WOW!

This has probably been the longest I've gone without posting. Things have been a little... intense. A lot has changed... I even have a new computer!! Another HP, of course... my favorite! Rivers, you served me well, and your death was honorable after 4 years... but I have to admit, Gilda is pretty slick. Haha. I'm such a nerd... But anyway, might I update you all with my life? (If anyone even still checks this thing... lol!)

I graduated with a final semester of straight A's, including on my Thesis, so that was pretty sweet. Then, it was straight to Chapter Camp. My experience was different this year than any other year, and honestly, it could have been better... but that's nobody's fault but my own. And through it all, God was still able to teach me and love me, because he's just that awesome. :)

Nadia and Jessica moved in with us, and it's been a little crowded and loud at times, but like I said, it could be much worse. Overall, I think it's going really well, and it's teaching me some about letting go of control, and of not stressing over things that aren't important. But I still can't wait until we move into the new place and have some more space! haha.

Aaaaand I got in to grad school!! USF College of Public Health, for Maternal and Child Health. I was super excited, because it took FOREVER to hear back from them. Now the question is, how will I pay for this?? I have some money saved up, and that will probably suffice for the first semester... but after that, I don't know. I'll either need a full time job on campus so I can have tuition reimbursement (I've already applied for two of those!), or I'll need scholarships... which are pretty hard to come by on the grad level, I'm beginning to discover. Or there's loans. Ugh. I've avoided them up until now... but I don't know if I'll keep that up. We'll see...

And also, Mexico was cancelled. Kind of seems like old news now, but it's worth mentioning. There was a lack of interest (a concept that still boggles my mind), and so they cancelled it... and then the whole swine flu thing happened, so more people probably would have dropped out after that. I've come to terms with it by now... I mean, as you see in my previous post, I sensed that it was coming, so I was prepared to hear it. The good news is, there's sort of an extended JJP type thing for all us college kids, called TMX, that I'm super stoked about. And the price is pretty sweet too... $138 or something (And remember when my parents gave me $150?? How convenient... Funny how things work out, lol). My JJP experience last year was really, really powerful, and it was only a weekend long. It truly impacted and changed my life, no exaggeration... read the post I linked to, if you don't believe me. So needless to say, I'm super stoked about this year! (If anyone wants to register for this year's JJP weekend, it's not limited to our church, so hit me up!! It's slightly less than $40 for the whole weekend, food included... you can't beat it! Check out www.jesusandjustice.com for info.)

Oh, and I'm taking a Summer Institute class with the Underground... I'm taking Brian's class on the New Testament. We've only had one class meeting so far, but I LOVE it already. I'm going to learn a LOT... maybe I'll start makign up for the fact that I don't have years of Sunday School knowledge like so many other people. I'm really looking forward to knowing the Bible better by the end of this, and understanding the culture and history that surrounds the stories of Jesus and of the early church. I love learning. :)

That's all for now. Pretty superficial, just to catch up... hope I can write something more significant soon. And I hope someone still reads this.

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Challenged

I was really challenged by Brian's talk/sermon/whatever at the Underground this Sunday. I mean, not that this is anything out of the ordinary, he's always challenging, thought-provoking, etc... but it was almost a similar experience to when he spoke Saturday night at the JJP conference this summer. Come to think about it, the topic was actually related in some ways. Funny that this Sunday's message keeps flying around in my head, though, because I was actually having a hard time focusing. But at some point I guess the Holy Spirit just grabbed me by the nose and said "Look!" and I did... and everything that was said from that point on, I simply can't get out of my head.

It was what he said about sin and evil... it wasn't any new concept (far from it), but somehow it really hit home with me this time. The realization that sin leads to violence, exploitation, utter destruction and death... and how we in the Western church make the struggle against sin so self-centered and inward focused. "Oh I have this problem with lust," or greed, or whatever, and we just play around with it! We focus on repenting, only to ignore it later, and then do it all over again. We get so caught up in our little struggle... not remembering that it is SIN like this that leads to all the evils of the world! SIN that destroys people's entire lives! And we treat it like a little game between us and God?? I don't know. I feel like I'm not explaining this clearly... I can't wait until the sermon gets posted (NOTE: that page is only viewable with Internet Explorer; the page won't fully update with Firefox).

Suffice it to say that I was convicted about ways that I've just been playing around with various sins in my life, and my pattern of "sin and repent, whatever," not taking it too seriously, and not really having any motivation to really change. But making all these connections on Sunday finally made me realize how idiotic I am being, and really inspired me to RUN from sin. To fight it in the name of Jesus, and not mess around playing this stupid game anymore. I'm done with it.

Well. You know what I mean. I'm done being passive about sin... I now see why it matters. I understood with my brain before... but now I truly know in my heart. I pray that my feeling of conviction lasts, because something feels so RIGHT about this attitude, this "new" realization about an age-old battle.

Inspired... by a giant mushroom.

Church today was really great, and I'm glad I decided to go. We had a showcase of all the micro churches and sub-ministries that the Underground is comprised of. So first off, because all the groups were there to showcase, the place was PACKED. Worship was super powerful, and I actually ended up sitting on the floor because of the amount of people there. (I actually prefer the floor, to be honest.) Any time there is a large group of people passionately worshiping God, I can't help but be moved. And plus, I love Melyssa's voice. :)

Brian's message was fantastic as usual, so I won't go too far into that. The message about seeking God's call for your life, and not being sucked into the "mob mentality" of complacency was really good. It struck a chord with me, as I am trying to discover God's call on my life, and fight my always-persistent laziness that tries to take over and be happy with doing nothing.

But the showcase afterwards was so inspiring. Exciting. I had an idea of how many micro-churches there were in the network... but I seriously underestimated it. Just between the Tampa and St. Pete areas, there must have been 20. More than that if you count all the chapters of InterVarsity separately, since there are about 6 or 7 chapters in this area alone (USF, UT, HCC, SPC, USF St. Pete, and Eckerd). You can learn about some of them on our website, but it doesn't have anywhere near all of them listed right now.

I had heard it said before-- the Underground network is larger than you think-- but today, I saw it with my own eyes. Because the most amazing thing is that each of these 20 or so micro-churches/missions is reaching out to the people around them. Every single group. They all reach the poor and the vulnerable, and they all show love in the name of Jesus, and they all fight the evil that tries so hard to grip our cities. And the thing is... it works. Really well. People are having their lives transformed constantly. People are being freed to live the lives for which they were created. And these people then turn around to love the people around THEM. It's an awesome concept, and it works amazingly well, because every person involved draws from God's never-failing supply of love and compassion.

The Tampa Underground reminds me of a mushroom. On the surface of the ground, you have this visible mushroom, which I guess for us is our Sunday morning service. But connected to a mushroom is this network of branching roots, called the mycelium. The mycelium is the actual bulk of the organism, and it's never seen. It stretches out farther than you would believe, and thrives under the surface without anyone being aware of how massive it actually is. That's what our micro churches are. They are this interconnected network of people who you may not see from the surface-- but they're there, and they're growing, and they're changing the very landscape of the city I live in.

Knowing that this network is here makes me feel so secure. I know that no matter what I go through, I will never have to be stuck struggling on my own, and it makes me feel freer to pursue whatever call God places on my life. I am so, so excited for the amazing ways God will continue to use this network of people who serve in His name... including little me!!

My Church!

...is in the St. Pete Times! That's kind of odd... considering we're the "Underground" and all... but the article is really more about the lifestyle and beliefs of Brian, the guy who started the Underground. Awkward, because I know Brian really doesn't want public attention, since that risks an inflated ego developing, resulting in him relying more on his abilities and charisma than on Jesus. Honestly, he's said that before.

Precautions aside, though, it was cool to read about people I know-- for instance, they quoted Jeremy, one of the InterVarsity staff members at USF. I know Natalya and her garden as well. The slideshow was a nice touch too; Brian's kids are adorable. The writer's style made it all come off as sounding a little more extreme than it really is, I think, but whatever. That's what journalists do, sensationalize things.

Anyway. Wanna meet my community?? :)

Article:
http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/article635737.ece

Slideshow:
http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2008/audio_slideshows/underground/

A fantastic day... with pictures!!

Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend.
Tampa Underground-- Church and baptisms on the beach
BBQ with the fam (no pictures though)
Movie night-- at our apartment in Tampa
Midnight IHOP!

Part I: Church on the beach!

Theresa's 2-year-old nephew took this picture!

"Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior?"

*dunk*

Smiles from everyone. :)

Newly baptized: Gus, Jeremy, Josh H, and me!

Soak up some rays!!

Part II: "Stop being indecisive and just pick a movie!!"

Luis makes awesome faces.

The movie of choice in the bg (Little Miss Sunshine)

Juan likes my keyboard!

"No pictures..."

"Okay, you win, you win!!"

I heart Nadia!!

Interlude: Prank calls to our friends who didn't come!!
(One of our favorite pastimes!!)

"I'm calling to confirm your nose-hair braiding appointment at 3pm tomorrow..."

???

Searching for more numbers...

Part III: "We're young and hip, let's go out!!"

Nadia and Nadette's first time at IHOP!

How about... RAWBERRY!!!

"That's why you fell in love with him, isn't it Robin?"
"Yep, girls love guys with skills!"

Scientist.