A trip to the Serengetee....

I've had the opportunity to be a brand rep for an amazing company called Serengetee for the last two months. Serengetee was founded in 2012 by two college guys who wanted to combine their love of travel, fabric and a desire to give back. So Serengetee was born and it's been changing the way people view fashion ever since.

Serengetee buys fabric from local artisans in more than 25 countries. Their purchases support people who are trying to make a living and trying to provide for their families. These aren't mass-produced, factory-made fabrics. They are made by fathers, grandmothers, aunties- real people, and the purchases are making a real difference.
It doesn't stop there though. Serengetee donates 10% of their profits to grassroots causes in the very areas they purchase their fabric from. Causes such as ending human trafficking, providing clean water or even supporting veterans here in the US. When you buy a shirt with the Dulu Pocket pictured below, you are supporting disaster relief efforts in Nepal to rebuild after their recent earthquake.
The fabrics used for these pockets and other merchandise like Serengetee's cool backpacks, hats, bracelets and much more, are brought back to the US and then the items are sewn by hand by employees in Los Angeles.

When you buy a shirt with the Jamapa Pocket above, you are giving back to impoverished children in Mexico. You can sort the fabrics by country and cause while shopping, to support the issues that you care most about. There are so many options!

One thing that I love about Serengetee is that it is an easy way for people to give back while doing something they have to do anyway. A lot of college students feel like they don't have the disposable income to donate and give like they would like to. Students have to use their money to pay for things like tuition, rent, food and...clothes. Serengetee shows that by making conscious decisions about where you shop and what brands you support, you can make a difference. 

Because Serengetee's fabric comes from local artisans and its items are constructed right here in the US, you can feel good buying from them. You know that your money isn't funding the exploitation of people in sweatshops or unsafe working conditions. It's supporting families and students. 

When you shop with Serengetee you are supporting causes around the world, providing jobs right here in the US and you'll end up with some stylin' apparel for you and the people you care about. 

As someone who loves to travel and who cares about making a difference, I'm so glad I found Serengetee! Check out a few more photos of myself and my friend Clara repping Serengetee below ↓↓↓↓

In response to the UCC shooting...

Taking away guns or adding guns- neither of those will take away the hate that causes people to do things like what happened on the Umqua Community College campus this morning. The fact that it’s only been a few hours and already all that anyone can talk about is gun control shows how little empathy we have. Our lack of concern for human life and lack of love for others is a bigger issue than any weapon is.  

   The authorities are investigating a 4chan thread where someone anonymously posted about shooting up a school today, and on this thread were tons of comments from people encouraging the poster, giving tips and saying that more violence like this is what the world needs. It was one of the most awful things that I have ever read.  These commenters care more about power, revenge and violence than they do about people. But then again, don’t we all?

         Violence, gore and destruction are not only promoted but also hungrily consumed by our society. We flock to the theaters to watch movies full of death and horror, we play video games that allow us to act out violence in a fantasy realm and we naturally can’t look away from the car accidents we pass on the road. 

But just like guns aren’t the issue, neither are violent movies or games.

What it really comes down to is the fact that we are all sinners.

         Now when people say “We’re all sinners” they usually mean, we all make mistakes, we slip up, tell a few lies, let rude comments slip out and other things of that nature but it goes so much deeper than that. Deep down, any of us is fully capable of committing the kind of atrocities like what took place at UCC today. We are all totally lost and dead in our sin.  We look down on the people who shoot up schools or who crash planes into buildings but the truth is we need Jesus JUST as much as they do. 

That is the answer to all of this. 

Jesus.

         No amount of gun control, mental health funding or any other legislation can even come close to the transformative power of the gospel. When people truly understand how much God loves them, and not just them, but every single person in the world, hate can no longer fill their hearts. When people realize that the perfect Son of God, who had every right to punish us for our rebellion against him, instead died a painful death to set us free, they must be so humbled that revenge is no longer relevant. We do not have to be slaves the violence, anger and evil that is inside us.  Jesus already paid that price. 

         If we spent as much time praying for our country and government as we do complaining about them on Facebook, things would be much different. If we cared as much about those who are hurting, or outcast as we care about what people think of us, things would be much different.  If we spent as much time sharing and showing the gospel to the people around us as we do condemning them, things would be much different. 

If we made Jesus a priority, things would be much different.

         I am just as guilty as anyone in this. I don’t share the gospel with everyone I meet. I care more about making people see my point than I care about making them see Christ. I spend way too much time sharing posts and hashtagging my support and not enough time crying out to God on my knees in prayer for the issues of the world.  This post is more for me than anyone else.

Let’s preach the love of God before we preach politics.

Let’s actually pray before posting #Prayfor(insert tragedy here) on social media.

And please don’t let the people who lost their life at UCC today, or those who have lost their lives in any of the hundreds of tragedies that happen every single day become nothing more than statistics that we use to prove our points. 


Psalm 34:18

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; Behold, the new has come. 

It's the little things.

I was reading in Psalms today about how David called upon God to deliver him from the hands of his enemies and to save him from those who wanted to kill him. 
In light of that– The problems of my life seem rather petty.
Who am I to ask the God of the universe for help with the silly drama of my personal life or because I don't feel good when there are people crying out for their very lives? How dare I ask for the attention of God when it is so desperately needed by others.

This thinking paints a picture of a small God and a capable me.
Neither is true.

The all-knowing God already knows my issues and problems and He is definitely aware of the plights of those who's lives are on the line. And He has enough time and attention for both. For everyone. 
He knows when even a sparrow falls and I'm concerned that He doesn't care about me?

I am not capable of anything on my own. I cannot save my own life but I also cannot cure my own cold. I cannot do anything apart from Him.
Bringing the little things before God means humbling myself to know that I need him every second of every day. When life is great– I need Him. When things are rough– I need Him. 

God says "Come to me" not, "Come to me when you're in really big trouble." He also says to "pray without ceasing". I should be in such constant communication with God that of course I pray about that test or my headache because I pray about everything. 

Maybe no one is trying to kill me, maybe my life is unbelievably good thanks to the grace of God but that doesn't matter. 
God wants me to need Him even in the midst of abundant blessing. 

We often say that nothing is too big for God, but sometimes we need to remember that nothing is too small for Him either. 

Matthew 10:29-31English Standard Version (ESV)

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?[a] And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Matthew 11:28English Standard Version (ESV)

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

1 Thessalonians 5:17English Standard Version (ESV)

17 pray without ceasing,

The Struggle is Real

I was talking to a friend (shout out to Joshua Friedlein) earlier about how excited I was for Christian Youth in Action this upcoming week because even though it is going to be tiring and it is going to be a struggle, at least it’s a struggle for the cause of Christ instead of just struggling though school or work. As I typed those words, mid-sentence, God slapped me in the face with a bit of His truth.

Everything that I do should be a struggle for the cause of Christ. Everything that I do should always be for His glory and to do His work. Every action should be 100% about Him. I shouldn’t be struggling though classes for the sake of school. I shouldn’t be struggling to get through my workday for the sake of a paycheck. I should be going to school everyday to share the gospel with my classmates, to glorify God with my behavior and work ethic, to get my degree so that I can go into the field God has called me to. I should be going to work with the intention of showing the love of God to the kids that I work with, to be a good example, to share the gospel with them. When I start to view the hard things in this life as struggles for the cause of Christ instead of annoying things that I just have to deal with, my response to them will be so much different.

When hard things happen, I can be encouraged because they are an opportunity for Christ to work in my heart, refining me.

When hard things happen, I can face them confidently knowing that God is in my corner because I am working towards His purposes.

When hard things happen, I can know that struggling through them is worth it because they have an impact on eternity.

If I’m going to school for the sake of going to school, or just so I can say that I did it, or because it’s what is expected of me, it means nothing in the scheme of eternity.
            If I spend 45+ hours a week with the kids that I work with, just for the sake of a paycheck and think nothing of the amazing opportunity I’ve been given to show love and speak life into the lives of 3 kids, it means nothing in the scheme of eternity.

And honestly- a lot of the struggles in my life come from me doing things my way, instead of God’s way. I need to start struggling for Christ, instead of against Him.

Each and every day, my goal should be living my life 100% devoted to Christ and whatever He calls me to. I need to learn to start striving to serve Him, instead of just striving. I must learn to struggle for His causes, instead of just struggling. I need to view my life as one giant mission, one giant gospel outreach, instead of allowing ministry to be A PART of my life for a few months in the summer. Sharing the gospel is supposed to be my WHOLE LIFE.
            Now does that mean that I’ll never have a bad attitude about struggles ever again? Will I always be able to see God’s hand in every bad situation? Will life just seem easy breezy knowing that it’s okay, God can work through this hard time?
            Haha…. NO.

BUT…
            The more I strive to follow God’s plan and do His work, the more likely I am to rely on His strength instead of my own.

The more I stop having a pity party about the struggles in my life, the more likely I am to let God give me His joy.

So no, life doesn’t suddenly just get easier because I start following Christ fully. In fact, living for Christ usually brings on even more struggles. But- when I’m walking with Christ, I can allow Him to share the burden.

             I’m very excited to serve God at Christian Youth in Action next week. I’m looking forward to the struggles that will bring me closer to Him and the hard things that remind me how much I need Him. But I am also looking forward to the struggles that will come at work once I get home. And the hard things that I’ll deal with during school when this summer is over. Because I know that those struggles and hard things are opportunities for God to grow me, and for me to share Him with others.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10  “But he said to me,  ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Romans 5:3-5 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering  produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love  has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Autopilot.

Yesterday was a pretty typical Monday. And by that I mean chaotic, long and nothing going as planned. 
It began with my alarm. Or lack thereof. 
I rolled over from a soon forgotten dream, looked at the clock and realized I should have been up 30 minutes ago. 
I hopped out of bed and the mad-dash began. 
Clothes? Check.
Hair brushed? Check.
Make-up somewhat decent? Check.
Teeth brushed? Check.
Deodorant? Check.
Backpack? Check. 
All the essentials covered. 
I ran out the door at 8:05, jumped in my car and headed for class. 
It wasn't until I was in my car that I realized I had forgotten something very, very important. More important than brushing my teeth or looking nice. 
My morning devotions. 
Part of my mind tried to rationalize and excuse the behavior...
I was running late. I had things I needed to do. I couldn't be late for school. 
But I was convicted. Less than 24 hours after listening to my pastor remind us how remarkably important it is to be in The Word everyday. Less than 24 hours after I talked with a girl from church about how much more time I wanted to spend studying the Bible. 24 hours and one rushed morning later, and that's all out the window. 

Why is it that when I'm running short on time, my devotions are the first thing to be cut out?
My time with God should be such a key, routine part of my morning, that its something I do even when I am running on autopilot. 
What could be more important than spending time with my Lord and Savior before my day begins?

I want to get to the point where praying, reading The Word and meeting with my God are as natural and necessary to me as breathing. I need to prioritize Jesus over my physical appearance, because who cares how my makeup looks if my heart is filthy? 

It's never going to be easy for me to get up early in the mornings to make time for my devotions. The night-owl that I am will probably always struggle with it. But Jesus is worth it. And everything that I do in this life is pointless if I am not doing it to glorify Him and it's so hard to remember that if I don't get my head and heart aligned with His first thing in the morning. 

So here's my confession– Starting my day off with time in The Word is something I struggle with and fail at often. But I know there's grace for that in Jesus, and that He loves me enough to meet with me wherever I am. Even if that's just 15 minutes in prayer while I'm in my car driving to school. I also know there's strength to overcome early mornings if I am willing to put the work in. 
And here's my challenge– Put Jesus first. Make spending time with Him each day your default mode. Fall in love with your Bible and treasure time with the One who loves you more than you can imagine. 
And if you see me, hold me accountable. Ask me if I read my Bible that morning. Ask me what God showed me in The Word that day. 

Matthew 4:4
"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Joshua 1:8

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

365 days.

I've always tried to keep a journal but to be honest, I'm not nearly dedicated enough. So I settle for once a year, on the night before my birthday, writing in a journal to keep  a record of what's happened in the past 52 weeks of my life. 

It's always a good mix of "Aw's" and "Ugh's" when re-reading old entries. 

I am horribly embarrassed by how much space is wasted by who the ridiculous crush of the month was. 
I am reminded of the hard things that happened that shaped me into the person I am today.
I am able to reminisce on the great times with great people that I've been blessed to experience. 

Reading last years entry made me laugh especially hard.

For once– I was so sure that I had gotten my life figured out. I was officially valedictorian, I'd been accepted into the college of my dreams, I had great friends and school was going really well. 
I wrote that I was going to go to Corban University, and I was going to become a teacher, and that I really liked someone and thought it was going to work out. 

Then life happened. 

The last thing I wrote in that entry was "let's see what my life looks like a year from now."
Well it's been a year and things are definitely not what I had in mind as the clock struck 12 on my 18th birthday. 

I am not at Corban; I'm currently attending Chemeketa Community College. 
I am not planning on becoming a teacher; I want to go into Children's ministry.
And it didn't work out. 

365 days ago I had plans. But that's the thing about plans– they change. Or rather, God changes them for us. And it's a good thing too. I'm a horrible planner. I've never thrown a good party, I always forget something when I go on vacation and something always seems to go amiss in even the most mundane things like trying to get out the door for school on time. 
So why do I think it's a good idea to try and plan my own life?!

Now, I must admit that in the moment, I'm not always so happy with God when he changes my plans It's like He's just pulled me out of the way of an oncoming train (i.e myself) and I'm mad at Him for hurting my arm. 
But looking back, I know that every bump along the way, every u-turn and wrong turn and pit stop has somehow  been for my benefit and I am thankful for the way my life has turned out so far. 

Another thing about change, is it never happens all at once. It happens day by day, so that you almost don't notice it happening. But 365 small changes add up to make a big difference when you look back on it. 

So here's to another year, another 365 little changes, another 52 weeks of wrong turns, and 525,949 minutes for God to prove that He's in control and that He knows best. 

Let's see what my life looks like a year from now.

Proverbs 16:9New King James Version (NKJV)

A man’s heart plans his way,But the Lord directs his steps.

Romans 8:28New King James Version (NKJV)

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

I am a friend of God.

Have you ever been surrounded by hundreds of people and yet felt alone?

That's how I've felt many times since moving to Salem. 

I went from seeing my friends every single day at school, eating lunch at a table with 10 other people, literally hundreds of people I'd seen every day for the past 4 years to a school where I could count the people I knew on one hand.

If you know me- you know I like to talk.

 A lot. 

Suddenly, there's no one to talk to. I go to class, I eat lunch alone, I go to another class, I go home. Repeat.

I was lonely, I was angry, I was homesick. 

Since when was making friends this hard?

Why didn't anyone like me?

What was I doing wrong?

When there's no one to talk to, you begin to realize that everything you say really isn't that important after all and that talking just to hear yourself talk is pointless. You start to see that wanting everyone to listen to you is a very self-centered way to live your life. So instead of just yelling louder, hoping someone will hear or notice you, you stop, and you shut your mouth for a minute.

 And when you're finally quiet you can finally hear the voice of God. 

Then you realize that there's been someone to talk to all along. Someone who loves you unconditionally. Someone who has been reaching out to you all this time. Someone who you were too busy running your mouth to pay any attention to. 

Sometimes you have to be separated from all the other relationships in your life to see that you've been neglecting the one relationship that actually matters. 

When you fill your life with friends, social events, and get togethers; when you turn to friends and family for a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen it's easier to forget how much you need God. 

But once you start seeking God first and foremost, once you run into His arms, you'll wonder how you ever thought you needed anyone else. 

So when you feel like no one is listening- maybe it's time to stop talking and instead turn your eyes and ears toward Heaven and find a friend in the one who will never leave you nor forsake you. 

Hebrews 13:5New King James Version (NKJV)

5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

John 15:15New King James Version (NKJV)

15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Psalm 46:10aNew King James Version (NKJV)

10 Be still, and know that I am God...