((Copied from a message I sent to someone on facebook weeks ago))

So, I got into my normal “funk” around home.. of wanting to go away to school / tired of living at home… (this has happened every late spring/summer since i’ve graduated high school. But God’s made it clear every year, He wanted me at home) This year though, instead of late spring/summer - my funk started in January. At first, I figured it would go away like the other times and God would re-energize my heart to stay home for the young adult ministry here. But it didn’t.. in March it was still there. So, I started looking around at schools - eh. nothing was working out - they were all closed doors. But I still had this tug on my heart that things were going to change this fall. Every day I just felt that stronger and stronger.

[SIDENOTE: This whole time, I was also thinking possibly doing a mission trip this summer - I felt God was calling me to go somewhere - I filled out applications, pursued stuff - God kept closing doors - I was getting frustrated]

So fast forward another two months, no mission trips. So at this point: I knew - 1) something was going to change in the fall. and 2) I’m supposed to be going somewhere.

I continued still down every avenue.. closed door after closed door. So, I was looking into colleges again - and stumbled upon Boyce College. I had never heard of it - but things were lining up as in - some questions and the distance (about 6 hours) and everything was what I was looking for. And I told my mom and she’s like “email Bro. Marc our association mission directer and see what he knows of the college.” So, I emailed him asking him if he could call me sometime to chat about some colleges I was looking into.. come to find out he was trying to get ahold of me that morning.. but my number had changed. I called him and he said he’d go first - he tells me of these two girls who were coming up to Port Huron for some mission trip thingy for the summer - one goes to Boyce College.. Woah coincidence? ((Later on, I met her and stuff))

So, I started praying about things - and some concerns I had about it, started being answered and so I told God that if I apply and get accepted I will take that as he wants me to go. I applied.. about 5 weeks later (after they got all my info turned in and sorted things out) I got a call yesterday, that I was accepted. The whole time I was praying that God will make it very clear by acceptance or not. even though I was pretty sure this was what God wanted. Constantly, through scripture - He kept pointing out that I needed to trust Him & in His timing He will lead me.

My job - kept me 3 extra months past tax season (which was not planned) until today. So literally they kept me up until 2 weeks before I had to leave.. God totally worked that out. I looked for other jobs - I couldn’t find any.

I found out today that my friend from camp - her husband goes to the seminary that is along with my school. they live on campus!

Renee’s cousin-in-law goes there. My cousin Kristi has a friend that goes there.

I’ve NEVER heard of this school until that day I found it on the internet and there is only 600 students on the college campus. Yet, there are connections everywhere.

Also, one of my HUGE things when applying for college was those lame application fees that you have to do.  I refuse to pay them unless I am 100% sure I am going somewhere. Well, when I first discovered Boyce online - the application fee was FREE!! Yay!! It took me like 4 weeks until I finally submitted an application! But I did and got it in - well, when we went to Boyce to visit and tour a week and a half before I was supposed to be going there, God revealed himself again.  Our admissions adviser told us that there was an application fee.  Come to find out - there is a fee, now. They ran a promotion for only a few weeks to get people to apply online that was for free application!! Woah! God had me discover Boyce and apply within that time frame!

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gifts.

He is lighting my path with a teeny tiny lamp - showing me parts of his plan when and only i really need to know. It’s been crazy exciting. God has grown me a lot.

there it is :) how I came to know that’s what God wanted. I warned you it was long. I’m not sure how to shorten it. Ultimately, a lot of these could be written off as “coincidences” but I don’t believe in coincidences - it’s God working… and it’s just too many to write it off that way.

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

   My life with Jesus - it is a relationship. I love how we can tell God exactly how we are feeling and not be forced to follow rules.  Grace is beautiful & hard.  David even shared with God how he felt. He felt forgotten at some point.  I’m not sure when in his life he wrote this, but even though I’m sure he knew that God does not forget, he still wrote it:

    How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
        How long will you hide your face from me?
     How long must I take counsel in my soul
        and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
    How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
 
    Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;
        light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
     lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
        lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
 
    But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
        my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
     I will sing to the LORD,
        because he has dealt bountifully with me.
          (Psalm 13 ESV)

    The past month or two I’ve been feeling forgotten by God. But just as the Lord “remembered” Noah (Genesis 8:1) and Rachel (Genesis 30:22),  He remembers me and the promises that He has given me.  My heart will continue to trust and rejoice in Him no matter where He has me, even if I stay in the same spot physically as I have been my entire life.  I almost feel silly feeling that way, but I am comforted knowing that David (a man after God’s own heart) felt forgotten as well.  I am so thankful that God has given us the Bible and human examples of living a Godly life. I am not forgotten.

Jenny (not her real name) is a 31-year-old nursing student in Grand Rapids, and she’s got bills to pay. So she posted an ad on her church bulletin board for a Christian roommate to share her house. Makes perfect sense, right?

The next part doesn’t. Someone saw the ad and anonymously turned her in to the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan, charging “discrimination.” That agency, in turn, turned her in to state authorities, who in turn sent the complaint all the way up to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

“I think it’s a clear violation on its face,” said the head of the Fair Housing Center. “It’s an advertisement that clearly violates the Fair Housing Act.” See, Jenny could rent to a Christian, but “It’s a separate violation to make a discriminatory statement, to publish a discriminatory statement.”

Before it was done, Jenny had to get a lawyer to defend herself to the feds. Providentially, that’s what the Alliance Defense Fund is there for, and they did the job pro bono.

In the end, HUD cleared Jenny. But somehow their statement doing so didn’t exactly have the ring of something you’d hear in a free country. They insisted that ads mentioning religion are prohibited. But:

In light of the facts provided and after assessing the unique context of the advertisement and the roommate relationship involved in this particular situation potentially involving the sharing of personal religious beliefs, the Department defers to Constitutional considerations in reaching its conclusion. Accordingly, the Department finds that there is no reasonable cause to believe that the Act was violated in this matter.

If anyone thinks “No problem, it all worked out OK,” think about what things have come to. Post a note in your own church seeking someone to live in your own home, and someone - anyone - can turn you in to the government, anonymously. (What was a person who does such things even doing in a church?) You have to jump through hoops, and have a federal government, which has power over 300 million-plus people, evaluate “the unique context of the advertisement” and your “particular situation.”

Now ask: Does this kind of government bear any resemblance to the purposes for which God designed government? Modest purposes of basic civil order, such as “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness?”

If anyone wants to know why Christian citizens should be actively involved in government, and insistent on keeping it to its proper and decidedly limited role, just ask Jenny.

Direct Link: http://www.boundlessline.org/2010/11/illegal-to-seek-a-christian-roommate.html

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28:7

“Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.” Psalm 33:1

“Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.” Psalm 51:8

.:JOY:.

Psalms and others books of the Bible talk repeatedly about Joy.

I’ve been reminded lately at how important joy is in life. 

As a Christian, we are to be joyful.  What do we have to be sorrowful about?

This life is only temporary, we are in the hands of God.

Yeah, life may through us situations. But Joy is a choice that even in bad situations you can have.

I was talking to a dear friend of mine a few days ago and life was getting her down, her joy was missing.   If everytime something bad happened in my life, I didn’t have joy.  my life would be full of misery. 

Instead, I chose to be joyful and search for God in every situation. This past summer was extremely tough for me and there were days I wasn’t so joyful instead I was “so emo” (as some of my friends said). I chose to be full of sorrow.  Life is always going to be tough, but we need to lighten up and ask God to show us his perspective and have JOY in Him. Cause no matter what happens, we still have Him and that IS enough.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a time for sorrow and to weep as Ecclesiastes 3 tells us. But we need to not dwell on that and not be so serious all the time. I’ve been there quite often, thought on stuff too long.  But God wants us to be joyful! So lighten up, smile, and have some joy!

:)

As a salesman has to sell his product to make his commission…no one is going to sell it for him and then give him the money…

Then I think of the “Great Commision”…

 Matthew 28:18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

19”Go (THAT MEANS YOU CHRISTIAN!) therefore and make disciples of all the nations (NOT LIMITED TO EVERYWHERE ELSE BUT WHERE YOU ARE), baptizing them (BRINGING THEM INTO THE FAMILY) in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them (YEP, DON’T STOP HELPING THEM) to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always (THATS THE POWER!), even to the end of the age.”

You can’t just sit on your bum and expect others to do it for you, so easy to just give money to others to evangilize…

You can’t buy what has been called of you to do.

Don’t be so complacent to just say “I gave to missions…I am good”  or “I have given to my church so others can do His work”.

When was the last time your REALLY told someone that Jesus loves them?

When did you show someone that Jesus loves them?

God has given you the Power to “go forth” and spread the Gospel…everywhere!

((Reposted from Becky Donnellon’s FB))

My dear friend, Lydia Stebbins, wrote this in a note on facebook. I really liked it, so I wanted to share it..

Dear me,

Don’t forget what you’ve learned in life.

Don’t forget the small moments that made you into who you are today.

Don’t let the culture trick you into thinking you need a guy in your life to be happy.

Don’t let the culture trick you into thinking that possessions are worth more than they really are.

Don’t let the culture win, but let Christ’s culture burn with passion in your being.

Don’t let your thoughts consume you unless they are Godly thoughts.

Don’t spend too much time alone.

Don’t turn your eyes anyway except towards the cross.

Don’t waste a moment.

Don’t waste.

Do be Christ-like.

Do hope.

Do love.

Do laugh.

Do give more (because it isn’t mine in the first place).

Do trust Him.

Do pray.

Do speak up when needed.

Do live creatively.

Do live on only what you need.

Do find contentment in the Savior.

Do forgive.

Do let go.

Do be free from sin.

Do.