Notes on Leadership

5 days until I start running!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I've been really busy on weekend trips, semester finals, etc. I actually went to a leadership camp this weekend with some others, and I thought I'd share the top three things I personally got out of it:

• No one can take away your values. They are yours and no one can change that
• Service leadership is about leading through helping other people. I personally took that as leading by example. If you are serving others, people will see that and respect you. Also, traditional leaders are at the top of the pyramid. Servant leaders are at the bottom helping everyone else.
• Integrity is doing the right thing, even if no one is watching.

Going back to values, one of the quotes I saw was this, and I think it applies to our faith too.

      "Whatever is at the center of our life will be the source of our security, guidance, wisdom, and   

       power"

                 -Steven Covey

Is God at the center of your life? If he is, your light will shine before everyone. HE will be your security in times when you feel unsteady. HE will guide you when you have no idea what to do or where to go. HE will give you wisdom when you are making a decision, if you ask. HE will be your power in times of weakness. But only if you are willing to give yourself up to him. I know for me, I have trouble letting go, and I think that's the case for a lot of people. The thing is, for me, I tend to trust in my own ability when it comes to things like school and academics. I like I think I can do it on my own, and He is revealing that to me more and more.  For others, it may be things like what you do when no one else is looking, or when your around non-Christians. But I can promise that God is so much more satisfying than all of that. He is more satisfying than my personal success or anything else. Is He your top priority?

Another quote that stuck out:

       "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and 

        make a brand new ending"

                -Carl Brad

Jesus can wipe your slate clean. Even if you've done the most horrible thing you can think of, he can change your "ending" and you can end up in a much better place for eternity.  You may not be able to change what you did in the past, but you can change now and be renewed by the grace of God. 

                 

                           

                                                  

Thanks for a great weekend, guys.

  

I'm going to try to post some more these next few days before this project officially begins. It might be a little hard though, with studying and all. I have finals Wednesday and Thursday, which are my last two days of school, and then Friday is the first day of my summer vacation when I start running! I'm so excited and nervous! Good luck to everyone who's testing soon!

~Haley

Connections

Everything is connected, it seems.

I have about 5 or so blogs that I keep up with regularly, and many others that I check occasionally. But I think it's funny that it seems like everything I read eventually comes back around. For example, the other day I clicked on a link and progressively traveled through about 5 more websites and ended up at another blog I follow. I read the Rebelution blog occasionally, and through them I found the misselainious project. Today I got a book in the mail that I ordered and I have been reading it. (Uncompromising by Hannah Farver-I might review it along with the other book I got in an upcoming post!) I think someone told me about it somewhere.When I read it I realized the Rebelution blog co-author actually wrote the forward, and I was like WOAH cool! And then later in the book I came across the name Christa Taylor. I knew that name, I just didn't know how, so I googled it and came across her website. I wasn't until I read that she was a photographer that I realized she is Miss Elaini's friend and photographer! Maybe it's just the side of the blogosphere I keep up with, but where I'm at its all one big circle.*

Here's the point:
We are all connected. Maybe not in the same way as the blogs, but we are at least connected in one way: we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) We're all sinners. So why do we treat each other as if we have nothing at all in common? We judge because people do not have the same sense of style or interests as us. ** We push people away because we think no one understands or actually wants to help. And the reality is that Jesus died for all our sins and our sin isn't any lesser than someone else's. (James 2:9-11) You're not better than anyone else and I'm not either. We're called to love each other regardless. Embrace the connection and love others the way God loves us.

~Haley

p.s. I would like to thank everyone who has been talking about the project and getting the word out, there are only about 3 weeks until I start running! And thank you for the prayer as well. Keep it up! (:

*{Sidenote of the day! I don't know why, but lately everything is an analogy. I can't seem to help it, but every situation now has a deeper, underlying meaning, even if its not that meaningful. I actually had no idea where I was going with this post until about halfway through that example, but I knew I would figure something out! And the other day (just kidding, more like six months ago) I was walking my dog and it struck me how walking the dog is like us walking with God. We see something shiny and go sniffing at it, and God has to tug us back onto the path.}

**{Another sidenote! There is a difference in judgement and helping others discern between right and wrong. We are called to help the fellow believer and make them aware when they have fallen into sin-the thing is, we ourselves can't be above them helping us. The problem arises when we tell everyone else what they're doing wrong but we don't like it when they bring our sins to our attention. I'll admit, I'm guilty of it too. All the time. Also, judging people based on the looks, or clothes, or preferences, etc. IS wrong. But trying to help someone overcome sin, IF you are doing it in a loving way, is not. My Bible taught me this last night :)}

Photo credit: ME!

Food for Thought

Happy Wednesday!

I found this video today and was watching it and I started wondering. How on earth is it possible for someone to see this and still think there is no God? WATCH THIS.

(I love the picture of the dog covering its ears!! It cracks me up!)

Isn't it crazy? Too little oxygen and we all die. Too much and we get eaten by giant insects. Ewwww that thought grosses me out. But seriously: did you see that last line of the video? "Thank you oxygen, for being just the way you are." I thought: "thank you, God, for creating this world so perfectly." How could anyone recognize these facts and still think we were put here by accident? My mom told me once that it takes more faith to believe that the universe was created by accident than to believe it was created by someone.

 I don't know how I would live if I wasn't living for something. I don't know how people go through life and wonder what they're living for; knowing I was put here to further God's Kingdom is what gets me through the day. I don't know how anyone can think they were put here by accident-that's such a depressing state of mind! You are not a mistake. God put you on this planet for a reason! Finding out His specific plan for you is the fun part! (:  (Although it does get frustrating trying to figure it out sometimes.) 

I think it's kind of funny how I tend to get distracted and go off on tangents...

Have a good evening!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope." ~Jeremiah 29:11

A few announcements:

-I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but for me some of the images I have posted are not showing up or they are shown funny. I'm trying to fix that, just FYI. 

-I want to point out now that donating works right now. OneLife has agreed to start counting my total so feel free to donate at any time! If you are afraid you'll forget by the time I start running, go ahead and do it now! And also, the total on the right side of the page is not going to change all the time. Our friends at the organization are very busy so they will only be able to send me updates to the total once every couple of weeks. Just thought I would clarify that.

~Haley

Only Grace

I think in these weeks leading up to the project, I'm going to post occasionally with the little things that God reveals to me through the Word and otherwise. Stay tuned.

As I was finishing up my quiet time last night, a song popped into my head that I haven't heard in ages and I really paid attention to the lyrics this time. It's "Only Grace", by Matthew West.

"There's only grace
There's only love
There's only mercy and believe me, it's enough
You're sins are gone
Without a trace
And there's nothing left now
There's only grace"

That's so encouraging to me. We have a King. A graceful, merciful, loving King. A King who loved us enough to die for us. Who loved us enough to suffer and bleed and be tortured on a cross. And he's ALIVE. Our sins are gone without a trace. Jesus's blood covers us. I think that's important to remember as Easter comes up.

Sidenote: I don't know if this is a good comparison, but remember Passover and how God's people covered the door frames with lambs blood so their firstborns wouldn't die? The angel of death passed over them. I sometimes think of salvation in the same way. Those of us who have received salvation are the people in the houses and Jesus is blood is over our door frames so God overlooks our sin and we are saved from death. Maybe that was the point. All of the festivals, feasts, laws, instructions, etc. of the Old Testament had a purpose. They weren't there for no reason, although sometimes I read about them and think, "Seriously? What was the point of these?" But they all symbolize something, and maybe that's what Passover was meant to show. Does that sound right? (There's these things called "Comments" below...hint hint)

The main point is, God doesn't see our sin anymore. He forgives over and over. That's serious grace, y'all.

How blessed we are to have a God that doesn't get angry when you bother him, or that makes bad decisions, or that is unfair. He is merciful, all knowing, and just. Only grace. Only love. Only mercy.


Photo credit:
meggielynn.tumblr.com
http://pinterest.com/pin/102316222756328816/