Hey guys! :)
Prayer is Friday at 7am at John and Elya's house! Join us at 625 Glenhaven, 79603!
We're going to Bastrop, TX on March 9th-15th! It will be $150 and so worth it! There's only a few spots left!
This week in College Bible Study there will be FREE! Breakfast starting @ 9am!
Be sure to pick up a new Newsletter this Sunday for March/April!
Have a wonderful week! :)
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
A Blog About A Song and My Attitude
Following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, worship leader and song writer Matt Redman co-wrote the song "Blessed Be Your Name" with his wife Beth. Matt has shared that he was struck by the lack of songs within the church that respond appropriately to pain and suffering. This song became very popular within churches and Christian events and it became a sort of modern hymn or anthem for the church.
This really is a beautiful song and I cannot stand it. I get so frustrated when this song is played because I am not sure I really mean it when I sing it. It should be easy right, "Blessed Be Your Name In the land that is plentiful Where Your streams of abundance flow Blessed be Your name" but what about when it says, "Blessed be Your name On the road marked with suffering Though there's pain in the offering Blessed be Your name" I mean really....really? Do I mean it? This song more than any for me really challenges me to think about what I am singing. It is so easy to praise God when we are experiencing blessings, but can we say it when we experience pain? There is a line in the song that says, "You give and take away; my heart will choose to say blessed be your name." This line more than anything is what I struggle with... I do not want God to take anything away, my human self wants simply to receive his gifts and blessings.
This song is influenced by the passage of Job, a familiar story where Job is bombarded with devastation in all aspects of life. He loses a source of income, he loses his friends, he even loses people in his family. His wife even tells him , "why don't you just curse God and die?" Job simply does not budge, he trusts in God, he says, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised." That my friends is worship, what a statement.
The next time this song is played at church I am going to try and have a more open heart. It is such a beautiful representation of the attitude we should strive to have as Christians. I think it is okay to be honest and there are times that we do not want to praise God, it's hard. If we were to be honest with ourselves I think we could say that often want something from God, and that is okay, Jacob was upfront he had a list of things he wanted from God. But at some point we will learn all we want is God, and then we really will be able to say, "Lord Blessed Be Your Name."
JS
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Utterly Unyielding
As I was reading a paper for psychology the other day, I made my way over to dictionary .com to find the definition of a word. On the homepage I noticed their “word of the day” was adamantine, and it got me thinking. It means “utterly unyielding or firm in attitude or opinion; too hard to cut, break, or pierce; like a diamond in luster.” This first made me think about adamantium, the super strong, imaginary impenetrable metal from X-Men. But, then I thought how adamantine would be a great thing to describe how we should be as Christians.
It might seem like the complete opposite. We know we are supposed to yield to God wholeheartedly, and allow ourselves to be molded by Him, not being hard, but we are also called to be unyielding to the forces of the devil, not bending in our position to stand for Christ. We are to stand firm on the solid rock that Jesus is, always knowing that He paid the ultimate price for us, and he will have victory in the end. Sometimes we lose sight of God’s promises. We allow ourselves to get knocked down by the pressures and hardships we experience in life. It is in those times that if we don’t arm ourselves with the Lord we will be easy to break, and a target for the enemy. God says he will be with us through everything, and he gives us all we need to live. When we put on the full armor of the God (Ephesians 6:10 - 17) we will be prepared to take on anything that comes our way. Instead of being knocked down we can face our struggles with complete joy, resting in the assurance that God has everything under control. I also like the third definition, being like a diamond in luster. This makes me think of Zechariah 9:16-17 which says, “The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be!...” I love that imagery that we will sparkle like jewels! It’s easy to compare ourselves to others at times, to not feel as beautiful as people around us, or to feel inadequate when we fail at something, but we must remember that God sees us as his priceless treasure; we are beautiful in His sight and He makes us radiant! Let’s be strong this week with whatever we might come up against. Things are getting stressful as school work piles on, but we know that God can help us stay on track and keep us from being knocked down!
It might seem like the complete opposite. We know we are supposed to yield to God wholeheartedly, and allow ourselves to be molded by Him, not being hard, but we are also called to be unyielding to the forces of the devil, not bending in our position to stand for Christ. We are to stand firm on the solid rock that Jesus is, always knowing that He paid the ultimate price for us, and he will have victory in the end. Sometimes we lose sight of God’s promises. We allow ourselves to get knocked down by the pressures and hardships we experience in life. It is in those times that if we don’t arm ourselves with the Lord we will be easy to break, and a target for the enemy. God says he will be with us through everything, and he gives us all we need to live. When we put on the full armor of the God (Ephesians 6:10 - 17) we will be prepared to take on anything that comes our way. Instead of being knocked down we can face our struggles with complete joy, resting in the assurance that God has everything under control. I also like the third definition, being like a diamond in luster. This makes me think of Zechariah 9:16-17 which says, “The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be!...” I love that imagery that we will sparkle like jewels! It’s easy to compare ourselves to others at times, to not feel as beautiful as people around us, or to feel inadequate when we fail at something, but we must remember that God sees us as his priceless treasure; we are beautiful in His sight and He makes us radiant! Let’s be strong this week with whatever we might come up against. Things are getting stressful as school work piles on, but we know that God can help us stay on track and keep us from being knocked down!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Announcements for the Week! :) Woohoo!
Hey everyone! :) So a few announcements...
We are going to Bastrop, TX to do fire relief work on Spring Break. The cost is $150 and we will be gone March 9th-15th. It doesn't matter what college you go to, you can come. :)
We are still continuing in our church-wide series called My Story! We have already heard some great stories from people we see all the time, but don't necessarily know too well!
Prayer is this Friday at John and Elya's at 7am! Go to 625 Glenhaven, 79603. If you can't make it, you can still send them your prayer requests!
This Sunday is Bible Study at 9am! We're having muffins for breakfast, and we get to hear another My Story!
Lent started today, and if you're interested in the history of it, then you can read this article! http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/news/2004/lent.html
I hope everyone has a great week! :)
We are going to Bastrop, TX to do fire relief work on Spring Break. The cost is $150 and we will be gone March 9th-15th. It doesn't matter what college you go to, you can come. :)
We are still continuing in our church-wide series called My Story! We have already heard some great stories from people we see all the time, but don't necessarily know too well!
Prayer is this Friday at John and Elya's at 7am! Go to 625 Glenhaven, 79603. If you can't make it, you can still send them your prayer requests!
This Sunday is Bible Study at 9am! We're having muffins for breakfast, and we get to hear another My Story!
Lent started today, and if you're interested in the history of it, then you can read this article! http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/news/2004/lent.html
I hope everyone has a great week! :)
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
L-O-V-E
I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day! Whether you enjoy the heart-filled festivities or not, I think this middle of February is a wonderful time to be reminded of the importance of showing love to others, and of how enormously great God’s love is. It always brightens my day when someone grabs the door for me, takes my lunch tray, or surprises me with a note of encouragement. I have noticed many people in our college ministry loving others. That’s awesome! Let’s keep doing it! Here are some ideas of ways we can show love to those around us. (A few came from websites, some I thought of, and others are from a booklet my church back home created.) …I hope this will inspire us to reach out to someone this week, other than what we normally do, and go the extra step to make someone’s day. Always remember that “…the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him… the earth is full of his unfailing love.” Ps 32:10, 33:5 He loves us so much!
• Adopt a soldier. - Even if don't know anyone serving in the military you can send a letter that will be distributed to soldiers longing for a word from home. Anysoldier.com lists military members serving overseas who are willing to accept mail and distribute it to troops who don't have family. You can send something one time, or write regularly to a soldier. While you might not get a personal response ... you can be sure that your letters and packages encourage the men and women fighting far from home.
• Take a prayer walk. - Go for a walk around your neighborhood, and pray for your neighbors as you stroll. Ask God to protect and bless your neighborhood, and to show you ways you can reach out to your neighbors with love and kindness. And if you're feeling particularly brave, stop a stranger and offer to pray for them…it's amazing how grateful people - regardless of their faith or what they believe about God - are when a stranger offers to pray for them. (above 2 from: http://www.helpothers.org/story.php?sid=14154)
• Leave a compliment with a tip - Tips are an easy way to serve others in return for what they have done for you. If you want to make a stronger impact, write a note or message with a tip to leave a specific compliment. You could ask to speak to the manager at a restaurant and tell them about the great service you received from a specific server. (idea from http://learnthis.ca/2010/02/100-ways-to-serve-others/)
• Adopt a country – get to know the culture, pray for them specifically, minister during the year
• Buy freeze pops and hand them out at parks with a card that says “just a reminder that Jesus loves you”
• Start a clown ministry in a hospital
• Visit people in jail, tell them about Jesus
• Offer free babysitting
• Cook a meal for someone who could use it
• Pick up litter – Most days I’ll walk around campus and see plastic bottles, Styrofoam cups, candy wrappers etc on the ground… let’s pick them up! It could be just 1 thing you toss in a trash can on the way to class, or you could even grab a friend and go around campus with a trash bag
• Be kind and courteous to other drivers
• Give others compliments, say encouraging things, write someone a nice message on facebook, make a little card or note for a friend and slip it under their door or in their mailbox of book bag
• Offer to help someone with their homework, maybe to understand something they don’t get, quiz them on material, or to keep them accountable and on task
• Help carry luggage for students going home/coming back on weekends, carry grocery bags for students.
• Sit next to someone at lunch you see sitting by themself. If you don’t know them, try to get to know them :)
• Start a conversation with the lovely cleaning ladies, lunch workers, outdoor maintenance people and others you see working on campus. They appreciate our smiles and interaction!
• If you live in a dorm, get to know all the girls or guys in your hallway.
• Make muffins, pancakes, cookies, or other treats to share with students in your dorm/hallway. You can also use that as a starting point for conversation to meet new people.
• Come to Bastrop this Spring Break! Or seek out another mission opportunity throughout the semester.
Enjoy spreading love around!
- SL
• Adopt a soldier. - Even if don't know anyone serving in the military you can send a letter that will be distributed to soldiers longing for a word from home. Anysoldier.com lists military members serving overseas who are willing to accept mail and distribute it to troops who don't have family. You can send something one time, or write regularly to a soldier. While you might not get a personal response ... you can be sure that your letters and packages encourage the men and women fighting far from home.
• Take a prayer walk. - Go for a walk around your neighborhood, and pray for your neighbors as you stroll. Ask God to protect and bless your neighborhood, and to show you ways you can reach out to your neighbors with love and kindness. And if you're feeling particularly brave, stop a stranger and offer to pray for them…it's amazing how grateful people - regardless of their faith or what they believe about God - are when a stranger offers to pray for them. (above 2 from: http://www.helpothers.org/story.php?sid=14154)
• Leave a compliment with a tip - Tips are an easy way to serve others in return for what they have done for you. If you want to make a stronger impact, write a note or message with a tip to leave a specific compliment. You could ask to speak to the manager at a restaurant and tell them about the great service you received from a specific server. (idea from http://learnthis.ca/2010/02/100-ways-to-serve-others/)
• Adopt a country – get to know the culture, pray for them specifically, minister during the year
• Buy freeze pops and hand them out at parks with a card that says “just a reminder that Jesus loves you”
• Start a clown ministry in a hospital
• Visit people in jail, tell them about Jesus
• Offer free babysitting
• Cook a meal for someone who could use it
• Pick up litter – Most days I’ll walk around campus and see plastic bottles, Styrofoam cups, candy wrappers etc on the ground… let’s pick them up! It could be just 1 thing you toss in a trash can on the way to class, or you could even grab a friend and go around campus with a trash bag
• Be kind and courteous to other drivers
• Give others compliments, say encouraging things, write someone a nice message on facebook, make a little card or note for a friend and slip it under their door or in their mailbox of book bag
• Offer to help someone with their homework, maybe to understand something they don’t get, quiz them on material, or to keep them accountable and on task
• Help carry luggage for students going home/coming back on weekends, carry grocery bags for students.
• Sit next to someone at lunch you see sitting by themself. If you don’t know them, try to get to know them :)
• Start a conversation with the lovely cleaning ladies, lunch workers, outdoor maintenance people and others you see working on campus. They appreciate our smiles and interaction!
• If you live in a dorm, get to know all the girls or guys in your hallway.
• Make muffins, pancakes, cookies, or other treats to share with students in your dorm/hallway. You can also use that as a starting point for conversation to meet new people.
• Come to Bastrop this Spring Break! Or seek out another mission opportunity throughout the semester.
Enjoy spreading love around!
- SL
Monday, February 13, 2012
Take a Look at this Week!
Hey everyone!
This Thursday we are meeting at 5:30pm at Rosa's on Judge Ely to have dinner before heading over to ACU's Sing Song show at 7pm! It will be $10 at the door and $5 with a student id! It's gonna be a blast and everyone should come!
Friday at 7am there will be prayer and free coffee at John and Elya's house!
Join us Sunday morning at 9am for Bible Study! We are continuing with My Story before the lesson to learn about the people we live with! :)
FREE! meal on Sunday at 6pm! That is always a delight!
Sunday evening at 7pm in the cafe, we will have a Bastrop Interest Meeting for everyone planning to go on the trip. Be there to hear details!
Home Teams are still open to join if you have yet to do so!
Have a stupendous week, and try not to be too frustrated with the bipolar weather. :)
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Laundry Day
Howdy all,
Today is laundry day for me. In need of fresh clothes and towels I decided it was time to begin the marathon that is doing laundry in Nix Hall. Doing laundry is not all that difficult but I absolutely dread doing it-- there is something about setting aside a couple of hours in my day, sorting through lights and darks, walking all the way up to the fourth floor and paying for the washers and dryers that just frustrates me. It's funny because when it is all said and done I am just fine, in fact I feel accomplished, I have have clean clothes again. If laundry day is the worst that ever happens to me then I have it made.
I often take for granted how blessed I am. I have so many great friends and family, people that are there in good times and bad, people that are simply real. I know that when I am going through a rough time those people are there for me, through thick and thin and through things MUCH worse then a few dirty clothes that need washing. I would do the same for them, including a load of laundry. Take some time this week and be thankful for the people in your life, tell them how much you appreciate them, it will surely make their day and it will help you remember how blessed you really are, it has for me. Until next time, I am off to switch the clothes over to the dryer.
Adios,
JS
Currently listing to "Everything We Have" by Ornan's Floor
Today is laundry day for me. In need of fresh clothes and towels I decided it was time to begin the marathon that is doing laundry in Nix Hall. Doing laundry is not all that difficult but I absolutely dread doing it-- there is something about setting aside a couple of hours in my day, sorting through lights and darks, walking all the way up to the fourth floor and paying for the washers and dryers that just frustrates me. It's funny because when it is all said and done I am just fine, in fact I feel accomplished, I have have clean clothes again. If laundry day is the worst that ever happens to me then I have it made.
I often take for granted how blessed I am. I have so many great friends and family, people that are there in good times and bad, people that are simply real. I know that when I am going through a rough time those people are there for me, through thick and thin and through things MUCH worse then a few dirty clothes that need washing. I would do the same for them, including a load of laundry. Take some time this week and be thankful for the people in your life, tell them how much you appreciate them, it will surely make their day and it will help you remember how blessed you really are, it has for me. Until next time, I am off to switch the clothes over to the dryer.
Adios,
JS
Currently listing to "Everything We Have" by Ornan's Floor
Monday, February 6, 2012
Weekly Announcements!
Prayer is back at John and Elya's house this Friday at 7am! Free coffee!
Spring Break mission trip is at Bastrop this year and will be around $200. More details to come!
FREE! meal this week at 6pm. It will be great as usual!
Join us on Sunday for Bible Study at 9am! Free coffee and donuts!
We currently have a church-wide emphasis called My Story to learn about the people we live with! If you have a story about your life that you would like to share, contact John Whitten!
Everyone have a great week! :)
Spring Break mission trip is at Bastrop this year and will be around $200. More details to come!
FREE! meal this week at 6pm. It will be great as usual!
Join us on Sunday for Bible Study at 9am! Free coffee and donuts!
We currently have a church-wide emphasis called My Story to learn about the people we live with! If you have a story about your life that you would like to share, contact John Whitten!
Everyone have a great week! :)
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