Hey! My very first guest blogger is my old roommate from last year, Karissa. She is an extraordinary lady with an awesome heart for all those around her. She can be the laughter in the room or the one who I can go to because I know she will listen. It’s strange to feel I have connected more with her when she hasn’t been my roommate than when she was a year ago.. all the same, Karissa is one of my favorite and good friends. When I asked her if she would be able to write a post for me, I felt honored when she looked up from what she was doing and said, “yes” with a sheepish grin.
Without further ado – Karissa, everybody:
Oh, Catie’s friends! Hello there! I am not Catie. I’m actually Karissa, a former roommate of the lovely lady. But don’t worry! She let me in. I didn’t commandeer her blog or anything crazy. I’m just borrowing it for a while… 😉 Well, alright – just one post, actually. I’m glad to be here, though! It’s cozy. We’re in good company.
I’ve never “guest blogged” before, so you’ll have to pardon me if I bore you. I just wrote – and subsequently deleted – two paragraphs analyzing possible reasons why the chicken crossed the road. Yeah… I didn’t reach any satisfactory conclusions, so if you have any insight, please enlighten me!
So, a wee bit about myself (if the crazy chicken tangent didn’t already give you more than enough):
- Here’s me! Two jackets, haha. Welcome to Seattle.
Weird face, ftw.
- Just like Catie… This is also my second year at Adelphia Bible School, and I LOVE it here. I’m already bummed out about having to leave in May.
- Unlike Catie… I truly enjoy the drippy-droppy, wet Seattle weather. Rain makes me happy 🙂
- What I do: I love music! I currently lead worship at my church, and am part of an awesome CD project that my classmates and I are doing to raise money for our upcoming mission trips. You will probably be hearing more about these later on! I’m a barista at our local Peet’s Coffee, and love a good tea latte with hemp milk and extra vanilla.
- Getting deep here, yo: I’m pretty introverted. I’m usually okay with this, but not when it keeps me from stepping out. I’ve been getting better though, especially since my time here at Adelphia began.
So that’s a bit about me! I also want to thank you all for sharing Catie with us here at Adelphia; I’m sure you know what a huge blessing she is wherever she goes 🙂 I’ve learned so much from her: whether that’s about how to love Jesus better, or how to make a plan and stick to it, or just how to have a jolly good time! I see Jesus in her!
I want to tell you about the retreat Catie mentioned in her last post.
Our awesome Events Committee put together an amazing weekend for the whole school. On Friday afternoon, we all departed for Lake Tapps Community Church. It was super generous of them to let us use their building; I hope we stewarded it well.
We began the weekend with some chill time, and then a delicious dinner – meatball subs! I mean, seriously. SO good.
The speaker for our first session was our very own “School Mom”, Leeanne Needham. Technically she is our Registrar, but we all know her as the wise, prayerful, caring woman of God that holds our school together! She spoke to us about who God really is, and what that means for us. She shared stories from her own life, testifying to the relentless faithfulness and sovereignty of our God. He carries our burdens, and unlike everything else in our lives, he never changes. Leeanne told us about the time God opened her eyes to the fact that she was trusting her dry cleaner more than she was trusting him. She was willingly handing over her clothes to the dry cleaner, but couldn’t surrender her burdens to the King of Kings. She told us how to have real rest, how to rest our eyes on Jesus, and how to say “no” to the worry. It was a much needed reminder of what God’s love can look like in daily life, when we choose to trust in him.
That night, we hung out and watched Megamind. Good friends always make for good times 🙂 Unfortunately, three of us had to leave the church that night, because we had to work at the camp early the next morning. There was another session on Saturday morning, and I wish I had been there for it!
I arrived after dinner that night, just in time for the Saturday night session. We were led in an amazing time of worship by our friend Spencer, before hearing from the speaker, Brian Chandler. (Helpful Hint: This is the father of Catie’s special someone!) He had so much wisdom and practical advice for us. He works at the Union Gospel Mission in Seattle, helping men through addiction recovery. Transformation is something he sees everyday, and something that makes it impossible to doubt that God always at work in our lives. No matter what we do, God is always going to win. Sometimes we are a part of that win, and that is what we should desire; sometimes, however, we are not a part of it. We hold on to our earthly “loves” – things that hold us back from being fully functioning vessels for God to use. Fear, guilt, and shame are the biggest culprits. We need to be vulnerable and real about our struggles, and then we need to understand the truth of how God feels about us. If you know that truth, it will set you free from the power of that fear, that guilt, that shame. We are transformed. It was an awesome message; I am always amazed that, no matter how many times I hear it, the simple message of the gospel is timeless and new at every hearing. It never fails to stir up the most surprising, stunning, indescribable joy inside of me.
Personally, the gospel rises and falls in its apparent value in my life. Some days it floors me with its beauty and mystery, and other days I let it pass by, hidden beneath the radar of my busy mind. Nevertheless, it is always at the top of the list in its actual value, if that makes any sense. I want it to be my first thought when I wake up, and the solid reassurance that beckons my weary heart to rest at night. I want to fall more and more in love with my Savior, every day of my life.
As we ended that night, we sang, once more, the lyrics to The Stand, which I will also leave you with today. How amazing is it… He willingly stood before our failures, and he carried the cross for OUR shame! My sin weighed so heavily upon his shoulders, but now, my soul is to stand.
Man…
(Also if you want to read more of her writing, be sure to follow her own blog likeyellowromancandles.blogspot.com!)
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