Jesus is alive

Jesus is alive and He is able to help us through everything... Everything from raising thousands of dollars to something as simple as a bike ride.

Support raising was a little discouraging this past week, but the Lord has been so faithful and I've been able to set up so many appointments for the upcoming weeks. With less than one month to go and quite a bit still to raise I need the Lord to provide in crazy ways and I know He will. He is so faithful and is so good. He will get me through this month and to my assignment.

In small (and big) ways He is continually showing me just how faithful He is. The other day I was on my bike ride and on my way back home. I was heading up a hill and struggling just a little to keep up my speed. My iPod was on and the song "True Love" (by Phil Wickham, but this version was by a church worship band) was playing. Right when I started to struggle the part  came on that repeats "Jesus is alive... Jesus is alive... " which I became completely caught up in, realizing how beautiful He is and how good He is and just all those emotions and truths about the Lord that just can't even be expressed in words. I made it to the top of the hill just fine, because He got me over it. Once I reached the top the song exclaimed, "Oh He is alive! He rose again!"

It was so wonderful. I had goose bumps all over and tears in my eyes.

He is SO good and HE IS ALIVE! :)

True Love - listen!! :)

Be Thou exalted, Jesus, forever

A friend shared a song with me that is simple and sweet...

Be Thou Exalted

I've gotten on my blog to post a new entry numerous times since my last one, but just felt like I had nothing of worth to say. I would start it with some comment about Christ then have no where to go...

We must remember we are worthy because He is worthy and lives in us. I'm not always going to have all the answers or know just what to say to make someone feel better/realize something/think deeply, but what I have to say is still of worth, if I'm simply glorifying Him with my words.

So, though this may turn out to be just an update on my life and not an entry about apologetics or deep thoughts that cause everyone who reads them to stop and analyze their lives I think it's just fine. I am living my life to glorify the Lord, so my blog will reflect that then as well.

Lately I've really had the privilege of doing the support raising cycle: letters and calls and meetings and thank-you notes, and let me just say... I've been so blessed. The Lord truly has been providing in such mighty and awesome ways. It's also been so great to be able to share my story and my ministry with so many people.

This Scripture has surfaced about three times over the past four or five months and one of the most recent times it was in regards to raising support for ministry...

Fear not little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. - Luke 12:32

A commentary I was reading [Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible] had some beautiful things to say about this passage. Here is just a small segment...

"Fear not little flock... these words are particularly directed to the immediate apostles and disciples of Christ; but are true of all the saints in all ages of time, who are compared to a "flock of sheep," being separated from the rest of the world in election, redemption, and the effectual calling, and being folded together in a Gospel church state; and also for their patience, meekness, humility, and harmlessness..."

"for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom... not only the Gospel, and the knowledge of the mysteries of it; nor the Gospel church state, and a right to all its ordinances; nor only the kingdom of grace, which cannot be moved; but the kingdom of glory: and which is a gift unto them, not obtained by any deserts or works of theirs; nor is their right unto, and enjoyment of it depending upon any such thing: and its their Father's gift, who is so by adopting grace, and through Christ Jesus their Lord; and which He gives according to His sovereign will and pleasure, and with a good will, delighting in them, and rejoicing over them to do them good, both here and hereafter: so that they may depend upon every good thing needful for them both in this world, and in the world to come; nor should they indulge anxious cares or slavish fears."

Just rest in that. Do not fear... he is pleased to have us in His kingdom, adopting us by His grace. He is delighting in rewarding us with His kingdom and providing for our needs. I love thinking about the Lord delighting in me. I love thinking about the Lord rejoicing over me. What does it mean to delight in something anyways? Or to rejoice over something? That may need to be a topic for my next post, as it's already getting quite late here.

So, I guess I ended up not really updating about my life very much, but that's alright. When the Spirit moves, there's nothing more honoring to do than to follow Him!

Hallelujah to the Name of all names
Hallelujah, to God be all praise
Ever holy, worthy
Be though exalted, always
---Be Thou Exalted, New Life Worship

Changes and Blessings

So, it's only been what... three weeks? Sorry, folks. Life has been CRAZY [good].  The dress project ended fantastically. It was really weird putting on just a t-shirt and jeans for the first time in over two months, but definitely reinforced how much I take my freedom for granted. We had numerous people join us the second month, which was wonderful! I love how much word about human trafficking has been generated through SO many people participating in this simple act. Amy Seifert was featured on CNN, which is just wonderful - you should check it out. :)

In front of the chapel

Let's see... I graduated from the University of Dayton - yay!! What a bittersweet time in my life. It was quite the experience and adventure. I had some of the best years of my life and made some of the best friends. And now, I'm on to even more exciting things - interning with Campus Crusade for Christ! this summer I'm raising support and just allowing God to prepare my heart and mind for this upcoming year.


What an exciting time in my life! This is for sure a faith-stretching experience, but oh how blessed I've been throughout the process! The Lord has been revealing so much to me about Himself and my identity in Him. I'm so excited to begin ministering on campus and being a bearer of Christ's message to the students there! (P.S. If any of you would like to know more about my ministry and how you can become invested financially and prayerfully, please do not hesitate to let me know. I'd LOVE to speak with you more about it!)

This is a brief update, but an update nonetheless! Looking forward to blogging more frequently since I know all of you are oh so excited to read about my thoughts on life! ;)

I'll leave you with a quote from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis...

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself." 

I may be weak, but Your Spirit's strong in me.

Is it possible to get writers block when writing a blog?

Sorry guys, I'm totally slacking. I just haven't been feeling very "inspired" lately. Which, is pretty silly given that I am a journalism major. I should always want to write, right? Nonetheless... I'm writing now. :)

So, the title of this blog is from this song... Give Me Faith. It's incredible. Go listen to it. :)

The way the Lord has been moving in me is just incredible. Breaking my heart daily for the daughters and just allowing me to grow to desire Him more and more. I've gotten to the point where more days than not I sigh when picking my dress up from the back of my chair.

So, has it really become that? Just a chore? Something to check of a list?
No. I don't think so.
Sometimes I'm worried it has, but then I think about all the victims of human trafficking and I know my heart is breaking for them and if wearing this dress can help others learn about this huge issue and hopefully do something about it, then I'm going to do it.
And I'm going to do it joyfully.

I just talked to a girl the other day that honestly had no idea that human trafficking was so prevalent in the United States, let alone in Ohio.

I talked to another girl who had definitely noticed I've been wearing the same dress for a good three weeks, but didn't want to say anything. I was able to talk with her about human trafficking then and why I'm wearing the same blue dress.

But think about that for a minute... She noticed, but didn't want to say anything. How often do we do that? We notice something is a little off about someone, we think something may be going on, we think that they may actually need help. But, oh no... We cannot, under any circumstance, get involved in someone else's business. If they want help, they'll ask.

Right.

Just like we always reach out to others when we want someone to talk to. I'm not saying that we should intensely question everyone we meet about their life and their circumstances, but what if she is a daughter? What if she is a victim. What if he is a victim. Take time to notice others, human trafficking is happening all around you. 


Sorry, no pictures this post. Most of them from the past week are on my roommates camera. Some are on mine, but I felt the urge to write, so I didn't want to take time to upload them. Perhaps later tonight I will. I was reading some Scripture last night and it was so... awesome. I don't know really how else to describe it. The Lord is just SO good. 


Check out Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22. You can read Psalm 22 as though it is David who is speaking, or as if it is you who are speaking, or as if it is Christ who is speaking. In Matthew 27:46, Christ says, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" ("My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?") Which is how Psalm 22 begins. Let me know what you guys think!

I need You to soften my heart. I need You to pierce through the dark and clense every part of me. Because all I am, I surrender. -Give Me Faith, Elevation Worship

Pray without ceasing: making time for God.

Yikes, it's been a while! Sorry about that.. These past few weeks have been crazy concerning school work. I very appreciative that today is the weekend and the Lord has given us some sunny weather to lift our spirits from this dreary week we've been having.

I have less than two months till I graduate, wow. I'm so excited and have been anxiously waiting for this day, I just can't believe it's almost here already. Honestly though, classes the last couple weeks have been crazy intense and I've fallen into the trap of "saving" my intimate, precious alone time with God till after everything else is done for the day.

Ugh.

I don't like it. Last night I had so many things on my mind. Thoughts racing and I didn't even know where to start. I had so many things I wanted to share with our Father: thoughts, questions, praises, requests... Then He showed me. I haven't been spending adequate time at all with Him for the past week or so. And it was evident. I had all these things stored up that I couldn't even remember everything and sort through any of it... He knew what was on my heart and my mind, but the fact that I had been neglecting Him and then was trying to push a week of intimacy into 30 minutes, just wasn't working.

It was bad. I felt so defeated. I had let the priorities monster win. School is more important. Friends are more important. Clubs are more important. They're all more important than Him.

False.

But that is how I was living. How blessed I am to be able to spend so much peaceful time with Him. Knowing I'm safe, knowing I (most likely) will not be interrupted, knowing that people are not going to find me and persecute me for it. But I chose to neglect Him instead. The girls that I'm wearing this dress for may not have those options. They may get beat if they pray. They may get mocked if they cry out the our Savior in the middle of the night. But I don't... and I totally take it for granted sometimes? Not anymore.

That week or so of trying to only rely on the Lord a little bit was crazy. It was stressful and exhausting. he is my everything and I won't let other priorities rise over Him again. I read this somewhere once, that truly, He shouldn't be "our number 1," because then that means we are putting Him in competition with other things.

There are no other things that are even worthy to be in a race with Him. How beautiful.

Here are a bunch of photos! I'm missing days 10-13 - they're on my roommates camera. I'll put up soon! :)

Day 5 - Haha, trying to get a picture jumping.

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9 - Becky, Kelsey (this was her first day!!) and I

Day 14

Our beautiful roommate, Heather, and her husband, Steve on their wedding day this past Saturday. Not a dress she'll be wearing everyday, but definitely one worth showcasing. :)

...And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Well, today was day four. And so far, it's been pretty easy.

Easy? Do I really want this to be easy? Hm..

We'll see what tomorrow brings. I have the same classes tomorrow as I did Monday, so maybe someone will notice that I have the same dress on. And maybe that'll make me feel a little uncomfortable, wondering what they're thinking. And maybe... I'll be even more reminded of why I'm doing this. For those girls who are always uncomfortable. That truly never have the freedom to even choose what they wear.

A lot of people already know that I'm wearing the same dress for a month (plus) and they know why. However, I don't know everyone in all my classes, so they don't know yet. I'm nervous about tomorrow.. and so excited.  :)

In other news... I got to be encouraged today by one of my friends. We've decided to start meeting weekly to share our lives and share our faith. We got to talk about Scripture and truth together and we were able to pray together. We were in our student union during one of the busiest hours - lunch time. My friend said, "I kind of just want to do it right now.." Talking about praying and asking the Lord for the things we'd been discussing. And then she said, "But.. in the middle of KU (our union)?" So, she was bold and decided to follow the Lord and do what He was leading her to do and we prayed together. In the middle of all the noise, all the busyness.. we stopped. We got to be alone with our Savior, in the midst of everything that was happening around us.  It was wonderful. I'm so excited to see where the Lord takes our relationship.

Yesterday, I went on somewhat of a cleaning spree of my room (it needed it pretty badly...) and realized it was time to change my calendar. The one I have now has pictures of paths and scriptures for each month. This month is a country road in the middle of an expansive green pasture. The road continues till it crosses over a hill and out of sight. The scripture is Revelation 7:17,

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

How beautiful. And how fitting for this month of wearing one dress. What a reminder for my life and for the lives of those that I'm sporting this dress for. He is our Shepherd. And He is the only one that is able to lead us to the living water. And though there is suffering here, there is none where He is on His throne. And the picture... God has a narrow path for us. Just like the narrow road in the photo. And sometimes we can see for ages - it seems - just what He wants us to do and where He wants us to go. But sometimes, we can't see. We simply must trust. Knowing that over the hill are more green pastures - though they may not always be what we think they should look like. He does lead us to springs of living water, giving us eternal life and the gift of His Spirit. He will never deceive us and never lead us astray, even if we can't see where the path leads next.

Here are more pictures - days three and four!

Myself and Becky - Day 3

Becky and I - Day 4

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. - Psalm 23

Realizing how free I am...

Besides the Lord freeing me from having to pay my own wage for my sin and freeing me from death and eternal separation from Him, I'm realizing how many more freedoms the Lord has blessed me with.

I decided to go ahead and start the one dress project yesterday and as I was going through my drawers to decide what to wear with my dress, I started thinking, "Man... I've really given up a lot of choice and freedom by doing this. There are so many clothes in here that I won't be able to wear for a while."

Then it hit me. I am so free. I have the ability to choose. These women and girls have no freedom. If they're provided with any clothing, I'm sure it isn't much. And yet, I feel bad for myself because there are "so many clothes" that I'll have to leave in my drawers for a month and a half? It's only been two days and the Lord has already been teaching me so much, showing me so many things.

Please, join me in praying for these girls. Pray that they see His beautiful light, knowing that even if their physical, earthly surroundings are dark and dreary the Lord's light never goes out and never flickers. His love is constant, unending and unconditional. And pray for those who are trafficking them. Pray that their hearts become broken, so broken. That they are able to be freed from their bondage in sin and that their blindness may be taken away. Pray.

I've taken a couple pictures, so here they are!

My roommate, Becky, and I - day 1

Me today - day 2

The Beginning of a Journey

I haven't had a blog site since Xanga was popular and back the I didn't really have anything worth talking about. I'm about to begin a journey to help raise awareness for those who are enslaved. Those whose hearts are aching and whose stories have yet to be heard. The Daughter Project is an organization near Toledo, Ohio raising awareness and support for girls and women who are being sex trafficked. Amy Seiffert spoke to all the women at IndyCC this year about this organization and her effort to support them. She has been on a journey to wear the same dress for SIX MONTHS. Many women have come along side her in both prayer and the dress journey. Women are wearing the same dress for one month to raise awareness and help support The Daughter Project. My roommates and I have decided to do the same and wear one dress for one month. 


Kelsey, Becky and I took a shopping trip today to get dresses for the project, because none of us had ones we could wear for one month. We're supposed to start march 13, because our lovely roomie Heather is getting married on March 5, but I'm so excited to have the dress that I may just begin tomorrow! If I have what I need to do it, then why wait? These girls suffer so much, I think I can deal with wearing one dress for one month (plus a couple weeks). :)

The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know your name will put their trust in you: for you, LORD, have not forsaken them that seek you. – Psalms 9:9-10


Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in His holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; He leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. - Psalms 68:5-6