Three new exciting things happened in the past couple of days that I would love to fill you in on!
1. I started working at McDonald's, and I actually had a lot of fun. A ton of people from Cru work at McDonald's so working with some of them was fun, but I think that I had even more fun getting to push buttons on the register. Or maybe I'm just easily amused. Most guys who are working at McDonald's are behind the scenes grilling in the kitchen, but I'm up front working the cash register with all of the women. I'm fine with it because the grill is hot, and they all get sweaty and crabby. But I've been taking a lot of flack from a certain friend from Northwestern who shared a room with me this past year (I don't want to reveal too much about him/her!) that I'm not manly enough to work a grill. But you know what they say...sticks and stones can break my bones...something like that.
2. Today marks the first day of the infamous "Killing the Giants" week! It is basically a week were everyone on the summer project sets huge goals, and we try and go all out for reaching our goal. It is exciting but extremely scary. I am certainly nervous, but I think more than that I am hesitant. There is a big emphasis on numbers, which I am not a huge fan of. During our discussion for the week to come, our project director asked what the purpose of setting goals in life was. This was in regards to academics or athletics, not necessarily evangelism. But someone said it gives us purpose, and this is the exact thing that I am trying to avoid this week. I don't want the numbers to be our purpose, and I don't want to compromise awesome conversations for reaching a number. I think the staff is doing a really good job, though, of emphasizing the fact that each number is a person with an eternal destination. I guess in some ways I'm worried that I will be so against legalism that it will lead to apathy. For example, since I don't want to feel guilty about not reaching a certain number, I will instead by lazy since my motivations weren't good. But my motivations will most likely never be perfect, so I just need to continue and take steps of faith all week. I really do think this has a ton of potential to be an amazing week. Please be praying for this whole week.
3. So I auditioned to sing for the worship band last week, which was a huge step of faith for me. A ton of people don't even know that I sing, and I have never sung in front of more than like 30 people. At this point in my life, I'm more comfortable standing in front of a group of people in my underwear than singing (maybe not). Taking steps of faith is not about being comfortable though. But anyway, I guess I made it because I have my first worship practice tonight, and I'm singing for the weekly meeting tomorrow night. I'm super excited. Over this past year, I've really started to discover a passion for singing, so it is awesome to use this passion for the glory of God. Pray that my voice doesn't crack. And that I will be focused on worshipping Jesus, not on the people watching me.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Outreach, Roger Hershey, Adoption, and the Week to Come
This past Saturday night, I was able to participate in my first outreach as an entire project. All 90 of us or so, in our college t-shirts, hit the boardwalk with the intentions of sharing our faith in conversations with random people that we meet. Usually when I share my faith I get really nervous and kind of dread going out, but so far this project I've been out three times, and each time I have found myself really getting joy from these conversations. This particular outreach, the conversations were not that great, but I found myself excited to have the opportunity to share the love of Jesus that has changed my life so much. This has been an answer to prayer for sure, so if you could pray that I would continue to get joy from this and have a desire to share my faith.
Today, we had the awesome privilege to hear Roger Hershey speak twice and also get to spend some time with him. Before church, he talked about being a world Christian no matter what our occupation is or what we do with our life. After church, we all went to play beach volleyball, and the Hersh came with us. Not a big deal. He was actually really good. This is a guy in his 60's playing with a bunch of college students, and he totally held his own. Then at night, he spoke again on discerning God's will. This was really awesome. My roommate and I have processed through a lot of this stuff throughout this past quarter, and it was awesome to hear Biblical confirmation of a lot of the conclusions that we also thought were Biblical.
Right before the Hershinator spoke, we were "adopted" by families in the church that we attend while on project. Basically, this is where the family takes a couple of students on project out for dinner or does laundry. It is really nice of these families to do this and kind of welcome us into the community. Most people have a couple of "brothers" and "sisters" from project, so that they can do everything with the family together. I, on the other hand, am an only child. Yeah. My adopted "father's" name is Arnie, and he is a single man in his 70's probably. He actually is a really awesome guy and we had a nice conversation. I just envision getting dinner with him once a week kind of awkward. But he offered to do all of my laundry for me. I think that will make it all worth it.
This coming week, all of the quarter students have orientation during the day since this is our first full week. During the nights though, our schedule will be pretty consistent for the rest of the trip. Here is what it looks like:
Monday - Large Group Meeting
Tuesday - "Date Night With Jesus" (basically a quiet time for a couple of hours)
Wednesday - Action Group (Bible study with three other guys)
Thursday - Large Group Meeting
Friday - Free Night
Saturday - Outreach (like the one we had last night)
Sunday - Varied
I'm really excited to have structure for this coming week. Being able to do whatever I want this past week was really fun, and it offered a lot of opportunities to hang out with people, but I love structure. I love knowing what's coming next.
I think it will be an awesome week.
Please pray:
- That I won't be anxious or worried about being accepted, but continue to strive for growth in my relationship with Christ and peace to allow the rest to follow.
- That we will see people put their faith in Christ and that He will change hearts
- For opportunities to develop relationships at McDonald's
And please let me know if I can be praying for you in anyway! I really appreciate you all taking the time to read this and pray for me. I honestly believe that it is making a huge difference/
Today, we had the awesome privilege to hear Roger Hershey speak twice and also get to spend some time with him. Before church, he talked about being a world Christian no matter what our occupation is or what we do with our life. After church, we all went to play beach volleyball, and the Hersh came with us. Not a big deal. He was actually really good. This is a guy in his 60's playing with a bunch of college students, and he totally held his own. Then at night, he spoke again on discerning God's will. This was really awesome. My roommate and I have processed through a lot of this stuff throughout this past quarter, and it was awesome to hear Biblical confirmation of a lot of the conclusions that we also thought were Biblical.
Right before the Hershinator spoke, we were "adopted" by families in the church that we attend while on project. Basically, this is where the family takes a couple of students on project out for dinner or does laundry. It is really nice of these families to do this and kind of welcome us into the community. Most people have a couple of "brothers" and "sisters" from project, so that they can do everything with the family together. I, on the other hand, am an only child. Yeah. My adopted "father's" name is Arnie, and he is a single man in his 70's probably. He actually is a really awesome guy and we had a nice conversation. I just envision getting dinner with him once a week kind of awkward. But he offered to do all of my laundry for me. I think that will make it all worth it.
This coming week, all of the quarter students have orientation during the day since this is our first full week. During the nights though, our schedule will be pretty consistent for the rest of the trip. Here is what it looks like:
Monday - Large Group Meeting
Tuesday - "Date Night With Jesus" (basically a quiet time for a couple of hours)
Wednesday - Action Group (Bible study with three other guys)
Thursday - Large Group Meeting
Friday - Free Night
Saturday - Outreach (like the one we had last night)
Sunday - Varied
I'm really excited to have structure for this coming week. Being able to do whatever I want this past week was really fun, and it offered a lot of opportunities to hang out with people, but I love structure. I love knowing what's coming next.
I think it will be an awesome week.
Please pray:
- That I won't be anxious or worried about being accepted, but continue to strive for growth in my relationship with Christ and peace to allow the rest to follow.
- That we will see people put their faith in Christ and that He will change hearts
- For opportunities to develop relationships at McDonald's
And please let me know if I can be praying for you in anyway! I really appreciate you all taking the time to read this and pray for me. I honestly believe that it is making a huge difference/
Saturday, June 9, 2012
I've got a job!
Since I arrived on Wednesday, there hasn't been much to do. A lot of the students here already have jobs, so they are working during the day, and since I arrived early, my orientation doesn't start until Monday. That has left me plenty of time to look for a job.
When I was thinking about the ideal job, I wanted somewhere that would give me a good amount of hours. This is pretty self-explanatory. I wanted to be able to make money this summer, and I wanted to have enough hours where I could actually develop relationships with my coworkers. This was not my first priority, but it was important.
I wanted to work on the boardwalk. Most of the places on the boardwalk are relatively close, and they have amazing views right outside the door. Pretty selfish, but whatever.
I wanted somewhere that I could get a discounted lunch, so probably somewhere that serves food. We are on our own for lunch everyday, so it would have been nice to not have to make my lunch and still eat cheap. I could buy groceries, but that sounded like too much work. Pretty selfish too, but whatever.
Most important to me, though, was that I do not work with people also on project with me. I know myself inside and out, and if I work with project people I will just be hanging out with them having a jolly old time. I would never talk to my coworkers.
So I begin to apply for jobs. I apply to a couple places on the boardwalk, mainly places where I know my friends who were also quarter students worked in the past. I sent out my applications, and as a safety net I went to McDonald's. A lot of people work at McDonald's, and some people earlier in the day said they went in, talked to the manager, and walked out with a job. But I didn't want to work at McDonald's. Sure it would have cheap lunch, but it wasn't on the boardwalk, I didn't know how many hours I could be guaranteed, and TONS of project people work there.
So I walk in to McDonald's, start filling out an application, and while I'm in the process of filling it out, the manager offers me and three other people a job. Without even glancing at our applications.
But I didn't want to work at McDonald's. This all happened on Wednesday, and I had until Friday to decide. So I said to myself, "Keep looking as hard as you can, and you will be able to find a job. Just follow up your applications hard." I don't know if you caught that, but I was relying almost solely on my own logic and my own power.
Friday rolls around and I still don't have another offer. However, I prayed for guidance and wisdom on Thursday night, and asked that God help me rely on His strength and reasoning for this search. During the morning, I send out a text to some people who came on project last year asking to give me some wisdom. I figured they would know better than me. I also talked to my discipler.
What I heard from them really humbled me. Almost all of them told me to take the job at McDonald's. BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO! That is not what I had planned for my Ocean City experience. I mean it wouldn't be horrible, but surely this was not the way I wanted it to go. Then a friend asked me a question about me turning down McDonald's: "Is He saying no or is Danny saying no?"
Dang, it was definitely me saying no.
Also, if you remember before, I was talking about how well I know myself. I thought that I would be super fly at a job without other project people. But then some other friends brought up the benefits of having other people at the same job hold you accountable. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I would actually need that. At other jobs, it would be so easy to shy away from spiritual conversations and have nobody know about it.
Dang, I thought I knew myself.
This was a very humbling lesson of surrendering control to God. He is going to have His way, which sounds bossy and selfish. But that is amazing thing about love. He loves us so much that He makes it all work out for our good. So no matter what I think is better or safer for me, I can surrender that to Him because He knows infinitely more than me. Infinitely. Still trying to wrap my head around that.
So, yes, I'm working at McDonald's! And I actually feel really good about it.
When I was thinking about the ideal job, I wanted somewhere that would give me a good amount of hours. This is pretty self-explanatory. I wanted to be able to make money this summer, and I wanted to have enough hours where I could actually develop relationships with my coworkers. This was not my first priority, but it was important.
I wanted to work on the boardwalk. Most of the places on the boardwalk are relatively close, and they have amazing views right outside the door. Pretty selfish, but whatever.
I wanted somewhere that I could get a discounted lunch, so probably somewhere that serves food. We are on our own for lunch everyday, so it would have been nice to not have to make my lunch and still eat cheap. I could buy groceries, but that sounded like too much work. Pretty selfish too, but whatever.
Most important to me, though, was that I do not work with people also on project with me. I know myself inside and out, and if I work with project people I will just be hanging out with them having a jolly old time. I would never talk to my coworkers.
So I begin to apply for jobs. I apply to a couple places on the boardwalk, mainly places where I know my friends who were also quarter students worked in the past. I sent out my applications, and as a safety net I went to McDonald's. A lot of people work at McDonald's, and some people earlier in the day said they went in, talked to the manager, and walked out with a job. But I didn't want to work at McDonald's. Sure it would have cheap lunch, but it wasn't on the boardwalk, I didn't know how many hours I could be guaranteed, and TONS of project people work there.
So I walk in to McDonald's, start filling out an application, and while I'm in the process of filling it out, the manager offers me and three other people a job. Without even glancing at our applications.
But I didn't want to work at McDonald's. This all happened on Wednesday, and I had until Friday to decide. So I said to myself, "Keep looking as hard as you can, and you will be able to find a job. Just follow up your applications hard." I don't know if you caught that, but I was relying almost solely on my own logic and my own power.
Friday rolls around and I still don't have another offer. However, I prayed for guidance and wisdom on Thursday night, and asked that God help me rely on His strength and reasoning for this search. During the morning, I send out a text to some people who came on project last year asking to give me some wisdom. I figured they would know better than me. I also talked to my discipler.
What I heard from them really humbled me. Almost all of them told me to take the job at McDonald's. BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO! That is not what I had planned for my Ocean City experience. I mean it wouldn't be horrible, but surely this was not the way I wanted it to go. Then a friend asked me a question about me turning down McDonald's: "Is He saying no or is Danny saying no?"
Dang, it was definitely me saying no.
Also, if you remember before, I was talking about how well I know myself. I thought that I would be super fly at a job without other project people. But then some other friends brought up the benefits of having other people at the same job hold you accountable. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I would actually need that. At other jobs, it would be so easy to shy away from spiritual conversations and have nobody know about it.
Dang, I thought I knew myself.
This was a very humbling lesson of surrendering control to God. He is going to have His way, which sounds bossy and selfish. But that is amazing thing about love. He loves us so much that He makes it all work out for our good. So no matter what I think is better or safer for me, I can surrender that to Him because He knows infinitely more than me. Infinitely. Still trying to wrap my head around that.
So, yes, I'm working at McDonald's! And I actually feel really good about it.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Almost There
I'm leaving for Ocean City, New Jersey in three days, and reality still really hasn't sunk in yet. Amidst the one paper and one final that I have remaining, my thoughts on Ocean City have been scattered and episodic to say the least. But in some ways I have been forced to think about it and evaluate what my attitude is right now because people keep asking me about it. It is such a hard question for me to answer right now because I'm not exactly sure what I'm feeling.
To be honest, when I think about leaving, the predominant emotion that I feel is not excitement. It is nervousness. I'm nervous to meet 90 new people. Meeting people takes a lot of time and energy, so I'm kind of dreading the awkward first week of being introduced to everyone and praying that I will remember their names. I'm so pumped to get past that first week and finally start digging into real relationships, but I know that the first week will be full of a lot of fake, cheery emotion and small talk. I'm nervous to leave what's become comfortable. I love being at school, but even more so, I love that I am known at school and in Cru at Northwestern. I'm nervous to do ministry in the workplace. Ministry scares me. I get nervous thinking about putting myself and being vulnerable, when it means that I could be rejected because of the things that I believe.
But I keep telling myself that there is nothing to be nervous about. I have an amazing privilege to go into a unique environment where everyone is pushing each other toward Christ. And I had a similar opportunity last year when I went to Berlin. And I had similar emotions going in. But coming out of that Summer Project, I looked back and realized how silly all of my fears were. Not because they are bad things to get nervous about necessarily, but because I can trust with all my heart that God is absolutely in control and he will work things out for my good. Gosh, I don't deserve that at all, but God is so gracious and worthy of praise for promising that and always being faithful. But I looked back at my time in Berlin and realized that God was doing amazing work on my heart.
Thinking about that gets me pumped for this summer. On the surface, I am nervous and scared, but as I think about the reality of the situation, I am really excited. I get to serve Jesus with my summer! I get to learn more about his perfect character and come to know Him closer! How amazing is that! Yes, I will definitely be uncomfortable at times, but I know that they will push me to trust in Him alone. Yes, there will be small talk and exhausting conversations the first couple weeks, but they will result in amazing Christ-centered relationships. Yes, I will be putting myself out on a limb when I share my faith, but Jesus died on the cross for my sins and He is absolutely worth it. I am going to learn so much about myself, about Jesus, about the Bible, about ministry, about what I want to do for the rest of my life. I have no idea what exactly it will all look like, but I know that I am going to be shaped to be more like Christ.
I would appreciate prayers for an open heart going into Ocean City, that I would be putting my faith in Jesus and not in my own ability, and that God would shape me in unbelievable ways over the summer.
Thanks for joining me in this adventure. For His glory.
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Support Update: I'm fully supported! Thanks so much for your support, your prayers, and your desire to see me go to Ocean City. I am grateful beyond words.
To be honest, when I think about leaving, the predominant emotion that I feel is not excitement. It is nervousness. I'm nervous to meet 90 new people. Meeting people takes a lot of time and energy, so I'm kind of dreading the awkward first week of being introduced to everyone and praying that I will remember their names. I'm so pumped to get past that first week and finally start digging into real relationships, but I know that the first week will be full of a lot of fake, cheery emotion and small talk. I'm nervous to leave what's become comfortable. I love being at school, but even more so, I love that I am known at school and in Cru at Northwestern. I'm nervous to do ministry in the workplace. Ministry scares me. I get nervous thinking about putting myself and being vulnerable, when it means that I could be rejected because of the things that I believe.
But I keep telling myself that there is nothing to be nervous about. I have an amazing privilege to go into a unique environment where everyone is pushing each other toward Christ. And I had a similar opportunity last year when I went to Berlin. And I had similar emotions going in. But coming out of that Summer Project, I looked back and realized how silly all of my fears were. Not because they are bad things to get nervous about necessarily, but because I can trust with all my heart that God is absolutely in control and he will work things out for my good. Gosh, I don't deserve that at all, but God is so gracious and worthy of praise for promising that and always being faithful. But I looked back at my time in Berlin and realized that God was doing amazing work on my heart.
Thinking about that gets me pumped for this summer. On the surface, I am nervous and scared, but as I think about the reality of the situation, I am really excited. I get to serve Jesus with my summer! I get to learn more about his perfect character and come to know Him closer! How amazing is that! Yes, I will definitely be uncomfortable at times, but I know that they will push me to trust in Him alone. Yes, there will be small talk and exhausting conversations the first couple weeks, but they will result in amazing Christ-centered relationships. Yes, I will be putting myself out on a limb when I share my faith, but Jesus died on the cross for my sins and He is absolutely worth it. I am going to learn so much about myself, about Jesus, about the Bible, about ministry, about what I want to do for the rest of my life. I have no idea what exactly it will all look like, but I know that I am going to be shaped to be more like Christ.
I would appreciate prayers for an open heart going into Ocean City, that I would be putting my faith in Jesus and not in my own ability, and that God would shape me in unbelievable ways over the summer.
Thanks for joining me in this adventure. For His glory.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Support Update: I'm fully supported! Thanks so much for your support, your prayers, and your desire to see me go to Ocean City. I am grateful beyond words.
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