Encouragement.

I would like you to take some time to read Psalm 136. And be encouraged.
Thats all I want right now-is for you to be encouraged.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.

who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.

who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.

who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.

the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.

the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.

and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.

with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.

to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
His love endures forever.

and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.

but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.

to him who led his people through the desert,
His love endures forever.

who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.

and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.

Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.

and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.

and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.

an inheritance to his servant Israel;
His love endures forever.

to the One who remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.

and freed us from our enemies,
His love endures forever.

and who gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.

Great Quote!

It's hard to convince someone to be something you're not.

Think hard about that. Think about why you even want that for someone else when you don't want it for yourself.

This statement has really made me think. When I decided to post tonight, I had a totally different topic in mind, but after some prayer, I want to tell you part of my story.

I was so good at playing the Jesus game in high school it was unreal. In fact, if you had been around, and asked anyone from church, they probably would have told you what a GREAT PLAN God had for my life. Well--it would have been true--because God did have a great plan for my life, just like He does for yours-and I think I even believed it. It didn't change how I treated people. It didn't change my attitude or my actions. I'm sure that while some people at school would have described me as "nice" others would have used very different words. See, I didn't realize that you "live through it". More than faith in Jesus, I had faith in my peers--whether they were church goers or not. I wanted to be cool, to fit in, and to do what everyone else was doing, and if your schools are anything like mine was--Jesus was not exactly "cool". I mean, theres all those rules, and you shouldn't swear, or drink at parties, or dance provocatively....I remember after my junior year in high school I was at EC camp with our old youth pastor--and he totally tried to call me out. Instead, i walked away, because walking away is SO much easier (and lets be honest--so much cooler!!) that actually confronting the sin in our lives.

I watch some of you playing that same game. And I have news for you--I'm calling you out. You may not like it, but there it is. JESUS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN FITTING IN. You will "live through" being the kid who doesn't cuss, the kid who sits with the loner, the kid who just helps people. Oh, you'll get made fun of for sure--and to be honest--I was never really brave enough to do it for long. I had trouble explaining why faith was important, and in the end, more often than not, I caved in to the pressure to fit in. I'm not proud of it, but I can think back about how I wish I would have been, and I have regrets.

I have had people who have come to me, as an adult now, telling me that they had gone to church with me, because they "thought" i had something, and then realized I was just like everyone else. One person even told me that I made them hate church, because they didn't want to be like me.

The AWESOME ROCKSTAR CHURCH ME--disappeared on friday night at the football game or alone with my boyfriend on sunday afternoon. I am now calling you to the most difficult thing--don't be afraid of loving Jesus. You'll live through it. And you'll be respected for it.

Stop playing games with your faith. Stop talking about being the light in the darkness and just do it. You can make a difference in the lives of all your hurting friends, you just have to stop playing the game and realize that its about FOREVER, not about being cool on Friday night.

I will leave you with this scripture:

The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

You stare and stare at the obvious, but you can't see the forest for the trees. If you're looking for a clear example of someone on Christ's side, why do you so quickly cut me out? Believe me, I am quite sure of my standing with Christ. You may think I overstate the authority he gave me, but I'm not backing off. Every bit of my commitment is for the purpose of building you up, after all, not tearing you down. 2 Corinthians 10:3-8 (The Message)

It doesn't have to be a battle.

We spend a lot of time fighting God. Sometimes, its to get our way. Sometimes, its to avoid what God is calling us to do. On occasion, it may even be because we don't feel qualified or worthy of the life God has for us. Or maybe, we are just angry, and God is an easy target.

It's not that hard. God loves us no matter how much we struggle against that love. God will ALWAYS love us, even when we think we've gone beyond what he can love. NOTHING stops God from loving us. Nothing stops God from weeping when we weep, and laughing when we laugh.

Following God is a hard road. He never promised that it would be easy. He never told us we couldn't argue and try and bargain for an easier life. Believing in God is easy, truly following God, and loving the way God loves is where it gets a little tricky. But it doesn't have to be a battle. In fact, the more you give in to what God has for your life, the less likely you are to struggle against it, because even when it isn't easy, you can trust that God is looking out for your best interest.

We make it into this epic battle, because we make it all about us. We make it about what God has called "ME" to do. Well, God calls all of us to difficult things at times, and the best we can do is trust in him. It's not a battle. Jesus won the battle when he died and then rose from the dead. The battle part is over. Now all thats left is the victory dance. To show others that it doesn't have to be this BATTLE. Drinking, smoking, fooling around, swearing, and whatever else you can throw in there--is all part of the battle against God's love.

When Jesus died, it wasn't about him. The Bible even says He didn't want to do it--he prayed that God would somehow deliver him. But he wasn't delivered. He still had to die, and he did it for you, and for me--to win the battle. So that it wouldn't be a battle for us. So we could show up at God's victory party on the winning team.

If it doesn't have to be a battle, if we don't have to struggle to earn God's love, and we know that God loves us, no matter what, then why don't we start living even in the hard times like we're at a celebration??

So don't be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, NOTHING COULD BE PLAINER: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus. 1 TIMOTHY 1:8-10 The Message

It doesn't mean there won't be tough times, and that we won't have questions and that we won't get mad or struggle...but...Let's stop fighting this pointless battle. Lets Go to God, and accept the love HE offers to us. Take the good with the bad. Talk with God and let Him get you through the tough stuff. There's no point fighting with the battle already won. Instead, lets turn our lives into a victory dance, so that everyone can see--in each of us GOD's amazing LOVE.

Why?

We spend a lot of time searching. We wonder why things happen, why God chooses us for the tasks he chooses us for and why he loves us. I remember babysitting back in high school, and this one girl (she was about 4 I think) would ask me "WHY" about everything. Our conversations went a lot like this: "lets eat dinner" 'Why' , "lets watch a movie" "why" "lets get our pj's on" "why". You get the picture. I babysat every tuesday night for this family, and every tuesday night it was the same thing. Same topics. Same questions. It drove me nuts!! I couldn't wait for her to grow out of it so we could have a conversation.

The reality is that this mimics our relationship with God.We don't understand. We ask why.

The crazy thing is God answers. He says WHY NOT?? But that answer isn't good enough for us, because it's really just too simple. What do you mean why not?? thats obvious, im stupid, ugly, fat, obnoxious, sneaky, a liar...put whatever you want in there...we give God millions of reasons why we are the "WRONG" person for the job. Why someone else would be better, why someone else is more deserving of HIS love. Why someone else has more worth.

And God sets examples for us to help us understand that we don't have to be even close to perfect to trust in Him. Look at the the disciples starting in Mark Chapter 4:33-end (and i'm using the message-which gives it a little different phrasing)

With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity. He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots.

Late that day he said to them, "Let's go across to the other side." They took him in the boat as he was. A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it. And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping! They roused him, saying, "Teacher, is it nothing to you that we're going down?"

Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, "Quiet! Settle down!" The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass. Jesus reprimanded the disciples: "Why are you such cowards? Don't you have any faith at all?"

They were in absolute awe, staggered. "Who is this, anyway?" they asked. "Wind and sea at his beck and call!"

Jesus had to explain his stories to his disciples--because they didn't get it. Right after that-they are out in the boat, and Jesus is asleep, and the disciples are probably hanging out, when all of a sudden there is this crazy storm. Well-that's ok. Most of the disciples were fishermen!! That meant they had experience on the water--but they get so scared..they wake up Jesus--who then calls them cowards--and says that they have no faith.

Jump ahead to Mark 7

When he was back home after being with the crowd, his disciples said, "We don't get it. Put it in plain language."

Jesus said, "Are you being willfully stupid? Don't you see that what you swallow can't contaminate you? It doesn't enter your heart but your stomach, works its way through the intestines, and is finally flushed." (That took care of dietary quibbling; Jesus was saying that all foods are fit to eat.)

He went on: "It's what comes out of a person that pollutes: obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness—all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution."

These guys spent EVERY DAY with Jesus-they spent all of their time with God. There was no facebook, no HOUSE, No Grey's anatomy, no ipod, no cell phone. It was just them and JESUS--yet throughout their time with Jesus they are constantly asking questions. They are constantly doubting the true power of Jesus. The example that God gave us--well..its not hard to live up to being a leper or a tax collector, or a fisherman. I'm sure that in their days with Jesus, they asked the question WHY all the time--"why did you do this, Jesus?" "why didn't you do that Jesus?" like small children who ask why about everything, Jesus answered their questions with love and patience. He never dismissed them and decided that he would go get a few rabbi's and teachers to follow him. He just kept explaining with total patience no matter how many times they asked. And he did it with patience and understanding.

So where does that leave us?? Asking questions. But maybe we shouldn't be so suprised when we question God and he replies---WHY NOT??

umm...sorry.

Does anyone ever visit blogs anymore? I started this blog when forever ago, in July of 2004 to keep my family up to date on what was happening in my life because we were living in indiana. What a crazy journey the past six years have been, and who knows better than my poor neglected blog? Lets run through the highlights since my last update in September.

October-for the first time since we started coaching, kankakee first placed at quizfest. thats good. Ruby was a pirate for halloween! took over family first intact program at work.

November-took a team to Olathe kansas to a quiz tournament. BEST TRIP of the year! we went to st louis to celebrate rubys first christmas with scotts family. took jr highers to michigan quiz--jaylene placed 4th. Met Brittanys family. This would turn out to be important.

December-more christmas, with my family. st louis quiz, split district quiz for the first time as directors--fight with jeremy. resolved.

January-new intern brittany starts at Catholic Charities. super fun girl. Intact caseload doubles.

February-ruby turned one--we went to exploration station. I turned 31. Yep. Sterling quiz. good times all around! celebrate life. Intern brittany's father dies unexpectedly. Glad i had the honor of meeting him, and thankful that I can help Brittany through a rough final semester in college.

March-Indy quiz--super fun, stayed with Jenn Ricketts in fortville. went to maryland for girl weekend, rachels 30th birthday celebration, and so on. Good times.

April-finals. 2 teams of awesome kids going on to celebrate life. 22 students signed up to go to Q2010 in Ohio. Brittany finishes her internship, and i am sad.

May-Regionals--super fun. I dont know a lot else that happened in may. Oh, danielle and lena both came home for the summer. danielle agrees to nanny at Q, sure to be a good time.

June-took gram down to see aunt judy. took jaylene, jt, ruby and scott along. baseball, science center, spaghetti factory, fun on the farm. 7 intact cases. Q2010! good trip. First time CCD has placed at a Q event since we've directed. Good job girls.

July-fireworks at Q. drama regarding EC Camp. Learning daily that God is bigger and we need to trust that He can work things out.

TODAY, July 15th now, 2010. my 6 year old blog has kept me up past my bedtime. If anyone reads this, i promise to try and post more than every nine months, I obviously have a lot more to say about several of the things that happened, and i left some things out, but its my own fault for not posting more.