Taking action

Friends, I am sick of saying and not doing. I say I want to live a radical life for Jesus, but how does my life look any different from Joe Schmoe sitting next to me at this coffee shop? It may differ on two days: Sunday when he sleeps in and I go to church, and Tuesday when he goes to happy hour and I go to Bible study.

I. am. not. okay. with. this.

I am not saying that everyone is called to live radically, but I am saying that I feel called by God to be radical. My passion has been renewed and I am ready to make some tough decisions and some necessary sacrifices to live radically for Jesus.

I had blogged previously about my biggest fear coming true and I am revisiting that now. I feared that I would get a full-time job and become comfortable after moving here, forgetting the reason for which the Lord brought me here. I have been so busy with work the past month and a half that I have not been able to focus on anything else--including why I'm here. I was in desperate need for a vacation and a re-evaluation of life, so I took a quick trip to San Diego last week and visited loved ones and the dear ocean. This is what I discovered when the Lord removed me from my current situation:

I moved to Minneapolis not only for this Bible program and Bethlehem Baptist Church, but also for Christian community and radical living. I desire to live in community with a family or with sisters in the Lord and to do life together--daily things like eating, sharing life's burdens, praying, rejoicing, crying, serving, etc. For the past four months I have lived in a two-bedroom apartment by myself (since my roommate is never there) and have experienced NO community whatsoever. I have been so busy with my job and school that I have not had a chance to serve in any type of capacity and/or been able to create any type of social life. I have been so busy studying, that I have rarely taken the opportunity to share with others what I am learning (apart from a few people). I moved here to better learn God's word and to let him shape me from the inside out, invading every area of my life. Recently I have found a small group who desires the same thing. And because the Christian life is not meant to be lived alone, now that I have a great group of believers seeking the same thing, I am encouraged to go and do.

Well, this summer I am at a cross-roads and the Lord is providing an opportunity to get out of this comfort zone of living in a Christian bubble. I have to move out of my apartment by the end of June because my roommate is getting married. I have no idea where I'll be living. I am looking for opportunities now to live in community with minimal rent costs, with the ability to minister in my neighborhood. I'm also praying about making some sacrifices with work--going part time in the fall--so I can focus more on my program at Bethlehem. I am praying about, and looking for opportunities to mentor a group of teenage girls as well. My small group is looking to serve believers around Minneapolis this summer--whether that be painting houses, making dinners, visiting retirement homes, or just taking out the trash for our neighbors. I have also contacted a Biblical counselor and will be meeting with her to pick her brain about counseling and how I can prepare myself (or more so let the Lord prepare me) for counseling women in the future.

With all this said, I am excited to take action and not just talk about passions I have or dreams that I'm dreaming. Life is too short to talk and not do. It is time to do!

With the grace of God, I press on.

The best homework there is

So, I am officially done with classes this term. I finished one paper last night and I am starting the second one today, hoping to finish before next Wednesday. I am at a new coffee shop with a caramel latte in hand and it is raining outside. I am thankful to be alive and well today.

Although I would love to share with all of you all that I have learned this semester, I do not have the time or ability to verbalize all of that. So, I thought it would be a good idea to take an excerpt from my paper. Below, are the last two paragraphs of my reflection on the pleasures of God. I hope you enjoy.

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Through this course and the book Pleasures of God, my view of God has been enriched in many ways. I've learned how God's self-sufficiency is for our benefit. I was impacted greatly when Piper wrote "You can't bribe a mountain spring with bucketfuls of water from the valley" (pg. 32). That image was seared on my mind through out the twelve weeks of this course. Everything within me wants to stop my foolishness in bringing bucketfuls of water to the overflowing mountain spring, and just come empty to drink of His living water. And in the process of me drinking of his water, and coming back for more and more, He will be glorified. I learned in this course that the complexity of the Christian life and the daily war within can be eased by simply going back to these Biblical truths. As I daily wrestle with my sin, and my flesh and spirit are at war, instead of constantly being discouraged, I can look to my happy God and recount the ways He is delighted in my need for more of Him.

I have learned that in discovering the pleasures of God, we see His glory, worth and excellency, and we are transformed into His likeness and are able to manifest His glory in the church. In my own life, as I work on application of these sweet Biblical truths, I will strive to live in a way that declares the glory of God in all that I say and do. I will look to my infinitely happy God in moments of discouragement and find joy in Him. I will plead with God to remind me of the pleasure He has in his Son and in the atoning sacrifice which has imputed righteousness from Christ to me, an adopted daughter. I will ask the Spirit to intercede on my behalf when I do not know for what to pray. I will beg for a humble and contrite heart and faith like a child daily. And I will communicate with others, whether in difficulties or joys, all that God is doing within me so that I may never boast in myself, but only in the Lord. Now that I know more about the pleasures of God, and therefore His character, I will share with others these things that make our God so great. By the grace of God, I plan on making it a point to observe the beauty of nature, meditate on the saving work of Christ, and marvel in the illumination of Scripture more often. I will speak of God as a happy God and will praise His name. I am excited to use all I have learned in this course as I minister to believers and non-believers around me. With the help of the Spirit, I think I'll be able to better portray God as He is when sharing the gospel. Due to the nature of my work and the frequent opportunities I have to give spiritual counsel, I plan on daily using many things I have learned from this class. I have thoroughly enjoyed studying the pleasures of God alongside other brothers and sisters, and I can honestly say I am a much happier person after learning more about my happy God.