Merry Christmas! I am home for the first time since leaving in October and enjoying my time to be with family and friends. I thought I would take the time to outline some of the things I will be doing in the next couple of months.
First up is our “Speaking Blitz” trip. The students have been split up into 2 teams and we will pile into vans and hit the road! My team will be going around to churches, youth groups, and Christian schools in Texas to do missions promotion for teenagers. We will be performing some dramas, sharing our own stories of our choice to do missions, and encouraging them to do the same. The trip will start on January 13 and we will be on the road until February 1. You can pray for:
- Safety for the teams as we travel.
- Effectiveness on the trip. The goal of Speaking Blitz is to stir up a whole group of Disciples of Christ and get them excited about missions. Luke 10:2 says: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers.” Pray that God will be working in the hearts of those we will have contact with before we even get there.
- Team unity. We will be in very close proximity to one another for two and a half weeks on the road. Pray that no major tensions arise.
The next exciting thing on the horizon is our outreach trip to Honduras. A week after we get back from Speaking Blitz we will be flying out to the Mountains of Honduras to share the gospel and help with construction in some remote village areas. I will share more about this trip as the time approaches but for now you can pray that God will be preparing us physically, mentally, and spiritually as we get ready to serve overseas in a vastly different culture and atmosphere than our own.
A. W. Tozer says in his book The Pursuit of God:
“To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love.”
I couldn’t agree more. I have gotten so much more of God recently that I just have to share it, and at the same time I want more of Him more than ever. God has been telling me recently that He is so much bigger than I can even imagine and that this paradoxical (yes, it’s a word) cycle can and will continue for my entire life without using up or experiencing all of God. I am so grateful for that!
I will be posting another update soon about some things that are looming on the horizon for me, and let me tell you, I will be doing some exciting stuff! I will also be able to paint a clearer picture soon of my exact financial situation, I just haven’t had the time to fully assess it yet.
Well, if you are wondering what I have been doing at Kairos Discipleship School recently, the title might give you an idea. I have been having an incredible time but I do have quite a few irons in the fire. In addition to all the things I mentioned last time, I am now a leader for the High School youth group, called Vertical. I am also volunteering on the tech crew doing lighting at Life Church. The homework load has increased just a bit too. On the to-do list for this week is to write a book study on the book of James.
I am loving the variety and exciting nature of all the things I get to do here, but I am struggling a little bit as I try to find time to catch my breath. We have had some amazing speakers and some really challenging and life-changing messages, but I am not as free as I would like to really pore over my notes, think, pray, and look for application. Please be in prayer for me that I will use my time wisely and efficiently as I try to make priorities and find balance in my life.
My Class
Wow! Am I really starting my second week of Kairos Discipleship School? The time has been flying by. I am making lots of new friends, learning so much about Jesus, and have barely had time to think about all that is happening. I’ll give you a quick rundown of all the new things that have started up, and I will expand on them in future posts. Here are some of the things that have happened in the last couple of days:
- I started the classroom training portion of the discipleship school
- I moved into my host home with the Kelvingtons.
- I completed my first book/paper assignment, and am nearing completion of the second.
- I started my internship at the Life Church on the grounds department.
- I have formed relationships with the 20 students and 11 leaders of Kairos Discipleship School
- In the past 2 weeks I have experienced more growth in my relationship with God than I thought was possible in such a short time.
I’m sure I will have more to report later, but I thought I would at least let you all know that I am alive, well, and still seeking your prayer for me during this season of my life.
My last Sunday
Only 4 days left. I depart for Kairos Discipleship School in Kansas City on Thursday morning, and I think that the reality has set in that I will finally be leaving. Today was my last Sunday at Cross Roads Brethren in Christ Church which has been my church home for just over 3 years now. I am so thankful that God has provided such a welcoming and encouraging environment for me, and I had to say many sorrowful goodbyes today. So, Cross Roads: for all the acceptance, all the prayer, all the opportunities, all the financial support, and all the friendships… Thank You!!
The money is continuing to come in, but it has slowed down considerably. I am up to almost $8,000 but I still have a long way to go. Please keep praying that God will meet all of my financial needs and that money will not become an issue as I begin the program in a little under a month.
Time and time again, I am reminded of God’s amazing provision for those who trust in Him. I have a couple of quick stories of ways He reminded me of this in the last couple of weeks.
I was eating lunch at Five Guys with my cousins after a hard morning of yard work, and when we were halfway through our meal, a manager came out of the kitchen with a bag of fries. He handed it to us and said “This is for people who pray before they eat.”
God also comes through in the big things with which we trust Him:
I am in the process of raising $13,000 for Kairos Discipleship School. After looking at the numbers and how much time I have left before the program starts, my parents determined that I should have $5,500 by the beginning of this week if I wanted to go on the program instead of college this year. I was getting kind of discouraged the previous week because several things did not turn out the way I was hoping and I was only at $4,000. Then I was reminded that God was on my team as I received numerous donations which put me up to $5,900 in one day.
I have been learning that with the Creator of the Universe, the God who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, even a God-sized task becomes possible.
This is a huge need for me right now. I am trusting God to supply all of the funds that I need to be able to go. So far I have raised almost $4,000, but I still need $9,000 more. Please pray that I will continue to be diligent in my efforts, that I will communicate effectively with potential supporters, and that God will be preparing the hearts of people to whom I have yet to talk.
Have you ever heard this description of Heaven?
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”
I have heard this quite often. I agree that Heaven will completely exceed all of our expectations, but I don’t think that Paul was talking about Heaven when he wrote this in 1 Corinthians 2:9. What exactly is Paul speaking of when he refers to God preparing something for those who love him?
Well, lets look at the context of the verse. There are two main topics in 1 Corinthians chapter 2. The first is trust. Paul is emphasizing that it’s really not a good idea to rely on human wisdom, strength, and insight in order to accomplish something. The only thing that is reliable is God’s strength. (verses 1-5)
The second topic is the wisdom of God. A couple things I noticed in this passage are that:
- He has everything planned out way ahead of time (verse 7)
- According to the values of our culture, the things he has planned won’t always make sense (verses 8,14)
- When we are in sync with Christ, He will reveal this plan to us (verse 12)
I think that Paul means everything. Another word for it would be God’s plan for you, or the people, things, and situations God brings into your life.
That is a very comforting thought for me, to know that not only does God have something amazing and planned for my life that is vastly better than anything I could come up with, but also that he will help me to accomplish it as I rely fully on him.
I am writing this from vacation at my grandparents house in Portland, Oregon. It was quite a trip… Let me summarize in haiku form:
Flights delayed, then axed
forced to spend night in Detriot
finally leaving.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
got an extra leg
going to Portland via
Atlanta, Georgia.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thirty-two hundred
miles later, we arrive.
exhausted, happy.
