Another Step in the Journey

Meditations on Beauty

2012-01-16T10:42:00.000-08:00

Beauty is one thing that I rarely take time to appreciate.

There's the occasional hike, where I am stunned by nature's beauty.

Or a conversation with a friend leaves me enchanted by the beauty of that person's soul.

Or a song will leave me in awe as I drink in it's melodies and harmonies,

a language that only my soul understands.

Beauty seems to be chasing me....and I am done running.

I'm done running away from beauty and into the arms of the practical, the useful, and the efficient.

I'm done dismissing beauty as something whose roots are sick,

twisted, or even just plain unhealthy.

I'm ready to begin seeing the true nature of beauty.

To begin appreciating the goodness of beauty.

To start recognizing the true source of beauty.

GOD.

....and maybe even learn to simply 'waste time' enjoying beauty once in a while.....

or as King David puts it....

"One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple."- Psalms 27:4

Here's the beginning of my 'Meditations on Beauty'.

Enjoy.

The beauty of sewing (and fabrics)

The beauty of a picture

The Beauty of Healthy Baking

Simple slice up sweet potato.

Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.

Evenly layer sweet potato slices on baking sheet.

Sprinkle as much or as little as you like of these spices:

-garlic powder

- salt/pepper

- paprika

- cinnamon

Bake at 425 degrees for about 10-12 minutes on each side.

Enjoy this simple, delicious and healthy alternative to french fries!

The beauty of the Snow

The beauty of color and light

The beauty of Stringed Instruments

Check out "Living Room Songs"

by Olafur Arnalds,

an Icelandic composer

here

The beauty of a few words

The beauty of modern film interpretations

of classics like Jane Eyre

to watch trailer go here

Applying to be a Writer!

2012-01-08T13:12:00.001-08:00

Ever since, I was a little girl one of my most "favorite-without-a-doubt" movies was Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea.

I think I've always identified as a sort of Anne character. A dreamer, a little dramatic at times, someone in search of "bosom friends", a romantic, and also very driven by her feelings.

Something else that I realized this last year, as to why I admire this character was the fact that she was a writer.

This summer, God led me to an amazing 8 week internship at InterVarsity/USA National Service Center....as a writer. I got to write for 8 hours a day about the work that God is truly "transforming lives, renewing the campus and changing the world."

These 8 week internship blew my mind! I never realized how much I loved writing and loved writing about what God is doing in lives, the campus and the world. I am in awe of how much greater God's plans are for my life, rather than what I could dream up for myself.

I never had thought to combine my love for the organization of InterVarsity and my love for writing.

So, this past week I decided to apply for a position as a full-time writer for InterVarsity/USA at the NSC in Madison, WI. I am truly excited to apply for this position as I sense that God is calling me to make writing my full-time ministry (and still with this great organization that I love!)

As I wait to hear back, I am excited to see what God will do next and how He might lead me in this next stage of my life. For the past 6 years, as I have served students on multiple campuses I have learned so much. I have learned that God is truly a global God who has a plan for the entire world, for every individual...and that his plans are so GOOD compared to anything we could think of for ourselves. The trick is, to trust Him. To keep trusting Him. To wait and allow God to lead. To trust and to follow.

When I hear back from the National Service Center, regarding my application, I will update you on what I hear!

Thank you for your prayers and encouragment and for being such great friends to me! God has blessed me so much through each and every one of you.

Worshipping Consumerism or Jesus?

2012-01-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

I had a hard time feeling like celebrating this Christmas because honestly... the spirit was consumerism was getting me down.

As the excitement of Christmas seems to arrive earlier every year (Thanksgiving is slowly being taken over by Black Friday sales!!!)...by the time December 25th actually arrived I was 'consumerized' out.

At a Christmas eve service, I began reflecting on the fact that I was exhausted and kind of disgusted at the fact that I had spent more energy and time during the month of December worrying about getting presents, going to parties, and making sure I got all my Christmas cards out.... rather than thinking about and rejoicing the fact that God came to earth in the form of Jesus to show us God's heart and his original intention for us and the world.

While sitting in this Christmas eve service, the part of the sermon that really stuck out to me was the part about Jesus coming into our world with nothing.

Jesus was born poor. He served the poor. He died poor (and homeless).

This got me thinking:

How can we as Christians celebrate Christmas in a way that looks different than the rest of the world? I don't have an answer yet....but it's one of the many things I am pondering.

One thing I do know, is that another pastor on Christmas day preached the message of Christmas that had been buried under all the shopping and presents, and parties:

He said:

God may be saying to you,"Don't give up hope for your loved ones who do not know Jesus yet.

He told a story of a mother who went every week to church to pray for her son who didn't believe in God. And one day, the son and his friends were walking home early in the morning after spending the nights partying, but the roads were icy. As they walked home, the son's friends joked: "I doubt your mom is gonna brave this ice to go to church and pray for you this morning."

The son and his friends then looked down the street to see this sons mom leaving her house. Except what got their attention, was that this son's mom was crawling.... slowly...on her hands and knees....on the cold, slippery ice. She was inching her way to her car.

This image of a mother crawling on her hands in knees to go to church, to pray for her son....this image helped me understand the lengths of Jesus' love for us. The levels and lengths that Jesus went to....for us. Jesus' love, like this mother's, is one that is persistent- hopeful- and desperate... desperate enough to crawl on cold ice on one's hands and knees....one desperate enough to be born, live and suffer, and then die on a cross....

Sister Act and Chopping Off My Hair

2012-01-05T15:26:00.001-08:00

Sister Act is the reason I chopped off my hair today. Well, sort of. Growing up, one of my favorite movies from the 90's was Sister Act. One of the best scenes of the whole movie was of course.... the finale: Whoopi Goldberg (a criminal turned choir director) leads the choir of nuns in a stunning version of "I will follow him" (originally performed by Little Peggy March).

Ever since I first saw this film, this version of a popular 60's song has spoken to me again and again as a Christ-follower. This scene not only captures the love that I have for God as I follow Him but also the joy in experiencing His goodness.

Most of the time, I as a follower of God have no idea where God is leading me. But as I've learned to follow and trust God, He continues to prove Himself as One who knows what He's doing. For example:

Last year, I had been struggling with ongoing and painful depression. My body hurt, my emotions were haywire (anger and sadness being the most common feelings), and I had absolutely no energy. After struggling with depression for six months (October- March), I began to realize that I probably needed help. So one day, I cried out to God and asked him: God, what do I do? Immediately, the next thing that popped into my head was: Stop eating wheat.

Now for someone who knows little to nothing about nutrition, special dietary needs, or even what Gluten-free was all about... I was CONFUSED. But I decided that I was desperate and willing to try anything. And if this thought was from God, than I should probably do something about it. So, over the next couple weeks.... I began to learn to take wheat out of my diet. And what do you know what happened? I began to feel NORMAL.

Intrigued, I emailed a friend who was gluten-free, and asked him,"Was depression one of your symptoms... before you were gluten-free?" He said, "Yes, in fact I was on bipolar medication for 15 years. After I became gluten-free I no longer needed the medication."Relieved to NOT be crazy, I then realized that God indeed led me to the source of my depression- a food allergy. Isn't that amazing?

Following God is a journey- not an equation. It is like driving with a GPS that directs you to make left and right turns, without knowing what your "ending" destination is. Sometimes there is a lot of waiting. Sometimes there is pain. Sometimes there is frustration. But at the end it all, there is a joy waiting to be found- a joy that can only be experienced when we choose to follow God.

So, today... I woke up this morning and I know this may sound silly, but I seriously felt like God was sending me to the hair salon- "You should do something different Amy with your hair!"

While it may sound silly that God would care enough to give me a beauty tip, the more I follow God the more I realize how much God really care about us and every tiny detail of our lives...so following his advice is really something to get excited about. So I decided: You know God, that's not such a bad idea. So, I went and got my hair chopped off today. And yes, it was the best decision I made all day!

New Years Tradition- INDEPENDENCE DAY?

2011-12-31T19:02:00.000-08:00

For some reason, one of our family's traditions on New Year's is to watch one of the greatest movies ever made- INDEPENDENCE DAY.

I began wondering: Why is this movie THE movie that our family thinks of to watch on New Year's? Why a movie about aliens on a mission to destroy the planet earth..... on New Year's Day?

Perhaps it's just tradition. Our family has loved renting 2-3 movies as we stayed up to cheer 'Happy New Year!"

Perhaps, it's just a great movie. I mean, with a cast like Will Smith, Bill Pullman, and Jeff Goldblum(and throw in some explosions and aliens).... you really can't go wrong.

Or perhaps, it's filled with some great writing --well, at least for this writer there's one speech that I cannot NOT love: The President's Speech.

It reads:

"Good morning. Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world, and you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind. Mankind, that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences any more. We will be united in our common interest. Perhaps it's fate that today is the 4th of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution, but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live, to exist and should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice, 'We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on, we're going to survive.' Today we celebrate our independence day!"

President Thomas Whitmore
July 4th, 1996
.........

In this scene, we are brought the moment in the movie, where we as the audience are told there is a very good chance that earth and mankind will be utterly destroyed by alien forces. The President gives this speech. We fight. We win. The aliens lose.

Although we win, earth has taken a major hit and millions of people have been killed. But we rise from the rubble with the hope to start over. To begin again. To do better.

This is the core of New Year's celebrations- we rise from the rubble of our lives, with the hope to start over. To begin again. To do better.

This is why we love watching INDEPENDENCE DAY on New Year's.

May you have a blessed New Year's and may God lead you as everything begins new and fresh in 2012!

A Scarlet Covering

2011-12-07T23:15:00.000-08:00

Besides campus work this year, I have been doing some side writing projects for InterVarsity's website, whether that be articles or blog posts.

After reading the book called "God in a Brothel" by Daniel Walker, I became very interested in learning more about human trafficking. One of my Reno students told me about the ex-manager of Mustang Ranch, named Sharnel, who became a Christian and has now founded the ministry called 'A Scarlet Covering' which ministers to prostitutes in Nevada!

And I might get a chance to talk to her tomorrow! I would love to sit down with this woman, hear more of her story and share about how God has transformed her life! (fingers crossed)

Whose side are we on?

2011-11-30T09:39:00.000-08:00

"Jesus answered, 'You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.'"

'Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.'

With this statement, Jesus draws up a picture of a war. A war of opposing sides. And announces to an 'earthly king' (Pontius Pilate) that he(Jesus) is a king of one of the opposing sides- the side of truth.

What is even more intriguing to me is that Jesus draws a line in the sand and says:

-there is no middle ground.

-You are either on one side or you are on the other.

Pontius Pilate tries to 'exclude himself' from choosing a side when he responds:

"What is truth?"

I've heard many non-Christians respond in a similar way. As a Christian, I have responded in similar ways as well.

I think:

- 'Who are the 'poor'?

- what is 'love'?

- But really what is justice?

- who is my neighbor?

And I am beginning to wonder.... by excluding myself from doing as Jesus commands....

I am making a choice. I am choosing a side. I am choosing to act as the enemy of Jesus and everything he represents.

When Jesus says, "Everyone on the side of truth, LISTENS to me" he is saying, 'those on my side: they listen to me and do as I would have them do.'

I don't know about you, but this idea of claiming to be on the side of truth and yet not doing as Jesus' commands brings up tension in my soul. A tension that I believe is a manifestion of the reality that these two sides exist in me.

Where's the hope for us as Christians? To claim to be working for the side of truth, but in a lot of our actions everyday we are working for the enemy.

The hope is that Jesus (our king) will not be satisfied for these opposing sides to exist in our hearts, minds and souls.

Jesus demanded his followers choose a side, while he was on earth. He demanded that his followers' live entirely on the side of truth. Think of Peter. Think of Paul. Jesus demanded that they live and act as people who 'listen and follow' him.

Jesus demands the same with us.

In what ways, might Jesus be calling us to face our own hypocrisy and to own up to the ways we have chosen to act as Jesus' enemy (while in the guise as one of his followers)?

If Jesus were to come to you and put a magnifying glass up to our hearts, in what ways are we working for the enemy?

-Would he find anger? Bitterness? Unforgiveness? Would he find a heart that does not honor the Sabbath? or a heart that does not honor our parents? Would he find a heart seeks to be right, rather than loving? Would he find a heart that believes that this earthly kingdom is more valuable and worth living for, than this 'other kingdom' Jesus speaks about?

Jesus is the only one who can help us, change us, forgive us. Thank the Lord that he is the perfecter of our faith and that he cares enough to work on 'perfecting' us.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith." Hebrews 11:1-2

7 UNR students committed their lives to following Jesus!

2011-09-09T23:37:00.001-07:00

Last night, after giving a talk on Zacchaues, I gave three invitations:

1- For those who wanted prayer because they feel like there are obstacles keeping them from seeing Jesus (just as Zacchaues had the obstacle that he was short, keeping him from Jesus).

2- For those that wanted to begin defining their life by what delights God (for the first time or recommitting)

3- That God would make their heart more like Zacchaeus (who was willing to give up the one thing that probably made him 'significant' in the word...his wealth....in exchange for what Jesus had to offer)

In response to invitation #1- about 10-12 students stood

In response to invitation #2- 7 students stood

In response to invitation #3- about the whole room stood up!

---------------------------------------

Students hearts are responding to the gospel! Praise God!

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them"

2011-08-31T00:42:00.000-07:00

A debate was beginning to break out, right before my very eyes.

And I did not know what to do.

except pray.

I've come across hard days in campus ministry, but today was different.

Today, I cried out in helplessness: "God, have mercy on us! They don't know what they are saying!"

Today, during our first InterVaristy gathering, a debate broke out about homosexuality.

A gay student walked into the room that we were all gathered in and asked where the "Gay/Straight Alliance" was meeting, and immediately one of our new students began making derogatory remarks regarding this club that this gay student was looking for:

"I would never go to something like that!"

(The words - God, Abomination, and a couple other choice words- were thrown in there as well.)

Sparks. flying. Go!

Debate.......................................................................................................................

I asked this new student: "The bigger question, I think is: Why wouldn't Jesus go the Gay/Straight Alliance club meeting? Jesus seemed to always be hanging out with the 'sinners' and 'tax-collectors'- people that Jesus 'shouldn't' be hanging out with. Why would today be any different?"

The debate continued and in the end, I felt utterly defeated.

Defeated by the overwhelming sense of anger, hate, and judgment that filled that discussion. I began to think: What if there is someone gay sitting next to our group and overheard our conversation? How did we get so far, that we aren't even treating this people group as if they were people? with feelings, with histories, with their own story?

I also began to wonder: I wonder if any of my students have authentic friendships with anyone that is gay? Or even a gay Christian?

Lord, please forgive us for the ways that we regard others as 'less' than ourselves, for the ways that we jump to 'picking out the speck in their eye' rather than humbly attending to the log lodged in our own eye.

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."- Mother Teresa

I Saved a Little Rascal Today... True Story

2011-08-24T22:43:00.001-07:00

I was running in San Rafael Park, and what did I see?

An owner frantically chasing his dog- who got its first taste of freedom- and decided running away was a great deal. But then, I realized he was only a couple hundred feet from ongoing traffic. If we didn't do something fast, this dog was going to get hit by a car.

As the owner and I began chasing the dog, the dog of course thought we were all 'fun and games' and continued to run away from us.

I turned to the owner and asked, "Is this your dog?"

He said, "No, it's actually my sister's dog. And she lives in an apartment complex, and this is the first time this dog has ever experienced freedom."

I began to think, 'poor guy. what could we do?' And then out of nowhere, an idea came to mind!

"What's the dog's name?" I asked.

"Rascal" replied the man.

I began to walk fast and confidently towards the dog who had continued on his little stroll of freedom and then.....with a deepest, loudest, and ANGRIEST voice I could muster:

"RASCAL! STOP!"

The dog literally froze. He turned to look at me, and I kept walking confidently towards him, as if I were his owner and began rebuking him like I've rebuked him my entire life.

"RASCAL, WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING? DON'T YOU DARE MOVE. YOU ARE BEING VERY BAD RIGHT NOW."

By the time I finished my little speech, I was within arms reach of the dog and grabbed his collar. The poor dog was so afraid of me, that he literally fell down on the ground in surrender.

After the man reached us both, I said: "I just thought, maybe if I yelled at him like I was your sister, and made him think he was in the worst trouble of his life, he would stop."

The man looked at me and with a relieved face said,"Yeah! He totally responded to authority."

I couldn't believe it. With just a few words, and the angriest upset voice I could muster...and this dog was powerless.

This little experience made me think about the kind of authority God has given us in this world. And do we realize that we have it? To think about authority and to actually use it... are two very different things....

What Does 'Surrender' Mean to Me?

2011-08-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

“July 24, 2003 at Free Lutheran Youth Convention, Estes Park, CO

The night I surrendered my entire life to Christ, setting no limits for Him in which he can use me.”

I don’t remember exactly who spoke that night, or what was said, but this I do know- that night, Jesus invited me to surrender my entire life to Him. Since that night, Jesus has taught me more and more about the explicit difference between living as a follower of Jesus and living as a servant of Jesus.

We see this in John 6, where Jesus' followers respond in a negative way to Jesus' teaching:

“'This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?'…….. From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him."

This verse highlights a crucial characteristic of a follower of Jesus: a follower’s life is still their own. In this passage, the disciples heard something that they didn’t like.... so they left.

So, I began to wonder: What separates these disciples, from the disciples that STAYED with Jesus? What made them decide that they would be MORE than a follower, but rather someone who was utterly and completely devoted to Jesus?

I am convinced that BECAUSE these disciples had drawn so close to Jesus, they knew that Jesus was not just any man, but that he was God.

"Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”

I am convinced that life is so much more an adventure when you live as a servant of Christ and so much better.... because you live your life in such close proximity to Jesus- you can't help but be changed. The goodness of Jesus Christ and his gospel flow into every area of your life and you are transformed, healed, and sent out to share with others what Jesus has done for you.

Although, I still don't know where I am headed and the plans that God has for me in the next ten years... this I can say for sure: His plans are much bigger, and much greater than our own. And anytime, I decide to forgo my plans for God's.... it's like "finding my life".... every time.

Gluten-free bread is the best if it's home-made!!

2011-08-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have been gluten-free and it's revolutionized my life. Not only have I been eating more whole foods as most pre-packaged foods have some sort of wheat in them, but I have also felt a lot healthier and happier.

The only thing that has been hard about the whole process is missing normal-looking-and-tasting bread. Gluten-free bread from the store has not proved to be anything close to any kind of bread that is made from wheat.

BUT, a miracle has happened!!! A family friend graciously gave me her old bread machine and I just tried my first loaf of gluten-free bread.....and IT's exactly what I have been MISSING.

Gluten-free living is actually not that difficult. But this home-made gluten-free bread that tastes as real as it's wheat twin, has absolutely made my life incredibly more wonderful!!!! This mix makes bagels, pizza crusts and even pie crusts as well. Who knew??

May your love be like squash: Overwhelmingly Abundant!

2011-08-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

In response to my sister's accusal of "hating them" (it's a joke), I must say that squash is one of the most under-cherished vegetables of this day and age, BUT possibly the most useful and versatile!

What if one day we run on a shortage of beef or pie-filling or pasta or french fries?!
The good news is: Squash will be there for YOU.

Squash Patties

3/4 cup Jiffy cornbread mix
2 cups cooked yellow squash, mashed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a nonstick cookie sheet with cooking spray. Stir together all the ingredients until well combined. Drop the batter onto the prepared sheet or into the muffin cups in heaping tablespoons. Spray the tops of the patties with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes, flip the patties, and bake for 20 minutes more. (You may also bake the patties in a mini-muffin pan.)

...............

Squash pie

Ingredients:

5 medium summer squash, sliced
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon or vanilla extract
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 egg yolks, beaten
dash of salt
baked pie shell, 9-inch

Preparation:

Steam squash or cook in a little boiling salted water until tender. Drain squash and mash. Combine butter, sugar, and lemon extract; stir in flour, beaten eggs, and mashed squash. Pour squash mixture into baked pie shell; bake at 375° for 25 minutes, or until firm.
.................

Squash Casserole:

6 cups large diced yellow squash and zucchini
Vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon House seasoning, recipe follows
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed butter crackers (recommended: Ritz)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute the squash in a little vegetable oil over medium-low heat until it has completely broken down, about 15 to 20 minutes. Line a colander with a clean tea towel. Place the cooked squash in the lined colander. Squeeze excess moisture from the squash. Set aside.

In a medium size skillet, saute the onion in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and mix all ingredients together except cracker crumbs. Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish and top with cracker crumbs. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

House seasoning:

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

.....................

SUMMER SQUASH SALAD

A hearty fresh zucchini, yellow squash and ripe tomato salad with a splash of Parmesan dressing.

2 c. (2 med.) sliced 1/8 inch zucchini
2 c. (2 med.) halved lengthwise, sliced 1/8 inch yellow squash
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. basil leaves
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. minced fresh garlic
1/2 c. sliced 1/8 inch red onion, separated into rings
2 med. ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges

In 2 quart saucepan place zucchini and yellow squash; add enough water water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until water comes to a full boil. Boil 1 to 2 minutes, drain. Rinse with cold water. In large bowl stir together remaining ingredients except onions and tomatoes. Add zucchini, yellow squash, onion and tomatoes; toss to coat............

........................................
and here's one to keep in your back pocket...

Yellow Squash Baby Food:

Steam it, Seed it, puree and thats it.

The Big Story

2011-07-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Here's the gospel presentation that we will be using this semester at Truckee Meadows Community College and UNR:

"James Choung's Big Story 1"

http://www.jameschoung.net/2007/09/17/the-big-story/

"James Choung's Big Story 2"

http://www.jameschoung.net/2008/01/31/the-big-story-part-2/

Check out my latest writings for InterVarsity online!

2011-07-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

Here's an article, I've written on one of the UNR students, Brendon.

"Sending World Changers into the World"

http://www.intervarsity.org/features/sending-world-changers-world

Here are some blog posts I have written for the InterVarsity blog:

Photo- Matt Kirk photography

"Marriage: the Holy Grail?"

http://www.intervarsity.org/blog/marriage-holy-grail

"How Miracle Gro Saved Me"

http://www.intervarsity.org/blog/how-miracle-gro-saved-me

"Debt is Like Dirty Laundry"

http://www.intervarsity.org/blog/debt-dirty-laundry

Here are some articles I've written on InterVarsity alumni:

"Rescuing Disadvantaged Futures"- Randy and Meg Palisoc, Charter School Founders and Teachers

http://www.intervarsity.org/news/intervarsity-alumni-randy-and-meg-palisoc

"Marketing God to the World"- Alicia Mey, Zondervan Marketing Director

http://www.intervarsity.org/news/making-case-books

Dillusioned? Congratulations!

2011-06-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

"Contemplation is not about a particular technique…it is any way you have of penetrating the illusions of the world and instead touch the reality of God. For me, burn-out and depression were the most powerful forms of contemplation... in the hard experiences of life, God invites you to go deeper and figure out what illusions you need to get rid of... So when people say that they are 'disillusioned' or 'jaded', I say, 'Congratulations! Let's figure out how we can get rid of more illusions that we might have.' "- Parker Palmer, author (during a phone interview today)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paying Attention

2011-06-29T09:18:00.001-07:00

"For too long we have thought of the Christian life as essentially either involvement in political, economic, social concerns that wear us out and result in depress or activity which keeps the church intact and doctrinally pure. Our primary orientation cannot be an institution or some great cause or even other people, but first and forever to God.

Unless our identity is hid in God we will never know who we are or what we are to do. Our first act must be prayer. To be human is to pray, to meditate both day and night on the love and activity of God. We are called to continuously be formed and transformed by the thought of God within us. Prayer is a disciplined dedication to paying attention. Without the singleminded attentiveness of prayer we will rarely hear anything worth repeating or catch a vision worth asking anyone else to gaze upon."

- From the Spiritual Life by John H. Westerhoff III and John D. Eusden

Reconciliation

2011-06-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about reconciliation a lot this week.
And I think I still have a lot to learn.

I read a post by Nathan Albert called "I Hugged a Man in His Underwear. And I Am Proud." that is a great example of reconciliation personified.

What I am learning is that reconciliation is quite the opposite of what can fit in an hour television show, it is the opposite of just "saying sorry". It seems to me that true reconciliation, it takes WORK. It takes TIME. And it takes COMMITMENT. and it requires HUMILITY.

I guess, I never realized that God gave us a whole book on reconciliation: Hosea.
--A story about a man whose wife(a prostitute) keeps leaving him. God commands him to keep reconciling with her, rather than divorcing her. I don't know if I have known or chosen to participate in that kind of reconciliation.

God gave us Jesus, who sacrificed his life so that the world might be reconciled with God. Would I would be willing to die for reconciliation in this world?

In Corinthians, Paul says that we are GIVEN a "ministry of reconciliation". Is this what I am doing? Do I go into my work with the understanding that this is what we are supposed to be about as Christians?

isn't it crazy that our GOD, is a God, who chooses into this hard work of reconciliation with US....everyday? If I were God, I'd be tired. But He never tires. He always seeks reconciliation with us.

amazing.

Debt is Like Dirty Laundry

2011-06-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

It's inevitable. It stinks. And no one wants to deal with it. Debt.

How do I know? Because I like most college graduates will be “wearing my debt” for the next 5-20 years after graduation. Recently, Mission Network News Online reported that “the average college debt for the class of 2011 has reached $22,900--an 8% rise from last year.” While debt is a growing problem for this generation, my attitude towards debt has been apathetic. I think, “I’ll deal with that situation one day.” Since graduating, my personal debt is something I try to forget about. Putting it ‘out-of-sight, out-of-mind’ became my default. On the other hand, my understanding of money can be as backwards as the Saturday Night Live skit “Don’t Buy Stuff”.

But now, I have started wondering: why am I not angry about being in debt? Have I settled for living my life this way? Have I just succumbed to a culture of apathy? Can I even blame culture, systems or structures? Or is there something deeper? Does money have some kind of control over me? Or is there anyone to blame but myself?

A couple days ago, I read a passage from the book of Job and was moved by Job’s perspective. He receives news that his livestock, family, and servants have all been killed. Read what happens next:

“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.’ In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” Job 1:20-22
In this passage, Job’s perspective surprised me. Despite having just lost everything he held dear, he recognizes that he came into this world with nothing, and he will leave this world with nothing. And everything in between birth and death is a gift from God.

Job’s response makes me wonder: How often do I look at my world around me and recognize that everything I have is a gift (like those leftovers in my fridge or my old-but-dependable car)? Or how often do I look around and think that I deserve more (like that all-you-can-eat-sushi buffet or a newer car)? And then it hit me: my debt is not the issue. Even though I have always been concerned about my immovable mountain of debt, the true mountain that needs moving is my heart and attitude about it.

God, forgive me for the ways I don’t recognize your many good gifts and choose to live in a state of apathy. Change my heart and attitude to be more like yours, so that I may enjoy the gifts that you give, and in turn give generously to others.

Want to learn more about the surprising truth about debt in our country? InterVarsity alumnus and 2010 Illinois Professor of the Year Lendol Calder has written an entire book about the subject, called Financing the American Dream. Click here to glean a few of his discoveries!

“Could you tear a $1 dollar bill in half?” Click here to watch a short video about one of the best ways to break money’s power.

Are you ready to “Stop Buying Stuff You Cannot Afford”? Go to www.mint.com and make a budget! Deciding how you spend your paycheck before your paycheck arrives, is the best way to regain control over your spending and reduce your debt.

(this blog post was originally posted on InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's Blog): http://www.intervarsity.org/blog/debt-dirty-laundry)

Adventures in madison

2011-05-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a Wisconsin waterfall?- Check!

Have you ever stuck your feet in a Wisconsin lake?- check!

Have you ever seen a barefoot man running on a jogging trail?- check!

Have you ever seen a deer run at full speed across madison park?- check!

Have you ever had a Brat, popcorn, and red/yellow cookie dough icecream for dinner
while listening to Amos Moses at the Brat Fest, in Madison? - check!

Have you ever heard the rain before you see it?(yeah, that happened today and it was weird)- check!

Here's to all the many new experiences Madison, Wisconsin has already brought me!

It was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times

2011-05-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

Today, my sister shoved a pile of books to go through and see if anything stuck out to me before she gave them away and one book especially grabbed my attention: Waiting by Ben Patterson.

As I began reading, immediately it was God was SPEAKING into the depths of my soul and I wanted to share one section I found powerful:

"Part of the right perspective was how Job understood himself. He was very clear on who he was before God. When he learned that he was stripped of just about everything that makes for happiness in this life, the first words out of his mouth were, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb.' Naked!

Job was saying, 'I had nothing when I arrived on this planet, and I will have nothing when I leave it. Everything I have lost was not in my possession when I was born, and it would not have been in my possession when I die. My nakedness is a dress rehearsal of my death, a remembrance of my birth. In the end it will have gone full circle, and I will be back where I started: naked and helpless, with nothing and no one but God.' " (Patterson, 19)

Helplessness is a feeling that we all experience at different times in our lives and for me, I never really saw that as a positive thing until now. "Naked and helpless, with nothing and no one but God...." Interesting huh?

Traveling on the "Jesus Highway"

2011-05-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

What if our highways weren't made of asphalt.... but of clouds?!
I guess there's a reason for that. Only Jesus gets the cool highways.

'Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven.And everyone will see him' Revelations 1:7.

Pre-Summer Adventures: Packing!!

2011-05-13T21:13:00.001-07:00

Packing for the next 8 weeks is harder than it sounds. Tomorrow I fly to Madison, Wisconsin for a summer internship with the InterVarsity Communications team as a writer, but I quickly became overwhelmed as I began to worry:

"Will I forget my ipod?" "My sunglasses?" "Which books should I bring to read this summer?" "My pens?" "And how many pairs of shoes will I actually wear?!"

Then I thought, "Isn't it funny that I am so worried about all the things I might leave behind, when Jesus' asked his disciples to leave EVERYTHING behind?

Hmmmm.... to keep packing to not keep packing?

Another year coming to an end- reflections

2011-04-27T15:29:00.000-07:00

As another year comes to an end, it is amazing to know that there are freshmen-sophomore-juniors-and seniors who have JUST begun an authentic and genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.

This year is just the BEGINNING of their journeys and adventures of following Christ.
This year is the BEGINNING of Christ taking their lives and molding them into something that is glorious.
This year is the BEGINNING of Jesus restoring and healing their lives, but also the countless lives of others to come.

It reminds me of how I also began seeking after Jesus during my college years. I know that college goes by in a blink of an eye, but I am so thankful for the ways that Jesus grabbed a hold of me during college. It wasn't until I actually began to know Jesus for myself that my real life began!

"If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it" Matthew 10:39

True Repentance

2011-04-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

Repentance

It's a word so familiar

and yet ……………….so alien

A word, full of connotations

begging for action to take root

in our lives

Yet......

so far removed

from our hearts and minds.

It falls on our ears without effect

Or meaning

WHAT IS THIS WORD?

We've heard Repentance

tossed around like a ping pong ball back and forth

in the "business of Christianity",

in the mission of prophets,

in the agenda of misguided preachers

But, Jesus Himself preached about Repentance.

HE said: "Repent and Believe in the good news".

This word was intended to woo us

back to Him-

the ONE TRUE GOD.

But others....

they have betrayed Repentance

and use it as a weapon of destruction

to attack, ASSUME,

AND ACCUSE.

If this is what we have become,

we've missed the point.

It was as if we stared into God’s face,

………………………….And we didn’t

recognize

Him.

We are unclean vessels

unworthy resting places for

the Spirit of the HOLY God,

In need of cleansing.

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness”

1 John 1 : 9

For Repentance, true repentance is GOOD.

It is beautiful.

It restores and it heals.

It humbles and it erases every mark of filth.

And it is simple.

Only YOU will know when you are truly REPENTANT.

It will be like a click, a turn,

like night becoming day.

You will be different. You will act differently. And you will appreciate the difference.

Til the end of our days,

our God will be calling us to a journey

of true Repentance

as it is the gate to His Kingdom.

This gate of repentance is the only entry point we have to Him, his truth, hope and love.

It is necessary

And in the end, it is the foundation

of who we are to become-

HOLY vessels of

Christ

Lost Retainers

2011-02-12T14:08:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks, I have found myself in a strange and new life situation. This situation is that I have lost my retainers!

These retainers have been with me for the past 10 years, ever since I got my braces removed, and has ensured me a set of perfectly straight teeth. Now, these retainers are GONE and it is starting to have an affect on my teeth! Can you believe it? After 10 years of staying in the same position, apparently one month free from my retainers was all my teeth needed to start shifting back to where they were 10 years ago! (Don't worry Mom and Dad, I plan on going to an orthodontist very soon.)

I thought this was a fun picture for spiritual disciplines. I've been reading a really GREAT book on the importance of Spiritual Disciplines called: "The Good and Beautiful God"

This book teaches that unless you have essential spiritual disciplines in place, for example- sleep (I know! Who would have guessed sleep could be a spiritual discipline), that you will essentially lose your footing in tough situations and you will not be able to be a 'person of peace'. Spiritual Disciplines are meant to set you up to succeed in producing much fruit.

This book spoke to the part of my heart that is aching for fruit that lasts. This fruit is just a small taste of the goodness of our God and I want to be able to remain a 'person of peace' in all situations and not to be so worried about the little things. Although retainers are a poor analogy for Spiritual Disciplines, I hope that I will never forget the invaluable role they serve.

jarring realizations

2011-02-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

The beginning of second semester has brought a many few realizations, some that I am still processing. In comparison to first semester at TMCC, which I can honestly say it started off with a bang! ......second semester at TMCC has felt like a deflating balloon. I don't know if it's the extremely long Christmas break we had, everyone's settled into their routines, or what but I have been desperately looking to name the "successes" I have seen on campus and in our fellowship in order to muster up some kind of encouragement for the "now". I think the toughest part of this whole planting a chapter by myself, is the "by myself" part. I know understand why Jesus and the early missionaries made it a priority that no one go by themselves somewhere. In the "aloneness" of it all, there are a lot of opportunities for the enemy to make his voice heard. I know that God has given me promises. He has assured me of my calling. He has given me vision for my campus. He has assured me that He is going with me. But even after all that, the aloneness still gets to me. It never gets easier. And I'm not really sure what to make of all that I am feeling and experiencing this semester. Maybe this is just what it actually means to take up my cross and follow Jesus. Maybe God is going to work outside of my "expectations" and do something completely different than what I have planned. But God did give me these verses this morning at our staff prayer time, which has been encouraging.

Pray for me. The first couple weeks of school has honestly been discouraging to me and in some ways, I am looking for God to give me direction again.

I have also realized that the majority of my core group will probably be leaving next semester and that has left me feeling pretty insecure. The idea of "starting over" again is becoming a reality for me and that in itself is a lot harder to take than i expected. I guess in the end, I have a lot of questions...... to be continued....

John 4:1-9

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

Sometimes words are not enough

2011-01-19T19:13:00.000-08:00

and worship is absolutely necessary. =)

"Here in my Life"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc0r_0Af4FU&feature=related

A New Heaven and a New Earth

2010-12-24T14:50:00.000-08:00

"See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.

"I Dared to Call Him Father"

2010-12-23T14:47:00.000-08:00

As I was flying across the country two days ago(from Orlando to Los Angeles), I read an incredible book. This book is: I Dared to Call Him Father: The Miraculous Story of a Muslim Woman's Encounter with God.

I think what struck me so much about this book was the incredible and tangible connection that Bilquis Sheikh had with God from the beginning of her search of truth and investigation of Jesus Christ. She constantly sought to be in the Presence of God and knew that when she sensed God's Presence leaving her, that she was doing something that wasn't a part of God's will. For example, in the story Bilquis becomes a Christian and relatively soon after that some Christian missionary friends suggested that she put bars on her windows for protection(as there was a certainty that one day the Muslim community from her village would "take action"). And as she made plans to contact the local iron-worker from her village, Bilquis said that she sensed "God's presence leaving her". And she realized that she would be providing a poor witness if she retreated into fear and left the whole village with the impression that "this is what happens when you become a Christian- to live in fear".

Instances like that and many more from her story really challenged me. How can I be sensitive to God's Presence and become more aware of how I might live my life in such a way that would be a witness to those around me- even though the world and even Christian community would justify something contrary to what God is directing me to do.

I have much more to learn about being a Christian, but one thing this book also showed me was that to be a Christian, means being willing to give up security- while God does not force us to, it is an invitation that He will always offer us to choose to take or allow us to refuse.

God our Provider

2010-12-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

God is indeed our Provider and nothing is truly too small for Him.
God has provided me in full my End of the Year Goal of $6700- praise God! It baffles me that no amount of money, even in an economic downturn is too small for God.

Thank you all of you who partner with me and give throughout the year and to this ministry at Truckee Meadows Community College. It truly encourages me and shows me that God has great plans for this community college and a desire to reach many other community colleges in our nation. I pray that God blesses you and encourages you as you continue to partner with me throughout the year and as I relay back to you what God is doing in Reno, Nevada at our little "no name" community college, where God knows every student and every name and desires them to know Him and be carriers of His light and truth.

Merry Christmas!!

Blessings to you all,
Amy

thankfulness vs discontentedness

2010-12-14T22:17:00.000-08:00

I heard a simple word from the Lord the other day that is so true:

thankfulness leads to contentment.

lack of thankfulness leads to lack of contentment.

As I begin on my journeys throughout the holidays, I would like to begin a record of things I am thankful for:

Personal Thanks: late night convo's with Sarah Burke, planning a Surprise engagement party(for Sarah), planning a surprise going away party for sarah, getting asked to be part of sarah's wedding, finding a new church home(Summit Christian church), getting the chance to spend a week with Jessica and Travis and Petra and Baby No.2, Spiritual direction meetings with Jacci and the Holy Spirit, Thanksgiving with the entire family(brother and sister and bro-in-law), my housemates Jen and Casey(and all our ridiculous adventures).

Ministry thanks: Daniel and Mike showed up everyday for outreach events, Trilogy-8 TMCC students came(that's double from last year), Christmas party and the Stamps house, getting accepted to staff an Intervarsity Global Trek to Kolkata, Christiana Agbor, listening prayer with students and staff, Jay and Luke Wynn, Troy and jackie, Matt Emmons, Peggy(her bubbly joy and zest for life).

Cabinet of Curiousity

2010-12-14T13:24:00.000-08:00

This weekend for our staff Christmas retreat we were asked to bring a "Cabinet of Curiosity" that had a few items in it that would help the rest of our staff team understand our family background, ethnic background and spiritual background.

These were the items in my "Cabinet":

A German Bible, the Luther translation: One of the first things you'll ever learn about our family is that we come from a predominantly Lutheran background and that we are pretty much full German. I mean with a last name like "Hauptman" ....how much more German can you get? =)

a pair of knitting needles: our family works with our hands a lot, whether that's farming, needlework, projects, etc.

"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley: our family loves to read AND I appreciate non-traditional women like Mary Shelley(a woman author AND her book is one of my favorites). There's a streak of non-traditional women in my family(myself included) that I have a real appreciation for.

Christmas plate: My family has this obsession with plates. I've noticed from grandparents to my parents house, there are decorative plates hanging on the walls. And I never really knew where that tradition came from. Also Christmas is the time that everything is good because we are all together.

A coffee cup: coffee is my addiction, coffee shops are my happy place. But the coffee cup is also a metaphor for my life. Ever since I could remember, I have never really had a desire to accumulate wealth, possessions or even a house, but rather I have a desire to experience life in a way that at the end of the day I can look back and say, "That was DELICIOUS".

the missionary got schooled!

2010-11-30T22:46:00.000-08:00

Today the missionary was schooled!

I woke up this morning with this grand thought:

"Amy, its time to give the ministry of Intervarsity back to your students. Why not challenge them to partner up in pairs and take charge of leading a small group next semester instead of it resting completely on you? Why not challenge them to be the leaders they already are? Wouldn't it be more effective to have a bunch of smaller groups of students meeting? Wouldn't their friends be more likely to come to a study that their friends(an Intervarsity student) is leading than a stranger like me?"

During our staff team's morning prayer this morning, God gave me two simple words:

LET GO.

I, a missionary, was convicted on how I have been holding so tightly to my ministry and how unwilling I have been to give it away and entrust it to others. But LETTING GO is the better option. These students are missionaries, they are ready...THEY are the light of the world like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden.

Trilogy Weekend

2010-11-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

Trilogy 2010 has come and gone and GOD moved in powerful ways in our TMCC group and in the 550 students that attended the camp in general. I was so blessed to have a an amazing group of 8 TMCC students go with me to Trilogy-Intervarsity Christian Fellowship's Fall Conference at Woodleaf (a Young Life Camp in Challenge, CA).

-We had 5 NEW students attend "DOC" (which stands for "Disciples on Campus and they learned what it means to follow Jesus while in college.
-We had 2 older students attend "ROC" (which stands for "Revealed on Campus") and they learned Spiritual Disciples such as Listening Prayer, Meditation so that they might build up their relationship with God by learning to practice being still and listening for what God might want to say to them.
-We also had 1 student attend "MOC" (which stands for "Ministers on Campus"), where he got to learn what it means to mentor and disciple younger students and future leaders.

God worked quite a few surprises for me over the weekend in my students' lives and hearts. He brought healing, challenged others, removed burdens, and wooed one student back to begin trusting Him again.

Here are a few of their stories:

-One of my male students on the second night received prayer ministry with some of the other guys in our fellowship. He had become a Christian last year and every time there was worship or prayer of some sort, pornographic images would flood his mind. During the prayer ministry, God freed him from whatever was causing those images. The next morning, he told me after the prayer for breakfast: "Amy, they're gone."

- Another couple of my guy students were challenged to share their faith more, so they asked that I would train them on how to lead a GIG(an evangelistic Bible study). They wanted to invite their friends who are not Christian to investigate the Bible for themselves and now are going to.

- One of my female students said that God allowed all her bitterness and anger towards her family to "bubble to the surface" by Saturday night. We prayed together and she surrendered all the bitterness that she had held onto for years and submitted it all to the foot of the cross. In return, she saw Jesus replace that bitterness with peace.

- my other female student rededicated her life to following Jesus and is beginning the process of trusting Him again! This one was the biggest surprise of all, I would have classified her as "following Jesus", but the truth was that she grew up in church but had not been following Jesus for the past couple years. Praise God that this student's relationship was restored with her Creator!

Writing up my first book proposal ever!

2010-10-23T21:22:00.001-07:00

So, sometimes I'm known for crazy ideas and this just might be one of them. Pray for me. =) I don't really even know how all this came about, but I've put together a book proposal for IVPress...and I think I'm foolish enough to mail it in. Here's to jumping in feet first to this world that I know nothing about.

Other than that, I've decided that next month I am going to start renting a cello from a local music store, so that I might start learning. As I'm also training for a half-marathon in February, I started thinking about all these things that I am itching to do.... and am taking steps to make those things happen(or by God's grace, He's opening doors for me).

Other exciting news, is that this summer I have been accepted to staff a Global Urban Trek to Kolkata, India!! It was a couple years ago I read the book, "Finding Calcutta" by Mary Poplin.

(http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3472) and ever since then I just had this desire to go there. And although its been a few years since I've been on a Global Urban Trek, I think God has been putting it on my heart to go to India for a reason. So please pray for me, as I will be recruiting students from our Reno and Truckee Meadows Fellowships to go with me. Yay!

May God bless you and keep you!

The Trust Factor

2010-09-25T00:29:00.000-07:00

As I have been learning and listening to God, I feel that He has opened my eyes to see the "gospel" differently. He has shown me through the lense of a very special and very simple story of a Creator desiring to build trust with His Creation. If you have never thought of the gospel through this lense before, continue reading and let me know what you think?

I am looking for feedback, if this makes sense and if I am leaving any essential part of the GOOD NEWS out.

I. The Creator's Dilemma

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth....and MAN. After he created MAN, He was faced with a dilemma. You see, he made the earth with everything that MAN would need to live and thrive: plants, animals, air, water, vegetation, purpose, and community(woman). But God is faced with a dilemma. How is He going to build a relationship with MAN? What are the essential requirements for a relationship anyways?

TRUST AND LOVE.

And God did love MAN and He wanted to demonstrate that He trusts MAN. So what did He do? He ENTRUSTED the garden, the animals, and all creation to MAN. God loved MAN a lot and begins to demonstrate that love and trust by giving him EVERYTHING he just created to TAKE CARE OF. God loved MAN and MAN loved GOD, but how would the Creator build trust with man?

The answer?

a Tree.

II. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

This Tree has received the worst rap in human history. It has been called all sorts of "names" from the "source of all evil" to something God used to "tempt mankind into mankind" to test whether or not we would OBEY him. But this was NOT the purpose God intended for the TREE. God desired to build trust with MAN and He wasn't about to DEMAND it from us. A true relationship cannot be established without genuine trust built between the two parties. Otherwise, it is not a relationship. Thus, the Tree. Or as I'd like to call it: God's "trust-building exercise" with MAN.

III. One Invitation only- "TRUST ME"

After God put the Tree in the garden, He had only invitation for man: will you trust me? When God tells MAN that he can eat from any tree in the garden, EXCEPT THIS ONE...God is asking man, "Will you trust me?" God is not a "Rule-Maker". He is about one thing: knowing his creation and being known by his creation. He has one focus, one desire: to build trust with his creation. But what He asks of his creation also has a point and it also has REAL consequences, which is tied to the realm of the ENEMY of God.

IV. "The Deceiver"

There is a character that steps into the story of Creator and MAN, a character who we shall refer to as "the Deceiver". His role is simple. It has one goal: undermine MAN's trust with God. Ruin it. Spoil it. Destroy it. His tactics haven't really changed much. They are pretty much the most overused but at the same time, most strategic strategies he owns. It began with a question and is still used today:

"Did God really say that?"

The enemy of God raises this question because he wants to lead MAN into the realm of doubt, which is only the beginning of TRUST destroyed.

Man decides to believe the "deceiver" rather than continuing to trust God. And as a result, MAN's Trust with God is fractured. It is cracked. It is broken.

V. Human History- A Familiar Pattern

And since the Garden, since the beginning, human history has been filled with stories upon stories about God trying to build trust with MAN. And in response, stories upon stories of MAN building trust with GOD, but also breaking TRUST with God. This RIGHT relationship that once existed in the beginning continues to become more and more fractured. Even though, God is a good and merciful God and is ever so patient with MAN, He decides that the familiar pattern of Human History needs to be changed. So God sends MAN a Hero- Jesus.

VI. The Hero- the Cornerstone of a new pattern

The Hero that God sends is Jesus Christ to be the Cornerstone of a new day, a new era, a new pattern for Human History. What was so unique about Jesus, that he would be the Cornerstone of this new era? That He lived in a RIGHT relationship with God, he never once BROKE trust with God by living a perfect life AND he provided us the most "perfect" piece of evidence of God's Message- his death on a cross. When in reality, MANKIND is responsible for the mess in God's world: murder, hate, destruction of lives of the earth and relationships.... Jesus chose to receive the consequences for the results of our BROKEN trust with God.

Not only did Jesus take our consequences, but he ALSO left us with the most tangible form of unconditional love. He died for us. He sacrificed everything. And he didn't have to.

This single act that Jesus accomplished is why HE is the cornerstone of "the new day" in Human History. That we are no longer held back by the ways that we have broken trust with God, but that Jesus is able to repair and restore that broken trust between us and God.

Instead of the TREE of Knowledge of Good and Evil(which we were told "Do not eat!"), God offers us a second chance. He provides another "Tree", the Cross, which Jesus said himself, "This is my body and blood given for you, take and eat!" This is our second chance to rebuild trust with our Creator. To be in a right relationship with Him. To know Him and be known by Him. Our Creator is the same and will continue to look for ways to build trust with us, but without Jesus all attempts will not succeed because Jesus is the only true Cornerstone of our relationship with God.

Great day at the Welcome Fair!

2010-09-15T16:08:00.001-07:00

I think this year is going to be full of momentum cause I'm already seeing it at TMCC. Over the first two weeks of school, we got 50 interest cards. Today, over the course of 4 hours, we got 41 more. God is answering prayers. Our vision @ TMCC Intervarsity is that:

"We are a multi-ethnic community that seeks to be agents of God's love, grace and truth on campus, so that the world may know and be changed!"

And what I saw today, were my new and old leaders taking risks and being agents of that love, grace and truth. AND I had my students going out into the crowds and bringing students of every ethnicity. Praise Jesus for answered prayers!!

Its the first week and we've doubled

2010-09-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

It's official! we've doubled. We had 7 new students come to our small group meetings(on Tuesday and Wednesday) this week. Praise God! Visiting one of the large lecture rooms on campus, I began to dream...what if this room that can hold 150-200 people was filled with TMCC students. Wouldn't that be amazing? Wouldn't the face of TMCC be changed? This city? And the countless communities? Wow. This is exciting.

pray for health

2010-09-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

Today, I was struggling. I've started feeling sick and pretty exhausted. Pray that God gives me the energy to get through each day.

Gathering Missional Christians

2010-09-04T00:24:00.000-07:00

It's the end of the first week and God has already answered my prayers of bringing missional Christians to Intervarsity. On Thursday, God brought 6 missional Christians to our meeting and they are already jumping on board with the mission of Intervarsity: to be agents of God's love, grace and truth on campus.

We already started planning our next outreach event and tomorrow we are going to the Rib Cook Off for bonding time!

I am so blessed and thankful for the ways even my current leaders are stepping out. One of my more quiet leaders was actually the one of the group stepping out of his comfort zone and engaging people in conversations as they walked by our table this week.

Go to "WhatNowNews.webs.com" for pictures of what we did on Wednesday!

Also, my favorite new member of our team, is "Peter"(not his real name). He left a note with my stuff that says: "Man, I love college. I love drinking." BUT at the same time, he used to be a part of Young Life and he's not really sure what he thinks about the Bible, but he likes Jesus. He told me that he believes what he wants to believe. I turned to him, "That's kind of dangerous. I could want to believe that I could fly, but that's a dangerous belief." And that was on the first day, and he's kept coming back everyday to help out at our table. Jake could be our number one leader before we know it. He was even advising us on how we market ourselves. He said, "You should say you're a discussion group, rather than a Bible study..so that you don't turn people off". watch out! This kid is gonna do some great things this year, I'm sure.

covered in paint

2010-08-31T23:59:00.000-07:00

covered in paint, contemplating whether or not to finish off the 5 pieces of fun size chocolate bars from our table today, or to go to bed. Although it's 12am, there's still more to do to complete TMCC's first outreach event, I am sure that it is only by God's power that I still have energy and am not stressed out to the point of sickness.

In the past, I remember usually by the end of the first week of school, I would be taken out. I would end up getting sick, usually the flu and would be in bed for 3 days straight just sleeping- I think cause I just stressed myself out. But I am so amazed and thankful for my core group of faithful men and ladies at tmcc. They show up everyday at 9 to help me set up for the day and are there to help me load up my car when the day is done. its only the first couple days of school, and my love and admiration for these students has just skyrocketed to another universe.

tomorrow(wednesday) we will be inviting the campus to engage with the question:

How would you transform a life? Renew the campus? Change the world?

We are hoping to not only engage the campus with the mission of Jesus, but to invite the campus to be part of the mission. we will be having the proxy station out from 10am-4pm. another day. another step in the journey.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed

2010-08-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

"What a strange way to start a revolution...and what a strange way to finish your world tour." We worship the seed that died. The revolution will not be televised. IT will not be brought to you by Fox News with commercial interruptions...It will not be sandwiched between ads to accelerate your life or be all you can be. There will be no reruns. The revolution will be live. The revolution will be in the streets. The revolution will be cleaning toilets and giving another blanket to Karen. The revolution will not be talking about poverty in hotel banquet rooms. It will be eating beans and rice with Ms. Sunshine and watching Back to the Future with our neighbor Mary. Get ready, friends...God is preparing us for something really, really-small"... " We are a broken people who need each other and God, for we have come to recognize the mess that we have created of our world and how deeply we suffer from the mess. Now we are working to give birth to a new society within the shell of the old. Another world is possible. Another world is necessary. Another world is already here." - The New Conspirators

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And three days and counting until the revolution begins....at Truckee Meadows Community College. After being on staff for 4 years, it's been a slow-kind-of-creeping-up-on-me-surprise that now I find myself wanting to plant a new chapter at our local community college in Reno. The more and more I prepare, plan, meet facutly/staff/students on campus....the more it becomes apparent that there is something greater going on that is not in my control. At the end of the day, I just feel overwhelmingly lucky. Lucky because the more my heart grows for TMCC, the more I feel God's heart for this campus and His longing for this campus to be reached. And what's even crazier, is that I feel like this is the right time, everything is set in place, and that God has prepared the ground at TMCC and has handed it to me to lay the foundation.

Pray for our first week of outreach which starts Monday and ends Thursday. We are going to be giving away free breakfast food on Monday and Tuesday. And then on Wednesday, we are going to be engaging the campus with the "Whatnow? Challenge", which is a proxy station that challenges the campus to think about one way that they could help "transform a life", "renew the campus" or "change the world". We are hoping and praying to call out those Christians and missional Christians on campus to choose into their identity as witnesses, and to leave behind any shell of superficial Christianity. We also want to introduce non-Christians to the mission of Jesus up front versus just inviting them to "join a club". We are trying NEW things, praying lots, and are trusting that God will part the waters on the TMCC campus, so that Intervarsity can cross over and take the land that God has promised us.

The Final Countdown---1 week

2010-08-22T23:08:00.000-07:00

The Final Countdown has begun. There is only one week left...
one week....until school begins.

Please be praying for the first week of school, starting August 30th:

Monday- We will be giving away free Starbucks pastries and coffee
Tuesday- We will be giving away free Starbucks pastries and coffee
Wednesday- We will invite the campus to take the challenge of either doing something to: transform a life, renew the campus, and change the world.
Thursday- our first gathering core meeting
friday- break
saturday- rolling down the Truckee River Day!

Responding to the Apostolic Call

2010-05-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

(One of my students, Kat, from Truckee Community College getting baptized at Catalina Island, at our spring conference.)

“If there are 5 staff workers at your current campus, and there are none at the nearest community college, think about sending 1 or 2 staff workers to that campus. When Jesus was on earth, the gospel was always moving forward. He sent his disciples to the ‘edge’ of their current geographical location, in order that the gospel could reach the next town. This might be a call that God has for you, a call to go out to “the edge” so that gospel might reach the next campus.“

These words pierced my soul, as my boss Troy Turley continued to speak and inspire a group of 70 other staff during our Christmas staff retreat. I began to count the staff at the University of Nevada, Reno (where I currently am full-time): 1-2-3-4-5… And the nearest college? A local community college(Truckee Community College) that I spend 2 hours a week at leading a small group of 6-10 college students.

My only response to Troy’s talk was: “I want to go.”

I also remembered the many different ways that God used Intervarsity Christian Fellowship during my college experience and realized that I want the students at Truckee Meadows to encounter the gospel and be transformed by it the ways that I had been during college. It was through Intervarsity during college that God grabbed a hold of my heart and asked me if I would make him LORD of my life. It was in Intervarsity that I studied the word with other Christians and discovered God’s heart for the world. It was also through Intervarsity that I developed healthy and solid friendships with other Christians that provided the support and fellowship that I needed.

The realities for the college students at Truckee Meadows is that they will never come across a Christian minister who will share with them the truth about Jesus Christ and invite them to study the Bible because there are currently no Christian clubs on campus or full-time missionaries to these college students. Unless someone goes to Truckee Meadows, thousands upon thousands could miss out on the good news.

“I want to go” was the simple response my heart made that day at our staff Christmas retreat back in December. And God’s response to me was: “You’re going!”
------
TAKE NOTHING EXCEPT A STAFF

“Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. ….he sent them out two by two …. These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.” - Mark 6:6-8

Just as Jesus sent the disciples out to the villages to preach the gospel, I feel Jesus sending me to a “village” in Reno called Truckee Meadows Community College. If Reno is the “Biggest Little City in the Word”, than Truckee Meadows Community College is definitely a “village” that sits on top of a mountain 15 minutes north of downtown Reno. As I leave an already established and growing Intervarsity chapter at the University of Nevada-Reno, in order to go and start something new at this community college, I have many questions. Mainly- “What is going to happen?”

As I reread Mark 6:6-8, I asked God: “What is your invitation for me here?” I felt God saying to me “I want you to believe that the staff is enough”. I am so thankful that God sends us out not because we have certain degrees or certain abilities or skills. He sends us out completely dependent on Him.

Truckee Meadows Community College

2010-02-01T23:49:00.000-08:00

Every week, I get the amazing opportunity to go up to our community college to hang out and lead a Bible study with the small but growing Intervarsity chapter at our junior college.

Last week, we gave away about $200 worth of free food to students and also got about 20 new interest cards from students interested in joining our chapter. Please pray for us tomorrow that students would come and that they would want to get involved and become part of our chapter that wants to boldly proclaim the love of God on campus!

Prayer Ministry was an adventure!

2010-01-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

THE HIGHLIGHT of my Urbana experience was that everyday I got to be on the Prayer Ministry Team with about 70 other prayer ministers(Intervarsity staff). Everyday we had two prayer ministry seminars, after which we would just pray with people. Prayer ministry was such a fresh and exciting adventure for me and the people I prayed with because it really is about helping students enter into a conversation with God, but letting God lead the conversation. Prayer ministry is really a different way of praying. Instead of us leading the conversation with the things that we want to talk about, prayer ministry is about stopping, listening, and giving God control of the conversation. It was a blessing to see the many students receive words, affirmations, healing, and blessing from their Heavenly Father.

I think my favorite story was from one of our prayer ministers who shared one crazy experience praying with a girl whom she met and had a crazy life story. The girl shared about 4 different traumatic life circumstances that had happened to her at different ages, and then shared with the prayer minister that a psychologist had diagnosed her as having a multiple personality disorder. The Prayer minister having never prayed for anyone like this said, "okay, well lets just go to God and see what He has to say about this" So they listened, and the prayer minister told the girl that she felt like God was telling her that he wanted to "heal all of her parts". So one by one, the prayer minister asked the Holy Spirit to bring forward each of the girl's personalities one at a time and then asked God to heal each one, by bringing wholeness to each of the personalities.

Then after that, the prayer minister asked God to lead them again, into what they should do next and felt like God was saying that he wanted "to knit all of her parts together". So they prayed that God would knit all her parts together. And the prayer minister asked the girl how she felt and the girl responded that she felt "gluey". That is probably the craziest most amazing story of healing that I have ever heard of! Someone at Urbana was healed of a multi-personality disorder!

Urbana 09....Strive to be forgotten

2010-01-03T13:15:00.000-08:00

Urbana 09 was amazing and once again has left me and 16,000 other college students with much to take back to our college campuses, our communities and churches. One of the most impactful messages that I heard was a 15 minute interview with Patrick Fung, the first Asian General Director of Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF) International. Patrick shared with Urbana his story about how he became a Christian and about how God called him into ministry after he and his wife became successful and wealthy doctors. He said that in order to go into ministry and at the same time honor his parents and his in-laws(and to lead them to the Lord), he and his wife made the decision to give all of their life savings after 7 years of working as medical doctors to their parents(in order to provide for them in their old age, as they knew they wouldn't be able to when serving as missionaries).

Patrick shared about a story of when he visited a library in London that had archives of 1000's of files, where each file represented one life that died in order for the gospel to be spread in China. It was after knowing this fact, that Patrick realized that these nameless forgotten people were probably the most important workers in the 21st century as they made Christ visible and not themselves. Patrick encouraged us to love and serve people in very tangible ways rather than focusing so much on publicity for events. To listen to his interview go to http://www.urbana09.org/program.webcast.cfm, Day 2.

What is true discipling?

2009-11-20T15:03:00.000-08:00

At our staff retreat, "Cultivating Leadership" conference, some "Intervarsity giants"(aka, the "greats") have been challenging me so much in what I think is important "staff work". One of the main topics was about Discipleship, and what do we think discipleship looks like. The simple answer should be: what was Jesus' mission when he was on earth? To share the gospel. Isn't that what he discipled his followers in? And so, instead of following my default discipling method(which is to meet with students, hear about their lives, their "boy or girl problems"...) I should be discipling students in how to share the gospel?

It looks like, from now on, going to the dorms, talking about Jesus= discipleship.

Story from the beginning of the year

2009-11-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

Meet Lauren and Amanda

On the first day of dorm move-in, I met a freshman named Lauren. As I got to know Lauren, I found out that she is Christian and she introduced me to her roommate, Amanda. Lauren and Amanda are both bubbly, energetic freshmen who I loved spending time with. After inviting Amanda to a couple Intervarsity events, I quickly learned that Amanda wasn't interested in anything related to "church stuff" because she grew up going to church with her mom, but later in her teen years had some bad experience with her mom that left her scarred and hurt. So she didn't really feel ready to go back into anything "church-related" because she was so wary of the whole thing.

“Keep inviting her!”

But something inside me said: “Keep inviting her!” So shared with Amanda that I wanted to invite her to different things because I wanted her to feel welcome, but that if she chose to come or not come, we would love her the same. So one day, we invited Amanda to dinner with our small group and….SHE CAME. Another time, we invited her to Large Group. She didn’t come the first time…..but the 2nd time SHE DID. Then before we knew it she came to our small group Bible study EVERY WEEK! During one of our small groups, we were studying the account of Lazarus’ death and resurrection and talked about how Jesus is ABLE to step in and fix our hopeless situations. In our passage, we saw that Jesus was able to raise Lazarus back to life and restore a brother to two grieving sisters. Then I asked our Bible study if there was any hopeless situations in our lives now that we want to ask Jesus to step into? And guess who was the first to respond?! Amanda.

I guess that was Jesus, wasn’t it?

Amanda begins to share with our small group, “I have been trying to see my brother who lives 30-40 minutes from Reno forAmanda even came to our fall conference- 2nd from right. the past 4 months because he’s autistic and paralyzed and lives in a home. But every person that I asked to give me a ride either didn’t have time or didn’t have a car. So I was getting really discouraged because I wasn’t sure the next time I’d be able to see my brother. But two days ago, I was sharing this with a couple people from Intervarsity and one of them said that he could take me. So I get to see my brother for the first time in 4 months….tomorrow. I guess that was Jesus, wasn’t it?”

Thank you for praying for students like Amanda that they would recognize Jesus for who He is, a living and compassionate Savior, that wants to step into our lives and restore our hope! --

Prayer Requests

This week our Large Group's topic is "Are You Satisfied?". Pray that non-believers would come and see what following Jesus means!
Pray for an International Thanksgiving dinner, that students from all over the world would feel loved and get to hear about Jesus!

Monday morning prayer

2009-10-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Our staff team this year began getting together every Monday morning at 6am for prayer. Convicted that if we want to see God do truly great things in our leaders, in the dorms, on our campus, than we need to be praying. We didn't know what our prayer time would look like, but we decided to come and listen for what God might show us, tell us, encourage us, direct us to do. This prayer time has been incredible! With listening prayer, we pretty much sit and ask God to speak to us thorugh pictures/images, scriptures, words and then we sit and be quiet for 10-15 minutes and then share what we were thinking. It's been pretty cool to see God show us what he is doing. For example, this week someone saw Jesus as a garbage man and this week there has been a lot of students dealing with the garbage in their lives. We also one week saw a picture of one of our staff fishing for "a big fish" outside the dorm she has for her Bible study. And funnily enough, this freshmen from that dorms, who is Muslim and is a student senator has just started coming to their study. We are praying that God would continue to reach this "big fish's" heart so that he may know our amazing God!

Coming to Southern California Next Sunday!

2009-10-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

It's been a while since I've written last, but I am excited to be making a visit to southern california this next weekend, October 23-26th(Friday-Monday). I would love to see you all!

Blessings,
Amy

you know when you're growing up when...

2009-09-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

one of your friends are having children, writing wills, and asking you if you would be their kids' godmother! oh today was a momentous day!

tripled and growing at TMCC

2009-09-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

This year at TMCC, I have been encouraged by the growth of new students into our group this year. Last year we had about 3 faithful students come every week to our weekly meetings. This year we have about 9! We've tripled! Every month, we do two Bible studies, one week we have a fun/games/hangout/food time and the last week we do a film day. It's been encouraging to meet new students on fire for God!

Movie Night Outreach!

2009-09-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, we had an outreach event where we showed a movie instead of having our regular Large Group meeting. We watched the movie "the Darjeeling Limited", a story about three brothers going on a spiritual journey together. We invited our non-Christian friends to our movie night and Troy(one of our staff interns) gave a 10 minute talk about his own spiritual journey. We then invited anyone who would like to check out Jesus to join a GIG or a "Group Investigating God". We had six people sign up for GIG's and one girl became a Christian after large group! Praise God!

the Busiest Time of the year!

2009-09-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

Tabling is always one of my favorite things to do at the beginning of the year. Tabling is where clubs from the university put out a table of information the first week of school. From inviting people to Intervarsity's welcome week events, to meeting lots of new freshmen, there are always a couple fun stories that occur while Tabling.

At the community college, I remember one young guy came up to our table and I asked him, "Have you ever heard of Intervarsity?" And he shook his head no. Then I asked him if he'd like some information on what we are about. And he said sure. I then proceeded to tell him about our club and how we are going to investigate the claims and life of Jesus. At the end of my spiel, he signed up. Then he said, "Oh and by the way, where did you get that sandwich?", pointing to my Cafeteria sub sandwich. I told him the cafeteria and then he walked back to his table(he was tabling for the History club).

His partner from the history club table came up and told me that her friend came back to the table and said, "I can't believe it , but I just signed up for the Christian club. And I only went over there to ask where she got that sandwich." She said that she has been praying for her friend because she is Christian and he is not. I can't get enough of these kinds of surprises from God!

something to look forward to...

2009-08-14T15:50:00.001-07:00

Today, I finally completed the arduous task of applying to Fuller Theological Seminary! This past year, the idea of going back to school has sounded more and more appealing and through talking to other staff who already attend, it seemed like a dream come true. Fortunately, I would be able to take one class a quarter while I am still doing campus ministry in Reno! We'll have to wait and see if I get in...

In the meantime, school is going to start next week and I cannot wait! Our vision for this new year is "Intervarsity is a place where witness and community collide to transform the campus!"

Our t-shirts are already designed and ready to go for when we help the freshmen move-in this next Friday:
one of our students designed the shirts below:

THANK YOU!

2009-08-06T23:39:00.000-07:00

Friends and Family!

Thank you for all your prayers and support this past year and summer. I have been on the road so much and will hopefully get a chance to share with you what God has been doing lately in my prayer updates.

You are a blessing to me. Thank you for taking part in this adventure with me. I couldn't do it without you.

Love,
Amy

KLEEN KANTEEN

2009-08-05T12:03:00.001-07:00

Out with the old and in with the new! I've been wanting to get rid of my nalgene for a while because it wasn't BPA free. Old navy was selling these kanteens for only $5! What a deal. Yes, I am shamelessly advertising this product but hey, I'd rather not have cancerous drinking water. =)

Garbage patch in the ocean?

2009-08-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

I read this article on CNN this morning and was shocked. It makes me want to never buy plastic again!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/08/04/pacific.garbage.patch/index.html

we are moving!

2009-08-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

It's official! Sarah Burke and I will be moving into her mom and dad's rental this next month! Please pray that amidst the craziness and lack of time that we would be able to have a smooth transition into this new place.

The Cross is a Parable!

2009-08-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about Jesus is that he wants us to discover things on our own. He doesn't just want to tell us the answers. He doesn't lecture or dictate how we should live our lives. Instead, he strikes up our curiosities. He challenges our assumptions and asks us: "Who do you say that I am?"

Jesus most often spoke through parables, through stories, through images. This summer, while serving in Oakland and learning more about God's heart for justice and desire for Shalom, I was struck by the powerful image and the thousands of words that are contained in that solitary image of the cross. God also showed me something new about the cross and how it connects to another image from the Bible.

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

The Cross

Now when I see the cross, I see a message that God wanted to not only tell us but SHOW us. The cross is supposed to point us to another tree, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The tree that broke every right relationship(between us and God, us and each other, us and ourselves, us and the earth). The Cross is our second chance. Where we (like Adam and Eve) choose not to trust God and eat from our "trees of knowledge of good and evil", the cross is our second chance to put our trust in God and allow Jesus to restore every relationship(between us and God, us and each other, us and ourselves, us and the earth).

When Jesus says, "Take and eat! This is my body broken for you". He was adding upon the parable of the tree. Where eating from the old tree only destroyed right relationships, when Jesus commands us to eat his body, he is directing us to eat from another kind of tree. A tree that promises to RESTORE and provide eternal life! Interesting huh?

here is a response that I wrote after studying Amos:

2009-07-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

“Repentance for 3 Transgressions and for 4” (reponse to Amos study)

Oh God…
My money is something I waste,
Oh the shame and disgust of it all.
My money, what a lie,
For it was never mine to begin with, was it?

Who took the mountains and formed them?
Who created rivers and streams and plants of every kind?
You…Jehovah-Jireh. My Provider.

Oh God, your money is something that I have taken
And have thrown away without a care.
Always wanting the new “I have to have that”,
A bottomless pit of dissatisfaction
It devours the majority of your bounty…
And for what?

When I throw away your money,
I donate to another cause instead: injustice.
Fortresses, strongholds, and systems are then built in its honor
And in turn, YOUR name is disgraced .

While the Fortresses ensnare, enslave, and oppress the poor
the strongholds promote sexual slavery, exploitation of man,
And the lucrative business of racism.
And the systems? They reward me for being a team player.

Oh God, what have we done? What have I done?
You have called me to be a good steward of your resources
And instead I have trampled on your trust,
Laughed in the face of suffering
And have denied your justice to many.

Forgive me Lord, you who bring justice and truth
I have seen my sin, it is ever before me
Forgive us oh Lord,
Rain down your mercy and let your justice roll down like waters,
And righteousness like an everflowing stream.

Shalom

2009-07-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

Shalom is something that we have been talking about a lot here at the Bay Area Urban Project in Oakland. It's been another way that God has been widening my perspective and opening up my eyes to seeing the holistic gospel. I guess I shouldn't be surprised when God shows me something that I find surprising or new about himself, but IT IS! =)

Shalom is a word that is used several times in the old testament that has several meanings- from peace, to safety, to welfare, to physical safety, to well-being....it means a LOT of things! Our director gave a talk on Shalom and how God created the world with Shalom to exist between us and him, shalom between us and other people, and shalom between us and the earth. She said that God created the world, he created us and he provided everything that we could possibly need but that the Tree of knowledge of good and evil was NECESSARY. And I thought, necessary for what?

She asked the group, "What is necessary for a relationship to be built?"

Students answered, "Trust and love" because without those two things you don't really have a relationship with another person.

Our director continued with "Exactly. God knew that and so in a way, the Tree of knowledge of good and evil was an opportunity for us to put our trust in God and thus actually build a relationship with Him."

This idea struck me. It was something that I never had really seen in that way before. God gave us everything we needed in the beginning. We lived in perfect shalom with each other, with God and with the earth. So how in the world would we have actually built trust between us and God if we had everything we needed and existed in perfect shalom. Hence, the "Tree". But in the end, we decided to not trust God and thus the shalom(the perfect peace, well-being, safety) between us and God, between us and each other, and between us and the earth was destroyed.

As we were talking about the tree...I began to see parallels between the tree of knowledge of good and evil and another "tree".

Tree of knowledge of good and evil

- potential to destroy shalom between us and

- Don't eat!

- If you eat, you will surely die

- kicked out of the garden, so that we wouldn't eat from the "tree of life" and live forever in life of "broken shalom" forever.

The Cross("The Tree")

- potential to restore shalom between God, us and each other, us and the earth us and God, each other, the earth

-- "Take and eat! This is my body,given for you"

- the old is gone, the new has come... NEW LIFE

- "tree of life", "bread of life", eternal life with restored shalom between us and God, each other, the earth

Really God?! Really?!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-01T13:20:00.001-07:00

Hello friends and family....

I am SPEECHLESS. SPEECHLESS. S-P-E-E-C-H-L-E-S-S!!!!!!!!!

I am in awe of God right now. Whoever this anonymous donor is, I want them to know YOU ARE A BLESSING TO ME!!! You have officially put me on CLOUD 9 for the rest of my life. =)

I am SOOOO HAPPY to announce, that I am FULLY FUNDED!

I asked God to provide me $10,000 to take care of my $10,000 deficit and HE DID! Through some generous donor, one single person has given me $10,000 this month!!!!!
This is the first time I have ever been fully funded. PRAISE GOD!!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!!

God is truly the one who gives and takes away. Everything in this earth is his and he is truly PROVIDER. Praise God for providing.

AMAZING PRAISE REPORT!!

2009-06-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

So, it's June and I was telling my fellow staff that I have to raise $10,000 in one month. Seemingly impossible right?

I checked my staff account today and guess what?!! Someone deposited $5000 in my account!! This person is anonymous so I actually don't even know who they are. So I am halfway there already!! Can you believe it!!!!!!! God is so good. He truly is the ultimate PROVIDER.

Dear anonymous donor,

If you happen to read this blog, whoever you are, I just want to say:

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-------------

Everyone needs a little GLEE

2009-06-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen the pilot for GLEE, stop whatever you are doing and watch it...RIGHT NOW!! =) well, maybe wait for after work, or during a lunch break.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/73740/glee-pilot

it's a show coming up in the fall. It's AMAZING!! ......Don't stop believin'!!!!

how hard is it to find food stamps?

2009-06-02T19:56:00.001-07:00

As part of the Sacramento Urban Plunge, we were dropped off in the middle of Sacramento and our assignment was to find food stamps.

1. First we thought of the library. Maybe the library can tell us something about where to find food stamps.
2. We get to the library and it's closed and doesn't open til 1:00pm!
3. We wait an hour, get into the library and find out that you can't use the internet unless you have a library card.
4. We ask one librarian if she could help us find the welfare building. She couldn't help us.
5. We ask a second librarian and she gives us directions.
6. We walk to the bus stop and the bus schedule is very confusing.
7. We ask someone at the bus stop if he can help us, he tells us which bus line to get on.
8. We get on the bus and about 15 minutes later get off at our stop.
9. We get off and don't see any signs for the welfare building.
10. We start walking the side of the street that the bus dropped us off at and see beautiful buildings with signs for Department of Transportation.
11. Then we start walking to the other side of the street. All we see are tan buildings with no signs.
12. We ask someone on the side of the street if they know where the welfare building is, they point to one of the tan buildings.
13. We look for an entrance and there is a tiny paper sign on the inside of a glass door that says "entrance this way".
14. We come to a gate and decide to try it.
15. we go past the gate and into the doors of the building.
16. And inside we see a sight that pretty much resembles the DMV.
17. There are a bunch of lines and all numbered.
18. We get into a line that is close to the entrance and wait 10 minutes.
19. Once it's our turn, we ask "Is this where you can get food stamps?"
20. "Yes," the man says. "Fill out this application and it will get the process started."
21. We looked at the application and wondered if we were really here for food stamps, how long would this application process take?

New Staff Team!

2009-06-01T13:16:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of our new staff team! We spent the last 48 hours planning and tapping into what is God's vision for our campus next year. Please pray for Troy and Jackie that they would find part-time jobs and housing this week in Reno. Thanks for your prayers!

Praise Report! Prayer works!

2009-05-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

I forgot to update you on Mari! Mari became a Chrisitian!
Mari and Yurika are two Japanese International students that were in my Bible study this year. After a year of inviting them to our Bible study, hanging out at their intermural soccer games, hanging out with them. They have BOTH committed their lives to following Christ!

And what's more exciting is that Yurika came to our Urban Plunge this last week, where we spent the week serving and stepping into the shoes of many different people, exploring injustices that exist in the city while also looking for Shalom(wholeness, healing) in the city. She came and one night she shared with us. It was the first time she has really opened up in front of us and she said that it was the first time that she has ever cried in front of anyone before.

She shared that it's hard for her as an International Student because her English isn't that good. But that when we read Pslam 139, Heather Haight(our director) had said that "God loves you just the way you are" and Yurika said "that was really good" before tearing up again.

God is so good! Isn't it crazy to think that God might have brought Mari and Yurika across the oceans just so that they might discover his love for them? God is good all the time! All the time, God is good! =)

Also another praise report is that Brendon, another guy from my Bible study came to the Urban plunge, where i think a lot more questions were raised and he got to experience God in new ways. Keep praying for Brendon! I kind of see him still "sitting on the fence" when it comes to Jesus. Pray that he will sense an urgency to make a decision either way!

A Day with Miguel

2009-05-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

As everything is coming to an end in Reno for the school year, I decided that it's been a while since I've posted last. There have been many things that have happened since I've written last. The most recent being, I and 6 Reno students just came back from an "Urban Plunge" in the city of Sacramento. We made the trek to Sacramento, wanting to learn more about God's heart for the city for the poor and the oppressed. God surprised us and taught us so much in this week.

One of the most memorable days of the week would be the day we got to spend with Miguel. Miguel is a migrant worker who came to the United States at the age of 19 in search of a better life. 15-20 years later, he now oversees 400 acres of land.

I grew up in Camarillo, a city with many fields, farms, and groves nearby. But as we were traveling to Miguel's home in Winters this week, I realized that I never really considered what the lives of those countless migrant workers I had seen day after day must have been like. And let me tell you, we were put to shame once we got out to those fields. We worked for only about 4 hours trimming trees, weeding and putting in poles, and our tired butts were whooped by those fields! We had only worked 4 hours and were exhausted, while a typical day for Miguel is a 12 hour day.

At the end of the day, we were invited into Miguel's home for dinner. As we sat drinking our water and resting in the shade, Miguel hurried off to pick about a 10 gallon bag worth of oranges and lemons for us to take with us home and I watched as Miguel's wife made us freshly squeezed lemonade. We got to meet Miguel's three kids, and heard about their dreams to become veteranarians and helped their parents with their English.

At the end of the day, I realized that I felt at home with Miguel and his family. Sitting outside on his farm only reminded me of my grandparents farm in Idaho. With food, family and the fresh air...God transformed my eyes and helped me see this family as people and not as the label of "migrant workers". God helped me see that these are people who love God, love each other and God's creation and animals. This family is a hard working family. They have dreams for a life that is better.

As we sat outside eating our dinner together, God showed me that in His Kingdom there is a place for everyone at his banqueting table. He is a God of every tribe, tongue and nation. I could see Jesus picking up a hoe and working alongside of Miguel, sweating alongside of him, pruning with the precise knowledge that Miguel has, and living the life of a modern day migrant worker. I think that if I had been alive in Jesus' day, I probably would have missed Jesus completely just as I've not seen or recognized the "Miguels" of our world. Jesus was nothing special when he came to earth. He did not come as a religious leader, a political leader, a man with power and wealth. He came as a simple carpenter. Someone without power, a voice, or high status. If that's how Jesus decided to come to earth, what does that mean for us? For me?

ONE NIGHT

2009-04-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

This last Monday night, we had a night dedicated to worship and unity amongst all the campus ministries on campus. It was a special night and an amazing surprise for all of us campus workers. There was a local church that was dedicated to taking charge of this event this year and decided to put it on for us, since many of the campus ministries were not feeling like we had the time, resources or energy to organize such a night.

During the night, they had a time to pray for us campus workers and it was such a sweet sweet thing for my soul personally. The pastor who gave the message that night, talked about how following Jesus is not easy, that it is hard. I guess I've been feeling that more this year and there have been good days this year and some bad ones. But overwhelmingly what God showed me this night as we all came together for worship and unity was the overwhelming love Jesus has for all of us. The fact that he humbly chose to go to the cross in our place only begins to demonstrate the kind of love that he has for us...which only encourages me to see how my measly sacrifices are WORTH it in comparison to what he did for me.

Yurika became a Christian!

2009-04-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

I realized that I completely forgot to share the most wonderful news....Yurika(one of the Japanese International Students from our Bible study) became a CHRISTIAN!

A couple weeks ago, after Bible study my co-leader had asked Yurika what she thought about the passage we studied. We had studied a Psalm that said "Create in me a clean heart oh God". And Yurika said that she wanted that. So my co-leader told her how she could have a clean heart by following Jesus! So they prayed together and she now is following Jesus! Praise God. Even last week, Yurika bravely chose to pray for the first time in Bible study. Isn't that amazing?!

Praise God for generosity!

2009-04-16T16:39:00.000-07:00

Today, I was starting to feel a little down about whether or not I was going to be able to fundraise the rest of my budget for this year. I had a meeting with a local pastor and was really encouraged by our conversation. It's so good to meet other pastors in the area and to start to partner with them. At the same time, I am thinking, "God, how am I going to raise the rest of the money I need to so that I can be a full-time missionary on campus?"

And then, I randomly checked my e-mail and the InterVarsity headquarters notified me that someone gave me a $2000 check! Isn't that amazing?!

Wow. God is so generous and so patient with me all the time. When will I learn that God is the ultimate provider and that He will provide for me? God is good!

Easter time with family!

2009-04-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, I got to go home to southern california and spend Easter with my parents and my sister and brother-in-law(cause they were in town!)

It was so much fun and a great weekend of rest!

At our Good Friday service, our pastor made a real cross as part of his sermon!

It was so incredible to go home and see the growth that has happened at my home church. I meet more and more new people each time I go home and it is so encouraging to see God moving in so many people. It's exciting to see that kind of genuine community and passion for God and his truth.

There must be something in Reno's water cause....

2009-04-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

It's official. There MUST be something in Reno's water because........ there is a staff couple from the University of the Pacific, Stockton who has decided to come on staff next year in Reno for InterVarsity!

That means we will have a male staff next year, which has been a prayer of ours for the last couple years. We are so thankful for what God is doing and how he has provided for us next year with a guy for the men in our fellowship to look up to.

The Bleeding Woman

2009-04-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

On the "Bleeding Woman" night of our week, God moved mountains! A few of our girls got prayer after our sharing session. One of the girls, from my Bible study wanted prayer because she simply wanted to hear God's voice. I and my co-leader prayed with this girl and God spoke!

Another girl came to us for prayer because she had struggled so much with her identity and have emotional scars as a result of relationships that had hurt her. We prayed and she received a word of how God sees her and received healing emotionally!

Another girl who has struggled with physical problems her whole life, going in and out of the hospital for surgeries got prayer. She said that she not only felt like God was healing her emotionally but could feel God healing her physically as well!

I am so amazed at these girls faith and so thankful for all that God is starting to do and has already done in their lives.

What is the Secret?

2009-04-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

What is the secret to the Kingdom of God?

In Mark 4- "Parable of the Sower" it says:

^"10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables ¹² so that,

       " 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
       and ever hearing but never understanding;
       otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!' "

----------------------------------------------------------

To figure it out you will have to look at the whole parable!

(For those of you who know the answer, or have gone through Mark...don't give it away!)

The sweetest thing

2009-03-31T16:18:00.000-07:00

After coming back from our "Connections" Conference at Catalina Island, there have been many pictures from that week posted on facebook. And I just had to share a couple, that when I saw it... my heart just began to burst. Isn't this a beautiful picture of what God can do? He can take a group of girls who know nothing about each other and he formed a little community by the end of the week. I can't get enough of it!

Catalina....here we come!!

2009-03-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I am writing you all a letter thanking you ahead of time for all your prayers and support. I and the staff are about to embark on an adventure with about 80 of our students from Reno to Catalina!

Please pray that our 20 packed cars will make it down to Catalina safely, with no car issues or accidents. We will be leaving at 4am on Sunday morning, and should be arriving at the docks in San Pedro around 1:00pm. Please pray for our hearts and attitudes, that God would be clearing away the rocks and the things that are preventing him from having full access to the students hearts. Pray for friendships to be formed that will truly be encouraging and uplifting.

Pray for the staff/teachers, that God would direct our steps, that he would annoint our words and give us authority to speak His words. I cannot wait to see what God does over the course of this week(March 15-21st) and I cannot wait to report everything back to you.

Blessings on you and your families!

Amy

BCM Large Group

2009-03-06T00:46:00.000-08:00

Tonight our large group was put on by our BCM Bible study, which is geared towards reaching our African-American students on campus. The Bible study invited this church choir to come and lead worship. I think I've realized that gospel is my "heart-worship-language". There is just something within me that comes alive and the joy that wells up inside is unexplainable. It was such a blessing to have this church come and bless us in this way.

Manuscripting on Catalina Island!

2009-03-02T15:22:00.001-08:00

how pure is your love

2009-02-26T10:27:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been inspired to start writing songs again. I started the lyrics for a new song...hopefully I'll figure out the melody soon. =) I think I owe it to the fact that this past weekend I got the opportunity to get more experience in prayer ministry with Jacci Turner at UC Davis.

Jacci(from Reno) was asked by the Davis InterVarsity staff team to come out and teach a couple prayer ministry seminars. I love prayer ministry. And I love Davis! So I was really excited that I got to go back for a weekend to see all the new students. During Jacci's prayer ministry seminar we basically practiced prayer the opposite way that we usually practice prayer. Usually in prayer we spend a lot of time talking, telling God how thankful we are, what we need, our frustrations, our desires for the future. Well Jacci taught us that during prayer ministry we are to stop talking and to practice listening.

So we did that! Students tried it for the first time and many of them saw and experienced Jesus for the first time. It was incredible. We listened in groups and it was exciting to see and hear what other students heard or saw while praying for one specific person.

There were so many cool stories from the weekend, from a male student("John") who received healing from his painful past and relationship with his parents, to a group of girls that I prayed with dealing with body image issues, to a girl named "Renee" who received a picture/promise from Jesus about how he is going to heal her relationship with her mom.

It was amazing to see Jesus work and to step in and reveal Himself to the Davis students. They saw pictures of Jesus taking away their pain, to leading them along the beach, to being playful....

I walked away from this weekend amazed at how pure Jesus' love really is for us. I think I was surprised at this repeated image or that this was the way that Jesus showed his love to different girls in my group. And so, I wrote this song as a result:

How sweet is the sound of your voice,
how comforting the sight of your face,
how firm is the grasp of your hand
and how amazing it is that I am nothing but sweet to you.

You, who set the stars in motion
You also set me in the center of your affection
You see me in the purest light
You know every part of my humble disposition
and yet keep me in the center of your never-wandering sight

how pure, how simple is a love like this
a love that comes from the light
how pure, how simple is a love like this
a love that comes from the light

I am nothing but a wayward traveler
looking to find the Way, easily lonely and afraid
but when I come and sit in your presence
and receive the pure love that you give
I am changed and receive a new strength

how pure, how simple is a love like this
a love that comes from the light
how pure, how simple is a love like this
a love that comes from the light.

Prayer Request for Connections 2009

2009-02-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

Please be praying for our "Connections" conference coming up on March 15th-March21st!

I will be teaching the first half of Mark to a group of 15-20 girls, which I am very excited about. We also are going to be having other tracks for students, such as Mark 2(the second half of Mark), a Prayer Seminar, "The Sermon on the Mount" seminar.

This week is so transforming and life-changing, so please start praying for us staff as well as the students that God would have go. We are now going to be driving 25 cars full of students down to southern california in March instead of taking buses because it is cheaper. So also start praying for our safety as well.

a weekend in the snow

2009-02-11T12:28:00.000-08:00

A couple weekends ago, I got a visit from a couple of my old college roommates. It was a first for me to Eagle Rock in the snow. My friend Jen Whited is fearless!!

Although next time, I'm thinking snowshoeing will be the way to go...although it won't be as much fun as this little adventure we went on.

Women's Retreat

2009-02-11T12:15:00.000-08:00

The first women's retreat was a complete success! 24 women, 24 hours of fun, an awesome Campus Crusade volunteer named Shauna McCarthy(who was our speaker), and a group of 6-8 women IV leaders who stepped up to the plate and organized and planned the whole weekend!

I had a great time going to this retreat, I mean besides playing worship, I got to kick back and relax! Which was weird and amazing at the same time. And also not to mention we got to use a whole lodge in Zephyr Cove for practically nothing because of the generosity of my church, it could not have been more perfect!

A New Semester, a New Day!

2009-01-26T23:27:00.000-08:00

On January 15th-17th, we had our Leader's Retreat at a local church in Reno, Nevada for our 42 student leaders. It was a great time of reconnecting, refreshment, and refocusing before starting the new semester. It was also my first time having a significant role in planning and organizing any kind of retreat for InterVarsity! I now have a whole new respect for those who vision, dream, and plan things for the spiritual care of others. Whew! On the left, is a picture of me that surely says "I am relieved that everything went as well as it did!" Let's just say, with new kinds of responsibilities came new pressures. But I am thankful for Sarah Burke and Jacci who coached me and truly helped me through the whole process.

The retreat began with a compelling message by Tony Campolo, a message that he gave at the Urbana '87 convention! A powerful preacher and a man ahead of his time. I think our students truly felt like he was speaking to them rather than just an audience over 20 years ago! In his message he called for our generation to follow the Biblical Jesus rather than the "cultural Jesus".

The next morning, we had our leaders practice taking a Sabbath. Then in the afternoon, the good stuff just kept coming.

We then had a seminar on stress versus distress and how with so many responsibilities and worries in our lives, that our God does not want us to live a life of worry; instead "6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

In the end it was fun to see students reflect on their own lives, to see what areas of their lives are overburdened with stress and what steps they could take to becoming more healthy in how they manage their stress.

Then, we had a seminar on boundaries. How boundaries are Biblical, they are a good thing in our relationships and they are meant to protect us and keep us healthy. I think students left these seminars felt cared for and even left students encouraged in the next steps that they each might need to take next, whether that learning to trust God with an area of their life, or letting go of unhealthy friendships, or even considering going to seek counseling to start unearthing past hurts and dealing with present unhealthiness.

By the end of the night, we had a talk about how in the end the most important thing is our relationship with God and how our ministry flows out of that relationship. That because of our relationship with God we can learn to be truly incarnational with those that we are serving on campus. That we can follow Jesus example and go to "those" that no one else would dare go to. That as we head into ministry, we need to put on the full armor of God and remember that our battle is not with "those people", but with "the one that would like us to believe" that our battle is with "those people".

The last day, we had a great time of fellowship and fun! We had planned times of fun with our individual leadership teams.

One team went bowling(pictured right), another went mini-golfing, another went to the movies. It was a great time for leaders to just have fun and bond together as we start to face another semester. Another semester that doesn't promise to be easy and already has begun to show a glimpse of new challenges.

But God is faithful and He will continue to provide us with what we need. Please pray for us, that we will continue to stand and take territory on the UNR campus for Jesus Christ!

anything is possible

2009-01-12T15:51:00.000-08:00

Looking back at some of my older blogs, I rediscovered this and forgot how much i loved it!! Mainly because it goes so well with this picture I took of an old college friend, Grace Han.
--------------------------------------------------------------
every day is a new beginning. a new chance. a new opportunity.
what could possibly happen if I take that first step? if i dare to walk on water? or dive into the waves of discomfort and risk? what would happen?

what will happen if I dare to know you more? to meet you in the quiet place? to search for that voice, that unwavering whisper? will i be disappointed? will i like what you have to say? other thoughts, meaningless worries start to crowd my mind. they try to take over, to disorient me, to make me forget and to interrupt our meeting. i am swept away, fighting against the current, struggling to see your face...then, your hand gently lifts me out of the swirling waters and returns me to the place of rest at your feet once again.

i lay at your feet in wonder. your peace is so overwhelming, i cannot understand how i contain it. i have no idea where you are leading me, but i don't care... this peace is all i need to know. i will be honest. i am scared. i am worried. i would like to know where these next steps are taking me. but you remind me that you are God and that I am not. you are in control and i am not. your plans for me are so great and overwhelming, perhaps it is better i don't know.

i am so hungry and thirsty for you. i thought i knew you as a child. what i knew was only a paper cut-out image of what you are. you were only a character in a christmas play, the simple give-away answer in sunday school, the name i used to bless our every meal. but you....you are none of those things. those things are dead, shell-like representations of you. the real you...i can't understand, can't comprehend, can't wrap my head around. you are so big and yet i cannot get enough of you. you say things that are so provocative, so challenging, so counter-cultural. you ask me to take risks, to grow, to be more like you. your whispers affirm that you are living, that you are active and care about your people.

listening for your voice has been a challenge. its not easy to listen for a whisper in the midst of all the noise. but i long to hear it. i long to be in your presence. i long to know what you know. to see what you see. you take me by the still waters and you restore my soul.

A Credible Witness

2009-01-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

I'm reading this amazing book called A Credible Witness: Reflections on Power, Evangelism, and Race by Brenda Salter McNeil(an ordained Christian minister, teacher and evangelist; she also gave a memorable message at Urbana '06). This book talks about evangelism in a way that makes sense to me and the post-modern generation. I really like this quote:

"Beyond the Stick Approach.

Jesus modeled this holistic, community-based approach to evangelism for us. More than one type of reconciliation took place between Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John 4. In that encounter we see a vertical and a horizontal truth intersecting to form the cross. Jesus reconciled the woman back to God, and as a Jewish man he also reconciled with her across religious, ethnic, cultural, social and gender barriers.

In today's world we too are called to embody more than one type of reconciliation. The good news brings us to God, and it also brings life and healing to a broken, dying and divided world. Anything less is not the whole gospel. Far too often well-meaning Christians preach only the vertical truth of the cross: that we have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. This is true,but it is only part of the truth-only one axis of the cross. There is a horizontal reality that must also be declared: that the walls that divided people from one another have been crushed and we are now one blood-related family in Christ. I learned from a dear friend and colleague, Dr. Peter Cha, that to preach anything less s a one-dimensional mess that is not the cross but a 'stick' that we can use to hit people over the head!"(Salter McNeil, Brenda. A Credible Witness, Reflections on Power, Evangelism, and Race. Downer's Grove: IVP Books, 2008).

This book is a great read!

a New Year, a New Thing!

2008-12-30T23:09:00.000-08:00

Reflecting on this past year, this verse seems most appropriate:

"This is what the Lord says- he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters: 'Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:16, 18-19

No matter whatever happened this past year- the good, the bad, the ugly, I know that with the new year God is going to do a new thing in all of our lives. Just when i think that i have God figured out or I understand Him, a desire within me stirs- an anxiousness to see God move in a new way. A desire to see him go beyond the limits that I have set up for him, has risen up again. i want him to surprise me, to challenge me, to show me more of who He truly is. Who knows what 2009 has in store for us, but praise God that He is able to accomplish the impossible and that it is He and not us that goes ahead and makes a way of us! Happy New Years!!

The Way of Holiness and a Whole Spirit

2008-12-29T22:29:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have been learning much about holiness and wholeness and how God intended for these two things to be together. And truly how sweet these two things are.

God thank you that you have replaced all the broken things in me with a "love that will abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that I may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ- to the glory and praise of God" Philippians 1:9-11

Thank you God that you work all things out in my life so that I can know your love in a way that speaks to depth and insight rather than the superficial and surface level. Thank you for giving us that kind of understanding of your love.

Thank you for your love that works everything out so that i can discern what is BEST. And thank you that this applies to all areas of my life.

Thank you also that you allowing me the choice of entering into your holiness and that you do not force that on me. And at the end of the day, it is obedience to you that produces much visible fruit.

Retreat with other Area Staff!

2008-12-14T23:19:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I got to go on a retreat with other staff from our area which includes UC Davis, Reno, Sierra College, and the University of Pacific, Stockton. We got to play games, enjoy one another's company and we also studied "the Beatitudes". It was a bittersweet Christmas retreat. It was sweet because I got to hang out with other fellow staff that I love dearly. Some of them went to college with me at UC Davis, and some of them were even my InterVarsity staff while I was a college student. We played Speed Scrabble, Apples to Apples, San Juan, Loaded Questions, Guitar Hero, Ticket to ride....to name a few of the great games that we played!

The bitter part of the retreat was knowing that this was the last year that our area would be split up this way. Next year, Reno will be paired up with Chico. As our area changes our boss will be changing as well, which means next year I won't be having Troy as my boss anymore. =( This makes me sad because I truly have appreciated Troy and the amazing wisdom that he brings to the table and I will truly miss him as my boss. At the end of the weekend,we stood in honor of Troy, in a very unique way(if you have seen the Dead Poet's Society, it should make sense).

Troy, Thank you! "Oh Captain, my Captain!"
Merry Christmas from the Reno Staff!!
Thank God for the I-80 Area

InterVarsity Reno- Fall 2008

2008-12-12T00:45:00.000-08:00

Celebrate!

2008-12-08T16:33:00.000-08:00

The end of the semester has arrived....and so have the CHRISTMAS parties!!

The first semester is over and it is amazing to look back over the semester and praise God for what He has done.

Some of the praises from this semester were:

-we have many students considering going on staff(I've asked God for four new interns to come out of Reno next year. Please join me in prayer. The harvest is many but the workers are few!!)

- our leadership team leaders(our older students=the "leaders of leaders") did a great job leading our Bible study leaders and coordinators this semester

- the vision for our community to be a "transformational community that loves God and loves people" has caught on

- we had more male students come to Trilogy(fall conference) than female students!

- our New Student Retreat went amazing! It was the first time attempted this retreat and we had over 40 students go.

- the staff and I had a better balance of Sabbaths(our days off) and prayer retreats mixed in with our work schedules

- and we had more GIG's(short for "Groups investigating God") this semester!!

Reuniting with Trekkers

2008-11-17T16:03:00.001-08:00

This last week after large group, we took a picture of everyone in InterVarsity Reno who had been on an Urban trek with InterVarsity during the summer. An InterVarsity Urban trek is an opportunity for college students to live six weeks in poverty in an urban area in places like Bangkok, Thailand or in Manila, Philippines. I remember when I went to Manila for six weeks in the hot, humid summer of July and August on one of these treks. Now I know that it was only God that brought me there. I was the only student from UC Davis to go there. I had no idea what I was doing; all I knew was that I HAD to go. It was in Manila, that God met me. As I lay sick and miserable feeling nauseous and not able to keep any food in my system, on the only foam mattress that my Smokey Mountain family(a family that survived by scavenging for trash at the Smokey Mountain trash dump site- literally a "mountain of trash"), that is where I encountered God in a way that forever changed my life.

As I lay there alone, I began complaining to God: "This is unfair! I did not come all the way to the Philippines just to be sick. You are robbing me God. You are robbing me of time with my team and with these people. You are robbing me of experiences, You are robbing me..."

There God spoke to me and said, "Really Amy? You feel robbed? Look at the people around you."

No response. Then the story of the Good Samaritan came to mind and God asked, "Which character are you in this story?" And before I knew it, the answer was any character BUT the good Samaritan. The rest of my trip, I spent it in humility to say the least. God in his infinite wisdom met me where I was at and spoke into my life that has forever changed me.

I would say that this trek was one of the stepping stones for me to go on staff....and I will forever be grateful to InterVarsity for choosing to take college students like me across the world just to be transformed by God in the inner cities.

Proxy Stations

2008-11-10T15:41:00.000-08:00

This week, we are going to be having an evangelism outreach on campus in front of our new library, called the "World Knowledge Center" through the use of interactive art and proxy stations. These proxy stations and interactive art are meant to invite students into very non-threatening spiritual discussions. I remember that it was through proxy stations that I got to practice for the first time sharing the gospel over and over again in a matter of a few days with many students. Not only did this evangelism training really show me that I am able to share my faith well, but also it showed me the power of taking risks for the kingdom.

Two years ago, I remember asking a girl named Sarah, "What do you think about injustice?" as I invited her to take part in an interactive art display called the "Wall of Injustice". She said, " "Well, I'm on my way to class and only have five minutes." And I said, "That's okay, this can be done in five minutes." And five minutes later I find myself sharing the gospel and asking her what's holding her back from making the jump and becoming a Christian. After telling me that she doesn't think she's "good enough" to be a Christian. And after telling her that God doesn't expect you to reach a level of good before coming to Him, but rather to just come "as we are".

Then before I knew it, she was praying to receive Christ as her savior. God is amazing and I am sure that as our students take risks, that God is going to move on campus and that as students pass in front of our "World Knowledge Center", that they are going to receive knowledge of the most important kind- that there is a God and and what He has to offer is better and more transformational than anything our world could offer.

------------

Also please pray for our "Faith and Science" Event on Wednesday night at 7:00pm! We will be having an InterVarsity staff worker and UC Davis Professor, Bryan Enderle, giving a talk on how Faith and Science can indeed Co-exist together!

Trilogy update

2008-11-07T14:40:00.000-08:00

Thank you for praying for our students during our Trilogy conference last weekend.

Our two non-Christian International students are now on the edge of becoming Christians. They said that on a scale of 1-10 of becoming a Christian that they are at an 8 or a 9. =) Also Brenden had a great time at the conference and is continuing to take more steps closer to Jesus. When I asked him how the conference was going for him, he said "Thank you so much for bringing me here. I used to be so analytical about worship and I think I was able to let go this weekend....I used to think that people who cried or raised their hands in worship were crazy....I don't think they are crazy anymore." Brenden got to not only experience God in a new way but he also joined a group of guys from Reno for a time of prayer! God is moving in our students' lives and that gives me great joy!

We did have a girl, named Melissa, from our campus become a Christian as well as a student from UC Davis! Praise God for all that He has done and will continue to do.

----

I am leaving for the weekend to go to my first ever women's retreat, which I am excited for but I know now that it is coming at a perfect time for me because my mind, body and soul feel completely exhausted. Please pray that I will be open to receive whatever God would like to give me this weekend and that it will be a great time of fellowship with other women from my Reno church family.

Giving away the gospel

2008-10-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

I love that helping someone take another step closer to Jesus is not so hard as it seems. Just this past week, my mom mailed me a package with many treats and a Bible, that I had lost one Sunday at church. It was randomly returned to my mom and dad one Sunday at church(I guess someone had accidentally picked it up) and my mom called me to tell me that my long lost Bible had been found! I remember this Bible was probably the first Bible I bought when I was really starting to take steps towards Jesus and really seeking him out for myself. How much I loved that Bible! When I got it in the mail, suddenly this Bible that I missed so much...it didn't seem like I should keep it anymore. There is a non-Christian guy that has been coming to my Bible study and the other week we asked if he would like a Bible and he said yes.

Perfect! At the same time I'm going through my books and find "Basic Christianity" and my gut says "Give this to him too". So tonight after Bible study, I tell this guy that I have a couple things for him and give him the Bible and Basic Christianity. I tell him that I think that he'd really like "Basic Christianity" because it deals with the claims that Jesus made about himself, the claims that his disciples made about Jesus, and it has a lot of evidence from the Bible to back up his arguments.

He turns to me and says, "Actually, I've been looking for something like this! I've really wanted to look into what Jesus says about himself. I've heard a lot about what other people say about Jesus, but I want to see what Jesus says about himself. Thank you!"

Please pray for this guy. He'll be going to our Trilogy conference this weekend. Pray that he would read this book, and that God would continue to work in his heart and reveal Himself.

Evangelism/Prayer Outreach on campus

2008-10-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had an evangelism/prayer outreach on campus. We set up a table on our lower quad and asked students passing by if there was anything they needed prayer for.

I walked around the lower quad to meet people and I met this campaigner for Barack Obama. I stopped to talk and ask him how campaigning was going, he looked pretty tired as the elections are coming up. Then, I told him that I was with InterVarsity and that we were just going around asking people if they needed prayer, and was there anything that he needed prayer for. He said, "InterVarsity! I love you guys. I really like InterVarsity. Yeah, there's something you can pray for."

He told me to pray for his nephew because he has really bad asthma and his nephew's parents just got divorced, so his nephew's asthma has gotten worse due to stress and has had to visit the ER a couple times. I asked if I could pray for him right there and he said yes. So I prayed and really sensed that God was ministering to this guy. After praying, you could just see in his eyes that God had done something for him.

Please pray that we will continue to take risks in inviting people to experience God in the seemingly insignificant moments.

Amy's prayer request for Trilogy weekend!

2008-10-28T01:04:00.000-07:00