Choose Joy

The past week and a half have been somewhat of a trial for me, and emotional rollercoaster with it’s fair share of ups and downs. Tuesday was probably bottom for me, I was overwhelmed and living in the world in not trusting the my savior. The shelter is full to capacity all the time. Overwhelmed with the reality that there are too many animals and not enough cages or adopters to save them all I broke down. But what do you know God had a plan and it was good. Several dogs transferred to Michigan Humane and this Thursday we find ourselves with ten open kennels! Once again he has made a way out of no way. We are still overwhelmed with cats but we are trying to do better. I woke up Wednesday singing Chris Tomlin’s Our God.

“Water you turned into wine, opened the eyes of the blind there's no one like you none like You!
Into the darkness you shine out of the ashes we rise there's no one like you none like You!
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!

Into the darkness you shine out of the ashes we rise there's no one like you none like You!
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
What could stand against.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!
And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
Then what could stand against.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!”


There is so much power in that song and it just reminded me that nothing is too big for the God of the universe as long as you trust in him and his perfect plan.

So my challenge for you is to choose joy. Be an optimist. Choose sunshine and rainbows over rainclouds and storms.

Find happiness in the beautiful people around you. The people who love and support you for your unique personality. The people who hold you accountable and inspire spiritual growth. Go for a walk and take in his creation. Trees and flowers are always beautiful to me. Snuggle a kitten and stand in awe of the happiness it brings you as they race around the room learning how to purr and pounce from one another. Pray with a group of friends about anything and everything. Share life with others. Cry for the injustices of the world but do not be overcome by them. Choose joy because God is good and his love endures forever.

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21

Tests and Trusts

So the past few days have been very interesting for me. I love my job at the shelter but sometimes it gets overwhelming. That was the case this week. On wednesday we had 16 dogs over capacity and no place to put them. I was more than a little stressed out by this. Then we had a dog fight in the morning and the day was quickley becoming more and more stressful. I had a conversation with God that went something like, "I don't understand why you have placed me here or how I am suppose to accomplish the task at hand. Lives will be lost this week and that really hurts. Please show me the way." Shortly after this little chat I remembered Joshua 1:9 the verse that I tell all of my friends when they face trials. Joshua 1:9 says, "Be strong and courageous; do not be terrified; do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you weherever you go." As soon as I thought about Joshua 1:9 and what it means I felt a little better and then it was clear to me that today's lesson from god was both a trust and a test. He was trusting me with several animal lives and he was trusting me to set an example for my co-workers. He was testing my trust to him and my obeience to his will, even when the outcome seemes to be horrible. This realization helped me clarify exactly what it was I needed to do. So with that my co-workers and I started calling people to see about moving dogs. After several phone calls and many people's genorosity we were able to send 9 dogs to rescue and one of our long term residents finally got adopted!!!! God saved ten dogs lives and gave them a chance at a future. He made a way out of no way and all that it required was trust and obedience to his will. The shelter is still extremely full but the important thing is that 40+ dogs have been given another week to live, to be seen by the public, to find for ever homes, and most importantly to love and be loved on. PRAISE God. It was such a big lesson and he met me where I was and used things that would speak to me to teach me his lesson in a big way. But the lesson didn't end there. That night I had dinner with some very dear friends and I couldn't help but be thankful for the beautiful people he has blessed me with. Strong, encouraging women of God that I absolutely love:) After this dinner I lost my keys which was an adventure that took up a day of my life lol Then I headed to life group to grow in God and fellowship with some wonderful ladies. We read Galations 5 and 6 and boy is that some very powerful stuff! So many good verses that spoke right to my heart. Two verses that I thought really spoke to me and to the day's events were Gal. 5:6 "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." and Gal 6:9 " Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." So there you have faith expresses itself through love. Loving is often times hard but if we do not give up we will spend eternity with a savior and until then we just might impact some lives, animal and human alike. Love until it hurts, and then love more!

Invest in People

Invest in People
God has been revealing himself to me in a variety of ways this summer as life unfolds. I decided to read The Purpose Driven Life this summer as a way to just draw near to him and to grow both in my faith and as a person. So I started reading about 22 days ago and the transformation has been huge. I consider myself a very social person. I like people. I like talking with people, I like serving people, I like being surrounded by people and lucky for me God has placed some pretty amazing people in my life. However this summer several of my people have gone off to do great things. One roommate is biking across the country! (www.bikeandbuild.com) Another is the ski director at a girl’s summer camp in New York. (www.pointopines.com/) Another has a five week internship in Guatemala! One of my oldest friends has decided to work on the island all summer long and just like any other year friends go home for the summer.
This left me wondering who I was going to hang out with this summer and what I was going to be doing. Sure enough God answered me through this little book that is The Purpose Driven Life. In the book each week has a different God lesson and last weeks lesson was “You were created for God’s Family.” Throughout the week the focus included everything from God’s love for us, to our love for others. It spoke of community and fellowship and what real, genuine relationships look like. It was so wonderful! Kind of like a much needed slap in the face. While I had been worried about all of the people that wouldn’t be in my life everyday I had completely forgotten about the people that WOULD be. One of my favorite verses is 1 Cor. 13:3 which says,
“If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
I have been dwelling on this verse off and on since my spring break trip in March and it gets more and more powerful with time. I mean it states right there that Love is all that matters. You can do a lot of things but if you aren’t doing them in love they are pointless. Another verse that really hit me was Romans 12:5 which says,
“so in Christ we who are many form ONE body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
So I asked God how the two relate and his answer was simple. There is an entire body of believers that are part of Christ’s family just like I am! I have been using this realization to build stronger relationships with many people and as a result they are helping me grow in so many ways. I have been able to build genuine relationships with beautiful women of God. We encourage each other and hold each other accountable. We eat together and we serve together. We dive into the word and discuss it with each other. We push each other to grow in our prayer life and in our knowledge of scripture. I am so so so thankful for these girls. Truthfully I don’t think that I thank Him or them enough for their presence in my life. They are constantly pouring into me and me into them and it’s a beautiful thing. So I guess the lesson for this week is that God has a plan and it’s way better than my plan.
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:11-13
God knew exactly what he was doing sending my friends all over the world to spread the gospel and he knew exactly what he was doing by keeping me here. By keeping me here he has pout me in a position to realize that investing in people is what really matters. Relationships built on the foundation of God, and therefore love, are what life is all about. So with that I encourage you to INVEST IN PEOPLE! People you just met, people you’ve known for years. People you see in passing, people you see everyday. INVEST IN PEOPLE.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

So I have been back from Cedar Rapids, Iowa for almost two weeks now and I still can't quite describe the experience. For those of you who don't know June 13th, 2008 Cedar Rapids, Iowa experienced what is called a 500 year flood. That means that the flood waters reach levels so high that it is predicted that a flood of this magnitude will only happen once every 500 years! The flood waters crested in Cedar Rapids at 31 feet! Homes and businesses were destroyed, communities and families uprooted.

I was given the amazing oppourtunity to serve through the CRWRC with 15 other people, ages ranging from 18-79! That's 7 generations of believers traveling together and serving communities together to further his kingdom by loving on people! The week started out with some trim work. I conquered the top of the ladder and managed to swing a hammer without falling off!!!! Ross and Joleen were awesome teachers and they are such a wonderful example of a strong christian marriage:) Days 2-5 were spent doing various painting jobs. I am now confident in my ability to to paint and repaint trim lol. I was kinda bummed because it was almost the end of the week and I still hadn't really interacted with any home owners. I hadn't heard any stories and that is one of the things that I look forward to most. So wouldn't you know at the end of day 5 God provided! Jenni, Nancy R. and I were sent to a house on 8th St. The home owners were already moved back into their home. And not only were they home when we arrived but they had rescue dogs!!!! I got to talk to them for about a half hour about their dogs, their neighbors, and their experience with the flood. It was the perfect way to end the day! That night we shared our favorite verses with each other and I LOVE that activity:) Verses that others chose that really spoke to me include the following; "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Romans 12:6-13 I just love these verses and I think that they speak so much truth. Everyone has their own gifts and talents suited to their personality types and all of that was hand picked by the God of the universe! BUt on top of that he is telling us that we must use these gifts to love others. Not surface level or superficial love either but genuine love. Love that costs us something. Love that leaves us different than when we started. So I had been thinking a lot about these verses when we went ot the work site the last day. It wasa slow morning and there was not enough work for all of us so about six people had things to do and the rest of us were just kind of standing around looking for things to do. The passage in Romans hit me and I remembered that the lady had cats (we met them the first day) and her cats were very hairy. So I said to myself "God has given us each unique gifts, I love animals and most of the time they love me, her cats are hairy and I could brush them for her." So with that I knocked on the door and it was one of the best decisions that I ever made. First of all I got my fury fix. Boot a tempermental torti was interesting and I met their 14 year old black cat! Which is awesome! I LOVE meeting old cats:) We talked for a long time. I listened to her tell me all about the flood and how it had impacted every aspect of her life. I was able to share my passion for rescue animals and giving back. She shared and I shared and it was wonderful.

God knew exactly what he was doing long before I did. He knew that the week would start off slow and that I would be bummed about not interacting with people as much. He knew that I would need to paint a lot so that I could get asigned a new task. He knew that this new task would take me to the first home. He knew the first home would have a story, a story I had been praying to hear. And on top of all that he knew that the home would have animals. Then he used one of my best friends to show me the Romans passage, so that I would meet another home owner and hear another story the next day. God is good all the time. His plan is perfect and he really does have our best interests at heart. This is why I am always so sad to come back to "real life". When you go on a mission trip life is good, it's simple and it's full of God. You get up every morning, you eat, you go to the work site and you serve people, meeting needs all day long. You come back shower, eat dinner, and do devotionals. Then the next day you do it all over again. It's awesome!!! So I always find myself asking, "how can I live for God and in God every day once I get home? How can I serve people and meet specific needs everyday back home? and finally how have I changed throughout this expeirince and how does that change affect the way I am going to live my life?" So far I've come up with a few things. 1. Love to serve and serve to love 2. Choose People over things 3. Pray for more of Him and less of you 4. Be devoted and live for Him and Him alone. And with that I say Praise God for Peace, Love and Grace.

Serving Others

This coming week I have been giving the amazing oppourtunity to serve the community of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I will be doing some flood relief work for the community with a group of other volunteers and I am SUPER pumped about it!

Just like any other mission I like to mentally prepare for the experience and God has really been laying two things on my heart. Number one we serve to love. 1 John 4:19 says, "We love because he first loved us." and as a reminder his love is HUGE. John 3:16 describes his love, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." I say amen to that!

So I have also been thinking about what this love needs to look like and I found two verses that really spell it out. 1 John 3:18 says "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." With ACTIONS and in TRUTH!!!! That to me means that you need to live it out all the time. Serve everyone as if you were serving God. Love what you are doing it and love genuinely! Love when it's easy AND when it's hard. Love until your heart hurts, and then take it a step further and love beyond that.

I plan on loving some people in Iowa this coming week and I encourage you to love on people too. You don't have to travel states away to do it. Their are people in need everywhere. Some needs are large and others are small. So meet people where they are and help them however you are able to. Small scale or large scale, love is love, and it is always the answer.

God is Good

So I had the oppourtunity to actually have a day off of work and relax this weekend and it was wonderful! I find myself really in awe of God and everything that he has blessed me with. I had the oppourtunity to go home and visit my family, something that doesn't happen often enough. The drive out to my house is beautiful and it always reminds me that no matter how long I have been in the city I really am a country girl at heart. Spending time with my mom is always awesome. She inspires me without even realizing it. Her devotion to our family is truely beautiful and I thank God for her. While home I had the oppourtunity to talk to my family a little bit about my faith, something that doesn't happen very often. And I am just so amazed at what God can do. Although my family does not believe yet I have faith that they will some day. Gal. 6:9 has really been hitting home for me lately and it states, "Let us NOT become weary in doing good, for at the PROPER time we will reap a harvest IF we DO NOT give up." Not only does this verse apply to my family, it also applies to my work as an animal rescuer and advocate. Case and point two of the most amazing dogs I have ever interacted with got adopted this past weekend after being at the shelter for months! God can make anything happen. It just has to happen in his time and according to his plan.

Day One

My name is Summer and my roommate is biking across the country this summer to raise money and awareness for affordable housing, a cause that she is very passionate about, and so she started a blog about her day to day experiences. This has inspired me to start my own blog writing about my own day to day life and my passions for God, service and animals.

God is my rock and without him my life would not have purpose. A few God words that I try to live by include but are not limited to, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 “if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday” Isaiah 58:10 “You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them” Psalm 35:10

I love to serve and serve to love others. I like volunteering at the mobile food pantry, the local nursing home, and the animal shelter as well as other places throughout the community. I encourage everyone to volunteer at LEAST once in your life time. It’s never too early or too late to get started!!!!

Finally, I LOVE SHELTER ANIMALS! They are a huge part of my life and I am extremely passionate about the cause. I believe that every shelter animal deserves a forever home. I believe that all animals are worth saving and that no animal is beyond repair. Every life is a gift and that should never be taken for granted. I am also a proud supporter of trap/neuter/release programs for feral cats. They shouldn’t have to be euthanized just because they don’t trust humans. And love me for it or hate me for it I am a proud supporter of pit bulls. Yes I said pit bulls, these dogs are not viscous killers, they are loving and loyal companions that get taken advantage of because of their complete obedience to their masters. It fact for me pit bulls are the one dog breed that exemplify what unconditional love looks like. So there it is. This is me.

Lets live life together and share our experiences! “A life without cause is a life with out effect” –Anon.