Dear May... Where Did You Even Come From!?

Between 'Summer' and Ashley: 13 days, 4 shifts at Barnes & Noble Cafe, 5 days of classes, 5 final papers ranging 3-15 pages each, 1 presentation, 3 finals, 1 volleyball meeting, 1 PCM night, some serious packing, and a whole lot of enjoying the relationships started here :). PHEW!

There's nothing like an 11pm ice cream run to keep motivations and homework-doing-spirits high...








Somehow I'm found at the end of the semester; always taken by how quickly time passes. It's been a semester of growth beyond measure. I didn't necessarily plan to come here. (Well for a month I did - but that's not the way I usually do things). Which started the semester off with a new, unique tone.

I came in wide-eyed and eager; and those qualities are only being refined in me. I found myself so quickly welcomed to dream, ask, fight, learn, explore, and share life. For some of the first times, I could voice the dreams God's laying on my heart and be encouraged. The professors here don't melt down when I give them my financial plans. No more "Oh Sweetheart, that sounds nice... now let me help you conform your passions to an occupation where you can make a lot of money". Never once have I heard "...but you're so smart, you could go so far". Instead I get to be spoiled in an environment in which "how can I help you get there, or do that?" frequents conversation. Beyond the community that has poured into me, I'm learning to draw.

God is the author of my life, but I don't think he minds me supplementing His story with my pictures as He gives me crayons <(click that link to read an awesome blog entry from one of my favorite authors: Donald Miller). I've said "yes" to so many opportunities He's given me. Sometimes I felt as though I were being dragged along, and sometimes I was intentionally running - but regardless of the season He continued to open doors. I joined the volleyball team, and participated in their Spring training. I joined a student group called Acting On Aids (through which I got to meet Kay Warren!!!), and next fall I may be an executive member. I worked at a cafe in the city, which has left me with a couple new pen-pals and irreplaceable relationships. I began attending a Hispanic church, which I'll get to serve in next semester. I learned to love prayer; I've seen glimpses of it's power. I took on a project on Addis Ababa which fueled a new-found passion for Ethiopia as a whole. I've discovered the joy of encouraging my peers through words (written & spoken) and gifts. And I've shared music with a freedom beyond my silly nerves.

(I do realize my Bethany Dillon fettish may be on the verge of unhealthy, but seriously - it's a good song... click the link >) I don't know what's in store for this summer; I just trust it will be good. I don't even know where I'll be working for sure yet - but I know who provides. Though I've put up a fight; though I've kicked, screamed, and cried... Philippians 4:6 has finally been sown into my heart and woven throughout the pieces of life God has taught me to trust him with (aka everything).
"Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done."
If only I could've learned and lived this 20 years ago.

It might be the end of a semester, but it's only the beginning of an adventure. One of: following God, maturing in faith, stretching in ways I couldn't have imagined or planned, seeking the Kingdom, loving my neighbor, praying unceasingly, living in integrity, deepening humility, learning obedience, growing in joy, sacrificing my sins, saying "YES!" to opportunities from my Creator, and soooo much more. I'm a walking mess; but I'm being taken from one degree of glory to another. And I'm stinkin' excited about that.

The Latest (& Greatest)

I was blessed this past Friday to have attended a concert at my school. Our student group, EMBRACE, hosted Micah Bournes in a concert that shook me in a lot of good ways. Micah is a senior communications major at Moody, and I can't wait to see where God leads him after this year. He is a rap artist with incredible talent. He presented Christ in such an amazingly creative way. I have to admit it was almost embarrassing for me at times because of the emotion that stirred within. While most people were compelled to dance and sway their heads to the beat; I couldn't help but be lost in the lyrics and clothed in the truth as my eyes welled and leaked. But beyond embarrassment, the concert as a whole (entitled "Be Prepared") left me convicted yet refreshed. I was left hungry but confident, and unsatisfied but free.


You wouldn't think I'd need to be reminded that my Savior is coming again... But I did, and I do. So easily I get stuck in the midst of the day-to-day trials and seemingly ever-growing hurts of the people and world around me. So easily I get discouraged at the amount of things I can't promise or do for people I love. When the reality is Jesus made a promise that trumps all. A promise that should drive my every waking moment. He's coming back. We get to join in the hope of the day in which He'll arrive like a thief in the night to take us home. It makes me take people's salvation a little more seriously, makes me walk a little more courageously, fight a little more fervently, pray a little more unceasingly, dream a little more kingdom-mindedly, and love a little more unconditionally.







As for an answer to prayer, I FOUND A CHURCH! For four weeks now I've been attending a church in Little Village Neighborhood in Chicago called "Neuva Vida" (New Life). It has already been such a gift unto my life. The neighborhood is somewhat reminiscent of the Dominican Republic or Mexico, (which makes driving, parking, and eating an adventure for sure), and it proves the community mind-set of the southern countries true! They're family. The pastor radiates the joy of the Lord and his faith seems to trickle down through the church. Beyond seeking intimacy with God, they really understand community; something I am attracted to, encouraged by, and aspire to. The first week we (my friend Katie and I) attended, we witnessed two people being baptized. It was such a beautiful picture of celebration amongst brothers and sisters in Christ. I'm hoping to get a little more involved now, and for next semester, with the youth group, women's groups, clean-up projects, or kids ministry... for now, I'm just joyful to have found another place I belong.

So Much Time, So Little To Do... Oh Wait...

As of today, the 14th, I have but one month left in this semester. Yes, that's right... my parents are picking me up on the 14th of May. I have a feeling that it's going to fly by too. Between heavier loads of school work, working in the cafe, volleyball practice, pcm, and hanging out with friends; my days are partly to mostly full. I don't really even have time for much of an update right now, but I thought I'd post a couple photos:








Some girls from my floor and I took a walk to a nearby Indian restaurant hoping to enjoy the fresh mango shakes they usually serve. Though we were disappointed to find out they didn't have any that night, we settled to share some garlic naan!

That's all I've got for now. Don't worry about me, I'm in good hands.

Easter Sunday

We're welcome to meet with God anytime and anywhere, but I'll admit I have favorite times and places. There's just something sunrises and sunsets that paint a bigger picture of the face of the Lord for me; and there's something about bodies of water that amplify who it is that He claims to be (and is). Now I suppose this is sort of beside the point, but it's a good jumping off point to share what it is that my heart was opened to this morning as the sun rose.

I began to read the story of the Resurrection standing on the roof of my dorm: "Early on a Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance..." (John 20:1). I honestly don't know how many times I've read this passage; but what's more is that I honestly don't know how many times I've read this passage and written it off as mere history. (And I have a very hard time connecting with history). Today however, a power beyond my understanding resonated in those words. I tried to imagine how the women at the tomb must have felt. I meditated on the what Thomas must have been thinking when Jesus said "Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" (John 20:27). Whoa, right? Walking through this story with new eyes, I was almost embarrassed or angry that I've never seen the true power and Glory woven throughout the event of this Holiday.

Hallmark can seem to be quite the hoax in this way. Alright, so maybe it's not completely their fault... but somewhere along the lines we got side-tracked. We hunt and color eggs, we dream of an over-sized rabbit bringing us candy, and we eat a meal on a pastel covered table. If we're not careful, it's all to easy to lose sight of the fact that in the midst of all this is the greatest gift we could ever be given. It's not one that's tied neatly with a bow, but one that has been laced with pain and suffering; a graphic story of the way our Creator paid the way for us, conquering sin, death, and the grave. The resurrection is a story of undeserved mercy, unconditional grace, undying love, and things I've yet to even see or understand. And what's more, is that same power that raised Christ from the dead, now lives in me (just as Romans 6:4 writes). In this way, I should be able to hold my head up in confident hope, stride in unwavering obedience, and unconditionally live in a posture of worship. (I clearly have much to learn and much to let God transform in me).

I love the way Paul gives it to us straight in Romans 14 when he writes "For we don't live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it's to honor the Lord. And if we die, it's to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose - to be Lord both of the living and the dead" (vs 7-9). These are the truths I want to live out. It seems to be the least I can do in response to a story like that of Easter. As I learn to pray for God's Kingdom to come in my heart, life, and world; I'll do it claiming the Christ-raising power as my own.

There's a radical glory and an unsurpassed freedom we're invited to experience; and accepting the story of Easter seems to be the beginning and end of it all. We stand clean before the Father with Jesus as our Advocate, now and forever. We're being transformed as we learn to be living sacrifices. We are granted a salvation that guarantees us eternal life in the presence of the King of Kings and Creator of all; the One True God. This unarguable and undeserved story is one of the holiness of the Lord I serve; it's my prayer that I might be continually transformed into that same image of glory.

I'll Choose To Sing...

Hallelujah, Bethany Dillon