For Me To Live Is Christ

5:09 PM Johanna 0 Comments


This past weekend a Liberty student passed away in a tragic accident. And while I did not have the pleasure of knowing Jon Gregoire personally, I have learned a few things from this young man of God.

I have been reminded that our lives are so short. We don't know what tomorrow will hold. We don't know what 10 years down the road will look like, let alone 10 days from now, or 10 hours from now. We have no clue when our days on this earth will be over.

We just know that we have this moment - this exact moment which God has given us - to do something to further His kingdom. 

With Jon Gregoire's passing I feel compelled to make every day, every moment count. I can't help but think of a song I used to hear on my way to school as a child by Nichole Nordeman called Legacy. The lyrics of the chorus go:
"I want to leave a legacy, how will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to you enough to make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering..." 


I was not blessed to know Jon personally, but I have been touched by his unapologetic love of his Savior. He has touched so many lives and he is continuing to touch lives and point them to Christ.

You will be missed Jon. Thank you for continually pointing us to Christ.

 For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. - Philippians 1:21
(Originally posted on my Instagram)

0 comments:

Don’t Idolize Your Leaders

9:05 AM Johanna 0 Comments



 First, let me take a moment to thank you all for reading my previous post on the changes at Liberty. The fact that 600+ people have taken the time to read my words means so much to me. Thank you!

Don’t idolize people.

Ever.

People mess up. People will fail you.

Don’t idolize Billy Graham. Don’t idolize Tim Tebow. Don’t idolize the Republican nominee. Don’t idolize Obama. Don’t idolize Stephen Harper. Don’t idolize John Piper, Francis Chan, Alistair Begg, Joel Osteen, or any notable pastor.

Don’t idolize Justin Bieber, Harry Styles, Emma Stone, or any other movie/music stars.

Don’t idolize your favourite sports team or athletes.

Don’t idolize your significant other.

Don’t idolize your pastor.

Don’t idolize Johnnie Moore, Justin Kintzel, or President Jerry Falwell.

Also, don't idolize dead humans like Ronald Reagan, C.S. Lewis, or A.W. Tozer, either.

Don’t idolize people.

They're sinners. They've messed up. They've done things they aren't proud of. Things, that to this day, they are ashamed and embarrassed about.

Your idolatry will destroy them and limit their impact for the Kingdom of God.


Remember that the goal of every Christian leader should be to point others towards Christ.


As Christians, when we reduce Christianity to our favorite speakers or worship leaders we’ve missed the whole point. Those gifted leaders are not in their position for their own benefit. They have felt called by God to do what they're doing. They should not want us to be their biggest fans - they want you to be pointed to Christ. They want you to be Christ’s biggest fan. They should never be focused on being well known. They want to make Jesus known!

When you idolize your leaders and say things like this,
"Justin Kintzel was the only person who could lead me to worship Christ." 
"Justin Kintzel/Johnnie Moore were the only people who can lead Convo. I don't want to go anymore now that they're gone."
When you say those things you are placing those people above the One who created them and blessed them with the talents they possess. 

One thing that I know is that no matter how talented or smart a person is - they are absolutely nothing but instruments of the Almighty and should not be placed above Him. He has blessed them with their gifts and talents. God can take those gifts and talents away at any moment.

By idolizing someone, you are placing a TON of pressure on them. I would hate to have that kind of pressure to maintain a certain level of perfection in order to please everyone else. I place too much pressure on myself as it is.  Would you want that added pressure on yourself? I think it’s safe to assume you would not. 

Please, by all means keep honouring, loving, respecting, and learning from your leaders, but don’t idolize them. Doing so keeps you from seeing the reason for their existence - to bring Glory and Honour to our heavenly Father.

0 comments:

What's New at LU - A LOT of Things

2:19 PM Johanna 0 Comments


This year has been one of change for the student body at Liberty University. Elmer Towns, co-founder of the school, retired. Johnnie Moore, Former Vice President for Executive Projects and Media Relations and Campus Pastor of Liberty University, has moved to Hollywood to work with producer Mark Burnett, and today Justin Kintzel, Worship Pastor and Campus Band Hero has stepped down from his position at the school.

Amidst the change of key figures of the University stepping down and moving forward in their careers as they feel God is directing them, we have been blessed with a new Campus Pastor and Senior Vice President for Spiritual Development, David Nasser.

With all this change, many people within the school have voiced their opinion about the situations taking place at Liberty. 

Here are just a few comments that I have personally seen on various forms of social media about these changes.

Written while David Nasser was on his 20th anniversary vacation with his wife: 
"Sure, he said the same thing for every convo introduction. But at least Johnnie Moore showed up for work. #‎Comeback‬"
Written in the comments of the previous post:
"I couldn't say that I respect him as my leader..."
Written after David Nasser spoke asking students to wait till they are dismissed before leaving Convocation:  
"If Nasser wants me to stay and listen to him, he should say something worth listening too. ‪#‎BringJohnnieBack‬"
Written about Justin Kintzel after he posted his goodbye letter to Liberty: 
"He didn't really quit. Nasser pushed him out the door. Sad to see."

Now I can totally understand people being upset that Johnnie Moore has left Liberty University to pursue other things. Every once and awhile I miss His "two things” rant in Convo, but I do not wish that he had stayed nor do I wish his successor any less success then what Johnnie had. God is in control and God has a plan for our school. 

The same thing is to be said about Justin Kintzel and his successor. I want him or her to be welcomed into the Liberty community with open arms and flooded with encouragement - not the way that we have publicly shunned and put down David Nasser.

We are Liberty University: the Largest Evangelical University in the world. We are supposed to be Champions for Christ - We have the opportunity to build each other up or put each other down and at this point in time we are putting our leaders down because we don’t like change. 


This reminds me of my church a few years ago. We were making a transition from having two different services with the same message but two different styles of music. One strictly hymns, choir, and the organ - maybe the piano. The second, more contemporary with drums and electric guitar. God then blessed us with a new Pastor who felt that we should be one body, not two separate churches sharing a building. We merged the two worship styles and at one point we had only one service then due to the growth of the church we had to move back to two services but with the same mixed worship style in both. We did have many people complaining about the changes taking place and how it was not “good” and that "we have always had it one way so we should keep it that way."

However my pastor reminded us that when we take our eyes off the big picture of where we are going as a church we miss what God is doing in the little things.

When we focus on the small things we forget that Gods glory is the ultimate priority of the church and in our case Liberty University. 

We, as a school, should be continually lifting up our leaders in prayer and encouragement. We should not openly attack the leaders God has placed over us. We can disagree with them, but when we do we need to be respectful of how we go about doing it (John Wesley Reid has an excellent blog post on that subject on his blog which is worth the read)

One thing that rings true over all the change that has taken place over this past year is a biblical truth we sing in Convo a lot. 
"After all You are constant, After all You are only good, After all You are sovereign & not for a moment will You forsake me."
After all this change, God is still in control. After all this change, God is still being glorified. After all this time, God is still working in the lives of Liberty students.

After all this change, God will not forsake Liberty. God has not forsaken Liberty University. He never has - and if we focus our hearts and minds on Him - He never will.

0 comments:

Senior Year

10:06 PM Johanna 0 Comments

It's hard to believe that I'm a 1/4 of the way through the fall semester of my last year at Liberty. It seems like I just came here yesterday as a little freshman. Everything's been moving so fast.

This is basically an update on how I've been for the past 5 weeks at Liberty. (Follow me on Instagram if you want to see more pictures)

1) I'm living on East campus now. So I have my own kitchen and common area. I have the most incredible view out my window ever. And I am also on an amazing leadership team. I am so blessed to have these women in my life this year. I wish I could put into words how much I love these young women of God.

My New Home

The View


My Lovely Leadership Team

2) I looked into joining Liberty's Crew team.
This was a spur of the moment thing and I kinda knew I wasn't going to make it on the team considering the last time I exercised consistently was back in 2007/2008 when I did 8+ hours a week of ballet. But I still really enjoyed going to the gym and working out for a long period of time with the team. I learned that if I push myself I can be surprised with the results. I've discovered that I can complete 5,000 meters of rowing straight in under 27 minutes and complete 2,500 meters in just over 10 minutes. Legs of Steel are coming!

One of my new favourite places now


3) I'm continuing to learn that I'm held and known by a God who cares for me deeper then I could ever know.
I'm always in His hands and that I can never, ever do any thing to change the love He has for me. In the valleys and in the mountains I am held by Him and he will NEVER let me fall from His hands. I am His. He has rid me of the shackles of my sins and I am now clean in His eyes. He tore the veil for me to come close.



4) I've been listening to this song on repeat a lot the past few days. If you read number 3 you'll know why I love the song so much.


So far this semester has been going really well and I'm learning so much but I also know that it's only going to get more difficult. So please keep me in your prayers as I continue to complete my studies this year. 


0 comments:

I Am Canadian! And American!

8:47 AM Johanna 0 Comments

It's not as complicated as it sounds.

Since it's both my countries birthdays this past week I thought I would clarify something that has made some of my (American) friends a little confused.

I'm a dual citizen of Canada and the United States of America.

I can vote in both countries and get a job without a green card or all that jazz. I have two passports Canadian and American; though my American passport has a better picture. I can, and have been called for jury duty - although my Canadian home address was probably why I was never summoned.

"How is this possible?" "You're not really American!" "I'm more American then you are or ever will be!" These have all been said to me during my time at school. Seriously Americans...

How is this possible? - My dad's American, my mum is Canadian. They met at University, fell in love and got married. My grandmother on my mum's side was diagnosed with skin cancer so my dad said "Let's move to Canada" and they did. Such a nice guy.

You're not really American! - Hmm....I'm pretty sure my Certificate of US citizenship and US passport proves otherwise. I also am a Daughter of the American Revolution and I get really excited when it's Military Convocation at LU.

Military Appreciation Convo last year (via Instagram)

I'm more American then you are or ever will be! - Yes, I haven't lived in America my whole life like most people I go to school with, but that has nothing to do with my American-ness. I have just as much rights as you, well technically more since I have citizenship to two countries. Furthermore, I think it's unfair to say that someone who was born in the US is more American than those born outside of the US. What about Americans who are born in the Middle East because their parents are in the military? Are they less American because they were born in, say, Iran? That logic doesn't work. You can still be American if you weren't born in the US just as you can be Canadian if you weren't born in Canada. I just happen to be both American & Canadian.

However, I will say that I feel more at home in Canada. I feel safe in the US but when I walk through the gates that say Welcome to | Bienvenue au Canada I get really happy. I think this is the same for anyone when they enter their home country after being away for a long period of time.

One of my favourite things to see. (via Instagram)

So to clarify, I'm am Canadian. I am also American. I love both my countries and am extremely blessed to be citizens of both of them.

Happy Independence Day and Happy Canada Day!



0 comments:

21 Things I've Learned From My Daddy

2:02 PM Johanna 1 Comments

In honor of Father's Day here are 21 things* I've learned from my father.
*I say 21 not because I only have 21 things but because then it's one for every year I've been alive & seemed like a good place to stop. 
1. "You can do anything!"

2. "Put your cream in your coffee mug first. Then you won't have to stir it."

3. That history repeats itself, learn from your mistakes.

4. "Sarcasm - It's a beautiful language!"


5. That you should always dance like no one is watching. (Even when everyone is watching)

6. "We can't forget Spurgeon, now can we?"

7. That you can never tell someone you love them enough.

8. Family is ALWAYS important.


9. To never take yourself too seriously - especially when it comes to your fashion choices.

10. That complacency is the enemy of excellence.

11. The importance of music. - Can't thank you enough for this one.

12. That you can always play a mean boom box if you can't play anything else.


13. That it's not *technically* hoarding if your kids made it for you.

14. That teaching is not always fun and games. Sometimes you learn how to use ladders.

15. And sometimes you need to be reminded on how to use the ladders.

16. For reminding me that God supplies over and above what we need or deserve.

17. Tat gramrz & speallingz r inporetant tingz.


18. That you can be patriotic for both your countries but know who to really cheer for during the Olympics.


19. That countdowns can never be started too early nor can they go on too long.

20. "Don't be upset with the results you didn't get from the work you didn't do."

and number 21. Family ALWAYS comes first.



Happy Father's Day Daddy!! Love you more then you'll ever know!

❤️❤️❤️
Your curly little red head girl.

1 comments:

Green Smoothie & Music

11:11 AM Johanna 0 Comments

Sometimes you just need a smoothie and sometimes it just needs to be green. 

Ingredients

1 Granny Smith Apple
1 Lemon or 2 Limes
Grated Ginger (To taste)
1 C. Kale
1 C. Almond Milk
1 C. Ice Cubes
Honey (I just kept tasting till it was sweet enough)

Instructions
1. Cut & core (also peel if you like) apple into 1 inch pieces.
2. Rip the kale into smaller pieces.
3. Roll and squeeze the juice from the lemon/limes.
4. Stick it all in the blender and blend it up!
5. Taste it and make adjustments till it's to your liking.

Before blending.

Halfway through the blending process.

The finished product

This smoothie is super yummy, and because of the Kale is full of Vitamins A, C, and K and iron so it's really good for you. Though kale is an acquired taste in this smoothie the honey and apple mask it's earthy taste creating a crisp, acidic, yet sweet taste.

Lately I've been listening to this playlist by my lovely friend Melodie all the time. It's upbeat without being obnoxious. It's calming without putting you to sleep but still upbeat that it can keep you focused on what you need to do.



0 comments:

A (School) Year in Review

9:38 PM Johanna 0 Comments

How do you continue a blog when your previous (and only) blog post was used as a sermon illustration? I'm not entirely sure, but I felt it's time to get back into the swing of this thing called blogging...

I've been really busy since I last posted (well who hasn't) but now exams over and I'm back home in Toronto! I am SO happy to be home and have a chance to relax. (Although not really, since I'm taking 16 credits over the summer)

-------

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

This semester marked the end of many seasons for me. The end of living on Main Campus (Yay!), the end of rooming with my best friend Amy (Boo!), the end of undergraduate Music Theory and Conducting classes (Amen!), & the end of some friendships (Hey, it happens) just to name a few of the things that happened in my life this past semester.

So lets start with the end of living on Main Campus:
This past fall I applied to be a Resident Assistant (RA) and was made it through the second round of cuts. This was a great learning experience and I really do appreciate being able to go through that process. However, I was not accepted to the position and though I was upset at the time, it was part of God's plan. Now I am going to be a Prayer and Life Group Leader on East Campus and I'm super excited for what He has in store for me next year.

Photo: RA Training week February 2014
Photo: My new home next semester! (photo taken by Johanna Hatt)

The end of living with my best friend. No, we didn't "break up" or have a horrible experience being roommates (at least I didn't). We just reached the end of our time being roommates. Things change, life goes on and I have no regrets rooming with Amy at all. We just felt it was time to not room together. No fights, no weirdness, we parted ways well. We'll always be best friends. It was just time to not room together.

BFFS (photo taken by Johanna Hatt)

The end of my undergraduate* Music Theory and Conducting experience. This is one of the biggest accomplishments to completing my degree. 2 years of music theory and 1 year of conducting. The music theory was actually entertaining and I learned a lot from Dr. Wellman AKA Captain Counterpoint. From graphic notation to twelve-tone music, Dr. Wellman has taught it all and his way of bringing music theory to life was amazing and I'm going to miss having him as a professor.
*I say undergraduate because I'll most likely pursue a masters degree in music and will then have to take more music theory classes.

Photo: Last day of Music Theory, Spring 2014 (photo taken by selfie master Okawa Tan)

Photo: From when I conducted the LU Wind Ensemble (photo taken by Johanna Hatt)

The end of some friendships. This one is harder to talk about because the people I was friends with I considered them to be my closest friends at Liberty. But things change, and people change. These people for whatever reason felt that we should no longer be friends. I may disagree with these reasons but it is all for the best. But I know God is good, I know He is in control and I know He has better things in store for me and for those people. Sometimes you just have to pack your bags and move on.

---------

But with ends come beginnings and nice things so here is one of the nice things that happened this year/semester.

"The Sassy Corner." These four ladies, Amber, Leah, and Dara (who also has a blog and you should probably go follow it) helped get me through Music Theory, Elementary Music Methods, & Instrumental Conducting. They were all there when my grandmother passed away suddenly. They helped keep me sane while studying for music theory and conducting exams. I'm truly thankful for the friendship I have with these three lovely ladies and that God has placed them in my life.


Photo: Sassy Corner at La Carreta (photo taken by Leah)

Anywho, this post is already long enough, but that's the kind of year it's been.
(I am going to try to blog at least once a week over the summer. I want to make it a habit of writing more.)

0 comments:

Rise Up From The Grave

4:47 AM Johanna 0 Comments


One of my favourite worship songs to sing is to myself is "Christ is Risen" by Matt Maher. I don't know if it is the simple chord progressions or the way it builds at the end of the song but one thing that I do know is the first line always gets me.

 Let no one caught in sin remain, inside the lie of inward shame...

It doesn't matter when I hear it. Whether when it comes up on my iPod while walking through an airport or at Liberty convocation with Justin Kintzel leading 12,000 students on a gloomy Monday morning. Almost without fail I cry, and lately I've been thinking about why I cry when I hear that line.

Short back story: I was first introduced to "Christ is Risen" in 2012 while preparing to go to Turkey on a mission trip with a few friends from my young adult group. I instantly fell in love with the song when I heard it. It's rare that I love a new worship song as much as I enjoyed this one. It was simple yet profound and full of Spiritual truth, just what a worship song should be. Not fluff but rooted in the gospel.

That one line is so powerful and has impacted me so much. So lately I've been thinking about why that line has impacted me as much as it has.

I'm a very quiet person. I don't like letting people in. It makes me feel vulnerable and I don't like that feeling. I have my box and my box is safe. I don't want to have to open up and let people in my box because it's my box. If someone I know if having a problem I am hear to listen but as soon as I'm having a problem I go into my box and try to deal with it by myself, in my box.

That being said when I mess up, and I believe me I do mess up, I don't share my problems and sins with others. I keep them to myself and dwell on them, becoming consumed with shame and self-loathing. I question Every. Single. Action. And Every. Single. Thought. that led up to me messing up and what I should have been my response. I over analyze everything that happened and everything that was said or down. And then I apologize and pray repeatedly that God would forgive me for my past failures. (I don't do this just with God, I apologize to my friends all the time. They can attest that I'm constantly apologizing. Rarely does a conversation go by without me repeatedly apologizing for the same thing.)

The thing is, I know Christ was put on the cross for my sins. For every impure thought I've ever had, for every rude sarcastic comment I've ever said (and will ever say), for every time I've blatantly ignored someone who has asked for my help. God has forgotten it all. He will not remember my sins. His Word tells me this in Isaiah 43:35.

"I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins."

I think that's why that line has always hit me. Every time I hear that line I am reminded that I don't need to be living in the shame of my sins. They are forgiven. I have been forgiven for them. Now that doesn't mean I need to forget them and keep sinning. In Acts 3:19 we are called to:

 "Repent and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out."

 Our sins are not remembered. They are blotted out from God's mind. All we are asked to do is repent and turn from them.

As Christians, we no longer need to be living in the shame of our sin. Yes, we may have to deal with the worldly shame that comes with our sins. And yes, the world will condemn us for our mistakes. They will always look down on us for messing up. But the thing is, we are loved by an Eternal, Sovereign, Gracious, Loving, Forgiving God who will not shame us. He is not surprised that we've failed. He sent His Son because He knew we were going to mess up.

This is why I'm thankful the song doesn't end after the first line. It continues:

But fix your eyes upon the cross
And run to Him who showed great love
And bled for us
Freely you bled, for us

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
.....
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake!
Come and rise up from the grave!

We no longer need to live in the shame of our sins. He has forgiven us and we are His.

Don't remain in the shame of your sins. They have been forgiven. They've been covered by Christ's blood on the cross. Rise up from the grave.

"As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us." ~ Psalm 103:12


0 comments:

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)