Why God?

God tells us to do certain things to stretch us and grow us. He tells us these things because he cares for us, his creation.  Sometimes he may even want us to do something for someone else without ever seeing any fruit of our labor. That is something that I struggle with. Sometimes I selfishly wish God wouldn't tell me to do things. Life would be so much easier if I only had to worry about myself or those that I love. Sometimes I think that life would be so much safer if we didn’t have to reach out to strangers, if we didn’t have to bring truth to the lost, or if we didn’t have to submit to the Lordship of Christ.

You tracking with me? I am pretty sure the majority of people working in global missions context are not doing so because it is the easy thing to do. Most evangelists don’t talk with strangers about Christ because they simply love conversation with strangers. An example from my life—a few years ago I worked as a lifeguard. I worked the morning shift 4 days a week. That meant getting up at 4 AM to get ready and drive 15 minutes and be at work by 4:45. 2 days each week I would spend as the only lifeguard on duty and spent much of my time reading or pacing the pool deck. The other 2 days, however, there was a morning swim class that would come in. The teacher of this class was a fellow lifeguard and we would spend about an hour each of those mornings in conversation. I soon learned that he and I were not on the same page on matters of God. This soon became a common focal point of our conversations; we had many good talks about God. This continued for about 3 months, and my friend and I had exchanged phone numbers in an effort to hang out outside of work (we were both students at NDSU, so we could hang out between classes and such). The Lord had laid it heavily upon my heart that I should be actively witnessing to my friend, and I felt like I was doing a decent job. The ‘accept God or go to hell’ conversation has never been my strong suit, as I prefer to let my actions and relationship building help with my credibility before having the humbling conversation about sin and our depravity. Nonetheless, I felt like my friend and I had built enough trust, so I was planning on inviting him to church. I put it off for a week, then two, and then my family came into town so it turned into 3 weeks. I had every intention on inviting him to church, thinking that seeing a healthy body of believers might be the nudge he needed to turn to God. 

I arrived at work that Tuesday waiting to see Jacob’s smiling face and a box of donuts or some other pastry that he seemed to always bring in with him. He never showed. I called my boss to let her know that he never came in and went about guarding. A few hours later my boss comes in crying. Jacob had committed suicide. My friend, the one God had entrusted me to witness to, killed himself. The questions started coming then: Why? Why would he kill himself? Why didn’t he cry out for help? What could I have done? Why did God impress upon my heart that I should witness to him if he knew that he would commit suicide? If I had invited him to church sooner would it have happened?

I wrestled with guilt, sorrow, and confusion for about a month. Suicide has reared its ugly head several times in the past within my family and friends. Each time people look for answers that simply aren’t there. People get lonely. People are full of sin. People cry out for help. People give up. People make mistakes. Kids that seem to have their life together can end their life with one bullet. It is always heartbreaking.

Did God impress upon my heart to witness to Jacob? Yes. Was I obedient? Mostly. Did I feel terrible after Jacob’s death? Certainly. Did Satan have his hand in Jacob’s death? I wouldn’t doubt it. Is God using this situation for good? Most definitely. God’s power cannot be measured and his plans cannot be thwarted. Sometimes I selfishly wish God wouldn’t task me with things, because I fear rejection, I fear being looked at as strange, I fear failure. The thing is, God is in the business of turning weakness into strength, turning outcasts into heroes, and turning failures into victories. 

That is where missionaries find their strength and determination to evangelize in the face of persecution. This hope is what provides the boldness to reach out to a stranger as you pass them on the street. That is why in the midst of sorrow and pain, we can find hope and rest in Christ. Failure hurts. Rejection hurts. Death hurts. One thing I know, though, is that God loves me just as he loves the Jacobs of the world. I am not saying that Jacob is in heaven, only God knows that; and I am not saying that hell is not a real place or that nobody will be there. All I know is that I can trust in the Lord’s plan and do the things that he calls me to do. He clothes the flowers in the fields and feeds the birds of the air—how much more does he care for us, the firstfruits of his creation?
Serving God will stretch and grow you. You may never see the fruits of your labors here on earth. There will be times where you will wish for an easy life. A life without service. A life without risk, and without persecution. Instead, take heart in knowing that the Lord is good. His love endures, and his plans never fail.

Lord, be known

Lord, be known among men.

Let Your name be on my lips

Let Your word be on my heart

Let Your glory drive me

Let Your promises comfort me

Let Your love carry me

Let Your holiness inspire me

Let Your tenderness refine me

Let Your beauty wash over me

Let Your power flow through me

Let Your wisdom transform me

Lord, Use me. Sanctify me.

Amen.

Reflection on Internship

            Coming into the internship I was super excited. Everyone that I had talked to about New Hope Church and Pastor Greg could not say enough about either. To top it off, I was going to New Orleans and Alaska! To go along with my excitement, however, was also plenty of skepticism and nervousness. I was nervous about being thrust into positions of leadership and responsibility in such a big church in which I was unfamiliar. I was nervous that I wouldn’t live up to my expectations (which I mostly put on myself I think). I was also very skeptical of working in a big church. I had been to several larger churches and had never felt comfortable. I had never seen a big church function well.

            Soon after the internship started, my fears were alleviated. I was welcomed in with love and excitement. Tim, Joanne, Randy, Gayle, Mel, Donna, and Pastor Greg all made me feel welcomed and wanted. I met with Pastor Dave, and he informed me that many people had been praying for me before I even came down from Fargo. That was extremely encouraging.

            My Apprehensions replaced with anticipation, I dove into the fastest 11 weeks I have ever experienced. I began by interviewing several of the full time staff: Reed Soderstrom, Jeff McCourt, Andrea Tyson, Holly Nimchuck, Mary Tessmer, Cathy Johnson, Dave Rodquist, Herb Janes, Jeremy Deck, Kyle Biggar, and Bryan McWhite. All of these wonderful, Godly people had a ton of wisdom and experience to pass on. I could write 20 pages on what I learned from them by simply discussing life over some coffee. I will spare you, however, and just give some of the most impactful and practical advice.

            First, when serving in ministry, remember that your first ministry is yourself. Never run yourself ragged, and always put your personal walk with God first. Next, your family comes second. If you cannot lead your family in truth and wisdom, how can you expect to lead the body of Christ? To go along with this, intentional time off the clock is important. Make sure that you take time to recharge your batteries. Make sure you take time to foster your relationship with God and your family. Read together. Worship together. When you have yourself and your family in order, turn to the church. When looking at how to handle the church, communication is key. Make sure you communicate well with staff as well as with the congregation. Another necessity for a vibrant ministry is a specific goal or mission. Churches have limited resources. A church cannot support every ministry or every missionary or every trip that there is. They must take care of the resources that they have, and sometimes (most likely quite often) that means telling people that their endeavor does not fit into the ministry scope of the church.

            The last two things that I was consistently reminded of during the meetings were to cover everything with prayer, and to earn your right to be heard. Jesus took time to pray and so should we. Jesus, being God in nature, still chose to set time aside to pray. He prayed long and he prayed often. He prayed for his disciples and he prayed for God’s will to be done. It is extremely important that we should do the same. How do we earn the right to be heard? Well, it starts by living your life in a way that glorifies God publically and privately. I think of 1 Peter 2:11-12, which says to resist the passions of the flesh and keep focused on Christ so that when others try to talk bad about you they will see your good deeds and glorify God. People will be watching. If they see a man that fulfills the desires of the flesh at the expense of living righteously, then he no longer has credibility. If, instead they see a man who is faithful even in the little things, receiving grace, and extending love, then that man has earned the right to be heard. This is essential to effective ministry.

            About three weeks into the internship things really began to get busy. I went to the Challenge youth conference with the senior high youth. This was a great experience for me. I had never been to a conference of this magnitude. Over 5,500 people were there! I had the privilege of leading a small group of 4 students who were entering 9^th grade. As the week progressed, walls were broken down and the students were able to be vulnerable in front of each other. I got a close look inside the mind of a 15 year old. The gospel was presented, relationships were built, and God was glorified. It was a beautiful thing to be a part of.

            I got back from Challenge on Saturday, and started music and drama Camp on Monday. For MAD camp, I was in charge of the mini messages in the morning. She gave me no criteria or material other than saying it would be good to include Jonah somewhere and to try to keep it around 10 minutes per day. This was a unique challenge, because I have never had to prepare a series of sermons (for 5 days), especially with such a loose agenda. I decided to go through the book of Jonah chapter by chapter with them and relate it to the Gospel. The sermons were prepared, given, and heard. Nobody confronted me for doing anything wrong or inadequate, so I think they went well. MAD camp came and went in a flash, and was followed by VBS. I was in charge of running the elementary school games for VBS. The games went smoothly, but the best part of VBS week was seeing the whole children’s ministry team work together so well. They worked with each other, covered for each other, and encouraged one another the whole week. It was a clear picture to me of what teamwork can look like and should look like.

            VBS ended on a Friday. Sunday rolled around and it was travel time again. This time to the last frontier, Alaska! 14 people went on the trip, 9 adults and 5 children. We were able to serve with an organization called Graceworks. The mission of Graceworks was to provide children a meal, a safe place to play, and the gospel at a park close to their house. The ultimate goal was to make disciples and get them hooked into a small group with one of the local churches and eventually move on to another park where the gospel has not yet been presented. It was amazing to see the relationships that our team built with the children in the park in just one short week. It was truly a joy to watch. On Friday night in the park, our last day, we held a block party for the kids and their parents. We served up 240 hot dogs, had a bouncy castle, did face painting, twisted balloon animals, and presented the gospel. The Lord blessed the planting and tilling that had been happening the previous 9 weeks in the park, and 6 people accepted Jesus as their Savior that night! It was interesting to come into a harvesting situation like that on a short term mission trip. It was also a unique experience to watch the joy on the faces of parents and kids serving together.

            I could go on and on about Alaska, but I will spare you the more intricate details. I returned from Alaska to find the last week of my internship staring in my face. The time had flown by! I experienced a whirlwind of opportunities in such a short time: working with infants, preschool, and elementary school kids, sitting in on counseling sessions, wedding planning, and team meetings, leading games, small groups, and large groups. I have been truly blessed to have had so many great opportunities and experiences this summer. I would like to thank you, Pastor Greg, and New Hope Church for taking the time to invest in me as a person, and training me for a future in ministry. I would recommend this internship to anyone who is planning on serving in ministry in the future.

With a grateful heart,

Burke

Alaska

Well I just got back from Alaska yesterday. It was gorgeous. I will definitely be going back as soon as I can. Spring break maybe? We were there for 10 days, and during that time God did some really cool things.

For the first week, we stayed a Calvary Baptist in Anchorage and worked with an organization called Graceworks. We worked in a park called Chester park, where we set up a daycamp/vbs type program for about 40 kids that would meet us there every day. Much of the time in the park was spent playing games, doing crafts and going over the bible lesson. This was all good stuff, but I would have to say that the biggest impact didn't come from any of these things. These kids had been doing these things all summer with a new team every week. they had played lots of games, completed many crafts, and had listened to many bible stories. The biggest impact was through the relationships that were built. It was really special to see the close relationships that were built in only one short week. One of the coolest things that I saw was a 12 year old boy in our group felt moved to take all of his spending money that he had for Alaska to buy his new friend a bike because his had been stolen. The dad, so moved by his son, then went out to get another boy a bike, and yet another boy a pair of shoes. They saw the needs that the children had and went above and beyond to fulfill them. The boys were speechless when they were presented with their gifts. wow, that was a special moment.

Bikes were not only the main form of transportation for these kids, but they were also directly related to the livelihood of the kids. Seeing this, we decided to put on a bike-fixing clinic. We were able to tighten chains, put on new hand grips, new pedals, tires, and even some bells and streamers for the girls. Our team very much embodied Christ's hands and feet at Chester Park.

Friday night came and we put on a block party at the park for the kids and their families. We served 240 hot dogs, had a bouncy castle, music, face painting, balloon animals, and a small gospel presentation. Six children accepted Christ that night (more than the whole rest of the summer)! Praise God.

After saying our goodbyes, we left Anchorage on Saturday and headed to Denali State park. There, our team rested up after our week of service. We went on a glacier tour, we went hiking, took pictures of Mt. McKinley, and relaxed in the hot tubs. It was a great time to reflect on the power of God. God was able to use us and our small acts during the week to reap a bountiful harvest on Friday night. God was able to use the kids in Chester park to fill hearts with compassion and move people to give generously and selflessly. God is alive and active. what better place is there to reflect on God's power than in view of perhaps one of his most majestic creations, Mt. McKinley. There were several views that literally took my breath away and brought some members on our team to the edge of tears. God is truly a master craftsman. 

I cannot believe how blessed  I was in order to go on this trip. Truly the best internship I could imagine! God used this week to humble me in sight of his majesty, and remind me that he is still in the business of healing hearts and building relationships.

-- Psalm 104:
Praise the Lord, my soul.

Lord my God, you are very great;
    you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

² The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
    he stretches out the heavens like a tent
³     and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
    and rides on the wings of the wind.
⁴ He makes winds his messengers,^[a]
    flames of fire his servants.

⁵ He set the earth on its foundations;
    it can never be moved.
⁶ You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
⁷ But at your rebuke the waters fled,
    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
⁸ they flowed over the mountains,
    they went down into the valleys,
    to the place you assigned for them.
⁹ You set a boundary they cannot cross;
    never again will they cover the earth.

¹⁰ He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
    it flows between the mountains.
¹¹ They give water to all the beasts of the field;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
¹² The birds of the sky nest by the waters;
    they sing among the branches.
¹³ He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
    the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
¹⁴ He makes grass grow for the cattle,
    and plants for people to cultivate—
    bringing forth food from the earth:
¹⁵ wine that gladdens human hearts,
    oil to make their faces shine,
    and bread that sustains their hearts.
¹⁶ The trees of the Lord are well watered,
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
¹⁷ There the birds make their nests;
    the stork has its home in the junipers.
¹⁸ The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
    the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.

¹⁹ He made the moon to mark the seasons,
    and the sun knows when to go down.
²⁰ You bring darkness, it becomes night,
    and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
²¹ The lions roar for their prey
    and seek their food from God.
²² The sun rises, and they steal away;
    they return and lie down in their dens.
²³ Then people go out to their work,
    to their labor until evening.

²⁴ How many are your works, Lord!
    In wisdom you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵ There is the sea, vast and spacious,
    teeming with creatures beyond number—
    living things both large and small.
²⁶ There the ships go to and fro,
    and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

²⁷ All creatures look to you
    to give them their food at the proper time.
²⁸ When you give it to them,
    they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
    they are satisfied with good things.
²⁹ When you hide your face,
    they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
    they die and return to the dust.
³⁰ When you send your Spirit,
    they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

³¹ May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works —
³² he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

³³ I will sing to the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
³⁴ May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    as I rejoice in the Lord.
³⁵ But may sinners vanish from the earth
    and the wicked be no more.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Praise the Lord.^[b]

^Burke

Growth...

Growth takes patience. When I moved up to Fargo this year, I did so because I felt like God was going to really grow me this year. I decided that God called me to Fargo in order for me to be in fellowship with some of my close friends and so that I could be a part of what God is doing up here. I got here and found that God is indeed moving in powerful ways and that my friends are indeed awesome people. God was using me to lead a bible study, blessed me with an awesome small group, handed me jobs (yes plural) when I needed them, and was teaching me new things about His heart. He truly blessed me. In the midst of this, however, I was not aware of the growth that was taking place.
Isn't it funny how it works? we never really know how much we have changed until we can see where we came from. I want to encourage you to keep on keeping on. God knows what he is doing. even when our daily lives seem mundane or fruitless, God's Spirit is continually working to draw you closer to him. We see such a small part of the portrait that God is painting. What we need to understand is that if we are walking in the spirit, growth is inevitable. There will definitely be things we won't understand that happen in our lives-- ugly deaths, failed relationships, or even something as little as sleeping through work (did that this week! oops). Something we can find rest in, however, is that God is going to use those things to do good. Sometimes bad things happen to us and we think there is no way that God can put a good spin on it. Where is the silver lining in a suicide? How can God be glorified through terminal cancer? Those are the things that we may never understand. But guess what? God does. It is hard, but we need to be able to find rest in the fact that God's ways are higher than our ways. 
Story Time:
A young boy named Jonathan lived in a great kingdom with his parents. he was your normal middle class 12 year old who enjoyed hanging out with his friends and playing all sorts of games. the king of this kingdom was as magnificent as he was wise. He was the greatest king that the people had ever seen. he ruled with a firm but generous hand, and had the love of everyone. the only problem was that he did not have an heir to the throne. the king was getting old and realized it was time to choose an heir. after talking it over with his advisers, he came up with the perfect plan. He called together all the boys in the kingdom into his throne room. Many of the boys had never seen such extravagance in their whole lives! Jonathan sat near the back of the throne room, a little nervous of the kings announcement (everyone knew why the king had called them together!). when the kids had all entered, the advisers and court officials handed each of the kids a seed. the king then addressed them...  "each of you I have given a seed. plant it. water it. care for it. whoever comes back in a year and impresses me the most with the fruits of their labor will be my heir. that is all". The kids left the palace in a fury of young bodies launching themselves home as fast as possible to get a head start on the planting.
Jonathan got home and planted his seed. he picked out the very best pot and the richest soil. that's when the waiting began. kids would come to school telling tale tales of how big their plants were getting, exclaiming that they were going to be king! nobody had any proof though, until a few weeks later when one little boy brought his pot to school. in the bottom of the pot you could see a small green leaf peaking out of the dirt. The young boys all crowded around jealous of the lad with the leaf. eventually other pots started making their way to school. some of them containing flowers, others had small trees, and still others contained delicious fruits. Jonathan watched with increasing horror as his friend's plants grew up big and healthy while he continued to sport a simple potted dirt patch. He was so frustrated one day that he was about to throw it out and start over. his mother reminded him that he needed to be faithful to the king's request no matter what. Jonathan fumed for a bit, but eventually accepted his dud seed and gardening failure.
The day finally came for the boys to return to the king. Jonathan didn't want to leave the house. he sat in front of the window watching the other boys haul out their beautiful plants. many of them had to be moved to bigger pots, some even had to be carried in wagons. Jonathan finally braved his way to the throne room with his empty pot. he seated himself behind a large pillar in the back of the room, ashamed of his failure. the king stood on the stage looking at all the greenery before him. he seemed to be looking for something. the advisers were working their way through the crowd with watchful eyes. One of them caught Jonathan's eye. Jonathan tried to look away as fast as he could, but the official stepped toward him. "I think we have one!" he yelled to the king. Jonathan sank in his seat... uh oh! what would the king do when he sees the empty pot? the official ushered him up to the throne. Jonathan didn't dare look at the king. the king knelt in front of Jonathan, putting his huge warm hands on Jonathan's shoulder. "what is your name son?" "Jonathan", he replied meekly... "Jonathan how would you like to be my heir?" Jonathan couldn't believe his ears! Yes! Yes! Yes! how could this be? the king turned to the crowd.. "Young men, one year ago I entrusted you with a seed. Jonathan was the only one who returned here with that seed. I know this because the seeds I gave to you were boiled. and boiled seeds don't grow."

Wow, kinda got sidetracked there! I guess it kinda fits though. I have been realizing that growth happens when we trust in and wait on the Lord. Persevere friends, even when you don't see the fruits of your labor, and the Lord will bless you. Just like Jonathan, often times it seems like we are watering our flowers in vain. it seems as though we pray, we worship, and we spend time with God and he isn't showing up. This couldn't be farther from the truth! When I was 16, I thought I had my theology developed, I thought I was super close to God, and I thought that I was pretty solid in my faith. Looking back now, I see a boy who was in the middle of so many transitions and whose faith was young and immature. I am sure that 5 years from now I will look back at now and think the same. That is the point though right? strive to be like Christ. do not be content with where you are. Let the change that is sanctification consume you. It will take a lifetime, but it's surely worth it.

Ice Cream

I woke up yesterday yearning for ice cream. Not just the ordinary kind that you can buy at any old grocery store, but rather the kind that is make from your own hands. Mixing the creamy, sugary blend with vanilla and ice to give it the tell-tale texture and flavor. Kneading the liquid slowly into a solid reminds me of the way my mother would talk about raising kids. “It all starts with habits,” she would say, refining those little things into bigger clumps and bigger clumps until you have an entire personality and destiny. Life is like a box of chocolates?! Life is much more like forming ice cream in a zip-lock bag on a hot Sunday afternoon. It takes effort. It takes time. If we are striving after God, our growth may be slow; in fact, our spiritual formation takes a lifetime. There will be times when our hands get tired, times when we feel like taking the easier path, and times when we want to ignore God and his call to be different. In the end, however, the prize is well worth the wait. The ice cream that is churned slow and steady always tastes good in the end. Do not give up. Pursue God. Pursue Holiness.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Hebrews 12:14

Romans 6

Purpose

Our purpose in this life is not to make money. It is not to make friends. It is not to get a good degree and a good job to go along with it. Our goal is not to pursue power, fame, or a soul mate. It is not to have a beautiful spouse and wonderful family; our purpose in life isn’t even to be happy. None of these things are bad, but none of them fully satisfy.

No, our purpose in life is much different. It is to glorify God in the things we say and do. It is to love those people that are hard to love. It is to serve those in need and be happy with less prestige. Our goal in life is to proclaim the love of God and the power within his name to those that have not yet heard. The purpose of life is to live as a reflection of the living God who put his very spirit of power within us in order to accomplish his will.

We will fail. We are frail, weak people with many shortcomings and selfish desires. The great thing about it though is that God will turn our greatest weaknesses into strengths. He will turn selfishness into selflessness. He will turn selfish pride into humble service. He will turn lust into love and passiveness into passion. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but instead he gave us a spirit of love, power, and self-discipline. In fact, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength!

Praise God for He is holy, He is good and His love endures. Praise him to the ends of the earth. Praise him with your words, with your actions, and with your thoughts. Praise him with confidence that we are forgiven and can stand blameless in front of the creator God of the entire universe and say ‘thanks Dad’. Praise him in our times of Joy, for it is a foretaste of future Glory. Praise him in times of sorrow and death, for God has experienced it himself, and has overcome it. Praise him from the rooftops just as you praise him before you get up and before you lie down. Our Father, our God, our Beloved. You are enough. You are good, You are sovereign, and You are enough.

what's going on in my head lately

"History cares not an iota for the rank or title a man has borne, or the office he has held, but only the quality of his deeds and the character of his mind and heart."
--Samuel Brengle
‎"the root of your salvation glorifies God privately, and the fruit of your salvation glorifies God publicly."
-- John Piper
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”
-- Philippians 2:3-5
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant.”
--Romans 15:5,7-8a
“Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.”
--1 Peter 4:1

These are some of the things that have been on my heart. I don’t even really know what to write about them. I just really wish that my life would reflect these verses and quotes. What if all Christians decided to live this way? It is so easy to fall into materialism and consumerism in America. Our culture is a selfish, glory-seeking culture. We are very much into consuming the pleasures of this world rather than following the mandate that God gave us back in Genesis to care for the earth and all creation. Yes, I am talking about nature. It’s beautiful and God created it for us to enjoy. Not to abuse. But I am also talking about each other. In fact, we are the first-fruits of all creation, so why do we think it is ok to use people for our own benefit? Why do we play favorites and leave people out? We may all be different parts of Gods body, called to different things, but we are all called to Love each other. We treat our cashier as just part of the line at the store. We have to schedule in time to meet with or talk with friends. Time may be money, but since when can money replace time? I have felt really convicted lately about how I really haven’t cared very much for those around me. I am challenging myself to do better at this. It’s gonna be tough.