a girl turning into her mother

new blog

2009-10-28T16:52:00.000-07:00

so since i changed my name i figured its time to make a new blog. i'm leaving blogger and going to tumblr. dont ask me why, just need some change in my life (as if, getting married is not enough change in itself!) ha. so all of my fans need to go over there. trust me, you don't want to miss it;) my life is OH so interesting...so if you even care. thats where i'll be. love.

p.s. oh ya, here is the link:
http://hollyannastavness.tumblr.com/

p.p.s.
since being married and not having a ton of money, i want this for my swiffer!

the joys of a flat tire

2009-10-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

this morning we had a flat tire. surprisingly, i wasn't upset at all. i actually loved it. bryce got right to it and changed it in no time. I helped with the lug nuts but it really only takes one person to change a tire and he is definitely the strongest one of the two of us. it was fun to have a small adventure. we are really on our own. we have to figure out how to get to work and school. we have to pay for the tire to be fixed. it is cool how we have transitioned to new roles. we aren't kids anymore, we are husband and wife and we are trying to figure out our new roles. bryce took care of everything. he changed it and took care of me. he missed his train but made sure i got to work first (only 5 minutes late!). he was the leader, he fulfilled his role this morning. it is amazing how our roles come out clearest in moments of urgency.
i only wished that i would always feel this sense of urgency with the "spiritual". once i got to work i had an email from my mom with a video about this new treaty that the President is supposed to sign in december to establish a "world-government", giving up our U.S. sovereignty. no matter your political view, we are in the last days. Hebrews 1:2 tells us that God spoke to us through His Son in "these last days". The "last days" started a long time ago, and Jesus spoke about them. they are now! this is urgent! souls are at stake. my co-workers are going to die. my role in the body of Christ must be evident NOW! because the last days are HERE! does katie in accounting see Jesus everyday when she talks to me? does Jeremiah see me as he walks by my desk?
but it is so easy to get distracted and wrapped up in life (or a flat tire). it is easy to plan ahead and think about bryce's 2 1/2 years in school, as though after that period of time, i'll have more time to "do ministry". no! there isn't time for 2 1/2 years! its now.

james 4:13 says "come now , you who say, today or tomorrow we will go

to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.

yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. you are just a vapor that appears for

a little while and then vanishes away."

ministry is sitting at my desk, doing a fantastic job at work, working with integrity, and talking to people as they pass by. ministry right now is reaching out to them and talking about the hard times, difficulties, joys, sorrows, humorous, and mundane parts of life. my role as a Christ Follower, as one of His disciples, must come out in this time of urgency. May the body of Christ being praying for one another that we would fulfill our roles as we minister to the lost and the dying at work, at school, or wherever else the Lord places us.

a whole lot to update blog

2009-08-02T23:38:00.000-07:00

ok, so there are a ton of things going on in our lives right now. let me start off by saying that there are only 5 days left until the big day!!! i can't believe how it has snuck up on us! Let me recap for you a little:

So the past months have been really stressful. we were really feeling called to Fresno but I wasn't finding a job and we couldn't fin

d an apartment and we were wondering if bryce wasn't going to be able to go to PT school or not. there was a lot of crying and pleading with the Lord and worrying until bryce and i took time apart to really seek the Lord to ask Him to make it really clear to us what to do. He didn't give us any direction...all He said to us was "Trust Me" and "Wait". So a week or so later bryce and i still had no clue what to do. I told my mom that the Lord really was going to have to step in and drop a job in my lap because i had done EVERYTHING i could think of to find a job. the next day bryce called me telling me that a place that he worked at last year (in sacramento) was looking for a receptionist. i got an interview that weekend but was holding my breath because nothing was falling into place so far on this whole job issue. i sat down for the interview and the lady said to me, "this is not an interview, i'm just going to tell you what you are going to be doing for me." OH MY WORD....the Lord totally gave me that job. He wanted me to know that He is the provider, not me.

I can't tell you how much this is all falling into place. I start the monday that we get back from our honeymoon! We signed a lease on our apartment on friday! the Lord is just working everything. i am so blown away, and i wonder why...of course He was going to come through! ugh...i'm trying to trust...i have no reason not to, but it gets so hard sometimes.

So, these last 3 weeks have been a whirlwind. we have changed total direction. bryce is going to go to sac state and we are going to live in citrus heights. i am enjoying wedding planning so much more now that i know we have a place to live and a job that the Lord is going to provide everything for us through.

the yard looks amazing! i'm so excited for you all to come over for a wedding! bryce and i are so ready. we are busy this week with crazy last minute details....oh ya, my laptop hard drive was failing and the mac store said that they would retrieve my data for $1000.00. I thought i was going to bawl in front of the lady. praise the Lord that we have a friend who knows everything about computers!!!! he retrieved all of my info, including all of my photos, music, and wedding list!!! (this is why i haven't posted a blog in a long time) the Lord is just awesome and i stand amazed at Him!

here are a few pictures from som

e of the bridal showers. thank you everyone who has given bryce and i such amazing and generous gifts and showering your love on us. we don't deserve it and are overwhelmed by your love towards us!

my friends heather and brit

jill, me and my flower girl maggie (isn't she adorable!!!!!)

my amazing cake at a shower thrown by precious friends from my mom's biblestudy...i LOVE those ladies. they are so wise and i pray that our marriage is as God-honoring as theirs'.

my mother-in-love and my momma:) i am marrying into the greatest family!

51 days and counting

2009-06-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

hello everyone....i don't have a lot to blog about but thought i should, cause i know you all are dying to know any new updates of wedding details and how companies are just itching to hire me.

the invitations are almost done. i'm going to finish the address labels tonight and stamp them all so be looking for yours in the mail:) here is a sneak peak of the driving directions...they are my FAVORITE!!

also, the backyard is looking pretty much ready for a wedding. bryce, my parents, and i finished putting in all the plants and hooking up the dripper system. if anyone needs a dripper system installed...you know who to call.

other than that, bryce and i got to go to a giants game last weekend. so much fun. we love sf! and then we went to mimi's for dinner (our favorite place because of the to die for muffins!) and the Lord provided all of the money to go, we only had to pay for gas. really awesome!

(here we are at the game)

other than that, we are just waiting for the Lord to provide a job. i took my cbest test the other day with my good friend heather mazza. it was a crazy day, those people there are scary...no wonder i had so many lame substitute teachers in high school.

ok i think that is it for now...see you soon!

we officially have grass!

2009-06-05T13:32:00.001-07:00

hello party people!

so as you know, the whole back yard has been torn apart and the worker guys have been doing a lot of digging and raking and thats about all that it looked like they have been doing, but they must have been doing a lot more than that...because we have a lawn!

now we are trying to figure out how the layout is going to work. some of you may be sitting on floaties in the pool.

oh and you see that circle of dirt in the cement?? yes folks, that is a fire pit! who's ready for s'mores????

oh and ONE more thing...engagement pics are up on shannen's blog. she is amazing and we are so happy with them!

ok i'm done....bye!

jet lag is just about over!

2009-05-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

so we have officially registered! we are poor so send us gifts...just look at these adorable faces...you know you want to send us gifts! crate and barrel thought that we were the best looking registered couple so they gave us this free gift. it is a heart shaped glass candy bowl and we will be selling it on ebay with it autographed by us, so look out for it later on in the week.

in other news...i found my dress! yes at a place called Bianca's bridal...its ok to laugh. i would not recommend anyone to go there to buy a dress because i bought the only one in the store without tons of beading, sequence, and tulle! it is beautiful...i really can't believe that we found it there. God basically found my dress and the lady gave it to us half off. my mom basically bartered with her (mom bartered with no sweat because she had so much practice in Israel).

anyways, so check, check on the wedding dress and registering. we have only 10,287 more checks to go:)

oh and the backyard is looking fabulous...actually there isn't anything there except dirt and fresh poured cement...pictures to follow:)

jill's birthday

2009-05-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

here is the video that i was teasing you with in yesterday's blog.

going home!

2009-05-17T17:38:00.000-07:00

we are in the airport right now...waiting to board our plane. i am excited to be going home. being in another country really makes you appreciate your own. i think i can speak for both jill and i, when i say that we are craving some bacon or even a little meat with cheese. it was an unforgettable trip and we are so happy we got so many memories recorded! it is awesome to read the Word and then be able to actually picture where the people were!

i'm ready to get back home to see everyone, especially bryce. only 83 more days until the wedding. holy cow, we've got to get rolling! I will keep updating you on the back yard and how it looks...it looks totally destroyed right now cause the landscaper took everything out, but soon it will look BEAUTIFUL!:)

oh ya, jill and i learned to count to 20 in hebrew. our tour guide, Avi (Short for Abraham or "Avram") brought his 10 year old daughter Ziv and she taught us.:) she is a very good teacher.

well, i guess that is all for now. i can't wait to have mexican food....we realized that mexican is about as "un-kosher" as you can get cause everything has meat with cheese. (you can tell that i love food)

i tried to upload a video of avi singing happy birthday to jill but youtube is down right now...so that is just a teaser for later:)!

boker tov! (good morning!)

yesterday we had a free day

2009-05-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

here is a video:)

old city Jerusalem-day 7 or 8:)

2009-05-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

(in the tunnels)

hello everyone!! ok so it is really expensive to use the hotel's internet but we went down in the lobby and picked up a signal from somewhere else...lucky you because now you get to see more adventures of the Strands in Israel, aren't you excited?! Sababa as we say in Israel ("awesome!")!

yesterday we went to the holocaust museum, which was really depressing, so we weren't in the funny interviewing mode. their memorial was incredibly long and they had a vast amount of information. we went through more than 2 dozen rooms of clothing and stuff from the days of the holocaust. we heard countless stories from survivors which were amazing! the room that impacted us the most was a huge circular room filled with thousands of books, recording every person who died in the holocaust. it was overwhelming.

today we went to the mt. of olives and to the garden of gathsemene. it was so amazing to read John 17 and actually be in the garden (or where they say it is:)) you could see how old the olive trees were...ah so amazing!

(the western wall)

today we also went to the old city of Jerusalem. it was amazing to see the western wall and see people praying there. the city is unlike any other that i've seen and you will see some of it in the videos. it was so cool to see part of the wall that was rebuilt in the time of Nehemiah. we were able to go down in the tunnels underneath the city right next to the wall as well! see you tomorrow! :)

(the coolest pic of the day, looking into the men's section from the women's section at the western wall.

photo credit: jill strand)

day 5

2009-05-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

helllllllloooooo!!!! you are back for more video??? well we have a special treat for you! today we went to Capernaum and the Mt. of Beatitudes today!!! i know!! It was awesome! David spoke at the mt. of beatitudes and we went through a bunch of the sermon on the mount...wow our calling as Christ's disciples is a high one. here is a video filled with hilarious, fun filled, exciting from your american tour guides Holly and Jill Strand (p.s. holly will soon be a stavness...in case you forgot!!!) This is our last night in Tiberias and we will be leaving the beautiful sea of galilee to head to Jerusalem tomorrow, where we will spend the duration of our time. i don't know what the internet access will be like there, so this may be the last one for a while...but if you are lucky, it won't be long till we are back on the blogosphere! :) Talk to you soon. Shalom.

day 4

2009-05-09T06:17:00.000-07:00

today we went to Megiddo and Kay taught on Revelation. it was awesome...the coolest thing about revelation is that we know Jesus is coming back one day, the King of Kings, ruling in His awesome power. it was such a challenging day to look at how i live my life in light of that fact. most of the time i don't have the urgency that i should have to share the gospel with others.

(the four of us on top of a mountain in Megiddo)

day 2 video

2009-05-08T13:13:00.001-07:00

this is a video of a fruit from the tree that they used the branches of to make Jesus' crown of thorns. our guide said that people ate them but i think they eat them when they are ripe:)

enjoy! more video action to come!

day 3

2009-05-08T11:09:00.000-07:00

hey you all! here is a video of the day...we started out at Mt. Carmel where God pretty much powned the prophets of Baal and then went to Cesarea by the Sea where Paul stood in front of Agrippa! SO AWESOME! enjoy!

(overlooking the valley from Mt. Carmel)

(the roman theater where Paul stood before King Agrippa)

day 2

2009-05-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

hey everyone! we are all so very tired. we went to chorazin, one of the cities where Jesus preached and did mighty deeds and yet they rejected him. in Matthew 11:21 Jesus says "Woe to you, Chorazin..." because they saw Jesus act and yet did not repent. in Chorazin there was a ruin of an old temple. it was pretty amazing. (we have a guide from the country explaining each place that we go) Kay taught a basic overview from Genesis through 2 Chronicles.:) Then went on to overview pre-exilic, the exile, and post-exilic periods so that we understood a simple background of israel and the surrounding nations.:) She did such a great job in such a short amount of time. Then we went to Tel Dan where the evil king Jeroboam in 1 Kings 12:27-33 builds 2 golden calves, one in Bethel and one in Dan. He builds these so that the people would not go to Jerusalem to the house of the Lord to sacrifice because then the people would return to the Lord and Rehoboam and kill Jeroboam.

Kay taught on sin and how the sin of Solomon carried on to Jeroboam. She started with Solomon and when the Lord told him that He would tear away the kingdom from him and give it to his servant (1 Kings 11:9-13). It was amazing to see the ruin of the altar in dan and read how the sin of a man led the people away from the Lord to build an altar to a false god. it was a great reminder of how far sin will take you and how much we want to flee from it. we were reminded why we read and study the word; we study to not be captured by the lies of the world and to know our savior more and more.

we also stopped at Mt. Nebo, where Jesus told Peter that upon Himself, Christ would build the church. this place we stopped at was sort of anti-climactic. it is a big touristy spot and so they were selling ice cream at the bottom of the mountain...it was very disappointing.

then we went back to the Sea of Galilee and rode across it in a boat. it was so neat to be on the Sea and think of all the time Jesus and His disciples spent on the Sea.

oh, and the food is AMAZING! i really could eat this food all the time. they eat so healthy, there are no fat people at all, they walk everywhere, it is wonderful! the whether is beautiful right now, although i do hear that it gets hotter.

first day!

2009-05-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

shalom! we are in our hotel right now along the Sea of Galilee!! yes folks...the same sea shore that Jesus called James, John, Simon Peter and Andrew to be His disciples (i'm sure they were standing right where our pool is).

so our plane rides were ridiculously long and so i had to buy a bridal magazine:))))) but i left it on one of the planes...just like my mother...it's because bryce wasn't there to remind me if i had everything.

this picture is of us getting off of the plane landing in Israel...these are our tired faces.

and this is all of us at our hotel!! ok i have to go to dinner...weird cause we just woke up at 3pm and now we are eating dinner....more to come...we miss you lots!!!!

Here is our first video:)

israel

2009-05-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

so i've read a lot about this place in the middle east thanks to my old testament professor dr. mooney and my new testament proferssor dr. mobley. i hear it is hot and very sandy. i am so excited to finally get to see the places i have studied. i'll let you know if i see lots of people with "jesus sandals" on. if there is anything else you want to know...just ask. i'm sure that after 2 weeks there i will be an EXPERT! (actually...you should just ask dr. mooney) anyways, hopefully i'll have internet at the hotels. sometimes we are supposed to and sometimes we won't.

oh i almost forgot to tell you what i'm going to be reading on the plane! since we have 1,362 hour plane ride i will be reading Before you say 'I do' (premarital book...ya super exciting!!!), Amusing Ourselves To Death by Neil Postman (thank you tim cahill for recommending it), and finishing up the book unchristian by David Kinnaman & Gabe Lyon (this one is pretty fantastic so far).

and jill and i will be practicing our hebrew on the plane as well.

shalom (we will see if we can master any other words...doubt it)

or as we say here in america....peace in the middle east.

graduation and kenton jacobsen

2009-05-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

so you are reading from a graduate right now. yes...i've arrived. yesterday i graduated from california baptist university in riverside, ca. i don't know when i will be going back there. i will miss it though. i will miss the people and my professors. i will miss the caf (those of you who complain, you should just fast from the caf for a while and see if you still think the caf has no variety).

here are a few pictures of graduation. my family came down as well as Paulette (a friend from Biblestudy back home) and Bryce...of course.:)

also, about a week ago our good friend Kenton Jacobsen took a photo shoot of the roommates. he is wonderful. you should hire him! here is the proof...we are pretty fabulous looking if i do say so myself:)

i love this one of lauren, monica, and rissa with kenton

(photo credit: yes you guessed it...holly strand! kenton you should hire me!)

here is one of kenton and me looking pretty fabulous

i'm finally done

2009-04-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

i'm officially done with college. wow. i have my bachelors. wow. i am getting married. wow. i can't believe all of the things that the Lord is doing in my life and has done so far. wow. i am overwhelmed right now.

i will miss this school and how the Lord has used it in my life. i will miss all of the people the Lord has brought into my life to help encourage me and instruct me and train me and challenge me and correct me. however, i know that i have been prepared. let's keep pressing on...

and the job search begins

2009-04-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

my resume is done! i've called Christian schools in the Sacramento & Fresno area. now all i have to do is send in my resume. it is pretty impressive if i do say so myself. you know you want to hire me!

6 & 103 days

2009-04-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

helloooo!

i hope you all had a fabulous weekend. mine was pretty spectacular! if you don't know who shannen norman is....take a look at her blog. She took our engagement pics this weekend. She doesn't have our shots up yet...but take a look at her amazing pictures. she is WONDERFUL!

it seems that the joke was on me on sunday. everyone knew what was going on except me. rissa and hillary and a bunch of my girlfriends at CBU threw a surprise shower for me. i was SHOCKED!!! The night before an old friend called (from long beach) wanting to go to church with us and of course i said yes. bryce did all that he could to tell me that it probably wasn't a good weekend for him to come but i couldn't understand why...(note to self: listen to the advise of my future husband) so my friend, Jacob, came with us to church and then after church bryce and ethan took jacob to lunch with them. Bryce and Ethan had originally planned to have a secret man date by themselves so i was annoyed when they let jacob go and not me:) haha

then rissa and i went to lunch where she suddenly got "ill" and so we went to the bathroom and she faked that she had diarrhea because hillary told her to stall...(no pun intended).

after 15 minutes of rissa on the pot we went to hillary's to get some medicine and where we found all my girlfriends there yelling surprise. i still didn't get it at first...i was wondering, "why are they shouting surprise?" haha

here is the picture of me when they opened the door...haha (look at amy!)

it was so much fun. i have the best friends ever down here at cbu. i love you all. you mean so much to me. it was fun to look around the room and remember how i met each one of you and how the Lord has worked in us and grown our friendship!

oh and i'm graduating in 6 days! WOO! (you know you want to hire me:))))

oh and i'm getting married in 103 days! WOO WOOOOO!!!

bryce is coming...

2009-04-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

to town!!! he will be here soon and I'm SO excited.:) we are taking engagement pics tomorrow. we are stoked. had late night breakfast last night...SO fun! hung out with some awesome people that i will miss a ton. oh and we are having the wedding at my house (enter excitement/crying/screaming...etc)!! hope everyone is having a good day. oh and my grow a paparzzi is doing splendid. he is about 4 inches tall. (pictures to follow)

2 more days of school...

2009-04-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

holy cannoli...2 more days of classes and then i have two finals to go and two papers to write and i'm officially done with my bachelors!

praise God for getting me through these 4 years...especially enduring mooney tests. on to other tough things like finding a job, being poor, eating top ramen and buying cheap toilet paper...oh ya and being MARRIED!

so exciting and so ready for the Lord's discipline and instruction.

we have some exciting news...

2009-04-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

hello friends!

bryce took me to san francisco saturday where we spent the day walking around the city and enjoying the wonderful weather. then we went to coit tower where he made a picnic dinner and chocolate covered strawberries (my fav!). then we went exploring a bit and then he proposed (enter screams here)!!!!!! yes, folks, we are engaged! i was totally shocked. i didn't see it coming whatsoever. I am so excited...we are so excited! the Lord has blessed us so much. we are already in the midst of planning even though i have to graduate still (9 more school days!) because we are getting married.....drum roll please.......

AUGUST 8TH! 4 months of dating 4 months engagement=perfect:) we are ready for this new chapter and we know that we have lots to learn! we are excited to see how the Lord is going to enlarge our faith (i still don't have a job...i'm looking to teach...so if you know of anyone needing a Bible teacher...) and grow us closer to Him as we abide in Him.

our families are thrilled and it has been wonderful to enjoy this time with them.

we are so thankful for everyone who has offered to help and most importantly...to pray! :)

we love you all!

i see a theme going on here...

2009-04-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

I just saw this on John Piper's Blog...i had to post it! I've been studying through Galatians and Ephesians the past couple of weeks and what God keeps teaching me from His Word is that I am a sinner brought out of darkness, formerly walking in the desires of my flesh, and now have been brought forth into His marvelous light, strengthened with power through His Spirit who works within me! I was a beaten up, dirty, wasted rose that is now redeemed and made beautiful and holy because of the mercy of God sending His Son to die on the cross. amen.

15 days to grow a paparazzi

2009-04-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

ok, so the title is a little confusing...so let me explain. there are 15 school days left until i graduate! wow...Lord where did the time go? so tonight i decided to take 15 different sticky notes and stick them to my wall for a "count down"! (this is what i do when my roommate leaves me to go home...sometimes it's a drag to be an extrovert) while I was putting them up, i started to see just how little time i have left. most of the time we rush through life to get onto the next thing and then we find ourselves at the end wishing we had more time. so everytime i look at my count down wall i will see just how fast time flies and to take every opportunity of the day to share the amazing work Christ has done in my life. wow...15 days...God you can do a lot in that little time.

the other part of the title...well my friend Hillary got me a present:) it is a "grow a paparazzi". if you remember, she got a "grow a boyfriend" from her mom and so she bought me a grow a paparazzi! so exciting! i'm going to let him grow soon. i will update to show you his growth...don't you worry!

Christianity a fad?

2009-04-04T10:28:00.001-07:00

the Lord has let me do a lot of fun things in the past week. i flew out to Seattle to teach with Precept's Transform Youth Ministry. it was a weekend addressing the issue of evil in the world and asking the tough questions about God and His goodness in the midst of suffering. my group was awesome. i loved every minute of it and it was so much fun to see friends from tennessee.

i was also privileged to speak in chapel during our "student chapel". Cara Marsile and Tim Cahill both spoke as well...these two are awesome! I got to share my passion for the Word and how the Lord has totally transformed me through the Word. it is exciting to reflect on all that the Lord has taught me through all of the amazing things He has let me be apart of. I shared a little about how Christianity has become a fad in the Christian College Community and how it has weakened our faith and what God has called us to. i talked about a video that my friend Sam made at Focus on the Family during our time at our internship with Axis. i wasn't able to show it in chapel because of the content (it is a video of short clips from the 2008 MTV VMAs) but i was able to explain it. Take a look at it. Sam is a mac whiz, the video is excellent! Is this true Christianity?? Doing one thing and then saying another...

me and my twin sister

2009-03-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

ok, so she isn't my twin sister but we basically look exactly alike...AND we make a pretty good team. let's just say that while i'm at school (although the Lord has blessed me with AMAZING friends) i miss my amazing family. being raised by the same people makes a HUGE difference and there is just something great about sisters. anyways, this is what we did last night...enjoy!

everything's amazing and nobody's happy...

2009-03-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

this video has been going around. the first time i saw it was a little over 3 weeks ago. this guy really does have some great points!

twitter

2009-03-14T21:13:00.000-07:00

i don't understand the point of twitter...

this is what the website says:

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

i'm not trying to judge anyone...but the idea of twitter seems really self centered.

i have an idea...lets try communicating with others through living life together...being WITH each other.

i could be totally wrong...i just don't think its the most useful form of communication to know if you are using 2 ply toilet paper or counting the tiles in the ceiling...

thursday funnies take three

2009-03-05T12:41:00.000-08:00

enjoy! :)

AF[H]V

2009-03-01T22:51:00.001-08:00

so my friend hillary went to a live tapping of AFV (America's Funniest [home] Videos...i don't know why they don't include the 'H' for Home...weird) and it aired tonight. ya...let's just say that the camera loved her.

i'm a bit jealous...i think we are going to try to go...bryce is not a fan but ethan is going to try to convince him to go...i'm sure he will give in.

some secrets that hillary gave me about AFV:

1. it is freezing in the studio (no one likes sweaty faces...duh)

2. the host, tom bergeron is really funny in real life

3. you have to act ridiculously happy and as if you thought the guy hitting his head for the 20th time on the pole was funny, or they won't like you.

dark comedy + minnesota + no money = blog

2009-02-28T00:06:00.000-08:00

i just realized that i do NOT like dark comedies...just for the record.

they confuse me more than anything.

i miss my FFI family and especially my minnesotan roommate that helped me improve my northern accent.

i hate money and that we need it so much. i should just walk to colorado to go see her...but i would STILL need money for food.

nevermind...i'll just show you a picture instead...ok a few pictures...

this is when buddy got sick and had to take shots of robbitussin

this is in class...this one still makes me laugh hysterically

this is when we dressed up for one of the first parties thrown at the Omega apartments at Focus...this is when we didn't know anyone

fun memories (haha...look at ash's face in the background)

stupidness

2009-02-27T14:51:00.001-08:00

you know when you do something but forget about a certain detail that alters what you did into something that you didn't want to happen AND then you just feel stupid? ya...just did that.

hell and penn

2009-02-27T13:57:00.000-08:00

so i have been talking about blogs lately and i had lunch in the caf with my friend rachel the other day...and she says that she reads over 300 blogs or something crazy like that. what?? wow. i don't even know what to say to that except....wow! :) she is awesome. you should go visit her blog.

a couple things i've been thinking about lately:

hell. i've been reading a lot about hell in dr. morgan's class (Christian Doctrine) and really trying to understand the concept of eternity separated from God and His just rule. i get into this circular fairiswheel that i can't get off. i start thinking about eternity and then i think of how it is going to be when we aren't living here on the earth anymore. i won't have to worry about the silly things i worry about everyday. eternity. wow. how do you even think about that? foreverness...what do you do forever? what does forever look like? it hurts my brain. but then i think about eternity without God, suffering more than anything i can ever imagine. then i watched this video of Penn:

"how much does it take to hate somebody to not proselytize? how much does it take to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?"

then i start thinking about the gospel and what a preposterous thing my salvation is. because of sin, i am against God. i am not a friend of God and i deserve death. i am unworthy of any mercy or grace because of the acts that i do against the Lord. i am made in His image and yet I am an enemy of Him.

the glorious God has made us in HIs image, giving us His glory. But Romans tells us that we have exchanged the glory of God, falling short and have made ourselves the center of the world, wanting to pursue our glory instead of His. And through pursuing our glory, we lose the glory of God that we once had.

YET!!! He sends His Son to bear all of the stuff i have done that goes against God's character and Jesus dies the death that i was supposed to. He pays my price. He does it, not because He is passionate about me or is obsessed with the idea of me, but He does it to exalt Himself. He does it so that I can come into a relationship with God, and act in response of His deliverance of me. Jesus does not fall shourt and because we are tied to Christ's death, we are becoming what we were supposed to be. We are being made into the image of Christ.

wow. dr. morgan (in his book, Hell Under Fire) says, "...the central 'problem' of the Bible that the gospel solves is centered on how God can be holy and just and still forgive rebellious and guilty sinners who trust Him".

wow.

back to penn...i think he said it best.

why don't i love well enough?

66

2009-02-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

that is the number of how many blogs i read...addicted maybe??

some of them are my friends here at cbu,

some of them include blogs of professors,

some of them are photographer's (i love pictures...out of a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest, definitely an 11),

some of them are pastor's blogs/scholar's blogs,

and some are fun style/design blogs.

i really like blogs...sometimes they distract me from homework (maybe i should fast from them one week...hmm) and sometimes i think about how crazy it is that this "blogosphere" has caught on so fast.

what are your favorite blogs? what kind of blogs do you look at?

walkin around

2009-02-21T00:34:00.000-08:00

hey thanks for stopping by...hope you had a wonderful friday.

it was such a beautiful day here in riverside that bryce and i decided to go for a walk...here are some of my fav pics of the day...

i feel like this one should go on some cool colorful inspired blog

this picture attests to the beautiful day

and this is a fun one of us...

i really want to be a photographer...

tines

2009-02-18T17:45:00.000-08:00

ok so i know everyone is dying to know what i did for...what i like to call...tines day (i just made that up right now). anyways, i got a box of cookies in the mail from my paka and tay (my grandparents...i made up those names for them when i was little...don't ask)! they always send me yummy cookies but i think what i like the thought behind the cookies more than the cookies itself. my grandparents are the best. love you paka and tay!

well, i had a lot of reading to do for school (i know....who assigns reading on tines weekend??) so bryce and i went to huntington beach and sat on the beach for a while. it was fun. it was a beautiful day and it was fun to just watch the waves. we started to take some pictures and then my battery died (isn't that only what older people do?? no offense)! so this is one of the only pics we got that day...and i must say that we are pretty hot.

then we walked around the beach and bryce got a cool shirt for practically free and we went to jamba juice cause i had a gift card...we basically tried to spend the least amount of money...and i really loved every minute of the simplicity of the day. then we came back to my apartment and made breakfast for dinner (one of our favs...bryce makes some mean pancakes. he gives my dad a run for his money) and we watched a movie. fun times.

also....ethan was gone the entire weekend, so as soon as he got back, sunday night, we went and got another puzzle...this time...yes, we chose Jesus! yes, folks, we are putting the Last Supper puzzle together as we speak. ethan found Jesus' face right away amongst the pieces and so we decided that those pieces would be the last to go in. they are sitting on a bible (of course, where else) in the living room.

in other news, i get to go to ISRAEL this summer!!!!!!!!! so excited about that. the Lord provided in HUGE ways for the money for me to be able to go with my parents and my sis jill. we are leaving may 4th (which i graduate may 2nd!!! and then have to move all of my stuff home and then pack to leave the next day!). the Lord has lavished so much blessing on my this year already that i don't deserve. He is teaching me so many lessons that i can hardly keep up. hope you all are doing good!

oh ya, and i would love to know what you did for tines day...so let me know!

friday funnies

2009-02-13T13:57:00.000-08:00

ok, so valentines is just around the corner...tomorrow actually...and you know how I feel about vday (or if you don't you can go here)!

the greatest thing about vday is that they had chocolate covered strawberries in the caf!! MY FAV!!

if you didn't get any chocolate covered strawberries, hopefully this will help...here is a gift from me to you:)

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

thursday funnies take two

2009-02-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

I don't know what happens on thursdays...but it just seems to be a funny day:) Ok, so if you watched the guy without a shirt saying that he doesn't have a job...and thought that it wasn't funny. Here is something you are sure to enjoy:)

Maybe you thought..."holly, I just can't take a creepy guy who let's his dog kiss his face"...then you are in luck (unless you don't like adorable little children)!

My friend Kenton (who is a great photographer I might add...his website is coming soon...but for now, go here to see a daily picture by Kenton:)) sent me this video the other day to a response to the "creepy i don't have a job" video. enjoy!

a fun new old pastime

2009-01-31T14:10:00.000-08:00

My friends and I have been obsessed with puzzling (as we like to call it). This summer my friends and I randomly did a couple puzzles and forgot how FUN they are!! SO, Ethan and I went out and bought a puzzle at target. We went down the puzzle isle and had to choose between a puzzle picturing Times Square or the famous painting of The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci!!! What a toss up!! I mean, the Times Square picture was unbelievable...but who can say no to Jesus?? We did what anyone else in our position would do...we called a third party. We called Bryce and so it wouldn't be biased, Ethan asked him, "Night Life or Leonardo Da Vinci?" Nothing else, not a "hi, how are you Bryce?" just "Night Life or Leonardo Da Vinci?"

Bryce chose night life and it was a good pick as well. Leo would have been SSSOO much harder because of all the brown pieces, but this one was pretty hard as well (lots of lights in Times Square)!

...so 2000 pieces later we are finished!!

and we decided to sign the puzzle. that is going to be our trademark...after we do the puzzles we sign and date them:)

and not to forget Jesus at ALL...cause after all He is the one with whom we have the freedom to do a puzzle in the

community of fellowship with other believers...here is a picture of Mt. Rubidoux. Rissa and I went on a hike the other day and a picture of our salvation rests on the top.

thursday funnies

2009-01-29T16:09:00.000-08:00

So I go to the bathroom every thursday in the James building because I have a 2 1/2 hour class and our Professor gives us one break.

I laugh every time I go in, because of the funny shape that is made in the window, but I always forget to bring my phone so I can take a picture...but today you are in for a special treat...cause it is thursday and I remembered!

Every day I go to the bathroom in the same stall. This is what I see next to me:

This is the window next to the stall.

I like to call it the "butt window".

I wonder if they really knew what they were doing, when they put these kind of windows in. I wonder if they got a good laugh when they were putting them in, or if they were completely oblivious.

dr. tackett

2009-01-21T17:40:00.000-08:00

So Dr. Tackett is one of my favorite people since being able to spend some time with him this past semester at the Focus on the Family Institute.

He has this blog that you should really read regularly. But, for now you can just read the post on "cheering for the underdog". really. go now:

"Jesus said: 'Let your light shine among men is such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.'

Let us do so.

Dr. Tackett's blog

a little precept and a lot of God on the west coast

2009-01-21T08:44:00.001-08:00

So my friend Yasmin (who I interned with from Precept) came to LA about a week ago. It was SO much fun to see her! She decided to go on a road trip to visit a couple of her friends in California, before she left for Spain! Yes, Spain people. She is going to be doing a lot of ministry over in Spain with a missionary that she is close to over there. She will be leading Biblestudies and helping in a discipleship type of program for an entire Semester!!! So, if you remember, please pray for her and the people of Spain that the Lord, through her and the team, will be ministering to.

Other news, I have completed 2 weeks of my last semester here at school. There are a lot of things going on in my life right now and the Lord is blessing me beyond anything I've ever imagined.

The first big thing is that, since coming back from Focus on the Family, I have been praying that the Lord would open up doors for me to engage in ministry. I have had so much different training and although this semester is going to be full (19 units), it isn't going to be as difficult as last semesters. I have been poured into A LOT in the past year and I was praying for the Lord to really use what I have learned so I could pour out into others.

At Cal Baptist we have a new Spiritual Life Director, Brian Zunigha, who is implementing a new discipleship program on campus. He has formed a group of Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors that have leadership qualities but may not have the chance to use their leadership skills to their full capacity. Well, one night Bryce and I were praying in the prayer chapel about what to do in ministry and what the Lord wanted us to do this semester because we really didn't know what to do. After we got back to my apartment from the prayer chapel, one of our close friends, Ethan (who is the graduate assistant to Brian), asked me to be a part of the discipleship program! What timing the Lord has! He introduced me to Brian and he asked me to be a leader over 3 girls in the program. Through this discipleship program, he wants to teach the students a few things and one of those is how to study your Bible inductively, on their own. So, once he found out I had some background with Precept he asked me to teach the entire group the Precept method!

So, Monday and Tuesday of this week I taught, by the grace of God alone, how to study your Bible in 2 hours. :) Wow, it was so awesome. I loved every minute of it. The Lord taught me A LOT through those two days. It is so neat to see Him prepare you and then prepare the way for you. It was nothing I did, He totally set up everything!

Then, I was meeting with my New Testament Professor the other day to catch up on what I had learned through Precept this summer and Focus this Fall. We started talking about the 19 units I'm taking and a couple classes that I'm just taking to get the units and he offered to set up a meeting with the youth pastor at his church. He expressed that he wanted to help me practice what I had learned this summer by possibly leading a "How to study your Bible" study at the youth group at his church across the street. So we went to a meeting and the youth pastor totally has the vision for teaching his youth how to study the Bible for themselves. Exciting! So I went to their church on Sunday to advertise for it and we are now waiting for the Lord to provide the students for the group. The coolest thing about this study is that the Dean of Christian Studies (Dr. Dan is awesome!) is going to let me lead the study for units toward my undergrad this semester! I will be doing hands on training for what I really feel the Lord has called me to do in the future.

The Lord is giving me opportunity after opportunity to teach and I have received more confirmation in the last week than ever before about my teaching. I don't know how seminary will fit into plans after I graduate or if I even am supposed to go to seminary, but I know that the Lord has been faithful thus far and I know He is going to pave my way. He is so good and I am blown away everyday by sitting in the passenger seat and letting Him drive. It is tough at times and sometimes I beg for Him to drive, but He is so gracious to calm my trivial worries. He continues to point back to His faithfulness and that makes me realize of how unfaithful at times I can be.

Oh Lord, make me more faithful. I have no justification to worry because you are God over everything. You will get Your glory and may I be a vessel that you use to show Your glory.

this goes out to my friends in colo

2009-01-15T22:42:00.000-08:00

at least you aren't like this dude...:)

wordle

2009-01-14T09:37:00.000-08:00

so this may just be the most amazing thing ever.

say you get picked for designing a t-shirt and you need inspiration or maybe you want to do something cool for v-day (which is coming up) and you don't want to do all the mushy stuff that everyone does but something really practical and something your special someone will enjoy instead of being awkward...wait all of that sounds really familiar...hmm

anyways, this is the coolest thing EVER...well at least this week:)

it is a website called wordle and all you do is type in a bunch of random...or not so random words and instantly it creates a jumbled awesomeness!

what else could you do with this?? get creative and let me know:)

p.s. reisen chocolates are pretty much the best chocolate in the WORLD. if you haven't tasted it you NEED to! i know...i'm just a huge source of info today...you're welcome!

new update soon...

2009-01-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

...in the meantime, enjoy this:)

it seems like i'm always moving

2009-01-04T00:20:00.001-08:00

so i have packed pretty much everything and i'm ready to move down to riverside.

craziness!!

last semester until i graduate. it seems like just yesterday was orientation for new students:

wow...just looking at that picture is amazing because of all that the Lord has taught me in the short 2 semesters at cal baptist and 1 semester at focus on the family. i go back to cbu with so many lessons learned and so humbled by the power of the Lord. there will be more to learn this semester (and ALWAYS), new friends, community, classes and ministry. oh how i can't wait to see what the Lord has in store! isn't it great to be a child of God!!

here we go...

the perfect gift

2008-12-26T07:56:00.000-08:00

well, it's the day after Christmas Eve and all the chaos has died.

I got up this morning and started my Biblestudy. It was so exciting because not only was I able to be in the Presence of God (wow...can we just pause and think about that for a second??) but I used my Christmas gift...logos which is AWESOME!

I'm studying 2 Samuel and I had to do a word study. Instead of hauling the HUGE Strong's concordance and hebrew lexicons and all that jazz, I simply opened up my mac (yes, mac=way better than pc) and typed in the word and *poof* the definition came up with cross references and EVERYTHING! wow...so much fun! The greatest thing is that I'm not at home so even if I wanted to do a word study I couldn't, cause there is no way that I'm hauling my Strong's concordance around everywhere I go. I would have scoliosis if I did that. This gift is so convenient! :)

In other news...I would just like to commend my parents for having the greatest stockings EVER. First of all, my momma made them (since I was born, we have had them...talk about quality). She cross stitched our names into them and other Christmas paraphernalia...such as a golden french horn with assorted foliage, a shepherd with his sheep...etc. My parents also put the greatest stuff in there! It's not like they put crazy expensive stuff in there but just the simple things that you look forward to every Christmas. There are some staples that we always get: a mini bottle of martinelli's sparkling cider, gum, underwear, socks, a cool pen or pencil, chapstick (for John)/lip gloss (for the girls), and this year my parents put jelly bellys in our stockings! So fun! I would say that stockings are the favorite...but my new favorite is logos. I am a believer:)

but the greatest thing about our stockings and logos is that it reminds me of the Perfect Gift and that is my Savior. As great a gift as logos was, it will never top the gift that was given many years ago. How gracious is our Heavenly Father to send part of Himself in human flesh, and to humble Himself (remember this is God we are talking about) to save us from our sins. Wow...

christmas eve shopping extravaganza!!

2008-12-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

this is a Merry Christmas Eve video for your entertainment from the strand family.:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IujCMHEplsA

fun with dave barnes

2008-12-19T12:01:00.000-08:00

this will def get you in the Christmas mood:)...if you aren't already!

if you don't know who dave barnes is, then listen to his song Nothing Fancy.

snow globe

2008-12-04T19:37:00.000-08:00

(Danielle and I being goofy at Buffalo Wild Wings...mmm...love those honey bbq cheap wing nights)

It is freezing here! On the way to church we saw one of those signs at a bank that said it was 13 degrees! It's still snowing pretty hard. We saw Dr. Tackett at church this last morning that we will attend village 7. Well, it was my last sunday there but at least Danielle will get to stay because she is moving here! We went and saw her cute little townhouse that she and Ashlie and Amanda are going to live in for the next year. It is so perfect. God has totally blessed them in finding their cute place for them.

(roommate pic during our 'spirit week': Roommate Matching Day)

(pic on an axis trip. these are my beautiful friends Brenda and Waverly)

I have no homework to do, so I finally get to update this thing:) We are cleaning our apartment all day today so that we are ready for check out in the morning! So crazy...I can't believe that we are already done with the semester!

(here is a pic of my quest team. We did group projects together and random activities all throughout the semester. I think we were the one quest team that bonded the most. We even did extra fun get togethers and game nights! I LOVE quest team 8!!)

ok, so graduation is quickly approaching. My parents are coming Monday and we will be flying out Wed afternoon to the good ol' central valley where there is no snow. Then I will have the longest last semester of my life probably...although I am looking forward to an easier work load. What am I doing with my life after that you say?? Well...there are a couple options. I will be getting a job. Hopefully substitute teaching...I know right??? Who would have thunk that I would be in school for the rest of my life? I really would love to teach Bible. Whether that is to a home school class or at a Christian school, it doesn't matter that much. I just want to teach people how to study the Word. I may be going to seminary if I the Lord calls me to teach at the college level. We will see!! It's such an adventure being a child of God:)

(here is a pic of the beautiful girls in my small group. Callie, Andrea, and Rachel. We were in a hospitality group with two of the secretaries from the Focus Institute. They were WONDERFUL a we had an entire Saturday of baking Christmas goodies!:)

Friday we had a time of sharing with our group about what the Lord has taught us all. The biggest thing I learned this semester is how to serve God in the ways that He has gifted me. Since the Lord took soccer away from me, I have been learning what other gift

s the Lord has given me. It has been such a hard journey because I had placed my entire identity in soccer. This semester I took way more personality tests than I've ever wanted to take in my lifetime! My favorite was a strengths finder test that helped identify your top strengths in order to help your weaknesses. I loved it because most personality tests can be really self centered...but this one helped you understand your weaknesses and helped you appreciate other people's gifts that I did not possess. We talked about our strengths in class and then our professor had us work and identify how we worked in groups throughout the semester. I learned that it was a good thing that I am competitive (which has had such a negative connotation to it).:) I've learned that one of my strengths is communication which has helped confirm that the Lord has gifted me to teach in some sort of capacity.

It has been a freeing semester to understand how God has created me in order to make His name known. It is really exciting! I am sad to leave this community where we have eaten, slept, learned, studied, laughed, cried, played, and experienced life together with, but it makes me desire to go back home and find my own community and live the way Jesus desires us to. I'm excited to go home and be in the world, (and by God's grace) showing Christ to everyone I come into contact with.

(Fun in Fresno with some CBU friends: Ethan, Rissa, and Bryce)

The Lord has been so faithful and he continues to be my solid rock on which I stand. He has never failed me and never would. This semester He has blessed me in so many different ways, when I'm not even expecting it. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the blessings He has brought into my life.

(Bryce and I hiking with friends)

He is so good!

trusting through the uncertainties...

2008-11-26T23:02:00.000-08:00

So here are some pictures from our Axis trip to Ft. Worth.

These kids were SO much fun to work with! I would love to teach these kids everyday. I really feel like teaching is my spiritual gift and I would really love to become a teacher (which is so weird because I have NEVER wanted to stay in school...EVER!).

Life is starting to become so complicated! I have one last semester at Cal Baptist and then I'll graduate in May! How insane is that??

We found some old family videos tonight and watched them. How on earth did I grow up so fast? It was just yesterday that my dad and mom surprised us with a basketball hoop for Christmas (that was the best Christmas by the way)! My biggest care then was if we were going to win our games that week!

Now I'm trying to think about jobs and whether or not to go to seminary and where to go to seminary, where does the Lord want me to live...not to mention countless other really important decisions. My emotions are unreliable and why is it that I sometimes care so much about what people think.

Oh how I want to let the Lord do amazing things with my life and yet, when amazing things do happen, I get really scared. The Lord has proven Himself so faithful in my life already and there is no reason why I need to worry. Oh how I want to be faithful to the Lord by trusting Him completely with this part of my life.

He is so worthy of a childlike faith and of my honest praise and of my unashamed love; of a holy life and of my sacrifice and of my unashamed love...

thanksgiving break begins...

2008-11-20T13:52:00.000-08:00

(this pic is not from this texas trip but it was from a previous axis trip for a church from Denver)

So the axis trip was such a success. The Lord used our team so diversely through the talents he has given us. It was so amazing to watch the presentation come together with our creativity. It was a pretty wealthy high school and jr. high so they were really into their music and iphones, but I know that the Lord did some amazing work!

I was able to tell my story about soccer and how the Lord broke me and gave me new purpose for my life. It was awesome. There were a couple girls that came up to me afterward and thanked me for sharing my story. One of the girls played soccer and is injured and there is no promise that she will be able to play again! Another girl had just signed with a university to play basketball for them and she said that she really needed to hear that she shouldn't find purpose in basketball but in glorifying the Lord.

It was a pretty big soccer school and so I became really good friends with both the guys and girls soccer team. They were pretty awesome. It was so much fun to be able to speak in their chapel and then to go to class with them, eat lunch with them, and I was even able to go to a soccer practice! It was so much fun.

Every time we present at a school it just confirms that I love being apart of students' lives. I love spending time with them and teaching them. This internship has been such a huge blessing. I can't wait to see what the Lord has next!

Now, I'm waiting in the airport for my flight to leave from Denver. My bag weighed exactly 50 lbs and the guy checking me in asked me if I did this often. haha I told him that I was actually here last night! :) Anyways, I'm flying into Sacramento where I will get to stay with my friend Bryce and his family until my parents come up and drive to get me tomorrow. I'm so excited to be back in California! I love Colorado but I miss my family. I need a school break as well...although I do have to write a 5 page paper right now. So I better go.:)

axis in texas.

2008-11-16T06:45:00.000-08:00

So we are off to Fort Worth Texas to do an axis presentation. There are 6 team members on this trip including myself:

Rachel, Bri, Simon, Meghan, and David our Supervisor. We are speaking to a bunch of high schoolers for 3 days. We are super excited. I will post more pictures later if we have internet access.

Oh, and I guess I should explain what axis is, in case you don't know. It is my practicum while I am at Focus on the Family. We do a presentation on worldviews and use media clips to explain what worldviews are being portrayed in our country. We use movies and music and explain what the lyrics mean and what messages they are sending/targeting their audiences and bring to light what the media is doing in our culture.

Please pray for Simon. He has a sprained ankle and just got the flu (which has been going around the institute...I haven't gotten it...yet). Pray for our team and our supervisor and that we would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as He leads us as we teach the students. Also, please pray for the students hearts and that they would be so soft as truth is revealed and darkness is overcome by light! Thank you!

i can't wait to go back!

2008-11-14T16:13:00.000-08:00

I miss these days! Good ol' CBU! I can't wait to come back, especially with all that I have learned from being here in Colorado. God is so good and He blows me away everyday! He has allowed me to do so much and I am so thankful to be able to come back for one more semester! :)

the great debates

2008-10-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

my life in colorado

2008-10-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

ok, so Colorado is probably one of the most beautiful places in the fall. My camera cannot capture how beautiful the yellow leaves are, but here are a few pictures of my apartment and life at Focus.

Our apartments are really great. Here is the front view:

Every morning I get to go outside on our porch and drink coffee while I see this view:

And this is pikes peak a little bit to the left of that view:) It is gorgeous!

So, welcome to my apartment:) This is the kitchen and desk/dinner table area:

And this is the living room (and Callie):

Then you walk a little farther and you come to my bedroom and bathroom:)

So this is my home. I love it here! My roommates and I love to take pictures so here are a few from random days at the institute:

Here is a pic from our first day of school:

And here is a pic of our first day of church in the Springs (p.s. look at the mountains in the background!):

So there were a few september birthdays. One of our friends had a birthday party next door so our apartment decided to go to goodwill and buy some fun party clothes (This picture still makes me laugh):

I shared my birthday with another student here at the institute, Ashlie. She is pretty much my twin. We have taken a bunch of personality tests and we are both the "powerful hammer" and a "lion". This means we are take control/competitive girls. lol Anyways, we went to an airforce football game for our birthdays. Then for dinner a whole bunch of us went out for dinner. It was so much fun!

We also had a girls weekend retreat in the mountains and here is yet another roomie pic.:) This is prob my fav pic so far!

We have also done a lot of hiking and I have made some really great friends. Today was a super cold and foggy day. We watched some college football and then decided to take a short road trip to denver to visit the outlet mall.:) Getting new jeans on sale at the gap outlet for $20 (that actually fit well) is just SO exciting:)

why is he so popular?

2008-10-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

I need your help:)

2008-10-09T06:03:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone!

So my practicum for Focus on the Family is with the group Axis and we will be going to christian high schools and colleges, presenting different worldviews through media targeted to their age group. To give you an example last night I went with my team to go watch the first presentation at a youth group in Colorado Springs. We present a gird of 6 questions addressing:

reality: what is real?

origin: where did we come from?

identity: who am I?

ethics: what is right and what is wrong?

purpose: what is the meaning of life?

death: what happens after I die?

And the worldviews we present to the students are:

naturalism: the belief that only the natural realm exists (i.e. Atheism, Humanism, etc.)

spiritualism: the belief that only the spiritual realm exists (i.e. New Age, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.)

theism: the belief that spiritual and physical realms co-exist (i.e. Islam, Judaism, Christianity, etc.)

So last night two of the questions we presented to the students was: whoa am I and what is the meaning of life?

Then they played a clip from a song by the Pussycat Dolls: When I grow up---

(here are the lyrics)

But I ain't complaining
We all wanna be famous
So go ahead and say what you wanna say
You know what it's like to be nameless
Want them to know what your name is
'Cause see when I was younger I would say

[Chorus]
When I grow up
I wanna be famous
I wanna be a star
I wanna be in movies

When I grow up
I wanna see the world
Drive nice cars
I wanna have Groupies

When I grow up
Be on TV
People know me
Be on magazines

When I grow up
Fresh and clean
Number one chick when I step out on the scene

This song has such a great beat and a lot of the students in the youth group were singing to it and dancing in their seats but reading the lyrics made the song open up such new meaning. The media is targeting students like no other!

Anyways, I have to find these kinds of clips. If you watch any movies or see a youtube video or reality show, or music video and you see how it has a specific worldview, let me know!! It can even be a song or a billboard picture or magazine. Anything that has a clear message from the media to students enforcing their worldview on their listeners. Even websites would be helpful to me:)

With this assignment I'm pretty ruined for life. lol I can't watch anything or hear anything without thinking really hard about the lyrics and what message the artist is trying to express/teach. It is scary how oblivious we are about the media.

Thanks for your help!

JFA

2008-10-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

ok, so I borrowed a friend's camera memory card reader, so now I have pictures to share with you!! :)

So, the Justice For All day was a really great experience! I learned so much and was able to really share Christ with a few students.

Thank you all for praying. Here are a couple pictures of the and our couple days. I want you to be able to see how big the exhibit is but some of the pictures are pretty graphic...so just a warning:

The 2 days we were on the Colorado State University campus was absolutely amazing. I had some really great conversations with students. I'd like to share some of those conversations with you.

One of the girls I talked to the first day was just staring at the exhibit so I went up to her and asked her what she thought. She replied that she really didn't know what she thought about the issue. It really has amazed me how we have been trapped by what the media is telling us about right and wrong. I talked to so many people who would say that they would never get an abortion and they would agree that the unborn was still a human being but that they still couldn't tell a woman what she should do with her body. It was amazing. It was heartbreaking as well. Anyways, I talked with that girl for about 15 minutes about the issue and she asked me what I thought abo

ut the cases of rape and incest (that was the most common question...and those cases only make up 1% of all abortions). I was able to share with her about how much I valued life and although that was such an AWFUL situation, it still created a life and there is a reason that the life was created. We were also able to talk about our world and society and by the time she walked away she had an opinion about the issue and she understand why she valued human life.

I have a million stories about people who flat out just wanted to fight and yell, but the cool thing with JFA is that we want to share the love of Christ in our actions so when you looked at the people around the exhibit, all of the students that were having conversations with us were being loved on. I can't believe how many students we were able to pray with.

But another story I want to share is that I saw this other girl just staring at the exhibit with such despair on her face. I went up to her and asked her how she was doing. She said that she was feeling so depressed. She had a cross necklace on (I know that doesn't mean much) and so I started hinting at Christianity a bit. I explained why we were out here. She said that she was pro-life but that these pictures make her even more pro-life. She then said that it seems hopeless though. I told her about the other story of the girl I talked to that morning and explained that no matter what, people are talking about this issue more now. After she heard that story she lit up. I told her that I was praying for the Christians at the school because I knew this was going to affect them so much. I knew that the professors were talking about it in their classes and probably harassing the students. She was SO grateful and so encouraged. She told me that she would be praying for us. It was awesome to meet her because I was in her shoes 2 years ago at my school.

So anyways, thank you SO much for praying. Oh One last story I HAVE to tell you is that one of the girls from Focus (Jenna) shared her testimony with one of the students at CSU and she told Jenna that she had taken a pregnancy test that morning and called to schedule an abortion appointment for that afternoon. She tole Jenna that she wasn't going to go to the appointment later on in the afternoon because of Jenna's testimony! So amazing! Praise the Lord! He is so amazing. Thank you thank you thank you for praying!

JFA is coming to UCLA in May. I'm planning on helping out there so if anyone wants to get trained and help out let me know (especially you CBU students since we are so close!) let me know and I'll keep you updated.

please pray!

2008-09-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow all of the Focus on the Family Institute Students are joining with "Justice For All" to engage students from Colorado Christian University about the issue of abortion. We will be first and foremost showing the students the love of Christ in our actions and words. We will be talking about the pro-life stance and why we believe in it. Pray that we would rely on the Holy Spirit for wisdom, discernment, and for Christ to fill us with His love for these people. Also, please pray that the Lord would open up doors for us to share the gospel.

We will be at Colorado State University for 2 days (tomorrow and tuesday). I can't wait to update you about what the Lord is going to do! Thank you for your prayers!

Gianna Jessen

2008-09-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

I saw this woman tell her amazing testimony at Modesto High School a few years ago. She was aborted by her mother of a saline injection. A long needle injects a strong salt solution through the mother's abdomen into the baby's sac. The baby swallows this fluid and is poisoned by it. It also acts as a corrosive, burning off the outer layer of skin. It normally takes somewhat over an hour for the baby to die from this. Within 24 hours, labor will usually set in and the mother will give birth to a dead or dying baby. They are usually left unattended to die. While the abortionist was off duty this precious baby was born and because she was still alive, the nurse transferred her over to an incubator and saved her life. She has cerebral palsy and was told that she would never walk again. She was adopted and became a Christian. She now runs marathons and sings beautifully. This video is pretty powerful!

p.s. if you go youtube Gianna there are a lot of great videos about her story, especially how she met her biological mother. Here are 2 videos of a little bit of her story that she talks about at a conference in Australia:

Part 1:

Part 2:

community

2008-09-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today we had our Gender and Leadership Studies Professor talk about our strengths and how they contribute to working as a community as the Body of Christ. He also talked about how knowing our strengths can help us overcome our weaknesses. It was such a great lecture today. I enjoyed it SO much! He showed us this clip. It is really great! Tell me what you think of it.:)

The Battle at Kruger:

meet my new roommates

2008-09-12T07:10:00.001-07:00

So I'm all moved in!! I can't believe that I'm living in Colorado. Crazy! This is the view from our balcony. It wasn't the prettiest day but pretty awesome nonetheless! The only sad thing is that I left my USB cord for my camera so these are stolen pictures. I have a lot of fun pictures of our apartment but you'll just have to wait for those until my momma sends me the cord (and Mere Christianity cause I have to read it for class and my bank statement...oh the joys of moving and forgetting things).

So, anyways...without further ado I introduce to you my new roommates:)

From Left to Right: Danielle, Brenda, and Callie.

So Danielle is from Minnesota and I share a room with her. She makes the long 'O' sound and I have adopted it as my own. I don't know how many times a day we laugh when she asks me a question and I reply, "Sure, you betcha!" I told her to describe herself in one sentence and she said that she is a positively charged blast of fresh air. AND...I TOTALLY agree:) Oh, and those glasses that she is wearing are totally fake.

Brenda (the one in the mask) is from Michigan. She is one of 7 children and lives on a dairy farm. She knows how to make homemade bread and brought a bread machine so we are definitely looking forward to homemade bread when we get home from family dinner tonight! (Fam dinner is when all of the 84 Focus students get together with the Staff and have dinner.) She also say's 'pitch' instead of 'throw away'. She describes herself as a fun loving, Christ follower. Since that doesn't describe too much detail, I will add my own opinion (she approved it of course). Brenda is a responsible, front row sitter, detailed, always on time, surprises us at numerous talents we never would have guessed she would have (hence the hockey picture-yes Brenda plays hockey and this was at her first scrimmage here trying out for a women's competitive hockey league in Colorado Springs!). Basically the Lord new what He was doing when He placed her with us.:) If anyone really knows me, knows that I am not very good at remembering details such as time and dates. So, when Brenda walked in the door with the handbook and the numerous pages that we were emailed memorized, we knew this was an orchestration from the Mighty One. (I didn't even print off those emails or handbook:)) Callie (who is the 3rd roommate) just said that she is going to be so much smarter

living with Brenda! lol

So, on to Callie. Callie is from Cleveland, Tennessee so I definitely grilled her all about Tennessee and we talk about the south all the time:) Callie loves sweet tea, Dr. Pepper, Tennessee football, Chicago Cubs baseball and Jesus. :) She's not a fan of honey or pantyhose and she is interning at Focus's Counseling Department (which she is really stoked about). So with her southern accent influence and Hanky's northern accent, they joke that my accent is going to sound confused.

So far it has been going really great. I have been so blessed with great roommates. Everyone here is really great. We went through orientation these first couple of days and then this past weekend went on a retreat where we did lots of team building exercises an

d really started getting to know those in our groups. We also went hiking which was AWESOME!

Focus has split the 84 of us into 2 groups: Alpha and Omega. I'm in Omega. I am interning with Focus's Axis group. This group is a traveling group that presents a Christian Worldview and what that looks like through media demonstrations to high school and college campuses. Our team is comprised of about 12 students and we will travel to Maryland, North Carolina, and Texas. We will go to those campuses and present, through interaction of movie clips and music, the concept of a worldviews and the importance of understanding worldviews that are present in our culture, as well as convince students of the truth, relevance, and necessity of a Biblical worldview. So, I'm totally stoked. I'll get to do presentations as well as act in a role. I'm just excited to be able to teach students and get them excited about living for Christ.

Other than that I have sat through 2 classes already. Christian Worldview studies by Dr. Leland and Marriage and Family Studies by Dr. and Linda Pampeyan. They are awesome so far. We have been reading about 100-150 pages each night for homework. We

are reading books such as "Making All Things New" by Henri J.M. Nouwen, "How To Win The Culture War" by Peter Kreeft, "The Abolition of Man" by C.S. Lewis, "The Universe Next Door" by James W. Sire, "Sacred Marriage" by Gary Thomas, and "The Search For Significance" by Robert Mcgee. This is just for the first couple days....there are LOTS more to come! So stay tuned. I will definitely let you know if I read a really good one!:)

We also have taken one personality test. We had to read through it before class today and one of the things it described me as was that I relate well to people but I give priority to the task. When I read that description I was at Brenda's hockey game! lol I read it to Callie and Hanky and they died laughing! We were at Brenda's hockey game...I was loving being there and hanging out but I was giving priority to the task because I had my homework there! lol

It was pretty accurate on my personality. There were some inaccuracies, but most of it was really funny to think about. For example, my attitude during competition is "I will win, you will lose." If you have ever competed with me you have probably heard that exact sentence out of my mouth!! lol

Anyways, I am really having such a blast. I do miss home and CBU and the routine and people I got to see on a regular basis, but the Lord is teaching me so much already. It is easier to be content when you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are where the Lord wants you to be. He is continuing to humble me in all areas, which is not easy, but is so awesome to think that He would love me so much to refine me and take away all of the sinful areas and make me more like Him. I was reading Ps. 136 today. It is such an amazing psalm, exclaiming the Lord's everlasting lovingkindness. The Lord just keeps reminding me that He is such a faithful God and that He is worthy of ALL my affection and focus.

p.s.

I promise to post more pictures of the apartment soon. So keep a look out:)

we have a picture of an elk on our plane

2008-09-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

So we are in the Sacramento airport right now. I'm excited that I don't have to travel alone this time. We have a mess of bags around us. I got everything in 2 suitcases, 2 very large (and pushing the limit) carry ons, 2 purses and overflow in dad's suitcase. But I got everything in!! :)

This last weekend was super fun. Saturday my friends Bryce and Trevor came down to hang out with my fam. We had "special olympics" in the pool that included relay races, marco polo games, and cannon ball contests. We also watched What About Bob which is one of my favs! I got to see everyone at church one last time which is always so encouraging!

Ok, I've got to go to the bathroom before we get on the plane. Those airplane toilets scare me. Why do they have to be so loud??

oh and for those of you who are avid readers, I'm reading "When I don't desire God" by John Piper which is really good. I'm almost done. My mom is reading "Never Surrender" by Gen. William G. Boykin. She just started it. He was a commander of US Army Special Forces and she is really excited about it.:)

p.s.

Crazy...we just saw people that we know really well that are on our same plane! Sometimes it seems that we know everyone.

ok BYE!

for those Princess Bride fans

2008-09-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day we went to Diablo Grande so Dad and John Boy could go golfing:

While the girls went bike riding:)

This was after our bike ride:

The day was hilarious (of course, with my family...how could it not be??)! Anyways, enjoy the very talented actresses as they demonstrate one of the classic scenes (that my family regularly quotes) in the Princess Bride.

1 month today

2008-09-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

Today is September 4th and that means that it has been 1 month since I left the south (although sometimes I say certain words with a bit of a drawl...or so they tell me)! I can't believe it! How I miss the 7 of the other first guinea pig interns for Precept Ministries!

Wow...We were the first!! How awesome is that?! Lord, why did you choose me?? It is really a miracle I was even there this summer! These 7 grew up basically with each other every year, seeing each other once at Boot Camp every summer. I was blessed to be able to join them and be a part of this family that's goal was to teach the Word of God. It was nothing that we did to deserve this opportunity, but by God's amazing grace! It's so amazing to think how the Lord orchestrated the past couple years, meeting the right people and providing for me to serve with Precept and then allowing me to serve there for a few months this summer! How great is our God that we serve!

I just want to list a few of the things, I can think of on the top of my head, that He taught me:

-humility

-reliance upon Him

-sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's leading (especially during teaching times in class!)

-not showing partiality

-faith and works

-being a doer of the Word and not just a hearer that deludes himself

-sensitivity to others' feelings

-loving people in my thoughts toward them

-different ways to have small groups and the importance of them

-we studied Acts, John, James

-how to better study the Bible for myself

-the importance of the Word

-the importance of prayer

-that pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God is to visit orphans and widows in their time of distress

-the tongue and how destructive it is!

-what spiritual warfare looks like

-teaching and how to effectively teach and how to hold a discussion just using the text in front of me

-working hard

-how the body of Christ should look like

-Discipleship and mentoring

-Hungering for God's Word

-how ministry looks (and how various it can be)/how ministry shouldn't look

-learning about how a ministry runs

-how vital Prayer is

-trusting God with today, and then when tomorrow comes, trusting Him with that day

-getting strength from only Him

-being real and honest

-Godly marriages and families come in all different shapes and sizes because He has different purposes for each one.

The Lord blessed me so much. I got to work with amazing people that constantly kept pointing me to the Lord and encouraged me to glorify and serve the Lord. I was able to work with some pretty great kids too. It was so amazing to be a part of their lives for a couple weeks. I love keeping in contact with them on facebook.

The Lord definitely got me out of my comfort zone (He always does...and I'm SO thankful He does:)). He let me help lead worship on the praise team. That was definitely a humbling experience in itself!

The Lord truly blessed me beyond imagine this summer. I can't believe how much he grew me. This summer was definitely a catalyst in my life and I will always look back to it as a defining point in my life.

So...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU all of you who prayed for me and gave support for the work that God did in my life this summer! I can't thank you enough for making possible everything that I experienced this summer! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

Now I go on to my next "big adventure" (as a lot of people are calling it). I don't want this time in my life to be the only time that I have big adventures! I want the Lord stretching me all the time!! Oh how I pray that I would never be content in where I am but that I would always press on to be stretched and molded by Him!

Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, CO. Wow, how did I get the privilege of getting to go there? Precept and Focus all in one year??? God you are so good! I am excited. I'm ready to meet new people and grow with them. I'm ready to hike in some of the most beautiful mountains God has created! I'm ready to continue the path that the Lord has me on. I'm ready to learn everything He wants to teach me this Fall. I'm ready for a "real winter"! :)

I leave Monday with my parents. They had their 25th anniversary (Praise the Lord for awesome parents who love the Lord so much)so they are coming with me and then spending a few days in Colorado themselves. So I'm kinda hogging their luggage space to fit all of my clothes! :) Pray I can get everything in 3 suitcases:) lol

I can't wait to update again what God is teaching me (hopefully how to pack for a whole semester in a limited amount of space)!

Road Trip With Yas

2008-07-05T05:50:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!!

So the Lord has been blowing me away! Boot Camps this year were awesome! Teaching these kids the inductive method was such a privilege and joy. It was hard and the Lord definitely taught us all A LOT, but the last day (when they did their chapter study, on James 5, on their own) was so cool to see them understand how to study their Bible. I've kept in touch with a hand full of campers and they have said that they are continuing to study on their own! It is just SO exciting to see the Lord at work. It was so great to see my brother and sister for a week while they came to the 2nd Boot Camp.

I miss them and I wish that they were still here, but it was

great to see them for as much as I could! There were a bunch of families at this boot camp (which was a lot of fun) and we all decided to take a "family photo":

Being able to teach at Boot Camp was really great! The first camp I was so nervous and had my whole game plan written out. By the 2nd camp I truly believe that the Holy Spirit was guiding me without my "game plan" being in the way. I lead

discussion on James 4 one day and I had a plan but threw it away because the Lord wanted to work in a different way. It was so amazing how the Lord used me in ways that I could never imagine. That was one of the things Ryan (my co-teacher) and I prayed for the most, was that the Lord would lead us. We didn't want to get in the way of what the Holy Spirit wanted to do. He used us in such big ways that we couldn't help but acknowledge that it was the Lord's doing and that He was working in BIG ways!

Sports time was really fun as well. We had the Gladiator event again. Here is a picture of all the gladiators after battling the campers on "The Hill". We set up this huge black tarp that was covered in soapy water. The campers had to get to the top while battling the Gladiators:) :

I also was blessed to help lead worship. It was so much fun and the Lord also stretched and grew me there as well! He taught me so much this last week I don't even know where I would start! He is so good and so faithful! Here we are at one of the nightly main sessions:

Camp ended on Tuesday afternoon. Everyone went home, including all of the interns (except Yasmin). So Yasmin and I decided to go

on a road trip down to Georgia:)

We drove to Ryan's house(where Nick was a

lso staying the night) and stayed with his family for a couple of nights (Ryan and Nick are both interns as well). We went to the Beach (St. Simons) one day and had a picnic. It was so much fun!

We also went to the smallest church in America. It was pretty cool! This is us in the church:

And this is Ryan ringing the bell outside of the church:)!

Then we went to visit some friends near Atlanta. We watched the fireworks with them last night and went to a SuperTarget. It is pretty much the craziest thing EVER! It had 32 check out stands. It was amazing and they were making fun of my excitement. It had a starbucks and a pizza hut in it!! We even bought cherries! Wow! We need to get one of those in California! It even Tonight we are going to a Braves game with them tonight and then going to church with them tomorrow. We will be heading back to Chattanooga soon after that! :) Yas and I have been so blessed by the body of Christ. It has been so restful to sit and fellowship with brothers and sisters across the country. The Lord has been so good to us. Yas and I were praying in the car yesterday and we just couldn't stop thanking the Lord for His faithfulness. He is so good to us. We are so blessed. Thank you for your prayers!

Last day of Boot Camp 2

2008-06-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

Good Morning:)

The staff here have a few prayer requests that I would love to share with you all. Today is the last day of camp and we have seen the Lord work in some powerful ways already. We need prayer that as they are creating and doing their chapter studies on their own that they would see the text come alive. Pray that the method would stick in their minds so that they can take this home with them. Pray that the Lord would continue to pierce their hearts with His Word. Pray that they would see where they need to change their lives when they go back home from today's lesson in James 5.

There are a couple kids on my team that are having a really tough time in their spiritual walk. This is really the part of their journey where they have to choose which way they are going to walk in. Pray that they wouldn't be distracted in their classrooms today and that they would see God as their Savior and God. Pray that they would truly understand the Love of Christ and what it costs to be His disciple. I can't wait to write to you all the prayers the Lord has answered. Thank you for partnering with me in His work! It is so exciting!

1 camp down...

2008-06-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

The first camp is officially over! I can't believe how fast it went. It seemed like the campers just got here and now they are gone. The 8 interns taught classrooms how to do the inductive study method through the book of James. The whole week focused on studying the Bible without a study. We showed them how to do a chapter study and walked them through the steps each day. They worked on a chapter a day, so the last day we let them do chapter 5 by themselves.

It was so exciting to see them working and really getting the method! And

more importantly, they were knowing God a little bit more each day!

Besides the classroom, Paul(my co-counselor) and I had a team where we competed against other teams during sports time. I am proud to announce that we were UNDEFEATED!!

The kids on our team were all SO different but so much fun! They really loved each other and it was so fun to see them work together so well!

They had an obstacle course that all 10 teams competed in called the "Gladiator Event". A few of the guy counselors dressed up like gladiators. Here is a picture of all the campers at the starting line and Ryan(my co-teacher and one of the gladiators:) lol) getting ready to start the event:

They had to do some hard team building events as well as some gross things that you have to do when you work with students...just for laughs:) They had to get their whole team over a rope without touching it as well as sit on a balloon filled with chocolate pudding:)

I also roomed with 5 other girls in a room. Here is a picture of all of us:

It was a great week at camp. We are continuing to pray for the students who now have to leave and go back home to really tough situations. The goal was to teach them a method of study in order that they could continue in it at home...ONLY to grow closer with their Savior.

We are just hanging out today. We got up and went to church where David Lawson was preaching. Then all of us went to Chili's for lunch. We are going to go play some volleyball and just rest before orientation starts tomorrow. Counselors for boot camp 2 get here tonight.

Please pray for the next campers that they Lord will be preparing their hearts. Pray for strength and endurance for those of us who have been here for both camps.

The Lord is so good and has been teaching me SO much! I can't wait to write more.

Boot Camp Orientation

2008-06-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!!

I don't have a lot of time to write, but I just wanted to let you all know that Boot Camp orientation for the counselors has officially started. We started the day off with individual prayer and quiet time for about 2 1/2 hours and then we got all together for prayer in preparation for staffing boot camp. Please pray for unity among the counselors and wisdom as we prepare for the campers to get here. Also please pray for the hearts of the campers that are coming; that they would be prepared! Thank you for your prayers. Here is a picture of the room we are meeting in and a few of the counselors. Emily is the one with the thumbs up:) She is the one going to Focus on the Family with me in the Fall!

"Mini Boot Camp"

2008-06-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

I've been here at Precept for 9 days now. It has been so great. The Lord is teaching me so much. We have been in the classroom every day completing all the workshops that Precept Ministries offers. The ones we have completed so far are Witnessing, Biblical Prayer, How to study your Bible, Basics of Precept Upon Precept, and Word Studies. It is so great for us interns to go through all of these even though we have done inductive study for so long, because we are going to be teaching at Precept. We have gotten the privilege to watch many different teachers and their different approaches in teaching and leading. It has built our confidence in leading as well as focus us on Who is really the One giving us the power and strength to lead.

Tomorrow is our first day of leading. We get to participate in the Executive Briefing. The donors and sponsors of Precept Ministries are coming to Chattanooga to experience a "Mini Boot Camp". They are going to go through many of the different activities and sessions that the campers go through. We get to take them through a little bit of the studies we will be teaching the students here this summer. We really want them to see how the student ministries part of Precept works and looks like. It is really exciting! So, please pray not only for the interns as we teach, but that the Lord's will would be done and that He would provide.

I know this isn't a very long blog, but just know that I feel so blessed to be here. The Lord is putting everything together perfectly and humbling me like no other. He is taking me step by step this journey and I am so glad that I am in the palm of His hand. How unworthy I feel and yet this is how He is glorified the most! Thank you for your prayers!

4 airports later...

2008-05-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

Hey All! (notice I didn't say ya'll...my voice hasn't changed quite yet) I'm here and its beautiful!

First thing this morning at 8:00 the Precept Staff prayed over all of the interns. They were so excited for us to be there and it was so encouraging to see them all and to hear about how they had been praying for us.

We also had our

first day of class today. We had a workshop on how to do the Basics of a Precept Upon Precept course. We worked on a part of one of the Genesis studies. We studied about Abraham and his obedience in faith. It was really awesome for all of the interns because of where we are in life. I think that even though it was a long day we were all so encouraged and so grateful. We learned so much observing how our instructor took us through the lesson. He also instructed us a bit on how to lead, so that was very helpful as well.

(Here is a picture of the room I'm staying in)

(Here is a picture of our binder for the summer!)

Tomorrow we have a Biblical Prayer Workshop that we are all really excited about.

There are 8 interns, 4 boys and 4 girls. Their names are: Yasmin, Ashlee, Emily(who will also be attending Focus on the Family with me in the Fall), Ryan, Nick, B

en, and Jeremiah. We would love prayer. Pray for strength, focus, endurance, and unity. I am rooming with Yasmin(I met her last year at boot camp).

It has been such a great first day and I am so looking forward to the rest of the summer. I feel so blessed! Thank you for your prayers! I'll talk to you soon:)

new music & yoga...totally unrelated

2008-05-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

So I've found this awesome musician named Andrew Case. You HAVE to check him out. He has all of his music on this page that you can download. The lyrics are awesome and his voice is great.

In other Holly Strand news, I leave for Tennessee in about 4 days!! Crazy! I have a bridal shower to go to tomorrow for one of my childhood friends. I'm super excited to see her again. Then I'm going to see Narnia tomorrow with the fam...it's always exciting with the 6 of us.:)

I've started training for Half Dome already (oh ya, if you don't know my brother and sister and a friend and his brother are climbing Half Dome this summer right after I get home from Precept and before I go to Focus on the Family for the fall!). I've ran 3 mile

s each day. Its so good to be able to run after 2 weeks of choir tour just sitting on busses ALL day long!

I've also raised all the money that I need for my internship this summer. Praise the Lord. Thank you to all who helped me. I am eternally grateful. Well, I'm going to go do a yoga video with my sisters and brittany (here are some pics of them).

This should be fun;) We tried to do it last night and absolutely laughed our heads off when the instructor told us, "Let your sit-bones sink into the earth..."!!! Bye for now!

sing unto the Lord

2008-05-15T20:40:00.001-07:00

So, I'm almost done with Choir tour. We have been to Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, and Oaklahoma (not in any particular order)! It has been fun, hectic, trying, demanding, tiring, interesting, and exciting. This has been our basic routine for the last week and a half:

1. Drive from around 6-9 hours in a bus

2. Arrive at the church and start curling the hair

3. Eat dinner at the church

4. Sing for 2 hours

5. Tear down and clean up

6. Get paired with a host family and go to their home

7. Sleep

8. Wake up and do it all over again!

Here are some pictures of the churches and our tour so far:

This is a picture of one of the churches:

Here is a picture of Rissa Lauren and me at one of our concerts:

Here is Rissa and me on the bus going home from a concert:

These are my roommates for next year in the Spring when I get back from Focus on the Family:)

This is a few of us getting ready for a concert in the dressing rooms:

Sometimes when we get to the church, we have a little bit of extra time...so Rissa and I usually steal away and find our quiet spots to just be with the Lord (after being with crazy music students all day:)). Then we compare our spots at dinner. We have found some pretty sweet Baptismals.
We have 4 concerts to go with 2 days left! I'll be home Monday afternoon. I can't wait to see my family!

faithfulness to the unfaithful

2008-05-03T00:44:00.001-07:00

Today I got a LONG awaited call from Focus on the Family saying that I have been accepted to the institute for the Fall Semester! I applied at the beginning of the spring semester (January-ish) and since I was up to my eye balls in school work, I hadn't had time to really think about it. As the school year was drawing to a close, the time for applying for housing and registering for new classes had arrived. I knew that I wouldn't find out if I had gotten accepted until after I had left for the summer, so I had to register for classes and figure out plan B of "my plan" in case it wasn't the Lord's (this is usually the outcome). I signed up for classes and wasn't too thrilled about them. Over and over again I asked the Lord that if He didn't want me in Colorado in the fall, that I would not be accepted. It has been probably one of the biggest desires of my heart right now in this period of waiting. There are so many unknowns, but the list is getting shorter! I now know where I will be in the summer (Precept-Tennessee) and I now know where I will be in the Fall (Focus on the Family-Colorado)! The Lord is so faithful even though I fail so many times. He has, is, and will always be faithful to me. He disciplines for my benefit, so that I may share in His holiness (Hebrews 12:10)!

The greatest part about this story is that I actually missed my acceptance call from Focus on the Family because I was praying with a friend in the prayer chapel. One of the things that we were praying about was Focus on the Family. The past week I was so anxious about getting the call. It seemed like the call was NEVER going to come! But while we were praying I told the Lord that I didn't want to go anywhere He didn't want me to go. Instantly I felt peace. It is that peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Then when we walked back to my cottage I checked my phone and sure enough, they had called! I wasn't expecting it; I just knew that the Lord was taking care of it.

The Lord has definitely been teaching me patience and it is so exciting to see growth in the waiting period. In James (5:7) it says to wait as a farmer waits. This is such an awesome concept because a farmer doesn't sit around while he waits for harvest. He is working and laboring HARD! He is irrigating, mowing, weeding, spraying, tilling the soil, and pruning. He is working so hard so that the reward is great. He is focused on the pursuit. His mind is focused on how he is going to get to the time of harvest, not harvest itself. He has so much to do before harvest, so he works; he works hard. So while God is telling me to wait, he is preparing me and growing me. I can't desire the end result more than the pursuit because there is such greatness in the pursuit! If I focus on the end I will miss all that God is trying to teach me now!

I leave for Choir tour tomorrow. We leave for two weeks and then I'll be home for a week before I head out to Precept for the summer! I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me. I am so blessed and so unworthy. He is so faithful even though I can be so unfaithful!

Lord, may my focus always be on you. May I never worry because you are my hope, my refuge, and my strength.

snow in washington

2008-04-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

So this weekend, I had the privilege to work with Precept at one of their Youth conferences in Seattle Washington. Yes, there was snow (which was quite a change from close to 90 degree weather in SoCal). The weekend's theme was "You've got next" which is a call to the next generation to rise to the call of all believers as Priests. The students were placed in classrooms where we introduced the inductive study method. We went through different passages in the Bible that dealt with:

1. Who we are:

a. None are righteous(Romans 3:9-12)

b. As believers we are priests chosen to proclaim the excellencies of Him who saved us(1 Peter 2:4-12)

c. We are set apart and are to look different and act different!

2. Identifying where God is working:

a. God reveals Himself through creation(Romans 1:18-26)

b.If they are seeking, then the Lord is working. It is nothing of ourselves. God is the One who calls men to Himself.

3. We have been given gifts

a. For God's glory

b. For the equipping of the saints for the work of service & the building up of the body of Christ(Ephesians 4:7-13)

c. Example of Moses-God giving(and preparing him)gifts of leadership. Given by God for God's glory. God was working while Moses was obeying God's commands every step of the way.

4. How to Live a Lifestyle of Service

a. The discipline of following Him Now(Mt. 4:18-25)

b. The discipline of dying to my own dreams and desires(Mt. 10:37-42/Luke 9:23)

c. The discipline of letting Him take the lead(Mt. 11:25-30)

d. The discipline of living it out in front of others(2 Thess. 3:6-15)

5. Living a Life Characterized by Love

a. Loving God and Your neighbor(Mt. 22:36-40/Jn. 13:34-35/Gal. 5:14)

b. Loving from the perfect love given by God(1 Jn. 4:7-21)

c. Loving your enemies(Mt. 5:43-48/Luke 6:27-36)

This weekend we all tried to help make practical applications for them. We didn't want them to come to a conference just to hear (probably what they have already heard before) what they are supposed to do. If they came and learned what they are to do, but then did not act upon it, then it was all in vain. So, we tried to make them think about their gifts that the Lord has given them and how they could serve when they go back home. We asked them about the different ministries they were involved in, sports teams, music groups, school activities...etc. We also identified people in their lives who were hard to love and made practical application, so that when they go back home they can serve them in real ways in order to show the Love that they have received through their Savior, Jesus Christ.

It was such a great weekend. My group was really great. I had about 15 students. One of the boys I had was autistic. He was so precious and loved Jesus with all his heart. He was absolutely brilliant! He loved to talk though, and so in class I would ask a question and he would go on this wild tangent about Martin Luther (which all the other kids had NO clue who he was...they were all 8-10th grade) or Marxism, but he really did contribute to the discussion. The other students really responded great to him. The only thing I wish was different was me. I wish I had more experience with that disability in order to really teach him the principles. I wish I would have known how his brain worked a little better in order to help him more.

I do have to say that it was one of the most mentally challenging things I have ever experienced. We only had an hour for each session and it was already going to be hard to jam the whole lesson into that hour without any distractions. So while he was talking, I was trying to really understand what he was trying to explain to me, and how it related to the topic we were talking about, while thinking about how to lead his thought back to the lesson, all the while trying to keep the rest of the group engaged in the discussion that seemed to be scattered everywhere.

I do know why the Lord placed him in my group though. Not only did the Lord prepare me in a way that I was really comfortable with (and have a heart for) people with disabilities, but also that the Lord wanted me to be dependent on Him (especially it being my first time to lead a small group). The Lord wasn't going to let me think that I could lead a classroom without Him. And let me tell you, I was constantly at the mercy of the Lord. There wasn't a second that went by that I thought I could have done it on my own. I was begging for the Lord to help and sustain me. The Lord is awesome. He didn't let me even entertain the idea of self sufficiency!

This has really given me a spark to finish the school year out strong as well as excite me about this summer's internship. I know that the Lord has me going there for a purpose and that end goal is for His glory. I can't wait to keep updating this blog about all that the Lord will be doing!

Well, finals are this week. They start Thursday and will go until Tuesday of next week. The Lord is good. Please keep praying for the interns heart as we are preparing to go to Tennessee and that we would all finish our study on James (we will be doing a PUP study with the students at Boot Camp) before we arrive!

Faith

2008-04-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

Right now my life feels like it is in limbo. Limbo is the word of the semester. There are so many unknowns and it is scary. I seek the Lord's face constantly. I am at His mercy begging Him to reveal to me what He has for me. This morning I was praying and I just heard Him say, "Holly be patient. Just wait." He has been teaching me patience all along. That is one of the hardest things to act upon...or not act upon! :) I am not patient and that is probably why the Lord is teaching me patience. I tell the Lord that I will do anything that He wants me to; "Just tell me and I'll do it!" Well, He has told me to wait and so if I do not, I am not being true to my word and, worse, I'm living in sin. I'm worrying about things that I can't fix. I'm worrying about the future and I can't do anything about the future right now. I just need to rest in His unwavering faithfulness. The Lord is so good to me and continues to bless me everyday. I look at this past year and see His faithfulness in decisions I have made about College, Roommates, Classes, Ministry, Bible Studies, Focus Application. He has been faithful in strengthening me and growing me in Him. He has taught me more about His word more than ever this year. He has been my strength, my wisdom, my guide, my life. Why should I be worrying? Shame on me that I should ever doubt that He can run my life! Why is it so hard to give up complete control? Lord build my faith in you.

My God,

I bless thee that thou hast given me the eye of faith,

to see thee as Father,

to know thee as a covenant God,

to experience thy love planted in me;

For faith is the grace of union

by which I spell out my entitlement to thee:

Faith casts my anchor upwards

where I trust in thee

and engage thee to be my Lord.

Be pleased to live and move within me,

breathing in my prayers,

inhabiting my praises,

speaking in my words,

moving in my actions,

living in my life,

causing me to grow in grace.

Thy bounteous goodness has helped me believe,

but my faith is weak and wavering,

its light dim,

its steps tottering,

its increase slow,

its backslidings frequent;

It should scale the heavens, but lies groveling in the dust.

Lord, fan this divine spark into glowing flame.

When faith sleeps, my heart becomes

an unclean thing,

the fount of every loathsome desire,

the cage of unclean lusts

all fluttering to escape,

the noxious tree of deadly fruit,

the open wayside of earthly tares.

Lord, awake faith to put forth its strength

until all heaven fills my soul

and all impurity is cast out.

the new faces of CBU

2008-04-04T19:24:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I'm going to blog about an event that happened in my life the other day! Exciting...I know. So since CBU is growing rapidly they are investing in advertisement. They have already shot one commercial that a couple of my friends and I got to be involved in. Jonathan talked about scooters and skateboarding around campus (because it is the cool thing to do here...I even bought my roommate a scooter for Christmas:)...oh and a side note: it was $18!!! I remember when my parents bought them for us kids and they were around $100! We had to have grandparents chip in for them!) They interviewed me about campus life and how the on campus "community" was like(it was corny, but they used it! hehe)

So this time, they filmed Monica and I in our cottage-mate's room next door to ours(she is the admission host that hosts prospective students when they come visit our campus). Monica sat on the bed and I was at the desk. They made us act like we were doing our homework. Monica was working on her computer while I was reading Old Testament Ethics! Quite invigorating:)

They made me ask her a random question (so it looked like we were talking about something important) and then she was to answer back. Side note: Improv is tough! :) Then Monica and Rachel (another fellow cottage-mate) went into the kitchen to do more shooting. By now, we felt like real actresses. Where are my peanut m&m's?? Rachel and I played cards while Monica made tea! lol

So now that we've made it into 2 commercials, I think I have to say that we are the new faces of CBU!

And this is my RA cindy: I love her.

She loves India and is pretty much the greatest RA ever:)

Thoughts from Al Mohler on Marriage and God's glory

2008-04-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

OK, so it may looked like I'm obsessed with this topic, but this is a great article by Al Mohler...I PROMISE:)

....ok back to homework...I can see the light at the end of the tunnel;)

[from Al Mohler’s blog]

Marriage and the Glory of God

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and in the face of this congregation, to join together this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony; which is an honorable state, instituted by God in the time of man’s innocency, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church.”

That familiar language from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, recited thousands of times each week in various forms, presents a vision of marriage as a deeply Christian institution—even a necessary portrait of the love that unites Christ and His church. As marriage signifies this “mystical union,” it points to an understanding that takes us far beyond the relationship of the husband and wife. Do most Christians have even the slightest understanding of this?

It is bad enough that the secular world has discounted marriage into a quasi-legal contract that, like other voluntary contracts, can be made or broken at will. The greater tragedy is the failure of Christians to take marriage seriously. According to the Bible, marriage is not only designed by the Creator as an arena for human happiness and the continuation of the human race—it is also the arena of God’s glory, where the delights and disciplines of marriage point to the purpose for which human beings were made.

Marriage is about our happiness, our holiness, and our wholeness—but it is supremely about the glory of God. When marriage is entered into rightly, when marriage vows are kept with purity, when all the goods of marriage are enjoyed in their proper place—God is glorified.

Our chief end is to glorify God—and marriage is a means of His greater glory. As sinners, we are all too concerned with our own pleasures, our own fulfillments, our own priorities, our own conception of marriage as a domestic arrangement. The ultimate purpose of marriage is the greater glory of God—and God is most greatly glorified when His gifts are rightly celebrated and received, and His covenants are rightly honored and pledged.

Marriage is not greatly respected in our postmodern culture. For many, the covenant of marriage has been discarded in favor of a contract of cohabitation. An ethic of personal autonomy has produced successive generations who think of the world as the arena of their own personal fulfillment and of marriage as an outdated relic of an outgrown culture of obligation.

Ours is an era of self-expression. Individuals express themselves through marriage, and then express themselves through divorce—as if all of life is nothing more than a succession of acts of self-expression.

A divorce culture explains away obligation and sacred promises as temporary statements of emotional disposition. I may feel married today—I may not feel married tomorrow.

Our culture is so sexually confused that the goods of sex are severed from the vows and obligations of marriage. Thanks to modern technologies, we can have sex without babies, babies without sex, and both without marriage. For many, marriage has become an irrelevancy.

For others it is worse. Some have lambasted marriage as a domestic prison, a patriarchal and oppressive institution foisted upon unsuspecting men and women in order to deny them freedom, autonomy, fulfillment, and liberation. And, for a post-Christian culture, there is that nagging problem of the essential character of marriage as sacred institution. A society that disbelieves in God will eventually disbelieve in marriage.

Christian couples who are committed to this high conception of marriage must see themselves as counter-revolutionaries. In a very real sense, they are. They are standing against the tide of public opinion, against the trend of modern morality, against the erosion of order and the deflationary market in faithfulness. Before God, they stand committed to each other—and only to each other. To live together for each other, no matter what may come.

The church has recognized three great purposes of marriage, and all three of these have been subverted by the sexual revolution and its aftermath.

The first is the procreation and nurture of children, if God should grant children to the marriage. This purpose is dishonored by many, but it is honored among believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Children are to be welcomed as gifts to the institution of marriage, transforming husband and wife into father and mother. In our anti-natalist age, some see children as impositions—or worse. The denial of a procreative orientation for marriage—every marriage genuinely open to the gift of children—is a denial of the biblical vision of marriage itself.

The second great purpose of marriage, as the ancient language expresses it, is “as a remedy against sin, and to avoid fornication … that [believers] might marry and keep themselves undefiled members of Christ’s body.” Marriage as a remedy for sin? This purpose is ridiculed among many, but it is honored among Christ’s disciples. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul took as his concern in writing to the church at Corinth. Confused and seduced by sexual sin, that church had compromised its own ability to represent Christ. Paul pointed to marriage as a means of channeling sexual desire into its proper context, lest believers “burn with passion” and sin against God. [1 Corinthians 7:9]

Our culture has turned “burning with passion” into a hedonistic art form. Explicit sexuality—stripped of the constraints of marriage—is the energy behind much of our economy, the material for entertainment, the substance of art, the enticement of advertising. Those who believe that sexual intercourse should be limited to marriage are dismissed as moral throw-backs, hopelessly outdated creatures who simply have no clue about the modern world.

The third great end of marriage is companionship throughout life, through good and bad, comfort and loss, sickness and health, until death parts the husband and wife. The mystery of completeness is expressed in the statement that the two shall become one. When a man and a woman exchange marriage vows, they become one solitary unit. After the exchange of these vows, we can no longer speak of the husband without the wife, or of the wife without the husband. They have become one, both in the physical union of the marital act and in the metaphysical union of the marital bond. As a married couple—husband and wife—they will live to the glory of God with each other, for each other, and to each other.

The end of marriage is its beginning—the glory of God, the mystery of Christ and the church. The exclusivity and purity of the marriage bond points to the exclusivity and purity of the relationship between Christ and His church.

How does marriage glorify God? Tertullian, one of the early church fathers, offers wisdom: “How beautiful, then, the marriage of two Christians, two who are one in home, one in desire, one in the way of life they follow, one in the religion they practice … Nothing divides them either in flesh or in spirit … They pray together, they worship together, they fast together; instructing one another, encouraging one another, strengthening one another. Side by side they visit God’s church and partake God’s banquet, side by side they face difficulties and persecution, share their consolations. They have no secrets from one another; they never shun each other’s company; they never bring sorrow to each other’s hearts … Seeing this Christ rejoices. To such as these He gives His peace. Where there are two together, there also He is present.”

Marriage is the source of great and unspeakable happiness. Yet because of sin it is not unmixed happiness. But marriage is not first and foremost about making us happy. It is for making us holy. And through the covenant of marriage two Christians pledge to live together so as to make each other holy before God, as a testimony to Christ.

Keep this in mind in the midst of today’s frenzied marriage debates. Marriage is first and foremost about the glory of God. All of the manifold gifts of marriage are derived from that great fact.

6 hour drive to the happiest place on earth

2008-03-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, but more importantly it is the day that I get to go home! I am SO excited to see my family. It will take about six hours to get home but there will be Full House marathons galore if my sisters have anything to do with how the week is going to go:) I am most excited about Easter Sunday and the celebration that will take place! Oh how I long for that day when I get to see my Savior face to face. I can't even imagine the celebration that will be going on then!

I am also taking 11 books home with me for homework. I know, it is insane! I really do love it though. I am doing a paper on the Kingship in Israel and how it contrasted with the ancient Near East. It has been such a fun paper to write so far. It has helped me understand and know who God is a little bit more. Understanding that Righteousness and Justice are the foundation of His throne(Ps. 89:14), provokes worship in the Psalms.

In the ancient Near East, the kingship was oppressive, especially to the poor and the lower class. The king owned all of the land and was a representation of the god of that land. The king would then distribute(sold) the land to tenants who would take care of the land for the king. If the people did not obey the king, they were severely oppressed. This is completely opposite to what the Lord required of the king of Israel. The people of Israel were directed by YHWH. They were called and elected by YHWH. Thus, their response to such grace was to be obedient. YHWH describes the king's duties in Deuteronomy 17. Verses 18-20 say:

18"And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. 19And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, 20that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.

The king was not to even let his heart be lifted up above his people. He was to act in servanthood and humility to his people; he was never to take advantage of them. Their kingship was designed to imitate their One True King over all. They were to imitate the One who redeemed them and called them as His "treasured possession"(Exodus 19:5). Chris Wright(Old Testament Ethics for the People of God) says that God required this righteousness and justice from them because that is what reflected Him. When people fail to carry out justice, they do not have the true God as the object of their worship and devotion. In this way, Israel(as a society and government) was to be a model for the nations around them. Not only was the king to imbibe righteousness and justice, but so were the people. The people were to know the Lord and fear the Lord. He was their God and they were to reflect Him in the way that they lived. Chris Wright explains that, "knowing the Lord means being committed to the things He most delights in: Kindness, Justice and Righteousness."

In Jeremiah it says that to know the Lord is to act justly and righteously:

22:15-16

"'Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and the needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?' declares the Lord!"

To live in a way that is Righteous and Just is to know God.

Furthermore, Wright comments that, "the one who would dare to come into the presence of God for worship must be the one whose life manifests the character of the God to be worshipped"(Wright).

Psalm 15:1-2

"Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on Your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is right..."

All that to say, I am thrilled to be writing this paper. I am thrilled that the Lord has given me the opportunity to learn to know and fear Him in this way. I can't begin to tell you how blessed I am and how much the Lord has graciously taught me this past year at CBU. Just as Israel was called and chosen, so was I. In the same way that they were to respond in obedience to that call, so am I to respond in obedience. May we ever more abide in Christ and strive to imitate Him in Righteousness and Justice.

p.s.

Chris Wright's Book is AMAZING. I read it for my Old Testament Ethics class. You really need to get it!

Evening Renewal

2008-03-14T19:53:00.001-07:00

My Father,

If thy mercy had bounds, where would be my refuge from just wrath?

But thy love in Christ is without measure.

Thus, I present myself to thee with sins of commission and omission,

against thee, my Father,

against thee, adorable Redeemer,

against thee and thy strivings, O Holy Spirit,

against the dictates of my conscience,

against the precepts of thy Word,

against my neighbours and myself.

Enter not into judgment with me,

For I plead no righteousness of my own,

and have no cloak for iniquity.

Pardon my day dark with evil

This night I renew my penitence.

Every morning I vow to love thee more fervently,

to serve thee more sincerely,

to be more devoted in my life,

to be wholly thine;

Yet I soon stumble, backslide,

and have to confess my weakness, misery and sin.

But I bless thee that the finished work of Jesus needs no addition from my doings,

that His oblation is sufficient satisfaction for my sins.

If future days be mine, help me to amend my life,

to hate and abhor evil,

to flee the sins I confess.

Make me more resolute, more watchful, more prayerful.

Let no evil fruit spring from evil seeds my hands have sown;

Let no neighbour be hardened in vanity and folly by my want of circumspection.

If this day I have been ashamed of Christ and His Word,

or have shown unkindness, malice, envy, lack of love, unadvised speech, hasty temper,

let it by no stumbling block to others, or dishonour to thy Name.

O help me to set an upright example that will ever

rebuke vice,

allure to goodness,

and evidence that lovely are the ways of Christ.

longings after God...a puritan prayer

2008-03-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

so there is this book that everyone needs to get. It is called 'The Valley of Vision'. It was given to me as a gift by a friend that has spurred me on spiritually. It is a book of recorded puritan prayers. It has humbled, challenged, and encouraged me as I pursue holiness in my walk with the Lord. I will post one every week, hoping that they will bless you and encourage you in the faith. This one is called Longings After God, since this is where Biblical Manhood and Womanhood starts.

My Dear Lord,

I can but tell thee that thou knowest I long for nothing but thyself,

nothing but holiness, nothing but union with thy will.

Thou hast given me these desire, and thou alone canst give me the thing desired.

My soul longs for communion with thee, for mortification of indwelling corruption, especially spiritual pride.

How precious it is to have a tender sense and clear apprehension of the mystery of godliness, of true holiness!

What a blessedness to be like thee as much as it is possible for a creature to be like its Creator!

Lord, give me more of thy likeness; Enlarge my soul to contain fullness of holiness; Engage me to live more for thee.

Help me to be less pleased with my spiritual experiences, and when I feel at east after sweet commiunings, teach me it is far too little I know and do.

Blessed Lord, let me climb up near to thee, and love, and long, and plead, and wrestle with thee, and pant for deliverance from the body of sin, for my heart is wandering and lifeless, and my soul morns to think it should ever lose sight of its Beloved.

Wrap my life in divine love, and keep me ever desiring thee, always humble and resigned to thy will, more fixed on thyself, that I may be more fitted for doing and suffering.