This is your mission:

     I was recently introducing my grandparents to Chuck, a spy rom-com t.v. show (which is no longer on air, but all the seasons are on Netflix-> Check it out!). We started from the very beginning and the character Sarah said something that made me think:
       
                  "Some people want to be heroes and some have to be asked..."
                                                                                        - Sarah Walker, Chuck

                                   -I agree with that to a point.

      I would argue that the idea of being a hero is very appealing to many, but when it comes to it…it's easier to not step out of your comfort zone and if we were asked a lot of us would probably say no because the risk is too big. Of course there are different accidents, disasters and situations when heroes emerge for doing the right thing.

     What if I told you the day we asked Jesus to be our Savior, He called us to be heroes. 2 Corinthians 2:16 (NIV) says, "But we have the mind of Christ." Jesus Christ gave us the mind of the Holy Spirit whom we have at all times. In Beth Moore's Whispers of Hope- Day 62 referencing the Holy Spirit Beth says, "He also provides the brains behind the operation." The Holy Spirit is present to lead and guide us in our daily lives.  Mark 15:16 (NIV) says, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation." Did you see that ALL CREATION- that includes everyone, whether here or oversees. You may be thinking that doesn't make me a hero. When I think of what a hero means, I see someone who is saving someone or something- and it doesn't necessarily mean literally saving a life- saving a job, surprise party from being ruined, raising children, teaching, doctors, dentists, janitors, trash truck drivers, engineers, whatever…most things we do have either a positive or negative effect. As Christians we are called and made for more than those examples of heroes…we are dealing with eternity.
       
       Eternity is what we are dealing with. Good and evil lasting forever. God vs. Satan. So when we go into the world and share the Gospel with others we are playing a part in leading others to Christ, which if they accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior they are eternally saved and join our mission team. Ultimately Jesus does the saving, but we are agents in the process. You may be thinking- I'm just a no one, how am I supposed to save others, that seems like a lot of pressure-.  There are 3 big things the Lord has given us: the Holy Spirit (mentioned earlier), the Fruit of the Spirit, and the Armor of God.

               1) Holy Spirit. "And you were also included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit"- Ephesians 1:13 (NIV). We have the Holy Spirit, which is huge. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with us after He "physically left" the earth. I personally think the Holy Spirit often gets the name of conscious. The Holy Spirit will nudge us to go in the God-honoring direction and stay away from the path of destruction. The Holy Spirit also provides us each with different gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 has many great examples, and I just want to highlight verses 4-7, "Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God is active in everyone and everything. A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial: (HCSB)" We have all been given different gifts to help in our mission to bring the world to Christ.
         
               2) Fruit of the Spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (NASB)." The Lord has given us all of these gifts. These will help us show His love to others in good times as well as times filled with conflict or disappointment. Even when we're angry we can show God's love by being gentle and having self-control and using different fruits. We can spread love by our actions and how we interact with others, and these are some of the many gifts He has given us.
         
               3) Armor of God. The armor of God is found in Ephesians 6:10-18. A quick rundown of the pieces of armor we have are the following: the best of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, sandals of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit and the power of prayer. So the majority of the armor are used as defensive agents, except for the sword of the Spirit. The hidden weapon is prayer, and I'd like to argue that prayer can be both. You can pray for both defense and offensive things, but I'd say prayer is like a secret weapon. All of these can help us either defeat the enemy and draw closer to our Lord and Savior.
                     
        I want to leave you with a few quotes from Beth Moore's Study on this, to help us think:

                  "The more we partake of the things of the Spirit, the more we begin to think like the Spirit…"

                  "We are finite beings of frail human flesh occupied by the Spirit of the supernatural, all-powerful, all-present, all-knowing Godhead."

                   "Let's begin asking God daily to quicken the mind of Christ in us so that, like the great apostle Paul, we can supernaturally understand, 'what God has freely given us.'"-> aka the Spirit.
 

          I believe that there's a part of us that want's to be the hero, and the scary thing is, we have that chance! God has asked us to be heroes and help bring the world to Him. The awesome thing is, He has provided us with all that we need!

  "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28: 19-20


   

Please Fight for Me!!!

I’m hidden, I keep getting pushed back

There was a time I thrived in life

But now society has pushed me away

Kids used to play outside or in for hours

Sometimes with few or little toys

But with me they didn’t need those things

Now there’s all these electronics

Which…ok, my expertise was needed in their origins

I was used to create the many masterpieces…

Which in turn pushed me away

It sometimes feels like children rather use the creation

Rather than the creator

In school they try and use me

Some kids love me and others don’t

I see the struggle of sometimes being a foreign concept

Many children rather watch t.v. than read a book

Reading greatly exercises me

While playing based on movies has a slightly smaller stretch

This isn’t just a generation gap with me; it’s becoming an Epidemic

Adults push me away- as they’d rather watch a movie or t.v. show

Rather than read a book and enter a whole new world or create something

Adults seem not to have time, constantly too busy

They think of me as a thing of the past

A thing children use…yet today many aren’t using me as much

Sadly many movies, books & t.v. are starting to lack me

Many follow the same story with little originality

They’ve become very predictable and oftentimes the same story told different ways

Currently I’m still around…but I feel I’m losing my color

What I mean is that when I’m used a lot my color is vibrant and bright

My color fades when I’m not, I just hope and pray I don’t disappear completely

No matter what your age, work on not losing sight of me

Put the electronics away and decide to play

You’ll be amazed at the things we can do and places we can go!

            Please fight for me,

                                          Imagination

Legacy Part 2 (Saint)

             It's been a few weeks, since my Grandpa Irv went to be with Jesus. Over the last few weeks, I've been blessed to hear stories, go down memory lane, and think about legacy.  I want to take a few minutes of your time to share some parts of his legacy that I will cherish, and some of the memories I have with him.
             My grandpa has taught me a lot of things, one of them being how to love. Way back when they were young Grandpa Irv saw this cute girl at church camp, and later knocked her books over at school to get her attention. That was the beginning of their story, and before you know it they fell in love. They got married in 1955 and the rest, as they say is history. They had 3 beautiful daughters and very busy lives. They both worked in the schools, and Grandpa Irv coached basketball, they were involved with church, dinner clubs, bridge and much more. Through it all Grandpa Irv loved all three girls, and loved his wife Pat, with all his heart. I've heard stories of how great of a husband he is, and has gotten to witness it throughout my life, but paid most attention to it this last year.
            I've lived in Arizona the last two years, and this last fall Irv and Pat moved into a wonderful and beautiful assisted living place, called Generations at Agritopia…I like to call it a cruise on land. If you know someone who is looking for a place, I 100% recommend it. Anyways, I've always loved spending time with my grandparents, and after a break-up, my schedule…what do you know…opened up…a little. So I decided to make a tradition of Monday nights with the St. Johns. I'd head over for dinner and oftentimes after dinner we'd sit by the fire or watch the movie that was playing in the theater room. Through this experience I got to witness the love they had all the time at dinner and around others. You could just tell how much love Grandpa Irv had for Grandma Pat. It's been a great testament of love, especially these last few years, as my Grandma's Alzehimer's becomes more pronounced. Even with forgetfulness and such, he still loved her with all of his heart, and you could just see that if you spent some time with them. In fact, at Generations, they were known as "The Lovebirds"-> I've attached a video where you can see a quick glimpse of the love they have for each other during Valentine's Day (when they renewed their vows) and got to dance together. If you can't see it, I apologize for it not working :(

                                          

           Speaking of dancing, that is a memory I'll cherish with my Grandpa Irv. As a girl, it is always so nice to be asked to dance. I also have a love for the 50's and that whole, era, which is the era they fell in love. I was secretly hoping to get asked to dance with Grandpa Irv and before I knew it, he was walking over to me asking for my hand to dance. I was happy to dance with him, and quickly realized  that I had a lot of learning with dancing and the footwork, but Grandpa Irv was a good teacher. As I was dancing with him, my mind drifted off thinking about my wedding someday and how I'd love to dance with him at my wedding, yet know it may not happen, because I'm single and he's in his 80s, thinking I have to meet a guy, date awhile, get engaged, then get married, and that all takes time. I had hopes that he'd make it, and was leaning more on the side that he would, because he's healthy. I do however, have the brain where I tend to look at all the outcomes, and be prepared just in case. So I soaked in the moment, and cherished it. Fast-forward a few months and we find ourselves at the Mother's Day celebration at Agritopia. Once again, there is fun dancing going on and this loving Grandpa walks over and takes me out to the dance floor, and I absolutely love it. My mind of course wandered again, but I cherished it, and that was the last time we'll dance here on Earth. I will get to join him again one day (hopefully in the far future), dancing on the streets of gold in Heaven.

Valentine's Day Dance

Our Last Dance...

             I wanted to share a story I heard over the last few weeks that really speaks to my grandpa's character. So he was a basketball coach and teacher. Around CHRISTmas one year after practice the team noticed all their CHRISTmas money that was left in their pockets was missing. The coaches and captains went to work to find out who took the money. Once they found out, the captains thought the player who took it should be kicked off the team, because it was thousands of dollars. However, my grandpa knew the background of the player who took the money and he had a rough home life, and basketball was his safe haven, his escape, something he was good at. In a world where not a lot was going right for this player, basketball was the one thing that was. So Coach St. John kept him on the team, and the player had to either give or pay back all the money that was stolen. I would love to know where he is now and how his life played out and then take a look at how it could have been. Whether these actions helped give him hope for a better future, or was a safe haven for the here and now, Grandpa Irv had a great heart for people.

            I also wanted to talk about Grandpa Irv's faith. Growing up you're a child, and oftentimes by default, or protection of innocence, don't get included in the "adult" conversations of different struggles. I knew my Grandpa was a man of faith, but I got to see his faith really raw and stripped down this year, and I really liked the vulnerability he showed. We should all be more vulnerable with our faith. It was CHRISTmas Eve, and we were at church together. Our church handed out a copy of, Plan B by Pete Wilson to everyone who attended. The tagline on the front of the book said, "What do you do when God doesn't show up the way you thought he would?" I remember sitting by grandpa at one point and him confessing to me he's had a hard time understanding why God would allow Pat to go through Alzheimer's. No one planned for this to happen, but amidst the trails he still followed and loved the Lord and his one an only lady- Pat.  I don't have this in here for a pity story or anything. This is in here because it shows real life. It showed me that my grandpa is just like me, someone who has highs and lows, good days and bad days, someone who is real. I never got the chance to tell him how much I appreciated that conversation, but I did. I think we can learn from it too. When we take time to be vulnerable, it can build our prayer community and our relationships can dive deeper. I don't have the answer about my grandma Pat, on why this is happening. I pray for a miracle, for it to happen at a slower pace, but also for God's will to be done. As much as it isn't how we envisioned life, I believe there is a purpose behind this, and God can teach us a lesson. During times of hardship and struggle, we have two options: to turn, run and blame or to cling to the Lord like our life depends on it, because…it does. God wants you to have a relationship with Him and share your struggles with Him and walk with Him hand in hand. And when it seems too hard, He'll carry you. All you have to do is ask Him. Maybe this is all happening for us to grow stronger, cherish the time we have with family more, even remember the fun and innocence of a child. I am going to remember memories I make with my grandma now, and before. She is a strong beautiful woman, and she still is the strongest woman I know in the midst of these trials. She knows what is going on, even if she's not always aware, but she is strong and a fighter and I love her so much, and her Grandpa Irv did too and always will. 

           I want to just end this with random pictures with Grandpa Irv from throughout my life, with little captions.  Enjoy, memories of Grandpa Irv-> through Jessie's Eyes.

Birthday Dinner at Texas Roadhouse 2010

At a relative's getting rid of old clothes:
Here is a swimsuit he was showing me
from back in the day.

Helping with the chores of picking oranges #springbreak

My confirmation 

Labor Day on the lake 2011

Teaching Grandpa Irv and my dad how to "plank" 2011

Something I inherited from
Grandpa Irv #lefthandedshot

Loving Couple at Olive Garden

My goofy grandpa =)

The ball from the Twins game that fell on the floor after
my brother being distracted with Grandpa Irv boxing out to
try and get it. Happy Campers here =)

CHRISTmas Eve Candlelight 2014

4th of July one year, lighting a sparkler
before heading home to bed=)

One day Grandpa came down with
this awesome shirt, and a flower in a
can =)

You may now Kiss the Bride- Valentines Day 2014 #vowrenewal

This is actually from the year my brother had his brain aneurism (CHRISTmas Miracle post), this is also to remember all the times we'd sneak on the course and put after golfing hours =)

I love you Grandpa Irv, and here are just a few of the memories I'll cherish forever <3

        - Jessie

Legacy Part 1 (Saint)

            I honestly don’t know where to begin. Part of me wants to start a few months ago, and the other part of me wants to start with a wonderful breakfast I was having with a friend. I’m going to see if I can tie them together.

            Okay. So a few months ago I was eating my wonderful weekly dinner with my grandma and grandpa St. John. On my way home, I had stopped to get gas, and was thinking about the conversations shared and the people I was with. I was thinking about my grandparents and the wonderful and full lives that they’ve lived.  I started thinking about how I cherish the time I spend with them, as at some point they will be gone, and leave behind their legacy.  The word legacy was imprinted into my brain, and I was pondering it, and then thought what kind of legacy do I want to leave behind? I may be 24 (23 at the time), but the things I do today are all built into your legacy. Your legacy is a work in progress throughout your life. As this is all racing through my mind, I start singing and making up a song as I go. I grab my phone and press record, as soon as I'm done getting gas. Stay tuned, you may just hear a bit =)

Grandpa's Sherm & Irv

            Fast-forward a few months. The weekend of my Grandpa Irv’s  83rd birthday was fantastic! Friday I had a fun “nerdy” movie night with friends, while the St. Johns, Schraufnagels and my parents went out for a lovely date to see Wizard of Oz. The following day was my Grandpa Irv’s 83^rd birthday.  In the morning my Grandpa came over and had a nice visit  with my mom and dad on the patio (1.5 hr) while watching golfers go by. After he left and some hours go by, we all find ourselves gathering at my Aunt Mj’s and Uncle Pooh Bear’s (Gary) house.  What was really cool is my dad’s parents, Sherm and Lynn Moe, were able to come to the party, as they now live in Tucson. That was very special as my two grandpa's used to coach together and then one day my dad is asking for my mom's hand and the rest is history- so they're super good friends.  At one point of the night Uncle Pooh Bear brought out a cribbage board and put it between my grandpa’s and said, “I’m just gonna put this here and see what happens…” Well folks, it happened, before you know it the boys were going at it and my grandpa won!!!! – I'll tell you which one in a minute. Soon it was time for presents. Grandpa Irv received some very nice gifts and then it was time for him to open Grandpa Sherm's. Here’s some background. Every afternoon my grandparents would have cocktail hour… which they call having a “bump”. Grandpa Sherm bought him a drink to help mix their bumps and Grandpa Irv was so happy, and said it was the best gift…then he said, actually the $0.35 he received from Sherm for winning the game was the best gift. They kid around all in good fun. After dessert, two-by-two the grandparents left to get home for the night. I normally get up and give the St. Johns a goodbye hug and kiss, but I was so tired and thought,  I’ll see them in a few days. Remember, I said goodbye, I just didn’t get up. After they had gone, I remember thinking later that night, what if something happens between now and the next time I see them, nothings going to happen. Then we all went on with our nights.

83rd Birthday!

            Fast-forward to the morning of Memorial Day; May 25, 2015. I was busy getting ready to get lunch with my dear friend Victoria, before I move back to the Northland. While getting ready I remember my parents telling me that Grandpa would be coming over to oversee my dad paint a door and hang out for a little bit.  Before you know it I was at breakfast, chatting the morning away, sipping on hot cocoa, and awaiting the arrival of our food when I got a text from my mom saying, Heading to Banner Heart Hospital. Grandpa’s been taken in by ambulance. My heart started racing and my head spinning.  I’m the girl who likes the thrill of an adventure as long as everything turns out ok. My dream was to be the weather girl reporting live from the hurricane or near a twister…you name it, as long as loved ones and I didn’t get hurt. Something like this has happened to grandpa before and it ended up being nothing, so I was hoping it was something like that again, where we can look back and say remember that time…Shortly after my mom texted me saying that they were registering Grandpa which usually meant everything was ok…at least we thought.  So I finished my breakfast and headed to the hospital. After parking in the wrong section of the hospital, I ended up finding my way with the help of my mother. The rules were two allowed in the room, two in the hall, so I waited in the lobby as people were shuffling in. I was busy doing a devo when my uncle Pooh Bear walks by and I hear him say it’s not good, and then I eavesdrop on the conversation he was having on the phone with my cousin. I heard that he needed surgery and there was a 23% survival (since then I’ve heard 30% as well).  Once my uncle was off the phone he explained what he knew, and I’ve talked to my dad as well. From what I understand he had an aortic dissection, which causes internal bleeding. I believe he had either the same thing (but not as bad) or something similar about 10 years ago. As soon as I heard that, I told my uncle I had to see him. Knowing that he may not survive the surgery and remembering that I hadn’t gotten up and hugged him goodbye on his birthday, I had to see him. We were afraid he was already in surgery, but when we got there, they were trying to prep him. He was going in and out of consciousness, and when he’d come out, he was wondering where he was and what was happening.  I remember my mom being in there comforting him, and telling him that he had fainted while playing pool and the doctors were taking care of him. – I realize I forgot the detail of what he was doing when this started to happen.  She was so kind and strong. I later found out that she’d ask him here and there if he was in any pain and his answer was no. I got in there and there were doctors working and wanting only two of us in there. I didn’t want to disrupt the doctors but wanted to give him a possible goodbye kiss and a kiss full of love. I took his right arm and gave it a big kiss full of tears, I remember seeing my mother by his hospital door capturing the precious moment.  I believe once I left the room I ran into my daddy’s arms and just cried. Then we waited for them to prep.

            Waiting. Waiting can be torture. I hopped on my Facebook, and posted on the college/young adults group I’m apart of with a prayer request. I also began texting many friends asking for prayer (I apologize if I forgot you as my head was spinning).  There became a point when things were slightly better. My mom was by his bedside, when the beginning of the end began, and she knew it was time to step out. Our family was no longer in his room, but one close by.  Prayers, discussion, crying, hugs were all some of the things shared. My dad was on the phone with D.j. trying to book a ticket when we were all suddenly called to the room that we were “camping out in” because the surgeon wanted to talk to us.  We had barely sat down, when the surgeon broke the news. Honestly his words are all a blur to me, I can’t remember what words he used, I just remember my heart sinking and being in shock, and looking at my grandma.  It was the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever seen.

            After a few antagonizing minutes we were allowed to go in and see him. I honestly was nervous, because I have never seen someone this close to the TOD. I’ve always seen people at a viewing.  I can’t remember if I prayed or not, but regardless, God filled me with the courage to go in and sit down in the chairs they put out for us, with tears running down my face, and holding my mother. I was shocked. I remember just over a week ago eating with my grandparents and Grandpa saying how he had a great doctors appointment and the one thing I remember them telling him was to have less salad…I think many of us would like that. With that information I was shocked, and hearing grandma in there, telling him to wake up, begging him to wake up, broke me into pieces. I was heartbroken as a granddaughter who was close to him, but I couldn’t imagine the heartbreak Grandma Pat was facing, with the loss of a husband she’s had for nearly 60 years (this summer).  I also couldn’t imagine what my mother was going through, as she was very close with her dad; they had a connection that I admired. I also looked at Mary Jean, and Judith was on the phone with us in the Grandpa’s room. I thought about his three daughters and thought of the love he had for each each of them and their's back to him, each unique in their own way.  I thought of my brother, cousins and myself and how we all have a good relationship, and seeing the blessing I've had from living down here by him the last few years unravel.  I think of my cousins two little boys who are lucky enough to have their great-grand parents present in their young lives, yet also remember the beauty of being a child. The time we had in that room was beautiful and heartbreaking, but there was definitely some beauty from pain (ironically, that’s one of the points from the sermon we had just the day before).  The hardest part was getting my grandma to leave the hospital room and say goodbye.

            By dinnertime, the family was streaming into my aunt’s house and my brother and Aunt Judith were both on their way.  I remember sharing a hug with my cousin Blake and we shared a few words, and it was a moment I won’t forget. We were the cousins who would always be laughing; well he’d always be making me laugh hysterically, and for these few moments we shared in the same pain and love we had for our grandfather, and it was comforting, knowing we’re in the same boat and have each other’s back! We told stories outside, ate food, and eventually some of us fell captive to the “500 Questions” game show on t.v. It was soon time to pick up Judith and my brother. We picked my aunt up first and then went to get D.J. When I found out he was still getting off the plane, I raced upstairs, to wait, where all these people were waiting for friends and loved ones coming home (some very large parties of people). I was waiting in anticipation to see my brother and give him a nice big hug, as we both had a very close relationship with our Grandpa Irv, and knew we needed each other to get through this. It was probably only a few minutes waiting, but it seemed to take absolutely forever and then I got to see my baby brother and I was so happy and thankful.

Labor Day a few years ago (mom w/ her parents)

Planking with dad and Grandpa Irv

Birthday at Texas Roadhouse 5 years ago

Legacy Part  2: to be continued…

Do You Believe?

           About a year ago a movie came out that I had long been awaiting, called God's Not Dead! - click to check out the blogpost. Before I know it I'm hearing about a new movie with the title of Do You Believe? -  which once again Newboys has a song titled "We Believe." It's so powerful, so I'm just going to get to it!

         I'm nearing the end of my spring break, and had a long, productive and exciting day at school getting ready for next week. Yet after putting in an 8-9 hour day (after having two weeks off) I was exhausted and my brain was fried. I called up my Aunt Mj, because we haven't had a "G.N.O" -> girls night out<- in awhile and we ended up going to Johnny Rockets and a movie…wanna take a wild guess what one? Did you say Do You Believe? -if so, you are correct! I want to start this off by telling about Johnny Rockets…you'll see why.

       Mj, arrives first and gets a seat while I'm parking. When I get there, our waiter, Nate, is going over his favorite items on the menu, as my aunt is trying to decide.  He gets our drinks and stuff while us ladies chat, at one point he looks down at the table and see's my phone and proceeds to tell me he liked my case which is one of my favorite and one of the first verses I memorized: "I can do all things through Christ." - Philippians 4:13. I said thank you, and it my head I'm like "That is so cool!" As dinner is nearing it's end, Nate brings us our ticket as he knows we're headed next door to the theater. He proceeds to ask us what movie we'd be going to. We say "Do you believe?" He tells us he hadn't heard of it, and I say, "It's by the same people who made 'God's Not Dead'" and we start to have a conversation in which he brings up the movie "Heaven is for Real" and how good it was. He mentioned another story like that he read about, and "90 Minutes in Heaven" came up as well. To me it was so cool to just have a conversation with our waiter about some fantastic faith-based films, where conversations like that don't normally come up, so that is completely a "God-spot" (God-moment) of the day!
      I don't want to say too much about the movie, without giving too many things away so I'll just give you the general idea of the movie and the trailer. Hopefully you can see it and then feel free to comment  on the movie. So as the movie starts it a verse flashes on the screen…which ironically (or not ironically) I had talked to 4-6th graders at church last Sunday about while talking about Nehemiah. The verse was:

         "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead"

James 2:17 (NIV)

When you think about that verse, it is powerful. How often do we say, "I believe"…yet our actions and how we live our lives don't show it. If we find ourselves in a situation where it would be easier to deny our faith no matter how extreme or not, do we tend to deny it. Do we tend to only claim our faith when it's convenient? If we claim something when it's beneficial to us, or doesn't affect us it's easy, but do we really believe that. God didn't call us to a "convenient faith." In fact Jesus says in Matthew 10:22,(NIV) "You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." Then later in II Timothy 3:12 Paul reiterates, " In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Both of these verses are saying that following Jesus won't be the "easy" road, but if we persevere we will be saved. Persevering is the hard part, especially if what we're doing isn't the "cool" thing according the world or pop culture. Following Jesus requires sacrifice. One of my favorite lines from the movie was, "If you were ever accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"- ponder that a moment. I love when God has things tie together, just last night at 923 (our college/young adult group) Jon Moton was talking to us about adversity and how following Jesus means there's going to be adversity, and about perseverance. A big point he mentioned was to think of adversity as an opportunity. Take a second. Think about your life right now…maybe things are going great, maybe they aren't going so great…but guess what!?!?! You can find the opportunity in any situation to give glory to God, praise God, share God with others! Pray for God to present you with opportunities, and that you will listen and be receptive…no matter what is going on in your life. It's something I want to work on to. -> off topic…but if you've seen the new "Annie" and you have the "opportunity" song stuck in your head…this is a secular example, but that girl always had a smile on and looked for the positives, no matter how mean Miss Hannigan is, whether she's with Mr. Stacks (new version) etc…she looks for the positives at is thankful for the opportunity she's gotten. God presents opportunities for us all the time, we just need to realize it. What opportunities are unfolding? Will you listen?

       What starts the whole "Do you believe?" movement in the movie, is when this guy asks a person (who we find out is a pastor). "Do you believe in the cross of Christ?" -along with the follow up question "What are you going to do about it?" That goes right with James 2:17, faith requires more than just believing, it requires action. As Bob Goff would say, "Love Does." What are you going to do to wear your faith on your sleeve? To be the hands and feet of Jesus? The story follows 12 different people and how the "cross" brings them all together. The movie is fantastic, and is filled with many emotions! If you're prone to crying- happy or sad tears- I won't tell you what…bring some tissues =) As the movie is leading to the credits, I can feel the moment building as Newsboys song "We believe" starts to build up and eventually starts to play. One of my favorite parts of faith-based movies and seeing them in a group of believers is the clapping at the end of the movie. That seriously gets me all emotional. It's like at Sonshine Music Festival when I look around and see people all over with their hands raised singing worship songs to our Lord and Savior…it is an overwhelming moment of God's love for us and our love for Him. I really want to say more about the movie, but I can't give it away…and James 2:17 is a great verse to focus on to get an idea of what the movie will be about =)

Check out the trailer down here, go to the movie and I'd love to hear what you think!

Closing Quesetions:

Do You Believe?

What are you going to do about it?

Love your sister in Christ,

             -Jalynn (Jessica Lynn)

p.s.

   This is completely off topic, but if you're still reading here's a few fun facts that will make my generation feel old…even though we aren't.

           * remember the Carmen Cortez from Spy Kids, yeah shed's all grown up in this movie…and is married in real life…no longer Alexa Vega but Alexa PenaVega

           * remember The Game Plan with the rock and the cute little girl names Peyton played by Madison Pettis…yeah she's 16 now and also in this movie…crazy and super cool!

         * The little girl who plays Lily is the cutest little actress and completely steels the show, and her undying faith throughout the movie is a great example of "faith like a child" which would go wonderfully well with this post: YLS & SB2K15

          * Samwise Gamgee is in it too for all the LOTR fans!

          * Everyone was fantastic in this movie!!!

YLS & SB2K15

         Ok, so over the last 3 weeks I've traveled to Minnesota, got back to finish our last week of school before break and then to San Diego for spring break! I went to Minnesota for a Youth Leadership Summit, with Bob Goff as the guest speaker which I really want to talk about, and then just share a few things from my San Diego spring break…I have one more week of spring break and am visiting my grandparents and hanging with friends/getting ready for what comes next.

Youth Leadership Summit: Reach Your Peak #2015
         I found out about YLS a few years ago but hadn't had the chance to go, and this year I decided I was going to make it happen. I took a Friday off school and flew up to the Twin Cities Thursday night. My cousins also recruited my brother to help out with the event, and I was even more excited when I found out Bob Goff was going to be there (My church played a video message of his last spring, then I saw him at Regenerate- a women's conference, at Bethel's Homecoming assembly this year, and now YLS). The previous times I have seen him I hadn't yet read his book, "Love Does,"and this time I have. If you haven't read it yet: Stop what you're doing, grab your keys, drive to Barnes and Noble, pick up the book and why not get an extra for a friend, go back home or to a coffee shop and read it =) - Ok, you may finish reading my post if you'd like as well, but the point is, it's really good =)  * I plan on doing a blogpost on "Love Does" at some point* Another reason I really wanted to go this year, is that I've been feeling more called to ministry.  In fact there's a ministry opportunity that has come up, that I've been praying about, talking to people about, but this conference I feel helped solidify my decision. I believe I mentioned it a little bit in this post -> Walk on Water
       I want to first talk about what I learned from Bob Goff (this is going to be hard to sum up, but I'll take some big points). The first thing I wrote down in my notes of what he said was, "God uses young people, and people who act like young people." He also referenced Matthew 18:2-4, where Jesus is talking to His disciples about being more like a child. Another thing he kept repeating throughout the night was, "You're turing into LOVE." One thing I just want to tell you about Bob Goff, he truly is the person who doesn't just talk the talk, but he walks it. He also gives us practical things to do. One thing I heard him say was that instead of keeping track of birthdays and such, he will calendar their worst day, and then a year from that day call them and say, "Look how far you've come" - it's a really cool idea. He also emphasized telling people who they're turning into, not who they were in the past.  Another phrase he said, which if you've seen him before you probably know this, but it's "Live in grace, walk in love."  The "live in grace" part comes from Galatians 5:6 where it talks about "faith expressing itself through love" and the "walk in love" part comes from II John. He also told us to "remain in love," which comes out of John 15:9. Bob asked us how we do this, and his answer is "be childlike." When you think about it, children are so full of love and innocence. They are big at forgiving and loving. Being a teacher, even though you have to discipline students at different times, pretty much not a day goes by without a cute little letter from a student, a hug, something they say to let me know they appreciate and love having me as their teacher. Trying to look at life through a child's eyes is refreshing, because as adults, our minds have been polluted with revenge, hate, competition, grudges, etc. Children are very good at living in the moment, and it's really easy to see love flow through them, and their willing to believe. If you're not sure, hang out with some kids for a few hours and you'll see =) Another thing he said, "Fear is a punk! It will keep you ripped off from who you're made to be." That one hit be, because I find myself trapped in fear often and then I just sit and nothing happens, so it was like, "Jess, fear's a punk! Trust in Me, I have plans for you, and you need to let go of fear to move on!" I was like Ok, bye bye fear! It's still one of my struggles, but it's a thing I'm constantly working on.  He also said,  "Loving people the way Jesus did = a life of constant interruptions" If you want to love like Christ, you need to make yourself available, as well as willing to help who God calls you too...and that could be anytime.  I think it would be beautiful to build a Christian community where when we need prayer for something, we just call or text someone right away, even if it's 3am. Even with non-believers, being available for those hurting whether saved or unsaved, let's love like Jesus and be God's hands and feet like we're called to be (1 Corinthians 12:27 -one body, many parts). Ok, I have two more Bob Goff points and then I'll move on, but I just want to share this =) He said "God doesn't want us living on the edge of comfortable but on the edge of yikes…people who are comfortable don't need Jesus" So first he's saying, we are made for more than just being comfortable where we are, He calls us to love, and that doesn't just mean our best friends and family, but it includes those who may be different than us- those struggling, those in a different country, of a different faith, etc, God's love is open to everyone, so who are we to decide who get's His love and doesn't? The second part is basically saying, those who are comfortable and stay comfortable are pretty much saying they don't need Jesus, because Jesus called us to be more than comfortable, He's called us to break out, and even though it may lead us to an "uncomfortable" situation, Jesus is there for us, guiding us, we just need to follow Jesus! My last Bob Goff point comes from the following quote, "Be a mirror-bearer….tell what you see in people." That goes back to when he mentioned to tell people who they are becoming. It's a powerful thing. Look for good attributes in people and lift those up, yes we all have things we need to work on, but think about the multitude of people who don't get complimented or told what they are doing good and all they hear is how bad they are, how they aren't good enough, let's focus on positive aspects. It's a way to show love. Live in Grace, Walk in Love!

It was also February 2017 which is the #enditmovement's Shine a light on Slavery day #redx

   
            Throughout the weekend we had many great speakers and breakout sessions, and booths with different organizations. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to Praying Pelican Missions (PPM) as I went on a trip of theirs many years ago now, and have been wanting to go on another, so it was awesome being able to reconnect and meet new people.  Terrell Walter talked Saturday morning and I wanted to mention one of his points. Terrell talked a lot about calling and as Christians we are all called to bring the world to Christ, he was referencing The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). It was powerful when he said we are all ambassadors for Christ. It is true, think about it, whether you know it or not, people are watching you and what you do and are either looking up to you, or judging you. You may be the only "representation of Jesus" someone gets to see, so let's make sure we're representing our King and not the king of lies.  I went to a session led by Tim Stanley (no relation to Andy) and he gave a ton of great community ideas, activities etc (I'm being vague, because I'm keeping ya'll guessing what my future holds). My friend Jack Youso, who I met at camp probably like 8-9 years ago lead a session as well and he had a great list of resources and tips, fundraising ideas, a ton of good points!  Austin Walker had a great session with resources and he closed the summit. He did a great job teaching about calling. He mentioned The Great Commission again, but also that we all have specific callings as well. We all have different gifts that God has given us, so to not use them would be a waste (here's a link to a spiritual gift quiz Spiritual Gifts Quiz).  He also said, "God has gifted you with everything you need to complete your calling." That hit me because as you probably know already I find myself freezing, not sure if I should do this or that, afraid I'm not good enough to do it, too shy, don't have a good enough "story", etc, but God has equipped me with everything I (you) need to fulfill His calling on my (your) life.  That is a very relieving and peaceful thought. There was another breakout session that I went to, don't worry I didn't forget it…it was just really IMPACTful. So Keanu Krech taught a session called "Preach like the Pros" and gave 3 big tips that a lesson should have. The three things are: Inspiration, Instruction and Impact.  What was super cool was that he gave examples of Bob Goff's lesson the previous night.  With Inspiration he talked about 4 main types: shock & stats, humor, heartwarming story and interactive inspiration. Instruction- you could guess has to do with next steps. You could learn all about something, but without action steps, you may not know what to do when you get out on your own. Then he continued onto Impact… He mentioned the three main types of learning and how you can reach all of those types of learners and tied in Bob Goff from the previous night…and then to literally give us an example: we're listening and taking notes…and then this happened.

Pic taken from FB

 There were also a ton of other tips on preparation, public speaking tips etc. So that's a recap of the weekend, and here are some more pics.

Bridget and I at YLS

Bro n Sis #dadphotobomb

Family Pic doing our Bob Goff face =)

Spring Break 2K15
   So for Spring Break my friend Kayla and I went to San Diego and got to stay downtown in the GasLamp area. On our way there we stopped at Salvation Mountain, which is literally in the middle of nowhere California, but I highly recommend going. Our first day we went to Silver Strand Beach and stayed to get pictures of the sunset! Day 2 we went to La Jolla and got to see the sea lions, and play in the waves! Day 3 was cloudy but we were able to go to SeaWorld for free! (teachers in AZ or Cali, they have a teachers fun card -or pass that is good until the end of the year…and it comes with 3 complimentary tickets!). Our last day we went early to Silver Strand Beach to collect sand dollars, and had to have found at least 20, but didn't keep that many. So if you're looking for Sand Dollars, go when the tide is high. Then we headed to Mission Beach and rode the roller coaster and hung out at the beach before it was time to head home :( Here's a few pictures from the trip:

Friends at Salvation Mountain

Seagull

Sea Lion

La Jolla

Homemade Ice Cream Cookies! #thebest

SeaWorld

Favorite Animal!

Shark Bait Ohh haha

Sand $$

Sand from Silver Strand Beach

Ache Wedding!!!
      Ok, so very quick, my roommate Claire is married! This spring break I got to witness a beautiful wedding. Claire was absolutely stunning in her dress and the whole wedding and reception was great and a lot of fun! Here are a few pics of the happy couple and the wedding! Congrats Claire and Kevin Ache!!

First Kiss as Mr. & Mrs. Ache

First Dance

Claire being walked down the aisle by her dad

Welcome the Ache's

Sorry this was kinda lengthy, but I guess if you've read my posts you know I like to write! One more week of break with family and friends. I may add random pics from #sb2k15 that haven't been mentioned or are yet to come, but I won't write it all in a doc =)

God Bless and have a wonderful spring break or spring!!!!
        - Jalynn (Jessica Lynn)