So last entry I talked about the next part of my life as being great. It's been a while so here's an update:

In summer school and graduating in three and a half weeks.

Moving in with my parents middle of next month

Still attending Xenia Assembly of God

Praying in tongues daily plus reading about what a life in the Spirit is like

Still working at Fairborn Library

Doing stuff with International Ministry (events, hanging with students, etc.)

So tonight I got some of the Great of my post XA life. This isn't post XA related though truly because XA was involved indirectly. Funny. I went to an XA meeting tonight (Ignite) becuase I just wanted to be around everyone. The summer talks are great and staying away from them is hard. So why fight it when you don't have to?

So tonight we talked about freedom from sin. My biggest one has been vanity for a long time and I made a break through in my life in that.

Freedom is part of the Great I was talking about. I have been wrestling with lies all this year so I can be dependent God's Word for truth.

Freedom is new to me. I am not talking about freedom to do whatever I want. I am more talking about what we like to call liberation. The freedom from what we call psychological restraints like worry, fear, etc. We stick things mainly in the psychological processes and think by sheer will we can have freedom from them. When freedom comes from Christ. I really don't think on our own strenghth we can be free from this stuff because they have spiritual consequences and play a big part in the spiritual world. And worry and fear- they are sin. And sin...Well we are slaves to that until we have Christ. We can't overcome the sin in our lives without Him. This is why Jesus died on the cross.

Praise the Lord I am free to follow Him!!!

Summer Reading Challenge: ( a really long book that needs to read by the end of summer)

Gone - Michael Grant

Comic Series: (usually a series of comicbooks that I have been working on but have not finished that I want finished by end of summer)

For Better or Worse- Lynn Johnston (18 books)

Teen books:

Inda - Sherwood Smith

Inspiration:

Bittersweet- Cathy Marie Hake

I have a confession to make. I don't think I can reach Muslims or Europeans on this campus for Christ. I am more excited about reaching Chinese and Japanese students than I am about the idea of reaching Muslims and Europeans.

So when I see Muslims on this campus I let them walk by or pass them up because I feel intimidated or want to do something else all of the sudden. When all I need to do is walk up, say hi, and introduce myself. It's a great start.

I make up excuses saying I am only meant to reach Asians and American students. Yeah, I feel especially called in that and have a heart for Chinese, Americans, and Japanese women but that does not change the command in the Bible to go out into all the world and make disciples out of all people. The Lord's heart is that none shall perish not just who you feel called to reach. Should not our hearts be for all people?

I forget who is in me when I do not reach out to others. I forget who I am living for. It is Jesus.

So who is God asking you to reach that you are making excuses about? Who do you see everyday that needs the Gospel but you keep walking away from them?

Let me ask some more questions: What if someone had not talked to you? What if someone made up excuses about sharing the Gospel with you? Think of the people in the past who witnessed to you, who taught you about Jesus. What if they did not? I know God can use anything to get our attention and focus on Him and He is the one who saves us, but what if He is choosing you to get someone's attention? What if He is choosing you so someone can hear the Gospel? Should we not want to be apart of that? I know I do.

Let me share a story. A week and a half ago I was on University of Dayton campus. My friend Rod and I were out praying and Rod felt like we should witness. So he asked God to show him someone to witness to. This guy in army camflouge walked by. Rod said he felt God wanted us to talk to him. So we went after him. Rod ran and ran and had already started to talk to the guy when I showed up. I introduced myself. We are going to call him John for this entry. Something John said in the middle of our sharing Jesus with him went something like this: "A person can only ask so many times for a sign and deligently pray for so long to God and go without it." I had a feeling that was what happened to him. John told us he grew up in a Christian home, went to church every Sunday and believed Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Yet his brother is sick with a disease and the doctors don't know exactly what is wrong with him. God is not high on John's priority list these days, he told us. He still goes to church and still thinks God exists and would even say Jesus is Lord but he is not seeking God right now. We prayed for him and encouraged him to read the Bible and keep asking God for healing for his brother until he saw it. We prayed with John for healing for his brother. I could not help but think that we were John's sign. Now I think that John has been given things from God before and have not looked for them or seen them that way. He was expecting something else. Maybe he was just expecting his brother's healing when God wants to do more than just heal or fix what is broken. He wants to share a wonderful relationship with people. He wants to save us from hell, sin, death, this world, and ourselves. I could not help but think we were a sign for John.

If God can and will work through us to give signs to people than who can you give a sign to that you have not?

-Nichole