Driving and the Gospel

When we are driving and get upset with the person that cuts us off, or chew out the person on our tail or look down upon someone making a "stupid" decision on the road, I'm convinced it's a gospel issue. 

Maybe you feel justified to make comments about other drivers or maybe you think it's just a matter of holding your tongue. When in reality, as a Christian, it is none of these. You see, road rage and even hints of it start in the heart, and shows how well we understand and appreciate what Jesus did for us on that cross. 

I was driving with some friends in Dallas traffic this last semester and something interesting was pointed out. One guy noticed that my friend who was driving was not getting upset with people on the road like he used to and I loved his response. He basically said that over that semester the Lord had shown him how much grace He has on his life and so it was then much easier and natural to show others simple grace on the road. This left me thinking about how true that is. 

Before I realized how much grace God has truly and abundantly placed on my life, I was quick to be cynical on the road. When I realized how much I had offended God and how many times I disobeyed or disrespected him yet was showered with grace my driving habits changed. When you realize you deserve hell and are completely ill-deserving of the grace that was abundantly given to you, grace pours out of you and onto ill-deserving people like ourselves. What if we all drove as if our lives had been exponentially changed? What if we pardoned people like we have been pardoned? So many times when I start to get irritated with another driver, I have to pray that God will remind me of how much grace He has shown me or remind myself that I have done so much worse to God than cutting him off or not letting Him in. After all, when we lack self-control, godliness, or brotherly affection on the road, it is because we have forgotten that we were cleansed from our former sins (2 Peter 1:5-9). One of my friends and I who drive a lot together have a joke where whenever we get frustrated with another driver, we sing "Grace, grace, God's grace...grace that is greater than all our sin." This has become our funny way of reminding ourselves that God's grace on us is so much bigger and covers so many of our sins toward Him. 

Oh that His grace may continually change the core of who we are and how we act. 

If you realize that this is a struggle in your life right now, I encourage you to start by praying that God will make the earth-shattering beauty of His grace toward you come alive, that you may see how ill-deserving you are of the abundant grace poured out on you. Correcting hints of road rage doesn't start with a list of methods. It starts with the heart, and the heart is directly linked to the understanding and appreciation you have for the great, great gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Today's Barabbas

There I was, consumed with pride, rebellion, lust, selfishness, shame, and lies. A rebel with a wandering heart. Ill-deserving of anything but the jail cell I sat in, expecting my soon judgement. When will they come to get me? When will they call my name? What will it be like to walk to that cross in front of all the people I have hurt? I fully deserve to be spat upon and cursed as I make that walk. Surely, I will walk with my head down, feeling the pain and shame I fully deserve. I expect nothing less of a harsh punishment. I know that time is coming when they call my name, release me from my prison, and lead me down the road to my final judgement in front of all whom I have hurt. When will they call my name?


I sat there waiting, then I heard my name. I knew what was to come in my final hour. The guards came in, grabbed me, chains and all. My bondage covering me, they dragged me outside. 

Then, I heard the word: Pardoned.

A man, fully innocent and ill-deserving of my deserved punishment got up and entered into the walk I was anticipating. 

I sat there, in absolute shock as someone chose to take my place. Why would you pardon a sinner like me? Why would you willingly walk the road I fully deserved to walk? I never felt that kind of love before. 

Speechless, I watched as that man was scourged. "They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him." Matthew 27:28-31

That scarlet robe was meant for me. Those thorns were meant to be pushed into my head. That spit was supposed to be on my face. Those beatings were supposed to scourge my back, 

That cross was meant for me.

That man was Jesus. I am today's Barabbas.

"BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were DEAD in our trespasses, made us ALIVE together with Christ. By GRACE you have been saved." Ephesians 2: 4-5

I did absolutely nothing to earn His pardon. Not only am I undeserving of that grace, but I am ill-deserving. I have absolutely nothing to bring to the table. Absolutely nothing. How in the world does God desire to show me, the worst of sinners, grace? By His death, I am FREE! I have been given LIFE, and life to the fullest (John 10:10). It's not about how can God send people to Hell, but how in the world can He show people grace? Here's the even crazier thing...not only did my Jesus pardon me when I became a Christian, but He pardons me every day. Oh how vast the love and grace of Jesus! There is nothing I could ever do to earn that grace and salvation. Just like Barabbas, I bring nothing to the table. There is no amount of works that could have earned me grace. It is fully the grace of my Jesus. If I could lose my salvation, I would have never received it from day one. There's absolutely no way I could ever have gained that favor. 

Does Easter truly excite you that you have been fully pardoned, every day? 

The moment the gospel does not excite us and bring us to our knees is because we have forgotten the gospel. Do you further your faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love everyday? 2 Peter 1:9 says that if you are lacking these things, it is because you are so nearsighted, that you are blind, having forgotten that you were cleansed from your former sins.

I dare us to live as if we are pardoned. I dare us to remember the gospel daily. I dare us to not just think about the gospel this weekend, but for us to allow it to penetrate our hearts daily, so we may be reminded of how much we don't deserve Him and be reminded of the grace that our Jesus so fully brings. We have a special hope, as our Savior is ALIVE. Will you dare to live like He is alive?

10 Things I Have Learned from my International Friends

It all started in the Fall of 2012, when I was simply looking for a job. I just needed something to help me pay for school so I went to a job fair and applied for our International Office on campus. There was an English tutoring position open, so I applied and got the job. To be honest, I have always thought about teaching English overseas in Madagascar, but really did not want to even though I knew I would be good at it. Now, I have fallen in love with teaching English and would love to do that overseas. What started off as a simple job became so much more over the years. Now, whenever people ask me what I do for my job, I tell them I basically get paid to make friends from all over the world all day (and help them with their papers and English). I had no idea how much God was going to humble me, change me, and impact my life through the people I work with and the students that have become some of my best friends. These people are without a doubt some of the funniest and encouraging people I have ever met. Here are the top 10 ways the international students have impacted my life:

1) They have taught me how to love my sweet Jesus more. 

This last year, I have had the opportunity to mentor two of the sweetest Chinese girls I know, Anna and Fiona. When I first started mentoring them, they were brand new believers eager to learn about their sweet Savior. I may have been their mentor, but they without a doubt teach me more. Through meeting with them every week, I have seen their eagerness grow. They have fallen in love with the Lord and are so excited to share what they have learned with people. One of my favorite memories from college was last semester right before summer, when  I asked what they were most excited about for the summer and they immediately replied they were most excited to share Jesus with their parents and close friends. This statement encouraged and challenged me more than they knew. What if that was always my answer to what I was excited about over break? I have also read countless papers these last couple of years about students' testimonies and got to have great conversations with them. 

2) The beauty behind learning a new language

My favorite Spanish phrase: I smell lies

To be honest, I was prideful toward other languages for most of my life. It annoyed me to hear languages I did not understand. Thankfully the Lord is faithful to change our hearts as I grew to absolutely love hearing other languages all around me while at work. Something God continues to challenge me with is the idea that if we only know one language, as Christians we will miss out on a lot of opportunities to impact people as well as share the gospel. Yeah, it's intimidating to learn a new language, but I get to be around people all day that have chosen to take away that obstacle and seek to learn a new language. Not only that, but many of them know more than a few languages!! I now have three languages I want (and will!) become fluent in: French, Portuguese, and Malagasy.

3) How to fall in love with culture

Culture: a word that brings me joy when it is simply spoken. Why? Because I have gotten to enjoy and learn about so many cultures these last few years. I have gotten to see God's creativity in culture, from food, to dances, to different phrases. I now have a passion for learning about culture and seeing different parts of the world. There is so much beauty in the world that I don't want to miss out on because I'm focused on myself. 

4) How to Salsa and Bachata

It all started when I made good friends with a lot of our Latino students this semester. During the international retreat, a DBU retreat for Americans and International students to interact, play games, and worship, there were a few impromptu salsa nights where we stayed up late learning salsa ("ummm I have to move my hips? How do you do that?" classic) and bachata from them and then taught them two-stepping. Those nights were some of my favorite DBU memories. It was so much fun to embrace their beautiful culture and be a part of that. We now go salsa dancing and have impromptu salsa nights. Also my mom may or may not call me "Picante" now... Then we all learned swing dancing together, which we go to every Wednesday night. A culture that loves to dance is clearly my kind of culture!! Last night we had another impromptu salsa night after a few of us went to watch our Latino friends sing at their church and that Salsa night soon turned into a Spanish Karaoke night. Goodness I love them.
5) How to invest in people you know won't be around for a long time

We tend to try to only invest in people we know will be around for awhile, and to be honest the first year or so that I worked in the International office it was hard to truly invest in students and become close friends, knowing they would soon be moving back to their country. They have taught me what it looks like to invest and love people well, even when you know they won't be here for long. The way they love me and invest in a friendship really challenges me. Now, I look forward to becoming close friends with the students. Does that make the goodbyes harder? Yeah, for sure, but is it worth it? Absolutely yes. The way they have impacted me has challenged me to be more intentional with roommates, even when they are only here for a semester, and everyone who I come in contact with that may not be a close friend. After all, that's what Jesus did. He knew he had a short time on the earth and used every minute of it to invest in people, disciple them, and love them really well. These students have been a reflection of Jesus.

6) Spanish music is wonderful

That's right, I have been hanging out with Latinos so much that I listen to Spanish music....all the time. You can thank Abraham, Dani, and Sebastian for that one. I may or may not be obsessed with the songs Bailando and Danza Kuduro. It's my first choice when we are in the car together. My Chilean roommate laughs all the time when she walks into the apartment and Spanish music is playing, especially when I am listening to a dirty song and have no idea...whoops...still learning haha. The other night, a few of us Americans and some Latino students went to eat and look at Christmas lights and we listened to Spanish Christmas music and it was basically awesome. 

7) How to cook wonderful food

Anna and Fiona have taught me how to make Chinese dumplings and my friend Adam has taught me how to make legit Mexican tacos. Yes please. I have gotten to try so many different foods over the years which has been so much fun! Then there was that one time they had me try a strong ginger sauce....we won't talk about that one. We have gone to Chinese restaurants for birthdays and I have loved every minute of trying new things with precious friends.

8) How to courageously embrace new cultures

This has been one of the most impactful things I have learned. Many students have come to the States and faced culture shock but still sought to embrace our culture and learn about it. They chose not to stick to their own culture, but courageously face the unknown and learn a new language and culture. They chose to leave their family in order to be obedient to the Lord. They chose to not take the easy way out and only talk to people who spoke their own language but fearlessly appreciate other cultures. I love seeing students talking to each other in a tongue that is not their own. This means so much to me since I will be moving to a new country, Madagascar, as soon as October of next year. Big changes are scary, but because of my Jesus and the way He has used these awesome international students, I can walk into a new culture courageously and embrace their language and culture eagerly. 

9) A glimpse of Heaven

Every year, I looked forward to going on the International Retreat DBU puts on. Throughout the weekend we have worship, and it is the most beautiful glimpses of Heaven I have ever seen. Over 50 cultures come together to worship the same God. In Heaven, everyone will be worshiping in their own tongue and it will be the most beautiful thing. I love that God consistently gives us a taste of what is to come. Many of my friends are absolutely in love with my sweet Jesus. 

10) Portuguese pick up lines

My Brazilian friends Wilson and Rodrigo

That's right... my Brazilian friends started off teaching me cheesy pick up lines in Portuguese. If you know me, you know I had too much fun with that. Cheesy pick up lines are definitely the best. Then, I learned random phrases that I could say to my Brazilian friends. They taught me some basics of Portuguese and I was able to put things together and have a small conversation in it. I don't exactly know why, but now I feel called to learn Portuguese and I am enjoying it so much. If you are a DBU student learning another language, I encourage you to come make friends with students in the International Office. They would love to teach you and practice their English as well! So here's to learning a new language. 

Even though I listed 10 ways they have impacted my life, this number does not even scratch the surface of the ways they have impacted my life. Looking forward to one more semester with you all and visiting you in your countries!!

Sometimes you are so white that you glow...

That one time we met Jesus...

Christmas lights with Latinos

Sometimes Purpose Looks Like Taking a Weird Picture and Following a Random Guy Down a Mountain

So there was that one time...
when we had 4 girls. One Honda Civic. 13 hours.
when we prayed our trip to CO would have purpose.
when we prayed God would give us opportunities to share the gospel.
when we prayed for the obedience to dive into those opportunities.

Little did we know.
Little did we know what kind of adventures were about to take place.

So, there we were, walking down downtown Denver. We looked up and saw a ridiculous mural on a tattoo parlor.of a little boy getting a tattoo and screaming. So, naturally I tell the girls that we should take a picture with it. Clearly that would be great. So there we were, trying to take a selfie when a friendly guy walked by and offered to take our picture. After taking several, he started talking to us and mentioned how he was one of the tattoo artists there. I saw some weird flowery tats on his arm and asked him if his tats had any special meaning behind them. He started getting really passionate as he explained they represented these different forms of positive energy. Then, he lifted up his sleeve to show us a giant Buddha face. Oh yeah, this is about to get interesting. He said he wasn't a Buddhist but liked a lot of there philosophies. We spent the next 30 minutes asking this guy questions and simply trying to understand him and where he came from. He mentioned that he grew up Catholic but his mom was bipolar and switched to wicken. He had been searching for truth his whole life and came to believe that there are many ways to God and that as long as you have positivity, you can get through life just fine and find your way to God.

After 30 minutes of us asking him questions and hearing about his past and learning about what he believed, it was time. I have never been so emotional when witnessing with someone, especially a stranger. Words passionately came out as I explained that "positivity" can only come through Jesus. I explained how much I personally need Him every single day and how I am never able to do things on my own or have that joy/hope without Him. I became really emotional while sharing with him because it was like I saw myself in him, without Jesus. I saw a person confused and searching for truth. I saw a person that tried to make sense of it all. I saw a person that desperately wanted to find hope. I wanted so badly for our new friend Stephen to experience the beautiful hope that we have. I wanted Him to see the earth-shattering truth that we have experienced.

I loved that we searched to understand him and took the lies he believed, which had glimpses of truth and take those glimpses and point him back to the gospel. We ended up talking to Stephen for over an hour in front of this tattoo parlor. By the end of the conversation, he said that we had given him some things to think about. Funny things happen when you pray for purpose.


The next adventure makes me laugh every time I think about it.
So we are almost to the top of this 13,000 ft mountain. We begin to trek through snow and get to the point where every footstep is carefully placed. Let me tell ya, we were riding the struggle bus for sure. So we look down only to see this guy RUNNING up the mountain in the SNOW with shorts on.... Ummmm....Ok.

He passes us saying, "it's just a workout" and keeps running. We met up with him when he ran back down and we ended up sitting on a ledge chilling with him and some old people who were frustrated that there was no "bloody sign" at the top to take a picture with. This guy's name is Austin and he's this 18 year old guy. He then decides to walk (run) back down the mountain with us because he "didn't have anything else to do" that day....that or he enjoyed hanging out with some older girls. Anyway, he's basically leaping down this mountain. We started talking about how cool God was and how powerful He is, that He would create the landscape around us.

So we are literally leaping down a mountain with this guy. Guess it's time to dive into one of those
opportunities we prayed for. We are running behind him, constantly trying to catch our breath while witnessing to him. He was really interested in Christianity and was asking a lot of genuine questions. Long story short, we were going to go to dinner with him since we didn't know the area. When leaving, he hauled out and we decided to take the safer route. But then we saw a moose in the distance and decided to be "those people" and stopped to take a picture. Who knew what kind of adventure that stupid moose would cause....

As we are driving down this two lane road we see a car bottomed out in the ditch, taking up an entire lane. OH MY WORD....are you serious? It was Austin. Poor guy tried to turn around because we had stopped to see that moose and his car rolled into the ditch. So we stayed there with him, looking like the damsels in distress on this log while he directed traffic. One of my favorite parts about this scene was watching the people as they drove by, looking horrified as they looked at the car then looked straight at us.


Side note- when life hands you
opportunities to put a cool vest on and direct traffic, you don't question it.

After the park rangers showed up, they questioned him and searched his car, thinking he was on drugs. Then they began to question these girls on the hill who are hyper and giggly, thinking we were high, but clearly we were just high on life. Then they proceeded to tell us their bear stories and tell us all the details of weed. No, sir, we do not want to know exactly where to get it and how many plants you can grow. Anyway, the girls thought about another way we could be Jesus to this guy, which was to help pay for his tow (I have some pretty cool friends, let me tell ya). We gave him money to help pay for his tow once he got the bill and he was so overwhelmed. He then immediately downloaded the Bible app and asked us how it worked.

We went to bed that night in a cold tent, laughing uncontrollably at the neat yet ridiculous opportunity we got to be apart of that day. Who knew? I don't tell you these stories to say, "hey look at us!" but I tell you these stories to show you how much the Lord can use us despite our brokenness when we simply pray for strength to seek purpose. Only our sweet Jesus could have orchestrated these conversations and crazy adventures. Clearly He has a sense of humor too! That stupid moose.

Please pray for Stephen and Austin. Pray the Lord will show them truth and break them so He is able to save them. Pray the Lord will love them in a special way this week. I truly believe the Lord is going to save these two guys and use them in crazy ways. How cool is it that He allows us to be apart of their salvation despite our brokenness?

This fall break I learned the importance of being on mission at all times and how beautiful adventures are when they have purpose. I'm learning the importance of not only praying for opportunities to live missionally, but for the obedience to dive into those opportunities. Wake up ever morning and pray that day will have purpose. You will be surprised at the adventures the Lord will take you on.

The Ultimate Invitation

What if we left 5 minutes early? What if we left early so we could accept the invitation? What if we accepted the invitation to truly live?

As a college student, I know how easy it is to wake up late, feel rushed, and leave for class at the latest possible time without being late. Let's admit it... we know exactly how long it takes to walk from our dorm/apartment to our class. 

College students are known for being rushed and late.

What if we opened the invitation to be different and set apart as we truly live?

What if we left 5 minutes earlier so that we could pray over our campus while we walked? What if we left early so we had time to stop and talk to a friend that simply needed to know we were there for them? What if we left early so we could focus on the present, rather than the destination? What if we left early so we could walk slowly and simply focus on the Lord? What if we left early so we had time to look around to see the ways the Lord wanted to woo us? What if we left early so we could spend time praying over our day and praying the Lord would give us opportunities where we were forced to have the option of showing someone grace? What if we left early for work so we could pray over the workplace that we would love the people we work with well and that the Lord would open hearts and eyes to His good news that day?  What if you dared to not allow your walk to class or work become monotonous? 

Here's another crazy thought....What if we decided to leave our phones in our pockets during our walk so that we could accept the invitation?

I will be the first to say that is hard for me. So often I will be walking to class with my phone in hand, looking up to see almost every other person with a phone in hand as well. It makes me sad that we are so quick to fill our precious time. Last Sunday, my pastor mentioned how we tend to suppress sin, suffering, and emotions with distractions such as our phone. I am guilty of this and am ready to open the invitation to spend my time wisely and truly live. It makes me wonder how many times my sweet Jesus tried to love and woo me, but my eyes were only focused on my phone. If you are reading this and see me walking around with my phone in hand consistently, please please call me out on that. 

Will you dare to accept the ultimate invitation today, or will you distract yourself from it?

"There is only one invitation it would kill me to refuse, yet I'm tempted to turn it down all the time. I get the invitation every morning when I wake up to actually live a life of complete engagement, a life of whimsy, a life where love does. It doesn't come in an envelope. It's ushered in by a sunrise, the sound of a bird, or the smell of coffee drifting lazily from the kitchen. It's the invitation to actually life, to fully participate in this amazing life for one more day... Turning down this invitation comes in lots of flavors. It looks like numbing yourself or distracting yourself or seeing something really beautiful as just normal." 

Bob Goff

The Phrase that Bothers me the Most in College

“The Real World”….a phrase that bothers the core of what I believe about life. A phrase that incessantly rings in your ear during high school and college. A phrase that hinders you from truly living. A phrase that discourages you from living with purpose. A phrase that depresses the idea of making a considerable impact while you are young. A phrase that advises you to reach the next stage quickly and implies importance only lies in the future and never in the present.

Our culture tends to view high school and college as a holding place for young adults who have not entered “the real world” and thus do not have an impact on the world. Yet, as Christians, we know the Lord loves to use youth over and over again. For example, God called David, a young boy to defeat Goliath, the giant that could not be defeated. Much like our culture today, people mocked him for thinking he was able to defeat him and serve his community. Instead of encouraging him, they told him to go back and tend to the sheep. You see, the Lord loves using young adults to impact people and culture in life-shattering ways, because sadly culture does not expect it.

It breaks my heart to hear the words “I can’t wait to graduate” because it shows they are not treasuring their time but believing their identity is fulfilled only in their future. Treasure every day and do not miss out on the purpose God has for you TODAY. Don’t miss out on the ways the Lord wants to use you to impact our culture TODAY. If you believe satisfaction lies in tomorrow, the cycle will never seem to end and you will never choose to use the time you have to love people, impact culture, learn new things, and most importantly, be obedient to what the Lord is calling you to do. If you waste your college years, believing life has not begun, I promise you that will be something you regret.

I am not saying the next stage in life does not look differently and does not contain more responsibilities and opportunities. Every stage in life is beautiful and looks different. I promise you the next stage in life is not filled with more life and fulfillment and more reality than the one you are in right now. The next stage is not more real than the one you are in right now. It is only different.

Christians, let me deeply encourage you to challenge others when they use the phrase “the real world”. Let me encourage you not to believe there is more importance in the next stage of life. Treasure every single day and impact the world around you in big ways. Don’t go through every day with the thought that you can’t wait to graduate and enter a world that has more significance. Live with significance every day. Love the people you work with deeply. Mentor people. Seek Jesus. Learn from others. Join a cause to serve your community. Write a book if you feel called to. Be a leader. Treasure the people God has put in your life. Serve your church. Wake up with the intentions to seek God faithfully, love Him, and to impact the people and culture around you every day. Set an example. Live with intention. Don’t miss out on the joy awaiting you today. Will you dare to use your gifts and talents to further the gospel and serve the people around you? Will you dare to live obediently to your calling as a Christian? Will you dare to set an example for youth in our culture? Will you dare to live with purpose today?

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and purity," 1 Timothy 4:12

Picture by:  http://www.760kfmb.com/story/25389863/skepticism-regarding-high-school-graduation-rates

Adventure is out there

My favorite life motto... "Adventure is out there." 

So much to this phrase, yet so much that's misunderstood.

I love adventuring. I love experiencing different smells, foods, cultures, experiences, and changes. There's something about exploring something new and joyfully embracing every sensation and detail it has to offer. There's something about fresh new journeys that open your eyes to the beauty of this diverse and creatively made universe that than our eyes will ever be able to see. 

I love that our generation is one of adventure-seeking. But, I see people all the time, including me at times, that seek adventure for the wrong purposes, such as finding satisfaction or bragging rights. It's almost like our culture tells us that if we do not seek traveling and adventuring 24/7, we don't have a life worth living. You are boring if you don't travel whenever you get the chance. You are boring if you do not post on Instagram every day of some new adventure. You are nobody if you do not do something extraordinary. 

If we find our satisfaction in adventuring, it will quickly fail us. Even if we got to travel the world, we still would not find satisfaction. That satisfaction in life only comes through Jesus. He is the only one that can deeply satisfy us. Not only do we find satisfaction in Him, but He is already satisfied with us. We do not have to have the approval of others or even ourselves. 

We tend to compare ourselves with each other as we adventure through our day. Comparison is the thief of joy. When we compare our current circumstances with others, that is when we lose that satisfaction; We take our eyes of the deep satisfaction we have in Jesus, and put it into comparing ourselves. 

So how do we be a lover of adventure but seek Jesus at the same time? I believe God created us to love adventure. But, I believe these adventures are to point us closer to the Creator and His creation, not our own achievements. How often do we put the focus on us accomplishing the journey, rather than the journey itself? Yes, I believe it is healthy to travel and experience new things, but adventure is so often misunderstood as only doing something extraordinary and far from home. But, the extraordinary is found all around us. I think adventure is found in the everyday things we get to experience. The problem is that we don't let those things become adventures. They are only monotonous duties or scenes to us. What if our point of view changed? What if we saw the things all around us as adventures? What if we changed our perspective when things go wrong and see them as new journeys? What if we experienced life to its fullest and saw seemingly monotonous things as adventures? What if we let Jesus show His glory through what we see as a common flower, simple sunset, simple conversation, and simple landscape. What if we allowed the Lord to open our eyes? If we allow Him to, our life transforms into one of pure, life-giving adventure.

Yes, I deeply enjoy new places, countries, languages, and scenery. I believe the Lord wants us to see His creation. I am a seeker of adventure. But, I want to use adventures to seek my Jesus. I used to think adventures were only found through traveling. Now, I know adventures are also in the everyday things. Adventures are found in the moments when you drive to the tallest hill in your neighborhood and watch the sunset. Adventures are found in starting a campfire when it keeps failing. Adventures are found in walking barefoot outside, experiencing the softness of the grass and the perfect breeze. Adventures are found in having a dance party in the pouring rain. Adventures are found in going for a walk and not focusing on a destination, but the exploration waiting for you. Adventures are found in listening to stories of friends from other countries and even friends that have lived in the same house their whole life. Adventures are found in laying in a hammock, getting lost in your imagination, while reading a book. Adventures are found in seeing things as if you had never seen them before. 

Adventuring is less about doing and more about experiencing.

This summer I have gotten to go kayaking (with the "occasional alligator"), camping, go to the lake, and others. But, my favorite adventures were found in the simple things that nobody else would have seen as an adventure, such as setting up our borrowed tent in the dark, while hanging up twinkle lights (a camping must) and attempting to start a campfire, and experiencing the water that splashes you while kayaking. Another one

was when it was pouring the whole day while I nannied, so we decided to go have a dance party in the pouring rain, and simply enjoy the moment. One of my other favorites was taking one of the girls I nanny to the flower nursery to simply marvel at the Lord's creativity and pure beauty. I don't think I have ever gone to a flower nursery without the intent of buying anything. My favorite part about it was hearing the 7 year old I nanny say, "Wow! Look at all these colors the Lord made. Aren't these cool?!" The key to adventure is allowing the Lord to open your eyes to see the adventures all around us, that we only see as monotony. True adventure creates pure delight in the Creator. Adventure is out there. Will you dare to see it?