Qualified by The Blood

I've realized now more than ever before that I'm not at all qualified for the roles that I play in life. I'm not qualified to lead a high school small group. I didn't even know Jesus when I was in high school, so how on earth can I tell these girls to rise above the peer pressure when I did nothing but fall prey to it? I'm not qualified to be a nanny. I have the least patience out of anyone on this entire planet (my friends are laughing right now because they can testify). How can I show the love of Christ when I can't even be patient enough to be okay with the fact that it takes a four year old 20 minutes to brush his teeth? I'm not qualified to be an outreach liaison. I'm just a fresh off the press adult. With 21 years under my belt, how could I possibly have the knowledge and wisdom to lead those far older than me? And by far I'm not qualified to call myself a "Christian"! By gosh, with all that I've done, with all that I still struggle with. Surely, God some how pulled the wrong name out of the hat. 

But what if. What if its not my qualifications that actually count for anything? When God called Jeremiah He declared "Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5) If God appointed Jeremiah as a prophet before he was ever even born, then God must have pulled his qualifications from somewhere else. Being that God and He alone was there before the world was made, then it must mean that it's not what I've done or accomplished (or my lack of) that qualifies me, but it is what God has done and accomplished that qualifies me for the work I'm doing. 

Jeremiah thought the same way I do. (We'll probably be friends in Heaven) He replies to God's decree saying, "But Lord God, I don't know how to speak. I am only a boy." I sound like this a lot to God. "But Godddddd....! Really, Jesus! You must have meant to chose that other guy for the job. I'm only this kid with more failures to my name than qualifications." And while I'm saying all of my But Godddd..'s, God Himself, in His grace and mercy, is saying, But GOD in reply. "But GOD shows His great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:8) "But GOD chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and He chose the weak things of this world to shame the strong." (1 Corinthians 1:27) And I realize that I am one of those foolish and weak things He chose to do His will here on earth. I realize that its not my qualifications that matter at all, but that the very blood of Jesus has qualified me to do all things that God calls me to do. 

So by the world's standards you could say that I should probably be fired from all these roles I fill. I'm not smart enough, old enough, talented enough, or patient enough for any of them. But GOD Himself has qualified me to do all of these things and more. And His qualifications far exceed mine. Thank God that we are called before He even made us, before the world itself even existed. Thank God that He chose us and qualified us before we ever stepped foot on this earth to do anything right or wrong. Abide in His qualifications; in the reality that as followers of Jesus His blood not only wipes our sins away, but that His blood also qualifies us to do the things we could never do apart from Him. 

Lovers of Your Presence

"We are lovers of Your presence. And that's all we want to be."

Oh bless, this "Here on Earth" album by Bryan and Katie Torwalt has been preaching to me so much. Seriously, stop what your doing right now and go buy it, then continue reading. I feel like these past two weeks God has been consistently emphasizing to me His presence, the Spirit's presence and power within us and what that could bring if we were simply obedient. 

Man, could you imagine what our days would look like if we truly welcomed and walked in and by the Spirit's presence? I believe we'd see a totally different outplaying of our daily lives. Days where REVIVAL would be birthed in the hearts of believers and LIFE would be birthed within the hearts of the lost. Could you imagine what our days would look like if we truly walked by the Spirit's leading? I know we'd be in drastically different places than we choose to put ourselves in each day. I think I'd be on the streets more, in the slums, in community, and be more intentional with each place I went throughout the day. Could you imagine what our days would look like if we let the Spirit direct our words? We would be encouragers, grace bearers, people who build up and never tear down, people who put others before ourselves. Could you imagine what our days would look like if we embraced and lived in the power the Spirit gives us? Lives would be set free, sin would be conquered, victory would be the norm. We could bring hope and healing to the thousands. 

Could you imagine the outflow of Christ to others if we simply were more AWARE of the Spirit's presence, prompting, and power? God make us lovers of Your presence who are hungry for Your presence. Let us burn with a desire to see Your presence not only invade our lives, but the lives of this world. Let's not just imagine, let's see His presence flood this earth. 

The Shakedown before Revival

I feel like it’s a constant theme within Scripture of God always allowing faith rattling things to happen before He shows up in even bigger ways. Before Paul was set ablaze for Christ and took the gospel to more places than anyone in the world and wrote more than half of the New Testament he had to encounter Christ a shakedown kind of way. He was struck of his horse on the road to Damascus and Scripture says that he encountered the risen Christ. I don’t know about you, but I could only imagine how much this shook Paul to his core being a persecutor of the very Christ he was seeing. In the Old Testament we see how Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, suffered as a prisoner and servant before God brought him into the place of a pharaoh’s assistant. Joseph, who had previously seen dreams of his brothers bowing down to him, these very brothers that sold him into slavery, was most likely having his faith shaken as he sat in that prison cell. Yet in all these cases throughout Scripture we see that these “shakedowns” always brought about a greater good, a greater revival of the purpose and mission of God.

Currently, at Canaan, I feel like we are in this shakedown phase. With a change in some of the missionary staffing, we as a team and Canaan as a whole has had to readjust in many ways.  The kids have had to get use to a change in the teaching staff and adjusting to a few new faces. There are days when these changes seem impossible for them, but as we progress we are seeing the kids actually renewed and encouraged to strive on in even greater ways.

Also at Canaan right now we are having our land surveyed and the removal of squatters that are currently on our land. This is bringing quite the shakedown of our community as we are all on high alert because of the squatters potential outrage of being forced to move.  We have a whole new set of rules for where we can be and cannot be at certain times and as with any change it brings frustration. But after meeting with Pastor Henri last night the team now sees the greater good that will come from this happening. As these squatters are removed, Canaan will have more opportunity to grow and expand on the land that God has given them. With these projected long term expansions Canaan will be enabled to reach thousands and thousands more for Christ.

Personally, I’m being shaken to the core right now as well. A few days ago I got the news that my uncle who has been fighting stage 4 lymphoma for over a year was emergency admitted into the hospital. They have started him on heavy radiation and with a tumor close by one of his kidneys they are expecting this to have damaging effects on that kidney. Too often we think that if we are serving God that guarantees everything in our lives flow good and dandy. But that is nothing but a lie. I knew that as God led me to make the decision to return to Haiti for four months that my uncle was still sick. And yet God told me to trust him. So I stand here, an ocean away, with the reality that my uncle might not make it. But I also stand in the reality that I have a Savior who took cancer on the cross. I have a God that is a healer, who is The Great Physician.  I stand in the reality of a God who says that “faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains.” So while my faith is being shaken to the core right now, I praise God that I even have the gift of faith. I praise God knowing that in the moment I am being shaken, but it is only a preparation of a coming revival, a coming move of God.

The fact is that we don’t always understand why God does things the way He does them. But I am learning that I am so glad that He does do them His way. While the shakedowns aren’t that fun, I know that I stand in a faith that is ultimately unshakeable, and that God will bring me through, and us through anything that comes our way. I know that God uses these times to shape and mold, to build up, and push us on to greater things. So I praise God for these shakedowns, because it is only the flood gate being opened of the coming revival that is to hit this land called Canaan, to hit this country called Haiti that will ultimately flood into the ends of the earth. 

Back in Action!

Well, I think I've took a long enough break from the blog world! I am still amazed at how fast things when you follow Jesus. So for my first blog back I'm just going to update all of those who might not keep up with me. :)

This past November I was give the opportunity to head back to Haiti shortly after our one week team returned in October. One of the missionaries down there had to come back to the states and they needed a teacher to fill in for her while she was gone. As most of you know, I gladly and enthusiastically volunteered myself. Little did I know that the month I would be filling would be the time God would stretch me the most I've ever been stretched in my walk with Christ. To keep things short, let’s just say I saw God move in me and through me in ways like never before, and as a result I have come to know God more fully and His over exceeding capability to fulfill an Ephesians 3:20 promise!

I will probably post some excerpts from my writings that month soon to come, so keep your eyes open! 

During the time I was filling in I was actually invited to come back this next semester and take over the preschool program. After much prayer and a lot of back and forth time with Jesus, I have committed to return to Canaan and teach from January to May. The thought of being in Haiti for four months straight both excites me and scares me to death. I know that it will be a time of continued stretching, but also a time of seeing God move greatly. And there is nothing more I want in life than to witness and participate in a move of God. I know that God has great things in store for Canaan, and I want nothing more than to be an initiator of change to push Canaan to being a place where Jesus is overflowing from. From not only being a loving oasis for children, but being a sending place of world changers for the glory of God. 

The best is yet to come! 

Top 7 Things God Taught Me This Year

Wow, this year seemed so long, yet so short all at the same time. It was definitely a year of growth, along with those nasty growing pains of course! But all of it was well worth it. We aren't promised a happy and easy life as a follower of Christ and I thank God for the trials and suffering He has allowed me to go through because they have shaped who I am today. So as the summer roles in (!!!) here are the top 7 biggest things God taught me this year. 


1) This journey with Christ is a lifelong pursuit and I am just as in need of God's grace at every moment as the lost people around me. I am not beyond the gospel. His grace has saved me, is saving me, and will save me. 


2) While I have a responsibility for the people God places in my life, I cannot claim them as mine. They are His children, not mine. The most freeing thing this year for me has been the realization that the results are not my responsibility, but the faithfulness to the task is. 


3) Our God created things to multiply. Followers, disciples, churches, etc. God is a God of growth. We must never grow stagnant. 


4) Discipleship is vital! We must commit our lives to being poured into and pouring into others. God didn't call me to seminary for myself, but for the advancement of His kingdom.  Go deep with the few, pour your life into them, and see them begin to do the same in others. 


5) I have to work each day to be intentional. I get distracted way too much! Following Christ takes EFFORT and INTENTIONALITY! Intentional about my time in the Word, intentional about my use of time, intentional about the people I surround myself with, intentional with building relationships. These things don't just happen out of nowhere. 


6)Worship is so much more than music. It's a lifestyle Christ has called all of us to. It's why we were created! It is the laying down of every part of our lives to see God's plan and purpose rise up in us. For His glory to be what we yearn for. To see awe struck worshippers in a relentless pursuit of the God who created us. 


7) God is soooo much bigger than I thought. What He has done, is doing, and is yet to do completely blows my mind. 

Jacked Up

I've realized just how much of a blessing it is to have lost people in my life. It means opportunities to see God move, to make an impact. Looking back I'm starting to realize that God doesn't just place them in my life for their good and betterment, but more for mine. I thank God for these friendships even on the worst days because God has used them to teach me so many things. He's used them to show Himself to me in ways I never understood before, to show me just how much I am still in need of God's grace at every moment. God doesn't put these people in our lives so that we can feel important because He is using us. He puts them in our lives to break us, to humble us, to draw us closer to Him and through that shine His light to others. 


It's easy to stay in the Christian bubble and look at how well your doing. The fact is its easy to look to Christ in the good, in the comfortable, and predictable situations. It's another thing to step out with someone who's on a totally different page than you and is carrying a ton of baggage and deal with that in a way that glorifies Him. Loving lost people is messy and its never easy. It hurts. A lot. You see them do the same things that hurt themselves over and over again. You see them take two steps forward and ten steps back. You struggle with the question of how you are representing Christ to them in your words, actions, and even your thoughts. But you grow dependent on the Holy Spirit to give you the go or the hold up on touchy subjects. You take risking the entire relationship and all that you've put into it by having one bold conversation that God is telling you to have. A journey of reaching the lost is a journey of pure faith.


But here's the thing I'm learning more and more: The results, the life-change is not my responsibility. I can't heal people, I can't fix broken relationships, and I can't change hearts. All I can do is share with them who can and trust that God is going to continue to relentlessly pursue them. I'm learning that I'm just as jacked up as anyone else and I am just as much in need of God's grace as the lost people around me. It's not an easy task. God never called us to take the easy road out. He called us to die, everyday, to our desires, to our expectations, to our controlling attitudes. I'm realizing that reaching out to others is also about God reaching out to me. 

My Prayer for You Today

I don't know who specifically will read this today, but I do know that God is running after you like never before. I know that you are loved beyond belief even when it feels like the whole world is against you. I know that you are being called to a life of purpose, of so much more than you could ever imagine. And so today this is my prayer for you:

"I remember you in my prayers, asking the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you will know him better. I pray also that you will have greater understanding in your heart so you will know the hope to which 

He has called us and that you will know how rich and glorious are the blessings God has promised His holy people. And you will know that God's power is very great for us who believe. That power is the same as the great strength God used to raise Christ from the dead and put Him at his right side in the heavenly world." Ephesians 1:16-20

A Look Back into my Growth Process

I was cleaning out my computer last week and I came across some funny stuff from the early months after giving my life to Christ. Among them I found this; an answer I gave a friend about the purpose of life. It amazes me that I wrote this at only 2 months, but what a God we serve! A God who truly can run after you, reach down, pick you up, and set you on a never ending race for His glory. So here you go, a look back into my growth process:

The Question:

What is the point of living through this life? Why do we have to suffer through all of this? What is the point?

My Answer:

The point of living life is ultimately to BRING GLORY TO GOD. Life isn’t about us, it’s about Him. God might not give you what you want or change what you’re going through, but He will give you the grace to endure. If we took out the crisis of our lives we would take out the fight, and without the fight there’s no victory, victory that would bring glory to Him. God has allowed hard things to happen in our lives so we can show the world how great our God is and that knowing Him brings peace and joy, even when life is hard. When we see troubles and problems coming our way we are quick to see the bad in the situation. Yes, every crisis in our lives brings danger; the danger of being judged, the danger of losing something we love, the danger of letting our emotions take over. But what we fail to recognize is that every crisis also brings opportunity; the opportunity to seek the glory of God through every setback in our lives. God’s not going to call off the fight, He’s not going to magically take away the problem, He’s going to step in the ring and start fighting for you. I think of it like this, there is two ways to deal with setbacks: 1. Crawl up in a corner and feel sorry for yourself and get nowhere or 2. Rely on God whole heartedly to fight for you and rejoice and give glory to Him when He comes through.

We also tend to forget God’s past faithfulness. We get too consumed about how this situation is going to affect my life, affect my dreams, affect my family. We tend to allow today’s challenges to over-ride the victories of our yesterdays. God will never take you through a situation that He hasn’t already planned your escape route to. You can get through any and every problem in your life with the power of Jesus Christ. That same power that got Jesus out of the tomb lives in you. Because when Christ rose from the dead, you did as well.

You can’t just go through life barely surviving the setbacks, you have to get up and fight! I always wondered, “Well uh how do I do that exactly??” God had given us all a great weapon, and that is His Word. Every time the devil opens his mouth, you open the Word of God and FIGHT BACK.  When the devil is all up in your face asking you why all of this is worth it, you open the Word of God to Jeremiah 29:11 and you tell the devil it’s worth it because God has a plan for my life, God has given me a purpose and I will do His will and bring glory to Him. You will find yourself in places throughout life wondering how you got there and why your there. You have been strategically placed at that specific location at that particular time for a reason. There is a situation that YOU are the solution to! We don’t know what situation that will be or when it will come, but if we seek God in every crisis we will be prepared to turn our tragedy into a gift, a solution to someone or something. We will be prepared to shine light on others, to bring glory to His name. Think about this: God turned what seemed to be the greatest tragedy ever, into the greatest gift of all time, that through the death of Jesus Christ we have been saved. He can do that with our tragedies as well.

The purpose of life isn’t of our own interest; it isn’t to be successful in the eyes of society. The purpose of life is exactly the same purpose of Jesus’ life; to teach the Word, help the poor, heal the sick, bless those who have done you wrong, but most of all to fulfill the purpose that God has called you to do. For Jesus that purpose was to save us from our sins, for me, “But you keep your head in all situations, endure hardships, do the work of an evangelist, and complete all the duties of a servant of God” (2 Tim 4:5). What is He calling you to do? Seeking the answer to this single questions will propel you forward and keep you hanging on when trials are raging.

Sometimes certain setbacks we are dealt in life seem like no good would come from them at all. I think I am a perfect example of that. I didn’t understand it, I couldn’t understand it, and sometimes I still don’t understand why all the crap in my life had to happen the way it did.  But God doesn’t ask “Do you understand?”, He asks “Do you believe?”. Most of the time when great things happen to people in the Bible, it’s not because they came to an understanding of how everything added up, it was because they believed. They believed that there is a greater purpose in life than themselves.

The best way I can sum it up is that the purpose of life is not just to get to heaven when you die, but to bring heaven to earth through your life while you’re here. 

The Five Major

Wow, can I just say I am so glad this semester is over. I feel like God was dealing with me in so many other areas that school was on the back-burner. But by the grace of God, I got through, and actually did pretty well. So to close up this semester I thought I'd share the five major things God taught me this semester apart from school. 


Here it goes:


1. We can do nothing apart from Christ. 
I cannot change someone, save someone, or make their life better, only God can. A few times this semester I found myself in a situation where I knew God had put someone in my life to reach for Christ, but I often found myself trying to make things happen out of my own power or guilt tripping myself when things didn't progress the way I would have liked them to (that brings us to #2). In all these situations I found myself in the position where all I could do is let go of the control I was trying to have and just be there ready for when God wanted to use me. 


John 15:4-5 "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing."


2. We are on God's time, not ours. 
I'm the type of person who likes to know what's going on and when. But God definitely does not work that way. The friend I'm still talking to that I would have liked to take those next steps 2 months ago. The bad habit I would have liked to kick 4 months ago. The urge to go back to Haiti now! In all these things, I've learned God is in control, especially when it comes to timing. He knows so much more than I ever will and He sees the whole picture of all of our lives. So the smartest thing to do (even though its hard) is to trust in Him that things will happen when He has decided, in their prime time.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 "Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end."


3. God intended for us to do life together. 
God never meant us to go through life keeping our struggles and trials to ourselves and suffering in silence. He didn't intend for what He's doing in our lives to be kept secret either. It is vital that we are plugged into a group of believers that can support us in times of need, speak Truth into our lives, and slap us when we are about to do something stupid. You will be surprised how many other people end up getting set free when you open up and download. It's great to pray for each other, but Jesus didn't just sit around and pray for His disciples, He did life with them. He got up in their junk, called them out when needed, and built them up in Truth and love. 


Hebrews 10:24-25 "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near."


4. We are in desperate need of God's grace everyday at every moment.
 As many times as I've failed this semester, said the wrong thing, did the wrong thing, or didn't do anything, I've learned that I am in absolute desperate need of God's grace at every moment. We are by nature sinners and will continue to sin day in and day out until we meet Jesus face to face. But PRASIE GOD that His mercies are new each day, that His grace is poured out in ABUNDANCE day in and day out. Don't get me wrong, this grace is not an excuse to sin, but a perpetual motion that guides us back to the cross of Christ, where we see the high cost of sin.


Lamentations 3:22-23 "Because of the Lord's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!"


5. We are blessed beyond belief and that should result in gratitude and praise.
God has absolutely poured out so many blessings in my life. First off, I'm alive which means He's not done with me yet. He not only provides the necessities of life, but above and beyond. Going to Haiti this semester definitely turned my whole world upside down on this subject. I realized that even as a 19 year old, I have more than about half the world does. For example, I have a car with heat and air and even music. Half the people in the world don't have heat or air in their homes, or electricity or a home at all if you want to be honest. God has blessed us abundantly, but we should never allow this to lead us into the feeling that we are entitled to it all. Every blessing God pours out should return to Him in praise and thanksgiving, and also in service to others. Because if you want to talk about entitlement and what we deserve, well I don't think you want to go there. Because what we deserve is a life separated from God, a life in hell. We deserve the wrath and judgement of God. We don't even deserve to be alive!


Ephesians 3:20-21: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever."

A Faithful God

It was a FAITHFUL God who didn't give up on a FAITHLESS Adam and Eve even after they disobeyed Him and rebelled against Him. 

It was a FAITHFUL God who found a faithful man named Noah when the entire human race was FAITHLESS and turned away from Him, but He chose to preserve humanity because He loved humanity and was a FAITHFUL God. 

It was a FAITHFUL God who found a FAITHLESS man named Abraham and chose and called him and out of him brought about a nation that outnumbered the starts.

It was a FAITHFUL God who raised up a  man named Joseph and allowed him to be betrayed by his brothers, thrown into prison so that he could eventually be brought out of prison and preserve the nation of Israel and Egypt in a time of famine.

It was a FAITHFUL God who found a man named Moses to bring His people out of cruel Egyptian bondage and slavery. 

It was a FAITHFUL God who raised up a new leader named Joshua when the FAITHLESS generation refused to enter the promised land and died off in the wilderness and FAITHFULLY brought them into a land called Canaan. 

It was a FAITHFUL God who raised up judges to deliver the people of Israel through the centuries as they sinned against Him and did what was right in their own eyes but FAITHFULLY when they cried to Him, He heard them and delivered them.

It was a FAITHFUL God who raised up a faithful shepherd boy named David who nobody else was even considering was next in line for the kingship to replace a FAITHLESS king named Saul to lead His FAITHLESS people of Israel into the FAITHFUL promises of God.

It was a FAITHFUL God who out of that lineage of King David brought the FAITHFUL One, Jesus Christ, to rescues His people from their sins.

It was a FAITHFUL God who reached down in compassion and love exactly one year ago today and saved me from myself.

It was a FAITHFUL God who took my broken life, broken heart, and broken dream and brought about peace, hope, and joy.

It was a FAITHFUL God who two days later sovereignly placed me at the church with a faithful pastor who told me that God wasn't done with me yet and that He could and would do immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine.

It was a FAITHFUL God who used my FAITHLESS past to speak Truth into peoples lives, bring encouragement in times of despair, and the message of hope and redemption in Christ.

It was a FAITHFUL God who led me to leave my dream school, who FAITHFULLY led me away from that idol and into His plan of so much more.

It was a FAITHFUL God who led me to seminary to show me that I was not at all normal and that He had called me and grown me in such a unique way.

It was a FAITHFUL God who stood by my side in times of stripping and suffering and who is FAITHFULLY seeing me through in the process of sanctification.

It was a FAITHFUL God who not only calls me a daughter, but allows me to participate in advancing His Kingdom and making Jesus known.

It was a FAITHFUL God who led me to Haiti a little more than a month ago and through that is continually laying out the strategy of achieving His plan and purposes for my life.

It is a FAITHFUL God who stands by me day in and day out.

 A FAITHFUL God who loves me in my mess. 

A FAITHFUL God who comforts me in my sorrow. 

A FAITHFUL God who forgives my mistakes. 

A FAITHFUL God who calls me to something bigger. 

A FAITHFUL God who continues to blow my mind with His grace and mercy. 

A FAITHFUL God who I put all my hope and trust in. 

A FAITHFUL God I will follow, even if it leads to the cross. 

He is FAITHFUL. 

He has always seen me through. He is my rock, my life, my everything.

One year has blown my mind. God keeps saying "You think that was crazy, you just wait."

Buckle up and hold on tight because here comes round two.

Coming to Pass

This week and especially this weekend has absolutely blown my mind. God has been moving in an incredible way. I am humbled, grateful, and inspired. Several things came to pass this week and I can't withhold from sharing them with you all! I feel like it has been a continual cycle of unending blessings this week. God is so faithful, so persistent. If you are trusting in God to bring something to pass, continue to keep trusting Him. He will fulfill His promises! Always.

First off, God confirmed and laid down some solid vision in my life earlier on this week. I have a pretty good picture of His purpose for my life and the specific people group I am called to reach.  As I look back I see how God spoke this so many times into my life, but for some reason I just kept on questioning. I'm extremely excited and grateful God slapped in my face and woke me up to realize what was right in front of me. I have fully committed my life to reaching these people for the glory of God. Unless God stops me dead in my tracks I will recklessly abandon all to see these people have life in Christ. 

Something I am extremely thankful for this week was finding out that one of my friends has found true life in Christ. Her life is turning around and she is finding joy in Christ alone. She has recently plugged into a community group and I am so thankful she has people surrounding her that can speak Truth into her life! God will continue to come through for you!

We released our new album Kingdom Come this weekend. We gave out somewhere around 8,000 FREE copies (I think). It officially release on iTunes on Tuesday and 100% of proceeds are going to Samaritans Purse for a project called Turn on the Tap. It supplies water filtration system to people in Uganda that do not have access to clean water. As we celebrated how God has moved in our church this weekend, I absolutely broke. I'm so humbled to be a part of such a great move of God. He is using Elevation to reach this city, this state, churches worldwide, and even to the ends of the earth in places like Uganda.

I got to catch up with a friend from VMI last night and found out some news worth shouting about. I brought her to Elevation numerous times this summer and God used it to absolutely change her life and set her on fire. She recently shared some of Pastor Steven's Sun Stand Still stuff to the chaplain there. He got so pumped out and told her to send it out to everyone. People's lives are getting rocked by the message of audacious faith. Praying for a revival at VMI! Can't wait to see God blow that place up for His glory!

Today I got to hang out with my homeless friend, Richard (you can read about him here). I haven't seen him around in a while and found out today that he has been in the hospital with pneumonia. He is back on his feet and even has a job interview on Tuesday!

I am so unworthy to be apart of advancing the Kingdom in such a way of all of this, yet God is so loving to allow us to participate in an incredible journey with Him. I couldn't imagine using every ounce of me for anything better than making Jesus known. Sometimes it's hard to trust God when everything around you is falling apart. But know that things will come to pass in His time! Isaiah 55:11 says "So shall My word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." Cling to that Truth with everything you have! We serve a BIG God that is capable of bringing to pass in the unthinkable and the impossible. 

My Core

Hello beautiful people! Last time I posted I shared with you that God is doing some amazing things in my life. I have so much I want to share but I'm trying to process most of them into a reasonably understandable, readable version preferably with words. :) It's a little hard to begin to put into words some of the things that God is teaching me right now. There are a few things that I know for sure though and I'd like to share them with you. I'm not sure who all my blog audience is, but here is what I call my core; my passions, beliefs, and callings. Things that are close to my heart and how I live my life. 

I love Jesus, first and foremost. I am grateful for what God is doing in my life and am excited for where He is taking me.

I love my three and half year old daughter Soda, who is the cutest dog in the world! She is spoiled and I have no problem with being the one responsible for that. :)

I am an ^ Elevator! Elevation Church is my second home, come check us out! I love my church and am honored to be apart of such a great move of God. 

I spend my weekends hanging out with 4th and 5th graders and teaching them about Jesus, greeting people, feeding the poor and hanging out with the homeless.

I believe in radically living out the Gospel in response to a radical death on the cross and a mighty resurrection. I will not settle for living a comfortable life when so many people are uncomfortable.I never want to be a comfortable Christian because Christ sure as heck wasnt comfortable for me on the cross.

I believe in resurrecting the global Church as a living, moving, breathing body of followers who go out into the world to serve. I believe the church is not a building, but a movement; not an organization, but an organism. 

I believe that reaching one person can change a family, changing families can change a city, changing cities can change a nation, and changing a nations will change the world.

Curve Ball

Tomorrow will officially conclude my first week at seminary! I feel like I've learned more this week than I have in my entire life, not just Biblically, but I've learned some key things about life. Here are the two biggest learning curves for me this week: 


1. When you take a step of faith and obey God, things won't always get easier. 

I've known for a while now that my next step was suppose to be seminary, but I always thought that once I got here things would be a breeze because that's were I was called to be. That is about as far fetched from the truth as you can get. First of all, God doesn't grow you as much during the easy times, He grows you intensely in the difficult times. Second, if things were always easy you could lose your trust and reliance in Him. During the first week, I definitely had some "There is no way I can do this" moments, but I realized that yes, I can't, but God can. I've also discovered that this is a time that God wants to grow me and growing isn't always the easiest thing, but it will be the most worthwhile thing in the end. There is no better place to be than in God's will for your life. 

2. While change isn't always easy or comfortable, it is necessary. 

I have to admit, I've always struggled with change. I like routine, the same atmosphere, etc. This is probably been the biggest area of my life where God has matured me. I must say that going from military school to seminary has been a pretty big culture shock. While change can be downright scary and uncomfortable, I've learned that it is a dire necessity for progress in any area of your life. When things, places, or comfort become so routine for you there is no room for growth and without growth the destination God has planned for you will never be reached. Our God is always on the move, therefore we should always be striving forward. Paul states in Philippians 3:13 "I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead." I've had to do a lot of that in the past 6 months and this week has been the finale. I might feel a little out of place right now, but I know God has placed me here for a reason and I choose to believe that the best is yet to come. Don't ever settle for comfort over His kingdom and His plan for your life! 

Things don't always work out as you plan and that's probably a good thing. Embrace the curve balls that God throws you. Allow Him to grow you and always believe the best is yet to come, because it is!