Taking a Risk

Hello everyone!  This summer I had the opportunity to work at Beulah Youth Institute church camp.  This camp is very special to me and has has played a huge part in my faith journey.  This year the theme was UNBOUND.  We talked about becoming unbound from our sin and bound to God.  It was a real moving experience. One thing I took from that week was to take risks for Christ.
People are always saying they'd rather be safe than sorry...well...I'm here to tell you that if you play it safe, you WILL be sorry.  I am not saying go stand in traffic or try to fly, but don't be afraid to take a risk for God. I recently took a risk and so far it has paid off ten fold.
Ever since I graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, I have been trying to find a job as a teacher.  I never was given an interview, not even a phone call or email.  I was forced to move back home to Fairview until I could find work.  Upon moving home, I applied to a few more schools, still hearing nothing.  One morning I woke up to a phone call from Spoon River Valley asking me if I would be willing to take an aide position in order to get my feet wet. I told them I would take as long as I didn't get an offer anywhere else. So while I am waiting to hear from other schools that I applied to, I returned to my home church in Maquon and upon arrival I was given the opportunity to help lead the youth group and bring back devotions and help strengthen each child's walk with Christ.  By the end of the week I was also asked to become the new Parish Camp Coordinator.  This was too good to be true. But what should I do if I get offered a teaching job?
I took some time to pray and think about what my options were.  I could either: A) Keep the aide job and work in my church with the youth and live with my grandparents and hopefully next year I will have a real teaching job. or B) I could take a job at a school and move away and start anew.  Needless to say I was choosing between money and God.  This should have been an easy decision...but unfortunately it was not.
I chose to keep the aide position and work at the church whether I was offered a teaching job or not.  I decided to take a risk and hope that in this year if I can make a difference in the lives of the youth and that maybe next year God will bless me with a teaching job. 
God calls us to not be of the world.  We are constantly forgetting that when we die, the money we made, the things we bought, the people we met, and the deeds we did will not matter.  It is only through our love and devotion to Christ that matters in the end.
Since making this decision, God has shown me that I made the right choice by giving me resources for the youth group and showing me what need there is for me to make a difference.  I have been given great responsibility in my church to show what kind of a leader I have become.  I have also heard back from the other school, I did not get any interviews.
Sometimes the things we want are not part of God's plan. Or that something we want won't be given to us until God sees it time.  I took a risk in choosing God over my career. I can already see the outcome and how blessed I am and will be in the future.
Thank you for reading this blog. If you have something to share please leave me a comment, I would love to hear from my readers. Don't forget to spread the Jesus!
GOD BLESS!!!

It's the Climb!!

Hey, it has been a long time since I wrote about a God moment.  I have had so many since my last post.  I am going to try and get some of them posted later but first I want to talk about a recent one that got me thinking about a lot of things.
I have been really sick for the past month and a half.  Over the past weekend I went to the ER for a lot of vomiting and dehydration.  While I laid there on a bed that would make gravel feel comfortable with an IV in my arm, I couldn't help be feel like I was dying (extreme I know, but take into consideration its me).  I began to tear up cause I was afraid of never being healthy again.  I used to have so many goals in life. Some goals were big, some small, some practical, and some ridiculous, but all seemed unattainable.
After coming home from the hospital and going to the doctor the next day to get blood tests and to get new medication, I realized that what was going on in the hospital room was God pinning me to that table and telling me to WAKE UP!!!
You see, I'm not perfect.  I have done many stupid things in my 22 years of living. Even though I will more than likely do stupid things in the future, I have decided to make sure these stupid things will no longer affect my health and well-being. Yes mom, you may want to print that and put it on the fridge as evidence.
I like the song The Climb, and I feel it expresses my feelings exactly! Read the lyrics below and think of what mountains you have in your life that you need to climb, and remember that God is always going to be there do it.  Thanks for reading my blog and don't forget to spread the Jesus!

GOD BLESS!

I can almost see it.
That dream I'm dreaming, but
There's a voice inside my head saying
You'll never reach it
Every step I'm takin'
Every move I make
Feels lost with no direction,
My faith is shakin'
But I gotta keep tryin'
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down, but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it, but
These are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most
I've just gotta keep goin', and
I gotta be strong
Just keep pushing on