Crazy Love

I recently finished what has become, hands down, the best book I have ever read. Crazy Love by Francis Chan. About a year ago, I went to Memphis Tennessee with about 50 other middle schoolers, high schoolers, and leaders for the Live Love Tour. It was an AMAZING weekend!!! Kristian Stanfill lead worship, which was absolutely incredible! (WE ARE THE KINGDOM OF GOD; WE ARE AN ARMY OF LOVE!!) And Francis Chan was the main speaker. Most of what he talked about came straight out of his book, Crazy Love. And a few months ago, I finally picked up the book to go through with my small group. And was just able to finish several days ago. So, I got thinking that I'd like to share with cyber space some things I learned from the book.... Now, I'm a BIG highlighter/note taker when it comes to books. But when I flip through the pages of the book now, it looks like I underlined every single sentence.... It was THAT good. This causes a great dilemma though... because now I have to pick and choose what to share! I guess you'll just have to go read the rest for yourself!



"Men are never duly touched an impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God."

"It confuses us when loving God is hard. Shouldn't it be easy to love a God so wonderful? When we love God because we feel we should love Him, instead of genuinely loving out of our true selves, we have forgotten who God really is."

"If my mind is the size of a soda can and God is the size of all the oceans, it would be stupid for me to say He is only the small amount of water I can scoop into my little can. God is so much bigger; so far beyond our time encased, air/food/sleep-dependant lives."

"Intellectually we all know that we will die, but we do not really know it in the sense that the knowledge becomes a part of us. We do not really know it in the sense of living as though it were true. One the contrary, we tend to live a though our lives would go on forever."

"Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives."

"The irony is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don't really want Him most of the time."

"Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today's to-do list, this week's schedule, and next month's vacation."

"Lukewarm People do not live by faith; their lives are structured so that we never have to. They don't have to trust God is something unexpected happens-they have their savings account. They don't need God to help them-they have their retirement plan in place. They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live-they have life figured and mapped out. They don't depend of God on a daily basis-their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in god health. The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God." (This kills me... because I realize how much of this is true...)

"Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter."

"Many of us believe we have as much of God as we want right now, a reasonable portion of God among all the other things in our lives. Most of out thoughts are centered on the money we want to make, the school we want to attend, the body we aspire to have, the spouse we want to marry, the kind of person we want to become... But the fact is that nothing should concern us more than our relationship with God; it's about eternity, and nothing compares with that."

"God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through."

"Joy is something that we have to choose and then work for."

"Christians are like manure; spread them out and they help everything grow better, but keep them in one big pile and they stink horribly."



Sooo, yeah, I kind of liked that book. Pick up a copy; it'll change your life.

Thoughts....

Do I go to church because I love Jesus or do I go because I love my church?  I've been thinking a lot about this question lately... Am I more in love with the church than I am with the one who created me?  It shouldn't matter where I am, as long as I am first and foremost worshipping God with all of my heart.  But then why does where a person chooses to be matter so much? I don't understand.  People become broken and torn apart by something that should bring us together.  I'm not proposing that a choice of church doesn't matter at all, because it does.  I want to be at a church where I can serve, and further my relationship with Jesus.  But my relationship with Jesus should still be as alive when i'm at home reading my bible as it is when i'm sitting in a church service.
I love Granger Community Church, I have grown so much there, however, if at any point I find myself just going simply because I feel comfortable there and i'm not challenging myself spiritually, it's time to move on.

It's ok to be uncomfortable, because in the end the wierd, awkward times in your life will make you that much stronger.

Questions.

Where is my lasor focus?
Are my priorities in order; do I spend more time digging into God's word than I do reading my US History book?  If you really are what you spend the most time doing, than I am an overly stressed out student just barely staying above water.  So how do I make my relationship with Jesus stay just as alive with all of my other school work, without completely burning myself out? Truth be told... I don't know.  I don't know how to balence the thing that is my life right now.
How do I "Love the Lord my God with all my heart, mind, and soul" when the majority of my day is studying concepts that I might not even use the rest of my life? How do I include God is something like school? If I was God, I wouldn't want to be at school. I'm just sayin.

God, I have so many questions. Where are you when it seems like I can't get answers?

It's been a month...

A month since I've written a blog post. My sincerest apologies to those who are agitated that I haven't been on top of posting... (cough, dad, cough.)
Soooo what's happened in the past month...?? Lots.
How do you feel about a list? Cause I feel great about one...

--> Said goodbye to a dear friend, I was sad. He moved to Florida, so i'm sure he wasn't saddened by leaving boring northern Indiana.
--> My little (actually my BIG) brother turned 14!!!!! Crazyness!! He'll be a freshman at Penn next year and I can't believe it!
--> Watched my beastly brother at a few basketball games.
-->I WENT TO RENEWAL!!!! (more to come on that later...)
--> Purdue beat IU!
--> Purdue basketball started which is awesome because they're more dependable than the football team...
--> There was fog and I slept in.
--> Thanksgiving!! :)
--> Watched The Proposal... THREE TIMES over break.
--> No snow... :(
--> Went and cut down our Christmas tree!! And again... no snow.
--> Did tons of hw; studyed for lots of tests.

And currently I am mourning that fact that there is still NOT A FLAKE of snow in my yard.  Gearing up for a hard week; choir concert week (aka: the week I will die) and a plethora of tests, quizzes, and finals!!
Hard to believe, we're already nearing the end of the first semester... But I am more than ready for Christmas breakkk!!!

I will try harder to share with you relatively pointess stories about my life more often.

Bye, friends!

Camp Manowe

Last sunday my family went up to Camp Manowe in Michigan to spend some quality time together. Yes, my family wanders around the woods for hours... and likes it. Wierd.
Well, I hijacked the camera and snapped and few (hundred) pics and here's a few of my favs... These are the ones that left my in awe of how amazing God is and how much is cares about even the smallest of details.

I'm sensing a pattern...

I have begun to slowly realize that a lot of my favorite songs consist of the same words.



Take My Life.


Concidence... ha. No.

Let's just take a look shall we --->

Take my life and let it be
All for you and for your glory
Take my life and let it be
Yours

(Glory to God Forever -- Fee)

Take my life and let it be
Everything
All of me
Here I am
Use me for Your glory
In everything I say and do
Let my life honor you
Here I am
Living for Your glory

(Living for Your Glory -- Tim Hughes)

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to thee
Here am I
All of me
Take my life
It's all for thee

(Take My Life and Let it Be -- Chris Tomlin)

Take my life
Take my mind
Take my soul
Take my will
Cause I am yours now
I give it all to you

(Take My Life -- Jeremy Camp)

Take my heart
And make it new
And make it true
And make it like you
Take my hands
I lift them high
They're yours not mine to do
So do what you will

(I'm Ready Now -- Desperation Band)


Take my life; the common thread.  I try to make a concious effort, everytime I sing one these songs, to be intentional about the words I'm forming with my mouth.  It's a prayer, God take my life.  It's surrender.  I give my life to you, use it however you want to.  I'm letting go, it's all you, God.  It becomes easy, though, after a while, to not realize what I'm saying. It just beomes simply words in a song, instead of continual prayer.  I pray that I will never go on autopilot while i'm singing, that every word that rolls off my tongue will be an intentional, honest cry out to God.

Take my life, and make it all you want it to be.

I never wanted to leave this face...

I met her in Mexico. I look at her and I see Jesus.  She's one of the most special girls i've ever met.



And I didnt understood a word she said.

Moment of personal privilege: Paige Scott

Paige and I are glued together by a bond that is not quickly broken.  We were cabin buddies; what's up owl cabin!! And although living in small quarters for a week with 14 girls may drive two people apart, it brought us so much closer.  We laughed, cried, made up fantastic Camp Beautiful chants together.  We are best friends.  She's an amazing girl!  And a pretty awesome dancer!  I love talking with her about life... uhh and boys. ;) She's one of the most encouraging girls that I know.  Always lifting people up, and making sure that everything feels included.  I love just being around her cause i'm hoping eventually some of her mercy and compassion will rub off on me...

I love you, Paige, you're amazing!!!

Things I learn from Middle School Journey....

It's not about me.

Don't put your parent/guardian in a head lock. (Or DC will probably fight you...)

Middle schoolers make me happy :) They're so full of energy and joy; it's AWESOME!

Conflicts aren't settled by bad communication

Do what your parents tell you to do, not only because God tells you to, but also because they might ground you from church.

Actions speak louder than words.

Middle schoolers like to smell my bible... it smells like camp :)

They're not afraid to ask questions.

Oh, and if you need a way to let out your anger..... you can either, go beat up a trash can, or paint your parents face on a balloon and pop it.

Don't you wish you would have come to journey??

:)

Moment of personal privilege: Heather Stevens

Heather Stevens; she's one of the girls in my small group, she chases after God with everything that's in her, and she's one of best friends. I am continually amazed in watching her lead at not only GSM, but at camp, and in Mexico. Heather has an amazing heart, she loves Jesus more than anything. I hold her in the highest respect.  I had the privilege of serving alongside her in Mexico last July and I have firsthand felt the impact of her service. Heather is amazing. Period. 

Middle School Journey Classes

"What are you clinging on to that you should just let go of, because God has SO much more to bless you with once you do?"
~The amazing, wonderful, super-smart... Dr. Phil (Whybrew)

John 15

I've mentioned my small group on here before, and I'd like to take this opportunity, once again, to say how much I love them! They are some of the most encouraging, hilarious, loving girls I have ever met. A few weeks ago we started meeting Thursdays mornings before school for a bible study. (Side-note... This should prove my extreme love and devotion toward my fellow group members, that I wake up at 5:30 once every week.) This past Thursday we read through John 15. As I began to read and take notes over this section of scripture, I realized it was going to take me at least twice as long as it normally would to get through it. I was writing down nearly every single verse and a note of what it meant to me off to the side. I read further and further and realized that it was probably pointless to just copy the entire section in my journal (which is what I was doing.) I couldn't believe how much good stuff was in this chapter. Now, I know that the whole bible is important but this particular part seemed to hit me in a different way than any other I have read. Some was encouraging, some was a wake up call.
Verse 2: "He cuts off any branch that nears no fruit." ---> Wake up call. Is God saying that every time my faith is stagnant, and every day that I don't feel like I'm doing all I need to be doing for him, he cuts me off?? Even if it's not that drastic, it still makes me constantly think about how I can "bear fruit."
Verse 2b "He prunes branches that do bear fruit." ---> This was really good for me to hear. I know that everything God does has a reason and purpose but sometimes it's hard to see. Like when he takes away things that have become comfortable in my life. Some of you might know about how God called my family out of our old church a year and a half ago, which was the worst yet best thing that has ever happened to me. (If you're curious about that, ask me! I love telling that story, because God changed my life through it all) He has also taken friendships away, and other things that at one time were very important to me. And though those were some of the hardest things I've ever had to go through, I can hold my head high and trust God, because I know he sees the bigger picture, even when I do not.
Verse 4:"No branch can bear fruit by itself." I can't do anything on my own. I have needed the support of so many people to bring me to where I am. If you think you can deal with a big thing in yor life all on your own, you can't. I've tried, and then I've failed, and had to come to others to guidance.
Verse 9: "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you." I can't fathom this verse. I can't fathom the amount of love God has for me. But I know it's A LOT. Even after everything I have done, he loves me with a love greater than I will ever know.
Verse 13: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." As I read this I thought of my small group. I thought about how much I love them, and how important they are to me. But then I thought if one of them were in great danger, or dieing... would I lay my life down for them? Give up everything that I have on this earth, so that they may live? When it comes down to it, my answer was... no. Someday, I hope that my love will grow so great, that my answer will be yes.
As hard as it is to believe, those are only a few of the verses I wrote down... No matter how many times I hear of God's love, it still takes me by storm. I am floored. All I can do is drop to me knees and worship my Father, because he is amazing.

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

He loves us
Oh, how he loves us
Oh how he loves

Baptism... The Story

http://www.currystew.org/?p=2335

Camp Adventure is a wonderful place where......

Camp Beautiful happens.... OW OW OWWWWL!

Injury buddies happen... (Yeahhhh birdie on a perch, and buck-buck!!)

Strangers leave as best friends...

Tator-Tot toes happen...

3-2-1 BLOBBB happens...

Conquered fears happen...

Co-Co's happen...

Skit night happens... (Y-E, Y-E-L, Y-E-L-L, EVERYBODY YELL CAMP ADVENTURE, WOOOO!)

Cabin buddies happens...

Cooking out happens... (Please tell me you aren't trying to burn a potato chip...)

Jesus happens... big time

"Small things done with great love will change the world."

I work at a place where I am constantly serving others. Asking them how they are, serving them food, making sure they have everything they need. And I love what I do. It's nice to know that I could be the difference between a good, and not so great day, for someone. So yesterday I went into work expecting to serve. And I did that, but God surprised me. An older couple came in and ordered a couple sandwiches and I took their food out to them outside to one of the tables. They sat and talked for nearly 45 minutes, and normally once you were done you just leave and I would go out and get their tray and plates. But the husband came in, handed me the tray and their trash and a 3 dollar tip (50% of their meal), and said, "Have a great day, God bless." It just struck me in a big way for some reason. I didn't put anything special on the sandwich, didn't stick an extra lemon in the iced tea, but he was so nice. Roughly 2 hours later we were about to close and I was bringing in furniture from outside and a friend of mine, Zach, that works a couple shops down was passing by on the way to get the mail. Bringing in chairs and tables is a little annoying but not terribly hard. So, just as he was passing, he stopped and said, "Hey, can I help you bring this stuff in?" He helped me fully knowing he was getting nothing out of it. I'm glad I went to work yesterday. God showed me the impact a small act of kindness can have on a person.

My Friend/Fake little sister, Danielle Allie.

There's a girl that I like a lot. Named Dani Allie. I think you know her. She's pretty awesome, she makes me food and hangs out with me even when my sister's not there.
We have fun times together. :)

"A thousand times I've failed, still your mercy remains..."

Thoughts on mess-ups, guilt, shame, and God's grace.

Most times I'd like to think I have stuff in my life under control. I'd like to think I can keep a pretty good, healthy balence with everything. But every once in a while, I slip up... sometimes I fall flat on my face, and others I just trip over myself a bit. But the bible says that either way, a small or big mess up, I automatically fail. Boom; game over.

"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking it all." It is so easy to just read James 2:10 by itself and think, "Wow, God tells me that I'm a failure and there's pretty much no hope for me." Awesome. And for many years of my life I thought just that. Oh, I knew that God loved me and that he has forgiven me many-a-times. But I didn't really truly believe it in the intermost parts of my being. Because of that there has been a constant layering of more and more guilt in me. I didn't know how and I didnt want to let it go. The little or the big things. There have been some recent experiences in my life that have been a HUGE wake-up call to me that I need to be more aware of my thoughts and actions... I can't participate in a church service and sing "Take it all" when I really don't truly mean it. I can say that I give everything to God, but the truth is I'm holding on to my guilt with a tight squeeze. Because, number one, it makes me feel better. I'm not really sure why, but I guess if I feel bad about what I did and just keep clinging on to those awful feelings about stuff I do wrong, then I know it was wrong. If I just let it go, I can't feel bad about it anymore. The second reason why I keep my guilt close to me is that I hate to feel vulnerable, and I hate confrontation. If I were to let it go, I'd have to pull it out and deal with it. If I just keep it inside then it's tucked away, nice and neat so that no one else will ever have to know about it, and it would be just fine. And then I read this...
"Then I let it all out; I said, "I'll make a clean slate of my failures to God."
Suddenly the pressure was gone—my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared." (Psalm 32:5) This helps me to visualize the light at the end of the tunnel. I know that in the end, letting go of pain and guilt I've carried around for so long, will turn out exponentially better for me. It's just going through the pain of having to deal with all the stuff I have done that scares me more than anything. God's grace is so much more than enough for me, and I'm just starting to realize the depth of that. "If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking..." In Mexico, my super awesome fanatstic small group :), talked a lot about trust in God. About how trust in God is something that comes with experience. The more hard times a person is faced with, the more their trust in God is stretched. I think it's the same with understanding God's unfailing love and grace. If you did everything right, and never messed up, (which is impossible) than you would never know how incredible the grace of God is. The fact that Jesus can hang, nailed to a piece of wood, blood pouring out of him, and say "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" baffles me to no end. There's no way I will ever know how amazing, and how unconditional the love of my heavenly father is. My love is so uncredibly conditional, and my continual prayer is this...

God, forgive me for my mistakes, take my guilt and rid me of it. Help me to let it all go. I want to understand your never ending, unconditional grace and love towards me. "Take my life and let it be, EVERYTHING, all for you! Here I am, use me for your glory! In EVERYTHING I say and do, let my life honor you! Here I am, living for your glory!!"

Breathe in deep.... aaaand GO!

Let us all take a moment to breathe in a collective deep breath. Mmmm, doesn't that make you feel nice and relaxed? Well, enjoy that small moment, because it's gonna be a crazy ride, and I like lists. :)
Ready?
Ok, good, here we go!

First/Second day of school
--->Overwhelming
--->Chaotic
--->AP Seminar.... Hmmm, it's gonna be a fun year.
--->Great to see friends!
--->Physics=Pretty much death
--->More to come...

Random thoughts swimming around in the recesses of my brain...
--->I CANT WAIT FOR GSM TO STARTTTTT!!!!
--->How am I going to get a 4 page spanish vocab packet done by tomorrow...?
--->My devotion was really good this morning...
--->"What good is to gain the whole world, but lose your soul?"
--->I use a lot of these: ...
--->Hmmm, I wonder what those are called, I can't seem to think of it right now
--->I'm a big fan of Tim Hughes
--->Ooh, I have to go babysit.

Sorry for that very pointless, picture-less post... I'll make for it later :)

Bye, friends

A few verses and quotes from Mexic09

"Do not despise small beginnings , for God rejoices at the start of the work."
Zachariah 4:10
"Peace has less to do with the absence of uncomfortable and unwanted things in life, but more to do with what God offers us in the midst of trouble. His peace, presence, joy, hope, and faith."
John 16:33
"If we look better to those we share a pew with than to those we share our street with, there is a problem. If we can lead a great children;s Sunday school class, but yell at the kids who cut through our yards... if we can pontificate complicated spiritual truths and be impressive at church, but lack a loving response in our homes, than we have a problem."
Beth Guckenberger
"Shelter, is it only a place or is it a state of being? A state of being at peace, a state of being safe- mentally and physically, a state of trusting in someone you can neither see nor feel. David walked through his life with those assurances. Not a perfect man, but a man who tried to be perfectly connected to God. Therein lies the secret to true shelter. It is directly dependent on our relationship with God."
Kathy Couch
"God is the only eternal shelter and refuge and what He does is not exclusively physical but often times emotional and spiritual."
Kathy Couch
"When everything around us is changing so rapidly and feeling so uncontrollable, isn't it a comfort to have a SHELTER that does not change? A SHELTER that is the same yesterday, today and forever."
Kathy Couch
"Peace is not the absence of conflict. Peace is a state of minds. Those who experience peace have love in their hearts even when turmoil surrounds them."
Greg Huffer
"God's promises of shelter apply on the most profound level of eternal things. No matter what happens to us in this life, nothing an no one can snatch us out of God's hands."
Greg Huffer
"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world."
John 16:33
"Let us not become a people that gets comfortable with just hanging out with the 99. Let's get up, and go after THE ONE. God, help us to become a generation that will go and search for THE ONE, just you pursued us."
Beth Guckenberger
"Let them watch me burn."
Mark Beeson

Friends, Friends, Friends

What would I do without them???

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
--> Proverbs 27:17

"It's better to have a partner than go it alone.
Share the work, share the wealth.
And if one falls down, the other helps,
But if there's no one to help, tough!
Two in a bed warm each other.
Alone, you shiver all night.
By yourself you're unprotected.
With a friend you can face the worst.
Can you round up a third?
A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped."
--> Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Inseperable... "What is a friend, a single soul dwelling in 2 bodies."

Rebeccah Sarah Rendall is one of the best girls I have ever known. Her love for Christ shines brightly, and her love for others is something that I envy. I look at her and think, I wish I was exactly like her. She's one of the biggest role models in my life. I love to worship with her, and I loved getting to serve beside her this summer at Camp and Mexico. Get to know her, you won't be sorry.
"Every time your name comes up in prayer, I say, "Thank you, God!" I keep hearing of the love and faith you have for the Mather Jesus, which brims over to other believers. And I keep praying that this faith we hold in common keeps showing up in the good things we do, and that people recognize Christ in all of it." --> Philemon 1:4-6

Ready, Set, Goooo!

So I caved. I am officially entering in to the blog world! First off I'd like to make a confession. I am a blog-stalker. There, I said it. Truthfully, I love reading about people's lives, about their struggles, prayers, and funny things that happen to them. So, I figured, "Hey, why not join 'em?!"
Here I go.... I'm not too sure what one would say on a first blog entry... I want to say something poised, but not too deep so that people would think that I just sit around at home thinking of profound things to say, because that's not me at all. So here is my attempt to put words together that will somehow cause you to keep reading my posts. My name is Eden, and I love Jesus. If I concluded my post there you would pretty much know everything that you could want to about me. Jesus has changed my life, and I live everyday to honor and glorify him. My biggest goal in life is to love God, love the people around me, and live my life in such a way that God will shine through me.
I hope that after reading this you don't feel like I just wasted your precious time! I hope and pray that God would speak through my words and stories to lift up and encourage anyone who reads it.

Thanks a bunch for stopping by :)