Holy Ground - "Jump on it"

"...One of my favorite men in Scripture is Moses. I love that God called someone who didn’t really want to be called, who fought God so much of the time only to be used greatly. I love the verse in Exodus that says, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."

The only thing I can think of that made the ground holy was that God was there, speaking to His servant. I believe that God speaks to His people wherever they are, making any ground where a believer steps holy...

I have encountered God in parks. I have met Him at coffee shops. I have seen His reflection in a dark movie theater. I have felt Him while driving my car. I have known His presence by turning the pages of a novel. God is everywhere beauty is, and beauty makes things holy.

God appears as often in churches as he does in elevators and hospitals. He is in the faces of people I love just as much as He is in the faces of people I don’t. He is in the art of believers just as much as He is in the art of those who don’t know Him at all.

Might we take off our sandals more often and take a look around us. May we kneel, in the midst of a confused, broken world and rejoice in the beauty and holiness our Creator allows us. " --Andrea Bass Hope in Unexpected Places

This past weekend I found myself standing on holy ground... Our DNow 2008 - Disciple Now - was a sweet sweet reminder of where and how Christ can (and will) show up. I found God in my small group of 11 8th grade girls... I stood on holy ground during our big group sessions (all 100+ of us) and even felt His holy presence as we walked all over Blacksburg on our (hilarious) video scavenger hunt.

The craziest thing is that I felt God and saw a glimpse of heaven during the strangest moment... On our last night, after a moving message and worship experience, Darryl and Craig (our speaker - Darryl's best friend) got up on stage and began to introduce a new "game" to end the night. Well this "game" turned out to be them lip syncking and dancing along to "Jump On It." I don't know if you've ever heard this dance so I'll include the Fresh Prince of Bell Air rendition(ours was right on point) to give you an idea.



So maybe you might be asking me where was it that God showed up during our "dance party"... let me just say this... I can't tell you what its like to see 85+ kids -- from seniors in high school -- to the littlest 7th grader (she looks as old as a 6 yr. old) dancing and singing and jumping (and sweating) around together. Seriously, have you seen a typical middle/high school dance lately? There are boys on one side and girls on another -- and you're LUCKY if you see anyone dancing... I mean REALLY dancing.

I saw the shyest guy, out of the whole crowd, dancing around without an ounce of fear. I saw the "loner" who rarely smiles, throwing his hands in the air without an ounce of self doubt... I saw that little 7th grader (barely 4 ft. tall) laughing without an ounce of embarrassment.

Oh it was beautiful -- no cares -- no worries -- no embarrassment -- no doubt of self worth -- all the typical "ugliness" of those teenage years (of all our earthly years!) just seemed to fall away.

Can you see God yet?

God in the faces of youth, who for a single moment, could care less what others... what "the world"... thought of them. Dancing and laughing together. God's most precious creations finding themselves beautiful enough.. and brave enough... to just dance.

it was hilarious...
it was crazy...
it was beautiful...
it was holy.

What holy ground have you found yourself standing on recently?

Belated Valentine

Dear God

oh but to have faith like this...

You know what he did?

one of my all time favorites

Lent and Laundry

I wasn't too sure if I was going to give anything up for Lent this year. It would probably be accurate to say I haven't given something up since my last semester in college ('06). I'm excited, and a bit apprehensive, about jumping back into Lent this year. I certainly don't believe it's some kind of requirement I need to participate in... but rather I feel a need to make a few small sacrifices for the sake of readying my heart for Christ's death and resurrection. For the past couple of weeks… well maybe even months… I’ve felt on the cusp of something big…. God big. I’m not sure what He has in store but I’m excited to see and am hoping my small “sacrifices” (and I mean small) will help prepare my heart for what He has waiting for me.

I have been attempting for the past 4 years to purge myself of all the crap I have been lugging around – from house to house – from one attic to another (there are currently about 5 “reasonably” small boxes being stored in my old room at my dad’s… I told you I’m trying!)

Since moving to Blacksburg I have attempted to downsize my closet. When I was in college I had a tiny closet but would switch between my summer and winter clothes by keeping one season’s wardrobe at my mom’s and the other with me at college. When I moved to Blacksburg and got married I brought all of it with me… and am now sharing a closet with Darryl, bless his heart.

If Christ came to me and told me to get rid of all of my belongings and come follow him… it would take me days to even get everything together in one place! How embarrassing! I have SO MUCH when others have SO LITTLE! I need to be ready to chase after Jesus at the drop of a hat... or shirt.. or skirt... or pair of pants...

Here goes nothing… literally

1 grain at a time...

expand your vocabulary

fill-up hungry little bellies

www.freerice.com

West Coast or Bust

So Darryl and I were given the opportunity to go to San Diego to attend the Youth Specialities convention this past October. It was a wonderful trip that involved me leaving the East Coast for the first time in my life! This trip also became our replacement 1st wedding anniversary celebration. Yes I know we got married in September but if you want to know where we went the weekend of our real wedding anniversary then stay tuned.. I'll be posting some pictures for that sooner or later. Lets just say it involved a rented RV.. the Bibbins family.... football.... and Baton Rouge. enough said.
















We were so blessed to get away from "working" at church for 5 days in sunny California (until the fires broke out!). We learned so much from all the wonderful speakers and couldn't get enough of the worship sessions. How could we not when David Crowder Band, Phil Wickham, Shane and Shane, The Desperation Band, Lost and Found... and so many other talented artists where there leading us in worship? It felt like it had been way too long since I'd sang my heart out to God like that. I certainly miss being in a town where churches have a place in their heart for young adults and college students... I'm afraid that's one thing Blacksburg is dearly missing. Anyway I won't go down that road and ramble :) Back to music... So this CRAZY insane band played a few songs.... I'd never seen so much energy and crazy antics on stage. This band, "Family Force 5" is some strange Punk- Beastie Boys-ish type group... They said it best at the end when the lead singer (screamer/rapper most the time) said... "don't let anyone say you can't party for Jesus, cause that's what we just did"... I'm pretty sure they left to go play their crazy hyped-up energy-packed Jesus party at a bar after that... awesome!

We stayed in a lovely hotel right outside of San Diego... nice digs huh?Ok not really this was a historic house in Old Town but I can dream can't I?
Ok so this is where we really stayed... our room was sweeeeet... and our hotel was far enough away from the crazy city that we could relax. - workout room, gym, pool and hot tub included! -- I suppose the only bad part involved being close enough to the wildfires that the pool turned black with ash and our hotel was evacuated -- thankfully they never reached that far and we had already checked out of the hotel and hung around downtown the rest of the day until our red-eye flight home.

Earlier in the week we went to the San Diego Zoo.. which was fun and sad. Every animal was listed as endangered or close to it. I was a little depressed after the hot trip around the huge zoo and knowing most of the animals there close to being gone from the face of our planet. I cheered up a little knowing the San Diego zoo has a great wildlife preservation/education program -- the precious panda bears where amazing -- and i was able to really cheer up after watching the hippo poopok ok... I know I'm a 5th grader when it comes to talking about "poop" but I'm telling you what.. these "beasts" of the earth know how to let it out. Not only do they poop and not care who's looking.. they twirl their tail around like a helicopter so that the pooh goes everywhere! I'd seen this on the Animal channel as one of the "10 extreme - grossest animals" and it was even better in real life! All chaos and poop broke out... all the kids screaming and mothers looking away... I was right there with the kids.. "DARRYL DID YOU SEE THAT?!?" It was awesome.

We did alot more sight seeing and touring around the city. I don't know what Darryl would have done without me since he couldn't get use to the coast being to the West rather than the East... he got us lost all over the place. He finally started listening to my amazing navigation skills and we were good after that -- I am part Lumbee Indian you know.. I suppose it's just natural instinct. ha. :)

On the last two evenings we were in California we attempted to drive up the Pacific Highway and watch the sunset -- both of which we failed at. The Pacific Highway was completed crowded with people evacuated their homes (so terribly sad) and the sunset was cut short because the amount of smoke hanging down around the horizon. The sun would get to about 30 minutes away from setting and go completely behind a wall of smoke. While we were at the convention two groups of youth ministers and volunteers lost their home churches. They stood up and 1,000 + of us put our hands on them to pray.


All and all it was a wonderful trip. My heart went out to the people there as I knew I couldn't understand the fear they felt. I had the luxury of grabbing my suitcase and getting in our rental car and knowing we were safe. I do hope to get back to the West Coast and watch the sun set over the ocean... i suppose since we missed that we have a good excuse to go back. That Pacific Highway is still calling my name....

Here we are out at some cliffs waiting for the sun to set over the ocean -- I'll catch a glimpse of it someday!

I can do anything...

There wasn't a greater show to watch in elementary school than reading rainbow...




Thank you Rhett and Link for bringing back an old classic :)