During the Storm

Last week, Dallas was shrouded in snow. Everything seemed to shut down. There was no school, work and church were cancelled, and I couldn't make it to a volunteer project I had been looking forward to. I was stuck in my apartment for four days and didn't get to see a single soul. I never wanted to have a six-day weekend every again. Besides getting to catch up on sleep, I had a hard time being thankful for all the snow and ice.

So it was kind of ironic (or really God-ordained) that the message at Fellowship White Rock would be about the storms in life. The points Gabe made were these: Our Messiah is able to calm the storm, and we should remember to praise Him even if He doesn't. In closing, he said tagged on something that really spoke to me. You never know when the storm in your life is being used to bless someone else.

What made this so cool was that he used Traffick911 and the outreach the group was doing around the Super Bowl as an example. For those of you who don't know, Traffick911 is an organization dedicated to stopping the sale of America's children into the sex slave trade. Based on research that says sex trafficking activity increases by 80 percent during a major sporting event, Traffick911 had set up teams to do street outreach during the week leading up to The Big Game. I was all signed up to volunteer with them, but because of all the snow I ended up not being able to go.

I was really upset about not being able to volunteer, but as Gabe pointed out, what if the storm that inconvenienced me also inconvenienced the sex trafficking industry for the week? What if it kept a lot of girls off the street and kept a lot of kids from being recruited into such a life? What if the storm in my life gave hope and freedom to someone else?

The thing to remember is that God is always working. Even in the storms. And that, alone, is a reason to praise Him.

Season of Singleness

Yesterday I got the ‘Save the Date’ for a friend’s wedding. It officially became Wedding #7 I would be attending this year. I already went to one in January, have two in March, one in April, this one will be in May, one in September, and the last wedding date hasn’t been set yet. Everyone in my life seems to be getting married.

As a single girl, when I share this with others, I tend to get, “Your time will come soon!” comment. Like I’m stating the fact that 2011 holds seven weddings for me—none of which are mine—filled with jealously or something. Which couldn’t be further than the truth. 

Don’t get me wrong. There are moments when I loathe being single. I definitely would love to be in a relationship, to find “the one.” And when I hear about another friend getting engaged, or sit through another wedding (I’ve gone to at least two each year since high school), I do sometimes begin to wish I had a guy too. But to be honest, for the most part I’m pretty content in my singleness.

I’ve dated in the past, and after a lot of heartbreak and tears, I’ve learned one thing: You can still feel empty and alone even in a relationship. Being in a relationship or getting married isn’t going to make me feel any more fulfilled or complete. Only God can do that. So the best thing I can do as a single girl is focus on God, and not on whether or not I’m in a relationship.

This is why I am so excited about the new series beginning at The Awakening. The next four weeks will walk us through four different stages of relationships: singleness, dating, engagement, and marriage. I’m hoping to learn how to best glorify God in the stage I’m in now, and gain some Bible knowledge for when I get to the other stages!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”

God created marriage. And I believe that as humans we were built for relationships, and so it’s only natural to crave one. But until that season in my life comes, I need to make the most of the season I’m in now. I need to embrace my season of singleness, and be purposefully single.

Regardless of what stage or season you’re in, I hope you decide to join us at The Awakening over the next four weeks!  

Bunmi Ishola 

 

Radical Video

Gary Brandenburg, the Senior Pastor here at Fellowship, played this video from YouTube a few weeks ago before his sermon. I found it so powerful!

How does the video make you feel?

We will never reach the bar of righteousness the Bible sets. Isn't it so reassuring to know that because of our relationship with Christ, we have been accepted into God's kingdom?  

Let us know your thoughts.... We hope you are staying warm and enjoying the snow outside!

 

In Him,

Whitney and Kendall