Indelible Grace

Have you heard of Indelible Grace? I had not before I started going to RUF my freshman year. It is a music ministry that has primarily grown out of RUF at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. They have taken old hymns and put them to new tunes. They are wonderful. The reason for this blog post is to say that Matthew Smith, a founding member, and Indelible Grace are coming to Norman next Tuesday! Woohoo!! I could keep telling you how wonderful they are, or I could point you to their music here: http://www.igracemusic.com/ig5/

Here are the lyrics to my most favorite hymn, Isaiah 43:

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you,

And the waves will not

Overcome you.

Do not fear,

For I have redeemed you,

I have called you by name,

You are Mine.

For I am the Lord your God
(I am the Lord your God),
I am the Lord your God (I am)
The Holy One of Israel
Your Savior
For I am the Lord your God
(I am the Lord your God),
I am the Lord your God (I am)
The Holy One of Israel
Your Savior
I am the Lord (do not fear)
I am the Lord (do not fear)
I am the Lord (do not fear)
I am the Lord (do not fear)

When you walk through the fire
You’ll not be burned,
And the flames will not
Consume you.
Do not fear,
For I have redeemed you,
I have called you by name,
You are Mine.

Football Season is HERE!!!

It is killing me to write this blog with no pictures, but blogger has been slow about uploading for days now and I wanted to post!

Football season is here! The Sooners, along with most other schools in the country, played their first game on Saturday. The beginning of the football season at UF would have meant that my eyes would be pealed for anything orange and blue to wear to games. An orange and blue paisley belt currently hanging in my closet is one such find. Family members and friends admit to not being able to shop anymore without hearing my voice saying, "It's orange and blue- my alma mater's colors- perfect for football!" Alas, if I were to wear orange and blue in Norman on game day...I am not sure what would happen, but it would not be pretty.

Crimson and creme are great colors (yes, I said that!) and there is not a lack of them here these days! We have three football games in a row this month. This weekend the Sooners will take on Florida State- the arch nemesis of Florida football!!! I for one cannot wait to don crimson and creme on Saturday and (hopefully) watch FSU get the snot beat out of them by OU. Boomer Sooner!

Our third large group meeting is tonight at 9. We were going to attempt for a third meeting outside, but the rain in Norman today looks like we will be in Dale 103, per usual.

Bible studies started this week! Our freshman Bible study met yesterday, and this group is going to be great! Tons of personality and spunk!

Ok, I need to beat it to the Union now for lunch with a student. Hopefully this non-photo post did not bore you! Boomer Sooner!!!

Welcome Back from Summer Break!!!

My blog is back from summer break!!! As is, among other things, RUF large group! We had our first large group this week. Doug is preaching on Philippians this semester. The first two weeks of school we meet in the "Passion Pit" on campus. OU has asked everyone to call this area the "Unity Garden" instead, but it's popular use as a make-out spot has ensured that it will never go through a name change! It is a nice change to worship outside, where people walking by look in on what we are doing, and we can see the OU campus all lit up at night. Here are some pictures my friend John Stuart took for us:

Well, I thought I would start this semester's blog entries by writing a good old-fashioned top 10 list. So here you go...the top 10 things I am looking forward to this semester:

10. Our awesome "Not-A-Date" that we have planned for September.

9. Meeting new students and helping them realize that RUF really is the best thing around since flavored shaved ice.

8. The Harry Potter premier in November.

7. Meeting with students in various locations in Norman: the Gray Owl, Cafe Plaid, and the Union.

6. A Bible study on body image, boys etc that I am doing with 2 RUF girls.

5. The AMAZING fall weather in Norman...I fell in love with Norman last fall!

4. Going to Cane's (an Oklahoma restaurant kind of like Zaxby's) after football games with students.

3. Jogging Club...some girls are going to get together once a week to jog a leisurely 1.5 miles!

2. A road trip to Doug's Alma Mater with our RUF students to see OU beat Missouri.

1. Generally just living in Norman and working with awesome college students!!!

I will have to do a re-cap at the end of the semester entitled "The 10 Best Things of the Semester," and see how they compare!

Boomer Sooner!

Well, I Missed the One Year Anniversary...

I missed my blog's one year anniversary!!! To commemorate, let's see the (blog) year in review. We're going to work backwards:

Enjoyed time with friends, worked on projects, gave an RUF report at church, hung out with people in Norman, and couldn't get enough of this Oklahoma sky in June!

Summer conference in May!

Relish Retreat in April!

Missions trip to Peru with 11 students in March!

Celebrating the Olympic Games in February!

Ski Trip in January!

Barn Dance in December!

Football games with freshmen in November!

Dressed up in October!

Discovered some Sooner tradition at football games in September!

Moved to Norman in August!

Support raised in July!

Celebrated graduation with Mom and Dad in NYC and Washington DC in June!

Notes on my study program...

One aspect of the RUF Internship is the study program that I do every month. While this has not always been the part of my job that I am the most diligent about (honesty hurts), I have enjoyed a lot of the books and thought I might share some of them with you.

The books assigned to us cover spiritual growth, roles of the church, and various counseling topics. The term "spiritual growth" can be kind of off-putting. We are not reading books that teach us how to become a "super" Christian, and you don't have to have a PhD to understand them. These books talk about how to read the Bible even when you don't know much about it, and how to pray even when it makes you uncomfortable. Below are some of my thoughts on four of my favorite books from the program.

Getting the Message, by Dan Doriani

The point of scripture is Jesus. Doriani expresses this theme of scripture in two very poignant points: (1) Every passage in the Bible presents Christ both as the remedy for human fallenness and as the end point of God’s plan of salvation (2) Every passage of the Bible touches on some aspect of the fallen human condition and presents some part of God’s remedy in Christ. If I were to read every passage of scripture with these things in mind, I would see the Bible as much more vital to my life. If I believed all of scripture had this point, I would read it more often.

Hurt: Inside the World of Today's Teenagers, by Chap Clark

Abandonment is the big theme of Chap Clark’s book Hurt. Clark states that abandonment is the biggest overarching issue facing teenager’s today, and that their biggest need is a safe and welcoming relationship with adults. Abandonment in the context of Clark’s writing does not mean physical abandonment, but rather emotional and spiritual. Parents and other influential adults are physically present in the lives of mid-adolescence but cease to provide any emotional support as they are bussing their teens to soccer practice and seeking to achieve their own goals. Merely being physically present in teen’s lives seems to be the world’s standard for adults, and it has created a generation of mid-adolescent’s looking for support and comfort elsewhere.

The Reason for God, by Tim Keller

Who better to write on the argument against skepticism than Tim Keller, a pastor in New York City which is perhaps the most skeptical city in the United States? He speaks from a breadth of knowledge on the topic, having not only studied it, but confronted it head on in his urban ministry. It is with this knowledge that we can confront this book confidently, knowing that the author is not simply trying to throw Biblical phrases at non-believers, but is rather attempting to answer the questions which plague the skeptical critics of the twenty-first century. "The Church has been responsible for so much injustice" and "You can't take the Bible literally" are among the applicable topics.

The Enemy Within, by Kris Lundgaard

Lundgaard's purpose with The Enemy Within is to describe the seriousness of sin, it's effects, and how we should guard against it. Mission accomplished. He is not afraid to bluntly state that the wages of sin is death. Lundgaard reinforces the point that sin draws you away from the Father. Perhaps the clearest point that the author makes is that the battle against sin is a battle between flesh and spirit. Lundgaard writes, "When the mind wants to know God, the flesh imposes ignorance, darkness, error, and trivial thoughts. The will can't move toward God without feeling the weight of stubbornness holding it back." He clearly expresses how I feel every day when I want to get an extra 30 minutes of sleep instead of reading my Bible, or how I do not want to talk with God because it feels awkward.

FAQs

Hello All! As I have been traveling I have been getting a lot of the same questions, so I thought I might answer some of them here, in case you were wondering too!

If I have been giving monthly, do I have to renew my pledge?

If you have automatic withdrawal, RUF will continue to automatically take the pledge each month until you ask them to stop or I no longer work with RUF. If you have made a pledge but just send it in each month, RUF assumes that you will continue to do so through my second year.

The internship is two years?

Yes, the internship is a two-year program. It is designed that way so that interns have a prolonged period on campus to make connections and form deeper relationships. RUF does not want to break the relationship with the students and campus that we worked so hard to form after one academic year. Having just finished my first year, I am excited to have another year to go. I would hate to break the relationships I have made, and am thrilled to get to make new ones this year.

How much money do you need for the second year?

My budget for the second year is the same as it was last year, $31,804. Total monthly pledges made in the 2009-10 school year were $18,960. That means that last year I received $12,844 in one-time gifts. If all of my monthly donors stay with me this coming year then I will need to raise $12,844 to meet my 2010-11 budget. This money can be in either one-time gifts or monthly pledges. You can give online at www.ruf.org. Thank you to those who have been part of my team this last year.

Do you have to have this money by a specific date?

August 1st would be most helpful. Classes start August 23rd and things get very hectic after that. In order to best minister to students, it would be helpful if I had a "healthy" support account by then. There is no definite date though.

How can I give monthly? What if I cannot continue giving?

You can send in a pledge and/or set up automatic withdrawal at www.ruf.org. If you cannot continue giving, I understand. Thank you for the part you have played in ministering to the OU campus. Please let me know if this is the case, since it will help me determine how much I need to raise. Again, thank you so much for your prayers and support.

What is all of that money used for?

The money I raise is used for: my paycheck, insurance, books for my study program, costs of conferences (2 per year) and training (3 per year), and occasional traveling expenses. This is not quite everything it covers, but these are the main categories.

Are you the only intern on campus?

Last year I served with Benjamin Nichols, our male intern. Unfortunately, last week we learned that Ben cannot return to campus because of a budget deficit in his support account. Thus, I will be the only intern in the coming year. This is very sad for us. Ben served the OU campus with a lot of enthusiasm. He has a great heart for campus ministry. The loss of him on our staff will be greatly felt.

These are the most common questions I have gotten so far this summer. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. My email is natalie.haynes@ruf.org. My phone number is (904) 651-2166. I will be in Jacksonville July 21-25. Sarah Wilkening and I will be co-hosting a lunch for RUF at Pinewood Presbyterian on July 25 immediately following the 11 o'clock service.

Hey Y'all!

Happy Tuesday, Everyone! I am currently sitting in my parents den, and have been working on prayer request cards this morning. I will have them with me this summer as I visit churches and travel. They have magnets on the back so you can put them on your fridge! If you would like one, but know that you will not be seeing me, let me know- I would love to get one to you!

This picture, which is on the prayer card, was taken by my friend John Stuart. The landscaping is one of my favorite things on the OU campus!

My visit home so far has been delightful. Last week I visited with Mark and Kristin in Lakeland. I got to sit in on their junior high/ high school Bible study, watch Mark play softball, and get a tour of the school where Kristin is substitute teaching. Since I have been home I have been helping Dad finish a bookcase/ entertainment center for our house, worked on a backboard for my update lunches this summer, seen a couple of friends, and gone to a Jacksonville Suns baseball game. The Suns are our minor league team here. It is one of my most favorite things to do when I am home!

Last night we lost power for five hours! As luck would have it, Dad and I were just starting a movie too! We had to resort to other forms of entertainment. I love this picture of dad reading the Wall Street Journal by head lamp. In true Boy Scout fashion, he knew exactly where all of our flashlights were when the lights went out!

The Serven family left Acapulco, MX today. They will be there for seven weeks on a missions trip working with the orphanage Casa Hogar. Doug will be helping lead the interns there this summer. Please pray that God would keep them safe this summer as well as grow them through this incredible opportunity!

I am in Florida for another week, and then I will be making a trip to Texas to see my family for a couple of days. Floridians: I would love to see you while I am home! Texans: Mason and Wyatt, I am excited to see you! Let's jump on the trampoline when I get there! Oklahomans: Boomer Sooner! See you soon!