Persecution of Christians

Recently, Iraqi Christians have come under attack in Baghdad in which Al-Qaeda militants have claimed responsibility. Even as they suffer, God promises Christians who face persecution because of their religion will receive a great reward in heaven (Matthew 5:10-12). This touches me as it reminds me how lucky we are to be in Canada, where we can openly profess our faith. As well, let's keep these Christians in mind throughout the week and pray for their safety and well-being. Let's also pray for those who are persecuting the Iraqi Christans, that they will one day accept Jesus into their lives and understand that killing anyone is not right.

Incredible courage

http://www.thestar.com/videozone/845039--christians-coming-under-attack-in-china

When I have nothing that is 'important and time sensitive" on my hands, I usually go skim through some news articles. This is what I came upon today.

What caught my attention the most was that 'there are now more members of the Christian faith then the communist party."

I always thought that China was like crazy communist, haha, but guess not? :) It's the power of the Gospel! :D

--amy.

Retreat! :)

GUYS,

I really wanna encourage you guys to share something about this year's retreat. I know all of you took something away from it, so let's hear it! :)

It's a shame that we won't be having regular fellowship time for the rest of the summer, but that doesn't mean that we can't still fellowship through our blogging and sharing!

PS. For those of you that aren't helping out with VBS, you should still come by afterwards for gym time and what not!

Praise the Lord for this weekend!

--aamy

hey friendssss

GOOD NEWS! hahah, or bad.

So i've decided that since i have a lot of random thoughts and such.. i'm gonna be blogging on my own (and very old) blog again! wohooo :) http://users.livejournal.com/__amy_sa/

I'll try to post here too.. but i'm not sure how often that'll be.

DONT LET THIS BLOG DIE, GUYS! :(

--AMY.

P90X!

Haha, so i guess no one blogs here anymore?! *sadface. (hahaha...)

Since the weather's been so humidly hot, it's a struggle for me just to get out of the house. Talk about laziness! In light of this, today I was doing some exercise at home, y'know, to lose a few pounds. Haha, so my friend and I were doing Ab Ripper X from the p90x program a while ago...(Note: Obviously I gave up.. haha) so I just decided to do it again today! Man, that was a hardcore hour!

Anyway, so I recall a conversation I had with Josh a few days ago as I was exercising and listening to some upbeat music.. haha. He was saying how p90x doesnt work unless you follow it RELIGIOUSLY. I laughed at first, and then I started to question whether we do anything religiously...I dont know, man, but it feels absurd to have to follow anything in this world religiously other than Jesus. Do we even take our faith religiously, or is it just something that we do now? I mean, where do I place God in my life as of this very minute? Am I following Christ every day RELIGIOUSLY?

--amy.

If you're reading this, then you would also have noticed our blog's new look! SWEEET! :D

P.U.S.H.

Pray until something happens.

I was reading a book a few weeks ago and it talked about prayer. A lot of times we pray for ourselves, but we wont fully understand prayer until we do it right. Prayer isnt for you to ask for things, but a conversation with God. It's about Him, and not you. Then the book said something about praying FOR God. Never thought of that, eh. We usually ask each other how we're doing and how we can pray for each other.. but have you ever prayed for God? It makes perfect sense though...If we treat God as our Friend, why dont we ask Him how HE feels about stuff that's been happening? I'm not sure if i make sense, but i hope you see my point.

Anyway, I've been wondering if I'm trying to take matters into my own hands by being overly active in job seeking. HAHA. but regardless... IN HIS TIME, things shall unfold.

I think God's so funny lately. I see His work in me and those around me.. and sometimes it just makes me smile/laugh at how creative He can be at revealing His will to me. :) Praise God!

love,

--amy.

Fairweather followers

So this morning, I found myself sitting in a car waiting to do my G2 test (again). I was freakishly nervous. I'm talking like, I STILL have a stomach ache from the nervous feeling in my gut. It was horrible. So I'm trying to take my mind off the test, and I noticed that I randomly started (silently) singing worship tunes in my head. Huh. Okay, so that's kinda comforting. But the nervous feeling isn't going away, so I began to hum. Which is totally weird because I never hum. Then soon enough, I find myself full out singing in my car. I still can't believe i did that.

Anyway, towards the end of my little musical act, I began to realize that I've really been taking God for granted. It's so easy to pray and seek His comfort when I'm in need and to praise Him when good things happen. But other than that, this past month or so, it's been a one-way relationship. I've been focusing a lot on me. Why is my life going in this direction, what am I supposed to do, what's in it for me...etc. I really need to get back into the mindset that a relationship with God works both ways. Not only what He does for me, but what I can do for Him. It almost felt...unfair that I neglected God for so long, but right when I needed Him, He was there for me.

So this got me thinking about something that I learned at Sunday sermon a few months ago. In Matthew 21:6, when Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem, the crowds shout "Hosanna!" at his presence. However, in Matthew 27:22, those same crowds disown him by shouting "Crucify him!" when Pilate asks who the crowds want him to release. This is an example of how easily we praise and disown God. One minute, we're praising God for the good blessings in our life. But once the going gets tough and we face a challenge, it's so easy to turn our back on God.

(8) "...I know I'm unworthy to call upon Your name"?
Oh definitely.

God of this City

So i'm back from my hk trip! YEAH! :D

I've been meaning to blog for a long, long time now, but i never got around to doing so.

I think the most important lesson that I learned from the past 4 weeks was that God is not only the God of Toronto, of Canada, but of every single place on the Earth. I guess I've never thought of HK people (or Asians, i guess?) to be very "Christian" since there's so many other gods out there...And cause Chinese people are very... superstitious? But I went to church with my Aunt one week and I realized how dedicated the Christians were there.. Praising God together in one voice, in unity... It was just a really eye opening experience. And there's actually a lot of church around! I guess it just seemed kinda sketchy cause they're all in buildings, so it'd be kinda werid to just walk in a random building and go up like ten floors.. haha.

Anyway, i'm back for good! for the next 3 months, anyway. :) Get used to me!

love,

--amy.

Judging Books

Tonight was actually pretty awesome. My family went to Victoria's and Angela's (hopefully you still remember them) church and heard someone say their testimony and adventures but this someone isn't just somebody, this is the Miss Hong Kong Pageant Winner of 1975, Mary Pandora Cheung.(but get this, she is the sister in law for Bruce Lee. I didn't believe this when i heard of it either.) So when I entered their church, it was so different from our church since there were soft chairs instead of pews and the sanctuary was pretty small compared to ours. It was a really big slap in the face for me.

When her testimony started, it was really straightforward about how she came to God and how she accepted God. The most touching part of that was the part when she talked about how her son went to school, said goodbye to his father and came back at 6 pm to start dinner but as he called his father, he didn't respond because he already passed away while he was asleep from watching tennis and he had to call his mom back from Beijing since this happened. Another thing about her is that she hated her parents when they were young because she was an orphan and she abhorred both mother's day and father's day. She soon found out where her mom was but in Taiwan and by that time, she forgave her for leaving her as a child which was also quite touching as well. Who knew a successful woman like her could have such a somber past? I seriously didn't.

-Billy

Two truths and a lie

Two truths and a lie about university:

1. It is almost impossible to keep your scholarship
   
2. You will face more challenges about your faith now than in high school
   
3. You can't run away from math

Well, it's difficult to keep your scholarship, but it's definitely do-able; therefore, it's not impossible. Unfortunately, I didn't believe people when they told me I couldn't run away from math- so that's no lie. So that leaves #2 as a truth. I kept hearing people say that in university, there would be many more challenges to and about your faith. I didn't believe that there could be THAT much, but as you can (hopefully) see from my previous blogs, I ran into more challenges than I would've originally thought.

It took some getting used to...knowing what to say when people asked me about my faith and when they had questions. I think that kept me going because in a way, I felt as though I NEEDED to know the basics and facts of the Bible in order to answer people validly. Situation wise, I'm still trying to find a good balance between doing what I know is right and not being a hermit. Just a vague summary because I don't wanna ramble like I tend to do: ohh my goodness, all of this really gave me some spiritual awakening. I'm used to being in a Christian-y environment with the majority of people that I know as Christians. University? Not so much so. At all. One of the things I struggled with most was being a Christian and trying to gently outreach, but not being one of "those Christians that shove religion down your throat" as many people have said to me. I feel like this year was a stepping stone for me. When given the opportunity, I usually took it and tried to mention my faith to people. It was small, and in the end, I felt like it didn't do much, but I do feel like it prepared me for doing more. This is just a beginning.

On another note, I was walking along the Rideau Canal the other day during sunset. It was so lovely. At one point where I reached a wider stretch where you could see the sun setting along the skyline, I just stopped and paused to look at the beauty. I looked around, and there were trees abloom and ducks and groundhogs and stuff. It was so peaceful and wonderful just to notice God's creation. I'm not quite sure what I was feeling- it was kind of like, I took notice of the little intricate things of His creation, and it made me remember that I'm a part of His plan and that I'm not just going on aimlessly. The past two weeks have been insane. I've been trying to decide whether or not to stay in Ottawa for the summer because of jobs that I potentially got. I had almost no time to decide before moving out of rez. I had to find someone to move me out and where to move. In the end, I kept praying for guidance and a clear sign- that I've been trying to take all this into my hands, but I couldn't do anything else so I wanted to give my worries to God. It's just been really eye-opening to me. I felt like for a while now, it's been one-sided. With me just asking and expecting to receive, but at the same time, I still wanted control of my life. I'm not proud that it takes desperate situations for me to come to a realization, but better late and occassionally than never, I suppose. That's kind of the feeling and cycle that I got throughout the year. Wanting control; letting go; asking and expecting an answer...stuff like that.

This year has just been so amazing in all I've experienced and despite my struggles, I think that as a whole, I became closer to God. My experiences weren't as mundane and sure, I got into some trouble, but the harder I fell, the closer I wanted to get to God again. I'm thankful and I love God for walking with me through this year.

Amazed

Lalala, so I thought I should blog since I don't want to study for exams. :)

Today, I woke up at 6:45 to do some last minute studying for my 9am exam. I was making breakfast and texting my friends to wake them up so that they can do some last minute cramming too. So while doing this, I looked around, looked outside.. just to absorb the day. There was a bird chirping and it got a tad bit annoying. But then I realized, Wow. I'm not exactly sure what I felt, but it was just an amazing feeling. I was studying for biology, and everytime I learn something new, I just really appreciate God's creativity more and more. We take everything that we see and know for granted, when all of creation is truly screaming "YO, GOD IS AMAZING."

As I was walking to the exam, this song was playing over and over in my head: Amazed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQAPMRpNoe8

After my exam, I also got a chance to talk to a friend about how God's been faithful every step of the way during this first year of university. I think during these past 8 months, I've truly experienced all the ups and downs that a person can experience...The craziness, the anxiousness, the fatigue, the joy, the pain, the loneliness, the thrill, the temptations...but most of all, God's grace. Honestly, I'm not sure how I would have coped without God's presence in His Spirit and through the brothers and sisters that I've met here. Would I have grown in the same way if I'd stayed at home? Or maybe it's just the fact that I need to make a conscious decision daily to live Christ out and be a witness, instead of assuming that everyone else already knows me as Christian.

Anyway, I'll let my words be few. :)

--Amy

All for His Glory?

I was in my friend's room the other day, and we were talking how they were going to go to Sunday service for Palm Sunday (they're Catholic but don't go to church). Eventually we got into the discussion about the differences between protestants and catholics. Catholic bible had more books, they have a Pope, priests vs. pastors, etc. After a while, one guy in the room was just like "whatever, who cares about the differences- we're all worshiping the same God anyway". We all just responded with an unsure "yeaaaaah..." kind of thing.

This got me wondering about denominations and different religions. I know I've asked this before, but it does still make me wonder if different religions are just severe denominations. Like...if you REALLY think about it, the Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and even the Islamic God are the same...in origin anyway. Everyone at least has the Old Testament in common. The very major differences come within the New Testament. I know that I'm Christian and the difference is that we're supposed to acknowledge and accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour. But I can't help but to wonder what all of this is for other religions (or denominations). I found it interesting how Islam scripture says that all who worship the same god (Muslims, Jews, and Christians alike) will be saved in the end. It's so easy to just write off everyone else sometimes because I know what the answer should be- sometimes I kind of wish I didn't have this Christian bias at hand. No, I'm not questioning my faith- I'm just not good at balancing academics and personal belief.

I don't really have a point. Just some food for thought.

We are God's Original Masterpiece

God. It's more than just a name, more than just a saying, more than just a bad habit. It's the Name above all names.

It's march break. i know you have 8 minutes and 50 seconds. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyOIBnExlrw

So i got this link off of a friend of mine that i met from fellowship at waterloo. I really spoke to me. I hope you get it too. Comment away! :D

--Amy.

TC2010 Jr.

So I decided to blog after T.C. which was just an hour ago and this makes me feel like a critic but this year's T.C. wasn't as good to many people that did it last year. The problems about this TC was that there wasn't really a plot this year and many people were put in teams that aren't in the same church so there was a lot of shyness among the gr. 8's. The gr. 8s, because of this, were "out" or never began with spirit. But there were obviously benefits for this TC such as the food(which got better), the bible studies(learning even more about God than last year), the workshops(more interesting and not boring), and especially the worship service which had very new songs to learn. The rest of the TC was almost the same as last year's TC. Overall, I give this year's TC a "7." Pretty harsh right? Well, the best part to me was the bible study which was the hardest to understand but got the point of the passages. As I say when I do puzzles, "The most difficult things are unusually the most fun."

Billy L. :P
Didn't blog for 5 months till now

This is too much thinking for this late at night.

So I'm sitting here trying to brainstorm an outline for my anthropology essay comparing religions of the world. I'm comparing Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. I decided that one thing I could *easily* compare was the different styles of prayer. So I start my outline, and I'm thinking..."okay, Hinduism and Buddhism use images, etc; Muslims pray five times a day and have a set list of what to pray for; and Christianity....and Christianity..."

How do we pray? I could write that we pray before bedtime, we pray before meals, and that we pray on Sundays. I could write that we pray to give praise and ask for things. I could write that we pray because the Bible says so and that it's what we're taught "to develop a relationship with God". Since I started university, I've taken courses on almost all the major religions of the world- except Christianity. So now it's kind of funny to see the irony in all this. I can give you textbook answers about all the other religions. We're even taught about how people of those faiths feel about praying. So what am I supposed to do now? I could give a Sunday School answer on Christianity and regurgitate how we're supposed to feel about praying...but it feels really fake. I'm actually really glad that I've had the opportunity to learn about other religions because it has helped me reflect on my own faith.

Excuse me while I think aloud:

• Why is it such a chore sometimes for me to pray?
  
• Do I ask for too much? What happened to that 'praise' component of prayer?
  
• Prayer's supposed to bring one closer to the holy being- how is my relationship with God?
  
• Do I believe in prayer? Why do I pray? What is prayer to me?

I mean, we've been taught about prayer 2894723 times, but what does that REALLY mean to us? I hope all this makes sense. Basically, I know what the answer is on paper (and I'd probably need to write that since it's "academically unbiased" and stuff), but I WANT to know the biased (Christian) answer. So yeah- just some things to think about.

Also:
I was talking to my friend the other day- it was a pretty deep and heartfelt conversation. She's a person who believes in God, used to go to church, but has some doubts in Christians due to past experiences. She doesn't know if she should have the right to call herself "Christian". So all the time I was talking to her, I kept saying things like "oh yeah, maybe you should go to fellowship with someone else...maybe Sunday service would be good for you" etc. Then after a while, she was telling me about her Christian friend and how she felt encouraged and cared for just because he said "I'll pray for you". Honestly, that kind of made me feel shameful because it's so easy to say those 4 words, but I always think like...I don't want to be *that* kind of a Christian that intimidates people with my Christian-ness...it'd be awkward...etc. But yeah- it actually does help. And that's what the power of prayer can do.

You know what? I'm on a roll. I've actually been meaning to blog for a while.
So one of the things that I'm lent-ing is that I've been reading the Bible everyday for at least 10 minutes. Yeah, that's not a lot of time at all, but it's 10 more minutes than I've been doing for the past few years. Even then, I usually don't go past 15 minutes. I do hope I can keep this up because sometimes I'd pause and go "oh yeah- I forgot God did that! Wow, He's so amazing". Goood stuff.
On the other hand, I have another thing for lent going on. We'll keep it vague enough by saying that it was to give up something I shouldn't be doing, but is very hard to avoid in university. One of my "coping mechanisms" is by deeply thinking about what lent means and what it would mean if I "break it". I'm just gonna leave it at that. Bottom line- lenting this is harder than I thought I would be.

Sorry for the essay- I talk a lot when I'm stressed and pensive.

the book of eli

Hello :)

I'm not sure if any of you wanted the movie "the book of eli", but it's pretty much about this guy protecting this special book. The setting is.. i think 2030? or sometime in the future. It's basically how the world was all messed up and there was this bomb.. i think... and then a lot of people died, but those that survived have to wear sunglasses at night cause the sun's too bright or something. i think it's because the bomb exploded and it gave off a lot of light.. so their eyes are screwed now. haha, anyway, so there this other guy who's trying to look for THE book that eli has. He believes that will save him and it'll give order to the ruined world, and if he gets his hands on this book, everything will be okay. So he kills and battles and does everything he can do get it.

So guess what, the book is the bible! Pretty easy guess, eh. hahah, but yeah, throughout the movie, i was just thinking of how i view the bible. Is it something that you'd risk your life saving? Do you believe the power that it has? Or do you just leave it somewhere in your room and never bother to read it? What if you never got to read it anymore?

I think that's enough questions for now. If you have a chance.. go see the movie! haha, honestly, it was a crappy movie, but the message was.. good, i guess :)

--amy.

Reading the Great book

So ya im busy watching the Olympic torch run right now for all who is watching as well. Just watching 30 mins until the beginning of the Olympics got me thinking I should blog, since i didnt do that for a while now.

Anyways, i just wanted to talk about the Bible right now. For many ACI students, u should no that almost everyday we have a 20 min period called DEAR(Drop everything and read), which i assume all of u just sleep or read some sort of nonsense. However, during that time period, i actually read the Bible, which was perfect cuz it's a very quiet time and u have 20 mins to actually read something. This shows y my Bible is pretty dirty in the pages cuz i read it during DEAR for about almost half a year. DEAR is sort of like my daily devotion period since im pretty much busy for the rest of the day.

Anyways, thats not the point. I just wanted to discuss the Bible today. At first, when i decided to read the Bible from scratch to finish (yes im pretty hardcore tryin to read the whole thing and tryin to understand it), i thought it will be pretty boring cuz many ppl say its boring. Actually when i began reading it, it wasnt actually bad and it was pretty interesting cuz in the beginning of the Bible, it was all narratives. At first i just read it for the sake of my boredom during DEAR. However as i started reading, it was pretty amazing. I realize just how amazing and great God is. Other that performing miracles, he punished ppl including the Israelites like a Father when they dont respect him. It changed my view of the Bible from a boring book to a great worthwhile book to read with many things to learn.

Just wanted to encourage u guys to read the Bible more often. It may not be as boring as u think :) and its very good to learn about God's word. Im reading Proverbs right now, try to catch up :)

More later
Al
(P.S. for the fellowship, i still didnt get any Samuel fellowship emails since Jan. 7. So make sure u include my email in the weekly reminder)

Spiritual Disipline

Wow. So i'm at a loss for words, but i have so much to say.

So starting with my main point. So i was in the shower the other day, and the verse comparing physical training and spiritual training popped into my head. It goes something like this: ⁸For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.1Tim 4:8 (i'm not sure if this is what i was looking for, but the meaning's there.) And i thought of LAST year, when we made SMART goals as a fellowship. I remember mine was to exercise at least twice a week. HAHA. then sometime in June Tina sent out an email to remind us of our goals. I just brushed it off, and forgot about it. But this year i actually started doing something. I've been going to the gym in the morning before my classes with one of my friends every mon/wed/fri and usually saturday as well. Anyway, this is beside the point. So back to the Bible verse. And i was thinking, wow, i'm actually doing SOMETHING and you can kindaaaa see results. haha. And on top of that, i feel so energized and such after i started exercising more. And now i'm like... wow, what if i was this disciplined in reading the Bible daily. It's not just reading the bible, but actually getting down and studying it like it's as HARDCORE as a physical workout. To a point that it's making a significant difference in your life, and it actually takes effort to do it, not just skimming over it. I really hope i can do that. Anyone up for the challenge with me? :):)

OKAY, second point (of many). So CCF has actually been quite hardcore as well. everyweek, they would have a 'question of the week' at the end of each program. The last one was about this dude talking about his faith. He started saying that in order to out reach, we gotta know our own faith and stuff, and answer the questions like 'WHY ARE YOU CHRISTIAN.' then he goes on to talk about how often he gets asked that question by non-christians, and how he tries to explain it. Then he challenged us, to really reflect and think about the MORE important question. "ARE you christian?" I think that's really hard to say. Is there some sort of checklist that makes us christian? Like Anthony's favorite verse, "²¹"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' ²³Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" Matt7: 21-23. How do you reply to that?

more thoughts:

So i've been quite busy this past week. now that i think about it, i'm a little ashamed of how i've treated this guy that wanted to talk to me. He was saying how he's been having a tough week, 'caught in sin' and 'waiting for God to find him again' kinda thing. At that moment, I think i was just too caught up with myself that i was insensitive to his feelings and kinda just said.. "oh.. well, at least you know that God is there all the time, and everythign will be okay". But really.. when you're upset, how is that gonna help? He needed something more and i didnt give it to him. I'm just feeling.. a little disappointed in myself, i guess. Another thing to work on.

i'll leave for now :) haha, but if you have time, have a listen. it's been on my heart this past week. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nd9QgNao5M REIGN IN US.

love,

--amy. (sorry for the long long post.)

Never Let Go

So i just came back from church. :) Today i learned a new worship song. And i thought it was just so fitting to how i was feeling today. I'm not quite sure why i feel this way, it's not like i'm in an uncomfortable situation or anything right now, but the lyrics of these songs just really comforted me. :) Perhaps there's something deep inside me that i dont even know. haha. Hope you get the same feeling as i do from hearing this. "And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life, I wont turn back, I know You are near." Whatever you're doing now, dont forget that!

I won’t turn back
I know You are near

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

Praise God. :)

-amy.

OH NO YOU NEVER LET GO. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuVQWhCAu4A

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back
I know You are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth

Chorus:

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

Waiting on letting go

Hello, it's been a while.

My quest to find a church in Ottawa has ended. I have (for a lack of a better word) 'settled' on the Chinese Christian Church of Ottawa (aka. CCCO- aka. T3C's partner church without the better acronym). I gotta say, it was such a hard process with listing pros and cons- which church had the best location? Which congregation felt the most welcoming? Which message did I feel was best delivered? This went on for months until I got a reminder from a sermon last week- to serve God wholeheartedly- trust Him, even when it seems hard to let go of our own directions and intentions.

So I said to myself last week that I give up. Obviously trying to find a systematic way to decide on a church wasn't working, so I was gonna leave it to God to direct me. I must admit that I haven't been too diligent in the past with leaving my matters to Him, so I didn't really know what to expect or how to listen for direction. So I just prayed. I prayed that when time comes for Him to reveal His plan, that I may have an open heart and diligently follow- even if my own apprehensions were present.

Today, I went to a different church from last week. I had it in my mind that my decision was going to be between the two, so I found myself taking note of different aspects for comparison. I had to keep reminding myself to wait and because God knows what's best- it's not up to me. And wouldn't ya know it, today's sermon was about waiting for God. Bottom line- God doesn't lead us around obstacles, but He walks with us through them. 'Waiting' & 'letting go'- seemed like two concepts that worked well together. Knowing this, it was easier to accept that things couldn't be rushed if it wasn't in God's plan yet.

Long story short, after service, Sunday school, and some bonding over lunch, I just kinda looked around and said "this is where I'm supposed to be". It was as simple as that. All I had to do was let go of the situation and let God open my eyes. Looks like I didn't just get a place to go to church- I got an experience. A wait worth waiting, I'd say.

P.S. I met these people just today and we did lunch. I've known you guys for HOW long?? Our first outting was only a few weeks ago! Reading week. You. Me. Outting. Yeah? Good.
:)