Desert Song

"This is my prayer in the desert when everything within me feels dry. This is my prayer in my hunger and need my God is the God who PROVIDES."

Brooke Fraser of Hillsong United wrote this song for her churchbody. What many people don't know is that a few days before it was to be performed at service, she had a premature delivery of her baby boy, and at 26 weeks old he died a day after birth. Many told her to take some time for herself and delay the song, but she refused.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QemZQKKJbRU

Watch her face as she performs this song the first time before Hillsong Church. You can see pain in her eyes, but it is overshadowed by glory of the Lord. Her emotion erupts when she sings the chrous

"All of my life, in every season you are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship."

I love how she delights in Jesus even when circumstances just stink. I look back to this week, and even though it was crappy with sickness, missing obligations, constant pain my body, and finding out that my spine is messed up. It would pale in comparison to losing a life that I carried inside me for months and months.

I love Philipians 4:4, simply "Rejoice, Rejoice! I'll say it again Rejoice!"

God I pray that I can be like Brooke and be able to find peace in Him.

One year older wow!

Turned the BIG 20 last week, okay its really not that big. I still have those cute baby cheeks, thanks Ben Hunt.

So I feel a little older, maybe thats because my lungs are messed up from whatever bug is floating around in there. But what has changed in a year!

Load this up with a lil scripturez..

Galatians 2:20 (New International Version)
20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I love how PERFECTLY this verse describes the change in the last year. Remembering last March I felt a ton of insecurity in faith, in myself, and my lack of idenity in Christ. Talking with friends made me feel like I'd just gotten off the Christian shortbus. Atonement, justificawhat?? Now scripture knowledge isn't as important as knowing God, but it does help us know God better and allows to teach others about God, which wow God has so graciously blessed me with!

Goin into summer I didn't know what to expect, workin at this camp. All I knew is that I needed Biblical Basics 101, 102, 201, 202 fast, stat! Being asked so many challenging life questions
by coworkers and even parents was the most humbling and growing experience ever! I had no choice but to dive deep in the Word because Lord knows my advice that comes from myself is cheap!

Different situations such as a friend hurting me badly, challenging experiences working in ministry, leading and being led, family struggles, personal struggles, and important life changing decisions all led to me and God hanging it super tight.

Ben Jen is so right, life is a series of important choices. Do not think of the choices we make as unimportant or there always be a chance to redo. Every moment is a second chance, but we are given a certain amount of choices, and we have to harness them!

1 Tim 4:12

1 Timothy 4:12 (New International Version)

¹²Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

God was gracious enough to let this verse be manifested the other day. Timothy whom Paul was writing to was probably a little older 15, it could go either direction of that. Timothy was a man, who by today's standards would be a boy, who was filled with the holy spirit.

An 8th grader named Sam, who by is a stud, a Godly stud gave an awesome message last Weds at 180 (cornerstone's middle school ministry). He talked about different ways we could give God the glory, through what we do, through our activities, how the perishing don't even know they are perishing, and how even facebook could be used to show God's goodness.

He used some awesome verses such as..

1 Corinthians 1:18, about how the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.
Romans says that beautiful are those feet that bring good news.

Sam hit me really hard because to my parents this good news is foolishness. He also hit me hard because we truly have a privilege to be messengers of God. We more than conquers we are co-heirs in Christ. That is a highly esteemed honor.

Sam also hit me really hard because he's 14 years old, and gave a rocking sermon. It was rocking cause he spoke from his heart, and it was all to the glory of Him who lives on high. As I found out more about Sam's past and how he used to be and how he is now further impresses me.

Too often we put limitations on our youth when they truly have none. Thank you God for showing me so clearly that you can work so awesomely!

His Community

Last weekend a few friends and I took a trip to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Before visiting a Bible College I had this interestingly foolish thought in my mind that kids at a Bible college were weird. The night started off with me meeting up with an old friend from the summer, her name is April. It was awesome to see her again and to reconnect on things that happened since summer, and all that God's been doing in our lives.

Moody has around 2000 students and it has 5 dorms plus an area somewhat like the memorial union at Iowa State. So it was pretty packed on a Friday night, with many kids, from so many different countries just hanging out. Going through the cafe area my first thought (coming from a secular university) was "I need to evangelize." Suddenly I remembered that only 17 percent of all Moody students who apply are accepted, and the first requirement is to have a burning fire for God. Than I thought oh, they probably would evangelize to me if they knew where I came from haha..

I told April what I was thinking and she laughed and said " if you tried to evangelize here they'd tell you to go across the street to the housing projects and share with some drug dealers."

It then really struck that I was going to live for the next few days in a community of believers. Although of course sin still existed, but everyone here was following the Lord. It was a surreal feeling and it was quite unreal.

I went up to my friend's dorm and the first thing I saw when I got out of the elevator was a floor of guys with only boxers on playing soccer in the hall way. Okay hold on Bible college? That was the most intense soccer game I've ever played, I think I got nailed on every part of my body with that soccer ball except my man area. Which praise God He protected me there. The weekend followed with an intense prayer and worship session from 12 Am- 6 Am in the morning.

The weekend was amazing because the kids there were so awesome. They just bled Christ and were really cool and social at the same time. They honestly would be much cooler in the world's eyes than Iowa State students, because they knew how to have fun and also they were living for the eternal God! Wow, it was amazing to walk down the hall and know that you were talking to someone who had the same burning passion as you.

This weekend so encouraged me because God can make not only Moody like that, but Iowa State, not just Iowa State but America, not just America but the world! I am just so excited just imaging a world of people that love with the love of Christ, and who are living for eternity.

Jesus said that "The fools build their home on shifting sand but wise men build their foundation on the rock." What would the look world like if instead of governments, people, and countries living on shifting sand but firmly rooted on the rock?

God you blow my mind! I will do my best to see to it that this becomes reality. Only through He who gives me strength.