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.

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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.

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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!