A few nights ago was my last Cave Spring Young Life club as a student. It was filled with many mixed emotions, and shared with some of my best friends. Like is tradition, the seniors of the group were honored while at club. We picked and lead games, we picked what songs were played, we picked everything. The best part for us, is that 5 seniors were picked to get the privelage to share some of their lives with the people who were there. I won't put full names, but the five were Ryan, Kendall, Me, Sarah, and Taylor. All 5 of us got an amazing privelage to share about our lives before we accepted Jesus, why we picked Jesus, our lives since we accepted Jesus, and what would we say if we could speak to our freshman selves.
Having been on work crew with some of the greates people I know, the first and third questions were just lilke when you were telling your story to a cabin of total strangers, or if you were sharing it with your friends you were there with. So those I didn't have to really think about. It was easier for those because I wasn't talking to strangers. I was talking to my friends. The second question was thought provoking, and it took me some time to be able to really think of what I would say. Why I picked Jesus wasn't something you could just wing it and say. It had to be real, and intentional. The last question was the hardest. The only thing that made it easier, is the fact that I spend a lot of time with freshman, and I figured I'd just tell myself what I would tell them assuming they didn't know Jesus.
Getting to share was an absolute blessing, and it really excited me.about getting to go out and lead at Liberty, and whatever high school or middle school I get placed at. I honestly can not wait for this opportunity that is coming up. There are so many thoughts that I have going through my head about this. All of them are positive, and it is the best thing ever
I've had such a great opportunity to grow with the Cave Spring Young Life crew, and I've had the best chance to see Cave Spring change. I've seen the beginning of the new face of Cave Spring Young Life. Cave Spring is going to change so much in the coming years. I wish I was stickin' around to watch it happen. The Lord is taking me away from Roanoke Young Life, and as sad as that is, I couldn't be more excited. A fresh new chance to really grow with people from all over the place. I'm more excited now than I was before. I will miss being a part of this great community, but I know that going to Liberty will help me to expand that group of people I have community with. I know that I will be provided for, and nothing will make me forget that.
I hope that everything continues to work itself out.
Love y'all
TJ
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
It Won't Last
Recently, I had another friend of mine receive a daignosis of cancer. 2 years ago, one friend was daignosed with Adrenal Cortal Carcinoma. Now, another friend has been diagnosed with Leukemia. There is nothing someone can do to you to make you wish cancer upon them. I know out of all the people I don't like in this world, I still would not wish cancer upon them. I don't think anyone deserves it, and it really shows you that it does happen. Watching your friends go through that is something that really wakes you up. The only problem I've ever had with hearing something like this:
Why?
Why that person? Why someone so nice? Why someone who has their whole life ahead of them? (Not saying old people should have it either) Why a person who doesn't do bad things on purpose? This is a struggle. It really makes people question God, and why He would let something happen to someone so innocent. I can only really think of one thing, and it's not really an answer
In the Bible, there's the book of Job. Job was a righteous man by most accounts, and he was faithful to God. The Devil came to God. He had been roaming the land just looking for someone to trip up. God asked the Devil, "Have you considered my servant, Job? There is no one on Earth like him. He is upright and blameless. A man who fears God and shuns evil." From this passage, you can see that God knows and loves Job, but yet still will allow something to happen to him. Satan says to God, "But now, stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse your face" God allowed Satan to destroy all he had, but not to touch the man himself. Satan took everything. Took his seven sons, and three daughters, and killed them. Burned all 700 of his sheep, all 500 donkeys, all 500 yoke of oxen, and all three thousand camels. He lost everything. Thing is, He still praised God. He didn't accuse God of doing anything wrong. With his words, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised." In all that had happened to him, most men would have turned a quick shot to say the Lord was cursing them, but yet Job still praised God. As hard as it is, I want to say that we should praise God for who He is.
Satan has attacked these two young people, but God will heal them. The hardest thing to do right now is to trust that fact. Trusting that God will heal these two people, trusting that He has His reasons for allowing this to happen. We can't do much. We can't do anything to fix them. No matter how hard we try, nothing we do will make them become cancer free. We can only pray and trust that God will fulfill His promises to be the healer. It's hard to trust Him as it is, but now it's even harder. I'm sure there are people right now who are questioning why God would let this happen to such a great person, but we can't make it God's fault, because it's not. We must be ever praising to Him, and know that He is still there, working on it. He is in control and He will make it better.
It breaks my heart to know a good friend of mine is going through this. Like I said, no one deserves this. My heart goes out to the family of these people. I understand being a friend to these people, but I can't imagine what it's like to have your sister, daughter, cousin, niece, or whatever other relation, go through this. I can't imagine how hard it's gotta be.
I can only pray and trust in the Lord's plan. He knows what's going on. He has already seen the outcome. We must trust that He is in control.
I also wanted to post a song on here, but seeing as I'm at school I can't really post it. I will post it later, but if you read before I do, the song is called Death Has Died by Andy Mineo.
That's it
Love you guys
TJ
Why?
Why that person? Why someone so nice? Why someone who has their whole life ahead of them? (Not saying old people should have it either) Why a person who doesn't do bad things on purpose? This is a struggle. It really makes people question God, and why He would let something happen to someone so innocent. I can only really think of one thing, and it's not really an answer
In the Bible, there's the book of Job. Job was a righteous man by most accounts, and he was faithful to God. The Devil came to God. He had been roaming the land just looking for someone to trip up. God asked the Devil, "Have you considered my servant, Job? There is no one on Earth like him. He is upright and blameless. A man who fears God and shuns evil." From this passage, you can see that God knows and loves Job, but yet still will allow something to happen to him. Satan says to God, "But now, stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse your face" God allowed Satan to destroy all he had, but not to touch the man himself. Satan took everything. Took his seven sons, and three daughters, and killed them. Burned all 700 of his sheep, all 500 donkeys, all 500 yoke of oxen, and all three thousand camels. He lost everything. Thing is, He still praised God. He didn't accuse God of doing anything wrong. With his words, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised." In all that had happened to him, most men would have turned a quick shot to say the Lord was cursing them, but yet Job still praised God. As hard as it is, I want to say that we should praise God for who He is.
Satan has attacked these two young people, but God will heal them. The hardest thing to do right now is to trust that fact. Trusting that God will heal these two people, trusting that He has His reasons for allowing this to happen. We can't do much. We can't do anything to fix them. No matter how hard we try, nothing we do will make them become cancer free. We can only pray and trust that God will fulfill His promises to be the healer. It's hard to trust Him as it is, but now it's even harder. I'm sure there are people right now who are questioning why God would let this happen to such a great person, but we can't make it God's fault, because it's not. We must be ever praising to Him, and know that He is still there, working on it. He is in control and He will make it better.
It breaks my heart to know a good friend of mine is going through this. Like I said, no one deserves this. My heart goes out to the family of these people. I understand being a friend to these people, but I can't imagine what it's like to have your sister, daughter, cousin, niece, or whatever other relation, go through this. I can't imagine how hard it's gotta be.
I can only pray and trust in the Lord's plan. He knows what's going on. He has already seen the outcome. We must trust that He is in control.
I also wanted to post a song on here, but seeing as I'm at school I can't really post it. I will post it later, but if you read before I do, the song is called Death Has Died by Andy Mineo.
That's it
Love you guys
TJ
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