Flowers in the In-Box

Yes, I am a girl, but I did grow up with a brother and one Christmas he received one of those matchbox car tracks that had these little battery operated rubber wheels that provided continual propulsion of the miniature vehicle through the course. For hours you could watch the little red convertibles and the yellow dump trucks cruise the track and just when it would lose a bit of momentum, the little rubber wheels would send it speeding forward once again.

I believe God is always with us and he is always at work, but sometimes we forget it or we don’t feel it. And we slow down, but at just the right moment God lets us in on a little work that he’s been doing that fills us with courage to keep running in life.

If you’ve been a part of my life and ministry you have heard about Christina, my UCCS friend, who came to Jesus last fall and is beginning to walk a brisk pace down his path. God gave me a little push this morning to remind me, and hopefully you, that our labor in Him is not in vain.

Hey Lauren-I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you meeting with
me one on one to learn more about the bible and Jesus. I know that life is busy
for you and I so greatly appreciate you taking time to meet with me!! I love our
time together and I have so much fun with you!!! Thank you so much again for
meeting with me and taking time to hang. I have learned so much from you and
your different lessons and for that I am forever grateful. Thank you for
everything that you do and I love chilling with you!! You are one of the most
amazing people I have ever met. Enjoy your Sunday and get some sunshine today!
(it will remind you of FL...he he he) Christina

This email was more delicious to my soul than a Sunday morning large buttery Lucille’s biscuit (even with rhubarb jam). It was like a bouquet of flowers in my in-box from God telling me, I love you, and I am using you to bring glory to my name.

God, thank you for the flowers, and may you continue to send them my way and the way of my friends at just the right time

.

Oh The Places You'll Go

My freshman year at Florida State, Dr. Suess' book Oh the Places You'll Go was read to me in such an unusual place. My biology lab instructor pulled the book out in one of our final classes and read us the whimsical words of a playful poet. He encouraged the group of naively confident 18 year olds that we had places that we were to go. I agreed. And I even had ideas and presumptions of where these places would be and when I would arrive, and maybe imagined to the degree of what outfit I'd be sporting upon arrival.

Looking back at the past 8 years of my life hasn't looked as cookie cutter as I dreamed up in that biology lab while sitting next to the flour beetles in little glass test tubes (side note: our flour beetles failed to reproduce as fast as other groups' beetles, therefore, while they were trying to count the dozens of family beetle members crawling all over the table, our group neatly contained our American Dream Nuclear Beetle Family: Dad, Mom, and 2.5 kids; that's right 2.5, someone went cannibalistic.) By my 18 year old standards, my life has been messy, unorganized, poorly timed, and why don't I have 2.5 kids yet?!

Feeling nostalgic, I reread Dr. Suess's poem, and was caught by this stanza:

"You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.Some windows are
lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow
and chin!Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?How much can you
lose? How much can you win?
And IF you go in, should you turn left or
right...or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?Or go around back and
sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,for a
mind-maker-upper to make up his mind."

I have come to a place where the future is not clear, where there is no logical decision on where to go or what to do. I may very well sprain my elbow or chin, and I may even lose some, but I may even win. Summer ended, my apartment burned down, I began a relationship with a wonderful man, I have no job, and I certainly do not know where I am headed.

And I am in smack in the middle of making life decisions that may alter the course of my life. But then I am reminded with verses like Proverbs 21:30: There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. Chew on that for awhile. So I am humbled in realizing that, yes, I will make decisions that will affect where I live, what I do, who I'm around, but really, God is bigger. (Can I get an amen?)

The big question in mind was, do I stay or do I go?! Do I leave The Navigators, or do I stay with them? After seeking the Lord through prayer, his word, and godly counsel, I have decided (drum roll please) to do part time work with The Navigators. I cannot deny my passion for reaching college students for the sake of Christ. I connect with them, I love them, and they are in desperate need of Jesus. So I want to stay. But I also have a big heart to work in a secular environment. So I am off to do both! What a journey this will be!

I am returning to Colorado Springs and will be living there and working with The Navigators at UCCS this fall. I will also be looking for a job. That means my work dress code just change dramatically! From jeans and flip flops to grown up clothes I will go. The great part is my apartment fire cleared the way for me to get these new, more professional threads.

But I am completely satisfied, because this is an adventure, and one that I did not write, nor is the pen in my hand even now. At 26 there are still a million decisions ahead of me and yes's and no's that will be said, prayers of petitions and help to be prayed, and wise counsel to be sought. Whew. And at 27 there will be more decisions, and at 28, and at 29, and maybe not at 30, I mean, we all need a break now and again, but definitely at 31.

The point is, I'm seeking God, and he's leading me. I am blind, but he promises to lead the blind. I am thankful.

"Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!"
-Dr. Suess

Summer Time: Bite-Sized Highlights

Describing the events and of Snow Mountain Ranch Summer Training Program 2009 would certainly send anyone into a spiritual coma and make them late to work, so I've decided to boil down STP into a few bite sized highlights to encourage you and get your heart racing down the track of thanksgiving.

Highlight One: The Students!!

I had the privilege of training 75 students from various college campuses! They were hilarious and so much fun to be around. They also possessed incredible hearts and teachable spirits.

I loved sharing meals with them!

Highlight Two: Hannah and Laura

These are the women I met with one on one all summer. They were Team Leaders and had a great responsibility in passing on all the tools they learned to their team members. I loved meeting with Hannah and Laura and discussing life and the Bible with them over icecream and walks.

Highlight Three: Serving the Students!

Here Jamie, Leigh Ann, and I are making S'mores for the students. Our campfire got rained out but that didn't ruin our fun! I also helped run our student ministry Nav Night and set up various events all summer to encourage and bless the students.

Highlight Four: Baptizing Robyn!

Robyn is a freshman from UCCS who just became a believer this spring. She decided to come to STP this summer to learn more about God and at the end of the summer she approached me and my teammate, Jamie, asking us if we would baptize her. Robyn is a joy!

Highlight Five: UCCS STUDENTS!

We had 14 UCCS students come to STP this summer!! How fantastic is that! I was praying for four to come! These students learned incredible tools on how to disciple, serve, lead, share Christ, and work hard and now they are back on campus living out what they learned.