Chronicle of Cal

HE WILL SILENTLY PLAN FOR YOU

2011-02-08T10:56:00.000-08:00

The LORD is my shepherd. Psalm 23:1

Not was, not may be, nor will be. "The LORD is my shepherd." He is on Sunday, on Monday and through every day of the week. He is in January, in December and every month of the year. He is when I'm at home and in China. He is during peace or war and in times of abundance or poverty. J. Hudson Taylor

HE will silently plan for you,

His object of omniscient care;

God Himself undertakes to be

Your Pilot through each subtle snare.

He WILL silently plan for you,

So certainly, He cannot fail!

Rest on the faithfulness of God,

In Him you surely will prevail.

He will SILENTLY plan for you

Some wonderful surprise of love.

No eyes has seen, no ear has heard,

But it is kept for you above.

He will silently PLAN for you

His purposes will all unfold;

Your tangled life will shine at last,

A masterpiece of skill untold.

He will silently plan FOR YOU,

Happy child of a Father's care,

As if no other claimed His love,

But you alone to Him were dear.

~E. Mary Grimes

Lately I have been trying to build up my study schedule...for my college classes, but mostly for my time in the Word. I find it very difficult to really dig in and study the Word in this house. It almost feels like a black hole or like the house is going to fall apart around me if I try...a spiritually dead place, which I guess it could be considering. One of the hardest things is that often times I will try to get some good deep studying in, but someone keeps coming and banging on my door to tell me to go do something (that apparently has to be done right that second) or the dogs start barking and break the silence right when I have a good thought. Ear plugs...I need to buy more ear plugs.

Reflection....

2010-11-20T20:57:00.000-08:00

As of late, I believe God has been pointing my mind towards the inside... I've been looking at myself--my reflection, if you will--and analyzing myself. I've been looking at myself and wondering what exactly am I doing? Am I really truly living my life for Christ? Or am I just acting like it...going through the motions?

I had a very similar conversation with my friend, Comment, where I said those exact words, "going through the motions" and do you know what she said to me? Of course you don't! You weren't there. lol. She said, "Have you ever heard that song?" haha I sat there thinking, "whaaaaat in the world is she talking about??" It turns out that there is a song by Matthew West called "The Motions" which talks about just that. It really hits the mark on some of the things I have been thinking about. Have a listen....

: ) God really has been using my friends to get my thinking going (whether they knew it or not). My other friend, Grace, put a video up on her blog by Brian Mosley called "What is a Trader." It was really great... really thought provoking. I had to go back and watch it a second time a few days later.

Check it out!(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiAh3lYo6k4)

I started looking at other videos he had made and one really slapped me in the face. It's called "History of Traders". I posted that video on the entry just before this one. If you haven't watched it and you're reading this, GO WATCH IT!! If you have watched it and are reading this, Good Job!! (goed zo!!) GO WATCH IT AGAIN!!! : ) in Christian love, of course.

It's one thing to live in a 3 story building with 300+ people who are most likely Christians, it's something completely different to live out in the world where you never know what's going to happen... I for one am having to take a step back and analyze the life I am living now and decide whether I am really living my life for Christ, or if I have fallen away and am hiding that fact from those around me who look to keep me accountable.

Am I putting my faith into action?

History of Traders - RightNow.org

2010-11-20T20:24:00.000-08:00

You think you know....

2010-11-17T20:46:00.000-08:00

You think you know. You do, really.
People go through their lives thinking assuming things like if they take care of their bodies, eat right, exercise, take their vitamins, they will live looong and fruitful lives. Right? Not quite.

I don't know about you, but I don't go through my daily life reminding myself that I could die in the next 5 seconds. It sounds morbid, I know, but it is true. I am not in control of my life. Do you want to know who is? Yahweh is, Jehovah is, I AM is, The one true God! He has many names, but there is just one God who is He.

It is a comfort to me to think that He is in control of my life, but to be absolutely sincere, it scares the crap out of me that I could die in the next few hours. In my sleep...choking on a chocolate covered caramel popcorn....someone could even break into our house trying to rob us! It causes me to think about whether I have done everything that I absolutely could have to further the reach of the gospel... to help build up the Body of Christ...to have lived in such a way that means I have been a light in the midst of the darkness....

What is brought to my mind is a story in Matthew 25 of the 10 virgins who go out to meet the Bridegroom. They all bring oil lamps with them but only 5 of them bring extra oil. After waiting and waiting, the bridegroom is finally on the approach, but the 5 who didn't bring extra oil were running low. They tried to get more from the others only to be refused, for the 5 who brought extra did not have enough for themselves and to share. The foolish five went off to buy more oil, but the bridegroom arrived while they were gone! The prudent 5 went inside to the feast with the bridegroom and the foolish ones were left outside.

The question going through my mind is: Am I walking down my path as a prudent Christian or am I just walking around with my head up in the clouds? If Christ returns or calls me home...would I be ready? Would I be worthy of being called a good and faithful servant?

The inspiration for this post is my close and dear friend, Kelli. Her uncle passed away today from a sudden heart-attack. Even though he made it to the hospital after someone immediately administered CPR, he still passed as he was being transferred to another hospital. Praise God that he was a believer, but this is a seriously hard time for the family. If you would pray for them, I would be grateful.

Guess what!!!!

2010-11-11T18:14:00.000-08:00

So what's the normal responsible thing that one would think a 20 year old person would do?

Work or School

right?

Right.

I graduated from Fairview High School in 2008 and graduated from New Tribes Bible Institute in 2010. I'm DONE with school!!!

Right?

WRONG!!

As of today, I am now a student at Kirtland Community College majoring in Nursing.

Yes, thank you, thank you. No need to applaud. haha just kidding!!!

I haven't decided yet whether it's a great thing or not yet.

My schedule currently stands thus:

Tuesday: English Comp I --> 8:30 AM- 10:00 AM

Chemistry --> 10:00 AM- 11:30 AM

Chem. Lab --> 12:00 PM- 2:00 PM

Int. Algebra --> 3:00 PM- 5:00 PM

Writing Lab --> 6:00 PM- 8:00 PM

Thursday: English Comp I --> 8:30 AM- 10:00 AM

Chemistry --> 10:00 AM- 11:30 AM

Int. Algebra --> 3:00 PM- 5:00 PM

What do you think?

Well, thus is my newest and most exciting news! : ) Happy Veterans Day!! ; )

P.S. Britany is coming home!!!!

Who do I think I am??

2010-11-07T20:12:00.000-08:00

I want to know exactly that. Who in the world do I think I am??

Sitting in church today, listening to people talk, I realized (not for the first time) that I am a selfish person. Let me explain to you the road of my revelation...

I realized that I was picking one or two things to focus all of my time and efforts on. While that could very well be considered a good thing, I don't think that it is so if I am shutting out all other things. I could be helping so many other people!! But I've been ignoring their needs because I'm too focused on what I want to do!! Oy vey!!

"The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds." ~~ Jeremiah 17:9-10

Praise God that He is faithful, even in the midst of my sins He loves me and grows me.

"We're not talking to a brick wall when we pray--we're talking to Someone who really listens."

2010-11-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

Prayer.

What do you think of when this subject is breached?

A way to get what you want? The thing you're suppose to do when you're feeling guilty? confession? Something that you think might be significant but don't really pay much attention to?
Or is it an important part of your life? The one way to talk one-on-one with your God?

Prayer is the one way to come before your God in His throne room. It is the way to communicate with our Heavenly Father on a one-on-one basis and grow in our relationship with Him to a more intimate relationship.
I personally believe that my prayer life is one of the few things that make the difference in my life of me being "stagnant water" and a "creek growing into a stream and on"

My issue is remembering what PRAYER is really suppose to be. So where should I go to find out? ; )

Matthew 6:6 --> Pray in solitude as an intimate conversation with my Father, not flaunting the fact around to everyone and their grandma.

Matthew 7:7-8 --> God answers prayers! It is NOT a futile act to ask things of my Father. He hears me and will take care of all my needs. (Note: NEEDS are NOT WANTS!)

Luke 18:1 --> He hears me! I shouldn't give up ever because I think He doesn't hear me or listen to me. I should never stop talking to my Lord.

Romans 12:12 --> I should be devoted in my prayer! Prayer is my means of talking with my Heavenly Father, who loves me. It is the means of growing more intimate in my relationship with Him.

(other references you can look up, if you wish, are Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:-7; Colossians 3:18; 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Peter 3:12)

"He who has learned how to pray

has learned the greatest secret

of a holy and a happy life."

So many thoughts and yet no understanding...

2010-10-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

Hey there!!
I am finally someplace where I have the internet AND the time to blog. Oddly enough that place is down in Jackson again. Thankfully though, nothing has happened to my car (which is especially great because I have my parents' nice car).

I wanted to just give an update on what's going on now-a-days. I may or may not repeat some things from my last blog. Alright, here goes nothing...

Currently I am jobless and slowly running out of money. lol, don't worry, it gets better.
For the past couple of weeks, I have been volunteering at my dad's clinic to get trained as a Medical Assistant. Apparently there was either some miscommunication or just plain old NO communication at the clinic, so the girls (the nurses) didn't know that I was suppose to be trained as a Medical Assistant (MA). One of them actually thought that I was job-shadowing.... for many days...
As result of that, the schedule has shifted around a bit and I'm taking a most welcome break while certain things are communicated. Started next week, I will be going to the Evergreen Clinic in West Branch, MI on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to be trained and I will be going to work with my dad in Grayling on Fridays so that I can receive some more one-on-one training. Technically after 100 hours of training I can work as an MA, but I think I'm going to have to start over. I wouldn't consider the hours that I have put in to be really good training.... I think I sat around a lot because there wasn't really anything I could do....
Anyways, thankfully my dad is starting to pay me $40 for every day that I volunteer so that I can still pay my rent. It is a low rent, but it is still difficult when you don't have a job.

Besides that kind of training, my brother-in-law pays me to clean his rig out every weekend. It's great for me and it's good for him because he's a truck-driver and that rig is his home for the entire week. Another thing that might be developing is that I might start working at our local hardware store for 1 day a week because they need some short term help and I have connections there. lol, that really just means that I go to church with a couple of the workers and the manager of the store is my neighbor and I have baby-sat for her little boy. hahaha...

ummmm....... oh!

I have also started to take more responsibilities at my church. I have started to put together and lead some of the worship services for Sundays. That pretty much just means that I pick out the music we will sing and try to organize some singers and instrumentalists. The focus of the worship leaders is to try and facilitate an environment that makes it easier for the congregation to have a worship-focused mindset during church.... or at least, I try to keep it as my focus...
I have led the music for one week... it was interesting. I think it went well but I was a little nervous. All things considered, it DEFINITELY could have gone worse.
Another of my responsibilities is to put together the Powerpoint for the service. A lot of people have left the worship rotations, so we have very few people to help with music and all the technical stuff to go with it. If you could pray for that, that would be wonderful. At the moment, there is really only 1 high school young lady that has been doing the Powerpoint. It's wearing her out. All that to say, those of us who are on the Worship Team are stretched out thin.

I also have been living with 2 girls from home. I have moved my room to the upstairs so I am sort of having to move-in all over again. It's been good. If you could pray for me concerning my interactions with my house-mates. There are a few things that are not going well and I believe that I am going to have to talk with them about those things.

so I am worded out. I will leave off here with a summarized prayer request. :)

Prayer:
~ that the hardware job with pull through and work out with my interesting schedule
~ that my training will actually start happening so that I can start working as an hired MA
~ that I will be able to start saving up again to go to KCC for a Nursing degree
~ that I will be able to save enough up to go to school AND pay off my loan debts
~ that I will have the energy to keep up with all of my responsibilities
~ I will be diligent in getting into the Word
~ I will keep God as my first and highest focus
~ I will get answers for a lot of relational questions

Thank you all.

I know, I know, I am a failure at this.

2010-09-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

So here I am sitting here looking at Britany who has started to pester me about updating my blog. I guess I will do so now since I'm using her computer. lol and actually have something to blog about!

First a background on what's been happening since I graduated from NTBI.
I have been working at a local convenient store since the beginning of July. It's been pretty grand and I'm slowly getting to know my co-workers. I've also recently been getting more actively involved at my church with the music. I am also trying to stay involved with the younger girls in the church.

So Tuesday, I worked from 2-9:15 PM. I got off of work and was pretty much bored, so by texting with one of my old room-mates I randomly decided to make a quick trip down to Jackson, MI to see all of my friends. I didn't have to work on Wednesday, and didn't have to be back to work until 2 PM on Thursday. It was perfect! Drive down Tuesday night, stay Wednesday and drive back Thursday morning!! Fool-proof!

After packing really quickly and trying to conceal from my boyfriend (who I was on the phone with) the fact of what I was really doing so that I could surprise him (and I so did. hehehe), I embarked upon my journey to Jackson. Apart from the 10 gallon buckets of water that were being dumped upon my windshield for part of the ride, it was pretty sweet. Next to no traffic on the expressways because of the late hour and the somewhat less than ideal weather. lol. I got in soon after 2 AM and crashed in bed.
Still riding the high of being there, seeing people I miss often and being able to sit in on a few classes, I was going out to coffee with a couple of my great and awesome friends. Getting into my car, we started off to the coffee shop, but I didn't even get all the way out of my parking spot when I knew something wasn't right with my car. I witnessed a sensation that I relate to being similar to driving over many fist sized sapling tree trunks oddly spaced under my car.

Pulling back INTO my parking space, we get out of the car to confirm my fears of having a flat tire..........yay.

After deciding not to worry about it until my dad could call me back, I finally get to the point of actually trying to change my tire. Fortunately I had a spare in my trunk and not a donut.... Unfortunately, I don't remember ever seeing a tire iron in my trunk...(this fact will come into play a little later)
So after somewhat attempting to get a lug nut off, I conceded to Bart (my boyfriend) and let him tire himself out getting them off. (evil chuckle) All was going well as my friend Michelle and I were sitting there waiting for Bart to finish wrestling with the tire until we came upon a circular lug nut.

Yes, I said circular. Meaning there were no resemblance of an edge on the outside to grip. After calling the expert (a.k.a. my brother-in-law, Greg Stone), he told us that it was a safety lug nut so that no one could steal my tire!! Well...remember how I told you that I don't remember ever seeing my tire iron? well...unfortunately I need that SPECIFIC tire iron because it has the key on one of the four points. We then continued to call everyone from AAA to the Mercury Dealership in Jackson to try and figure out how in the world to get this darn tire OFF my car!!

I still haven't figured it out and I'm still working on it. Needless to say, until I get that tire off I am stranded in Jackson until it's fixed. Which we all know is a really horrible thing. ;)

Time flies, I have to run, until next time....

What Do I Know of Holy

2010-05-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

My friend, Britany, played this really awesome song for offertory today at church and then I just saw it in my iTunes list. Seeing it, I had the idea of posting it on here for you because it is just that awesome. Really listen to what the words are saying.

Are you healthy or sick?

2010-05-17T23:15:00.000-07:00

What is it that caused you to believe and have faith in what Christ has done for us? What in your life guided you to that end?
Reading through a friend's blog and hearing about how he found the face of Jesus the most portrayed through the actions of felons and addicts living in the most run-down town in CA made me start thinking.
Now before I get started, I'm not saying that the examples I use are black and white scenarios for every single person. I'm not stereo-typing here.

Where do you see the life of Christ the most? In well-off people, who don't have to struggle for anything? Or in broken, humiliated people, who have nothing? (I hope I'm explaining myself well enough that you'll understand. I don't think I am, but let's keep going.) Was it the Pharisees (whom He called "white-washed sepulchers") Jesus came for? or the prostitutes and sinners?
"Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners ?" But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. "But go and learn what this means : 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."" (Matthew 9:10-13).
Throughout the Bible, you see it over and over and over. Jesus always worked through the weak, simple, humble, and basic people. If a person were "righteous", why would he need Jesus? That person would already have "arrived". Jesus was there to teach those who needed it. "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick."
Those people who my friend talked about in his blog, those people were sick and Jesus showed them the way. They knew the love of Christ and it changed them. I myself knew of Christ since I was a child, but I didn't start understanding what the big deal was until I was so sick! I didn't understand what He was trying to tell me until I was at the end of myself. I was falling down to the bottom of the barrel, I was living for myself and this world only. I was doing what I wanted to do, and yet I was so completely unhappy that many of you may not understand. I was completely hopeless.
Not until I realized that I was "sick" was He, the physician, able to help me.

Following that train of thought (if you were able to keep up with my random mind), when and how are we able to grow in our relationship with God? After we fail. That's right, I said FAIL!!

Me --> Failure --> realize my NEED --> study the Word of God --> renewal of my mind through the Holy Spirit by the Word of God --> growth ------->(back to the beginning)

If I don't recognize my failure and my need, If I don't recognize that I am sick, then I don't move, I don't grow, I don't heal. I become a stagnant pool of slime. (not really all that appealing, is it?) If I become stagnant....I'm not really all that useful to God.

Only by believing and understanding God's truths will I obey Him and thereby allowing Him to live His life through me, conforming me to the image of His Son (which, in case you haven't heard, is so awesome I don't even have a word great enough to describe it).

Are you a white-washed grave? Or are you the sinner who recognizes your need for Him?

What does your testimony say? Is Christ seen through your life, your actions?

Are you healthy or sick? Righteous or a sinner?

"It is finished"

2010-05-15T22:14:00.001-07:00

So I titled this post "It is finished." (as you probably could see)
For me, I really was just trying to think of a phrase that describes my time here at NTBI as a student. "The End." "Game over." "It's done!" Things like that and what popped into my mind was "The end has come. It's finished." But wait...

...."It is finished." Jesus said that right before He gave up His spirit to the Father when He was crucified to pay the price for our sins. (John 19:30) What a concept...here I am thinking that today was a big day because I have graduated from a 2 year Bible school. The vastness of that concept in my mind is pretty well belittled when compared to the vastness of the concept that because some 2000 years ago, Jesus died on the cross for me and my sins, I am saved from an ETERNITY separated from my God in the Lake of Fire. Holy cow! That is such an awesome thought!! And it all came from the connotations in my mind of three little words,

"It is finished."

I leave this school here taking with me knowledge such as that to help me as I walk and (Lord willing) grow with God. I leave so many wonderful people and I will miss them dearly. I step forward in faith that I WILL see them again one day. I can't wait for that wedding feast to come!!! It'll be like NOTHING on this fallen earth.

Saying that reminds me of a song that one of my fantastically awesome friends wrote. She talks about God's creation and all of its beauty here on earth (sun, mountains, eagles...), but she goes on to say "If we see things now as beautiful, think how much more will heaven be?"
: ) I love her. She's such a great encouragement and I thank God for her in my life, along with all of my room-mates I've had here at NTBI.
Getting distracted now, so....

Here's some pictures of our last day together as a dorm...

My RA, Grace, decided to take a nap on one of our bookshelves after we finished dorm clean-up. All of us were exhausted. As you will soon see.

It didn't last for long though because we all got up and went to DQ!! Our last dorm date (actually, I think it was our second date with all of us), we did exactly what we did for our very first Dorm Date (the first of our two).

We two Seniors, or should I now say NTBI Alumni? Grace looks exceptionally more happy than me, but I have to say that I really was enjoying my ice cream. So much so that I very soon after this picture started spilling it all over my clothes. I guess I just wanted to save some (a lot) for later.

The two Juniors (now Seniors), Michelle (first pic) and Kristi (second).

And our dorm freshman, which I guess I must acknowledge the fact that they are now Juniors!! Scary thought. Btw, they really like their ice cream (or just food in general). They take after Gracie. ; )

THE END! for now.

Time to Go....

2010-04-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Dungeonites!!

(minus 1, I mean 2! Minus 2)

(L to R: Kristi, Kati, Kelsey, Gracie, Michelle-y, and Me!)

(Missing: Jess and Kara)

Wow! 2 months! How time flies!! I get into a groove of going to classes and doing my homework that the days just kind of meld together and 2 weeks ago feels like 2 days ago.

Things are doing pretty great here at school. I'm learning a lot in my classes, which I see as a great thing. My brain is getting so full that it's a little overwhelming at times. In a way, I'm glad that I will be graduating in just a few short weeks from here, but at the same time, I am dreading it because I do not want to leave this wonderful environment. I have learned a lot, but I don't feel like I have learned enough yet to leave!

We are finishing up a block this next week and then I start the last block of my last semester here. My class and the Junior class will be leaving at the end of next week for Jersey Shore, PA, where we will be for a week. We are to be working through one of our classes for the block, "Intro to Tribal Missions". I am super excited to be able to part of this and it is going to be a wonderful time to just spend time with my friends before we all graduate.

P.S. Please feed my fish!! (hint: scroll WAAAAAYY down)

Saved by Grace

2010-02-05T22:48:00.000-08:00

What do you think of when someone says that they have been "saved by grace"? Do you think..."Yesss!! I'm not under the Law! I can do whatever I want now!! PAARTYY!!"...or do you think..... "I'm not really sure what it means...I just know that life is soooo much better off since this age started. I mean, just think of all those sacrifices they had to do in the Old Testament ....*whispers* I'm not very good around blood, you see."....or do you think ...."My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, took my sins upon Himself, so that I might be seen as righteous before God. My debt is paid for because Christ loved me so much that He was sacrificed in my place on the cross."

I would like to believe that all of you would confess the latter of the three possibilities. But then, do we always think of that? Or do we just learn something and then push all the minor details into the backs of our minds and go with the bare minimum? Do you specifically think about all that it means when someone mentions "Christ's work on the cross" or "saved by grace" or even "dead to sin"? Do you think every time about how much Christ suffered on the cross for us, the beatings He endured, the ridicule...all because He loves us (yes, present tense, LOVES us). Do you make the connection between the cross and John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."?

I ask this because I know that I don't. More times than not, I must confess that I respond to phrases such as those with "uh huh, yup, you betcha.." without even thinking about the major events that are attached to those concepts. I hope that this entry will get you thinking about this, just like I am thinking about it... Peace be with you all.

Just a little reminder that I found impacting:

"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

~~Ephesians 2:1-10

Blogspot is plotting against me!!

2010-01-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

Wow!! I'm SOO sorry that it's taken me this long to update! Many (if not all) of us at NTBI have been having issues with connecting to blogspot. We originally thought that it was because the website was having issues,

but now we've figured it out! Our school internet connection has BLOCKED the website, so I am currently at my favorite coffee shop in Jackson (Jackson Coffee Co.) using their WiFi.

<--(Dorm Photo: L to R: Michelle, Grace, Jess, Kristi, Kara, Kelsey, Kati, Me!)

Well, what can I say? School has been SOO great! As always, my classes are beyond interesting. I am currently in Daniel/Revelation, Colossians, and Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus). They are ALL fascinating. One thing that we just today was Chapter 7 of Daniel and the 4 beasts. It's great. All of the End Times and Eschatological stuff interests me so much. And I'm finding that I need to invest in a Journaling Bible because I don't have enough room for all the notes that I want to write in my Bible. I have also just finished an elective class, False Deities of the Bible.

It was only 5 1-hour classes long, but my teacher (Dan Falls) was able to fit a LOT of really interesting stuff in, as usual. : )

<--(Dorm Photo. Left side: Tallest to shortest: Kara, Kati, Grace, Kels. Right side L to R: Jess, Me, Michelle, Kristi.)

(back L to R: Kara, Bethany (Dorm Mom), Grace, Me. Middle L to R: Kati, Jess, Kristi. Front L to R: Michelle, Kels @ Thrifty Christmas Party) -------->

Life in the dorm has been interesting. I swear that it's almost impossible to be bored while living in The Dungeon. I have so much fun with all of my roommates. We've managed to fit some movies in when we don't have any homework to do.

I had the opportunity to go sledding with a couple of them before classes started. It was a blast. And besides doing fun stuff with my roommates, I've made it one of my goals to do more with my friends outside of my dorm and to build more relationships with the people in the school.

An exciting bit of news is that my dorm-parents(Joel and Bethany) have had a baby girl on January 21st!! They now have a family of five and I have 3 younger "siblings": Jack, Owen, and Kate Lael. If it wasn't for this family, I would have been driven mad a LONG time ago by being cooped up in the basement of a 3 story building where there is ALWAYS someone there. lol. It's a good thing that

I love being here, it would be a bad distraction for the real reason why I am here.

All that to say, I am doing great! I am just getting over a bad cold from the end of last week, but I was up and ready to get back to classes this morning. It was exciting to have Dan./Rev. this morning because my teacher was also out sick from Wednesday to Friday.

Please, if ANY of you have questions, I am asking you to email me at CMKMacAuley@gmail.com or call me at (989) 329-2254. I also have Facebook! "Callie Rose MacAuley." Friend me!! Please! Or if you prefer snail mail, I would be beyond ecstatic to receive a letter from you!

Colleen (Callie) MacAuley

1210 E. Michigan Ave. #132

Jackson, MI 49201

(L to R: Kara, Kelsey, Kati, Jessalyn, ME! @ Dairy Queen) -->

I hope to hear from you! And I am going to try to make it somewhere more often so that I can update more. It will hopefully be easier to do now that I know what the problem is.

2009-12-24T10:24:00.000-08:00

Jesus Paid It All (words- Elvina Hall; music- John T. Grape)
I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”
- Jesus paid it all,
  All to Him I owe;
  Sin had left a crimson stain,
  He washed it white as snow.
For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.
And now complete in Him,
My robe, His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.
Lord, now indeed I find
Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.
When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.
And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down,
All down at Jesus’ feet.

I just wanted to share this with you. It's one of my favorite songs ever and a great reminder to me that I did absolutely nothing and could have done nothing. Jesus did everything for us. He paid it all. I hope you're thinking about that as you celebrate His birth. : ) Merry Christmas! or what we could say, "The Anointed One be celebrated!" (ask me about that if you're confused.)

Oh the odd things...

2009-12-07T21:43:00.000-08:00

I don't know why, but it's always from 11:30 on that my brain just takes off and I do all of my spectacular thinking...it's really a little sad, but such is life. ; ) This is may or may not be a shocker, but I finish up this semester on THURSDAY!! And if you don't know your days of the week, that is only 2 DAYS from now (considering it's 12:45 AM, I'm counting it as being Tuesday)!!! I am super excited to be going home and to finally be able to attend my own church! : )

A few weeks ago, I started thinking of all the things that I wanted to do over break and the list just started getting longer and longer and longer and longer...I think you get the point now. My point being, I figured out that I was using the word "I" a bit toooooo much in my list. I've been so focused on my studies here that I have had to put so many other things in my life on hold, mostly things like...music (instrumental), artistic projects (woodworking and such, chainmail), and the most important being, VIDEO GAMES!!! lol, jk. I do enjoy video games, but (yes, you may not be able to believe this, some of you) I CAN LIVE WITHOUT THEM! lol.

Going in complete opposite direction, I decided that (instead of my loooong list) all I wanted to do was sleep 13 hours a day and lay around all day (the other 11 hours) reading and playing video games. I'm pretty sure that that is addressed somewhere significant..but I don't remember....OH! how about the BIBLE!! ; ) Here's a verse from Proverbs that I actually found rather amusing and fitting to this context: "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made fat" (Proverbs 13:4 NASB). I don't know about you people, but I don't want my soul to be a scrawny, malnourished thing, I want to be FAT!! lol.

So all of this rambling to say, that I've finally realized that my focus should be and remain to be rooted in God's word and to strive to glorify God through my life and my actions. One of the things that I am not focusing more upon is the edification of the Body of Christ. I hope to become more active in my church body while I am at home and build more relationships with those people who are my brothers and sisters in Christ.

With that, I bid thee adieu. Goodnight to all..or goodmorning, if you want to be smart about it. ; )

2009-12-02T21:04:00.000-08:00

Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to

immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

For it is because of these things that the wrath of God

will come upon the sons of disobedience,

and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.

But now you also, put them all aside:

anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.

Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,

and have put on the new self who is being renewed

to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him--

a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew,

circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman,

but Christ is all, and in all.

So as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved,

put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

bearing with one another, and forgiving each other,

whoever has a complaint against anyone;

just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bod of unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,

to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,

with all wisdom teaching you and admonishing one another

with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,

singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

~~Colossians 3:5-17

Bitter or Sweet?

2009-12-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

This semester I have been learning and growing (I hope) in things pertaining to the tongue (speech) and how I have been using it in my life. I believe that I am slowly becoming more sensitive to what comes out of my mouth and how it affects those around me and it's encouraging to me. Some of you may know that I have been going through the book of James this block at school with a phenomenal teacher, Rex, and something he said yesterday in class really hit me. I decided that I wanted to share it with you. : )

"With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?"

--James 3:9-11

After we read the verse, Rex started talking about what James was really getting at with these verses. He used as an example the well of Bethlehem. It's ALWAYS the same, every single time you go get water out of it, it is going to taste the same. It's not going to taste great one day, rotten the next, still bad but not as bad the following day, etc. It is a well that can be trusted. As Rex talked about this, he inspired me to write this in my notes for verse 11 ("Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?"): "Wouldn't it be nice if a person could come to me and always know that the words I would give to them would be refreshing and encouraging? Do I give out bitter and sweet water? Are they in doubt about what I will give to them? Can they come to me?" The underlying thought behind those questions is "Are people afraid that I will judge them, yell at them, put them down? Or do they trust me with their problems and trials, believing that I will have encouraging words to comfort them and help them, at the very least, pray for them? Or are they unsure about what will come out whenever I open up my mouth?"

Rex asked this question and I adapted it to my thoughts, I've been attempting to meditate on it since class.

"What kind of well am I? Bitter, Sweet, or unpredictable?"

2009-11-29T19:17:00.000-08:00

This song by the band Downhere really hit a chord in me and I wanted to share it with you...

How Many Kings

Follow the star to a place unexpected.

Would you believe after all we’ve projected

A child in a manger
Lowly and small, the weakest of all

Unlikeliness hero, wrapped in his mothers shawl,

Just a child.

Is this who we’ve waited for?

Cause how many kings, stepped down from their thrones?

How many lords have abandoned their homes?

How many greats have become the least for me?

How many Gods have poured out their hearts

To romance a world that has torn all apart?

How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Bringing our gifts for the newborn savior

All that we have whether costly or meek

Because we believe.

Gold for his honor and frankincense for his pleasure

And myrrh for the cross he’ll suffer.

Do you believe, is this who we’ve waited for?

It’s who we’ve waited for.

How many kings, stepped down from their thrones?

How many lords have abandoned their homes?

How many greats have become the least for me?

How many Gods have poured out their hearts

To romance a world that has torn all apart?

How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Only one did that for me.

I still alive, you know!!

2009-10-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Saints,
I am undergoing attempt # 2 at sending an email to let you know how I am doing here at NTBI. Although this time, I am taking a leaf out of Emmerick’s book and typing it out in Microsoft Word first. This way, if my internet stops working, my email will not be lost again.

I am doing well here at New Tribes. I am loving it and learning so much that I wouldn’t even know where to begin if I were to try and tell you. I have had many good classes so far, some of them being Romans, Hebrews, II Corinthians, and Family Relationships. Just today I have started 3 new classes for the next 15 days: Pneumatology (study of the Holy Spirit), Angelology (study of angels, demons, and Satan), and Soteriology (study of salvation). We just went over the introductions today, but I can already tell that I am going to love these classes and that they are going to be really interesting.

God has been teaching me SOOOOO much stuff this semester, through good experiences, bad experiences, classes, and the great people He has surrounded me with here at school. He has taught me a lot this semester between STP, classes, and bible studies about my Position in Christ and the extent at which that covers. He has taught me more fully about my death to sin through Christ and that sin (“King Sin” as my Romans teacher calls it) has no power over me anymore. I don’t know about you, but the knowledge of that just knocks me off my feet. He is so glorious! I have been learning in one of my bible studies about appropriation and what that really means. My leader described it as being in a room full of shelves with awesome, new things that are mine. The next step for me to do is to accept that it is mine and take it off the shelf and use it. That illustration really put it into perspective for me.

God has been working on my heart lately, so that I will choose to step out in faith and use the things He has already blessed me with. Mind blowing! Since I have arrived here at school my brain has felt like a water-logged sponge. I always feel like I can absorb anymore, but He keeps working on me and helping me to grasp so many things. I know that without Him, I would never have been able to grasp anything from His word.

Well, those are just a few of the major things God has taught me this semester. I am not even going to get into what God has convicted me of when we went through Romans 13 ; ) . I hope and pray that you are all well and look forward to seeing you. If any of you have any questions for me, please, feel free to contact me by my email (CMKMacAuley@gmail.com). I also LOVE getting mail through the post. If any of you would feel led to drop me a note or something (like food? Haha, Just Kidding!!), my address is:

Colleen (Callie) MacAuley
1210 E. Michigan Ave. #132
Jackson, MI 49201

Thank you so much for supporting me in my journey as I walk with God! I really appreciate your prayers and support.

Prayer Requests:
† I owe about $1000 on my school account for the rest of the semester. So far God has provided everything I have needed, and I ask that you pray with me that He will provide that last amount of money. I can pay for none of it myself. Praise Him that He has gotten me this far!
† That my laptop will either get fixed and get a new battery, or that I can somehow get a new laptop altogether. It has been rather hindering this semester and just keeps getting worse.

Again, thank you all so much! I am so thankful that God has blessed me with all of you in my life to support and encourage me.

P.S. Please feed my fish. (below)

................cheese?

2009-09-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm going to come right out and say it: This blog has absolutely nothing to do with cheese. I'm sorry, please don't hate me. ; )

I just decided to update with a quick blog about the last 24-ish hours in my life. I will say that I am currently in the middle of a really looooooooooooooooooooooooong blog about what I've been doing since I've arrived here at NTBI (No, I am not saying that I have "arrived." Context is King! Since I've returned to the halls of NTBI. Better?) So that is something that you all have to look forward to in the upcoming........months? Just kidding! Hopefully in the next week, if not the next couple of days.

Anyways, so I'm suppose to be updating you about my last 24 hours! I have gotten three hours of sleep in the last....32 hours. I ended up staying up all night with my wonderful, stressed RA last night because both of us were taking a...little bit..longer than we intended on our 2 Corinthians exams.

*side note* For those of you who don't know what my 2 Corinthians exam consisted of: I had to make four speech outlines that I would be able to teach from on the topics of "Conflict Resolution," "Clay pots/treasure," explaining Paul's 3 comparison questions in Chapter 3:7-11, and about "giving."

*end of side note*

So I believe I have had an interesting day today with my energy and goofiness levels...and the day isn't even over! Dinner with my dorm parents very soon (awesome! Cuz I am starving!) and a Romans Outline over 3:21-5:21 soon after that! I love homework...I just don't like a LOT at one time because it makes it really hard for me to retain all the wonderful information. I always take so long on my Romans Outline because I'm seriously studying what the text book is saying and making notes in my Bible for future reference. I love it, but it takes so long and I kind of would like some sleep tonight..otherwise bad things may happen tomorrow... 8-/.

So, uh.......so much for a short blog today, but it's definitely shorter than my post to come. : )

Catch y'all later! ; ) Drop me a line, or better yet, if you're from home, SEND ME SOME MAIL!!

That would COMPLETELY make my day, if not my entire week. lol.

Bye!

P.S. Prayer Request! 1.) That God will provide the rest of the money that I need to complete this semester at NTBI (about $1500), 2.) that God will give me the strength, stamina, and dexterity to be able to keep up with all my homework, and 3.) that He'll give me the wisdom I need to understand all that the teachers are telling me!

Thanks all!

Praises to Jehovah Jireh!!

2009-07-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

I have had this blog for 2 weeks now and I'm just getting on to post an update. And boy, do I have an update! : )
I was due to return to New Tribes Bible Institute by August 6th, 2009, but as many of you know, I was completely broke and had no way to pay for my next semester. At the urging of one of my great friends, I sent out some support letters to 2 churches I'm involved with. On Tuesday, July 28th, I received support money from one of those churches. Jehovah Jireh did a mighty work through those people the previous Sunday!! Let me explain why!
To be able to return to NTBI, I needed an initial payment (which was due August 1st) of $2070. Tuesday (28th), I received $2145!!! Praises to El Elyon!! Thank you, Abba.
God has most definitely answered my prayers and taught me a great many things through this experience. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.

P.S. I'll be sure to update again once I get to school. Maybe next week or (if I don't have time until then) when I get settled into my dorm (which, in case you're confused, is NOT right when I get to the school building) :)

One small step for mankind.......one GIGANTORE step for Callie

2009-07-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! I've actually made a blog. I'm laying aside my love for privacy and am willingly giving everyone a blow-by-blow account of my life (maybe not THAT detailed, but you get the picture). I figured since I am horrible at getting in touch with everyone everywhere that I would start this blog so that you can always know what I'm doing. I guess this means I actually have to start behaving! ; )
I hope you all are well and I'll try not to put you to sleep with my future posts.