Can you name 13 people you can think o right off the top of your head? Don't read th questions underneath until you write the names o all 13 people...This is a lot funnier if you actually randomly list the names first...No Cheating!!

1. Natalie Feigenspan

2. Emma Conley

3. Rachel Ottmar

4. ally gilbaugh

5. Jacob Prueschl

6. Bennett Thompson

7. Shawn Bradford

8. Colin liddell

9. Kaylee Richmond

10. Alyssa Francisco

11. Aaron Ottmar

12. Ty Feigenspan

13...who for the last one??? HAJAR!

How did you meet 10? Church!  Love Alyssa!

What would you do if 6 and 4 dated?

Well hm. That would be extremely weird. I think ally might beat him up. Hahahaha.

Have you ever seen 5 cry?

No! that’d be terrible! When guys cry I automatically cry. I can’t help it! But most of the time if a guy is crying, I’m already crying because it’s just that bad. haha

Do you think 1 is cute?

Very cute! She’ s beautiful!

Tell me something about number 11.

He just got a new private lesson drum teacher. It’s his band director, but his old one moved away...to Texas

How do you know 8?

HE’S MY COUSIN....well he is. But I don’t really think of him like that. He’s just great!

Would you go on a date with number 12?

Sorry nah I wouldn’t. but oh my I love ty so much! He’s  so cute. Well you know what I mean.

What's number 7's favorite color?

Green

What would you do if 6 confessed they liked you?

Um. Hm. Honestly I might be kind of happy. But idk.
Fact about 9?

She’s blind w/o her contacts

Who is 4 going out with

Not Mitch Hermiston that’s for sure!

Would you ever live with 13?

OHMIGOODNESS YES! I’M SO GLAD SHE’S BACK!

Is 2 single?

Yeppers.

Where does 7 live?

Knoxville, Tennessee

What do you think about 3?

Oh my. Rachel is just amazing! I love her to pieces!

What's the best thing about number 8?

He’s really....perceptive and discerning. And when he knows that something about how your acting is off, he asks you, and he listens to the answer and cares.

What's the best thing about number 10?

Her laugh!!!!!!!

Favorite Memory with 2?

Well I don’t think I can pick a fav, but we were running one time just down a hill,and I was like...skipping and I kind of stumbled and she grabbed me but that threw my balance off and we both tumbled over eachother the whole way down the hill. It was sooo funny.
Would you ever date number 1?
nope. Cause I love her TOO much as is!

TO BOY:
so i basically have come to the conclusion that you're one of the best things that's ever happened to me. and even though i won't say said persons name, i want him to know that all of this is being said like i love him like a brother. which is true and nothing more than that. so here goes.

you are sweet and caring and kind, and sometimes i don't understand you even though we think mainly the same. you are amazing at everything you do, and it hurts me that you can't see that. i don't get how you can look in the mirror and not see the greatness just waiting inside of you-and i hope that when someone reads this blog, that isn't you, that they will benefit from this too. PEOPLE, YOU ARE AMAZING. sometimes people annoy me, not by being rude or inconsiderate, but by devaluing themselves, it's kind of repulsive. not in the 'i don't want to be around you way' but more in the 'it hurts to be around you.' which people don't seem to realize. you know some people in the world have a tendency to care...just so you know. people meaning me. so knock it off. because i care too much to lie about that to you.

TO OTHER BOY:
i've been reading the twilight series, and you, so oblivoius to parts of the world, probably really have no idea what that means. haha. but mainly, these three books and messing with my head. i love the books, but i don't want to love them. i'm giving this way too much thought, but i don't want to fall in to the obsessions with the trailers and the pictures and the movies and sequels and stuff. but i want you to be like the book..kind of. this is the part that gets me. because i want you to be protective and sensitive and thoughtful, i want you to be like the guy in the book, but ...i don't want someone based off a fairly tale. i want you with your own flaws, and me with my own flaws, and i want you to love me inspite of that. i want to be caught up in you, not a wish of what you could be like.
and ugh i'm not saying this right. and it doesn't even matter. i'm 14, it's just stupid flitty thoughts. but i'm a teen girl. it's how i think okay? ;-) and that's mainly it. i want you to understand that. to know that i don't want to hang out with you just for the fun ideas you have. or the items you posess that i don't. i want to hang out with you because you're YOU, and that's special, unique. got it?

sometimes i get worried though. because everyone's saying that this is it. Christ's comin back, any day now it's all over. i've been praying for so long for Him to intervene in the world, and now when it seems like He might...all i can pray for is more time.
it makes me feel selfish but i want highschool, homecoming, and prom. i want a drivers license, and i want to cry moving into my dorm room for college. i want to stress about finals, and i want to figure out who i am. i want the wedding with the flowers and the guy for me. i want a first home and children. i want LIFE. who I am is not enough yet for it to be over.

i want to lie down on the floor and kick and scream and protest, saying that i won't go, and that i'm not done.

but i'm not that foolish. i feel like i am when i think this way, but i'm not really. i love God, and i will go and i will not complain and i will be overjoyed, it will be like nothing i could ever imagine, beign with Him for eternity.

but there's so many people...i love them all so much. even the ones i haven't met, i love them God. and ..i can't stand them being hurt for eternity.

TO ANOTHER BOY:
that's the way it is with you. i love you so much. so much more than you can understand. honestly, more than i want you to understand. not like a brother, and not like a boyfriend. but as a person. i hate not being with you or talking to you. because i'm afraid that you'll get hurt and no one will tell me. or i'm afraid i won't have another chance to try to get you to believe. for the most part, i get you. but when it comes ot your salvation i am so confused. i know you love me like i love you too. and you trust me and you value what i say, but for some reason my faith in God, my faith in the Bible, my faith in my own choice, somewho this one thing, the most important decison, it's not enough to trust me. and i get that. that this has to be your own decision. but i wish i could just tell you to hurry up. because you're killing me. :-). but i love you just the same.

it's 11:45 now, and i'm tired. all htis spilling does that. haha just kidding.

but i do love you all. meanign the people who read this and the ones i wrote about. i wanna know how you all are doing. so send me a message or call or somethign!

Camping(?) ’08!

July 18-20

Main Speaker: Marv Feigenspan

Break Out Session Guys: Mitch Stutzman

Break out Session Girls: Carolyn Ossman

Youth Leaders: Penny Rouse, Emy/Josh Miller

Attendees:

Rachel/Aaron Ottmar

Karis/Kirah Heffner

Meagan/Erin/Emma/Brendan Conely

Natalie/Ty Feigenspan

Christian Allan

Zach Smith

Destiny Daehn

So ...yes,  now that we’ve taken attendance.*jeez I still can’t say/write/hear the word Taken without thinking about the band* This weekend definitely rocked. I’m still really tired, so sorry if I disappoint you if this ends up being less than the average 4 pages for youth event blogs...haha it probably still will be. *oh jeez I just got done with the Friday night and I’m at 3 pages...look out haha*

But so...*grabs various journals from weekend

Friday night I guess:

We’re at the CHURCH at 7:00...yeah church. Normally we would’ve been at Kent Park but it was raining, and was supposed to rain all weekend; which as I hope we all know, definitely happened. So we get a call from Josh, we’re gonna stay at the church all weekend. And to tell you the truth, when I  heard that I was not very excited. I was like, I love the church and all, but the best part of this trip is the being outside part. Sure I’ll love real bathrooms and air conditioning...but honestly, I’ve never been on outdoor girl, until these camping trips started. And I love going because there’s this whole side of the world I had never really cared to look at before. And you get out there and you see how amazing and intricate it all is...and you don’t really want to leave. So I was skeptical as to how good this 48 hour lock-in was going to be.

So we’re there at 7, and...OH YEAH, worship happened first I believe. And we started with just...talkin to God. Praising him for all that He is, and what He’s been doing/is doing/will do: our thoughts for Him. Just open and out loud one after the other. My favorite part of that was something Meagan said. Here’s my best remembering..ing:

            “God I just thank for the way you cover things. Thank you for the rain. Thank you that you know what the ground needs and where and when. We all think that there’s been too much water and after the flood it’d be okay for no more water...ever *laughter* but thank you for persisting your will through what our simple minds think”

And I’m like thank you Meagan *God*. Because as above I was kinda pessimistic about this weather. I’m like it’s muggy in the church, it’s raining outside, and God’s like, “Kirah, seriously, chill.” If God says chill that is. So I did. Haha.

And then we had music worship, and Emy played and that was really cool too. Because she just played chords. Not melody not fancy accompaniment. And it wasn’t for any reason other than that’s all she knew. And she was just playing and giving what she had to glorify God. Which was very...humbling to me, because that simple worship was so powerful and every time it’s my week to do youth net worship I’m like freaking out before I play, I’m like don’t miss a note, fill in some stuff in this rest here, I have to do it right or I’ll mess up the whole worship time. And *absolutely NO offense to Emy here* but Emy’s missing keys left and right and it was so beautiful. There’s definitely something to be said for just coming to God and asking him to use you.

Then Marv showed up sometime during Worship and after that he ...what. gave his message? That seems too formal for this event...hmm..idk. but he spoke, to us...intentionally. WHATEVER.

And his focus was your value, you journey and how directly related they are.

Now, I’ve known Marv forever...literally. I could tell story after story, but before now I could never tell you how he has such the ability to be FUNNY and so...serious at the same time. He just makes you want to listen to him and cling to everything he says.

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MAIN POINTS AND SOME QUOTES FROM THAT NIGHT SPEAKING:

“people are like horses, some are willing and the Handler *God* puts your bridle and calling on easily and use you to your best potential. Some are a little more...independent...but God still uses you to your best potential. Either way there’s God and there’s you. God wins...how long do you want to wait to be wonderful?”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “for I know the plans I have for you” Says the Lord. “Of Good not of Evil, to give you a hope and a future.”

“guys and gals, you’re awkward. Very awkward”-Marv

            “*laugher* gee thanks” –us

“what I mean is...well I think you know what I mean”-Marv

            Talking about growing in God

Your value, IS NOT in what you do.

“so lemme tell you something about God. He doesn’t’ just drop stuff in your hand, you gotta work for it.” –Marv

God knows and loves your value. He sings over you because he created you and never meant different. And he Knows and wants to love your Journey. In fact, he does love your journey. But you have to know: no one tells you how much you, as yourself, can have upon your very own life.

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So then he was done. And we played a variety of games. SWAT was one. No, that doesn’t stand for something, we just like to capitalize it. That was fun. And then we played SERVERAL games of Sardines. I don’t feel like explaining the game. If you don’t know how to play, write me and I’ll splain later. But basically, it’s pouring outside now in the middle of game. At what..? 9-10 o’clock? And I’m standing at the main doors upstairs just watching, and Destiny barrels past me *always wanted to say that* and flies out into the rain. So I run out with her. And we’re dancing and twirling and laughing and getting absolutely soaked. And as other people see us, they drop there stuff and come out to. And so everyone except the youth leaders, Rachel, and Meagan are out there. So we run down to the lower parking lot thinking there’d be more puddles. *there weren’t* then we decide to roll down the hill. So we’re rolling while it’s still pouring. And we’re all gross and wet and muddy. And Karis thinks up sliding competition down the hill. Who slides the farthest/bestest. So we did that. And my legs look like I got in a fight with a chainsaw from that. Haha. Then Erin and I lay down on the parking lot for a while. And Emy came out and told us we had to use the hose and spray ourselves off before coming inside, changing fast, and putting our wet clothes back outside. So we all did that. And then what..? oh yes then the girls grabbed blankets and journals and sat around, while the guys played dodge ball. At 11:45 we were all sent into the appropriate gender rooms (girls in preschool/kindergarten, guys in nursery) and lights were out at 12:00. after some yelling from room to room:

Guy room = GUY

Girl room = GIRL (shocker huh?)

guy: HEY QUIET DOWN IN THERE

girl: WHAT????

GUY *heard faintly* LOOK A PONY!

Girl: *laughter
guy: *faintly* what should we name it *discussion continues softer**then louder* BETTY!!!!

Girl: if it’s betty it has to come into our room, it’d be inappropriate.

GUY: *after more discussion* BETFORD

Girl discussion in room::: Emma ‘isn’t there a town name something with betford?

                                           Penny ‘yeah betford falls’

                                          Emma cracks up ‘ BETFORD FALLS. Like the horse is falling                                                                                           repeatedly!

                                          Karis enters room: I just said goodnight to the guys room and after I said it Aaron goes “what do you want!?”

JOSH AND Emy: go to sleep!

So we did.

SATURDAY:

I woke up at like 6:45 and got up and went outside and sat on the retaining wall by the shed, where Meagan shortly joined me. And we sat there for a while, and then we walked through the property on the gravel trail the guy who’s making the vineyard made. But then the gravel stopped, so we turned around and got up close enough to hear Josh yell that pancakes were ready. So we went up and ate. From what I heard, the consensus was that everybody slept fairly well...once they were asleep. Going to sleep was fine too. But just sitting on that floor. Oh my goodness. I  have never sat on something so hard. I was talking to my dad then today (Monday) and he’s like, “it’s literally just a strip of carpet on top of cement...nothing else” which explains it. I just never really noticed before.

We ate, and then we had I guess it was a half an hour (8:45 -9:15) of alone devotional/prayer. So we all found a spot. And I’m in the children’s area/bathroom hallway downstairs. Face down on the floor. And I’m reading, and then I was praying and then I started journaling. And no one was coming and no one was coming. And I’m like “jeez” not that I was having a bad time or anything like that but it seemed like forever. Finally I decided to get up on my own, and found out that it was 9:35 and a lot of the group was outside. It just made me laugh. So I’m not even thinking about it, I just go outside and zach’s like “what up with your face” and I’m thinking “lovely Zach that’s what I wanted to hear” but I said “idk what is up with my face” and he’s like “it’s all ...imprinted on” so I go to the bathroom and I have the church carpet pattern imprinted deeply across my entire face from laying on the floor so long.

So then the truck comes for Angel Food and we unload and start. And I love going to Angel Food. I try to go every month just because I like interacting with the people. They’re so happy going down the line. They tell you that this makes their day and it’s helping them so much, and you know they’re not lying. It’s just fun for me to say “good morning sir, how are you” and for him to say ‘I’m doing great thanks and you” and have a conversation and at the end say ‘have a nice day’ and know that if not a lovely day, his day will be better because of this Food. Idk...it’s just a nice thought.

Then we had lunch (hamburgers/hotdogs/chips/grape soda. Haha) but while we were waiting for lunch to be ready, we played four on a couch, paused in the middle, got our food and continued to play while we were eating, my team won, so we played again, and my team won again. Haha. Carolyn and Mitch showed up sometime in there. And we got Carolyn to join in on SWAT. Which was sooo fun! “Emma, Kirah, Emma, Kirah, destiny, Kirah, Emma, Kirah, Omar, Karis, Kirah, WHAT?, I mean Emma! Natalie, Ty, CHICKEN IN THE CORNER BRENDAN *whole group pauses..*then laughs**”

If you weren’t there, that made no sense, but it was really fun if you were there.

After a while of SWAT we broke into the break out groups. Haha.

It was all about becoming a man or a woman of God.

I have no idea what the guys talked about. I wasn’t there obviously. All I know, is Mitch let them loose,  around the church with working mouse traps. Thanks Mitch. Really.

The girls on the other hand, talked about leadership. And what the world thinks about that. We all got quotes that very politically famous people said about women in leadership. All negative. I had been thinking that FOR THE MOST PART, men and women shared equal rolls in today’s society. The quotes were from GOOD PEOPLE. People who you wouldn’t think could think such horrible things about a female. And you realize that it’s not just stuck up people, it’s just a mind set that is just what people learn to think. So we talked about being leaders in spite of that. And how if we are One Body in Christ, we shouldn’t be able to say “this is a man’s job and this is a woman’s”. It was cool.

Later that night we took the quotes and threw them in the fire. Yay. Haha.

Hm hm hm...oh yes after the sessions we WENT SWAMMING(quote from Karis) at Kent park!, it stopped raining for about 5 hours. So we went swimming from ..we were in the car at 3:43 (don’t ask) and back at the church around 5:00, do the math yourself. That was definitely fun. Especially playing catch with the football in the water. “throw it to me” so they throw it and then in the process of jumping to get it, you hear “WHOA, NO GROUN-afjksf;bubblebubble” as they went under water b/c they hit the drop off in the deep end. Haha good times.

So we went back to the church and had Papa Johns Pizza with the SOAR KIDS! Who were there to have a party and play games. It was so cool that they could have that. But out of the 27 5/6 graders, there was only one boy. So he sat at the guy youth table, where there was plenty of daring to eat hot peppers whole and stealing of pizza. And at the girl table once again, Destiny spills stuff all over herself. Repeat of this morning. And penny’s like: how many things is she gonna spill

Kirah: how many pairs of pants does she have?

It was fun. Again. Lol.

(pardon me if I say lol a lot in this, I really just don’t notice anymore)

So we had supper than the youth left the SOAR kids downstairs to play games and such and we went up to the sanctuary for worship and more of Marv’s...talking.

Worship was...HUGE. *finds journal again* oh I didn’t mention this, penny did worship on her guitar.

We were singing how great is our God and everyone was really into it and everything and then Emy’s like ‘girls turn around face the guys and everyone sing it to each other.’ I don’t know what the guys were thinking but I talked to Natalie and Emma, and we decided it wasn’t nearly as awkward as it would’ve been under any other circumstances.  Then we all took a direction/wall/area and sang the song over

Iowa city/wellman/kalona/frytown/tiffin/oxford/north liberty/west liberty  etc.

And that was really really cool.

“How great is our God/sing with me how great our God/ and all will see how great, how great/is our God”

Then Penny started playing Above All. Here have some lyrics:

Crucified,

Laid behind the stone.

You lived to die

Rejected and alone.

Like a rose.

Trampled on the ground.

You took the fall...

And thought of me...

Above all.

And people just started falling on their knees, where they stood towards a city. And we’re all bawling. And I’m at the front and Rach comes up with me and we’re crying together. And suddenly we’re both like “why are our legs wet” our tears were hitting the opposite persons legs. Lol. But then there were just groups of us scattered across the stage and in the back all crying and hugging and praying and stuff. And..idk. for me there wasn’t anything initially wrong, God was...is just so holy and He was becoming so real in that moment. So present. And Emy was moving from group to group praying to me and Rach and Emma, (Emma switched out for Natalie, then destiny just along the way) and she prays for Rachel, and then she prays for you and she asked God to let me see just a piece of what God thinks of me and ohmigoodness I don’t think I’ve cried that hard...ever. Not that I thought that God didn’t loved me or couldn’t love me, or that I wasn’t pretty...but I had thought those things before. for a long time. Well not so much the pretty one. But the other two. So hearing the song declaring that I was worth death and still loved and thought enough. And all I’m thinking is “I don’t deserve any of this” which I mean I don’t’, but most of you know what I mean.

Like I cannot describe how much crying was happening except to say that my face hurt the rest of the night. Haha.

Then Marv talked again. (ohmigoodness this taking forever. This is so long!) he kept talking about how amazing it is to see us all cry with eachother “ESPECIALLY THE GUYS” and I guess none of us had really noticed before. Because that’s just how we’ve always been. We’re all just SO CLOSE IT’S INCREDIBLE.

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QUOTES AND NOTES FROM SATURDAY NIGHT

Where will you be in 10 years?

If you understand your value, you will value your journey.

God can’t be exciting without someone else to be excited about it.

Proverbs 8 – read it.

Left to ourselves we can really screw things up.

You can either learn to hear the voice of God, or you can follow people who drive ditches...hm.

Wisdom yells, is neon, flashes, and makes funny noises. *cheong cheong*

Sometimes, when you can’t hear God, it’s because you’re too busy telling God what to say. But God says anyways “I will not hide myself from you”

When you walk through those school doors, you are not expected to go alone, and it is not God’s fault if you choose to.

It’s not about being stupid, it’s about being human, something you can’t change.

Run with all your might towards God and if you happen out of the corner of your eyes to see a guy running the same direction, it might not hurt to pull over for a minute. (or vice versa for a guy)

“my thumb hurts. I hit it with a hammer *aww* now, none of you truly care that my thumb hurts. *confused faces* none of you will wake up at 2 o’clock in the morning thinking “I bet Marv’s thumb hurts. Only when wisdom guides our own lives can we truly care about someone else’s.”

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then...oh yes then the guys went to help josh make a fire, and the girls stayed while penny played some more and we sang and danced and Natalie played the drums and it was fun.

We went outside, did the fire. Only for a little because it was thunder and then when the lightening showed up it was right above our heads. But the clouds were huge and orange and I was standing on the play structure and all I could think of was the the song

“you are awesome in this place mighty God

You are awesome in this place Abba Father

To you are hands we raise

As you take you thrown of praise

You are awesome in this place mighty God.”

We went inside and played...we must’ve played like 50 rounds of sardines my goodness it was a lot.

And Aaron had this thing with holding a door open creepily and standing behind it, then letting it fall, and you know it’s pitch black so you still can’t see him. And then screaming. That boy can scream like no girl I have ever heard. :-) and the last people to hide were Emy and Josh who hid under random chairs in the sanctuary. And when I say pitch black I mean like can’t see a hand in front of your face. Like it’s lighter to have your eyes shut. Haha. So we’re stumbling through the sanctuary. It took us 35 minutes to find them! they said the various conversations they heard were quite funny. Karis and Aaron then gave up and decided to sit on the stage w/o telling anyone and see how long it took to find them. finally after 35 minutes we get out destiny’s flashlight and shine it around till we see them. it was so fun. Then several people went to bed after we cleaned up a little. Who was left:

Emy, josh, Aaron, Karis, me, Emma, Natalie, and kind of Zach and destiny. We decided to play Curses a funny game and those two decided just to lay on the chairs and watch, both were asleep with in minutes. We were  all up until 3 just goofing around.

Then I woke up 3 hrs later at 6, went to the retaining wall again. That is my favorite place in the whole world. it’s always...amazing. you go to the most busy cool sitting in the world, the richest, the most famous, you go into the sky scrapers, ride the subway, and then come back and tell me that there is something more beautiful than that scenery right there.

So I sat there.

Then I ran up to the top parking lot and watched the sunrise. Came halfway inbetween the two parking lots and sat there watching it all for 40 minutes until 7 when josh and Emy woke up. Cleaned up the kitchen, had some pancakes, we all hauled our stuff up to the cry room. Got ready for church and went up stairs for church. Church was good. *whoa it’s foggy outside haha*

But ya know I really have to stop hanging out with the youth group so much. Sunday night I came down from sleeping and I’m like “where’s Emma” and Karis is like “in west liberty” and I’m like “why?” we both decided we have serious withdrawal issues with these events are over.

I go to other youth groups or talk to my other Christian friends and they always tell me how youth group is just a weekly thing that it’s just right to go to, and they couldn’t tell you most of the youths names. I love the youth group soo much.

I’m gonna stop now because I’m tired, it’s hot up here and this is *counts* 8 pages long. Sorry!

I love you all sooo much!

~kirah

Wait, I have a new life song:

I lay my life before you,

And I’m not getting up.

Father how I adore you.

Those words are not enough
--RELIENT K

Here’s the link to hear it:

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_0A7F2NVg0

 God, be MY God
Origianl Rant #6
kirah heffner
6-20-08
love you! comment!

I was thinking over this past week of all the sandbagging I did and all the people I met, and I still am floored by the way people just…stepped up. I mean, we sit here and sometimes it feels like there is no good in the world and we're all just people of evil, but something like this happens, and there's hope. I met so many people, and I didn't learn any names. Basically, just standing there watching the people you basically heard the same story over and over again:
 
"I'm just thankful that my business/home/etc is okay, I deserve to be flooded as much as the next person, we just need to help out."

And I'm just awed by the fact that all these people, all these people that never met before, could be joined by the same thing. All these stereo-types and social statuses, jobs, families, morals, life-styles, things that just don't mix…interact like old friends.

My Aunt, Kelly, was trying to explain to her 8 year old son, Dalen, how even though it seemed like God was flooding the whole earth, he's really not, and that God made a promise to us that he wouldn't ever do that again. And Dalen with such innocence questions "so we're all gonna be okay?"
It reminded me of this verse:
 

 33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." – john 16:33

The first thought, I've always had with this verse is God's ability to conquer everything, and the authority he has over all things. But this flooding and my interactions with these strangers has led me to see the overcoming of the world in a different way.

God isn't the Alpha and Omega, the Savior and Redeemer, Lion and the Lamb, only in America, only in Iowa, only at my church. GOD IS GOD, where ever God reigns. Basically concluding that the God who brings the rain and makes the thunder and sends the lightening, the one that has put my city underwater, the God who is currently being questioned for his feelings of anger towards Iowa right now, that God is the one who is at the same time being praised for delivering one more baby safely into the world, who is being thanked for finding a lost pet, who is being lifted high for reuniting a lost soul to the Kingdom of Heaven. And even as we sit here, asking God when the rain will stop, when the waters will recede, and when things will go back to normal, THAT SAME GOD is being GLORIFIED for bringing the rain after a drought,and for raising the water levels in a dry town.

And if God can be God for the Japanese, and the Moroccans, and the Israelis, and the Pakistani, to the French and the Canadian, the Mexican, and the Iranians…if God can be God for all of them, there's no reason that God can't be God for me now.
 
That if God is still out there being magnified for being downright amazing in the rest of the world…then even though our lives are flipped upside down, God is still the God that fixes, and saves and heals, and we just have to trust him.

I feel like we're all flipping out, and forgetting that even though our lives are changed, GOD DOESN'T CHANGE. And although this has brought a community together, it's made us forget Psalms 46: 10:

Be still and know that I am God.

A couple weeks ago at my youthgroup we had a special night and basically we just prayed and read our bibles and worshipped all night long. and there was this huge roll of paper on the floor we were all sitting around and we all had sharpies. and you could right verses, or lyrics, or prayers or anything on the sheet that you wanted. and at the end i counted and the above verse was written 6 times by 6 different people. No matter what standpoint you're in: God is God will always be God. And I feel like God just says "chill." He says it just like Daniel 10:19 says it.

Be strong now, be strong.

i love this verse, because God doesn't mean to be completely ripped and do 100 pull ups, and God doesn't mean that you shouldn't ever hurt or be upset, God means to be strong enough to be broken. To hand yourself over to him. I kind of feel like a hypocrite as i type this right now, because sometimes I am the worst at doing this. but if we look at Psalms 27:1....

The Lord is my light and my salvation, of whom shall I fear?

God just adds "I've got it covered."
I'll be the first one to say that no matter how many times God tells me that he has it covered; I can never truly stop worrying. And I think that just takes time, but whether you believe it or not, it's true. And whether you're like me and you sometimes are maybe a little too proud to let God take control, or whether things are going good, either way, He's pretty aware that no matter how sure we are, it's not enough. And God is enough, and plans to continue to be enough. I always have this picture in my mind of God sitting on his throne in heaven, like reclining, and he has hundreds of tv's in front of him, and it's just all these video reels or people screwing up. and God's laughing and pointing. and itt's really a funny picture because God isn't like that! and then i get this picture of God waiting patiently next to a telephone and before the first ring is even over, God has answered, and the phone is like a life-line. and God's just sitting there waiting to help you.

and all these points just amaze me continuously, but I think the best way to sum it up is to quote Psalms 27:13. I mainly love it because it accepts that we're human and we have issues accepting how simple God is trying to make problem solving.  But at the same time it's self-Assurant in saying "God, here's what I have; I'm just going to believe."

But I am STILL confident in this:
I will see the Goodness of the Lord.
In the Land of the Living.
Wait for the Lord
Be Strong, Take heart,
and wait for the Lord.
 –psalms 27:13-14 (emphasis mine)