this evening was spent dying brindy's hair-- stevie's a great stylist... :)
brindy, stevie, kim, matt neff, and jp
melissa and me having some fun... :)
i love my roommate!!!! :)
ME!!! :)well, last night was INCREDIBLE!!!!!! coram deo's have a way of making you evaluate your life through the eyes of eternity, and realize that the stuff we go through right now is so temporary that it's not worth ruining my attitude over. last night we had worship and then every master's student was asked to come to the front and pray a personal prayer to God so that the class could agree with your requests. i was told to go first, so i didn't have time to get nervous, and it was the first time that i really focused solely on God. normally it freaks me out to know that other people are listening to my prayers--but last night it was like it was just God and me. his opinion was all that mattered--he captured my heart last night. i really am "in love" with God... i don't think i've ever been so excited about him!!! :) :) :) he gave me a vision, which was really an intense experience for me because that doesn't normally happen to me: it was like i was suddenly standing at the edge of a cliff and looking out at the most beautiful scene i'd ever seen--mountains, valleys, blue skies and an eagle flying. and it was my future. it was big and unknown, just like i have no idea where God is going to take me--but then i heard, or more felt, God ask, "are you ready to jump?" and i really was. i'm so tired of living "blah" and not fully trusting that God knows where he's leading me... it's like he sees the whole picture of everyone's lives intertwined, whereas i can only see my own life--and even that view is limited to the past and the present. but if i can comprehend that God coordinates everyone's lives, then i'll be able to understand that even in the hard stuff, although it might be horrible to me, it may be affecting someone else's life in a way that may lead them nearer into Jesus' arms where they will find healing and restoration. my life is not my own---i am here as a servant, made to love others with an incomprehensible, unconditional love.
that's something else i'm learning about!!! i just started reading a book called Crazy Love, and it is SO good!!! its purpose is to teach love the way Jesus taught it--yes, it's illogical, and yes, you risk yourself in full and abandoned love...but that's how Jesus loved.
~...to some, it may seem idealistic to believe that one life can really make a dent in the world. but that is the ultimate reality. all it means is someone believes that God really is who he says he is and that the true reality of this life is to follow him wholeheartedly. --crazy love
thank you all for praying for me---God definitely used this week to stretch me, and last night to encourage and refresh me. i'm still a work in progress, but i think last night was a huge turning point for me, and i'm so thankful for all of your support and love!!!! yay! :) :)
