Hey friends,
I wanted to write and let you know that Manhattan is awesome! I love my host family. I love me house. I love my staff. I am even warming up to the small town. The only sad thing is that the reality that I live here is sitting in. And that means that I don't live in Omaha or Lincoln. That I am not around my friends and family. I am honestly getting a little lonely for a familiar face. I have plenty of friendly ones though.
I have seen my brother, Lara Pickel and my team. It has been a blast. We are dreaming about how God would use us on campus this year. I will be going after Ford hall (more than likely) and possibly Kappa Delta. I am so excited. Well, I have staff at 12 so I must be off! I will write more later.:)
Oh, I got a new cell phone number. If you want it give my old one a call. The message has it on it.
Friday, August 13, 2004
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
leaving in a Grand Am
Hey. I just wanted to write and let you all know that I am leaving in t minus 5 minutes for Manhattan. I will write more when I have a chance. In you want to call, it would be very encouraging to hear from you and my cell number will be good through the weekend!
Monday, August 09, 2004
2 very cool things happened today!
Like I just said, two very cool things happened today.
1) I hit 90% and got the go-ahead to go to campus on time. I will be moving to Kansas tommorrow (umm well today). Praise God with me that He has provided and more than that He is the provider.
2) I got a lot of space added to my hotmail inbox. That very much excited me. Woo hoo! Yay for hotmail.
Just so you know, my cell phone will be out of my hands as of tommorrow (well maybe this weekend if I can talk my parents into it). I will get a new address and cell phone. If you want them shoot me an email.:)
1) I hit 90% and got the go-ahead to go to campus on time. I will be moving to Kansas tommorrow (umm well today). Praise God with me that He has provided and more than that He is the provider.
2) I got a lot of space added to my hotmail inbox. That very much excited me. Woo hoo! Yay for hotmail.
Just so you know, my cell phone will be out of my hands as of tommorrow (well maybe this weekend if I can talk my parents into it). I will get a new address and cell phone. If you want them shoot me an email.:)
Sunday, August 08, 2004
thoughts on blogging and stuff
I have been thinking about the way that people plan their blogging. People plan to take a break from posting. And often these people don't plan anything else. I wonder if it because we feel a responsibility to our digital audience. I think that is true in my life. Ponder it.:)
Ammendment: I talked to my host family today too. It was really fun. They sound cool. At first we wil have a FULL house. There will be three children other than me in the house (one is 21, the other 18 and the last 14). The 18 year old will be leaving for college the weekend after I get there and I am taking his room. They are the Watt family. They said that the one thing you probably dont get around their house is quiet that there are people in and out constantly. I like that idea to an extent. It will be nice to have people around but who knows what I will think after doing ministry for a while.
On another note, I am getting really excited. I think that I will go to campus on time. I still need to get it cleared with my funding coach but I am a little nervous. Because even if he clears it, people have to follow-through on their commitments and another 10% has to come in. So much trusting. The next thing to be praying for is trusting God to use me to impact eternity at K-State!
Ammendment: I talked to my host family today too. It was really fun. They sound cool. At first we wil have a FULL house. There will be three children other than me in the house (one is 21, the other 18 and the last 14). The 18 year old will be leaving for college the weekend after I get there and I am taking his room. They are the Watt family. They said that the one thing you probably dont get around their house is quiet that there are people in and out constantly. I like that idea to an extent. It will be nice to have people around but who knows what I will think after doing ministry for a while.
On another note, I am getting really excited. I think that I will go to campus on time. I still need to get it cleared with my funding coach but I am a little nervous. Because even if he clears it, people have to follow-through on their commitments and another 10% has to come in. So much trusting. The next thing to be praying for is trusting God to use me to impact eternity at K-State!
Saturday, August 07, 2004
My social life
Well, it has been a while since my last post. The past two days have been awesome. I have seen a lot of friends and done a lot of fundraising.
On Thursday night, I went out to Mead, Nebraska at 9:00 p.m. That translates to: country roads are hard to find. Also, Mead is a good 45 minute drive (without getting lost like I did) anyway. But it was well worth it. Two of my friends from College, Aaron N and Matt F live out there. We sit around, ate, and then we went outside and sat around a fire and talked. It was a really good time. I love the country for the peace it seems to bring with it. Also, this trip contained the first time in life, that I petted a rooster. Phil told me that I could "cuddle it" if I wanted to. I decided not to and Aaron informed me later that the rooster may have pecked me if I did. Close call.
On Friday night, I saw two Omaha friends Tim and Wendy. They are moving to California which makes me immensely sad. It is interesting that life is now starting to move on. People are growing up and moving away and its not just me. Although, for those of you who haven't put it together, I am supposed to move to Kansas on Tuesday. Wow. It will be interesting to see if that happens. At Kansas State, the students start arriving on Aug 18. The leadership team for Navs has a meeting the Sunday before that. That is a little over a week before students will be starting school. I am starting to get really excited and really nervous. I want the Lord to use me in huge ways and I really want opportunities to share Jesus with people at K-State.
Well, I am putting off making funding calls. So, I better go do that. Have a fantastic weekend!:)
On Thursday night, I went out to Mead, Nebraska at 9:00 p.m. That translates to: country roads are hard to find. Also, Mead is a good 45 minute drive (without getting lost like I did) anyway. But it was well worth it. Two of my friends from College, Aaron N and Matt F live out there. We sit around, ate, and then we went outside and sat around a fire and talked. It was a really good time. I love the country for the peace it seems to bring with it. Also, this trip contained the first time in life, that I petted a rooster. Phil told me that I could "cuddle it" if I wanted to. I decided not to and Aaron informed me later that the rooster may have pecked me if I did. Close call.
On Friday night, I saw two Omaha friends Tim and Wendy. They are moving to California which makes me immensely sad. It is interesting that life is now starting to move on. People are growing up and moving away and its not just me. Although, for those of you who haven't put it together, I am supposed to move to Kansas on Tuesday. Wow. It will be interesting to see if that happens. At Kansas State, the students start arriving on Aug 18. The leadership team for Navs has a meeting the Sunday before that. That is a little over a week before students will be starting school. I am starting to get really excited and really nervous. I want the Lord to use me in huge ways and I really want opportunities to share Jesus with people at K-State.
Well, I am putting off making funding calls. So, I better go do that. Have a fantastic weekend!:)
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Will the fun ever wear off?
After my monster of a post yesterday I feel like I should not post again for a long time but I want to so here we are...
I thought I would entertain you with a conversation that Cora and I had yesterday or the day before. We were chatting about blogs and how a few months ago we may have laughed at ourselves and called ourselves nerds for all having blogs. Today we think it is very cool (or at least I do). So we had two thoughts. The first is interesting and the second is entertaining:
1) Will all of my friends having blogs foster something that feels like a friendship but really does not resemble one because we have no actual contact? I hope not. I told Cora that I hope it will foster deeper communication when we do get contact because we will already be caught up on the pidly things.
2) Would someone be entertained to just find one of our blogs that links to the other people's blogs and spend time reading them to see how we all fit together and how we talk about each other. I am thinking specifically of Cora, me, Cal, Justin James (coming soon), and Phil. Would someone be entertained to solve that mystery? I think I would.
Oh the fun of blogging. By the way, anyone tired of the pinkness on my blog? I am getting tired of it and thinking of changing it.
I thought I would entertain you with a conversation that Cora and I had yesterday or the day before. We were chatting about blogs and how a few months ago we may have laughed at ourselves and called ourselves nerds for all having blogs. Today we think it is very cool (or at least I do). So we had two thoughts. The first is interesting and the second is entertaining:
1) Will all of my friends having blogs foster something that feels like a friendship but really does not resemble one because we have no actual contact? I hope not. I told Cora that I hope it will foster deeper communication when we do get contact because we will already be caught up on the pidly things.
2) Would someone be entertained to just find one of our blogs that links to the other people's blogs and spend time reading them to see how we all fit together and how we talk about each other. I am thinking specifically of Cora, me, Cal, Justin James (coming soon), and Phil. Would someone be entertained to solve that mystery? I think I would.
Oh the fun of blogging. By the way, anyone tired of the pinkness on my blog? I am getting tired of it and thinking of changing it.
Monday, August 02, 2004
Teaching on the Sabbath and an apology
So, I am sitting here wondering to myself... what does it mean that no one responded to my "rant" about giving? Did I offend someone? Was I right? Was I wrong? Well, I have many thoughts on the matter, but I think that I owe my "digital audience" an apology. I need your forgiveness if my thoughts on the previous post seemed judgmental or self-centered. Honestly a lot of it springs from doubt and anxiety in my own heart. I am very sorry.
On another front, today is my Sabbath. This means no fundraising except for the report I had to submit this morning. This is so good and it is SO good to have the freedom to rest. And do absolutely NO work on the "seventh day." In my case, it is probably more like the "22nd day." Interesting.
Anyway, I am absolutely convinced that it is disobedient to do work on the Sabbath. I want to establish my line of thinking from the Word for ya'll. (That was a really fun word to use online. I will have to use it more often). First off, we have to think about what is a scriptural command. And what does a "scriptural command" from the Old Testament look like. Well, Rob P helped me with this idea. So, as believers in Jesus we are under the Law as in the capital letter law the first five books of the old testament, but we are not necessarily under all the little laws (the lower case laws like don't mix fabrics. etc.). So, what does this mean when we think of Old testament laws. What are we as believers in Jesus supposed to do with these? Well, since we are still under the Law then we need to obey the Spirit of these laws (notice lowercase) and remain faithful to what we know about who God reveals himself to be and who God wants us to be.
Lets take an example: Look with me at Deuteronomy 22:8. It says:"When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof. (NIV)"
Alright Jen, what in the world is a parapet? A parapet is not a bird you have as a pet (hee hee) in fact it is a fence like thing that goes around a roof to keep people who walk on the roof (generally servants in OT times) from falling off. Do we build our houses with parapets today? No. Do we need to? I would say not necessarily. So track with me: If we needed to, we would be obeying the law (lowercase). But since we are not under the law but we are still under the Law we need to be asking: So what does this passage tell us about God? What does this passage tell us about what God wants from His people? I would say that it tells us that God is concerned with His people looking out for the welfare of those he has entrusted to them. Also, that he values His people making their properties a safe place. So how do we obey the Law in this case while not having to obey the law? An idea would be to make sure to shovel your walk when it snows so that no one falls and breaks their leg on your property. That would be being obedient to what God has revealed about himself in this part of the Law.
Alright that aside, what does all this have to do with the Sabbath. Well, lets start in Genesis 2:1-3. This says: "Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested [1] from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (NIV- www.biblegateway.com)"
So look at what God is doing? Resting. Hmmm.
Alright, flip with me to Exodus 20:8-11:
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.(NIV)"
I made some ideas I want to bring out bold on purpose. Alright, what is the law here? Do not do any work on the seventh day. Work six days and nothing on the seventh. Why? Because the day is to be to the Lord your God (v 10) and because God rested on the seventh day. It is an imaging God issue. Notice also that it is not just God's people that are to take a Sabbath- even the "aliens (probably those not from Israel)" among them were not to do any work on the sabbath and the responsibility was on God's people to not let them work for them.
What would the Law be in this case? Honestly, the take away is to be like God and to set apart a day to the Lord. I think they are one in the same in this case. Keeping a Sabbath is an issue of imaging God. It is a way that I am like God on this Earth. Thus, it is disobedient to willfully do something that is not like God.
Well, what do you think? I know there is a lot more to be said about the Sabbath. I didn't even go through the NT verses on the subject or the other OT verses. Some other facts: Did you ever notice that the sabbath commandment is the longest? God is intentional about the things he gives space in the Word. If you want to check out what else God has to say on the Sabbath go to these spots:
Matthew 11:28-30
Isaiah 30:15
Mark 2:27
Hebrews 4:1-12
Also, the word sabbath occurs in the NIV version of the Bible 151 times. If you are interested in looking it up go to www.biblegateway.com and type Sabbath in the keyword search.
Anways, I am convinced that I need to keep a Sabbath but you need to form convictions on your own on the matter. If you made it this far, thanks for reading about what I have been thinking about lately. I also feel the need to say that if we do disobey the Lord there is forgiveness and grace to be had. Jesus did die for all our sins past, present, and future.
On another front, today is my Sabbath. This means no fundraising except for the report I had to submit this morning. This is so good and it is SO good to have the freedom to rest. And do absolutely NO work on the "seventh day." In my case, it is probably more like the "22nd day." Interesting.
Anyway, I am absolutely convinced that it is disobedient to do work on the Sabbath. I want to establish my line of thinking from the Word for ya'll. (That was a really fun word to use online. I will have to use it more often). First off, we have to think about what is a scriptural command. And what does a "scriptural command" from the Old Testament look like. Well, Rob P helped me with this idea. So, as believers in Jesus we are under the Law as in the capital letter law the first five books of the old testament, but we are not necessarily under all the little laws (the lower case laws like don't mix fabrics. etc.). So, what does this mean when we think of Old testament laws. What are we as believers in Jesus supposed to do with these? Well, since we are still under the Law then we need to obey the Spirit of these laws (notice lowercase) and remain faithful to what we know about who God reveals himself to be and who God wants us to be.
Lets take an example: Look with me at Deuteronomy 22:8. It says:"When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof. (NIV)"
Alright Jen, what in the world is a parapet? A parapet is not a bird you have as a pet (hee hee) in fact it is a fence like thing that goes around a roof to keep people who walk on the roof (generally servants in OT times) from falling off. Do we build our houses with parapets today? No. Do we need to? I would say not necessarily. So track with me: If we needed to, we would be obeying the law (lowercase). But since we are not under the law but we are still under the Law we need to be asking: So what does this passage tell us about God? What does this passage tell us about what God wants from His people? I would say that it tells us that God is concerned with His people looking out for the welfare of those he has entrusted to them. Also, that he values His people making their properties a safe place. So how do we obey the Law in this case while not having to obey the law? An idea would be to make sure to shovel your walk when it snows so that no one falls and breaks their leg on your property. That would be being obedient to what God has revealed about himself in this part of the Law.
Alright that aside, what does all this have to do with the Sabbath. Well, lets start in Genesis 2:1-3. This says: "Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested [1] from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (NIV- www.biblegateway.com)"
So look at what God is doing? Resting. Hmmm.
Alright, flip with me to Exodus 20:8-11:
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.(NIV)"
I made some ideas I want to bring out bold on purpose. Alright, what is the law here? Do not do any work on the seventh day. Work six days and nothing on the seventh. Why? Because the day is to be to the Lord your God (v 10) and because God rested on the seventh day. It is an imaging God issue. Notice also that it is not just God's people that are to take a Sabbath- even the "aliens (probably those not from Israel)" among them were not to do any work on the sabbath and the responsibility was on God's people to not let them work for them.
What would the Law be in this case? Honestly, the take away is to be like God and to set apart a day to the Lord. I think they are one in the same in this case. Keeping a Sabbath is an issue of imaging God. It is a way that I am like God on this Earth. Thus, it is disobedient to willfully do something that is not like God.
Well, what do you think? I know there is a lot more to be said about the Sabbath. I didn't even go through the NT verses on the subject or the other OT verses. Some other facts: Did you ever notice that the sabbath commandment is the longest? God is intentional about the things he gives space in the Word. If you want to check out what else God has to say on the Sabbath go to these spots:
Matthew 11:28-30
Isaiah 30:15
Mark 2:27
Hebrews 4:1-12
Also, the word sabbath occurs in the NIV version of the Bible 151 times. If you are interested in looking it up go to www.biblegateway.com and type Sabbath in the keyword search.
Anways, I am convinced that I need to keep a Sabbath but you need to form convictions on your own on the matter. If you made it this far, thanks for reading about what I have been thinking about lately. I also feel the need to say that if we do disobey the Lord there is forgiveness and grace to be had. Jesus did die for all our sins past, present, and future.
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