My plea...

give them something eternal, not temporary.

Holy Spirit?

Here lately I have had this desperate hunger to learn more about the Holy Spirit and just what his role is in this whole scheme of things. The more I study the more I am blown away by the fact that the Holy Spirit is the power of God in us. If you don't have confidence in yourself...that's okay. Our good works are like filthy rags compared to the works of our Father in heaven. SO...if the Holy Spirit places God's power within us...imagine what we could do FOR HIM and THROUGH HIM! WOW!

We may have limitations on what we believe we are capable of...but are we putting limits on God?

I'll leave you with some words from Jesus in John 14.

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."--John 14:11-21

Leadership

If you had the opportunity to ask your pastor one question about leadership, what would it be?
Lately, God has been teaching me so much about the role of the Holy Spirit in my life. I really want to ask my pastor, what role does the Holy Spirit play in your leadership?

But that question seems so simple. It seems like it could be answer with a simple response. I just feel like that is the question burning in my heart. I know that the response will most likely be, "The Holy Spirit guides me." But I pray it digs a little deeper than that and I learn more about what the Holy Spirit is doing in me.

Miracles?

This video explains what God is doing in my life right now. I pray that the kingdom is infectious and that God is glorified.

Vision...

On Sunday Perry preached a bold and powerful message about having an effective prayer life and being an effective Christian. He challenged us to pray and ask God to show us why we were created, to ask God to allow us to see as he sees, and to ask him what our next step is to walk in His will. I've been praying those three things since Sunday and God is already rocking my world.
Honestly, since I've been interning at NewSpring this summer I've been really questioning my call to teach middle school. After working for such an amazing church, with constant vision and constant encouragement, it is hard imagine going back to work in a place that drains life. Not to say that the school I will be teaching at is bad, it is an awesome school, but the demands that are put on teachers in general are stretching...and every teacher is stretched--hoping for survival, no time to pour out encouragement to others.
But, God is stirring some awesome vision in me. I realize now that I am questioning my calling because I am comfortable. My needs are being met, and my cup is overflowing without much effort. It's time that I step outside of this comfort zone and listen to what God has for me...rather than resting on my assets.
I can't help but notice the pain and emptiness in the middle school age children today. Among young people aged 10-14 years, the suicide rate has doubled in the last two decades. I cannot get this fact out of my mind. They are hurting. What is it that they need?
Around 70% of these children are growing up in broken homes. What does this mean? What does filling this need look like? What is it that I need to do to love these kids. I have to do more than teach 7th grade English. Yes, I will encounter around 110 kids a day, ages 12-14...yes, I can give them my love and support. But what more can I do. I feel like I can do more. But what does that look like? I want to fill this need in the name of Jesus. But how do I do it?
It's easy to feed the hungry and clothe the naked...but how do you love a teenager?