No Chains on Me…

Just read tonight that Rob Bell has a new book coming out in October with the awesome title of: “Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile” Its a shame it comes out in the distant future (October)…

The tag-line given for the book is: “There is a church not too far from us that recently added a $25 million addition to their building. Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago about a study revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty. This is a book about those two numbers.” For DC next year, I finally settled on doing Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan which speaks along some of the same lines (This book also doesn’t come out until later (May) but I happen to have a copy of it… (!!) Pays to have connections… ). This, by the way, is one of my passions. Thus, I’m really excited about being able to teach on the subject of the need among the world today for Christians to wake up from their apathy, put away their hypocrisy, and follow Christ wholeheartedly. I’ve been given such an opportunity as a DC member next year to influence my fellow students and followers of Christ with the message of Jesus and his call to live out the love he has poured into us and told us to allow to overflow into the world. My two biggest prayers for next year are first that God would allow me to reach those in need and influence as many as I can to do the same and second that God would give me humility and graciousness in doing it, since its really easy to get carried away in criticism of people who are missing this. Pray for me in this if you think of me!

Big day.

Amazing day today. Got to work the Junior Jam again this morning/afternoon, which was good but incredibly exhausting. God gave me just enough energy to make it through. Keeping up with eleven kids on my own is not an easy task, especially with a couple of them acting up and trying to split off from the group, not to mention trying to navigate them all through several hundred other kids all in the same small area. God is good, no lost kids and they all had a good time, which I did too.

Then this afternoon, got to spend time with the current DC members and next year’s DC (my group) and it was really refreshing and fun to hang out with such amazing people, all who happen to be fellow believers in Jesus, which is totally amazing. Mark Irving and his family (wife and two daughters (with one on the way!!)) were there as well and the whole atmosphere was just incredible! Amazing fellowship and conversation, and so much fun! I am so psyched for next year people! God is unbelievably good to me in giving me this encouragement/challenge for my last year here at Cedarville. I’m going to need it to make it through. Otherwise I think I’d simply be dragging my feet, eager for nothing more than to be done and get out of here (I’m really tired of school by now…)

Got back after all these events, and slept for two hours. Now I smell like smoke (we cooked hot dogs for the DC get-together), am still really tired, with no homework due early this week, a bed to sleep in, no worries, no pressing needs, peace and contentment, and a heart full of the blessings bestowed on me by my God….

Every day is a day for worship. Tomorrow is a day set aside for rest and remembrance of all God has done this week. Good night all. Be at peace.