Rejoice, Lord is near, Give thanksgiving, and peace of God

“4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

I am done with college. I graduated. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. God is good. I am back at home for a while.  If you have a job to be done I would happy to help for a small fee. We all have something to rejoice in. Along with graduating I know what I am going to do with two years of my life. However I don't know when I will get to start. I have been commissioned to serve the Capitol Hill Church of Christ as an intern through the HIM program. HIM stands for Helpers in Mission. It's much like Sunset AIM program but it's for after you graduate. This is a mission outreach from Memorial Road Church of Christ, who pays for 40% of the support. I am so excited for the opportunity however since it's a mission internship there is fundraising for support. Fundraising is not my strong suit. I will be in Tulsa for awhile so if you need any odd jobs done I am available. 

I have a job. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. Lord is near.  I have been described as gentle in moments in my life. However there are times that I know I that I am not gentle. Life at Capitol Hill I have met some of the gentle souls, sisters in Christ that I know. I have already only been gone for a little over a week and I miss them. There is something about Capitol Hill that gets under my skin and I can feel the LORD IS NEAR. I cannot pinpoint the exact moment when I can feel the presence strongest.  I don't know if it's when we are singing and a group of kids will repeat the last word of each line to certain songs, making praise their's. Or seeing the Grandmas' bring thier car loads of grandchildren to church and showing them the joy of the Lord. Or the moments I see strong women be gentle when they are talking to the kids about their choices and behaviors. Let your gentleness be known. In Star Wars Yoda has a line that I feel similar to how I feel about Capitol Hill, "The Force is strong in this one. " 

I come from a line of worriers.  Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. If you have ever known me for a long period of time you may have seen me freak out on an occasion. There was a time in my life where I started to get panic attacks. I can remember two imes that they were very severe. The first was a week or so before I was supposed to take a month long trip to Japan and China. My anxiety brought me to realization that kind i could not go. I had a slight moments where I somewhere I knew that I could not go. I did not go and I owe my mother three money she spent on the trip . Second, panic attack I had the night before I broke up with my ex. I am not proud of my choices of how I did that but I was an emotional and spiritual wreck. I believe that God will use you in any situation but I also believe He will let you know if you are not fulfilling for the purpose he has for you. After those two instances of that summer, I had a beautiful summer and I learned that I cannot rush into anything. I also learned that I am a relational person. Everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  At the end of the summer I was part of my churches Dramatime for VBS. It was the story of Jesus, Jesus is Lord. The group became close over the month or so. The story of Jesus is very powerful and I learned more watching it acted out. I was thankful them and the relationship I built. I still worry however I have been trying to take it to God more. 

I can finally read for fun again. No more chapters upon chapters for school such calming peace. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. The first book I picked up is  Kisses from Katie, it's about  a beautiful sister who was called to Uganda and how God has blessed her life since she moved. I am about halfway through her book and it is such a large encouragement to me who is going to start on her own journey of faith. Not only does she move to Uganda and worked with the children there she also has been in the process of adopting thirteen little girls. At a very young age I knew that it was on my heart to adopt and foster. Reading gives me such peace this sister is only two years older and God has used her for so much. Have you ever read a book and immediately you think of others you want to recommend it to? That is how I feel reading this book. 

This passage has become something that is part of my life in each aspects. Much peace, love and prayers, brothers and sisters. Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend. Keep me in your prayers. 

Your sister, 

Evynn 

Psalms 23 - Thanksgiving Battle Cry

This is my manuscript for my Sermon that I gave on Monday Afternoon.

Artist: Cate Robbins, she calls this a self portrait with her shepherd.

 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.  

(NIV biblegateway.com)

Introduction: 
On August 28, a new movie was released into the theater made by the Kendrick Brothers. Similar to other of their movies this movie has a lot of lessons the main one in this story is that God fights the real battle. The movie is War Room. If you have not seen it. I think it should be on the “Christian movie bucket list” that everyone needs to see. One of the character reminders me a lot of David who wrote this Psalm and the thankfulness the shared for their Shepherd.

Transition to move 1:

David had a lifetime worth of battles he faced but he always had faith that God was on his side.

Move 1:

In Psalm 23, David calls God his shepherd. One of the many great things about David is that he went throughout his life with not just one job but several. One of these was being a shepherd of his father sheep. Philip Kelly points out that David later in his life is called the shepherd king. David learned his lesson when and relied God after the enemy led him astray more than once.  The character that in my opinion is much like David, Clara, she's a widow she's deciding factor in this move. She is a faithful prayer warrior her husband worked in the war room for the military. SHE doesn't fear like verse in 4 (read the verse) the trouble of this world. Miss Clara had the confidence that she was in God's hands. The best thing about miss Clara is she forces the audience to see the true enemy in this battle is the devil. Most of her day is sitting in her prayer closet and prays for every occasion in her life and has a wall of remembrance much like this Thanksgiving Psalm.

Transition to move 2:

David and fictional Clara brings thier battles to the Lord and find rest, what about us?

Move 2:

This Psalm has largely impacted my life and has been with me in some of the battles I have faced. My father was a gracious student of the Lord's book. One of the many verses he taught me to memorize was this very psalm. He also wrote many different verses and songs that go together and gave them to churches we went to for resources for a church devo. When I was 10 he pasted away from brain cancer. In the year or so that he was fighting it, I remember the trust that he had in the Lord! As young as he died my father do not let the devil take him down in agony during the fight.  My dad was committed to know that if he died he was going to see his shepherd and find rest by his rod and staff. I hope we  all have a chance of meeting some one like this who takes this Psalm 23 not just a Thanksgiving prayer for the battles that he has delivered us from but a comfort that he is our place of rest.

Transition to conclusion:

Times have changed in this world from when David wrote it till now main one being that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

Conclusion:

I given three prime examples of people who has brought their own story to intwined with the Psalm. I don't know about you if you seen War Room or not I think we all need to be a lot more like David and his dependence on the Lord Shepherd. For the enemy can sit at our table but the shepherd is on our side. Read along with me once more Psalm 23, the thanksgiving battle cry and I hope you embrace it in your own life.

 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever. 

Praising God with a heart filled with Thankfulness

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

 

This summer during a Memorial Road bible class, stopped in the middle of the prayer to reflect on/ discussing what we were thankful for. People said things that they were thankful for including: love, church, friendship, Jesus, and the list goes on from there. 

This made me get engaged on reflecting with the events that had happened that past week. I was realized even more how thankful that I was and am for my coworkers I worked with this summer.  Even more this summer the group begin feeling like a family. That also includes all the members, I have in the Capitol Hill church family. There are some that are called more volunteers, the members of church, or working on just the staff but to me we are all the church family. 

The week at 4 of July was a very hard week for me. When I got home on the 2nd for my weekend I found out that my grandpa who I called, "bob bob" passed away. We headed down to his house there that next day. I slowly told people what was happening. It was a hard week. The funeral was on Wednesday. I was in a sort of a funk during that time period. I might have snapped at one or two people. 

 

Kyle (on the ladder), Zac, and Remi working on the hallway.

Later, the next week the class rooms got repainted on Monday and the next few days, Meredith (a beautiful person with a huge heart) was going up to paint decorations on the walls and groups came up with her on our time off to help her. These one of the times that I really enjoyed. During the days that we drew, painted, and decorated the rooms was a great days of fellowship (this helped me because Quality time is my strongest Love Language).   There were other work days that we worked up at the building taking joy in our church. Like it says in,  Jeremiah 29:7 "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Relationships that share one common love can last a lifetime. These friends inspire me for all the love and commitment that they have to this community. I am thankful for the ways that they challenge me to serve and grow more.

Some of the multitude of school supplies given.

Starting in the last two weeks a few of us stood at tables to ask members of the surrounding churches to adopted a child from Capitol Hill to buy school supplies. This year, I felt challenged to adopted a teen because my love for the work and the need.  I helped both times from giving out papers, to collecting, sorting the school supplies, and handing them to the van drivers/families. The support and the generosity of the surrounding churches who gave to this community inspired me. This was the taking joy in the city.  I was thankful for God showing me in this community and the ways He is moving. 

I am starting to enter a new season in life this week. I have started my last semester in college at OC. It is also a slowly realization that "bridge" that "I will cross when I come to it " is vastly approaching. I also have a birthday approaching quickly (anybody know the date?). The moments of things I am thankful for is something that I will take with me.

I am so thankful for the time I have spent with friends this summer and the times I know that I will spend with them in the future. 

 

Love, Evynn

 

P.S. This is a poem I wrote about the morning prayers we shared before picking up the kids. One of my favorite times of the day. 

Blessed Moments:

One of my favorite times of the day
When the line of vans hit the highway
The trails gets shorter as the exits appears
For a short few miles we are united as one white line
At the exits it becomes a race on who will be the last
Moments from when we circled up to pray
One has made their first stop to pick up the precious cargo
The community of the prayer for safety
Follows us as the vans become more full of children
Few have a long journey till the first stop
But that doesn't stop the wheels from moving
Minutes before we are waiting for the stragglers to fall in place
The space between us in the circle has become smaller
As the relationships have matured from acquaintances to friends even to siblings
For our purpose is not our own
We are bigger plan
The minutes that there is trail of vans
Falling one another is one favorite thing of mine
Uplifting and encouraging each other in a way we only could understand
Blessed interns of C-Hill 

 

A reflection on a childhood moment...

First, I am back at Capitol Hill for the summer as an intern. I have been loving spending time with both the kids and the adults especially my fellow interns. I post more to Facebook and Instagram than I do on here but I hope to do more of it as the summer goes on.

I am also planning on doing my Senior pictures sometime this summer since I never got around to it when I was in high school.

On July 11, I get to be a bridesmaid again for my Best Friend Wedding, Hailey. I cannot wait but then I can because that means she moving to Houston :'(

One of my other Best friend, Sarah just got back from Disney and I haven't gotten to see her yet but we both work during the week.

Snow melting thy heart

The last month has been insane but new revelations about myself, my relationship with God, and others around me. It all started January 29th when on my way to church I got in accident. By events that are now a little more fuzzy now. I had rear ended the person in front of me while sitting in traffic on I-235. When I hit the person in front of me, that car preceded to hit the car in front of them. The location that I had the wreck was so close to my destination that the frustration was numbing.

Earlier that day, I had not been feeling well and the only comfort that i had was that I soon would be at Capitol Hill. That has become my home church since the summer. My home church that is filled with amazing amount of kids, people who love to love,  always feel free to give you love when needed, and those who will laugh with you when you or they do something stupid.

While I was sitting in my car trying to stay calm and praying for the Lord to guide in what I should do. Air1 was playing in the background for a while after my car was turned off. I waited for a long time and watched the cars pass by counting the vans I recognized. Wanting nothing more than to just leave and go to church. Right before church started I got the all clear to leave. I got back on the road. My car was drivable thankfully.

I got to the church while they were ending the song and started the prayer. I walked to a Sister I texted while I was waiting in the car that I need a hug. When she hugged me, that is when the tears started. She pulled me into the clinic and let me explain when I calmed down. While I was trying to pull myself together to go teach my class. She offered and taught my class that night.While I spent the day in the clinic listening and talking. There was two teens, who I love dearly, they stopped and hugged me. I could not wait to get to church and it was what I need that day, the encouragement I needed.

 ^"9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰ He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11
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Since that night to February 16, I had been slowly not driving my car very much. I got a ride once or twice to Capitol Hill. Most of the damage to my car was cosmetic damage aside from not able to (just in case) turning on the a/c or heat *Shiver*. I was trying to time it just right to get my car in. I also signed up to be part time in Spring Sing.  :D On the night before I would have to drop off my car ice rained down from the sky while I watched the championship of the clubs basketball. It was a fun night. I had to leave my car put for the night because the ice was not budging. I got a ride back to the apartments.

The next morning while I was hoping we would have classes because I had a test that I would have liked to drive my car to in the morning. School got cancelled. I got my car and drove it very carefully off the parking lot that was only missing the ice skaters practicing for the Olympics from the sheet of ice across it. I drove around a little getting food and basking in the last few hours with my car and the freedom to drive. I feel the need to 'clarify' that I love my car.  Eric Beels (named after the computer geek on NCIS: LA) is my baby and boyfriend. He has also been nicknamed Eric the Hedge Hog by little brother. 

I finally dropped off my car. One of my really good friends/sister picked me up and we went to work on my part time costume. We got the box and made plans to work on it more the next day. (I will post a picture later).

Two days later, in a quick decision I decided to try Lent this year and see what would happen. Another clarification, I have never been into this and have never tried it but I thought it would be a nice journey of self discovery. I almost gave up in the beginning (mostly from forgetfulness) but it has become a nice exploration of faith and so far it has increased my prayer life. I also only have cheated once.

-----------------------
In this exploration of giving something up for Lent has pointed something else to me, that has combined with my other thing of Lent. The new one was guys. It was not just the much of dating guys but more in the house of liking them. Satan has got me good with that one before.



Over the last few weeks some one else has been Satan's tool of trying to get me to stray of staying focus on just my relationship with God and his plan for me. I have been praying hard to just ignore them and most times I have been doing well.

 One of the things that I have been doing is reading, Praying for your Future Husband by Robin Jones Gunn & Tricia Goyer. (I have always loved reading Robin Jones Gunn since my mom gave me the first volume of Christy Miller books one Christmas). When ever I feel weak or need to give up on this little crush and think about the true guy for me that God has plan for me.The book gives prayers and helps me understand more what to pray for. This is the verse below is one of the verse they use in their book.

 "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." Luke 18:1

So now anytime I have problem with the second thing I crave the first thing. I am still waiting for my car to be fixed but in the end the time I spent with people that I would have not if I had my car. I am also very much thankful for the people giving me rides.

Comment Below... I would also love if you Prayed for me in this journey. Also Enjoy the snow...

Love,
Sister Evynn
P.s. The only really upside for liking a new guy is the poetry bug has struck again. Check it out! My Poetry Profile

Time Flys by

You know that feeling when yesterday was last week or even last year. I have been doing some reflecting and moving through out the days. A lot has happened since I last blogged.

Some answers to those nagging question people always ask.

1. Are you getting along with your roommate?
1. but my roommate graduated and is getting married while I am incredibly excited for her. I also get to be in her wedding in less than two weeks. I miss having that friendly loving presence around. Positive outlook they are not moving out of country, state, or city any time soon. 
2. So I am getting used to a whole new roommate. I have been lucky up to this point in having friends that put up with my wild behavior when I have been in all day and they come in and I scare them.
2. Have you been going to church?
1. Yes I have. I have been attending Capitol Hill Church of Christ in the south side of Oklahoma City. I love it there. I have also been volunteering by teaching 11 & 12 year old girls that worked with this summer. I love them but they are girls who are on the brink of adolescence and because that can be a test of patience. 
2. Another reason I love Capitol Hill is all the kids. The church has a ton of kids that you watch grow up and who thirst for more knowledge.
3. There are also a large group of adults who all come and help that all love the kids. We all get along because we share a passion for the kids and the church. 
3. How is it on the boy front?
1. Well there is no one in the picture and I haven't been in the dating scene. 
2. However, I have been focus on me and God, waiting for his time....
3.  You could say Jesus is my boyfriend in the strangest of terms like a nun says.
4. My favorite thing about Oklahoma City?
1. I love how God is moving in the city. To me at least the Devon Tower is a candle in the light sky saying "God we are here. Your children are in need of your presence."
2. From where the city has been to where it is moving to makes me so happy but I know his work is not done and I want to be part of God's mission not my mission but God's
1. School is good. 
2. I really enjoy most of my class and I really enjoy spending times in the bible building and being surrounded by other Mission and bible majors. There is a really cool group.  

Here is my catch up Blog post I will try to get back on soon to write some more but here are some thoughts.

-----Evynn