purpose

Back on the bandwagon???

2010-01-26T19:40:00.000-08:00

Well blogging world, I got on the bandwagon and it seems I promptly fell off again....makes you wonder if I can keep it up? well they DO say third time is a charm, or three strikes your out, one way or another I am giving this another shot, and look a facelift to go with it!!!!
A new facelift is not ALL that is going on in world however, I GOT A JOB!!!!!! yes its true I am dutifully employed!!most of you have probably already followed the adventure but in case you have not, January 5th I got a call from North Carolina asking me if I was available to do a phone interview January 8th..of course!! The interview went well and before we hung up the phone they were asking me to come down to see the school district and interview in person! phew
God is AMAZING and he has walked beside me in a huge way through all of this. It was through his guidance, and through his hand I was blessed with many people willing to help me to get down there. I left on Wednesday, stayed in Detroit that night, drove to Virginia Beach Thursday and stayed with friends of friends who opened there house and there hearts to me in such a huge way they were just a major blessing. The interview was Friday January 15th. I arrived at 10am and left at 4:30pm. Long and short, it went WELL!! Upon returning I found there were some issues with my licensing and was worried it was not going to be possible for me to take the job. After many phone calls, all I could do was wait and see what God had in store.
Last night I found out I got the job=) Hurray!!!! I will be packing up and leaving Michigan this Sunday January 31st. I move in Monday, and start work Wednesday February 3rd!! WOW!!LOTS to do before then but I just feel Gods hand so strongly!!
I feel like this is a huge opportunity for me to start my life for real. I can finally get settled and focus on the things in my life I need to focus on, health, finances, and gaining professionalism in the teaching field!! I have so much more to say about this but I will catch you all up on that in the days to come! for now, that is what is going on!
I will be working in Ahoskie, NC. It is small, similar to Chelsea Michigan for those of you IN Michigan. The city is nice it has a Walmart, Piggly Wiggly (yes I know I LOVE IT!!) Rite Aid, and another grocery store. The population is about 4,300. I will be working at three schools, Primary pre-K-3rd, Elementary 4th-6th, and high school 10th-12th grade. The schools have about 85% student population that is on financial assistance living at or below the poverty level. It is a community of need and I think it is ABSOLUTELY perfect for me.
So I am going to leave you with all of this for now, I PROMISE to post more often as this adventure takes off. I hope the new year has brought you many Blessings as well, don’t stop believing in His powers!!!!!!

Dear Blog.

2009-12-15T16:55:00.000-08:00

Dear Blog,
Hi. Remember me? I KNOW, and I am so sorry=( Life caught up with me the past few months and threw a few loops in my line. I am sorry for neglecting you, and I hope you will forgive me. I promise life will settle down soon, and I will be better about updating you from here on out. Thanks for not giving up on me completely!! Let's talk soon!

Sincerely,

J

Hey Blog readers, if any of you are still out there! It HAS been a long time and life has given me some loops this fall. I am getting through the loops as best I can right now and holding even tighter to the strength My God has and has shown to me.

After moving around in the last few weeks a lot, I finally landed for a few weeks with the Luecks. Dr. Bob is the pastor at my parent’s church up here and they have graciously taken me in until the end of the months when I can finally have the same roof over my head for 5 months. Moving around was tough but I had a roof over my head, and food on my table and there are many who have nothing NOTHING this time of year and so I am greatful for all the bountiful things God has given to me.

Quimby found her way to a very good temporary home here in Petoskey, and to make the world small, the couple who took her for me lived next door to me in Mt. Pleasant in the same building. THEY ARE AWESOME and again, I am just so greatful for God's prevision there. Quimby really adjusted well, she has been sleeping with them since day one. I won’t call her a traitor, we'll tack it up as stress=) I'm glad she is good! They went away a few weeks ago and I got to go and stay with her for the weekend, she didn’t leave my side and I loved it!

I am nannying three days a week and NOT getting sub calls, but I know God has a plan there too, so I hold on to what I know, He is in charge. I did applications ALL DAY today so I hope I will hear something soon!

Because of jobs and moves, I am staying in Petoskey for the holiday and will not be with my family. But I will have wonderful people to share the holidays with and had several invites from very good friends in Mt Pleasant so I know I was not going to be alone. Still it’s hard to be away from family!!!

That's the update for now!! I will be better about posting from here on out, life was a rocky boat for a while, but I am staying strong and waiting for the line to straighten up again!! Hope you all are well this holiday, and staying stress free. Be back with you soon!!Blessings to you all!!

Julie

Humbled before Him

2009-10-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

I am constantly reminded of the unfailing grace and redeeming love of Christ. Today I went to Walloon Lake Community Church for the SECOND time (I just found the church two a week ago). The sermon was great. Toward the end of the sermon the Pastor talked about being a lukewarm Christian, something I have also been reading about it Crazy Love and thinking about a lot.

During the final closing prayer, the Pastor asked for those who felt they were living their lives as lukewarm Christians and wanted to change their relationship with God to stand and be humbled before Him.

I stood up.

I was surprised and humbled before the Lord and a congregation I did not know, but felt moved in my heart to choose to make this part of my struggle with my relationship with God recognized today. Our God is a TRULY awesome God.

After the sermon a woman sitting behind me asked to pray with me invited me to coffee and encouraged me to keep in touch so she could help me get involved in the church. I am forever touched by God’s unfailing love.

This is only my second time attending this church and I NEEDED this.

God is great and His unfailing love will abound forever!

Timing

2009-10-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Absence makes the heart grow founder. Sorry I have been away. I had a friend come up then headed out of town and was away from a computer. Alas it is almost the middle of October already.

Good things come from the scampering of time. Last weekend I was in Mt. Pleasant. I attended MPCC, spent time with my church family and friends, and saw an extremely talented guitarist by the name of Phil Keaggy. How does this trip relate to the scampering of time?

With the guidance and direction of His Spirit, and the passing of the last few weeks, I have realized this is going to be the last of SEVERAL trips to Mt. Pleasant and MPCC. It is time to find a new church home and a new church family.

I have a hard time letting go of things that are familiar and comfortable for me. MPCC was a home and a family I was comfortable with. Through the pastoral staff and wonderful congregation there I was able to jump right in and truly find myself and my strengths in giving and serving the Lord. So much of who I have become and the strengths I have gain in my relationship with the Lord I owe to being a member of this amazing church family. SO it is no surprise that it has taken me so long to make the decision that I need to find a new church home.

This week, I truly felt God moving in my heart, encouraging me to find a new church home and use the Spiritual gifts and connections to God I made at MPCC. So that is where I am right now. Totally at peace with the decision, none the less grateful for all that MPCC gave to me and the closeness it brought me to my Father through love and encouragement.

"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 hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

weary

2009-09-26T04:10:00.000-07:00

Well it's 7:00. I wanted to wake up at 7:30 to get on the road and woke up instead at 5:30!!

I haven't done a lot of trying to understand spiritual warfare, but I think I need to try and understand it better because fear is getting the better of my heart right now and I really believe that there is some spiritual warfare going on in my life.

That's all I am going to share right now, I am not sure I really understand it but I am trying to work through it. I know that God is here with me even now as I struggle through this, and I know that with Him I can understand. I believe this with all my heart that is His!!!!!!

Please keep it in your prayers.

Marvel at His splendor

2009-09-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

I started Crazy Love today and after finishing the first chapter, spent the rest of the day thinking about one of the discussion questions: How can we possibly begin to understand how to love a God that is so awesome and Creates so awesomely?

I went out tonight and sat under the stars on a blanket on the field outside of my house. (SIDE NOTE: If any of you have been following the saga of my house-sitting for my parents you are aware this was a step in itself.) Sitting under the stars looking up and the universe, the grass, the trees and eventually hearing the cyot’s (causing me to decide God was great but Cyot attacks were not so much) I realized perhaps one of the first steps was to pay better attention to His creation. And I know I have talked about it a lot here, but again I realized tonight also to put our everything in His hands. Maybe by doing this we can understand how to begin loving Him as He is truly meant to be loved.

One thing I know for certain, loving Him is something we all will do differently. He already knows this because He already knows our lives. Loving Him is not just church, prayer, and being a good Christian. There is so much more that I am only beginning to understand.

Waiting and breathing

2009-09-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like sometimes you forget to breathe? Sometimes waiting makes me feel like I have forgotten to. I’m trying really hard right now but things just feel so slow and the time seems to crawl and the slower it crawls the more I seem to be forgetting to breath. I know the answer is time with God. I’m trying; I know He knows that too.

I had a few good moves in my life however, involving re-committing my life to Christ and the need to free myself from my independence. (Yes I just finished The Shack again, and I like this usage.)

I have been really thinking about how to re-commit my life to Christ. For the longest time I thought that meant being re-baptized in the church. I was a baby when originally baptized, I don’t remember the original ceremony, and I didn’t really understand what it meant to commit myself to God at the time I was baptized into the church when I was three.

After thinking it through however I realized (maybe with a little help=)) God had a reason for me to be baptized when he did. I may not have had a choice then, but he knew when I was baptized what I was going to do with it and how I was going to commit my life to him. Maybe now my recommitment to Him is just by me showing Him through my actions and maybe it is meant to be just between us. This was a big internal conversation for me for a long time, but I am at peace with the idea that this is how God intended it, and I believe this to truly be true.

Freeing myself from my independence is also something I have really been thinking about since finishing The Shack a second time. I KNOW it is not theology as the church would present it, or perhaps as God intended it, but it does make you think just a little. Maybe it really isn’t until we have given up our own free will to Him, that we can TRULY understand God and have Him in our heart as He intends us to.

I watched some Amazing people this summer bless so many around them with their words, prayers and presence while in the Dominican Republic. I know they have truly given their hearts to Jesus and I want so badly to be able to share God’s heart and my heart in this way also. But I am slowly beginning to realize that means I have to give more to Him than I have, and I don’t know how to do that yet. I want so badly to be worthy of Him in so much many ways more than I am now!!!!! Ever Striving……………………

Settling into the unsettled

2009-09-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

God does not want me to find this place I am in now unsettling. I believe this with all of my heart. But I think He has given a little to allow ME to settle in on my own. I believe even here He has a plan, because not unlike the surroundings, I am unsettled in my heart as well. God Has shown so many times His way and I know He is walking with me now through the mist of unsettledness that is my life and my heart.

Yesterday I realized one of the biggest steps I have made in adjusting now is being active and remembering to live because God does not want us to simply stop completely. To be still yes, and listen, but to stop completely no. So I have been staying active and filling my days with time for Him, time for to do lists, and time for me to reflect with Him, and that seems to be helping settle things slowly. Life keeps moving, and I move with Him.

cleanse me oh Lord.....

2009-09-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

This week at MPCC the sermon was about community and the need the Church has for creating the right type of community, including smaller groups of community much like Jesus had with his disciples.

I am SO thankful for the community, big and small that MPCC gave to me during my time there. It is because of this community that I am beginning this week fresh and new with a new outlook and a new approach to my life in God.

After being prayerful for several days about the things that weighted heavy on my mind from the summer, I was given the gift of time with a good friend and several cups of green tea to talk through it. God allowed me to trust and share things that I have not have the opportunity to share, and I am so blessed by this.

It has also brought me to an interesting crossroad of realization that I am going to be in Mt Pleasant for the next few weeks moving then for 6 weeks for my class, and that is not allowing me to find a community and church home here. I need to be prayerful about this and ask that you would pray as well, to help me find direction with this. Thanks!!

So much more to share but for now I leave you with this, and my heart, open and waiting for God's love and guidance!!

Hello

2009-09-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

Hello!!
I'm down in Mt Pleasant right now finishing up packing my apartment and visiting with freinds. It's nice to be with freinds for a few days!!

I took off my 101 things in 1001 days becuase I am going to work on it more and finish the list with more thought before posting it as a post. Just thought I would let you know!!! And thank you Heather for the idea to do this, I am excited about the motivation I hope it will give me!!

Not much else for the weekend, I'll be back Monday for sure!!!

letting go of what you thought was important

2009-09-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

Not much to report from this end of the mitt. I am still trying to get used to God's peacefulness, and remembering to love and trust in Him. I know in my heart He is here but I still find the need for constant reminding of His steadfast love even here, slowly working on it.

I am also trying to let go of unresolved hurts while I am here spending time reflecting on the past year. There are several encounters from the summer that have left my heart heavy, how does God's love in others works sometimes? I think that God has given me some time to reflect and try letting go of what is not worth holding onto, as difficult as it might be. So that has been a lot of my last two days, trying to figure out how to let things I thought were important go. That's where I am for now.

Ever present

2009-09-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

God is ever present! This is what I have come to realize in the peace and serenity and seclusion of this place. Last night turkeys trampled across the yard and deer wandered aimlessly nibbling and walking. They were not fearful but simply going about their day.

I am beginning to enjoy the sounds of the geese and the signs of nature God blesses me with each day. I actually think I will miss the geese when the time comes for them to go south.

Although I am not completely comfortable here, I am finding God here and finding peace in listening for his still small voice. I have had some good connection time with God each night and I am finding peace in his ever presence, slowly, but I know he is here!!!

Hope

2009-09-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

Last night I did my Bible study on the porch of the house overlooking the lake at dusk, what a beautiful night God gave me, filled with peace and stillness!!

The topic of the Psalm in my Bible study was hope-Psalms 130. One task was to write emotions and words associated with hope and hopelessness.

As I looked over the lists I made I realized how much better it is to feel hope. The first word I associate with hopelessness is Lost, to be lost is to be hopeless.

I don't think God wants us to be lost or feel hopelessness. The best example I can think of is the fact that God felt hope and not hopeless when he made the biggest sacrifice of all, allowing His Son to die on the cross. He did this with the hope that through this sacrifice he would bring all Him children back to Him. He gave us Hope through His hope and sacrifice never feeling hopeless Himself, and that rocks me to the core!!!!!!!!!

of God and sleep and other things.......

2009-09-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a strange and frustrating day but also a good one for me to use as a reminder that each day begins new with fresh starts. God has blessed me with so many things in my life and I feel selfish having to remind myself of this. But I think one of Gods greatest gifts is his patience with us as humans. Because he knows all of faults and accepts them, we are able to ask for forgiveness and begin again new. In His eyes all we need to do is ask for forgiveness. How awesome is that!

Psalms 63 and Romans 5:1-5

Christian Musicians Rock=)

2009-09-12T18:08:00.000-07:00

“I will not boost in anything. No gifts, no power, no wisdom. But I will boost in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection.” How Deep the Fathers Love for Us

I am not computer savvy. If I were, I would connect you with the music discussed in this blog directly, but since I am not I will just have to share why it is important to me and you will have to find them on i-tunes solo.

Please check out Selah’s new cd Deliver Me. Why? Selah is one of my favorite Christian bands, and I believe it is no coincidence my favorite song on the new album is also one I had never heard of until I spent a month with some of the most amazing and God Loving people I have had the pleasure to touch lives with.

The song of course is How Deep the Father’s Love for Us and Selah has one of the most beautiful versions I have found so please go check it out. I promise you will not be disappointed. Each time I listen to it it reminds me of the wonderful people I was touched by in the DR, and the most amazing sacrifice a Father could make, and made to give His Son’s life for me and each of those friends.

Thank you Sharon for sharing your beautiful voice with all of us in the DR as well and introducing me to this song initially. You and each of the interns has a special place in my heart, I love you all and miss you very much daily.

“Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer. But this I know with all my heart. His wounds have paid my ransom.”

The Beauty of cration

2009-09-12T05:58:00.000-07:00

“Then God commanded, “Let there be light" and light appeared. God was pleased with what he saw." Genesis 1:3

Peace can sometimes come with change. This morning I woke up at 7:30 am ready. Devotions and prayer on the porch of my house overlooking the lake with a beautiful fog rolling over it helped me realize I haven't felt at peace like that in a long time.

Today I spent time reflecting on Genesis and the beauty of creation.

Walloon Lake is my favorite place in the world to be. Deer run across the lawn in the middle of the day and woodpeckers make their daily work on the trees all around the house. The air is crisp and the water is beautiful. I don't take enough time to appreciate that, and I am glad today I did.

What is your favorite place in the world and how do you spend your time there?

God is good, this I know for sure!!!!!!!

2009-09-11T14:11:00.001-07:00

"When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me." You Raise Me Up, Josh Grobin

Greetings friends!!
I am writing because I wanted to update you on a decision I have made in my life!!

As many of you know, it has been a rough few months with a lot of ups and many more downs. I have been thinking about this a lot and reflecting on it.

I have been waiting for God to show me the path that He has for me and where He wants me to go. In the last few days I came to realize this was the wrong approach. So often Pastors and Ministers talk about listening for the still small voice. “Be still and know that I am God.”

God wasn’t waiting to show me what he wanted me to do or where He wanted me to go, God was waiting for me to sit still enough to listen.

I have not been doing that enough and now I realize I have to.

I am in the most beautiful and serene place in the world right now in Northern Michigan, and what better location to spend time with God and to be still for a while and listen. So that is what I am going to do. Less TV, less computer, less Facebook, more straight God time!!!!!

I am committing the next year to myself and God.

I hope that you will join me as well. I am going to keep up my connection
through journaling here-http://juliefindingpurpose.blogspot.com/.

Through this online journal I hope you will follow me in my faith journey. I am also going to keep a list of the books that I will be reading and the bible studies I will be following during this time.

I ask only one thing; please keep me in your prayers. I hope my taking the time to stop and listen and walk with God, will deepen my journey with Him in my life and help me find a clearer path.

A Quickie......

2009-06-13T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!
Sorry you had to wait 2 weeks to get any news but last week we only had 20 minutes and it was barely enough time to do anything!! I am going to have to keep this short as well because I am running out of time, but I wanted to post a little here!
The trip is AWESOME! I am in love with the country, its hard not to be they are so happy and live each moment. Lots of dancing and smiling and sitting, which was surprising but in this heat its hard to do much!
The team I am working with is great, I am very glad I signed up for the Christian internship because we have really been able to come together in our faith and through God which is really neat to see. The boys at he orphanage are incredible! the youngest is 5 and the oldest is 17. they are also really happy, and they love having us here. When we are not here during the day, they are all waiting for us to come back. I don't know what I will do when I get back and I don't have Carlos screaming, " Julia, whaz up man!" it is so neat to form friendships with these boys!
Last week we did VBS. I have to tell you it was hard. The only thing I have struggled with here is the language barrier, I wish I had made more effort to learn Spanish before coming. At least now I have a goal to try and learn it before I come back if I choose to do so, which I am sure I will!!!!! The camp went well though I stepped back and let others choose which activities they wanted to work with so I ended up planning the sports and rec events which was ok. I think the kids had a great time!
Next week we will be doing a smaller VBS for the week, and for our last week we will be moving to Monti Cristi to do VBS there with a large church group! I hope to have more time to catch you up next week, I have to get going for now!!

Love and miss you all!!!!

J

and the seasons they go round and round and the painted ponies go up and down

2009-05-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

3 days!!

I leave in 3 days and it seems fairly remarkable, all things considered. This has been a rocky road. It seems it was meant to be rocky till the end. Nothing has or is continuing to go smoothly and I have questioned continuously whether this was the purpose God had for me or not. But than in my Bible verse for this week I am reminded, I probably don't understand yet because His purpose is higher then my understanding. When the time is right I will know and for now I must keep my heart in Him. The reality is this has been a huge growth experience for me, understanding myself and the expectations I have for others. In some ways good, in many ways bad, but in all ways growing.

"God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it,
will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:7

I leave in three days!!!!! For better or worse in 3 days I will be in the Dominican Republic doing what I believe to be God's work with the children and the people there. I am excited to have this opportunity to work with a Godly purpose. I hope I will be able to find a way to impact the lives of the children there even a little and I know I will be continuing my own growth during my time there, spiritually and mentally above all else. 3 days and counting.......................

Believe it or not...

2009-05-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

18 days and counting until I leave for a month volunteering with Orphanage Outreach in the Dominican Republic. I am so thankful to all of those people who were able to help in these difficult times and thankful to those who didn't even know they were helping but who's babysitting, house-sitting, etc. money went directly toward this trip as well. And I am thankful to all those who gave so much support in other ways with encouraging words, prayer, kind thoughts, and big or small nudges, without you I would not have found the courage to begin, pursue, and follow through with this. THANK YOU!!!

For those of you reading this and wanting to know a little more about Orphanage Outreach and what they do, here is an excerpt from their introduction page on their website www.orphanage-outreach.org: Orphanage Outreach founder and executive director Tom Eklund was working with a medical missions group, Flying Doctors of America, when he and a small group of volunteers from Atlanta visited the Hope of a Child Orphanage in Monte Cristi in May of 1994. They saw that the orphanage was struggling to just provide the basic necessities, much less opportunities for the children living there. Orphanage Outreach was incorporated in 1995, and volunteers and donors have been getting involved in our mission ever since. Over 7000 short term volunteers have worked with Orphanage Outreach since that time. The Orphanage Outreach financial assistance is primarily focused on the orphanage basic necessities educational needs, and on university education for orphanage children. Orphanage Outreach volunteer resources are focused both on the orphanage children, and the many disadvantaged children of the Monte Cristi community. The volunteer program during the school year is primarily focused on teaching English in the local schools at the Orphanage Outreach English Institute. During the summer, volunteers are involved in providing learning camps.

I look forward to keeping you all informed on what is going on throughout the trip via this blog as well as email updates. If you would like to be a part of my email update group please contact me at: julielynnebear@gmail.com. We will only have access to the internet once a week so it is easiest to communicate with everyone via a large email group.

More soon!!

J