Apart From Him, I Can Do Nothing...

What a week! I can't believe it is already Sunday. Last week was so busy and full, but amazing. God is continuing to reveal himself and reveal things about His character. Each class is full of so much information and truth, but I leave with lots of questions and whole lot to think about.

A typical day/week at the Focus Leadership Institute looks somewhat like this: We have class from 8:10-11:30 Monday - Thursday, and also most fridays. There is one class per day. Mondays we typically have a worldview class, tuesdays marriage and family, wednesdays Family Church and Society with Dr. Tackett, and Thursdays Gender and Leadership. Fridays we sometimes have class or we have chapel once a week. The afternoons are usually filled with reading, writing, or getting practicum hours in. We have to read an average of 100 pages per night, and so reading takes up a lot of my time.

Here is a picture of me and some of the other girls reading/studying by the pool!

I am loving my practicum. I am slowly getting adjusted and more comfortable of what I am supposed to be doing, and getting to know people. This last Friday, the other two interns and I put on a dinner and movie night for the teens in community bible study. We were expecting about 3 or 4 teens, and were surprised by 14 teens coming. It was a wonderful night of building community and getting to know the teens better.

On Saturday I went up Pikes Peak with four other girls. We contemplated hiking...but opted to go on the cog train first. It was amazing. As we went up the mountain it was amazing to see the beauty God created, to see the diversity and color. The leaves are starting to change here in Colorado, and it is absolutely beautiful. At the top of Pikes Peak you could see all the way out to Kansas and even the panhandle of Oklahoma. It was a fun and adventurous afternoon with new friends!

At the top of Pikes Peak. We were a little cold...

The beautiful leaves on the way up! There is so much diversity in creation!

Chelsea and on the the Cog Train up to Pikes Peak...we are almost there!!!

These last three weeks have been full of lots of emotions, it has definately been a roller coaster ride, but I am excited to see what God is going to do through all of this. The classes are intense, and can at times be emotionally and spiritually draining. It is a lot at once.

This coming weekend we are preparing to leave for New Mexico to do an abortion protest with Justice For All. We have training on Friday all day, and then leave on Sunday for three days to the University of New Mexico.

One final thought:

"I am the Vine, you are the branches; he who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5 (NASB)

We can do nothing apart from Christ. I am constantly in need of time with him, and need to abide in him. He gives life and breath. He is the source of all things. I want my life to bear much fruit

In church today we talked about faith and went through a passage in James. He stated a quote from someone who said, "True faith produces a life full of actions, not a head full of facts." Our faith should match our actions. We should be living a life that shows others what we believe. He challenged us to look for ways to put our faith into action.

It is in spending time with God, abiding in Him, that we are able to bear much fruit and show others what and who we believe in. It is an overflow of our relationship with God. My challenge is to look for ways to put your faith into action. It can even be in the smallest detail, but allow God to work through you and be aware of his presence and his working in your life. He is constantly moving and doing something, we just need to be still at moments and step back to see what He is really doing.

Weekend Adventures: Garden of the Gods and Manitou Springs

On Saturday, I went to Garden of the Gods twice...once in the morning and then in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day to be outside and enjoy God's creation and spend time with others.

Here are some pictures from the morning...

So we tried to do some jumping pictures, but failed miserably...this is our attempt at doing so.

Group photo...trying to be gangsta.

So then I met up with some other friends around lunch, and we decided to go to Garden of the Gods again and then head to Manitou Springs. Here are some photos from that excursion...

Excited to walk around! Garden of the Gods here we come!!!

Here I am with my neighbors Chelsea and Rachel!

A group shot of us all! I love these girls!!!
Basking in the "Sun"

Manitou Springs.

Such a cute town. We walked around and looked at the cute shops and decided to have dinner at a fondue restaurant called Mona Lisa. Such fun times!!!

My new friend and neighbor, Lindsey and I in front of a church in Manitou Springs.

Excited to eat the fondue!!!
Riding in the car - Lindsay, Lindsey, and Kelsey!!!

Opening Retreat at Horn Creek!!!

Opening Retreat at Horn Creek!!!
With some of my cabin mates...Cabin 15!!!

The Main Lodge!

The opening retreat was filled with lots of activities, team building and getting to know you activities. The first game we played was with a partner where you were both blindfolded and had to find one another. My partner and I's name was North and South. I was north and she was south. It took us awhile to find one another, but we did and were so excited!

My partner Lara and I getting to know one another!

Some of the team building activities that we did were interesting. This one was the spider web. Where every person on our team had to go through one of the holes without touching the wire. But the trick was, was that we had to use a different whole for each person!

Cabin 15 was the best! These are the girls that were in my cabin!

On Saturday afternoon, and usually in the evenings we had free time to hang out. There was a rec center where some people went, others chose to hang out at the lodge and play games or talk, and others went hiking. The rec center had a volleyball/basketball court, bowling, a track, and rock climbing wall.

Going on a hike...

My new friend Katie and I, waiting for the bus to arrive to take us back to Colorado Springs.

This is Kjersten, one of my resident supervisors.

Here is a group picture of some of the girls!

On the bus, on the way home. Colorado is so beautiful!

Pictures...part 1

This is the apartment complex we are staying at. I feel so blessed. We have an amazing pool, workout facility, and tanning bed all at our apartment complex. This is the view of the pool and main office area.

These are pictures from our first night. We had dinner and had a time of worship and teaching. It was a time of really focusing in on the semester and introducing ourselves to one another!

Dr. Tackett sharing with us from a passage in Isaiah. "When we see the face of God, it exposes us."
Roomates Fall 2009: Lindsay, Jetta, Sarah, and Heather. My roomates and I are from all different corners of the U.S. - South Dakota, California, Florida, and Alaska.

Two Weeks...

It has been exactly two week since I arrived at Focus. There was such a culmination of waiting for this time to come, expecting, and questioning what God was going to do with this season in my life. I have found that I don't have it all together...I am full of my certainties, but I am also full of many doubts and questions. One thing I am sure of is that God is good and He is faithful. He knows exactly what He is doing, and I just have to trust in Him and His plan for my life. I don't know what the future has in store for me, but I know that God has a plan and purpose for my life, and it is for good.

There are 72 people in my class. We are from all different parts of the country, and there is even someone from New Zealand. The first week was overwhelming, being in a new environment and with new people who you have never met, and trying to get acquainted with life here.

The first week was orientation - getting pictures taken, sitting through meetings about student life, security, etc. The first weekend we went on an opening retreat to Horn Creek, which is about two hours away from Focus. It was a weekend full of team building activities, getting to know people, and being able to spend some time in the mountains. It was nice to go, and it was also nice to come back after a long week.

My practicum this semester is with Teen Community Bible Study. I began last week, and am really excited about it. I am helping out with small groups and mentoring/spending time with High school girls. I will also be getting a chance to work in the national headquarters office, which I am really excited about as well.

These last two weeks have been full of ups and downs emotionally and spiritually. There have definately been some challenges. God is beginning to break down some barriers, and revealing some things. I know that God has amazing things in store. This is definately a season of spending time with Him and really getting to KNOW Him. I am realizing more and more that I can do nothing apart from Him.

I want to leave you with one of my favorite passages from Psalm 139 (The Message):

"God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I am an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I am thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of your sight. You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you're there, then up ahead and you're there, too-your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful-I can't take it all in!"

God you see it all.

You know it all. You are in it all.

You are in all things and you work through all things.

Thank you for all you do. Thank you that your promises are new.

You never leave us or forsake us. Your hand is always guiding, and you are so trusting.

Thank you for the beauty of your creation.

Thank you for your creativity.

You are marvelous! You are Glorious!

Romans 11: 36

For from Him and through Him and To Him are all things. To Him be Glory Forever. Amen.