WOW!

It is the eve of Homecoming week at WKU and I am starting to feel the stress already. I have some awesome individuals that have agreed to help out this year, but still me being me I am worrying about the week already. Part of my worry is that this year the BCM is paring up with two other ministries. We are reuniting the BCM and CSF yet again, but for the first time we are paring with the Catholic Campus Centre. I am really excited to see the Baptist and Catholics working together on WKU campus to glorify Jesus. My worry is that the BCM will not do it part in the work that is required. When we get together we have a problem of not wanting to work but play the whole time. Especially while working on the float.

I know that I should not worry about any of this but I just love the whole week of Homecoming that I want it to fun for others as well.

OK so with that last statement I have been convicted. I forget all that time that I should live my life to bring others into the family of God. That is our great mission and I get caught up in the stuff of this world and forget to make it about HIM. This is a very sobering thought. I now must commit to making this week of fun into one that is fun focused on HIM who paid the ultimate price for my shortcomings. To do so I must step out of my box and make connections with others who do not know Christ as their LORD and Savior. Along with that I must be sure that all my conversations are spoken in love for the one I am speaking to even when they get on my last nerve.

In searching I found this verse that remind of what I should be doing this week! It comes from 1Corinthians 13:1

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

That shall be the banner that I carry with me all week long.

The Unsung!

I have been struggling this semester with my walk with God. I guess I should say that my walk is changing. For the first time in a long time I am growing deeper in my walk and it really hurts me to think of what I have been or not been doing the past few years. I have a problem with pride. I took a position as the Youth Summer Intern for two years and thought I had achieved something great. Wrong I see now that I got in the way and blocked God out from doing some great things in my life through those students.

I have heard some worship leaders say before that if you truly do not believe what the words of a song say then do not sing them just stay silent. Well I have not had the choice in that matter. When I enter into a time of worship HE meets there and really has started pulling on my heart strings. The Holy Spirit just starts convicting me of what I am not doing in my life. This results in my not being able to sing the words of some songs. It is like he takes my voice and allows me not to use it.

At first this was something that really bothered me. I did not know what was happening or why it was happening. Now I know that it is God sending his refining fire to cleanse and purify me of my sins. To be honest it still bothers me but I know what is going on and can take comfort in the process even though it is still a struggle. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak is a statement that is very true in my life and I have to take time to work on that!

The Philippians Complex

To start off the direction that God is taking me has totally changed since the last time I wrote. My next step is not to go to Africa after I graduate from Western Kentucky University. God has seen fit to send me to seminary to pursue a Masters degree in Biblical Counseling. I am now trying so hard to figure out which of the two seminaries he want me to attend. My two choices are Southwestern and Southeastern. Right now I am leaning towards Southeastern. I am not for sure why but that is what God has placed on my heart.

Ok, so now on to the title of this post. With all of the changes that have been happening in my life I have struggled with who I am in Christ. I did not realize this until about 3 weeks ago when I hit a brick wall. I had to humble myself at that point and go and talk to an individual who has this innate ability to see right though the mask that I have been wearing for about 3 months now. They called me out and said that I had to face this issue or it would wear me down to a point that I would not be able to function in a social situation. This really hurt me because I had prided myself on the fact that I was able to be a social person and keep myself together for the most part.

After sitting there and taking a verbal beat down from the Lord through my friend, she gave me some scripture to look at to help me reset my boundaries of life and to be able to function a Christ has wanted me to do for a long time but I have just been in the way and not allowed him to do his work. The scripture that she gave me was Philippians 2. I was instructed to take it one verse at a time and God would tell me when I allowed to move on to the next verse. The sad thing is that I have a lot of crap and muck in my life that i have to let go of before God can complete the work that he has started in me. I know that he will be faithful to complete the work that he has started in me. Through all this in the past 3 weeks the Lord has allowed me to get to the second verse. It has been a struggle that much is for sure.

The crap that I have held onto over the years had formed an image in my mind as a tall building with about 10 stories of issues that I will have to deal with. The awesome thing is that in the past 3 weeks God has taken away two of those stories and I am at peace with those situations. It is amazing to see the changes that I have made in my life. By no means am I perfect for there was only one who live here on earth that was perfect and I only try to be an imitator of his actions and thoughts.

My final thought for now is that if you are struggling with who you are in Christ start by looking at the direction Paul gives in Philippians 2:1-11. You will be surprised what he has in store for you.