emerging

The past few months have been very interesting for me. After returning from a great spring break, I received a second diagnosis and had my car broken into. While dealing with all of that, I began to wonder what my future was going to hold. I needed summer employment, a place to live, and money to pay for school. While listening to advice which came from every direction I looked, I tried to simply listen to the Lord and follow my heart. Several options arose and each time I became aware of a job opportunity or a place to live, part of me got excited. However, I would not allow myself to place my full hope in these possibilities. I have repeatedly learned throughout the years the truth of Romans 5. The only way for hope to not disappoint is to have hope centered in the right person, not in a possible situation. For whatever reason, the Lord gave me grace to just wait and allow Him to reveal things to me. At times I felt as if I were being lazy or perhaps irresponsible. Yet, I found peace and endurance from a source not of my own. He truly sustained me.

Without attempting to explain all of the details here in this post, I will simply share where I am now. I have been blessed with free housing for the summer through house-sitting for friends. I have a full-time job for the summer at the library. In the fall I will resume the job I've had throughout this school year and am pretty certain as to where I will be living. And as of this week, I have been hired by Trinity Hill United Methodist church as the new Director of Young Adult Ministries. This ministry is a combination of college students (undergrad and grad) and young adults in Lexington. I am replacing a fellow seminary student who has graduated and will be moving back to Mississippi. Between the salary I will receive from the church and my part time job, I should be able to pay for a few classes each semester and will continue to hope for scholarship money to resume a full-time status. In addition, I hope to have all of my medical bills paid off by the end of the summer, which I believe is a miracle in itself. Still, my hope remains in who Jesus is and His heart for me, not on the outcome of even these two expectations that I have.

I am really excited about joining with Emerge, the name of the young adult ministry at Trinity Hill. I am excited about the community I will have there, the opportunities it will provide me to love on and invest in fellow believers, all that I will learn through the experience and the various areas it will provide for me to grow in. It only seems fitting that my future has emerged from the very passions of my heart and the Lord's provision.



I am very excited and a bit nervous. The next few months in particular will be very dynamic and challenging. On a positive note, the pastor has promised to work on my "single" status. That should scare me.

May we all continue to allow the Lord to create our futures and our lives. Furthermore, may we allow Him to continue to create us into the men and women He longs for us to be. Out of the brokenness of our lives emerges the hope of our future.

Ghana

As many of you may know, I was honored to spend some time in Western Africa in the beautiful country of Ghana back in 2006. To this day, that trip has been one of the most transforming trips of my life. I am waiting for the fulfillment of the Lord's promise that I will one day be able to go back. I continue to think of specific people I met and places I visited while there and am blessed to pray for all of them regularly. Although I have not maintained contact to the extent that I would have liked, I particularly think of and pray for the family I worked with while there. They are the Mozley's, from north Georgia. Actually, their oldest daughter is a student at Asbury College here in Wilmore now, having just completed her freshmen year. Anyway, this is a video about the Mozley's and their ministry in Ghana. Watching this video brought such tenderness back to my heart as I recognized many faces and memories. Please enjoy:

1st year of seminary

I'm done.

The significance of those 2 1/2 words are enough for their own post.

Grief

This weekend, our seminary lost two students. Charles and Hanokh were both students from India and were killed in a car accident on a dangerous road on Friday while it was raining. Both were married and today is the viewing and funeral. There was a memorial service on Sunday that was very emotional and difficult. Both of their families will be leaving to return home and taking Charles and Hanokh's bodies with them. The cost to transport their loved ones is quite expensive. As international seminary students, much less seminary students in general, money is very limited.

Will you be praying for Hanokh and Charles' wives and families? Will you continue to pray for our entire community here at Asbury? And will you pray that the Lord not only makes provision for their families to move home and transport their bodies with them, but that He also surrounds them with love and support once they return home. Asbury is a great community in which to deal with such a tragedy. Still, this is hard.

Death is very difficult. Grief lingers. I am just asking that the Lord strengthens us all to progress through this process. Thank you for your love.

Being blessed

I received this email over the weekend. The Lord uses the most creative means to bless us. I am so thankful and encouraged.

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Jeffrey -
Just thought I'd send a little shout-out your way. I've noticed this has been the case all semester, but especially in the last couple weeks, the questions that you have asked in class have been some of the best in my whole time here. You ask about things that deeply matter and in a way that is gentle but convicting. I have really appreciated the times you've shared. I don't know what your future plans are but I think asking these kinds of questions is going to make the difference. We certainly don't need more seminary graduates who can simply spew cognitive information, but friends who can connect to the power and grace of God and come alongside others to experience that. You are far more than you are learning and it seems (forgive me if I'm overstepping) you've allowed this seminary experience to be not just an education but a means of grace. That's rare, that's noticed, that's inspiring and it matters. Hope this encourages you in some way.
Blessings friend,
- *****
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May you be blessed in the fullness of His creativity. And may you find creative ways to bless others, even if it is just through an email.

Mission of God