adventure calling...

Knock, knock?
Who's there?
Adventure.
Adventure who?
Adventure is calling you to come and live a life that you always ached for but never took for yourself...

I am going to post an email I sent the girls in my small group... Girls I just adore and have left a little piece of my heart with each of them. But first, let me give a little background. I have always wanted to live a life full of adventure and I have really always wanted to live it in the mountains. This desire was placed in my heart as a little girl, maybe God even placed it there before I was born, I don't know. I just know it's been there forever. I squashed this desire my whole life because of messages I had received: "You're not good enough," "you'll never make it," "you're so stupid," "you will fail"... I think you get the general idea. Well, since reading Captivating and Seizing Your Divine Moment (both books that I highly recommend), and talking with the girls in my small group, and then listening to my friend Wendy Bell speak on Sunday night, that desire has awakened within me and is a living, breathing part of who I am. And because of that I have to feed it and can no longer ignore it and continue to live in a world ruled by fear and envy of everyone else living this life that I have always wanted for myself. So I have begun the process of actively pursuing this life elsewhere.

I asked this amazing group of friends to pray for me and I pose the same to you... Partner with me in prayer, and because I know some of you don't pray - or don't pray to the same God that I do - just keep me in your thoughts on this.

Read on...

Hi girls...

I just wanted to fill you in on something and have you start praying for me now. I don't know if any of you noticed the shirt I was wearing yesterday but it was a shirt from Alaska Christian College in, obviously, Alaska. A few years ago my dad and stepmom served there on staff for 6 months of what should have been a 2-year commitment. Due to marital problems, that they have since resolved, they left and came back to Kansas. One of my sisters also went to school there for a semester. I visited for a week and fell in love with it! It's beautiful there!

Also, yesterday for those of you that weren't at small group, Kathy started the discussion on why I am still here when I want so badly to move away. I had originally thought Colorado was the place for me, and still kind of do since it's closer to home than Alaska, but felt ill at ease with the idea of moving there so quickly when I just set a goal to be there within 2 years from now. Last night I was laying in bed until all hours of the night really struggling with where I am going and what I am doing (or really not doing) in life and how badly I want adventure and for God to just speak to me. I shot straight up at 2:15am, immediately went to the computer and got on the
website for Alaska Christian College ( www.alaskachristiancollege.org if you're
interested in checking it out) and then emailed my dad. The idea popped into my
head and I felt the impression on my heart that I needed to at least look into
the possibility of going there. I asked my dad to send me the contact information for who I would need to speak with and asked him to also contact them and let them know I would be calling or emailing or something. The really cool thing through all of this was that I felt and still feel surprisingly at peace with the whole idea. I don't know why. I just know that once I emailed my dad and spent a little time on the website I went right to sleep and slept through the night. Today, I couldn't wait to hear back from my dad and just emailed through their website to the general email address. I have NO IDEA where God is going with this. I may not even end up there but I just know that God is with me on this.

Another opportunity is in Colorado. A few weeks ago, some of you might remember, Richie and Dana Fike led the worship at New Community. I had heard them when they were here last year and bought their cd last year and I am moved by their music. They pastor a church in Colorado Springs which is exactly the place I plan on moving to and Vanguard Church is one of the churches that I had planned on visiting once I got there. Right after this email I am going to contact them and tell them I am a member of Heartland and just share a little of my story with them and a little about the desires of my heart. I will ask them to keep their ears and eyes open for ANY possible job openings in that area and for ANY possible people that might want a roommate sometime soon.

After both small group and singing "Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to thee..." last night at Fusion after Wendy spoke, and a couple of emails from Dana in which she has prompted me to "ask God for adventure" and to be open to his idea of adventure in my life, and after reading Seizing Your Divine Moment, I just really feel the need to act on this. I have never really lived a life of adventure. Sure I have had adventures on vacation or doing things I shouldn't be doing or just doing little things here and there but I have never lived the life I have always dreamed of and now I want it. More than anything. I need it. And I also feel I deserve it and since my life here isn't working out the way I had thought it would then maybe he has something so amazing for me somewhere else that I am missing out on while moping around here. Again I have no idea where all of this is going. I just know that I am going
somewhere. And, for once, I am more calm than scared. Oh, I am still scared but
there's a bigger part that's calm. Just partner with me in prayer on this. I know you will. I love you girls so much. And no matter where I end up I expect you to come and visit me!

You all have my heart,
cja--

That's the email that I sent yesterday to my girls. I did email Richie Fike in Colorado a somewhat bold email telling him about myself, the desires of my heart, and asked him to partner with me in prayer and to keep his eyes and ears open. I felt really awkward about emailing him and asking him to do that since he has no idea who I am but we are called to be a little bold in our faith. And already I feel better, like a weight has been lifted. I don't know where I will end up but I know it will be somewhere spectacular!

I will keep you all posted, of course, as things progress.