The Sonic Parking Lot

It's March. Beautiful, beautiful March.

In Arkansas, that means that the days already feel like summer. Eveyone wants to be outside in shorts and t-shirts enjoying the bright blue clouds, warm sunshine and fragrant flowers.

However,

for college kids, this means that the semester is half over....or should I say that its time for test, project and paper palooza.

Though Spring Break is within arms reach, there is still so much to be done. Even so, Mondays are my day of solace...

Yesterday I was talking with a very wise woman about rain. Not just rain, but Biblical rain.

The former and latter rains.

The former rain is the early rain. It comes in the autumn and is supposed to prepare the ground for seeds to be sown. It is normally light and falls like dew, soft but nourishing.

The latter rain comes in the spring...just before the harvest. Its job? To prepare the crop so that the harvest will be plentiful. It is often needed...longed for...heavy.

Though I could discuss our entire talk here, I want to leave you all with mere snippets so that you will investigate rain yourselves:

The Old Testament belief was that God's favor was in the rain... (Proverbs 16:15)

Anytime there is rain, you see God's glory... (Joel 2:33)

It's okay to ask God for rain... (Jeremiah 5:24)

But why should we care about the former and latter rains...and better yet how is this relevant to my blog post?

One thing that we know is that the rains always show God's faithfulness and his harvest.

It normally looked like this in the Old Testament:

You obey. You get rain. You eat.

You don't obey. You don't get rain. You don't eat.

The wonderfully wise woman encouraged me to pray for rain in my life....

I've been praying a while for certain former rains and I truly believe that God has been sowing seeds in the lives of my friends and loved ones...

but I hadn't really been praying for latter rain.

So I did.

I prayed that God would not only prepare the hearts of those that I will meet in Italy (former rain), but that once my team got there He will drawn His Italian children to Himself (latter rain). I also thanked him for sending me to Italy and for the $2,500 dollars in funds so far (former rain), but prayed for the rest of his monetary provision (latter rain).

Today is now Tuesday. And it has been a crazy one...like they often are.

However, we were released from choir 30 mintues early which gave me time to run home, check my mail and hit Happy Hour before heading back to the school for my photography class.

I ordered my usual, a $1.27 Route 44 Diet Coke, and then reached for the hand-written card with my name on it, a piece of mail that I had hurriedly tossed in the passenger's seat.

The front of it read, "Just thinking about you"
yet

Its contents were full of rain...

Not only did it hold a $100 check for my mission trip, but the inside fold read, "...and asking the Lord to shower you with His blessings today!"

Let His rain fall...

"...I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing."

-Ezekiek 34:26

White/Fields...

I have to admit...I've missed writing. I've been away for to long. It has come to my attention that apparently I have a small commitment problem. I say I'm going to write a new blog every week, but in all truthfulness, I know I'm not going to do that. But heres to turning over a new leaf.

I have had a lot on my mind the past few weeks (better stated...months). With scheduling classes and having to deal with many small things, I feel as if I'm running all the time. The big thing that is pressing on my mind got even larger with the Missions Symposium I attended last week here in Conway.

The BMA holds a Missions Symposium once a year. This is a time where different speakers and missionaries share about their past year and hopes for the next year. The theme for the missions office and BMA for the next year was presented...."White Fields".

When titling my blogs, I try to think of something catchy and relevant to my point. When typing this one, I specifically placed a dash in between White and Fields. This has a purpose. I am not trying to say one word is more important than the other, because they relay fully on each other. But each one stands for something different at the same time.

Scriptures tell us that the "fields are white and ready for harvest". The term 'white' refers to the fields being completely ripened and ready to be picked, harvested, gathered, taken up, reaped. When someone talks about missions, typically the first thing we think about is a missionary on a foreign land, somewhere in the middle of the jungle, preaching to the bush people, when in fact, the world's 3rd largest mission field in the entire world is the United States of America. For a specific people to be categorized as unreached, the evangelical percentage has to be less than 2%. (keep in mind that evangelical combines Christianity, Catholicism, Mormon, etc.) In the US, there are several UNREACHED people population. For example, most of the New England states are considered unreached. Salt Lake City, Utah is a an unreached people group. These statistics put a whole new meaning on missions now that we see that a large mission field is actually a 2-3 hour plane ride away.

Taking the word 'fields'...in South Mississippi, you have different large land areas. You have yards, food plots, pastures, power lines, and fields. A field is typically the larger of the previously listed (unless hunters go a little bit overboard). When Jesus said the fields are white, He wasn't talking about a few people that were ready and in need of salvation...He was talking on a much grander scale. The world is ready. The US is ready.

To take in full affect of the scriptures you must read the whole thing. Jesus continues His statement with the sobering words, "the laborers are few". This should be a slap in the face to all Christians (myself included). Every day people all around the world are dying and going to hell while we sit comfortably in our Lazy-Boy recliners watching the ball game. No, Jesus did not call everybody to pack up their families and move to Cambodia, but He did call everyone to be a missionary. The people you sit beside at school, at work...the people you walk beside on the sidewalk or in Wal-Mart...these are you mission fields. These are the people we are called to reach.

A couple of days ago I mentioned to a friend that I wanted to start an evangelistic campaign here in Conway using students from CBC. They agreed with the idea but she dealt back a harsh reality that I hadn't considered. Just because we go to Christian school, doesn't mean everyone is a Christian. This is very true. Therefore, before we can begin our Conway outreach, we must start at ground-zero. This is evangelistic-discipleship at work. The game plan: build relationships with fellow student, share our faith in Christ, and then take the time to invest in them using scriptures to help them grow.

Where are my fellow laborers? This is no easy task. Several prayers and tears have gone into this. I pray that you will see the need in the people and places around you. I pray you see it before it is too late. The fields are white...all they need is someone who cares enough to go out and harvest them.

"I wanna be Your hands and feet. I wanna live a life that leads. To see You set the captives free. And I pray that they will see, more of You and less of me. Lord I want my life to be the song You sing...Until the whole world hears."

The Unknown

I realize that the title of this blog is "Today I Found God In..."
Therefore, it might seem that the title of this post is an oxymoron.

But it isn't...
Today and well, for the next year, I'll be finding God in the unknown.

You see, last night was the end of my Subway career.
I no longer have the title of Senior Sandwich Artist. 
I no longer have the bright, gold store key dangling from my keyring.
I will no longer recieve a bi-weekly paycheck.

Rather, for at least the next five months, I will be living off a monthly newspaper check and budgeted student loan money...........

Crazy, right?

Maybe you're wondering why I would do such a thing when I have an apartment, utilities and a car to pay for as well as three hungry roommates to feed.

Well, it's simple, really.
Mustering the courage faith to do so may have taken three months...
but the reason behind my actions is still a simple one.

Quitting Subway is what God wanted for my life right now. Moreso, total surrender is what God wants from my life. That includes surrendering "my" time and "my" finances.
Surrendering my COMFORT.

For months now, He has been tugging at my heart strings.

First, He told me to get involved with the youth at Fellowship. I did so, (reluctantly) and now He has given me a small group of 9th grade girls to shepard whom I absolutely adore.

Then, He told me to get more involved on campus. So, I did that too and I have come to love every moment spent with my J-birds, choir family and new friends alike.

Yet, all the while, I've been working at least 20 hours a week...on top of school work...on top of housework...on top of loving Jesus...on top of loving others (notice, the last two on the list of priorities)...

Recently, I've been given some grand opportunities.

One of which=discipling a girl at CBC. A girl who wants to learn and grow in her relationship with Christ and who literally said, "I think that I could learn a lot from you..." in random conversation one evening.
Secondly=Tomorrow, I'm leaving to go to "Winter Conference" with UCA's chapter of Campus Crusade for Christ. They'd love to plant a chapter of Cru at CBC...and need help doing so...

However, there's no way that I could even consider doing any of that on top of my work load...

-So, God made it pretty clear that Subway had to go...vice versa, actually.-


Honestly, the nostalgia still hasn't hit me yet. I mean, it's hard to believe that for the first Saturday in two years I'm not spending at least six hours of my day making sandwiches and waffle cones.

I will miss my crew so much, but luckily, our friendships have deepened over the course of the past month, not dissolved.
Many mushy goodbyes were unnecessary because I know that since we are friends, not merely co-workers, we will still hang out. I will still get the privelege of pouring love into their lives.
Praise Him.

As, I told a dear friend last night, I'm ready.
Ready to let go...
Ready to give comfort, security and understanding the back seat.
Ready for an adventure.
Ready to passionately pursue God and his people with the prayer that they will do the same.

Though I'm sure that this will be one of the hardest seasons yet and that Satan will try to destroy me in any and every way possible, I fully believe that Yahewh-jireh will provide.
Both monetairly and spiritually.

He, unlike myself, is always faithful.

I told another friend, "hopefully the unknown likes me alright."

"I'm sure it will enjoy getting to know you just as much as you do it," he responded.

I bet he's right. :)

Reconciliation

Though it is Christmas, the day that most celebrate the birth of Christ, a different subject has been brewing in my mind...

No, it isn't gifts Nor delicious, homemade food. Definitely NOT shopping.
(Conway Commons is a scary territory during this time of the year.)

The word: reconciliation.

Over the course of a year, I've witnessed a family that I love dearly fall to pieces right before my eyes.

Kids have been torn, back-and-forth, from one parent to the other, every weekend. Hurtful words have been said...things that can't easily be taken back...phrases that no one ever wants to hear.

Heartache has taken its toll on mom, dad and all of seven kids.

Yet, in the same neighborhood that devestation has setteled, reconciliation has moved next door.

The cross above was given to me today by the father of said family. He told me that himself and one of his sons had spent almost two months making them for friends and family.

"Money has been scare, but we still wanted to show people our love for them," said he.

Though the handmade cross is a beautiful token of love, more important to me was the smile and hug that accompanied it. This man literally darted across our small, Baptist sanctuary (darting didn't take long) and greeted me with a huge hug and an even larger smile.

If smiles could talk, his face-encompanying one would have said thank you.

You see, he is back in church. He is loving his children and is doing his best to provide for them.
More importantly, he has finally given his life to God and is actually concerned about spiritual matters.

This is the man who left my other mother and "sister" almost a year ago. However, despite the divorce, he is making the next-best effort to do right by them.

Reconciliation is occuring...

A few days ago, a girl, Hayley, entered the sub-shop. She and I went to the same high school. This happens quite often; I see people that I know all of the time.

However, the sight of her was different. After recognizing who she was, the pain set in. A deep, sharp pain that penetrated straight to my heart.

A pain that I hadn't felt in two years.

You see, Hayley was good friends with a former best friend of mine, Julie. Julie and I had a beautiful friendship for four years. When our friendship ended swiflty, a month before I left for college, it hurt. Badly. For a very long time.

Tonight, I texted Julie for the first time in about a year simply saying Merry Christmas and hoping that all was well with her.
To my surprise, she responded. In fact, we carried on a conversation like civil people and updated one another about our lives. Though I know that we will never be "real" friends again, the blessing of talking with her was nice. I forgave her long ago and I feel that she knows that now, if she never did before.

Reconciliation.

My small girls and I have been reading through the book of Luke for the past two months. I don't find it coincidence that on Christmas, rather than being in Chapters 1 & 2, the forecoming and birth of Christ, we were in 23 & 24, the death and resurrection of Christ.

If Christ had not been born...

then He could not have died.

Reconciliation would not be possible.

Not between God and man.
Not between man and fellow man.

Though it was undeserved, God chose reconciliation.

He let mercy triump judgement....

                                                             (Photo courtesy of Becke Stuart)

...a lesson for all of His children to take to heart.

"Spoiled" lettuce

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday a group of friends as well as myself wake up early, super early for collge kids, and go walking before our classes begin.
There are normally about five of us that venture and though the morning person in me is awake and ready to start the day, I can't always say the same for my friends.

For this reason, Friday only me and one other girl found ourselves walking our well-beaten path. While we walked, at a rather brisk, Costa-Rican pace I might add, we found ourselves talking about a certain guy...

...a guy that is very hard for me to love.

He is known for creeping, always having something to say at the most inopportune times and for rambling on for seemingly hours about topics that are irrelevant to everyone but himself.

Most days, I try to humor him by smiling, nodding and attempting to listen intently.
However, as the minutes tick by, it gets harder and harder to comprehend jargon that I'm unfamiliar with or to fakely laugh at jokes that simply aren't funny...

Anyhow, after our walk, life went back to normal and thanks to Rebecca Black, I "got down" on my class-free Friday.
Then, it was time for work. All in all, it was a relatively stress-free night.
Until 9:30 rolled around...

You see, our lobby closes at 9:30, but the drive-thru dosen't close until 10. Normally, this enables smooth-sailing until close, but Friday was an exception.

Drive-thru was busy.

Super busy at that...which was strange-enough in itself...but then, a car especially requested that I make their order.
Creepy, right?

I went to the window to see who had requested my kick-awesome sandwich making skills and it happened to be a Hindu friend of mine and her family, a former Subway co-worker.

So, at 9:47, thirteen mintues before we were officially done for the night, I began on their order of three subs and a pizza with the most cheerful heart that I could muster. I mean, I was glad to see them. They're lovely souls....but selfish me would have been much happier to see them at about 8 o'clock...or maybe even 9:15.

When I finally arrived at the window with their food, my friend looked at me with a distraught-ridden face and said, "Brittney, can you do me a huge favor?"

-You see, apparently in the five minutes that it took me to make their food, her mother, who was also in the car, had found a report describing a recall on shredded lettuce. So, she wanted me to take back their sandwiches and remove the lettuce from them despite the two cars that were patiently waiting behind them.-

I did as they asked and when I returned with their food I was met with a big hug and a heartfelt thank you.

Though my co-workers didn't really understand the madness that had just ensued or how I could handle all of that cheerfully, I can honestly say that it had nothing to do with me. I found God in that pile of "spoiled" shredded lettuce.

Friends, we are CALLED to LOVE one another. Not asked. Not urged. C-A-L-L-E-D. That call isn't just extended to those who are easy to love. It means friends, enemies, ramblers and picky customers alike.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35

In my lettuce inspired moment, I realized that this call to love means making every effort. It means truly trying to befriend someone whom you have nothing in common with. It means listening to repetitive banter until your ears fall off and disposing of the lettuce when it's a hassle...all for the purpose of sharing the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

HE IS WORTH IT.

"We help people every day that will eventually be eternal splendors or eternal horrors. No one is mortal; everyone is immortal because we will go one place or the other. We need to reach out and help other people, and to have real love and charity for them without superiority or presumption."-C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

Do we really treat others as eternal spendors?

Or are they sandwiches with spoiled lettuce, not worth the time and effort that it takes to remake?

My questions are not rhetorical. They are ones that I'm asking you all and that I will continue to ask myself.

Whatever our responses may be, the kingdom of God is at hand.

...Petit Jean State Park

    Some friends and I hiked at Petit Jean State Park today for nearly three hours. It was grueling and painful, but it was so much fun. I took some risks(I'm somewhat afraid of heights) by climbing large rock formations and climbing over fallen trees and pretty much just rocking the "adventure" thing in my Vibram Five-Fingers(which make me feel legitimate).
     As we stood in the huge cut out of rock where the Falls are I found myself contemplating the Flood. The mountain was literally cut into. I was in awe of the power of God and how He flooded the whole Earth and how something so fantastic as what I was standing in was a result. Only something of Him could create such majesty and beauty. It looks utterly impossible, but all things are possible by He who created everything. I stood/sat silent for sometime, praising God.
     I walked over to where the Falls hit the rock below the surface above and saw a miraculous rainbow. "Wow!" I thought. The covenant God made with Abraham after the Flood. Once again I was in awe of Him and everything He does.
     Leaving that mountain I had a brand new heart. This huge God who created everything on Earth, then destroyed it with water, yet left such beauty; He loved me. I'll never understand just how or why God does what He does, but I do understand that our love relationship is more important than anything. His love for me is bigger than the Flood waters.

We Were Made to be Courageous

"We were made to be courageous. We were made to lead the way. We could be the generation to finally break the chains. We were made to be courageous."

Last night, myself along with a few friends went to see the new movie "Courageous". It was AHHHH-mazing. I wasn't ready for the message it was going to bring , though.

"We were warriors on the front lines, standing, unafraid. But now we're watchers on the sidelines while our families slip away. Where are you, men of courage? You were made for so much more. Let the pounding of our hearts cry "We will serve the Lord!""

I can't give away the plot of the movie since the majority still hasn't seen it, but what I can say is that it was absolutley life changing. I grew up in a broken home. I have experienced what it is like to not have a father figure there with me every step of the way to help mold me into the man God wanted me to be. But I also have been there and know the impact that can be made when men of God decide it's time to do something and take you under there wing. I've seen men who said "Enough is enough" and gave up their time and invested their time into me when it wasn't necassarily their responsibility.

Upon watching the movie, I will admit that there wasn't a relaxing moment (partially due to the emotional rollercoaster I was on). There were moments when I laughed and the very next scene would have me in tears. The end was just that. But through the tears, God was revealing in me something that I needed to strive for and a commitment that I needed to make.

"This is our resolution our answer to the call. We will love our wives and children and we refuse to let them fall! We will reignite the passion that we buried deep inside. May the watchers become warriors let the men of god arise"

To many times do we become lax in our Christianity, and at the same time...to many times fathers become lax in their responsiblity as a daddy and mentor. I will not be that person. From this point on, I have made a covenant with God to be the man, and someday husband/father, that He wants me to be. I refuse to sit on the sidelines and watch as family slips away. If my generation can grasp this mere fact and vision, we could be the generation to make a legit change. We need to be the generation of men, and women alike, to stand up and say, "Enough is enough" and fight for our families and the morals that Christ shares thru Scripture. I refuse to be the status quo when God and our families deserve so much more. Who will stand with me?

"In the war of the mind I will make my stand. In the battle of the heart and the battle of the hands. We were made to be courageous and we're taking back the fight. We were made to be courageous and it starts with us tonight. The only way we'll ever stand is on our knees with lifted hands. Make us courageous! Lord, make us courageous."