May 31: We All Need a Baymax

On the way to New Jersey, we watched the movie Big Hero 6. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it--it is very good and inspiring. One of the main characters is Baymax. He/it is a healthcare robot known for his caring attitude and continuous purpose to keep its patients healthy, physically and mentally. We all need a Baymax, someone to keep us healthy, physically, mentally, and spiritually. In the same way, there are many people around who need you as a Baymax. Who can you support, encourage, and nourish physically, mentally, and spiritually?

May 30: Teamwork--We Can't Do It Alone

Yesterday we went to Adventure Room! Basically, there were six of us girls (Big Hero 6!)  and two adults. We had to go to find numerous clues in these rooms that eventually provided us with the key to open the door to the next room. It was challenging and fun and we all worked together--it wouldn't have worked otherwise. We all needed each other not only to get to the next room but to have fun too! And it was fun. I have experienced the blessing of having a cooperative group of people to work with--to journey with, and it serves as a reminder of how we can act with each other to be most successful in our lives.

May 29: No Judgment

When you're on a bus for 11 hours over night, you 1) lose the ability to judge because you're so tired and 2) are equivalently smelly, oily, tired, and impatient. You may suspect that this is a bad thing, but a certain portion of it is not--the no judgment part. James 4:12 say "God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?" We are not the judge. We are meant to love everyone unconditionally regardless of their current, past, or even future behavior. And yesterday, I've seen what it'd be like if no one judged. Relationships just form; everyone's friends, and in a matter of hours friends become family.

May 28: Looking in the Wrong Place

This morning, I was headed to Goodwill to drop off some clothing donations. I pulled into a parking spot across from the building, got out of my car, and opened the trunk to get the bag out. Thankfully, I looked up at the building and noticed the "Goodwill" sign was down and a note was on the door. The note read, "We have not left you. Come visit us in our new location [basically down the parking lot a little ways]." So, sure enough, I went, and walked in and dropped off my stuff, and then I was headed to my mom's office to meet her for lunch.

I pulled into the parking lot there, turned off the car, grabbed my phone, and checked my messages, one from my mom read, "leaving church now." My thoughts went something like this, "wait. what? weren't we meeting here?" Change of plans--we would be meeting at the restaurant.

In both of these instances, I'd been looking in the wrong place. I wanted to donate my goods and meet my mom for lunch, but the places I went initially weren't the right ones, so I wouldn't be able to do what I wanted. In the same way, if we're looking for happiness and joy and peace, but we're searching in relationships with other people or in our wealth or appearance, we'll never get it; we're looking in the wrong place. In order to find true happiness, true joy, and true peace, we must look towards God.

May 27: That's God

Yesterday, I was at the children's hospital for a volunteer orientation, and when I was in the restroom, I heard an uplifting story. Two women came into the restroom, and one began talking, saying that her daughter had asked God this morning to go home, even though it was probable that she would be in the hospital for several more days, if not weeks. But, later in the day, the doctors had announced that she would be able to go home today. The woman kept saying, "That's God. That's just how He is."

And she's right. God listens to our prayers, and when it fits in His plan, we may even get the answers we desire. Never give up hope, and never be afraid to be like a child and ask for the impossible. You never know--that's just how He is.

May 26: Does Good=God?

As I sit and write this, I wonder what my trigger to "seeing God" is. Generally, when I reflect on my day, I think of the good stuff, but that isn't always where God was most prominent. Today I really enjoyed baking with my friend, Jayne. We made cupcakes and cake balls while catching up on the first few days of summer. It was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed it, and I was going to write about that until I realized that that wasn't where I saw God most.

I saw God most when another friend texted me and asked me if I would be interested in writing a short note of support to one of the adults going on the Puerto Rico mission trip this next week. I experienced God as His words flowed out into the letter which I hope will be inspirational to its recipient.

So maybe God isn't the most present in the best parts of the day, or maybe I am not defining the "best" parts of my day correctly.

May 24-25: Ms. Perri

I have one of the best small group leaders ever. I could leave it at that, but I don't think you would believe me. Last night, she put together a whole night of fun. First a beautiful walk around a lake, then the best cheese dip EVER, then pizza of every combination, then cookies and popsicles and games and movies, and it didn't stop there! This morning she shared from her pool of wisdom, this time from an e-devotion, about the importance of adding sweetener (our Word) to our tea (our life). I know she is always praying for and supporting us. She is amazing. 

Who could be better than someone who dedicates time every week to be with us? Who could be better than someone who opens up her house to host several teenage girls just for fun? Who could be better than someone who continually puts herself last to put us first, than someone who is willing to reveal her weaknesses in order to develop our strengths, than someone who is always passionate and joyful despite the weights bearing down on her, than someone who lives the life Jesus has called us all to live? I can't think of anyone better than that. I am so blessed to have Ms. Perri as my leader, mentor, and friend. 

May 23: Azqsy

God is indescribable. He's beyond wonderful, beyond amazing, beyond holy, beyond perfect, he's azqsy. It's a new word--even though no word or any human creation can equate to God's majesty. The "a" and "z" represent how God stretches all the way from "a" to "z." He's everything in between. The "q" is not followed by a "u" like the majority of English words because no limitations can hold God back. The "s" shows plurality because God is bigger than anything. He is infinite and holds the universe in His hands. And the "y" just makes the word sound more fitting. ;) I am thankful for my azqsy God.

May 22: Fathers

Of all the things to see at Six Flags, something that stuck out to me today was how caring and protective some of the dads were of their kids. On the Monster Mansion ride, there are some funny parts and some creepy parts and some scary parts, and as I was riding, there were two rows in front of me, and each had a father and his child. When it got to the scary parts, the dad would shelter his kid or hug him/her close. The dad didn't discourage them from getting on the ride in the first place or take the kid out of line, and neither does our Father in Heaven. He doesn't take us away from the scary parts of life because then we would also miss the funny and exciting parts, but He rides with us through it all.

May 21: People

People--they're helpful and hurtful, they bring laughter and tears, but they never fail to provide company. I had a lovely time tonight with some awesome girls. We went to Alive After 5 for our first night of summer, and let me just say: this summer has a lot to live up to because this night was amazing. It was so fun. We walked around a bunch at the beginning, and once we had food and pie, we sat down on a nice bench and people-watched. There were tons of people. Some greeted us as they passed by and some walked past quietly, but no one was alone and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was easy to see God because I was surrounded by friendships that are similar, though still nothing compared to God's relationship with us, or at least the one he desires.

Numerous times in the Bible, we are told to have the faith of a child. Does that mean to be immature and not know when to sit still and when to run around? I don't think so, but instead, respect God as a child does his father. To the child, his father is undefeatable, always right, and always strong enough. That is what God wants us to believe is true for him too.

May 20: Contagious Energy

Today was the last "real" day of school, meaning that we at least had some educational material. Nevertheless, it was easy to feel the excitement in the hallway as I left my last class. It was the opposite of the usual trudge to the buses; instead, everyone was chatting and walking with an upbeat-sort of attitude. Everyone shared the same enthusiasm for summer, and it was contagious.

When we surround ourselves with enthusiasm, it's easy to be enthusiastic. In the same way, it is important for us to have groups of people that are enthusiastic in their relationships with God, for it is then to we too will be enthusiastic.

May 19: Our Morning

This morning, before 7AM, I went for a lovely bike ride. The sun was rising and the streets were still for the first few minutes. I saw a turtle and a coyote and nature in its peace. It seemed like it was my morning. I felt like everyone else was missing a chance to see the beauty. God has made some wonderful creations--you and me are some of them, but there's even more around us. I hope that tomorrow morning you'll join me in recognizing the beauty. Then, it will be our morning.

May 18: Rainbow

I enjoyed the first "summer storm" day of the year today. Basically, the day was filled with downpours and beautiful sunshine! Of course, when the weather is alternating between these two conditions, it is likely that there will be a rainbow, and I was fortunate enough to get to see and experience it.

I was walking my dog around the lake when I noticed the rainbow, and it was a treat to get to watch it for so long. However, as I continued to walk, it eventually disappeared. It was gone, and anyone who hadn't seen it had missed their chance. 

God used a rainbow to signify his promise to never kill off humankind again after Noah's journey on the ark. Every rainbow is a reminder of that promise, that God hasn't given up on us and will never give up on us. If this promise is always true, then why aren't there rainbows everywhere?

For most, if not all, of you reading this, God provides you with food, water, and shelter daily, in fact, you, like me, probably take it for granted. If God provided you with a rainbow everyday, don't you think that that too would be taken for granted. We would be so accustomed to the colors in the sky that it would no longer be a reminder of God's promise. Plus, if everyone sees every rainbow, then there's nothing to talk about; there's no reason to explain to someone the true beauty in the rainbow because it represents God's promise. Lucky for me, not everyone saw this rainbow today, so here's my chance to remind you that God hasn't and will never give up on you.

May 17: Let It Grow

Today was stepping up Sunday at church, so we celebrated graduations as well as welcomed the rising 6th graders into the youth building. It's an exciting time, and I was reminded on my way home by the song, "Let It Grow" from the Lorax movie, that it only takes one seed to build a forest. In the same way, these 6th graders only need one seed (along with proper nourishment) to build their trees and prosper in their faith journeys. So tonight, I was refreshed and rejuvenated just thinking about the potential and the responsibility in my and all the students' hands to plant the seed and raise a forest.

May 16: Tangled in the Leash

I was walking my dog today, and she kept getting caught with the leash under her armpit. I'd try to fix it, but she'd keep walking, so I couldn't. Finally, I'd get her to stop, so I could untangle her. Of course, then, just a few minutes later, it happened again, and she still would try to keep walking.

Let's say that God has us on a leash too. Fortunately, he doesn't force us to heel, and it's a pretty long leash. Really, the only point of the leash is so that he can always be with us even when we distance ourselves from him. But we are untrained dogs--we pull, chase after squirrels, and eat some gross things, but he doesn't let go or yank us back. We get tangled in our leashes as a result, and even though we know the walk will be harder or more risky, we keep walking when all he needs from us is for us to stop and let him untangle us. Are you trudging along caught in the leash? I think it's time for all of us to stop and get untangled. 

May 15: Where Is It?

Yesterday, I was trying to go to my little sister's (from GAGC) play, and when I left my house, my GPS said 25 minutes, so I'd get there 15 minutes before the show. Great!

I started on my way, and traffic was bad. 3 minutes extra here, 5 there, another 5...I was close to being late. Finally, it's 6:28 (the show started at 6:30), and I'm waiting at the final stop light. The destination, according to the GPS, was straight through the light, and it'd be on the right. I was going to Mt. Bethel UMC Sanctuary, and the day care was right there, on the corner, so I knew I had to be close. Finally, the light turned green, I continued straight, and the GPS said "you have arrived," and I'd entered onto a street of neighborhoods. Where is the church?

So I called her (my little sister's) mom to figure out where I was going. She said it was by the school, and I'd passed the elementary school on my way (about 5 minutes back). I made my way to the elementary school, and I didn't find a sanctuary. At this point, the show had already started, so I hesitated calling again, but I did and got voicemail, so I turned around and went by (another 5 minutes) to the day care area, which was the closest "Mt. Bethel" location to the address I was given. Of course, I didn't find it (again) even though I thought it might've been further down the road.

She called me back and told me it was on a different road than the address, so I went back to this stop light (which no matter what direction I was coming from, the light was ALWAYS red). I turned left, and started driving towards where I thought it would be. I didn't see it, so I doubted myself, and turned around to go the other way on this same road. Then, I really didn't see it, so I turned around again, and thought, if I just go farther this time, I'll find it. Sure enough, just past the road I turned around on, there was the church! I pulled in, and though I was 20 minutes late, I'd made it, and I got to see a bit of the show.

What did I take from all that? Don't place limits on yourself. I kept turning around because I thought I'd gone far enough or because I'd seen something that seemed like a more-correct place. If God has given us a destination, the journey might be different than expected. We might aim to get there at one time, but not make it until later. Or, it's not exactly where we were thinking it'd be. We've just got to go with the flow and trust that we will make it to where God's wants us one way or another.

May 14: It's Not about the Grade

I had a presentation today. I was presenting my 20-time project which was several chapter of Mark transposed into modern times. Deep down, I wanted this presentation to be "a seed" for all those listening. I hoped to spark someone's curiosity even if everyone else was bored. Did I do that? I have no clue.

What I do know is this: everyone one of those 25-30 people heard me speak and listened, and 10 of those wanted copies of the narrative, some of whom may not know Jesus. Though I went into the presentation concerned about the grade and my performance, coming out, I am now satisfied in knowing that I gave several people the opportunity to read the story of the amazing love of Jesus Christ.

May 13: Polite Talk

You know those sayings, "How are you?" "Nice to see you," and "What's up?" Most of the time they we aren't literal in our use, but they mostly act as a formality and greeting. What's the point then? Why not just say "hello"?

I think it's important that to stand out as Christians, we must do more than just ask "how are you?"; we must care about the response. That means stopping to talk rather than walking past, and putting down the Iphone and having a conversation. That action to put someone (not yourself!) in the spotlight is an expression of love, and I believe that every time God checks in with us, he devotes his focus to us and desires ours as well.

May 12: Hannah

I have this amazing friend, Hannah. She is kind, smart, beautiful, honest, trustworthy, optimistic, and selfless. Every time I see her, sometimes before I can greet her, she says, "Hi Mary Stephens. How are you?" Every time it's not her first, it's me first, and she's genuinely asking. People like that are hard to come by, and I am fortunate enough to be able to call her friend.

So today is Hannah's birthday. I made her a cookie cake and gave it to her at the beginning of the day where she thanked me with a delicious cookie. It's her birthday, not mine, and I'm getting cookies! There need to be more people in the world like Hannah. More people who put others first because that is how Jesus lived. Thank you Hannah for always bringing selfless and unconditional love into my life, and happy birthday!

May 11: Forrest Gump

In history, we started watching the American classic, Forrest Gump, which I have found teaches you much more than history. It makes you take a second thought about how we view potential. I haven't watched the whole movie, but from what I have seen, I know that Forrest appears to be stupid and have a very small usefulness in most circumstances, but nevertheless, he cares about everyone he meets. Take Jenny for instance, he protects her and keeps her from doing things that she is better than. Though he is lower than her in intelligence, he recognizes her for who she is. He loves her more than a romantic love, it's the same love of Jesus who puts himself at risk in order to protect us.

May 10: A Mother's Love

I've been so blessed by having positive women mentors in my life. I have had numerous small group leaders, friends, and other women that have led me to be who am I today in God. I am so thankful for their willingness to help me and to put me before themselves. Their love takes the form of encouragement, support, and guidance. I would say that all of that falls into God's love as well.

We call God our Father, but I have seen his motherly love in addition to fatherly love. These women have shown me how to live out His love. I am very grateful.

May 9: Support and Bonding

Tonight we had a big sister/little sister dress up dinner for girls' choir. It was a lot of work to put together, but in the end, it was completely worth it. It is so rewarding to see all of the little girls forming mentorships with the older girls. That's where I saw God--in every one of those girls. 

May 8: It's Been a Good Day

I've seen or felt God in many ways today--it was a good day.

I saw Him while I got to catch up with some friends I hadn't seen in a while.

I saw Him in the prayerful posts on Facebook for the four passengers who went down in the plane crash.

I saw Him in others' willingness to help.

I saw Him in the warm greetings of the cashiers.

I saw Him in the beautiful sunset.

Is it easier to see God on good days? Or is it that the good days are the ones where I see Him more?

May 7: What's the Point?

This time of year, school seems to be pretty pointless. For some classes, exams are over, so the final days are filled with projects or else just movies and entertainment. It makes me wonder, what's the point?

Today's National Day of Prayer. What's the point? Is it a day to pray with others? To recognize prayer? To start praying? I think it's a day to recognize the importance of forming a relationship with our heavenly Father by speaking to Him daily. If it takes a "Day" for some to realize that, then let's have a "Day"!

So, does the "point" really matter? Or is it the effect of what is being done? It seems that this refers back to yesterday where we might not know the reason for something happening, but we have to hope that God is making the effect of what's happening something impactful for another person.

May 6: The Right Person at the Right Time

This world is pretty big; there are a lot of people doing a lot of different things at a lot of different times. The odds of you being in a specific location doing or saying something at a specific time so that you have an impact on someone else is unlikely, except our God does just that. He makes the puzzle so perfect that that one-in-a-million-chances happens. How cool is our God!

This isn't just a random thought of the day, but a couple events have led me to this. One, before my exam today, one of my friends was having a little bit of a meltdown because of stress and pressure and doubt, and I happened to walk into the bathroom at the right time to be able to ease some of her concerns. And later today, I heard on the radio about some nurses (it's Nurse Appreciation Day!) who were right where they needed to be to help out.

You don't know where God needs you. A wrong turn to you may be God's right turn. We just have to trust that no matter where we end up, there's a reason for it.

May 5: Prayer

This time last night, I was asleep and praying for a miracle. I wasn't dying or anything, but I had had a dramatic decrease in energy, a fever, along with typical cold symptoms and was expecting to have a miserable time this morning in my AP exam. Fortunately, God answered yes to my prayers and this morning I felt great! He is faithful. But I'm not the only one in need of prayer; there's plenty who are sick or alone or stressed or hungry or grieving or hopeless or weak who need prayer, and for them too, God will be faithful.

May 4: Discipleship

I know I've said something about this before, but today one of the members of my d-group texted in our group message, asking us all to pray for her friend, Ben, who is on a cruise that is headed for a hurricane. Of course he and his family are very scared, and he needs every prayer for safety and peace. So because I have an amazing d-group, many responded within minutes that we were praying. How awesome! "Friends that pray together, stay together." I am so blessed by this group of girls. I hope you have a group like that in your life. If you do, please make announcement to pray for Ben so that he stays safe and calm. And if you don't, let me know, and I'll be that person to pray with you.

May 2-3: It's about the Journey

This weekend I enjoyed performing at our spring girls' choir concert and participating in the annual D-Awards for our youth small groups at church. It was a fun weekend with a lot of endings--last this, last that for a lot of the seniors and for all of us as the year comes to an end. What I realized is that even though it was with pleasure we celebrated the endings, the better part of the experience was the journey to get to the ending. I think the journey is what makes the ending valuable. That goes for our faiths too; it's not just getting to heaven that matters, it's developing a relationship with God on the way heaven.

May 1: Great I AM

I could call today a really good day or a really bad day. I got some good news today--good test scores and acceptance into the volunteer program I wanted. I got some horrible news today--the death of Mary Paris's friend, Lake. There's frustration that something can be so good one moment and horrible the next, but tonight at the Phillips Craig and Dean concert, they sang the song the Great I Am which emphasizes that God has always been great and will always be great through the good times and the bad times. What a blessing it is to know that despite our circumstances, God is strong. He is faithful and He is with us.