Happy Birthday PURE! Can't believe it has already been 2 years!
I started coming to PURE in August of 2008. Ran into an old friend from High School who told me there was free food there before service, so clearly I went! The first 2 weeks I sat in my car until 7:30 when service started, because I was scared if I went in early people would try to talk to me. I had this crazy idea that I could sneak in, sit in the back, sing some songs, hear a message and sneak out without anyone noticing me. Every week when I left there was a friendly face at the door handing out a new series card and thanking me for coming that night. I remember walking back to my car in tears one night, because I couldn't believe how nice everyone was. As you know, most college/young adult groups aren't super successful. They get a lot of hype for a few months, then die quickly when people go back to school. I thought that if I didn't get too attached to PURE, when it fell apart, I would be ready for it. I didn't think I could handle being let down like that again. There was something about PURE that kept drawing me in though. I felt safe, I felt at home, I felt loved. Slowly God started breaking down my walls and allowing me to make connections with people and get involved. I had an outrageous plan for what my time at PURE would look like and God had something very different in mind.
I went from sitting in a chair desperately hoping no one would say a word to me, to now working for PURE. I love that God knows so much better than me. PURE has changed my life. We talk every week about being people of second chances and I am living proof of that. When people ask me what PURE is all about, I tell them my story, to look at my life and see what God did and continues to do in me because of PURE.
The only way I know how to explain PURE is that it has become my whole heart. I am blessed to wake up every morning and come to work. We have an amazing team that we could not do this without each and every week. Looking forward to the next 2 years with PURE and continuing on as passionate world changers. There is no doubt in my mind that God has HUGE things in store for us.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy
A few friends and I, went to Disneyland on Monday night. We were super excited about it being Halloween Time. There are new fireworks, of course the haunted mansion turns into The Nightmare Before Christmas, and now, Space Mountain become Ghost Galaxy.
We planned on first hitting Haunted Mansion, then Pirates, watching the fireworks, then getting in line for Space Mountain as people were leaving when the fireworks ended. (Scheming at Disneyland sounds silly, but its extremely necessary, dont judge me)
When I heard about Space Mountain, I thought it would be the "Disney" version of scary, which as we all know, is never over the top frightening. We waited in line with much anticipation as to what we would experience on this ride. Would it be super cheesy like the time they had Red Hot Chili Peppers music and dancing people on the walls? We had NO idea what we were about to experience (although, there were signs that sad "this ride may be frightening for children"). As we came closer to the ride, we saw people getting off with the strangest look on their face. I wasnt sure if they were excited and couldnt wait to ride it again, or absolutely frantic to get off! Needless to say, I started to get nervous.
It was finally our turn to get on the ride. I was all strapped in, ready to go. The car started up the ramp and it was PITCH BLACK. Instant panic. This is going to be scarier than I thought. This weird ghost man came out and followed your car the entire ride! I screamed like a little girl the whole time! I'm not sure I've ever been so terrified at Disneyland! We got off and saw our picture, I had sheer terror in my eyes!
I still cant decide if I love it or hate it. But I definitely think it's far too scary to be at Disneyland!
We planned on first hitting Haunted Mansion, then Pirates, watching the fireworks, then getting in line for Space Mountain as people were leaving when the fireworks ended. (Scheming at Disneyland sounds silly, but its extremely necessary, dont judge me)
When I heard about Space Mountain, I thought it would be the "Disney" version of scary, which as we all know, is never over the top frightening. We waited in line with much anticipation as to what we would experience on this ride. Would it be super cheesy like the time they had Red Hot Chili Peppers music and dancing people on the walls? We had NO idea what we were about to experience (although, there were signs that sad "this ride may be frightening for children"). As we came closer to the ride, we saw people getting off with the strangest look on their face. I wasnt sure if they were excited and couldnt wait to ride it again, or absolutely frantic to get off! Needless to say, I started to get nervous.
It was finally our turn to get on the ride. I was all strapped in, ready to go. The car started up the ramp and it was PITCH BLACK. Instant panic. This is going to be scarier than I thought. This weird ghost man came out and followed your car the entire ride! I screamed like a little girl the whole time! I'm not sure I've ever been so terrified at Disneyland! We got off and saw our picture, I had sheer terror in my eyes!
I still cant decide if I love it or hate it. But I definitely think it's far too scary to be at Disneyland!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
LOVE is a strong word.
Love –noun
1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
It's insane how often I misuse the word LOVE. When I like someone's outfit, a song on the radio, I so quickly say "I LOVE that!". I toss the word around with little thought to what it truly means to me. Growing up my dad always said "you know LOVE is strong word". That has always stuck with me. When I was in relationships and said I love you for the first time, I knew that in that context, it was definitely a strong word. And when I sang songs like "I LOVE you Lord", I knew that was a strong word as well, but its in the day to day moments, that the word LOVE has become such a normal part of my vocabulary, as if it no longer is a word I fear to say if I don't really mean it, because of the strength the word really has.
I think if I stopped to realize what I was really feeling when I said I LOVED something, I don't know if LOVE would be the descriptive word I was going for. When I think about the way I feel about the new shoes I bought, that just yesterday I said I loved, and the way I LOVE Jesus, I think they are two very different things. It breaks my heart that I have so easily lessened the word I use to describe my feelings towards the Lord, by using the very same word to describe my new shoes. What if I praised my shoes with words like worthy, holy, almighty, etc. I wouldn't even think about it, because those are the words I use to describe my Lord and Savior! So why would I discount LOVE as a word with the same strength as those?
What does love really mean to you? Is it just another word in your vocabulary or is love a strong word to you?
"I pray that your LOVE with overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return."
Phillipians 1:9-10
1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
It's insane how often I misuse the word LOVE. When I like someone's outfit, a song on the radio, I so quickly say "I LOVE that!". I toss the word around with little thought to what it truly means to me. Growing up my dad always said "you know LOVE is strong word". That has always stuck with me. When I was in relationships and said I love you for the first time, I knew that in that context, it was definitely a strong word. And when I sang songs like "I LOVE you Lord", I knew that was a strong word as well, but its in the day to day moments, that the word LOVE has become such a normal part of my vocabulary, as if it no longer is a word I fear to say if I don't really mean it, because of the strength the word really has.
I think if I stopped to realize what I was really feeling when I said I LOVED something, I don't know if LOVE would be the descriptive word I was going for. When I think about the way I feel about the new shoes I bought, that just yesterday I said I loved, and the way I LOVE Jesus, I think they are two very different things. It breaks my heart that I have so easily lessened the word I use to describe my feelings towards the Lord, by using the very same word to describe my new shoes. What if I praised my shoes with words like worthy, holy, almighty, etc. I wouldn't even think about it, because those are the words I use to describe my Lord and Savior! So why would I discount LOVE as a word with the same strength as those?
What does love really mean to you? Is it just another word in your vocabulary or is love a strong word to you?
"I pray that your LOVE with overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return."
Phillipians 1:9-10
Friday, September 11, 2009
To be honest, I was expecting the hard truth, that my blog was sub-par and that I should re-write it a try again. Instead, this is the response I got "Absolutely loved it! I wept as I read it! Praise God for giving you this gift! Please use it!". The encouragment from my mom was unexpected, but much needed for me to muster up the courage to post my very first blog. I got great feedback from other people and was able to reach out to people I didn't even know needed to hear the words I had written.
Now here I am 6 months later, and have only written 3 or 4 blogs. I came across the email my mom wrote me as I was purging my inbox today, and was reminded that God has given me the ability to write and I am not using it. Needless to say, I will be writing much more in the coming weeks, and am excited to use this lovely gift again!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
mango.
I have recently become completely obsessed with mango. Not actual mango fruit -that's filthy-but mango flavor. Mango Gel from Fresh and Easy, Fuse mango juice and mango boba, to be specific. Everything I see at the grocery store that is mango, I have to buy, because I love the flavor so much. I don't understand how I could possibly enjoy the flavor so much, but hate the fruit in which the flavor comes from!
I hate everything about mangoes. The smell, the texture, the taste and even the color is a little much for me. I'm not sure that I will ever come to enjoy mango fruit, which is kind of disappointing. I desperately want to like mangoes. Even if it was the last fruit on earth, I don't think I could choke one down. YES, it's definitely that serious. I've tried on a number of occasions to give the fruit a second and third chance, but they just aren't living up to the flavor I have come to enjoy oh so dearly.
I hate everything about mangoes. The smell, the texture, the taste and even the color is a little much for me. I'm not sure that I will ever come to enjoy mango fruit, which is kind of disappointing. I desperately want to like mangoes. Even if it was the last fruit on earth, I don't think I could choke one down. YES, it's definitely that serious. I've tried on a number of occasions to give the fruit a second and third chance, but they just aren't living up to the flavor I have come to enjoy oh so dearly.
4 things.
I went on a staff retreat today up to a camp we recently took over in Big Bear. We talked about balancing ministry and our personal lives... which is never easy! Here is some stuff I learned today. 4 things that are essential to leadership and ministry. It's not easy to carve out time for each individual thing, but it is oh so necessary! If we are not ok emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually first and foremost, then we are laying a rough foundation for ourselves. It takes discipline to make sure you are doing these regularly, but in the long run, it is well worth it.
Emotional:
You need a plan to manage your time! Do you have time built into your schedule that is "free-time"? A time where you don't take phone calls, check your email, or tweet. I like to call this "Lissa time", where I have a chance to unwind, and make sure I am emotionally ok. Doing ministry can be exhausting if you don't give yourself a chance to breathe every once in a while. YES, people want your time and attention, but at some point you have to CLOCK OUT and spend some time with yourself. Figure out where your heart is at, if it's not ok, you need to make sure you give your self time to find out why, and to fix it. Do you carve out "your name here TIME" on a daily, weekly, monthly basis?
Physical:
Yes, everyone has heard since P.E. in 7Th grade that exercise is important, but as a society, we have forgotten that. 1 Corinthians 6:9 says, "your body is a temple... you are not your own" Are you taking care of the body that God has given you? Maybe you are not an athlete, or a hardcore workout fiend, so take a walk, ride your bike, do what you have to do to make sure you are active! Physical activity is a necessity. You will have more energy, and in the longer live a healthier life so that you can do God's work!
Mental:
Are you growing your knowledge of the Word, leadership, ministry, the world? Reading is essential to leadership. You might tend to lean towards authors that have the same perspective as you, but have you ever thought about those that don't? Or maybe leaders who aren't necessarily Christian, but still have insightful words about leadership or life in general (which of course you read with discernment) What are you reading to keep your perspectives fresh?
Spiritual:
If you are in a position of leadership or are working full time in ministry it is a must that you are carving out quiet time with God daily. If I dont start my day and make sure that have done business with God before I go into work, or even go to church on Sunday, I know that my day is going to be awful. Not to say that God will not have my best interest at heart if I dont do my quiet time, but as leaders we need to be setting the example for those we oversee and are responsible for. If we are not right with God and try to disciple people or serve people, its going to be tough. The pastor I work for says that if I come into work and haven't had my quiet time, I better pick up my bible and find a bench, a tree, whatever and don't come back until I have done business with God. He would rather me spend time on the clock getting right with God before I start my day, then to try and get by without first spending time with Him. Sounds a bit extreme, but he knows that we are human and can't do daily life without Him. Do you spend time with God daily?
Emotional:
You need a plan to manage your time! Do you have time built into your schedule that is "free-time"? A time where you don't take phone calls, check your email, or tweet. I like to call this "Lissa time", where I have a chance to unwind, and make sure I am emotionally ok. Doing ministry can be exhausting if you don't give yourself a chance to breathe every once in a while. YES, people want your time and attention, but at some point you have to CLOCK OUT and spend some time with yourself. Figure out where your heart is at, if it's not ok, you need to make sure you give your self time to find out why, and to fix it. Do you carve out "your name here TIME" on a daily, weekly, monthly basis?
Physical:
Yes, everyone has heard since P.E. in 7Th grade that exercise is important, but as a society, we have forgotten that. 1 Corinthians 6:9 says, "your body is a temple... you are not your own" Are you taking care of the body that God has given you? Maybe you are not an athlete, or a hardcore workout fiend, so take a walk, ride your bike, do what you have to do to make sure you are active! Physical activity is a necessity. You will have more energy, and in the longer live a healthier life so that you can do God's work!
Mental:
Are you growing your knowledge of the Word, leadership, ministry, the world? Reading is essential to leadership. You might tend to lean towards authors that have the same perspective as you, but have you ever thought about those that don't? Or maybe leaders who aren't necessarily Christian, but still have insightful words about leadership or life in general (which of course you read with discernment) What are you reading to keep your perspectives fresh?
Spiritual:
If you are in a position of leadership or are working full time in ministry it is a must that you are carving out quiet time with God daily. If I dont start my day and make sure that have done business with God before I go into work, or even go to church on Sunday, I know that my day is going to be awful. Not to say that God will not have my best interest at heart if I dont do my quiet time, but as leaders we need to be setting the example for those we oversee and are responsible for. If we are not right with God and try to disciple people or serve people, its going to be tough. The pastor I work for says that if I come into work and haven't had my quiet time, I better pick up my bible and find a bench, a tree, whatever and don't come back until I have done business with God. He would rather me spend time on the clock getting right with God before I start my day, then to try and get by without first spending time with Him. Sounds a bit extreme, but he knows that we are human and can't do daily life without Him. Do you spend time with God daily?
Friday, August 28, 2009
If it's all that I can do.
One week before I got on a plane to Cambodia was a complete whirlwind. I still hadn't received confirmation from my boss that the 2 weeks off were approved, I was $450 short- so my trip wasn't even completely paid for, I was packing up my apartment so I would be ready to move when I got home- I didn't even know where I would be moving to, and I interviewed for a job that I never thought I would even apply for! I knew that I was called to go to Cambodia though and I thought, "if this is where God is really calling me to go, then I need trust Him, no matter what!"
There were people in my life who I knew thought I was completely insane for even considering this trip in my situation. I didn't have the vacation time, the money, or the time in the midst of a move. I could lose my job and become homeless at the very same time- a bit dramatic, I know, but this was my reality. There was never a point though, that I ever considered not going to Cambodia. I knew that God was doing something bigger than I could imagine, and all I could do is hang on for the ride. Let me tell you- it was a wild ride and I'm still in awe of what He has done!
2 days before I left, I got an email from my boss that simply said "your time off is approved", my team worked at Nascar for me, where they would be making exactly $450, and my best friend and her husband offered to let me stay with them until I found another place! I was overwhelmed to say the least. All these things were falling into place and I know that none of these were just by coincidence.
The last thing I did before I left, was interview for a position at my church. I had always told myself that the church is the LAST place I would work, even if i was completely desperate! But there I was sitting in the interview anyways. It didn't make a ton of sense to the interviewing Pastor why I would eave a great job in this economy to come work at the church and willingly take a pay cut. The only answer I had was this, "I am great at what I do, but I am not passionate about what I do. I am passionate about Pure and the direction it is going. I believe that God is doing great things in and through Pure and I would be a fool not to take the risk and be a part of it."
I came home from Cambodia and was offered the position! So here i am, 2 weeks into the job and I love it! I wake up every morning excited to come to work- because I know that i would never have accepted this position or even applied for it, but God knows better than me! I am reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan and it says this:
"Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo. A person who is obsessed with Jesus will do things that don't always make sense in terms on success or wealth."- Francis Chan
I know that me going to Cambodia and quitting my job doesn't make sense to people, but the reality is that my life shouldnt make sense if I am following Jesus. I'm sure that the when the disciples decided to follow Jesus, there were plenty of people who didnt understand- but they followed anyway. I will trust and obey God if it's all that I can do to give back to this life He has given me.
There were people in my life who I knew thought I was completely insane for even considering this trip in my situation. I didn't have the vacation time, the money, or the time in the midst of a move. I could lose my job and become homeless at the very same time- a bit dramatic, I know, but this was my reality. There was never a point though, that I ever considered not going to Cambodia. I knew that God was doing something bigger than I could imagine, and all I could do is hang on for the ride. Let me tell you- it was a wild ride and I'm still in awe of what He has done!
2 days before I left, I got an email from my boss that simply said "your time off is approved", my team worked at Nascar for me, where they would be making exactly $450, and my best friend and her husband offered to let me stay with them until I found another place! I was overwhelmed to say the least. All these things were falling into place and I know that none of these were just by coincidence.
The last thing I did before I left, was interview for a position at my church. I had always told myself that the church is the LAST place I would work, even if i was completely desperate! But there I was sitting in the interview anyways. It didn't make a ton of sense to the interviewing Pastor why I would eave a great job in this economy to come work at the church and willingly take a pay cut. The only answer I had was this, "I am great at what I do, but I am not passionate about what I do. I am passionate about Pure and the direction it is going. I believe that God is doing great things in and through Pure and I would be a fool not to take the risk and be a part of it."
I came home from Cambodia and was offered the position! So here i am, 2 weeks into the job and I love it! I wake up every morning excited to come to work- because I know that i would never have accepted this position or even applied for it, but God knows better than me! I am reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan and it says this:
"Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo. A person who is obsessed with Jesus will do things that don't always make sense in terms on success or wealth."- Francis Chan
I know that me going to Cambodia and quitting my job doesn't make sense to people, but the reality is that my life shouldnt make sense if I am following Jesus. I'm sure that the when the disciples decided to follow Jesus, there were plenty of people who didnt understand- but they followed anyway. I will trust and obey God if it's all that I can do to give back to this life He has given me.
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