This is officially my 4th week living in California.. 
Originally I had wanted my first blog to be a HUGE UPDATE of e v e r y t h i n g that has happened to me since I’ve been here.. but my brother was telling me how overwhelming that would be and how much I would put that off…so here I am.. just updating about the day today
This morning I met with Ben Ku at Panera Bread in Pasadena, and was totally excited to find out that this major road I take to run my grocery shopping errands totally connected to where I was, so I found not only a new short cut, but I see how everything connects. It’s funny, one day I’ll have to make a list of all the differences between the East and West coast…but one thing i notice is they are ALL about cardinal directions here, so “head south on this road… and north on this road .. ” and the road names are even like named after that..for instance.. South Lake and North Lake Rd are the SAME road here..just different directions on the same road, i thought that was different!
So I met with Ben to talk about youth ministry stuff since a lady at the church told me he had been a youth pastor at a church for 6 years! I can’t even tell you HOW encouraging it was to meet with him today…wow, basically he shared with me his experiences and I love learning from those who have been where I’d like to go! You really can learn SO much from others. I was telling someone the other day how I seriously consider myself a “learner of life” i LOVE to learn..and that’s why most of you know how inquisitive I am.. i love to ask those questions…
Anyway, the basic gist was that after talking to Ben, God really reminded me of something I think He really wants to work on me..and that is my super Type A personality. I LOVE for things to be very very structured, organized and planned out in every detail. I notice that I like to “do things for God” or a relationship should look “this way.” I guess the way to sum it up is I like to put God in a box and for everything to be all nice and neat, and in its place.. and I guess the underlying theme is for things to be in “my” control!
I really believe God is truly humbling me…to realize my place in life is simply just to be used by God. To lay myself down and be a tool .. a willing and available tool for God to use My sister always compares me to a ruler and says I’m too rigid, that I need to be more loose and flexible. grrr.. i hate that analogy ! So, God is so so awesome. I love how He knows what’s best for us and how He disciplines us for our good. I see how being in this youth position is really like being a modern-day Moses…if there’s any success..it will be ALL glory to God, because I really do not know what I’m doing.
I think today the theme that God was sharing with me was in Psalm 127:1 ” Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” I realize how much I need to be really seeking God’s heart for these youth, seeking His guidance and direction for how He wants me to lead them…really interceding for the youth in this world…that they can really be the next generational leaders! I can plan programs, activities, lessons, programs…but if the Lord is not leading me…it’s ALL FOR VAIN. Oh I love that. It’s such a good reminder for my personality. I also heard once this quote that’s stuck with me from Randy Pope (Perimeter Church’s pastor) . When he was starting the church in Atlanta he said he kept thinking of “Attempt something SO GREAT that its doomed for FAILURE..less God be in it.” WOW. I love that. It’s ALL God..ALL for HIS GLORY.. all I can do is partner with Him and be His hands and feet
So, I left Panera feeling SO encouraged. Ben was so great to talk to and he even offered to treat me. I told him I wondered if the boys in the West were as gentlemen-like as in the South. I think God has truly shown me what a delight it is to be a giver..to be a generous giver. I love treating people and the feeling of taking care of others and when I see someone else doing that..it really uplifts me thanks to all those who have been generous to me in the past I love how we can all take care of each other !
Speaking of doing nice things for others, wow, I totally had the best thing happen to me today and really believe that doing a good deed for others is contagious. It really spurs us to want to do good for others! Today I went to the Toyota Dealership to get my front license plate put on my car, since it’s illegal to just only have a back license and in Georgia they didn’t really care…well…he not only did it for free but gave me two license plate guard border things…two silver ones that say TOYOTA PASADENA. He even washed my car for me for free—it was the nicest thing ever. We spoke and he found out I was new to CA to go to Fuller and told me how his brother is a preacher in Atlanta! I will definitely go back to him for more car service. My car looks sooo good now. Clean, dent-free, two new license plates, two new license plate borders, with a newly bought air freshner today! When I was waiting for my car wash, I checked out the new corolla ‘09…looks pretty neat! I can’t wait ’til I get my own new car one day. I already summed them to 5 choices (Honda Civic -Hybrid, BMW 1 series, Acura TSX or TL, Mercedes SLK, or Lexus IS 250)
hehehe… one day. vrroooom…
so after the toyota dealership, i went to Ralph’s which here is the equivalent to Kroger and bought 2 gallons of water. the water in california doesn’t taste as good to me which could simply just mean that i’m used to georgia water, so i buy my own water and realize that I drink more than 2 gallons a week! I LOVE WATER!
then i went to bed, bath and beyond and bought new sheets for my new queen sized bed! it’s the SOFTEST sheets ever and only found at BB&B. It’s 70% Modal which is the softest material ever:) Oh my gosh it makes sleeping feel soooo luxurious. so i drove home and oh my gosh, i sleep like a princess soft sheets. down comforter, temperpedic….
