Saturdays are beautiful things!
This weekend was Youth Conference here at Faith, so the campus has been over-run with high schoolers. I actually enjoy getting to meet the teens and introducing them to college life. However, Youth Conference means that there is a general sleep deprivation of all on campus. :-) Nate came down with our church group, so it was great to be able to hang out a little with him. Last night the whole group went ice skating. So much fun! This morning, because I'm such a nice sister, I got up to go running in the "Fun Run" with Nate. Since we won't see each other that much, I figured it would be nice to spend a little more time with my brother...turns out he leaves me in the dust and proceeds to finish far ahead of me. sigh...
This weekend isn't over yet, the Chorale is out tonight and tomorrow morning for our last two traveling concerts. Some of the people who worked with Youth Conference will be exhausted, but other than that, it should be an enjoyable time.
I'm very excited, because my entire Minnesota Robbins family is coming to our concert tonight! It will be so wonderful to see all of them. Tonight will be a hard night though. It's not fun to say good-bye to people. However, I know that they will be praying for me and that is a huge encouragement!
Well, I must finish packing. Maybe I'll post when we get back from the weekend.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Monday, April 17, 2006
31 days!
The title of this post says it all....I only have 31 days left in the country that has been my home for the last 19 years. Wow. It's quite incredible to think about living in another place for a year. As I have gone through all of the preparations to leave on ARRIBA, God has continued to be so faithful. It has been amazing to simply watch Him work, provide funds, and do things that my small faith doubted.
Since the beginning of this adventure will be starting so soon, it also means that something else is ending. That something is this year of school. It's so incredible how quickly this year has gone by. Honestly, I'm ready to be done with classes. However, I'm not ready to say goodbye to all my dear friends who have become a second family over the past two years. Emotions are so complex...it's so exciting to be going on the missions trip and serving God, but at the same time it's so hard to leave my family and friends behind. The wonderful thing is that I know since God is calling me to Peru for this year, that He will provide the necessary strength to accomplish the task.
Hmm..enough musing...it's time to get some much needed sleep. Hopefully, I'll get back soon and update a little more about everyday life. :-)
Since the beginning of this adventure will be starting so soon, it also means that something else is ending. That something is this year of school. It's so incredible how quickly this year has gone by. Honestly, I'm ready to be done with classes. However, I'm not ready to say goodbye to all my dear friends who have become a second family over the past two years. Emotions are so complex...it's so exciting to be going on the missions trip and serving God, but at the same time it's so hard to leave my family and friends behind. The wonderful thing is that I know since God is calling me to Peru for this year, that He will provide the necessary strength to accomplish the task.
Hmm..enough musing...it's time to get some much needed sleep. Hopefully, I'll get back soon and update a little more about everyday life. :-)
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Late Nights and Long Talks....
Do you ever have nights where you just don't want to sleep? Trust me, they happen rarely at college. :-) I was all set to go to bed tonight and found myself wide awake with my mind racing. So, instead of doing the logical thing and laying there until I dozed off I decided to post on here again. This means that after months of long absence I'm posting twice in the space of a few days...what's wrong here? Probablly nothing I say after 12:00 makes sense to anyone, but that's ok.
Hmmm. what's running through my mind? Right now, I'm reminded of how many things I am thankful for in life....(Aaron do you mind if I borrow an idea from one of your previous posts? :-)
I am so blessed....what am I thankful for?
The many dear friends God has given to me
Being able to simply live and enjoy life
Finding joy in the little things
Playing the piano
Singing loudly when no one is listening
Classes to stretch my thinking
Philosophical discussions
A roommate who can read my mind
Late nights and long talks
Laughter
My bed
The fact that 7:00 classes won't last forever
Waking up and hitting snooze
Sweatpants and sweatshirts
Being able to run
Eating home-cooked food
Seeing the new life of spring come to the earth
Melting snow
The ocean
Sunsets (and sunrises if I am awake)
Pictures to remember memories
Girlfriends to share secrets with
A family who loves me
A God who saved me
God's Word to guide me
Eternity to look forward to.....
"At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You..." Ps. 119:62
Hmmm. what's running through my mind? Right now, I'm reminded of how many things I am thankful for in life....(Aaron do you mind if I borrow an idea from one of your previous posts? :-)
I am so blessed....what am I thankful for?
The many dear friends God has given to me
Being able to simply live and enjoy life
Finding joy in the little things
Playing the piano
Singing loudly when no one is listening
Classes to stretch my thinking
Philosophical discussions
A roommate who can read my mind
Late nights and long talks
Laughter
My bed
The fact that 7:00 classes won't last forever
Waking up and hitting snooze
Sweatpants and sweatshirts
Being able to run
Eating home-cooked food
Seeing the new life of spring come to the earth
Melting snow
The ocean
Sunsets (and sunrises if I am awake)
Pictures to remember memories
Girlfriends to share secrets with
A family who loves me
A God who saved me
God's Word to guide me
Eternity to look forward to.....
"At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You..." Ps. 119:62
Monday, March 20, 2006
And So It Goes...
To reasure all of you reading this post...I am much more faithful in keeping up with my schoolwotk than I am at updating this web-site :-) Where does time go? This semester has literally flown by! By the way Happy First Day of Spring! The only problem is that it's supposed to snow tonight. sigh. I can't wait for warm breezes, budding trees, and sunny days.
I'm not sure how to summarize all that has been happening in my life over the past couple of months. It's difficult to describe all the ways things change and exactly how God works. As far as schoolwork goes, this has been a difficult semester. There have been many papers, projects, and tests to stay on top of. It's been very good for me, though and teaching me more discipline in every area of my life. God has been so good to allow me to accomplish everything. Now we're down to less than eight weeks!
The biggest excitement in my life was finding out on March 3rd that I was officially accepted into the ARRIBA! program! Since that time I've had the added challenge of filling out all the paperwork and organizing things for the trip. It's so amazing to watch God work in every little detail. Sometimes it seems overwhelming, but then God reminds me that I'm not the one doing anything anyway. It's all of Him!
One of the greatest things God used in my life this semester was our Spring Chorale Tour. This year we traveled over our Spring Break to various places in Michigan and Illinois, giving thirteen concerts in ten days. Our program was Sola gratia...sola fide (Grace alone, Faith alone) Being able to spend that time serving the Lord in ministry, building relationships with people in churches as well as fellow Chorale members, and growing in Christ was incredible. Through so many songs in our program, God spoke directly to my heart about my level of trust in Him. The biggest thing I learned was that I am totally dependent on the grace of God in every area of my life. Not only did His grace save me, it is what sustains me every minute of every day. Only by His grace can I hope to accomplish anything, or bring any glory to Him. I was also challenged to really live out my faith in Christ; to have a faith that will not always over-analyze and search, but instead will simply rest in simple, Childlike trust in a God who never fails.
Sola gratia....sola fide!
I'm not sure how to summarize all that has been happening in my life over the past couple of months. It's difficult to describe all the ways things change and exactly how God works. As far as schoolwork goes, this has been a difficult semester. There have been many papers, projects, and tests to stay on top of. It's been very good for me, though and teaching me more discipline in every area of my life. God has been so good to allow me to accomplish everything. Now we're down to less than eight weeks!
The biggest excitement in my life was finding out on March 3rd that I was officially accepted into the ARRIBA! program! Since that time I've had the added challenge of filling out all the paperwork and organizing things for the trip. It's so amazing to watch God work in every little detail. Sometimes it seems overwhelming, but then God reminds me that I'm not the one doing anything anyway. It's all of Him!
One of the greatest things God used in my life this semester was our Spring Chorale Tour. This year we traveled over our Spring Break to various places in Michigan and Illinois, giving thirteen concerts in ten days. Our program was Sola gratia...sola fide (Grace alone, Faith alone) Being able to spend that time serving the Lord in ministry, building relationships with people in churches as well as fellow Chorale members, and growing in Christ was incredible. Through so many songs in our program, God spoke directly to my heart about my level of trust in Him. The biggest thing I learned was that I am totally dependent on the grace of God in every area of my life. Not only did His grace save me, it is what sustains me every minute of every day. Only by His grace can I hope to accomplish anything, or bring any glory to Him. I was also challenged to really live out my faith in Christ; to have a faith that will not always over-analyze and search, but instead will simply rest in simple, Childlike trust in a God who never fails.
Sola gratia....sola fide!
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
2 Cor. 12:9-10
"And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, and my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Cor. 4:2
" But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."
2 Cor. 1:9
"...that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God..."
Trying to be self-sufficient only lasts so long before God makes known how futile all of my efforts to do things on my own are. I'm so thankful that I have a God to depend on and trust in, because without Him, I am nothing...
"And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, and my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Cor. 4:2
" But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."
2 Cor. 1:9
"...that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God..."
Trying to be self-sufficient only lasts so long before God makes known how futile all of my efforts to do things on my own are. I'm so thankful that I have a God to depend on and trust in, because without Him, I am nothing...
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Silence...
After completing over two hours of ear training for music theory tonight, I can honestly say...my brain is fried. And on top of that, my entire suite left for the weekend, so my room is so quiet I think I might go insane! Actually, it has been a pretty good weekend. Last night was a girls 'sleepover' in my friend Johanna's room, and today, since I was free from distraction, I was able to get a lot of work accomplished. However, I am done being responsible for the night...time to go create some trouble. (Where's my voice changer?) :-) My apologies to those of you who were hoping for a profound and touching post; this is neither.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
My Dusty Secret Weapon
If you were to suddenly come upon a "weapon" that had powers to alleviate all your fears, help solve all your problems, give you confidence in the middle of every situation in life, and put you in touch with someone who was powerful enough to change your life....would you take a chance and try out that "weapon"?
I'll let you in on a secret...I own that weapon; it's called prayer. Prayer is the "tank" of spiritual warfare, yet I often treat it like a slingshot. "Um, God, I really need help today." "Bless this food." "Lord, be with...." The Bible says that we can have "Boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus...." It also says "Let us come boldly before the throne of grace." "In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."
God has armed us for battle in our Christian lives with a weapon of incredible power. Through it, we may communicate with the Father, intercede on behalf of hurting brothers and sisters, weep for those who have not come to know the Lord, and worship our Holy God. Yet, what do I do? Run away from the BB guns in life, because I forget about my "tank"... my weapon...prayer.
I am making some changes.... and the first thing I'm going to do is dust off my secret weapon and "practice" with it every day, so when the intense battles come, it's already in top working order.
"Pray without ceasing."
I'll let you in on a secret...I own that weapon; it's called prayer. Prayer is the "tank" of spiritual warfare, yet I often treat it like a slingshot. "Um, God, I really need help today." "Bless this food." "Lord, be with...." The Bible says that we can have "Boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus...." It also says "Let us come boldly before the throne of grace." "In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."
God has armed us for battle in our Christian lives with a weapon of incredible power. Through it, we may communicate with the Father, intercede on behalf of hurting brothers and sisters, weep for those who have not come to know the Lord, and worship our Holy God. Yet, what do I do? Run away from the BB guns in life, because I forget about my "tank"... my weapon...prayer.
I am making some changes.... and the first thing I'm going to do is dust off my secret weapon and "practice" with it every day, so when the intense battles come, it's already in top working order.
"Pray without ceasing."
Monday, January 16, 2006
"...because my life is not my own..."
Today was a rather momentous day in my life...After paying exactly 87 cents, I placed my heart inside a big manila envelope and mailed a stack of papers that have the potential to change my life.
Funny how life works.. Four months ago I had the next year of my life planned out. A new year of school, a new boyfriend, new tryouts for a music team, and new experiences carefully ordered by me. Everything was looking bright, promising, and predictable. Then one day, through one little word, God began shattering through my predictable plans and started awakening a different desire in me.
Arriba! The Spanish word for "upward bound" Arriba is a program sponsored by my school and Baptist Mid-Missions that sends college students to Lima, Peru as short-term missionaries for almost a year. The day I heard the Arriba program presented in chapel was the day that a passion began stirring in my heart. A passion that has been there for a while, but has not always been acknowledged. A passion for people, a passion that desires for others to come to know the Lord; a passion for the Spanish language, a passion to travel, a....
And with that realization, my entirely predictable life began to be turned upside down by a Sovereign, powerful God. So here I find myself, four months later, with no boyfriend, and no music team, but no doubt in my mind that God has been ordering every event along this journey.
I mailed my Arriba application today. With it go the memories of months of prayer, tears, and changes... Is this what God has for the next year of my life? I hope so...but I'm trying not to make plans...I'm simply trying to follow His.
Funny how life works.. Four months ago I had the next year of my life planned out. A new year of school, a new boyfriend, new tryouts for a music team, and new experiences carefully ordered by me. Everything was looking bright, promising, and predictable. Then one day, through one little word, God began shattering through my predictable plans and started awakening a different desire in me.
Arriba! The Spanish word for "upward bound" Arriba is a program sponsored by my school and Baptist Mid-Missions that sends college students to Lima, Peru as short-term missionaries for almost a year. The day I heard the Arriba program presented in chapel was the day that a passion began stirring in my heart. A passion that has been there for a while, but has not always been acknowledged. A passion for people, a passion that desires for others to come to know the Lord; a passion for the Spanish language, a passion to travel, a....
And with that realization, my entirely predictable life began to be turned upside down by a Sovereign, powerful God. So here I find myself, four months later, with no boyfriend, and no music team, but no doubt in my mind that God has been ordering every event along this journey.
I mailed my Arriba application today. With it go the memories of months of prayer, tears, and changes... Is this what God has for the next year of my life? I hope so...but I'm trying not to make plans...I'm simply trying to follow His.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Day 1: The Countdown Begins...
Well, here we are, back at school. Last night was a night of madness in the dorms as everyone returned and wanted to share everything about their break with all of their friends. It's really bad timing to be staying up so late before starting classes again:-) Oh well. Today's classes were surprisingly easy. However, it is only the first day with more to come tomorrow. Who knows what is in store?
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Life: The Great Adventure
Monday begins yet another chapter of my life. My fourth semester of college; bringing with it homework, maturing, much laughter, and perhaps some tears. I will miss the good times and comfort of home and family, but it's time to go again.
I can honestly say, though, that never in my life have I been so full of joy to simply be living life! Sure, it's complicated, but I often make it that way through my own choices and mind. I've discovered that those of us with the blessing/curse of loving to analyze, learn, and discover can also take some things too seriously and forget to simply bask in the joy of the Lord. I often spend too much time trying to "figure things out" instead of spending time getting to know my God better and finding absolute joy in Him. So, in spite of my questions, I love life, and cannot wait for the next steps; even if they are as mundane as practicing and doing homework, or as exciting as traveling and developing friendships.
Rejoicing in the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
"I am come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly."
I can honestly say, though, that never in my life have I been so full of joy to simply be living life! Sure, it's complicated, but I often make it that way through my own choices and mind. I've discovered that those of us with the blessing/curse of loving to analyze, learn, and discover can also take some things too seriously and forget to simply bask in the joy of the Lord. I often spend too much time trying to "figure things out" instead of spending time getting to know my God better and finding absolute joy in Him. So, in spite of my questions, I love life, and cannot wait for the next steps; even if they are as mundane as practicing and doing homework, or as exciting as traveling and developing friendships.
Rejoicing in the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
"I am come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly."
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