Tuesday, February 17, 2009

In Celebration of Andon.


hey ladies and gents.
this weekend I was blessed to have an opportunity to hang out with around 45 high school girls and teach them about Jesus. This post is late, but Courtney over there at Owens' Blessed Life prepared a precious blog memorial for sweet little Andon Knepp this past weekend. Better late than never, and I can't imagine not celebrating the life God has given me by sharing it in hopes that Andon's life is never in vain.


On saturday, the amazing young women heard me preach on how God Himself designed us-every curl, every sigh, every quirk, every idiosyncrasy. I spoke on this verse:

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:10

This includes our little friend Andon. So as I stood up on the stage speaking to these girls, I stood in the VERY same spot that I stood in when God called me to ministry. I did the thing that makes me
come alive.
God knew before the foundations of the Earth that He would call me to that task, so I do it with gladness, knowing that the fire His Word has given me burns in my bones and I would simply impode if I was unable to speak about Him (Jeremiah 20:9). In order to honor the abundant life that we receive in Christ and the life of this sweet boy, I stood up there and did what I was born to do: Preach God's word to women who are hungry for it.







So many times on this here blog I have shared with you the moments of awkwardness, but I have also told you of the moments when I have been unexpectedly drawn into the presence of the Living God by something rather ordinary. Something rather plain.

When we live life for today, we find that we are continually surrounded by the Sacred. God is all around us, and He is on the move. But if we live life for the next moment, we miss this one. Right here. If you are in Christ and walking with Him, where you stand or sit at this very moment is the will of God. So enjoy it! Know that you are a piece of living art designed to display the GLORY OF THE MOST HIGH GOD, who loves you and is the Remedy for every sin-sick soul, as the song says.


If I have learned one thing, even one thing, it's this. Next year may never come (Don't put off that trip to Broadway). Next month may never come (Make time for date night). Tomorrow may never come (kiss your babies and squeeze them more tightly). The next breath may not come (tell your loved ones about the enduring love of God as found in Christ Jesus).

I thought it was doubly amazing because on Valentine's Day, the day of the blog memorial (i think...?) some of the girls picked out a name for their group that really spoke to me.

It sounds a little silly, but they called their group...
are you ready for this?
LLAMAS.



yes, llamas.


The beautiful thing is that these high school girls GET IT. They get that life is short and you have to fully "live to the hilt every moment that you believe to be the will of God." (Jim Elliot)

LLAMA stands for "Living Life and Making a Scene."

What will you do with right now?


I am going to live life and make a scene for Jesus. We honor the lives of others like Andon by living completely in each moment.

God Bless you, Knepp Family.

2 comments:

Ashley said...

This blog right here proves what I already know about you...that you are wise well beyond your years. I would love to be able to hear your testimony sometime...I just gotta get to an event that you are speaking at. You are so inspiring and I admire you a lot. I pray for you and your ministry daily. Thanks for being so honest and open about your faith!

beverlyj said...

I like llama's :)