Self-Control

UGH

Can we PLEASE skip this aspect of the fruit of the Spirit?

No...OK.

I have been learning about self control this week in my bible study.

I read this last night:

"Self control enhances effectiveness; self indulgence limits effectiveness. Many of us will never fully affect this planet in the ways God planned because of our sheer lack of self-control and discipline. Any effectiveness may seen random and accidental."

Beth Moore- Living Beyond Yourself

OUCH, that hurt.

My heart's desire is to be a tool in the Lord's hands as He accomplishes His plan on this earth. Does this mean my lack of self-control has a direct effect on the Lord's plan for my life?

You betcha.

I went on to study two people in the bible. One had little to no self control: Samson. The other was an example of spiritual discipline that led to blessing: Daniel.

Samson was set apart from birth to serve the Lord, but threw it all away for self indulgence.

Daniel's discipline in everything from the way he chose to eat to the the way he worshiped God led many to believe in the One True God.

*One man assumed the power of God and ultimately lost it. One asked for the power of God and ultimately found it.

*One man was victorious in his death, the other was victorious in his life.

Yeah...so...There are some changes I need to make in my life.

YOU?

Jubilee!

To paraphrase Dan Dupee:

It is OK if you feel like your head is about to explode from all of the things you have experienced this weekend.

I am so glad Dan ended the last session with this remark. Jubilee was an awesome, jam-packed weekend of realizing how big God is! It is going to take a while for all of us to process it. Among our favorite speakers were Bob Goff of Restore International, and Susan Isaacs. John Perkins also gave a moving talk on the need for change in Christian community and racial reconciliation throughout the world.

On the 5 hour van ride home we were all talking about the main things we are taking away from the conference. Here are a couple quotes from students:

"Something I learned at jubilee was that God may sometimes make our lives a disaster and things may be all wrong but at the end it’s going to be the best thing that has happened to us. When we yield to Him, he increases as we decrease."

"In short, this weekend confirmed what I want to do with my life. I learned so much about justice and how important justice is to glorifying God on Earth. Strauss said "justice is not optional, it is a means for order in the world that allows all people and things to flourish as God intended." In other words with shalom as the end goal, justice is the means. Psyched for law school! And I intend to be a far less humorous and charismatic Bob Goff down the line..."

PRAISE THE LORD!

Here are some more pics taken over the weekend by one of the official photographers of Jubilee. Enjoy!

Jubilee this weekend!

Friday afternoon we are packing up a 15 passenger van and hitting the road to Pittsburgh! Jubilee is a conference that the CCO puts together each year.

Why is Jubilee weekend such a big deal?

Answer:

God cares about every square inch of his creation. That includes colleges and universities, academic majors and future occupations. What does it look like to be faithful to Christ in these settings? How do you integrate your faith and your learning? Is there hope for our broken world? We don't want to settle for easy answers to tough questions.

The Jubilee conference is designed to help you wrestle deeply with the challenges of being students of Jesus, and professors; citizens of His Kingdom, and of this world.
Is a whole life devoted to Christ and the common good possible? Jubilee invites you to "come and see."

Here is a short video of what our weekend looked like last year. Enjoy!

Snowmageddon 2010

I am sure you have all heard about or experienced this winter's record breaking snow. We have fared this winter pretty well. It was a blessing not to lose power so we were able to enjoy the storm from our heated apartment! We have all enjoyed sledding and playing in the snow. Here are a few pics posted on AU's facebook page. There are some great views of campus all covered in snow.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arcadiaunivnews/sets/72157623421638186/show/

Super Bowl Party!

Wow, what a night!

Sunday night we hosted our 11th annual Sovereign Super Bowl Party! Greg and I began this tradition 3 months after we married in 1999 inviting a few friends from college to NC for the weekend. As we moved from state to state our dear friends often traveled great distances to gather for super bowl weekend.

Times change of course and it gets harder for people to travel with families, so our party has changed the past few years. Sunday night we hosted our ACF group. We had about 30 students, and TONS of food. It was a lot of fun.

On a side note: As a mother, it is special to see other people love on and enjoy your children. Students are usually here a few nights a week, but our kids are usually asleep while they are here. It was great to share our family with the students during the game. Caedmon is just like his Dad, he loves an audience. Abigail is usually very shy, but there was a sweet student named Brittany who played with her the whole time. Cole was just the hit of the party. He was a little unsure of everyone at first but once he got used to it, he just walked around smiling and playing as usual. He enjoyed the halftime show so much that he ran up to the TV and started dancing. We were all watching him more than the show!


Here are a few pics

Before I get any comments on the picture of Cole drinking a mountain dew...it was not open! ;)

20 + inches of snow!

The official total of snow in Philly was 28 inches, I don't think we got that much here in Glenside (15 miles north of center city) but we got a LOT!

We have had a fun filled weekend of sledding and playing in the snow! Here are a few pics from Saturday afternoon. A couple of students came over and went sledding with Greg and the kids!

Man Night

I have heard it said that any ministry looks like those who are in it. That has definitely been the case with our ministry here at AU.

*We are a family with young children, so a lot of what we do centers around our home and making students feel like they have a home away from home when they are at school.

*I LOVE to bake. In a bizarre correlation students LOVE to eat! (I think the way the Lord worked that out is pretty cool)

*Greg is a game player, the whole Sovereign family are game players...this has been a great tool for outreach and building community within ACF.

I could go on, but this post is about Man Night. ;)

Man night originally began because guys at ACF have been scarce. To be fair, guys at AU are scarce...It is about 80% female!

Greg wanted to find a way to reach guys in a way that would be fun and easy to invite friends. This is when Man Night began. Originally it was just a game night for guys, as the group grew Greg initiated a bible study and accountability time that the guys could come to before the games began. The bible study time began with 2 or 3 guys, and then another 8-10 would come for games and food afterward.

This year guys night study time has grown unbelievably! Last night there were 11 guys (including 2 first time visitors). This semester it is being led by a Dave (a Westminster student) and 2 AU students. The guys meet at 7:30 for their bible study time (they are studying Ephesians this semester), then they break up with their accountability partners for prayer. The games (and food of course ;) begin around 9 and go on until whenever...

Who would have thought that playing games could have eternal value? I love discovering the creativity of the Lord!

Someone told me recently the the Lord does not waste time. How True!

God created you exactly the way you are for a reason. He wants to use ALL of you for His Glory. Man night is a great example of that.