"Follow Me"

I am calling out for the power of prayer. This past summer (summer of 07) I worked at Camp Luz in Kidron, Ohio (3 hours from home). It was during this summer that i felt God calling me to major in Youth Ministry at Bluffton University. I have since applied and been accepted into Bluffton University. Here is the clincher, I need to receive a 23 on the ACT's this Saturday (October 27 8am-noon) to financially afford Bluffton (I received a 21 in April, the first time I took the ACT-a 36is a perfect score). Bluffton (a private Christian University) has a Scholarship equalization program that will give me $11,360 per year (for the 4 years of college), this scholarship makes Bluffton cost the same amount of money that the average state-funded university costs. I qualify for this scholarship in every way except for the ACT score (I am not a very good test taker even though I am a good student in High School). I have been praying a lot, if this is truly where God is calling me to go (as I believe it is), and what God is calling me to do,(as I believe it is) I have full faith that HE will help me receive AT LEAST a 23 (I am not going to put limits on God). Your prayers would be most appreciated throughout this week, and Saturday morning.

This ACT test is also my fleece. It is my final confirmation for college (as I have already had other signs) or my sign to take a huge step back and re-evaluate what God is calling me to do (if the 23 is not received). I know that I cannot receive a 23 without God's divine intervention.



God is in control. I have put all of my faith in him. Today Wendell Nofziger (my youth pastor) gave the sermon (wanna hear it? mp3). It was entitled "Follow me" it gave six points of what it means to follow Jesus (not all of the ways); his sermon spoke right to me and encouraged me in my way (especially this week) it encouraged me-- let me know that I am doing the right thing.
1) We TRUST Jesus. "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5
-- Hey, I am trusting God fully, and I know that my own understanding will not get me far enough on the ACT's.

2) We don't KNOW all the DETAILS ahead of time.
-- Nope, it is true I don't, but I trust God, and Follow him anyways. He knows best --not me!

3) We will do things that are BEYOND our own ABILITIES. "A God-sized assignment is one that you cannot do on your own. If God doesn't help you, you will fail." - Henry Blackaby
-- Timed tests --like the ACT's-- are not my forte, I WILL FAIL WITHOUT GOD'S HELP.

4) It will require FAITH. "Without faith, it is impossible to please God." Hebrews 11:6
--ain't that the truth, i want to please God and I feel that Youth Ministry is where He wants me, so I am stepping out in faith with the ACT. But I also trust that if God doesn't help me receive the 23, he will still be helping me, and be with me, during the test. --he doesn't leave or forsake us, ya know, it says so all over the bible: Deuteronomy 31:6,Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:5, 1 Kings 8:57-- and so if he doesn't help me receive at least a 23 He will show me what he wants me to do and where he wants me to go, re-direct me in a different way down a different path, or the same path just a different route that i can't see.

5) Jesus will be our MODEL. The wrong question "what can I do for God?" a better question: "God, where can i join you in your work?" It says in John 5:17, 19-20 "Jesus said to them, 'My father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working. I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.'"
-- I really desire to fit into God's will, and that is one reason for ACT fleece. If I am right on track with God's plan, he will provide at least a 23 on the ACT's (or the money some other way, that I cannot see), if I am not seeing God's will, He will not help me achieve at least a 23 on the ACT's. I believe that Youth Ministry is where God wants me to join him in his work, I truly enjoy working with teenagers!

6) Following Jesus means we will respond, "Yes, Lord." Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what say?" Wendell says " If we say 'No, Lord, I can't possibly do that' then you're saying much more about what you believe about God than what you believe about yourself!"

--I am trying to do what God says, but I know that I cannot do it on my own. I cannot achieve a 23, but God can work through me and achieve so much more than a 23.

I think i mentioned is above but just in case the sermon notes were taken from Wendell Nofziger's super sweet sermon, that pushed me to sacrifice the ACT's even further, with even more faith, and hope. Romans 5: 3b-5 says "...but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us..." --I may not be suffering, but I am sacrificing pushing, stretching, and growing in faith.

His sermon is not the only place I got this message today, The VeggieTales my mom wanted to watch (Mo and the Big Exit) is a take from Moses and his faith in God to deliver the people--Moses could not deliver them by himself. In the Sunday School class that I taught today (by the by, that went very well, but that could be another blog) we discussed Leah and how she trusted God to fill her need to be loved, Jacob, her husband, did not fill this need, it says in Genesis 29:31 "...the Lord saw that Leah was not loved..." Leah was blessed with four sons and she gave God the glory for this, she loved and worshiped God "...Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too..." (Genesis 29:33b), she is referring to the birth of Simeon, her second son. Leah could not be happy, loved, without God--without faith and dependency on God, life just seems impossible.

God is simply wanting me to experience some divine intervention! hey, I am game for that, sounds like a roller-coaster that has not chance of making me second guess the decision, no long lasting consequences; in the end God wins! woo-hoo! I say after this ACT/finance thing-a-ma-jig their will be an Ice-cream party to celebrate how great God is....no matter what the outcome!

okay, I am done, I hope that is all makes sense to you, it does to me, but i wrote it...

Faithfully striving to follow God and do HIS will
-Brooke