Rescue Mission-October 4th, 2010

So about two months ago I was chosen to speak at the Rescue Mission of Santa Barbara, and I happened to come across it this morning and thought it would be cool to share what I spoke on with all of you who weren't there. So here it is:

     I started going to church in seventh grade shortly after one of my close friends, Jake passed away. I was shocked to see that I could actually lose a loved one and that that was possible at such a young age... A short time after the incident, I had been hearing about church and how it was a good place to weep and cry out to this reliable God. (Read James 4:1-6). In this passage I was always the one asking with wrong motives and not receiving. I was constantly angry with God and couldn’t figure out why He would ever take away loved ones from my life. When I heard about all of this church stuff, I thought everything would just be perfect and I expected God to be my right-hand man. It wasn’t until last year(10th grade) that I really started to see my life transform and see what God’s salvation was really like…
    By this time, I wanted to know and trust God and live a righteous life. Before, I didn’t want to commit 100% because I had never felt His presence before. I felt like all the sin I had committed was too much for God to cope with, and that He wouldn’t accept me. I struggled with this for quite awhile, but a couple months ago I had a talk with my dear friend, Brian Osgood, about all of this. He told me not to change myself for anyone nor live by my own plans, but rather to live by God’s plan and let Him change me and experience his everlasting love. At first, this seemed too good to be true and I was unsure of this and if it could actually work. He told me to pray about it, and even though I wasn’t expecting much of an answer, I stepped out in faith and did it anyways. I simply just asked God to take control of my life and use me for His good. Eventually my prayers were answered and I became more willing to give my life up for Him.
    As time progressed, I slowly saw God working through me and helping me to be slow to anger and really to just trust His purpose for me… Even though I don’t know 100% why Jake died or why other hardships were occurring, I can now trust that they really do happen for a reason. (Read Philippians 4:11-13)… This verse really shows that you CAN do everything through Christ who strengthens you, even though at first you might find that impossible to believe. But if you want this amazing relationship with Jesus Christ, then I really want to encourage each and every one of you to pursue that and rely on Him because He will hear your requests and prove Himself to you… As I have testified myself to you today, God does love you and He wants you to come to Him no matter how "badly" you’ve sinned or wanted control of your life… Just get out of the way and let God come through, for when He says He loves you- He proves it.

Greetings from Pajaro Dunes, CA!

 View from the Condo

 4.5 Hours of Joy

 Courtesy of Justine Wieland

 What a beauteous day.

 Brudder

 Shhleepy Sister :)

 

Finally reunited.

Thanksgiving

Well. In approximately two days I get to see my lovely sister, Justine, as well as my brother, Shane (although I saw him a couple weeks ago). This is the longest I have ever been away from Justine and it's been hard, not gonna lie. I went from having her be so tangible in my life, to not really having that grip at all (besides Skype of course). She moved away about three months ago to San Francisco to intern through the Urban program at Westmont college. I know this may sound pathetic and you're bored already from reading, but these past couple of months have really made me a more grateful person. Before my sister moved away, I was taking her for granted. She only lived about fifteen or twenty minutes away so it really wasn't a big deal at all because it was like she was still at home since I would see her every Monday for small group, and Sunday for church. But now it's narrowed down to me relying on technology such as cell phones or computers to get through to her which overall just sucks. I miss her terribly. And I thank God for her that I actually have someone in my family to look up to that is a pure child of God and a sister that I will live with through Christ for all of eternity. I don't give her enough credit for the amazing person that she is, and I fail at encouraging her utterly which goes along with what I talked about in the previous post. We have to learn to really build others up, (not just those who live in Christ) because what good does that do? God commands us to love each other and encourage one another, especially in their walks with Jesus Christ. So be thankful for every person in your life that has encouraged you in your walk because God has placed them in your life for his reasoning, and we can't abuse those privileges because we're not sure how much longer we'll actually have them for. Take this week as Thanksgiving is coming up to really reflect on your life and how much God has blessed you with amazing friends, family, etc.  "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

Worthiness

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is,through his body), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." -Hebrews 10:19-25

Well for starters, today was a pretty great day. I woke up, went to church and studied this passage in Sunday School. I'm not sure why this hit me so hard today or how it exactly links together, but it really got me thinking that I am so unworthy, yet God is full of worthiness. A lot of us Christians tend to draw away from God, not near and that is so disappointing to me, yet I do it every day. So, why is this? To be honest, I'm not too sure. Most people say that during the midst of hardships, it is quite difficult to be content with God which I guess is somewhat understandable. But for me, I feel as if God places suffering in our lives for a reason (and no, it is not karma). Step back and think a little; if your life was perfect and absolutely nothing went wrong (there were no afflictions or predicaments) then what would that look like with your relationship with God? Worthless. I know this may be nothing new to your ears, but honestly God loves you so much and he would never mean to make your life miserable for no reason. There's a purpose for everything, especially with adversity. "I've discovered Christ in a deeper way through suffering than I ever did through blessing." -Britt Merrick. The reason I share this with you is because I look at suffering as somewhat a praise to God. He brings utter conviction upon me that I cannot handle at times, but later I could not rejoice more within Him. He is so worthy of our praises, and this whole idea of worthiness just sticks to me. The fact that I have sinned more than I could even imagine is devastating, but that is the beauty of God--His grace, his forgiveness. Revelation says "Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" Give your all to God, for he gave it all for you. Do good, and show God the worthiness he deserves! Encourage one another in their faith, and please know that you are forgiven. He who has promised is incredibly faithful, so just trust that. "Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever." -Jude 1:24