Jacob and Wrestling

Yesterday I had a great study time on Gen 32 where Jacob wrestles with God. I'm not gonna lie, I have always had trouble with this passage. I could never follow the story very well. Jacob packed up his family and sent them across the river because he was afraid of what Esau was going to do when he finally caught up with him after he stole their father's blessing. Got it so far... he was alone... then he is wrestling with a man....
I have never been able to picture it. My mind always goes to the WWF wrestling guys pulling fake punches in a ring!
Where did the man (who we later find out is the Lord)come from? What made Jacob fight him? Was there a point in the fight when Jacob figured out that something was fishy about this guy?? And why did they have to wrestle? Could a nice chat have working things out just as well?

The questions go on and on...

But then something stuck out to me. When Jacob began wrestling with God he was just Jacob, whose name appropriately means cheater and deceiver. He was a man who schemed and manipulated to get what he wanted. (Any toes getting stepped on yet?)

When he was done with the struggle he was changed, he was given a blessing and a new name.

What does that mean to us?

"When we struggle through a crisis with God all the way to the blessing, we are gloriously redefined." Beth Moore

I find myself acting like Jacob more often than I like to admit. I want to remember that God has given me a new name and so many blessings and promises of his guidance and provision for my life.

Next time you find yourself in a snit about something think about whether you want to be Jacob or the new you that the Lord created when he rescued you.

Were BAAACK!

2 and 1/2 weeks away from home is about all I can take! We are all happy to be back in our own beds and ready to jump into the new school year!

We had a wonderful time on vacation though. We saw LOTS of family and made some great memories at the beach. Here are a couple we had taken on the beach...





Right now we are in high gear getting ready for AU students to get back in a couple weeks. We appreciate your prayers as we get things up and running again!

More to come soon...I just had an awesome time with the Lord and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

On Our Way!

We are currently on our first leg of our trip down south! We are in North Carolina visiting Greg's parents and seeing cousins. Here is a sweet pic of the kids in a tree in Gramma's front yard!

Pebble in a Pond

One of the first events we attended after officially starting ministry with the CCO was a monthly Coffee House for 20-somethings put on as a ministry by New Life Community Church. At that first coffee house we met a guy named Steve, he was just beginning his first year of graduate study to become an optometrist. It was not long before Steve jumped right in! He was at every bible study, movie night, dinner out, and football game that our group organized. He also plugged into the church worship team as well as our worship team and ministry with ACF.

Everyone who gets to know Steve knows that he is in LOVE with a girl named Christy (That has to be capitalized because there is no other way to tell you how much he LOVES Christy!)Christy goes to college out of state, but we have had the pleasure of seeing her every time she comes to visit.

We all saw "the ring" as soon as he got it...and knew the proposal was coming. They are just adorable.

The wedding is in 2011.

We all love Steve...and even though we do not know her as well...we love Christy.

Yesterday morning several of us received a heart wrenching text and call to prayer from Steve telling us that Christy has cancer. He did not know a whole lot at that point but he was understandably scared.

Pebble (or BOULDER) thrown in the pond.

Late last night several students gathered in our apartment to pray for our precious sister in Christ. We had an update from Steve further explaining the situation and as a group we all prayed for our dear friends.

I never tire of seeing the hand of God move in blessing over his people. We have seen several seasons of "harvest" and blessing in our ministry here at AU. Last night we saw the hand of God begin to move through a storm.

The ripples caused by the pebble...

As we prayed several students talked about how their own faith has been challenged through this "storm". One was even talking about how she has been questioning her faith the past few days, but when she got the text from Steve nothing seemed more sure and necessary than getting on our knees before the Lord and asking for grace and healing. During the prayer she was reminded that even though she may wander, the shepherd will not let her wander far.

No one can know the mind of God and how he orchestrates and ordains the events of our lives. But we do know that God is sovereign. Nothing that happens is out of His control, and He WILL use this "storm" for His glory. Healing and restoration will come in many forms...in Christy, her family, Steve's family, our ACF family, and who knows who else. Praise the Lord and His wonderful and MYSTERIOUS ways!

This pebble (boulder) that was thrown into our little pond yesterday will have ripples far beyond our understanding. Praying for the Lord's purposes to be accomplished to His glory!

Please keep Christy in your prayers. Her prognosis is great. This type of cancer sounds like it is relatively "easy" to beat. Right now she is recovering from surgery and is pretty uncomfortable.

Thank you friends.

Precious Moment

It is really nice to have a few students living and working around campus this summer. We have a good group of 8-10 come to our Thursday night bible study. One even "Skypes" in from New York!

I have to share with you a precious moment from last night. We had a great discussion on Esther 4. One of the students prayed to end our time together. He thanked the Lord for everyone there and then thanked the Lord for all of the talents He has given us to serve. When he got to Greg and I he prayed the sweetest prayer for us, but then he really got me crying.

He prayed for our kids.

He prayed for protection, for growth in the Lord, for all those around them to love and cherish them...It was beautiful.

It may seem like a pretty simple thing, but it meant the world to me.

I love being a part of this community of believers.