soon we realize that we aren’t seeing anything with our eyes at all, but with our heart. Our heart, that beats inside of our chest, is really the place where we can see the most clearly. When we ask God to reveal Himself to us, He does with every beat of our heart and He does reveal Himself so intimately that we are forced to close our eyes and listen to our heartbeats and it is then, with our eyes closed, that we can see clearly.
Will You? March 5, 2010
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we all live in different countries, speak different languages and have different colors but we all breathe the same air and bleed the same color and THAT is what counts in the end. Jesus did not pick and choose who He died for. There are no excuses or barriers when it comes to loving someone else.
How far are you willing to go?
Circumstances February 15, 2010
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I just want to state this before you read the rest of this blog: This is not meant for the purpose of complaining. On the contrary, I don’t really have much to complain about. Regardless, this last week has been a trying one. The snow week killed my sleeping pattern so Monday and Tuesday I was tired beyond belief. These long days are tough, but very fulfilling!!
Wednesday I woke up late, missed physiology class, then as I was driving to campus to take my 9am test, I got a flat tire. I got to school just fine and scored a sweet parking space in the deck and even made it to my test! Then so many people came to help me out with my tire. Geoffrey was first on the scene, then the maintenance guys in the parking deck saw the problem and helped out a lot, Kevin Waegerle came and saved the day by getting my tire off of the car itself (it was stuck on my car because of rust formed by all the salt and snow I was driving on while in Jersey). Rob Johnson made sure that the guys at Taylor Tire and Auto helped me out by making a few phone calls and my mom offered to pay for the new tire! My dad was really awesome too because he was so concerned for me and did everything he could to support me from a long distance. I ended up missing my 2pm class and got to go and visit my friends at the Bell House which was very exciting for me.
Thursday was a scary day. It was going well until I picked up my client from work. We had plans to go pick up valentines for her friends at work, grab dinner at her favorite place and then go to a basketball game at her old high school. When I got to her workplace, she was crying and wheezing. Now I should state that my client has terrible asthma that has acted up badly for the last couple of months. The woman who works with my client during the day handed me a list of times that my client had to have a breathing treatment. Background info: Albuterol and any other inhalant used for asthmatic purposes is only supposed to be administered once every 4 hours, unless it’s absolutely necessary. This list had the times 12pm, 1pm, 3pm and 330pm on it. I looked at it, looked at my client and was shocked. She just had a treatment and was still having a world of trouble breathing. I got her in my car and left a message for her mother and immediately took her home. The whole drive home was the scariest part because she wasn’t able to inhale without coughing and her breathing was really staggered. I really thought that she was going to stop breathing and that I was going to have to pull over and eventually perform CPR. Thank God that didn’t have to happen!! We got home and I put her on her nebulizer, which is a more high-tech and useful version of an inhaler. She was on it for a while, her mom came home and she was still wheezing so we decided to take her to the emergency room. We were in there for about 5 hours with her. Her breathing took about 3 hours to stabilize and her heart rate took 5 hours to stabilize (it was 140 which is WAY too high). It was scary but I don’t think there was a point in which I lost control or even freaked out. I was able to stay really calm and knew exactly how to handle the situation and that was awesome affirmation of me being able to handle the line of work I’m getting myself into.
Now Friday morning is another story all together. It’s a hilarious and very sad tale of a little kitty named Oliver. Now I took a shower and the tub is a bit slow draining, so when I got out the tub was about 1/3 full. I went into my room and got dressed when all of a sudden I hear a big splash and water flailing about. I go into the bathroom and there is my poor kitty, struggling to get out of the water-filled tub and freaking out in the process. He wouldn’t stay still long enough for me to pick him up but I eventually helped him out. He then ran very quickly out of the bathroom and down the stairs, although, he pretty much fell down the stairs from slipping on the water. I cleaned up a bit and go downstairs with a dry towel and find him looking pathetic and sad on top of the couch. I eventually got the towel around him and carried him upstairs into my room where he hid under my bed for the rest of the day. When I came home that night he was all dry and fluffy and back to his normal, traumatized self.
All in all, my car has a new tire, Debbie is fine and Oliver still eats a lot. God is still God through it all and He makes all things work together for the good of His children. When bad things happen, it’s not because God is punishing you. God doesn’t punish His children- discipline and punishment are not the same. More on that later….
Any interesting and eventful circumstances happening in your life lately?
Simply the Best February 4, 2010
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So if you know me, you are aware that I’m not really a movie person. I’m usually into a certain type of movie (disney, musicals, drama) and even within those genres, it’s not definite that I’ll enjoy the movie. Yes, I’m picky and complicated. Ok so I figured I’d list my top 9 favorite movies (9, not 10) and explain why I love them. This is for your enjoyment or to feed your boredom- you decide. I’m also not an expert so don’t prepare to agree with me- this statement can be applied to pretty much anything actually.
#9- The Notebook (2004)
I really think that the movie does the book by Nicholas Sparks justice. The way that the plot moves is smooth and fluid and it is full of energy. Ryan Gosling as Noah and Rachel McAdams as Allie give stellar performances as well as Joan Allen who plays Anne Hamilton (Allie’s mom). I enjoy a good chick flick but this one schools them all. The message that love conquers all is really powerfully portrayed in this film and I definitely cried.
#8- Get Smart (2008)
Possibly the newest movie on my list but also the funniest. Steve Carell’s hilarity and Anne Hathaway’s charm make this unlikely pair really work. Together they give an awesome performance- on their own, not so much. Regardless the sharp direction and witty script really make this movie pop. Not sure why Dwayne Johnson is in the movie, but he doesn’t really take much away from the film, nor add much to it. Alan Arkin also gives a memorable performance as The Cheif and played a great supporting part. Overall, this movie never fails to have me laughing for the entire 110 minutes.
#7- Ratatouille (2007)
I saw this with my friend Danielle in the theaters and wasn’t impressed the first time. I thought that it was drawn out and annoying. But then I watched it a second time at home and I fell in love with it. It was the most unique and clever projects Disney had done in a long time. A rat who was interested in cooking paired up with a chef who couldn’t actually cook and who turned out to be the son of the greatest chef of France? Who thinks of these things?! The character are so lovable including Remy, your not so typical rat, his brother Emile who completely fits the mold of “rat”, Luigi, the clumsy and awkward bus boy turned chef, and even the evil, villain chef, Skinner, is comical and lovable. The story is unique and comical, perfect for all ages. The soundtrack is worth mentioning as well, it’s eclectic mix complimented the storyline perfectly.
#6- March of the Wooden Soldiers (Babes in Toyland) (1934)
This movie is super corny and super old but it’s so classic and always makes me happy. Originally filmed in black and white, this classic is set in Toyland with The Little Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe, Bo Peep, Barnaby, Tom Tom Piper, The Three Little Pigs, and Laurel and Hardy starring as Stanny-Dee and Ollie-Dum. The evil Barnaby wants to marry Bo Peep and owns the house, or shoe, that she lives in and will kick them all out on the street if she doesn’t comply. Enter Tom-Tom, who falls in love with Bo-Peep and vice versa and they announce that they are getting married. Barnaby frames Tom-Tom with pignapping (aka kidnapping a pig) and Tom-Tom gets sent to Boogie Land. Stanny and Ollie provide lots of comedy throughout the film and eventually help save the day. It’s a must see, especially around Christmas time. It’s generally always on the 25 days of Christmas on ABC Family and the black and white video cassette version can be found at Video Review on Battleground Ave.
5- Chicago (2002)
Probably the best musical turned movie that has been made ever, besides Hairspray. Catherine Zeta-Jones is flawless as Velma Kelly. She grew up in the theater and has all of the background necessary for the singing and dancing this role requires. Rene Zellweger really fit the role of Roxie. I’m not really a fan of hers but she did well as Roxie and really caught on to the dancing requirements. Any movie musical that requires a soulful, black woman generally casts Queen Latifah. There’s nothing to be said about her because she is just fabulous. And who can forget Richard Gere as the tap dancing, courtroom-stomping Billy Flynn. I was really skeptical about seeing Richard Gere singing and dancing in a musical but I was very impressed! He really stole the show and gave a fantastic performance. It is almost like he was born to play Flynn. The director really captured the stage musical and kept those elements without making it cheesy or look like everything is happening on a stage which gives it an unrealistic presence. The musical numbers are done with a lot of flair and a lot of theatrical spice!
#4- Walk the Line (2005)
I remember seeing this movie in the theater and crying. The story of Johnny Cash and June Carter is one that is heard around the world. Joaquin Pheonix played a remarkable Johnny Cash (and should have won the Oscar!!!) and Reese Witherspoon was June to perfection (she’s my favorite actress and she DID win the Oscar!). The life of Johnny Cash was an unstable and tragic one and was changed by the friendship and love of June Carter. The two of them complete each other and any story like that is a treasure. I loved that the director required all of the actors to play the instruments and sing themselves, it really enhanced the film and experience the audience recieved. I still cry when I watch this movie. Every time.
#3- Once (2006)
This isn’t a very popular film, before I watched it I hadn’t even heard of it even though it had won the Oscar and Critic’s Choice Award for Best Song (Falling Slowly). It’s drama/romance more than it is a musical but music is a huge theme in this movie. It is set in Dublin where the main guy (Glen Hansard) is a street musician who also works repairing vacuums with his dad. He meets a girl (Marketa Irglova) and they embark on a week long journey filled with music and romance. What happens in the end is yours to find out but be sure to watch it with the subtitles, their accents are pretty hard to understand. I absolutely fell in love with this movie from the first time I saw it despite it’s bad quality and shaky camera usage. The story is so real and so touching, the actors really make you feel what they are feeling and at one point, right in the beginning, I even got goosebumps because of how raw it is. I highly recommend this film and if you don’t have it and we’re friends, I’ll let you borrow it and possibly even watch it with you.
#2- V for Vendetta (2005)
Compared to all of the other movies on my “favorites” list, this selection seems like the odd one out and to be in the #2 spot seems even more strange but let me explain. I don’t usually enjoy action movies or movies that involve blatant, graphic depictions of violence, war or torture, but the first time I saw this movie it really caught my attention and i was SO into it!!! The script is so clever and well-written, the casting was spot on, the direction and special effects are AMAZING, the soundtrack is awesome and the story, based on a graphic novel of the same title by David Lloyd, is reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984 and also awesome. Hugo Weaving is amazing as the main character and terrorist known as V, Natalie Portman is always awesome (another one of my favorite actresses) and plays Evey Hammond, a girl who accidentally gets involved with V’s plot, and for the better. Natalie Portman also looks beautiful bald (she is bald for the second half of the movie) and I feel like that fact needs to be mentioned. The whole movie is just full of energy and you don’t want it to slow down. Even in the end when they take a break in the action to have a romantic moment I find myself saying “stop with the romance and blow stuff up!” which is very uncharacteristic of me. This movie will have you wrapped up in it from start to finish. I don’t want to give away too much because every little detail gives something away so you’ll have to watch it for yourself to discover it’s fantasticness.
#1- Mary Poppins (1964)
If you know me at all, this should not be shocking or unexpected. My favorite movie of all time is Mary Poppins. This movie was way ahead of it’s technological time when it was released. Disney was among the first to put people and animation together at the same time, the special effects that they used truly made the movie magical and captured the essence of Disney. Julie Andrews is astounding in her first movie role (and won the Oscar over Audrey Hepburn who played Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady”, a role Andrews perfected on Broadway but Warner Bros. didn’t think Andrews was movie material. Talk about a bad decision!) and Dick Van Dyke, despite his TERRIBLE English accent, adds such a flair and pazazz. Van Dyke and Andrews compliment each other in a very graceful way which adds a sweet and playful charm to the film. The children Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael (Matthew Garber) were in a few Disney films of the time and fit these parts nicely. David Tomlinson (Mr. Banks) made his character lovable despite the grim demeanor it calls for and Glynis Johns (Mrs. Banks) is so sweet and feisty which makes for the family dynamic to be quite balanced yet dysfunctional. With the great musical numbers, Spoonful of Sugar, Jolly Holiday, Step in Time, Feed the Birds, and amazing choreography mixed in with special effects, advanced technology and creativity, this film is a classic and perfect for any age with it’s messages of needing to be responsible and also one of needing to spend more quality time with your family than your job. This story of a magical nanny who comes and puts a dysfunctional family back together has been made into a Broadway hit (which I’ve seen and I LOVE!), was derived from a few books by P.L. Travers, and will continue to impress and enlighten families in many different genres for many, many years.
Here are some movies that makes Honorable Mention:
A Scanner Darkly
A Walk to Remember
Hairspray
The Little Mermaid
Finding Neverland
National Treasure
Night at the Museum
Well, that’s all folks. I’m not sure that anyone will read this entire post but if you did I hope you enjoyed it and will check out some of these movies if you haven’t seen them already. Let me know what you think of them!! You never know, they could turn out to be one of your favorite too!
Reevaluate, Refresh, GO! January 27, 2010
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So the new (and my last as an undergrad!) semester has started and is in full gear. It’s a new year, a new semester, a new season is coming, the weather is changing, buds will soon start to bloom and winter will travel to a different part of the world. All of these new and exciting things are so refreshing, as most new things tend to be. However, I have a question that I think we all need to ponder: With all of the new things happening around me, what new things are happening IN me?
Reevaluation is such an important tool in pursuing excellence and humility. We always need to make sure that what we are doing is efficient, working well, and the best that we can do. It is also an extremely humbling experience (believe me, I know) to look at what you have worked so hard for and admit that it might not be very good. (James 4:10) As for the personal aspect of reevaluation, we need to be in communion with God and ask Him what it is He is wanting to refurbish in our lives; what it is He wants to show us about ourselves; what it is He wants to recognize about ourselves; what steps He wants us to take in order to pursue a Christ-like life, etc.
Now I see this all of the time (mostly in myself) that I will ask God to reveal what He wants me to do or pursue, He will tell me, and then I’ll say ‘ok cool’ and wait for Him to fix it. Church, we can NOT sit around and wait for things to happen. If we see something that needs change, we need to do the best we can to chase after what is Good. (1 Peter 3:11) Sometimes, all we can do is pray and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But, for example, if you know that God has lit a passionate fire in your heart to see the homeless population decrease, you can’t just sit around and pray for it to end, rather, pray for it to end AND go out and do something about it! (Hebrews 11:6) My dear friends Whitney Johnson, Nick Pegram and Deanna Privett are FANTASTIC examples of this! They became passionate and now go out in search of people who are homeless and build friendships with them, talk with them about Jesus, bring them to places where they can get their physical and spiritual needs met, etc. THAT is what Jesus calls us to do! Not to just sit and pray but to also GO! (Matthew 28:19-20)
So what is it that God has put on your heart? To love people in a more intentional way? To have better communication skills? To go back to church? God will answer the question if we ask it but it is up to us to pursue His will and if you have the Holy Spirit, you are fully capable of fulfilling any and all of God’s commands because He will not leave you alone, and His promises are more than we can imagine. (Jeremiah 1:8)
Directions for use: Reevaluate, Refresh, GO! (repeat frequently)
It’s That Time Again…. November 11, 2009
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So I know that it’s that time of the semester when everything that we’ve seen coming starts to get closer and closer and suddenly, we have 7 tests, 3 papers, a project and 4 books to read all in 3 weeks. We all start to feel really anxious, stressed, worrisome, we get circles under our eyes and are running on caffeine and adrenalin. Sound like that’s describing you?
First of all- “i’m too busy” is never an excuse to not be with God. Actually, there isn’t really any excuse that one can use to justify not taking the time to be with Him. Take 15 minutes out of your day and devote it strictly to Him and let Him calm your storms, for He is the Prince of peace.
Second of all- we can all get really caught up in needing to get good grades and I just want to remind you that your grades don’t define your character nor do they alter your purpose. Yes, we should do the best we can in school but we should not make school our idol. We do not live for our diploma, we live for our God. In the same way that we can’t serve God and money, we can’t serve God and school work. So the next time you find yourself in a situation in which you’re getting yourself stressed out over a grade, remember that it’s not the end of the world and that He won’t allow you to go unprotected.
Gentleness October 1, 2009
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Philippians 4:5 says “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” I read that the other day and I was taken aback. Paul isn’t giving this charge to the Church just because he feels that if people were gentle then we’d all be happier. Absolutely not! He says ‘The Lord is near.’ This is a warning! Gentleness is so absolutely important to God because it’s the way He wants His Truth to be shared. Gentleness represents a part of who God is and the Church is made up of people who are chosen to represent God to the best of their abilities. (Galatians 5:22-23) Just as employees represent their boss and company, we are called to represent God and His Kingdom! If we aren’t doing the best that we can to glorify His name in everything that we do, are we doing our job? In the coming weeks, I’ll be blogging about different ways in which we, the Church, can effectively represent God, mostly through personal revelation, and hopefully these things will challenge you also in your personal pursuit of holiness.
So back to talking about gentleness, I know and will be the first one to admit that I am a sarcastic, loud and outspoken Italian woman who sometimes doesn’t know when to shut up. (Yes, I’m flawed. Sue me.) So I’ve been thinking of some actions I can take, along with prayer, to pursue gentleness more fully and would appreciate your prayers as I seek these out.
1) LISTEN!!
Anyone can sit across from someone and hear them chattering and then interrupt with their two cents about how to fix the problem or even with an entirely new topic and completely disregarding what the other person was saying. I’m so guilty of that more times than not. I am praying that when I am conversing with someone, I will be intent and proactive about giving them the attention that they deserve. Even more importantly, we NEED to be actively listening to God before we can ever learn how to listen to others more effectively! I believe that God wants us to be listening to Him so intently that all He needs to do is gently whisper and we’ll hear Him as we hear thunder (Job 37:5) and we can set that example by listening to our brothers and sisters as we are to listen to God.
2) EMPATHIZE!!
Empathy is not the same as sympathy. Sympathy is to feel for someone as an outsider looking in; Empathy is to feel with someone as if you were in their shoes. I know that I can be gentler with people if I took the time to put myself in their position and understand their viewpoint from where they are coming from as opposed to understanding it from where I am. I’m not saying that a person’s circumstances are an excuse to act in a way that would be displeasing to God, you don’t have to agree with the person’s actions but, we CAN understand why they are acting in a certain way. Here’s an image: My dear friend Casey (I have her permission to tell this story) was in South Africa this summer on an awesome 3 month long mission trip. She and her team went out one day and one of her roommates left a window opened in their cabin. They come back to find monkeys had gotten in and pretty much ransacked Casey’s belongings. Her reaction: She was furious, yelled at her roommate and screamed all throughout the cabin for a good hour. Now, her teammates had a few options on handling this situation. 1) Tell Casey that she’s being overly sensitive or overreacting or 2) understand why Casey got angry, justify her feelings and then help her to see that her actions are not the most righteous. The first option is to confront Casey in a way that discredits where she is coming from and comes off as harsh and dismissive. The second option demonstrates empathy, which in turn offers encouragement and confrontation with gentleness. (Proverbs 11:12; Proverbs 16:22) God is ALWAYS going to understand from our level and that is how we should aspire to treat others as well. By practicing empathy, gentleness is a result.
3) RESPOND!!
When someone says something or does something towards us and we feel the need to passionately disagree or retaliate, acting on those feelings is reacting to the situation. Taking time to think about and understand all aspects of that something before acting is responding. Example: Someone could come up to you and punch you in the face. What is your first instinct? Well, mine is to punch them back, harder. That would be reacting. Responding would be to take a minute, remember what God asks of you and use that as your motivation to take the next step. (Matthew 5:38-40) In summary, reacting is action based on feelings and responding is action based on understanding. Being more responsive causes me to be gentler in my actions and I pray that I would be reminded of that during the struggles of everyday life. The way you listen affects the way you respond and responding gently as opposed to harsh or not responding at all is an example of how God responds to us. If God were to react based on feelings, the world would have blown up a long time ago.
So, again, LISTEN to what the person is saying, take the time you need to understand and EMPATHIZE with them and then RESPOND with gentleness. In Luke 2:45-47, Jesus sets this perfect example. Let’s show people how God wants His conversations with us to be!!
New Website!! September 30, 2009
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Hey everyone!
When you get a minute, you should definitely check out 24/7 Christian Church’s new website!! Steve did an AWESOME job at getting it up and it’s still being built so he’s working hard!
Let us know what you think!!
Eye Transplant September 29, 2009
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The retreat ended up being really awesome this past weekend. People heard the Gospel and God’s name was glorified AND we got to have a ton of fun. I ended up being the first one awake each morning and I really enjoyed that because I got to experience the quiet and the calm with little distraction. The first morning I woke up and took my bible and journal out onto the dock to spend my morning with God. After I had read Philippians 3 , I just sat and stared out into the bay and watched the calm water flow and the high grass on the little island across the way sway in the gentle breeze. I realized that I was living out Psalm 23:2. Realizing this, I opened up my bible to that psalm and read through it slowly, meditating on each verse to take in their truth and realize how they directly relate to my life in the present.
I got to Psalm 23:5 and I almost exploded with joy and then was overcome by peace. Here’s the truth: Everyone else can hate you and God will still prepare a table for you, He will still have the same purpose for you, and you are always called to pursue holiness, righteousness and excellence. (Titus 2:11-13) Every human has the potential for conjuring warped views of each other, but when God sees us, He sees the blood of Christ. This is the reason for perseverance- not because you need to please the world but because you need to please God despite what the world may think; in all seasons.
Now, I’m not saying to ignore those close to you who may confront you or call you out on something because it’s biblical to come at each other with love and grace and because we need to be humble in that others will see things that we may not be able to see. (2 Timothy 4:1-3) What I am saying is NOTHING, not people nor circumstances, can alter your purpose or the way God sees you.
Here’s my challenge: Let’s pray to God that He will let us see each other, the world, His creation with His Holy Eyes. Let’s pray that we would start to see people for their best and not their worst. Let’s pray for the ability see ourselves as chosen children of God whom He will prepare a table for even if no one else, not even ourselves, will and believe it with our entire Spirit.
Update September 15, 2009
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So I haven’t updated my blog with anything that is slightly interesting in an incredibly long time. To remedy this situation, I’m going to just skim through my journal and write out some key points as to share what God has been doing in my life and teaching me through reading His word and being with Him in prayer and everyday life.
6/29/09- Living is so much more than just surviving.
6/29/09- God asks us to be responsible with our money and sexuality not to tease us but because He wants us to do greater things with them that we can’t see right now.
7/6/09- What is so intimidating about man that we are more afraid of them than God?
7/20/09- Knocking down a wall delays the building of a house. Doing something that you have already learned is wrong does nothing for your growth, rather, you stand still.
7/27/09- Salvation is sometimes tacked onto my life. The people of the OT had their life revolve around their salvation.
7/27/09- Telling someone to do something that they are not driven to do is unlikely to bear fruit.
8/1/09- “I have all day” is never a good excuse to put something off because “all day” is never promised.
8/1/09- Don’t give someone the pleasure of saying “I told you so.”
8/2/09- The way that you treat people should never be the result of what mood you’re in. If that was the case, then God should have blown up the earth a long time ago.
8/3/09- Our path is not supposed to be easy, it’s supposed to be excellent!
8/3/09- It’s so easy to think that just because we are shown the light, we can walk into it by ourselves. Oh the pride of humanity.
8/3/09- In the times that we are desperately crying out for God are the times that we realize how fearful we are without Him.
8/4/09- I realized on this day that Proverbs 3 is one of the greatest chapters I have ever read. God specifically tells us that it’s all about our hearts, not about what laws we know and follow.
8/9/09- Only when we realize that God sees us with such worthiness will we be able to believe that we ourselves are worth more than we know.
8/9/09- We need to find our worth in God before we can ever expect to love others powerfully or be loved and accept it humbly.
8/9/09- 1 Peter 3:3-4- Ladies, SERIOUSLY take that as awesome truth.
8/12/09- Don’t just know what’s right, fight for it!
8/12/09- Taking advantage of people is NEVER ok.
9/1/09- At least one person is always watching you and you are given the chance to encourage them.
9/1/09- Don’t ever be afraid to pull someone up to your position or to even lift them above your own head and push them higher than yourself.
9/2/09- Really glad that I was able to read this post by Perry Noble
As of the last week or so I have gotten so excited about the vision that God has set out for 24/7. The staff and leader’s hearts are on fire to see people with no hope get filled with life and I cannot WAIT to see the amazing things that He has in store for us because He promises to do things that I can’t imagine, and I’m pretty creative and imaginative. I’m so excited about the women’s conference, ‘Back to Basics’, in October which we’re going to have more information about soon, because I know that God has called the women of this church to be excellent and powerful examples of the gospel! I’m also super excited about serving alongside of Tim, Steve, Jason, Tom, Laura and the other leaders and volunteers who play a more important role in this ministry than I will ever be able to explain. Their encouragement, passion, integrity, and wisdom are so very admirable and I truly respect them and their amazing abilities and giftings. God is so awesome in His promises that He will use the people in which He has chosen to build His church and that pumps me up!
Until next time….
