#occupyallstreets

I'll be home soon. 
Very soon, thank you, Jesus.
It's not just missing home (get ready for the dramatics), but my soul craves it. Beyond yearning, beyond want, it's needed.  How cool that the Lord turned my "I might stay in Australia forever" into "I'm going to be one of the vessels that brings and fosters revival in my hometown".
What a dream!
He's such a gracious God.

So I've started to compile a list of things I would like to do whilst I'm home.  I'll be home for about a month (for my friends and family who are reading this, feel free to be apart of making any/all of the following a reality.  Your company is really what I want):

• Christmas lights at the beach
• Hot chocolate, yoga pants, movies, and snuggle time on the couch (cough cough Towns family cough cough)
• HEAPS of catch-up coffee dates
• a parade
• Christmas party
• Church
• More church
• BFF snuggles (start planning your date night, Josh and Ashley)
• Bible study
• A few nights with my "other family" (mac n' chesse and pillow talk included)
• visit the 434 and the ever-growing Fehr family
• shenanigans with Hobbles
• Shores sporting events and lunch dates
• more coffee dates
• more snuggle times
• more and more

One of my favourite movie scenes of all time is the opening scene from "Love Actually", when Hugh Grant gives his airport monologue: 

Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, 

but I don’t see that. 

It seems to me that love is everywhere. 

Often it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – 

fathers and sons,

 mothers and daughters, 

husbands and wives, 

boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. 

When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. 

If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that 

love actually is all around.

In my mind (and heart) I know who I hope to see at the airport; it's going to be wonderful.

That kind of wonderful when you open the mailbox to see a post card (or heaps from your loving church family, if you're as blessed as I am) with your name on it: a true sense of home that warms and swells the spirit.

Oh, how I can't wait!

But on to the topic of here, now, and lately:

One definite highlight of college is chapel.  We have it every Tuesday and Friday afternoon. It's a full on service with the addition of announcements.  And because the students here are legends (no bias) we had the first annual Tutorial Wars!!!!

Each tutorial leader had a team and WOW, did the students take it seriously.  There were costumes, massive flags, drums, chants, face paint: it was like summer camp up in there! And the best part is that everyone was into it, including college staff.  Of course, as if there was ever a doubt, Team miYAMmy Heat (my tutorial) won!!!

Even this spontaneous event taught me about ministry: it taught me about the importance of "buy-in".  Forgive me if I've talked about this already, but it's such a personally convicting revelation. It was the first Tutorial Wars ever, therefore there wasn't a standard to be met or surpassed.  The hype around the event were completely up to us.  

WE SET the STANDARD, the EXPECTANCY, the ATMOSPHERE.

Seriously.

Do you get that?!

There's 2 ways it could have gone: 

1) this is gonna be so lame.  don't get excited. OR 

2) this is gonna be awesome.  bring your A-game!!

I'll be the first to admit how often I default to reaction #1.  So many examples come into my mind from my home church of when I contributed to a failure-expectant atmosphere and I'm just downright disgusted with myself. 

Thank you, Jesus, for forgiving me. 

My heart for you and me is that no matter what it is, at church, at home, at work, or anywhere else, even if we're not 100% excited or on board, we are aware of our power to set the tone.  

"Buy in" to what God is doing.

Have the humility to support something especially when it's not our idea.  Any youth leader, or team leader in general understands how crucial "buy in" is from everyone. 

Don't be Satan's "in" to your ministry.

I'm not sure I articulated that well enough, but my life will be an example from now on.

Unity in the Body

"Just as a body, though one, has many parts, 

but all its many parts form one body, 

so it is with Christ."

1 Corinthians 12:12

GOD's plan for me (and for you) is advancement.

Be about it.

And I get to see things like this:

how blessed are my eyes :)