IT'S JUST A GAME: but, Go Pack!

I was sitting in Church Sunday listening to God speak through Brian Frost at Providence Baptist Church, when he began speaking on idols. Nothing new. I have heard it before, so have you. 

"We all have idols," said Brian. Yep, heard it! I have heard it, and if you asked me if I believed it I would say yes. But if I asked myself if I actually believed it,  I would have to honestly say, no. Not until this past Sunday.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

I should probably mention that the night before was a history making basketball game. My Wolfpack dominated against Chapel Hill. After years or a continual losing streak, the win got every NCSU fan a little excited.... and a little boastful, and prideful, and even a little mean. If you were on any source of social media the past few days you have read the fights. The absolutely ridiculous fights. All over this game. Maybe you aren't a state fan or a Carolina fan,  but you are probably a fan of some kind. If you aren't: you absolutely know at least one man who obsesses over His favorite team.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Brian listed Idols that may be in the lives of the congregation  Money. Clothes. Cars. Homes. Jobs... and so on. He then mentioned the  big win the night before, lighting up the faces of many in the congregation. Then he added to the list of idols .... sports. "If you can look at a fan of the opposing team and feel hatred toward them without even knowing them, sports is probably a idol in your life," He said. I thought to myself, "HAHAHA, I bet there are a lot of convicted people right now."

Mainly, my selfish thought probably came from the fact I still after being told  my entire life, didn't truly believe their were idols in my life. That night I remembered something I tweeted the night before while cheering on my wolfpack....

Are you kidding me!?! There are about 20 different problems with this, one being that I thought other people should feel convicted but didn't for a second, feel convicted myself. But lets focus  on this: I strongly disliked a large group of people because of the color of their shirt, and the cheers exiting their mouths. To defend myself a small amount, the girl standing behind me was screaming absolutely ridiculous things. But really, that is no excuse at all.

Since this epiphany, I have thought about the other idols in my life. The mornings I stress out about what to wear but never consider praying over my day. The desire of money and stuff and things that daily enter into my life, mainly during time spent on pintrest. The way I value earthly friendships over the friendship with my Savior. The list could go on for days.

But lets just agree on this. Though it was glorious, what happened on Saturday was just a game. It was people on a wood floor throwing a ball around. If we are in a good/bad mood this week because of the outcome, if we have been arguing with people about if UNC and state are a rivalry or not. If our hope is in the anticipation of the rankings and statistic, or if final score is in our thoughts more than things that actually matter. We might have ourselves an idol.

Just a friendly reminder.... it is just a game!

Love, Yo girl Jordan

GO PACK! 

(Disclaimer: Being happy, celebrating, talking about, and being prideful of the win is not wrong... if it is done in a healthy matter, and we can honestly say we put more hope in our Savior than our Basketball team!)

Meet Monica: a story worth reading...

I want you to meet Monica. Monica is a 18 year old student at NCSU. When arriving to Raleigh this past August, she was ready to experience new things like hamburgers and football games. She had no clue of the new experience that would soon enter her life.

Monica comes to us from China. A place with the populations of 1,344,130,000 people. A place with at most 4% Christianity in that population. A place where thousands, if not millions, have never heard the name of Jesus.

In Hangzhou, China where Monica grow up she was told that in America, people were typically Christians... and that was the extent of her understanding. She has lived 18 years without a religion though she sometimes would "pray" in Buddhist temples. You see; we all have a desire to know something more.

......................................

I also want you to meet Brittany. Brittany is a 19 year old student at NCSU who loves the Lord with all her heart. She decided to become a International Student Orientation leader. In the first few weeks she met tons of students who she quickly feel in love with, and who fell in love with her. Her few week commitment turned into lasting friendships. One of these friends was Monica. As Brittany boldly lived out a life that shined the love of Christ, people like Monica started seeing something they wanted. Quickly, Monica went everywhere Brittany went... including Church and such. Quickly, Monica wasn't just Brittany's friend, but everyone's friend that was somehow connected to Brittany, Providence Baptist Church or Campus Crusade for Christ. As Monica began to ask questions, she hit the number one spot on numerous prayer list. Ordinary people like me started praying consistently. That's when stuff started happening.

I remember when Monica proudly posted on Facebook, her first Bible she had ever owned that Brittany had given her.

This day I not only remember but will never forget. I sat in front of Brittany and Monica at Church one day that happened to be communion Sunday. I remember hearing Brittany explain that only those who had true salvation should take of the bread and the cup. I remember watching the plate pass Monica, heart broken that she didn't know Jesus as her Savior. I remember minutes later hear her belt out "How Great is our God?" in song. I remember the tears that felt down my face.

Monica continually asked questions. Attended church. Attended Campus Crusade for Christ. And continued to be surrounded by people who not only loved her, but loved Jesus.

Over Thanksgiving break Monica went to spend Thanksgiving with Brittany's family. There when she realized that she didn't have to have everything figured out before she could ask Jesus into her life... she gave her life to the Lord.

Post like these flooded her Facebook page. So many people rejoiced in her decision!

The day before she left for China for Christmas break, I walked back into the church building and saw my small group girls and other sisters in Christ circled around Monica in prayer... tears pouring down all of their faces (and mine too).

The other day after Church Monica posted this on Facebook saying, "Providence is my first home in America! I love y'all!" (she even used the word "y'all!!)  Our Church family is so blessed to have her.

So in a matter of months not only did Monica's life change, but Monica found Eternal life.

I want to be more like Brittany and others who live life's that make people want to know Christ. I want to love the Gospel so much telling people is a priority. I want people to be added to the Kingdom
 because of my persistence in their lives.

I want to be like Monica whose heart is open to the truths of the Lord. I want to love my Church family as though they are literally my family (and they are).

I believe in the power of prayer. I believe that God changes people. I believe God uses people to change people.

 You don't have to go across the world to tell someone who has never heard. You just have to surrender your life to God... the un-reached are surrounding us... and God is waiting on us to let Him speak through us!

Be bold for the Gospel!

Love, Jordan

Mini Pizzas

I love blogs! Writing them, reading them, finding them... I love it all! My new love: food blogs! And then one day it hit me: What good is it doing by me looking at them if I never am going to cook them! That's when the magic began... and wallah ... here you have it: Mini Pizzas! Not only do they taste good, but they are pretty! Would be great to take to a Superbowl Party!

Ingredients:

• whole wheat wraps
• pizza or spaghetti sauce (I used Ragu)
• Mozzarella Cheese (Use reduced-fat cheese to make it healthier) 
• Pepperoni (Use Turkey Pepperoni's to make it healthier) 
• Spices (I used garlic salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning) 

How ya do it: 

• Take the top of a can and press down into wrap, creating circles
• In a bowl, mix together sauce, spices, and about a half of cup of mozzarella. (Experiment with the amount of spices. I suggest using a lot of garlic.) 
• Place the circles you created in muffin pans, and put approximately two spoon fulls of the sauce in them. 
• Add cheese on top top of that followed by pepperonis. 
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees and cook for 12-15 minutes. 
• Let cool for about five minutes before removing them from the muffin pan or they will break in half. 

That's it! So easy and SO yummy! And even semi-healthy!

Alternatives: 

It would be fun to add other toppings like peppers, onions, bacon and such. I am just a Pepperoni kind of gal! 

Thanks "Recipe by photo... food made easy!" for the idea! Check out her blog for more fun ideas! 

I'M GOING TO ...... ?!?!

TORONTO, CANADA 

Did you think I was going to say Africa?!

When God says go, you go.... And that's what happened.

For one reason or another, a few weeks ago I caught myself praying about spring break plans. When I realized what I was doing I felt ridiculous, because what I wanted to be doing for spring break was to be laying on a beach somewhere. So why was I praying about it?

The next week in church the opportunity arose to participate in a trip to Toronto to help with a church plant. I thought about it... quickly thought about it... Because In case you don't know... Toronto isn't a beach! Throughout the following week I constantly thought about it and didn't like it at all. I quickly began to realize at these thoughts must be from the Lord, because they certainly were not fom selfish me!

Days later I verbally acknowledged my interested in the trip. This same week I joined team iPhone (Praise the Lord) and the day after my verbal acknowledgement, apple maps decided to randomly pop up on my phone (or maybe I don't know how to use it yet and caused it to pop up?)You will never guess what part of the map appeared... Yep, you guessed it! Toronto, Canada. Maybe you think I made it that up for the readers entertainment, but have you read my blogs? I am not that creative!

I know that I sounded bitter about the lack of beach only seconds ago; but the Lord has helped me rid me of myself... I AM SO EXCITED to spend spring break in Toronto! Truth is, it wouldn't be possible to be happy anywhere else but the place the Lord is calling me to!

So it's official. I am going to Canada!

Unfortunately when God tells you to go... He doesn't hand you a stack of cash to get there.... But He does promise to provide!

I am not worried about the monetary aspect of the trip, but I do acknowledge the need for "sacrafice," if you can even call it that, in order to make this trip possible.

So after this week I am going to attempt not to go out to eat until after my trip in attempt to save money! Help me out by not inviting me to lunch and dinner... Unless we are meeting on campus with packed lunch or at my house where we can cheaply cook!

This blog is scatter-brained and slightly random. I shall return soon with details on what we will be doing in Toronto! Stay tuned!


I love you, my readers!

- Jordan

"I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." -Isaiah 6:8 

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:19 

"WE ARE A CITY ON A HILL": A PASSION EXPERIENCE

I recently was blessed enough to be able to attend Louie and Shelly Giglio's Passion conference in Atlanta, Georgia. It was such a amazing experience... So amazing that I struggle to find the words to explain my experience! I have meditated on often how to write a blog about it and each time come to the conclusion it would end up being way to long for anyone to want to read.

So then I thought, "if I could tell the world one thing about Passion, what would it be?"

Here is what I came up with:

The first night I stood in the Georgia dome I literally was speechless. During our time of worship I had a hard time even making myself sing and an even harder time stopping my eyes from continually circling the dome. Why?

There were approximately 60,00 people in that dome from the ages of 18-25....60,000! Um, what? Ok, and as if that isn't overwhelming enough... Those 60,000 people were there to worship Jesus, grow in Jesus, and serve Jesus!

 So many times we (my generation) feels so alone in our walk with the Lord. Something we feel like finding fellow believers is just too far fetched... And maybe older people feel the same way, I don't know.

Also, people (those older than my generation) often see us as a "lost generation," and honestly, rightfully so. I sometimes feel the same way. Sometimes sitting in my very secular classroom at my very secular school I think, "are we fighting a losing cause?"

So here it is. Here is the one thing I would want the world too know! 60,000 YOUNG ADULTS WERE PRAISING JESUS! We are not a lost generation, rather we are a generation full of alive believers ready to boldly fight for the souls of the lost!

Oh, did I mention these pour college students who gathered together raised over 3 million dollars in an effort to end modern day slavery?! Yea...it happened!

Oh, and did I mention that this week Chris Tomlin's (Passion worship leader) album made #1 on the Billboard. You think our generation listens to trash? Well, "we" do.... But there is enough of us who want to listen to music about our great Savior that "Jesus music" outsold all that trash!

Oh, and did I mention that we made such an impact on this world we were on CNN... Not once, put twice? Yea, CNN, the very liberal news station. And get this, they talked positively not only about us but our faith!!

You gave up on My generation? Don't: but pray for our boldness. You feel alone? Don't: find peace in the knowledge of so many others fighting your same fight! You don't trust Jesus as your Savior, and think this whole "Jesus thing" is strange? Don't: join the battle; And enjoy the promises of God!

Most importantly, pray for revival because this generation: "We are the light of the world, we are the city on the hill, we gotta let our light shine!"

"you are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden!" - Matthew 5:14

Click here to watch the video on CNN about Passion 2013

...and here for another video!

oh, and click here to find out more about the "End it Movement!" Make sure to sign the Pledge!

Make sure to share with other your stories about Passion with the world. Didn't go to passion? My blog is no rights reserved... its all yours!

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FROZEN, GREEK YOGURT COVERED BLUEBERRIES!

I try to eat semi-healthy and luckily actually enjoy eating healthy foods. Problem is, foods that aren't so good for you are way more convenient and much cheaper.

The even bigger problem is that if you like to cook/bake you are in trouble. Sweets aren't so good for you. Or are they? 

I came across this recipe this morning and by dinner time had tried them out! So amazing! I seriously suggest trying them... especially if you have a sweet tooth! It is a healthy option to keep in your freezer for when that sweet tooth of yours kicks in! 

Cheap. Fast. Easy. Healthy. YUMMY. 

All you do if put a blueberry on a toothpick, roll/twist it in Greek yogurt (I used vanilla, most people said honey is best) and then put it on a cookie sheet. Repeat process, and stick in the freezer for about 30 minutes! 

Thanks to "Caffeinated Chronicles of a Supermom" blog for the great idea! Check out her blog for more awesome recipes! 

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes (a award winning recipe)

If you know me well, or even if you just know me, you know I LOVE anything pumpkin flavored! Pumpkin spice cupcakes are no exception.  A friend of mine told me about them and I thought I would give them a shot. I then started making them on the reg.

Then.... Something pretty cool happened! Sigma Alpha Omega and Beta Upsilon Chi decided to use the recipe for the NCSU homecoming cupcake war competition. To our surprise, WE WON! After baking over 200 of them that week I vowed to never make them again... And so far haven't.

So here you go.... You can now have a award winning recipe! : ) the easiest thing you will ever bake!

Ingredients:

• One box of Duncan Hines spice cake mix
• One can of pumpkin
• One container of cream cheese icing 
• Brown sugar 

Directions:

• Put cake mix and can of pumpkin in a large mixing bowl
• Mix on medium speed for approximately 3 minutes or until there are no more clumps 
• Fill cupcake filter 3/4 full. (they will not rise as much as normal cupcakes) 
• Preheat oven to 350 and bake 19-22 minutes 
• Once cooled top with cream cheese (if immediately serving, it is good to put cream cheese on while the cupcakes are still warm... It is like a pumpkin cinnamon roll) 
• Sprinkle brown sugar on top! 

TOP TEN OF 2012

In all of the blogs that I follow, the bloggers tell the readers about their lives. I never do that because I think "who would want to read about my life?" yet I find myself reading about everyone else's lives, even strangers, and am enthralled. So here it goes. This is my life!

ITS A NEW YEAR! I was extremely excited about the year changing and may have even had the false impression that when the clock striked 12, all the bad parts of 2012 would disappear.

Needless to say, they didn't! Yes, it many ways this has been a hard year. But if I really sit down and think about it... the blessings FAR surpass the very few things I could complain about. This has been such a exciting year!

MY 2012 TOP 10: 

1. I got the great privilege of becoming a small group leader for Providence Baptist Church's College Ministry. (If you are looking for a church, click the blue words, and you can find out more about this AWESOME ministry!) It started out with two girls, and we now are five strong! In attempting to lead them, each of the girls have taught me so much. I love each of them and am so blessed by them daily! This past semester we went through the Old Testament Together, and learned a lot about the character of God. I am in much need of a new picture with all of them in it!

2. I went to AFRICA again. Geez, I just love that place! This time I went to Kampala, Uganda and served along side "A Perfect Injustice" ministry. It was just a eye opening experience, and potentially gave me a lot of direction for my future. I now have so many friends in Kampala who I love and miss so much! I WILL be back to visit them soon!

3.  I became a Aunt! At 3am on the 22nd of December my sister, Janna, woke me up to say she was going to the hospital. I stupidly responded, "WHY?" Karmen Leigh Lambert was later born around 1:30pm that day. She was 6 pounds 15 ounces and 19 inches long. She is absolutely beautiful and has already stole my heart! The first thing I did the morning of the 22nd was go buy her clothes.... safe to say she is going to be spoiled (and stylish if I have anything to do with it!)

4. WE WON HOMECOMING! After the most stressful week of my life, Sigma Alpha Omega and Beta Upsilon Chi together won first place in NCSU's homecoming competition. I had the great privilege of walking on that beautiful field at Carter Finely during halftime! It was such an amazing experience! We also won first place in cupcake wars, first place in the Homecoming parade, along with a lot of other awards through out the week!

 

5. I was able to go to Charleston, South Carolina not once, but twice! I have always wanted to go there and it was a beautiful place. The first time was for a Sigma Alpha Omega Executive board retreat, and the other was for a Beta Chi Upsilon Fraternity, formal. Such a pleasure to be able to go! The formal took place in the theater from "The Notebook."

6. I gained two new beautiful "little's" into my life through Sigma Alpha Omega. Morgan, Hillary, and I have had such great times together, and I love them both very much!

7. Football Season! It is always fun, but this year has to have been my favorite so far. The best memory of course being when we beat Florida State! GO PACK!

8. Though she lived with us some in 2011, this year Jordan Nicole Butler officially became part of my family. Words can't express how blessed I feel to have her as a sister! She is absolutely hilarious and always so loving! It has been so neat to see her "grow-up." This year she has been a beast on the swim team, made the A honor roll, and somehow managed to become the favorite Ellinwood child, I am pretty sure!

9. I conquered my biggest fear! Snakes have always been my worst fear. Even seeing them on television used to make me cringe  As strange as it is, one of my friends this year decided to get pet snakes. I started with being ok with being in the same house as them then moved on to being in the same room. I then touched it, let it be on my sleeve.... and now me and Samus are best friends (or something like that)! I even fed it a mouse (that was conquering a fear in itself... eww mice!) I have to admit, I am extremely proud of myself!

10. I went on a lot of trips:  Asheville, Pigeon Forge, Myrtle Beach, Nashville,, and Florida .. Florida makes the top 10 fo sho! Me and some of my friends went to Ferdandina Beach in Florida for Spring Break, and it was most definitely a week to remember. We came back with so many inside jokes and more stories than I can count. My favorite story of course being when Brittany peed on herself because she was laughing so hard.

(The top ten are in no particular order)

God has blessed me so much this year and I am grateful!

A New Year Brings a Full Gym!

So the other day I was at the YMCA and as I made my way to my next machine I happened to glance out the window. This is what I saw:


This most likely doesn't humor you. What if I tell you it was on December 31st? Still not humored? Ok, just just imagine what it looked like the next day?!!?!!

The new year typically brings a full gym. Though I felt as I owned the gym on this particular day, for the next few weeks I will be waiting in line to use equipment.

Isn't this the same thing that happens with our walk with the Lord? I was recently thinking about this as I attended a conference in Atlanta, Georgia called "Passion." typically when we leave things such as this we are on a "spiritual high." We tell ourselves we are going to be better people: read our Bible more. Pray more. Give more. Love more.... And we do. But easily, when the conference rolls around next year we will be right back where we started.

If we don't make our physical exercise a lifestyle rather than a temporary fix, we in the long run are no healthier than when we began. The same thing goes for our spiritual exercise. God doesn't call us to temporarally love Him. He doesn't call us to live for Him for short periods of time. He doesn't say our spiritual life should be on cycles. He tells us to daily die to ourselves. Not somedays or January through February, but everyday.

It's the beginning of a New Year and our new years resolutions are now in full swing. I am challenging myself to live not a year, but life of consistency. Challenging myself to not have a better February but a better year. Challenging myself to not only have a better year but to make a permanent fix .... To daily die to myself and continually work on strengthening my walk with the Lord.

"Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." - Luke 9:23-24