Nina Grewal on Christmas

Interesting Research

Here's some interesting research that was shared with me this week. I found parts of it to be really fascinating and thought I would share it with you as well. This is research that was conducted in the city of Red Deer and I would consider it very relevant. The part I found most interesting was concerning Teenage Promiscuity. I'll let you skim the whole article here, but just to throw this out there, they found in their research that "The number one protective factor inhibiting female promiscuity is family activities. In fact, for every increased family activity per week—with the father figure present—a 9% decrease in sexual activity is the result." I find this incredible!

A House Full of Blessings

We had the incredible privileged last night of having many of my supporters into our home for a casual ice cream social. I have been wanting to invite my supporters to something like this for a long time as a way of saying "Thank you" for their commitment to my ministry.
The plan was to spend the evening outside enjoying a fire and some fresh air . . . the rain changed those plans a bit. Instead we crowded into our home and mingled inside. Not all of my supporters were able to join us, but my gratitute towards them is just as great as to those who were able ot come out last night.

It was an incredible thing to see so many of the people who make my work possible all in one place. to be surrounded by people who sacrificially give towards the work God is doing, it truly was a house full of blessings last night!

I'm Celebrating

Last year at about this time I shared with you, on my One to Fifty page, a need that I had in my support levels. I am Blown Away, I am also more aware now then ever, how weak my faith is as I did not anticipate the response I received in answer to my need. In one short year (a little less actually) you guys have helped me to reach my goal in an incredible way. Together you have brought me to a place that last year at this time I thought not possible. God has used you to bless me and so this is for you . . .
                                                 
                                                  THANK YOU!

Thank you for giving sacrificially to make this ministry possible. The monthly donor commitment that I have astounds me, and the one time donations that come in always blow my mind as they consistently cover the remaining shortfall I have. God is good and I am celebrating his goodness. Please Praise God with me for this incredible gift, and incredible answer to prayer!

And now were all Cowboys

The Ponoka Stampede wrapped up yesterday. For those of you who aren't from around here let me give you an idea of what that means.
It's Canada's Largest 7 day Rodeo I don't know the exact number but I'm guessing that our town of 7000 becomes a town of about 12000 during that time. The sea of campers, RV's, tents and trailers blows my mind every year. To be honest, I like the event, it's fun and brings excitement to our town. I don't love everything associated with it, namely the 7 days straight of intoxicated noise, but the actual Rodeo is a great event. The one thing that gets me every year though, is the influx in Cowboys in this town. I'm not talking about the real Cowboys, there are lots of them that come in from all over, and even lots that hang their hats here honestly. But the influx in people who all of a sudden "become" cowboys for this event makes me laugh. You can pick them out easily, you never see them with a horse, their boots are brand new and they usually walk a bit funny with them on, and the hat on their head just doesn't sit right, not to mention they couldn't tell you the first thing about livestock, farming or Rodeo for that matter. As I was assessing this grand number of "cowboys", seeing their pictures show up in my Facebook Newsfeed and watching them walk around the fair grounds, it made me think of the Christian walk.
Mathew 7:21-23 Explains very clearly that looking the part of Christian simply is not good enough. "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"
These are sobering words, they should make us examine ourselves, we should not brush over them quickly. Accepting the teachings of Christ, and saying "yes" to Him truly means I should be different. I cannot brandish a Bible and memorize some verses and so fool myself to think that I know Jesus, or that He knows me in the sense of salvation. Verse 24 is the Key "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."
After their 7 days of rodeo fun those wannabe Cowboys  stash their boots, buckles and hats for another year, no harm no foul really, apart form looking a little silly. But for the Christian who thinks they are but they are not, the stakes are much higher, for when the wind, rain and storms come the consequence are real and the house built on sand will fall with a great crash, and  a high price will be paid for that folly.

When I Grow Up . . .

One of the questions I find myself asking youth all the time is "So, what do you think you might want to be when you grow up?" I am usually surprised when they actually have an answer for me, for the most part they are just trying to focus on what's going on right now . . . they'll deal with 'future' when it's on their doorstep. I don't blame them I was the same way! And I think it's totally fine, sometimes I think we need to pressure our students less to know now what they want to be in 5 years, it'll come to them.

I never had a good answer for that question, and you know what . .i still don't know "what I want to be when I grow up" to be honest, I don't know that "what" I am matters very much anyway, I think "who" I am is of far greater value.  I believe that who I am will always be changing, maturing and growing. I am already a far different person than I was in jr. high or high school, I am different than I was in college, and I am confident that 10 years form now I will be different than who you know me to be now. As Christians it should be impossible for us not to change, God's word says to us that we are to become more like Jesus (1 John 2:6, Eph. 3:1-10) , in my life this would require change, as I stand now I am far from being "like Jesus". This should be our goal, not that we know "what" we want to be but that we are confident in "who" we want to be, one who has been crucified with Christ, the old has gone the new has come!

There are people in my life that I look up to greatly, I admire where they are in this journey, I admire how much of "them" has been put to death in order that Christ may live through them. I praise God for this work in their lives as it is a great example to those who follow, a great example to me.

One of these whom I admire is my Grandma, she has exemplified faith to me in incredible ways, especially over the past year as her life has been filled with change and difficulties. The one thing I have heard her utter more often than any other is "God will take care of it, lets not worry". My Grandma is an incredibly strong woman, but the strength that she has drawn from over this past difficult year has not been her own, and she would be the first to share that with you. In her strength she points you to a God who is greater than her circumstances, and in that there is great hope.

I want to share a picture of my Grandma with you. the other day my mom was helping me build a flower garden in my yard and some trees had to go. The chainsaw was operated by none other than my grandma, 75 years old and in her sandals. I mean, 'common why wouldn't I want to be like her!?

Feeling a little sleepy

The weekends been really good so far! I've been super encouraged by the response of students to the call of surrender. We've had some good speakers and I find our group asking "what does it look like to really surrender? like surrender everything, to God". There's been a few "a-ha" moments, lots if haha moments as we take the time to just play together, and moments of real heart surrender. I look forward to walking with these students even after the week end is over. And I think the group will be ready for over at the end of the day. Some of us are starting to feel just a little sleepy :)

A few guys who have "surrendered" to sleep :) ( and let me tell you you have to be TIRED to sleep during group 1 Crew.) I'll wake 'em up for the speaker :)

Almost famous

One of the young guys with us this weekend almost became famous!! Ok not really, but he did get a chance to play an improv game with panic squad. It was a lot of fun to watch one of our own on stage. And he actually did a good job!

Here's a shot of Nathan getting his taste if fame :)

7:00 am

7:00 am feels like it has come earlier than any other 7am I have ever met.
Last nights kick off events at YC are now behind us, and I'm already encouraged by how God is moving. We were challenged by speaker David Nasser last night to consider if we have truly surrendered our lives to Jesus or if we are just "playing good Christian". I think this weekend will be challenging for the students, and myself. I hope it is!

Here's a picture of 16000 glow sticks during the kick off event.

YC 2012

In just under 24 hours I'll be packed up and headed out with 11 Awesome youth and 1 awesome volunteer. We will take off to Edmonton for the weekend where we will participate in YC 2012. This is a great opportunity for me, I love that my group is small because it means lots of connection time with the students. The theme for this year is Surrender, and it truly is our hearts desire that through the events of this weekend that students will connect with a God who loves them very much and surrender in a very real life their lives to him. Please consider praying for us as we spend our weekend listing to loud music, motivational and passionate speakers, laughing and hanging out! Please pray that students who don't yet know Christ as their redeemer would come to know him this weekend, and please pray for those that do to be drawn into a deeper relationship with him. I'll keep you posted on the weekends events, It's sure to be a great time!!

Thought I would share my latest prayer alert. Please feel free to read, please please feel free to pray!! 

Have I mentioned latley that God is Crazy Awesome!

Well we are home! We arrived home from our California Breakaway trip Sunday afternoon and it is wonderful to be back!

Our trip was incredible, it's hard to sum up an 11 day trip so to be honest I am not going to try to hard. We played hard, we served meals, we cut up TONS of bread, we washed walls and painted rooms, we played some more, we hung out with homeless children, we heard stories of people on the streets . . .  we did a lot in 11 days! And at the end of it all we returned home, hopefully as changed people.

Now have I mentioned lately How crazy awesome God is?
At the beginning of the trip I shared a blog with you of a story of one young man whose life was forever changed through last years trip. Can I share another?

Part way through the trip I sent off a few emails and phone calls requesting prayer for one of the girls on the trip, she was in such a receptive place and was so engaged and committed to what was going on and what we were doing. I felt like she was in the right place, that God was moving. I was blown away when a few days later I was walking down the hallway and another one of the youth informed me . . . "O Haley, did you hear she* became a Christian" (*out of respect I and for FOIP I wont share names). While this young girl was hanging out with few of the other youth on the trip they asked the right questions and gave her an honest opportunity to accept Jesus. And she did!! (side note - one of the other youth was the young man who got saved last year . . . ya Jesus is Awesome!)

I am more convinced today than ever that the prayers of God's people are making a difference. Two years in a row I have seen the hand of God reach into the life of a student and bring them into his Kingdom. And both years God's people have been directly involved through prayer . . .it kind of makes me . . . speechless actually!

I am so excited for the journey ahead, for the times we will have to connect and the chances we will have to learn together, please pray for me and for her as I seek to walk along side her well, and as she seeks to learn more and more about her Savior!!

Some pictures from the trip!

We're on our way!!

We're on our way! As I write this myself, 6 other leaders and 44 students are on our way to California!! We just spent a few unexpected hours getting a power steering line repaired in Lethbridge but as of now we are back on the road! Praise God! I'll try to keep you posted on the trip but for now I'll just share an article I wrote earlier this week about the trip and how you can be a part of it!!

"In seven days, the YU staff and 44 students will embark on a trip to Las Angeles, California. The trip promises to be stretching, challenging and FUN! We wont lie to you, we plan on spending time just playing with these kids, but that’s not all we will do. We will also be given the chance to partner with some of California’s existing outreach programs. We will be given the chance to serve others, and these students, some of them for the first time, will have their eyes opened to some of the painful realities of the brokenness of our world. I am so excited!!! I am so excited because I believe that on this trip God will move, He will call students to Him, He will call those who know Him but have wandered, and I believe he will also call some into a brand new relationship with Him . . . and it will change their lives forever. How could I not be excited? I can’t wait to see what He does. I am reminded of our trip just one short year ago when we headed not to California but to Vancouver. The day before leaving I was speaking with my pastor who asked me this question “who in specific can I pray for on the trip”. My response was “all of them, please pray for all of them!” but on second thought, I threw a name out of a young man who had joined our team late in the game. This was a young man who was in great need of Jesus in his life. My pastor assured me that he would pray every day for him. Skip ahead one week . . .we’re on the bus ride home from an trip of serving, fun and life-changing experiences. And after some conversation with that same young man, we watched in awe as God called him into his family, as he gave his life to Christ. It was crazy!

I got home and naturally my pastor quickly approached me with the question. “So what about the young man you had me pray for, how was the trip for him? I prayed every day!” I was speechless.

As we approach this new trip, please pray everyday. Start now and pray with the belief that God will move in the lives of these students and with the belief that your prayers matter. We look forward to sharing with you the ways that God worked when we return, and we thank you for you part in this ministry with us!"

Cody's Story

Wow .  .I haven't blogged for a while . . . but I'd like to share this story with you.

Double Standard

While I was at drop in over the weekend I found myself a number of times saying "Hey don't use that word please" or "Hey, you know that you can't use that language here" more than once the response was "That's not a swear word" or "I use that word at home".

The most prominent double standard that most teens deal with is the one where the rules that are put in place to guide their lives are not modeled by the adults in their life, leaving them questioning why adults can do things they can't . . . for the most part I think double standards are dangerous. In some cases adulthood does make the difference but If you don't want your child to use certain language, you using it probably isn't the best example.

But I think a new double standard has surfaced, Where schools, youth centers, organizations (extra curricular activities) etc. used to be working with parents, they are now enforcing rules that aren't enforced at home. They are actually working against each other. I am not saying this is true of every home at all. But it seems to be an increasing reality in the lives of teens I see on a regular basis. We think we are enforcing normal rules "don't swear", "be respectful", "don't sleep around", when really we are introducing a whole new set of rules into the lives of these teens, and they don't get it, they don't see why we would ask these things of them.

It drives me a bit crazy . . . (yes I know I don't have kids so I'm not trying to tell anyone how to parent, but I do spend a lot of time with them so I think my opinion is valid) But I just wonder when good common courtesy and respect stopped being a home enforced rule. And what are we supposed to do with that when we interact with teens . . . follow suit?

In view of God's Mercy . . .

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is true worship." Rom. 12:1

This verse has been important to me for a long time, it has been a guiding verse of the last few years of my life, a reminder of the life I should be living. but this time when I read it 2 very significant things stood out at me.

1. "Therefore" - so I can't look at this verse or this passage or this chapter and forget about all the stuff before it . . . this verse, passage, chapter hangs on and works because of what came before it. Therefore, because of all that stuff, because of everything that just blew your mind (read that post here), because it all works together, therefore . . .

2. "In view of God's Mercy" - the part that always used to impact me (and still does) was the part where I was supposed to be a "living sacrifice" but somehow I failed to really compute the "in view of God's mercy" part. For 11 chapters Paul clearly laid out what God's Mercy is what he is all about how we are justified by faith (3:28; 4:16) how we have gained access to grace (5:2) through his son (5:10) he spells it out beautifully and then he says "therefore" - "In view of God's Mercy". This verse would be totally different if those two phrases were absent, it would then be all about us, it would become a work effort to win our way into heaven. But it's not.

Where we expect to hear "Offer yourself to me as a living sacrifice, work hard for my acceptance, clean yourself up and then I'll see if I can love you" we don't, instead we hear the upside down Gospel that says because you are already made acceptable, because I have already given you grace and because what it takes is faith because of this mercy that God has had on you Because my Son made the way . . . Therefore offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.

To me this is the most beautiful of things, too incredible to truly fathom but it is a Grace and a Mercy that I am daily thankful for. And it is this Grace and Mercy that I pray the Youth of Ponoka will recognize.

2011 in Review

I married my best friend: life changed forever and I still love it!
I moved out of my "home": Now supper rarely finds it's way to the table unless I am involved in it, and a bunch of men's clothing has made it's way into my laundry hamper . . . apparently this is "adulthood" :)
I almost lost my Grandpa: I was reminded very quickly that the moments we have with those we love are precious and irreplaceable.
I witnessed the life changing power of Christ as a young man gave his life over to Him: Wow . . . seriously Wow!
A dearly loved community member passed away: The finality of death struck me in a different way and the promises of eternal life in Christ defined "hope"

My Grandpa came out of the hospital: I cannot explain in words the gift this is
We bought a house: exciting and scary are both words that could be used here

That is a VERY brief snapshot of what will define 2011 in my mind. In between those events there were a hundred and one moments that shaped and defined me. What I love about those moments is that the hand of God is evident in each of them, even in the painful ones where he reminds me that it is his strength that will carry me through. I hope that as you reflect on 2011 you, as well, will see the Hand of God and the Love of Christ.