It's a commitment...to changing lives.

After my post about how I spent my days a few weeks ago, I received some feedback.  I was asked "how can you give so much of your time up?"  "Why do you spend so many hours at your church?"  and a few other questions along these lines.

Honestly, although it can be crazy-busy at the time, I don't really think about the fact that I am giving up time that could have been spent watching TV, wasting time on the internet, talking on the phone, catching a sufficient amount of sleep or making money.

When I think about how this doesn't seem to faze me, I am forced to explore the motivation behind my service.  Simply stated, I am focused on the impact of the hours that I am dedicating.  I found this quote online while researching for a project I am working on about volunteerism...it pretty much hits the nail on the head.

"The level of sacrifice of a volunteer is measured by the depth of the commitment to make a difference in the lives of others."

When I consider the life-change that occurs through the ministry I am pouring my time, energy and heart into, the depth of my commitment to that ministry reaches new heights.

So, THAT is why I am willing to sacrifice my time, energy and resources -- to be a part of changing the lives of those around me.

Reality Check

So, today reality hit me like a ton of bricks.  Ouch.  With college graduation now less than 7 months away, the planner in me is feeling a little nervous freaking out!  I like making a plan and following through with the plan.  But, there is no way to plan what is going to happen in my life in the next year, specifically the next 7 months.

I honestly feel like the last 3 months have gone past at the speed of light.  I am certain that this trend will continue.  As I look ahead into the coming months this is what I see:

• One month from now, Thanksgiving time in Indiana
• Come back from Indiana, 2 weeks of classes and finals, end of semester (ummm...yikes)
• Nearly a month in Indiana/Florida Keys for Christmas break
• Return to MN in mid-January.

And ya know what's after mid-January?!  February. We signed the lease for my current apartment in February of this year for a May move-in day.  When I think about how quickly all of this will come and go, my eyes get wide and I start to feel a little dizzy (for reals...).

I feel God tugging my heart to a very specific context for my future career, and I have my "dream job" in my mind, but I am working hard at not setting my sights on a goal that might not be possible.  So I am looking into other options that would allow me to use my gifts, passions and abilities in incredible ways to further His Kingdom.

Right now my struggle is...There are 50 states in this country--How do you just choose one?  Naturally, I am drawn to the familiar, but I don't want to put God's plan for me in a box by limiting myself based on geography.  The one thing that I am gosh-darn sure of is that I do NOT want to live anywhere "rural" or super hot/humid.  I feel like being withing 30 minutes of a major airport is a necessity at this point.  So, that puts some limits but still opens up more cities than I could possibly consider.  In an effort to simplify, I have created a top 10 list.  Here it is (with my first thought of each):

1. Minneapolis/St. Paul metro (familiar but still new, friends, good weather...I know, call me crazy)
2. Minneapolis/St. Paul metro--I feel like this deserves 2 spots. (very exciting opportunities)
3. Cincinnati, OH area (pretty close to Indy... or maybe Columbus would work too)
4. Chicago suburbs (expensive housing but sweet church opportunities)
5. Indianapolis metro (home. -- but kinda bleh when it comes to my career goals)
6. Tulsa, OK metro (haha--one time I got sent here against my will on a flight with the hope of ending up in Minneapolis.  the airport is lame at 3am after being in transit for 16 hours. GREAT housing prices.)
7. Atlanta suburbs (too hot. Good housing. Incredible church in the area)
8. Louisville, KY (pushing it on the climate.  Do I really want to say that I live in Kentucky?)
9. St. Louis, MO metro (kinda random but I needed 10 cities)
10. and just to be crazy--San Diego metro area (Go big or go home.  The weather is perfect)

So basically, this is a list of MY plans.  I am trying to plan a life that is not even my own.  As I consider all of the decisions, uncertainties and opportunities that will come in the next few months, I am going to hold on to the only certain thing that I can think of.  In the midst of uncertainty, fear and worry, I can hold onto the certainty of Christ.  God has plans for me that I can't even begin to plan for, so I have to go into all of this knowing that He has my plans in His hands and that is the best place that they could possibly be.

Until uncertainty turns to some level of clarity, I will be over here struggling to trust as I take baby-steps along God's path for my life.  Advice is welcome!

Reflections: Opportunity

In my last post, I mentioned that many hours of my life in the last few weeks have been poured into my church/internship.  I have the privilege to be a part of what God is doing at Eagle Brook Church.


When I moved to Minnesota for school over 3 years ago, I thought for sure that I was on the hunt for a church that did not exist.  In my last few years in Indiana, I was able to experience the Church first hand while serving in the kids' ministry at my childhood church.  I made some incredible friends and mentors, and thought for sure that this once-in-a-lifetime experience would be left behind in Indiana.


My Minnesotan church hunt was terrifying at first.  I wanted what I had left behind, but had no hope of finding it. I had left behind relationships that had been years in the making.  My first two church visits were to churches very similar to my church in Indiana...except without the already formed relationships, I found myself in a crowd of a few hundred people, feeling completely alone.  When the family that I worked for, invited me to come to church with them, I went into my 3rd church visit without a lot of hope of finding somewhere to belong.  I had an idea of the "perfect church", but I was totally unaware of the wonderful church that God had in store for me.


It was September 9th, 2007--the day after my 19th birthday.  As we pulled into the parking lot, I was instantly questioning my decision as I looked at a massive building that looked as if it could house a million normal-sized churches (*possibly an exaggeration*). If I had known then of the opportunities, growth and experiences that I would encounter inside of those walls, I would have been elated.  Except, I didn't know what God had in store for me.  As I walked in through a sea of people, I began to feel the energy within the walls of the less-than-traditional building.  After sitting through one service, I was hooked.


That day, Pastor Bob talked about a family who travels over 80 miles ONE WAY to go to EBC, the thousands of children in Mozambique who receive support from EBC, the announcement of the opening of a 3rd campus to open more seats for lives that would be changed, God-sized dreams, the current attendance of 8,000 people, 1,800 lives surrendered to Christ in the last year, the Church of Acts that was "simply irresistible" and how each number represented a name--each name, a person who is incredibly loved by God.


I knew that God was using these thousands of imperfect people to do His perfect work.  And I wanted to be a part of it!


I felt something that I am not sure I had ever felt before that day--I was so overwhelmed by God's presence in that place--I will never forget that feeling.  It is the same feeling that I still experience every time I stand in the worship center with a few thousand people praising God without reservation.  Sometimes I just stand there and think "We live in a country where we can pack out this building and praise God for his work in our lives!"


Since that day over three years ago, I have attended as many weekend services as possible--considering that I make regular trips to Indiana.  After a few months, I got involved with preschool ministry at the White Bear Lake campus.  In a matter of months, I was a regular volunteer at the Lino Lakes campus!  I could tell you stories of my days in the Walker's room for hours, but in an effort to get to where I am now...I will let you know that through my time in the walker's room, I made connections that led me into the role of leading a team of volunteers and now into my role of Early Childhood Intern.


Through this experience, I have learned about myself and I have seen God use His people to spread the Hope of salvation to thousands of people.  I have heard stories of life change.  Seen children come alive in Christ.  Felt a passion for people burn inside of me.  In my 3 years at Eagle Brook, God has grown them from a church of 8,000 meeting at 2 campuses to a church of nearly 15,000 meeting at 4 campuses with plans for a 5th within the next few years.  Thousands have said "Yes!" to Christ, thousands have been baptized.  Lives are being transformed by God through His faithful servants.


I am so glad that God has given me the opportunity to experience the passion he has instilled in the leaders of this church, the change in the lives of the people around me, the opportunity to learn from others, the passion that can be found within myself and the very tangible proof of what God can do if His people commit themselves to Him and allow Him to work through them.


Through God's work at EBC, I have learned more about what it means to take ownership, to be committed, passionate, eager, sacrificial, intentional, empowered, transformed, relevant and determined.


I am so excited to see what God has in store for EBC, and I am excited to see how God will use EBC in my life in the coming weeks, months and even years.

The thing about a blog...

The thing about a blog is that it requires time.  Since my last post, extra time has not been something I have had a lot of.  A lot has happened in the last 18 days.  There is no possible way that I could remember the details of the last few weeks, but just to give you a glimpse--

I have logged:
*about 50 hours at my incredible church (internship)--more to come about that!
*about 55 hours babysitting
*about 20 hours in class/education related meetings
*about 15 hours doing homework, and
*about 10 hours with friends celebrating birthdays and 10-10-10.

As you can probably tell, I have been keeping very busy around here!  While all of this was going on, another major thing has occurred.  Summer has officially faded into fall. And I love it.

(I aslo love that my phone--shameless plug for iPhone 4--takes absolutely incredible pictures.  A fall walk with the baby I nanny made for some incredible photo ops!)

A fall walk with the baby:)  

Is there anything cuter than chubby baby feet?

And Hands!

umm..seriously--me and the baby on the ground + iphone camera = one of the best pictures ever!!  No editing whatsoever:)