Let's Wake Up

The other day, something really awesome happened.

The story is...I lost my history book. I lost it, like, towards the beginning of the year and I had NO idea where it was. I looked EVERYWHERE. But, after looking and looking, I just gave up and wasn't going to worry about it. Well, I stopped worrying about until, of course, it came time a few days ago to turn it in before the last day of school. Well, I was praying really hard that I could find this book. And I know that's a stupid thing to pray for, but those books are like, 70 dollars!!!! I did NOT wanna pay that! So, I kept praying for like 2 weeks that this book would show up somewhere or that I wouldn't have to worry about it. Well, the day of my history final (Wednesday) my friend Kristina was sitting in class and says to me "Liz! Someone turned in your book today!" ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW! I thought that was just the coolest thing ever. I immediately thanked God for helping me out with that problem.

I guess what I was trying to say with that story, is that I'm sure...no positive God does things like that in my life ALL THE TIME and I have just never really noticed it. I don't know why this situation stuck out to me that most...maybe God made me notice it. I'm just saying that we need to WAKE UP to what God is showing us everyday. There are days that I just go by and not even notice the things that God has placed in front of me...and even sometimes I notice them, but I don't take advantage of the situation.

Prayer does work, even if that sounds cliche. I heard a story about this youth group that knew a woman that was going to get an abortion. They really wanted to save the baby. They couldn't convince the woman to reconsider. They prayed so hard for about two weeks (that was how long it had been since they found out) and they didn't think they were going to stop her. They later found out that she didn't get the abortion...she actually couldn't, she was too far along in the pregnancy. That is a beautiful story about how God is always listening and always answering.

I don't know...this was random, but I've been thinking about it for a while now. And Margret Fienburg actually mentioned something like this in her book The Organic God (and AMAZING book btw; I highly recommend it).

Just to give something to think about for the weekend, and hopefully you will start noticing God and the opportunities he give you. You gives you those as GIFTS. :)

Peace & Happy Summer!
Liz

Last Day

Today was my last day of school and, yes, I'm excited!!! This year has been a hard one, so I'm glad I don't have to stress anymore.

But the days leading up to this one have been exceptionally hard. Leaving this year behind and going onto another one is always a big deal, but also leaving behind all the new and cool friends I have made this year, especially all the seniors. I love them all so much and I will miss them a lot and I am always praying that they will have a great time in college and fulfilling life ahead.

One of the main things that was so hard for me, though, is just looking at all the people...but this is also everyday of the year. Just seeing how some of them just don't get it. They walk around and don't see any life outside of the school or their popularity or friends and they are totally missing what life is truly about. It breaks my heart...it always has. I have even made friends like that this year. They are so worried about the little things; homecoming, friends, gas, cars, girls, boys. They never think about the deep end stuff like their future or God or death or life!

I am praying for them...I am praying that high school won't continue to break my heart and I pray that this summer is the summer of change...for the better.

I hope all of you have an awesome summer...I think it's gonna be a good one. :)

Peace
Liz

Khris Stillman...My Ode To You

So, this dude I know from church told me to write a blog about him, and I agreed...So, here we go!

I actually really had no idea what I was gonna talk about...so I decided just to say some things about him. :)
I first met Khris last summer (summer '07) and the latest memory of him that I have was that he was pretty goofy!!! He always had this funny smile on his face and he was just really silly, but really nice to everyone! And he was almost like a little mini Freddy! :D
So, one day at church, he was asked to give his testimony to us and I still remember it today. And it meant a lot to me that he was so honest and vulnerable with us, but also because I felt as though I related to him very well. So, after that, I knew that I was really going to enjoy having him around. And when I found out that he was going stay all year rather than just the summer, I was so excited!!! And we have become closer...especially since we both have such great taste in music and all!!! ;)
So, Khris, this is my ode to you! You really are an amazing guy and a really great role model. You have such a passion for us kids and for Jesus and I have always seen that in you. Thanks for being around, dude!!!!!

Love
Liz!!!!

What Makes Them So Great? I'm Not Sure...

So, lately I have just been looking around my school and on Facebook of all these girls. The girls that are beautiful and have the perfect tan and perfect smile and body and the long pretty hair...and I wonder sometimes, why I'm not like them...why I'm short and pale with ordinary features and short hair!!!
I am usually quick to take that back and thank God that I am not! But, I guess what I am really trying to get at, is why are they always the ones that everyone wants to date and be friends with? Too often, I see SOOO many amazing young woman in school and at church, who I find funny and talented and beautiful, and they just get looked over by the guys and aren't the ones that everyone wants to be friends with. But, when it comes to the other girls...the kind that everyone looks like, everyone wants to be them and be like them.
Why are guys soooo interested in girls like that? Why do they choose them over the kind of girls that I know and that I am good friends with? Even I can't get a single date, when these girls go through boys like a new Hollister shirt!!! :D

It frustrates me a lot...but I know that we have something that those girls don't have and that is our faith and even our CONFIDENCE!!! Those girls are always compairing themselves and I always hear how much they hate themselves...it breaks my heart and I wish I could let them know how great my life is and how much more confidence I have through God, even though I am not exactly Barbie! I pray for those girls. And I know that us girls will get our knight in shining armor eventually...

Peace
Liz

I'm Being Vulnrable RIght Now....

This weekend, I had the worst conversation of my life...a right and wrong conversation. The problem with this is that, someone always loses and someone always wins. And conversations shouldn't be that way.The conversation started off as one person's very rude opinion of our youth pastor at church(who I ADORE) and it was a very small onversation and all I did was let him know that he was off-base and that he needs to keep things like that to himself. This QUICKLY escaladed into a full fledged argument to all that which was involved in the Facebook thread(roughly 7 to 10 people).There was some who were being very...I guess mature about the whole thing...for a while, then were getting frustrated, just as I was. Then there were others who were deffinently protecting what they think they thought they knew, if I were to use Freddy's (youth pastor) words. And that was really sad and frustrating, because there was no getting through to them...

I am disappointed in myself, because I think that there were so many aspects of this that I could've handled so differently. There are things that I said that I was proud of and that I think was handled fine, but there are other things that I said mainly because either, I wanted to be right, or they were said strictly out of frustration. I really wanted to defend Freddy. Freddy has ALWAYS been there for me and the others and loves us so much and has taught me more than I can even say and I hated that they were talking about him so negatively. It was killing me and bringing me to tears. They were also saying things like they didn't like the lighting or the atmosphere and just things like that...things that didn't fit their preferences. And I got angry, again, and told them they were being selfish and pretty much yelled at them that that wasn't what church is about. It's not about us, it's about Him. ALWAYS. Which is true, but I wasn't saying it with the most important part of the church: LOVE. There were some things that I said out of love, but a lot of it came through anger, and I am very very ashamed. I don't take back my though process of what church is really about, but I will take back the way I said it. And when I wrote the earlier blog, I was angry. And some of the things I said...could have been said differently.

So this is my official apology. I am so sorry that I was involved in the right and wrong conversation. I am sorry that I contributed for as long as I did and as much as I did and I am sorry that I let my anger and frustration get the best of me at some points. I just want a community that glorifies God, not one that is so worried about appearances or about what games we play and what attracts new people. WE, US, are the ones that should be the attraction, our community should be one of love and a glimpse of what life should really be and I feel like we could get there...we just aren't trying...we just aren't willing to learn. Be willing to learn. God can do amazing things with you all. I love you.

Peace
Liz

What is it really all about?

Very recently, out youth group has been going through a huge argument about the way things are happening and the way our youth pastor runs the group. They are saying that they don't think Freddy teaches and that the don't get anything out of it and that he doesn't plan enough "games" or "activities". They are also saying that the dark lighting and the lights during worship and the sermon's being "too deep" are distracting and un-necessary.
All I want to know is: What is church about, then? Is it about the lighting or the youth pastor or the worship? That would, or to others who think otherwise, SHOULD be a big, fat NO. Church isn't about what YOU want. Saying things like "Well, if the lighting were better and there weren't candles everywhere or the pastor talked about something I actually cared about...then I could focus on God." That is ridiculous. First off, we should be looking for God in all the places we can. Second off, IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU. Maybe I should say that again...IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!!!! It's about God. Always. No matter what songs you sing or how the bright or dark the stupid lights are, it's about God and him alone.
I don't care if Freddy changes it for the other people (which I doubt he would, because yet again, it's not about them). I can worship God wherever.
And what about the other perspective. Others may love the dark and candles and such and find something opposite of that distracting. The honest truth is that you can't please everyone, but it's not about pleasing us, it's all about God. Always. Every time. And God doesn't care how you worship him. Just that you are.
I could say a lot more, and I probably will, but I just wanted to get that out there in the open. I so tired of this broken community. I'm so tired of the selfishness (even though you think you aren't being selfish, YOU ARE).

I love you all and I am not trying to be mean or to be right or whatever. I just am tired of all this tension and fighting and stuff. Peace.

This Has Been On My Heart For a While...

If we were to ask ourselves, "Where do I find comfort?" I'm sure we would get about a million different answers. Lots would say religion and church, others would say family and friends, and some may say food and material things. In Psalm 119:76 it says "May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant." Who of us can say we have this much faith?
To find comfort in religion and church, but little or no comfort in God, can't work. I think churches are doing a poor job of defining that line. It isn't bad to love your church. I absolutely love my church. I love the people and the worship and my youth pastor is awesome, but if that is my only reason for going, then it totally defeats the purpose of church and what God made it to be. Yet, churches will do anything to get their people coming back week after week and everything is always very...comfortable, even if it means its people will lose their intimacy with God.
At my church, you can't keep your expectations, which many of us have. There have been many times that I walk in and expect the same kind of worship and the same kind of message as the week before and Freddy will completely get rid of all those expectations, which is one of the reasons I like it so much. I think that churches should stop trying to live up to their people's expectations and be more spontaneous.
Today, Freddy spoke in "big church" (hehe) and he told all of them what he has been telling all of us high schoolers for weeks, er, months now, which is that the church needs to love more. We are losing our influence because we aren't loving like we need to. We are just throwing pamphlets in peoples' faces and telling them to get saved, but that isn't working. One thing that Freddy said that really stuck with me was that we should love first, then talk. So many of us have this twisted idea that if we give people some survey and have them recite a prayer, they are saved and our work is done, but that is sooo wrong. The best form of witness is LOVE.
One last thing that I wanna leave you with is this statement: "When people need us the most, it becomes too easy to judge." We need to love those that need us the most, not marginalize them. We are all broken. We all need love, even if we are too proud to admit it. Love is the movement. Go out and change the world. Peace.

-Liz

It's been a little while!

Sorry it's been so long, I always forget to update this thing! I'l get the hang of it eventually...

So this weekend, I helped out with worship for Chrysalis weekend and basically what it is is a right of passage for girls to become woman of God and such.

The first night was kind of nerve wracking, because none of us were sure how any of it was gonna go. Some of the girls had a hard time with the lessons and just with their attitudes and stuff like that, so I was just nervous about trying to keep my patience and that the girls would get something out of the weekend, and how they do the first night was going to let me know how the rest of the week might go.

Suprisingly, the girls were excellent. We did all kinda of crazy activities and they NEVER complained; they were real troopers.

That night was really special for me because after the last activity, they would get flash paper and write something they were struggling with, or something that was keeping them from furthering their relationship with God and then they would burn it after they prayed about it. And then we as grads, got in a circle and prayed for the girls and for the weekend and then we prayed over another girl in our group who seemed to be going through a rough time, and I think it brought us closer together as a group.

Worship went pretty well, except I messed up one song BIG TIME!!! I pressed the wrong track and it was wayyy too high, and it sounded horrible! But it really wasn't a big deal, although I was pretty embarrassed...

But over-all, the weekend was a success.

The only thing that made me upset and that I thought could possible ruin the weekend for me and for some of the girls, was two of the grads had the totally wrong attitude this weekend. And I won't go into detail, but I really had to pray that they wouldn't ruin it and that I could just focus on helping the girls and that I could be the best example to them, if the other girls weren't a good example.

I also realized just how much I love nature. Not so much the bugs and such, but the animals and the sounds and the weather. Even the rain and cold...in the middle of May!!! And I sat outside last night and just prayed and thanked God for blessing us with this beautiful world and I relaly don't wanna take it for granite anymore.


That's really all I had to say, although I wanna leave you with some lyrics to a beautiful song I head recently. Hopefully they stick with you.


I will pray for you now, for you have been my faithful friends
While the road we walk is difficult indeed
I couldn't not ask for more than what you've already been
Only that you would say these prayers for me
May your heart break enough that compassion enters in
May your strentgh all be spent upon the weak
All the castles and crowns you build and place upon your head
May they all fall, come crashing down around your feet
May you find every step to be harder than the last
So your character grows greater every stride
May your company be of human insignificance
May your weakness be your only source of pride
What you do unto others may it all be done to you
May you meet the One who made us
And see Him smile when life is through
May your blessings be many but not what you hoped they'd be
And when you look upon the broken
May mercy show you what you could not see
May you never be sure of any plans you desire
But you'd learn to trust the plan He has for you
May your passions be tried and tested in the holy fire
May you fight with all your life for what is true
I have prayed for you now all my dear and faithful friends
But what I wish is more than I could eever speak
As the way wanders on I'll long to see you once again
Until then, would you pray these prayers for me?
Oh, that you would pray for me