Not of this World April 2011

Table of Contents

On TCKsYou Know You’re an MK When...11Embracing My Third Culture...7, 8, 10

On GodBible Verses on Easter...6Heart of Worship: He is the Boss...12

On YouSpring Cleaning: Renewing Your Heart...14-17

On OthersPray for Japan...13Expression through Art...4-5

On Everything Chocolate Cake...18Calendar...3

7

14

April 2011

S M T W T F S1 2

3 Write a letter to

God5 6 7 Blow

Bubbles 9

10 11 Do your sibling’s chores

Make a fruit

smoothie14 15 16

Make a new

friend18 19 20 21

Write an article

for NOTW

23

302928Read

a book backwards2625It’s

Easter!

“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.”

-Thomas Jefferson

EmilyHi, my name is Emily, and I’m a recovering dance-a-holic. I know that sounds a bit insane, but seriously, I am. At age 3 I started taking dance classes. Movement was the first way I learned to express myself. Before going to school and learning how to write essays and formulate speeches, I was learning to pirouette and shuffle-step. By the time I was 8, I started practicing nearly everyday of the week, and competing on weekends. In middle school, my life was dance. I ate, slept, went to school, danced, and then did it all over again. I even got dismissed from certain classes in school because of my rigorous dance schedule. I was a fairly shy person, but when I got on that stage to perform, my body took over, and I was a new person: fearless and enjoying every moment of it. I auditioned for a special high school for crazy artists like me who want to pursue their passion further and was accepted! But, the summer between 8th and 9th grade, my world was changed. I had a new passion: Jesus Christ. I slowly realized myself wanting to do everything in my power to exalt Him, not myself. My head now knew that He was all that mattered, not dance, and my actions started to follow. In a place where I was graded on my abilities, and competing for the highest level or a placement in the front of the group, I had a hard time focusing on God instead of myself. I struggled for two years at the art school to balance out my love of God and dance, and He, in all of His grace, helped me let go of dance. I still love to dance and always will, but it won’t ever be before my Savior. Now, I occasionally take classes, and am constantly choreographing dances to my favorite songs. Because dance is one of the most natural ways of expression for me, I love to go in my room, blast worship music, and dance for the only One’s opinion I truly care about. Recently, I have been exploring ministry through dance and asking God if that’s where He wants me. I don’t know yet what He has for my future, but I know He has instilled a love of dance within me for a reason.

Jessica

I’m a photography lover. It’s hard to believe that just a few short years ago I hadn’t taken more than a handful of photos, and the only camera I had back then was a cheap toy that took blurry pictures no matter how hard I tried to compose my shots correctly. I first started getting into photography when I was in eighth or ninth grade, and slowly developed a passion for it. The first half of my eleventh grade year, I would beg my dad to use his camera which was much better than mine. Finally, for Christmas that year my parents bought me a Canon Powershot. I My photography continued to improve as I snapped away and became one of the main photographers for my high school yearbook staff. I eagerly offered to attend as many events as I could, and although I didn’t know how to change setting on the Nikon D90 I was using, I kept shooting. Although I knew the basics of photography at that point, I still had much to learn. Last semester I bought my first DSLR, a Canon EOS Rebel T1i. I took a college digital photography class and read several books on photography, so that I now have a much better understanding of the art. I am a blogger, and just recently I have started following many professional photographers’ blogs in order to learn from them. I also started a 365-photo-a-day challenge at the beginning of this year. As a Christian, I seek to excel in my photography so that Christ may be glorified through it. He gave me this talent, and I have the choice to either develop it or not. Recently I have been pairing Scripture with photos as an expression of worship so that I might bless and encourage others. As I reflect on my week and choose which verses to use, God teaches me more about Him and His word. My talent isn’t from me, but from God, who I worship through photography as I continue to improve and seek his will for my life.

Bible Verses on...Easter“We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

-Matthew 20:18-19

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” -John 3:16

“Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”” -John 2:19

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said.

“You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place

where they laid him.”

-Mark 16:6

“But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.” -Acts 2:24

Embracing My Third Culture

by Nicole Lewis

 Not many people think of kids from cross cultural families as third culture kids, but we are, and we are a growing tribe. I can remember that, when I was little, having a white Mom and a black Dad seemed pretty normal. To me they were just Mom and Dad, the people who lived in my house. When I started elementary school, it became obvious to me that not everyone had the same idea of family as I did. In the eyes of my classmates, parents were those who looked like you. I do not have the blonde hair or green eyes of my mother so some were confused how she could be my Mom and since I look more like my Dad, they could see how I was his. But the fact that I belonged to both of them was hard for them to wrestle with. My Mom is a nurse so I knew everything about how kids were born, so to me it seemed really strange that they could not conceive how people have kids. But all that to say, I felt fine with me and Mom and Dad, but it began to change some things in me.

When I graduated from High School and started college I began to really wrestle with my identity. I grew up in a predominately white community of 2000 people; there may have been 10 non white students in my whole High School. But my friends just treated me the same as everyone else. It was when I began to spend more time with my Grandmother in New York, or our friends in Seattle, that I realized that, though externally I looked and was identified with most of the black people around me, I felt very different. I didn't grow up in the same place, didn't grow up in the same culture, didn't know the same things. I think I began to feel a little ashamed. I looked like everyone around me, but I didn't feel like everyone around me and I thought that I should. I was embarrassed at times and that was really hard.

When I graduated from Oregon State, I went to my first Impact Conference in

Atlanta. Which for me, was a huge step of faith to be honest. I would not admit that to many people, but it was. Going to an African American christian conference for me, felt like having a total cross cultural experience. I had never really listened to gospel music, didn't dance or lift my hands like everyone else. But the Lord was so sweet during that time to really show me that I was not so different than everyone else around me. Being black didn't have to mean that I grew up in Harlem or the South Side of Chicago. I am black, but I also am white at the same time.

There was a speaker at the impact conference who talked about identity. It really touched me and gave me the freedom that I was longing for without even knowing it. He gave me the freedom to find an identity that didn't need to be grounded in the color of my skin, even if others would label me that way. Labels are just ways people try to understand the

He gave me the freedom to

find an identity that didn't

need to be grounded in the

color of my skin, even if

others would label me that

way.

world; they only mean something if we let them. The speaker said that often in the black community, our identity that we take on as of first importance is being black. He said that we need to look at the example of the Apostle Paul. He was a Jew of Jews, but when He came to faith, all that He was before took secondary place to the fact that He belonged to Jesus. So no longer did he take that Jewish identity on as the most important, but he also didn't renounce it. His first identity was Christian, then Jewish after that.

Continued on page 10

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Continued from page 8.

I didn't really want to ever have to pass through this season of questioning who I was. But that day dawns for all of us who belong to the third culture, the day when we are asked to define who we are. One clear example for me was trying to figure out something as simple as checking off the ethnicity box on an exam in High School and feeling like saying Caucasian would mean I had no father, but saying African American meant I had no mother.

I have been made wonderfully complicated and I have learned to embrace that now without shame or questioning. One verse that really nailed it for me is in Acts 17 when Paul is speaking on Mars Hill. He said that from one man God made every nation of man that they should inhabit the whole earth : and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him.

What brought me freedom in my own identity struggle was that I knew that my life, where and how I grew up, was not an accident. Before the foundations of the earth, the Lord knew it. He knew what would shape and influence my heart and desires and He put those things in my soul. Those things define me and are not determined by being a color of skin. Skin may count in the world’s economy, but it does not in God's.

It is so frustrating to read things about people like Charles Darwin, who put racial categories on the map and created boxes for people to live in. I think it has created so much pain and confusion and hurt and it is the result of the brokenness of man. We are not boxes, colors or cultures to be categorized, we are people created in the image of God, made to reflect His glory alone, not the glories of our cultures and heritages, but His. He is my culture and heritage.

You Know You’re an MK When...

...Kissing each other's cheeks is a form of greeting

...You speak with authority on the quality of airline travel

...You wear long sleeves in summer in the US because

you're not used to a/c

...When you’re in the States and go to a store, you are so

surprised they actually speak English

...You do your devotions in another language.

...You don't remember how to use a fork and knife correctly

Provided by Catherine C. and her classmates at North Star

Heart of Worship by Michaela F.

He Is Boss I just thought of a great analogy as I walked through the woods with my dog, Abbie. Now, my

family is really into the philosophy that dog owners need to be the “alpha dogs.” That means that you show the dog through many different ways that you are in charge. The dog learns to submit and becomes very obedient because being submissive makes the dog want to please the owner. If the owners successfully do this, most dogs will obey perfectly (or almost). They don’t even need a leash because they stay right next to their master’s side and the owner can control the dog with simple gestures or commands. During the training process, however, the dog is trained through many unpleasant consequences until they are able to obey. Their bad behavior is corrected and they become completely submissive and want nothing more than to please their master. How does this relate to my walk with God? Well, you see, we are the dogs and God is the master. He trains us from when we are baby Christians through many unpleasant and painful experiences. He corrects our bad behavior over and over and over until we learn to submit to His will and His calling in our lives. Eventually we want to please Him in all that we do, leading us to live godly lives. Of course we will mess up and God will have to correct our behavior again and again but as long as we continue to walk next to our masters side, we will continually submit to His will and live to please Him.

The seas have lifted up, Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice;

the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,

mightier than the breakers of the sea - the Lord on high is mighty.

-Psalm 93:3-4

Pray for Japanphotograph taken from CNN

Spring Cleaning: Renewing Your Heart

by Courtney R.

As I type this, beauty surrounds me. Lush leafy branches lazily sway in the gentle breeze above, providing me with a canopy of cool shade. In front of me stretches a valley dotted with cyprus trees and patches of olive groves. The sweet scent of flowers and new grass fills the air. Surrounded by such beauty and serenity, itʼs easy to be enthralled with my Creator. Itʼs easy to let the poetic words of the psalmists nurture my heart like a healing balm. Itʼs easy to feel at peace with the world and strive to follow Christ with all that is within me. But when I close the Bible, leave the peace, and step back into the real world, all those feelings fade away. No longer is it easy to let words of adoration slip off my tongue. No longer am I amazed by Godʼs creativity and love. Iʼm frustrated with homework, bitter about difficult relationships and situations, and prone to let my Bible collect dust.

Spring awakens a desire within me to dig deeper and transform myself into the young lady God wants me to be. After a long winter of living a cluttered life, Iʼm ready to do some spring cleaning. I imagine you might feel the same way. If you do, grab a rag, put on some old clothes, and get ready for some intense cleaning.

What’s #1?

To root out all the yuckiness in your heart, first take a look at your heart with God and let Him point you to the sin in your life. Ask yourself the tough questions. A few months ago, I read a really good article. In that article, the author asked the reader to think of what she (or he) loves, really loves. She used the example of chocolate. She then asked readers this question, “Can you honestly say this to God?: Your love is more satisfying than chocolate.” When I read

that, it really revealed a lot about more heart. What does it reveal about yours? Once you can identify what is taking place of Christ in your life, you can start to get rid of it.

What Goes in is What Comes Out

Now that youʼve identified what is in your heart, you need to understand how it gets there. What we see and hear will seep into our heart and will come out in our actions and thoughts. Each time you watch a movie and decide to not fast-forward through some scenes, youʼre throwing a banana peal into your heart. Same goes for music with unwholesome lyrics, websites with provocative themes and pictures, and books and magazines that lead you down the wrong path. It might not seem like a big

For we are the aroma of Christ to God among

those who are being saved and among those

who are perishing..-2 Corinthians 2:15

deal, but it adds up. And before you know it, your heart will be one big pile of stinky garbage. As Christians, weʼre supposed to be the pleasing aroma of Christ. But you canʼt do that if your heart is full of junk.

Guidelines

How do you sort through whatʼs healthy for your heart and whatʼs rotten? Use this verse as your guideline:

“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be

named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor

foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be

thanksgiving... Walk as children of light (for

the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the

unfruitful works of darkness, but instead

expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret...”

-Ephesians 5:3-5, 8b-12

Though it might sound extreme, itʼs the only way to really scrub all the dirt out of your heart.

Clean As a Whistle

Now that youʼve sorted out all the garbage from your heart, itʼs pretty empty in there. Saturate your heart with Godʼs Truth and keep and open connection with Him all day. Wade through your itunes, books, movies, magazines, and TV choices with Ephesians 5 in mind. Add wholesome, God-honoring choices to those that passed the test. Choose to spend time with people who will point you back to God, instead of away from Him. Un-bookmark the websites that

steer your thoughts away from God and replace them with Christian sites. When you have a spare moment, spend that time in prayer instead of mindlessly daydreaming or skimming Facebook. Again, this all might seem a little too extreme and painful, but in the end, itʼll be worth it.

Prone to Wander

Youʼve identified the sin in your life, youʼve found the source, and youʼve, hopefully, cut off that source. Your heart is nice and clean and smells as sweet as roses. But what about a week from now? A month from now? How quickly will the garbage settle back in until another spring cleaning session is in need?

In the hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, thereʼs a line that goes, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it/Prone to leave the God I love” Weʼre humans; we sin. Youʼre a

Prone to wander,

Lord I feel it;

Prone to leave the God I love.

Cleaning Recap1.Identify the sin 2.Identify the source3.Cut off the source

human; you sin. Weʼre prone to wander from God. We push aside His love for cheap imitations and we let garbage collect.

Iʼm what you call a neat-freak. I love to organize everything. Iʼve even organized classmateʼs desks when they werenʼt looking (There was stuff everywhere, what was a girl to do?). When my room is messy, my whole life is our of order. Whenever I clean my room, I look around with satisfaction and smile. I question myself,

Seal it in thy courts above

O take and seal it,

Here’s my heart

“How could I ever have let it get messy? Never again! Never. Again.” Three days later? Itʼs a mess.

The same thing happens with our hearts. Weʼre prone to wander, even though we know Godʼs way is best.

Seal Thy Heart

So, what to do when weʼre prone to wander? The hymn continues, “Hereʼs my heart, O take and seal it, seal it in thy courts above” Skipping a few lines back, “Let thy goodness, like a fetter/Bind my wandering heart to thee” When youʼre prone to wander, give your heart to God. Give Him your weaknesses and let Him give you the strength to keep your heart clean.

So, howʼs your heart doing? Hopefully, itʼs squeaky clean. Youʼre going to have to constantly dust your heart to keep it free from dirt, but hopefully, it wonʼt be in need of any spring cleaning for a long time.

Be checking on the Not of this World this month for spring cleaning tips for your Facebook (or e-mail) account, relationships, and actual room.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Earl Gray Creme

Ingredients: For the cake...6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 1.2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or 8 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate) 6 large egg yolks 6 large egg whites1/2 granulated sugarConfectionersʼ sugar for dusting (optional)

For the creme...2 bags of Earl Gray Tea 1/2 pint of whipping cream 5 tablespoons of sugar1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions: For the cake...1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit (135

Celsius); with rack in center. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Place butter and chocolate in a large bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until melted; cool slightly. Whisk in yolks.

2. In another bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar; beat until stiff and glossy. Whisk 1/4 of whites into chocolate mixture; gently fold mixture into remaining whites.

3. Pour into prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until cake pulls away from sides of pan and is just set in center, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Serve dusted with confectionersʼ sugar and Earl Gray Creme.

For the creme...1. In a small bowl, combine the whipping

cream, sugar, and vanilla. 2. Soak the tea bags of Earl Gray in the bowl.

Let each bag soak in the creme for roughly two minutes. Continue to add bags until you reach your desired taste.

3. Whip the mixture until the creme forms stiff peaks.

4. Serve on cake.

Photograph and recipe for Chocolate Flourless Cake taken from marthastewart.com - Whip Cream (taken from “Whatʼs Brewing in the Kitchen?” with Earl Gray (created by Courtney R.)

Experiment with different

flavors of tea to add variety to this simple,

but sweet, recipe!