Thanksgiving Break!

It's time to go to Baltimore, Maryland! This Thanksgiving I am not spending time with my immediate family or even my blood family, but I am spending with a family that I love. Today my roommate, former teammate, dancing buddy, friend, and sister are headed to her home town in Maryland. I am beyond excited for this! Too many activities and too little time last year put this little trip back a bit, but here it is and we're going. She's been to my hometown on several occasions and gotten to know a little more about me (you know the stuff that you can only really understand about someone after you've seen where they come from) and now I get my chance to do the same. Well, this post has nothing to do with anything other than my excitement so I'm gunna leave it here so we can hit the road. BYE!

The Steadfast Love of God Endures

"But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly."

Psalm 52:8-9

God, thank you for this day and for this opportunity to live for you and to praise you! Lord, you are beautiful! Your love is unending. unchanging, and steadfast. We will never be able to fully understand your love for us. God, you are so much more then we could ever imagine! You are all-knowing, all-present, and all-powerful. There is none like you. Lord, I come to you and I confess this morning that many times I forget that all of this is true about you. I doubt you ability and have little faith. I pray and ask for forgiveness Lord! Let my faith in you grow each and every day! God, I am thankful that you are all of these things regardless of my doubts! I could never thank you enough Lord, for all that you have done, are doing, and are going to do! I thank you and praise you Lord for your love! Your love satisfies! Let us run to you God and into your arms rather than seeking satisfaction in the things of this world! Lord, I pray and ask for wisdom. Make us wise in your word God, that we may reflect you more accurately! I pray for our hearts God, that they would be softened and that we would allow you to possess every bit of it! I pray Lord, that as a body we would encourage one another and grow together for the purpose of building up your kingdom and bringing glory to you! May we be inclined to seek you first! In Christ's name I pray, Amen!

URBN Workday

Today we got to experience our first URBN Workday. Now typically these would include doing some work on a house (usually dilapidated) that has been purchased and will become an URBN house in the future. However, today we where able to do much more than that. Recently, some of our neighbors have had to deal with the tragedy of having their house along with two of their direct neighbors catch fire and burn in the midst of the night. One of the houses was able to be salvaged but is in need of some repairs. This tragedy was able to be turned into such a beautiful mess thanks to God. Through the house fires the community was given a chance to reach out and help allowing for relationships to be built between people who otherwise my never have met. The family of this house in particular has become close with the couple that lives in the apartment above me and it's so awesome to see both families receiving and giving love to one another.

We were also able to work in the community garden and help out with the new building that Access Ventures just recently bought that will eventually be turned into a center that helps with job training as well as resume writing that will be available to the community of Shelby Park. This program will in turn help the community to grow together. It excites me to be able to process these thoughts and type them out and just realize how great God truly is. Without Him none of this would be possible.

To God be the Glory!

For the Purpose of Godliness.

At the beginning of this year long commitment I made to be a part of URBN Experience we were given a book titled Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life written by Donald S. Whitney and fowarded by J.I. Packer. This book caught my attention for two reasons...1.I was like "Wooo a book to tell us all the things we're doing wrong and how to do them right" and 2.I knew that even though my initial thoughts were negative I could learn a lot from this book. The first subject that this book highlights is (drum roll please....) You guessed it, discipline. I know what discipline is and I knew what it was before I picked up this book and decided to read it, but what I had never thought about before was disciplining myself for the purpose of Godliness. I have always been a pretty disciplined person. For example, I always disciplined myself in regards to school, work, and sports. You have to be disciplined in these things if you want to succeed, grow, and better yourself. Yet, in all of these things I never disciplined myself for the purpose of Godliness.

1 Timothy 4:7b states that we should "...discipline (y)ourselves for the purpose of Godliness." For the first time I looked at my spiritual life and focused on how much effort and time I actually put into it. To be honest, it was extremely discouraging. My entire life I had dedicated and disciplined myself for all these other things but never once had I really put half as much effort into my spiritual life. I wasn't disciplining myself for the purpose of Godliness. I was disciplining myself for the purpose of well, myself. By no means am I saying that it is a bad thing to be disciplined in school, work, and exercise. What I am saying is that just as important as it is for us to be disciplined in those things it is so much more important for us to be disciplined in our spiritual lives in order that we may succeed, grow, and continually foster that relationship between ourselves and God.

The book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life hits on several ways in which one can discipline themselves for the purpose of Godliness. These include reading the Bible (God's word) but not just reading through it, meditating on the scriptures and studying what it says, prayer, journaling, worship, evangelism, serving, fasting, learning, and my favorite silence and solitude. I'll have to admit that even after reading this book I find it hard to be disciplined in all of these areas, but like anything that is new it is going to take time to discipline myself and to begin to create a habit of doing so.

To end this entry I'll talk a little bit more about why silence and solitude is my favorite discipline that Whitney writes about. Whitney suggest that we all get away to a silent place to be alone and simply sit with God. What a concept! Now, here's the problem: Who has time to sit in silence and be alone? Who can find any silence in today's world? Who can find someplace to be alone? You can. So long as you discipline yourself to do so. This has not yet become a habit or routine of mine but I can say and testify that the times that I have been able to sit alone and in silence with God have been worth the time and somewhat difficulty of finding such a place. It is during these times that God has revealed Himself to me the most and where I am able to put the most focus into quality, intentional time with God. With that being said...It's time to go discipline myself for the purpose of Godliness.

To God be the Glory!

Old Friends in a New Place.

This weekend many of us from URBN (http://www.sojournurbanexperience.com/)got a visit from some old friends. I'm the kind of person that knows a lot of people but is only close with a handful of those people and those friendships are something that I cherish. I believe that God brings people into our lives for a reason, a season, and a lifetime. For me, seeing old friends is always such a blessing and makes me so excited that I'm like a little kid who is going to Disney for the first time.

The friends that came into town this weekend are people that God allowed me to grow with both personally and spiritually. We had all been called to ministry in Belo Horizonte, Brasil two summers ago and this would be the first time since then that we had all been able to see each other together. It was so good to see and hear what God has been and is doing in each person's life. He called us all to be together for a season and is continuing to use each and every one of us to do His work. I guess that really shouldn't be of any surprise if we are being obedient to His word. I believe I can speak for each of us when I say that the summer would have been very different had one of us not been there and that God used each person on our team that summer to show and teach us something about ourselves and something about Him and the two together. Looking at where God has us now, I sit in amazement and awe of God's power and beauty. Two of the girls are finishing up school and are leading other girls on their campus and another has taken a position on Campus Outreach staff and is leading girls at the campus she used to attend, and I am here. God is too good to us. None of us deserve to be where we are, but because God is a gracious God we can be.

To God be the Glory!

It's November?

Since when has it been November? Since four days ago right? What in the world. This year is almost gone and my year with URBN Experience is just about half way over. I think this would be a good time to reflect on those expectations ad goals I made earlier in the year and see what God's done! For the sake of you all and myself I've reposted my expectations and goals below and under each one I have typed out what has happened thus far.

EXPECTATIONS

1. To see the community of Shelby Park be impacted by the Gospel

Each and everyday I see this. It has become more evident to me since I first moved to Shelby Park. I see it a lot in the children and their response to a Gospel based love and even in the way they present themselves. There are several young ladies who come over to hang out and they want to talk about the Gospel. How great is that?

2. To grow in my faith in Christ

If this isn't a continual process then I don't know what is. God has called me to trust in Him many times already this year and many times before that. For me what it comes down to in the end is whether or not I am willing to trust in Him completely. Never has He failed me and never will He. Yet, I have a tendency to hold Him to a worldly standard of trust rather than a Godly standard.

3. To walk away with a larger community of Christian friends and family

God has provided me with a great community here in Louisville. I am excited and happy to have met the people I have and cannot wait to see whom else God will bring before me.

4. To be tested in multiple areas of my faith

This is a lot like #2. I'd say my response is about the same.

5. To have fun with my neighbors and get to know them personally

This is in the works. We are planning on having a chili dinner with the transition house next door and have had some conversation with those around us. God willing we will continue to have opportunities to enjoy each others company.

GOALS

1. Be active in the community at least 3 days a week (i.e. getting out in the park, volunteering, walking around)

This was an easy task when the days were longer and it was warmer outside. It has recently become more difficult since it gets dark by around 5pm and most people are in doors. However, we still have our bi-weekly potlucks that the community comes to.

2. Do something to serve my direct neighbors at least once a month

This can be difficult to do since everyone has such different schedules, but it is also good to remind myself that service does not always look like physical labor. It could simply be me offering to let my neighbor borrow a gardening tool.

3. Read through the Bible in a year

Doing it! This is probably one of the most interesting and fascinating things I have ever done. I ask myself daily "Why did I never do this before?"

4. Learn to show love to those that are hard to love in practical ways

This is a constant learning experience that I will continue to face every day. God has blessed me with some pretty gracious roommates who have shown me love when I least deserve it and are helping me to learn to do the same.

5. Get to know at least two of my neighbors (Who are not Sojourn members) on a personal level

This has not yet happened but we do have some communication so that's a start.

Please continue to join me in prayer regarding all of these goals! I am excited to see how God will provide for more than I could have ever imagined!