When You're Wrong

Last night, I finished the book A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller. And WOW. It was incredible. I have read books on prayer before... this was by FAR my favorite! Paul writes from a Biblical standpoint and incorporates his own stories and struggles to demonstrate that prayer is not rubbing God's "genie lamp." The whole concept of the book is really that prayer is not an activity we do, but it is interwoven in our lives with God. A lifestyle, if you will.

One thing that really struck me towards the end of the book was a list (pictured below) Paul had written in his prayer journal, about what God was teaching him, in regards to listening to people when they had a problem with him.

This hit me right between the eyes. How quick am I to jump to defending myself and assuming the worst about my accuser... especially when I am wrong? .......Often times, pretty quick. And I am even quicker to assume that if I bring something up to someone else, they are assuming the worst about me and gearing up to lash back.

But this list, as I read it, seemed Spirit-filled -- completely opposite of our natural reactions. Oh how I desire to respond regularly in a more godly way! I just need God's grace to persevere and be patient as I strive to grow.

What about you? As you read this list, how does your heart respond? Are you convicted about how you react? Or do you more often than not respond in the way described above? How can you grow in responding to someone when they have a problem with you? 

"Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger." - James 1:19

(Photo from A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller page 254)

Weekend Fun

When the weather is as close to perfect as it was this weekend... I wouldn't have wanted to spend it anywhere but outside!

Friday night, we enjoyed a staff team dinner out before heading to the women's soccer home opener! It was a gorgeous night to sit outside and enjoy the company of student athletes =) Oh, and Rutgers won!

Saturday, Tyler and I were determined to spend some time outdoors and enjoy not only one of the last "summer" weekends, but also the almost non-existent humidity!! After some searching, we decided to head west to Melick's Town Farm and pick flowers (more my idea, Tyler's just nice enough to go along with it). It was a unique experience and something I'd love to do again. And we're now looking forward to apple and pumpkin picking this fall!

On our way home, we stopped at Target and purchased some [long awaited] patio furniture, HALF OFF at Target! Score. The flowers found a place on our table and now brighten our home and serve as a great reminder of a wonderful day! After dinner, we spent the evening on the porch in our new chairs, in the glorious weather, devouring ice-cream and completing crossword puzzles. Yeah, we're the coolest kids on the block. 

Today, we spent the morning at church, got our grocery shopping done this afternoon, and then headed to campus to see the Rutgers volleyball scrimmage. It was fun supporting some of our AIA girls and even meeting some of the new girls on the team =) 

I love weekends like this. And with the school year picking up, so will my weekend schedule -- which I also love. It's a good balance... weekends full of sports and weekends full of adventures. All in all, I am grateful to have spent the weekend alongside my hubby and easing back into the swing of things as school starts up next week!

A True Disciple

According to Google, the definition of disciple is a personal follower of Jesus during his life, esp. one of the twelve Apostles. Here's where this can get muddy.

I meet with girls on campus, and call it "discipleship." And girls often refer to me as their discipler (although I've had girls introduce me as their life coach, which gave me a nice chuckle). Not to say the usage of those terms is incorrect, but I think to keep a clear understanding of my role as a "discipler" is vital.

As I step into the 2013-2014 school year serving on campus, I want to guard myself against the idea that I am to teach girls how to follow me. I am not worthy of following. I, in myself, have nothing to offer (as much as it kills my pride and flesh to admit that). As stated in 2 Corinthians 3:5, "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God," all I have is from Christ. If I muddy the water by not being clear about that, and make discipleship appointments into a "follow Allison 101" time, I am doing a huge disservice to the girls I minister to and even to myself! Although, not to say I should not aim to live in a way worth imitating -- after all, Paul urges with the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:1) to, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." If at all I am hoping girls will model anything after my life, I need to be clear (with myself and them) that it's only because I am seeking to follow Christ -- therefore, He is ultimately the only Leader to follow!

It is far more important, Biblical, and lasting to teach girls how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, how to follow Him as their Lord. 

These are the people, too, that I seek to learn from and follow... the ones who are following Christ and pointing others to Him alone.

A Lesson on Racism: A Class Divided

This summer, as I've shared, I spent the month of June serving at Athletes in Action's Urban Project - Los Angeles. During my time there, we viewed a handful of documentaries and movies. Below is a clip from a documentary we watched titled A Class Divided. I find it eye opening, heart wrenching, and unfortunately true. 

Full video and more details here.

Imagine if the world took part in this "experiment" to gain greater understanding on treating others as your brother? to seeing others equally? to understanding what it feels like to be discriminated against? to embracing differences rather than hating them? The world would be a different and certainly more peaceful place.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” - 1 Samuel 16:7

Friends in the Bloggersphere

Ahhh.... The world of blogging. I'm sure there are rules, but I don't follow them (a rebel at heart I guess?). I was introduced to blogging a while back and as I began writing my own blog, I tended to keep with a theme. Over time, this morphed. No longer am I bound to a theme of "devotional style posts" but posts on [my] life-- what God is teaching me, fun things/places I experience, and even yummy recipes. I incorporate in my blog, and write about, what gives me life!

Recently, I've discovered that many of my friends also have some really fun blogs, varying in type and topic. However, they're all interesting and note worthy (but I may be a little biased). Let me introduce you to my friends' blogs::

Amy Lowe Designs

I just recently (maybe within the last week or so) stumbled upon this gem! My friend Amy, who I met my freshman year of college, is putting her creativity up for showcase. I love her thematic and creative posts. She's also one of my favorite Pinners to follow.

Anchor In Faith

Now this is a brand new, fresh off the press, blog! Caity, a recent Rutgers grad, has jumped on the blogging bandwagon. I cannot wait to see how she develops and all that she shares!

Faith Focused

This blog is one of the more creatively written blogs I follow. Robyn, a former USF track and cross country runner, tends to share from her heart with words as art. I am constantly blown away by her unique style of writing! It's encouraging to see God continue to grow and mature her in her faith!

Leading by Following

D'Aisha, a Rutgers fifth year senior, writes from her heart and asks the bloggersphere heart-level questions to engage her readers. I enjoy her posts because they are not only inspiring, but they have depth and purpose.

Life As I Know It

Pao, a creative soul, tends to simply blog about life (which I love)! Her posts are insightful and relatable. What I like about her posts is that since they tend to vary in topic, she keeps me on my toes!

Sugarly Ever After

The title of this blog is PERFECTION. Sabrina, who I met taking education classes USF, is basically a real life princess (by that I mean, she's Disney obsessed). If I could write a script for her life, she wouldn't be teaching elementary school children... 

she'd have her own cooking baking show, taped in the kitchen of a Disney World Resort. She's creative and has a sweet tooth, which automatically unites our souls. Her recipes are creative and her posts are always fun to read!

Seeing the World, One Field at a Time 

& la argeura yankee

These two blogs keep me connected with sweet girls playing soccer around the globe! God gave me the opportunity to disciple these two at USF while they were playing soccer. Now, they're playing at a professional level and keeping the world informed along their journeys via their blogs!

The Healthy Housewife

This blog is precisely as the title states... healthy recipes from a wife and soon-to-be-Mama! Jordyn's posts are exciting and DELICIOUS. Definitely a blog which I enjoy following.

Worthy of Being Storied

Now I find this to be a very inspirational blog. Krysta, a creative mom, supportive wife, and workout advocate continually inspires me simply by sharing about her life. Krysta and I ran (literally, ha!) in the same circle only for about a year in high school, during the one season I chose to torture myself by running cross country. Now, we're only connected via social media. But nonetheless, I am so grateful that she shares about her life, children, and experiences via her blog! Her life and family is fun to keep up with!

Surely there are other friends of mine out there with blogs... please share your link in a comment! I'd love to peek into your life via the window of your blog. 

What blogs do you enjoy following?