This world in which I live...

Hello all my beautiful friends! I have lots to update you on my life recently, so I'll start with today!! I am currently on a two-week road trip with my mom. We are staying in North Van with my grandparents right now and are doing a round trip out to Manitoba and back. 14 days and 1921 kilometres (that's 1194 miles for you UK/American people!) just me, my mom and my little car - it's pretty grand!

I feel like I have so much to say, oh man..

So the last little while God has really laid on my heart to really reorient my life as a warrior of Christ, first and foremost. Our youth leadership team has met a few times this summer, in preparation for this fall, and although it is the smallest team we have had in years, we are super excited to see what God is doing already and will do this fall as we re-launch youth. God has been reminding me however that working with youth is guaranteed to see spiritual battle and I've already seen evidence of that. It has really encouraged me to up my game in prayer for our youth. I had a great talk with God about all of this on Thursday and was really encouraged to set aside certain things in my life in order to really focus on prayer in this next while. God specifically told me to get ready, because satan was gearing up even now for attack.

The very next day, as I was driving with my roomate Nicole, we were essentially T-boned by a large truck. It was my fault and so unlike me - I was totally blind to oncoming traffic and drove straight out into the path of this truck. Two happy things - I was driving my dad's car, so my brand new baby came away without a scratch (sorry dad!) and Nicole and I (as well as the other driver) had no major injuries. It has meant a lot of pain and discomfort though, which is very frustrating again, as I had just gotten back to lifeguarding that week!

Anyways, the reason I am sharing all of this isn't to freak you guys out, but actually, to share just how amazing God is! Even in that accident, for some reason (only God knows why) Nicole had agreed to come with me out to my parent's house and one of the guys who witnessed the accident was a friend from school, who was able to help calm down the truck driver who was extremely upset and irate (which is kind of to be expected, I suppose). Anyways, God's provision there was just amazing. The coolest thing though has just been this sense of peace that God has given me and I am not stressed about all of this. I have this absolute faith that God is going to use this second accident for good in my life, so those of you who would, if you can join me in prayer that it would totally just become a testament to God's power and grace, I would so appreciate it!!

Anyways, that was on Friday and I was considering not coming on this road trip with my mom, but I decided that pain or no pain, I'm going and I will not be stopped by this. So here I am and here we go! My mom doesn't do well with driving long distances either, so if you can keep both of us in prayer for comfort as we drive, that would be sweet too!

I have something else I'd like to share with you guys... As you know, I love posting youtube videos, but this one is just off the hook! A friend of mine shared it with our college and careers group and it totally encouraged and challenged me. So often, we feel, especially as young Christians, that we cannot be used by God to majorly affect the world around us. And how many times have you gone to the grocery store and felt God's push to talk to that cashier or that person behind you about Him, but ignore the opportunity? Anyways, this video totally challenged me to follow God's leading, no matter how crazy it might seem.



I keep hearing about this "Jesus Culture" but haven't really checked it out before I saw this video. Anyways, my favourite thing though is what the phrase "Jesus Culture" implies - a culture that is all about Christ. And what is culture? I looked it up on dictionary.com (check it out here), and the one phrase that really stood out to me was "that which is excellent". I have been mulling over that and realizing that that is exactly what God calls us to - that which is excellent, to live out that culture. I mean, let's get real, our culture is crap. It's full of lies, drugs, sex, the whole bit. I'm not proud to to call my culture my own. But I guess it all comes down to being in the world, but not of it. Now, if only we were more IN our world - simply living out our faith in a way that draws others in, and not shuts them out.

Well, now I'm rambling and I apologize. If you've stuck around this long, kudos to you :)

Love you all,
K.