Greetings from Rhode Island!

Holla WordPressers! I have recently taken a liking to Tumblr (I know, I’m a TRAITOR.) Anyhoo, I think I might get back with it here on my wordpress.

I’m loving it here on the East Coast thus far. (Flip to my Tumblr account to read some updates about my experience!) So, I won’t fill you in too much right now.

Today I am just so excited about Jesus. He is so good. He is so amazing. He gives me everything I need: people who love me and people who I love, shelter (I’ve worried about finding a place to live lots of times…) opportunities to serve and opportunities to make some mula, and lots lots lots more. God’s Word rings true throughout and He is faithful in His promises, always. I am so pumped about where He has me right now. He’s given me lots of friends here and He’s taught me so much about myself, about Himself, about His son and about life in general.

Anyways! Enough of my ramblings… I’m off. Tootaloo, cyber world.

Here’s my Tumblr! —> http://stetzy.tumblr.com/

The Bearded Lady

I was starting to think that winter would never come. Weather here in Nebraska this December and January has been quite pleasant. Temps in the upper 50s, the warm sunshine, and green grass! I was starting to think that global warming wasn’t so bad after all. But last night as I lay me down to sleep, I caught a glimpse outside of my window of snowflakes fluttering to the ground. “NO!” I exclaimed! I HATE snow!

Aside from the numerous snow days that it has blessed me with in the past, in my opinion, there is nothing good about that powdery white stuff. It’s cold, it’s’ wet, it’s dangerous. Three strikes and you’re out!

So, on my walk across campus this morning- armpits sweating profusely under my heavy winter coat and multiple layers of jackets and long sleeve t’s, ears hidden beneath my new Sock Monkey hat (gifted to me from my adorable nephew, Austin. Thanks, buddy!) and my scarf wrapped uncomfortably tight around my neck- I was frozen. And when I’m cold, my system is slower to react; I walk more slowly, I text more slowly, I think more slowly… But then a squirrel crossed my path and my brain switched on! I couldn’t help but envy the little guy- he didn’t have to bundle up to go out in the cold. His furry body and fluffy tail probably keep him quite toasty. Right after the little critter scurried away, I passed a large man with a bush growing out of his face (very similar to the squirrel’s tail, I might add). A brown Santa-like beard covered his chin and cheeks and a nicely trimmed mustache hung above his lips. Never before have I put so much thought into facial hair, but today I made the decision that I wanted some. He looked so warm… he didn’t need a thick, itchy scarf strangling him…

I continued to ponder this idea as I sat in through classes and struggled to listen to my professors…

I imaged myself with a Jack Sparrow beard. That kind of facial hair would require me to sail the 7 seas and never bathe. Unfortunately, I have motion sickness and I refuse to go more than a couple days without showering. The upside would be that I would get to wear silly hats and put all kind of fancy braids, feathers, and beads in tangling chin hair. But, the cons outweigh the pros; a pirate’s life is not for me. My mind hopped to a different character: Santa Claus! Tis the season! I’m pretty jolly so I feel like I could pull that one off quite nicely. I also look great in red. My only fear would be that of breaking small children’s hearts: what if I’m shopping in a furniture store some afternoon and while I’m testing out a Lazy Boy recliners, children line up to sit on my lap. I would have to tell each one individually that I am not the real Santa Claus and no, I cannot get you a hot wheels race track for Christmas…

In my mind, I continued to crop my face onto different famous bearded faces: Abe Lincoln, John Lennon, Zach Galifianakis, Ashton Kutcher (in the movie New Years Eve), Charles Darwin, Chuck Norris, and Jesus… But there’s one beard that trumps the rest: the Bob Ross (afro included). It would be a happy little beard…

Eventually I decided that I would not look every good with facial hair. And besides, girls shouldn’t have beards anyways. That’s just silly. It would be too much of a hassle, anyways; I already have to worry about shaving my legs, I don’t want to worry about shaving my chin.

I guess that I will have to keep treading along with my coat zipped all the way up and the Burberry wrapped around my face…

Anybody know where I can find one of these?

 

Take Me Away

“Something about the ocean makes me rise up and praise,
Something about the heavens makes me stand in awe again.
Something about the sunrise reminds me of Your faithfulness,
Something about the ocean, and I’m lost in love again…”

Being stuck in Nebraska is starting to take its toll on me. I’ve lived here all my life. Don’t get me wrong. I love it: I love how Nebraska is so flat you can see for miles, nothing compares to a sun setting over a cornfield, and autumn here is quite pleasant. But, it’s boring. We are years behind the latest fashion trends, we only have 1 Chick-Fil-A and it’s hundreds of miles away from where I live and the only truly wonderful thing we have here is Husker football.

I’m ready to get out, my heart cries for an escape. I feel so comfortable; complacency is starting to kill me. God has been assuring me that the time will come when I can pack my bags, hop on a flight headed east and let loose near the ocean…

I long to sit underneath a giant oak tree, just quiet with my God, as the orange and red leaves are severed from their branches and flutter to the ground around me. I want to stick my feet in the icy waters of the Atlantic ocean and walk barefoot on the rocky shoreline while discovering all sorts of different seashells and other little creatures of the beaches. I can smell the fresh seafood and almost taste the buttery lobster… And I want to fall asleep to the spinning lights of the lighthouses and to the peace that comes from knows that each captain has been guided home safely…

Until then, I need to come alive. I need to wake up. I need to trust God’s timing and follow His will.

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:7

Debt Free

Redemption, defined as: 1. deliverance; rescue. 2. salvation. 3. atonement for guilt. 4. repurchase.

Its about 1 o’clock and I’m just sitting here, studying for my final exam in History. I don’t think I’ve ever been up this late doing work for school, this is so awkward…

I am just listening to Ben Rector – an extremely attractive indie-acoustic-pop singer/songwriter – on Pandora and Jimmy Needham popped up on the playlist. His song “Forgiven and Loved” began playing and I realized that when I sing along with this song, I mumble. I thought the words were “oh i daaadee-daaa.” What is that supposed to mean? So I Googled the song:

“O He died, He died to rectify my hopeless situation
And His blood commands my guilt to leave
Now on Calvary I stand
Empty pockets, open hands
O there is no condemnation for me:

Child, you’re forgiven and loved”

Woah, woah. Slow down. What were those words? He died, He died. Jesus died. And I was singing gibberish. Those lyrics slapped me in the face. Yeah, I know Jesus died on the cross for me. But you know what that means? There is nothing I can do to earn my salvation. No amount of work, no amount of money, no amount of time I spend at the retirement home reading to elderly people will get me into Heaven to spend eternity with Jesus Christ. Only accepting the fact that Jesus paid it all will get me there. What an incredible promise, huh?

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. -1 John 2: 1-2

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. -Ephesians 1:7

 Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God. -1 Peter 1:18-21 [The Message]

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. 

On purpose for a purpose

God doesn’t make mistakes, plain and simple.

I was flipping through my journal the other night and I was displeased with many of the things that I had written.

“God, you made a mistake when you made me. Why am I here?”

Multiple times I had written this statement and others similar to it. How sad is that? And when I wrote that, I really felt like a piece of trash. I truly felt useless and I was honestly asking God the question, “Why did you make me?”

I’ve recently been dabbling in the book of Romans. When I say dabbling I mean I’ve been sitting down with a friend to read and dissect it and try to figure out what the heck Paul is trying to say. I’m curious why I’ve never read it much before. Romans has so much content, so much depth, so much instruction about living for God… It’s awesome and I recommend it, along with the other 65 books of the Bible, which are also pretty good. I haven’t read all of them but, I hear mostly good things …

“Who in the world do you think you are to second-guess God? Do you for one moment suppose any of us knows enough to call God into question? Clay doesn’t talk back to the fingers that mold it, saying, “Why did you shape me like this?” Isn’t it obvious that a potter has a perfect right to shape one lump of clay into a vase for holding flowers and another into a pot for cooking beans? If God needs one style of pottery especially designed to show his angry displeasure and another style carefully crafted to show his glorious goodness, isn’t that all right?” -Romans 9:20-32 [The Message]

Who am I to question why God made me the way He did? Just as a potter molds a lump of clay into a pot, He made me just as He wanted me to be. We were each created with different talents and abilities in order that we can use them to glorify the Creator. We are all unique, yet equal in the eyes of Christ.

I was constantly looking at other people, wishing I had someone else’s sense of humor or someone else’s brain or someone else’s long legs. Well, God created me with short legs, so I need to just get over it. I realized that getting angry at Him for not making me someone else was not going anywhere; I need to embrace the person who I was created to be. And until then, there would be no more growth in the relationship I have with Christ.

“You can’t be connected with God until you’re at peace with who you are. If you’re still upset that God gave you this body or this life or this family or these circumstances, you will never be able to connect with God in a healthy, thriving, sustainable sort of way. You’ll be at odds with your maker.” -Sex God, Rob Bell 

And, if I continue to shake my fist at God and pout about being me, the body of Christ will also suffer.

“You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything…

…I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.” -1 Corinthians 12:12,14-18 [The Message]

Like parts on a body, we all serve a special purpose. Without you and the unique qualities, talents, and gifts that you attribute, the body of Christ does not function as it should. Here’s another analogy for ya: I like to think of the body of Christ like a giant puzzle. Each of us is a different piece, but if you want your piece to be shaped like mine, you won’t fit, then the Christian jigsaw is not complete. YaknowhatI’msayin?

To sum this up: God made you on purpose for a purpose.

If you start to look around at others, lusting after certain qualities that they possess, take a look in the mirror. Check yourself out. You’re looking good! You are special and God made you that way, intentionally.

***

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. -1 Peter 2:9

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. -Colossians 3:12-15

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. -Psalm 139:14

Cure for loneliness

“Knowing God’s heart means consistently, radically and very concretely to announce and reveal that God is love and ONLY love and that every time fear, isolation, or despair begins to invade the human soul, this is NOT something from God…” – In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen

This is something very difficult that I’ve had to learn the past couple of weeks. I’ve been struggling hardcore with feeling insignificant, worthless, and small. I was vulnerable and Satan was jumping all over that, trying his best to cause me distress and downfall. Fortunately for me, God has placed some awesome (and very honest) people in my life.

I had quite the pity party last week: I sat up in my room screaming at God, bawling my eyes out, and I used an entire box of Kleenex. “Why was I created the way I was, I’m worthless, why doesn’t anybody like me?” (Yeah, I was being super dramatic.) God spoke to me through a close friend and, instead of comforting me and rocking me to sleep like a baby, she was brutally honest. Stop being so dramatic, you were created for a purpose and you’re doing great, stop being so critical of yourself. And QUIT listening to Satan’s LIES…

Loneliness is God’s cry for intimate, alone time with His creation: you. When others are unavailable, when relationships end, when those you love so dearly are miles away… God is still there. He’s available 24/7, He’s always going to listen to you vent about your junk and He’ll always be there to offer you the comfort you need.

God has been teaching me not to seek my self-worth in other people, but in Him. [This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. -Jeremiah 17:5] People are always going to let you down and disappoint you, people will continually make you feel insignificant and useless. But if you are satisfied in Jesus Christ, He will make you feel whole and compete. If your self-worth is found in God, not saying you won’t feel lame sometimes, but you will always know that you are loved. He did die for you on the cross, don’t ya know. I think that you make you feel pretty special…

God’s word is full of countless promises of God’s love and comfort for us. I was ignoring His cry to open up my Bible and dive in, instead I decided to reach out to others. God wants nothing more than our time and dedication; one way to do that is read his word. Quiet time is huge, regardless is you read your bible or not. Once I sat and prayed, talked to God for just a few minutes and became vulnerable before Him, I felt so much better. The pressures and anxieties that I had previously felt were gone and I was comforted by my precious King…

Isaiah 41:10 says it best, “So do not fear, for I am with you.” God will never leave you. Next time you’re freaking out about just about anything, remember this verse and allow Jesus to speak softly to your heart.

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. -Isaiah 54:10

Ablaze

I wanna set the world on fire until it’s burning bright for You.

It’s everything that I desire, can I be the one You use?

 I am small, but You are big enough. I am weak, but You are strong enough…

-Britt Nicole

 

So this week was seriously dreadful. Part of it what made it so horrible was stress: so much to do but no time to do it. But another thing that made this week so bad was that I was being a stubborn jerk. To all of you who had to displeasure of being around me this week, I apologize. I was no fun and I was a grump… but I’m so glad that this week is over

My plan was to skip church this week and go home early; however, that plan did not work. I might have fallen asleep on Thursday night and woken up to the sound of a worship band practicing below me (I live at the campus house and two floors down from my bedroom is where we have weekly services). So I decided to stick around, and I am so glad that I did. The message my pastor shared this week was amazing, it’s like it was written for me…

Moses and the Burning Bush

God said, “I’ve taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I’ve heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey…

The Israelite cry for help has come to me, and I’ve seen for myself how cruelly they’re being treated by the Egyptians. It’s time for you to go back: I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Moses answered God, “But why me? What makes you think that I could ever go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

“I’ll be with you,” God said. “And this will be the proof that I am the one who sent you: When you have brought my people out of Egypt, you will worship God right here at this very mountain.”

-Exodus 3:7-12

I’ve heard this story so many times and I always thought it was just weird. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush? Couldn’t He have been something else like a talking animal or something? Anyways, Moses doubted God. He didn’t think he was good enough to go out, to lead the Israelites, to make a different. And, Moses was making excuses…

The nasty attitude I had this week stemmed from the lies that Satan was whispering in my ear: You are not good enough, you can’t make a difference, no one is going to listen to you, you’re dumb… But like I said, those were LIES. Like Moses, I doubted that God really wanted to send ME.

I lead a bible study for freshmen girls, and I love it. My freshmen year sucked and I will do everything in my power to be sure that no other girls have to go through what I did. Lately, though, I have felt useless and worthless in our group. Am I really making an impact on these girls? They don’t need me, they will be okay. Truth is, they are fine without me. These girls are awesome and they don’t NEED me. But, after sharing my testimony with them, I came to realize that I am having an impact, I am making a difference, I am pouring into their lives. It’s not me, but it’s God’s strength in me; not for my glory but for His. He has silenced the lies and has used the girls in this group to encourage me and motivate me to keep going, not only in this bible study but in every aspect of my life as well…

Since the summer ended and school went back into session, we’ve all been feeling like something big is about to happen. And it is. Bible studies are filling up with new faces and each week I hear a different story of a victory that someone has won in Christ. New friends fill the basement of CSF each week and the Gospel is taught to more and more people. Everyone is getting antsy and we’re all ready to go…

Once we all quit with the excuses and realize that, while we don’t have it all together and we will never be ready enough, God is. God is so strong and mighty and is capable of doing the impossible. He promised us that He would never leave us; He will always be with us.

Like in the days of Moses, we are living in a world full of broken people. I’m sick of coming to class each day knowing that some of my classmates are missing out on a relationship with Jesus Christ. I hate that I don’t know the stories and the journeys of those who sit next to me in class, let alone many of their names…

I feel like God is calling me to leave Nebraska next fall. In one year, I will be on the East coast laying on a beach somewhere (just kidding, of course, it’s colder there than it is in Nebraska right now…) I’m getting really comfortable here and I’m [almost] ready to go somewhere far away where it can just be me and God…

That is all fine and dandy… but I was using this as an excuse. I was telling myself, “I’ll just wait to start telling people about Jesus when I get to Rhode Island…” but I can’t wait anymore. It’s time for me to stop making excuses, trust God, and GO.

So, what’s holding you back? What’s your excuse now?

My hands, my feet, my everything. My life, my love, Lord use me…