Live Out Loud

"But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you?" (1 Chronicles 29:14) "But Lord... how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." (Judges 6:15-16) SERIOUSLY GOD. WHO AM I, that the LORD of ALL THE EARTH would care to know my name, yet alone save me from the guilt and shame of my sin. Even when I'm giving my 100%, A-GAME to please You, I SOMEHOW end up screwing it all up (and even bringing others down with me). SURELY all my righteous acts are like filthy rags before You. Why does God love me? Not because of who I am But because of who You are God doesn't just love, God IS love. Just believe it NY--stop feeling insecure, just live your life CONVINCED that God's love for you is real.

I ran a 10K yesterday at the Big House, right before HMCC's 15th year celebration--it was an INCREDIBLE run because I feel like God was speaking to me about my life as I was running. Here's what I mean: I was in awe and shock when I finished my 6.2 miles, because I have been extremely unfaithful with training leading up to the race. Despite my failure to be disciplined on a daily basis, I felt like I was given this supernatural strength to run til the finish and not give up. Because of that, I ran hard and ended up cutting about 20 minutes off of my time from June (crazy, I know). I think the 10 kilometers I ran yesterday greatly resembles my journey of following after Jesus. If you ask me about what has helped me to grow in my faith, I can give you a handful of HUGE commitments I've made in the past couple years--like participating in a summer missions project, serving in LIFEgroup ministry, or staying in Michigan post-graduation. But despite these sizeable deci...

I don't like saying things I don't mean, especially the term BLESSED, which is used very often in the church. I mentioned how cautious I am to use the word BLESSED in an entry back in April , and today I want to testify to how another promise has been fulfilled in my life. So.. what is a promise I banked on? [From a recent Creative Development exercise we did in Pubs] How was this promise fulfilled? Confession: I've heard this verse many times before and even memorized it--but despite knowing it in my head, I really doubted it in my heart. I knew Jesus said things like "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62) but I OFTEN looked back (and side to side) wondering if the way of following Christ was really the BEST LIFE I COULD LIVE.  If I had to describe this summer in one word, it would be affirming . I've been affirmed in my job, my ministry, my relationships and I truly FEEL that there ...

Of all the things in a typical week, my favorite meetings are hands down the times I have with my co-leaders. They are typically referred to as planning meetings in our church, but I'd rather avoid that term because that phrase is sometimes associated with :( emoticons or dreadful looks. After all, every lifegroup and leadership team (LT) handles planning meetings differently :P My first LT experience was with Eric and KT during Walk It Out--I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty upset when I found out they were the two I was stuck with for the entire year. I had contexts with both of them before I started serving with them and thought I knew them pretty well. Eric was the guy in my class who endlessly shared for 30 minutes whenever I asked a simple "How are you?", and KT was the ministry team leader that I had a distant relationship with, despite the fact that I had been a part of her team for 2+ years. I didn't see much hope for the future of our relationship, but God ...

A few weeks ago I mentioned how God has been answering my prayers for greater discernment in my life. Another one of those long-term prayer requests in my life has been to grow in compassion . And MAN I can't believe God has been answering! I mean, I must be really faithless to have doubted--after all, one of my fav verses right now is 1 John 5:14 which says "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." Jesus was full of compassion, so why wouldn't God want to grant me compassion if I asked for it, right? I noticed how much I lacked in compassion when I was with two particular people groups--children, and the poor. But over the past year and a half (since I started praying in November of 2009), God has thrown multiple opportunities to grow in an area of weakness. The first was in partaking in the social just!ce movement at our church last year where we brainstormed ways to raise awareness of social is...

On Sunday morning, I did something I thought I'd NEVER do. I completed a 10K at the 2011 Dexter-Ann Arbor Run. A lot of people assume I enjoy running because I love playing sports--but believe me on this, I never understood how anyone could run for fun . About a month ago when the "new year" began, I set a new personal goal to invest in my physical health just like I care for my spiritual, mental, or emotional health. When Julia told me about DXA2 at a Pubs meeting two weeks ago, I was intrigued. Running 6.2 miles seemed like just the right distance for me to be challenged without having months to train beforehand. Despite my interest, I didn't want to sign-up without having at least one buddy to run with me side-by-side and help me stick to the goal I had set. Without the A word (accountability), I knew how easy it would be for me to start walking halfway and not fulfill the commitment I had made. It brings me great excitement to share that I (along with two very s...

I used to think that doing God's will, or doing the "right thing", always involved making sacrifices, dying to myself, and ultimately--having no fun. For the first three years after accepting Christ, I felt restrained and limited in what I could/could not do and found little joy and freedom in following Christ. A lot of these misconceptions I had were results of me living in darkness and being dishonest/fake/a complete fluke with God. But slowly as I came into the light and admitted to how I genuinely felt, the transformation and renewing of my mind began. In the Bible, Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life , and have it to the full " (John 10:10). AKA Jesus came so that I may experience life to the full. The best life I could ever imagine. The life I've always wanted. I always knew this truth in my head but couldn't confidently testify to it personally until very recently. Often times whe...