Hello Kansas

I love JEsus! I love J

Kaleo 09 has finally come to a close.

I made it home in one piece-10 fingers and 10 toes.

I never could have imagined what Florida had in store

but lessons were learned that rocked me to the core.

I love Jesus!

First and foremost "God is so worthy"

He deserves our praise to the highest degree.

Whether as a student attending StuMo each week

or one laboring overseas, it is onlyHim that we should seek.

Everything we did from Bible study to campus prayer,

I was surrounded by students wanting the same cross to bear.

The 90 K-Staters prayed that our campus be prepared

for the promise of God, to which nothing can be compared.

TNT and TVT equipped us with training

not to mention was always quite entertaining.

D-group dates from Disney Movies to crabbing

always resulted in lots and lots of laughing.

I love Jesus!

But the greatest part of all-who would have guessed...

was the friends that I got to share it all with.

Living with 7 other girls and my D-group of four

meant nothing short of memories galore!

Mandy, our fearless leader and candy maker (this we enjoyed!)
Has a laugh to match her heart full of pure joy.
Julie, our cook and driver everywhere,
took pictures this summer and documented every, single affair.

I love Jesus!
And then Cindy who was flatmates with me

experienced my alarm clock each morning and loud rustling of keys. (poor girl!)

She has a such humble heart that she compassionately shares.

Our favorite of all is pillow talk-nothing compares.

The next couple of weeks may be different for sure,

but pulling in the driveway made the 15 hr. drive easy to endure.

This summer was lifechanging and my joy is so hard to express.

For now however it's good-bye Florida...hello Kansas!

I love Jesus!

The unfailing love of the Lord never ends.

It is by His grace that's we've been kept from complete destruction.

Great is His faithfulness.

His mercies begin afresh each.

~Lamentations 3:22-23

Beautiful Design

The ocean, a starry night, sunrises, and sunsets are breath-taking. Little girls playing dress up, my Kaleo group, and my friends are stunning. A soon-to-be mom, a grandmother with her grandchildren, and a sister holding her new brother for the first time are radiating.

As I think about the exquisite design of life that I'm surrounded by, I'm just humbled by our Creator.

Many times this summer, I've questioned what a non-believer could possible think while standing before the ocean? It's amazing! It's possible the water is the same water that unreached tribal people fish in, the same water Jesus may have walked on, the same water my ancestors sailed to America on, and the same water that laps at my feet each time I go to the beach.

to you Lord i want all praise to be directed, to you my life I dedicate. no man, no need for approval, or earthly desire will keep me from serving you! Simply put... it's beautiful. But the beauty of the ocean does not even compare to the most beautiful thing that we have...the cross.

The cross's beauty is captivating.

In the book, "The Gospel According to Starbucks" by Leonard Sweet, it reads "Why is the cross beautiful, but not pretty? Not because it's a vertical torture chamber, but because it tells the whole truth: the story of a God who loved us so much that God would go to well-curves extremes to show us that love. The cross is beautiful because it reveals love, the substance that bonds beauty, truth, and goodness together."

This passage completely caught me off guard. We would never consider a medieval or modern day torture chamber beautiful. But it's because the cross signifies more than the death of an innocent man it is stunning, breath-taking, radiating, glorious, alluring, and most beautiful of all.

We are commanded to radiate this beauty...

to bear the maker's mark,
to exude the creator's signature.

You are a chosen people, a holy nation,

a royal priesthood, a people belonging to God

that you may declare praises to Him who called

you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

~1 Peter 2:9

As humans when we see beauty, we are drawn to it. In the book, "I Kissed Dating Goodbye," Joshua Harris sets up a scenario of how a fashion designer and model relationship can correlate with our relationship with God.

Think of a model walking down a runway as the media and 'experts' whoa and ahh over the clothes. These commentators don't give credit to the model for the clothes, but their praises are directed towards the designer. The same should be true in our relationship with God. As people look at the our lives, they shouldn't give praises to us for our good works or witness that we live. When people see our lives as being different from the worlds they should be looking for the designer behind it.

Be so beautiful people ask,

"who is that Designer?"

True Contentment

Why does it seem like we always want what we don't have?

dear lord...

i thank you for the contentment that you provide for put adam to sleep.

When we are at work...

we can't wait to be at home.

When we are over scheduled...

we want some down time.

When we have nothing to do...

we claim to be bored.

When we are alone...

we want someone to talk to.

When in large groups of people...

we can't wait for a moment of silence.

When on summer break...

we can't wait to get back to K-State.

Why does the world, or at least me, struggle so much with being content?

Definitions of the word content include: satisfied with things as they are, having one's desires limited by that which one has, or at rest.

I was laying by the pool this afternoon with a new book, a cool bottle of water, and great music flowing from my iPod. But I was restless. I went over my mental 'to do' list; almost everything was accomplished, nothing urgent left. I tried to start reading again. I was still restless. I couldn't understand why was I having such a hard time being at peace...especially with the day off from work? I was NOT at rest!

Starting to pray, verses from a few days ago came to mind.

put me to sleep just as you did to adam.

"Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get

along happily whether I have much or little.

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything.

I have learned the secret of living in every situation,
whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.
For I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:11-13

Verse 13 was one of the first verses that I remember memorizing when I was younger, but I don't ever remember looking at it from the context of contentment. Paul writes that even in times that his earthly condition appeared to be in great need, he knew that true contentment only comes from our Father above.

Before leaving to come down here my dad asked what I hoped to accomplish this summer. With a laugh, I shared that one of my goals is to learn how to sit still and do nothing. Sounds crazy...I know. But my roommates and family can testify that I can't sit still. "The 306" gets slightly frustrated with me because I can't just sit down and watch a movie. My hands have to be doing something. There is a need to continuously be accomplishing something...anything.

But it's been shown to me over and over that this lifestyle and pace are tiring. It's exhausting, and eventually I find myself more discontent than ever before. For most of my life I've drawn my personal contentment from my surroundings and specifically the people I'm with. People's expectations and their approval have driven me. When others are happy...I'm happy. When they are not...neither am I.

That's not the way that God has meant for us to live.

You keep in perfect peace those who trust in You,
whose thoughts are fixed on You.
~Isaiah 26:3

My soul finds rest in God along...

~Psalm 62:1

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule

in your hearts. For as members of one body you are

called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

~Colossians 3:15

Unfortunately, with the mentality that I've become accustomed to- wanting what I don't have- requires some radical changes in order to chase the cross. Being joyful with what we have and longing for nothing more is not an attitude that we are born with. It's learned.

put me asleep to my own desires and throw my life to you.

Every unfulfilled dream or expectation can serve

as the perfect classroom to seek out contentment.

The book "Lady in Waiting," reminds that 'learning contentment will require complete dependence upon Jesus, for difficult circumstances without the strength of Jesus can rob you of potential contentment.'

God does not make companionship or anything else outside of Himself mandatory for contentment.

I may never reach my goal of being able to sit still and do nothing, but the rest of this summer are going to be marked by a continuous search of finding true contentment in His word and presence!

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
—Philippians 4:4

His Character

God is incomprehensible.

He is nothing but perfect.

The majority of my learning curve this summer has all come back to an acknowledgment of how great our God is. How much He loves us. How endless His sovereignty is. How matchless His goodness is, and how fully present He is at all times and in all places. I find these attributes of our Creator as mind-bottling. Honestly, have you ever sat down and tried to contemplate how much God exemplifies perfection?

Who is like Thee among the gods, O Lord?

Who is like Thee majestic in holiness awesome in

praises, working wonders?" ~Exodus 15:11

Part of the program includes everyone at the Destin project to read the book "The God You Can Know" by Dan DeHaan. This book has forced us to think about God's perfection and how He reveals these characteristics to us.

DeHaan writes, "The deepest thought a person

can ever have is his conception of God's character."

So far, I have found this pursuit to be difficult because chasing after God's character and trying to understand it is consuming. It's demanding of everything...it's a pursuit not to be taken lightly. There are no shortcuts in trying to unveil the perfection of our Creator. DeHaan introduces to the reader this idea of the comparison method.

For example, if I think God has shown love to me as I understand love, then I praise Him. If God has provided wisdom as I understand wisdom, then I praise Him. While serving dinner at a vacation bible school this week I thought of the example of service that God gives us. The time we invested was wonderful, but doesn't even touch the extent of Christ's example of service. It unfortunately isn't me praising God on His terms, but only to the extent of my own personal understanding.

These thoughts have really rocked my world because the person that I am wants my faith to be organized like my file cabinet or color-coded closet. (Yes, you can laugh.) It's against my nature to want to be a part of something that I can't control on my own. In fact, sometimes I avoid situations all together when I don't have control in them. My d-group this summer has experienced my obsession with having a 'game plan' at all times.

But it's not about me having control, rather it's about God being honored.

When we pursue God, longing to know His perfect nature, He is glorified.

On Sunday at church the guest preacher, Thomas Young, challenged us when he spoke "Every time that we encouter Christ, we leave changed. When was the last time that you had an experience that you couldn't handle? An experience that you couldn't simply journal about or explain to others? When did you last consume His glory?"

Am I asking for my faith
to simply be managable? or something that is
all-consuming?

As I make the decisions this summer to become equipped for a lifetime of chasing the cross, I am reminded that this chase is never over. The more we learn about God the more we realize the greatness of Him.

 He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ~Hebrews 13:8.

It will take us our entire lives and eternity to grasp God's character and His perfection.