Since when...

Okay, after a failed attempt at making a new blog on a site I didn't like, I can say for certain...
Another one checked off.

I have a bit of a summer "to-do" list you might say, that included: "Creating a cool blog and actually keeping up with it." Well, now that I've created it and "cooled it out", I suppose it's time to write in it. And keep up with it. But seriously...

Since when do I have a blog? Since when do I journal my thoughts for the world to read?
Good question. I usually don't. But, I figure, God's really taught me throughout my undergraduate career (hah, I get to say that now! Way cool! I'm still getting used to it) to be more open with people. And, well, I've been having some GREAT conversations, about God, coffee, and life out here in the mountains... so I figured it was a reasonable summer goal.

I've had a lot of "since when's" already this week, I think. You've already heard two. But here's a couple more:
Since when do I hike 17 miles in 1 day and then go camping straight afterward?
Since when do you meet someone from Washington Twp. who knows where Bill's Donuts is in Centerville and works at Kind Coffee?
Since when do you meet 2 men in said coffee shop that graduated from BGSU in 1963 and were roommates their first year in Williams Hall?

But, even bigger: Since when did God decide to use me to teach and lead others?
After co-teaching with Sharon our first workshop this week, I'm still amazed both that God would even use me in the first place to teach, and that it would actually be effective to change lives. We're being serious here, right? In nearly every spiritual gifts test I've taken in college I usually score highest in areas of administration, encouragement, hospitality, then leadership, and, depending on the version, areas of the arts (music, etc.). But, teaching? Nah, that's never been up very high (which is a little ironic considering I have a degree and licensure to teach, right?). In the past, I've enjoyed planning our Fusion Bible studies, and talking about the topics, but the area of teaching is usually reserved for those in our core planning with the gift and ability to do so. I enjoy leading small group discussions, lifegroups, core groups... you know, things that require more discussion and participation from all than teaching, which usually requires one person, being the teacher to talk and well, teach, and for everyone else to listen and take notes and such.Yet, that's what I'm up to with Sharon every Sunday night from last week to August 1, 9:00PM-10:30PM.
It's somewhat been on my heart to teach a women's workshop since March when Hoops sent out the email to all LT staff and interns for workshop ideas, but knowing that the staff from BG/Kent was all male, and having a fear of teaching it, I dismissed it pretty quick. Then, when more workshops were needed, the idea and heart for the topic of a woman's identity in Christ and the sins and struggles she faces came back. So, after talking to a few women on staff at Texas A&M, some quick planning, and a few emails later, Sharon and I had our workshop: The Secret Life of Women.
What amazed me was afterward last Sunday, when some of the women in LT were thanking us for all our Scripture references, talking about the sins and struggles they're currently dealing with, and what our testimonies and teachings meant to them, and when even one girl said she was going to take the handout with all the Scripture references and notes and really study it and pray over it this week because of how much it meant to her.
Whoa, God can use me like that? Use us like that? All week it felt like Sharon and I were just sharing life together, sharing our testimonies with each other, sharing verses that really impacted our lives, talking about how amazing God's freedom is and what it meant in our lives. And then we just shared that with these women... and it's already impacting lives. This is NUTS!

This is the prayer I journaled and prayed on April 21 as I dedicated this summer:

"I am dedicating my Summer 2010 to serving God, serving others, and allowing my life to be an example to other of love, leadership, faith, and service. I ask God to use me this summer and to transform lives and perform miracles in my life and the lives of others through His grace, mercy, and unashamed love for us."

I've seen and heard God answer a lot of prayers, but it still amazes me every time I journal a prayer and then I see Him answer it in some ridiculous and mind-blowing way. In a later blog, hopefully, I can share some more of my prayers for the summer and for the LT program and all our students, staff and interns.

And, that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes my first post to this blog. Success.

Also, hopefully, to be included in each post will be a fun fact (unless it's way too serious to warrent it), most likely about me, not to be self-centered, but for people to get to know something weird or fun about me. So, since we are currently at Kind Coffee:

Fun Fact: My favorite thing to get at Kind Coffee is a double-iced Milky Way with whipped cream. And now you know.