Trendsetting

I support the message and the actions that are being taken to help the children in Africa. Please take the time to get informed about Kony 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

But if you are going to choose to support this, know what is going on. Know the facts. Know what you are getting into.

DON'T JUST FOLLOW A TREND TO FOLLOW A TREND.

It is not fair to these children, who are suffering, for some blessed people called Americans to "care" and make a half-ass support effort when you don't know what you are talking about. If you are going to support these kids, go all out. Use the resources you have to help, do not just talk about helping, REALLY HELP.

This problem has been going on for more than 26 years! That is 6 years before I was even born, so why is this problem so important now? Where were you when this man was fighting for these kids? Where were you when the fight was hard? Now that it is the trend, everyone is suddenly supporting it today. I have been apart of mission trips, churches, and organizations who help children everywhere. Find a place to help and work for these kids who need you.

THIS IS A GREAT CAUSE. I want these kids freed. I want this world to be a place of peace, but what frustrates me is those people who just want to be apart of this trend. Are you going to be there in 2013? No matter if we catch Kony or not, there will always be children in trouble. There will always be criminals who need to be caught.

Be the solution. Help those who can't help themselves.

Eskimos and the North Pole

It amazes me how shocked I get when God does a miraculous work in my life. I wake up every morning and I have a great life, that is miraculous in itself. It will never cease to amaze me how God moves through us.

I have been struggling with a lot lately with doubt, insecurity, bitterness and loneliness. It has been an extremely hard year. At one point, I was sure that I was doing everything in my life wrong. I didn't know where my life was headed and I freaked out. I have grown so much through all these struggles, but it has not been easy. I have learned that I am not in control and I never will be. I have learned that my fears and anxieties overtake my life. I have learned that I without Christ I am nothing. God has proven himself in so many ways which brings me to what happened tonight.

Like I said, I have been struggling. I got a text last night that said "I met some Alaskans and they want to meet with us". I read this and thought to myself, Madison Proctor is crazy, what is he talking about. He wanted us to go to the Wesley at 9:30 on a Monday. I didn't want to. I didn't feel like going to church or just being with God like that. But guess what? I went anyways. I was expecting like 2 Alaskans and like 3 Wesley people, well God proved that wrong. There were like 20 Alaskans and like 20 Wesley people. We went to the basement of the Wesley and just basked in Gods glory.

Worship started.

At the beginning of worship I thought to myself, I'll just keep to my space and this will be a great night of worship. Once again, proven wrong. 3 strong, wonderful women of God came up to me to pray over me and prophecy over me. All of the doubts, worries, and feeling I was harboring came to rest and I was at peace. Three different prophetic words over my life but all are what I needed to hear. I am at peace with my soul. I am confident in my relationship with Christ. I know that God is in control and I am finally okay with it. It's crazy to think that it took Eskimos and a random text to get me here but I am so thankful for my faithful community and God's crazy and mysterious ways.

I am so blessed.

Now for a fun side note.....I met Eskimos. I met someone from NORTH POLE, ALASKA. Dreams do come true. I will be traveling to North Pole, Alaska one day.

Hot Stuff

I would love to know the answer to this question.

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Prayer

GOD IS GREAT, GOD IS GOOD, LET US THANK HIM FOR OUR FOOD

When I learned to pray, this is usually what came out. A rehearsed version of the table prayer. I would thank Him for everything and ask Him for stuff I 'needed'. Since I was 5, I have learned that prayer is so much more than the action of speaking at God, it's the action of speaking to Him. It's not a list of items to check off:

"Dear God,

I pray for: fun, patience, good grades, a boyfriend, and more fun.

Love, Kathryn"

Prayer should be like you're talking to your best friend. We are called to have a relationship with Christ, which means we should talk to Him like we are in a relationship, not like He is a foreign object in the sky. Your prayers should come from the heart, not your head. And lets be real...God already knows what you are going through, what's on your mind, and what you are going to ask Him. I believe that all He wants from us is that love, that relationship. By talking to God, it's like keeping up with a friend. Even if this friend has already seen all your facebook posts or tweets, you still tell them all your news. Why don't we do the same with God? Why is it so hard for us talk to God instead of at Him? Why do we treat Him like dictator when He is a friend? Why do we expect ALL our prayers to be answered in our time? He knows us better than we know ourselves, He has our best interests in mind and He will fulfill His plan in His time. Trust God, you won't regret it.

The Great Commission

Growing up the "missions" verse was Matthew 28:19-20. I even know a song that has this in it. I never questioned why is was or what made it the "missions" verse, I just learned it, knew it, hid it in my heart, and sang the song if I forgot it. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to have a "missions" verse, and I am surely not saying that theses verses aren't a great lesson for missions, I am saying i have never fully understood these verses until last night.
A friend gave me a book to read about short-term missions. (I am going to Haiti over spring break again) Everyone on our leadership team for missions is supposed to read it.



Now, I am not a big reader so I told myself to sit down and get through the first couple of chapters. I am so glad I did. God rocked my world last night! He spoke to me through these words.
The first time I went on a mission trip was the summer before high school. I was young and thought I was so cool. We took a trip to El Salvador and I fell in love. My love for traveling was already there (my mom is from England, I had no choice) but I found a love for the poor. A love for kids that do not have very much. A love for people and the culture they live in. I was so moved by God that I didn't think it could get any better. I went back to El Salvador two more times. I went to LA for a mission trip. I went to Alabama after the tornado. But my right now, my heart is in Haiti. I went last year with the Wesley Foundation over spring break and I am going this year too. Through all these trips I always had the Great Commission stuck in my head. I always thought to myself, I am going to go. I am going to the ends of the Earth. ME. ME. ME. Verses 19 and the beginning of 20 say: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." This is the part I always quoted. This is the part that made me feel so good about going everywhere around the world. I was being sent. I was going. I had control over what I was doing. We are the middle of this verse. We have all been chosen to GO. Whether you live in Lubbock Texas for the rest of your life or travel the world, you are called to the mission field of where you are. You don't have to wait for a mission trip to be make disciples. Like I said, we are the middle of that passage...
But let me ask you something...have you ever looked at the verse before and after the Great Commission?
"Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
We are merely the vessels in which God chose to use to spread His gospel and glory. The AUTHORITY is with Jesus. The POWER is with Jesus. The CONTROL is with Jesus. We are the middle, and he surrounds us with His authority and love. He is with us always while we do His work. We don't bring the gospel to people, we show up t0 work with what God has already begun.
The lesson? Give up all control. We are called to go and make disciples, but the we can't do that without God. The authority is His and He is with us always. It's not about me, it's about Him through me.

100 Days of Gratitude

Day 2: Flowers

They smell good, they look good, and they are just so pretty. They make me smile. What more can you ask for? Everytime I look at this beautiful creation God gave us, I just smile. It makes me happy to be able to take in their beauty. God is so good! Remember that everyday you take a breath, then remember to slow down and enjoy life.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing

100 Days of Gratitude

Today is January 13, 2012

I am going to start being more grateful for the things I have. My whole life is a blessing. I have had my ups and downs, good and bad days, but I am alive and well. If I have learned anything in my life, it's that there are a lot of people out there who have it worse than me. I don't know why I have been so blessed but starting today, I am choosing joy. I am choosing to take every moment like it's my last.

Day 1: Shoes

I am so thankful for the shoes on my feet. Yes, this sounds like a weird thing to start with but just think about it. I have a pair of shoes for every occasion, season, and day. Some people don't even have one. They cover my feet, keeping them clean and safe. I take shoes for granted everyday I use them. Everyday you walk somewhere, think about those people who walk around barefoot everywhere. Think about the pain they suffer everyday, and then think about how blessed you are.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing