I am Thankful for: my best friends

I know Thanksgiving is looong over but i still would like to offer up my thanks for the people in my life that mean the most to me and have had the greatest impact. Here are peers/best friends that i am so very thankful for. 

First, Austin Smith:

I don't think any one can possibly understand how much this boy, excuse me young man, means to me. We've been together through alot- 4 years and a few months alot. I seriously would not be the person I am today without him. For sure i would be still the friendless tomboy with a beautiful unibrow and hair slicked back: he taught me how to have friends and be a friend, how to be a woman and confident in the fact that i'm not hideous but at the same time cannot be vain. I found he was the only person i could truly be myself around. He showed me how to shoot a gun, how to get a job, how to have fun, how to become a leader, and how to act toward others. Believe it or not, i used to hate social activities and especially the youth group, but now i'm so active in both, i can hardly juggle it all. Thank you Austin for being the bestest friend and greatest "other-half" I could ever ask for. I love you and you mean the world to me.


Second, Samantha Tracy:

Well....oh sam :) honnor haha. She is the greatest and she will be in my wedding :) We've been friends since first grade and no matter what life throws at us and no matter how long we may not speak to each other, I can  count on the fact that we will always be good friends. She's taught me..well everything lol I like to entitle it "Life Lessons in a Corn Field". From our millions of craft projects we did when we were younger to being pushed in the neighbor's pool just so we could have an excuse to swim in it to oregon trail II and the hours we spend playing it to you making me watch shrek when i wanted to jump on the trampoline and walk your dogs a million times to sitting in your bed and watching movies and eating way too much food. I love you!! :)


Third, Rachel Beeson:

Yes, I stole this gorgeous number off of your facebook cuz we have no pictures together (we need to get on that..). Anywho, I came into college this year scared to death that I would be the person who just came and went and never really found an awesome friend. Turns out i was wrong and on the very first day i find that this lovely lady and I have alllllllll our classes together. Now our nickname has turned into the married couple and if we aren't together people always ask where the other person is or if we're "divorced" haha. But she is the best!! and i am going to be very sad when we don't have all our classes together next semester :( all her adventurous stories of drama and friend-boys and how she's a genius but everything thinks she's a C-student. you rock ratchel b-sun and i love you lots :)


Fourth, Austin Disher

My cousin and best friend. and absolutely no cousin-lovin that certain people may be thinking of :Bl This kid here is one of the best. From being younger and playing George Washington and Martha Washington together to all our other adventures in tracking a raccoon and sneaking down to the bridge to climb on the rocks by the water. He's always got my back and i've always got his. Venting and yelling and crying we at least try in the best way to get our point across to each other while the other just listens. Thank you for inducting me into the "bro" community and giving me hugs that im almost positive crack a rib. also thank you in advance for the new knife that you're getting me for Christmas ;) love ya dude.


Fifth, Elaina Manuel

oh elaina :) i was privileged to meet elaina at a back to school revival at our church in 2010 where my first words to here were "I like your hat, hey would you like to know more about the Bible?" and i thought that the dude she was with was her boyfriend when really it was her father.. -__- sorry bryan. i love our crazy long talks about things way too far over our heads sometimes and staying up all night on new year's eve till 5:00 in the morning discussing life's largest issues. thank you for what you told me that night by the way- it has become my life's motto. When I asked her what i could do to better myself for this year she responded with "well sarah you tend to always live in the future and forget that the present exists. so when your plans for the future get messed up because you forget about the life your living in the present, thats when you spiral downhill." seriously one of the best pieces of advice i've ever received in this life. I love you and thanks for always falling asleep during every movie we watch together ;)


Sixth, Josh Ritter

Yes i know this is the most beautiful picture you've ever seen- thats cuz it has me and josh in it. Joshua Cabral now known as Joshua Ritter is the brother i never had (sorry jared..). He is so loyal it blows your mind and he is one of the sweetest guys i know. I am privileged to say he is one of my best friends. I will never forget how he stayed with me 2 years ago at camp when i would be sitting alone- we didn't even have to talk, we just sat there. And then last year watching out for me and even freaking out when he couldn't find me although i was sick and laying down in the dorm ;) I got your back, sir. Thank you for always having mine :) love ya!


Seventh, Audrey Borgert

This girl, is the best girl cousin i got hands down. We've been friends since..well..birth haha and i love her dearly. We've danced and sang in the ran (when the ants go marching down..lol), we've fought and yelled at each other (over the computer of course lol), and we've talked for hours about life and its complications. Through her, i was able to meet so many different friends and through this blog in fact- joe, juli, gabby, marcella, charity, luke, etc. And i miss her still even though i just saw her on thanksgiving! Dance party and the Office marathon are in order for her next visit at Christmas time. can't wait!

"Autumn's Song"

Cool breeze blows through hair;

Warm sun shines down in rays.

Laughter fills the autumn air,

As old friends recount old days.

Conversation drifts with the wind

Of the good times and the bad.

Then golden silence wraps its arms

Around thoughts of what one had.

The elements unite again,

Embracing as forever friends.

Hand in hand, they continue on

Down the path until it ends.

Repeated apologies are made.

Past tragedies are laid to rest

Deep beneath the fallen leaves

And fallen promises.

This worn path has been trodden

Once before and now again.

For what can break to pieces,

Can surely also mend.

- Sarah Kufel

Who Cares?

Who Cares?
I'm sure many of you when first hearing of this year's Back to School revival theme had to do a double take- especially when hearing service titles such as "Who cares about Holiness?" or "Who cares about the Lost?" Clearly you thought to yourself, "Well of COURSE we care about those things." But let's check ourselves here. Let's do a self-examination. Do you care?
"To care" is defined as close attention; painstaking application; upkeep; maintenance to a particular object; a burdened state of mind as that arising from heavy responsibilities. We care about our families and our friends. We care about our interests and hobbies. In doing so, we pay close attention to these things- we feed and maintain the things we care about. It is obvious when first meeting an individual to tell what things they care about in their lives. But what about church? What about God? Do you find in yourself a burdened state of mind for holiness, faithfulness, worship, God's call, or the Lost? Do you pay such close attention to make sure these things are maintained in your life?
In the beginning of Luke 18, a certain widow desires justice for the violation of her rights. She continues to pester this judge and will not let the matter rest to the point where the judge says, "I give up! I may not care for men or God but because you have been relentless in this case, I will grant you protection" (Luke 18:4-5, MSG). Jesus then says, "Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying?So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. BUT how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?" (Luke 18:6-8, MSG)
Persistent faith. A burdened heart for a cause. Caring. How long will you be apathetic? How long will you not care? God is searching for people who care, He wants to speak and impart wisdom and help to his people. But who will be the persistent faithful that he will find on the earth?
We must be a people that care.
"Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice" (John 18:37, MSG).
We must care about holiness, to sanctify ourselves in this separation to God. We must care about faithfulness, to be so loyal to our church, our youth group. our God that nothing can cause us to waver. We must care about worship, not just raising our hands and singing in church, but worship in the way we live our lives: everything we do giving glory and honor to God. And we must care about the lost, to the point where it consumes us and causes us great grief to know that there are people out there that are desperate for the love of God that we so easily take for granted. This should cause us to stop at nothing to tell others of this gospel.
You can just continue to sit back and halfheartedly "care" for the things of God, but what is the point then?
Why are you here if you are not going to let it change you?
The question is: Who cares?
And the answer the Lord is looking for is YOU.

Risk-taking and Deep-plunging

"Nakedness Indeed

The deeper reason we fear our own glory is that once we let others see it, they will have seen the truest us, and that is nakedness indeed. We can repent of our sin. We can work on our 'issues.' But there is nothing to be 'done' about our glory. It's so naked. It's just there-the truest us. It is an awkward thing to shimmer when everyone else around you is not, to walk in your glory with an unveiled face when everyone else is veiling his. For a woman to be truly feminine and beautiful is to invite suspicion, jealousy, misunderstanding. A friend confided in me, 'When you walk into a room, every woman looks at you to see-are you prettier than they are? Are you a threat?'

And that is why living from your glory is the only loving thing to do. You cannot love another person from a false self. You cannot love another while you are still hiding. You cannot love another unless you offer her your heart. It takes courage to live from your heart. My friend Jenny said just the other day, 'I desperately want to be who I am. I don't want the glory that I marvel at in others anymore. I want to be that glory which God set in me.'

Finally, our deepest fear of all . . . we will need to live from it. To admit we do have a new heart and a glory from God, to begin to let it be unveiled and embrace it as true-that means the next thing God will do is ask us to live from it. Come out of the boat. Take the throne. Be what he meant us to be. And that feels risky . . . really risky. But it is also exciting. It is coming fully alive. My friend Morgan declared, 'It's a risk worth taking.'"

"Following Him into the Unknown

Either we wake to tackle our 'to do' list, get things done, guided by our morals and whatever clarity we may at the moment have (both rather lacking to the need, I might add); or we wake in the midst of a dangerous Story, as God's intimate ally, following him into the unknown.

If you're not pursuing a dangerous quest with your life, well, then, you don't need a Guide. If you haven't found yourself in the midst of a ferocious war, then you won't need a seasoned Captain. If you've settled in your mind to live as though this is a fairly neutral world and you are simply trying to live your life as best you can, then you can probably get by with the Christianity of tips and techniques. Maybe. I'll give you about a fifty-fifty chance. But if you intend to live in the Story that God is telling, and if you want the life he offers, then you are going to need more than a handful of principles, however noble they may be. There are too many twists and turns in the road ahead, too many ambushes waiting only God knows where, too much at stake. You cannot possibly prepare yourself for every situation. Narrow is the way, said Jesus. How shall we be sure to find it? We need God intimately, and we need him desperately.

'You have made known to me the path of life,' David said (Ps. 16:11). Yes-that's it. In all the ins and outs of this thing we call living, there is one narrow path to life, and we need help finding it." 

 -John Eldredge from Waking the Dead

To Change a Life

Just recently I was at the library and came across the movie "To Save a Life". I had seen and heard it advertised all over Christian circles but wasn't really interested. Why? Well to be honest I thought it was going to be some dumb movie about how screwed up teenagers get and then they find Jesus. Lame. I never did like those kind of Christian movies that focused more on the problem than a solution. But my curiosity and boredom got the best of me. I got home from Youth Class and popped it into my laptop. It was bleh most of the time. I was half paying attention and half talking to other people. 


WHAM. 
It hit me like a ton of bricks. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEZrvZZDbJg&playnext=1&list=PL752B544A5B454EFA


"What's the point of all of this if you're not gonna let it change you?"


It been echoing in my head over and over again. I began to cry and thought to myself...I consider myself a Christian but what have I done? Oh sure, I lead a sign language team and am on the youth committee. But have I let myself be changed so that I may change others? How many times have I ignored people and blew people off under the pretense of my own awkward personality or just because I didn't have the time..


As my youth leader said last Wednesday night in youth class, the stopper in a drain was created for one purpose and when it fails- when it lets all the water down the drain- it is useless. worthless. We are created to worship. We are created to serve. We are created to show the love Christ to a hurting world. And when we fail to do this, we become useless. You'll feel like something's missing. YOU yourself will feel worthless. So once again I'll say it.


"What's the point of all of this if you're not gonna let it change you?"


The point is that there is none. 


I know people who are not Christians but show love to others more than I do. And I am determined to change that. 


To let it change me.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPqs0Z4756A

Simply Love

"I trust by your easy breathing that you are human like me, that you are fallen like me, that you are lonely, like me. My love, do I know you? What is that great gravity that pulls us so painfully towards each other? Why do we not connect? Will we be forever fleshing this out? Is this God's way of meriting grace, of teaching us the labyrinth of His love for us; teaching us, in degrees, that which He is sacrificing to join ourselves to Him? Or better yet, has He formed our being fractional so that we might conclude one great hope, plodding and sighing and breathing into one another such a great push that we might break through into the Known and being loved, only to cave into a greater perdition and fall down at His throne still begging for our acceptance? Begging for our completion?
We were fools to believe that we could redeem each other.
Were I some sleeping Adam, to wake and find you resting at my rib, to share these things that God has done, to walk you through the garden, to counsel your timid steps, your bewildered eye, your heart so slow to love, so careful to love, so sheepish that I stepped up my aim and became a man. Is that what God intended? That though He made you from my rib, it is you who is making me, humbling me, destroying me, and in doing so, revealing Him?
Will we be in ashes before we are one?....
I will give you this, my love, and I will not bargain or barter any longer. I will love you, as sure as He has loved me. I will discover what I can discover and, though you remain a mystery save God's own knowledge, what I disclose of you, I will keep in the warmest chamber of my heart-- the very chamber where God has stowed Himself in me. And I will do this to my death, and to death it may bring me.
I will love you like God, because of God, mighted by the power of God. I will stop expecting your love, demanding your love, trading for your love, gaming for you love. I will simply love. I am giving myself to you, and tomorrow I will do it again. I suppose the clock itself will wear thin its time before I am ended at this altar of dying and dying again.
God risked Himself on me. I will risk myself on you. And together, we will learn to love, and perhaps then- and only then- understand this gravity that drew Him unto us."


This is such a beautiful excerpt written by Don Miller in his book "Blue Like Jazz". He had written this for a play in which at this part a husband and wife were having marital problems and were contemplating divorce. One night while the woman is sleeping, the man sits up and says this monologue in frustration to his sleeping wife. The frustration soon turns to understanding as he learns and has the revelation from God of what it means to love. That yes it is the greatest risk you can ever take. To be vulnerable but not needy. To love. With no expectations of receiving that love back. It seems like a bothersome task, a lonely task. But it is what our Father above has done for us. He took the risk of loving us, knowing that we could easily throw His love away. The least we can do is the same. To love others, whether it be a spouse, significant other, best friend, church members, and even complete strangers. Because God risked Himself on each one of these people. On the cross where He gave every drop of His blood...and love. For us. 

Christianity in a Hallway

So as i was reading Mere Christianity, i didn't have to go far to have my mind blown- literally i had just read the preface. But i thought that this was one of the best parabolic explanations of Christianity and would like to share it.

"I hope no reader will suppose that 'mere' Christianity is here put forward as an alternative to the creeds of the existing communions- as if a man could adopt it in preference to Congregationalism or Greek Orthodoxy or anything else. It is more like a hall out of which doors open into several rooms. If I can bring anyone into that hall I shall have done what I attempted. But it is in the rooms, not in the hall, that there are fires and chairs and meals. The hall is a place to wait in, a place from which to try the various doors, not a place to live in. For that purpose the worst of the rooms (whichever that may be) is, I think, preferable. It is true that some people may find they have to wait in the hall for a considerate time, while others feel certain almost at once which door they must knock at. I do not know why there is this difference, but I am sure God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him to wait. When you do get into your room you will find that the long wait has done you some kind of good which you would not have had otherwise. But you must regard it as waiting, not as camping. You must keep on praying for light: and, of course, even in the hall, you must begin trying to obey the rules which are common to the whole house. And above all you must be asking which door is the true one; not which pleases you best by its paint and panelling. In plain language, the question should never be: 'Do I like that kind of service?' but 'Are these doctrines true: Is holiness here? Does my conscience move me towards this? Is my reluctance to knock at this door due to my pride, or my mere taste, or my personal dislike of this particular door-keeper?'

When you have reached your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more; and if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them. That is one of the rules common to the whole house."