volleyball trip to chicago.....

chicago at night.....

playing volleyball game here. this is where the Dream Team once practiced and there are still professional teams that prepare for games here.

eating some oriental food at BIG BOWL in the middle of chicago........

the team waiting to go and eat before the game.....

a building in chicago.....

the sears tower in the distance....

Total Abandonment.....

Finally.....you're probably wondering what's taking so long in my putting up another post. I don't know. We'll, this isn't necessarily a post about what's going on with me. Instead, here's something that really impacted me when I read it. Our president sent this to the entire student body. This is an excerpt from the book "My Utmost for His Highest" by Charles Spurgeon:

She hath wrought a good work on Me. Mark 14:6.
If human love does not carry a man beyond himself, it is not love. If love is always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, never carried beyond itself, it is not love at all. It may be affection, it may be warmth of feeling, but it has not the true nature of love in it.
Have I ever been carried away to do something for God not because it was my duty, nor because it was useful, nor because there was anything in it at all beyond the fact that I love Him? Have I ever realized that I can bring to God things which are of value to Him, or am I mooning round the magnitude of His Redemption whilst there are any number of things I might be doing? Not Divine, colossal things which could be recorded as marvellous, but ordinary, simple human things which will give evidence to God that I am abandoned to Him? Have I ever produced in the heart of the Lord Jesus what Mary of Bethany produced?
There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him the abandoned tokens of how genuinely we do love Him. Abandon to God is of more value than personal holiness. Personal holiness focuses the eye on our own whiteness; we are greatly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, fearful lest we offend Him. Perfect love casts out all that when once we are abandoned to God. We have to get rid of this notion—‘Am I of any use?’ and make up our minds that we are not, and we may be near the truth. It is never a question of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all.the time.

I hope that you were challenged by this as much as I was. Being totally abandoned to Christ. Giving everything to Him.

blizzard.....

We're all stuck in a blizzard right now. I think that there's been at least 1' 1/2" of snow, and it's still snowing. It's crazy!!!! I've never seen so much snow in my life. The administration closed the campus (rightfully so) to keep us safe. It should let up at the end of this weekend, but we'll have to wait and see. Being in this kind of weather isn't too bad though. I guess it's just something that I don't see everyday. Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean that I would like to live in it for a long time. I still love the warm weather, and I miss it. This just adds a little flavor for the time being.
"Snow means slow!"--Dr. Olson

gotta have the friends.....

Day of Prayer

One of the sweetest times that we have here at Northland is our "Day of Prayer." We set all of school aside for that entire day and we pray. It's not necessarily one prayer that we have for 5 hrs. straight. Instead, we have several different sessions where we pray for different things (each other, our churches, extension ministries, and unsaved).
Today we just had our Day of Prayer. It was another great time of friends, brothers, and sisters in Christ lifting up each other and their burdens to the Lord. It was amazing to meet with God and talk to Him corporeally. I know that I left that time encouraged and renewed in my walk and talk with God. It was a challenge to me also that I need to keep in prayer. Our president always say this: "The greatest work you'll do in your ministry is on your knees praying and talking with God." It's a challenge that I need to practice for my life now and future ministry. I hope that this is a challenge to you if you're reading this that it is necessary that we are praying for each other and lifting our burdens to God.