So... there was a shooting today in Tinley Park, Illinois.
That's about 40 minutes north of Olivet... really close to where Amy and the gospel choir were today, singing at Family Harvest. The shooting took place at Lane Bryant... near the mall in the parking lot where Target is. Scary stuff. Five women were killed and the killer got away... there's a manhunt going on as we speak, and I'm sure more details will be released later.
Crazy... and so close.
For more on the story check out FOX News...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,327908,00.html
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Friday, February 01, 2008
pictures!! :)
This is Ashley. Pray for her. And me. :)
Ah the boys and the travels... this is us two weekends ago at Decatur, IL
I'm a freshman RA!! We had a birthday party and celebrated all January and July birthdays... this is me and the birthday girls!! :)
Some of the girls eating cake...
And a few more girls and cake!!
And this is the best chapel band I've ever been a part of. I love you guys sooo much!! :)Wednesday, January 30, 2008
crazy weather!! :)
Check it out!! Today... it snowed hardcore in Jerusalem!! Crazy, huh?
I love this one... with the palm trees in the background... covered in snow. :)
Oh taxis... the news report read that the streets were empty in Ramallah except for the few taxis who braved out in the weather, but they frequently required help to keep moving. Nothing like America... it's kind of nice... no matter where you break down you can count on 10 people to help, even though they're complete strangers. Ah, the Middle East!!
I love this one... with the palm trees in the background... covered in snow. :)
Oh taxis... the news report read that the streets were empty in Ramallah except for the few taxis who braved out in the weather, but they frequently required help to keep moving. Nothing like America... it's kind of nice... no matter where you break down you can count on 10 people to help, even though they're complete strangers. Ah, the Middle East!!
God is working!
God is working!
He's still working...
God is working even now
Though we often don't know just how
God is working
He's still working
God is working even now
Hallelujah, He's working even now
Hallelujah, He's working even now!
Though we often don't know just how
God is working
He's still working
God is working even now!
Life has been really hard lately and I've beaten myself up and haven't been able to motivate myself to be a good RA or even want to be one... and tonight somehow I just had a turning point. I walked into the office for the first time and honestly said "I love being an RA!" My RD just sent me this devotional and it just blessed my heart, made me smile and sing the song I posted above, and so I just thought I'd share it. If you're down and discouraged... KEEP GOING!! It's worth it!
Love you,
Kara Joy
IT'S WORTH IT!!
"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
-1 Corinthians 15:58
You can probably think of many things you have invested time, energy and money in that seemed to profit you nothing. But God's Word promises that nothing you do for His name is ever wasted! God knows and uses everything you do for His name, no matter how small the act itself may seem, and the good news is that your work for God is never in vain. Sometimes, you may not get to see the good that your efforts are producing. Our human tendency is to want to see the finished product; otherwise, we don't feel that anything has really been accomplished. But take heart, because God doesn't overlook anything you do for Him.
God, thank You for your promises to bless our work and our commitments. Give us the courage to continue following faithfully after you. Help us to keep our eyes focused on you.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
some quotes
Pain is God's megaphone.
-C. S. Lewis
There is some aspect of my life in which God is calling me to walk with and to Him, and when I say "YES!" to His calling, it sets in motion a divine dynamic far beyond merely human power. ...Obedience is no guarantee of being spared adversity.
-John Ortberg
It's not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena... who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of great achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. So that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.
-Theodore Roosevelt
-C. S. Lewis
There is some aspect of my life in which God is calling me to walk with and to Him, and when I say "YES!" to His calling, it sets in motion a divine dynamic far beyond merely human power. ...Obedience is no guarantee of being spared adversity.
-John Ortberg
It's not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena... who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of great achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. So that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.
-Theodore Roosevelt
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
tis so sweet to trust in Jesus!!
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives: he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." -Matthew 7:7-8-
I never really realized how dangerous it is to ask God for things or to seek Him... because His promise IS true. When you ask you receive. When you seek you find. It's dangerous. There's a Relient K song that talks about how I don't know what I'm getting myself into... and sometimes that's so the truth.
Lately I've been asking God to make me into a woman of wisdom. James 3:17-18 says: "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." In a Bible Study with several of the dear women in my life here on campus, we had a revelation. If we want to be wise we have to be all of these things... and to rate ourself on a scale of wisdom, we can figure out where we're at by looking at the inverse of those characteristics of wisdom and then see which ones are in our lives so we can rid ourselves of them. So let's see... there's the opposite of pure, which would be impurity both in action physically and in thoughts and comments both an area I struggle with, there's the opposite of peace-loving which would be somebody who's not peaceful. Girls are good at being drama queens, stirring up dissension... I need to rid myself of anything that doesn't cause peace. Then there's the opposite of considerate which would include being rude, or possibly even making others feel uncomfortable even if it's funny... I can be good at that and wow, that's so not wise! There's the opposite of submission... which would include pride, there's the opposite of being full of mercy and good fruit which I think a big area I struggle with is being judgmental. It's sooo easy to judge people and that's not wise! And often it's incredibly foolish because my presumptions are way off and I need to give others the benefit of the doubt. And the opposite of impartial is showing favorites, and the opposite of being sincere is being fake... not real. How easy it is to cover up what's going on and pretend like I've got it all together. And finally, people who cultivate wisdom in their life are peacemakers. Am I truly a peacemaker?
So I've been considering all this and praying that God would help me to be wise, that I could truly rid myself of these attributes because before I can work on cultivating purity, peace, consideration, submission, mercy, good fruit, impartiality, and sincerity I first have to stop being impure, a drama queen, rude, inconsiderate, selfish, proud, judgmental, a favorites player, jealous, and fake. And I have been wowed in the process. Since I began praying that God would help me to become a wise woman He has asked me to obey Him at least 3 times.
In each of the situations I feel like Esther, the woman my Bible Study for this week thus far has focused on. Esther was put in a unique situation and had an incredible choice to make. She could choose to go to the King and put her own life on the line in a radical attempt to save her people and make a difference for them, or she could choose to be selfish and not do that. I love what Mordecai says to her in Esther 4:13-14: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Wow... even had Esther chosen to not obey God's leading and go to the King, God still would have been faithful and provided a way to save His people... but the story probably wouldn't have been as cool.
And then I think about Moses... how when God called him in the Burning Bush Moses said, "God I can't do that!!" And then he argues... "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?... "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say 'The Lord did not appear to you'?"... "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." Moses hardcore doubts God in these 3 passages throughout his encounter with God at the bush. (Exodus 3:11, 4:1, 4:10) And yet God uses him!! Moses doubts the first time and God's like, dude Moses... I got ya. He doubts again and God's like... ok buddy, check out that staff in your hand... you can have miracles as proof that I'm who I say I am and that I'll do what I say I'll do. And Moses doubts a third time and God's like... are you kidding me!?! I gave you your mouth!! I'll give you the words!! And then... wow, Moses says this: "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." (Exodus 4:13) It says that the Lord's anger burned against Moses, but then he tells Moses he'll send Aaron, Moses' brother with him.
How would the story have been different had Moses stepped up to the challenge the first time God called him and not doubted? What if there were no crazy miracles or Aaron in the story? How much more crazy would the story have been? Would God have been glorified in Moses' life in an even greater way than He was? And yet, the part that amazes is me is that God still used Moses!! God still worked in spite of Moses' doubts and fears. And God promised that even had Esther not been the one to carry out his plan that He'd devise another plan and bring redemption from elsewhere. Huh. Crazy to think about. Makes me want to be an Esther... to get in on all the action possible. Makes me sad about the way I've not been obedient in the past, yet hopeful because tomorrow (even in the few minutes left in today) I can obey Him the first time even if it rips me up inside!!
Remember that verse I started with? If we ask we'll receive, if we seek we'll find? I'm not wise yet, but I'm definitely receiving and finding. I asked God to make me wise and so He put me in three huge places where I had the option of obeying Him or not. Sure, He'd still go with me if I didn't say yes, but it could be so much better if I just said yes. So I said yes.
1. I'm an RA for Freshmen Girls.
2. I'm single. (That sounds kinda weird, but I almost wasn't.)
3. I gave my favorite Bible away Sunday.
The first one was a huge sacrifice, but a sweet experience and I was and am really excited to be where I am. The second one hurt like crazy... worse than anything before, but once I finally obeyed... after a few days of not obeying and toying with the idea of being selfish and following me, God totally filled me with peace. That's still hard and yeah, being single sucks. (Pardon the strength of that word... but it does.) But it's right right now. And the third one, I can't even describe how hard that was and how much it still hurts. I'm so excited for Ashley and I know that God will transform her as she reads the word and I'm sooo excited for her, but I miss that book. The past 3 years are in those pages. When Grandma got cancer until she died there are so many verses I highlighted and wrote memos about in the margins. I gave that away and I don't want to forget. Egypt's there. Before Tomorrow is there. People I was praying for are there. But my dear friend Allison is right. That book isn't the sole Word of God and the Bible I'm using now is the same... and it's ok!! And I'm learning to trust in God in the craziest hardest way I ever have before. And I guess all I can say is that although it hurts... it's so sweet.
Funny story... Sunday after I gave the Bible away I was crying and just sad realizing what I'd just done... not at all regreting it... I hope that makes sense... I wouldn't take it back if Ashley tried to give it to me... but I've just never been asked to make such a sacrifice before. I'm crying and the guys in my band are like "Was that a special Bible?" Ha... duh! And Harrison's like, "Kara let's cheer you up and sing a song!" I'm like... "Dude, Harold I don't wanna sing." And so he's like, "Ok, I'll sing for you..."
Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus!
Just to take Him at His word!
Jesus Jesus... How I trust Him...
How I've proved Him o'er and o'er!!
Tears just flowed... Harrison's like, "Kara, was that the wrong song!?! I'm sooo sorry I'll sing a different one!!" And I'm like, "No, please, Harrison... sing it again!" Grandma told me that over and over and over again... "Tis SO sweet to trust in Jesus!" When she died her last words to me were, "Kara Joy, I love you. Keep trusting Jesus. Never stop loving Jesus. Keep trusting Jesus." I promised her I would, and so I am.
I hurt, but it is SO sweet to trust in Jesus.
Do it. It'll rip you up, and it's dangerous cuz He's so real...
But it's SO worth it.
-Kara Joy
I never really realized how dangerous it is to ask God for things or to seek Him... because His promise IS true. When you ask you receive. When you seek you find. It's dangerous. There's a Relient K song that talks about how I don't know what I'm getting myself into... and sometimes that's so the truth.
Lately I've been asking God to make me into a woman of wisdom. James 3:17-18 says: "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." In a Bible Study with several of the dear women in my life here on campus, we had a revelation. If we want to be wise we have to be all of these things... and to rate ourself on a scale of wisdom, we can figure out where we're at by looking at the inverse of those characteristics of wisdom and then see which ones are in our lives so we can rid ourselves of them. So let's see... there's the opposite of pure, which would be impurity both in action physically and in thoughts and comments both an area I struggle with, there's the opposite of peace-loving which would be somebody who's not peaceful. Girls are good at being drama queens, stirring up dissension... I need to rid myself of anything that doesn't cause peace. Then there's the opposite of considerate which would include being rude, or possibly even making others feel uncomfortable even if it's funny... I can be good at that and wow, that's so not wise! There's the opposite of submission... which would include pride, there's the opposite of being full of mercy and good fruit which I think a big area I struggle with is being judgmental. It's sooo easy to judge people and that's not wise! And often it's incredibly foolish because my presumptions are way off and I need to give others the benefit of the doubt. And the opposite of impartial is showing favorites, and the opposite of being sincere is being fake... not real. How easy it is to cover up what's going on and pretend like I've got it all together. And finally, people who cultivate wisdom in their life are peacemakers. Am I truly a peacemaker?
So I've been considering all this and praying that God would help me to be wise, that I could truly rid myself of these attributes because before I can work on cultivating purity, peace, consideration, submission, mercy, good fruit, impartiality, and sincerity I first have to stop being impure, a drama queen, rude, inconsiderate, selfish, proud, judgmental, a favorites player, jealous, and fake. And I have been wowed in the process. Since I began praying that God would help me to become a wise woman He has asked me to obey Him at least 3 times.
In each of the situations I feel like Esther, the woman my Bible Study for this week thus far has focused on. Esther was put in a unique situation and had an incredible choice to make. She could choose to go to the King and put her own life on the line in a radical attempt to save her people and make a difference for them, or she could choose to be selfish and not do that. I love what Mordecai says to her in Esther 4:13-14: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Wow... even had Esther chosen to not obey God's leading and go to the King, God still would have been faithful and provided a way to save His people... but the story probably wouldn't have been as cool.
And then I think about Moses... how when God called him in the Burning Bush Moses said, "God I can't do that!!" And then he argues... "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?... "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say 'The Lord did not appear to you'?"... "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." Moses hardcore doubts God in these 3 passages throughout his encounter with God at the bush. (Exodus 3:11, 4:1, 4:10) And yet God uses him!! Moses doubts the first time and God's like, dude Moses... I got ya. He doubts again and God's like... ok buddy, check out that staff in your hand... you can have miracles as proof that I'm who I say I am and that I'll do what I say I'll do. And Moses doubts a third time and God's like... are you kidding me!?! I gave you your mouth!! I'll give you the words!! And then... wow, Moses says this: "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." (Exodus 4:13) It says that the Lord's anger burned against Moses, but then he tells Moses he'll send Aaron, Moses' brother with him.
How would the story have been different had Moses stepped up to the challenge the first time God called him and not doubted? What if there were no crazy miracles or Aaron in the story? How much more crazy would the story have been? Would God have been glorified in Moses' life in an even greater way than He was? And yet, the part that amazes is me is that God still used Moses!! God still worked in spite of Moses' doubts and fears. And God promised that even had Esther not been the one to carry out his plan that He'd devise another plan and bring redemption from elsewhere. Huh. Crazy to think about. Makes me want to be an Esther... to get in on all the action possible. Makes me sad about the way I've not been obedient in the past, yet hopeful because tomorrow (even in the few minutes left in today) I can obey Him the first time even if it rips me up inside!!
Remember that verse I started with? If we ask we'll receive, if we seek we'll find? I'm not wise yet, but I'm definitely receiving and finding. I asked God to make me wise and so He put me in three huge places where I had the option of obeying Him or not. Sure, He'd still go with me if I didn't say yes, but it could be so much better if I just said yes. So I said yes.
1. I'm an RA for Freshmen Girls.
2. I'm single. (That sounds kinda weird, but I almost wasn't.)
3. I gave my favorite Bible away Sunday.
The first one was a huge sacrifice, but a sweet experience and I was and am really excited to be where I am. The second one hurt like crazy... worse than anything before, but once I finally obeyed... after a few days of not obeying and toying with the idea of being selfish and following me, God totally filled me with peace. That's still hard and yeah, being single sucks. (Pardon the strength of that word... but it does.) But it's right right now. And the third one, I can't even describe how hard that was and how much it still hurts. I'm so excited for Ashley and I know that God will transform her as she reads the word and I'm sooo excited for her, but I miss that book. The past 3 years are in those pages. When Grandma got cancer until she died there are so many verses I highlighted and wrote memos about in the margins. I gave that away and I don't want to forget. Egypt's there. Before Tomorrow is there. People I was praying for are there. But my dear friend Allison is right. That book isn't the sole Word of God and the Bible I'm using now is the same... and it's ok!! And I'm learning to trust in God in the craziest hardest way I ever have before. And I guess all I can say is that although it hurts... it's so sweet.
Funny story... Sunday after I gave the Bible away I was crying and just sad realizing what I'd just done... not at all regreting it... I hope that makes sense... I wouldn't take it back if Ashley tried to give it to me... but I've just never been asked to make such a sacrifice before. I'm crying and the guys in my band are like "Was that a special Bible?" Ha... duh! And Harrison's like, "Kara let's cheer you up and sing a song!" I'm like... "Dude, Harold I don't wanna sing." And so he's like, "Ok, I'll sing for you..."
Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus!
Just to take Him at His word!
Jesus Jesus... How I trust Him...
How I've proved Him o'er and o'er!!
Tears just flowed... Harrison's like, "Kara, was that the wrong song!?! I'm sooo sorry I'll sing a different one!!" And I'm like, "No, please, Harrison... sing it again!" Grandma told me that over and over and over again... "Tis SO sweet to trust in Jesus!" When she died her last words to me were, "Kara Joy, I love you. Keep trusting Jesus. Never stop loving Jesus. Keep trusting Jesus." I promised her I would, and so I am.
I hurt, but it is SO sweet to trust in Jesus.
Do it. It'll rip you up, and it's dangerous cuz He's so real...
But it's SO worth it.
-Kara Joy
Monday, January 14, 2008
a bit of an update...
Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone. January is well under way, and my blog is greatly lacking in post updates. Lately, life is good. It's hard. It's stressful, but God is faithful and I'm making it through. I have the awesome, incredible privilege of being an RA for freshmn girls and a few transfers this semester, including an old dear friend: Brittany Bailey. :) I am taking some crazy fun classes that I never thought I would be able to be a part of, and I feel as if I am being stretched from the inside-out and somehow becoming a better person due to that which I am learning and about to learn. It's really exciting. However, I find myself often frustrated at the ignorance I see in society around me, or not so much ignorance as just a lack of understanding or lack of desire to relate with those around us who are different from us. Why is it so difficult to look past our self and see someone else truly for who they are? What will it take for us as Americans to lay aside ourselves and see the world from a different perspective? I hear talk all the time about having a "Biblical Worldview". I do not doubt that this is crucial and necessary, but why are we not allowed to even consider that there could possibly be an Islamic Worldview, an eastern worldview, a western worldview, a Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, and so many other worldviews that may not necessarily be wrong? Why does a "Biblical Worldview" trump all, especially when it just seems to be a "Western Worldview" in disguise? Jesus wasn't western. Does he demand of all to be western, to follow the bible to the latter? What would he do? How would he view the world?
I just find myself frustrated and asking questions like this over and over again. I just want people to understand each other. To get along, to live peacefully accepting and tolerating each other. How do we do that? We are not the only ones in the world that are right. Why can't we see that? Maybe things will never change... but what if they could? What if I could truly help people understand each other? I dream that someday we will reach a point not just where we tolerate each other, but that we desire relationship with others who are different from us and we strive to understand each other and live in peace with one another. That would be the day!
So... that's a little tidbit from my life lately. Not much else to say. I went to a Mock Presidential Campaign shin dig slash debate tonight, and it was really interesting. The Illinois primary is coming up!! I don't take a side yet... but I think Obama had a lot of great things to say.
Ok... time for me to leave the RA office. Resuming homework is next on the agenda. I'll probably say more soon... Much love,
Kara Joy
I just find myself frustrated and asking questions like this over and over again. I just want people to understand each other. To get along, to live peacefully accepting and tolerating each other. How do we do that? We are not the only ones in the world that are right. Why can't we see that? Maybe things will never change... but what if they could? What if I could truly help people understand each other? I dream that someday we will reach a point not just where we tolerate each other, but that we desire relationship with others who are different from us and we strive to understand each other and live in peace with one another. That would be the day!
So... that's a little tidbit from my life lately. Not much else to say. I went to a Mock Presidential Campaign shin dig slash debate tonight, and it was really interesting. The Illinois primary is coming up!! I don't take a side yet... but I think Obama had a lot of great things to say.
Ok... time for me to leave the RA office. Resuming homework is next on the agenda. I'll probably say more soon... Much love,
Kara Joy
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