A while ago I posted a prayer request for Kevin and Amanda Johnson. I really hope that those of you that have read this blog have kept up to date with their life. I can't even begin to tell you the amazing individuals God has produced in them. God's kingdom has been so glorified by their lives and examples. I was reading through the post and was caught up in Amanda's (Kevin's wife) interpretation of the situation. What a Godly woman! I thought I would paste it here for you to read. They are young and in love and "for better or worse" they are together loving God and each other. What a BEAUTIFUL example of a Godly marriage. I pray for a relationship like this!
"1-23-07…Written by Amanda throughout the day, uploading @ 2am on the 24th Another blog entry from Amanda… I can testify with wonder stricken awe and joy that God answers prayer. I read a quote the other day by Teresa of Avila that said, “You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him.” It is true that He loves to show up in our times of need. A strong walk with God can carry us through unthinkable circumstances. He has given me what I need day by day.
God is already bringing beauty from this pain. I am sure that from pain, He also creates a platform. I know this blog has been a voice around the world speaking of God’s goodness. I truly believe this is just the beginning. I am so proud of Jeff for allowing God to use him. Jeff has been a rock for me out here. I have treasured our conversations…he has been a shoulder to cry on and one to celebrate each victory with. Not only that, but this morning I woke up to a cafe’ mocha and a massage awaiting that was all Jeff’s doing. He is taking amazing care of me! He is such an incredible man, friend, and brother….but then that doesn’t surprise me, he IS Kevin’s brother : ). It’s 2:00 a.m. and I am sitting here watching Kevin sleep. How far he has come! I love the fact that his scar WILL show…it’s kind of like in the Bible when God moved, the people would build an alter or monument to remember what the Lord had done. His scar will forever remind us all of the miracles God has performed! That scar is absolutely beautiful to me. Last week I was wearing his wedding band because his body was holding fluids and he had quite a bit of swelling. Keep in mind he was on heavy doses of pain medication and as Jeff likes to put it rather “foggy.” When he saw that his ring was off, he told me, “When I get better I will re-marry you.” It melted me and God knew it was just what I needed that day. This morning when I arrived at the hospital, Jeff looked at Kevin and said, “Are you ready to do what we talked about?” Kevin responded, “Yes.” Before I knew it, Jeff was helping Kevin stand up to give me a hug! That was the first hug we have had since before this ordeal. I can not even put into words the effect it had on me…what a gift. I knew it took every bit of strength and energy, focus and determination to give me that hug. I would not trade this experience….I would not turn back time. I like to say it this way, we have seen God’s glory and we will never be the same. I am experiencing God in a much more intimate way….you are forced to when there is no other place to turn. But through each seemingly impossible obstacle, GOD HAS BEEN FAITHFUL! Again, I can not thank everyone enough for the love, support, and prayers! Kevin and I are so richly blessed with the relationships and individuals God has brought into our life. Please continue to “ask great things of God” on Kevin’s behalf. "
May God bless them! Keep their hope in Him! And keep their eyes and ears open to His ABUNDANT BLESSINGS! Thank you for them!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
Rachel & Ryan's Wedding
So first we went to see Ken and Carol...who are some of the funniest people I have met. I want to be like them when I grow up.
So then we went to the Church to help decorate for the reception. And I think I found the new love of my life. My cousin Michelle and her husband John who is a Youth Minister in Illinois, have a son. His name is Atticus Lincoln and he is amazing! Beautiful...funny...watch out girls...in a few years...he's gonna be a heart breaker!
Ryan's mom was kind enough to invite us all to dinner...which sounds simple until you realize how many of us there are. From Grandma to Atticus there are 39 (I think). So by my count I think she added 18 people to the guest list. So...thank you! I appreciate your kindness and hospitality. Sooo.... It gave us one more chance to hang out and enjoy each other. P.S. This is one of my favorite pictures of Atticus...he's like gimme some of that!
And while this picture is side ways... this is in the hall coming out of my Aunt's office at Ozark... None other than our very own...very famous... Lito! In the hallowed halls of Ozark!
So I would show you pictures from the rest of the trip...but I accidentally deleted them from the camera...so that's it. If anyone has pictures they would like to send that would be really appreciated (I'm pretty sure my mom almost shot me for that!).
Anyhow...Rachel and Ryan...I hope you are having a blast rockin the treehouse and have many more happy, fun, fullfilling years with each other!
My Valentine!
So I wanted to say thank you to my wonderful Valentine! Wednesday I came home to a house that had been taken over! There were signs and chocolate and sparkle and DIET COKE every where. It was amazing! Thank you Mrs. Emily for making Valentines a wonderful day. I am so blessed to be a part of your life. You are a strong, wise, funny young woman and you make such a difference in this world! I love you!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
Brandy's Brilliant mind at work...inspiring me once again!
This is Brandy's answer to a question she had in school. She never ceases to amaze or inspire me. If this doesn't make you want to know more about who is making decisions in this country...nothing will.
"Though extremely necessary and important to American citizens, offering protection from unconstitutional and unprecedented laws, the Supreme Court has gone way too far. First of all who are these people serving on the Supreme Court? They’re unelected, they’re virtually unaccountable, they’re largely unknown to most Americans, and they serve for life. Here are just a few (though I could go on): John Rutledge- This was a man, chief justice by the way, who was so deep in depression he made two failed suicide attempts and it has been said that “his mind was frequently so much deranged, as to be in a great measure deprived of his senses.” Henry Baldwin, appointed by Andrew Jackson in 1830, was hospitalized for what was refer to as ‘incurable lunacy” and missed one term on the Court before returning to service for eleven more years until his death. There is no official photograph for the Court of 1924 because Justice James C. McReynolds refused to stand next to the Court’s first Jewish justice, Lewis Brandeis. McReynolds stated he didn’t want the Court to be “plagued with another Jew.” He would leave the room whenever Brandeis would speak and was also openly hostile toward the second Jewish justice. Justice Hugo Black was a member of the Ku Klux Klan… enough said. It is only necessary for five of these justices to dictate economic, cultural, criminal, and security policy for the entire nation, striking down those polices created by elected governing officials. I’m not sure about you, but I wouldn’t even want these people in charge of my dry cleaning."
"Though extremely necessary and important to American citizens, offering protection from unconstitutional and unprecedented laws, the Supreme Court has gone way too far. First of all who are these people serving on the Supreme Court? They’re unelected, they’re virtually unaccountable, they’re largely unknown to most Americans, and they serve for life. Here are just a few (though I could go on): John Rutledge- This was a man, chief justice by the way, who was so deep in depression he made two failed suicide attempts and it has been said that “his mind was frequently so much deranged, as to be in a great measure deprived of his senses.” Henry Baldwin, appointed by Andrew Jackson in 1830, was hospitalized for what was refer to as ‘incurable lunacy” and missed one term on the Court before returning to service for eleven more years until his death. There is no official photograph for the Court of 1924 because Justice James C. McReynolds refused to stand next to the Court’s first Jewish justice, Lewis Brandeis. McReynolds stated he didn’t want the Court to be “plagued with another Jew.” He would leave the room whenever Brandeis would speak and was also openly hostile toward the second Jewish justice. Justice Hugo Black was a member of the Ku Klux Klan… enough said. It is only necessary for five of these justices to dictate economic, cultural, criminal, and security policy for the entire nation, striking down those polices created by elected governing officials. I’m not sure about you, but I wouldn’t even want these people in charge of my dry cleaning."
My Space
And... I gave in... Karen made me a myspace this week. You can see it at www.myspace.com/alyssaburr
Disconnection
James 3:17 says “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” This has been heavy on my heart that there is a disconnection between the youth and us as “adults”. This is an effort to make a sincere, peaceful and considerate understanding between us. I want to explain why we are here, what we do, what our motive is behind what we do. Now I know that our motives are not always clear to you. You can not always see or understand where we are coming from or why we make the decisions we do. I know that there are a lot of adults in your life that have set poor examples and that the things that you have been through and seen have built walls between you and adults around you. It is one of the reasons Hopper is always saying that the best people to reach the youth is YOUTH, which is YOU. The choices we make here are out of love for you, even if we fall short of making that point. Even when you don’t understand…it’s still out of love for you! Hopper spends a great amount of time, prayer and thought about the direction he follows and the choices he makes because we love you!
Why are we here?
1. To love you. I choose to be up here because I love you. I believe that you guys have the power to change the world. I want to help, teach and encourage you in anyway I can. God has something to say to each one of you, He has a plan for you that is specific…it is just for you…only you were created to do it. I want to help you figure out how to listen to what God wants for your life. I want you to find Him now.
2. To be used. Romans 8:28; “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I have made some really stupid choices in life so far. I’m sure I will make many more. But part of the reason I am here is because I believe that helping you guys is how God is working to use me…for good… stupid choices and all.
3. To help you focus. I know that in my life I have gotten in my own way a lot. I have been very foolish, thinking I knew everything and if I didn’t understand something, then in someway it was not truth. I had people who helped me get out of my own way. They helped clear both the physical and mental things that were distracting me from HEARING God. They taught me how to listen and see God when I was focused on other things…my friends…basically my life and the life I wanted to live. They showed me versus like:
Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
Proverbs 18:2 “A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions.”
Proverbs 12:15 “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.”
Proverbs 12:16 “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man over looks and insult.”
I want you to think about what happen on a weekly basis. What kind of things are getting in your way of hearing God? I think that some of you are getting in your own way as well as other people’s way. Part of what I am here for is to help you get out of your own way, to cut down on the foolishness for a few minutes so you can HEAR and SEE.
What are we as youth coaches supposed to be doing?
1. Loving: John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” I just want to show you love. Sometimes that is shown in discipline, encouragement, time, thought, actions, etc. There are a lot of ways that we do and want to show you that we love you.
2. Listening: Jeremiah 7:24 “But they did not listen or pay attention; instead they followed the stubborn inclination of their evil hearts. They went backward, not forward.” I don’t want this to be us. I want us to listen and hear each other, and then we as adults should be able to respond to your needs and move forward.
3. Teaching: Proverbs 4:1 “Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction, pay attention and gain understanding.” Psalms 119:66 “Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands.” He wants us all to learn…to continue to learn all our lives. From the older generation…from Him and from each other.
4. Encouraging/ Helping / Guiding: Hebrews 10:24 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.” Ephesians 5:16 “Make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good.” Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We all need help sometimes. Help can be found in us as adults and in each other. I love seeing someone’s face when they get something new or when they pick themselves up from a poor choice or choices and move on. It is so inspiring! We want to encourage you and sometimes push you to be and see what God has for you.
You are each so special and unique. You each bring a unique perspective to the group and to each others lives, but you are not really all that different from the person next to you…no matter how you see the person sitting next to you. A few weeks ago I had someone say to me that they thought they were different from most of the people in the group. Everyone else “had it together” and they felt like they didn’t. So at girl’s bible study we did an exercise that showed us that we are not that different. We all (including "adults") struggled with the same things!
No matter what you think is going on with the person next to you, you really never know unless you get to know that person. We all need to work on understanding where each other is coming from. And if you have to assume someone’s motives…assume that they are doing what they are doing for good, even when we don’t understand.
Why are we here?
1. To love you. I choose to be up here because I love you. I believe that you guys have the power to change the world. I want to help, teach and encourage you in anyway I can. God has something to say to each one of you, He has a plan for you that is specific…it is just for you…only you were created to do it. I want to help you figure out how to listen to what God wants for your life. I want you to find Him now.
2. To be used. Romans 8:28; “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I have made some really stupid choices in life so far. I’m sure I will make many more. But part of the reason I am here is because I believe that helping you guys is how God is working to use me…for good… stupid choices and all.
3. To help you focus. I know that in my life I have gotten in my own way a lot. I have been very foolish, thinking I knew everything and if I didn’t understand something, then in someway it was not truth. I had people who helped me get out of my own way. They helped clear both the physical and mental things that were distracting me from HEARING God. They taught me how to listen and see God when I was focused on other things…my friends…basically my life and the life I wanted to live. They showed me versus like:
Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
Proverbs 18:2 “A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions.”
Proverbs 12:15 “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.”
Proverbs 12:16 “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man over looks and insult.”
I want you to think about what happen on a weekly basis. What kind of things are getting in your way of hearing God? I think that some of you are getting in your own way as well as other people’s way. Part of what I am here for is to help you get out of your own way, to cut down on the foolishness for a few minutes so you can HEAR and SEE.
What are we as youth coaches supposed to be doing?
1. Loving: John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” I just want to show you love. Sometimes that is shown in discipline, encouragement, time, thought, actions, etc. There are a lot of ways that we do and want to show you that we love you.
2. Listening: Jeremiah 7:24 “But they did not listen or pay attention; instead they followed the stubborn inclination of their evil hearts. They went backward, not forward.” I don’t want this to be us. I want us to listen and hear each other, and then we as adults should be able to respond to your needs and move forward.
3. Teaching: Proverbs 4:1 “Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction, pay attention and gain understanding.” Psalms 119:66 “Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands.” He wants us all to learn…to continue to learn all our lives. From the older generation…from Him and from each other.
4. Encouraging/ Helping / Guiding: Hebrews 10:24 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.” Ephesians 5:16 “Make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good.” Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We all need help sometimes. Help can be found in us as adults and in each other. I love seeing someone’s face when they get something new or when they pick themselves up from a poor choice or choices and move on. It is so inspiring! We want to encourage you and sometimes push you to be and see what God has for you.
You are each so special and unique. You each bring a unique perspective to the group and to each others lives, but you are not really all that different from the person next to you…no matter how you see the person sitting next to you. A few weeks ago I had someone say to me that they thought they were different from most of the people in the group. Everyone else “had it together” and they felt like they didn’t. So at girl’s bible study we did an exercise that showed us that we are not that different. We all (including "adults") struggled with the same things!
No matter what you think is going on with the person next to you, you really never know unless you get to know that person. We all need to work on understanding where each other is coming from. And if you have to assume someone’s motives…assume that they are doing what they are doing for good, even when we don’t understand.
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