The Ultimate Wedding

When I was in Uganda, I noticed that when the people drove or walked to their desired destination, they didn't talk on the phone, or text, or listen to music. They either walked in silence (probably praying) or sang/ hummed worship songs. It was small observation I made, but I've made it point to try it from time to time. Too often I'm not okay with silence or just being still before the Lord. With all the traveling I've done this summer, my many hours spent in the car have been extremely life giving and such sweet times to hear from the Lord and to pray. 

This summer, I've been so incredibly blessed to watch two good friends/couples get married, and again I'll watch one of my best friends get married August 25th. The two weddings I have been to so far have been Christ honor, God glorifying, and just down right some of the best celebrations I've been to in a while! I'm confident the third will be as well. 

All three couples love the Lord deeply and have in their own ways pushed me to know the Lord more and have increased my desire for a deeper relationship with Jesus. Befittingly, their weddings were honoring to God.

Recently, while I was driving in silence, Revelations 21:1,2 came to mind, speaking of the New Heaven and New Earth: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (emphasis mine).

The Church is describe as the bride of Christ all throughout scripture, so I guess for all intents and purposes Jesus is an engaged King. I'm sure most grooms can attest to the built up anticipation and excitement that occurs for the time the bride makes her grand appearance.

In my friend Ashley's wedding, I was a bridesmaid and I was completely unaware, until that point, the time, effort, and impeccable detail that goes into preparing a bride for her groom. The emotion, and again excitement, that happens behind the scenes for the bride is beautiful. And when Ashley made her appearance, and everyone stood, she looked perfect.

I'm excited for the day when we, The Church (Christ's bride), will actually BE PERFECT and be joined forever with Jesus, her Groom. Revelations 21:3 describes it as such, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God." 

The thought of that day I'm sure, will be the most joyful day for the men and woman who follow Jesus.The certainty of this day, should propel believers to rejoice often that their names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). And with the expectancy of that day, I pray we never forget the cost of the engagement of Christ to his bride; the very life of Jesus. 

I'm confident it will be unlike anything believers have ever experienced, and we'll rejoice in the ultimate celebration (see Rev. 19:6-9), both in joy and affirmation that this is where we were created to be.

LP Students Encouraged Me #thankful #laborers

It seems weird that I would forget the mighty work that God does in the hearts of students at the Leadership Project (LP). For those who may be unfamiliar with the LP, it is an 8-week opportunity for students to live, play, work, and grow spiritually together throughout the summer. Each student works a full-time job during the day and participates in various trainings in the evenings (ie. bible study training, prayer training, discipleship groups, evangelistic outreaches, ministry training, & Sunday worship at local churches). It seems strange that I would forget the way the Lord moves at the LP, in large part because God used it to change my life and life habits. 

Students at the first return training meeting about the "why's" of the LP and what that may look like on their campus.

This was the first summer in 3 years that I have not been at the LP for 8 weeks. This was hard at times because, I love the LP! I love the environment, the eagerness of the students to learn, the humility of learning from others, growing and working with your room, being challenged spiritually, etc. However, I got to experience a different vantage point of the LP. I visited the LP two weeks after it started and again the last 5 days. 

This past weekend,  I got to engaged students over their summer and what God had been teaching them, I realized that many of the students I talked to in June had changed in such a short amount of time. Their affections for God had been stirred, they spoke with excitement and deep conviction, and there was a air of joy that resonated on their face.  The Lord's movement in their lives encouraged me to want to know more of God in all areas of my life. In many cases, they actually ended up ministering to me. 

Check out some of their "tweets" for yourself; I hope they encourage you as much as they did me: 

Jamarea Allen, Lynchburg College

"We will not find joy in life until we find joy in God. We are meant to see through this life."#James1:2-9

 Derrick Wood-Morrow, Randolph College

"You may try to run from it. You may try to hide. You may try to replace it, but always and forever, God's grace is sufficient. #LP12injoy

 Ashley Johnson, Liberty University

 "No weight on me...wait on the Lord." #faithfulness>fruitlessness
 

 Brock Cameron, Lynchburg College

"God is sovereign and loves me in my brokeness." #Ps.34:18
 

The Lord renewed in me the vision of glorifying him by building laborers on the campus for the world. College indeed is such a pivotal time in a person's life. Habits are being formed, friends are being made, and influences are developing a rapid pace and will most likely be carried on into adulthood. By God's grace, laborers are being raised up and sent out. LP return week got me excited about continuing the work of building laborers at Lynchburg College for the lost world.

Evan and students play at the aquarium in Myrtle Beach during campus fun day.After the girls time of project clean up day (the boys go before us and take down the bunkbeds in the rooms), the girls jump in the pool to celebrate cleaning being over.

VT staff Katherine and Katie reunite at LP. We're a tight knit team. :)

How God Used the Leadership Project to Impact Africa

There are moments that change our life forever, but we usually don't know the repercussions of a decision or action at that present time. The summer going into my junior year of college, I was presented with the opportunity to go to the Leadership Project (LP) that Campus Outreach (CO) has for college students every summer. The LP is an eight-week training over the summer where students live, play, work, and grow spiritually together. I wrestled for weeks about whether or not to go. After the Lord moved mightily in my heart (and in my parent's hearts), I decided to go. I'm so glad I did. Looking back, I'm confident that the Lord used the LP to further stir my affections for Him.  Me with my room at my first Leadership Project in Myrtle Beach, SC in 2009.

 At the LP, students learn how to study the Bible, pray, share their faith, and lead Bible studies. All of these training have made a lasting impact on my life, and the habits I formed at my first LP have stayed with me. 

Evan and Julius Thomas (LC Contingent Staff) getting dinner at this year's LP2012 with Lynchburg College students. To me, evangelism training was always the most daunting. A sense of discomfort would come over me when we would prepare to go on the beach to share our faith. There are many methods to sharing the gospel; The Bridge Diagram Method, using Romans 6:23, is the one we learned. The Bridge Digram is a great way to articulate the gospel concisely and clearly, both to yourself and to others. 

 While I was in Africa, there were two occasions where I was asked to share the gospel with a large group of kids and adults. We would usually play in an "Outreach Match", which was a soccer game against a tribe or group of kids. After the match, we would gather everyone together and take a picture. After the picture, one person would share the gospel. Typically, there is no premeditation (at least on our part) on who was going to share after the outreach match. Usually, Rodney (the Sports Outreach director) walks up to you minutes before it is time to share and informs you that you'll be speaking. Me sharing the gospel after an Outreach Match with a group of kids in Kenya.

This happened to me at our first outreach match, the 3rd day we were in Uganda! I was nervous at the mere fact that I would be sharing the gospel in another country, potentially among people who have never heard the name of Jesus; but overall, I felt very prepared to articulate, with gentleness and respect, the good news of Jesus' redemptive plan that transformed my life five years ago and continues to do so now. I shared Rom. 6:23 and used the bridge diagram illustration as a skeleton for sharing the gospel in Uganda and Kenya. I was prepared because in God's grace, I was trained to give a reason for the hope that was in me, and have had much practice doing so (1 Peter 3:15).

I've seen a immense return in my own life of the spiritual investments that were made at the LP, not just in Africa, but in the US as well. 

I really believe that lives were changed in Africa, not simply as a result of my sharing, but because the transforming power of the gospel is undeniable. It is the power of God (Rom. 1:16).

We don't know where the students who attend the LP will be in 5, 10, or 20 years from now. But I'm confident that the lives that will be impacted as a result of the Lord's power, and their training, is far too great to count.

Students at a theme meeting at this year's Leadership Project 2012.

Hearing and seeing the people's responses to the gospel in Uganda and Kenya reminded me of our mission statement. We glorify God, by building laborers, on the campus, for the lost world. I get excited when I think about the potential laborers God will raise up to send out into the world. The says is true, "God changes people, and people change the world." 

It is Better

When we climbed back into the van from visiting Katwe, a slum in Kampala, I found myself trying to reconcile such extreme living conditions. I tapped Robert's shoulder (Robert was our driver/guide while we were in Uganda and a Sports Outreach Staff guy that ministers in that slum):

Robert, laughing as I snapped a picture of him loading up our suitcases on the roof of the van.

ME: Will it ever get better? (talking about the slum)

ROBERT: It is better...compared to 8 years ago. Katwe, one of the slums we visited in Kampala, Uganda.

Our experience in Uganda is kind of overwhelming. When people ask me how it was, I find it hard to pinpoint just one aspect or example of the mighty things that the Lord did in and through us. That day in Katwe, Robert assured and reminded me that God does not make mistakes, and that he indeed is moving mightily among the people in Kampala. It was a good reminder that, for the Christian, all things do indeed work together for the GOOD of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28).

This is an excerpt from my journal written on May 31st at 10pm (3pm EST) in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.

     The drastic difference in the state that people live in here is far worse than I ever dared dream. It will be hard to forget...on the contrary, I doubt I'll ever forget. The poverty is hard to grasp, and it hurts to see. But, the hope in the people that know the Lord here is supernatural. It's a strange paradox...I empathize greatly with their hurts, struggles, situations, but at the same time, I admire their faith and hope in the Lord. Although they have little materially, you can sense that the joy of the Lord really is their strength, and that it is more than enough. A woman today in the slum told me Ps. 121 are her favorite verses. She said the Lord has kept her, is keeping her, and will continue to keep her. Whenever I read those verses now I'll think of her. 

Before Africa, and during our time their I meditated on Acts 17: 26,27. It was the verse I used during my devotional I was asked to give. The creator of all things is writing our story. These verses tell us that he decided beforehand where everyone would be: the continent, the country, the town, city, tribe, to what family we would be born into...everything. I wasn't placed where I was by accident and neither were the amazing people we met in Uganda and Kenya. He did it that we would seek Him, feel our way toward him, and find him. I'm thankful the author of our stories intertwined my path with the people I experienced in Africa, and I believe he did so in large part that I would seek Him more. 

 In the midst of difficult and foreign sights, smells, and sounds, among the believers we were with, there was an unshakable peace. It was a perfect peace, within the people of God. It was a perfect joy. 

Katie, Evan, Cat, and I admiring the view as we toured a Christian boarding school in Gulu, Uganda right before our outreach futbal match.

A Simple Phrase That Packed a Punch

It's hard to believe that my first year on staff is coming to an end. It's even harder to believe how much I've learned throughout the semester. 

  It was a hard year, emotionally, spiritually, and physically, but I presume that most transitions have that effect. However, I can honestly say that I love my job! Throughout the year, I woke up most mornings excited about going to work and telling students about the gospel of Jesus that changed my life.

  In November, Campus Outreach Lynchburg (COL) and Campus Outreach Charlotte (COC) had a "Single Ladies Staff Retreat." It was such a blessing to be in fellowship with other woman that are in the same season of life as me. My biggest takeaway from that retreat was said my a woman named Carley Naramore. "God doesn't need you." A simple phrase, but it packed a punch.

2011 Campus Outreach Staff Woman's Retreat

That was November 2011. At the "Together for the Gospel" retreat that I went on with the COL staff team in April, David Platt, a pastor in Birmingham, Alabama, said " God doesn't need us; He needs no support. God involves us in His mission, not because he needs us, but because He loves us."

COL Staff Team at "Together for the Gospel" in KY.

 Both times I heard this fact, it was wildly humbling. In many ways, I've grown to be thankful he doesn't need me, but his love for us is shown in that 1) while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8), and 2) He has involved us in his mission. This is freeing. We don't thwart God's plan in our short comings and failures. Nevertheless, He has invited us into something far greater than ourselves.

 God has freed me up to boast in Him and who he is (Jer. 9:23,24). I've learned through scripture, through the example of those around me, & in my own life, that Jesus changes people, and people change the world. 

"Because Jesus won for me, I am free to lose.

 Because Jesus was someone, I am free to be no one.

 Because Jesus was extraordinary, I am free to be ordinary.

 Because Jesus succeeded for me, I am free to fail."

Jesus Plus Nothing Equals Everything by Tullian Tchividjian