some thoughts i don't want to forget

HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY MRISS!! (FEB. 25TH)

so here are just some things i have on my mind that i don't want to forget and i figured i might as well share them w/people.

1 - i was talking to my friend josh tonight (one of like...20 afinity josh's that i know...this one's yeoman) on the phone, getting info about his church that i want to check out, and he said a couple things that i hadn't thought of before or had forgotten about. i can't rememeber one of the things (i just remember going, "oh...wow, that's so true" though - haha) but one of the things was this: he mentioned that when he was younger, he always thought he was doing his best when he was doing good spiritually and doing good things and encouraging people...but he realized that was all in self-righteousness. he said you're most encouraging to others when you realize you DON'T have all the answers, that it's only because of a Holy God's sacrifice that we can even do anything "good". it's about humbleness. he said it more better than that, but that was a the jist of it. i know what i mean...haha i wish i knew how to say it better :) it's really late.

2 - this week was "missions emphasis week" (MEW) and God showed me some huge things this week that opened up to my mind to how lost the world is. like...dude, i don't understand how i can be so ignorant and callous to the fact that SO MUCH of the world's population don't even KNOW about Jesus Christ. i never NEVER considered going into missions...i always thought "well what would i do? i don't teach...i don't really want to live in the middle of nowhere in some unheard of country...i like the US, i like living in or nearby cities." but God is showing me that...dude...there's such a bigger picture out there, bigger than my wants and comforts. He commands us to take part in the Great Commission, whether we are "go-ers" or "senders". and i don't know why, but for some reason this week i realized how much God LOVES and DESIRES all those lost people in the middle of nowhere to know Him and to desire Him back. like, seriously...i was so stupid to think "oh, God loves us so much...us here, in the US"...thinking in such a small mindset, that He just desires us and not them...but that's so not true.

then i realized what it was i could do to help further the renown of Jesus Christ...on most if not all of the LU mission trips, people go along to do the video taping and then edit them into clips and videos and stuff. that's PERFECT for me, i love doing that, i have a passion to reach people through multimedia (both video and music). and even though i could "just" go to video tape the trips, i would obviously have chances to share Christ with people i come in contact with on the trips. and not only that, but come back and put together videos that will hopefully challenge and encourage people to put aside their own fears and comforts and get out there and spread the Gospel of Christ.

and that's what i'm really considering right now. actually, i've considered it a ton this week, i just need to be active in doing it. my goal is to talk to the missions department by the end of next week and find out what i need to do to be able to go on the trips and help with the video/multimedia work.

dude...i am so stinkin' tired. i've gotta get some sleep. another 8-hour shift day tomorrow at j crew, but i've had such good shifts the past 2 days that i actually don't dread going to work. i'd rather have that time to get a great workout in and do my own things, but hey...that's laziness and that's never kosher. :)

Proverbs 30:7-9 -- dude, check it out, that totally rocked my face off in my quiet time yesterday. i'll post the passage later when i'm more coherent.

keep it real.
~jen~