anywhere but here.

Let me brutally honest with you for a second, there are some days when Northwest Ohio is the last place I want to be. There I said it. I've traveled enough to know that I love it! I crave newness, the anticipation, freedom, the language barrier and the deep dependence that I need to have on God in order to get through it. I watch the news and see the struggles around the world and long to do something about it. I talk to my host family and friends in Liberia and hear of the daily struggles that they are facing, doing all they can just to stay healthy. But then after a few solid minutes of complaining God seems to remind me of the calling He has placed on my life. You see after graduation I was offered three different jobs, in three different states, far from Northwest Ohio. But none of them felt right, all of them made me feel as though I was running yet again. Instead of moving far away, I came back home. 

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

I came back home. Home to my Jerusalem. The place that raised me, taught me, encouraged me, held me and loved me. God warmed my heart once again to my Jerusalem and brought me home.  So here I am back where I never thought I would return doing something that I never thought I would do and loving every minute of it. As I stated earlier there are days when I wish that I was somewhere else and then there are most days when I wouldn't want to be anywhere but here. Wednesday, October 8th would be one of those days. That night across the nation students were gathering at athletic fields to pray, read scripture, hear testimonies and worship together. Previously Archbold and Wauseon student FCA leaders had met to plan and prepare for a Fields of Faith that was held at Biddle Park. Students volunteered to share, read and invite their peers to commit to a relationship with Jesus Christ. The day of October 8th brought with it strong winds just like any other day in NWO, but by the time students were supposed to be starting to arrive the wind had quit and God was beginning to paint an incredible sunset. To say that, that night was awesome would be an understatement. That night 200 students from 11 different schools came together on one field to worship one God! That night rivalries, upcoming games and differences were set aside and everyone was equal. That night the voices of 200 students were heard praying for their teams, campus', communities and the world. That night God was victorious. 

So on days when I want to be somewhere else I remind myself of those 200 students, because I have 200 more reasons to keep doing what God has called me to do.  

Don't You Quit on Me

I was at the office this morning catching up on some emails and enjoying my favorite drink from Stella Leona (if you haven't been there before, GO! It's even National Chocolate Day so why not stop in TODAY!) Anyways, as I was sitting in a quiet office the phrase "Be encouraged, you are not on this journey alone" ran through my mind. My initial thought was, how wonderful it is to know that there are people on this journey with us, but this was not exactly the message God was trying to covey to me. I then got tired with the overly quiet office and so I put on some music by one of my favorite groups, Penny and Sparrow. The song that came on first is one of my favorites, entitled "Brothers." The chorus goes like this: 

Don't give up

Don't you quit on me

Don't give up

Don't you quit on me 

While I don't know if this song has any spiritual meaning, I took it as though it might. I felt as though God was saying "Don't give up! Don't you quit on me!" How easy it is for us to give up on something or someone so quickly because we don't like it or it's not exactly what we wanted. How easy it is for us to give up on our callings because it's too hard or not something that we want to do. I think I talked in my last post about how much I loved my job and it didn't feel like a job, now don't get me wrong I still love it but like any job it comes with it's challenges. I currently meet with 10 teams on a weekly basis, this puts me in contact with over 100 athletes and coaches. That's over a 100 different names to memorize and 10 different schedules to keep straight. Some days I walk away from a practice wishing I had stayed in bed all day, or some mornings as I drive to work I think about what it would be like had I taken a different job that I had been offered. But instead here I am, at a job that pushes me outside my comfort zone every day. And once again I am reminded of how faithful our Savior is. 

I think of Jesus' trusty disciples and the people that followed him. How many times did Jesus want to give up on them because they just didn't get it. How many times would have he rather walked away from it all than to be crucified on a cross, because he just didn't want to do it? How often do I want to give up because someone just doesn't get it? How often do I want to walk away from something because it's just too hard? Sometimes I feel as though we think it is better to try to avoid or walk away from a hardship rather than take it head on. But why? Why should these things scare us? Why do we let the enemy win and we just quit? Be encouraged! You are NOT on this journey alone! If God was able to raise Jesus from the dead than He will be able to handle anything that you are going through! Philippians 1:6 says, "God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won't stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns." How good it is to be reminded that God is not going to quit on you. So I challenge you with this, don't give up, don't you quit on HIM. Be encouraged, you are not on this journey alone. 

All in, 

Alexa

ALL IN

Let me begin by first saying that I LOVE my job so much that it doesn't even feel like I am working. I mean I get to set my own hours, I have my own office, I work with some incredible people who make the office fun, I get to talk to people all day long, I get to go to sporting events, talk sports, and study God's Word. So all those people out there that tried to scare me with the whole "working world stuff" obviously were just joking. But in all reality I know that I truly am where Christ has called me to be. After one week (and it wasn't even a full week) I am having the time of my life and I haven't even started my field work yet! I found this quote the other day when I was working on some things and it said this:

"It's a beautiful thing when a career and passion come together."

This week I have realized what a beautiful thing it is to see both passion and career come together. It has been a whirlwind of a week as I have been bombarded with new information, meetings, conference calls, learning new software, and preparing to begin field work. However, I know that without a doubt I am where God has called me to be! 

In my last post I had talked about how I need to raise my funds to be on staff on at FCA. This has been one of my greatest challenges so far. If you really know me, you know that I hate talking on the phone, and that is one of the main things I have to do to raise this money. However, on an exciting note I have raised just over a third of my funds needed so far! Praise the LORD! But that still means that I have two thirds to go! With that being said I could use your help! If you feel led to help support me financially on this journey please visit the link below! It's my personal page that talks a little bit about what I am doing, and how you can support me! 

https://my.fca.org/5314-short-alexa.aspx

The theme this year for FCA camp was "ALL IN" and it is based on two verses:

And whatever you do, whether in word or dead, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. -Colossians 3:14

But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. -Hebrews 10:39

This theme is going to carry into the Team Times that I will be doing as well. So as I will be challenging athletes to go ALL IN. I want to challenge you to go ALL IN. Chose to go ALL IN, whether it is at your job, in your friendships, your marriage, or your relationship with Christ. Make the choice today to go ALL IN. 

Exciting News!

Family and friends, I have exciting news to share! God has called me to serve in a full-time ministry with the Buckeye Border Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). After much prayer and counsel, I'm pursuing an Area Representative position with FCA.

FCA is the largest sports ministry in the world. Since 1954, FCA has challenged athletes and coaches to impact the world for Jesus Christ. FCA currently reaches approximately two million people annually on every level-professional, college, high school, junior high and youth. FCA's staff has grown to more than 800 in over 400 local offices across the country. FCA's efforts are focused on our "4 C's" Ministry: Coaches, Campus, Camp and Community. You can read more about FCA on the links I posted.

It's incredibly exciting to join this awesome team to build Christ's Kingdom in our community. We're committed to winning, building, training and sending out coaches and athletes to minister for Christ. In fact, coaches are one of the most influential people in our world today. We'' reach hundreds of thousands of young people for Christ as we encourage, equip and empower coaches. My official start date is August 19, 2014, where I will begin as a full-time Area Representative for the Buckeye Border FCA office. I'll have many incredible opportunities to serve by:

• Ministering to Coaches in the Area-through relationships, encouragements, and Bible studies
• Develop and support Campus ministry-training coaches, leaders, students to reach their campuses for Christ. 
• Minister and support local teams-through team building, bible studies, and encouragement
• Women Ministries-equip and lead women of all ages to rise up and accept the calling that Christ has placed their lives. 

The task of impacting athletes and coaches in Northwest Ohio is too large for me alone. Please consider partnering with me to make a difference for Jesus Christ. In order for me to begin serving on staff full time, I must raise $2,500 per month. I'm seeking faithful teammates like you to invest with me in the FCA ministry. Your prayers and financial support provide the foundation to serve. 

If you are interested in learning more about FCA or teaming with me on this journey, then feel free to send me an email at alexaleighshort@gmail.com or send me a message on Facebook. I would love to talk with you more about this opportunity and the passions that God has placed on my heart. 

I hope to use this blog as a way to communicate with all of you the things that are happening with FCA, and what I have been up to. 

I pray that you will experience the love of Christ in a brand new way today! 

Blessings, 

Alexa