It's a Birthday Party of Awesomeness.

In the chaos, in confusion
I know You're sovereign still
In the moment of my weakness
You give me grace to do Your will
So when you call I wont delay
This my song through all my days
There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring You praise
All my delight is in You, Lord
All of my hope, all of my strength
All my delight is in You, Lord
Forevermore

I know this may come as a surprise, but today was another fantastic day. Worship is incredible this week. I feel like, this week and last week, we've had a lot of students hesitant to really express themselves in worship.. and so tonight, we as a staff really tried to sit out among the church groups, not to show off or be fake in worship, but to just show students that it's ok to worship genuinely. Tonight felt different. I sat surrounded by students, worshiping, and just really trying to take it all in. It's exciting to see them really beginning to feel freedom in the way they express themselves, and to hear the chorus of voices lifting up the mighty name of Jesus. Usually my favorite song that we do is "Beautiful the Blood" by Fee but tonight, Hillsong's "None but Jesus" rocked the house. It was powerful.

Ryan's sermon was challenging students to tell their lost friends about Christ, and to do it without judgment or condemnation and at the end of the service they all went to the sides of the auditorium and wrote the names of the people they were promising to go home and share the Gospel with. Last week, it was so awesome... one of the students got up, wrote the name of a friend who was at camp with him that week, that he felt convicted over, for not sharing the Gospel. After worship, that student led his friend to Christ. THAT NIGHT! I love this mess!

Then after worship, I went with Seth our worship leader, to meet up with the church group we're cohosting this week. It's a group of INSANE middle schoolers. We went to Pizza Hut and at one point, I look over and see Seth seated nicely with the adults at the grown up table, and suddenlyrealize that I am trapped in the corner of a booth with students all over me. I had 2 of them squishing me up against the wall, 4 sitting across from me, 3 leaning over the booth behind me, and 4 standing at the end of our table. Needless to say, it was loud! It was a sweet time though. :) They just want so badly to know and be known. They want someone to care about who they are, and someone who is willing to share themselves with them. I loved it. It was a great way to end the day.

Today was a special day for me too. I became a Christian 11 years ago today! Mrs. Cosner called me while I was in worship tonight to wish me happy birthday, which always means so much to me. In fact, yesterday I shared bits and pieces of my testimony and as I shared with them the influence that my church and student ministry has had in my life, I talked about my relationship with Mrs. Cosner, and how, 11 years into this game, she's still calling to wish me a happy birthday.

It's fun to be at Carson Newman on this day too. A week after I accepted Christ on choir tour in Atlanta, we left Stafford for Centrifuge here at the Newman. It was my first Fuge experience and I'll never forget how overwhelmed I was to experience worship in such a different way, surrounded by people my own age. As I have been blessed to watch people in the beginning of their faith journeys, what sweet memories I have of this place, in the beginning of mine.

What an insane 11 years it's been. Placing my faith in Christ was the most important decision I'll ever make... and i'm so grateful for the people that God has placed in my life that continue to point me to the cross in all that I do. I hope I do the same, pointing others to the only hope there is.