What's Stirring in Lammy's Brain

Mansion Meeting

2010-10-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

Every week in the house we have a meeting and spend an hour focused on something spiritual and then discuss pertinent things pertaining to community living. We decided for this quarter to spend each week having one person share their testimony in the house; it has been so good. I love it because all of the girls have been really real about their experiences-not saying what sounds good or what people may want/expect to hear but what their experience has really been like. Also, last night...because our lives are actually incredibly busy and we don't get to stop and talk to people much, we decided to go around and listen to how everyone's quarter has been so far. I was so blessed by this. People were really real about what it's been like; some were rejoicing and some were in tears. I really enjoyed this time.

Chili & Cornbread

2010-10-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

Tonight at the mansion we ate vegetarian chili and cornbread:) Sooo good. I love eating delicious food with my housemates.

Core

2010-10-11T22:34:00.001-07:00

Core is a small group bible study that we (My co-leader and I) lead in the dorms on campus. Tonight we had a really good discussion. In John 6:44, 65 Jesus tells the crowds following him that "no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.." and "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." This brought about a discussion about the role of God in a person's salvation and our role in believing. What do YOU think?

Learning to live in community

2010-09-25T23:04:00.000-07:00

I have a sense that this topic is gonna come up a lot in my conversation this year; and really, I don't care because that IS my experience this year. And not just a small part-a REALY REALLY big part. I am blessed to be a part of something that began a long long time ago...a vision, to allow people to live in community with one another relatively cheaply and learn the art of Christian love. Today we had what is called "The Home/Mansion Vision Party". It is where we get together for a couple hours and eat pizza and learn how these community houses came into existence. There is a lot of history behind it all and it makes me grateful to be a part of it. There has been a lot invested into creating an environment for believers to grow in love. If you're wondering what I mean, the fact is that you quickly find when you live with others that any selfish action you take effects the lives of everyone else you live with. When I don't put my hair in the trash in the community bathroom and you live in a house with 16 girls, a lot of hair piles up on the bathroom floor and sink. You have to take into consideration how every action effects others. When I don't take time to keep the house clean, everyone has to suffer as a result of it. When I eat all of our cheese in the house, no one else gets cheese for the week. When I talk all the time and don't listen, others don't get to be heard and don't feel loved. When I don't stop to be kind, others don't ever get to receive Christlike treatment, thus wondering if we actually try to be like Him or just pretend.

Environmentally Friendly

2010-09-15T17:13:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here in a coffee shop in Bellingham Washington, just two feet away from the bay that runs parallel to the city. I don't know where to throw my trash away because there are at least three different options for me to throw it in: compostable, non-compostable, recyclable.

Community

2010-09-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

It's been two weeks since I've been here but it feels like so much longer! Something I am a big fan of so far is the sense of community here. I live in a ministry house with 16 girls and there is a guy's home with about 11 or 12 guys one house down from ours. I've been amazed at the level of service I've seen so far. Things stop being all about you in a place like this; they have to because otherwise the community would fall apart. Suddenly life, as it used to be centered around you, becomes about protecting the environment you live in with others and caring about the well-being of the people you live with. Community quickly makes you considerate of other people's needs and well-being. People include you in something they're doing, wash the dishes, they give you something they have, they help to explain something they know. I see how living in an environment like this helps develop in a person the character you wish to see in all people. I like community.

First Day

2010-09-02T00:51:00.000-07:00

Remember your first day at your new job...first day of middle school, first day of camp, first day of your new sport. Today was my first day at something again. After living at home the past three years, living pretty comfortably...i've just been tossed into an internship program with 16 other girls all living in one house. It feels like being in the dorms all over again...girls everywhere, all the time. I'm not gonna lie...i wasn't used to it. My predominant feeling right now is OVERWHELMED! Like I've just been taken out of my comfort zone. These are all the experiences a new missionary faces on the field I'm sure times ten. What good training for future experiences...I feel like every journey I've been taken on so far is God teaching me what I need to know just so that I know but also to be ready to experience something else later on down the line. Adaptation and adjustment are never easy-God, thank you for stretching me...it's in my best interest for you to do so and you can never do anything but what is best for me.

The Mountains

2010-08-31T23:16:00.000-07:00

They are as gorgeous as people say. My favorite parts were near Butte and Missoula Montana...and to see the communities living directly below the mountains was unbelievable. Who really gets to look at a BIG MOUNTAIN when they wake up in the morning??!! Pretty much anyone who lives in Montana!! It got me thinking that I don't know how anyone living in Montana can't understand a case for the creation of the world; however, from what I've heard in my short three day trip, there are a lot of granola's (aka hippie).

Montana

2010-08-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

I'm currently in Billings, MT enjoying one of the most scenic states in our country. I haven't even been through the mountains yet and I'm saying that. My trip's been great so far....tuesday marked my last day of employment at Texas Roadhouse and tonight I went out to eat there with my mom's friend from college, who I'm staying with! I'm so tired I can't even think, but there will be more to come once I arrive in Washington. Goodbye Eau Claire; hello Bellingham!

stormy night

2008-06-07T23:07:00.001-07:00

There's nothin' like an evening outside when it's silent and dark outside. It's just you, and you're all alone-family on vacation, left with a house to yourself. the world stops and it's just you and your thoughts, you and God. The sound of thunder in the skies with no rain and the wind blowing through the trees! A glorious night, one i got to have a few nights ago and it was amazing!

me without God

2008-06-06T00:51:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what you'd be like without God? No, I mean, practically lived out, what it would look like. abbey lammers, without the deposit of God's Spirit...left alone. No ability to love others like I'm supposed to, to be kind like God, to utilize self-control, or to be courteous. Every enablement comes from God; they ARE NOT WITHIN ME. Abbey Lammers without God: selfish, arrogant, mean, boastful, did i mention selfish, degrading, self-absorbed, oh and, focused on self. Yup, pretty worthless. And we think we have something to boast about, in ourselves?! I forget who I am as a result of God in me. God, help me not to forget!

On my mind.....

2008-02-10T22:27:00.000-08:00

i like the fact that God knows how to get through to people, but not just people...every people, every person-it's an incredible thought. He knows what will get your attention, he knows how to keep you steadfast in your pursuit of Him, He knows how to draw you to Himself. He's a lover, wooing you to Himself. He knows how to reach someone who's never heard of Him before and He knows how to pursue the person who's sick of His name. Just something I was thinking about today...

RELATIONSHIPS and FAITH

2008-02-06T23:42:00.000-08:00

The thought of the day....

We as young adults discussed tonight in our group how it seems that relationships go hand-in-hand with a person's faith. If you are a friend to someone they are supposedly 98% more likely to accept Christ than if they do not know someone who knows Christ. If a person "gets connected" to a church, a group, they are more likely to keep their faith than if they have no friends and aren't connected to other Christians. If a newcomer visits your church, they are more likely to stay if people warmly greet them and talk to them than if no one talks to them and they leave without making any connection.

Coward!

2008-01-28T22:17:00.000-08:00

Coward: "a person who lacks the courage to do or endure dangerous or unpleasant things" (acc. to an online dictionary).

Rev. 21:8 (speaking of those who will not be a part of the new Jerusalem)
"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."

The murderers, right...
sexually immoral, right...
sorcerers, obviously...
liars, heard that before...
the cowardly...wait, what?

The cowardly? Those who lacked courage? Those who shrunk back in fear? Those who consistently and regularly did so? What! Apparently God says that His kingdom is no place for the cowardly. How often I am guilty of this? God, help me to be courageous for Your sake. God, let your people: "the Christians", be noted as "a people of courage".

Lord, help us. Amen.

What's in a Goal?

2008-01-17T21:37:00.000-08:00

Recently some friends of mine blogged about setting goals for the upcoming year. One talked about a person in his life that challenged him to aim for something in life because if we "aim for nothing, we'll receive nothing" (paraphrase). This got me thinking, along with a thought from another blog that talked about how goals are for the purpose of PROGRESS, not perfection..something good for me personally to keep in mind since I set goals idealistically and then become easily discouraged at the first signs of defeat.

So, with the intention of desired PROGRESS, I set my face towards the following goals this year: (in no particular order)

1. Take guitar lessons
2. Pay off 1/3 of my college debt
3. Stop my addiction to sweets
4. Run in a 1/2 marathon
5. Read 24 books (a book every 2 wks.)
6. Be informed on important world events and leaders
7. Learn to practice proper use of my vocal chords through symphonic choir this semester
8. Apply for liscensing with the AG

This is by no means an exhaustive list.
Until next time, good night.

Identity

2008-01-13T12:29:00.000-08:00

Taken from a quote in a message:
"Jesus was intent about His disciples knowing who He was and who they are in Christ because there's a real devil and a real Jesus and they're both playing for keeps, we just forget it many times."

Woah! You know when somebody just says something that hits you in a way, as if you've never heard it before?! I mean, what does that mean.."Jesus was intent about His disciples knowing who He was"? Wasn't that the whole point!! The whole time Jesus was among the disciples they were trying to figure out who he was. I think of the disciples words in Mt. 8: "who is this man? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" And Peter's confession of Christ later on when Jesus asked about who people were saying He was and who the disciples believed him to be: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" Peter answered.

And who were they in Christ? Jesus was trying to teach them. Take the instance in Mark 9: the streets are crowded as people are surrounding Jesus-a man comes up to him and says: my son "is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech..I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not" (vv.14-18). Later the disciples asked Jesus: "why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "this kind can come out only by prayer".

In other words, if you had been living a life of prayer like I've been showing you day in and day out you would have been able to do as I do. But why should it matter to them to do as He did? Because, "Jesus wants to reproduce Himself in His followers"-quote from the message.

But WHY is it so important that we become who we are in CHRIST? Why is it so important that I do as Christ did? Because (quote above) "there's a real devil and a real Jesus and they're both playing for keeps..." If we don't understand who we are in CHRIST, the devil will come in and take what is his.

Examples:
The demon couldn't be cast out cuz the disciples hadn't prayed.
You can't talk to a friend about Christ cuz you don't walk in the boldness of the Spirit.
The woman in your church can't be healed from arthritis cuz you don't believe Jesus' words that He'd use YOU.
You won't prophecy or speak in tongues in church because you're afraid, or you think you aren't qualified enough.
You won't go where He's asked you to go, cuz the worries and fears hold you back, even though God has told you you can do it.
You don't believe what God said in His word about not forsaking you, so you doubt He is there.
You doubt your confidence in prayer, therefore you don't receive what you ask for, according to His will.
(The devil would love to rob you of your inheritance as a son or daughter).

Apart from Christ I may be nothing, and I wouldn't be greater than the devil, but in CHRIST "the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in [me]"Rom. 8:11..."Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world"-I Jn. 4:4. But see, if I don't know that, the devil has room to come in and mess with me.

KNOW WHO GOD IS, KNOW WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST,
LIVE FOR JESUS...FOR KEEPS!

"Readers"

2008-01-10T23:52:00.000-08:00

I want to be a "reader". The problem is, I'm not a "natural". You know those people who are just natural readers? They just love it..it's easy to them? Well, I'm not one of them. I don't know why reading doesn't come natural to me, I like learning. Maybe it's because I get easily distracted and it's hard for me to focus: something that is required of a "reader". Or maybe it's cuz it takes so much work, but why is reading work to me? why is it effortless for some and work for me? Well, if anyone out there knows the answer to this, please!..let me know!

Anyways, I want to be a reader because people who read are smart. They know things. They have bigger vocabularies, they know important people, they understand big concepts, they know more about the world...WE READ TO KNOW. And I want to know.

Marriage Done God's Way

2008-01-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I attended the wedding of a friend of mine and sat in that ceremony and cried at the wonder of the workings of God. A friend who once did not know Christ, once was not a fully-devoted disciple, but one who has become one over the years. Seeing the transformation of his life alone was beautiful to me but even more beautiful was the joining of two lives, both fully committed followers, both fully in love with Jesus.

It is only when two people are fully in love with God that they can FULLY love each other. We've heard this said before..The FULLY part is what really gets me. We can live this life experiencing life IN PART, and we can live this life FULLY, experiencing all of God's goodness. There is nothing that compares to God's FULLNESS. If you've never tasted, you've missed out on LIFE. Think of your favorite food..some of the most delicious stuff you've ever had: now think of what's better..when you can have just a taste of it or a full plate (not too much so that your stomach aches) and not just a little, leaving you wanting more. Same with God, same with experiencing marriage God's way. Two people can love each other a little, and they can love each other a lot...and watching them love each other a lot is the beautiful thing!

I always marvel at a life changed by God. I guess it's because it speaks to me of God's power more than anything. I mean, how often do we see a person act one way and in a short matter of time change, for no apparent reason? Drastic change shocks us; we grow accustomed to who a person is. Well, Billy used to wear t-shirts and sweatpants all the time, but all of a sudden he up and decided he'd get himself a new woredrobe and tidy up. Why?! What's the reason for this? Where'd the incentive come from? I had him figured out, but now I don't.

Well, anyways, that's what happened to this friend of mine and it amazed me; I'm ecstatic really, for him and his new life with his bride. Cuz I know that they'll make it everything that it's supposed to be. Marriage done God's way..it's one of God's most beautiful things to me! I marvel at it everytime I see it, and I don't want anything less than it for my own life!

Cost of Discipleship

2008-01-04T22:42:00.000-08:00

When the rich young ruler approached Jesus to ask him what he must do to enter the kingdom of God, Jesus' end response after some dialogue was "sell everything you have and give it to the poor." And Jesus let him walk away. Harsh?! Not, o.k., sell half of it or give 10 percent of it..all. Jesus let him walk away. Do we do that? Do we let people walk away? Do we tell them the cost of discipleship or are we a culture seeking "inclusivity", compromising the cost of discipleship for more people to stay around. There's nothing appealing about the cost of discipleship..let's not throw it in people's faces, or so we think. Jesus, on the other hand, was forthright, candid, frank, straight-forward..here's the cost of discipleship: follow or depart.

Shane Claiborne said in his book "The Irresistible Revolution" that in our culture of "...radical inclusivity, [our] great temptation is to compromise the cost of discipleship in order to draw a larger crowd."

I thought about what he said...he went on to talk about Ananias and Sapphira: same thing, gave a portion of an offering but lied about the rest. God waisted no time with them. They were dead that same day.

i don't like to hear that things are going to hurt, that Christianity is gonna cost me..and not just small..big. I've known friends that haven't liked to hear it either with their own struggles. I've known friends who, because of it have walked away..like the rich young ruler.

But one thing I am realizing: i don't want to tiptoe around the cost. I don't want to try to tell people that it won't cost to tickle their ears and keep them around, as someone who is really not surrendered or a Christian at all but thinks that they are becasue they're in Christian circles. I want to be a Christian in the midst of my culture that is forthright and uncompromising in speaking to others about following Christ costing them something BIG.