hey guys!!!
yesterday was so awesome!!!
lucas and the worship team did an amazing job during chapel...i've been hearing really great things from different people.
and the night gathering at the occ was pretty awesome as well! i'm really bad at estimating but we probably had 100-200 people there...?
anyway, it doesn't matter the number. we know God brought everyone that needed to be there because we prayed for it :)
the holy spirit was truly there...it just felt so right. we got some awesome artwork that people made as a form of worship and left behind so we may put that up in the mallway this week for your viewing pleasuring, but mostly to honor God :)
a few of us that prayed after it was all over got really awesome encouragement from one of the housekeeping guys.
he told us how he believed our campus truly needed this and that of all the attributes of God, we were capturing his core that fed
into all the other parts (he demonstrated this point with a floor lamp haha). but yeah, SUPER encouraging.
he also told us that exactly what we were doing was going to stomp on satan (that's what we were praying for when he interjected)
so, yay God!!!
special thank you to felicia styers and bianca tavera for planning and preparing for monday...you two are loved! :)
also, thank you to all who shared and rapped and prayed and helped set up and clean up...you are all loved as well!
heck, if you're reading this email, you're loved :)
okay, i'm going to stop rambling now.
lovelovelove

ps- feel free to forward this email to anyone you want! and email me if you'd like me to add anyone to the mailing list. thanks! :)

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Tuesday: Love Yourself
Jer Nelsen Artwork: Commons slideshow, all day
the gathering: PPAC, 8pm//Student Testimonies: Nathan Engle, Elle Kernitz, Megan Miller, Dwight Piraino

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Revolutionary Devotional Thought by Floyd Barringer

Tuesday

Love Yourself
“

“With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” James 3:9-10 NKJV



I had always thought that Christians were suppose to be selfless, always acting without a thought to their own desires or wants. In fact, they were suppose to sacrifice themselves readily for others, no matter the cost. Of course, you can imagine how my gears started to grind when coming to verses like Matthew 22 where we are commanded to love our neighbor AS ourselves. A similar command is from St. Paul in Ephesians 5:25-29



“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church”

There does not seem to be any getting around it. If you want to love others, you must first love God AND you must also find that you must love yourself.

How does that work?

I'm finding it rather hard to find a passage in the Bible that exclusively and exhaustively covers the topic of loving yourself. I'm wondering if loving yourself was a no-brainer to the ancients or they all simply did not suffer from self esteem issues and problems of forgiving themselves.

Regardless, we are made in the image of God and that at least gives some value to us. I suspect that we then cannot completely love God if we do not accept ourselves. Yes, that probably means forgiving ourselves for things we had done in the past. But first, how do we hate ourselves?

There are some people who feel they are worthless. They give themselves a hard time and are perhaps their own harshest critic. It's the antidote to pride in its worse form. The problem is that it is its own kind of poison. Yes, there is merit in reminding ourselves not to think too highly of ourselves but there is such a thing as taking it too far. Besides, to rob ourselves of any worth is the work of evil. It was the Devil and sin that deceived and doomed man to return to the dust. It was God who took dust from the ground, gave it immeasurable worth, made it new, and THEN created it into Man, in God's own image.

Part of hating ourselves may stem from lying to ourselves. Somehow we get that we are not to lie to others, but alas, the commandment is “Thou shalt not bear false witness to others” it is “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” Somehow, I don't think God appreciates us lying to ourselves.

That is why it is important to know who we are ourselves and to accept our weakness and faults. Are you good at something? Well, don't deny it or shun it or tell yourself that you're in fact bad with it. God gave you talents for a reason. It is a waste and an insult to God not to use it. In fact, it may even be a gift from the Holy Spirit. They say that it is rude to refuse a gift. You can imagine refusing a gift from the Holy Spirit. It hurts others but it will also hurt you. Are you struggling with something? Welcome to being a human in a post fallen world. We all have our weaknesses. That is why God gave us others and His Son to help us get past those struggles.

I sometimes imagine the angels in heaven scratching their heads in utter disbelief at what they were seeing. Did God really know what He was doing this time? Yes, creating the world and everything, that's cool. But to make something in His own image and give it free will? Sure, they're good now, and they have the possibility for everything to go well, but then what if they choose not to cooperate? These human creatures aren't omniscient, they don't know everything. What if they blow it?

And yet somehow, the God of the universe is desperately in love with them. If God loves them, us, then somehow we must find within ourselves to love others but also ourselves.

We know we are to forgive others their trespasses, but we must also forgive ourselves for the things we have done.

The reasons to this I suspect are as follows. How can we fully love God if we do not allow Him to speak to us on how we can better love ourselves? We are created in His image so how can we both proclaim to love God while all the while tearing down His image in us? How then can we truly forgive others if we do not learn to forgive ourselves? How can we love others fully if we do not accept where we are and love ourselves? To claim to love God and or our neighbors while hating ourselves is to give a lie. It is not giving our very best.

First, pray to God to help us and guide us. There is such a thing as taking loving ourselves too far, but there is also such a thing as unhealthily “loving” others. That is why we need the source of all love and wisdom to guide us. Then, accept where you are at. Can you get better at some things? Yes. Are there some things you may struggle with? Possibly, it's called being human. Yes, we're still dust, but we're also new creations in Christ. Whether we like it or no, we bear God's image. It may be marred and hard to see, but it is there nonetheless. We find that the image of the One who loves perfectly is in us, and we too must love perfectly. We must love ourselves.

THE REVOLUTION IS HERE...

beloved.
the time is now.
the spirit's calling:
wake up, child.
it's your turn to shine.
you were born for such a time as this.

oh, Father. thank you so, so much for bringing us to this day.
this day for which we have spent countless hours in preparation.
Father, i can hardly imagine what you will do with this week.
thank you for using us. thank you for choosing us.
i just ask that everything we do from this point forward is only to advance your kingdom.
empower us with the spirit in that way, Father.
equip us in the ways we will need it this week, Lord.
prepare us for the healing of the broken that you will administer through us this week.
we are so unworthy and humbled before you.
embolden us to walk in the plan you have willed for us since the dawn of creation.
thank you for loving us, Lord.
teach us how to love you back.

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Monday, November 2nd- Love God
Morning Chapels- Speaker: Lucas Binkerd
Night Gathering- OCC, 8pm//Speakers: Student Testimonies

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Last May, I talked to Floyd Barringer about creating devos for the day leaders to be read during the week of Love Revolution.

and of course, he faithfully obliged. :) here follows the fruit of that labor.

thanks floyd :)


Monday

Love God



“But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:24 NKJV



“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with strength.”

-Deuteronomy 6:5 NKJV





It all starts here. Genesis starts with the immortal words, “In the beginning, GOD created...” John starts with the Word, the Logos, that was God. The Church has historically told the story of Christ starting first with that He was the Son of God. The first of the Ten Commandments proclaims that Yahweh is God. . Clearly, there is something important about starting with God and to remember that we are to love Him. Why?



Jeremiah wrote in a time when Judah was spiritually bankrupt. The prophet proclaimed to a audience that was all too hostile or apathetic to listen to him. The previous chapters paints a sad picture. The people of God have forsaken Him and instead turned to idolatry, debauchery and injustice. People only served God with their lips. Jeremiah repeatedly called for the people to first turn back to God, to seek Him first. Chapter nine of Jeremiah culminates is this stunning command, that the wise, mighty and rich should not glory or boast in their talents, might, wisdom or riches. Instead, even the great must remember Who gave them their prosperity and instead boast and glory in a deep understanding of Yahweh and what He does and what He delights in.



So why do we first start with loving God? A good Sunday school answer would be because we are told to. A good theological answer would be because we cannot truly love until we first turn to God, for it is God alone who can teach us to truly love Him and truly love others. Anyone who has struggled with sin and selfishness knows it is a hard fight and we end up finding out we are powerless to do it ourselves. It is God alone who can save us and teach us to truly love.



However, I suspect these answers are just the beginning. They are all very good answers, but for the purpose of this week, they are not complete answers. Look back at the passage from Jeremiah and remember that lovingkindness, (compassion) judgment, (justice) and righteousness are things God does because He delights in them. The Lord smiles when we turn to Him, even in our most feeble and weakest of gestures. He then helps us to be like Him. The ultimate end of humanity will be when we are like Him, incorruptible and free to do good and nothing but good.



It is also a command to love with everything, everything that we are. It is a hard calling and often we can overlook things in ourselves that we have not surrendered to God. I remember slipping a bill in my coat pocket to give for the offering on a Sunday. Just before the offering, reaching to grab the bill, I felt another coin and pulled both out. It was a dime, the smallest coin we have but deceptively more valuable than a penny. Funny how that works, we don't notice those little things in our lives and when we do discover them, we find out that they have much deeper consequences than what we could have first imagined. It is with this reason that we must constantly turn to Him to show us what must be changed, if only to cast to Him all that we can so that He may increase our surrender and love to Him.



The bottom line is this. In turning to God, in loving Him, He strengthens us to love Him even more, and in doing that, we are turned to compassion, justice and righteousness. Everything, absolutely everything good and pure flows from here and so we must first start here with the love of God. If we miss it here, everything we wish to accomplish, much less the goals and purpose of this week will come to pieces.



So here let us stop and pray. Here let us meditate and learn and understand. Here let us listen to God and turn to Him, that He may speak to us on how we can love Him more. What things must we lay aside so that we can truly love Him with all our Heart, with all our Soul, with all our Mind and Strength, that we may love Him with our all? Let us listen to what He must speak to us. Let us first love Him with everything we have so that this week and the rest of our lives may be a reflection of Him, the One who first loved us and is the perfection of holiness and love.

--
Love Revolution- A Week of Compassion, Confession and Forgiveness
NOW coming to IWU November 2-6, 2009
visit our blog at http://loverevolution09.blogspot.com/

డే లేఅదేర్స్

monday updates: Week 8

Monday, August 3, 2009 – Week 8

…Of the Weeks:

Song: “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” – Toy Story

Quote: “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” – Dr. Seuss

Verses: Exodus 19:4-6

Hello all!

I hope you’ve had an awesome week.

I must confess I truly have been struggling lately, trying to return to the Lord.

I haven’t had a good conversation with Him in a long time and it is entirely my fault.

Have you ever been in this place?

This place is knowing what is right, yet feeling unwilling to pursue it.

I am going to press on this week, though.

I have found notes I’ve taken these past two years at IWU…some ways that God spoke to me in my humble dorm room and at College Church.

I want to share some of it with you this week, hoping it will speak to you the way it has to me and inspire you to press on this week as well. J

Regarding love…

(reflections on life experiences and 1 Corinthians 13)

*Still smile at the world when it turns its back on you, when it gives you a scornful look. Always love. Don’t be discouraged by rejection or insincerity. You are not out to seek approval from the world. If you are, you will only be met with emptiness, for it is through pleasing God alone that we are truly satisfied. And it is through loving others that we can truly bring Him pleasure. Always love.

*Live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of sinful nature- Galatians 5:16

*The one thing everyone has in common is the need to be loved. And that is the greatest gift God has equipped us with. Love without boundaries, without borders, without colors, without limitations, without sight, without judgment, without selection, without anything else but the pure desire to love another one of God’s oh-so-beautiful creations. Just love.

*Be patient, be kind, do not envy, do not boast, do not be proud, do not be self-seeking, do not be easily angered, do not keep record of wrongs, do not delight in evil, rejoice in the truth. Always protect, always trust, always hope, always perservere and you will never fail.

*I think God put “be patient” first because He knows that that is one of the main things that keeps us from loving wholeheartedly- our lack of patience with others. Love pretty much is pure patience backed by unadulterated compassion. Help me to be patient, Lord and to slow down my day if ever I see someone in need of your love.

Regarding loving God and His love for you…

(notes from a Deneff sermon- 9/7/08)

(disclaimer: because I haven’t included the notes in their entirety, the points might seem like different thoughts, all over the place. if you want the full notes, let me know!)

*The 10 Commandments= the kind of life God’s calling us back into, a life where Egypt no longer in exists in us…because even after we’ve gotten out of Egypt, we’ve never gotten Egypt out of us.

*Get Egypt out of you. It won’t be easy. It won’t be quick. Just trust and hold onto your hope. Push away the feeling that the world is falling away or that your suffering is too great, just remember your GOD, YAHWEH, will deliver you in His own good, perfect time.

*THIS is the time Christ has set apart for you to be consecrated in His name, to be fully developed in His will, to change the world through Him. Don’t let this chance pass you by. Don’t let things of the world get in the way, no matter how tempting. Don’t let things of the world become your God.

*Our God should be the FIRST we consult when we have a problem, not our friends, not our mentors, not our family, not Christian books – just the Lord your God.

*Return to your first love- Love the Lord your God.

He is a jealous God – not a reaction of anger, but of love. God is SO consumed with love for you, He doesn’t want you to wholly belong to anyone else.

*The process of giving yourself completely to God isn’t going to be easy- it never was but there is no comfort on Earth like His eternal love.

*Be so in love with Christ, your lover, that everyone else seems second rate.

*Talk about nothing and everything with the Lord your God. If religious things are all you discuss with God, your relationship won’t go anywhere.

*Surrender the gods in your life to the Lord and He will place the Spirit in you so that you will naturally obey Him.

*Don’t just be faithful- love The One you chose. Fall back in love with Him. Put aside all those that might have gotten in the way. Nothing else is worth putting ahead of the Lord your God, who is consumed with love for you.

*Exodus 19:4-6: You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to yourself. Not if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all the nations, you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

*You may be lying there, slumped in anguish, but Christ is lying there right next to you, with his arm around you, not any less anguished but wholly willing to share this cup with you.

I hope something in there spoke to you.

Let’s try to make every action this week intentional, meditating on and practicing the love which God has blessed us with.

I love you all.

--Jeanette

monday updates: Week 7

Monday, July 27, 2009 – Week 7

…Of the Weeks:

Song: “Lord of Lords” – Hillsong [this song is a repeat but it’s just too good…if you haven’t listened to it yet, please do!!]

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4

Verses: Psalm 119:36-37

Hello everyone!

I truly cannot believe it’s Monday again.

I don’t know how your summer is going, but mine is starting to fly by desperately faster.

It’s definitely a reminder to keep from wasting moments and to be more intentional.

Thank you so much to those of you who have written me back this past week…it is always so uplifting to hear from you.

Please continue to write back when you have the chance J

1. Prayer request- Elle Kernitz

2. Update- Jessica Eubanks

3. God’s love

4. me

5. you

1. I would really like to start this email with a prayer request for my roommate of the last two years, Elle. She had been working as a camp counselor for the past two or three weeks at a music camp in New York. A few days ago, she was in a motorcycle accident and broke her femur. She immediately had surgery to put a permanent metal rod in her leg. It is completely God’s doing that she sustained no other injuries and that she is even still alive. However, she is stuck in New York for now and will go through rehab. Her mom flew out to be there with her and she has a very trusting attitude that God is going to work through this. As you can imagine, though, the next few weeks are going to be really hard for her. Please keep her in your prayers.

Also, if you would like to send her a card or anything, I do have her mailing address in New York. Just let me know. J

2. A few weeks back, Jess (Jack-Jack) asked for prayer over her grandparents. Her grandma had just gotten out of the hospital for chest pains while her grandpa had a bad fall on the concrete at his farm, fracturing vertebrae and causing swelling in his spinal cord that threatened paralysis in his neck and right side. Here is her update:

God is always good! grandpa is regaining some of his strength! he has begun to take steps and he can now move his fingers!--and best of all he is giving ALL credit to GOD! he has stepped into a deeper faith and more expressive love for God! he said he didn't think he ever fully accepted Jesus in his heart, so he prayed and did it for real this time...praise God!!!!! God has also blessed the household....the church provided 2 handicapped bathrooms and a wheelchair ramp for my grandparents!

grandma- well, she is tired, but still pressing! they found out she has dementia, so praise God that they found it early so they can delay the effects! she has taken steps toward a deeper relationship with God as well!

3. What does God’s love mean to you? What are some experiences, instances in your life when you have witnessed God’s love firsthand? Are there any songs, movie scenes, dances, books, poems that have ever given a good example of God’s love to you? If anything comes to mind, please share it with me and I’ll post it in the next email.

4. I know I have been building walls up against God lately and with each day, I have been feeling more and more powerless. I know God is drawing me back to Him and I have yet to spend some good quality time with Him. I need to push away from my humanity and be with Him once more. I know a breakthrough is coming soon, but I need to keep seeking Him.

5. Hi! I hope you are doing well. Take some time off this week and give time to yourself. Maybe take your iPod and sit in a relaxing place. Go cruising around town with no agenda. Take a journal to a busy place and people watch. Go to the library and find a section of books related to your passions and just sit and read. Go swimming. Go running. Do something fun! And give yourself some rest. J

lovelovelove

jeanette

monday updates: Week 6

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 – Week 6

…Of the Weeks:

Song: “Do You Realize?” –The Flaming Lips

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fVDGu82FeQ

Verses: James 5:13-18

Hey guys!

Sorry for this late edition of the Monday updates…I had a pretty busy weekend with a family picnic and a music festival. It was all super fun but I neglected to write this email update. I will make this one short and sweet because I want you guys to do some of the talking back. So if you could reply back to me this week, I would love it so much!

1. The event

2. How deep the Father’s love for us…

3. me

4. you

1. Let’s keep praying for Love Revolution itself and for the people involved in the planning. Right now, I myself am feeling worried about how fast November is coming, but I know it’s because I haven’t been spending enough time praying and planning and coming to the Lord. Please pray fervently for Love Revolution this week and then hand the baton to God, giving Him our full trust and listening ears.

2. So, like I told you last week, I’ve been re-reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Josh Harris. Last week in my reading, a quote by Randy Alcorn got me thinking again. The quote read, “Character is what you are in the dark when no one but God is watching. Anyone can look good in front of an audience or even in front of their friends. It’s an entirely different thing to stand naked before God, to be known as you truly are on the inside.”

I’ve been doing so much self-reflection and examination lately that this quote really got to me. I know my character contains so many inconsistencies. It’s easy to have a well of patience when I am talking to someone I’ve just met or someone I want to make a good impression on or even my friends, but I know I don’t give my parents that same well… I revert to an automated attitude of annoyance and impatience. The same goes for serving. I easily serve my friends, my campers and co-workers, even my extended family, but it is not always my first instinct or desire to serve my parents.

In reflecting on all these things, I pictured myself standing naked before God. A lone spotlight shines on me- the only light in a deeply dark room. I am ashamed, cold and afraid of judgment. Many, many lashes are striped across my flesh representing all the darkness within me that no one sees: selfishness, egotism, pride, anger, shutting people out, cruelty, evil thoughts, lust, pessimism, malice, greed. Though the lashes are fresh, I don’t feel any pain. My sin mars me but I am numb to it.

It feels worse than being ridiculed by a crowd because at least their remarks tell you exactly how they feel, but you don’t know how angry or ashamed or sad God is. You don’t know how it feels. You just know how overcome you are with negative emotions.

Then Jesus is there, stepping out of the darkness and covering you with a thick black cloak, almost like the blankets draped over people just pulled from a burning building.

He has covered your shame. He has given you warmth. He has remedied the vulnerability.

But it doesn’t stop there. He removes the cloak from you and as your hands shoot out reflexively to cover yourself up, you realize you are fully clothed again and you notice your lashes are gone. There are no scars to remind you of the once numerous wounds, there is no trace that you were ever touched.

And you look back at Jesus and see He has put the cloak around himself and as you realize what’s happening you put your hand up and yell “No! Stop!” but the cloak drops and your cry is too late. Jesus stands there naked, covered in your scars.

He turns to you and gives you a look as warm as a summer day. He softly says, “Because I love you, my child.” And you just know it’s the truest thing you’ve ever heard.

3. So that’s where I am-- knowing I need so much more growth, but aware of the healing power that comes from our Savior. Please pray for me this week if you get a chance. I always feel myself going in and out of a steady walk with Christ.

4. I love you guys. Please let me know what’s going on with you and if you need any prayer.

That’s all for this week.

Thanks for reading.

lovelovelove,

Jeanette

monday updates: Week 5

Monday, July 13, 2009 – Week 5

…Of the Weeks:

Song: “Do-Re-Mi” –The Sound of Music

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59ZX5qdIEB0

Verses: Psalm 116:1-7

Hello lovelies!!

Happy Monday!

Hope your weekend was restful and that you enjoyed all the beautiful weather!!

It has been a good week of renewal and rejuvenation for me.

God has definitely answered some prayers and has shown me that some of my struggles haven’t been in vain.

Take time to really listen to what God has in store for you this week.

Here we go:

1. Prayer

2. Prayer request- Jessica Eubanks (Jack-Jack)

3. Speaker

4. What is love?

5. me

6. you

1. I would really like us to spend this week praying for how God wants us to shape this week. We need to keep surrendering our plans to His will to make sure we are going in the right direction. Pray that God would give us a deeper understanding of what He wants us to say to the students.

2. Here’s Jack-Jack’s prayer request:

May I ask for prayer for my grandparents? My grandmother was in the hospital early last week with severe chest pains. She was released, then my grandfather had a accident on the farm...he went to check water levels (they were flood conditions) in the woods and slipped and fell onto the concrete spillway. God's grace was over him, the docs said there is no logical reason he should be alive. He was laying in standing water but the place he had fallen was shallow- stopping at his ears and not reaching his air passageways. Praise God for that! However, he did fracture 3 vertebrae and his spinal chord is swollen causing paralysis on his right side. He has made it through 2 surgeries- he has a plate that will fuse his neck with his body and he has what they call a halo- a big metal thing that is screwed into his skull keeping his head in place. He may possibly never be able to move his neck again...... But...I believe He can in the name of Jesus! I believe in a God that is greater than physical injuries and old age. I believe in a God that has no limits!

3. Do you guys have any suggestions of a professor/administrator on campus that you would like to hear share about Loving God?

4. So God has really given me a lot to think about in the area of love as an action. I was reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Josh Harris this week (a great book to challenge your view of purity and love and to see it in God’s eyes…even for those who are dating right now). It’s funny because I got this book in high school but I never finished it because I just couldn’t relate to the content. God happened to bring the book back to my attention this week through a friend and I haven’t been able put it down! I love the way God works like that…it definitely shows how His timing is always unexpected, yet is always the best remedy for us. Anyway, there was a passage from the book that I’d like to share with you.

When dating we represent God’s love, not only to the other person in the relationship, but also to the people watching us. As Christians, we need to remember that God’s perfect love is not only for our benefit. A model wears clothing to attract attention to the designer’s creativity. The model displays the designer’s work, but the designer’s reputation is on the line, not the model’s. In the same way, as Christians, we model God’s love whether or not we realize it. People watch us, and what they see affects God’s reputation for loving His creation.

Even if you’re not in a relationship, the way you love those around you is crucial to your witness to others. God showed this to me in the way I treated some of the kids at the day camp where I work. There are these two sisters in this camp that stir up so much trouble. They love to gossip and create drama all the time, pulling the other girls in-- and they’re only in elementary school! All the counselors have a tired, annoyed attitude towards these girls because it’s feels like we’re always asking, “What did they do now?” Well, these girls are being moved to another day camp in the park district and when they were picked up on Friday, some of the kids started cheering and yelling some mean farewells. As I scolded the kids and told them to keep quiet, I realized my attitude towards these girls was just as bad. Sure I wasn’t as vocal about my dislike for them, but I know I have talked about them behind their backs with the other counselors, I have been less willing to play with them than the other kids and I know there were times when I was just plain mean back to them.

But they are God’s children just as much as the most well-behaved child, or even me. Needless to say, I felt convicted about my actions towards them. I wish I could go back and change the way I loved them, but honestly, they were SO hard to love! Yet God asks us to do the difficult, nonetheless, because He has always loved us even when we have betrayed Him and ignored Him and saddened Him. And we do it all the time.

So, loving unconditionally is truly a harrowing task, but we weren’t meant to do it alone. Ask God for help because He is the one who “designed” the concept and we are challenged as Christians to “model” it well.

5. So God has really blessed me so much this week. I pray that I will be able to give it back to Him with praise this week and in prayer over Love Revolution. I need to up the ante in how I bathe this event in prayer because I really have been slacking since I left school. So that’s what I’m going to try to do this next week.

6. I ask that you do the same-really pray for Love Revolution this week. Ask God to inspire you with ideas or just give you a heart and passion for the ministry. Ask Him to show you how to live out the revolution of love in your life. And never forget that He is always there to help you and that He wants you to go to Him.

Oh, and if you have time to email me back, please let me know how you are doing and how I can pray for you. J

That is all for this week.

Thanks for reading!

Have a good one!

lovelovelove,

Jeanette

Monday updates: Week 4

Monday, July 5, 2009 – Week 4 (can you believe it’s July already??)

…Of the Weeks:

Song: “Summer Day” – Coconut Records, Nighttiming

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3_J2GCY-9I&feature=rec-rev-rn

Verses: Colossians 3:12-15

Hello all!

I hope you enjoyed your 4^th of July weekend and got to see some fireworks!! I spent some excellent time with family, including my cousins from Michigan whom I hadn’t seen in a while.

Well, let’s just jump right into it:

1. Prayer

2. Fasting updates?

3. Update- Megan Miller

4. Some encouragement

5. me

6. you

1. I really think we should focus our prayer this week on ourselves. I think we need to find ways to delve back into intimacy with God. For most, summer is a rough time for spiritual growth. Find a way to make prayer more conversational and casual with God this week. Involve Him intentionally in your daily activities or in your meandering thoughts when things slow down. Search for God in the little things. Let’s strive to hear God more clearly so that we’re ready and prepared to do His will each day.

2. So, during my time fasting last Monday, I realized there is so much to pray for. I felt a little overwhelmed…unfortunately, I think that clouded the way I prayed for everything… a little too quick and frantic as the requests popped into my head. That’s a discipline I still have a lot to work on. Did you get a chance to fast last week at all?

If so, do you have anything to share about your experience?

3. Thanks for all your prayers for Megan- her grandpa’s doing better!! Here’s an update from her:

My Pop is home now and is doing better, but is still not in perfect health. It was the coolest thing ever; people from his church came and prayed for him and asked for healing and he literally saw all the junk leave his body and saw God's healing descend upon him. The next day he came home. I know that all the prayers really helped him. As far as my dad goes, he really is having problems with all the reading and everything, and his eyes are getting strained too easily.

Let’s keep praying for both her dad and her grandpa.

4. In church today, I was reminded of an enduring truth that sounded so sweet in my ear because of what I’ve been struggling with this summer. The sermon came from Colossians 3:12-15 and the point that got to me came from verse 15, which says, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” The truth that the pastor spoke from that verse was that, as a church, we need to be committed to responding to challenges with gratitude -- a calm assurance that what God is doing is best. God’s peace isn’t always based on good circumstances. We need to give God’s peace dominion in our hearts even when we face hardships, even when we struggle and even when we feel inadequate and directionless. Now, this doesn’t mean we should stop seeking better circumstances, but that we must trust God when we feel stuck. We need to look at the messes in our lives and remember that the character and conduct of God doesn’t lead us to failure. We must believe God is ultimately in control and is putting us through trials for our own good. Let Christ’s peace be the authority in your life and don’t let Satan lead you to believe that God is doing anything less than leading you in love.

The sermon had so many other bits of goodness that I needed to hear…you can access it during the next week at the following link…give it a listen!

http://www.harvestbiblechapel.org/Content.aspx?content_id=40&site_id=4

5. I’m not perfect and I’m still struggling with things, but God’s making it better, slowly but surely. Something that I’m struggling with is letting other things become gods in my life. It’s easy to even let myself become an idol when I choose apathy and laziness over productivity. I read in a book’s commentary on Hosea that the Israelites were becoming like the gods they worshipped- “full of lies, deceit and caprice” and they have forgotten who Yahweh truly is and instead have come to think of him in terms of their Canaanite religion. This was eye-opening to read. I think I need to start draining my life of exposure to these idols and begin filling my head with more lasting truths and promises.

6. How about you? Are there some idols you need to give up? Is there a way you can challenge yourself this week to begin that process?

Well, thank you for reading again!

Please have a blessed week and let’s try and keep God at the forefront of all things.

love you all!!

jeanette

monday updates: Week 3

Monday, June 29, 2009 – Week 3

…Of the Weeks:

Song: “Brand New Colony” – The Postal Service, Give Up

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfBvYFqsi7A

Verses: Acts 17:24-28

Hey everyone!

Happy Monday!

I hope your past week went well!

Thanks so much again for your faithfulness, even in just following Love Revolution updates. But thanks also for your prayer and many thoughts.

Keeping contact with all of you is so helpful and plain ole fun for me J

Yesterday, I was reminded by one of the songs we sung in church that this really isn’t about us.

We must bow our knees not only to worship God, but also to show others that it is He who receives the glory for all we do…we have to willingly take a position of lowly submission so that others can figuratively see above us and look towards the one who deserves all our praise.

I have to admit that I have been pretty self-righteous and self-glorifying lately and I just wanted to start off this week and this email by confessing that and by pledging to turn away from that.

Love Revolution needs to be about God. But more than that, our lives need to be about God. Let’s see how we can make that real this week.

Here’s the line-up…

1. Prayer

2. Fasting?

3. Twitter

4. Prayer request- Megan Miller

5. me

6. you

1. Okay, so I have been so excited by all your interest in Love Revolution. It has always been affirmed from the start that this is something God is interested in and that students are interested in as well. However, I think we need to start moving in figuring out what responsibilities God wants us to take in this…whether it be as a day leader, as an organizer, as an ideas generator, as a prayer warrior, whatever. I challenge you this week to pray about how God wants you involved in Love Revolution…how He wants your talents and gifts used.

Also, keep praying for student’s hearts to be prepared to receive the message we wish to bring with Love Revolution.

2. I need to confess something else…I have been terrible with praying this summer…not only for others, but even for myself. So here’s what I’ve decided to do. I’m going to fast certain periods of time each day…today I am fasting lunch and possibly dinner. I need that rumble in my stomach to remind me to keep others in my prayers and to push me towards reliance in God.

So! What does that mean for you? I want you to consider the challenge of fasting some time this week. Fast for however long you feel led to, for whatever God is leading you to fast for and please don’t forget to drink lots and lots of water!! I would love to hear how God has affected your life through that discipline so please email me if you decide to do this.

3. Oh, Twitter. So I’m sure most of you have heard of this or even have an account with this popular social networking site (twitter.com). I’m thinking of creating one for Love Revolution. I think this will be most valuable once school starts and especially as people start to hear about it…what do you think? Would this be a good move for our event? Would anyone like to be in charge of Twitter postings if we decide to create an account?

4. Megan Miller had prayer requests regarding her grandpa and dad that she wanted to share with us all. Please keep her family in your prayers.

My granda’s been in the hospital since Thursday with severe pneumonia, and some sort of blockage in his intestine that's making him do some really gross stuff. His Oxygen is really low, even with an oxygen mask on, and his BP is really high. They don’t have him listed as 'critical' but he's not 'stable' either, so it's a little bad. He lives in Delaware so we are leaving on Wednesday to go see him.

Also, my dad left this morning for 7 weeks in Vermont to start his doctoral program at Middlebury College. He doesn't like to be away from us to begin with, and then with this going on with my pop he is really stressed. He has really bad eye sight, almost blind in his right eye and not too good in his left, and stress seems to make it worse so we are worried about how he will do with all the reading and writing he has to do this summer.

5. I think you have heard a lot about where I am through the random parts of the email. So please keep me in your prayers as I try to pray for everything else a lot more.

6. So what new and exciting things are going on with you? Do you have any prayer requests or praises to share? Any new ideas for Love Revolution? Let me know, I’d love to hear from you!!!

Thanks for reading, guys!

Have a blessed week and I’ll be praying for those fasting and fasting so I can pray for everyone else J

lovelovelove

jeanette

monday updates: Week 2

Monday, June 22, 2009 – Week 2

…Of the Weeks:

Song: “Lord of Lords” – Hillsong, Saviour King

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpWM0FNPZSs

Verses: Romans 13:12

Hello all!

Sighhh… it really warmed my heart to hear from so many of you with just your simple replies to stay on the email list (haha I am so easily soothed).

And I am eternally thankful for all the encouragement. J

I hope your past week has been wonderful and that you’ve seen the little ways in which Christ has snuck into your life. J

So here’s what you can keep your eye on for Love Revolution this week:

1. blog updated

2. idea submission form

3. music update

4. speakers

5. PRAISE- Dani Holloway

6. serving together

7. me

8. you

1. I’ve caught up on posting some older emails on the blog, so ch-ch-ch-check it out… especially if this is the first summer update email you are receiving. The first one from last week is up- take a gander!

2. I’m not sure if this was attached to the last email, so here it is! This form is for documenting any ideas you want to incorporate into Love Revolution. The goal is to create day binders chockfull of ideas so day leaders are well-equipped in the fall.

3. Luke Anspach and Dani Holloway have taken the reins in figuring out the worship band for Love Revolution. They have agreed that what we need for this week are musicians who are passionate about the goals of this week. They want a very Spirit-led, Christ-honoring band so they are prayerfully organizing that. Many, many thanks to them!! They also had the idea of having worship nights with the band every night, “giving the students more of an opportunity to respond to what is happening in their hearts, considering worship is pouring out our love to God, and God often pours into us in that way.” I’m so excited about this!!! God is truly going to be honored through this and He will guide us clearly in direction for the worship.

4. Please keep praying for guidance in figuring out speakers, that God would show us clearly who He wants to speak, that He would place the message of Love Revolution on their hearts and that He would use them to speak to our campus in a powerful way.

5. So I received the following from Dani in an email and she agreed to let me share it with you…I hope it will encourage you as much as it encouraged me.

I just got done counseling for a week at the district Junior High Camp. My old youth pastor came and a lot of what he talked about really hit the head with Love Revolution, getting me even more pumped for this week. I saw 14 jr high girls fall more in love with the LORD this week. I saw them moved in the Spirit, raising their hands in worship to the LORD, realizing that the walk is not about being a good church kid, but falling madly in love with the God of the Universe that is pursuing them. If jr high girls can come to that realization, how much more can college students begin to get that this isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship. This isn’t legalism, its freedom. That they aren’t fighting a losing battle, but there is victory in Christ! This is a love relationship with our all-loving LORD!!!! (ok sorry got a bit excited and threw grammar out the window for a moment lol)

6. Throughout this whole planning process, Chris Kleman has challenged me and others to live out the revolution that we wish to see happen on our campus. I think that the worship team having praise nights every night embodies that. Something that God placed on my heart was the idea of weekly community service projects in the fall within our little family of Love Revolution supporters. Now, this wouldn’t be exclusive to people familiar with Love Revolution, but I think this is a way that the revolution should start with us. If we want to see God truly use our campus to change the community, we need to put our thoughts and words into actions. So if you are interested in helping out with that, let me know!!

7. I would like to be completely frank with you all. I am struggling so much spiritually right now. My apathy and humanity are hindering me from living the life God wants me to live. It’s frustrating…I almost didn’t even write this email. Thankfully, God saved me, in the same way He has been saving me, with encouragement and contact from others. Still, I am not as steadfast and faithful as I was when I was surrounded by Christian community. Right now, I feel like I’m living from each spiritual high to the next and I just want to be stable. Please pray for me?

8. Okay, it’s your turn. J Has Christ been moving in your life, showing you things? It doesn’t have to be related to Love Revolution. I would really like to include a praise like Dani’s in every email so please share if God does something awesome for you this week. I think sharing our triumphs in Christ will bring us closer together and of course, encourage us.

Alrighty, thanks so much for reading.

I can feel God filling the balloon of Love Revolution with new air…haha.

Have a blessed week.

lovelovelove,

Jeanette

Monday e-mail updates: Week 1

e-mail originally sent on June 17:

hey guys!

so i was checking my sent emails and saw that this wasn't there...i thought i sent it out on monday but i must have just saved it.

anyway, here's monday's update email

Monday, June 15, 2009 (my brother’s birthday!!)

…Of the Weeks:

Song: “Awakening” – Switchfoot, Oh! Gravity

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhsPRgi4PaI

Verses: Proverbs 30:7-9

hey guys!

here’s the kick-off to a summer of Monday e-mails!

I hope they’ll be informative and encouraging, but also a bit of fun J

I also want you to respond and provide feedback whenever you want to…even if it’s just to let me know how you are doing.

and if you ever come across something that makes you think of love revolution (like a song, a quote, a website, a sermon, whatever!) and you would like to share it with the group, let me know! I’ll let you write the “…of the weeks” too! J

so here are the updates with love revolution…

1. campus meeting

2. potential speakers

3. idea submission forms

4. logo/branding

5. website (??)

6. me!

7. you!

1. this past week, erik longenecker, floyd barringer, dani holloway and megan miller met on campus to pray for potential speakers and mission statements for each day.

they’re going to try and get small groups together to pray for the mission statements during the summer.

2. in our may term meetings, we discussed using speakers from within our own campus, instead of bringing ones from the outside. trying to contact TWLOHA and john eldredge was proving difficult and we agreed that it would be best to work with people personally invested in the spiritual development of our campus. there are some people we have in mind, but we haven’t talked to them yet so if you could pray for God’s guidance in the decision making, that would be awesome!!!

3. I’ve attached a copy of the idea submission forms. we would like to start documenting any ideas you have to incorporate into love revolution so that we can create a binder chockfull of ideas for each day so that day leaders are well-equipped in the fall. (let me know if you are having trouble opening the document)

4. I had lunch with kirsten tornes this past week and I asked her to design a logo for love revolution…something to do with redemption and new life…if you have any ideas or suggestions, let me know and I’ll pass the info on.

5. okay guys, it’s been in the back of my mind for a while to create a website to better organize new information and to provide a forum for feedback and interaction. I also brought this up with kirsten because I would love the logo and the colors and design of the website to work hand-in-hand. I’m planning on using wix.com to create the web page. if you would like to help with this, let me know!

6. I start work today! woohoo…playing with kids for several hours at day camp…partyyy!

7. so, what’s going on with you??

alrighty, thanks for reading!

please keep love revolution in your prayers (especially with the speakers!!)

<333

jeanette

summertime, when the living is easy...

e-mail originally sent on June 10:

heyyyyy alll!!

whew, it's been a while!

hope summer's been going well...i've been enjoying the leisure, myself :)

buuut, i have been missing the conversations that have come out of love revolution.

so here's my new game plan:

every monday, an update email will come out.

these will detail any new love revolution developments or any prayer requests or encouragement of sorts!!

i'll probably update you on my own life, too, to feel like we're conversing...and if you email me back, we'll really be conversing!!

and i would love that!

if there's really nothing to update on, i will just send out some fun words and maybe a youtube vid :)

that being said...

if you would rather refrain from the mass emails and would like to be removed from the mailing list, please let me know...no hard feelings. :]

if you would like to keep your school e-mailbox from exploding, give me a different email address where i can redirect my messages of love :)

if you would like to be a part of this madness and even contribute something for mass emailage...let me know!!! i would love for this to be a group thing...not just a jeanette thing :)

so! expect the very first email of fun updates this coming monday!

lovelovelove

jeanette

e-mail originally sent on May 14:

Hey all!!!

I am outside, sitting by the fountain and enjoying the sun.

It is wonderful.

Anywho, I just wanted to let you all know that Love Revolution has been moved up to the first week in November.

We still have all three (possibly four) chapel dates now on November 4, 6 and 8.

As for speakers, we have Michele Perry confirmed for Wednesday of that week.

Here's her website...http://www.changethewayyousee.org/michele.htm

She's about to release a book called Love Has a Face.

So that's all for now! Change your calendars!

Oh, and don't forget- if you are here for May Term, we will be having a final meeting in the Evans LDC at 8pm tonight.

Hope to see you there!

Jeanette

Chapel Date Confirmation!!

Yesterday Latrese and I met with Pat Hannon to discuss some things.

He then met with Dr. Lo, who sent us an email confirming that we would get the 3 chapels the 2nd week of November and possibly Thursday night chapel too!!!

So the definite chapel dates will be November 9, 11, 13 and possibly the 12th :)

Dr. Lo also was very encouraging and excited about the event saying that he feels this is an idea from God and that God is really going to use this.  We have full support and help from the Chapel's Office!!! This is such a HUGE blessing!!

Thanks for all your prayers and keep going!!!

Speaking of prayers, I going to be in the Evans LDC from 7-9pm tomorrow for a prayer and planning meeting.

If you are around for May Term and have time, I would love it if you could stop by for any amount of time you have to send up some prayers and help brainstorm some more ideas.

Thanks so much for everything, guys...keep praying!

lovelovelove

Jeanette

update email

Hello all!

So I apologize if this is the third email you are getting from me but hey, it's from a different account now, woohoo!

I've got some updates for you regarding Love Revolution- A Week of Compassion, Confession and Forgiveness

coming to IWU next semester!

1) We are now looking at the 2nd or 3rd week in November.  Our original plan for the last week of October conflicted with the NCMSLC Conference that most who are involved are planning to attend.

2) A blog has been created to archive these email updates.  All new information will come via email first and then be posted on the blog.

The blog can simply be accessed at http://loverevolution09.blogspot.com/

3) Latrese has met with Dr. Lo and he is in full support of the idea.  The chapel dates aren't set yet so Latrese and I are meeting with Pat Hannon sometime this week.  Please pray for us!

4) If you would like to have these summer emails sent to you at a different email address let me know!

That's about it!

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact me!

Enjoy the lovely weather!

Jeanette

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom." -- Luke 12:32

Blog Launch!

Hello all!

Welcome to the source of all updates for IWU's newest emphasis week, Love Revolution!

Keep checking periodically for the latest news and information regarding this week that will tentatively take place in November '09.