I'll be home for Christmas

What an exciting time. I am on break and home for the holidays. I have only been home for a little over a day and already I am reminded of what I miss about home so much.... no... there's no snow on the ground right now, but I'm sure there will be before Christmas comes. What I'm talking about is more than that, the family, the friends, the laughs and memories you create when you are around those you love. That is what I miss about home. Not to take away from the memories I create at school, they are just as important and precious to me, but once memories are created with someone, there is always that longing to create more. So, rather than sit here and write about it more, I think I'm going to go make some memories.

It's been a long time

WOW! Life has been crazy. I don't think I've posted since before Thanksgiving break. I'm no longer in two bands... for the time being. We'll see how things go. If there's one thing I have learned about bands is that I have to be flexible. I'm grateful to only be in one band right now as we prepare for Gauntlet, having to play in two bands during that time would be a lot. Work is less crazy now that classes are over for the semester, which is good. We've got just enough time to reset and make sure everything is working before the new Januaries come in after break. The life of Production Team members is quite busy during Gauntlet.
Ministry Team is back on campus, which means my family from last year has had a chance to reunite. It has been so good to see them and catch up. They are a group of people that we can not see each other for months, and pick up right where we left off.
I've recorded a couple of songs in the studio now, I'm really excited about finally getting one done that I've been working on for a long time. I've got to mention here, that I could not have made this recording without the help of two of my roommates from last year - so THANKS A TON (you know who you are)!
I'm so looking forward to going home for Christmas. I didn't get to see a bunch of people at Thanksgiving time, like I had hoped, so looking forward to seeing them.
I've been going through a lot of life changes recently. The Lord is calling out a lot of stuff in life, that to some, may be insignificant, but to Him, and to me - if I want to live completely sold out to Him, it means a lot more. I'm learning a lot about obedience in the small things.
I'd better get back to something important looking. :)

New Donation Link

I don't know if anyone is trying to access the old link for donating to my account, but there is a new link. Check it out https://secure.teenmania.com/transactiontool/search/ha
As a reminder, my ID number is 2288042.

Fasting LTE

This weekend was the fasting LTE for the interns. As I said in my previous post my band played for their worship sets. It went really well overall. I learned a lot. It was right back into the swing of things today and I am feeling it a little. I know I'm not going to have time for a nap, but I  know I will make it. I'm excited to be going home soon for Thanksgiving break. I know it will be short but at least it's something. I also have a fairly low key weekend next weekend, which will be the first one in a while.
There's actually not a lot of "out of schedule" things going in the near future which is exciting.
Had some of my friends take me out for my birthday which was really fun. We had a great time.

Something New?

Don't Worry, there's nothing old or blue about this video. Just thought I'd try something a little different.

It's time for our donation records to be charged again. I need $650 every month to stay here. If you can do anything to help it would be greatly appreciated. Contact me by leaving a comment to find out how to donate by check or go to www.honoracademy.com/donate to donate online. My ID # is 2288042

LONG, Interesting week

So, I just got back to Texas from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I had the amazing opportunity to drive with the SOW band on the way to Canada. I then worked SWAT/Support and came back to campus. So many things happened it was awesome. I left last Tuesday and just got back at about noon today. I got to see a lot of people that I know from Ministry Team, but it was short, and busy. The Lord is doing a lot in my life right now, and this weekend was a very clear example of what He's doing. It's time for class now so has to be short. Hopefully after some sleep I'll be more coherent and will write more.

Catching up

Well, it was quite a weekend. I got to go home and surprise my grandma for her birthday. It was a great trip and a great time to see family (and a few friends) along the way. It was certainly a quick trip though. It seems like I blinked and I was back already. Ministry Team is back for the week, they are learning how to do the church rigging. We are having a conference on campus this weekend, so I will be working a lot of overtime. I'm excited for the opportunities it is presenting though. Its also Week of the Ring. The January interns are excited that they are about to get their rings and I'm excited to be able to go through the sessions again. There is a lot of powerful stuff that is going to happen this week. There are powerful messages, and I pray that there are expectant hearts. I can't wait to see what is going to happen. I'm being so blessed by the opportunities I have to pour into the interns this year. The Lord is using a lot of my experiences from last year to show interns hope. Off to the prayer room for now. More will come later.

More lessons from the PEARL

It's been another crazy week in SOW world. I played for Chapel and Encounter service this week and as soon as I blinked I was preparing for the Fasting Session and Encounter service next week. But, enough excuses about why I haven't written more, let's get to it.
Lesson 2 from the PEARL: First to set up the situation, there is an obstacle course that we have to run, it has tires and over-unders and over-overs, as well as a bunch of walls to climb over. I know that I lack upper body strength, I have for my entire life, I was never the kid that played on the monkey bars or could pass the pull up test in gym. I knew that this Obstacle course was going to be a challenge, and honestly I had myself convinced I wasn't going to be able to do it. I'm very excited to say that I did finish. The lesson in this comes in that I couldn't finish on my own. I had to rely on my team, and their strengths to make up for my weaknesses. It was hard to be open and honest to even admit that I didn't think I could do it. There was a lot of relational learning that happened. I had to trust my team that when they said they would help me with something they really would help me. This brought a sense of unity to the team as well as a sense of self accomplishment.

More to come next week!

Post PEARL

Well,
The PEARL ended on Sunday at about 10:30 a.m. Unfortunately for me, my PEARL ended a bit sooner. It's hard knowing I took the challenge to face this LTE for a second time, determined to finish and coming up short. My body physically quit on me. I'm glad the end of my PEARL experience wasn't caught on tape... I think it could have been used as blackmail for years. It's a bit pathetic watching a 21 year old attempt to sing Mary had a little lamb... and have a difficult time doing it. I guess that's what dehydration and a high physical demand will do to you. I liken it to a car running out of gas, such a simple problem to fix, and yet, if it happens at the wrong time the whole trip is over. Not to say that I didn't learn from the PEARL. Believe me, it was packed with tons of lessons. Through the help of me team I also accomplished a lot of things I NEVER thought I would be able to do. Still being in the process of reflecting I am still learning, and I won't know the full extent of what I've learned until I have a chance to put it in practice again. This year was a very humbling experience. I set out with finishing as my goal, and slowly but surely the Lord was telling me that finishing just because I felt I had something to prove to myself was the wrong reason to be doing the PEARL. Silly me I still thought I'd be able to finish, but when we disobey we are disciplined, I feel a lot of my body physically quitting had to do with being disciplined. Part of the PEARL is learning to rely on God's strength and having Him carry you through. I know I am capable of doing that, and that I was trying, but it didn't happen. Does that mean my prayers weren't answered? No, it simply means, I was missing out on something the Lord was trying to tell me and He had to open my eyes in a different way so that I would understand what He was trying to teach me.
It's late, I need to get to sleep. I'll try to update over the next couple of days with a new lesson each day.

Updates

We are in full swing with our schedule now. My body is starting to feel it too. A lot less sleep happens with classes and such finally kicking off. Monday and Thursdays I have 3 hours of band practice each day as well as classes on Song Writing, Music Theory, and worship leadership.
We had family core roll outs over the weekend. It was so much fun, and it made me miss my family from last year. It was bitter sweet but I am so excited for this year's family. I see a lot of potential in them. Not to mention... the family likes to eat, and of course that makes me happy.
The PEARL should start on Wednesday. We're not entirely sure because of the fires in the area. All of the EMTs we had scheduled to be here are off helping cover shifts at hospitals and such. Be in prayer about the fires, they are pretty bad in some areas. Texas really needs rain.
Well this was supposed to go up before PEARL... not sure what happened.. but here were my thoughts. HAHA

Dr Shibley Sessions

As I mentioned in my last post there was more to come from sessions we had last Thursday and Friday. Dr. Shibley came in to speak to us. He talked about starting well and the importance of the foundations, serving well and the disciplines that requires, and the seven voices that will change your life. Below are just a few things that stood out to me.

• A career you can steer; a calling will drive you
• When all that we are and do is God's, we live at our utmost for His highest
• Integrity involves a whole person, when the person you are in private (1/2) and the public perception (1/2) are the same
• Our number one priority should be to connect with God daily. This is not legalism; it's loyalty. 
• Don't look at if you're ahead or behind, look toward the finish line and run with all the speed you have

I started my Music theory class this week. That is going to be a challenge as all of the Januaries and 3rd years are in Music Theory 2 and all the new GIs are in Pre-music theory. I'm at a music theory 1 or 1.5 level... meaning I was put in music theory 2 and will have some catching up to do. This year will frequently bring challenges... this is just another example and I'm learning how to handle them as they come, with Joy and an attitude that the Lord knows what He is doing. The PEARL starts a week from today. Be excited for my post-PEARL blog as it should hold a lot of lessons learned. Be in prayer, I know what I am facing with the PEARL and I know it will be challenging.

Food Allotment

Well, today is my last day to eat in the Caf before I have to start paying for it. I received my food allotment. :-) This also means I have done my first shopping for food, it was exciting and challenging. This will be a great experience to help me budget.
The weather is finally starting to cool off a little. Highs are only supposed to be in the 90's this week (we'll see if that holds true). Now, we just need some rain. Ok, not some rain.... we need a lot of rain. But I'm hesitant to ask for it now that the PEARL is only 9 days away. Rain during the PEARL could make things rather miserable. Trusting that the Lord has it under His control though, and whatever needs to happen is what is going to happen.
I don't think I've filled anyone in on my living situation for this year, so here goes. I'm living in an small house that has been converted for a more dorm style living. I have one roommate and there are a total of 9 people living in my house. The adjustment from 5 roommates to 1 has been rather interesting. It's interesting the place where I am in life. It seems like every little thing that I am having to adjust to has a new life lesson in it for me. Some are rather hard to see while others are quite evident. When I had to learn the GI Treaties I knew it was there for a reason, I just didn't know how true it would be. More to come soon from some sessions we had on Thursday and Friday.

It takes a lot of hard work to make something look easy

Today Ron Luce spoke to the interns. I'm really loving being on the production crew as it allows me to hear all of the sessions and refresh what I learned last year. Today he was talking about the parable of the servants and how that relates to our gifts. He shared a story that he was talking with Rich Mullins and asked how Rich wrote the song "Our God is an Awesome God" and Rich Mullins replied - a lot of hard work. Which leads me to the title, it takes a lot of hard work to make something look easy. I'm seeing this as a theme in my life right now. Last year I saw Graduate Interns (GIs) as having it easy with an easier schedule blah blah blah, but now, being on the other side I realize how hard it truly is. It's a lot of sacrifice. It's a lot of hard work, and it's a lot of service. When teens go to Acquire The Fire (ATF) all they see is the finish product of all that the Ministry Team (MT) has done. With two of my old roommates on MT this year I am getting to see how much hard work truly goes into it.  I also have one of my roommates who stayed as a Core Adviser (CA) and the responsibility there is hard work. It's also hard work to be an armor bearer for a CA. This is a personal lesson I am learning. Last year it looked easy, like all you had to be is a good friend, but it's a lot more than that. It requires time and effort and support and sometimes being willing to be a leader even when it's uncomfortable and you don't think it's your responsibility.

Exciting opportunities: The undergraduate interns participate in a Life Transforming Event previously called ESOAL (Emotionally Stretching Opportunity of A Lifetime), now the PEARL (Physical Emotional and Relational Learning). Last year I participated but did not finish. I have the opportunity to participate once again this year and I have set out to finish. Not finish by my own strength but relying on God and all that He has taught me in the last year.  This year I have the opportunity to record songs (which I am required to write 4 of each month) I have the opportunity to learn new instruments and I have the opportunity to continue to be SOLD OUT to God and pursue Him and His plans for my life. I'm so excited to work hard this year. And if you think it was easy... then I will have done what I have set out to do.

Why choose the Cross

Let's see where to start? Well a quick introduction of what this blog will hopefully look like. I want a way besides facebook to keep everyone updated on how life is going and what the Lord is teaching me.
A quick review: I just began my second year at the Honor Academy and I am loving it!I learned so much in my first year and have no doubt I will learn just as much this year. I'm in the School of Worship and am so excited to be learning more about leading worship.
We have been going through Gauntlet sessions with the new Augusts and it has reminded me of a lot of things. Some highlights of quotes Baptism night (check out the video, taken by HA staff, for some amazing footage of what God did. Actual baptism footage starts at about 4:05) - Are you running from hell or running to Jesus? History session - Are you ready to surrender everything? Then stand up and make the declaration, I want the cross!
Statements that are so simple yet so impacting. So back to the title of the blog... why choose the cross? Is it easy? - No. Is it worth it? - Every moment. The sacrifices that I make on a daily basis are nothing in comparison to the sacrifice that Jesus made for me. I stand in amazement that if I were the only person who would ever choose to follow Him, He still would have suffered everything just for me. Choosing the cross is a sacrifice, and some days it may be hard to see that it's worth it, but being able to cling to the days of sweet intimate time with Jesus are MORE than worth it. It's hard to see an invisible God, and yet, with His grace I am privileged to say He has opened my eyes to be able to see Him through the things He does. Though we cannot see the wind, we know it is there. Though I may never see a physical body of Christ until heaven, I know He lives and I am to shine Him through everything I do. I don't mean to preach (too much :). ) So I will leave it there for now.