Erica's Famous

http://www.dordt.edu/cgi-bin/news/get_news.pl?id=4199

Hey all,

Erica is in the news...check it out

Life after college

Life after college. Those might be three of the mosting daunting words to think about right now...life after college. It's really easy to get caught up in the hoopla of "the rest of your life", but I don't think that's how we should be understanding it.



We have decided to both persue jobs at this point. Seminary is by no means out of the picture for me, but now is not the right time. I kept asking God to show me something that would allow me to know this to clear up the murky water. I had an application for Western Theological Seminary sitting on my desk and both Erica and I loved our visit there. The people were great, they had a fantastic community, and the housing even included a dishwasher:) Everything seemed to fit in place so nicely, but I just couldn't fill out the application. It would sit on my desk and I would sit down to write, but the words wouldn't come. I couldn't do it. I got to thinking about this, as I have for the last 5 years or so now, and I realized that I had all kinds of external confirmation for me to go to seminary, but I don't know that I ever decided it was what I am passionate about. I am a bit sick of school and I don't know that I can say that I would look forward to doing the research necessary to write sermons. I would rather take what I have learned thus far from far wiser people than myself and go put that into practice in the workplace for a while. I am gifted in ministry in many ways and I don't intend to stop working with youth, leading worship, and working with community development, and it could very easily take me back to seminary someday, but not right now. So for all those who I have disappointed, I am sorry, but if I go to seminary it has to be because I can't see any other reality for me than to be in seminary.



I am applying for a job at Group Publishing in Loveland, Co. I feel as though this job is a great fit for me as it combines marketing with youth ministry. The position is a Marketing Coordinator for the Youth Ministry division at Group. I am fired up about who Group is as an organization and am looking forward to the chance to possibly work there. Please continue to be in prayer that if this is what God has for us and for me, he would open the doors through interviews and jobs and that we would be able to continue to strive to be faithful to the passions God has given us and the abilities he has gifted us with.

Haiti

I have this burning desire to do something for the people of Haiti, but what do I do with it? It is really easy to just get caught up in the moment and want to go "make a difference"...but I think this is something more than that. As American members of the body of Christ we are in an extremely influential place. We have the resources to take a good hard look and something and get things done. We have the networks, the money, the technology, and the list goes on. However, we also have the abilitiy to shut all of this off. To turn the channel so that we don't have to think about the devestation and loss of life. To change the conversation topic to something that is a bit more user friendly and doesn't necessarily call us to action.

Sometimes I think we get so caught up in the fact that we have all this that we take the side of apathy and instead of action, we wait. We wait until someone comes directly to us and begs us to use our abilities and use our resources and then go to action after we feel needed. I am very guilty of this in my career search. My desire is that someone or something --preferrably God or possibly the angel Gabriel-- would just drop in and slap me across the face and say, "Listen, you have these gifts, I have these needs, let's get going with this. That hasn't happened...so guilty as charged. But what would it look like if I simply trusted God. If I took a step myself and organized a trip to Haiti or a drive for money or prayer or both. How would God be active if I was simply obedient to what I felt he was asking of me? Maybe this is more what Paul had in mind when he talked about the body of Christ in Romans and Corinthians.

So I understand this, but I still get caught up in the if's, ands, and buts. For instance, if I go to Haiti over spring break, I won't have the opportunity to visit potential jobs and go interview. Or if I go to Haiti I probably would leave Erica behind due to safety reasons. I don't know. These are some of the things I am struggling through right now: What does it look like to be an active member of the body of Christ and what does that look like for me vocationally? Is there a business in for profit or non profit that I can work for that really excites me and allows me to use my abilities for the needs of the world? And how can I make all this knowledge into a tangible, functioning faith that is visible and can be used. I don't have answers in this struggle, but I cling to Romans 8:28-29a.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. for those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son..."

Hey all,
We are back in our basement apartment. Football camp just finished up, so now that we have a little time to breathe again I thought I should update you. We are both heading into our final year at Dordt. I took a job this semester as the youth pastor at Covenant CRC in Sioux Center. This is a very exciting opportunity. Erica is looking for a job right now, so if any of you have any fantastic opportunities feel free to let us know. Hope all is well for you. Take care.

The rest of my life???

So, I imagine that many of you are wondering, "Hmm... now that you have spent all this time in CA doing ministry for the summer, what are you going to do with the rest of your life??" To which I would reply, good question.

It has been a very interesting summer with some unexpected and even tragic twists and turns along the way. As far as a calling is concerned, I feel that I am called to love people where they are at. I am passionate about living life with those around me and helping them through their struggles and rejoicing and partying with them in the good times. I know that God will continue to open and close doors vocationally as he has planned for me. If that takes a little trial and error, which it may, I have to accept that. You see, I don't feel as though God can open or close a door until I take a step or maybe even a leap in one direction. I am confident that he has a plan for me and he will use us for his good and we will be completely satisfied chasing after his will for us, but this is also a journey. I would love to say that after this summer I have everything figured out-- that God slapped me accross the face with his will for me and I know what to do for the rest of my life, but that would be a lie, and who am I to tell God what to do?

I do know that I am open and willing to go where He leads be that into a marketplace filled with hurting people or into a full time role as a pastor. No matter where I am, I know I will be involved in the church. Likely in youth, outreach, and worship...I just don't know if I'll be the one preaching the word via the pulpit.

Please continue to pray for discernment for me, but for all of us as well. Pray that God would show us needs in our own neighborhoods and communities. Pray that he would bring a neighbor to us who need the hope of the living gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray that he would act through us, even though we feel so small and powerless when we start to compare ourselves. (Just a quick note on this-- as hard as it is-myself included-, don't compare yourself to others because it only belittles who God made you to be and gives you less confidence in the gifts and abilities he has given us.) Pray that we would all understand our place in the body of Christ, and come to love that role as we bless the rest of the body and touch the lives of those outside the church.

Thank you for being you. You rock, have a fantastic day.

The love of God...

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19

Imagine a love that strong, that deep, that passionate. When I read the phrase "a love that surpasses knowledge" I have to stop. This blows my mind, and I think that is the point. To be loved so much that we cannot even comprehend it is humbling and awe-inspiring. Last night in church the pastor talked about the fact that there is nothing on earth that we can do to make God love us any more, and there is nothing we can do to make him love us any less. He loves us so much that it surpasses anything we can understand. He is not going to love us anymore if we attend every church function, give generously, work for the welfare of the poor...none of this is going to work. He simply can't love us any more than he already does. He already gave his life for us. That is finished. over. done for. As much as we attempt to screw up life, we cannot make God love us any less, for we are all his children. The worst things we can do don't even come close to his love and his sacrifice for us--the price he paid for you and me.

From this, don't go on living just like we always have, because that's what so and so did and that's the way that we have to do it. No! God created us each indivually to passionately know him and his love for us,and then to go out and show that love to others. Live life as someone who cannot screw up! God loves us so much! He created us for himself. Live in the freedom of the knowledge that God is beyond our comprehension and his love wraps us up in a 'blessed confusion'. Grace is not fair, and I don't get it, but I love it.

The verse continues on in verse 20, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, acording to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

a little crazy?

So part of my internship is that I am attempting to read a lot of books, which is a bit of a change for me since I'm not exactly a huge reader. Well today one of the books had an interesting challenge that I would like to try with you. The book told a story based on a statement in the bible where Jesus says, "Ask whatever you will in my name, and you shall receive it." Obviously this is not a blank check, and the bible talks a lot about asking within the will of God, but here's the challenge: Pray for something for six months and see what God does. Pick something you're praying about and bring it to God every day for the next six months without fail. What is one area of the world, one cause, one need that's bigger than you can handle, what is one thing you can pray for the next six months?
I am going to pray for God to use me in extraordinary ways vocationally. I am going to pray for clear direction as far as this whole business/ministry decision is concerned. Hopefully he'll do something that I just can't miss, I know he can. If you like you can share what you're thinking and I'll pray for that as well, but find something and pray.