Our Good God.

Hello, long lost blog. I've missed you.

So... It's been a while since I've posted anything. Here's a bit of a recap:

Last Wednesday I preached in my narrative messages class with my friend Mary. We did a really unique thing and decided to preach the same narrative together in the first person. What that means is we were both speaking as if we were Rahab the prostitute. Mary was Older Rahab living among the Israelites and reflecting on her past, and I was Rahab the harlot living in Jericho relating my experiences. It was really hard, to be honest. I've never preached with anyone, and so getting us to coordinate was difficult. Overall, the hardest thing for me was to give up control. Everyone who knows me knows that I love preaching. I wrote our manuscript (probably my favorite part of the preaching process) and had in mind the voice inflections and moods that would accompany the words as they were spoken. The thing is, Mary didn't read them that way; instead, she saw in the story different emotions and expressions. Not bad, just different. Different can be hard for me. :)

But, the day we presented it, the classroom was packed! There were so many students there to listen to this "never seen before" sermon structure. Dr. Neely came and brought a few students, friends of ours were there, and Mary's boyfriend sat in the back. Then there were a few scattered girls throughout the classroom. "Are those girls with you, Mary" I whispered. "No, I thought they were with you...?" she would respond. We later found out that about six girls came because they heard women were preaching, and they were encouraged. Wow.

This sermon taught me a lot, but chiefly that we really are partners in the Gospel. Preaching can be so competitive here at Moody. But Mary and I worked together to present a message from God's Word. I think is a taste of what ministry should be.

Friday I headed home for A Recipe for a True Woman conference at Grace Community Church, my home church, in Iowa. There was so much spiritual warfare surrounding the conference. Last week I was in a car accident, got sick with what I now think may have been the flu, felt distanced from God, had several struggling girls on my floor, and was dealing with immense inner turmoil. I kept praying that the Lord would guard me from attack and to write my sermon through me, but heaven seemed silent. The rush to get home was long and hectic, but being at the church with the women I know and love so much was incredibly blessed. Friday night John Piper spoke (via DVD) about the power of being a true woman. He said, "Wimpy theology makes wimpy women. I don't like wimpy women." So true.

That night I still felt as if I had nothing important to say to the women come Saturday morning and I began losing my voice that night. I kept praying, "God, I've asked You to speak, to move in me and show me what to say, but You are still silent!" That is ironic because the only thing I had down for a manuscript was the absence of YAHWEH in the book of Esther, with the subject question, "What do we do against the silence of God? We move forward in faith while looking back at His past faithfulness." I decided to take my own advice. So will a meager manuscript I stepped to the pulpit, praying for His continual guiding Spirit. And guess what? He didn't disappoint. :)

I'm so thankful now that our Lord didn't allow me to have a perfectly manuscripted sermon. Throughout the conference, many women were giving testimonies of their walk with the Lord. They were wonderful, however the Gospel - the reason they would testify to anything! - was never presented. When I stood up to preach I felt the Spirit calling me to present it, so I did. Had I been organized and prepared as I would normally felt comfortable with, I would have been much more determined and unwilling to listen to the prodding voice of the Spirit. Thank You, Jesus!!

Now, it's just four papers, three exams, and a whole slew of housing stuff and I'm home free!!