Here's one story to start it off!

"Growth demands a temporary surrender of security."- Gail Sheehy

Surrendering security is exactly what I did. I was nervous about having any major disruptions in my life. I was the least likely recruit in the cause of the poor--and now that I have seen, I am responsible.
Growing up in America, we've always seen the commercials about the hungry children dressed in rags. These commercials are usually accompanied with Bono's endorsement, or a Sarah McLaughlin song. You know what I'm talking about. However, these past two weeks have opened my eyes to the heart of the Father. I feel as if I realize this beautiful love story even better now that I have seen a glimpse of God's love for ALL people. Poverty, disease, and squalor had eyes and faces that stared back, and I have seen, smelled, and touched the pain of the poor.
I wanted to share one story (of hundreds) that I encountered while in Kenya that struck me to the core. Meet Ann.

Rather than tell of what the sin of the world has done to her, or pay the devil any mind to the tragedies she's been a victim to, I'll glorify God by telling who she is in Christ. She is a 15-year-old whom Christ died for. She loves music, working in gardens, and wants to become a nurse one day. Looking at her circumstances, you'd think her hopes are hopeless. Let Ann be the first to tell you that God isn't a god of circumstances, but of power. And everything is possible when you're on His team. 
As I sat in morning worship with my newest Kenyan friend, I felt world's apart and wondered how God would use me to encourage her. Well, He did. But He used her.

I'd brought my Bible and let Ann hold it. She grabbed me so suddenly, pointed to my name imprint and said, "What is that?" I told her that was my first and middle name and she said, "You see now. God has placed us together since the time of your birth--you can see it there. My name and your name." Whoa. Seems so simple, doesn't it? But when you think of the majesty of God, He really did place us together since before either of us were born. I was meant to be in Africa that day. And I was meant to meet Ann. Holllly crap.  You can see the letters surrounding in the above picture. Here's a piece of what Ann's letter to me said:

"Heaven is depending on you. Heaven is watching you. And everytime you feel tempted and trial comes remember heaven is waiting on you."

Beautiful, isn't it? That's God. She is a child of the King. And holds a piece of my heart. World's apart, and still, we are sisters.

God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet. I'm so glad that God called me to that place.


Redeemed, JAS.

P.S. I'm processing through pictures--so be patient!

What To Say

"Activity conquers cold, but stillness conquers heat."

I read this today and my interpretation of it reflects my emotion. A few months ago, I was completely downcast. A fellow Christian had criticized me to an extra low point. I felt shame and unworthiness. Hindsight taught me that the devil attacks believers in the most unsuspecting of ways--including feelings of inadequacy and regret. And for every bit of perfection that comes from Christ, the devil has come up with a counterfiet to it. Sneaky fellow.

BUT then there's God. Shame doesn't come from Christ. Inadequate emotions are the devil's playground and he will pounce if given the chance. Let no one caught in sin remain inside the lie of inward shame. Amen to that.

"Activity conquers cold, but stillness conquers heat."
I stayed active. Doing God's work, doing MY work, school work. Working. I didn't take my hand off the plow. Most people would say I burn the candle at both ends, and I believe that's true to an extent. I conquered the "cold" that came from the feelings of shame and desolation with activity. I put my weapon of truth back in my hand, and got BACK TO WORK.

Now, as I encounter "heat" from my oppressors, I've chosen stillness. Vacationing with my family, cutting back on working, and hanging out with friends. I'm being still.
I believe God has used every scenario in my life to get to me the moments I live in each day. He has given me all I need, because HE is all I need.

Fear knocks at the door, faith answers, and nobody's there.

Redeemed, JAS.
(:

Jesus wasn't crucified...

"...I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves, on the town garbage heap, at a crossroad so cosmopolitan that they had to write His title in Hebrew, Latin and Greek.  It was the kind of place where cynics talk smut, thieves curse, and soldiers gamble.  That’s where he died.  And that’s where Christians ought to be..."

-George MacLeod

God is SO big. Less than 10 weeks away from getting on a plane to step into a world I'd have never known if I didn't know Him. You're crazy if you don't get to know Him too. Praying for the lost today, more than ever.

God is beautiful, and we are made in that image. Let's live like beautiful people.

-Redeemed, now and forever-

JAS.

Hope Wins

It's been too long! Here's an update:

The pictures give the update on my world, the Scripture gives the conditions of my heart.

 

"When you see a person/situation as hopeless, you've slammed the door in the face of God."

 -Charles Allen.

 

Cleveland, OK has a chunk of my heart.
Crazy Love 



College is fun.
And I have a new internship!



Lamentations 3:

 ^19-21I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
   the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
   the feeling of hitting the bottom.But there's one other thing I remember,
   and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

 ^22-24God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
   his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
   How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
   He's all I've got left.

 

 ^25-27God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
   to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
   quietly hope for help from God.
It's a good thing when you're young
   to stick it out through the hard times.

 



 ^28-30When life is heavy and hard to take,
   go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
   Wait for hope to appear.
Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
   The "worst" is never the worst.  



 ^31-33Why? Because the Master won't ever
   walk out and fail to return.
If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
   His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.
He takes no pleasure in making life hard,
   in throwing roadblocks in the way.



 ^49-51"The tears stream from my eyes,
   an artesian well of tears,
Until you, God, look down from on high, 



   look and see my tears.
When I see what's happened to the young women in the city,
   the pain breaks my heart.

^55-57"I called out your name, O God,
   called from the bottom of the pit.
You listened when I called out, 'Don't shut your ears!
   Get me out of here! Save me!'
You came close when I called out.
   You said, 'It's going to be all right.'

 ^58-60"You took my side, Master; 
   you brought me back alive!"

-------



 Proud to be on the

sidelines of all they're boldly doing.

 

Friendships are priceless.


-Redeemed, JAS.
P.S. 93 days and counting. Literally. :)

Hammer in one hand, a weapon in the other.

Remember the Lord, and get back to work.

Hope wins.

The Past 72 Hours

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." -Walt Disney

Walt Disney, what a cool guy. Disney is someone (and now something) that's changed lives all around us. They've brought joy, laughter, lessons, and just a feeling of togetherness for years. A joke at my work is that Christmas at Disney World has to equal heaven on Earth, because it's such a place of excitement and nothing's better than Christmas! I like his quote because I feel like God tells Himself something along those lines every day.

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." -God

The past 72 hours might just be the most JAM PACKED GOD weekend I've been a witness to in a long time. What's even better is that a simple blog will never do it justice to what's truly gone on, and what's truly been seen. So here's my nutshell version:

First: A beautiful baby girl named Taten Quinn was added to the family Thursday night. SO happy for my cousin, Michael and his wife! The miracle of birth is truly something impossible that God makes possible. How a little tiny one can have the eyes of my cousin, and the nose of her mother. It's only God who could create such a well-thought out, masterpiece. What a beautiful girl she is. With love, comes new life. That's impossibly cool.

Next, one of my close friends got married on Friday! I've been lucky enough to stand on the same team as Austin for almost 10 years now (ew, dang!)  and I'll never forget the first conversation we had about his then-girlfriend Tiffanie. People always say "when you know you know" and boy did he know. What's cool is they each have a life centered around Christ. They were seeking Christ, and that led them to each other. All weddings are beautiful, and theirs was no exception. I've witnessed several friends get married this summer. What a blessing they've each been in my life. I finished that night with dinner with one of my oldest friends. SO fun. With passions, comes new life. That, is impossibly cool.

Saturday I got to experience a reuniting of new friends! There's nothing more refreshing than fellowship with long-distance friends. Maranda and Ashley, I don't even know if you'll read this: But. I'm speechless. You guys light up my soul. I've never felt so loved by people who've SEEN me less than a week's time. God works in mysterious ways, and He wastes nothing. I'm thankful for our relationships and the journey I've been on to come to know the great people of their town. Forever grateful. Out of obedience, comes new life. And that, is impossibly cool.



Brother 1



I ended my week where I'm planted. My church family revives me, and MY family, rejuvenates me. Got my double (triple!) dose of church this weekend, then ended my Sunday with my whole family. That's what I love about Sundays. I love my parents. I love my brothers. I love my family. Out of devotion, comes new life. And that's (you guessed it!) impossibly cool!



Brother 2



Long blog short: God is good. He was busy making plans for this weekend long before I knew Him. And that's what is so impossibly cool. Only God. All for His glory. ALL of this weekend, for Him.

Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Luke 18:27

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

Can't help but agree!

Redeemed, JAS. <3 

We are chosen!

 "Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."

Matthew 9:35-38

Growing up in church, these are pretty common verses. It wasn't until recently that I was re-reading them, and realized something I hadn't seen the first time I'd read them.

Jesus was surrounded by the sick, the poor, and the needy. The first thing He DID was look to the disciples. And He asked them to pray.

I had to stop for a minute and think about how I pray. Are my prayers problem-centered, or promise-centered? Am I selfish in nature, or compassionate for the needs of those around me? How I pray reflects how much I BELIEVE about God. I could do a lot better in this area, and as a nation, I think we all could. I hope you pause to ask yourself the same things I did.

Back to the verses above:

What's even more surprising than Jesus asking the disciples to pray, is what Jesus told them to pray FOR. You'd expect Him to see the multitudes and tell the disciples to pray for them, but instead he told the disciples to pray for more workers, for the church. He didn't say to pray for the lost, but for the church.  It's as if His concern wasn't that the lost wouldn't come to Him, He knew they would. He was concerned that the "workers" (the church) wouldn't go to the lost.  how humbling.

Here's where I stop and ask myself: How well of a "job" are we doing as a church? As a "body" of believers? Most people say the reason they don't believe in God is because of others' behaviors who say they do. What have you done to help out God's "team?" What more could we be doing? I've had a busy summer of doing God's work, and I'm SO glad to be chosen for that. God has blessed me in my obedience, but I continue to see areas I can grow in.

Sometimes I wonder if other professed "believers" ever feel that way. Are they striving to try harder, to live differently, to proclaim boldly, to give generously. If you're claiming to be part of this team, the chosen generation, then BE. Be apart of it. Or don't. There is no in between. Jesus didn't just kind of die for you, so we could just sort of live for Him. He died. He rose. He lives. There is no gray area. Jesus asked the disciples to pray for the church, not those in need. How scary.

"For you are a chosen people.

You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession.

 As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9 (NLT)

We were chosen for this. :D

Redeemed, JAS. <3

where does my strength come from?

Man, what a whirlwind of a month I've been handed. What do I have to show for such a busy month?

I've seen the lives of others changed around me, I've seen sinners come to know their Maker, I've seen others recommit themselves to their original promises to God, I've seen children, younger than you and I, learn to lean on God's grace for their lives. I've raised a good amount for Africa. :) I've trusted, I've grown. I've seen BIG THINGS. And boy, have I said big things. :)

I'm so thankful for a God who comes through when I really need Him to. And in HUGE ways.

Back to tonight's topic! My strength?

My strength lies solely in my tenacity.
Tenacity: persistence. perseverance. grasping tightly. holding firmly.
The word tenacity literally means "the act of holding onto..." It's an act, an action. To be persistent in this means to ACT on your convictions, your beliefs, to be a little WEIRD, a little radical. to GO, to be silent, whatever it may look like, it's an action.

Psalm 121

" ¹ I look up to the mountains—
     where does my help come from? ² My help comes from the Lord,
      who made heaven and earth!

 ³ He will not let you stumble;
      the one who watches over you will not slumber.
 ⁴ Indeed, he who watches over Israel
      never slumbers or sleeps.

 ⁵ The Lord himself watches over you!
      The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
 ⁶ The sun will not harm you by day,
      nor the moon at night.

 ⁷ The Lord keeps you from all harm
      and watches over your life. ⁸ The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
      both now and forever."



My help comes from the Lord. I could never have done what I did this month if it wasn't for His help. He's kept me from harm, and He watches over every decision I make. That's where my strength comes from. Knowing fully well that when I wake, the God of the universe is already there, with His huge plans.

I've held on, and learned that God is exactly who He says He is.
Be careful when you ask God to do big things, He'll knock you off your feet. :)

So grateful. My cup is overflowing.

Redeemed, JAS. <3