Lighthouse

I want to start off by explaining why I created this blog. I made this because I want to be real with you. I want for you to be able to experience a piece of this ministry you’re supporting, and to know what God is doing in Virginia Beach and my own life. I want these blogs to be honest, sincere, and most of all Godly encouragement to you; I love to write, but I don’t desire to write for my own sake or your approval; I desire for God to speak through me and use me to reach out to people back at home while I’m here. I love to share what I learn and I believe we can all learn from each other. Therefore, I am challenging myself to be vulnerable through this blog and I would love to read any responses from you. Please please please don’t hesitate to write back or contact me – I would love to talk to you or learn what God is doing in your life as well!

With that said, I’ll continue.

On Thursday nights we partner with a local church called Trinity to put on a service called “Lighthouse”. This service is open to the public and is intended to reach people 20-30 years old. The purpose is to invite the individuals we’ve shared our faith with during the week and build community among the city. Last night was our first meeting and it was very powerful. The pastor of Trinity, Randy Singer, spoke and shared the story of his good friend, Kamal. Kamal lives in the Middle East and was raised Islamic. At the age of 7 he committed to be a terrorist for his country and when he was hospitalized after an accident later in life, he was taken into the home of a Christian doctor because he didn’t have family or the means to pay hospital bills. Needless to say, Kamal accepted Christ and became a Christian through experiencing the family’s Christ-like love and compassion. We’re talking a man who had killed many people, who had served as a terrorist the majority of his life. At the end of the story, Randy got Kamal on the phone and he was able to tell us himself how he found God and how his life is changed. It was one of the most touching testimonies I have heard, not to mention all the more surreal to hear him over the phone. No doubt that God is mighty to save!

It’s amazing to know that the same God that is working in peoples’ hearts in Virginia Beach is the same God working in the Middle East, in Jackson and East Lansing, in my own heart and yours. The God of the universe, the God that created mountains and microscopic bacteria and every living thing loves and desires each and every heart. He loves and desires everything He created with a passion no one can fathom. As one of the staff workers said during a training session this week, “How could anyone stand before this ocean, and still deny that God is real?” I can’t deny that God is real. I’ve never felt Him more real in my life than in the past year. Reflecting on everything God has brought me through this past year from transitioning to college, establishing my own independence and community at MSU, feeling called to change my major from Nursing to Social Work, experiencing the suicidal death of a close friend, doing ministry in Panama City during spring break, raising financial support to come to Va Beach…I can’t deny that God is real. Wednesday nights are “Date Night with Jesus” and this week I went on a run with worship music. During my run, I heard a song by Starfield called “Cry in my Heart” and one of the lyrics is “for what do I have if I don’t have you Jesus, what in this life could mean anymore? You are my rock, you are my glory, you are the lifter of my head.” This is who God is in my life: my rock, glory, and lifter of my head. For what do I have if I don’t have Jesus? Nothing.

The majority of the New Testament is written by the apostle Paul, who endured persecution, being stoned, jail, and STILL he had an unstoppable passion for the lost. I incredibly admire Paul’s strength and unfaltering faith; he wept and struggled and suffered for people who didn’t know Jesus, people that Paul didn’t even know. One area that I know I want to grow in this summer is my compassion. I want God to completely break my heart for the lost, the generations of people that don’t know Jesus.

The truth is, God IS the good news and if He is Lord of my life and my everything, if He has changed my heart and is everything good and perfect, why would I ever hesitate to share my faith with the people I love? Why would I ever be ANYTHING BUT passionate for their heart or for them to know Jesus, to have eternal life, and to have it with Christ? I want to have Paul’s compassion and God’s broken heart for the lost. I apologize for not being bold in moments when I could’ve shared Christ with some of you, because He is everything and I want to genuinely do that through this blog. I want to share my faith and I pray that I am only encouragement to you. My prayer is that wherever you are in life, Christ-follower or not, that you come to know and experience Christ’s love and plan for you.

Tomorrow we're putting on an outreach in the form of a picture scavenger hunt around the city and Monday I start my job at Ocean's 20. Also, praise God that almost all of the Project students have found jobs. I'm excited for the week and all that's planned! Hope all is well! :)