:)

it's been a pretty good week and excited for the rest of it... God is good and reminded in the big and small things to stay rooted in Him and His love and faithfulness will continue to shine in and through me.

thankful today for dtimes with amazing women Kristen and Janelle), it's awesome to see what God is doing in you and it puts a smile on my face, prayer meeting and God giving me the word "replenish" as a reminder to let Him be the one to continually fill me so that I can continue to find joy in the day to day, solid relationships that go beyond friendship and become family and having Stacy remind me of that (Rachel- it's been pure fun and treasured moments), and then to come home and get to spend extended time with Jesus and then text with Esther and skype with Serena to keep me reminded of the blessings from this summer...

I am blessed. — feeling free.

Nightly Reflections 09.14.13

"Without holy affections, all human knowledge is worthless. Holy affections are the things we think, say, and do when our hearts are filled with the love of God and in tune with the mind of Christ."

Random Late Night Food Post

Yups, after a few hours of vball, came home and just ate a mini Hagan Daz almond and vanilla ice cream bar and half a lemon bar!! ‪#‎healthydinner‬? ‪#‎comeonreally‬ ‪#‎fattystatus‬ ‪#‎nooneswatching‬ — feeling wonderful.

 

Might be a dessert favorite!!!

 

I can't, BUT He can

"Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God" 2 Corinthians 3:5

Today marks the first day of our Fall Staff Planning for the 2013-2014 school year! It's crazy to think that I am entering my fourth year here and to be in this place where I have been entrusted with a new team and thriving ministry. Why me? 

I prayed a lot coming into this week worrying about leading, but more so about leading by myself, without a co-leader. Who was going to help me when I didn't know the answers? Who was going to be there to help me work through the hard team times? What would happen when I missed important details? So many questions and worries. As I was praying and reflecting on the many, many details that need to be done as we start the new year,  I was quickly stopped in my running thoughts and reminded that I am not leading alone. I felt the peace of the Holy Spirit stop me and say you are not doing this alone, I am doing it with you and you're right, you can't do it, BUT, I can. 

The verse above was sent to me over the summer while I was in East Asia by my mentor. Once again, I was worrying about all the different roles I was playing and responsibilities I had and as I reflected on this verse, I was quickly reminded that in my limited abilities, I can't and won't be able to do everything and that's okay. My adequacy is from God and because the Holy Spirit lives within me, I am empowered through Him. It's lifted a weight off my shoulder and has allowed me to seek and trust God in ways I never have before. 

As I led out today's first day of meetings, I found myself really excited about our team and what this next year is going to hold for us! I found myself thanking God for the many, many ways He has blessed me and provided for me. I found myself simply in awe and worship of Him. 

Please continue to pray that as I lead our team, that I would first and foremost lead them into rooting ourselves deeply in Him. (Ps.1:3) Pray for our team and for unity and cohesiveness as this is our firs time together. Pray that the Lord would continue to provide and meet the financial needs of our staff team so that we would all be able to start the beginning of the school year together. Ultimately, pray that I would lead and love well! In all of these things, I am reminded that I can't, but He can and will!

Gilbert, Steven, Andy, Amanda

Kimiyo

A Small Glimpse...

I find that I'm safe and warm
In your loving arms

You see me
And You know me
And You love me
Through and through

What a sweet, sweet picture of how God sees me as His beloved daughter. I've been reminded over the past few days what it means to truly love the way Jesus loves us. It's because of His love for me that I am able to love others. It's been good and sad to be home mostly in the sense of missing team, community, and a body of brothers and sisters who so desire intimacy and deep, vulnerable relationship with God and with others.

I've been realizing that the more I grow in understanding of who I am in Christ and how he sees me, I am able to invite others into that same love relationship. I am safe and warm in His arms and He sees me and knows me in all my sins, insecurities, fears, and failures, and yet, he loves me through and through. I love that in my limited capacity of being able to love those around me, I find rest in the fact and truth that God is not limited and He loves me and those around me infinitely more times than I ever could.

This week one of the most significant things that has ever been said to me and that I will always remember is. "I imitate you as you imitate Christ." What a blessing, privilege, and encouragement to live by. It is such a testimony of God's love that in all these things, God uses those around us to give us just a small, small glimpse into what His love for us looks like. <3 p="">

New Beginnings

Wow, it's been a long time since I've been on this. Tonight, I was reminded of really how cool it is to look back at all the things that God has done and taught me through this and the blessing it is to be able to share that with others. Thanks Serena. :) I've decided that I want to start again and I kinda wish I was able to keep my daily journal entries from this past summer on here too, but, since that's not going to happen, I might as well start where I'm at. Here's to new beginnings...

Spending this past summer in East Asia was refreshing, redeeming, and gave me renewed passion and heart for what I have the privilege of calling my job. I have never been so excited for ministry and relationships and just what God is able to do as we step out in faith and continue to learn to trust Him. There are so many things that I learned this summer... it was refreshing to be in new community and to do ministry in such a different place, it was redeeming in seeing God bring back a lot of my desires and heart for discipleship that I've lost/turned off, and it was renewing to get to see the impact that college students have when they fully give themselves over to the Lord.

To sum it all up, God taught me more about what it means to love the way He does (I will post more on this at another time) and really what it means to firmly plant myself and dig my roots deep into who He is. Psalm 1:3 is something that I've been reminding myself of each and everyday since being back. It's been the prayer of my heart to first and foremost seek Him and to be refreshed and nourished through right relationship with God. It's put me in this place of excitement where I know that whatever I do whether it's leading, discipling, being a big sister, sharing the gospel, spending time with Jesus, or simply 'being' day in and day out, that if I stay grounded in who He is, nothing withers, but rather, bears fruit. How sweet that it is and what an awesome promise to stand by!

I'm overwhelmed as staff planning starts Monday and the school year is starting shortly after that. I have a ton of things to do and I'm not sure how to do it all. And yet, I know that I can't, but He can and so I hold tightly to that! I'm excited though to see the fruit that will come as I continue to grow like the tree that is firmly planted by streams of water!

Here's to new beginnings!

Something cool was I felt like I wanted to start a new journal coming home and stumbled across this which I found was so fitting. Excited for what's to come as I spend time with Jesus and just write/pray!

Awaken 2012 Epic West Coast Conference