Merry New Year!

Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii!

Finals Are Here

It's finals week! This means my first semester of college has come and is just about gone. I can't believe it. It flew by.

This last semester has required a lot of change. And I am not the same Brittany that walked onto campus 4 months ago, that is for sure. My mind has been stretched, my heart has been enlarged, and my hands have gotten dirty. I've been apart of some really amazing things. The process, the in between, the messy, the tension, the struggle, these are the things I embrace, the things I love. The days when I didn't want to be here, when things didn't make sense, that's when I was able to lay back in the arms of God and know that I was where He wanted me to be.

Following Jesus is an adventure, a really beautiful adventure.

Thanks for all your love this past semester, I am ridiculously thankful for you guys.

The Vase

Turkey Day in AZ! What a rad family.




Lately, I picture my life. Where will I be, what will it look like, what will I be doing? And in my hands, I now have my vase. It is shaped to my liking, it has sweet designs carved in, and holds really vibrant flowers. It is an excellent piece of work I have to admit. Very fancy shmancy. Everyone will be super impressed. And that's really the scary part. Because it's pretty good. So, I'm content.

And in the next sentence I bow my head humbly and say, God, not my vase, but yours.

Here's the thing, while in my mind a "good" vase might look like very tall, smooth, and useful, God is on a different page. He is thinking something else. Because my vase, as "good" as it might be, was still created by me. And there lies the problem. I want a vase created by God.

Check out these crazy verses.
"Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, 'Come to life!' Or to a lifeless stone, 'Wake up!' Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him." (Habakkuk 2:18-20)

Seriously, as shiny as my vase is, it can't breathe, it can't speak truth, it cant guide. But to sit at the feet of Jesus in complete silence, this is where my vase is brought to life. It moves and lives when I stop being the creator and let the God of the universe do that. Pretty scary, really. Because more than likely my vase is going to look kinda small and kinda lumpy. It will probably keep changing, while God keeps molding. It's going to be a process because I might start to add my own pieces some days. And that might mean God will have to wipe out what I made and start over. Nobody likes to see their work of art be destroyed, so I'll probably be pretty stubborn about it. When I give in, it's probably going to hurt. But when I sit with Jesus everyday, more than anything I want Him to see His beautiful work of art, not mine.

Thankful for Justice

NorthPark is unique. Here, students are bringing Jesus into real life places, deep dark places that a lot of people aren’t willing to go. It’s really a beautiful thing. Sadly, so many are consumed. They are consumed with the injustice this world offers everyday. And it’s real. There is a lot of debate here on campus on how to tap into that injustice. What does it mean as a follower of Jesus to help the poor and give to the sick, to be generous to every stranger and give forgiveness to those who don’t deserve it. What does it look like for us to tap into the injustice of cancer taking innocent lives everyday or precious children suffering from lack of nourishment worlds away? I feel overwhelmed just thinking of it. Of course people are consumed with these things, they are huge. They seem so impossible to solve. Students here are searching for solutions, they are making a difference and making things happen. But so many are discouraged. Their minds and hearts are flooded with injustice that seems never to go away, however much they believe in it.

So, just like everyone else in America, this past week I’ve been thinking to myself, “Brit, what are you thankful for?” And while I think to myself, I slowly gaze up to see a God above me that encompasses all that is. I stand before Him in awe, speechless. There, I can see the end to all injustice and I am no longer overwhelmed with the twisted world we live in. His judgement, His justice overcomes it. You know, it already has. Justice came. Jesus. And this I am thankful for. God’s sovereign judgement. Because injustice has lost, it has already lost.

I can be concerned, but I don’t have to be consumed with the causes of this world. Global warming, AIDS, poverty, war, and even deeper than all these things, my heart. My own sin that encompasses my mind everyday. These things have been conquered. Peace lives within me and I can live in complete justice.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.”
Lamentations 3:22





A little photo and art I have been up to.

Leaf Jumping Extreme

I went leaf jumping for the first time today! For those of you who are new at this, like myself, it means you kick or pick up and bring a bunch of leaves (foot note: during fall leaves change colors, like red and orange and yellow, and then...you wouldn't believe this, but they fall! They gather themselves on the ground and leave the trees very naked, ready to go for winter. It's something called..uh...oh ya....seasons! Maybe you already knew, but it's news to me. ) so back to the leaves....you get them together in the same pile, until it makes a gigantic pile, and then BAM! you jump! Holding firm to the faith that you didn't kick or pick up a piece of trash (like a bottle, plastic fork...etc.) or a large stick. Leaf jumping is a very dangerous sport....so I have learned.







Did I mention it is getting quite chilly around here....I can do it, I can do it, I can do it....bring on the windy cold Chicago!

Happy Happy Orange and Black

Sometimes you just have to leave your pride aside and dance around like a crazy person. Last Friday night we had a costume party at the church, and I'm pretty sure I creeped out everyone there. It was hilarious. You see the group of us who have been starting small groups around campus and a young adults group during the week decided we could not play the "cool card" at this party, but we had to be the weird ones. You see, then no one would be intimidated by what we had to offer. And therefore, would come hang out with us for future get togethers. I am pretty sure I accomplished this goal with flying colors. The pastor's wife (Savannah) and I were matching, creepy, awkward, dorky, old men. And the costume did not end there. Along with the ridiculous outfits we went ahead and got 2nd place in the costume talent contest. Yes, the talent contest. Impressive, I know. We choreographed a dance to "Everybody Dance Now" and pretty much blew everyone away. (Just to clarify, we should've gotten 1st but the contest was rigged. We were mature enough to let it go. We know we really got first.)



Things are going really well around here. Midterms ended well. I got to go home for a few days and see my beautiful family. We had a blast together. I have already registered for classes next semester, and am looking forward to that. I look forward to tutoring each week (the after school program with refugee kids around the neighborhood). The girls I get to hang out with are so beautiful. They bless me and teach me so much. The girls I work with are from Burma (right above Thailand), Guatemala, and Mexico. They are between 10 and 13. Anyways, I love them. The people downtown on lower Wacker are also a huge blessing and I always look forward to the intriguing conversations with them. West Ridge community is growing. Like I mentioned earlier, we are building small groups that are pouring into the church. Really exciting to see. We have started guy and girl small groups and then a young adults group during the week where we all get together and have a good time. I am also on the creative planning team for services and have gotten to be apart of the worship on Sunday mornings. God's Spirit is really being seen! Keep praying for all the changes we are going through as a church restart. Some are still reluctant to all the change. We are really starting to move forward though because the launch date is getting closer! So, we are beginning to put things in place and starting to see them function!

Being the church has brought on an even newer meaning to me in the past few weeks. Seeing what it looks like for me to live and breath as a church outside of any building has so many implications in my world and it impacts the way I do life. Really it means that the church I bring to people I encounter everyday needs to be pouring out love, giving community, and full of grace. It is really liberating and I know it is what God is calling me to, to be the church. (you too actually)

On that note, I will talk to you guys soon! And update you on any exciting news. Happy Halloween :)

Rich or Poor

The fall days are beautiful here. Leaves are falling. (Cactus don’t do that.) I love it.

I went down with about 20 other students last night to a street known as Lower Wacker. This is a place where most park their cars, throw their trash, plug their nose, and drive through as fast as possible while not making eye contact so they won’t be shot (really a very irrational fear). What is rarely seen is the really beautiful community of people who call it home. I was blessed this week by a new friend named Lonzelo, a 58 year old man who lives on the streets of downtown Chicago. Lonzelo and I had a divine moment last night down on Lower Wacker, he touched my heart, and made an impact on my life. He stirred in my mind this question: What does it really mean for me, someone who follows Jesus each day, to be poor?

Let’s start at the beginning. Lonzelo brought up a question, and asked me why it is that nobody wants to die, but everyone wants to go to heaven? Really great question I thought. He wasn’t wasting anytime for sure. Well, before I could actually give an answer, he had one for me, which was good news because all I could think of was a David Crowder song that goes “everybody wants to go to heeeeeeaven but noooboddy wants to dieeeee.” Really great song, but probably wasn’t what he was looking for. Anyways, Lonzelo’s answer to his question. (Kind of an advantage to being homeless I think is having the time to think about very profound things in this life that no one has time for.) He started with the conveniences. How no one wants to die because they would have to lose all their things. And people like their things more than anything. The conveniences that so many are consumed by. The emails, the cars, the shoes, the phones, and the shelter. Things I rarely take a second look at. And it’s true, I would be very reluctant to give up any of those things at any given moment. And then what seemed to be a pretty light-hearted conversation took a turn when he said, “Brittany, would you rather be rich or poor?” (sort of implying that of corse my answer would be rich, which it wasn’t.) And in my head, there was a split second of ‘don’t kid yourself Brit, be honest’, but really the bottom line was that I would rather be poor. And my heart said to me, ‘You are called to something so much more than being rich.’ And in the very moments of putting an answer together that deserved a lifetime to figure out, he was very shocked to hear me say, ‘You know what Lonzelo, I would rather be poor.’ He looked at me and laughed, ‘You are crazy girl, who are you? Did your momma teach you anything?’ (Don’t worry mom, I defended you :) But it’s true, I would rather be poor. Against all human desires in me, I desire more than anything to be poor and humbled and simplified and content and broken and needy. Because I know that in this life, living for anything that is seen will die, but living for the unseen, that is eternal.

So right when I think I have some sort of basis for why I am choosing to be poor, Lonzelo hits me again. He looks at me with his very heavy, deep, and tired eyes and points over to a dirty corner on the sidewalk, and he says, “Why would anyone choose to lay on the concrete?” At that moment something in me felt very heavy. Because in some sort of way, I could feel Lonzelo’s hurt, I could see the weight of his loneliness, and I felt sad. I wanted to fix it, but I couldn’t, and I felt helpless. The words that kept flashing in red letters through my mind were - POOR IN SPIRIT - POOR IN SPIRIT - POOR IN SPIRIT - over and over. But here’s the thing, all of a sudden I had no idea what those words really meant. I know that Jesus said to be poor in spirit, I know that He was poor in spirit, I know that I want to be poor in spirit, and I know that it isn’t the first thing my spirit jumps in line for. So what do I do?

Matt 5:3
Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Proverbs 22:2
Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.

2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

At this point I am left in the arms of God’s sovereignty and humbled by His love. Because I think in a sense, we all deserve to be on the concrete. Jesus took my poverty, and bared it in place of me. What makes Lonzelo different than me? Well, a lot physically. Because as I drive away to go home, his night in Lower Wacker never ends. He made really crappy decisions (he actually told me that himself), but so do I. In a mysterious crazy way, last night I felt equal with Lonzelo. As a human being, and in God’s compassionate eyes, I am. Lonzelo holds the same desires, the same needs (physically and spiritually), and the same broken heart that I do. So we both are in equal need of God’s grace on our lives. We both desperately need Jesus to take away our poverty. And that is so beautiful.

Whether I physically ever sleep on the concrete, we will see. But I know that in my heart, I want to sleep on the concrete every day.