Jun 18, 2013
Since being placed in the web department in January, I have had the privilege to work on some exciting video projects. Some of these have been connected with the French work here at the Gospel For Asia Canadian office, including a recently finished version of the “Power of the Meek” DVD. This, along with a finished French translation of K.P. Yohannan’s “No Longer a Slumdog”, and a nearly completed French Bridge of Hope Sponsorship website, have all been great reasons to celebrate. So we as a web team decided to do just that. Complete with the appropriate attire and cuisine, we hosted our very own “French day” in honour of all of this finished work!
Jun 18, 2013
Think about it, how often can people say that they live with six other girls who aren’t related to them? Not many!
Some might think it would be crazy (and sometimes it is), but most of the time it is a blast! It is such a blessing, even more so because each of the girls love the Lord and desire to have a deeper relationship with Him. Each one of them challenge me in different areas of my life that need to grow or be refined. They keep me accountable to the lessons that I are learning and are beginning to apply in my life.
When any one of us girls are struggling, the rest all gather around and lift up the burdened one with prayer and encouragement. I have seen it happen many times during the almost five months that we have been here. Such a beautiful thing to see! This is another reason why living in a community of godly gals is awesome!
We cook, clean, sing, learn, work, and almost do everything together! Our discussion times about what we are learning in class is one of my favorite things ever! Every one of the girls see the lessons that we are learning through different eyes. When we discuss what we see and have learned, we all see what each person learned in the certain lesson! It’s great! I get so much more out of our class times that I would have if I was just by myself.
These are only to name a few of reasons why I enjoy being in a community of gals! The Lord has blessed me more that I deserve!
Thank you to my six roommates for making my life six time more exciting!
Jun 18, 2013
I got to spend my Easter Holidays with the people from Gospel for Asia this year! I was missing my family a lot this time of the year. I haven’t seen them since I came to School of Discipleship but I will never forget the experience I had this Easter.
I’ve grown up knowing that Jesus died on the cross for me, but I think knowing about it for so long made me get used to it so wasn’t really anything that special to me, I was thankful for what Jesus did to save me, but then I’d just think of hanging out with friends. This Easter was different. It started Good Friday, I spent “alone time” with God in His Word and everything I was reading was new to me, it felt like God opened, like really opened my heart. Then me and my friend (another student from School of Discipleship) went to church, the service was so good! I got tears in my eyes when I heard what Jesus went through for me.
On Saturday night two students and I watched “The Passion of Christ”. I had not seen that that movie before and I wasn’t sure what to expect. So I prayed and asked God to prepare my heart so that I would be able to see what He wanted to show me through this movie and it affected me so much! Just seeing a glimpse of Jesus as a complete human, suffering and giving His life broke me into pieces, how many years had I been taking this Holiday for granted? I wasn’t really remembering the REAL reason for Easter at all! It really hit me hard.
Sunday….Christ is risen!! This day was AWESOME! At seven in the morning we all went to the lake for a sunrise service. It was a beautiful morning and I felt overflowed with Joy. It felt real that He had RISEN and now there was HOPE!! I know God drew me closer to Him this Easter and I thank Him for that. I will never forget this Easter and I hope there will be more like it!
Jun 18, 2013
Two questions that have challenged my heart recently are these:
- Do I try to please God by what I do for Him?
- Do I try to live my own life by my own power?
These were questions my pastor asked during the Easter Sunday service, but they are things that God has already started working on in my life.
I can get really preoccupied with shallow, surface things. How do I look, what food am I eating, what do people think of me? I can get so caught up in appearing to live the perfect Christian life – and I am trying to do it in my own fleshly strength. I guess that’s where those two questions begin to fit together.
During this year as a School of Discipleship student, God has been teaching me about what it means to live for Him. It’s about who I am. Living for Jesus starts first of all with knowing Jesus more fully. When that is the cornerstone my life is built upon, then living for Jesus will come naturally. The fruit of my life will show that I’m rooted and built upon Christ.
Trying to “do things for God” with my own effort will get me nowhere, like a car stuck in a rut spinning its wheels. If I just strive in my fleshly strength to live for God, I’ll never achieve it.
Being a Christian, a follower of Christ, starts with knowing and loving Jesus fully and intimately. Living for Him (and working, serving, discipling, and loving) needs to come out of that first love, and it can be done – through the power of the Holy Spirit.
These are the questions I need to ask myself now:
- Am I seeking to know Jesus intimately?
- Do I desire for Jesus to work in and through me, or am I still grasping for “control”?
- Is my focus on myself, or on Jesus?
As I learn more about Jesus, one thing is standing out to me especially. Taking on the nature of Jesus in my own life is impossible when I try to accomplish it in my own strength. It is possible through the power of the Holy Spirit! His work in my life and heart make this goal achievable – this goal of knowing Jesus more, being like Him, and living for Him.
“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6
When I started following Christ, God began to work in my life, transforming me more into the image of Christ. And God’s promise to me is that He is still at work in me, and He won’t stop working until He’s finished.
And it’s pretty cool to have one year set aside to get to know Jesus more, and to do it with awesome people like my School of Discipleship classmates.
Jun 17, 2013
This post will take a bit of a deeper, more personal look into what the Lord has been teaching me and showing me as of late. If I can find the words to express it. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask them.
Abba Father, the Comforter, the Creator of everything, my God, and my Savior. The past few months have been quite an interesting adventure, with the notorious highs and lows that are usually involved. However, something I never expected happened. As is often the case, the Lord has different plans than me, and if I’m patient enough to wait on Him and be content on where He takes me, then I will see that all the trials I go through were well worth it. Just like Romans 8:28 promises.
For those of you who know my past, you know it has been rather rough, yet through it all God has proved His overwhelming love for me time and time again. Without Him, I truly would be destroyed by the enemy, but in Christ, there is victory! That being said, I have had my share of struggles, and even though I know they are all lies of the enemy, for years I have entertained those lies until they became “truths” I believed in my heart. These lies have plagued my heart and my mind for many years, and even though I knew they were lies and not the Truth of God’s promises, it was really hard to let it all go and trust the Lord.
That being said, here is just one story of how God has been ridding my heart and mind of these lies: (note: I am not trying to brag through this story, I am only trying to share with you what God revealed to me.)
I have always had issues with my self image, thinking I am ugly, no one would ever think I’m pretty, and if they say so, then they only said that because they are trying to be nice. I would read Psalm 139:14 “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” That whole chapter would bring me comfort for a short time, but I never truly believed it and tucked it in my heart as Truth.
Now, God has been working on my heart ever so gently, and I have been gaining self confidence and am beginning to view myself the way He created me. He has given me friends who compliment me a lot (it’s really hard to accept compliments when you don’t believe they are true…). Then one day, after I got a little frustrated with a few of my friends for complimenting me so much, I was a little convicted and God told me to write apology letters to them, and to thank them for their encouragement. This was before a Tuesday night prayer meeting, and when I got home from that I was really tired (like most nights), so I got ready for bed.
As I was getting ready for bed I heard clearly “You’re beautiful”. God told me I was beautiful?! I guess I can’t argue with Him, so I said thanks and then went to bed. The next morning, however, He said it again. “You’re beautiful.” This time I believed it in my heart. God made me, if He says I’m beautiful, then I must be in His eyes, and His opinion is all that matters. That day I dressed up just for him.
This story is only one of the many that has been happening lately in my life. God has been restoring my heart, and my mind so much in the past few months that honestly, I’m not even close to the same person as I was before. I’m closer to the Lord in our ever growing and deepening relationship, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Anyways, thanks for reading this semi-different, more deep and personal newsletter. I’d love to hear your stories of God’s restoration in your lives! Just post them below in a comment, or send them to me in a message or email.
Jun 17, 2013
Hey y’all!! Welcome to my first blog! I hope and pray that it will be a blessing and possibly even present a challenge to you! I would like to share with you what has stood out to me the very most since I have been here at School of Discipleship.
The one thing that has stood out to me the very most from all that I have gone through and been taught, is making evangelism a permanent part of my life. I am not sure why I have never realized it before now, but nonetheless, I know now, so now I need to do something about it!
After God saves me, what should be my goal and purpose in this life? The answer that I think to be most obvious now is… spread the good news! What good is it if I am saved and I do not tell others of how they can recieve forgiveness of sins and look forward to serving Christ forever and ever in glory!?!? While Christ was on this earth, His mission was to do the will of His Heavenly Father. That is what our mission in this life should be as well! May God be my strength as I continue to learn and follow His plans for me! Praise the Lord for His mercy and grace!
Thank you for reading! May God bless and keep you!
Jun 17, 2013
Easter Sunday my Sunday School teacher and friend asked me “How was your week?”
The answer to this question had lingered on my mind in the previous days. An overview of my week would be I had been sick, ending my week with a terrible headache. It’s one of those headaches where the turn of the head can result in a drumming session between the skull. Combine that with, well a very rude and demeaning customer and a perpetual mess at work. Then top it off with the usually responsibility of school and a car that is useless due to a dead transmission and you have my week.
So how did I answer my friend?
“Circumstantially it was one of the worst weeks I have had in a long time, but I was great because God is good”
It wasn’t one of those responses in which you are trying to convince yourself that it WILL all be okay. Reality is I have no clue what is going to happen. I am the cliché poor college student with no material resources at my disposal. BUT with all that staring me in the face I have total peace.
This my friend did not happen as a result of me. The end of February beginning of March was actually a really stressful time. I was worried about soooooooo many things and how I was going to pay for them all and get them all done. One day God asked me “Why don’t you trust me?”
Ummmmmmmmmmmmm (que crickets).That is a very good question. I had absolutely no reason not to. He has proven Himself faithful time and time again. DUH you are being a big fat FOOL. I realized not trusting God was so very wrong and I asked for forgiveness and strength. I couldn’t do all I needed to do alone.
As the weeks passed by, God was showing me just how trustworthy He was and one day my professor at TMC said something that made it all clear to me.
In the Bible there are two kinds of peace. Both involve you and me and both involve God.
Romans 5:1 talks about the first peace; Peace with God. This we obtain through faith in Christ and it means that we no longer have to fear the wrath of God because of our sin. Christ took it we are redeemed.
Philippians 4:7 talks about the second; peace of God. This peace comes from God and it is a Christian calm that springs from the confidence that our resources in Christ are adequate.
I already had the peace with God, but I was struggling to live my life in light of the fact that I could live with the peace of God.
It hit me like a refreshing freeing wave of God’s love, provision, gentleness and power! My resources amount to zip, but because I am in Christ my resources are from Him, and they are adequate.
So I have no car, no money and I will return to work and deal with angry people, BUT The peace of God reigns in my heart. And these circumstances are an honor and blessing because though they are hard, they bring me closer to God, give me a chance to glorify His name, and in turn strengthen my character.
The world may look at it the result of a crummy life on earth but that is exactly what it is not and that my friends gives me every reason to rejoice!
Jun 17, 2013
My time as a School of Discipleship student has been quite a journey so far. I must say that things are harder than what I had imagined they would be, but I am growing and learning so much and have been blessed to be surrounded by a community of people who seem to truly care for one another. One lesson that has impacted me is about the need for integrity in my relationships. I believe that being honest with myself, God and others about who I am is truly necessary for my life as a Christian. I am learning that it allows for the help and prayers of those walking the same path, and I believe that God, in His grace, reveals to me my weak areas and offers the power of His Holy Spirit to make any necessary changes. I praise Him for His grace and for the work He has been doing in my life!
Jun 17, 2013
One of the most significant things I have been learning is about pursuing God. In class we recently studied through The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. He wrote the book in the 1940’s, but it’s still as relevant to our daily lives as if it had been written yesterday.
One theme that ties the whole book together is this: God is pursuing us first. He is seeking to reveal Himself to us! All that I do is simply to respond to that – yet we call it the pursuit of God! It is incredible how much God really loves me. It blows my mind every time I think about it. God wants me to seek Him, and He wants to reveal Himself to me!
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13
Okay, this is cool: I am getting to learn a lot about communication and design this year in my ministry placement, and it’s awesome. So in learning about design, I made this picture with these lyrics from Movements by Rend Collective. But seeking after God – that’s what it’s about.
To get down to what I’m trying to say,
“The desire of my heart is to pursue God.”
Jun 17, 2013
Does submitting make you weak or strong? Does it rob you of your freedom or give you freedom?
These are some of the points that K.P. Yohannan brings out in his book, “Touching Godliness”. We’ve been learning that when we submit to the authority God has placed over us, we will find freedom! It means giving up our will in order to do what is being asked of us. Submission is not the same thing as obedience though. Obedience is doing what we’re told, if we want to or not. In other words, our heart’s not in it. Submission, on the other hand, is willing obeying, not because we have to, but because we choose to surrender our will to that of our authority.
God has been showing me that in order to truly live for Him I must submit, first to God Himself and then to the delegated authorities that He has place over me. I have also learned that submission is not giving up my own “strength“, but instead it is bringing that “strength” under control. Submission not only gives me freedom, it brings me closer to Jesus Christ! What more do I want?!
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