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.

Family and Friends

"Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." --Mark 5:19b

It is really easy to take family and friends for granted. We were in Iowa for the last 2 weeks and were once again reminded of the importance of family and friends. We went through the tragedy of the death of JoEllen together, and walked side by side as we watched her in her final days. The support and encouragement of the family of God is tremendous. The outpouring of love for each other was immmensly needed and appreciated. We need to continue to live in community as we walk hand in hand this journey set before us.

Often I get so caught up in my own life and my own search for direction and calling that I neglect what is around me. I take for granted the love and support of those around me. So thank you. Thank you for living life with us, thank you for uplifting us in your prayers, and thank you for loving on us and each other. We are not here to merely live life until it's over. We are here for the praise and glory of our heavenly father who wisely placed us in community, in family, and in the grip of his grace and love.

Be encouraged. Smile. Embrace and appreciate those who make life such a joy.

Living the legacy

In football we talk a lot about leaving a legacy. Playing with integrity on and off the field so that those that come behind you will have an example to follow. The point of course is not so that you yourself look good, but to provide leadership by using your gifts to glorify God when 'the stage was yours' so that those you have impacted can continue to carry that torch to future generations.
Jo Ellen Kauk passed away yesterday morning. She leaves a legacy of a strong Christian woman who was dedicated to her Lord, her family, her career and her vocation. What an example of a godly individual committed to seeing the kingdom come both now, but also in its fullness. Right now she is experiencing the eternal prize that we all strive for, eternal life. What a glorious reunion she must be having with her family.
Please continue to be in prayer for Mark, Nate, Dan, Dave, and Trev as they go on here. Pray for the peace of God which passes all understanding to be with them. And ask that God would lift them up in their time of need would carry them when they may feel too weak to walk.

sorry for the delay...

So here's what's been up with us. Last Sunday we learned about Jo Ellen's situation. On Tuesday morning her situation worsened and we decided we needed to go home to be with Dan and the family. So part of the internship is on hold for now, but we feel this is very, very important. I spent Wednesday and Thursday in the hospital with Dan, but Thursday night I came down with a fever. The fever stayed around, so on Saturday morning we went in and I was diagnosed with Influeza A. Obviously, this was not my ideal for our trip home, but my fever broke Sunday night and I am feeling much better. We aren't really sure when we're going to be heading back. Right now we are much more concerned about Dan and the Poel/Kauk family. Thank you for your prayers there and please continue.
On a brighter side, being home has allowed us to spend some good time with Erica's family as we have moved in with them. We were also able to spend some really good time with Grandpa and Grandma Groeneweg today. It felt good to be able to sit down and hang out with them after hearing of all the changes while we were gone.
It feels like life keeps throwing a series of letdowns at us. This is really disheartening at times when all you hear about is bad news be it Jo Ellen, Coach Thomas, Grandpa, sicknesses, you name it. Amidst all this I thought it would be good to hear one encouraging story.

One day, a really really long time ago, some crazy father decided that he loved his children very much. He loved them so much that he wanted to spend his whole life with them. The only problem was that these children were rebellious and didn't understand what he wanted. So he did what only he could do. He sent the only biological son he ever had and allowed the other children to kill him, so that they could spend forever with him.

He loved us that much and he will always love us that much. That news is good, and allows us the opportunity of hope in all of these traumatic situations.

PRAYER REQUEST

JoEllen Kauk is in the hospital and in critical condition right now. She suffered a brain aneurism and is not doing well. Pray for a miracle. Have faith in our all powerful God to work out his perfect plan. In times like these all we have to hold on to is our faith. Pray for Mark, Nate, Dan, Dave, and Trev as they fight through confusing emotions right now, but pray especially for strength and peace in this messed up time. Our life giving God is so capable of providing this miracle, so pray like crazy.
"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'move from here to there', and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." --Matt 17:20
We, as holy children of the holy God, have been given the power of the spirit. Pray and have confidence in your faith and in your prayers. Pray boldly and pray for healing.

This coming week our church plant in Delhi is going to be hosting a vacation bible school along with the other churches in Delhi. This is a great oppourtunity to impact the children and ultimately the families in one of the most drug/crime stricken areas around us. Please pray for open hearts and energetic leaders who can be a small part in forming lives for the Kingdom.
I am also going to be teaming up with our community development worker in the afternoons next week to raise funds for the Winton Life Center. Winton is another community which, like Delhi, has a lot of drugs, violence, and unemployment. Gateway has been very active in this community, but the funding is running dry along with the economy. I offered to go to a variety of businesses within Merced and Delhi to promote the Life Center and a sense of community. The hope is that the businesses will be able to see the positive effects of the Life Center and want to invest in bettering their community through developing and caring for the people within their community.
Please also continue to be in prayer for Grandpa Groeneweg as he fights the good fight and runs the race set before him. Pray that his wit and charm continue to lighten the hearts of those around him, and that he is able to enjoy life to the fullest. Pray that he, Grandma, and the rest of us are able to cast all our cares upon the Lord and rest in his assurance they he will comfort us in our time of need. Pray for more joy, love, and peace than ever before, and that our Life-giving Lord would continue to bless and lift up us all so that we can continue to join with all the saints praising God and saying, "Holy, Holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."