Thankful Thursday: Week Three

 

 It is week three of the Thankful Thursday Series! Yay, time to slow down and reflect!

  

for my little blue rusty bicycle.

Really and truly my classes are not far from my dorm and neither is the library, but I can get everywhere much faster. now. I love exploring campus and the surrounding area, its relaxing and fun. There is a beautiful park nearby I love riding over to to have my quiet times. 

A year or so ago my mom purchased this little cheap craigslist find and little did I know it would be a wonderful blessing. Thanks mom!

Five Minute Friday: Wide

   I felt as if I'd been left to stand in front of a red curtain while life unfolded on the other side. While I waited and prayed He was making broken things beautiful. 

  He whispered that He was healing in ways I couldn't see or understand.

  About ten months later He called me a little closer and drew the curtain wide open and I was amazed at all the restoration, clarity, joy and delight He brought to the situation.

Thankful Thursday Week Two

It is week two of the Thankful Thursday Fall 2012 series! 

for God's financial provision for college.

I struggle with doubt when it comes to trusting that Christ will provide. He is faithful! 

I'll leave you with this challenging and beautiful verse:

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Five Minute Friday: Focus

   I am having a very difficult time focusing. There are many thoughts swirling around in my head and when I bring in my to do list, focusing on what I need to be doing and doing just that can be overwhelming.
   I've been thinking about how and when to approach a particular conversation I would like to have with someone I really care about, what to do with my major post graduation, trying to make sense of the option to take on a second minor, relationships, how to walk through life with friends, outreach opportunities I should've taken and the ones I need to take, summer plans, the possibility of somehow making an impact in the fight to eradicate human trafficking, thankful thoughts about being in college and living on campus, my family, my selfishness and pride, the Word, and the presence of God.

Thankful Thursday Week One

As a part of this blog series titled, Thankful Thursdays I will be focusing on one blessing for the next eleven weeks.

for a wonderful community of genuine Christ followers. 

    The Lord has graciously blessed me with friends here in college and across different states that love Him and love others well. These friends kneel before the Lord on behalf of the beloved and the lost and with the beloved and the lost. It is refreshing to be a part of this community to do life with. 

     I enjoy seeing a familiar sister or brother in Christ loving on others and smiling as they walk through campus. There's nothing like seeing Christ's love and joy being poured out on this campus by a wonderful community of genuine Christ followers. 

Thankful Thursday List Fall 2012

I am thankful Jesus has blessed me with...
1. a wonderful community of genuine Christ followers
2. financial provision to be a student in college who also lives on campus
3. a cute little bike that helps me get around this beautiful place
4. kind roommate and a peaceful dorm room atmosphere
5. a voice/vocal chords to be able to communicate with others
6. helped me to have a peace about who He has created me to be
7. opening my eyes to different ways in which I can worship Him throughout the day
8. showing me the significance of slowing down and how to do just that
9. direction to new places to go and communities to be a part of during this new season
10. purposeful/prayerful relationships where I can share about my life with who will not only pray for me, but with me
11. An actual RELATIONSHIP with Jesus- the blessing and joy of going deeper with Jesus. The intimacy and joy of going deeper with Jesus Christ.

This is a list I compiled during my quiet time a few days ago. For the next eleven weeks I will be attempting to focus on one of these each week.
What are you thankful for today on this Thankful Thursday? Ponder the answers and/or comment in the comment box

Thankful Thursdays to Come!

This Thursday I plan to post a very long entry, not to worry there is a method to the madness. I would like to make a list of what I am thankful for and then dive further into each blessing in the weeks to come. Would you like to join me for the first series on this blog that is oh so cleverly titled, Thankful Thursdays? If you are inspired or perhaps encouraged to begin a thankful series would you be willing to share that in the comment section for this post? If you've begun a series similar to this one would you also let me know?

Five Minute Friday: Change

    A night of homework sitting at my desk is what I had planned. It was 10:40 p.m. I had headphones in both ears as I sat in front of my laptop, the lights were off, my roommate's soft classical music was playing, and the ac unit running. Over the noise I somehow heard a short knock on my door, stared at the door, and after several seconds decided to become "Agent Bev," and do some investigating in the hall. My investigation lasted only from the door I was sitting in until three seconds after I closed the door to my room. My sweet neighbor quickly said, "I have a doubt," and ran around the corner into her room. I made sense of the quick, mumbled yet frantic four words after entering her dorm room and skimming her email. All she had to do was leave the dorm and walk around the corner to an office to pick up a few items, one being her passport...yikes...at the front desk. She had absolutely no idea where the building was and what to do next. I put on my flip flops, grabbed my keys, and we ventured out into the warm summer night together. We laughed as we talked and she was no longer worried.
     I have been living in a dorm for the first time in my life for a little over three weeks and I strongly desire to live a "interrupted life." I am so thankful for these little divine appointments and I pray He will help me to be willing to change my plans and just be a part of what has been a part of His plan all along. 

Why is that?

    "Why is that?" my friend asked. One of the girls on my hall is from India. She has been in the United States for almost two months which has lead to wonderful and challenging questions. Our chat was a series of stories that somehow led to her statement, "All the people in India are fat and here they are all skinny," she continued and asked, "Why is that?"
     I explained that in the U.S. movies, television, movies, and magazines place value on a woman being skinny and small. In retrospect my answer was somewhat valid, but I failed to address the root of the issue. I may have figuratively taken her hand and helped her understand, but what I did not realize was that I needed someone to take me by the hand and help me understand.
    The Holy Spirit took my hand and took me a little deeper. We as women have sadly bought the lie that Satan held out. We've bought the lies about what we "ought to look like." We took the lies and we ran with them.
    I've bought the lies and run with them. I've run beside them in a few different seasons of my life. Jesus lovingly grabbed a hold of me, specifically my thoughts and heart.
    For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14   Jesus Christ created each of us! He knit each us together! How special and marvelous is the truth that He took the time to knit us together!
    It is never too late to ask Him to grab a hold of our thoughts and heart.
  

Five Minute Friday: Join

     Join. It has been what we as Crusade ( normally called Cru) students have been trying to encourage freshmen and transfer students to do, simply join us! Since August 10 we have been reppin' our Cru t-shirts and spreading the word about Cru on our college campus!
     I was reflecting on the strong desire we have as Cru students for others to join this ministry yet I felt the Lord asking me personally what my focus is. Is my focus on simply trying to get students to check out and potentially join Cru or is it for them to join in hopes that they would seek out and/or continue their personal relationship with Jesus? Hhmm....food for thought.
    I am so encouraged to be surround by students involved in Cru who desire for others to join so they too may experience this loving community and most importantly experience a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!

"In India my dad follows behind..."

   Through a series of events I met a girl on campus from India. She expressed how different American culture is from hers as she said, "In India my dad follows behind me every where." This concept rocked my world as I understand a Father's positioning to be ahead of his daughter, but never behind. Even when thinking about Christ I never picture Him behind, but I think Christ can and does  walk and direct us while behind us.

   There are seasons in our walks with Him in which He will direct us from behind. His position behind us does not mean we are not following Him or that He has forsaken us, it simply means He is guiding us from a different position; place. I envision Him walking and directing us from behind with His hands on our shoulders.  As we can continue to seek Him His fingertips grasp our shoulders as He motions us. He may motion us to stop, pause, go forward, or to the side as we continue to keep in step with the Spirit. He may even help us by fixing our gaze in a different direction as we continue to walk out our faith by the power of His Spirit! While I may not live in India I think there are moments and seasons where my Heavenly Father has His hands on my shoulders as He directs from behind.

Five Minute Friday: Connect!

     We connect. We connect because we are daughters of the King. He has put His Holy Spirit in each of us the second we came to Him confessing our sins and our need for a Savior. We connect because He is sovereign.
      None of us were wired to do-life solo. We were wired to do-life together. We are called to connect. As a sister in Christ I need to slow down and connect with the sister beside me that God has placed in my life. A few ways to connect is to listen, talk with, walk beside, and even to cry on her shoulder.
      To the woman who is hiding behind a tree, do a little Jesus dance around her and wrap your arms around her. Pray that your arms wrapped around her while you take a moment or several moments to connect would remind her about her Heavenly Father who wants so deeply to connect with her! One of the greatest ways to connect with her is to love her where she is in her life! Go connect!