For you

For those of you who want an update, here is a quick one.

Last semester was the busiest of my life. Yet God used it, in conjuction with the things I went through last summer, to teach me a lot. By faith, I am looking forward to what God has in store for me in the next few months. He is my all and all. I guess I don't have a whole lot to say.

Bon nuit!

Hang tight!

So I just wanted to let you all know, that I have not fallen off the face of the planet. Soon I will put up a post all about my summer because it was...amazing! So hang tight and I will be back soon!

Reflections

Another year of schooling has come and gone. I have spent a brief two weeks here in Orlando, and leave Sunday for a summer in San Diego, CA. I thought I would share some of my thoughts, reflections, and the like.

~Never try to expect what God will do, because it will always be different. And what a wonderful thing that is.
~Good does not mean easy. It often means hard. And that is ok.
~The best relationships (romantic and otherwise) are those that glorify God.
~Losing people hurts, especially when they are still so close.
~Daily fellowship is awesome.
~I have cried more in the last 3 and 1/2 months than in the last 3 years.
~I can do nothing in my own strength. It is only with God's strength that I can accomplish anything.
~Sometimes God gives us amazing gifts that take us completely by surprise. Be thankful for them, but don't hold on to them too tight, for they are not ours to keep.
~Love deep. Live deep.
~I long to see the face of God, to know Jesus in a way that affects every aspect of my life.
~Hold on to truth with all that you have, no matter what you feel. Walk by faith.
~Rejoice, for Jesus the Christ is Lord!

God has taught me so much this year. More and more I understand his faithfulness. More and more I long to live for Him and nothing else. He is my life. I desire to learn these things even more and to fall more in love with my Jesus.

Thanks for letting me share my heart. Good night.

I'm not in Orlando anymore.

Just thought I would share with you all. Today is April 26. And it is snowing. Yep, big white flakes coming from the sky. Yeah, I am in Minnesota.

God is moving!

Last week here at MSU, Mankto, we had the I Agree With Mitch campaign. 3 campus ministries came together (Campus Crusade, Chi Alpha, and InterVarsity) to pose the question...do you agree? Through it all, I began to see how God is really moving on this campus. Maybe not how I would expect, but He is working. Here are some things I saw...

~The biggest thing that came out of this outreach was the unity that has grown between these 3 ministries. What an encouragement when we would walk around in bright orange shirts and meet people we had never met wearing the same shirt. It is the hope and prayer of many of us that we would be able to continue to come together for various activities to encourage each other as the Body of Christ here at MSU.

~There was an amazing amount of truth that was spoken throughout the week. As people asked about our shirts, we were able to share truth. I had an admissions counselor call me about something, but the first thing he asked was "Who is Mitch and why do you agree with him?" Though this campus is extremely complacent, many seeds have been planted, and we trust that God will use that.

~I had a friend come to the CRU meeting who has been asking a lot of questions about Christianity and now he wants to continue to check out Crusade. I also had a girls from my floor randomly decide to come when I asked her (I wasn't even going to ask her to come, cause I thought she would say no). She too wants some more information.

~Unrelated to the outreach, but still really awesome. A girl who has been meeting with one of our staff for a couple weeks accepted Christ last week!!

~Mitch had a really tough week of classes on top of speaking 4 times. And yet God protected him. He never lost his easy going manner, and the deadline for a research paper that was due Friday was bumped back.

~At InterVarstiy last week, another friend of mine along with Mitch, shared her testimony. Hearing how God has changed her life and healed her, even recently, was so encouraging. After the meeting a few of us hung around and just talked about what God has been doing in the lives of people here. Too many to write here now.

I want to thank all of you who have been praying for this. God has answered!! They have been an encouragement and greatly appreciated. It is a blessing to know people like you!

On my mind...

Got a lot on my mind tonight. Got a lot in my heart. So here is goes...

I don't know if there is anything sadder than listening to someone I care about say that everything I stake my life upon is just a story. And yet, God is working in that life. I would die for Christ. My life is His. This world we live in can look so dark, it can be so overwhelming. Hope seems to be just a memory. And then my brother tells me about 200 people at a Student Venture meeting. He tells me with great hope that the death of his classmate, a high school sophmore girl, and the horrible accident that his good friend was in, has opened the doors for many to begin a relationship with Christ. There is hope! Then why do we believe all the lies? This next week three campus minitries are uniting to agree with Mitch. http://iagreewithmitch.org What joy to pray with other believers who long to see God move like I do. Yet everyone seems to be under this huge weight of life. Christ has the victory! Then why do we walk around defeated?

Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting. 2 Corithians 4:18 (Amplified Bible)

May we always look to the unseen.

No Turning Back

And it hurts.
And you cry.
And its ok.

There is a plan,
I repeat over and over.
There is a plan,
that I wish I could see.

And it hurts.
And you cry.
And its ok.

Sometimes it seems
There is no end.
And there seems to be no hope.
But truth remains.

And it hurts.
And you cry.
And its ok.

Hold on to truth.
Don't let go.
For there is
No Turning Back.

~RKB

Oh how time passes...

So yet again, I have gone forever since really writing anything. Well to make a long story short, this semester has been...interesting. Very different from anything I was expecting 3 months ago. Here is a quick run down of what has happened.

~My sister's wedding went really well. But 2 weddings in 6 months was enough. I guess I am next in line, but knowing Sam, he will pass me up. :)
~Decided to not be a CA again, and will be living in an apartment with two of the most amazing girls in the world! Everyone should come visit us.
~Going on summer project to San Diego. This is a big change, since over Christmas break I was telling everyone I wasn't going. But God has different plans.
~Lots of my friends are getting engaged (Congrats to Nick and Ali!!!) or have started dating...is there something in the water?!?
~Spent Spring Break in Ohio with my grandparents...what a blessing! They are such amazing people. And the food wasn't too bad either. ;)
~6 weeks from tomorrow I will be home. I am counting down the days of class, the number of papers, and duty nights. Soon my life in Gage B Tower will be over. And I think I am ready for that.

This is a really quick run down. Feel free to ask if you want more info. Time to go!

Good Friday

"The nails in your hands,
the nails in your feet,
they tell me how much you love me.

The thorns on your brow,
they tell me how,
you bore so much pain to love me.

And when the heavens pass away,
all your scars will still remain,
and forever they will say
just how much you love me."

80,000

That is the count. 80,000 people dead in South Asia. Who knows how many are out of home, food, everything. We live in this comforable world, and we forget how good we have it, how blessed we are. And we take it for granted. Well, I don't want to. I am sorry that it has taken a huge disaster to remind me, but man am I selfish. I need to get outside my box and look around me at others who need help. Physicaly and spiritualy. In Asia and at my school. So what am I going to do about it?

Well, for a start, I want to do something to help those in Asia, raise money to send over there. Will you help too? Get outside your box. Think big. Think about what God can do through you if you only let Him. That is what I need and want to do. And I would love some company. I don't yet know what this would mean or what this looks like. I am just taking the first step and trusting God to lead. Anyone want to come with me?

God has given us so much, in so many ways. Let us not take it for granted.