Valadictborian

Ok,
So I am graduating Saturday, yes, Saturday!
So in light of this momentous event I am posting my final speech from my speech analysis class.

The Prompt was: What is the most important thing you have learned in college?

So, for your viewing pleasure;

The importance of College

The most important thing I’ve learned in College is something, I hope, all of us have figured out.
College is not entirely about formulas, theories, or even classes.
I have learned that colleges is really a tool. A tool that is given to us with the intention of finding
ourselves.
In this scholastic establishment our views and opinions are challenged, and the morals of our youth become either clearly defined or fade into new ones.
Among the many voices of our fellow classmates and teachers we are pushed to focus in on the distinct tone of our own, new, educated, self-aware, and confident voice.

The most important thing that I have learned in college is that I am me.

I have a voice.

It is mine, and mine alone.

There it is, hope you liked it.

Light blazed out of the darkness

Yesterday morning at staff celebration we were all sitting around sharing and listening to stories of the awesome things that God did at our church this weekend.

Apparently, the folks at our Hollandale Beach location experienced a power outage.
In the middle of the Pastor's teaching the entire worship room just went dark.
They were all laughing and congratulating one another on how everyone handled the situation and thanked God they had a live teaching and not the video teaching we normally have.

What was cool to me, is that the Pastor kept teaching in the dark.

There is this horrible joke by Dane Cook where he makes fun of couples fighting. (yes I am referencing a Dane Cook joke) He asks "Why do women whisper?"..."To make you listen".
In the context of the joke its Hilarious, but this quote has always stuck with me, and I think it applies to the Hallandale situation.

Why did the power go out? Was it the enemy?

Or was it God trying to make some one listen?

In John Chapter one its says that God is light and the light is in the darkness, which is everything that is not of God. John says that the light is in the darkness, but the darkness does not overcome the light.
In a big city with lots of lights, you can't see the light of the stars, you have to drive out to the country, where there is nothing so you can see the beautiful light the stars create.
Here in Pensacola there is this place on the beach that I like to go away from the hustle and bustle of cannon Beach, its called 18, and you can see the milky way and a boat load of stars at night.

Our lives are like this sometimes, especially around this time of year.
We get so caught up in life that we miss God's light. Our lives are so lit up with everything that is going on that sometimes God just drops us into complete darkness simply to reveal his beautiful light.

Maybe that's what happened there in Hallandale.
Maybe one person in that auditorium needed to receive a message from God in the dark.

Our God will do some pretty crazy things to get our attention, like flooding the earth, or feeding 5,000 strangers, but sometimes he just turns out the lights.

P.s. Check out our church! www.potentialchurch.com

My spirituality is more like my vitality
Because my God provides for me completely.

He talks to me.
He leads me.
He teaches me.

He brings me out into the dessert to call to me
gently.

And tell me
I AM HIS.

That I was created to live
The life that he knit in my mothers womb.

That I am the one whom
He has chosen

I am the one that he chose to breath life in
that he will love until the End.

My father whispered "come follow me."
I hear it in my sleep
in my dreams

Now when I open my eyes I see
the amazing abundance of my Fathers grace and mercy

How the river of his love flows
and I will not stop until every nation and every tribe know
that The One who created humanity
Has for us
a purpose
a life
a desire
a gift
a dream
a salvation
a rescue
and a knowledge
That he came to be our savior eternally.

Simple Truth

Isaiah 43:1-3
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob
And who formed you, O Israel;
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name;
YOU ARE MINE.
When you pass through the waters,
I WILL BE WITH YOU;
And Through the rivers,
THEY SHALL NOT OVER FLOW YOU.
When you walk through the fire,
YOU SHALL NOT BE BURNED, NOR SHALL THE FLAME SCORCH YOU.


For I AM the Lord your GOD, The HOLY ONE of Israel, YOUR SAVIOR.

I read this verse this morning and it struck me as one of the most beautiful things I have ever read.

I sat there in utter silence and marveled at the fact that the God of the old testament, the God who could flood the earth, strike down anyone anywhere, the God of Revelation, the God who defeats Satan, The King of the Universe, the one Most high, the God of Jacob, The God of Issac, of Abraham and Israel.

He is also, the God of Ashley.

Such a simple phrase, such a seemingly elementary concept.
However this thought has captured my attention all day.
My God, My savior, will protect me.
The same God who flooded the entire earth CHOOSES to lift me out of deep water, because I am His.
Amazing.
The God whose words are a double edged sword so sharp they can cut through bone and marrow, calls my name gently to his purpose.
Beautiful.

Better put it in quotations

Lately I have been thinking of what people have been saying about my generation, about the 20 somethings. Let me tell you friends, the opinion of society on our age group, is not a good one. They say we are confused, lost, a generation of lazy wannabe rockstars and artists with no voice.

Nothing infuriates me more than lack of expectation in something great.
I believe our generation has the potential to be great.
I believe we have a voice.

We are the generation with the most information at our finger tips and 545486751546542 ways to get our voice out there, so what are we saying? What movement are we creating.

In my little corner of the internet, in my spaceless void of HTML I am using my voice, and proclaiming what I believe boldly. That is what I am saying, and if we are a genration that needs to say something within our social networks, blogs, and wikis, then let the name of King Jesus be there in bold print.

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Acts 4:31

We, as the underapriciated 20 somethings need to put our lovely artistic voice to good use no matter what the critics say.

"Even if your hands are shaking
And your faith is broken
Even as your eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open"

Don't do life alone... well, why?

At Potential Church we always say "Don't do life alone".

Why is this such an important element to our church? Why is it important for me to have other people involved with my walk? Why is the aspect of community so important?

I was looking for answers to these questions while working on some stuff for a series at Potential Church's College Ministry, Elevate.
I found that community started at the beginning of our lives. The number one purpose for community began as soon as we were born.

The Bible says that we were all born with a gift.
1 Corinthians 12 says; 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

We were all born with a gift to use for the Kingdom and according to Ephesians 4 God created all of us to "Prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."
Other versions say; "to equip the Saints for the work of the ministry."
We we given gifts to further Christs ministry. The final command to us while he was on this earth was to go forth into the nations ans teach and baptise.
Ministry is not something that can be done alone. And those who think otherwise will soon see the error in that thought.
What happens to a church if you have only a person whose gift is teaching? Who would listen?
What happens to a church if you have only a person whose gift is hospitality? Who would teach?
Christ has designated leaders among us, but who would they lead if they didn't have community?
We all come together to form the body of Christ. The beautiful body of Christ.
This is the first reason we have community; to further the ministry, to make the body function the way it should.

Later in Ephesians 4, Paul talks about what we can do for each other.

He says; to mature manhood,to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
14so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

This says that we help each other grow. We can challenge each other, be accountable to one another. We can actually assist in the life change of our friends. Through community we are given the blessing of being a tool used by Christ with our gift to reach one another.

We can protect each other in Community by truth telling and prayer. A friend is not someone who just has your back and will support you no matter what. A true friend is one that will tell you when you are walking into a brick wall.

Finally, we can love each other. In a Community of believers we should love, honor, encourage, and respect each other.

The second reason for Community is to have healthy and worthwhile relationships that are not of this world.

"Blank" is in my future

Eleanor Roosevelt once said; “ The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” She was a smart lady. If you think about it, the future is not at all concrete. We have no idea what it will be like, look like, or feel like. The future is not like the past either. The past is made up of facts. We know what happened, how it happened and what it felt like to be there. The future is not like the present, the present is a state of awareness. We know where we are, what is going on around us and how we feel about current situations. The present is also this crazy magical time where we can make things happen. The present, right now, is when we can dream of the future. The present is the time where we can take steps, make choices and most important, dream dreams that can form our future. I have dreamed a few dreams of my own for my future. I dream of a family. My children, curly haired and rosy cheeked laughing and playing in our back yard at dusk. My husband and I dancing in the kitchen to oldies while making breakfast on a sunny Saturday morning. Serving my God and his bride the church wherever he leads me, and seeing great life change in people as I do so. I dream of traveling to the four corners of the world. Seeing cliffs and oceans, jungles and great metropolises. I dream that I will forever be surrounded by great art, amazing music, good people, and tasty food everywhere I go. I dream of beach picnics and Christmas with my family.
Now, I have no idea if any of this will actually happen in my future, but I am hoping that Mrs. Roosevelt is right. All I know is that I can dream now, in the present for the things I desire in the future. However, one day, the present will suddenly become the future and I am sure that I will dream then Just as much as I do now. Dreaming has been a part of my past, present and will certainly be in my future.