Monday, April 26, 2010
Vulnerable
When is it okay to break down your wall and follow someone? When is the time to break down all emotional blocks and place complete trust in someone that is capable of betraying you? Is it ever okay to be vulnerable with someone other than God? Obviously, to open your life up to love you have to let go of a piece of control and be open to sacrifice. But where is the fine line between the person who's serious and the person who will only fool you in the end? People change, and people grow, and you can never be completely sure that anything will last forever. Sometimes the only way to learn or experience anything is to take a risk and not be afraid of the end result. Expect the best, even if there's a good chance that it will sting in the end. "Never regret anything that once made you smile." Sometimes I choose to skip out of situations just because I'm scared that I will end up with bad results. When I look at what I'm doing, I need to think of the journey and what I can do to make the ending better than what I'm expecting. Obviously things don't always go my way, but that doesn't mean that will happen forever. Yes, bad things are inevitable, but so are good things. If we spend too much time worrying about the bad things, when are we stopping to notice and appreciate the good things? I'm not saying that I need to be completely care free and just live for fun, I'm just saying that it's time to relax and do what makes me happy, and be fearless. If you're not open to taking risks and chances, blessings from God may pass you by and go unnoticed forever. Who knows... Maybe God has something waiting right in front of you, but you're too busy worrying and focussing on other things to recognize it. "When one door closes, another is opened." So slam the door... God provides.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Project 1:27
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
Sitting in history class, I read that verse and it kickstarted my current service project...
Around the middle of February, I started feeling like I was missing something. I felt like there was something right in front of me, and I was totally oblivious to it. My small group does a little serve project every other tuesday night, and this motivated me to lead something new. I was still searching for something specific to do when the My Sister's Place website came up on my computer. - My Sister's Place is a home open for struggling women who need help getting back on their feet with a job and a safe place to live. My small group has also served there and I was amazed at how much progress can be made when you simply let people know that they are beautiful and loved. - I opened the website just to see what was going on or if anything had changed, and I saw the website had a wish-list. The wish-list said they needed a computer with a monitor and a printer. I stared at my screen for a couple seconds, in awe that I had stumbled across this so effortlessly. I decided that was what I wanted to do, but prayed about it to ensure that it was indeed what God wanted me to do, as well. This was obviously going to take a lot of time and planning, so I was taking it slow at first. A couple weeks later, my school started the Forgotten God series by Francis Chan. The first lesson was about applying emotions, thoughts and ideas to your actions and sticking to a plan. This was like flashing lights in front of me telling me that this is what I need to do, and it's time to make a plan. This is where James 1:27 comes in. I was starting to brainstorm ideas of how to get money and support when I realized that my project needed a name! My friend, Kalee, shared the verse with me -in history class, of all places!- and it was perfect. When I first read it, I comprehended "widows and orphans" as people who are LOST. Widows have been left, and orphans are lost until they find a home. To me, this verse says that the lost ones are the ones that we need to reach out to. There is no denying that there are lost people in our community, in our neighborhoods, and in our schools. This verse spoke so clearly to me, and I decided on the name, "Project 1:27." Soon after that, a lot of details fell into place almost perfectly. I found out that they were moving into a new building at the end of the summer, which lined up perfectly with my time goals. After days of research, planning, stress, prayers, and fasting, I have a plan...
I need approximately $2,000 by the end of August to buy an iMac for My Sister's Place. Apple is having a back to school promotion during the month of August. When you buy an iMac, they will give you a rebate for a printer, and an ipod Touch. If everything plays out right, we will be able to purchase the iMac by August, get the printer, and ipod. I plan to sell the ipod in order to buy Microsoft Office for the computer. But I DO have a backup! My parents have agreed to donate the printer if the promotion fails. Also, if we end up with extra money, ALL of it is going towards extra supplies needed for My Sister's Place.
So... I need YOUR help! I will be posting the dates of the fundraiser events as they are finalized. Our first event: Yard Sale at Chestnut Mountain Church on April 24th, from 8 AM - 1 PM. We need items to be donated. I am excepting boxes and small items starting now. You can give them to me at church, bring them to my house, or I can come pick them up. If you have a large household item, you can bring them to the church on the day of the yard sale, anywhere from 6:30 AM - 8 AM. Also, if you would like to donate a baked good, we will possibly be selling those as well.
If you would like to donate time or money, you can contact me on Facebook, or at souderolivia@yahoo.com. If you join the Project 1:27 group on Facebook, you will also be updated on events and details. Thanks for your help!
Oooh... LOOK! A video!
Sitting in history class, I read that verse and it kickstarted my current service project...
Around the middle of February, I started feeling like I was missing something. I felt like there was something right in front of me, and I was totally oblivious to it. My small group does a little serve project every other tuesday night, and this motivated me to lead something new. I was still searching for something specific to do when the My Sister's Place website came up on my computer. - My Sister's Place is a home open for struggling women who need help getting back on their feet with a job and a safe place to live. My small group has also served there and I was amazed at how much progress can be made when you simply let people know that they are beautiful and loved. - I opened the website just to see what was going on or if anything had changed, and I saw the website had a wish-list. The wish-list said they needed a computer with a monitor and a printer. I stared at my screen for a couple seconds, in awe that I had stumbled across this so effortlessly. I decided that was what I wanted to do, but prayed about it to ensure that it was indeed what God wanted me to do, as well. This was obviously going to take a lot of time and planning, so I was taking it slow at first. A couple weeks later, my school started the Forgotten God series by Francis Chan. The first lesson was about applying emotions, thoughts and ideas to your actions and sticking to a plan. This was like flashing lights in front of me telling me that this is what I need to do, and it's time to make a plan. This is where James 1:27 comes in. I was starting to brainstorm ideas of how to get money and support when I realized that my project needed a name! My friend, Kalee, shared the verse with me -in history class, of all places!- and it was perfect. When I first read it, I comprehended "widows and orphans" as people who are LOST. Widows have been left, and orphans are lost until they find a home. To me, this verse says that the lost ones are the ones that we need to reach out to. There is no denying that there are lost people in our community, in our neighborhoods, and in our schools. This verse spoke so clearly to me, and I decided on the name, "Project 1:27." Soon after that, a lot of details fell into place almost perfectly. I found out that they were moving into a new building at the end of the summer, which lined up perfectly with my time goals. After days of research, planning, stress, prayers, and fasting, I have a plan...
I need approximately $2,000 by the end of August to buy an iMac for My Sister's Place. Apple is having a back to school promotion during the month of August. When you buy an iMac, they will give you a rebate for a printer, and an ipod Touch. If everything plays out right, we will be able to purchase the iMac by August, get the printer, and ipod. I plan to sell the ipod in order to buy Microsoft Office for the computer. But I DO have a backup! My parents have agreed to donate the printer if the promotion fails. Also, if we end up with extra money, ALL of it is going towards extra supplies needed for My Sister's Place.
So... I need YOUR help! I will be posting the dates of the fundraiser events as they are finalized. Our first event: Yard Sale at Chestnut Mountain Church on April 24th, from 8 AM - 1 PM. We need items to be donated. I am excepting boxes and small items starting now. You can give them to me at church, bring them to my house, or I can come pick them up. If you have a large household item, you can bring them to the church on the day of the yard sale, anywhere from 6:30 AM - 8 AM. Also, if you would like to donate a baked good, we will possibly be selling those as well.
If you would like to donate time or money, you can contact me on Facebook, or at souderolivia@yahoo.com. If you join the Project 1:27 group on Facebook, you will also be updated on events and details. Thanks for your help!
Oooh... LOOK! A video!
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