Friday, May 27, 2011

Alabama

Less than a month ago tornadoes ripped through Tuscaloosa, AL. A friend of mine from school, who just graduated, is from Tuscaloosa. Sadly, his house was damaged and homes of family members and friends were destroyed. The weekend following, my class, the sophomore Awakened class, decided to do a fund raiser for both Japan and Alabama through Fro-Jo's Frozen Yogurt and Coffee in Lexington, KY. We raised over $300 to buy supplies for the people of Alabama and sent it to them through a local radio station.




  
I heard that a group of students were going to help out in Tuscaloosa the following week and I knew that I just had to go.  


This is the few, the proud, the people who had no plans for the first week of summer, who decided to go and help out.

Although Asbury is a small college, I did not know many of these people, but we had a great time. The men put their muscles and chainsaws to work and took care of the trees in yards (actually they completely cut apart the tree in the above picture) and helped with outdoor clean up. But they were showed up. How legit is this?


Yes, that does say, "Texas Baptist Men, Chainsaw Unit." Biggest chainsaws I've ever seen!

Being the only girls on the trip, Jenelle and I helped out at a church sorting donations. We met some awesome people and experienced true southern hospitality and stellar sweet tea.
Although these pictures don't do it justice, the devastation was great and indescribable. Please continue to pray for the people of Alabama, but also those in Missouri and everywhere tornadoes have hit.






Roll Tide!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

New Summer = New Blog


I’ve had this vision for awhile, this vision for a blog that is. After mulling it over and annoying my friends and mentors about the idea, I figured it’s about time to start the blog.

My goal with this blog is to encourage the younger generation to live a life above reproach, a life so “that no such criticism can be made” (Oxford Dictionary). I realize only being 20 puts me into the younger generation category; so really, I want to help my peers out.

I attended a Christian high school and now attend Asbury University (you guessed it, a Christian university). While I love them both dearly and would not trade my experiences at either of them for the world, I’m often disgusted at the lives I see lived by current students and especially alumni. After being in “the bubble” of the Christian school environment, and being released from its captivity, these free birds like to “experience the real world.”

I’ll admit, there is often a romanticized version of life when living in the bubble, but why does the outside world seem any better? Is it because there are fewer rules? No accountability? No guilt? I do not know the answer to these questions, because I have chosen to live in the world and not of the world. Christ is my strength and the rock upon which I stand to do so. I’m not saying I’m perfect. Trust me, I’m still a sinner and have struggles daily. I don’t always remember to read my Bible or pray before every meal. I’m growing.

I have decided to call this blog lambs among wolves for a number of reasons. In a class this past semester, I read a book called Roaring Lambs by Robert Briner. The whole book is about the need for Christians to be vocal about their faith, but not abrasive or flashy, to be gentle like a lamb, but fierce like a lion. I really wanted to steal the title, but decided the law suit wasn’t worth it. This is the kind of image I want to portray. I want to encourage people to be ambassadors, roaring lambs about their faith. The name comes from Luke 10:13 

“Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves” (NLT). 

We are sheep and Christ is our shepherd who rescues us from this world full of wolves. We must trust in him to survive.

I don’t want this to be a daily devotional kind of blog or a Bible study. More than likely, it will simply be musings of mine, adventures, and maybe even a story about God putting me in my place. I want my life to be an example of what this idea of roaring lambs/a lamb among wolves and what it looks like. Please feel free to comment, laugh, and make fun of the life God has bless me with. It’s pretty great.