Five Minute Friday: Tomorrow

And here it goes - take 3 of the Five Minute Friday Challenge

What do I think of when I think of the word tomorrow? 

A verse pops into my mind - His mercies are new every morning.  I often think about that truth when I think of tomorrow.  Some days you just don’t get everything you want to get done.  Sometimes you can’t keep up emotionally with the day.  So I cling to the hope - his mercies are new every morning - tomorrow.  

Secondly I think of Christ being the same, yesterday today and tomorrow (I can still hum the tune of a Bible School song from when I was about 4 that goes with this verse). Tomorrow = forever.  The unknown days ahead.  We cannot predict what will happen tomorrow.  Yet we can trust in the one who holds tomorrow.  

Tomorrow is where our dreams, our hopes, our ambitions dwell.  When we think about tomorrow - we think about what may come.  There is a commercial on TV right now for insurance that asks people to put words they think of when they think of the future.  The words that are yellow represent positive events - the words that are blue represent negative events.  The future board on the commercial has much more yellow than the past.  As we dream about the future - we think about potential.  When we look at our past, we look at what was.  Sometimes in the past we even dwell in the what if or if only.  However, tomorrow is a blank slate and a fresh canvas.  

We can dream about tomorrow.  We can hope for tomorrow.  Tomorrow is a new day.  The possibilities are endless.  Let’s live each day living for tomorrow… for eternity...for forever.  

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I spent a few extra minutes adding links so that my thought process would make a little more sense :)

Blessings
Carolyn E Berlepsch

Five Minute Friday: Relief

When do you remember last sighing in relief? 

About a month ago, my mom mentioned that she had a routine doctor appointment that led to a biopsy. Getting the news and dwelling on it for the next few days caused me much anxiety.  I always think that the waiting game is so terrible when medical test results hang in the balance. 

So I waited and worried (even though I know I am commanded to trust in the Lord and do not be anxious about anything). I struggle with those commands a lot. I've always wrestled with an anxious spirit. I continually work with the Lord, but it is a constant challenge for me.

The truth is that in these days of waiting - I worked on entrusting the results to the Lord. It took time, thinking, processing, praying, and seeking comfort in the Lord's promises. We got great news, earlier than we expected, that revealed that my mom's results were clear. 

This my friends, is when I most recently let out a great sigh relief. 

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart...

Five Minute Friday: Plan

This is my first entry in the Five Minute Friday challenge.  Find out more about it at Katemotaung.com. 

Plan.  We all love to plan. Some like to plan more than others I think.  I would consider myself an average planner.  I don't like to have every minute planned out - especially not when it is leisure time.  I do notice that when I don't have a general plan, I start to wonder what I am doing with my life.  Planning has a lot to do with control.  Planning often makes us feel like we are in control - even when we aren't.  For example, I noticed how winter was driving me crazy because it was messing with my plans.  Every day we would have to consult the weather and see if it changed plans.  Right now I am an afternoon nanny to two elementary school girls.  Snow days would change my day to a full work day.  It would change my to-do list, my meals, my schedule.  Sometimes it's nice to have a change of plans, but sometimes it would drive me crazy.  I noticed myself saying, I can't wait until winter is over so I can maintain control of my plans.  However, its actually not true.  Yes, we can plan and try our hardest to stick to plans, but there are always natural changes.  I read Ann Vonskamp's prayer for today - some of you may know of her 703 prayer plan for Lent this year.  I haven't been following it super close, but today's prayer/tweet was fitting. 

"Today I will thank God for every interruption of my list - as I'll see it as a manifestation of my Lord." 

"By Grace, today I will fast from idolizing my agenda instead of interrupting my agenda because I love Your ways more than mine." 

I think that is an interesting perspective on the word plan.  It's okay to have a plan, but let's not let "our plans" get in the way of His plans.  Sometimes we are just too darn busy for our own good.  

Blessings, 

Carolyn E Berlepsch

P.S. That new years resolution to blog more - even with a theme... hasn't really been happening.  I'm going to keep working on it. Maybe I need a better PLAN :) 

Synonyms Of The Word: treasure

As this journey continues, I am overwhelmed by the deep waters I'm jumping into as I study "treasure". Just a quick glance at the synonyms of the word in some ways makes me want to quit. Goodness, that sounds terrible. That is how I tick though - and I must learn to persevere. Sometimes I obsess so much over perfection and worry about how it will end up that I can easily miss out on the journey. Lord, have mercy on me and show me a different way. Seriously though, I need to learn the one-day-at-a-time method. I must keep studying and writing and hoping for a clear revelation of what I'm studying and writing. Phew. 

Here is what I am asking myself today? 

"Lord, where will treasure show up? Open my eyes to see. Help me to take note of what it is You want to show me."

I cannot write the whole list of synonyms I was exploring today, but here are some that stood out to me. These are ones that I know will show up when studying the Word and being open to the work of the Lord in my life. 

Abundance

Apple of one's eye

Darling

Find

Valuable

Worth 

Pride & joy

Prize

Riches 

Adore

Cherish

Esteem

Guard

Idolize 

Love

Reverence

Worship

Wow! 

I will continue to work on defining treasure as I go.

Here is where I started. I took a look at the dictionary, thesaurus, concordance in the Bible, and the Greek dictionary. It's fascinating. 

Do you have a word for the year? Where are you choosing to start as you begin to study and look for it? 

Until next time. 

Treasures: a map & a new journey

I've read many posts about picking a word for the year. I started this blog last year: treasuring your life. I have wanted that to be a theme. However, this week I really pondered what it would mean to study and write about "treasure" this year. I am excited about it.  

Today is a great day to introduce the theme and make the first post about studying treasure. Why? 

Charles and I are on a mini-vacay in Daytona Beach visiting his dad. Today we went to a tourist gift shop to look around.  We came out with two things: an awesome nautical watch and a 200 piece treasure map puzzle. We finished it much faster than the 1000 piece puzzle over Christmas with my family. Those 800 other pieces made a BIG difference.

Anyways, some of Florida's rich history is about pirates and treasure. A few years ago, I went through a whole pirate museum in St. Augustine. It was fascinating! I sometimes just think of pirates as fictional. Nope, they are real.

Pirates were all about treasure. They would live for it, search for it, fight for it, protect it, and even die for it. 

As I begin this journey for the year, I hope to learn what it means to truly live for the treasure I have that is life. Life with Jesus, life with amazing people, life with abounding blessings, life with transforming struggles, and life with eternal hope. 

So what do I treasure? Do I live for it, search for it, fight for it, protect it, and am  I willing to die for it?  Maybe dying for it sounds extreme, but I think even in a metaphorical since we must die to ourselves to let go of some of the things we treasure in place of the best treasures. 

So, let's think now of the people, places, things we treasure now. 

What do you hope to treasure more? What do you hope to treasure less?

Join me on this adventure. I don't have a printed treasure map of where we are headed, but I do have some leads. 

In Remembrance: Paul Stover

The following post is in remembrance of my friend and Young Life kid, Paul Stover. 

YL Club at Grafton 123 - Fall 2010

Five years ago, I was a frequent customer at The Grafton 123 - a homey coffee shop in Grafton, WV.  It became my living room and my home base during my time in Grafton.  I started leading Young Life in Grafton in the late winter of 2008.  For that first year, I kept thinking "I just wish there was a coffee shop here".  I honestly was praying for a place to open up, but at the same time thinking that will never happen in this small town.  Well goodness gracious, one day I was driving on Route 119 home from the high school and I passed a sign that caught my attention on the side of a brick wall.  It said "The Grafton 123" and I wondered what it could be.  Someone later told me that it was going to be a coffee shop, and I cannot explain to you how excited I was to have that prayer answered.  I sometimes think the Grafton 123 was opened just for me as an answer to my prayers.  However, at the time I didn't know what an impact it would have on my life or the Young Life in Grafton WV.  

As a frequent visitor, I met the owner Mary Kay Stover.  I found out she had a son at GHS, a daughter at the middle school, and a son at the elementary school.  This was exciting because I knew Young Life could impact their family.  My Young Life team | The Fab 4 or Dream Team - as we so humbly refer to ourselves ;-) | decided to ask if we could start having campaigners at the Grafton 123.  We started meeting weekly with high school students and later started having Young Life club at the shop too.  It even was the location for our Grafton YL Music Video.  It was a perfect and central place for Young Life!  

Making the Grafton 123 my living room - I quickly met the Stover kids.  Paul, Morgan, and Gabe would frequently hang around the store after school to help out.  I would strike up conversations with them... convinced that Paul thought I was very odd for always being around.  I was a WVU student choosing to sit in a coffee shop and go to high school events in Grafton, WV... WHY?!  He would see me around school and the coffee shop and say hi because he was a nice guy.  Once we started having Young Life club at the 123 we would invite Paul to stick around.  He would politely decline saying he had to take his siblings home, go work on homework, etc.  Then, we started to notice that he would stick around a little closer to starting time.  He would help us move all the tables, set up the projector, prepare for skits, and then ditch out the door before everyone started to arrive.  As the dream team spent time with him, we would often say to each other - I cannot wait until the day Paul Stover meets Jesus.  He is a servant, he is kind, he is a hard worker, he loves people well, he doesn't know a stranger, and once he is following Jesus he will be a powerful force for the Gospel.

About halfway through his senior year, Paul started staying at Young Life club with both Morgan and Gabe too.  Paul was such a good brother to his siblings.  You could tell by the way that he talked about them and treated them that he loved them so much.  It was a gift that they could be at Young Life and figure it out with him too.  As the semester went on, Paul became good friends with us! We loved having him there to help and invite his friends.  Once Paul started coming (along with a few other seniors) more people started to check out Young Life from GHS.  He started leading people then - his siblings and his friends to Jesus.  

I remember we would celebrate him being there and the opportunities my friends and co-leaders Alex and Derek had to hang out with him.  Paul was working on weekends in the winter at Wisp, so he would crash with the guys in Morgantown because it was closer than Grafton.  I remember being so excited when the guys had a "guys night" in Morgantown the same night as our "girls night".  They came over and crashed our party! :) I think we all had the confidence and hope that with time, Paul would meet Jesus and his life would forever be changed.

Early 2011 

At our last Young Life club of the year, we reached 50+ students and I think it had to do with the influence Paul and his other senior friends had on the school.  We celebrated this victory by shaving Derek's head.  Paul had the honor to help shave part of it.  During the summer, the GHS team took some kids to Saranac Village for YL Camp.  Paul went to camp, heard the Gospel, understood it, and started following Jesus.  He didn't just start walking -- he started running after Jesus.  It was amazing to watch from afar.

As he began his journey at WVU - he continued following Jesus and leading others to Him.  I remember being at the YL Oglebay Retreat in January 2012 and seeing a few new faces in the room because of Paul.  I also remember my friend saying that Paul stood for a long time writing names of his friends who he was praying for to meet Jesus on the prayer list hanging in the cabin.  He truly believed that each of his friends needed Jesus and would invest in them and pray for them hoping their lives would change the way his had.  He went on to lead at University High School and this year became the team leader.  

I saw Paul just a few weeks ago at the WVU Young Life College country night.  In my heart I was celebrating in many ways the Lord has used the ministry at Grafton HS to grow His kingdom.  I am thankful to see fruit, because the Lord doesn't always grant us that gift.  There were new freshman in the room and seasoned seniors who are leading in a variety of ways.  It was so encouraging to see them - my JOY and my CROWN! I got the chance to sit by Paul and talk about life over dinner.  It was a joy and a pleasure. I am thankful I had that time with him in August.

After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you! 

1 Thessalonians 2:19

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work. 

Philippians 4:1

One thing I loved about Paul:  Since I moved to Summersville after his senior year of HS, it was always unexpected when I would show up at WVU events.  Every time I would see Paul, he would freeze and just smile at me.  He would then run over and give me a big hug.  I know that he made so many people feel special and appreciated.  I always told Paul how proud I was of him.  We would joke about how he would ditch us for so long at the 123 but how excited we were once he decided to not only come to YL but most importantly follow Jesus. 

Goodness, I am so thankful for his friendship & his passion for Jesus.  He loved well.  I am so thankful that one day when I stand before Jesus our Lord, we will be standing there together.  

I am deeply saddened by the loss of a friend, brother, follower-of-Jesus.  I am sad for the many who will miss him deeply daily.  I am sad because of the earthly life he did not get to live and the potential that I know he had.  It's hard to comprehend and understand.  The verse I have been looking to as I mourn and think about my friend is this:

Oh how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice?  
Romans 11:33-34

I trust that my God is bigger and will bring redemption to this sad tragedy.  I trust that many will come to know and love Jesus because of the love Paul had for Jesus and for them.  I trust that his legacy will live on because he lived each day to the full and followed Jesus passionately with his whole heart. I will miss you Paul, but I am thankful you are now with Jesus living life to the full.

Paul & I after Young Life club - May 2011

This is the hope I have, Paul had, and I believe Paul hopes you have:

 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9 

The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.  My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

John 10:10

Choosing to Love {Extravagantly}

I am beginning to read one of many books about marriage.  I am pumped!  I am currently reading Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas.  Daaaang I feel like each sentence hits me like a ton of bricks.  Mainly because it is the truth of the Gospel as it relates to marriage.  And goodness do I have so much to learn when it comes to loving others and following Jesus wholeheartedly.  This life is an adventure and we are constantly learning! 

The chapter I read this morning in Sacred Marriage was about "Learning to Love".  It covers the greatest commandments, Love God and Love Others.  And the truth that, if we are not loving others - we are failing to love God.  (1 John 4:20-21) 

What I read today fit in well to a conversation I had with my dear friend in South Africa via Skype yesterday.  (Praise the Lord for technology!) We were talking about how hard it is to love others sometimes and Kait mentioned a quote that stuck with her in one of our other friend's insta profiles.  "Love Extravagantly",  it is such a powerful picture of the love God desires for us to have for Him and for others & it is also a translation of 1 Corinthians 13:13 (MSG)! 

A few good nuggets of truth from Sacred Marriage: Ch 3. Learning to Love

• "Christian love...must be chased after, aspired to, and practiced."

• "The beauty of Christianity is in learning to love, and few life situations test that so radically as does a marriage."

• "Yes, it is difficult to love your spouse. But if you truly want to love God, look right now at the ring on your left hand, commit yourself to exploring anew what that ring represents, and love passionately, crazily, enduringly the fleshly person who put it there. It just may be one of the most spiritual things you can do."

Then I was reading a blog and it quoted my favorite quote from Tim Keller's The Meaning of Marriage.  I have the audiobook version and I remember listening to this quote and re-listening to it a few years ago thinking -- this is what I want to find.  We are imperfect people.  We mess up. We are selfish.  We hate when we want to love. We put ourselves before others.  And this quote is a powerful reminder of how to view "falling in love".  

• “Within this Christian vision for marriage, here’s what it means to fall in love. It is to look at another person and get a glimpse of the person God is creating, and to say, “I see who God is making you, and it excites me! I want to be part of that. I want to partner with you and God in the journey you are taking to his throne. And when we get there, I will look at your magnificence and say, ‘I always knew you could be like this. I got glimpses of it on earth, but now look at you!’” - Timothy Keller (The Meaning of Marriage)  

Another related quote from Sacred Marriage is: 

• "Marriage requires a radical commitment to love our spouses as they are, while longing for them to become what they are not yet.  Every marriage moves either toward enhancing one another's glory or toward degrading each other." - Dan Allender and Tremper Longman III.

I am praying for a continued love for God and love for my future husband, Charles :).  I am thankful for this new journey and for the opportunity to know the love of God more through the covenant of marriage.