The Andy Griffith Show... ha, just the good ol' days I reckon'.
So I've been back for two weeks now. My first week back was just a really well enlightening.
A seat far too small for a fourteen hour flight. Cold stale air, that you just know everyone else in the plane has already used. The seatbelt light comes on. Wheels touch the ground. Fresh air enters all everybodies lungs, there's a sense of relief and joy that you get when you land.
It was on the up and up. We/I just landed after being in Australia for an amazing month. God had rocked my world, and brought me home stoked, looking forward to the future. Driving home, we had started the drive home, and was ringing my dad to figure out things for pick up.
Well in the conversation with my dad, he shared with me some family things that had happened while I was away. Just stuff with my mom, kind of shady, but God does all things for our good right? Anyway, all this joy and relief of being home, swiped away. I would have given anything to go back to Australia and be oblivious to what was going down. Not now though, I'm glad to be home. Anyway, ya I'd been home, well not even home, just in the states for lest then two hours and Satan was already doing his works to tear me down after my trip. But God is bigger than that, and we are able to rejoice in him regardless of what situations happen in our lives.
God just reminded me of Job, and Hosea, and David, and countless others that endured just really cruddy stuff. But God is faithful and worthy of our praise regardless.
Dead grass, smokey air, a climate change. I was tired and feeling sick, and just weighted with this news.
Detox. Sleep. American food. American water. A lot of prayer. Lengthy conversations with family members.
Life was different. Chapter 2008-2009 has started. This might be kind of sad, but no worries there's good in it. There's joy and praise. I'm excited to be home, looking forward to movement and new ministries, and college. New friends. Well it's good hard to deal with my mom situation but God does have it in control.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
New to this world.
I'm new to this whole world of blogging. It's not my thing, or maybe it is? How could I tell if I never try it right?
Anyway, lets see I reckon' a good way to go about kickin' this off would be to say what's up?
Well I went to Australia for a month or so, on a misisons trip. We stayed with YWAM, my team of 8 from Little Country Church Youth Group. It was a life changing experience.
The biggest thing that God revealed to me was the reality of the freedom we have been give through grace. Which is all spawned from His love, which we choose to receive through faith.
But ya, He gave me this analogy. It's like, how do you act when you walk with someone famous? Or how would you act? Say you're walking with Will Smith. You're going to be walking with this attitude of check this out, check ME out. Wanting everyone to know who you are with. But the reality of this is, that we are walking with God, who is way cooler, way more powerful, way more awesome than any famous person, as cool as they may be. So with this truth of "hey, I'm walking with God!", it's like how could we stay quiet and live our lives just average Joe style? We have to walk with this freedom and this radicalness to show people what we have. God.
That was the biggest thing for me to see in Australia. Oh and there was this one instant that stands out among others, when I applied it. We had gone out evangelizing for the day and were coming back home riding the bus. And for the most part you get on the bus or train and go home, and it's like "oh ok, job over we're done for the day" but the truth, no! we're never done. So I'm standing holding the rail and I start chatting with this dude, this Aussie veteran about life and stuff. We shared some stories about Fort Bragg, CA... it's a coastal city down south a little ways. And somehow it transitioned to Jesus talk, what is christianity la-duh-da. And the guy asks me, "so what has God done for you?"... haha, oh man was he in for it now. He had no idea what he was in store for.
I respond to this man that I never honestly got his name, unfortunately. I say to him how for starters he brought me half way across the world at 17 years old to talk to him, this guy. And continued with more examples of God blessings to me. He was flabbergasted. I had a response to his question, that wasn't the average, well, He died for my sins and He loves me. Which is true, but like there is so much more super personal stuff that God has done for all of us. So I shared that with Him, just several things and he sits there kind of confused, and stammers out the words "this is your stop" and looks away. It was a good experience to walk in freedom and not care about being judged you know?
I'll save the next blog for what's happened since I've been back. That's rather extensive surprising how much could happen in a couple weeks.
Anyway, lets see I reckon' a good way to go about kickin' this off would be to say what's up?
Well I went to Australia for a month or so, on a misisons trip. We stayed with YWAM, my team of 8 from Little Country Church Youth Group. It was a life changing experience.
The biggest thing that God revealed to me was the reality of the freedom we have been give through grace. Which is all spawned from His love, which we choose to receive through faith.
But ya, He gave me this analogy. It's like, how do you act when you walk with someone famous? Or how would you act? Say you're walking with Will Smith. You're going to be walking with this attitude of check this out, check ME out. Wanting everyone to know who you are with. But the reality of this is, that we are walking with God, who is way cooler, way more powerful, way more awesome than any famous person, as cool as they may be. So with this truth of "hey, I'm walking with God!", it's like how could we stay quiet and live our lives just average Joe style? We have to walk with this freedom and this radicalness to show people what we have. God.
That was the biggest thing for me to see in Australia. Oh and there was this one instant that stands out among others, when I applied it. We had gone out evangelizing for the day and were coming back home riding the bus. And for the most part you get on the bus or train and go home, and it's like "oh ok, job over we're done for the day" but the truth, no! we're never done. So I'm standing holding the rail and I start chatting with this dude, this Aussie veteran about life and stuff. We shared some stories about Fort Bragg, CA... it's a coastal city down south a little ways. And somehow it transitioned to Jesus talk, what is christianity la-duh-da. And the guy asks me, "so what has God done for you?"... haha, oh man was he in for it now. He had no idea what he was in store for.
I respond to this man that I never honestly got his name, unfortunately. I say to him how for starters he brought me half way across the world at 17 years old to talk to him, this guy. And continued with more examples of God blessings to me. He was flabbergasted. I had a response to his question, that wasn't the average, well, He died for my sins and He loves me. Which is true, but like there is so much more super personal stuff that God has done for all of us. So I shared that with Him, just several things and he sits there kind of confused, and stammers out the words "this is your stop" and looks away. It was a good experience to walk in freedom and not care about being judged you know?
I'll save the next blog for what's happened since I've been back. That's rather extensive surprising how much could happen in a couple weeks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
