New Address

I am back at college for my Junior year. This year, I think I am the most nervous and excited I have ever been.

Importantly for you all, I have moved off-campus this year, and my old address is now obsolete.

Please send all packages and letters to my new address:
344 N. West St.
Hillsdale, MI 49242

Feel free to share this new address with anyone that might need it.

Jacob

You know you are a coach when....

So Volleyball has been going on for about 2 1/2 weeks.... This is my first year coaching and I am pretty excited. We have enough girls to have 3 teams, which is kinda challenging on the coaching side as the range is from 4th year players to absolute beginners.

I am still learning what coaching is all about but I thought I would share a few things.

You know you are a coach when...
   ... your whistle is perpetually hanging around your neck
   ... you no longer wear knee pads to practice
   ... you seem to be always looking at a notebook (i.e. practice schedule)
   ... you have written out 3 different serve orders and you are still not sure you have it the way you want it
   ... played coach-on-2, except now you are the one spiking the balls
   ... you can officially add "Volleyball Coaches meeting" to your schedule... which actually means another trip to Starbucks ;)
  

Hope this made you smile :)

Mercy

Today was the Graveside Service for my mom's uncle, Larry. One of the songs that was sung was so descriptive of my Uncle and very convicting for me so I thought I would put the words up here...

I then shall live as one who's been forgiven;
I'll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.
I know my name is clear before my Father;
I am His child, and I am not afraid.
So greatly pardoned, I'll forgive my brother;
The law of love I gladly will obey.

I then shall live as one who's learned compassion;
I've been so loved that I'll risk loving, too.
I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges;
I dare to see another's point of view.
And when relationships demand commitment,
Then I'll be there to care and follow through

Your kingdom come around and through and in me,
Your pow'r and glory, let them shine through me;
Your hallowed Name, O may I bear with honor,
And may Your living Kingdom come in me.
The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor,
And may You feed a hungry world through me.

The second and third verses really spoke to me about how I need to live my life and do as Christ would do.

Mercy Faith

Introducing "World Traveler"

This is to introduce you to http://a-world-traveler.blogspot.com/ ... my new 'traveling blog'

Please check it out and follow it :)

Mercy

I have had a few thoughts that I really feel like I would like to share...These thoughts all kinds got just started with the question that I got asked when talking about JEMfriends "Do you train your mentors?" The first thought that hit me was, how many people shy away from mentoring because they are not "trained" they don't feel that they "know enough"? These are probable true facts I am sure that there are many that feel this way. I started thinking about how our world has pushed the education, training, certifications, yes you can get mentoring certifications, I just wonder when it comes to mentoring if it has gone to far and we have replaced the biggest part of mentoring...friendship.

I just wonder if we started saying you being you is enough to be mentor, how many more people would make the effort to mentor, how many more kids would walk this world and get noticed.

Thinking about it there are a few reasons that we get trained...
1. To learn to be better at what we do.
2. To be able to do what we do in less amount of time.
3. Cause we love what we do and we want to learn everything that we can about it. 

These are not all wrong reasons especially the 3rd, but they one go so far because mentoring is a time investment, a listening to the heart and a friendship things so hard taught.

You are enough to be a mentor and let your training come from Christ who understands time investment, a listening heart, and the friendship perfectly.

First day... er... week of work

So I was planning on blogging after my first day of work but things were rather busy.... so here I am after 3 days of work and just now getting this blog together.

I apologize in advance if this blog is super random. I just have not blogged in so long and I have so many thoughts rolling around in my brain ready to spil out it might just come out all jumbled ;).

It was a full moon last night and so the past couple of evenings have been so fantastic getting to see it come off the horizon :)

Last Friday night I was lying awake at like 2:30am complaining to God about some things and as I was praying, thunder rolled and the lighting flashed and the rain poured down in an awesome reminder that God never leaves us... all I could do was go outside and stand in the rain and fog :).... It was definitely the reminder I needed to stop complaining and instead thank God for all he has done for me :)

Speaking of storms there was a really windy thunderstorm on Monday night which I had to drive through to get to choir practice.... avoiding branches in the roadway was kind of an ordeal. Also the storm blew over the grill at the house I was housesitting.... luckily it was my Aunt's house so I was not in too much trouble.

I also got pulled over twice this week... thankfully both times was to let the fire truck go by.... so no speeding tickets.... yet ;)

Work has been pretty much awesome. My first day was on Monday. I get to do all kinds of fun stuff. Pretty much I do whatever Liberty tells me too.... this has mostly involved computer work. I do not have a "title" yet for my job but Liberty is working on coming up with it :) So as soon as I know I will be sure to inform you all :)

Sorry this has been so random but hopefully this shows you my life lately :)

I will try to put together a less nonsensical blog soon.

Mercy Faith

Exodus 15:22-27... some thoughts

 Exodus 15:22-27 "So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.  And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.  And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?  And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,  And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.  And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters."

As you read through the book of Exodus it is easy to start to skim over the passages that just seem to tell the  day-to-day happenings of the Children of Israel's journey to the Promised Land. However, we must remind ourselves that the story of their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land was a physical example of our Spiritual journey from total depravity to life eternal with Jesus. There are many parallels that can be seen throughout the Israelites story but I wish to just touch on the ones I gleaned from this particular passage.


To put this is in context let me just refresh your memory of what was going on in Chapter15. The first part of the chapter is devoted to recording the songs of Moses and Miriam after God miraculously delivered them from the army of Pharaoh and lead them across the Red Sea. After this great celebration with singing and dancing it is time for the Children of Israel to move on. This is where these verses (22-27) enter the story. The Israelites have traveled through the wilderness with no water for 3 days and then when they get to Marah where there finally is water the water is undrinkable (bitter). The people immediately start complaining. Moses cries out to God and God shows him to cast a tree into the water and the waters become sweet. God, through Moses, then promises the people that if they will hear Him and keep His commandments then He will not punish them as He did the Egyptians. After that He leads them to Elim- an oasis.


This passage really spoke to me as it showed it a physical sense our spiritual journeys. God reaches down and brings us out of Egypt (our depraved state) and shows us the path to Eternal life. The journey is not easy, this life is a wilderness full of trials. However, God does not let us face the wilderness alone, if he did we would turn back to Egypt and the our life of sin just as the Israelites wanted to time and time again. Instead, God is not only with us, He is there protecting and leading us as a pillar of fire. 

He is there as we face seeming insurmountable opposition and just as He did with the Red Sea he opens a way for us to walk in the midst of it. It can be scary because even as we can feel the dry land beneath us and see the pillar of fire ahead of us we are tempted to look at the walls of water and think of what would happen if those waters came crashing down on us. Yet we know if we trust in the Lord and look to Him we will make it through this trial and come out on the other side unscathed. After coming through trials that bring us closer to God it is easy in that moment to turn to Him and trust Him with our whole heart. However, our faith will not be measured only by these good times but by the tough times as well. 

After this period of celebration, the Israelites are lead through the wilderness. They are still on their way to the Promised Land but God is testing their endurance. In our spiritual Journey, God will lead us through deserts and these are not to drive us away from Him in despair but are to draw us to Him as we pant for the "living water" of Christ. 


Eventually, the Israelites come upon some water in Marah. The lesson taught here is one not to be missed. After the trials of the wilderness, God has lead us to what we think should be a refreshing spot. But God is here showing us more of His wonder. The cup that he as prepared for us now is one we see as bitter and "unhealthy" yet God in His Providence uses it to pull us to Him. 
  
 The tree that God shows to Moses to redeem the situation reminds us that when Jesus died on the tree at Calvary, he drank the bitter cup reserved for us. And because of that the waters we are offered are sweet and refreshing. This is a great hope for us. We will never have to drink of the waters of death, Jesus has already taken that for us. 

After this amazing demonstration of God's power, He speaks to us and reminds that He will never leave us or forsake us, that He will never plague us with the plagues of sin (the Egyptians). Yet He also reminds us that  we are to follow His commands. After He has made this promise and the Israelites have accepted the condition, He leads them to an Oasis, a true resting place on the road to Eternal life in the Promised Land.

This Passage as a whole is one filled of Hope as it reminds us to look to God in ANY and ALL situations. God knows us, knows our hearts. He loves us. What may seem to us as bitter cup, He will turn to sweetness. He uses many means to accomplish His goals through us and if we are willing to be an empty vessel that He can fill with His Will, we can accomplish so much more than we could ever dream for His Kingdom

In Christ,
Mercy Faith Barrett