Piece 3: It's Not About Me

Hey everyone! So a lot has happened since the last time I posted.  God has done amazing things here...more than I could have ever expected, and we're only on Week 6.  I have learned so much about myself, God, and others around the world in the last couple of weeks here on project.  Week Four's focus was gaining a heart for international missions.  On Sunday to kickoff the week, we had an international dinner.  It would take me forever to describe to you everything that went on, but just take my word for it when I say that it was incredibly heart-wrenching.  I feel like during the course of the night, we were able to get a different view of what sharing the gospel around the world looks like.  So many people have never heard the gospel, and it amazes me how we can sit around and not care.  We are all as believers just like those people who sat in the lifeboats and watched the Titanic sink.  Those people didn't want to risk their own lives to save others.  So I would like to ask you as well as myself, What lengths are you willing to go to share the gospel to those who have never heard of Jesus? Are you willing to sacrifice a week, your finances, or your life?  My prayer is that all of us would turn the lifeboats around and seek out those in need of a Savior: Jesus Christ.  Here is a link to a video that they showed us at our meeting that I think is super powerful in showing how much the nations need the gospel: This Little Light of Mine: TCX 2009.
Week 5 was all about learning about and embracing how awesome God is.  Coming from someone who had never seen the ocean until about a month ago, it is amazing to look out from the beach and see nothing but blue waves and know that God is bigger than that and that He cares for each one of us.  What I think is even crazier is that His grace is overflowing.  When I look at the ocean, the lyrics from David Crowder Band's hit "How He Loves"comes to mind: "If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking."  That is seriously insane! Looking at the ocean seriously puts it into perspective of how great God's grace is.  Not only did Jesus' death on the cross pay the penalty for our sins, but God gave us His righteousness and calls us to be His children.  It's kinda like a bank account.  Not only does God cover the debt; He also puts money into our account (righteousness).
And that is what leads me into the theme for this week: It's not about me.  Once I surrendered my life to Christ, it was no longer my life, and I was no longer the person I once was.  My life now belongs to God.  I want Him to use me to further His kingdom.  It's not about me.  It's about Christ...because He is worthy.
"Then He said to them all: "Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." -Luke 9:23

Piece 2: Idols

It's been awhile since I last updated so here is the scoop on the latest in NMB.  Every week has a theme which is integrated into basically everything we do on project that week.  The second week we focused on sharing the gospel every possible minute we had.  It was crazy to see the lengths that people would go to just to make sure others were hearing the gospel.  Whether it was sharing in the midst of a tropical storm or doing outreach until four in the morning, everyone was always excited to have a opportunity talk with others about God.  By the end of the week, everyone was exhausted, but there was so much rejoicing in everything that had occurred that week.  Over 800 people heard the gospel that week alone.  On the last day of the week, someone calculated that a person was hearing the gospel every four minutes during the course of the day.  A verse that comes to mind in all of this is 2 Timothy 4:7- I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.  Regardless of how stressful and tiring the week had been, it was totally worth it because Christ is worthy.
We were in for a surprise concerning Week 3.  The theme was all about building community with each other.  This meant we could only communicate by face to face interactions.  So for seven days we couldn't use any technology.  At first I thought it would be hard, but as the week progressed I realized how much technology is an idol in my life.  It was incredibly freeing to not have the distraction of my phone or computer for the whole week, and I realized I can survive without them.  Another part of the week involved serving each other.  This included doing small services of encouragement for each other, in addition to one crucial rule: You can't make your own meals.  This meant that a roommate or friend had to prepare all your meals for you even if it meant they had to get up extra early.  We all learned how to humble ourselves before each other and ask for help.  At times it was hard not to feel like a burden, but it was great to see us pull together and do things in love for each other.  It's crazy how quickly we have become a project family the last couple weeks here on project.
God has taught me so much about the idols in my life the last few weeks.  From tangible objects such as my phone or longboard to less tangible things such as time or sleep, God has shown me that all of these things have little significance in terms of eternity.  We never know when our day or someone else's day to leave this earth will come, so we must always be ready and willing to share the gospel with those around us.  A stranger's eternal destination has much more significance and importance than something so trivial such as Facebook.  When we develop a mind set on sharing the gospel with others, we realize that nothing else can give us that much satisfaction or joy.  If Christ was willing to die in our place, the least we can do is serve Him by sharing this good news with others.  Isaiah 44:9 says, "All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit."  Only things for eternity will last.

Piece 1: North Myrtle Beach

I have to confess...I'm not much of a blogger.  It honestly never even crossed my mind for awhile, but I thought it would be pretty neat to journal about what's going on in my life especially this summer.  But I feel like I'm getting ahead of myself.  First, I want to explain the meaning behind my blog title.  I'm not a super creative person so I knew there was no way I could come up with some clever title on my own.  So I decided to look up some Bible verses hoping that would spark something.  I came across one of my favorite verses, Romans 8:28.

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose in them."

This verse has been powerful throughout my walk with the Lord, whether it was uphill or downhill.  I see my life as a puzzle, and God has continually been putting the pieces together since I decided to follow Him. 

That's the summary behind the title of this blog.  Now on to the reason for the blog.  I have been given the unique opportunity to spend 10 weeks in North Myrtle Beach on a summer project with CRU or Campus Crusade for Christ.  While we are here, we get day jobs and engage in outreach and training during the evenings.  Our project is made up of approximately 85 college students from the Upper Midwest region.  There are about 30 additional staff training and leading us.  At the end of the first 5 weeks, the staff will leave and we as students will be in charge and take over their leadership positions. It is a huge blessing to be on this project.  I didn't originally think I would get accepted, and now I can't imagine not being here.  We have only been here for one week, but the community we have formed with each other is incredible.  It had been amazing to see everyone step out in faith and have the courage to share the gospel with others.  I look forward to seeing all of us grow in our faith.  One verse I would like to leave with you is the one of the verses that CRU often recites as our mission:
Matthew 28:19- "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."