I volunteer as tribute...

Here I am again, after an extended absence. I have been so busy that I have had no time to post on this thing. So, I'm going to try to be better about that. Especially if I can share a fraction of what I've been learning with all of you. The past few months my world has been completely rocked in regards to how I live my life. Being surrounded by people who have a true obedience to the Word and what the Lord has called us to do has definitely made me examine my own life. 


With my upcoming journey to South Asia this summer, I have been learning a lot about the Nations and what it means, in the words of Kristen White, to have "the whole church take the whole Gospel to the whole world." Easier said than done right? Yes and no. Sure, there are tons of logistics that need to be figured out, but it starts with obedience to Christ. That's it. Just go. Do what He commands in Matthew 28: 19-20 when He says to, "Go therefor and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." 


Although, while it starts with this simple obedience to go, it does come at a price. In Luke 9: 23-24 Jesus gives it to us straight saying, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." Woah! Bold statement. We must surrender everything to follow Christ. Our lives are not our own when we choose to enter into a relationship with Him. In Radical, David Platt says it perfectly saying that, "a relationship with Jesus requires total, superior, and exclusive devotion." 


It's a huge responsibility, but it's also completely necessary. God doesn't need us. He could do this all on His own, but He chooses to allow us to be a part of the advancement of the Gospel. What an honor! And yes, it comes at a price as we have already discussed, but think of those that are lost. Think of the people every day around the world that are dying without hearing the name of Christ, who will spend eternity in hell. It wrecks me to think that I haven't done anything sooner. 


With the upcoming release of The Hunger Games movie, most people are familiar with the scene at the Reaping where Katniss stands up, raising her hand, as they drag her sister Prim off to compete in The Hunger Games screaming, "I volunteer as tribute!" in order to take her sister's place. What devotion! To potentially give your life, fighting in a battle you may not survive just so another doesn't have to. Although, this is just a movie, what if Christians around the world stood up saying, "I volunteer as tribute... in order to reach the nations," putting their lives on the line so that the lost may come to know the truth.


Would you "volunteer as tribute?"

Love Me

“Love Me” by JJ Heller

He cries in the corner where nobody sees 

He’s the kid with the story no one would believe

He prays every night, “Dear God won’t you please 

Could you send someone here who will love me?”

Who will love me for me

Not for what I have done or what I will become

Who will love me for me

‘Cause nobody has shown me what love

What love really means

Her office is shrinking a little each day

She’s the woman whose husband has run away

She’ll go to the gym after working today

Maybe if she was thinner 

Then he would’ve stayed

And she says…

Who will love me for me? 

Not for what I have done or what I will become

Who will love me for me?

‘Cause nobody has shown me what love, what love really means

He’s waiting to die as he sits all alone

He’s a man in a cell who regrets what he’s done

He utters a cry from the depths of his soul

“Oh Lord, forgive me, I want to go home”

Then he heard a voice somewhere deep inside

And it said 

“I know you’ve murdered and I know you’ve lied

I have watched you suffer all of your life 

And now that you’ll listen, I’ll tell you that I...”

I will love you for you

Not for what you have done or what you will become

I will love you for you

I will give you the love 

The love that you never knew

We do not deserve to be loved by a God who loves us despite what we have done, and yet He continues to do just that. How could someone not choose to accept that kind of love and live to glorify Him?  “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.”  - Psalm 103:10 

Productivity! for the most part...

Today has been a day of productivity for me. First of all, I woke up feeling a million times better, compared to the death-warmed-over state I was in yesterday. So, I decided to keep my promise to myself and get my homework done at the beginning of Spring Break so I could enjoy the rest of my time off doing nothing. That's right... nothing. To a nursing major, sitting around doing nothing is heaven. So, at 10:30 this morning, I packed up my laptop and books and headed to Panera, where I enjoyed an asiago cheese bagel, a time of peace and quiet, and great productivity. I got so much done, but my battery was dying, so I decided to head home.

On my way home I ran to the grocery store to pick up dinner for me and Tamra tonight. We always cook dinner together, and tonight's theme is dinner for breakfast. Its going to be a tasty meal followed by Northanger Abbey. I've been getting Tamra to work her way through the Jane Austen movies and this was the next on the list.

Since the store, I've been working on homework in my apartment, enjoying the music of a strategically created playlist on my iTunes and even making Thank You photo cards for my ISP donors. So from 10:30 until 3:45 I was possibly more productive than I've ever been in my life. Until, somehow, I was distracted with the idea to re-watch North & South.


North & South is a mini-series made by BBC in 2004, based upon Elizabeth Gaskell's novel. It follows the gut-wrenching love story of Margaret Hale, a woman from South London, who uproots with her family and moves to North London, where she meets John Thornton, a local cotton mill-owner. The two of them have completely opposing views of society and how it should be run,but of course, in a Pride & Prejudice-like manner, they become conflictingly attracted to each other. All I'm saying, is you should check it out.

Aren't you just dying to watch it already?!?
photo credit: google images

I'm a little bit hooked on it. It may have something to do with the fact that I'm slowly falling for Richard Armitage, who plays John Thornton. My love for him began with my love for another BBC series... Robin Hood. If I were to go into my love for that show, it would take me too long, so take my word for it and check that out too.

Alas, I must set aside my desire to re-watch this masterpiece and get back to business again. 45 minutes was a good break, but it's back to the grind for me...

I'm asking for your help...

Hello friends! As most of you know, I'm going to Central Asia this summer. I'm on a team with some pretty amazing women and our plan as of now is to work in an orphanage over there. I cannot wait to see how God will use this experience to further His Kingdom, but I know He has a plan.

In order to participate in this amazing opportunity, I need to raise just under $3,000. Half of this money is due by February 11th. I'm asking you all to partner with me on this. It is true, I need major amounts of financial support, but more than that we need prayer support. So, here are some (of the many) ways you can pray for my team and I even before we leave for Central Asia...

1. That our team will remember to keep God in our foremost thoughts as we prepare for this project.

2. That God will bring our team together and give us strength.

3. That we are reminded daily to be flexible as plans change.

4. That the hearts of those in Central Asia will be softened and prepared to hear what we have to share about God's love for the world.

5. That we will be kept safe in our preparations and our travel.

If you would like to donate financially to my team, you can follow the link below and donate through CBU's secure server. Under category for the donation, select International Service Projects (ISP) and then in the comments section, type in "Central Asia: Orphans B - Jessica Tracy."

Donation link... https://dlq4.donatelinq.net/qv10/Donation.aspx?MerchantID=calbaptist

Thank you all so much!

The Beginning of a New Year

I love starting a new year because it brings a sort of fresh start. And while most people resolve to "lose weight" or "exercise more" (which are important, but are also things people never stick to) I decided to think of things about myself I want to work on personality-wise.

1. Don't be lazy! So many things encompass this, including laying off the snooze button on my alarm... just get up the first time it goes off. This also fits into not being such a big baby and waking up 20 minutes earlier so I can spend time in the Word to start my day off right. Laziness is one of my biggest flaws and is the root of my second resolution.

2. Stay on top of things! I say this every semester. I won't wait until the last minute to read or study... Yeah, yeah, yeah. Same old story. But this semester I'm trying some new things in order to keep myself organized and on-track school-wise. So, hopefully they work!

3. Sarcasm... let's take some time apart! I'm a sarcastic person. End of story. But, when people can't tell that you're kidding or you accidentally offend someone you know you've gone too far. And while I don't think I'm offending people on a daily basis, I could stand to be more kind and genuine on a daily basis. So, I'm on a sarcasm-light diet as of now.

4. Stay positive! Believe it or not, I'm generally a pessimist and no one wants those people around. So, we're gonna work on not complaining about things that quite frankly don't matter. Along with being positive, the whole "slow-to-speak" thing is generally a foreign concept to me. So, I'm going to be more intentional in my conversations and how fast I speak my mind.

5. Be bold! This is the one I'm most excited and terrified to work on. I am not shy by any means, but just like anyone else, I love my comfort zone. But, I know I've become too comfortable there. So, this year, I'm stepping out of the little cozy bubble I've placed myself in. I'm going to have conversations I, in the past, have been too nervous to have. I'm going to be more intentional and not be afraid to bring up my faith in everyday conversations. And I'm going to Central Asia, which I know will help me step out of my comfort zone.

I cannot wait to see what happens in 2011. I know God has big plans in-store and I get butterflies just thinking about it. :)

Trademark Pages

Hey everyone! So, today was the first day of Christmas Break for me and what a relief it was! I spent the entire day doing crafts with my roommate. We got a little crazy and decided to try to sell some of our creations on Etsy.com. As of now, we're still working on getting our shop up. So, while we're working on that, Kristina (my lovely roomie) has put up some information on her blog for you to take a look at. If you are interested in contacting us about our creations, please e-mail us at trademarkpages@yahoo.com. Take a look!

Central Asia

This next summer I have amazing opportunity to go to Central Asia and work with orphans. I'm so excited to embark on this journey with the girls on my team and cannot wait to see what God teaches us. I am not going to lie, the thought of going overseas terrifies me. But I know God will use this experience to bring glory to His name. Central Asia... here I come!