Patience in Growth

Last night at Hillsong NYC - Heart and Soul - Guest Pastor Phil Dooley gave an amazing illustration about what it means to be fruitful. We often ask God for abundant fruitfulness, an orchard of fruit, and God said he would give us that. So we open our hands to receive this orchard of fruitfulness and in our hands God drops a seed.

I don't know how many of you have ever gardened before, but even if you haven't, it's common knowledge that it takes time for a seed to grow up from underneath the soil. And it takes a great deal of time for that plant to grow before it can begin baring fruit. But in the mean time, that plant has to be taken care of. It needs good soil with nutrients to feed it. So I ask myself, what kind of soil am I feeding off of? What does my spirit need to be feed in order to bear good fruit? Also, don't be a potted plant. Pastor Phil used the illustration of a potted plant to explain how some Christians are living. Potted plants are all about appearance. Some people are only concerned with how it looks on the surface of the soil. But the roots are trapped, and limited. So when the enemy comes along, it's so easy for him to uproot you. Not only that, but potted plants don't bear good fruit. We have to allow ourselves to go deeper.

What stood out to me the most from his message as I related it to my own life was "What is the fruit for?" The apple is not for the apple tree's enjoyment. The fruit I bear as a Christian is not meant for my personal enjoyment. The fruit I bear is for the next generation. It is meant for others to take and eat. And when you bear good fruit, people will begin to gather around and see the good fruit that is a manifestation of the spirit of God inside of me. They will eat of it and open doors for the spirit of God to move inside of them.

I've been in New York a total of two weeks and two days. It feels like so much longer. The funny thing is, I'll be here for the next two years at the very least and it will probably go by fast. I finally feel like I've settled in some. It doesn't yet feel like "home" but I'm sure it won't be long before it does. I'm so ready at any moment to see God move. I want everyday to be filled with miracles and supernatural experiences. I want to always be open to those possibilities, but I also need to remember to have patience.

In this season, I believe a new seed has been planted and it is just beginning to take root. I have a lot of growing to do. I'm working on my orchard and that takes time, and patience. It doesn't happen all at once. But the beautiful thing about growth is that it happens on it's own. All I do is make sure I'm feeding my spirit the word of God and seeking his presence, which, at this point, I can't stand life without his presence.

Basically, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. GOD does the work. All I have to do is focus on him. Easier said than done, but really, it's only as difficult as you allow the enemy to tell you it is.

Testing Your Faith

In my last blog, I talked about a blessed and relaxed first day in the Big Apple. Today, my blog is a little more challenging.

Yesterday was my first night on the floor at The Melting Pot in Hoboken. Praise the Lord I have a job. It was a blessing for me since I was down to the last of my cash and the night gave me a good boost. However, it was a nightmare. The branch has experienced a string of bad luck and bad management, so it's not in the best shape. That, of course, is a massive understatement. I'll spare you the details, but within two hours of being there, it easily matched my stress level from when I worked at another restaurant during the time I worked three jobs. Apart from all the technical and physical issues of the restaurant, the thing that effected me the most was the spirit of the place. Upon leaving, I felt so spiritually drained that it has taken me all afternoon to be refilled. The aggressive negativity of most of the entire company quickly sucked my spirit under into this nasty pit of darkness. I was not prepared. I ended up making it back to my apartment around 3:30am because after getting out at 1:45am and waiting for the 2:08 train back to the city, I decided to walk the ten blocks from the path instead of taking the L so I could call a friend of mine to vent. I stopped for a $3.50 piece of pizza because you can do that here. I spent most of today attempting to recover from last night, sleeping, praise music, desperately asking God to refresh my spirit in worship... I've frankly been asking Him how I'm to survive this job. He provided it for me and I feel as though I have more reason to stay than just the need for money.

Welcome to New York.

Yet, there is hope. Because of the general manager's openness, I have been asked to give any and all suggestions based off of my experience at The Melting Pot Birmingham. In the one night I was there, I feel as though I have established myself well with the other servers from that shift as well as the managers. I hope that I can be a light to fight the darkness.

Help me Lord, to you be the glory.

Because the truth is, I have been praying for opportunities for God to use me. I've been asking for supernatural acts, wonders, and sensitivity to His spirit guiding me to act when he calls. I am reminded that for a miracle to take place, the situation has to be outside the power of any man.
The first book of James says to...

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." - James 1:2-4

I spoke to my Dad over the phone and he suggested that this may be a training ground for leadership.
Lord. Help. Me. So I will count it all joy, that this is a testing of my faith so that I may grow stronger in who God is creating me to be.


One thing, though,  I'll ever get used to (and hope I never do) is running across the homeless. It breaks my heart every time. I've come across several situations already where I felt helpless as a small female women in a big city, walking past men and women begging for help.

Welcome to the world.

One of my most shocking experiences included a man I came across in March when I was here for Applicant weekend at NYU. He was a tall, skinny, older black man with a small plastic cup and a hum-drum made-up song about sparing a dollar for the homeless. He was obviously not "all there". His eyes were blank and you could only catch a word here and there when he sang. I saw him three different times on the A train the four days I was here. The last time I saw him he walked onto the A train and began his song, holding his tiny, empty plastic cup. My heart went out to him. I didn't have any cash, and even if I did, who knew what he would do if I gave him any. So I began to pray under my breath, asking God to provide for his needs and cover him. It wasn't five seconds into my prayer when he kneels down, not 3-4 feel away from me, using the center pole for balance, and begins to pray out loud. It was some broken version of The Lord's Prayer. I almost started crying.

It occurred to me, whose fault is it that he was in the state he's in? He once has his mind, probably friends and family, possibly siblings. What was his story? Who didn't speak up when he needed a word from the Lord?

Last night, though, I saw a homeless man whom, I think, might have been dying. I'm not sure. I'm no doctor. But at 2:00am on Hoboken platform for the path back to the city I spotted him. His left pant leg rolled up and the leg that jutted out was massively swollen, the veins were blue, and it looked extremely painful. There was no sign of a wound so I assumed it was some kind of infection. He was older with a full beard. But the worst part was that I think he might have been throwing up blood.

This is very difficult for me to tell you about because it was extremely disturbing. I could barely get the story out when I was telling my friend about it on my walk home. It makes my stomach turn.

I didn't see him throw it up, I just noticed small pools of what looked like watered down blood around him where he had come to sit and the end of the bench near me. I begged God for guidance and prayed for him. Everything in me wanted to have the courage and faith to pray healing over him. I got the words that the Lord wanted to restore his life, but I was too afraid to talk to him. It was dangerous. He was obviously very sick. I didn't know what to do. I gag just thinking about it. I didn't know what to do and ended up helplessly leaving him there. When the train came, I was so torn up about it, I prayed that he wouldn't follow into my train car because I couldn't handle it. This man might have been dieing and I felt so helpless.

I know that my God is bigger than everything and He uses foolishness to confound the wise. If God was calling me to speak to him or pray for him, everything would have been fine. But my faith is not as strong as that yet. It breaks my heart. I followed my common sense and fear of what might happen had I spoken to him. But I pray for a day when I have enough faith that if and when the Lord calls me to a dangerous situation that I will have the faith that he will walk me through it. Last night was not that time. I do believe I did the right thing. But I also hope that in the future I will have the faith to act if the Lord calls me to in a situation such as that.

This world needs light. This world needs bold believers and faithful servants. Your faith will be tested and I encourage you to stay strong. When you pray, "Lord, Here am I... send me," be aware of what you are praying. Be aware that in order to grow, you must be challenged. Walk boldly in faith, take courage that He is with you and you will witness miracles. I believe it. I desire it. It terrifies me right now, but my desire to see God's hand move over this city is steadfast. New York is a very dark place.
The Father has great need of you. Run after Him like you've never run before. We are His hands and feet. But remember, it is not WE who do it. I have done nothing in my own power, only in the submission and obedience to His leading. Anything I have ever tried to do in my own power "for him" has failed. First and foremost, seek Him. He will strengthen your faith and give you the courage you need to do what he instructs you to do.

I'm praying for you as I hope you will pray for me.
Thank you and God Bless.
Glory be to Yahweh.

The First 24

I woke up this morning around 8:00am, unable to fall back asleep. The window was open and a myriad of city sounds were floating in with the breeze. I was happy to hear that city sounds include the morning songs of birds along with construction, cars, and the occasional human morning song. I slept on a padded mattress with one sheet to cover me, and a pillow under my head. Both items were provided by my new roommate, Hannah, for none of my belongings have arrived yet. 

Hannah is a very sweet young lady, my age, who is a graduate from NYU with a degree in Theatre. I met her in person for the first time yesterday, after I wandered through East Village trying to find the apartment. Our meeting was sufficiently awkward and a tiny bit forced which is honestly no big surprise. Most obligatory first meetings with strangers aren’t natural.   Since she is rather quiet I uncontrollably babbled to fill the space that would be awkward silence. The sound of a saxophone, that Hannah later explained was one of our neighbors, came from outside the window (which is obviously a beautiful portal of sound).

After she left for work, I took a much-needed nap on that naked mattress. When I awoke, it was early evening and the sun was low.   I decided to take a walk and find food. I ended up wandering around, somewhat zombie-like, as I was still exhausted from traveling, and eventually decided on pizza (as it was the easiest of choices for my poor little brain).  I also stopped at Rite Aide and bought a few essentials (toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.) before I headed home (Home? What?) and proceeded to go back to bed. 

This morning, I walked across the street to this adorable little coffee shop called “the bean” (specifically all lowercase letters) and asked for any bagel, I didn’t care which, and a medium coffee. I journaled and people watched… two things I love to do most.  
I stopped back at the apartment to get my backpack and decided to explore. I ended up at Washington Square Park where I sat on a stone bench and enjoyed reading in the sun and breeze. Of course there was music; a few street performers playing Jazz. One guy had a saxophone (I sincerely wondered if he was my neighbor), and a group of three guys, one with a snare, kick, and a few symbols, and the other two with brass instruments. For some reason I can’t remember if the were both saxophones or not (I did not wonder whether either of them could have been my neighbor).

I think my favorite thing about New York by far is studying how everyone dresses. It’s utterly fascinating. It’s amazing, so many different people in one place. I could people watch forever.

But while I was enjoying myself in the park, two students, Lord forgive me for forgetting their names, asked if they could sit with me. It turned out that they were visiting New York for the month of June with the mission group CREW. We ended up having some good conversations about God and I prayed with/for them before we went our separate ways. Upon leaving they handed me a little flyer for a meeting at a Church called Apostle Now. Why not? They said there’d be free pizza, so… it sounds good to me! I kid, sort of. But I’m very excited about meeting new people.

It’s amazing how God connects us together so specifically. Who knows where God will take this opportunity? There were hundreds of people in that park and God led them to talk to me.   I prayed for Godly friends and connections and within the first 24 hours God has already moved.

I can’t wait to see what else he has in store.

I’ve been here 24 hours, and I think I just might like it here. Maybe…

Four Days

Only four more days until I am on the plane headed to New York City, where my life is going to basically be turned upside down. About two weeks ago, I expressed that the reality of moving to New York hadn't hit me.

This week has been a tidal wave.

I was just describing to a friend last night how I'm so all-around exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally, that I feel like I've been placed inside an empty coffee can and violently shaken. It's been a rough week. Not bad by any means, just stressful. 



The most difficult thing about this move for me is that I haven't had time to process. It's definitely not a smooth transition. I'll be here Monday, I take a plane Tuesday morning and...

BAM

I'm living in New York.

I desperately need to lean into Father. This last week I have been under attack. It seriously just looks like a string of bad luck (specifically with vehicles). However, I don't believe in "bad luck". The enemy also took a stab at a few of my deepest insecurities. The confidence I have in who I am, how I love, and my excitement about having a new start in New York, all-of-a-sudden turned into fear. That is NOT my loving God.

So here I am, four days from take off, desperately fighting to keep my peace, my confidence, my faith...

But I'm choosing today:
not to be afraid 
not to allow the enemy to make me feel inferior/steal my peace
not to look into the past and play the "should have" or "what if" game
to walk in the love and the confidence I have because of CHRIST
to remember who I serve
and to remember to take off the limits

I refuse to confine GOD to my understanding of him, to "rational thought", or within a structured, legalistic, and organized system of logic or teaching defined by the church.

GOD is GOD and He will move however He pleases. It is not my place to question it, only to follow.

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements - surely you know!" - Job 38:4-5

I love the last few chapters of the book of Job. Yahweh's voice is very sarcastic. Since sarcasm is something I really relate to, I love it.  It's humorous to me because God is more or less saying, "Silly human, whom I created, STOP ACTING LIKE YOU KNOW THINGS. I WILL DO WHAT I PLEASE BECAUSE I AM GOD AND I CAN."

It's humbling.

So as this new season takes it's turn, as old things die and make room for the new to take it's place, I am reminded, again, of Gods amazing grace, love, and the freedom of simply being His with no expectations of perfection.

"I've got it under control, baby girl. Just enjoy the ride!"

Outside the Little Box

On an album I have, produced by Glory of Zion, some awesome guy with an accent talks about how (I'm paraphrasing) there is no security in what God is doing, only security in who He is. He doesn't call us to the ordinary, he calls us to the impossible. We're not able to do what God has called us to. He is the one who does it. He is strength in our weakness. So you cannot find security in what God is doing. We must trust in Him and the consistency of his goodness to get us through. And though He is consistent, he is completely unpredictable. You always know what he's going to be like, but you never know what he's going to do next. And when we embrace the fullness of who he is as an all powerful, sovereign, loving God, we cannot be happier.

Now, I've been learning a lot in the last year about taking the limits off of God. Taking off the limits is just another way to understand how to trust him. We limit God in our need for security. We try to figure him out, subconsciously creating formulas about how he works, still holding on to the control of certain aspects of our future, and not trusting in the fullness of his power. I personally don't like the unknown! So in the attempt to find security, we place limits on Him. The truth is, when we're trying to find security in what God does rather than who he is, we're actually trying to find security in our purpose. It's about us rather than Him. It's so easy to define our worth by what we do and how successful we are rather than simply living in the grace, mercy, and love of the Father.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" - 2 Corinthians 12:9

We are nothing without Him.
Let that sink in.
We are nothing without Him.

So if you look at what people can do in their own power - the success, the hard work - it's pretty amazing! Now... imagine letting go of all of the things we are capable of doing, and allowing God to step in and perform the impossible!

I used to think I could manipulate the system. It wasn't a conscious thing. I didn't think, "Hmm... how can I manipulate this situation so that I can have security?" but in retrospect that's how I acted. I tried to use my knowledge and understanding to figure everything out. I treated life like a puzzle I could put together and predict what God would do. I used symbolism, dreams, reading people, coincidence...  It acted as a security blanket, allowing me to be more in control. But the minute something didn't happen the way I thought it was suppose to happen, when I thought it was suppose to happen, I got angry at God. It reminds me of that saying, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." You cannot depend on knowledge or your own understanding. And though there may have been truth in the things I "figured out", it doesn't mean it was God. Leaning on your own understanding is an open door for the enemy to come in and confuse you and lie to you about who God is. If you're in fear, you've put God inside that metaphorical box that everyone talks about. The one where you can take him out now and then and pat him on the head affectionately when he does what you want him to, but get angry and ignore him when he doesn't...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your path." - Proverbs 3:5-6

Every time I start feeling afraid I remind myself of who God is and who he's always been, and who he always will be: Good. Who am I to be afraid? The fear of God should wipe out all fear of man, or poverty. I remind myself that there is no pressure. If there is pressure it isn't God. I am nothing and it's OK for me to be nothing. He does the work, not me. The problem is, I want to do it. I want the credit, the satisfaction, and the glory. But it must all go to him. And there is freedom in being nothing because of the fact that there is no pressure! I am free to be a nobody and not live up to what the world tells me I need to live up to. I've been bailed out of that situation because Jesus took my place.

So I try to wake up every morning and acknowledge God. I want to begin my day by praising him for it and reminding myself of who he is. I try to remember to take the limits off of him, remind myself that he is Yahweh, the creator. He is great, good, and loving. If I remember these things, I am able to open my heart to him and receive the things he has for me in that day. Generally, those days end better than others. Not because they're "good" days or "bad" days, but because I have received his grace to either enjoy it or endure it. That's another thing I learned from Fresh Oil New Wine, the Glory of Zion album. (You should check it out)

Take the limits off. Life is so much richer when you allow the Father to lead. It's a little scary, yes, but you experience God's power again and again. It wouldn't be a good story if there wasn't any conflict. What does your story look like? Do you dream big? Take the limits off and the experiences you'll have will surpass your wildest dreams.

Purging The Things

Two weeks from today I will be in my new shared bedroom in lower Manhattan.  I'd be lying if I said I haven't been nervous about the move.

So far, the physical contents of my life can fit into about 12 small to medium sized boxes, a back pack, and then my guitar in its case. For most people that's nothing. For some, it's more than they've ever had. I honestly would like to be able to be satisfied living out of a suitcase, a backpack and a purse. I'd like to be able to be satisfied wearing the same 10 outfits every week. I'd like to never want to keep unnecessary amounts of books just because I like to have them, not because I'll ever need them again (though I've convinced myself I might).

Learning how to live without and be satisfied seems like such a difficult task. I'm spoiled. If I don't have the exact comfort I'm used to, I'm all of a sudden unhappy

I think the reason why I have such a hard time letting go of my things is because I cannot simply "buy another one." Life is expensive and I'm about to live in one of the most expensive cities in the States. It's funny how I can't afford to keep stuff, but I feel like can't afford to throw anything away.

It's moments like this where my faith is tested. I have to be at peace, stop trying to "do" and "make it work" because God's got it under control. If it were easy then it wouldn't be a miracle of God. I'm remembering that I need to take the limits off of God. In our fear of the unknown we limit his power in our lives.

I'm currently working on a separate post about removing the limits from God. It's just another one of those constant lessons that I don't know if we'll ever fully be able to live in with out having to consciously fight to remember it.

I'm not usually one to ask for prayer for myself, but I could use some.
Peace, Joy, and wisdom to know what I need to get done before the move. I would greatly appreciate it.

Go bless others, and be blessed. God is consistently good. Though I do not understand his ways, he is good.

The Prologue

I've created a blog page because more than one person asked me if I had one. Well, I didn't.

So I made one. *ta dah*

I stopped sharing my thoughts in blog form several years ago because it occurred to me that it was kind of narcissistic. I won't lie, I like the sound of my writing voice much more than my real one.  Blogging, for me, was a weird way of getting attention. I decided against posting notes on facebook anymore since it was a completely unsatisfying waste of energy. The committee in my head would always say things like, "You're trying too hard" or, "You sound stupid" or, "Who are you trying to impress?"  Now, I feel like it's a little different because I'm not doing it for me.

Over the years, I've come across some pretty amazing people. OK, a lot of really amazing people.
There is no possible way for me to keep up with everyone so if anyone wants to know what I'm up to...

BAM!

BLOG

You're welcome.
(kidding)

But really, it takes a lot energy for me to write about myself, you don't even know. This is actually my 3rd attempt at my first blog. What can I say? I'm a perfectionist, and picky. So this will be a good challenge for me.

New York - But God, see... 

I am about 2 1/2 weeks away from moving to the big apple. It hasn't become real to me yet. There are little pockets of realization here and there but I don't think it will truly sink in completely until I am on the plane.

Two weeks goes by so fast. I've sorted my belongings out and cut them down by half. It's about 5 boxes, 2 suit cases, and my guitar. It's all half packed up in a section of my room to be shipped to my new address. A big thanks to my friend Stephen Wilson for helping me with shipping. I've a friend who is going to buy my car and someone looking to buy my chest of drawers. Everything else I'm basically just giving away or throwing away. 

Everything here is slowing down. Ever since April 29th when Yahweh told me I'd be moving in June rather than the end of July, everything has felt a little surreal. A lack of sleep might also be a factor, but we won't talk about that. My point is that I can feel this season coming to a close.

I'd like to point out how amazing God is and how he's kept his promise. Five months ago I had no idea what I was doing with my life in the present. A year ago I was freaking out about where I was going to be and what I would be doing. But the Lord had a lot of healing to do in me before we could move forward with "the plan".

My senior year at Birmingham-Southern College, God shut every door that I was accustomed to walking through. They were the doors that worked the years before. It was an easy, more secure route. However, God had other plans. I wasn't passed through the screening auditions for the South Eastern Theatre Conference (a mass audition for acting jobs) when I had made it through the past two years. I didn't feel lead to move back to Texas, and if anything, I was begging God not to make me go back. Everything felt like a dead end.

Sometimes I see images in my mind that are symbolic of where I'm at spiritually. At that time, I saw myself in a circular room surrounded by doors. And every time I tried to walk through a door it would slam shut. I became so angry and afraid, my spirit went kicking and screaming at each door. "LET ME THROUGH!" (I may have screamed a little in real life too... in my car)

I was forced to sit in this room with nothing, and no where to go. So I figured I'd rebel. I mean, if I had to sit around and wait for Him to do something, I might as well have fun to help the time pass. Right? Keep in mind, rebellion for me is like... having a beer, maybe a cigarette, hanging out with people who weren't good for me. But it didn't take long for me to realize how pointless and empty that was. God sent a few people my way to help me back up from where I'd fallen and point me back to Jesus. That's when I realized that Jesus was standing next to me in that circular room the entire time - his arms stretched out, inviting me to know him. I was so focused on needing a purpose that when a plan wasn't immediately given to me, I turned a cold shoulder to God. I had forgotten who it was for in the first place. 

I graduated May 18th and spent the remainder of 2012 discovering who I am in Christ through a series of painful and humbling situations. I had to deal with issues of my Grandfather's health, car issues, financial issues, couch surfing when I didn't have a place to live, there were several relationship issues (one of which was devastating), and for about three months I was working three jobs. I had a day off maybe once every three weeks and really wore myself out. It was a season where the Lord was building my trust and my faith in him to take care of me, along with many smaller, more specific lessons.

During all of that, the question of graduate school was floating around. In late July/early August I began to work on the twenty page application for New York University, Tisch school of the arts, Graduate Musical Theatre Playwriting program. Honestly, it was the only program I wanted to go to, and the only program that I had enough material to meet the requirements of the application. I worked on it very seriously, going in for counseling every few weeks at BSC's career services. But when November hit and I picked up a 3rd job, I gave up. It was too much to handle. I kept hitting walls in the application. So I threw in the towel and fervently said, "I'm not going. No, I'm not going to graduate school. I can't." 

But then January came around and I was panicking.
There's no way I'm staying here... Gotta get out. GET ME OUT.
I opened the file saved "NYUapp" and studied what I had left. It was due in a month.

I think I can do this.

That week I was given a word that I was suppose to go back to school.

Ok God, help me finish the application.

Every single wall I had hit when I gave up in November? They Fell. The deadline for the application was extended ten days. I completed the final exercise the morning it was due to be post marked, took my flash drive to Kinko's, printed it, bound it, and shipped it. The woman who helped me at the post office told me to thank God, because it was already done - I was going to be accepted. Funny, at the time I wrote it off as just a nice religious thing to say.

But...

One week later I received the email inviting me to applicant weekend at Tisch for an interview. It would determine whether or not I was to be accepted or wait listed. A few weeks went by as I made plans for the trip to Manhattan with my friends Stephen and Jessica. I felt so strongly that it was in God's hands. He had everything under control and it wasn't on me to be accepted to the program. I had FAITH that I would be accepted, not because of me - I didn't think I could do it - but because God promised, and because of all he had done leading up to that point. 

The week before the trip, spirits of anxiety and discouragement tried to come against me. But the Lord reassured me the night before we left and said, "Celebrate! I have it taken care of!" I was SHOCKED. I can't believe he shared that with me! 

That night was Motion night at Church of the Highlands and it just so happened that the Pastor of Hillsong New York came and spoke that night. It also just so happened that I was suppose to work that night but, God, see... had my shift mistakenly covered. So I went. Everything Pastor Carl Lentz said that night spoke to exactly where I was. It was about running for God and occupying your street to make a difference. And as he began to prophesy that God was turning over a new leaf, that everything was about to change and there was no going back, the same vision I had of the circular room from over a year before, came back into my mind. And I saw the Lord throwing open a series of doors in front of me. I began to cry and I praised him!

Long story short, applicant weekend was amazing. The interview was relaxed, enjoyable, and I even got to share a bit of my testimony! I got home and the next day I got the email that I was accepted to the program! I was given a wonderful scholarship and the rest (as far as I know) is going to be taken out in loans. I was shooting for the end of July but then Yahweh had something else in mind. He told me June at the end of April and in the last two weeks, everything has been coming together! My job at The Melting Pot here in Birmingham (which was also a complete God thing) has allowed me to be hired at The Melting Pot in Hoboken N.J. just across the shore. I found a place to live, literally 0.6 miles away from Tisch and a 30 min commute to Hoboken. Not to mention that it's a full year sublet so I don't have to go on the lease. I might not have been approved to go on a lease because of my credit and I couldn't afford to sublet and move every few months.

All of these things seemed so impossible a few months ago, but as a friend of mine would say, "But God, see..."

And this is just the beginning. The reason why I wanted to go to school for Musical Theatre Playwriting in the first place is because Yahweh gave me a vision for a touring theatre ministry. I want to take theatre to a whole new level, and use it for his glory! More detail on that in the future.

I wish I could share more but I'm stretching it as it is. There are so many amazing little details that all point to Father God about the transformation in my heart. But the point is, if you take the limits off of God and trust him, he will work miracles. 

Blessed be the name of the Lord. He is greatly to be praised!