That's A Wrap...

After braving tornado sirens, the throwing of javelins in the dark (who would be a judge for that?), a track lite with the headlights of Gators, and 80 degree weather that dropped to 50 degrees a day later, my 2011 track season has finally come to a close.  So I thought I would share some of my favorite pics/memories from the year. Enjoy!

Restoring Unity

It is interesting that even as a Christian, it is easy to forget sometimes that our lives are not about us. We are called by Christ to love and serve those around us, yet we tend to think about life from the "me" perspective. The Rally to Restore Unity has been a great reminder of that my life is not my own. Thanks Rachel! I have had an opportunity to learn more about different beliefs within Christianity. I may not agree with you on everything, but I'm always up for a healthy (friendly) debate about it :o) I believe that we can all agree on this passage here:

"And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life ?" 26 And He said to him, "What is written in the Law ? How does it read to you?" 27 And he answered, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND ; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." 28 And He said to him, "You have answered correctly ; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE." (Luke 10:25-28) 

Let's all choose to LIVE! I hope you get a moment today to ponder this passage and learn some new things yourself. Maybe you will even be inspired to spread a little love to that person sitting next to you.



Click HERE to Give Someone Clean Water!!

First Reactions

The last 24 hours have been quite overwhelming with the news of the death of Osama Bin Laden. I was prompted to write this after reading an insightful blog. (check it out here) --> rachelheldevans.com The author asked the following question at the end:

What was your first reaction to the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death? What was your reaction upon further reflection?  

My first reaction was WHAT? Basically, I was was speechless. I sat there watching the crowds grow in front of the White House cheering and singing pro-American songs/anthems. Then all of a sudden I became emotional. I was like" Are these feelings of patriotism? No, I quickly realized it had stirred up my emotions of 9/11 from 10 years ago. It had caused me to remember that day. None of my friends or family were directly affected, but for whatever reason, it is still a bit hard for me today to even watch the memorials about it.

I saw a lot of posts on Facebook of people poking fun at it, cracking jokes about it, rejoicing about it.... it honestly made me feel uneasy. I'm not perfect by any means. Trust me, I have had more than my fair share of the taste of my foot in my mouth. But after ingesting a lot of information from TV and the Internet, my response to a friend's post on the Internet was this: "Like anyone, I want nothing more than for justice to be done. In the end I know and believe that God will bring justice to those who have gone against His will. To those who have committed crimes they might think they have gotten away with. This is an important development, but I'm uneasy right now about full out rejoicing. It is nice to see people coming together though..."  

I have learned some things about myself and others through this. Not all good and not all bad. In the end, I am thankful for God's love and forgiveness for me, a sinner. My friend Dan said it best, "I also do not fail to realize that in God's sovereignty Bin Laden's eternity is exactly as it should be. But by God's grace, mine would be the same...."

Hopefully you have had some time to reflect yourself. I'm a music person, so I tend to reflect on things with through the aid of a song. I went to bed listening to "Your Love is Strong" by Jon Foreman. Take a listen.

Your turn. What was and what is your reaction? 

God's Challenge

I was recently invited a week ago to attend a prayer walk in downtown Detroit. I was excited about sharing in this opportunity with my friends. But then the report of rain all day came. Not just that, but cold too. I'm not gonna lie, my first thoughts then were, "I think we should stay home." But I glad that we didn't. It was hands down the highlight of my year so far! Why? For one God was present. Do I need to go on? It was just amazing to come together with other Christians (about 20,000 that is!!) and pause in the middle of our busy lives to praise the name of God. But it didn't end there. We then walked almost 2 miles Adoring God, Confessing our sins, speaking our Thanks towards Him, and sending our Supplications (petitions) to Him (ACTS). It was powerful to see many people from so many different walks of life come to this event. Different races, cultures, and ages. Some stopped along the walk route to pray. My heart was filled with joy as I observed parents and their children praying on the side of the road. Another time of joy was when I was singing "Shout to the Lord" by myself. A random girl who was walking beside me joined in with. One other highlight was hearing an older woman praying out loud, continually praising God, asking Him to rebuild this city. Wow! My thought was, "Why doesn't this stuff happen all the time?"  When else in downtown Detroit are a mob of people so kind toward one another?? I included a video just below that gives a glimpse of the day.

At the closing of the event, the pastor leading said this: "Let this not end here. Let this work that began here continue through us as we actively serve the community." I felt challenged. Challenged to step up and put my faith in action. Not just singing some songs and talking about how awesome God is, but to share the love of Christ to others. Allowing God to work IN and THROUGH me. I don't know what this looks like right now, but I desire to look for every opportunity that God might use me in to show His love to others. How about you? Are you allowing God to affect your life in this way?


"He [God] says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant ... I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth." Isaiah 49:6 

I am encouraged and I hope that you are too. My prayer is that we would stop acting as Christians and actually BE Christ followers! Are you up to the challenge? If so, let's move!!!
     

I had to include the video below. It was during this song that the clouds began to part (picture on right). I remember thanking God for being present there with all of us and allowing the sun to shine on us as we sung how great He is! It wouldn't have mattered if the rain was falling, because God was there. Enjoy!