by Renee Reese

Why do we need to know?  What drives us to search for answers?  Where does the ‘ask’ come from?  Every one of us is on a search for meaning.  We are on a quest (ion).

-Erwin McManus

We’re all craving something in our lives.  Even if we don’t accept Jesus, most people can admit that our souls long for something.  Some people travel the world searching for it, some meditate for it, some buy self-help books, and some enter relationships thinking they’ve found it.  I’ve even seen a subway advertisement for “sustainable happiness” classes.  The search for something more is apparent in our books, movies, and especially our music.  Consciously or not, we are all looking for something.  Our souls crave something.  When I fell away from God and even said that I didn’t believe in him anymore, I was still searching for something. We try to fill our souls with different empty pleasures and distractions but we’re still missing that something.

Celebrities are not exempt from this human longing.  Neither money nor fame can fill this void.  Sometimes when I listen to my Jesus Culture Pandora station, a band or artist will play, and occasionally it’s hard to distinguish between the Christian bands and the secular ones. We can see through music that even artists are still longing for something.

 The band Creed does not label itself a Christian band, yet most of its songs allude to faith.  Some of the lyrics of the song “Higher” are “cause there’s a hunger, a longing to escape, from the life I live when I’m awake… can you take me higher? To a place where blind men see?  Can you take me higher? To a place with golden streets.”  In another Creed song, “Six Feet from the Edge”, the band mentions both God and heaven.  “I thought I found the road to somewhere, somewhere in His grace.  I cried out, ‘heaven save me’, but I’m down to one last breath.”  Lifehouse, another secular band, has a song “Hanging by a Moment,” which begins “desperate for changing… starving for truth.”   The lyrics to these songs seem so distressed.  The bands use words like “desperate,” “starving,” and “longing.”  These lyrics capture the fact that something is missing from all of our lives. 

What is this something that is creating a search party in our culture?  What are we so desperate for?  What are our souls starving for?  The Lifehouse lyrics say “starving for truth.”  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6).   I believe that these lyrics and our souls are crying out for Jesus.   Acts17:26-27 states “from one man he made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth, and he determined the time 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 and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”  God knew that men would seek him.

When I was away from God, I wanted acceptance and was looking for it in all the wrong places.  I let what my friends and peers said about me define who I was.  I only found myself acceptable when other people indicated that I was.  I was taking my cue from humans and not my Creator.  I now know that my identity lies in Christ alone.  He knows the good, the bad, and the ugly about me, yet still loves and accepts me.  With God, I don’t have to pretend and I am still accepted by Him.  I can rely on His word and what he says about me because He is the truth and the ultimate authority.

Without even realizing it, we can cry out to God.  Even if we don’t know Him, He knows all about us.  He created everything in us, including our souls.  We can take trips, enroll in “happiness” classes, and distract ourselves from our longing, but that emptiness will remain until we seek God.  Once we seek Him, we will not be disappointed.  Instead of filling our souls with things that won’t last, let’s seek God with our whole heart and be completely fulfilled.

by Alexia Mascall

 The Easter weekend recently ended a few weeks ago. During the Holy Week, the holidays of Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday were a time to recognize God and to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. The Brooklyn Tabernacle became an exceptionally lively place, wanting more and more people to find out about God and to glorify His name to all. Throughout the Easter weekend, the church put together a theatrical production, “The Story of Love”, for people to learn about God’s ultimate sacrifice for us, to die on a cross for our sins so that we can have eternal life in heaven.

 
Have you wondered about the end of your life, and how it would feel if you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Why is it that people do not believe in God, the One who sacrificed His life for us, to save us from our sin? Physical desires cannot satisfy a spiritual need. You can try to turn to a significant other, food, alcohol, etc. to fill the void you feel. I realized that God is the only One who can provide comfort, true friendship, and the peace that we all seek.

 
The Bible is relevant and continues to govern our lives today. One of the most popular Biblical verses, John 3:16- “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.” This verse reminds us that God is supernatural and beyond our understanding. Through adversity & tragedy, we are drawn to God, who is greater than ourselves. His sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate display of His love for us. It is a gift of His favor and mercy that we can receive if we trust in Him. In John 8:12, Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” When we think we know what is best for us, we can be led astray. Jesus provides certainty, that He will make our paths clear and provide guidance in the world.

 
Church gives me a way to strengthen my relationship with God, encouragement, and to be around other believers. I started attending Brooklyn Tabernacle services last January. Last year was my senior year at Brooklyn College and I felt so unsure about what I wanted to do after graduation. Years ago, I used to attend the Brooklyn Tabernacle when it was located on 290 Flatbush Avenue. My older sister attended regularly and took me and our siblings along to learn about Christ. I did not go back to church regularly since those days; dealing with schoolwork kept me from going. I believed in God and prayed to Him, but I did not attend church. That January, after spending a weekend with my sister, she advised me to go back to church. Since then, I continued to go Sunday after Sunday, to learn more about God and to gain strength to carry through the week. I found the Bible that she gave to me when I was a girl and started to read it. It became a positive change to attend church and begin to fulfill my spiritual walk with God.

As a new Christian, I face daily challenges. I am getting more familiar with the Bible and I am letting go of old habits, such as unforgiveness towards my family, and anger about the past events and past mistakes. However, with God, my life is becoming more positive. When we feel that we have reached the end of our ropes, God ties the knot for us and He encourages us to hold on. I am beginning to trust in Him completely. Faith matters.

by Hugh K. Mulzac

“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his generation, he fell asleep”. Acts 13:36a

If you were to die today what would people say about you? Would they say that you spent your whole life trying to be someone you weren’t? For example, would they say everything that Hugh did, mirrored Michael Jordan? That I spent my whole life trying to be like Mike? Would they say that I did not know who I was and that my basketball skills were just mediocre? Some of you may be thinking that it is ok to try to be like Michael Jordan while that is true, the problem is that if I spent my whole life trying to be someone else, I would never live out the purpose for which my life was created. There would be no real satisfaction or fulfillment in any of the tasks that I set out to do. In essence, I would never reach my full potential.

God has made us all originals, but many of us choose to live our lives as copies. This verse is not talking about the fact that David was born or that he died, but the focus is on the fact that he fulfilled the purpose for his life, in the time he was given to do so! He then he fell asleep or died when he had done all he was created to do. Why should we spend our lives trying to be someone or something we are not? It’s like using a fork to eat cereal, while you may be able to get some cereal on the fork and you may be able to eat a little, that fork will only get you minimal results and give you very little satisfaction. The fork can become a frustrating tool that ends up getting tossed to the side because it is unable to accomplish the task of eating cereal. Guess what? It was not made for that!  You may say, well what if that fork doesn’t know its purpose. The answer is simple, it would be the job of the fork to go to the one who created it and simply ask, “Hey Creator, what is the purpose for which I was created?” I believe the Creator is pleased when we desire nothing more than to fulfill the purpose for which He created us.

We should be persistent in seeking out the Creator (God) to discover our purpose and then let Him reveal the path that He has planned for us.  Then, when He reveals what His purpose is, we should set out to accomplish it just like David did. We do not know how long we will be here on earth; it may be 10 or 100 yrs. But God has placed us in our homes, schools, jobs, and friendships strategically with a purpose. Whenever we die, let it be said of us “we fulfilled God’s purpose for our lives in our generation and then we fell asleep.”

Hugh is a member of the transitions Servant Leadership team and Founder of the Street Disciples, a group of artists, dancers, and musicians. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Kendra. 

1. If you could be any animal what would you be?  A Blue Jay

2. What super power would you like to have? Levitation

3. What’s your biggest fear? Tornadoes

4. If you could meet someone from the Bible apart from Jesus, who would it be?  Esther

5. What is your greatest pet peeve?  When someone I’m having a conversation with is speaking an inch away from my face.

6. What’s your biggest accomplishment so far?  Moving to NY and living on my own.

7. What drew you to the Transitions ministry?  A good friend inviting me, I love the worship and the Word.

8. What’s your favorite thing about New York City?  The food and the skyline.

9. Which Transitions retreat was your favorite and why?  Tough one! Revive, it was my first retreat as a baby Christian and I met so many friends who helped me in my walk to grow the way Christ wanted me to.

10. What’s one thing that you’re hoping God does in the Transitions ministry this year?  Open the doors for 5,000 people to be saved, I would love to see “the walls crawling with young adults.”

11. What’s playing on your iPod or iTunes right now?  Andy Stanley’s podcast on “The Christian”

12. What’s your favorite bible verse and why?  It changes everyday.  BUT at the moment, Hebrews 10:14 “For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”  In His sight, I am perfect and He will never stop perfecting me. 

13. What’s your favorite movie? Moonstruck

14. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?  Florence, Italy

15. Who’s your favorite celebrity or celebrity crush? Jesus? Does He count?

16. If you could trade lives for one day with someone, whom would you pick? (Famous or non-famous)  Donald Trump, so I could give most of his money away to those in need, and take him to church.

17. If you were stuck on a deserted island, what three things would you want to have with you? (What three things can’t you live without?)  My chapstick, sunblock, and my Bible of course.

18. What was your favorite subject in school? Math and art.

19. What would you do if someone gave you a million dollars?  Save 10% for my family, and me, pay off my debt, and donate the rest.

20. Do you have any hidden talents? Besides being an artist, I can make a mean meatloaf.

Nicole is a member of the Creative Team of transitions. She loves Jesus,  the arts and all things beautiful. During the day, you will find her whipping up beautiful creations as a designer for John Varvatos.

by Erika Renee Henry

From the time we were little girls, we learned about Prince Charming. We believed that he was out there, somewhere, prancing around on a white horse waiting to sweep us off of our feet.. As we got older and became aware of boys, we found ourselves thinking up ways to get their attention. There is an unspoken rule: the tighter the clothes, the better the attention. With the introduction of social media, there are tons of teenage girls posing in provocative ways for the stream of comments from the guys they know.

But what happens when you don’t find Prince Charming in those things?

You find substitutes. Enter pornography. According to Family Safe Media,  one in three visitors to adult pornography sites are women. Even more alarming, 47% of Christians have reported that pornography is a major problem in their home. So it should come as no surprise that in that overlapping circle, Christian women are major consumers of pornographic material.

Many females have used porn to ease the wounds of not having a physical person in their lives. For Christian women who choose to stay single until God allows a husband to come into their lives, they too will use porn as an easy substitute. At first it will be out of curiosity. Then, it’ll become consuming as if stepping deeper into quicksand.

There are ways to get out, despite the temptation, keep these things in mind:

You are not alone. Women around you have struggled with this for years. People understand more than you think. Don’t allow yourself to be tricked.

Confess. Confession is freeing. When you confess, you take away one less thing that the enemy can use against you. You don’t have to tell the world (and you probably don’t want to) but speak to another woman that you can trust. Don’t be afraid to speak.

Accountability. Confessing usually leads to accountability. Having someone to walk with you in this is crucial. The effect of any kind of addiction is crippling and causes you to move slowly. With someone there to help you move, you’ll be able to overcome faster.

If it tempts you, chop it off. Use adult website blocking software. Don’t use your laptop when you’re alone. Don’t watch anything that can send off a trigger. Get up and take a walk and pray. I find that lust is hardly a temptation when you keep busy.

That’s someone’s daughter. The girls you see in those pornographic videos are someone’s daughter, sister, or mother. Yes. Mother. Put yourself in their shoes. Would you truly want to know your daughter is doing porn and you enjoy that? Your sister? Your mom? Or even a sister in Christ?

Pornography is an insult to sex. This may sound unusual since pornography can’t exist without sex. Porn and God’s creation of sex are two different things. Porn cheapens the gift that God gave and reduces it to lights, cameras, actors, and a thrill. Some women may even watch porn in order to “prepare” for marriage! Don’t believe that lie. Pornography is not a preparation course for anything but a block between you and God. What porn does is offer you an unemotional and detached sense of intimacy. There are so many intricate details that God put into this act. Pornography is nothing but a slap in the face of what God has made special for us.

Most importantly, run to the cross. It’s so easy to run away from the Lord after you mess up. You may feel ashamed or undeserving to even open a bible or even step into the church. We’re not used to having someone love us despite our flaws, but do not run away. Confess to Him and seek his face. Pray. The Lord knows your hurts and he intensely cares for you. There is a huge sense of shame with porn addiction, but there is no shame when it comes to God.

Ladies, there is someone out there for you and I’m not just speaking of your future husband. Look no further than the Lord. God’s love is not based on condition. There is nothing you can do to make Him love you less. He is so willing to free you from this bondage and to raise you up as women of God. Don’t settle for less than what God has intended for you.

Erika is a member of the Communications Team of transitions in addition to being a writer, spoken word artist and grad student. You can follow her at @itserikarenee 

by Marian Amo

When you walk through the doors of the Brooklyn Tabernacle it is hard to believe that the beautiful sanctuary of over 4,000 seats overflowing with worshippers and a Grammy-award winning choir, was once a congregation of 14 people in a run-down building. The transformation and growth of this community church was made possible by a team of leaders, whose dedication to God’s work continues to save lives. I had the privilege of sitting down with one of those leaders, Evelyn Sanchez, head of the Women’s Ministry, to find out just how she came to such a calling.

Evelyn grew up in a single parent home with her mother who was diligent in prayer. As a young girl, she rejected her mother’s Christian faith and sought to define life on her own. In her season of rebellion, she married an older man at 16 and had her first child at 17. She was granted a divorce soon after. Evelyn’s mother continued to pray for her during this difficult time and her prayers were answered when Evelyn had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.

At 29 years old, Evelyn met two young adult women from her community who befriended her and invited her to church. That fateful decision to join them one Sunday led her to surrender her life to Christ. Following her decision to follow Christ, Evelyn began attending a community bible school where her faith blossomed and her knowledge of God’s word increased.

When Evelyn walked through the doors of The Brooklyn Tabernacle at 33 years old, services were being held in a small rundown building with a handful of attendees. Senior Pastor, Jim Cymbala, was in need of a secretary and many other services that were not available due to a lack of workers. As God would have it, Evelyn stepped in just in time to take up the role of administrative support for Pastor Cymbala, a role in which she served faithfully for eighteen years! During that time, she gained a lot of discernment and understanding working under the pastor’s guidance and teaching, and eventually moved on to take part in the women’s ministry. Given her administrative skills and deep biblical insight, it wasn’t long before she became head of the Women’s Ministry.

Through the Women’s Ministry, Evelyn leads programs like Beyond Abuse for battered women and Be Transformed – a nine-week bible discovery small group. She hosts cruises, retreats and conferences in addition to one-on-one counseling with women of all ages. Evelyn also leads a weekly Wednesday morning meeting where she teaches God‘s Word and challenges women “to believe that God sees them and knows them no matter where they are in their lives.”

 With all that under her belt, she has teamed up with another visionary leader, Nicole Crews, to begin a new program called Sisters Connect. Sisters Connect aims to bring young girls and young adult women of the church in close mentor-like fellowship with the older women. The new program will launch in May 2012.

It’s not surprising that Evelyn is leading new initiatives. Now at 68 years old, she looks and functions like someone much younger. She is stylish, down to earth and youthful in her heart. As the Bible instructs us to dwell amongst the wise, Evelyn is full of wisdom on a range of topics from health and wellness to marriage and ministry. Within minutes of my interview with her, she gave me a pivotal instruction for life: “it’s not just about doing good, it’s about having a Daniel mentality – refusing to eat from the King’s table, refusing to let worldly temptations distract you from where you are going in God.”

As the Women’s Ministry continues to grow, I know new programs like Sisters Connect will be a success in accomplishing its goals. It underscores the importance of  young women in the church taking counsel from the wisdom of the older women, so they too can take their place as future wives, mothers and ministry leaders. I hope one day it is said of me what Deaconess Ramona said of Evelyn – “she is a soldier who has gone before us and has shown us how to gain victory by having faith and hope in Christ.”

Marian is a member of the Servant Leadership Team and Communications Team within transitions. She is also a facilitator for Be Transformed, a nine-week self-discovery course and works full-time for Oxford University Press. You can learn more about her by following her on Twitter: @Lyrical_Mars

by Denise McKnight

Many of us have been, maybe still are, involved in a broken relationship. We often ignore the signs of it. God wants us to be happy and fulfilled in all of our relationships, so why do we often stretch the limits of our imagination to allow for exceptions we know are not God’s best?

We continue on in these relationships that are severely broken and damaged, although not beyond repair. We have to recognize, evaluate and deal with the issues we have before we end up with larger problems as a result of them. We need to address the brokenness in ourselves that leads to the many problems we encounter again and again in our relationships. God alone can heal our brokenness but everyone is affected by it.

A lot of times we want the worldly package – the smile, the attractive looks, the nice body, with a nice wardrobe. Those are temporary things that will all pass away and will be of no service to us in the long run. Instead we should want a partner that will lift us up in prayer and encourage us

The ideal mate spiritually, may pray with us and for us. He or she may have the perfect scripture for every situation. He may really love God with all his heart, but that does not mean he knows how to love you and it doesn’t mean he is the partner you are supposed to spend your life with.

Sometimes we have history with someone. That person was there for us through a tough time. We have memories, things we can laugh and smile about, inside jokes and shared feelings of what used to be. Just because we have shared experiences with someone does not mean that our future is with that person.

We all enter relationships with some brokenness.  As Christians, we know that brokenness can be a good thing as it helps us to depend more fully on God.  In fact, this brokenness is often revealed to us through our relationships, but we have to be careful to confront those issues and not cause more hurt to others and ourselves as a result of it. There are a couple important things to remember when entering a romantic relationship.

First, establish a closeness and intimacy with God that no other relationship can shake. This means not letting anything stop us from our daily time with God. Each morning or afternoon, or whatever time of day we spend with God should be sacred. Never become too busy for God because our relationship and many other areas of our life will suffer. So whatever plans we may have with our new significant other, or rituals we have created with our long-time love, do not sacrifice time with God to spend time with them. The best way to protect our hearts and our relationships is to designate time with God as non-negotiable.

Also, it is important to recognize that since we all have weaknesses and insecurities, God has sent the Holy Spirit to fill us, guide us and correct us. Let the Holy Spirit do its work instead of letting a mate try to fill that role. God has given us the Holy Spirit and He is more than able to provide comfort, counsel and joy. Trust Him and don’t grieve Him by forgetting Him and getting lost in a new love. Let us remember our first love, Jesus who was sent to take care of our hearts.

Denise is a member of the transitions Communications team and a student at F.I.T. who is passionate about Jesus and fashion.  Follow her @Poised4Power to learn more. 

by Chantal Hamlin

“To the woman He said, I will greatly multiply your grief and your suffering in pregnancy and the pangs of childbearing; with spasms of distress you will bring forth children. Yet your desire and craving will be for your husband, and he will rule over you. And to Adam He said, Because you have listened and given heed to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it, the ground is under a curse because of you; in sorrow and toil shall you eat [of the fruits] of it all the days of your life.” (Genesis 3:16 AMP)

            The story of Adam and Eve and the Fall of Man is a classic story of “Who Done It?”  We often read the story and think, “Adam should have never listened to Eve,” or “Why didn’t Eve believe God over that sneaky snake.”  However, rather than focusing on who is to blame, I want us to look specifically at the curse that resulted from their actions.

In Genesis 3:16-17, God cursed the man and woman for their disobedience and essentially flipped and turned their lives upside down.  Everything they knew from that point on was a new experience that required them to adapt, create new social norms, new customs, and new beliefs. Generations upon generations that followed Adam and Eve learned to operate under the curse, with these new social norms,  new customs, and new beliefs.

As a result of the Fall, Scripture says, “your [woman] desire and craving will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”  Further, Scripture says, “the ground is under a curse because of you [man], in sorrow and toil shall you eat of it.”  As a result of these curses, humans took their eyes off of God. They became focused on their own efforts and the efforts of other fallen human beings and began to operate in these false norms, customs, and beliefs wherein they sought fulfillment from others.  This trend continues to this day, as we look to our own works to meet our needs and others to love us—not to God.  But God cared enough to see us struggling in our own self-satisfying state and He sent His son, so that Jesus could love us and carry us through.

It is beautiful to know that God sent his son Jesus Christ so that we can look to Him, not to our own efforts, or our own attempts to fill that empty space in ourselves and others.  When Jesus died on the Cross, He showed us that He desired us, that He loved us and that He is the only one that can fill those cracks deep in our souls.

Through Jesus’ finished work on the Cross—our upside down world can be righted and we can walk in the confidence and perfect love that God has for us, being mindful not to slip into the familiar ways of the Fall but to press forward and overcome the traps of the enemy. God has redeemed us, and our attempts at survival in this fallen world are futile. We only need to look to God when we find ourselves operating under false beliefs and remember to seek Him alone because His desire according to Song of Songs 7:10 is for us; “I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me.”

Chantal is a member of the Servant Leadership Team of transitions. She helps to coordinate the Connect Groups in addition to practicing law full time. We’re still trying to convince her to join twitter, but in the meantime, you can learn more about her at our Friday meetings. 

by Shareeka Elliott 

         Romantic relationships are like an adventure, with its rollercoaster ride of emotions that pull us in. The show of romance also makes us feel special, because of the idea that God has made someone designed perfectly just for each one of us. It gives us another picture of just how much the Lord loves us and has us on His mind Unfortunately we don’t always like to wait on the Lord’s timing. Other times? We blatantly ignore the Lord even when He gently nudges us away from the person who will take us through a crash course through every possible danger except the gates of Hell. Ways in which a relationship can go wrong include being unequally yoked, being sexually active before marriage and being outside of God’s will, meaning that God didn’t ordain the relationship in the first place.

The Bible commands us not to marry an unbeliever because you have nothing in common with them. The question is also posed in Corinthians 6:14, “How can light live with darkness?”  You also have to consider the following questions: Do you want your mate to pray with you? Do you want that person to stand in agreement with you over something important to you or even them? Will this person attend church with you? They might go along with things in the short-run but in the long run these things will start to bother them if their heart isn’t ready to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. Whether this is a marriage relationship or a dating one, this is a very crucial thing to keep in mind.

Another thing that often hurts Christian relationships is sexual intimacy before marriage. Hebrews 13:4  states that “marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled.” Here, the Lord blesses the act of married sex and any other act outside of marriage, displeases Him since the Word of God is firm on this. Many of us however, indulge in it and we create a world of pain for ourselves in the long run. We become emotionally connected to people who will hurt us later on. Other times we have children with the person we’ve been intimate with and when the relationship doesn’t work out, this affects the children as well.  In the most unfortunate cases, both parties can contract STDs maybe even HIV and AIDS. It’s not a walk in the park for anyone who doesn’t wait for marriage.

One of the biggest pitfalls for Christian relationships is becoming involved in a relationship that God didn’t ordain. Sometimes we feel ready for a romantic relationship so we ignore warning signs from the Lord, from our friends or even within our own heart. We listen to our own desires when choosing whom we will date. Maybe a friend told you that you should get out there and date, or you think that you should date around before marriage. Whatever the reason, the Bible says that we shouldn’t lean on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) It also says to acknowledge him in everything and that He’ll direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:6) The truth of the matter is that when you do not wait for the Lord’s okay for any mate that you deal with, the first two points mentioned will come to pass in various ways.

These are only three relationship roadblocks that we fall into when we don’t wait on the Lord and do what is right. There are far more out there with even greater consequences.  However, remember that walking on the right path with the right person leads to abundant rewards. You’ll have a wonderful relationship that will lead to marriage. You’ll have children that will live in a happy home. Joy will live in that household, all because Jesus is in it and He’s in first place.

I’ve personally learned that without the right foundations in a relationship, it will not last. In my experience, I’ve committed all three of these wrongs and I’ve reaped dreadful consequences from them. All the same, as the Lord has been graceful, I haven’t seen the true depths of what could’ve happened to me. I beg of you brothers and sisters, to put the Lord before you in dealings of the heart as well as in all things. He won’t fail you and in the end, you’ll be grateful.

Shareeka is a member of the Communications team and a proud mother of two beautiful daughters. She loves writing and is excited about serving Jesus more fully! You can learn more about her by following her @Shaynessloves

1. If you could be any animal what would you be? A Buffalo!

2. What super power would you like to have? Breathe under water. 

3. What’s your biggest fear? Drowning.

4. If you could meet someone from the Bible apart from Jesus, who would it be? That wee little man Zaccheus. I’ve always wondered how short he is.

5. What is your greatest pet peeve? People taking two minutes to unwrap something encased in plastic because they think they’re carefully being quite as I grind my teeth.

6. What’s your biggest accomplishment so far? Learning to ride a bike was a monumental achievement and has opened many doors.

7. What drew you to the Transitions ministry? I didn’t have Christian friends.

8. What’s your favorite thing about New York City? The entertainment value of watching rats scurry along the subway tracks.

9. Which Transitions retreat was your favorite and why? First one. Met more people than my mind could handle.

10. What’s one thing that you’re hoping God does in the Transitions ministry this year? Connect with the young adults who go to BT but aren’t involved in a community because they don’t know how good it is.

11. What’s playing on your iPod or iTunes right now? Norah Jones. Gungor. They should do a duet.

12. What’s your favorite bible verse and why?  John 3:16. That’s it.

13. What’s your favorite movie? G rated, Wall-E. PG rated, Hook. PG13, Forrest gump. R rated, Braveheart. 

14. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? An island no one has discovered yet and isn’t inhabited by cannibals.

15. Who’s your favorite celebrity or celebrity crush? Alive: Norah Jones. Dead: Joan of Arc.

16. If you could trade lives for one day with someone, whom would you pick? (Famous or non-famous) Any child under the age of two. Being pampered and carried around all day sounds amazing.
17. If you were stuck on a deserted island, what three things would you want to have with you? (What three things can’t you live without?) Bike. Guitar. A wife.

18. What was your favorite subject in school? Gym.

19. What would you do if someone gave you a million dollars? Bury it in the ground, make a complicated map where X marks the spot, go around the world, put that map in a bottle, throw it in the ocean and see if anyone ever finds the dough.

20. Do you have any hidden talents? Yes. But as of right now I believe they’re hidden from me as well…they must be lying beneath my subconscious.

Get to know Scott more at our Friday night meetings or follow him on Twitter: @skautlambkeen