I'm a lover of lyrics. As much as some people hate Hip-Hop/Rap, I find some of the lyrics to have substance and I like finding those gems among the rubbish. A few years ago, a rapper from Atlanta named T.I. released an album called Paper Trail before he was sent to prison. His song called "No Matter What" is what has given me inspiration today. He talks about the struggles that he has been through and even about how he was about to face time in prison, but that no matter what, he was still standing and still strong. One of my favorite lines from the song is "Let Go and Let God." We as Christians don't have anything to worry about! If we've surrendered our lives to God, we can go through life stress-free. Good news, huh? No matter what circumstances we're in, we know that God will bring us through and only use the situation for good. God's character is constant, He is unchanging, so don't you think He'll protect you and help you come out on top? Remind yourselves of His faithfulness, of His character to provide for those who love Him.
In the closing of 2011, I am thankful for living through another year of life. My new year started in September when I came to DTS. I couldn't have asked for a better event to happen to me in life. I have learned so much about God: the Creator, the Father, the Lover, the Friend, Jesus, the model for living, and the Holy Spirit, the Spirit inside of me that gives me power and authority and direction. I'm so thankful that I finished college and experienced life in college. My past doesn't define who I am, but it sure gives me a testimony to God's faithfulness and grace and mercy. So 2012 doesn't begin a journey of faith, it continues this journey that I'm already on.This year will be amazing because of the changes that I've made and because I know God is on my side no matter what. I don't have to worry about finding a job when I get home, or what my friend situation is going to look like, or anything because I know that God has plans for me and promises to fulfill for me! Do you know that God has plans for you? Do you know that God wants to see you conquer the world around you with His help? God just wants your love so that He can continue to love and bless you more than you could ever imagine. Love Him and Let Him :) let go of the world, let go of the stress, let go of the unnecessary, and just hold on to God. He's going to do great things through you and me, I just know it!
So I finally can provide you all with lessons from DTS! This website has all of our lectures recorded on it and I highly suggest starting with Jeff Reid's lesson like we did :) The lectures are in order, kinda, so just go through the recording and ENJOY!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Let Go and Let God in 2012
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Welcome to the Hotel California
I'M IN CALIFORNIA!!!! AGAIN!!!!
So outreach has started, ladies and gentlemen! Yay! One part of DTS down, one to go!
We arrived in Orange County on Thursday, December 22 at 5:00 am and we have been enjoying the cold ever since :) The first day we were here, I was wearing shorts and flip-flops and I was not complaining about being cold because I had forgotten what it's like to be cold. Really. I had. Hawaii had taken that feeling away. But now it's back. It's cold here in California. I sleep in socks, which is weird! Ok, so Thursday was filled with sleeping, moving into our house, eating In-N-Out, and seeing Allan and Nicole! I went shopping with Allan and Nicole, ate yummy tacos, and opened Christmas presents from them and my parents. It was so glorious to be around FAMILY! I always forget how much I love my family until I'm away from them for long periods of time. Friday was the 23rd of December and we had an 8 hour Burn, starting at 8 am and ending at 4 pm. This was a time filled with constant prayer and worship and boy did I learn a lot and hear a lot from the Lord. Starting outreach off with prayer makes such an impact! When you pray, you're plowing and asking God to do the hard work, so that when you are working (or sowing) it's easy. Prayer is so powerful!
On Saturday, we hung out in the morning and I went to the bank and
grocery store with Donald. After lunch, I started making Cream Potatoes
for our Christmas dinner. We each made our favorite dish from our
holidays with our families. So naturally, I made a huge thing of Cream
Potatoes :) we just finished them last night. Alex made sweet potato
casserole, Matt made HamburgerHelper, Kristina made spaghetti, Donald
made sausage and onions, Danielle made salad, Stephanie made stuffing,
and I made green bean casserole. Healthy, huh?? Here's what the line-up
looked like!! After dinner, we had a talent show. I read "'Twas the
Night Before Christmas" outloud to the group. Didn't really know what
else to do, so I read! Then after the talent show we opened Secret Santa
gifts and gifts that our parents had sent us. Our leaders had emailed
our families and asked them to send small gifts for us to open on
Christmas! It was so special and fun and surprising! I talked to my
family for an hour after our night of festivities. I miss my family :(
but I'm glad that Allan and Nicole are so close by!!
Sunday, we went to church at RockHarbor and met up with Donald's dad and sister. The first church we went to was actually cancelled (for Christmas, weird, right?) so we went to RockHarbor instead. After church, we went home and hung out at the house. Then we went to Donald's house for Korean Bar-B-Que! It was SOOOO yummy!! I don't know how to explain it, but it was super good. Then, his dad offered to pay for us to go to the movies, so we did! It was such a blessing! We saw Sherlock Holmes, and it was so good. I love those movies!
Monday, we started the day with worship, then went to Irvine Spectrum for some shopping and ministry. I got super sidetracked by the sales! But after shopping, Alex and I sat down at a table and began to pray over the shopping area. (P.S. it was a successful shopping trip, incase you were wondering, which I know you were). Tuesday, we had a guy from the Kona base, Sam and his brother Daniel, come to our apartment and pray for us and encourage us. Intimidation has no place in this team! We can change the world, we can talk to people and pray for people and share Jesus' love with them. Easily. Fear is gone! People here are approachable, I just have to approach them.... We went to Huntington Beach and Donald, Matt and I walked up and down the pier. I took pictures of surfers in the water. There was like 100 of them and the waves were amazing! I loved watching how skilled and coordinated someone has to be in order to surf and stay in the wave. I think I could watch surfers all day long.
Today, we had worship in the morning and then an hour of quiet time. I wrote 4 pages of just questions and basically conversation with the Lord. I'm seriously considering my next blog being those 4 pages. God just revealed Himself in such a different way today. Or things that I have been learning about in lecture really started to sink in and take hold of my heart. I have slipped into this blah feeling, I think because I'm scared to act on the things I've learned and embrace a new lifestyle, but I know that's not how God wants me to live. He wants me to be joyful and loving and serving and live a FUN life FILLED with Him. No being scared of being different! Change is good, especially this change that I've encountered. This afternoon we went back to Huntington to talk to people, but I had no luck :( I played volleyball with Danielle, Matt, and Donald and then we sat on the wall and told each other the gospel. And then we walked around, waiting for someone to talk to. Now, I'm here writing this blog post!!
How was y'all's Christmas? Please call or text or Facebook or skype me! I miss you all and would love to catch up with everyone!
LOVE LOVE LOVE
So outreach has started, ladies and gentlemen! Yay! One part of DTS down, one to go!
We arrived in Orange County on Thursday, December 22 at 5:00 am and we have been enjoying the cold ever since :) The first day we were here, I was wearing shorts and flip-flops and I was not complaining about being cold because I had forgotten what it's like to be cold. Really. I had. Hawaii had taken that feeling away. But now it's back. It's cold here in California. I sleep in socks, which is weird! Ok, so Thursday was filled with sleeping, moving into our house, eating In-N-Out, and seeing Allan and Nicole! I went shopping with Allan and Nicole, ate yummy tacos, and opened Christmas presents from them and my parents. It was so glorious to be around FAMILY! I always forget how much I love my family until I'm away from them for long periods of time. Friday was the 23rd of December and we had an 8 hour Burn, starting at 8 am and ending at 4 pm. This was a time filled with constant prayer and worship and boy did I learn a lot and hear a lot from the Lord. Starting outreach off with prayer makes such an impact! When you pray, you're plowing and asking God to do the hard work, so that when you are working (or sowing) it's easy. Prayer is so powerful!
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| This is Matt and I. It has been said of us that we are like brother and sister. |
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| Christmas dinner--outreach style |
Sunday, we went to church at RockHarbor and met up with Donald's dad and sister. The first church we went to was actually cancelled (for Christmas, weird, right?) so we went to RockHarbor instead. After church, we went home and hung out at the house. Then we went to Donald's house for Korean Bar-B-Que! It was SOOOO yummy!! I don't know how to explain it, but it was super good. Then, his dad offered to pay for us to go to the movies, so we did! It was such a blessing! We saw Sherlock Holmes, and it was so good. I love those movies!
Monday, we started the day with worship, then went to Irvine Spectrum for some shopping and ministry. I got super sidetracked by the sales! But after shopping, Alex and I sat down at a table and began to pray over the shopping area. (P.S. it was a successful shopping trip, incase you were wondering, which I know you were). Tuesday, we had a guy from the Kona base, Sam and his brother Daniel, come to our apartment and pray for us and encourage us. Intimidation has no place in this team! We can change the world, we can talk to people and pray for people and share Jesus' love with them. Easily. Fear is gone! People here are approachable, I just have to approach them.... We went to Huntington Beach and Donald, Matt and I walked up and down the pier. I took pictures of surfers in the water. There was like 100 of them and the waves were amazing! I loved watching how skilled and coordinated someone has to be in order to surf and stay in the wave. I think I could watch surfers all day long.
Today, we had worship in the morning and then an hour of quiet time. I wrote 4 pages of just questions and basically conversation with the Lord. I'm seriously considering my next blog being those 4 pages. God just revealed Himself in such a different way today. Or things that I have been learning about in lecture really started to sink in and take hold of my heart. I have slipped into this blah feeling, I think because I'm scared to act on the things I've learned and embrace a new lifestyle, but I know that's not how God wants me to live. He wants me to be joyful and loving and serving and live a FUN life FILLED with Him. No being scared of being different! Change is good, especially this change that I've encountered. This afternoon we went back to Huntington to talk to people, but I had no luck :( I played volleyball with Danielle, Matt, and Donald and then we sat on the wall and told each other the gospel. And then we walked around, waiting for someone to talk to. Now, I'm here writing this blog post!!
How was y'all's Christmas? Please call or text or Facebook or skype me! I miss you all and would love to catch up with everyone!
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Sunday, December 11, 2011
All I Want for Christmas Is You
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But luckily, there's a display and decorations that went up downtown BEFORE Thanksgiving, so it helps the atmosphere a little.
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| I can't get this to turn, I'm sorry :( just turn your head... |
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| My Gingerbread House |
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| Rachael's Gingerbread House. Amazing, right? |
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| Our street of houses :) |
Sidenote, if you like supporting homemade things and businesses, go to this site and explore some gift options. I really like this scarf and am debating on buying myself a Christmas present ;)
LOVE LOVE LOVE
These Boots Were Made for Walking
So this is were I spent 5 hours of my life one Saturday in November. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, to be exact. This is Waipi'o Valley on the Big Island of Hawaii. I went with my roommates, Madisen, Amy, Melissa, and Rachael. We had such an adventure walking down the hill into the valley, hiking through the forest, walking through chest-high water, and climbing over HUGE rocks. Needless to say, I was slightly out of my element, and when I say slightly, I mean extremely out of my element. I was super nervous the whole time and was scared that a rock was going to come flying down and crush me. You hike through the forest to the waterfall, I didn't make it all the way to the waterfall (don't think to lowly of me) but here are some pictures from my roommate Rachael.
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| This is on the way to the waterfall and the girls were jumping over the water. I just walked through it in my Natives that my cousin gave me this summer :) Those shoes are amazing! |
I had such a thought-provoking time while on this little hike. I hate the outdoors. Seriously. I like the beauty of nature but I don't like climbing and going on adventures. Give me a mall and I'll be happy :) I also don't like being in unfamiliar surroundings. Waipi'o was unfamiliar. I was definitely pushed to some limits of not being comfortable. But it was good! I need to be stretched! I need to get out of my box and go out into nature and explore. Maybe my kids will drag me in to things and I'll have to get dirty and be OK with it. Maybe. I just need to be more free and flexible and FUN! Ok, I'll work on it.....Madisen, Melissa, and Rachael walked all the way to the waterfall, so these are Rachael and Melissa's pictures of the waterfall. I don't regret not finishing, but I learned a lesson. Don't hold back! Stay with the strong people and they will help you keep moving and growing and stretching. Are you growing and being stretched?
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| Well, you can't see it, but we went to Ken's House of Pancakes in Hilo after a long day of hiking. Super amazing! Go here if you come to the Big Island! |
Hope you enjoyed a little taste of the beauty I've been experiencing!
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Friday, December 9, 2011
Either You're Truly Scared or You've Come Prepared
Read that title again...
How often do you start a meeting, class, or day scared? Why not start each day and event prepared?! It's a feeling I want to get comfortable with, being prepared for life! I know I can expect the worse and pray for the best, but whatever situation happens, I can be mentally prepared for it instead of scared of it. How are you approaching life? Are you scared of it or are you ready and prepared for it?
This week, I realized I'm slightly scared of life, but I know whatever I'm going to be doing will make a difference in the world. This week our speakers, Paul and Susi Childers, were mainly talking about missions and with their stories of wanting to make a change, I was scared that I can't make a difference if I'm not a missionary. But I'm going to make a difference in the place and job that God puts me in, I have to remember that. Are you making a difference? Are you conforming to the environment you're in or are you changing the environment? Are you a beacon of God's light, or do you have your light hidden under a bushel? While I've been here, I've realized that I don't have to be apart of a mission organization, or even a "Christian" organization, to show God's love and change the world. I just have to live and love like Jesus did. When you start living like Jesus, that's when you create change (Paul said that in class Thursday).
Most of you aren't missionaries, you work or are in school, but you are creating a different culture in that setting? When I start working, I want to change the culture there, I want to create a positive atmosphere, one that only light can be seen, no darkness. God can change industries with your work, are you letting Him work through you? I've had these thoughts that hotel industry can't change and be a light for God, but in reality, it can! I don't know what that looks like, but God does! Christians aren't supposed to be suppressed, technically no one is supposed to be suppressed, but as Christians, we should set the standards! We should create the cultures at work. Are you conforming to the culture you work in? I'm challenging myself to be different :)
Don't be scared about the situations you face, be ready for them! Tackle them, with God's help, and show those around you how powerful and mighty He is. Like the Boy Scouts, be prepared!!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE
How often do you start a meeting, class, or day scared? Why not start each day and event prepared?! It's a feeling I want to get comfortable with, being prepared for life! I know I can expect the worse and pray for the best, but whatever situation happens, I can be mentally prepared for it instead of scared of it. How are you approaching life? Are you scared of it or are you ready and prepared for it?
This week, I realized I'm slightly scared of life, but I know whatever I'm going to be doing will make a difference in the world. This week our speakers, Paul and Susi Childers, were mainly talking about missions and with their stories of wanting to make a change, I was scared that I can't make a difference if I'm not a missionary. But I'm going to make a difference in the place and job that God puts me in, I have to remember that. Are you making a difference? Are you conforming to the environment you're in or are you changing the environment? Are you a beacon of God's light, or do you have your light hidden under a bushel? While I've been here, I've realized that I don't have to be apart of a mission organization, or even a "Christian" organization, to show God's love and change the world. I just have to live and love like Jesus did. When you start living like Jesus, that's when you create change (Paul said that in class Thursday).
Most of you aren't missionaries, you work or are in school, but you are creating a different culture in that setting? When I start working, I want to change the culture there, I want to create a positive atmosphere, one that only light can be seen, no darkness. God can change industries with your work, are you letting Him work through you? I've had these thoughts that hotel industry can't change and be a light for God, but in reality, it can! I don't know what that looks like, but God does! Christians aren't supposed to be suppressed, technically no one is supposed to be suppressed, but as Christians, we should set the standards! We should create the cultures at work. Are you conforming to the culture you work in? I'm challenging myself to be different :)
Don't be scared about the situations you face, be ready for them! Tackle them, with God's help, and show those around you how powerful and mighty He is. Like the Boy Scouts, be prepared!!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Monday, November 28, 2011
We Keep On Running To Protect Our Situation
Goodness. There's just so much to say. Welp, here's post number 1 of many...
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (before Thanksgiving Thursday) we had Steve Schallert speaking to us on World View. Steve and his wife are the co-leaders of my DTS. Steve thinks so differently and has an interesting mind. He's one of those people who is always thinking and you can tell he's thinking. While he was speaking to us, and I've noticed this in the few conversations I've had with him, every word was coated with passion. He has lived and he has experienced and he just embodies what passionate living looks like. A few years ago the word "Passion" was placed on my heart, a word to describe how I'm supposed to live. Steve is that picture for me. No, I'm not going to try and be him, because that's not what God wants, but he's a picture of passion. He puts his heart and soul into everything he does and says. He's by far the best worship leader on campus, he sings old hymns and songs from the Civil Rights Movement in America. Gah, I could go on about the person he is, but that's not the point of this post! I'm thankful for his leadership in this DTS, he and his wife make a great team with John and Jenni (the other leaders).
On Monday, Steve started off the class by reading the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), I think he had the majority of it memorized. Then he told about a man from Germany who asked this question, "What if Jesus is serious?" What if Jesus is serious about the words He spoke in the Bible to his followers, to Pharisees, to others around Him? What if He was serious about keeping His command, love God and love others, and the consequences of not following His commands? Doesn't that make you think a little? We're just called to love. When we're obeying God, we're loving Him and showing His love to those around us. We're just called to love. Why is that so hard?? That's the question in my mind! Why is it so hard to love the homeless man on the corner of the street? Or the man who just cut us off in traffic? Or students in our classes, our co-workers, fellow church members? The girl at Starbucks who now knows my order before I even say it? Why is it hard to see Jesus in them and just love them? The world has skewed our vision of others. The world says it's ok not to love others. Don't be of this world, just be in it. Live by a different culture. We watched this video in class. I encourage you to watch it, it's like 15 minutes long, so watch it on a lunch break :) But what's your single story? What's your view of the world? What we're after is a Jesus World View. Not one pushed on us by the world or those around us, but one formed by Jesus. In class Steve said, "We shouldn't be vampire Christians, those who just want Jesus for His blood, but we should be Christians who act through His love." Goodness gracious, the class went crazy. Don't be a vampire Christian. When you're a Christian who is just grateful for Jesus' blood that has washed away your sins, you are just a believer. You aren't a participator. If we had churches full of participators, think of the change that could be made in the world. Put legs to your prayers of change and action.
Tuesday, we started off the class by listening to U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" and we were given a little history of Ireland and how prophetic that song was. It was a side note to class, but it was interesting to hear how that song moved a nation, and the world. So we crucified our single story world views. We each spoke over the microphone our single story and what was the main mechanism that made us think that way. We had these written on paper, so we then nailed them to a door and declared, "Long Live The Slaughtered Lamb!" When you have personal transformation, you then have the authority to transform society. (Romans 12) I just want to transform societies. Don't fall into the pattern of this world, create a new pattern of loving everyone! Be abnormal, it's cool :) And another quote from Tuesday's teaching, "Maybe we don't have martyrs in the West, not because society is so tolerant, but because the church has become too quiet." Mmm, if that doesn't get you acting, I don't know what will...
Wednesday, we put on a new world view. "The minute you fall in love with people is the minute that your life isn't yours anymore." Have you fallen in love with people? Not just your spouse or children, but those around you and in the world. We talked about how every new movement of thinking was accompanied or spurred on by music. Music has such an ability to move people, more than words just spoken. Music has passion, has heart, has soul behind the lyrics and the flows of phrases in the music. Why do you think music has been so big in history's movements? An answer we talked about is that it can't be taken away from us. You can lock me up, but you can't take my voice. You can take my rights from me, but you can't take my voice. You can me move to a new land, but you can't take my voice. We spent the first half of class learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his role in the Civil Rights Movement. Do you see people equally? Did you know that hate is a heavy burden to bear? Soul Force is greater than Physical Force.. MLK is quoted to have said, "We will wear you down by our love." Put on a new world view of love. It wins over everything. And hold fast to hope. Always have a positive outlook, things will change and things will get better. Only have hope in your heart/mind, don't let despair enter in. "Faith, hope, and Love..."
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (before Thanksgiving Thursday) we had Steve Schallert speaking to us on World View. Steve and his wife are the co-leaders of my DTS. Steve thinks so differently and has an interesting mind. He's one of those people who is always thinking and you can tell he's thinking. While he was speaking to us, and I've noticed this in the few conversations I've had with him, every word was coated with passion. He has lived and he has experienced and he just embodies what passionate living looks like. A few years ago the word "Passion" was placed on my heart, a word to describe how I'm supposed to live. Steve is that picture for me. No, I'm not going to try and be him, because that's not what God wants, but he's a picture of passion. He puts his heart and soul into everything he does and says. He's by far the best worship leader on campus, he sings old hymns and songs from the Civil Rights Movement in America. Gah, I could go on about the person he is, but that's not the point of this post! I'm thankful for his leadership in this DTS, he and his wife make a great team with John and Jenni (the other leaders).
On Monday, Steve started off the class by reading the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), I think he had the majority of it memorized. Then he told about a man from Germany who asked this question, "What if Jesus is serious?" What if Jesus is serious about the words He spoke in the Bible to his followers, to Pharisees, to others around Him? What if He was serious about keeping His command, love God and love others, and the consequences of not following His commands? Doesn't that make you think a little? We're just called to love. When we're obeying God, we're loving Him and showing His love to those around us. We're just called to love. Why is that so hard?? That's the question in my mind! Why is it so hard to love the homeless man on the corner of the street? Or the man who just cut us off in traffic? Or students in our classes, our co-workers, fellow church members? The girl at Starbucks who now knows my order before I even say it? Why is it hard to see Jesus in them and just love them? The world has skewed our vision of others. The world says it's ok not to love others. Don't be of this world, just be in it. Live by a different culture. We watched this video in class. I encourage you to watch it, it's like 15 minutes long, so watch it on a lunch break :) But what's your single story? What's your view of the world? What we're after is a Jesus World View. Not one pushed on us by the world or those around us, but one formed by Jesus. In class Steve said, "We shouldn't be vampire Christians, those who just want Jesus for His blood, but we should be Christians who act through His love." Goodness gracious, the class went crazy. Don't be a vampire Christian. When you're a Christian who is just grateful for Jesus' blood that has washed away your sins, you are just a believer. You aren't a participator. If we had churches full of participators, think of the change that could be made in the world. Put legs to your prayers of change and action.
Tuesday, we started off the class by listening to U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" and we were given a little history of Ireland and how prophetic that song was. It was a side note to class, but it was interesting to hear how that song moved a nation, and the world. So we crucified our single story world views. We each spoke over the microphone our single story and what was the main mechanism that made us think that way. We had these written on paper, so we then nailed them to a door and declared, "Long Live The Slaughtered Lamb!" When you have personal transformation, you then have the authority to transform society. (Romans 12) I just want to transform societies. Don't fall into the pattern of this world, create a new pattern of loving everyone! Be abnormal, it's cool :) And another quote from Tuesday's teaching, "Maybe we don't have martyrs in the West, not because society is so tolerant, but because the church has become too quiet." Mmm, if that doesn't get you acting, I don't know what will...
Wednesday, we put on a new world view. "The minute you fall in love with people is the minute that your life isn't yours anymore." Have you fallen in love with people? Not just your spouse or children, but those around you and in the world. We talked about how every new movement of thinking was accompanied or spurred on by music. Music has such an ability to move people, more than words just spoken. Music has passion, has heart, has soul behind the lyrics and the flows of phrases in the music. Why do you think music has been so big in history's movements? An answer we talked about is that it can't be taken away from us. You can lock me up, but you can't take my voice. You can take my rights from me, but you can't take my voice. You can me move to a new land, but you can't take my voice. We spent the first half of class learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his role in the Civil Rights Movement. Do you see people equally? Did you know that hate is a heavy burden to bear? Soul Force is greater than Physical Force.. MLK is quoted to have said, "We will wear you down by our love." Put on a new world view of love. It wins over everything. And hold fast to hope. Always have a positive outlook, things will change and things will get better. Only have hope in your heart/mind, don't let despair enter in. "Faith, hope, and Love..."
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thank God I Found You
So today is THANKSGIVING!!! AAHH!!
We had a yummy breakfast, then a service at O'hana court for the whole campus, then dinner as a school together.
The O'hana court gathering was just simple singing and worship and then Darlene Cunningham spoke about being thankful. We wrote on pieces of paper things that we were thankful, characteristics of God that we were thankful for, and people in our lives we were thankful for. Then we took an offering of thankfulness and we turned in our sheets we wrote things on.
We went to the classroom as a class and had about an hour of saying prayers of thankfulness and singing songs. I recorded our class singing Amazing Grace, but I can't get it off my phone to share with you all. Some one, message me and help me! haha Then we had a time of blessing each other, either monetary or with words of encouragement or things we had and God told us to give it to someone. So that was good. Then we went and got in line for food :) YUM! I had turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole (but I didn't eat that, it was weird) and pumpkin pie. I was super full after all that! I need to go run 5 miles now. Ok, maybe just one a day, but I need to do some type of physical activity now. So here are some pictures from today :)
I'm so thankful to God that I am here in Hawaii at this Discipleship Training School. I'm thankful for my family back at home (all of you reading this, basically), and I'm thankful for my new family here at DTS. I'm thankful for the support I've received from you all, having the funds to go to DTS and on outreach is a major blessing, thank you for being apart of this journey!! I'm thankful for the real friends that I have from college and from high school (scarce, but there are some) and I'm really glad that the girls I still talk to are ones that make me want to be a better Kathryn. I'm thankful for the acceptance and love they extend to me everyday and that they're just a text or phone call away when I need them! I'm thankful for the roommates I have here, they are women that push me to be better and they are women that allow me to be myself. I'm thankful for the little things in life, I have clothes to wear everyday, I have a bed (here and at home in Texas), I have clean water to drink and food to eat, I'm thankful for the shoes on my feet. I'm thankful I opened my heart to Jesus, that He's living in me and working on me each and every day. I'm thankful that God never gives up on those He loves, that His love is everlasting and His work in us is never finished. I think the biggest thing I'm thankful for, that I've taken for granted for a while, is my family. My parents are amazing, my brothers and sisters-in-law are wonderful, all my cousins, uncles and aunts, my grandparents, just everyone. Family is super important and I'm thankful that ours is still attached and functioning together. And not to single anyone out, but I've realized while I'm here that my Aunt Bonnie is someone that I could never live without. She's the picture of a strong woman, rooted in her faith, and I want to be like her when I grow up! I love you, Aunt B! :) I haven't been too great about relationships in the past, I've taken people for granted, and here I've realized that the people around you are ones that God placed in your life for a reason. I'm thankful for relationships and what people mean to me. God is so good, all the time!! All the time God is good!!
Tell me what you're thankful for :)
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!!!!
p.s. i'm also thankful that the Cowboys have won 2 games in a row!
We had a yummy breakfast, then a service at O'hana court for the whole campus, then dinner as a school together.
The O'hana court gathering was just simple singing and worship and then Darlene Cunningham spoke about being thankful. We wrote on pieces of paper things that we were thankful, characteristics of God that we were thankful for, and people in our lives we were thankful for. Then we took an offering of thankfulness and we turned in our sheets we wrote things on.
We went to the classroom as a class and had about an hour of saying prayers of thankfulness and singing songs. I recorded our class singing Amazing Grace, but I can't get it off my phone to share with you all. Some one, message me and help me! haha Then we had a time of blessing each other, either monetary or with words of encouragement or things we had and God told us to give it to someone. So that was good. Then we went and got in line for food :) YUM! I had turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole (but I didn't eat that, it was weird) and pumpkin pie. I was super full after all that! I need to go run 5 miles now. Ok, maybe just one a day, but I need to do some type of physical activity now. So here are some pictures from today :)
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| our room, super dark, sorry! but that's us eating!! |
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| my friends, whom I'm very thankful for here, Kate and Lexx |
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| My outreach leaders, Stephanie and Kristina |
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| Last night's sunset, I'm thankful for sunsets |
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!!!!
p.s. i'm also thankful that the Cowboys have won 2 games in a row!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
I Won't Leave, Promise I'll be Here til the Very End
In John, Jesus says that He won't lose one child that God gives to Him (John 5). Our speaker said that when we become a believer it's like a covenant is formed between the Father and the Son that we benefit from. God gives us to Jesus to watch over and Jesus commits to God that He won't lose us, not a one of us. That's security in salvation if I've ever heard it. Jesus isn't going to leave you, He isn't going to desert you. We aren't promised an easy life after we become Christians, but we are promised that God is always going to be helping us and protecting us. I just want to soak in that for a bit. Some people think that believing God wipes away the struggles of life and makes things beautiful. Not true, not true at all. We're going to keep having things thrown our way, but we have to persevere through them, we have to keep fighting until the end. I believe you can't experience joy without the experience of pain. Like you won't know real happiness until you've overcome some sort of pain. Make sense? Give thanks in everything, in every good and bad situation. Be appreciative of the seasons you're going through. In each season you're growing and learning even though it may not feel like you are. I'm just so thankful that Jesus is always with me. He wants to be with us in the small things and in the big things in life. I'm thankful we have a Father who isn't unreachable, who is involved in our lives, who actually cares about us, each and every one of us. I'm thankful for that. Did you know that God is easy to please? Yup, He sure is! In John, the 5000 ask Jesus "What must we do to do the works God requires?" and Jesus replies, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." Believing in Jesus makes God happy. :) In that belief though, we are called to do deeds that back up our faith-- "faith without deeds is dead"-- so make God happy by believing in Jesus and then just simply obey Him every day! It's simple, but trust me, I'm gonna be working on obedience for the rest of my life!
Keep persevering and keep choosing to love those around you! Choose God in every situation and you'll be blessed just like those around you are blessed. Be secure in your salvation, don't waiver in it! Believing in Jesus is you way to eternal life, why not believe in Him?
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Keep persevering and keep choosing to love those around you! Choose God in every situation and you'll be blessed just like those around you are blessed. Be secure in your salvation, don't waiver in it! Believing in Jesus is you way to eternal life, why not believe in Him?
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
"The Present is a Gift....
And I just wanna Be."
I love nature, don't you? God really is the ultimate artist.
So Friday, Matt Beasley was with us again sharing more of his story and how he got to where he is today. Basically, walking in the Spirit. Learning how to hear the voice of the Lord and following what He has asked you to do. By listening and acting on His word you become a Revolutionary. I really enjoyed having Matt speak to us because he was a living example of: you don't have to go to a third world country to make a difference, you don't have to be successful and established to start making a difference, you can change your environment instead of letting your environment change you. Simply listening to God results in a life that changes those around you. You have an impact on each person you come in contact with, big or small, why not share God with them and leave them changed for the better?
As many of you know, my birthday was Friday :) It was probably one of the best birthdays I've had in a while. I was surrounded by people who love me (which happens every year) and had fun with them! Class went well, lunch was TACOS (one of the best lunches we've had here), prayer room was great (read Habbakuk 1, it's GOOD), and then my roommates treated me to dinner at Bubba Gumps! We had plans to go somewhere else a little farther down the pier, but we left late so we didn't have time to get there. We had to be back on campus at 7 for a Ladies Night, organized entirely by 3 boys from my CommTrans school (it wasn't for the whole campus, just for the girls in my school). All the guys in the school and staff participated in this event. We were dressed up "like we were going on a date with Jesus" and the room was decorated with lights and balloons and tables with tablecloths and flowers on the tables. So precious. The boys escorted us in and sat us down at tables. Then they started the night with taking our order for dessert: ice cream with different toppings. The boys served us and then one of the MCs spoke to us about how we were all so awesome and how when we get home we shouldn't settle and that we deserve the best man in the world. The boys had written words of encouragement to us, so we got to read those (like one boy had 2 or 3 girls to write a note to) and then the MCs prayed for us! Then we ended the night with a dance party! So awesome. Totally restores my faith in men, that there are still men in the word who are pursuing God and have a heart for serving the women in their lives.
I also got the best gifts from my parents, my Aunt Bonnie, my brothers and their wives, my cousin Bridgit, and my roommates. Seriously, thank you for blessing me with your gifts! And thank you all for calling, texting, and facebooking me! I felt the love on my birthday :) couldn't ask for better people in my life!
Saturday, I had work duty in the kitchen, so I hung out when I wasn't in the kitchen and wrote thank you notes. Very relaxing day!
Sunday I spent with Becky and the boys. Such a great time being with "family" out here! The boys are soo funny! It's good to spend time with Becky and talk to her about the week and and things I'm going through during school. She has great insight and advice! I'm thankful for the Fernandez family :)
This week, week 6 by the way, is the Holy Spirit week. We're having a different speaker every day. Monday we had Matthew Toller speak to us. He is the leader of the Fire & Fragrance DTS going on now. Matthew is a Rabbi, he is a Messianic Jew and by far one of the best speakers I've heard about the history of the Bible and the Holy Spirit. He spoke at the school of worship going on this term earlier and his week is on iTunes if you would like to download the podcast. (They're free right here) He talked a good bit about the translation of the Bible from Hebrew to English and the influence of Greek, also, on the dialect in the Bible. For instance, in Deuteronomy 6 it says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." In Mark 12 it says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Old Testament, New Testament. The Greek separate the mind and soul, but the Hebrew don't. Did you know that Jesus' brother was actually named Jacob? When the Bible was translated into English, King James wanted to be in the Bible, so he changed Jacob's name to James (ever notice that James isn't a name in the Old Testament?) The Bible was meant to be whole, that's why we tore out the New Testament page, it's an editor's note. Interesting, huh? The Holy Spirit is inside of us. Moses, Noah, Abraham all could not step into the glory of God because it was so powerful. WE HAVE THE GLORY OF GOD INSIDE OF US (because the Holy Spirit is inside of us). We can do greater things than Moses, than Noah, than Abraham, even Jesus. There is a reason airplanes were created, technology was created. Jesus walked everywhere to share his testimony, we can fly everywhere and cover more ground :) I'm not saying we're going to die for the world's sins, but do you understand what I'm saying? We can share more about Jesus than Jesus himself shared because of advancement in society. So Jesus lived a perfect life, sinless, He was an example of what humans are supposed to live like. When do you think Jesus defeated the devil? Think about it........ We are tempted by the devil and we lose to the devil every time we sin. We haven't defeated the devil if we still have sin in our life. Most people think Jesus defeated the devil when He died on the cross. Jesus defeated the devil then for us, for our sins. But Jesus, himself, defeated the devil in the desert after 40 days. The devil tempted him in every way and Jesus never fell. Jesus commanded the devil to "flee" after the last temptation. The devil then had to leave Jesus and not tempt Him again. That's when Jesus defeated the devil. And went on to continue living a perfect life. Are you defeating the devil? I know I still fall prey to him, but with God's help, I know I can defeat him! There is so much more that Matthew shared and it totally rocked me. My burning desire to learn Hebrew was solidified yesterday. I want to understand the Bible as it was meant to be read, not through translation. So if anyone wants to learn Hebrew with me when I get home, let me know!!!
Tuesday, the Holy Spirit kept moving and shaking! We had Joseph Avakian speak to us. Joseph is a Graphic Designer in missions. He knows 7 languages! Ah, so crazy! But anyways, Joseph is an artist, a creative man because God is creative and involves Joseph in His creating :) Joseph says that he Co-creates things because the Holy Spirit tells him what to design, so they're both creating. By saying, "God help me with this" you get to accomplish great things because you have God working through you. --Sidenote-- Joseph never went to college, never studied graphic design. He said this today, "Did God hold up a piece of paper for your value? NO!! God put up a Cross to show your value." That's how he feels about his value and how he can still do great work even though he doesn't have a diploma stating that-- Co-Creating with God is a Journey of: Intimacy, Brokenness, Love, Faith, Discovery, Hope, Servant hood, Adventure, and Maturity. I really liked his point about being broken. You have to be vulnerable in order for God to work through you. Forget what you did yesterday and how you did it, start each day new, ready for a new way of doing something, a new thought-process. Each day is NEW! Do you think you can do things better with your way of doing things and your thought process or do you think you can do things better using God's thought process? This is definitely something I have to work on. Being completely open to what God wants me to do and doing how He wants me to. Joseph had great stories about meeting with clients, reviewing the meeting with the Holy Spirit and then waiting on Him to tell him what to draw/create. He only presented his clients with one idea because that's the idea the Holy Spirit gave him and he was confident in it. 97.5% of his ideas have been taken when someone needs website design, logos, or anything creative. Isn't that impressive? I want to go into the business world, specifically the hospitality industry, so this statement about servant hood really struck me, "What can I do to serve you? not to prove myself" I want to serve my clients. By meeting their needs I'll be able to speak about how I got there (with the help of the Holy Spirit). "When you meet someone's needs you have room to speak about God." If you're serving someone, think about them and be a true servant, don't think about how you can prove yourself to them. I really enjoyed hearing about his journey with the Lord and hearing daily in every task. Even when he's brushing his teeth! Are you co-creating with God?? I want to be, so that's what I'm going to be working on :)
This is something important from Matthew's talk on Monday. When you think of God, what do you imagine? Do you think of the Michelangelo's painting with God in the clouds with long white hair and a big beard, with a chiseled body reaching down to us? What do you think of? Do you know the 2nd commandment of the 10 commandments? "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image..." meaning, we shouldn't put God in a picture. Once we have an image of God we limit His abilities to do things. "It isn't about how big your brain is, it's about how big your God is and how much you believe in Him!" Don't put God in a box and don't put yourself in a box either :) you can do ALL things with HIM!
LOVE LOVE LOVE
I love nature, don't you? God really is the ultimate artist.
So Friday, Matt Beasley was with us again sharing more of his story and how he got to where he is today. Basically, walking in the Spirit. Learning how to hear the voice of the Lord and following what He has asked you to do. By listening and acting on His word you become a Revolutionary. I really enjoyed having Matt speak to us because he was a living example of: you don't have to go to a third world country to make a difference, you don't have to be successful and established to start making a difference, you can change your environment instead of letting your environment change you. Simply listening to God results in a life that changes those around you. You have an impact on each person you come in contact with, big or small, why not share God with them and leave them changed for the better?
As many of you know, my birthday was Friday :) It was probably one of the best birthdays I've had in a while. I was surrounded by people who love me (which happens every year) and had fun with them! Class went well, lunch was TACOS (one of the best lunches we've had here), prayer room was great (read Habbakuk 1, it's GOOD), and then my roommates treated me to dinner at Bubba Gumps! We had plans to go somewhere else a little farther down the pier, but we left late so we didn't have time to get there. We had to be back on campus at 7 for a Ladies Night, organized entirely by 3 boys from my CommTrans school (it wasn't for the whole campus, just for the girls in my school). All the guys in the school and staff participated in this event. We were dressed up "like we were going on a date with Jesus" and the room was decorated with lights and balloons and tables with tablecloths and flowers on the tables. So precious. The boys escorted us in and sat us down at tables. Then they started the night with taking our order for dessert: ice cream with different toppings. The boys served us and then one of the MCs spoke to us about how we were all so awesome and how when we get home we shouldn't settle and that we deserve the best man in the world. The boys had written words of encouragement to us, so we got to read those (like one boy had 2 or 3 girls to write a note to) and then the MCs prayed for us! Then we ended the night with a dance party! So awesome. Totally restores my faith in men, that there are still men in the word who are pursuing God and have a heart for serving the women in their lives.
I also got the best gifts from my parents, my Aunt Bonnie, my brothers and their wives, my cousin Bridgit, and my roommates. Seriously, thank you for blessing me with your gifts! And thank you all for calling, texting, and facebooking me! I felt the love on my birthday :) couldn't ask for better people in my life!
Saturday, I had work duty in the kitchen, so I hung out when I wasn't in the kitchen and wrote thank you notes. Very relaxing day!
Sunday I spent with Becky and the boys. Such a great time being with "family" out here! The boys are soo funny! It's good to spend time with Becky and talk to her about the week and and things I'm going through during school. She has great insight and advice! I'm thankful for the Fernandez family :)
This week, week 6 by the way, is the Holy Spirit week. We're having a different speaker every day. Monday we had Matthew Toller speak to us. He is the leader of the Fire & Fragrance DTS going on now. Matthew is a Rabbi, he is a Messianic Jew and by far one of the best speakers I've heard about the history of the Bible and the Holy Spirit. He spoke at the school of worship going on this term earlier and his week is on iTunes if you would like to download the podcast. (They're free right here) He talked a good bit about the translation of the Bible from Hebrew to English and the influence of Greek, also, on the dialect in the Bible. For instance, in Deuteronomy 6 it says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." In Mark 12 it says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Old Testament, New Testament. The Greek separate the mind and soul, but the Hebrew don't. Did you know that Jesus' brother was actually named Jacob? When the Bible was translated into English, King James wanted to be in the Bible, so he changed Jacob's name to James (ever notice that James isn't a name in the Old Testament?) The Bible was meant to be whole, that's why we tore out the New Testament page, it's an editor's note. Interesting, huh? The Holy Spirit is inside of us. Moses, Noah, Abraham all could not step into the glory of God because it was so powerful. WE HAVE THE GLORY OF GOD INSIDE OF US (because the Holy Spirit is inside of us). We can do greater things than Moses, than Noah, than Abraham, even Jesus. There is a reason airplanes were created, technology was created. Jesus walked everywhere to share his testimony, we can fly everywhere and cover more ground :) I'm not saying we're going to die for the world's sins, but do you understand what I'm saying? We can share more about Jesus than Jesus himself shared because of advancement in society. So Jesus lived a perfect life, sinless, He was an example of what humans are supposed to live like. When do you think Jesus defeated the devil? Think about it........ We are tempted by the devil and we lose to the devil every time we sin. We haven't defeated the devil if we still have sin in our life. Most people think Jesus defeated the devil when He died on the cross. Jesus defeated the devil then for us, for our sins. But Jesus, himself, defeated the devil in the desert after 40 days. The devil tempted him in every way and Jesus never fell. Jesus commanded the devil to "flee" after the last temptation. The devil then had to leave Jesus and not tempt Him again. That's when Jesus defeated the devil. And went on to continue living a perfect life. Are you defeating the devil? I know I still fall prey to him, but with God's help, I know I can defeat him! There is so much more that Matthew shared and it totally rocked me. My burning desire to learn Hebrew was solidified yesterday. I want to understand the Bible as it was meant to be read, not through translation. So if anyone wants to learn Hebrew with me when I get home, let me know!!!
Tuesday, the Holy Spirit kept moving and shaking! We had Joseph Avakian speak to us. Joseph is a Graphic Designer in missions. He knows 7 languages! Ah, so crazy! But anyways, Joseph is an artist, a creative man because God is creative and involves Joseph in His creating :) Joseph says that he Co-creates things because the Holy Spirit tells him what to design, so they're both creating. By saying, "God help me with this" you get to accomplish great things because you have God working through you. --Sidenote-- Joseph never went to college, never studied graphic design. He said this today, "Did God hold up a piece of paper for your value? NO!! God put up a Cross to show your value." That's how he feels about his value and how he can still do great work even though he doesn't have a diploma stating that-- Co-Creating with God is a Journey of: Intimacy, Brokenness, Love, Faith, Discovery, Hope, Servant hood, Adventure, and Maturity. I really liked his point about being broken. You have to be vulnerable in order for God to work through you. Forget what you did yesterday and how you did it, start each day new, ready for a new way of doing something, a new thought-process. Each day is NEW! Do you think you can do things better with your way of doing things and your thought process or do you think you can do things better using God's thought process? This is definitely something I have to work on. Being completely open to what God wants me to do and doing how He wants me to. Joseph had great stories about meeting with clients, reviewing the meeting with the Holy Spirit and then waiting on Him to tell him what to draw/create. He only presented his clients with one idea because that's the idea the Holy Spirit gave him and he was confident in it. 97.5% of his ideas have been taken when someone needs website design, logos, or anything creative. Isn't that impressive? I want to go into the business world, specifically the hospitality industry, so this statement about servant hood really struck me, "What can I do to serve you? not to prove myself" I want to serve my clients. By meeting their needs I'll be able to speak about how I got there (with the help of the Holy Spirit). "When you meet someone's needs you have room to speak about God." If you're serving someone, think about them and be a true servant, don't think about how you can prove yourself to them. I really enjoyed hearing about his journey with the Lord and hearing daily in every task. Even when he's brushing his teeth! Are you co-creating with God?? I want to be, so that's what I'm going to be working on :)
This is something important from Matthew's talk on Monday. When you think of God, what do you imagine? Do you think of the Michelangelo's painting with God in the clouds with long white hair and a big beard, with a chiseled body reaching down to us? What do you think of? Do you know the 2nd commandment of the 10 commandments? "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image..." meaning, we shouldn't put God in a picture. Once we have an image of God we limit His abilities to do things. "It isn't about how big your brain is, it's about how big your God is and how much you believe in Him!" Don't put God in a box and don't put yourself in a box either :) you can do ALL things with HIM!
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Friday, November 4, 2011
I'm Singing in the Rain
Currently, it's 8:15 pm and it's raining. And thundering. And lightening. I'm sitting outside on my porch getting scared every time I hear the roar of the thunder. I love storms. They're calming (even though I get scared), they're so musical, and they bring a smell of rain that I love. I also have Kari Jobe radio playing on Pandora. Can the night get better? Um, probably not.
I just came back from our Thursday night O'hana gathering that we have weekly on Thursday nights. Tonight was just worship, no speaker. I love nights of just worship. Tonight, one of the leaders sang a song he had written about 2 Moravian missionaries who cried out to the slaves from the bow of a ship "May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering." The worship leader is a part of the School of Worship this quarter, so he sang the first part by himself (with band) then the rest of the school came and sang with him, like a choir. Immediately tears came down my face. Nothing sounds better than choirs of voices coming together to sing praise to such a worthy God. Voices are so beautiful when they come together and even on their own. God knew what He was doing when He gave us the gift of singing. He was giving Himself a gift too :) He loves hearing our songs, our praises, our voices just lifted to Him. Even the angels sing constantly, I bet they sound beautiful harmonizing together. (Sidenote: I may not have the best voice, but I do regret that I haven't been using it the past 4 years...) Music speaks so much to me, does it speak to you? We have been singing "Were You There?" in class and ah it sounds so wonderful. Same with "Amazing Grace" -- I think I get new revelations about grace every time we sing that song. Or listening to "Joyful, Joyful" from the movie Sister Act 2, goodness I could listen to that song all day long! "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" speaks so much to me!! It says "I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free!" I'm so happy that I'm free, aren't you?? Or have you heard "There Is Power In the Blood"? I suggest listening to that song. There is wonder working power in the precious blood of the lamb! Amen! Thank you, God, for blessing so many people with the ability to sing and lift others with their songs to you!
I could go on and on about music, but I won't...... This week we have 2 speakers; the first 3 days we heard from Andy Byrd and today and tomorrow we will hear from Matt Beasley. Andy is on staff with YWAM and is in charge of DTSs run here at UofN. He started the Fire and Fragrance DTS here and has written books about being on fire for God and being a fragrance to the world for Him. He talked about the Heart of a Revolutionary. Our classroom is filled with 82 revolutionaries! We are all going to change the world in same way for the better. We have really been interceding a lot lately for this generation, that we wouldn't be passive anymore, that we would turn our society (and the world) back to God. By simply living out the gospel everyday, we can be ordinary revolutionaries. Andy talked about the Heart of a Revolutionary; five things that a revolutionary lives by. The first is that a revolutionary has Initiative, always the first to do something and start something, not scared to pioneer, to start from the ground and build up. A revolutionary is Presence-centered (addicted to Eden); living a life that is in habitual fellowship with God. Living a life that always chooses God and listens to Him for the next move. A revolutionary has Eternal Perspective. We only have 50-90 years (a lifespan) to react to circumstances with an eternal perspective. For instance, Andy said that when he was married he said he'd only have 2 children, because it was convenient, easy on a missionaries budget. His wife is now pregnant with their 4th child. He said when his 3rd child was born he heard God say, "Why would you want to limit your chance at co-creating something that will be able to glorify me for the rest of eternity? Why would you put a limit on how many creations you can be involved in that will be glory to me in their lifetime?" Andy has a goal of seeing 100 great-grandchildren before he dies. What we do on Earth is so short compared to living for FOREVER with God. So short. So stinkin' short. Why do we respond to things with an earthly perspective? We need to respond with an Eternal Perspective!! A Revolutionary knows the Authority of the Word in a believer's life. God's word is still alive! There is still power in praying prayers of the Bible, prayers that David wrote, that Paul wrote, prayers throughout the Bible are still applicable to our lives! There is power in the Word of God. The Bible isn't boring! The Bible isn't too long to read, isn't too hard to understand, isn't dead to nowaday living. Did you know that the Bible is the only book with an author who never dies? God is waiting for you to sit down and ask him questions about this passage and this king and this parable, He's ready to explain His word to you! Truth is ABSOLUTE not relative, it's in the Word of God. A Revolutionary lives in Happy Holiness. Philippians 1:9-10 "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ," Basically, as you love, you gain more knowledge, then you get more revelations of God, then you have more love. Holiness comes from loving God, not trying to be perfect. Holiness is the absence of false gods or replacements. Holiness if from love, pursue God and holiness comes from that. Andy brought such good words to class and encouraged us to be more revolutionary. We can and will change the world. Have you ever heard of Circuit Riders? They are Methodist ministers during the Revolutionary War in America. Francis Asbury came from England to rise up a methodology of simply following God. One circuit rider, Jesse Walker said, "By the grace of God I have come to (city's name) and by the grace of God I will take this place!" I'm gonna start saying that wherever I go :)
Matt Beasley shared his testimony this morning and we will hear more from him tomorrow. Matt is from Greenville, South Carolina. He attended Southern Wesleyan in Central and attended NewSpring Church in Anderson. Matt, while there, started the LOT Project in Anderson and has made such an impact in that community. I was soo homesick while he was talking about the church I used to go to, the city I used to frequent, and the area I lived in for 4 years. I really wish I gotten more involved in the community around me while I was in Clemson. I can do that when I go back to wherever city God places me in after DTS. But Matt did the CommTrans DTS last year and then did the Circuit Riders school that was put on this summer in Kona. The outreach was to Orange County, CA so Matt is now living there working on college campuses and in churches and on the streets. I'm really excited to hear more from him tomorrow, he really is a perfect example of living a life for Christ to be a revolutionary.
I apologize to you all for being so slack on my postings :( It won't happen again!! I realized today that I feel much better after I write out things I've been learning because this time gives me time to process and soak in what I've been learning. I will be posting more this weekend about Brian Brennt's week and more about what activities I've been doing here in Hawaii. Postings will not be so spaced out anymore, for both of our sakes! I'm so thankful for those of you reading these and your support! I miss home, but I'm thankful for this opportunity to learn more about our great God :)
LOVE LOVE LOVE
P.S. Here is a song we have listened to a good bit about being a revolutionary. It's long BUT please listen to the whole thing, it will get you fired up to go set a nation on fire! It's by Jake Hamilton and it's called "New Song".
I just came back from our Thursday night O'hana gathering that we have weekly on Thursday nights. Tonight was just worship, no speaker. I love nights of just worship. Tonight, one of the leaders sang a song he had written about 2 Moravian missionaries who cried out to the slaves from the bow of a ship "May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering." The worship leader is a part of the School of Worship this quarter, so he sang the first part by himself (with band) then the rest of the school came and sang with him, like a choir. Immediately tears came down my face. Nothing sounds better than choirs of voices coming together to sing praise to such a worthy God. Voices are so beautiful when they come together and even on their own. God knew what He was doing when He gave us the gift of singing. He was giving Himself a gift too :) He loves hearing our songs, our praises, our voices just lifted to Him. Even the angels sing constantly, I bet they sound beautiful harmonizing together. (Sidenote: I may not have the best voice, but I do regret that I haven't been using it the past 4 years...) Music speaks so much to me, does it speak to you? We have been singing "Were You There?" in class and ah it sounds so wonderful. Same with "Amazing Grace" -- I think I get new revelations about grace every time we sing that song. Or listening to "Joyful, Joyful" from the movie Sister Act 2, goodness I could listen to that song all day long! "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" speaks so much to me!! It says "I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free!" I'm so happy that I'm free, aren't you?? Or have you heard "There Is Power In the Blood"? I suggest listening to that song. There is wonder working power in the precious blood of the lamb! Amen! Thank you, God, for blessing so many people with the ability to sing and lift others with their songs to you!
I could go on and on about music, but I won't...... This week we have 2 speakers; the first 3 days we heard from Andy Byrd and today and tomorrow we will hear from Matt Beasley. Andy is on staff with YWAM and is in charge of DTSs run here at UofN. He started the Fire and Fragrance DTS here and has written books about being on fire for God and being a fragrance to the world for Him. He talked about the Heart of a Revolutionary. Our classroom is filled with 82 revolutionaries! We are all going to change the world in same way for the better. We have really been interceding a lot lately for this generation, that we wouldn't be passive anymore, that we would turn our society (and the world) back to God. By simply living out the gospel everyday, we can be ordinary revolutionaries. Andy talked about the Heart of a Revolutionary; five things that a revolutionary lives by. The first is that a revolutionary has Initiative, always the first to do something and start something, not scared to pioneer, to start from the ground and build up. A revolutionary is Presence-centered (addicted to Eden); living a life that is in habitual fellowship with God. Living a life that always chooses God and listens to Him for the next move. A revolutionary has Eternal Perspective. We only have 50-90 years (a lifespan) to react to circumstances with an eternal perspective. For instance, Andy said that when he was married he said he'd only have 2 children, because it was convenient, easy on a missionaries budget. His wife is now pregnant with their 4th child. He said when his 3rd child was born he heard God say, "Why would you want to limit your chance at co-creating something that will be able to glorify me for the rest of eternity? Why would you put a limit on how many creations you can be involved in that will be glory to me in their lifetime?" Andy has a goal of seeing 100 great-grandchildren before he dies. What we do on Earth is so short compared to living for FOREVER with God. So short. So stinkin' short. Why do we respond to things with an earthly perspective? We need to respond with an Eternal Perspective!! A Revolutionary knows the Authority of the Word in a believer's life. God's word is still alive! There is still power in praying prayers of the Bible, prayers that David wrote, that Paul wrote, prayers throughout the Bible are still applicable to our lives! There is power in the Word of God. The Bible isn't boring! The Bible isn't too long to read, isn't too hard to understand, isn't dead to nowaday living. Did you know that the Bible is the only book with an author who never dies? God is waiting for you to sit down and ask him questions about this passage and this king and this parable, He's ready to explain His word to you! Truth is ABSOLUTE not relative, it's in the Word of God. A Revolutionary lives in Happy Holiness. Philippians 1:9-10 "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ," Basically, as you love, you gain more knowledge, then you get more revelations of God, then you have more love. Holiness comes from loving God, not trying to be perfect. Holiness is the absence of false gods or replacements. Holiness if from love, pursue God and holiness comes from that. Andy brought such good words to class and encouraged us to be more revolutionary. We can and will change the world. Have you ever heard of Circuit Riders? They are Methodist ministers during the Revolutionary War in America. Francis Asbury came from England to rise up a methodology of simply following God. One circuit rider, Jesse Walker said, "By the grace of God I have come to (city's name) and by the grace of God I will take this place!" I'm gonna start saying that wherever I go :)
Matt Beasley shared his testimony this morning and we will hear more from him tomorrow. Matt is from Greenville, South Carolina. He attended Southern Wesleyan in Central and attended NewSpring Church in Anderson. Matt, while there, started the LOT Project in Anderson and has made such an impact in that community. I was soo homesick while he was talking about the church I used to go to, the city I used to frequent, and the area I lived in for 4 years. I really wish I gotten more involved in the community around me while I was in Clemson. I can do that when I go back to wherever city God places me in after DTS. But Matt did the CommTrans DTS last year and then did the Circuit Riders school that was put on this summer in Kona. The outreach was to Orange County, CA so Matt is now living there working on college campuses and in churches and on the streets. I'm really excited to hear more from him tomorrow, he really is a perfect example of living a life for Christ to be a revolutionary.
I apologize to you all for being so slack on my postings :( It won't happen again!! I realized today that I feel much better after I write out things I've been learning because this time gives me time to process and soak in what I've been learning. I will be posting more this weekend about Brian Brennt's week and more about what activities I've been doing here in Hawaii. Postings will not be so spaced out anymore, for both of our sakes! I'm so thankful for those of you reading these and your support! I miss home, but I'm thankful for this opportunity to learn more about our great God :)
LOVE LOVE LOVE
P.S. Here is a song we have listened to a good bit about being a revolutionary. It's long BUT please listen to the whole thing, it will get you fired up to go set a nation on fire! It's by Jake Hamilton and it's called "New Song".
Saturday, October 29, 2011
You Light Up My Life
Have I told y'all that I love my roommates??? Like I couldn't have asked for better women to live with for 3 months. I think these girls put my faith back in having roommates! So here's a post about my roomies :)
Amber- is from Tuskegee, Alabama. She's solid. She went to Duke, but I don't hold that against her for all you Clemson people reading. She's super intelligent and knows how to speak words that rock you! Amber is pretty quiet, but she's very aware of what's going on around her. I sit next to her in class so I can crack jokes and have her laugh and roll her eyes at me. I like this one, she's pretty awesome!!
Madisen- ........................................................
There are no words for Madisen. Really. None. She's weird, but totally awesome at the same time. She grew up on a farm in Canada, so I think that explains things. She raps, she dances, she makes funny faces ALL the time, she provides entertainment 24/7. But in all seriousness, she's firm in her beliefs and a great example of just standing your ground. She knows how to make you think, then laugh 5 seconds later. Couldn't ask for a better woman of God to hang out with!
Staci- is from The Bay Area in California. Fremont, I think is where she claims home. Staci is the mom of the room. "Ok, girls, 5 more minutes til we need to go!" (we aren't ready in 5 minutes, so she goes to class without us). She always has a smile on her face, even through her tears you can see a smile. Her happiness is contagious. Seriously. You can't help but smile or laugh whenever you see her. She and I have had amazing conversations about what we're learning, how we're being blessed, and just life in general. She asks GREAT questions. I enjoy having her in my room AND in my DTS.
Gabby- is from Kuai'i, another island :) she's an island girl!
She is the picture of elegance, grace, and beauty. She has such a
child-like faith and she is just hungry for learning more about God.
Gabby is pretty quiet, but has some powerful questions and prayers.
She's just on her journey of being closer to Jesus and you can tell
she's grown leaps and bounds since she's been here at DTS. I love her
honesty and meekness. I think of precious when I think of Gabby. She's
wonderful to have in our room!!
Amy- is from Washington, the state. She's bubbly, light, hilarious, a lover, a singer, a songwriter, a ball of laughter!! I like how she's a realist but fun at the same time, she's definitely not a Debby-Downer about things. She gets crazy visions from God and knows how to inspire a whole room with her words and excitement about life. You guys are gonna hear her on the radio one day singing praises to her Creator :)
Melissa- is from Omaha, Nebraska (or New Braska, as Madisen would spell it). She's who I cuddle with at night and watch movies with. We talk sports, she's a Husker fan, obviously! She's super dry which adds a whole new element of humor to our room. She loves the beach, she goes every weekend! Which is smart since we're in Hawai'i. Melissa is a talented piano player and singer. She listens to piano all the time and it makes me want to start playing again! She also LOVES popcorn, so I feel like she would fit in the Stone family well. She is always seeking the Lord and enjoys learning more about Him. I have enjoyed her very much so far :)
Rachael- is from Canada and enjoys hiking. She has some awesome pictures of mountains and stuff in Canada. I didn't know Canada was pretty until I saw her pictures. (kidding kidding). Rachael is my bunkmate, so I hope my bed doesn't break and land on her. Rachael comes from a HUGE family, like she has 10 brothers and sisters. Her nieces and nephews call her Auntie Sug cause she likes candy so much and gives it to them all the time. Rachael is quiet but really funny, I like her inputs all the time. I'm lucky to have her in my room! She's opening up and she's wonderful :) her smile is gorgeous and her heart is beautiful too!!
Sooo mom and dad, you don't have to worry, I'm surrounded by AMAZING girls and we all have a great time together! Other girls say they want to come live in our room because we actually know each other and spend time together. I will really really miss them when we all leave in 2 months :(
 |
| Gabby and Amber at snack time! |
Madisen- ........................................................
Staci- is from The Bay Area in California. Fremont, I think is where she claims home. Staci is the mom of the room. "Ok, girls, 5 more minutes til we need to go!" (we aren't ready in 5 minutes, so she goes to class without us). She always has a smile on her face, even through her tears you can see a smile. Her happiness is contagious. Seriously. You can't help but smile or laugh whenever you see her. She and I have had amazing conversations about what we're learning, how we're being blessed, and just life in general. She asks GREAT questions. I enjoy having her in my room AND in my DTS.
 |
| Staci and Gabby |
Amy- is from Washington, the state. She's bubbly, light, hilarious, a lover, a singer, a songwriter, a ball of laughter!! I like how she's a realist but fun at the same time, she's definitely not a Debby-Downer about things. She gets crazy visions from God and knows how to inspire a whole room with her words and excitement about life. You guys are gonna hear her on the radio one day singing praises to her Creator :)
 |
| Amy and I at OpenMic Night |
Rachael- is from Canada and enjoys hiking. She has some awesome pictures of mountains and stuff in Canada. I didn't know Canada was pretty until I saw her pictures. (kidding kidding). Rachael is my bunkmate, so I hope my bed doesn't break and land on her. Rachael comes from a HUGE family, like she has 10 brothers and sisters. Her nieces and nephews call her Auntie Sug cause she likes candy so much and gives it to them all the time. Rachael is quiet but really funny, I like her inputs all the time. I'm lucky to have her in my room! She's opening up and she's wonderful :) her smile is gorgeous and her heart is beautiful too!!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
You've Got Magic
Last week finished up nicely. I really enjoyed Jeff and his teaching. Thursday, we had small groups (in the afternoon after our lecture) and we had a book report due. Well, not really a book report, but we read Loren Cunningham's book the first weekend of school, so we had to act out an event from that book that we enjoyed. We could either be Loren or Darlene (his wife) as we told the story from their perspective. So I chose to act out when Loren got dismissed from the Assemblies of God because they didn't see YWAM as an organization that agreed with their visions. I also acted out Loren having "heart surgery" in New Zealand, he prayed for a week for God to purify his heart and God reminded him of the events that took place when Thomas Zimmerman asked him to leave the Assemblies. I went first in my group. I was nervous, as usual, but I did GREAT! I'm such a great actor. So we were in the cafe on campus and I was acting out the part where Loren is praying for a clean heart, I was on my knees with my eyes closed and my hands folded in front of me. My team was getting a good laugh at my acting, so I opened my eyes and one of my leaders was filming me and Jenni Gillespie (my school leader) had joined the group while my eyes were closed. I was SOOO embarrassed!! Then John, her husband, my school leader, sat on the other side of me. So I had to finish acting out my prayer of a clean heart and writing Brother Zimmerman a letter of apology. I got an A! Yay! It was a fun ordeal. Then the rest of the team gave their stories and we had a great time talking about the story of how YWAM was started and how Loren and Darlene really live out a life of following God. We couldn't decide what to do for the rest of the time, so we decided to go around and affirm each other. That took up the rest of the time plus some. It was so great being able to speak positive words to each other and tell each other what we see in them. My group said that I was determined to finish tasks, and do them well, that I was bold and confident, that I spoke wisely, and the most popular affirmation was that I was hilarious. :) I like that I'm bringing smiles to people's faces!
Friday, was Jeff's last day of teaching us. We went through the book of Ephesians in like an hour, really looking at how Paul turned things upside down in that city. We read Acts chapters 18 and 19 about Paul's three years in Ephesus (roughly 3 years) and how all of Asia Minor heard the Gospel because of Paul living out a Christ-like life. He taught in the lecture hall, worked in the market place (Paul was a tent maker--traveling tents for rich people to travel with), made friends with the government, and turned this port city upside down. Then he left right when riot broke out in the city. This really is an interesting story, I encourage you all to really read and research Ephesus and what Paul did there. By living like Christ and really following him, Paul changed a city for the better. So many people followed Christ because of Paul.Did you know that Christianity was originally called The Way, because it's a way of life not a religion. Isn't that interesting? Like back when it was spreading, before they had a name for it, everyone called it The Way because it changed how people lived their lives. Listening, following, and loving God is a way of life, not a religion. Good word right there!
Friday night some of my roommates and I went to Wal-Mart for things needed and for something to do. Then some of us went and watched the Dodge Ball tournament going on. (I will upload pictures when my camera is charged) That was so fun! A team of 6 guys from my DTS ended up winning the tournament and they beat a team made up of guys from our staff. That was interesting, but super fun to watch. It's funny how emotional guys get about the activity they're participating in. If someone wasn't being honest about being out or if an official made a "wrong" call some of the boys were pretty vocal about their dislike. It's dodge ball at missions university, calm down buddy. It's not the dodge ball Olympics! Does that exist? But anyways, fun night of dancing and watching dodge ball.
Saturday and Sunday I had work duty in the kitchen. I had to be there at 6:30 in the morning on Saturday and 6:00 in the morning on Sunday. I made oatmeal again and cleaned the dishes inside (so big pans and trays and utensils etc). We had a break until 3 and then we had to come back for dinner. Saturday night we had Taco salad, that was yummy. I mixed salad stuff and then washed dishes again. On Sunday, we had cheese tortellini. Zach, the weekend supervisor (he's 22, real cool dude), wanted Alfredo sauce for our portion of the meal (we eat before the rest of campus) so he made some from scratch. Basically it was the best Alfredo sauce I've had. Almost all of the team was packed around the stove top with rolls we had just pulled out of the oven, dipping the bread into the skillet with the sauce. Talk about YUM. I didn't clean dishes Sunday night, I swept the floors and mopped the floors and for a little while I was scrapping the big dishes before another person washed them. My hands and wrists got sliced up from the pans, so putting them in the soapy water didn't feel to good. I still have all the little cuts, so it still hurts to wash my hands, which I do 500 times a day. :( I like the team I'm working with on kitchen duty. We have a good time together. Here is a picture of the oatmeal I make in the morning and another picture of the Alfredo sauce we made on Sunday night. OOOH and Sunday night, we didn't make the tortellini fast enough, so we just had to put out stuff to make Ham and Cheese sandwiches. Those late people weren't happy, but at least they got fed! Hopefully we will finish the tortellini sometime this week, it was really good!
Monday, today, was our first day of hearing from Bryan Brennt. He's from the OC and has been influential in many guys lives here on CommTrans staff. He's impacted a lot of other people too. He's really funny speaker!! I was dying laughing at all of his jokes. He got off on a tangent about FuddRuckers (the hamburger place) and seriously, it was hilarious the way he was describing the options you could choose from and how you have to unbutton your pants so you can eat your whole burger. "You leave that place bigger than when you went in. FuddRuckers." Listening to him made me want to go there! Too bad they aren't in Hawaii. But anyway, today we joined the "Super Natural Academy." Bryan is teaching us the gift of prophecy and delivering the message that God gives to you for others. Some people don't have this gift, this gift of getting pictures or dreams or words from God about themselves or others. He explained that in order to hear from God you have to accept the fact that He Loves you (loves you, like your mom or dad loves you), that He Likes You (like when you have a crush on someone in the 7th grade), and that he Lavishes you (he was saying both Ravish and Lavish.. but He pours His love out for us and embraces us). Then once you accept those 3 things, you heart is tenderized, it is easy for you to love others, and it gives you the authority to destroy your enemies. We then broke up into 2 groups, the ones who had this gift of prophecy and those that don't (who he calls the Quarterbacks). Then we got into groups of 3, two prophecies and one quarterback. I was the quarterback with a girl named Lexx and a girl named Kate. We prayed for each other and asked for God to show us how He loves us and then we asked about strongholds in our lives that need to be gotten rid of (that's bad grammar, but I can't think of the right words.) This was a great exercise and it was interesting to hear how God tells other people about us through words or pictures or visions. That's how we ended class, then we went to the prayer room after lunch. This session was about praying for our generation. Asking God to remove the chains that hold our generation back from accepting His love and spreading His love. And then asking God what this generation was "pregnant" with and asking Him to develop it and birth it so we could see fruits of this generation. (I still don't understand what that question means, but I prayed anyways.....) Then I hung out with some roommates before dinner and did some job searching online and chatting with my roommates. Now I'm going to bed! I'm tired!
I hope you all had a wonderful Monday, and I hope your week goes well!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Friday, was Jeff's last day of teaching us. We went through the book of Ephesians in like an hour, really looking at how Paul turned things upside down in that city. We read Acts chapters 18 and 19 about Paul's three years in Ephesus (roughly 3 years) and how all of Asia Minor heard the Gospel because of Paul living out a Christ-like life. He taught in the lecture hall, worked in the market place (Paul was a tent maker--traveling tents for rich people to travel with), made friends with the government, and turned this port city upside down. Then he left right when riot broke out in the city. This really is an interesting story, I encourage you all to really read and research Ephesus and what Paul did there. By living like Christ and really following him, Paul changed a city for the better. So many people followed Christ because of Paul.Did you know that Christianity was originally called The Way, because it's a way of life not a religion. Isn't that interesting? Like back when it was spreading, before they had a name for it, everyone called it The Way because it changed how people lived their lives. Listening, following, and loving God is a way of life, not a religion. Good word right there!
Friday night some of my roommates and I went to Wal-Mart for things needed and for something to do. Then some of us went and watched the Dodge Ball tournament going on. (I will upload pictures when my camera is charged) That was so fun! A team of 6 guys from my DTS ended up winning the tournament and they beat a team made up of guys from our staff. That was interesting, but super fun to watch. It's funny how emotional guys get about the activity they're participating in. If someone wasn't being honest about being out or if an official made a "wrong" call some of the boys were pretty vocal about their dislike. It's dodge ball at missions university, calm down buddy. It's not the dodge ball Olympics! Does that exist? But anyways, fun night of dancing and watching dodge ball.
Saturday and Sunday I had work duty in the kitchen. I had to be there at 6:30 in the morning on Saturday and 6:00 in the morning on Sunday. I made oatmeal again and cleaned the dishes inside (so big pans and trays and utensils etc). We had a break until 3 and then we had to come back for dinner. Saturday night we had Taco salad, that was yummy. I mixed salad stuff and then washed dishes again. On Sunday, we had cheese tortellini. Zach, the weekend supervisor (he's 22, real cool dude), wanted Alfredo sauce for our portion of the meal (we eat before the rest of campus) so he made some from scratch. Basically it was the best Alfredo sauce I've had. Almost all of the team was packed around the stove top with rolls we had just pulled out of the oven, dipping the bread into the skillet with the sauce. Talk about YUM. I didn't clean dishes Sunday night, I swept the floors and mopped the floors and for a little while I was scrapping the big dishes before another person washed them. My hands and wrists got sliced up from the pans, so putting them in the soapy water didn't feel to good. I still have all the little cuts, so it still hurts to wash my hands, which I do 500 times a day. :( I like the team I'm working with on kitchen duty. We have a good time together. Here is a picture of the oatmeal I make in the morning and another picture of the Alfredo sauce we made on Sunday night. OOOH and Sunday night, we didn't make the tortellini fast enough, so we just had to put out stuff to make Ham and Cheese sandwiches. Those late people weren't happy, but at least they got fed! Hopefully we will finish the tortellini sometime this week, it was really good!
I hope you all had a wonderful Monday, and I hope your week goes well!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Get Up and LIVE
You know we're living in the church of Acts, right? Transformation and revival is happening NOW. All around the world. Get on board, don't miss being apart of the greatest story every told!
Just had to get a little radical on you for a bit. "Wake UP child, it's your time to SHINE. For such a time as this."
Jeff Reid is our speaker this week and he hasn't really taught us anything, he's been sharing stories of revival and that's what has been teaching us. God is just speaking through his stories like none other. I'm worn out after I listen to him for 3 hours, he just brings so much truth just by reading the Bible out loud. Monday he just starts off with a story of salvation and tells us, "The Kingdom is real. You're living in it right now." That's sooo TRUE. God's will is being done on Earth, He is still active and alive through us! Jeff shared his testimony and some other stories of evangelism and then had us pair up and tell the person we were with what Jesus has saved us from. Our generation doesn't use the word "save" anymore. You are probably sitting there saying to yourself, "Why is she using saved? She should say "born-again" or something else." NO!! We were SAVED when we accepted Christ as our SAVIOR. Ah, listing off what I've been saved from made things sooo real. I'm thankful that He has forgiven me, I fully accept the forgiveness, but to think about how He saved me from a life of destruction really hit me differently. Thank you for saving me from the trenches of this world! We were VERY late for lunch Monday.
Tuesday. We started off watching this video. It's about Heidi Baker and her Iris Ministries that she works with in Africa. Please tell me you watched that and were moved. I wanted to get out of my seat, fly to Africa, and help. I was sooo stirred. Children are who we see Christ in so much, they're who we should be pouring into. They hold the future! (We all hold the future in our hands, too, so go out and write a new part of history!) But ah that video was just so touching. "Love looks like something.." Love is actions! It's not just a word, it's an action. So Jeff basically read straight from the Bible to teach about Simple, Affection-based Obedience. What's your first thought when you hear the word "obedience"? Something strong, something constricting, something not fun. At least that's what I think. But affection-based obedience is the opposite of those things! You obey God because you love Him and you love Him because you obey Him! I've always felt that God was so big and great that His word and everything about him had to be held so high and you could only use big words when you talked about God. I felt like understanding the Bible was out of reach and like you had to be really smart to understand God. NOT TRUE! It's called Simple, Affection-Based Obedience because it's SIMPLE. You just listen and obey. We read through John 15:1-17 about being branches that abide in the vine. I'm a branch and Jesus is the vine and God is the gardener. How many of you have a garden, had a garden at one time, or know anything about gardening? You have to cut/prune things in order for them to produce more fruit. God isn't going to cut you off if you aren't producing fruit, He is going to cut you so that you grow back bigger and full of fruit! Fruit Happens! For His glory. You were created for His glory, not for your glory. The better you get to know Him, the more your heart becomes like His. "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you." You're reading thinking, "Oh, so I can ask for that new Lexus and He'll give it to me?" Nope. If you remain in Him, the desires of His heart will become the desires of your heart. He will give you the desires of your heart because they're what He desires! Does that seem hard to you? It shouldn't. It's simple! So simple! It clicked with me that things don't have to be super hard and intellectual with God, it's so simple. You follow and obey because you love Him and He loves you. Go out and do His work! So that was just the lecture. We were late for lunch again. Kinda. I had small group after that and we started a booklet called the Big Ten. Basically, what 10 things you would leave with someone you just led to the Lord. We went through Evangelism and practiced giving testimonies, basically telling the Gospel real quick. Our leader Kristina would give us scenarios for what we might be doing on outreach then we had to give the Gospel like we would in scenario. My scenario was that I was at fashion week in NYC and I was leading Paris Hilton to the Lord. Awesome. Gotta practice sharing my testimony and the Gospel! Then I went to Tom and Becky's for dinner. I sure did miss being with the kids and Becky. Didn't get to see Tom, but that's ok, I'll see him around sooner or later....
Wednesday. Um, can you just say the word Crazy with me? Crazy. We start class at 9 and Jeff shared a story about saving a demon-possessed man in Cornwall, England. Weird story. Then we had a time of sharing of the Lord was doing in our hearts since we've been here. A girl talked about how she had disliked so many things about the church and how since being here she's realized that she can't deny God anymore, she can only deny religion. Religion keeps you disconnected from your relationship with God. Religion keeps you silent, kept in a corner, it doesn't save you. A guy was wearing a shirt that said "Religion Kills. Jesus Saves." SO TRUE!!!! So many people are so against the church because it's all about religion and good deeds, its not about the relationship with God, your daddy, your creator. It makes you apathetic to the ways of God and that's not what I want anymore!! (Please do not read that the church is bad. The church is Jesus' bride, He loves the church, not the religion aspect of it) Jeff confessed that the Lord told him a while ago that He wouldn't ever send him to people that weren't world changers. We are room filled of world changers. We had a radical time of just listening to music and declaring things over the mic to the whole room. Then we had a dance party! I wish I had film of us jumping around and praising God for creating us for His glory, giving us a purpose, and loving us. Oh my gosh, it was crazy. So Jeff comes over the mic and says, "I feel like God is calling us to have a baptism. In the old Jewish history, people got baptized whenever something new happened, like moving to a new place, or starting a new thing in life. It signifies new life. A lot of you are cluing into who you really are, you're something new, you're a creation of God. So let's go do some baptizing!" That was at 11:30. We went down to the pier in downtown Kona and had a massive baptism. Here are some pictures! There was a cruise ship in the ocean and people were coming off the boats to go into town and they were standing on the wall watching our baptism. It was insane! So amazing!
We missed lunch completely. We went to our electives (water, healthcare, or prayer room. media won't start for a couple of weeks, so we went to the prayer room.) We prayed over a verse for ourselves (like not all together, just separately, just time to be with God.) I read Matthew 5:13-16. Being the salt and light of the world. Adding taste to the world for God and lighting up the world for Him. Very good versus to read over for yourself, asking God to make you a seasoning for the world and light for the world. That's what I wanna be; salt and light. Then we went on community outreach and I had an uncomfortable situation occur. My roommate, Staci, and I started talking to this homeless man, who said his name was Pineapple. I can't even tell you all the weird things he said they were so offensive. So I was so uncomfortable that I told Staci it was time to leave, so we said bye and continued to walk around downtown. She wanted to "deliver him right now" but it just wasn't right. That man had so many layers of things to work through that I think it's best to develop a relationship with him then lead him to the Lord. He was beyond scary, but Jesus loves him and he needs to know that! After community outreach we had dinner and now I'm here, finishing up this post to you all!
Get Up and Live RIGHT NOW!! You're royalty, you're destiny, you have been set-free, YOU ARE A WORLD CHANGER!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE
p.s. A lot of you all have asked for my address and I can't remember who, so please send me an email or a text or a facebook message and I'll give you my physical address here in Kona! thanks!
Just had to get a little radical on you for a bit. "Wake UP child, it's your time to SHINE. For such a time as this."
Jeff Reid is our speaker this week and he hasn't really taught us anything, he's been sharing stories of revival and that's what has been teaching us. God is just speaking through his stories like none other. I'm worn out after I listen to him for 3 hours, he just brings so much truth just by reading the Bible out loud. Monday he just starts off with a story of salvation and tells us, "The Kingdom is real. You're living in it right now." That's sooo TRUE. God's will is being done on Earth, He is still active and alive through us! Jeff shared his testimony and some other stories of evangelism and then had us pair up and tell the person we were with what Jesus has saved us from. Our generation doesn't use the word "save" anymore. You are probably sitting there saying to yourself, "Why is she using saved? She should say "born-again" or something else." NO!! We were SAVED when we accepted Christ as our SAVIOR. Ah, listing off what I've been saved from made things sooo real. I'm thankful that He has forgiven me, I fully accept the forgiveness, but to think about how He saved me from a life of destruction really hit me differently. Thank you for saving me from the trenches of this world! We were VERY late for lunch Monday.
Tuesday. We started off watching this video. It's about Heidi Baker and her Iris Ministries that she works with in Africa. Please tell me you watched that and were moved. I wanted to get out of my seat, fly to Africa, and help. I was sooo stirred. Children are who we see Christ in so much, they're who we should be pouring into. They hold the future! (We all hold the future in our hands, too, so go out and write a new part of history!) But ah that video was just so touching. "Love looks like something.." Love is actions! It's not just a word, it's an action. So Jeff basically read straight from the Bible to teach about Simple, Affection-based Obedience. What's your first thought when you hear the word "obedience"? Something strong, something constricting, something not fun. At least that's what I think. But affection-based obedience is the opposite of those things! You obey God because you love Him and you love Him because you obey Him! I've always felt that God was so big and great that His word and everything about him had to be held so high and you could only use big words when you talked about God. I felt like understanding the Bible was out of reach and like you had to be really smart to understand God. NOT TRUE! It's called Simple, Affection-Based Obedience because it's SIMPLE. You just listen and obey. We read through John 15:1-17 about being branches that abide in the vine. I'm a branch and Jesus is the vine and God is the gardener. How many of you have a garden, had a garden at one time, or know anything about gardening? You have to cut/prune things in order for them to produce more fruit. God isn't going to cut you off if you aren't producing fruit, He is going to cut you so that you grow back bigger and full of fruit! Fruit Happens! For His glory. You were created for His glory, not for your glory. The better you get to know Him, the more your heart becomes like His. "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you." You're reading thinking, "Oh, so I can ask for that new Lexus and He'll give it to me?" Nope. If you remain in Him, the desires of His heart will become the desires of your heart. He will give you the desires of your heart because they're what He desires! Does that seem hard to you? It shouldn't. It's simple! So simple! It clicked with me that things don't have to be super hard and intellectual with God, it's so simple. You follow and obey because you love Him and He loves you. Go out and do His work! So that was just the lecture. We were late for lunch again. Kinda. I had small group after that and we started a booklet called the Big Ten. Basically, what 10 things you would leave with someone you just led to the Lord. We went through Evangelism and practiced giving testimonies, basically telling the Gospel real quick. Our leader Kristina would give us scenarios for what we might be doing on outreach then we had to give the Gospel like we would in scenario. My scenario was that I was at fashion week in NYC and I was leading Paris Hilton to the Lord. Awesome. Gotta practice sharing my testimony and the Gospel! Then I went to Tom and Becky's for dinner. I sure did miss being with the kids and Becky. Didn't get to see Tom, but that's ok, I'll see him around sooner or later....
Wednesday. Um, can you just say the word Crazy with me? Crazy. We start class at 9 and Jeff shared a story about saving a demon-possessed man in Cornwall, England. Weird story. Then we had a time of sharing of the Lord was doing in our hearts since we've been here. A girl talked about how she had disliked so many things about the church and how since being here she's realized that she can't deny God anymore, she can only deny religion. Religion keeps you disconnected from your relationship with God. Religion keeps you silent, kept in a corner, it doesn't save you. A guy was wearing a shirt that said "Religion Kills. Jesus Saves." SO TRUE!!!! So many people are so against the church because it's all about religion and good deeds, its not about the relationship with God, your daddy, your creator. It makes you apathetic to the ways of God and that's not what I want anymore!! (Please do not read that the church is bad. The church is Jesus' bride, He loves the church, not the religion aspect of it) Jeff confessed that the Lord told him a while ago that He wouldn't ever send him to people that weren't world changers. We are room filled of world changers. We had a radical time of just listening to music and declaring things over the mic to the whole room. Then we had a dance party! I wish I had film of us jumping around and praising God for creating us for His glory, giving us a purpose, and loving us. Oh my gosh, it was crazy. So Jeff comes over the mic and says, "I feel like God is calling us to have a baptism. In the old Jewish history, people got baptized whenever something new happened, like moving to a new place, or starting a new thing in life. It signifies new life. A lot of you are cluing into who you really are, you're something new, you're a creation of God. So let's go do some baptizing!" That was at 11:30. We went down to the pier in downtown Kona and had a massive baptism. Here are some pictures! There was a cruise ship in the ocean and people were coming off the boats to go into town and they were standing on the wall watching our baptism. It was insane! So amazing!
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| That's my roommate, Staci, after coming out of the water. She was so elated!! |
We missed lunch completely. We went to our electives (water, healthcare, or prayer room. media won't start for a couple of weeks, so we went to the prayer room.) We prayed over a verse for ourselves (like not all together, just separately, just time to be with God.) I read Matthew 5:13-16. Being the salt and light of the world. Adding taste to the world for God and lighting up the world for Him. Very good versus to read over for yourself, asking God to make you a seasoning for the world and light for the world. That's what I wanna be; salt and light. Then we went on community outreach and I had an uncomfortable situation occur. My roommate, Staci, and I started talking to this homeless man, who said his name was Pineapple. I can't even tell you all the weird things he said they were so offensive. So I was so uncomfortable that I told Staci it was time to leave, so we said bye and continued to walk around downtown. She wanted to "deliver him right now" but it just wasn't right. That man had so many layers of things to work through that I think it's best to develop a relationship with him then lead him to the Lord. He was beyond scary, but Jesus loves him and he needs to know that! After community outreach we had dinner and now I'm here, finishing up this post to you all!
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| This is how I walked around the streets of Kona for community outreach. |
Get Up and Live RIGHT NOW!! You're royalty, you're destiny, you have been set-free, YOU ARE A WORLD CHANGER!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE
p.s. A lot of you all have asked for my address and I can't remember who, so please send me an email or a text or a facebook message and I'll give you my physical address here in Kona! thanks!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
We're just Ordinary People
But God can do extraordinary things with us.
This is a circle, just stick with me...
Have you ever been used by someone? Have you ever used someone? Knowingly used them to get ahead in school or in business? Have you known you were being used but just let it happen anyway? I have. I've been used and I've used those around me to help me. You know, those calls whenever they really need you to help them out but no calls just to see how you're doing? Those "friends" who say they'll always be there for you, but when you finally need them they're too busy or they just don't answer. Yeah, I've been there. Or only talking to that person when you need help with school work (or business work) but ignoring them when you see them out on the town. I have a servant heart, I want to help people, I want to see them smile, I want to see them be successful. I knowingly let those around me use me while I was in college. I called them friends, but really they just needed me around to get them to class or help them in class or get their next meal. I bent over backwards to get them to their peaks and their highs while ignoring my needs and passing up my opportunities to succeed in college. I answered every phone call, every text, every Facebook message to help them when they needed it. I never felt full, I never felt happy while in college. I had temporary moments of happiness, but I was focused on the wrong things in college. I ignored those who truly cared for me because I wanted the ones I pursued to care for me. I in turn used people. I only called on some people on Thursdays to go to FCA with me or I only called my small group co-leader when I needed spiritual help. I only called some people for school work help but then didn't call them on the weekends or in the week to hang out and have dinner with. Its a vicious cycle of using one another.
Do you know we some times use God? I realized this morning that I've been using God. I've only called on Him when I'm real real low or when I needed help on my next test that I didn't study for or when I didn't have a friend around to really talk to. I only acknowledged Him while I was at FCA or at church or small-group. I didn't acknowledge Him in the good times, I only asked for help in the bad times. Can you imagine how broken His heart was every time I was happy and didn't thank Him for the joy in my heart? Or how excited He was to hear me cry out, only to know it was because I was sad or in trouble? There's a song by Hillsong called "All For Love" and the chorus says, "Oh how many times have I broken Your heart, But still You forgive If only I ask. And how many times have You heard me pray 'Draw near to me?'" He continues to draw near to me, He continues to forgive me because He loves me. He loves me. He loves me.
Did you know that God uses us? IN A GOOD WAY! Amen, I'm so thankful that He has a plan for me to "prosper" and a plan for me to draw people to Him and make His kingdom bigger. God is never going to call on us when He needs us. God doesn't need us, He wants us, to be a part of His plan. He includes us in His work because He wants to be around us and He wants to know us. I am an ordinary girl from Arlington, Texas, but I'm going to do extraordinary things in my lifetime because He is going to use me. I don't want to use God anymore. I want to be His genuine friend who calls Him just to say, "Hi, I love you. I'm thankful you're in my life. Thank you for being who you are." I want to smile at Him daily because He woke me up to see another day. I want to acknowledge Him in the good, the bad, the pain, the joy, EVERY MOMENT of life because I'm His creation and I'm living a out a life He has already planned for me. In a Kirk Franklin song, "Everyone Hurts," he says, "Not for everything but in everything, give thanks." That's sooo true! Thank you for my joy, thank you for my smiles, my laughs, my sorrow, my pain, my tears. Thank you for always being there. Thank you for being my genuine friend who is there for me always. I wanna be that best friend to you, God. :)
This was a heart post, something I wanted to write about. There will be more of these as DTS goes along. I'll be processing a lot of things, so most of them will be written to the public. I hope what I'm going through can help you, too.
LOVE LOVE LOVE.
This is a circle, just stick with me...
Have you ever been used by someone? Have you ever used someone? Knowingly used them to get ahead in school or in business? Have you known you were being used but just let it happen anyway? I have. I've been used and I've used those around me to help me. You know, those calls whenever they really need you to help them out but no calls just to see how you're doing? Those "friends" who say they'll always be there for you, but when you finally need them they're too busy or they just don't answer. Yeah, I've been there. Or only talking to that person when you need help with school work (or business work) but ignoring them when you see them out on the town. I have a servant heart, I want to help people, I want to see them smile, I want to see them be successful. I knowingly let those around me use me while I was in college. I called them friends, but really they just needed me around to get them to class or help them in class or get their next meal. I bent over backwards to get them to their peaks and their highs while ignoring my needs and passing up my opportunities to succeed in college. I answered every phone call, every text, every Facebook message to help them when they needed it. I never felt full, I never felt happy while in college. I had temporary moments of happiness, but I was focused on the wrong things in college. I ignored those who truly cared for me because I wanted the ones I pursued to care for me. I in turn used people. I only called on some people on Thursdays to go to FCA with me or I only called my small group co-leader when I needed spiritual help. I only called some people for school work help but then didn't call them on the weekends or in the week to hang out and have dinner with. Its a vicious cycle of using one another.
Do you know we some times use God? I realized this morning that I've been using God. I've only called on Him when I'm real real low or when I needed help on my next test that I didn't study for or when I didn't have a friend around to really talk to. I only acknowledged Him while I was at FCA or at church or small-group. I didn't acknowledge Him in the good times, I only asked for help in the bad times. Can you imagine how broken His heart was every time I was happy and didn't thank Him for the joy in my heart? Or how excited He was to hear me cry out, only to know it was because I was sad or in trouble? There's a song by Hillsong called "All For Love" and the chorus says, "Oh how many times have I broken Your heart, But still You forgive If only I ask. And how many times have You heard me pray 'Draw near to me?'" He continues to draw near to me, He continues to forgive me because He loves me. He loves me. He loves me.
Did you know that God uses us? IN A GOOD WAY! Amen, I'm so thankful that He has a plan for me to "prosper" and a plan for me to draw people to Him and make His kingdom bigger. God is never going to call on us when He needs us. God doesn't need us, He wants us, to be a part of His plan. He includes us in His work because He wants to be around us and He wants to know us. I am an ordinary girl from Arlington, Texas, but I'm going to do extraordinary things in my lifetime because He is going to use me. I don't want to use God anymore. I want to be His genuine friend who calls Him just to say, "Hi, I love you. I'm thankful you're in my life. Thank you for being who you are." I want to smile at Him daily because He woke me up to see another day. I want to acknowledge Him in the good, the bad, the pain, the joy, EVERY MOMENT of life because I'm His creation and I'm living a out a life He has already planned for me. In a Kirk Franklin song, "Everyone Hurts," he says, "Not for everything but in everything, give thanks." That's sooo true! Thank you for my joy, thank you for my smiles, my laughs, my sorrow, my pain, my tears. Thank you for always being there. Thank you for being my genuine friend who is there for me always. I wanna be that best friend to you, God. :)
This was a heart post, something I wanted to write about. There will be more of these as DTS goes along. I'll be processing a lot of things, so most of them will be written to the public. I hope what I'm going through can help you, too.
LOVE LOVE LOVE.
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