passport!

My passport arrived today.  You may think I'm strange but I decided to break the mold in choosing to smile in my passport picture.  I made sure and I asked the kind lady at the post office whether or not it was okay for me to smile and she said that I should just go for it, so I did.  And now I have the happiest passport I've ever seen.

I think in this entire process of preparing for my trip I've really found joy in the most simple of things.  Being able to enjoy myself in going to the post office to take my passport picture or to buy stamps, or writing little notes on my letters, or asking family and friends for their addresses on facebook.  I feel that these could easily just become bland tasks to get over with as I'm looking at the big picture of going to the Philippines this summer, but I think process is just something that many people have forgotten about and left God out of.  We look to big pictures and asking God to get us to these places, but along the process we forget all about God and we leave him out of it.  

I'm currently taking an English course taught by the chair of the English department and it's really uplifting to hear his views for the college student.  I think often times the college discouraged students from learning, and makes them do what they want or "just enough"  to pass.  My professor gave us the opportunity to do an essay where we're able to learn amidst the process.  He didn't want a finished product, but he wanted us to write, amidst the process of researching and discovering new things about the themes of the essay.  It's great to know that we still have professors that care about how we learn, and not just what we learn.  I actually ended up getting an A- on my paper because I decided to step outside the box, and make my own prompt that wasn't on his list of prompts, while trying something new and creative.  

So moving on.

The cool thing is, God wants to be a part of the process.  He loves it when He gets to be a part of these things in our lives, big and small, and bring us joy throughout it.  I think I've enjoyed allowing God into these tasks in my life and he's brought me a lot of joy from the most simplest things.  Being able to reconnect with people I haven't really talked to in awhile, or unify past divisions in my family by sending out letters to my loved ones.

So, may the God of hope, peace, patience, love and kindness bless each of you.  May we live in a world that isn't stuck on the idea of having a final solution or answer to everything, but may we live amidst the process of allowing God into our lives as we seek out the answers we look for.  God, will you continue to work deeply in our lives as we look to you and invite you into every aspect of who we are.  May our smiles be a sign of the joy You grant to us in our lives.  Let it be done.

God is GOOD

I think it's crazy that there are these times when we have these amazing revelations about God and we're just stuck on saying, "God is good," and knowing that God is good, and having to tell EVERYONE in the world that God is good.  I've had a few moments in my life where God just reveals how good He is to me and I just go on a rampage, for lack of a better term, in going out and telling everyone that He's good.

I think this week has been a moment, not necessarily where I've had a moment where God revealed something to me, but where I've witnessed God moving greatly in other people.  As a youth intern I've had many opportunities to pour into my students and see God work miracles in each of their lives.  This past week, one student in my youth worship team, who is planning on volunteering at a Christian children's camp this summer, received a donation paying for all of her fees that she needed to pay this summer.  This is approximately $1000.  I think when we hear about God doing things like this we automatically think of God providing for us, but I see this amazing backstory of God setting a legacy in motion.

During my time at Southwestern College, we had a series about leaving legacies, and one of talks was about how we can leave a legacy with our money.  The woman that donated the money for the camp is definitely leaving a lasting legacy for God's kingdom.  The children that the camp teaches, are the same children that are our next great leaders.  It's crazy to think that $1000 given in this moment in time, is going to change people's lives forever.  And, of course, she might not always be remembered or even noticed for those student's that she helped encounter God this summer, but this moment changes so many things for the future.  

I think it all begins with influence.  I've seen my student's influence growing on her peers, on the children she's going to work with this summer, and her influence on the woman who donated the money to her.  Her influence is solely her act of worship.  When she puts God first in her life, and seeks out what He wants for her, that example is what leads others to worship.   

Lord, may You be the God who sets chain reactions by the simplest moments in our lives.  Will legacies be made for Your kingdom and may the future generations be influenced by the way Your love moves through us.

The Beginning

In the midst of school and finals and work I feel God creating an awesome feeling of peace inside of me as I begin the process of planning my summer.  In reality, I should be frustrated and stressed out because I have to study for this and write an essay for that but being in God's will has an amazing way of bringing peace that is completely unexplainable.  

With this being my first post, I'd like to thank each of you for checking out this website and I'll be posting as often as possible to keep all of you informed and updated on what God is doing in this trip as well as how He's teaching me in this process.

So, come back soon.  I hope I'll have something new for you to read.

God Bless,

Aaron