He is Risen!

He is risen indeed.

This week has been an exciting one for me. Last Sunday, pastor Peter gave a sermon on The One Thing. And he said how The One Thing in life is very simple: share the Gospel. Doing this is so important, because it's the only reason Jesus left us on the earth. And that means, in a very real sense, sharing the Gospel is who we are. In the same way that an Olympic caliber figure skater is him- or her-self when he or she is competing or practicing in the rink, we are who we are when we are sharing the Gospel.

After I heard that sermon, my reaction was: I want to know who I am. It is so easy to forget, and it makes sense that God has given us this way to remember. So, on Wednesday, I went with Campus Crusade at Berkeley to Bear Share, which is something they do every week. They go to campus at 1:00 and go around the main plaza of the school initiating conversations with students. I went with a friend from Bible study, and we got to talk to a freshman girl who turned out to already be a Christian, but she was struggling this year with doubts, because Berkeley does nothing if not barrage the faith of anyone who comes there, and she had not found the time to get involved with a Christian community on campus. But in the end, she said, "Maybe the fact that you guys came and talked to me is a sign that I should make God more of a priority." It was so great, I felt encouraged because of that for the entire week!

Then, on Saturday, I was meeting with my friend Catherine at Starbucks, whom I've been discipling, and we were talking about God. And randomly, two other girls from the youth group came in and ordered drinks. They hadn't been coming to church for a couple months now, but they sat down with us, and I was able to share Peter's sermon with them about The One Thing. In the middle of talking with them, the barista at the counter said, "That was really well said." Apparently my voice kind of carries when I'm talking. Which is embarrassing, but embarrassing for a good cause!

Anyway, I felt this entire week that I am a part of God's work in the world, and it's all culminated with Easter, which is the magical day when God suspended the rules of nature: "When an innocent victim dies in a traitor's place, the table will crack and death itself will work backwards!"