Young Adults

Last night was our first night with our Young Adults Ministry at Southside. It was unbelievably wonderful. We had a better turn out than I had anticipated! James Taylor, a great friend of ours taught on 3 Pillars: The Word, Prayer and Fellowship. I met some new faces that apparently attend our Church but we had never seen each other. It was really wonderful. 

Next week Mike will be speaking on 1 Peter 1:3-12! I really can't wait to hear him speak. When we were dating he spoke a couple of times in chapel and our church's former college ministry. Every time he speaks I can't help but grin ear to ear. There's something about seeing the man you love and adore share Christ with others that makes you fall even harder for him. 

I remember the first time I heard him speak. We were dating at the time. It was at a Moody Chapel my third year and his sophomore at our school. I remember sitting in the front row and thinking to myself "This is what it's going to be like. For the rest of my life I will be sitting in the front row listening to (who I hope to be) my husband, this wonderful man, sharing God's truth with others." I wondered what it would be like. I wondered what he would say and if I would like his style of preaching. (Lame thoughts, I know.) 

He gave his testimony and was really nervous. I assured him that he would be great. And boy was he! Normally at chapels there's always the soft whispers you hear or texting you see from the corner of your eye. This day was completely different. It seemed like every person in the room couldn't take their eyes off of Mike, myself included. He shared with such vulnerability about his past and how Christ was the true redeemer in it all. My heart leaps at recalling it all. It was such a wonderful moment listening to how the Lord, the creator in everything took such delight in painting Mike's story.

But that's the beauty in our God. He is a God of redemption. He delights in picking us up in our filth and holding us in our brokenness. I am so thankful that Jesus holds us. One of my most treasured memories is from my first year at Moody Bible Institute- Spokane. I was in an intimate moment with Jesus, sharing with him my darkest thoughts, my deepest emotions, my absolute lowest moments. And in that moment I was so vulnerable. I just thought I was going to burst into tears because I was feeling so low. I asked the Lord to hold me. To reach out and just grab a hold of his daughter who was so broken. 

The Holy Spirit did just that. It was as if He was clearly in the room, His arms wrapped around me. I felt like I couldn't move for the fear that I would mess up this wonderful moment that was happening between me and my Creator. That memory I hope stays with me forever. Intimacy with Christ, it's a gorgeous and wonderful thing! 

God so desperately desires for us to be close to Him. He desires to walk in His boldness and His truth. We can't lose when we're proclaiming His name. As scary as that can be sometimes, it's the reason we're here. Seeking and Saving those that are lost and proclaiming Jesus Christ is the first calling of our lives. I'm excited to be a part of this new ministry with my husband and two other great men. I'm excited to see how the Lord takes hold of the young adults of Spokane and calls them to himself. 

Please be in prayer for the relationships Mike and I have with some young adults who we feel God tugging at us to talk to. One is a man at his work who loves C.S. Lewis. Mike gave him a book by C.S. and the guy came back the next day and had read the whole book and had tons of questions about it and God. The Lord is moving! Mine is for my small group girls and some ladies I met last night. More than anything, I would love to see them grow strong in Christ and start making disciples of their own as well. I also have a group of 7th and 8th grade girls whom are simply wonderful. My prayer is that they would be great advocates of the Gospel in their schools.