greenville.coffee.matthew13

This past weekend I went to Greenville to visit some great people. It consisted of late night talks at friends houses, sweet baby Harrison, Christine and Hunter, and seeing some best friends from high school.
Anybody who knows me I love spontaneous trips. Earlier in the week I thought of going to Greenville and thankfully all the arrangements worked out. My trip consisted of coffee shops, friends houses, new restaurants, people literally running to hug me, football games, and lots of Jesus and late night conversations.

While in Greenville this weekend I went to Integrity church and the sermon left me with goosebumps. The pastor talked about the different parables and focused on the Parable of the Sower.

God calls us to repent and believe in the gospel.
Not everyone present is going to understand what he is saying, he opens their ears to let them hear the gospel.
Jesus parables show clear picture of how salvation should look like.

If you here me you are blessed, salvation is in The Lord 
Satan's greatest tactic is to take you away from the gospel 
God gives you a new heart and makes you a new person 

If we trust only in our emotions then we will end up in dark place.
Emotions will not help you in your darkest hour but only the gospel will
The heart is what god is after.

Hebrews 3:14- true Christian had heart transformed and will endure till the end and consistently produce fruit, finish race god marked out for them, gods work within them, the only one that matters. He is causing them to endure.
Luke 8:15- take time for god to turn heart of stone into heart of flesh

You cannot look for highs in life about Christ- that's not true Christianity.
Lord give me the ears to hear!

Matthew 13:16-17

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷ For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

A little time off.

Over the course of these last few weeks of my first semester in college, I have realized how much I don't know about what I want to do or where I want to go. I have been focused all my life on having a plan and living up to the high expectation that has been set by everyone I know.

I called my parents earlier this morning to talk of the idea of taking a semester off to truly find myself, what I stand for and what means the most to me. 

the silence on the phone spoke loud enough for me to know how my parents thought of the idea but they didn't say "NO" so my chances are still there. 

My hope for this coming year is a lot of changes. one thing I learned was that I haven't been a friend to the people who cared so much for me, which is something I am going to change. I have this burning idea and passion to change something in this world and I'm working to that idea. 

My reasoning behind taking a half year off is so I can make my mark on the world, find myself and truly make the impact I dreamed of making.

What I hope to do is apply for the internship for Invisible Children and be a roadie for 10 weeks where I would travel around and go and share the news of the LRA conflict. I would travel in a van and gain the knowledge of international aid, grassroots movements along with learning about public relations. I am also looking into the idea of working with YWAM (youth with a mission) where I would go through discipleship training for 6 months, by learning about God, hearing God and going out into the world where ever the Lord has brought me to talk of Him. 

The only thing I can do for now is pray for my heart and that the Lord would work out and show me which path he wants me to travel, whether it be taking a year off, or staying at Western. 

I am thankful for the Lord placing on my heart these ideas and can't wait to see where he takes me in the next couple of months. 

For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you,
    and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. 

-2 Corinthians 6:2