A little over a week ago Pastor Chilly challenged us to write our own Psalm. I had never done this before and was a little confused on where to start. So I figured I would read some Psalms of David’s and see what he did. Mine might not be as good as one of David’s, but he had a lot more practice. Anyways, here’s my first Psalm.

One chance is never enough for us humans. We use our second chance while it’s still morning. Yet each time we seek forgiveness you are waiting and willing. Your great mercy and grace cover all my numerous sins. You tell me it’s ok, Jesus took care of my debt. Our relationship was worth it for Him. More like it’s the least I could do for His sacrifice. This is why I won’t settle for a general acquaintance. No, I desire an intimate relationship, but He desires it even more. Oh, His wonderful love that overlooks all my sins. His great compassion for me despite my mistakes. His never-ending mercy granted each day to cover my sins. The Lord is truly great and deserving of all praise. Let all the glory go to God, the One who holds my life, the One who saved me. I am changed and different from when He found me- but I’m not done yet. Until I join Him in eternity, I will continue to do His will and to serve Him, for He is worthy.

This is just a song my friend and I made back in the day. I changed out quite a few verses because I made it so that this song is for him. In a sense, this is my sun stand still prayer, something that seems so impossible to me but possible for God: breakthrough in his life, as well as resolve to live with a commitment.From this situation, God is teaching me to pray through this situation instead of pray and give up because it seems like nothing is working. And I’ll admit, I have good intentions to pray for him at times. Which means sometimes they stay as good intentions, but they are expressed at other times because I don’t enjoy dropping the ball. Nevertheless, I’m gonna keep on keepin on.

When there’s no one to run to

And no place to hide

You’ll see what you should be

Instead of living a lie

Cause all your fears and failures

Are just bringing you down

You were made for so much more

As an heir to the crown

So just stop believing the lies

And seize the potential inside

Keep on keepin on

For the lost this is your song

When all of your troubles

blinds you of your sight

And you feel like nothing’s changed

Don’t give up the fight

Praying that you see clearly

That Father loves us

He’s tender and compassionate

This you can trust

So stop believing the lies

And seize your potential inside

Keep on keepin on

For the lost, this is your song

I am in love with Jesus. And I really have fallen more in love with Him this week- which should be the story of every week!

I have to share with you something He said to me this week! I was thanking Jesus for who He is, and specifically thanking Him for His grace and unfailing love, when He stopped me in my tracks and said, “I love you way more than you love you.” Maybe I should have already known this, but it really did amaze me. He loves me and has my best interests in mind, and since He loves me more- His plans are better than mine.

He gave me yet another reason why I have to pursue Him and His plans more than ANYTHING else.

Jesus loves you more than you love you! What are you going to do with this information?!

Recently, I’ve been reminded a lot of a journal entry that I made earlier this year. It’s about the danger of comparison, and has been something that needed to be refreshed in my mind.

God used an illustration to get through to me about becoming a monster. When we compare ourselves to other people, we’re basically telling God that who He created us to be just isn’t quite good enough. So we start trying to become like others, taking on their characteristics because we think it’s a better mix than the hand God dealt us.

When we try to become something we’re not, we become like a frankenstein monster, created from all these different body parts sewn together to create a “whole” person. But really, it isn’t whole, because it isn’t really alive. Frankenstein is just an ugly mesh-up of different parts that really don’t belong together. And that is far from what God has planned for us!

Every time we compare and try to become like someone else, we forget the One who made us – the One we should be trying to become like, who will give us abundant life! And we forget that He made each of us with a special purpose. So stop choosing to be a monster, and start praising God more for the wonderful person He made you to be!

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. Psalm 139:13-14

Yesterday was the craziest Monday I have had in a while.  Not in a bad way though. This is how my day went.

Between 9 and 9:30 am I woke up. I got a nice bowl of cereal and read around in the book of Ezekiel. Which I was blown away by how it would feel to be Ezekiel. It was cool to see how he was used by God and what a man of God he was. My paper this last week was on on the book of Ezekiel which was what I started to work on next.

Once I finished my paper, I then took a shower and got ready for the day. I ate some waffles for lunch and then headed out to Pure Detroit with a couple of the other girls.

I knew it was windy before I went outside, but I did not realize how windy it was. I am not sure how fast they actually were but we could literally lean forward and be pushed back by the wind.

Once we got inside the building, I was on a mission from my family. My grandmother had gotten a t shirt from Pure Detroit a few weeks back and now her sisters would each like one so they could all match, I personally don’t understand it, but whatever. They had put some money in my account so I could by the T shirts and I keep them until I went back to Minnesota for the summer. They guy working behind the counter remembered my family coming in and actually getting the stuff. He was really nice and helped me as best as he could. But unfortunately the T shirt my great aunts wanted did not have any left in the right sizes. The employee called other locations to see if they had them, but there was no luck. I told my grandma the news.

When I got home I wondered if the store had a website that I could order from. I told my grandma I would check online and see, but again, they were out of the beloved T shirt. She thanked me for all the effort I put in, which really wasn’t that much. Then she informed me that my aunts said that I could keep the money that was for the shirts for the effort and for the ministry that I was doing here. I am so thankful. I love my family and they are such a blessing.

Then we got to go to the projects to visit some families that came to our Easter outreach. I loved meeting the moms of the kids  I get to work with on a weekly basis. Also, there was a man that thanked us for all that our program did and how he could see the difference in the people. It was really encouraging to hear that. And at the end of our trip there, there was a little extra time, so we got to play with some of the kids. I loved watching them play in the wind and just having fun rolling around in the grass. They were so precious

And to finish up the night, all of us who went to the projects went together to get a bite to eat and just talk. I really enjoyed the time we had. It was crazy, but it was such a blessing.

I hardly believe the calender. I do a double take every time I look at it. It’s crazy to think that it’s the middle of April, and that I will be the age of 22 before May. Sometimes I have to correct myself when people ask me how old I am. I usually say somewhere between 16 or 20.

WEIRD!! Also, it’s crazy to think about xmin and how quickly it is going. I remember the first time I visited Detroit (March 2009). I drove up here, to Detroit with my dear friend Marcela, to visit a few different dear friends, not realizing that I was checking out the program.

I vividly remember day one of my first year (September 2009), standing on top of the Park Shelton, praying with the other three students, and the Real Church team over the city of Detroit, and for God’s vision. Looking out over the city, and being aware of God’s presence, I knew that I was about to embark on the greatest adventure of my life. The thing is, I still feel like that. I’m in constant awe of how God called me to discipleship here and how awesome it is to be a part of something so unique.

I don’t mean this is a weird, prideful way, but when I think about how this program isn’t just about us, but about God, and bringing others to KNOW HIM, and have a real relationship with Him, it makes me want to be here for the rest of my life. There is no place like this one.

Graduation is coming soon and we will get to flip to the next page. How AWESOME!?

Yesterday was the past and tomorrow is the beginning of the greatest adventure of our lives.

I know this post was all over the place, but I’m really excited. Are you excited about what God is doing in and around you? Are you wasting time? Or are you going after what God has planned for you?! Don’t get comfortable! Time GOES FAST!

So as I’ve been doing the kid’s ministry at the Hamtramck campus, it has been an awesome growing and learning time for me. One of the families that comes has a daughter that is 8 years old and she has been deaf since birth. It has been a challenge to find ways to help her engage and begin to find ways to teach her how much Jesus loves her. This week I’m trying something new that I’m really excited about. I found this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Bible-Doodle-Book-Pictures/dp/0310727162 that I am going to try and use for her to participate.

It has most of the major Bible stories, but it is like an incomplete coloring book that allows her to color it as well as draw part of the story. Such as the animals on the ark or what she thinks was in the fish while Jonah was in its belly. I am super pumped to continue growing and learning how to minister to special needs kids that we have in Camp Courage and I’m so glad that we have the opportunity to communicate God’s love for them in so many different ways.

I know that most people reading this are parent’s of young children, (I know almost no one that reads this has small children. so just tell your friends who do!) so I would suggest looking into buying this book. If your kids don’t like it, I guarantee you will!

[Saul] inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him…

1 Samuel 28:6

And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”

1 Samuel 30:8

God didn’t just decide one day that He didn’t like Saul anymore, so He wasn’t going to listen to him anymore. No, it wasn’t God who cut communications; it was Saul. Saul wasn’t interested in a relationship with God. He just wanted a quick fix, and that’s not how God works. He’s not gonna be anybody’s friend with benefits. He desires intimacy with us. David got this one right for sure. He was the man after God’s own heart! And THAT is why he will forever be remembered as a conqueror.

Man! I want to be a David! No way am I gonna be like Saul and limit my relationship with God to “sugar daddy” status. Provider is only part of who God is. First and foremost he is my true love. I was made to give God my love, not just my problems, and guess what? So were you!

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”

Luke 10:27

A switch without installment is just that, a switch. But once installed, the lights can go on! So are you wired or do you need to be rewired?

If you have ever encountered me, I’m likely to carry this light switch on me as a reminder to be the light of the world. It’s not for show. But as unique as it is as a ‘keychain’, it is a unique conversation starter. I remember having this trinket on me during my junior and senior year of high school. It was somewhat embarrassing as teens and teachers would be inquiring as to why I had a light switch on my key chain. But at the peak of my distress, I could mumble out “It’s a reminder to be the light of salvation.” it was a frightening situation every time, but I knew I had this light switch for a reason so I always trucked on through.

In my first year of collage I’ve encountered this question. “Why are we afraid to tell people about Jesus?” Quite frankly, that question can reveal a lot to a believer concerning his or her relationship with Jesus. When we are afraid of what other people think that doesn’t exactly lift Jesus up or make him famous. However, the question should be, “Why should we be afraid to tell people about Jesus?” You see, the same Jesus that said we were the light of the world in Matthew 5:14-16 is THE SAME Jesus who says YOU were worth dying for. You’re a nobody? That’s cool, cause God uses people like that and makes them someone. You’re an idiot? Great! God specializes in using idiots who have faith. You’re horrible? Sweet! There’s a Reedemer who loves you.

He paid a debt He didn’t owe. He displayed great love by laying down his life for us. I want to lay my life down as well. I may not be dying on a cross, but I will make people a priority rather than my comfort. I’ll use my time to lift people up than to not do anything progressive or positive at all. I choose to shine my light cause there is no point in hiding it because I’ve been set apart. I’ve been called to be holy like my Father is holy so the world can see that the love and change they are desperately waiting for is found in Jesus. My Jesus.

Brilliant,

Benjamin