Wishing this would never end.

Hey friends, I had some spare time and thought I should write a little update on these last few days. I have come to the point where I am really wishing project would go on a few weeks longer...I cannot believe I take off in two and a half weeks.

This week's theme is "Pressing On". The idea behind it is that we would continue to "press on" towards our goal, Jesus. In some ways this relates to my last post about holiness and always striving for it. This week our focus is on Jesus and full reliance on him. With that in mind, on Monday night Tony Abiera gave a message on "The Mirror of the Gospel". We were made in the likeness of God, but because of our sinful condition, our view of ourselves has become distorted. Tony picked apart Colossians 3:1-4

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

He used the concept of a mirror throughout his entire message and it really helped understand the meaning behind this passage. In order to be a true representation of Jesus, we must "throw away the old mirror of Adam and pick up the new mirror of Jesus" (verse one). Remove yourself from sinful behavior and look to the Lord for a heart change. It is so easy to change your behavior, but that is an external action, in order to truly change, there has to be something done in your heart. I struggle with disconnecting myself with the world and living solely for my creator. Tony made a statement that is such a healthy reminder to all those who believe in God: "We have a purpose here on earth. We may be in this world, but it is important to remember we are not of this world." This correlates with verse two, we are to "angle our mirror upward to set our view heavenward". We still have the ability to be involved here on earth, but our view is ultimately on the Lord. Keeping an eternal perspective, knowing that life on earth is not the end, is so helpful in keeping my gaze heavenward. 

While I'm writing this, I'm just thinking about how many people in my life I look to as an example. That mindset can be so dangerous. My view of what a Christian looks like becomes skewed and I begin to compare myself to others. Looking through my notes again from Monday night has allowed me to refocus. Who should be my ultimate example of a Christian? JESUS. Like I stated earlier, I really struggle with getting caught up in what's going on around me instead of centering my life around Jesus. I am so impressed with these student directors. I wish I had podcasts of their messages. It is truly amazing to see how the Lord is leading them and speaking through them at every weekly meeting. I am so blessed to be here and getting to gain so much knowledge from these wonderful individuals. I wish I could relay it as well as they deliver it.

After the meeting, we were told that we were going to fast for this week. It is a "meats & sweets" fast. That is correct, no meat or sweets from Tuesday night until Saturday night. I am going to be honest, I was not thrilled when I heard that. Tuesday night was date night with Jesus, and we were provided with articles about fasting and the reasons behind it. Leadership believed that due to this week's theme in pressing on towards Jesus, that fasting would be a great way of doing that. Unfortunately, the Lord has blessed me with the largest sweet tooth of anyone I know, plus I was planning on going to Carlo's Bakery on Wednesday, so this whole fast was definitely going to put a damper on that. Our God is sovereign though and after reading the articles, I came to realize that if this is what is going to draw me closer to the Lord, then I need to do it. The fact that I was upset about giving up those things for a few short days shows that I will definitely have a huge craving for them and that during those times I will have an opportunity to seek the Lord for strength and not summit to my desires to find satisfaction through meat or sweets. Prayer for our entire project during this week is much appreciated and I'm excited to see how we're all going to be stretched.

Well...today I was able to take a day trip to Hoboken, NJ and New York! How fun, right?! When I found out I got accept to Ocean City Summer Project, I knew I was not going to leave New Jersey unless I visited Carlo's Bakery from the show Cake Boss on TLC. My dream came true today. Although I couldn't indulge in all the sweets I had planned to, I ended up buying a little treat that I will keep hidden in the freezer for Saturday night. I bet it will taste even better then than it would if I had it today. :) Katelyn, Alyssa, and I actually got into two spiritual conversations with a couple from Ohio while waiting in line; it was so sweet. After that we made our way to New York, where we spent the rest of our time in Central Park. If I could spend an entire day anywhere, it would be strolling the paths in that park. I had so much fun stopping every few feet to take pictures with the girls. There is so much different scenery, we really enjoyed our time there. We even stuck to the fast and found a little organic food stand and ate a vegetarian soy hotdog (or something of the sort) and it was actually really good! On our way out of the city, we (meaning Katelyn, she is such an experienced driver now!) drove through Time Square and then we picked up her boss. On the way home we talked about an assortment of things, but many of them centered around our lives, CRU, and other spiritual topics. Us girls had such a great time off the island and it was even better being able to continue what we're here to do in OC on the little trips we take.

Thanks for letting me share about what has been going on in Ocean City and my most recent adventures. I really am having a hard time coming to terms that this is all coming to an end in two and half weeks. Continued prayers for those on project, especially with this new challenge put in front of us this week, that Satan will not get a foothold in our times of weakness. Pray that our minds and hearts maintain in Ocean City until we return back home and that we continue to share the good news of the gospel. I love you all and thank you again for your support throughout this whole journey.

I just wanted to add something I came to realize during Bible study tonight that I didn't want to put off until my next post. It's the concept of the Trinity. I have not noticed the importance of each aspect until tonight. God sent his son who died on the cross for our sins, therefore, we experience grace. Through Jesus' death on the cross we are able to have the Holy Spirit dwell within us and we can have a personal relationship with the Lord. I just thought that was really awesome how each individual piece is part of one and through that we can have a personal relationship with our creator.

"Give Me Faith"