Junk

"...and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4

This verse has been so real to me over the past few months. I have come to the realization that life is not ever what we think it will or should be. If you are anything like me, we get caught up in the things of this world that wound us. And they are many! The funny thing about following Jesus, is that when we make that decision to surrender our lives and follow Him, we are in turn making the decision to join Him in His suffering. If you are truly trying to follow Christ, you may feel like an outcast from the world. I know I do. Sometimes, I even wonder why I do this at all. Maybe you have been there. If not, I am guessing you will find yourself there someday. Then, in the midst of my pain, my heart goes to the words that Paul writes to the Romans. Rejoice in our suffering, persevere, and that all of the pain and crap in our lives builds character, and that in turn produces hope. What a counter-cultural thought; to rejoice in our sufferings. I am in the midst of trying to really understand what that means and live it out in my life. It is a totally new way of thinking, it provides a completely different outlook on life, and as crazy as it may sound, it does provide a glimer of light in the midst of darkness. Maybe you are a Switchfoot fan, maybe you are not, but on their newest CD, there is a song called "The shadow proves the sunshine." If anything, I hope and pray that throughout this week that you will think about the verse in Romans. And that maybe God would reveal to you in the midst of the trials and the hard things in your life, that the shadow does prove the sunshine. It is an absolute honor and privilege to be on this journey with you!

Ned

This weekend, I helped lead a youth retreat up in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. A friend named Ned and I began talking about ministry, callings and passions. Ned, literally had me near tears as I realized that my passion for reaching younger generations for Christ has really been squelched lately. Ned pointed out to me that there are numerous similarities between our passions and our anger. My prayer for those of us who find ourselves involved in this conversation, is that we remember that even though we are hurt and somewhat angry with church at times, God has ignited us with passion and give us a calling to make a difference in the world and the church. Let's not give up!

He is all I have

You Lord Jesus are all I have in this world...and that is more than enough!

Significant Insignificance

This week, I turned 26 years old. Due to the sadness I have been feeling about my role in the body of Christ the last few months, I decided to spend my birthday alone with God just being who I was created to be. A worshipper. I was privileged to gather with others from my generation for a night of intimate, real, loud, worship. I was overcome with a feeling of loss at the fact that it has been way too long since this has been a top priority in my life. The hurt from too many negative church experiences has quenched my passion. As I was singing over and over "You give and take away, you give and take away, my heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be Your name." It came to me. I am really, really little, and God is really, really big! (Deep thoughts by Kristi) In other words, I am completely insignificant when you think of all that God has created. As that thought humbled me and honestly made me feel totally crappy about my sometimes prideful attitude towards todays church, it also reminded me that the only reason I will ever be significant is because God is significant, and even though He has made more than I can possibly even get my head around, He knows my name, He loves me more than I could ever imagine, and because of Him and the sacrifice of His son, I can enjoy and find rest in my significant insignificance.

www.268generation.com
www.christomlin.com