Unlikely

Who am I? I have done so much wrong in my life. I have been prideful, and selfish, and a hypocrite. I'm insecure and I value attention more than I should. Why do I dream and aspire to be great and to change the world? I am so weak and pathetic. It's a miracle I have gotten this far.

Ah, but there's the thing. It truly is a miracle of God's grace that I am where I am today. The human in me is powerless to do any good in this world and spread hope. When I let myself be defined by the world and its standards, I will not amount to anything. No part of me will count for something greater. I am, at best, unlikely.

Hosanna, we are found after all! Jesus has redeemed us! We are free from the fame of this world. Redeemed. Rejoicing. Redefined.

So often the things of the Kingdom seem like nonsense to the outsiders. Jesus has a tendency to use those this world deems "Unlikely". Through Moses the stutter-er, God spoke the words that freed a nation. Through Sarah and Abraham the barren, God brought forth a people that outnumber the stars. Through David the small, God took down a giant. Through the army of three hundred, God overwhelmed. Through Saul the persecutor, God united the persecuted.

Who would have thought?

Our problem is our perspective. We are deemed unlikely because we are looking at everything from a worldly point of view. What if we instead focused on how Jesus sees things? What a truly heavenly perspective that would be!

We would see people for who they are. We could love like He does. We would be humbled and see that nothing we have done has brought us this far, but simply the grace of God. (After all, dry bones cannot make themselves come alive!) We would become strong and courageous, seeing that God has a purpose and a plan for all, and He is there in the midst of the calm and the chaos. Whatever we lack, He fills. Whatever we crave, He satisfies.

We would be unmistakably different.

{1 Corinthians 1:27-29} But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

 

{2 Corinthians 12:9-10} But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

Embrace Grace. Embrace "unlikely". Soli Deo Gloria! For God and His glory, and the Kingdom to come!

Katie

Jesus Goes To Beaches Too... Part Two?

Hey guys! I'm back! Aaand pretty excited. Here's why.

 

So last year I went to Operation Good News in San Diego with 19 other team members from my church. It was by far the most incredible week of my existence, and I miss it terribly. When we were flying back home, I was already planning this summer and how I was so coming back!

 

Somewhere along the line, I learned that our church will be going to OGN every other year... whiiich means that I wouldn't be going back. At least, not this summer.

 

So now what?

 

There were several times where I was positive my summer was set in stone... and yeah, that didn't work out too well. I should know that by now. My plans change. God's don't.

 

So now that I'm officially signed up for everything, here's the end result. And it's not exactly what I had planned.

 

In San Diego, we had mission classes in the mornings to prep us to talk on the beaches. Then we would actually walk the walk and talk to people on the California coastline in the afternoon.

 

Turns out, there's a leadership camp I'm going to for a week in June... a week of evangelism, leadership, and apologetics classes. The missions trip I'm joining? It's a week in late June and early July... in Laguna Beach, Florida. A week of beach evangelism.

 

To top it all off, I was recently connected with a new ministry, AllForHim. (Should be a link at the top of the page... check it out!) It started with a teenager, Ryan Wesley Smith, and Winterjam. AllForHim is an organization with a purpose to bring teens to live all for Jesus and share Him with those around them. Evangelism. And you'll never guess where this started.

 

A town near the coastline. In Florida.

 

How good is our God?!



The Ultimate StoryTeller

One thing I truly enjoy? Doing things. One thing I like to do? Listen. (and talk, too... Kind of contradicting.)

Music, radio dramas (Go Adventures in Odyssey!), an unusually witty joke, people's different laughs, a train whistle, I delight in listening to all of those. But my favorite sound to hear is people telling stories. God stories.

There's plenty of reasons that God stories are my favorite sounds. For one, there's a plethora of God stories, and THAT proves over and over again that our God is surely alive and on the move. Jim and Elisabeth Elliot? Totally influenced by our Savior. Bethany Hamilton? No doubt. Even the people around us in everyday life? Completely. These are tales and twists only He could fathom! It's thrilling.

Here's the thing with God stories. No one tale is ever the same, thank goodness. To quote Aslan in The Horse and His Boy, "No one is told any story but their own." God, the Ultimate Carpenter, carved out our story before the world existed. Down to the last detail. The stories He made? These are the testimonies of people who came to Christ and were redeemed when He died on the cross. These stories are the ones that Christ followers tell when they recognize something in their lives that was only possible with God. These are the stories people tell when they come home from a camp or mission trip, eyes wide and a smile across their face.

And none are the same. No one is told any story but their own. No testimony is better than another because God was involved in all testimonies. No story is better than any other because God worked wonders for every single one. Two people can have totally different experiences on the same trip and they are equal in significance. God tailored each one to fit the right person. He makes no mistakes.

I know I've complained about my story before. And more than once. I've wondered how He could use a testimony like mine. I grew up in a family firmly grounded in Jesus Christ. I've been one of the 'good kids' who never seemed to have serious issues. I think at times that this story of mine is dull. My problem is, when I complain about it, I forget that I know nowhere near the knowledge God knows. I don't understand why He does what He does.

The resolution? Next time I think about being a "Doubting-Israelite-in-the-desert" (and even when I think God blessed me with a God story that will blow people's minds), I need to pull a Psalm 66:1-3~
"Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name."

Soli Deo Gloria! He's the Ultimate Author and StoryTeller. :)
KatieQue

Jesus Goes to Beaches, Too.. Two.

So my favorite day ultimately was the day I fasted and prayed for the people on the beaches, but I can't really describe that. It something you would have to experience yourself. But my next favorite day was the last day on the beaches...

We normally had an apologetics class and an evangelism class in the mornings, but the last day on the beaches was Sunday, so instead of an evangelism class, we had a church meeting with each other instead of the rest of the Californians at OGN. That day we got to choose our beach partner and it could be a girl or a guy. A guy from our group named Andrew asked to be my partner on the beach so I said yes. That was probably the first God thing I saw happen on the beaches, and we hadn't even left for them yet! See, Andrew had already been before, so he had experience and different classes, so he knew what to say. He was a guy, so we could approach men or women on the beach since I could start conversations with the girls and Andrew could start the conversations with the guys. Plus, he had fasted the day before and was hyped up for the last day on the beach. We had three prayer requests: Andrew wanted a conversation with a strong believer, no matter what it was they believed in, we both wanted to have a hard conversation on the beach, and I particularly wanted to talk with an athiest. I had mentioned the athiest part to Parker and Joy the day before, so it wasn't just off the top of my head. And Parker and Cori were fasting that day, so they already had our prayer requests.
Anywho, so Andrew and I are sitting in our seats, literally bouncing, we were so excited. We prayed for people to talk to before we left, we prayed for people when we were in the van, and right after we got out, Andrew stopped us and we prayed for people again. Then, we look up... There's a tiny beach with less than fifty people on it and a park beside it with about the same amount of people. Not many options.
Time passes, we got rejected maybe twelve times in a row before we finally met a guy who was willing to talk. And wouldn't you know it, God was working... The first guy willing to talk with us was an answer to Andrew's prayer! He was a strong believer in his faith. He was a Catholic of some sort and he had moved to California from Egypt about a year ago because he had been persecuted where he lived. We didn't get to talk with him for long cause he had to go, but Andrew was thrilled to see his prayer answered, and I was thrilled to know God was working in ways we couldn't imagine.
We talked to some more people, texted the fasters with prayer requests, got rejected some more, when with an hour left, God answered another prayer. This man named Kevin was our hard conversation, and we spent a good half an hour talking with him before we had to leave.
We walk away, analyzing our conversation with Kevin. I check my phone for messages from the casters and Parker had texted me "I'm still praying you meet an athiest."
Literally two minutes later, Andrew randomly asks "Hey, you wanna go talk to that guy?" and motions toward an elderly man standing by himself and watching the sea. Why not?
And God answered the third prayer- this man, named Tom, was Irish. And also an athiest. :)
Soli Deo Gloria!
KatieQue

Jesus Goes To Beaches, Too

Oh what I would do to have the kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant with just a sling and a stone! Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors shaking in their armor, wishing they'd have had the strength to stand.
But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me, reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed. The giant keeps on telling me time and time again, "Boy, you'll never win! You'll never win."
But the voice of truth tells me a different story! The voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!" The voice of truth says "This is for My glory!" Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth!

So says the song by Casting Crowns. And how true it is! (That's probably why it's so comforting.) Yet there is still this constant worry. What if I mess up?

One can get anxious right before a mission trip. My group leaves tomorrow to go beach witnessing, and I'm totally stoked. I've been waiting for this trip since the summer before seventh grade. It's almost like a dream. It's hard to believe we're leaving tomorrow.

But now that it's less than twenty four hours away, there is this feeling of excited nervousness in the pit of my stomach. I probably won't sleep much tonight. Worried? I think so. A little bit. Or maybe a little more than a little bit.

Let's finish the Casting Crowns song now...

But the stone was just the right size to put the giant on the ground. And the waves, they don't seem so high from on top of them looking down. I will soar with the wings of eagles when I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus singing over me!
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth!

So the stone that David threw? It was just the right size. The waves? When you see the big picture, they're not as colossal. And who's in control of that? The Creator of the Universe, Heavenly Father, Eternal Friend, Ultimate Carpenter, and the lover of our souls. I think He can handle it.

Last thing...

Matthew 6:34~
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Mark 2:13~
"He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them."
(aka Jesus goes to beaches too.)

KatieQue:)

Counting the Days... Be Thankful

I've been counting down the days til our mission trip, and this is what it looked like this morning. :) so pumped!

It's also a reminder to be thankful. I mean, I couldn't count if I didn't have someone teach me, and I wouldn't have a chance to learn if we didn't have a free country God gave us and soldiers fight for. I wouldn't have a mission trip to count down to if someone hadn't planned it. And while we're talking about counting days, we wouldn't have days to count if God hadn't blessed us with a new morning. And that's just a brief list dealing with this picture. There are quite literally thousands more!

So just a brief reminder... While counting the days, count the blessings as well. :)
KatieQue

Sonburn

sunburn: inflammation of the skin caused by overexposure to the sun


Well, I learned the painful way that sunscreen is extremely handy at the pool. Let's just say that without it comes slightly (or maybe more than slightly) pink skin.


But it did give some inspiration.


My pink shoulders let people know a few things about me even if they've never spoken to me in their life. First off, they know I was not using sunscreen. Second, they can guess I was outside. Third, they deduce that I was outside a little too long without sunscreen. Keep this in mind...


How do you get sunburn? (I get it easily ;) )
When you are exposed to the sun for a long period of time, your skin reddens as a reaction that becomes very painful. In this case, sunscreen is helpful.


Now let's change 'sun' to 'Son' (Jesus Christ) :).


Let's say by reading your Bible and praying, you are exposing yourself to the Son. John 13:35 says, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." So by exposing ourselves to the Son, who is love, we in turn become more loving to those around us. If we are reading God's words to us and responding in prayer, it changes our whole day. And it's very noticeable others. It makes them question what's different about us that lets us live like that. You could say we are 'Sonburned' because the people we interact with everyday can tell that we are Christ-followers.


In this case, 'Sonscreen' could show itself in many forms- temptation. Other ideas or distractions. It could even be thoughts that keep us from focusing while reading or praying. Not exactly the most helpful thing on the planet. These keep us from fully experiencing everything God could have for us to discover, like a phrase in a verse or more time in prayer. They block out certain things and keep us from being as effective in representing Christ to others.


Just a few lyrics from a Newsboys song...


Shine!
Make 'em wonder what you've got!
Make 'em wish that they were not
On the outside looking bored.
Shine!
Let it shine before all men!
Let 'em see good works, and then
Let 'em glorify the Lord!

Exposure to the Son leads to shining for the Son! Just mind the Sonscreen. :)
KatieQue

Life is Good (Eternal Life is Better!)

Quick praise I want to share with you guys!

In February, I turned in a sheet of paper to my youth pastor. This sheet of paper said that I was willing to raise $1,200 and go on a missions trip to San Diego, California. Lasting six days in total, the plan is to attend apologetics and evangelism classes in the morning and go beach witnessing in the afternoon. And once during those six days, each member fasts instead of going to the beach.

A few days ago, God provided the last of the money I needed! I am fully funded! And so so so excited for the trip (which is almost three weeks away now!)!

Surely you've heard the latest catchphrase "YOLO!" (You Only Live Once). To that I say "YODO." (You Only Die Once).

See, we as Christ-followers know where we're going when we die, but there are literally millions of people who don't know our precious Savior. A man was once going around London, England asking people what they thought of Jesus Christ. At one point, when he asked a college-aged man that same question, the man replied that he had never heard that name before in his life.

You may have noticed: summer is here! And life feels so good right now.

That's the thing, though. Life feels good now, but you only live once and you only die once. And life after we die is so much more important. God calls us to share Him with those around us, and you can do that whether or not you are on a missions trip. There are those that have heard and don't care, those that are atheists, and those like that British college man who have never even heard of Jesus. We are called to witness to all of them. (And frankly, when you think about it, it's thrilling!)

Life is good, but eternal life is better!
KatieQue

This Is Not A Rain Scene In A Hollywood Movie

So I've been sitting at my window for the past ten minutes, watching the rain drops glide down the glass in little streams. The thunder rolls and the gray clouds (minus the silver lining) stretch across the horizon until they seem to go on forever.

This kinda of day, in a typical movie, would happen when something devastating occurs. For Robin Hood, the entire town of Nottingham is now in jail with no hopes of escape. If the movie is Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett just rejected Mr. Darcy. In The Princess Diaries, Mia's car just broke down and it looks like she won't become the Genovian princess after all.

One movie, however, has a dreary rain scene that's not so dreary. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the rain begins minutes before Lucy finds the wardrobe that leads them to Narnia. It starts minutes before she discovers the most wonderful thing she could ever find. Not exactly a typical movie rain scene.

So while I was sitting at my window three paragraphs ago, I was thinking what a lovely day it would be to find that wardrobe and visit Aslan and the Kings and Queens of Narnia. And that got me to start thinking, why is it raining during one of the best scenes in the entire movie?

Well, for starters, the rain keeps them indoors, so they play hide and seek, so Lucy is looking for a hiding place, where she discovers the wardrobe. So the rain draws her to Narnia.

That's similar to real life, isn't it?

The song "Blessings" by Laura Story has these lines:
What if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it take to know You're near?
What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is a revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy?


So maybe all Hollywood has got it all backwards (it wouldn't be the first time).

See, the rain brings Lucy to discover Narnia. In real life (sigh, they're not the same), God uses circumstances that seem like Hollywood rain scenes to draw us closer to Him or remind us that He's there. And in turn, it makes us long for Him and heaven.

See why I love these rainy days?

Soak it all in. It's worth it. :)
KatieQue

Got Heartburn?

Luke 24: 32~
"They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?""


Imagine. Jerusalem. Bible times. About 33 AD. In fact, it's been three days since Jesus died.


Notice 'died'? The verb is past tense. It's the third day. Jesus lives!


The disciples are rejoicing. The stone rolled away, the tomb, empty, Jesus here, His hands pierced so they know they're not dreaming. The disciples are probably celebrating so loudly, you can hear them a block away. Unfortunately, Cleopas is a little more than a block away. Technically, seven miles. He's traveling on the road to Emmaus with his companion, talking about Jesus and the crucifixtion. He is clueless about everything that happened in the last couple hours.


That's when Jesus comes in.


Here He comes. See Him? Right there, just a dot on the horizon. But getting steadily closer. You can hardly recognize Him. Cleopas doesn't, that's for sure.


This Stranger begins to talk. "What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?"


Cleopas gapes. “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”


"What things?"


Impossible, thinks Cleopas. To not know such things... “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these 
things happened."


The Stranger nods, taking in Cleopas's every word. So 'Cleo' continues.


"Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”


Suddenly, the anonymous Stranger shakes His head, dark hair waving in the wind. “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”


Cleo's not too happy about being labeled foolish, but he hadn't considered that point before. Jesus, the King of All Kings and Creator of the Universe, had to die to be glorified?


The three amble along down the road, exchanging tales. The Stranger begins talking of Moses and the Prophets, and continues with Scriptures concerning Jesus.


Oh, here comes that one fork in the road. The Stranger, He's taking the other path? Cleopas urges Him to come with us, begging Him not to leave.


So He stays and eats. Well, sort of. He breaks the bread and leaves. Suddenly, something clicked. It all made sense. That man, He was Jesus! Shocked, Cleopas stands motionless and speechless. Finally, he manages to speak."Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" 


End scene.


Now, if you've accepted salvation, you have the Holy Spirit in you. When you read the Bible, He reveals things to you. And your heart burns. If it's not burning, something's not right.


You know what Luke 12:49 says? “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled."


You know who said that? Jesus.


How about you? Got heartburn?
KatieQue