early mid-life crisis

There is this 13 year old girl who does amazing paintings. Her name is Akiane and you can view her artwork from age 6 to age 13 on her website. Truly amazing.

Sometimes I listen to National Public Radio's broadcast "From the Top" which features talented kids playing classical music. Not only can they play the music on their violin, but when interviewed, they can properly pronounce the name of the piece of music & the composer.

Do you ever feel like you should be doing more with your life? Like somehow, you have already missed your peak?

Occasionally I find myself searching for a little significance for my life. What are my pursuits? My goals? What impact am I having on those goals? Every New Year's Day I take stock of the past year.

What about you? Do you have a 5 or 10 year plan? Do you have an ultimate destination? Are there sacrifices you find yourself having to make along the way? Or is it helpful in eliminating some of the good stuff for the best stuff?

And Can It Be?

Can men have friendships with women? Can women have friendships with men? Oprah Winfrey invited a Rabbi to comment on this. You can read the article here.

Another great article (this one is from Boundless, a Christian Young Adult resource) here

But frankly, I'm more interested in what you think. So, leave a comment & tell me.

And if you're not sure where you weigh in on the topic, we're having 2 great events in October that you won't want to miss:

Cindy Jancyzk is teaching a class on Wednesdays called "Adam Meets Eve".

Also, Jesse and myself will host a discussion on dating Friday, October 17 in the Youth Building at 7:00 pm. Leave a comment/question on dating that we can discuss that night. Hope to see you there.

Down The Road by Katie C

I love the story about Philip and the Ethiopian in Acts 8:26-40! After Philip is led to go to the Desert Road, he notices an Ethiopian in his chariot, traveling home from Jerusalem.

“The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet” (v.29,30).

Philip asked if he understood what he was reading, which led to an opportunity to share the Gospel with the Ethiopian. The man was even baptized before the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away!

Before Philip had the opportunity to share the Gospel, his heart had to be in a position where he could hear from the Lord. The first two steps Philip took in this passage were to 1) hear and 2) obey. Thirdly, he expressed a passion and fervency for obeying the will of God. When the Spirit instructed him to approach the chariot, he ran! He appears eager to see what the Lord is up to. Next, he is quick to become involved with what the Ethiopian is doing, shares the Gospel with him, and baptizes him.

Learning to hear and obey God’s call on my life has been an exciting, and at times, challenging journey. In 2007 He led me to Romania where I had the amazing, heart-breaking, and life-changing opportunity to spend time with babies in a pediatric hospital, children in a gypsy village, prisoners, and street kids. The experience of sharing His love with people in need and seeing His beauty expressed through those kids was an experience I will always treasure. It was amazing, but also very difficult at times; witnessing abandonment and poverty, feeling the attack of the enemy, and some smaller challenges such as jet lag made it difficult but also caused me to grow spiritually and see God’s power revealed as I cried out to Him in the midst of my weaknesses. Soon I will be joining Youth With a Mission to gain further training and experience in missions. I am excited for all that God has in store!

How has God called you to missions? You can be a missionary to your co-workers, family members, neighbors next door, or neighbors across the country or overseas. Draw near to God. Incline your ear to hear Him. Consider the opportunities and adventures that could be waiting down the road for you! Whenever you feel God calling you down the road to your neighbor’s house or out of your comfort zone to another nation, remember the story of Philip and the Ethiopian. Be inspired by Philip’s obedience and the impact it had on the Ethiopian. God has amazing plans in store for those who are willing to join Him in what He is doing!

Katie C is a member of Christ Community and is joining Youth With A Mission for the next 7 months. To read more about her adventures & discoveries, check out her blog: Learning to Climb Moriah

Movies at Messiah College

The great thing about not being a student is that you can go on campus and enjoy being there! I love going to Messiah's campus to walk on the fitness trail, hear a band, or watch movies in their pristine theater for just one dollar.

That's right! For mere change you can see great movies. Visit their website at the beginning of each semester to see what's coming up.

September 26 & 27: Wall-E
October 3 & 4: The Visitor

Where do you get your inspiration?

I have a wonderful story about my brother in Christ, Mark. Sometime, you can ask me and I'll share it with you in person.

I've known Mark for about 5 years now, and I can honestly say that the more I know him the more I love him. I love him when he's sloshed in the spirit. I love him when he's busy. I love it when he is worshiping and I love it when he prays. It goes without saying that I also enjoy talking with him. He's a remarkable person.

When I read this excerpt on his blog (listed under "Rabbit Trails"), I was inspired and challenged:

When I was cleaning up the kitchen yesterday, I thought to ask the Lord to teach me and speak to me. Immediately, this lesson on the Holy Spirit came to me.

My task of the moment was to apply some oil to our new wooden cutting board. As I applied the oil to the board, the lessons were revealed. First, the oil brought forth the beauty in the wood that was hidden only moments before. The light brown surface was transformed into swirls of different rich browns and reds. Second, what was unseen and only hinted at was now completely revealed with surprising clarity. Instead of the dull, flat tan of the wood there was vivid swirls and grain patterns. Thirdly, there was an easy to see difference between what wood was light and which was dark - discernment. The lines between light and dark were clear and there was no halfway. Lastly, the Lord showed me that the oil made the wood impervious to water, stains, and any oils coming from items cut up on the board.

To read the interpretation of this lesson, click here. So my question is, what types of things inspire you? What moves you? Where do you look when you want to raise your thoughts above the daily shuffle?