I just really want a Chai Tea.

Matthew 6 talks about fasting in private so as not to boast about what you are doing. I get what he's saying here, but let me tell you, having accountability during a fast is huge for me.

Our lead pastor, Joey, began a 3-part fast on August 1st. He, and anyone who wanted to join him, is fasting all media for 10 days, then doing a Daniel fast (as done by Daniel in the Bible). The Daniel fast limits what you can eat to the basic principle of: only natural things that come from the earth. So fruit, veggies, beans, whole grain, etc. The last 10 days of Joey's fast will be pure liquids.

I've mixed my order up since I'm going to be traveling next week and I couldn't fathom trying to maneuver a food-based fast while I was on vacation, however I will be fasting Social Media for those 10 days of August 10-20. It will be difficult, but I hope to read many books during that time period.

So I'm currently trying to uphold a Daniel Fast. Man do I miss cheese. And milk. And chocolate. And COFFEE. Definitely coffee. I'm only on day 4 and I feel stretched. Perhaps it's because the weight of learning how to be a good and effective Admin for The Block Church happened to really hit hard today, or perhaps this is just part of the growing process. I once heard it said that the workout never gets easier, you just get stronger. I'm not sure that church planting will ever get easier, but by the grace of God, I will get stronger. Through long hours and tough roads, it will be worth it.

At some point I probably should start lesson-planning, but right now, I've got other things to do, and I believe that God will give me the focus and understanding that I'll need once the time to ACTUALLY lesson plan rolls around. Oh, say, tomorrow.

I hope to look back on this blog come January 2015 and rejoice in the triumph that God is going to bring through this process and be glorified through me.

Halfway there, forever to go

Back in December 2013 I was toying with the idea of moving to Philly to help launch this church. I had lived in Philly before and I knew I loved it here; but I also loved Ann Arbor. Although I was nowhere near ready to admit that I needed to make the move, I was ready to name my year and I felt that 2014 was going to require me to trust God   

Remember that law of gravity, what goes up must come down? Well the 2 years I spent in A2 were pretty smooth sailing. I felt closer to God than I ever had in my entire life and I was continually growing in my faith and character.

 I knew that there was going to be some major change in 2014 and that the only way I was going to get through alive (both spiritually and mentally) was through my trust in God. My trust that He is Good and He has good things for me. That He is Loving and full of Mercy when I fail. But here I find myself in August and I still struggle to find that trust, especially in certain areas of my life. I am praying this week that the Holy Spirit would begin to groom me of the lies I believe about myself. I know that I am the daughter of the King of Creation, I just need to believe that I am special. As I begin to grow in the trust that He created me to be special, I believe that the opportunities I will embrace will grow exponentially. I will find my hope and confidence in He who made me and sent His son to die for me. That is something I can trust in.