A Gift from God

I lift my life, lift my life up

I give it all in surrender

I lift my heart, lift my heart up

You can have it forever

All my dreams

All my plans 

Lord, I leave it in Your hands

I lift my life, lift my life up

~"Lift My Life Up" by Unspoken

  I was listening to this song last Tuesday night.  For some reason, I really listened to it.  I'd heard it before, but the words stuck out to me and I prayed the words in my heart.  It's funny - looking back to that night last week.  Just the night after I listened to that song again, but that time as praise - for what He'd done between Tuesday and Wednesday evening.  A twenty-four hour period.

  In December I had the privilege of meeting a woman who was such an encouragement to me!  She was interested in LIVE and asked me about the girls' group and other leadership opportunities I'd had.  After our meeting, she kindly told me she'd be praying for LIVE and myself.  I felt very encouraged by her words, especially since we barely knew each other.

  Last Wednesday night came and my phone went off.  Sometimes my phone goes off and I get excited for no reason because it's an ad of some sort or I got yet another email from Crafts Direct.  You know the kind.  But...this was a Facebook message - I saw it was from this gal and I was excited to hear from her again!  The reason for her message?  She wanted to invite me to something called World-Changers' Summit.  This is "a four-day event held every two years designed to provide practical training for young people in key leadership positions within Christian ministries around the world in how to move to the next level of effectiveness in all areas of Christian leadership."  I will be hearing from and meeting great Christian leaders such as John Stonestreet and Dr. Jeff Myers.  I have taken two of Dr. Myers' classes for college and have enjoyed them immensely!

  But!  Not only did she want to invite me to World-Changers' Summit...she wanted to personally pay for both my registration and airfare there!  Honestly, there's no way for me to accurately describe the gratefulness I feel for her and her husband.  There's no way for me to accurately describe how blessed I feel that not only she would choose me to sponsor but that God would choose me!!

  While this gift is extremely exciting, it's not the most exciting thing of all!  I strongly believe that God wouldn't send me this opportunity nor send me to the World-Changers' Summit if He didn't think I need to go.  He wouldn't send me there if He wasn't going to use it to prepare me for something greater.  To be honest, I'm only realizing this more and more as I'm typing this out.  :)

Take my life and let it be

All for You

~"Lift My Life Up" by Unspoken

  I came into this year desiring to bless others in some way or another.  Turns out, I got quite the blessing this year!  I will get to meet other young leaders and we will be able to learn from each other in ways I'm so excited to see!  I will also possibly have the ability to be coached by one of the keynote speakers.  

  I am so excited for this opportunity to learn and grow as a leader!  I know that what I learn will be applicable immediately as I come home to 23 girls in LIVE who I lead on a bi-monthly basis and as I mentor two girls individually on a monthly basis.  But then I know that somewhere in the unknown future, what I learn in those four days, will be applicable wherever God places me and uses me.

  For His Glory,

     Sierra