Thursday, April 2, 2009

Monday-Wednesday.

This past week has been so interesting. Here's the highlights.
Monday- normal day I suppose. We had an awesome night at Bible Study. (GBS) We are studying Romans and it is literally life-changing. The way the Holy Spirit has lead, taught, and shared through each girl in the group is mind boggling. From learning identity in Christ to trying to grasp the sovereignty and love of Him has been quite the journey. After Bible Study, Katie B and I got to spend some much overdue time together. I am so thankful for the way she has mentored and encouraged me; The way she has literally been at my side during this whole season of life has just really showed me what friendship and the body of Christ is all about. Then, I drove home to Wetumpka and got to sleep with my best friend, pooh-bear. 

Tuesday- I was not looking forward to this day whatsoever. I had to go to the doctor in Montgomery to get some tests run and blood taken. I also had to go to the hospital to get a barium test done for my throat. This morning was so uncomfortable, embarrassing, and just blah. The stuff I had to drink was like taking a shot of alkacelser and then two dixie cups full of a cloudy, chalky- weird substance. It was just plain miserable. However, my savior promises good to every situation. My good was the lunch I got to have with my mother at Jim-N-Nicks. It was so great to just hang out and talk about life with my mom. I would do that test over if that meant getting to have the time with my mom again. Tuesday night was quite an experience. I took my friend that I met on the trip to Chicago, Han (international student from South Korea.. so Asian!), to a dinner that some of my friends have every Tuesday night. The dinner consists of a bunch of my friends and then a bunch of international students. It's just a dinner they started with a few friends and it has grown into a weekly dinner and hang out time for people of all races to be together. Han had an awesome time. He was quite the hit of the party. I enjoyed getting to know new faces from China and reuniting with some friends from Turkey. I really love people from other countries. I am not sure what it is about them, but they just melt my heart and make me want to stay in conversation as long as I can. LOVE THEM. 

Wednesday- The normal day of class lead into a brilliant evening of Jesus. Some friends of mine and I drove to Wetumpka around 4 PM to help out at a youth group service at Moulder United Methodist Church. The church is where Rebecca and Trip Healey are youth ministers. Trip asked me to come and bring a few friends to be a panel for the youth to ask questions about dating/relationships/ and guy/girl issues. Since I was bringing two amazing musicians along, he also asked us to lead worship. So, after some practice, me and two guys led worship for the youth. Brennan and I played guitars and sang while Chandler blew me away on the keyboard and sang as well. We sang four amazing songs and it went really well. I was a bit nervous because I have never really done that kind of thing before. Most people came up to me and said.. "I didn't know you sang and played guitar!" My response was a silly, "Yea, I picked it up yesterday." It is something I have just done on my own and spare time but I really enjoy it. Some things I learned being on stage was this. It is very difficult for people to know all the words of each song, play each chord of each song, and keep Jesus the center of their mind simultaneously. I prayed and really tried to worship- a vertical experience with just my Savior and I. I think it went well and I really had a great time. The panel was really funny. Their questions were the normal student things:
- Why are boys so perverted around girls?
-Why do girls never date the "good guys?"
-Why do girls have so much drama?
-Why do girls wear tight clothes and then get mad when guys stare?
-What kind of guy are you attracted to?
-Why is sex wrong when you are in love?
-What is one piece of advice for a guy or a girl in junior high/ high school on relationships?
A group of four girls answered the boys questions and a group of guys answered the questions from the girls. Humorous, enlightening, and encouraging are words I would use to wrap it up. 

Here's one thing the Lord taught me:
Everything they were asking and everything I was hearing from Him was all centered around Identity. I know I have been harping on this for a while now, but the importance of knowing who you are continues to blow my socks off. Life would be so much easier and less controversial for me if I would have just pursued that answer sooner. I was so obsessed with friends, sports, and academics in high school that I allowed those things to identify who I was. Sure, I was still confident at who I was but I wasn't who God wanted me to be. I was who this friend or this coach or this situation wanted me to be at the time being. When you start to develop the understanding that you are a child of the Lord most high, you gain worth, love, acceptance, confidence, hope, purpose, meaning, beauty, and AH so much. The Lord has entrusted so much to His children so undeservingly. When I am confident in who I am in Christ, every thing else falls into place. I promise you that. When I loose sight of the cross ( I do this daily), I start to conform to other people or my thoughts and then I am left miserable, empty and lost. He is continuing to show me my need for a Savior, my need for a Friend, my need for a Provider, my need for a Lover, my need for a Father, my need for Life, my need for HIM. My last advice to those kids was this: Know that what you do today will honestly affect your future and find your Identity IN CHRIST ALONE.