I cannot but I know God CAN

Days until I Leave for the World Race: 269
Amount of Money I need to Raise: $14,800

       269 Days to raise $14,800....That means that I need to raise about $55 per day for the next 269 days.

When I first tell people that I am going on the World Race, the question they always ask is "How much is that going to cost?" The best part is to watch their faces when I tell them the staggering number of $15,500. Most every time it is a reaction of surprise and although they rarely say it outloud I can tell that they are thinking "Ha. Goodluck with that one." Honestly that is what I thought when I first applied for the trip. How the heck am I going to raise $15,500? It was hard enough getting $5,300 for my trip to Africa this summer. Plus a lot of people already gave for that trip and probably won't want to give again. I am NEVER going to get this money. And then God stepped in....As I was sitting there panicking over the fact that I am completely broke and cannot pay for this trip myself and the fact that I somehow had to raise the same amount of money that some people spend on a car, God spoke to me. He said, "Brittany, when you asked me to provide the money and supplies for you to go to Africa, did I not provide? When you prayed for healing throughout that trip, did I not provide? When you prayed for safety, did I not provide? You say you trust me, then why are you anxious about this? Have I not proven myself to be faithful? Of course you cannot do it alone but I can. Do not worry my child. I will surely provide." At that moment I was reminded of a passage from Matthew 6:25-34.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

   "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

My God is a God who provides. Yes, I have a very steep hill to climb in fundraising for this trip but I have no doubt that my God will come through. So, now here is where you come in. Just as God is going to use me to bring His kingdom to the nations next year, He can use you as well. I cannot do this alone and I want to invite you to be a part of my journey. That could be through financial support or it could be through prayer and encouragement. Either way, I want you to share this experience with me. You may not be called to go on the World Race as I have been called but I do believe that we are all called to build the Kingdom. If you would like to be a part of this journey with me, there are a few different ways you can help:

Financial

1. Donate online: On the left hand side of my blog site, you will see a link that says "Support Me." Just click on that link and it will direct you to the page to give online donations to my trip.

2. Threads of Hope Bracelets: I am partnering with an organization called Threads of Hope. Threads of Hope assists the economically oppressed in under-developed countries to establish home enterprises that will provide an income, through the development of products that can be sold world-wide. Half of the money I raise from selling these bracelets will go directly to their mission fund and the other half will go towards my trip. I will be selling them for $2 or 3 for $5. I should be getting them in the next week so if you would like some just email me, facebook me, or find me in person. I can also ship them if you do not live in Macon.

3. Checks or Cash: Send checks (made payable to Adventures in Missions) or cash to:
                                 MU Box 72760
                                 1400 Coleman Ave.
                                 Macon, GA 31207

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:19

What does love look like?

 So this is an old note I wrote on Facebook last year and just wanted to repost it. :)

So I have been struggling a lot lately on what it means when someone says "I love you." Is it really possible for them to tell you they love you one day and then a few days later tell you they don't "feel" like they love you anymore? Is that really the kind of love that God talks about in the Bible? No. I don't think Jesus decided to die on the cross for our sins because He just so happened to be in love with His people that day. You think Jesus really "felt" the love when he was getting beaten by the people that He came to the world to save? I seriously doubt it. And yet He still laid down His life for me just so that I can have eternal life in Heaven! " When Jesus saw us hopelessly enslaved to sin, he didn’t say, ‘I don’t feel like dying on a cross for them. I think I’ll wait until the feeling comes."That is true love. So....the questions still remain:Is real love based on feelings? and Is it real love when one day someone says "I love you" and the next they cant? My conclusion...NO!

In our culture today, love is all about feelings of mushy gooshy happiness with rainbows and bunnies and unicorns prancing around a field filled with colorful sunflowers. "I love you because of how you make me feel when I'm with you." "I love you because of all the things you have done for me." "I love you because of your personality." So what if one day the person that you love does something to hurt you or doesnt make you feel so great? Does that mean that you dont love them anymore because you dont have feelings anymore? To the world....yes but to God...no. I think many of us as Christians are getting sucked into the worlds tainted definition of love. We are often confusing having feelings of lust towards someone to feelings of love. Lust is selfish. Lust is directed towards ourselves. Lust is about getting and not about giving. God calls us to "Love each other as I have loved you." (John 15:12) 1 John says "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" God showed us His love by sending His only son to die on a cross and He definitely didn't do it because we are so awesome and deserve it. Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sins is death..." Am I a sinner? Yes. Then do I deserve to go to heaven and have eternal life? No. But look at the second part of that verse "...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Because of God's unfailing love, I can go to heaven! So going back to the first question: "Is true love based on feelings?" ummm....obviously not. "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) It doesnt say "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were so awesome and made Him feel so great He decided to love us." Nope...we are a sinful world that NEVER shows God that love that He deserves and yet....He STILL loves us. :) Actually I'm really grateful God's love for me is not based on feelings and what I do for Him because well....it probably wouldn't turn out so well.....

Now on to the next question.."Does true biblical love fade?" Read Psalm 136 and try and tell me that true love fades. Yes, feelings fade, emotions go away but the love that is talked about in the bible will NEVER go away. When God says "I love you" today, it means just as much when he says it tomorrow and the next day and 5000000 billion years from now. And are we not as Christians supposed to love as Christ loved us? "A new command I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, love one another." (John 13:34) So how is it possible for a Christian to say they truly love someone and then one day for that love to fade? Well sadly due to our own sinful nature we tend to forget the love that God has called us to have towards other people. We think since the feelings go away, we no longer love someone. I once read "There is no solution given for what to do when the emotion fails you and the warm fuzzies are gone-other than bailing out and starting over with someone else." But like I said, love isnt about feelings, its about commitment. 1 Corinthians 13 says "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love NEVER fails."  So is it true love when someone can say "I love you" one day and not love you the next? NO.

One of my new favorite songs is called "Arms Wide Open" by Misty Edwards. It is probably the best depiction of God's love. The lyrics are insane. :) 

URGENT NEWS!!! GOD'S PLANS ARE GREATER!

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9.

Plans for my life

I want to go to college in North Carolina.

I want to have a boyfriend while in school. 

  I want to graduate in 4 years with my bachelors degree.

 I want to get married right out of college. 

I want to have a good paying job.

 I want to be financially stable.

 I want to have a house with a white picket fence. 

I want to be settled down with my family.

I want to live the American Dream.

As many of you know, this past summer I went to Africa with an organization called Adventures in Missions. The summer trip was with the section of the organization that is geared towards college students between the ages of 18-22. If you have read any of my previous posts, you know that that summer completely changed my life....literally. I won't go into everything that God has done in my life the past year because that would take an entire book but one of the biggest changes He has made in my life is my desire for overseas mission work. I know that not everyone is called to it but since January I have felt that it is something that I want to do in my life and this past summer was kind of a test to see if it was something I really would enjoy doing.  Ever since my trip to Africa, I have felt God calling me to do more and recently He has given me an amazing opportunity to do just that with Adventures in Missions.....it's called the World Race. July 2012 to June 2013. 11 Countries. 11 Months. Serving 1 God.

Plans for my life vs. God's Plans

I want to go to college in North Carolina.

I am at Mercer University in Georgia.
 I want to have a boyfriend while in school. 

Okay, so I did have a boyfriend but we all know that ended. Currently single. 

  I want to graduate in 4 years with my bachelors degree.

 I will graduate in 5 years.
 I want to get married right out of college. 

Jury is still out on this one but at this point I don't think that is what God has planned.

I want to have a good paying job.

I won't get paid any money for an entire year.

I want to be financially stable.
I will be living on the support of others.

I want to have a house with a white picket fence. 
A tent will be my house.

I want to be settled down with my family.

I will be moving from country to country for 11 months with my new "family." 

I want to live the American Dream. 

I am won't even be in America.

I know this may seem crazy. For some people, me taking off my last year of school to go travel the world and do mission work seems stupid. I want everyone to know that this is a decision that I have been praying about for a long time and God has never been more clear in his answer. He wants me to go. He is calling me and I have answered yes. I am choosing to step out in faith, knowing that this decision does not seem logical and I am asking for your support. Whether it be in prayer or financially, I am going to need support in this. Being gone for two months this summer was a big deal for me and realizing that I am going to be gone for 11 months is even scarier.

Disclaimer: God could choose to change my path again before I leave next July. I will need to raise $15,500 for this trip which seems like a lot but I believe that if this is something He wants me to do, He will provide the money. Therefore, for those of you thinking that I should wait until after I graduate, that still may happen. If God does not provide the funds then I will wait. As of right now, I am just jumping into this believing that this is what God is wanting from me. If it is not, then I believe He will show me. Also, I will be returning to school to finish my senior year August 2013. I am not dropping out of school, just deferring a year. Trust me. I would not do 3 years of engineering school just to drop out. My plan is to finish off my senior year when I get back and then to go to medical school. My long term goal would be to open up a clinic in a third world country and be a long term missionary/doctor. I know that is a huge dream but I like to dream big. :)

COUNTRIES: Ireland, Russia, Ukraine, Nepal, Cambodia, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, India, Malaysia, Challenge: Asia

FINANCIAL INFORMATION: So as I said before, the total cost of this trip is $15,500. I will be starting actual fundraising in the VERY near future and more information on how I will be doing that will be coming soon. However, if you do feel led to donate you can do so online at: https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=worldrace&desc=For%20Brittany%20Morrison 

If you would like more information regarding my trip you can contact me or go to http://www.theworldrace.org/?tab=routes&subtab=july-2012-3

Also, to keep updated on fundraising and other information you can "like" my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brittany-Morrisons-Mission-Fund/118091738290575 

  

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" Isaiah 6:8

My Story....Part 3

Welcome back! I am glad that you have come back to read the BEST part of the story. :) So like I said, I was a mess and feeling pretty crappy. Well, one morning during team worship, the leader, Angie, began to talk about how when she was on the World Race, she one day made a decision to choose into freedom. She literally drew a line in the sand, "took off" her old self and said aloud “I am new! I am free!” I really believe the Holy Spirit was speaking through her that morning. In that moment, the wind began to blow (which does signify something to me and call me or come find me if you wanna hear the story, it’s a pretty cool one). Anyways, so the wind began blowing and I heard God say to me, “Step forward. Step out of your past. Be bold. Choose into me and choose intro freedom. Do now wait anymore.” So I did. I literally stepped forward and said out loud, “I am done with my past! I am done with who I used to be and I am set free! I believe I am beautiful! I believe I am worth being fought for! I believe I am a child of God and I deserve to be treated like one! My significance is no longer found in man but in God alone! I will not go back! I am no longer ashamed of my past and it no longer will dictate my future! “ I was seriously standing there in the middle of the circle, crying and screaming out these declarations. That moment God changed my life. I am forever changed and I will never go back. After I made that choice to step into the future that God had for me, Angie asked me to pray in that moment and ask the Holy Spirit to give me a vision that I could always remember when I began to falter. I immediately received an image of me, looking back and I saw my old self standing there. The old me was depressed and dark. With me holding my hand was my ex and behind us was darkness and emptiness and all the lies that I ever believed. Suddenly a giant metal fence appeared with no door, no end, and no way to get over. Then I turned around and looked down at myself. I was clothed in white linen and glowing with light. I was smiling and the wind began to blow through my hair (once again very significant) and in front of me was a field full of grass and beautiful flowers and birds. There was just so much life. It was as if God was saying, “I will never let you go back. From now on you are going to be filled with joy and life. You are free my child!” I will never forget that moment and I remind myself of that image every morning I wake up. I AM SET FREE! I continue to write that in bold because it is such a huge deal for me. I have no idea who I am writing this for. You may be my best friend or you may be some random person I just met. But let me just emphasize how important this moment was for me. If you know me well then you can probably understand. This moment of choosing into freedom and choosing into God’s love literally changed my deepest core. It completely changed my outlook on my life, on my faith, on the people from my past, the people in my present and what I want for my future. Honestly, it’s not something that can really be explained in this blog. That change can only be experienced through seeing my life now and how this experience impacts the way I live it. This means if you are my best friend, yay because you get to share in my experience. Honestly, sitting here remembering that moment and trying to write about it is a little overwhelming. I mean how do you really write on paper an experience like that and get someone to really understand it? How can you describe something so indescribable? I almost want to tell you just to call me up so I can talk to you about it because that seems to be easier for me to do. So if you want to talk to me, I would love to share. Not only about that particular moment but others as well. I can’t begin to write all that God did in this blog but I do hope that I can continue to share with you other things because it is worth sharing. I mean its about God so how can it not be right? 

So basically after that moment, the entire trip changed for me. Instead of having my mind constantly on my ex and home, it was on God and His wonder and love. I was constantly in prayer and constantly in worship. At one point in Nairobi, I was so overwhelmed with joy from the Spirit that I literally had to stop listening to my worship music when the team was at a coffee shop. If I didn’t I would have just busted out in some crazy worship right there. Ever since that morning in Kenya, I can’t stop smiling. I am so happy, so full of life and so ready to minister to those around me. I want to serve. I want to help others receive the same freedom that I have received. I want people to be so in love with Jesus that they don’t need anyone else. I want to challenge people to listen to the Holy Spirit. I want to speak life into people. I want to continue to be used by God and bring His kingdom to earth. Yes, I still have struggles and I am easily tempted by the devil but I know that God will continue to lead me. I believe the same for you. The same God that loves me and gave me freedom loves you as well. He loves you and wants the best for you. I once again want to ask you that you STOP and PRAY. Pray that God pour His spirit onto you. Pray that he show His love. Pray that He speak to you. Whatever He says, write it down. Ask Him to teach you what it means to follow Him and what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ask Him what He wants you to hear from Him, not what you want to hear. LISTEN. BE SILENT. Just listen for His voice. I pray that God begin to speak to you. I pray that He begin to teach you and refine you. I pray for growth.

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

My Story....Part 2

Well, I hope you took what I said before to heart. Okay, so where was I? Oh yeah. Kenya. Okay so by the third night in Kenya I was all screwed up and I literally broke down. I just sat down on a rock and started crying and when I say crying, I mean balling my eyes out. I didn’t know why I was in Africa. I had no idea where God was or who I was. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with my life and I could feel myself crumbling. I felt as if everyone around me was overwhelmed by joy and by the Spirit and I was sitting there alone and unbelievably broken. I had been in Africa for 3 weeks and still had not gotten any healing or freedom. I ended up talking/crying to my leader and she began to tell me that I was right where I needed to be. It was in that place of brokenness that God was going to begin to put me back together. She told me that it was going to be hard and that it is in this place that I am going to have to deal with things about myself that I had been pushing aside. Man was that true! I began to face up to my past and God really began to work. I had to deal with the shame of crossing physical boundaries with my ex and regret I had in putting him as an idol in my life. I had to deal with my need to control that situation and other things in my life. I had to deal with my self-confidence issues. I had to deal with the fact that I felt like I was too much and not enough at the same time. I had to face up to the fact that I thought I was a failure. I had to learn what it meant to love and be loved by those around me. It was a really hard experience but before I could really be set free, I had to unlock the cage to my past and face up to it. I’m so glad I did! So once again, I ask that you STOP and PRAY. Is there anything that you need to face up to? Are there any lies that have imprisoned you that you need to face up to? Ask God to bring you to a place that you can recognize them. Before you can begin to replace them with truth, you have to know what the lies are so you can place them at the feet of the cross. So before you move on, pray about that. I promise it will be good.

So at this point in my story, I am a broken mess but so ready for growth and freedom. Also at this point in the trip, the team was in the bush with the Masaai tribe where we were going to spend 10 days with no showers, sleeping in tents and literally killing our own goat just so we could eat.  Let me tell you, this was definitely an experience. By the end, I had so much dirt caked on my skin that when I finally did take a shower, I lost a few shades of skin color and I was still wiping off dirt for the next few weeks. But I would still give anything to go back there. Okay, so we are about to get to the best part of the story. Get excited. I mean God is about to do something incredible in the story so how can you not be excited? Well at least I am excited…I pray that you get excited too because this is ridiculously awesome....but of course like all good t.v. shows, I'm going to stop for a commercial break at the best part. This means you have to come back next week if you want to read the happy ending! 

My Story....Part 1

Since I have been back from Africa, I have been able to share my story with a select number of people who have been willing to sit down with me for an hour or so and listen to it. For the past week, God has really put it on my heart though to share it with more people but because it is such a long story, I wasn't quite sure how I was going to do that. So, I have been praying that God would give me an opportunity to share my testimony with larger groups of people. I mean that is what our testimonies are for. God teaches us things not just to make us better but so that we can further His Kingdom here on earth! Don't forget...it's not about you. It's all about God! :) So anyways, as I was praying about this, I realized that a great way to share my testimony would be through my blog. Obviously, since this is somewhat of a long story, this will be a series of blog posts so as not to overwhelm you...whoever you are :) Also, I have some challenges throughout the series that I would encourage you to pray about as you read it! I have no idea what God may do in you through this but I believe He is faithful and as long as I follow His voice then I know He will continue to blow my mind!! So here is my story…..

Where do I even begin? God has done so much and shown me so much! I feel like I could sit here for hours explaining it all….But if I had to summarize it in one word…..FREEDOM!! I AM SET FREE!!! I guess that about sums it up. Of course there is a bit of a story behind it but I just want to start off by declaring that I AM SET FREE! Woop Woop! It feels good to write that and actually believe it. Now here is the cool story that God gave me….

Before deciding to go to Africa for two months, I was in a really crappy place and by crappy I mean pit of hell. I really could not have felt any worse about myself. I had been in a relationship for about a year with a great Christian guy….well started off great….then satan decided to take over and everything started to turn well….not so great. We got way to physical, started to grow jealous of each other, started lying to each other and just stopped listening to God’s voice all together. Okay, now I want you to stop reading and go read Romans 1:21-32. That is basically my story last year. By the end of it all, I was broken-hearted, depressed, alone, feeling unworthy of anyone’s love, angry and confused about how someone I loved so much could cause so much hurt to me. How could someone who claimed for an entire year to love me more than anyone and promise that he would love me for eternity, make the choice to do things that would blatantly destroy me? I didn’t know how you could claim to love someone one minute and then in the blink of an eye begin to tell that same person that they were undesirable and you never wanted to speak to them ever again. I guess that is how the devil works though. He uses those closest to you to bring you down. For a while, he was winning. He did a great job using this man to completely tear me apart and make me feel as if I was the most worthless human being on earth. Let me just say though. I don’t blame the man. Sure, he was the one saying terrible things to me and he was the one causing the pain through his actions but in the end it is Satan who is to blame. I forgive this man for what he did to me but I will not forgive Satan. Satan knew what he was doing. The guy didn’t. So basically before leaving for Africa, I was really in need of some Jesus and love. I’ll tell you what. God does not disappoint. I remember talking to my mom before I left and I told her that I really wanted to come home a brand new person. I wanted joy in my life again. I wanted healing from my past. I wanted freedom. She told me to be careful because what if none of that happened this summer? Then I would come home disappointed. But looking back now, that is a silly thing to say. I have a father in heaven that freaking created the universe!!! Of course I can expect GREAT things to happen! Actually I can expect more than great! God promises me in Ephesians 3:20 that He will go beyond my beyond! “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen” Man, God is just so awesome. By the time training camp happened, I was ready for some awesome encounters with the Lord. I was ready to be filled with the Holy Spirit and I was ready for whatever God had in store. Ps. Don’t feel like you have to read this all at one time…it’s kind of a long story and I would encourage you to pray as you read it. I firmly believe that God placed your name on my heart for a reason but it’s your job to figure out why. So please STOP and PRAY that God would speak to you, whoever you are. Basically training camp was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. God began to fill me up so much and began to teach me what it means to be BOLD in my faith. By the last night of worship, I was so overwhelmed with the Holy Spirit that I couldn’t keep it in. I was literally screaming my declarations and prayers to God and continued to do so throughout the summer. Let me encourage you reader. When you really begin to be filled with the Spirit of God, the only thing you can do is fall to your knees and scream praises to Him. It may sound weird and over the top but I don’t believe worship should be controlled or tamed because with my experience with the Holy Spirit, it is definitely not something that is tamed. It is an uncontrollable spirit. So be bold my friend. Allow the spirit of God to overtake you. Don’t worship or pray to God like He is not in the room. He is with you right now. Believe that. Think about it for a moment before you continue to read. GOD IS WITH YOU! That should overwhelm you. It sure did me. Wow, I just got way side tracked but I really felt like that was something you needed to hear. Okay back to my story…..

So after 4 days of ridiculous God encounters, I was ready for Africa. I was so filled up and I was ready to pour out. I was ready to jump into ministry. I was ready to be used by God! So off to Africa I went. After 20 hours of plane rides and a few hours of bus rides, the team finally arrived in Uganda. I was so excited! Uganda really was an awesome experience. Ministry consisted of praying in hospitals, door to door evangelism, playing with children and giving hour sermons at churches. We basically just did a lot of learning and getting used to the culture. Honestly, I didn’t grow much spiritually while in Uganda. My faith wasn’t really tested and that did frustrate me a little bit. I had so much fire at training camp and here I was only 2 weeks into the trip still waiting to really feel God’s presence in Africa. I began to get discouraged and satan really used that time to distract me. He began to put lies in my head and instead of my thoughts being on God and ministry, they were on my past, my relationship with my ex, what I was going to do about it and how I was going to bring change to the situation. Controlling my thoughts and not worrying about certain situations in my life has really been a big struggle for me this past year and satan knew that. He really used that to bring down my spirit. By the time we got to Kenya, I was broken. Now, I’m not saying that I didn’t experience God in Uganda. God definitely showed up and I really learned what it meant to let the spirit talk through you. I learned that the fun way when I was at a church and all of a sudden the pastor called me up to give an hour sermon that I was not aware of beforehand. But once again God came through. So God did teach me a lot in Uganda but I was still really struggling with truly being consumed with His love and understanding what it meant to be a child of God. My prayer for whoever is reading this is that you begin to understand that you are a child of God and you deserve to be treated like one. You are a beautiful creation and you are worthy to be fought for. You are loved by your Heavenly Father and don’t allow anyone to tell you any different. I would like to ask you right now, do you really believe that? Does your life show that?  I thought I did but come to find out I didn’t. It only took one person to make me lose my identity. If I really believed that I was loved by God, I would have cared less what that person thought of me and I would never have spent months chasing after someone who was willing to throw me around like I was nothing. I would never have been destroyed. So I want to ask you once again to STOP and PRAY. Ask God to pour His love on you. I don’t care if you have to pray about this for an entire week or month before you continue reading but I want you to really believe it in your heart that you are loved. Be confident in your identity in Christ. Please learn what that means. Say out loud right now who you are. Declare it out loud! Don’t say it quietly. Declare it over yourself who you are in Christ and be specific! Do you get it? I pray that you take this seriously. I pray that as you read this God overwhelms you with His spirit. I pray that He breaks you like He did me. Let go of your old beliefs about yourself and allow God to refine you and make you new. PRAY. FOCUS ON GOD. Do not go on today until you have begun to really declare that truth. Do not be timid. Be bold my friend!

 

Just A Little Something

So I was reading in Galatians in my quiet time this morning and wanted to share a short thought that I had.....

"So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?....Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith....Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because 'the righteous will live by faith'. The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, 'The person who does these things will live by them.'" Galatians 5,8,11-12

We are justified simply by believing what we have heard through scripture. Some Christians, I think, try to make their faith so much more complicated and stressful. We think that by doing good things, we are going to grow closer to God. Scripture teaches us the complete opposite. I can say that it wasn't when I was trying to observe the law that I felt closest to God. It was when I stopped trying to be the "good Christian" and began to simply believe with all my heart what I read in scripture that I really began to connect with the Holy Spirit on a level that I never thought possible. Yes, reading your Bible everyday is important but until you really begin to have faith like it talks about in scripture, everything you read will just be words on a page. Yes, praying is important but until you begin to have the faith that God will answer your prayers, your prayers will seem like one way conversations. Live by faith!

 "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit." Galatians 3:13-14

Christ, the Son of God, came down and became a curse so that I could be redeemed!!!!! Christ died so that I could live by faith!! As Christians, I think we take that for granted all the time. Christ died so that we could live by faith, so let's live by faith! Let's live like we believe in God! Don't just say you love God but show you love God. Why is it that when we love someone here on earth, we will spend every waking moment trying to show them that we love them but when it comes to God, we think that just saying it is enough? I don't want to live like that. I know without a doubt that God loves me. I want Him to be able to say the same thing about me. I want Him to look down from Heaven and say, "That is my daughter and I know that she loves me, not because she says she does but because through her life, she shows me she loves me."

Well that is my quiet time for today. I pray that it encourages you to live by faith. I mean that is the whole reason Christ died on a cross for us! =)

Home.....

Being back in the states is pretty weird. It is so different than living in Africa. I mean for the past 2 months  have been living in community, sleeping on the floor or in tents, taking bucket showers maybe 3 times a week, eating basically the same thing every meal, and waking up doing ministry everyday. My first day back home consisted of a hot shower, picking out which restaurant I wanted to eat at for lunch, getting a manicure and pedicure with my mom, buying some books at Barnes and Nobel and sleeping in a huge comfortable bed. I could get a glass a water from the sink, use a toilet, sit in an air conditioned house, drive my car around, use internet in the comfort in my own home, and wash my clothes by just putting them into a machine. For the first time in 2 months, I didn't really have to worry about anybody else but myself. It's strange....Honestly, I am not quite sure how I feel about the transition home yet. I really want to try and figure out the best way to bring the things I learned in Africa back to my life back at home but I can already tell this is going to be a little difficult. I have had all of these amazing, life changing experiences and God has filled me so much with the Holy Spirit. It is really hard to explain that to people and have them be able to relate to my experiences and share in my excitement.
I don't want this experience to leave me. I don't want this to just become something cool I did one summer. I don't just want to go to people and say "Look what God did!" I want to tell people "Look what God is DOING!" God giving me freedom was not a one time act. Every morning I wake up, He is freeing me. I could choose any moment to go back to my past and continue to believe the lies Satan tries to tell me. Instead God is giving me strength everyday to walk in my freedom. I can not do this alone. If at any point in my life God left my side, I would crumble in a second. I need His truth whispering in my ear every moment of everyday. Without that truth, I am nothing. Without the freedom that is brought through truth, I will only begin to be emprisoned by lies. God is my stronghold. He is my love and I want these truths to continue to be a part of who I am. I want to continue with daily worship. I want to continue to ask the Lord daily what He wants from me and follow whatever He says. I want to continue to boldly declare who God is and who I am in Christ. I want to continue to dive into God's word and learn what it really means to die to self and be a servant of the Lord. I want to search for God's will and follow whatever He has for my life. I want to continue to be a light in the darkness that surrounds me. I want to bring change to my community and challenge those around me to follow the Holy Spirit and be bold in their faith. I know life won't all be the same and I know it won't be easy but if there is one thing I learned in Africa, it is that God is faithful! He will continue to walk with me and lead me. The God that I served in Africa is the same God that I serve here in the United States. That means that although I may be home, I can encounter God each day in the same way that I did while in Africa. Ephesians 3:20 holds just as much truth here as it did this summer. "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen."

Never Going Back

Wow....so where do I even begin? The past few weeks in Kenya have been some of the hardest, most life changing weeks of my life. I have been broken and completely overwhelmed by God and His power. For the past 2 weeks, the team has been camping out in the Bush with the Masaai tribe. It was an amazing experience for me and I have learned so much. But I think what I would like to tell you about is what God has done just in the past few days while I have been in Nairobi.....

 

Well after being in the bush for 9 days with no way to shower, wash clothes, or make any contact with the outside world, I was pretty excited to have a few days of rest in a big city like Nairobi. Don't get me wrong. I LOVED LOVED LOVED ministry out in the bush! I would not trade it for anything because God did some amazing work while we were out there and I fell in love with the people so much while I was there. As much as I was ready to change my clothes and get the rediculous amount of dirt off my body, it was really hard to leave the bush. I got so comfortable with the life of simple living and even sitting here now, I would give anything to go back there. It really is just you and God out there. No cell phones. No internet. No electricity. No IPODs. Nothing but you, God, and His wonderful creation. It's just something that you cannot find in the states so I loved taking advantage of that time. Anyways...I kind of went off on a little rabbit trail there but basically I just love Ewaso and God :) So back to my story.....After about 8 hours of travel, the team finally arrived at our hostel in Nairobi, which is actually pretty nice. I mean there are actually beds, showers with shower heads, and toilets. I honestly didn't know what to do with myself when we got here. I was just so overwhelmed with the fact that I got to actually take a real shower, which I have not been able to do since I arrived in Africa, and get to use a real toilet. Can you say culture shock? lol So after getting cleaned up, I decided to get on the computer and check my facebook and the blog to see if people had commented on anything. I ended up getting a video post and a blog comment from my roomate, Becca. One of the things that she kept saying was "Look how far you have come! Look what God has done in your life this past year! Just think about where you were last year for a minute and then look at where you are today." I began to thank about that for a few minutes and I seriously just began to cry. I mean to really think about who I was last year and who I am today.....it is a rediculous transformation that could only have happened through God. Most of you reading this blog don't know about my past and the girl I was a year ago.....but I will tell you...it is a HUGE difference. Writing this I am just speechless. You don't really realize how far you have come until you turn around and look at where you have come from. I cannot wait to see what God does in my life these last three weeks of the trip. I want to be wrecked even more. I want to be blown away even more than I am right now. I am growing. I am falling more and more in love with God. Man I just LOVE JESUS!!! :) I SURRENDER ALL TO YOU GOD!! My life is no longer my own! I live for you and you alone. Lead me. I will follow you regardless of what that means for my life. I am yours. To you be the glory. Forever and Ever! Amen.

 

Before I go, I want to share a quick story of ministry that happened here in Nairobi yesterday. The team decided to spend the morning at this coffee shop near the hostel, which was very close to a coffee place in the states. Anyways so while we were there, I was having an awesome morning of worship. I mean God was just blowing my mind. I was listening to my IPOD and almost busted out in worship in the middle of the coffee shop because I was just so overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit and the work He was doing in my life. I was SO happy and could not stop smiling all morning. So basically I was having a pretty incredible morning. Well as I was sitting there, I was looking around and praying that God would give me an opportunity to do some ministry while in Nairobi. I knew we were there for rest but God is everywhere and so that means wherever I am, opportunities to minister are going to arise. Well as I was sitting there, Charlie came up to me and challenged me to go sit with these two Muslim girls who were at a booth and just witness to them. I was like awesome God! Thank you for answering my prayer so quickly. :) So without a hesitation, I got up, walked over to their table and said "Hey I know this sounds weird but would it be cool if I sat and talked with you guys." They looked at me like I was crazy but were like "Sure...." Let me remind you that this is a pretty westernized part of the country so having some random American walk up to your table and ask to sit down is just as weird here as doing it the states. Anyways, I began to ask them about their lives and what it is like to grow up in Kenya. They told me about their college and what they were studying and a little bit about their lives. So then I was just like, "So what religion do you practice?" They told me they were Muslim and began to tell me a little but about their faith. I then asked them if it was okay that I share the Gospel with them. I got a response that I wasn't really expecting. The girl just said "Why?" I just wanted to be like "Because Jesus is awesome and I want to tell you about Him" but instead I began to tell them my story and what God had done in my life since I began to follow Him and fall more and more in love with Him. For the next hour, we had a great conversation about my beliefs and they began to ask questions about why I believed what I believed. I think mostly they were just asking so they could try and prove me wrong with something that they believed but I didn't care. I just was happy to get to share with them the story of an AMAZING God who loves them and wants a relationship with them. In then end, they did not give their life to Christ but I firmly believe that a seed was planted that day. After all, it is not my job to save them. All I have to do is speak to them the truth that I believe and see God do the rest. I am continuing to pray for those girls and I would like to ask that anyone reading this do the same. I pray that God pour his spirit on them and even though I may never see them again on this earth, I pray that I will one day see them in Heaven. "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" Romans 10:14-15 This is why I am here and this is my calling! I will continue to be used by God and follow Him wherever He takes me. I will continue to witness to people no matter what the outcome. I will be BOLD! :)

 

Control Freak is My Middle Name

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

If you know me at all, you most likely know that I am a control freak. Ever since I could talk, I always wanted to have control over everything! My mom tells me that the most common saying that came out of my mouth as a child was, "I do." Although my grammar skills may have improved since then, I still find myself constantly saying, "I don't need anyone's help. I can fix this myself!" Even as I was going through my breakup, I don't think I actually shared with anyone that my relationship was having troubles until a month or so after the fact but by then it was too late and it was over. Only a true control freak would do something like that. My reason for sharing this is to make it clear that I HATE having to give that control up to anyone....even the almighty God and creator of the universe. So although it may be easy for some people to just "trust in God" during adverse circumstances, that is probably one of the hardest things anyone could ask me to do. Yet, that is all I have heard the past few months. "Trust in God, Brittany." "Just give the situation to Him and it will all work out." (Funny side note: The one thing that my ex wanted to see from me the past few months was that I trust in God more.) Let me just say. It is much easier said than done.

Well due to my newfound love for reading thanks to my father who got me a Nook for Christmas, I decided to try and find a book about trusting God, other than the Bible of course. After looking through about a hundred christian living books, I found the perfect one. I mean the title says it all. It was called "Trusting God." I thought to myself, "Well this book should probably help me learn what it means to trust in God. I mean the title is 'Trusting God.' How much more obvious can you get?" So I decided to purchase the book on my Nook and began reading. It was probably one of the best purchases I could have made and I believe that God brought that book to me as an answer to my prayers. The past few days especially, I have been praying for God to show me what to do in my current circumstance and to show what it means to truly trust in Him and believe in His sovereignty. Ask and you shall receive.

One of the big points that Jerry Bridges makes in his book is that in order to trust God, I must believe in his perfect sovereignty. Even through all the heartache and suffering, I need to believe in the Almighty God who has control over every situation. I also need to believe that He has a perfect will for my life and even though I may not understand what is going on or why this is happening, God does and that is all that matters. I need to be able to say, "Lord, I know You were in control of this dreadful event. I do not understand why you allowed it to happen, but I trust You." I think that is one of the big things I have been forgetting. God is not only in control of the outcome of the circumstance but He was even in control when it was first taking place! It says in Isaiah 45:7, "I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things." So in order for me to really give complete control to God, I need to believe that God is in complete control no matter what the circumstance. So that is what I decided to do. Instead of constantly telling myself "this situation will never change unless i do __________ and nothing will ever be fixed unless I __________ and I just need to deal with it," I am choosing to believe in a God that is greater than my circumstances. I am choosing to believe in a God that is in control and will bring good out of this situation that seems so terrible. I am choosing to believe in a God who will bring beauty from ashes. I am no longer going to put my human limits on the creator of the universe! I am going to believe in God and give it all to Him. So this is my prayer: "Lord, I do not know why this has happened and I may never know. I do not know why I am in the circumstance I am in and why you have not brought restoration to it. Maybe it is because I have not given you complete control until now but God I believe that you are bigger than all of this. I believe in a God who brings good to those who love Him and those who follow Him. I don't see it yet but I have faith that You are in control and I want to give this to you. In the end, I want to be able to say You changed things. I don't want to be able to take the credit because that is not what this is about. I want to be able to say God is good, not I am good. I want people to see your hand in this. I want this to be a testimony to your almighty power. So Lord, I give you control. Amen."

Carry the Name of Christ

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8

Well I am going to Africa!!! God has given me the AMAZING opportunity to spend 2 whole months in Africa over the summer! After I came back from Passion, I really felt a call to do some type of missions work this summer. It was probably a combination of Francis Chan's message on living a life worthy of the gospel, David Platt's session on his book Radical, and Louie G's talk on carrying the name of  Christ wherever you go that really got me thinking about how I was living my life. I realized that I had always been living for myself. I was constantly making choices just because I wanted to climb the "ladder of success" or become more popular at school or have my name known around campus. But God has showed me the past few weeks that instead of trying to make much of myself like people of the world, I need to humble myself in order to make much of Him because He is the one that deserves all of the glory! Another thing I was really convicted about while I was at Passion was, if I really believe that there are billions of people around the world who do not know Christ and who are destined to spend an eternity in hell, then why am I not doing everything I can to spread the love of Christ to those places? How can I sit in my little "Christian bubble" and honestly be okay with that? The reality is, I can't. Christ has called us to be disciples of all nations. He has commissioned us to give everything we have to follow him and carry his name to the unreached places of the world. So that is what I want to do. When the Lord asks "Whom shall I send?", I want to be ready to say "Here I am, Lord. Send me!"

If you know me at all, you probably could not picture me backpacking through three countries in Africa for two months living out of a backpack. Trust me. Neither can I. Honestly, I am a little freaked out about the whole thing. Leaving my family for two months and going to remote villages in Africa while living in a tent does not sound like the most comfortable way to spend my summer. I would so rather be doing an internship in New York or living in Florida and spending my time at the beach with friends. But, I guess this is not about what I want or about being comfortable. I am pretty sure that if you read Matthew 10, the passage where Jesus sends out the 12 disciples, he makes it perfectly clear that discipleship is not going to be easy nor will it always be fun. He says that they will be like "sheep among wolves" and "will be hated because of him". After reading that, the whole discipleship call does not sound too appealing. But I am pretty sure that Christ did not have that much fun being beaten and dying on a cross for the very people who rejected him.

Okay, so back to Africa. After I returned from Passion, I decided to get on my computer and just start searching for different missions organizations. After about an hour, I finally came across an organization called AIM (Adventures in Missions). The organization looked pretty legit, so I decided to look through their website to see what they were all about. It was amazing! They sponsor trips for every age to all parts of the world. For college students alone, there were about 10 trips that they were sponsoring and that was only during the summer! After looking through all the trips, one of them really caught my eye and that was the trip to Africa. This is what the trip description said: "Experience the life of a nomadic missionary as you move from country to country across Africa. Pack lightly! You’ll be carrying your bag everywhere you go, unless you luck out and find a helpful camel to join you on your journey into some of the most remote locations on the continent. Your expedition will take you through Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya as you share the love of Christ with those you meet along the way. Be prepared for a life of simple living, since the goal of this trip is total immersion into the way of African life. You will eat what they eat. You will live in their villages. You will walk with them as they journey two kilometers to fetch water. You will pray beside them as they ask God to heal their loved ones or bring much needed rain to their land. You will worship God with them as the rains begin to fall. And all along the way, you’ll see the kingdom of God expanding in the lives of the African people." Once I read that, I knew that was where I wanted to be. I wanted to carry the name of Christ to the people in Africa even if it meant living in a tent and taking cold showers for two months. So, I applied.

About 4 days after I submitted my application, I was called for an interview with a woman named Stacy. When I found out I had to do a phone interview, I was not quite sure what to expect. I was sure she would ask me about my faith and ask about how I became a christian and why I wanted to go to Africa. It was nothing like I had expected. Yes, she did ask me all of those basic questions but it seemed like she was more interested in the struggles that I had gone through. She asked me to go into detail about my past relationship and why it ended and how that made me grow closer to God. I have to be honest, I was not all that thrilled when we were talking. I hated having to rekindle all those bad memories that I was trying to forget. After we had finished talking, she said that I would find out if I got accepted to the trip about a week later. For the next week or so I spent most of my time praying. I really had no clue whether or not God was really calling me to do missions work. I mean, me backpacking through Africa? But I knew that if it was part of God's plan that I go to Africa then everything would work out the way it was supposed to and it did. Stacy called me yesterday and told me that I had been accepted for the trip! I was so excited!!! I get to spend my entire summer carrying the name of Christ in AFRICA!!

On a side note, the timing of that call was actually pretty interesting. When I finished my interview with Stacy last Tuesday, she said that I would know within a week. That meant that I should have found out by this past Tuesday. However, when Tuesday came around and there was no phone call I was a little disappointed. But God always knows what He is doing and His timing is always perfect. This past Monday I had a pretty bad conversation with my ex. I won't say all the details but as of now things are definitely over for good. I mean the relationship has been over for a long time but now it is looking like we are just going to be out of each others lives completely. Which I understand that exes cannot be friends most of the time and I agree with that, but I don't think things should have been left on the terms that they were left on. It just wasn't good. Anyways, for the first time I had the realization that I needed to end things for myself. I was constantly being hurt and I did not want to participate anymore. So I made a decision that I was going to finally let go of my own desire to have some sort of reconciliation with him. I closed that door. Actually in reality, God closed the door. I just decided to stop spending my time trying to open it back up. Anyways, the moment I finally ended things, God opened so many more doors! It is really awesome to have things like that happen. It makes me realize that God really does know what He is doing and if I would just listen to Him and give Him complete control over my life, everything will work out. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

ps. Here is the website to the trip. https://www.adventures.org/trips/mission-trips.asp?locID=257&tripid=3933 

"We welcome You with praise"

About 2 weeks ago, I had the amazing opportunity to attend Passion 2011. Worshiping with 22,000 other college students for 4 straight days, not mentioning the hundreds of thousands linked in from around the world, was absolutely incredible. Although the Passion event was awesome, it was not the event that changed me or gave me freedom from my past. God did. Although worship was lead by some of the most renown christian artists and the teaching was done by some of the biggest names in the modern day Christian circle, it was not them that gave me joy and fulfillment in the end. God did.

Coming into Passion 2011, I was broken and in need of healing. I was in need of a savior. First semester of this school year, I went through a pretty tough break up. I won't go into all of the gory details, but lets just say it didn't end like I had hoped. I was left in a lot of pain and for months I tried to get myself out of it. I kept telling myself and those around me that I was getting better and I was getting over everything that had happened but in reality, as Beth Moore would say, I was stuck in a pit and it was a deep one. The whole time I thought I was making progress of getting myself out of it, I was actually doing the opposite. Every time I made the decision to take matters into my own hands, I was just picking up that shovel that Satan had provided me and just kept digging and digging and digging. I was stubborn too. I was not going to give that shovel up for anything. Even though God was sitting right in front of me the entire time saying, "Brittany, let go of the shovel and give me your hand. I will get you out of this pit.", I would answer with, "No. I can get out of here myself!" Moral of the story: when God says He will set you free if you just let go of your shovel and grab onto him, He will. It took me a long time to finally understand that and even today I struggle with giving God complete control over my life. Long story short, I was hurting and there was no way I was going to be able to take that pain away on my own. No one could for that matter. Not even the person who caused some of the pain. That is where God comes in.

Okay, back to Passion. You know those times you hear a song on the radio or you go to church and you hear a sermon and you think to yourself, "I am pretty sure that person was thinking of me when they wrote that." Well that is how the first night of Passion was for me. I had already had a somewhat tough morning, and all I could think about going into that first main session was, "I need freedom." And what did Louie Giglio talk about that night you ask? Yes, you guessed it. Freedom from the past. Right when he began his talk, I looked up to the heavens and actually chuckled a little bit because at that moment I realized God was about to change my life. And He lived up to his promise. All that pain and baggage that I had been trying to carry on my own for so long, God took from me. He showed me what it really meant to be set free and to be filled so much with His spirit, that I no longer worry about the useless things that don't matter in the end. He showed me how selfish I had been and how I had been living for someone that was not worth living for. He showed me what it meant to chain myself to Jesus, instead of chaining myself to my own desires. He showed me that in the end, the only thing that matters is Jesus. He showed me that through my suffering, I can still live fully in Him. In the end, He showed me Himself. He gave me exactly what I needed at the time, a savior. Through the course of the 4 days, I was broken down and then set free again. By the end, I was happy and ready to take on whatever challenge came my way. I had decided that no matter what life threw at me, I was going to somehow glorify the name of God. I wanted to stop living a life for myself and start living a life worthy for Christ. I really liked what Louie G. said one of the nights. "If you are constantly living for yourself, then in the end you will get yourself." Man if in the end, all I got was myself then I would be pretty miserable for eternity. I want God in the end, and so I realized I need to start living for Him. So in the spirit of new years resolutions, I will state mine. Living a life worthy of the only One worth living for.


Passion Notes:

Louie Giglio (Main session 1): Philippians 1:1-26
- Jesus needs to fill us so much that He drowns out all of the desire for things that don't matter in the end and the only thing that matters in the end is Jesus.
-Philippians 1:1-starts off with the word "Paul." It is a picture that shows all things can be made new.
-Circumstances don't have any power over our freedom and ability to live fully in Christ. Philippians 1:19
-God doesn't care about circumstances because they don't limit Him in the slightest.
-Freedom comes from choosing to be chained to Jesus

Beth Moore (Main Session 2): Renewing your Mind
-We cannot discern God's will for our lives without having a renewing of the mind.
-Whatever God has called me to do is more than I can do alone.
-We have to take captive those thoughts that are not Christ centered and make them obedient to Christ.
  2 Corinthians 10:5
-We have to be able to shut the door on all other distractions and zero in on God alone in or to renew our mind.
-Its not about not thinking about the past situation, but thinking new thoughts.
-If you give Him your mind, He will blow it for you.

Beth Moore (Breakout 1): Psalm 37
-We act out of what we believe. If we continue to believe the same thing, then we will continue to do the same thing.
-Nothing dictates our lives like our desires.
-Beneath the desire of our heart is the heart of our desire.
-Delighting in God makes our true desires inevitable.
-Nothing external can steal our right to delight.
-To make room for delight, we have to commit.
-Patiently waiting for desire to turn into delight is not passive.
-You can't beat life with Jesus with anything else.

Francis Chan (Main Session 3): Philippians 1:27-28
-Our lives and our actions should be worthy of the gospel of Christ.
-If I really believe the gospel then my life should be a reflection of that.

Andy Stanley (Main Session 4): Appetites
-You have no idea what God may want to do through you in this world.
-Your appetite will either be ruled by you or will rule you.
-Your response to your appetites will determine your path in life.
-Genesis 25:29-34-We are constantly trading eternal glory for something temporary. (Esau traded his birthright for a bowl of stew)
-What is your bowl of stew? What are you willing to trade God's will for?

David Platt (Breakout Session 2): Radical
-We have a master who demands radical sacrifice and a maker who guarantees radical reward.
-Luke 10:57-62
-Christ has asked us to give up everything but we twist him into the middle class, American Jesus.
-When we twist him into our image and worship him, we are actually worshiping ourselves.
-Jesus is not a means to end but He is the end.
-My dreams and plans should always start with "How can I better further the Kingdom of God?"

John Piper (Main Session 5):
-Do you feel loved by God when He makes much of you or when you make much of Him?
-God needs to be at the bottom of my joy.
-He should be the fountain which all other desires come from.
-Many people believe that new birth means just getting their old desires willed by a new source.
-"New birth is not enjoying the same meal but having a different butler."
-God makes much of us to make much of himself. (Ephesians 1:5)
-God's love for you in such a way that makes Him your supreme treasure is a greater love than if He made you your supreme treasure because "self" cannot satisfy a heart of God.

Louie Giglio (Main Session 6): Carry the name of Christ
-We all carry names. Kesha, Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne, Katy Perry, Usher, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, Nike, Adidas, North Face, Coach, Apple, Sony, Microsoft, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Gucci, etc.
-We should spend more time carrying the name of Christ.
-It doesn't matter when you go. It matters what you carry.

Carry His name.