The Post Grad Life: Transition

It’s now officially been over a month since I walked across a stage, received my diploma, and graduated from Liberty University. What a month it has been! So many changes have occurred in these past few weeks that I feel like I’m about to go crazy, but God continues to bless me with each and every “change” that occurs!

In the course of time since I graduated the following has occurred:

• My team from Liberty and I flew to New York City, presented our PR campaign to Ogilvy and Mather, and won the National Collegiate Effie Competition-all glory to Him!  
• My family bought a new house and is moving. Packing. Lots of packing.
•  I packed up to move to Boone, NC for an amazing internship at Samaritan’s Purse.
• A pretty special and amazing guy has walked into my life out of nowhere (God really surprised me on that note...)
• The Lord opened two very significant doors for my next step after my internship is over!

      All of that to say, a lot of change. I started as a Social Media Intern for Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan’s Purse at the beginning of this month.  My first week at Samaritan’s Purse was a bit overwhelming. I felt like I met 100 new people and took in mass amounts of information. But through it all, I feel so blessed.

I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God has specifically placed me here. I know this because the entire process of getting here was full of God-ordained moments and steps. Samaritan’s Purse is an incredible organization, full of people that love Jesus and are dedicated to serving Him. We start each day off with devotions and a time of prayer for all the international staff. We focus on Him before we start our work. I’m still getting used to my work, but I love Operation Christmas Child and the chance to proclaim Jesus through social media each and every day!

I also have the immense blessing of being able to stay with a host family during the summer. Ryan and Jen Smith, along with their two precious little girls have opened their home and welcomed me into their family. Amari (3) and Brooklyn (6) are like the little sisters I never had. They are adorable and wonderful in every way and I absolutely LOVE that they are a part of my summer. Jen has been my ever listening ear already (which can take some time for those of you who really know me) and I love getting to learn from her and Ryan. They have been to so many places overseas (they were missionaries before Ryan started at SP) and have mentored so many young people. The wisdom and knowledge that I get to soak in every day is incredible.  I love it.  I feel as though I have been living here for months already!

Beyond that, the people I have met are phenomenal. The interns have gone hiking and gone roaming with wild ponies on a mountainside. Now that was an experience! These other college graduates and soon-to-be graduates inspire me with their different stories, experiences, and passion for the Lord. It’s been awesome to get to know each of them a little better the longer we are here.

I am blessed, because I get to spend my summer being an agent of love for Christ through social media! Here’s to many more weeks of learning, meeting more new people whose names I will forget, adventuring, spending time with my host family, and soaking in more of Jesus!

Now that’s a beautiful life.

My First Job.

If you are anything like me, this word might bring a sweeping range of emotions up. Fear. Terror. Excitement. A sense of finally being an “adult”. Freedom. Joy. A new beginning.

For those of us that are seniors and will be graduating in a few short months, we often ask ourselves questions like these:

Have I learned enough?

Do I measure up with everyone else out there applying for jobs?

What is this awkward place between “degree” and you need “3-5 years experience”?

Where do I go to get said experience?

What if I don’t get a job right after college?

…and the line of questions usually ends up somewhere in this area….

I’m not going to find a job and then I’m going to have to move back in with my parents and be a bum! (insert hand slapping forehead in despair here)

We also come to dread the following questions that everyone asks. And I mean EVERYONE. From your loving family to the well-meaning little old lady in your church, to the coffee guy!

They say things like this:

So what are your plans for after graduation? What places are you applying to?

And inevitably..Are you dating anyone? (and if you are) Are you getting married? The dread and disillusionment set in as you explain some kind of answer for both questions. You know the standard answer to please people, at least one that will make them think you have it all together.

Whew. That’s exhausting. I know from personal experience. I heard this song a few weeks ago and it has reminded me of something else. 

It has reminded me of who my God is.

“Lift My Life Up”-By Unspoken 

You brought me this far so why would I question You now

You have provided so why would I start to doubt

I’ve never been stranded, abandoned or left here to fight alone

So I’m giving You control

I lift my life, lift my life up

I give it all in surrender

I lift my heart, lift my heart up

You can have it forever

All my dreams, all my plans

Lord I leave it in Your hands

I lift my life, lift my life up

Have Your way in me

Have Your way in me

(Listen to the full song here)

The Lord has brought me this far. He has been faithful and always will be. He has a plan for my life, even when I have no idea what the next few months may hold. He has never left me alone or abandoned me.

Give it up. Let Jesus have it all, because I promise that in time He will show you the next step and His plans will far surpass what you have been dreaming for yourself. I consciously choose to give Him my life. I want what You have for me Jesus. Take my life, my feeble self-made plans, and my wandering heart. 

I can rest easy knowing that my next step, wherever I am, is to continue following my Savior, spreading His Gospel message, and glorifying Him in all that I do. It’s all in His hands.

Surrender. Now that’s a beautiful life.

Oh and class of 2014? Believe in yourself, and take hold of His Gospel. Because He is just that.

A Summer of HOPE

HOPE INTERNATIONAL 

This summer will be a summer full of HOPE. I mean this in more ways than one, but that will come in a later post. The Lord has been doing so much in my life lately that I couldn’t help but share.

For those of you that don’t know I have the amazing opportunity this summer to serve at HOPE International as the Executive Public Relations Intern in Pennsylvania.

WHAT IS HOPE?

I began my internship about two weeks ago, starting off with HOPE’s annual Leadership Summit (where all international and U.S. leaders come together for a week of encouragement and training). During this time I learned so much about HOPE.

I am completely astounded by the work that they do. In short, HOPE uses microfinance, small loans, and savings credit associations to help people lift themselves out of poverty. Now, if you’re anything like me, you might be asking the following: English please? Here’s one of my favorite examples that helped me understand what they do.

There’s a man named Javier in South America (hypothetically speaking) and he paints cars for a living. He only has the ability to paint one car a day, which is obviously not enough for him to sustain his family. HOPE gives Javier a small business loan for about $50, which enables him to buy a paint sprayer. Javier can now paint up to 8 cars a day! He is part of a group people that also received loans (like a loan support group) and through weekly meetings they receive Christ-centered business training.

Okay, let’s recap. Javier has been enabled to use his own God-given abilities (instead of receiving hand-outs) to provide for his family. But wait, that’s not all. More money means that he is able to send his children to school, educating them so that they can grow up and have jobs to provide for their families. So not only is the work HOPE does lifting families out of poverty, but it is also preventing future poverty. But wait, there’s more. Are you ready for this?

The spiritual impact. Through relationships with loan officers and the Biblically based training, people are coming to know the Lord! Then they are sharing the Gospel with their families, who are also coming to know the Lord. Praise the Father for His mighty work through this organization.

HOPE CULTURE

Not only does HOPE do great work, but they are an amazing place to work for. I almost can’t explain the culture within the office, but maybe this will give you a glimpse.

At the end of the Leadership Summit, the President and CEO, Peter Greer, asked all the interns to come up to the front, grab a chair, and close their eyes. Now I don’t know about you, but I was wondering what in the world was going on. When jokes about welcoming the interns and initiation began, I became extremely nervous. But what happened next blew my mind and just about brought me to tears. The HOPE staff got down on their hands and knees and washed the interns feet, just as Christ did for His disciples in John 13. Besides this act of service, I have observed a humble and sweet attitude of love from everyone that works at HOPE. We also have staff prayer three days a week, and devotions once a week. The room includes a board, filled to the brim with prayers and answers from the Lord. But what I love the most is that here at HOPE, everyone ardently and passionately loves their Savior. He is what ultimately pushes them to serve with all that they have in His Name.

I am blown away by the opportunity to serve the Lord here at HOPE this summer, an organization that does everything for His glory and His glory alone!

Now that’s a beautiful life.

For more info about HOPE International, check them out here or on Facebook here.

Living as Children of Light

Living as Children of Light. That’s the title over a passage of Scripture in my Bible, more specifically Ephesians 4. In the last few days, I have felt the Lord working in my heart on a few things.

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt uncomfortable with what was being discussed, even among Christian friends? I have on many occasions, and I find that it happens quite a lot these days. We are a society inundated with raunchy movies, music that focuses on sex, lust, and alcohol, and all the other junk that hits us throughout the day. And you know what? I am not okay with it.

It’s time to take a stand.

It was during my time with the Lord the other day that God showed me something. I had experienced one of those uncomfortable situations recently and it was really bothering me how the whole situation went down. I poured my heart out to God. I was asking Jesus, where is the line in this? How do I stand up for what I truly believe is right without coming across as judgmental or being too harsh? Do I say nothing? Do I say something? Another words, do I call out even my Christian friends when I think something inappropriate is being said? Even at the risk of them saying that I’m being to judgmental and that I need to lighten up?

Two verses came to my mind as I chewed the subject over with Jesus.

Ephesians 4: 29

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Ephesians 5:4

Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

To me, this scripture made it clear. As Christians we are not to let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, nothing that is obscene, foolish, or coarse. So again, I questioned Jesus. Where is that line? And at that moment, it was as if Jesus was whispering another passage into my ear, the one about the world HATING him.

John 15: 18-19

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

Not a lot of people agreed with Jesus as he did his ministry here on earth. And that’s the thing. Not a lot of people may agree with the standards I hold to because I’m a Christ follower. I follow Christ, which means I follow His way, NOT the world’s way. Some of my Christian friends may not even agree with me, they may think some standards are too extreme, but I desire to live a life sold out to Jesus Christ. I so want every area of my life to be surrendered to Him. The only person who I am aiming to please is my Jesus.

And so with that, I refuse. I refuse to sit and be quiet.

The thing is, Christians, Christ-followers, we are SUPPOSED to be different. We are His, which means we are not OF the world.  We are to live as children of the light so that others may see Christ’s love! How can we show them this love if we ourselves are not living this way? If we listen to the same music, watch the same movies, use the same language, and joke around obscenely, how will they know? That’s just it, they won’t know!

We must not become numb to the callous heart of our sinful world. We become desensitized and before we know it, we go along with what the world says is okay, even in the LITTLE THINGS. And sometimes, I think it’s the little things that matter. Every area of our lives are supposed to be different, not just the things we FEEL like changing.  How will they know if we don’t show them the transforming work of Christ’s love? How will they know…..

Let’s live as children of the light Christ followers.

Now that’s a beautiful life.

Bondservant to the Messiah-A Beautiful Life

Bondservant to the Messiah- A Beautiful Life.

You might be wondering what this means. Well, let me explain.  It all started after my sophomore year of high school. I went on a two week missions trip to Lima, Peru with Focus on the Family through their magazine Brio. While there, I was challenged by one of our speakers at a nightly worship service. She challenged us to become BONDSERVANTS to Jesus.

What is a bondservant you ask? Well, according to the dictionary, it is a person bound in service without wages. Wait, working without pay? Doesn’t sound to appealing at first sight does it? Well, it is appealing. In fact, it’s more than appealing, it’s beautiful.

Let me give an example to further explain. There is a servant and a master. One day the master gives the servant his freedom. The servant is free to go and live his own life, he is free to do whatever he wants to do. But the servant decides to stay. What?? When I first heard this story that was exactly what I thought. I thought to myself why would this servant not go? He’s been given freedom! Our speaker went on further to explain. This servant not only loved serving his master, but loved his master, so he stayed with him. He promised to be a bondservant to his master.

My Jesus, the Almighty creator of heaven and earth didn’t just die for my us, he freed us from the bonds of slavery. He gave us freedom and still does. He will not force us to love Him or accept His free gift of salvation. He chose us even though He knew we may not choose Him, even though He DIED for us. That’s a pretty amazing kind of love, it’s the most sacrificial and ultimate love I will ever know in my life. But the whole point of it is this: Christ gave up His very life for me, so why shouldn’t I do the same? I don’t mean in a literal sense of course, but in a spiritual sense. Christ has given me the option to choose and I choose Him. I choose to serve Him in the freedom He has given me because I love Him. I choose to stay and be His bondservant because there is nothing better on this earth than serving Him.

And you want to know the best part? Choosing to serve Him as a “bondservant” is not being restricted or bound, but it is experiencing the most beautiful kind of freedom I could ever have. Freedom in serving Christ. A commitment to serve Him no matter what, to give Him your relationships, your worries, your fears, your dreams, your future, your life. I will die to my self, more of You Jesus and less of me!!

Being a bondservant to the Messiah is a beautiful thing and my Savior has blessed me with a beautiful life. I simply want to share my thoughts on serving the Lord with everything I have and all that I am, desiring to give Him everything, even if it costs me everything. I am still growing and still learning, as I will for the rest of my life. But for right now, I want to pursue Him, just as He pursued us relentlessly and still does. Hopefully in the midst of all this, I can continue to learn how to truly be a bondservant to my Jesus, through the storms, the deserts, the valleys, the mountaintops, the victories, through the ups and downs of this crazy ride. Now that’s a beautiful life.