Camp Friends.

I am beyond blessed to have the honor to be able to sit here and broadcast the ministry of a girl I call not only one of my best friend but my sister has had a passion to start.

     

    God knew what He was doing when He allowed me Mary-Michael's paths to cross at Camp Winshape 7 years ago. Who would have ever though that being in the same cabin for two weeks with someone would eventually turn into a life long friendship. Following camp she ended up being one of my sister's students, which I find so funny but at the same time a huge God wink. This girl is incredibly talented is every aspect of life. She has an undeniable passion for the Lord, a voice that touches your heart, the gift of of inspiration through the song, and most of all the ability to be the best friend someone could ask for. A friend that listens to your stupid boy problems. A friend that doesn't sit with you while you cry, but instead cries with you because when you hurt she hurts. A friend that texts you all day long at school about the most random things ever. A friend that is a without a doubt someone God placed in my life because He knew I would need her along the way of the twist and turns of life. 

    Unite for Uniforms is a organization that she started last year after a life changing trip to Kenya. The purpose of this movement is to gives kids in Kenya a chance. A chance to succeed, a chance to go to school, a chance to get an education, and to ultimately pursue a relationship with Christ. However, in Kenya kids can't attend school without a uniform and with poverty being so prevalent, some families can't afford something as simple as a uniform that cost all of $5. So Mary-Michael has started this organization to raise money to send over to Kenya to help provide uniforms for these kids. Recently, news has returned that through the work and passion of teenage girl who went on a trip, came home and had a passion placed on her heart and did something about and started this ministry, 53 kids are now enrolled at school and not wandering the streets of Kenya with the possibilities of human trafficking or slavery being around every corner.

   

So help me in supporting Mary-Michael, and in supporting these kids in Kenya who so desperately need our help. 

UNITE. Because when we come together, we can make a difference. 

Check out the website and get involved:

http://uniteforuniforms.webs.com

Prodigal.

Luke 15: The audience of his story is not church members, but the worse of worse, but think they are the best of the best.

     In the stories of Luke chapter 15, Jesus is telling 3 stories: the story of the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son. In each story there is something that launches a search party and something that launches a celebration, but what we sometimes don't realize there is a party/celebration in every story Jesus tells. The most popular of the 3 stories, is the lost son, otherwise known as the "prodigal son."  But what most don't know that the word prodigal actually means "extravagant" or "lavish" and nothing about either of the sons in this story are that, but the father is the extravagant one, the father is the one who lavishly loves and forgives. 

     For me, this story shouldn't even be called the "lost son" but instead the "lost sons" because in this story there are two sons that are lost, but one might just not realize it. One son, goes out and had to come to point of admitting he was at rock bottom, but admitting was nothing more than getting up and and simply going home to where his father was. The son left and ended up in disaster, but today we are all in the same boat one choice away from finding ourself in a disaster. It comes down to one word; temptation. Temptation comes from the fact we are insecure of who we are and whose we are. The enemy is continuously cropping out the disaster that some choices will lead to and all you see is the paradise that he tricks you into thinking you are going to find. You have to widened your view. You might ask now, "well how do I widened my view without having to find disaster first?" in other words how can I find out who I am by not leaving the house first like the son did in Luke 15. There is an answer, shocking I know. It was to me at first as well. But you say no to temptation, but at the same time you say yes to God. If you just say no to temptation, that wont cut it. You have to to say no and say yes to God, by doing that you are bringing the power or the Holy Spirit into your life. The response to temptation isn't no, it's throwing your arms out and letting your father hold you. 

     In this story, the son's journey started in the house, but he wandered off. But what I have come to realize, My God will come and run to me wherever I am. You don't have to leave the house for Him to come and meet you. He will come and meet you where you are right now. I think the picture of the son returning home and the father literally sprinting to meet him is a beautiful illustration of what our heavenly father does for us. I imagine God sitting up in heaven looking and waiting for His children to come home, and when they do, He runs and rejoices and says, "My child has returned." I have a father that loves me so much that He will run to meet me if I leave the house, and He will run to meet me if I am in the house. You can always, just go home.  

     He doesn't give up on us, He gives up for us. The 2 sons represent two groups, but they both get the same message, the same gospel. One group is the people who thing they are way to far out, way to far from home, and the other is those of us who think we are already close enough, and have it all figured out.  In reality we are all woven out of a broken humanity. Both sons were in the same situation, they needed an unconditional love from their father, and neither of them were finding it. While one son went out and looked for it, the other stayed home and tried to work for it. Both sons were missing the reality of who they were and whose they were. Both sons had a speech the tried to give to their father. The first one being an apology by the son who wandered off. The other being the son who stayed at home and didn't understand why his father was rejoicing so much over the his brother who had wrecked his life. Luke 15:29 "Look what I have done" the son pleads to the fact that he has never messed up, he has been nothing but loyal to his father and he gets nothing in return. This is a prime example that it is NEVER about what you have or haven't done, but it's all about what God has done. 

     I was the second son. I was the one who didn't understand how my brothers and sisters could go so far gone and come back and get so much praise. I didn't understand why no one was praising me when I never left. I never did anything wrong. I stayed at home. I didn't leave. But what I have come to realized I can't live my life on a "do" basis but a "whose" basis. I can't live my life in the attitude of I did this and not that, because it isn't about that. Because at the end of the day, wether I left the house or I am still here, I am no different. Titus 3:3-5, "At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy." In the end of this story the father runs out to meet both of his sons, just as our heavenly father does and continues to do. I shouldn't have been caught up in myself and worrying about what I wasn't receiving, I should have been running along side the father and going out to those who have gone astray and and reminding them who they are; loved children of God. 

     So yes, I was the second son. I might not have wandered off, but I wasn't any better than the one who did because I was living in selfish attitude, and wasn't rejoicing when someone returned, and I wasn't realizing who I was. But God has humbled my heart. I now realize I am in just as much need for someone to run and meet me when I am in the house, as the person who isn't in the house. 

     You don't have to know how to make it back, you just have to know how to look up. Your father will come and meet you wherever you are. You can never be to far gone, and you can never be close enough to where He can't come meet you. He will come, and He will sprint to you and rejoice in your return. You are His child, and He wants to come meet you, and He wants you to come home. Don't just keep running, don't just keep wandering, don't keep thinking you are close enough. Go home, and let your Father take you in His arms and show you who you are and whose you are. You are God-designed, purpose intended, significant, lavishly loved, princess/prince, son/daughter of the King of the Universe. 

Letting Go.

Acts 1:8
"You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will tell people about me everywhere."

          If we try to resist "letting go" and hang on to the least bit of our own power we are only killing the life of the Holy Spirit inside of us. Let go and let God. Sometimes it is hard to let go, and that fear comes from the fact we aren't prepared of what is going to happen if we actually stopped and gave everything over the the Lord. What will He ask of me? What will He expect? But once you let go a weight if lifted off your shoulders. No burden, no problems, no pain is to powerful for the Lord to release you of. He can conquer it, He will conquer it, and He has already conquered it. If you ask, He will answer. He will give you the ability to let go, not half-hearted but to surrender with arms high and heart abandoned. There is no reason to be afraid because He will be your light in the darkness. Choose to let your life collide with Jesus. Let your heart cry be, "How I love you." The Holy Spirit will fill you, just as promised. Today don't depend on yourself, but depend on Him. Letting go is hard, but holding on is pointless.  I am nothing, I have nothing, I can do nothing. With the Lord I have everything, I am everything, I can do anything.

Who I am.

     Every girl loves to be referred to as "Daddy's little girl." Every little girl loves to ask a boy,"are you scared to meet my dad?" Growing up as kids our first words were either: Da-da or bye-bye. But as a little girl, these words are never meant to go in the same sentence. Your daddy is invincible. He is  guardian your angel, but just doesn't wear any wings. But for me my angel received his set of wings way before I thought he was suppose to.  Cancer took this all from me. You can't explain to a 8 year old girl what cancer is, or a hospice, or why your parents are going to be spending a week in Mexico, and most of all what the word terminal means. You can't explain that one goodbye will be the last one. 

       I come from a family of 2 older sister, 2 older brothers, and 1 younger brother. I started to notice that my brothers and sisters started to be more distant than they usually were, but I didn't ask any question but instead just kept being the crazy curly haired little girl every one knew me as. My dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when I was seven years old. Hospital after hospital, at the time it didn't mean anything to me but just I got to miss school and spend the day with who knows who, it was someone different all the time. 

       November 21,2001 was just another day for me. Woke up, and at that time I insisted I go to school, unlike now where I beg to skip. But I didn't go to school that day. That day was the day my world was turned upside down. What most people don't know is that my mom wasn't even the one who told me the news, but instead it was her best-friend who was at the house that morning while her and my older brothers and sisters were at the hospice. For the longest time, I couldn't forgive my mom for that, that was something only your mom should tell you. But God healed my heart, and my mom is now my biggest fan, my hero, and I don't know what I would do without her. The drive to the hospital was so silent you could hear every raindrop slowly hit the windshield as it started to rain. My mom let us go in one at a time to say our "goodbyes" to the man who was once my father. But out of everyone I refused. I wasn't going in that room, I wasn't going to look at that man laying in the hospital bed, because that wasn't my dad. That wasn't my guardian angel. I wasn't going to say goodbye because that wasn't goodbye for me. 

      For the longest time I asked myself, How does a little girl go on with her life without having a daddy by her side? and my answer was she doesn't, she can't, time goes bye, the days sometimes get easier, but at the end of the day I lay my head down on the pillow knowing I'm not waking up to not being your typical daddy's little girl. From feeling this way resulted in the fact I never wanted to leave my mom's side, I was so scared something would happen to her. I knew God took away my dad, but I wasn't gonna let Him take my mom too. I refused to go to school, a third grader, fighting with my mom every morning, screaming and crying. When you lose a loved one, at first everyone is all "I'm so sorry for your loss." But eventually the cards stop coming, the phone calls stop, and people go on with their life, but when you are the one who is in the middle of it.... you don't go on with life. You wake up to it everyday. 

      I grew up in a christian home, both of my parents very outspoken about their faith. So I knew all about Jesus dying on the cross for me. Always went to church, but when you are a little girl, its hard to understand that God has a plan for you, and that everything will work out in the end, for His glory and your good. I'm not going to deny the fact that I blamed God, I hated God. I wanted nothing to do with him. I sometimes consider myself Naomi, when in the book of Ruth she states three times in the same verse, that she blamed God for everything that has happened to her, that God took everything from her. I was Naomi. But God finally intervened, He grabbed hold of me and my heart and became my hope. But even with finally running to God, the struggled still remained; I was fatherless.

    All I ever thought about was my wedding day, who was going to walk me down the isle. It was like a never ending battle. The enemy used all the occasions that a daddy should be there with his daughter to make me feel so alone. But the enemy has been defeated, and God wasn't going to let him win this battle. This year, as a 17 year old girl, I was standing in the open field at Stone Mountain park at Atlanta Fest, the day before father's day listening to casting crowns sing the song "Praise you in the storm," and I fell to my knees and cried harder than I have in a long time. When the song was over and I had the strength to stand back up, my best friend who was standing behind me turned me around and wrapped his arms around me, and started praying over me, I couldn't help but start crying again. But in the same moment, his arms wrapped around me. the day before Father's day, Megan Garrett started singing and the line from the song was, "father to the fatherless," in the moment it was like a peace came over my entire body, and I finally realized; I wasn't fatherless. I don't think it was by accident that out of all the friends I had with me there that night, the one who took me in their arms was a male, it was almost like God was showing me a sense of protection, showing that this is what he was doing with me all along. He has me in His arms. I felt that sense of protection that every girl longs to feel, and while I felt so safe, He spoke so clearly to me and let me know that all this time that I felt alone, I felt labeled by the fact I didn't have a father, that I did. He never left me, He was just waiting for me to finally turn around.

     My story could go on and on because when you are a daughter of the King, God continues to work in and through your life. But my encouragement to girls out there who feel fatherless, whether its losing a father to cancer, or just not having a father figure in your life, or even just having a father who is there but seems so far away. Hold on, don't let go. God is coming for you, just like He did for me that night in the field. Always remember: You are God-designed, purpose intended, significant, lavishly loved, princess, and DAUGHTER of the King of the universe. 

     My name is Adria. I was labeled fatherless, and I let it take over my life. God intervened and saved me. By His power, and overwhelming love I have realized..... I AM NOT FATHERLESS.