Who wants to be a Fruitcake?

I think Fruitcake is gonna be added to my vocabulary for the rest of my life.
You might hear me say it often, so watch out.
-Janary

Last night, I attended the Passion (World Tour) Conference here in Manila where almost 8,000 crazy young people for Jesus came to worship and be empowered.

• (Thanks JE for the last ticket. I am sad though I didn’t get to bring any youth from Miracle church. My fault.)
• Nevertheless I’m so amazed being with 60 young people from Taytay First Church so that’s my first, going to a concert with a lot of youth with us.

The conference had Chris Tomlin, his Band and Louie Giglio. I have heard this ministry a year ago as introduced by a friend from Georgia, 722.org, and I was surprised I saw Kristian Stanfill and heard some of their songs sung last night. It was a great time of worship, singing contemporary music and new versions of hymns. It was even more exciting that we had a prayer time and have listened to The Word and the story of Ashley and the Fruitcake.

For those of you who weren’t able to go to this conference, you might be wondering now what this Fruitcake is all about. For those of you who have gone, you might be saying, “so the fruitcake’s all she remembered?” haha. I sure will remember that word, for it could be you, and it could be me. I just have to share the story read from Ashley’s journal, for I was blessed by it. And I think it wouldn’t hurt if sharing this would bless more people right? I hope so.

Ashley wrote very well in her journal. As Louie was reading parts of it, I imagined a tv series, much like One Tree Hill, with Ashley narrating the scenes I get to imagine in my head. I’m sad you won’t read the way she wrote the details. I’ll try my best to share her story as close as possible, and as short as I could.

Ashley was a student of University of Florida, the Top party school in the States. Now you can imagine what happens when the parties would start. She was an unbeliever, living in an apartment with her boyfriend. She was in her senior year when one day she went home and caught her boyfriend sleeping with another girl; of course she was devastated. She broke up with him, kicked him out of the apartment and then posted an ad at school about needing a new roommate. A girl named Christa found it and later on became Ashley’s roommate. While Ashley was on her depressed mode, she wrote about how screwed up her life is and every once in a while mentioned details about her new roommate Christa-how she acts crazy and is a freako believing in God and all that Christian stuff; Ashley wrote:

“what a fruitcake”!
(now that’s supposed to sound mean. and provoking)

Ashley got more and more intrigued at how her roommate lived her life, there was a day Ashley was wallowing over her situation crying the whole day and eating ice cream, and her roommate took time to ask her if there was any problem. The roommate sat beside her and started eating ice cream too. Ashley told her roommate what happened and she said she never heard the response she was expecting to come out; no condemnation but genuine care and sympathy. The roommate asked if she could pray for her but of course, Ashley refused. Ashley’s Mom and brother are Christians. She said she would have expected her brother to be good to her, but it’s puzzling that Christa, the “fruitcake”, cares about her.

Ashley becomes all the more bothered how Christa had been living her life which was opposite of how she lives. It was obvious that the roommate didn’t drink, and when asked if she slept with her boyfriend whom she’s been with for three years she said she’s still a virgin. That was crazy stuff for Ashley who could sleep with a guy she’s only been with for three weeks. She asked why Christa was living her life that way, and the answer was a desire to please God in all that she does.

Christa shared about how much Jesus loved her. Ashley kept writing on her journal, and just can’t accept that God could forgive her. God is just not for her type. Ashley was on her moment of unbelief but it was funny how Christa would share about her experience at a Passion conference and even had a DVD of Louie Giglio sharing a sermon. Ashley wrote about how crazy that was.

To Ashley, God can’t forgive a crap like her. However, God was working in Ashley’s life, and Christa is doing her work in being a good witness of God’s love and grace. As they lived together and the days passed by, Christa had shared about the good news of God’s grace that forgives, even to the worst of all people, even Ashley. She saw that love in “fruitcake” and wanted that for herself. One day, Ashley finally believed and gave in and she said in her journal, “that was it”, the day she became a Christian; the unconditional love of Jesus flooded her heart with peace. She experienced this love and grace that God has for everyone.

Ashley attended one of the Bible studies where Christa attends. The youth didn’t act in a crazy way but were interested at her and were genuine. So they sang a song. Ashley didn’t know the song but she really liked it and felt like raising her hands too, but she didn’t. When she got home, she googled the lyrics of the song they sung and it communicated to her so well.

Everyone needs compassion
A love that’s never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Savior
The hope of nations

Savior
He can move the mountains
My God is Mighty to save
He is Mighty to save
Forever
Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We’re singing for the glory of the risen King…Jesus

Ashley and Christa talked about how God’s children worship Him and that’s one of the ways.
Ashley made her family know about her being a Christian and her mom cried and her brother was so happy to see her. Their prayers were answered. Ashley emailed Louie about her experience, and Louie shared this story to many people, even writing it to the passion blog and it’s being heard in their podcast. Ashley was thrilled that many people can know of her experience of God’s unconditional love forgiving her and changing her.

Louie, last night, scanned through the pages of Ashley’s journal and jumped to a couple of pages near the end where Ashley was very excited for her graduation. Louie wanted to see and know that she graduated, but there were empty pages. No words were written about her graduation….and the journal was handed on to Louie by Ashley’s father who was an atheist….

The reason why nothing more was written was, Ashley died in a car accident, but her story and God’s love that changed her life for is now being known all around the world. It took a “fruitcake” for Ashley to know about this love and grace, and Louie reads her nicely written story in their Passion tour.

After I heard the story, I had mixed emotions. Honestly, part of it was thinking about my journal and the fear that people would read and know more about every detail of it. But it was amazing that Ashley’s story wasn’t about her alone, the highlight was God’s work in her life. Now if people would get to see that in my life- that my life sucked crap and yet God forgave me and loved me, I would want that.

The question is would I wait till I die or wish that I die soon and pray that people would read my thoughts and how God has worked at every detail of it? No. That would be crazy. Ashley’s honest to goodness-well written journal have inspired me to be like Fruitcake (Christa) who never gave up on Ashley and never thought of herself highly and better than others. Christa wasn’t perfect, but she tried to live out her faith and let Ashley see Jesus’ love in her life…

You can hear Louie reading Ashley’s journal here.
(Choose the Fruitcake and Ice Cream Sermon under Home Free- Even Me.)

Now who wants a fruitcake? The world needs one….

Let it be me and you.

The God of this City

“Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city….”

(pic from 268blog.com)