This is going to be my last blog post...wow. I'm just thinking about this summer, and I can't believe everything that's happened. Was it really just two months ago that we moved into Jacksonville, and I came in as an incredibly intimidated college student from a small town? It feels like that was forever ago. And here we are on the last week of JAX STP.
On Monday, we heard from Jason Ross, the director of the program. He reiterated to us everything we had done in the program and emphasized the need for us to plan - plan for how we are going to spend the time before we go back to school and how we are going to use our time once we're back. He challenged us to prepare a group of people to keep us accountable and to think about who we are going to be teaming up with in the fall to have the most effective ministry possible. This was great for me because it reminded me of the importance of every single week and of the great value of having brothers in Christ who can keep me accountable and encourage me.
On Tuesday, for my last one-on-one, I got to look back at answers I had written at the beginning of the program for questions like "What is something that will be the biggest obstacle for growth at JAX this summer?" or "What do you want to gain through your experience at JAX?". When I looked back at my answers, I laughed because the answers I had written were the things God had really changed in me throughout the program. John, my team leader, also helped me plan what I was going to do during my time back home, and how I was going to keep in the Word before I get back to school.
On Wednesday, we had campus time...or, perhaps, it would be more correct to call it "campus strategy time." We split into our separate campuses and began sharing how STP had changed us, and then we broke up according to our "spheres of influence" (residence hall men, fraternity men, sorority girls, etc.). We prayed for our the places we will be staying this fall, and tried to come up with plans for how to encourage each other. Then, we got back together as a campus and tried to integrate as many Greeks and Non-Greeks as possible so that we could get a better understanding of each other (one of our goals coming back is to unite Greek Navs and Residence Hall Navs).
Thursday was our last Bible Study. While we did focus a lot on planning ahead, we spent much more time encouraging one another. We talked about areas where we saw each other grow and things that we really appreciated about each other. It sounds a bit corny, but it was actually great for us to encourage each other like that and realize the appreciation we have for each other. (In the end, we also concluded that our team loves to do nothing more but to make sarcastic jokes and laugh.)
Friday was the last day of work and our final banquet. Although it was sad to leave behind new friends at work, I can honestly say that I did not have any problem driving away from my job. There were a few tears, but, being the...erm...very emotional person that I am (not)...I escaped with no shed tears. Later on at our final banquet we had a great time remiscing about good times at STP and what we had learned. We also honored our team leaders by giving each of them some special momento to remember us by. For ours, we sang a song that brought the house down with laughter (God knew what He was doing by placing me with funny men on a team). I would go into more detail, but I see that it's now 12:21 AM here, and I feel sleepiness coming on.
Tomorrow (Saturday), we will be spending all day packing, cleaning, and having a few last moments together as teammates and members of the program. I know already that this is going to be very hard for me. If there ever might be a time I'll shed a tear, this will be it (but still...probably not, I'm not one to shed tears :) ). What I know I'll have to remind myself is this: even though we may never see each other again on this side of heaven, we have all of eternity to spend with God together on the other side. His goodness is more powerful than any momentary sadness.
And then Sunday we will depart early in the morning to go to Clarksville, Tennessee before we finally reach the flooded plains of Nebraska on Monday.
As I said before, this is the last post I will be making for this blog. I look forward to telling you all the stories I could not fit into this blog when I come back. I hope that you will realize how sovereign and powerful God is when I tell you the stories, and I hope that it will be an encouragement for you to rely more upon Him. Thank you all again for praying for us and supporting us monetarily. I could not have experienced what I did if it wasn't for you guys, and I cannot tell you how thankful I am to have had this time down here. It truly was life-changing.
Thank you again.
Jordan
Friday, July 29, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Week Seven: The Great Commission
It's a verse that we've all heard countless times.
"All authority on Heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all I have commanded you. And, surely, I will be with you always to the very end of the age." --Matthew 28:16-20
It'a a calling from Christ to spread His Word to the nations, to teach others how to live as He did, and to, as the Navigators put it, "make disciples who make disciples.
I could go through all the different things that we did on each different day, but I feel like a lot of the things we learned were similar, and they all had the same challenging message. Jesus told His disciples to go out into the world after He had already finished everything ("All authority on Heaven and on earth has been given to me.). Instead of staying in the world, as His disciples hoped, He ascended into Heaven to prepare a place for us and gave us His Holy Spirit so that He could still be with us.
Jesus' command to go and make disciples is nothing new to me. Having attended countless Dare2Share conferences and Navigator-affiliated events, it's been constantly hammered into my head that the Great Commission is something we need to take seriously. But what does that look like? How do we take apply the Great Commission to our lives? Is Jesus telling us that we have to leave our hometowns to be serving Him? Even our home countries?
An illustration that I like comes from Acts 1:8: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." The way I apply this verse is I think about how these locations apply to me. My "Jerusalem" is my close friends and family - those I'm in constant contact with. How can I encourage those I know who are following Jesus? How can I be a light to those who do not know Him? For Judea and Samaria, how can I show Christ for those on my floor, or for Neihardt? What do I need to do to reach out to incoming freshman? For the ends of the earth, that's UNL or even the nations of the world. How can God use me to help those who are affected by the drug wars in Mexico? What ministries around the world need prayed for? What is my place in the Great Commission?
And the answers to those questions aren't easy. Sure, maybe I'll plan to lead an Interactive Bible Discussion (or IBD as we call it) on my floor or make it a priority to talk to someone who doesn't know Christ, but will I follow through with it? Will the my focus be on Christ, even when I'm discouraged? Can I pray for a people who don't have a translation of the Bible in their language for every day until God answers that prayer?
To be honest, this has been one of my favorite weeks. It's been very convicting for me to see how much other people have shown Christ in their workplace and to know how little I have. It's also been great for me to realize the importance of this upcoming semester. God is calling me to not just stand idly by as a new group of people make up Raymond 2 (my floor) or as new students come to Nebraska with no idea of what they want to do with their lives. He is calling me to get involved and be an active part of His plan for the University of Nebraska. Perhaps, He even wants me to work on missions abroad, but that's going to take time and prayer to find out.
So, in case you haven't realized, I've been doing a lot of thinking this week. Truthfully, I'm still doing a lot of thinking. I still don't completely know what God's plan is for my life. I'm still not even sure what career path He wants me to follow, but I do know that He is way more powerful than I am, and that He can work even through me to do His will.
------------------------------
As for other things that I did while in JAX this week. On Tuesday, we had a small party with our friends from Adventure Landing to make sure that we had some time outside of work to get to know each other. Yesterday, we had an improv/"Whose Line Is It Anyway?" night on the beach, and today we spent almost all day at a small water park. Tomorrow, we will meet with the pastor of our "Ultra Contemporary" service, watch the sunrise, go to traditional service (YES!!!!!!), and plan our drive home.
"All authority on Heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all I have commanded you. And, surely, I will be with you always to the very end of the age." --Matthew 28:16-20
It'a a calling from Christ to spread His Word to the nations, to teach others how to live as He did, and to, as the Navigators put it, "make disciples who make disciples.
I could go through all the different things that we did on each different day, but I feel like a lot of the things we learned were similar, and they all had the same challenging message. Jesus told His disciples to go out into the world after He had already finished everything ("All authority on Heaven and on earth has been given to me.). Instead of staying in the world, as His disciples hoped, He ascended into Heaven to prepare a place for us and gave us His Holy Spirit so that He could still be with us.
Jesus' command to go and make disciples is nothing new to me. Having attended countless Dare2Share conferences and Navigator-affiliated events, it's been constantly hammered into my head that the Great Commission is something we need to take seriously. But what does that look like? How do we take apply the Great Commission to our lives? Is Jesus telling us that we have to leave our hometowns to be serving Him? Even our home countries?
An illustration that I like comes from Acts 1:8: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." The way I apply this verse is I think about how these locations apply to me. My "Jerusalem" is my close friends and family - those I'm in constant contact with. How can I encourage those I know who are following Jesus? How can I be a light to those who do not know Him? For Judea and Samaria, how can I show Christ for those on my floor, or for Neihardt? What do I need to do to reach out to incoming freshman? For the ends of the earth, that's UNL or even the nations of the world. How can God use me to help those who are affected by the drug wars in Mexico? What ministries around the world need prayed for? What is my place in the Great Commission?
And the answers to those questions aren't easy. Sure, maybe I'll plan to lead an Interactive Bible Discussion (or IBD as we call it) on my floor or make it a priority to talk to someone who doesn't know Christ, but will I follow through with it? Will the my focus be on Christ, even when I'm discouraged? Can I pray for a people who don't have a translation of the Bible in their language for every day until God answers that prayer?
To be honest, this has been one of my favorite weeks. It's been very convicting for me to see how much other people have shown Christ in their workplace and to know how little I have. It's also been great for me to realize the importance of this upcoming semester. God is calling me to not just stand idly by as a new group of people make up Raymond 2 (my floor) or as new students come to Nebraska with no idea of what they want to do with their lives. He is calling me to get involved and be an active part of His plan for the University of Nebraska. Perhaps, He even wants me to work on missions abroad, but that's going to take time and prayer to find out.
So, in case you haven't realized, I've been doing a lot of thinking this week. Truthfully, I'm still doing a lot of thinking. I still don't completely know what God's plan is for my life. I'm still not even sure what career path He wants me to follow, but I do know that He is way more powerful than I am, and that He can work even through me to do His will.
------------------------------
As for other things that I did while in JAX this week. On Tuesday, we had a small party with our friends from Adventure Landing to make sure that we had some time outside of work to get to know each other. Yesterday, we had an improv/"Whose Line Is It Anyway?" night on the beach, and today we spent almost all day at a small water park. Tomorrow, we will meet with the pastor of our "Ultra Contemporary" service, watch the sunrise, go to traditional service (YES!!!!!!), and plan our drive home.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Week Six: Other-Centered Living
Given that I am completely exhausted from a day spent at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure, I apologize for any parts of this blogpost that look poorly written. I will also get to why I was at Islands of Adventure later.
So, on Monday we began with a topic that is truly a great challenge - other-centered living. And just in case anyone, for some bizarre reason, needed a reason to believe that other-centered living is important, consider this: Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your strength, and with all your mind. Then he said that the second was like it - Love your neighbor as yourself. On Monday, Ben, the campus director at the University of Florida, came up to talk to us about this topic. He outlined the need for us to consider others' needs to be more important than ours. He also pointed out that humility does not mean lying down and being a doormat, but loving our neighbor and considering them before ourselves.
Which led to Tuesday, where I had more great one on one discussion. This week it was not only one on one with my team leader, but also with a friend here in Jacksonville over struggling with past sin issues. It was encouraging to hear his story and hear how his struggles were very similar to mine. It's amazing how God is using the people here in Jacksonville to show me how much he loves all of us.
On Wednesday, we were again talking about other-centered living. A lot of it was very similar to stuff I had heard in the past. In fact, I'm sure that the speaker probably would not have affected me or caused any change had he not said this: Unless we are transformed [the word I prefer is moved] by how much love Jesus showed us by dying in our place, we can't have a real change of heart when it comes to serving others consistently. That hit me hard because I realized that the reason I struggle to consider other's needs more important than mine is partially because I've become numb to the story of the Gospel. This week, I've had to remind myself over and over what exactly it was that Jesus gave up just so He could have a relationship with me.
Thursday, we had our Bible Study. We brought up this same point about how we need to be moved by the Gospel, but we also brought up the interesting question of when one is being smart and looking out for his/her needs vs. when one is not trusting God to provide. It was a great conversation, and it was concluded with an agreement that we, as Christians, need to be more attentive to each other's needs especially when we realize them at a moment's notice.
Friday we had our program-wide Amazing Race. As a person who loves the TV show, it was a lot of fun to take part in the race. We had to find the oldest oak in Jacksonville, ride the tram across the St. John's River, eat a whip cream pie in search of marbles, and locate Mario and Luigi in the middle of a giant strip mall. It was so much fun. We didn't win, but we finished in the top 25%, so I can be pretty happy with our performance.
Yesterday we visited Wycliffe - a Bible Translation organization. When I first heard we were going here, I kind of thought the day would be boring, but I would be polite. The day was way better than I thought. I felt like I had my eyes opened to the need of people to have a Bible written in their own native language. Of the 7,000 living languages of the world, only about 2,700 have a New Testament or Bible written in their language. It blew my mind when I thought of all the places in the world that did not have any way to understand God's Word in a way that we English speakers take for granted.
Part of the reason we were at Wycliffe, though, was because this weekend was our "weekend away" from the program (Wycliffe is in Orlando). After Wycliffe, we spent the night in Orlando and spent all day today at Islands of Adventure. It was so much fun. I got to visit Harry Potter World, drink pumpkin juice and butterbeer, ride the Hulk, ride Dueling Dragons, and do so many things that I still can't believe that we fit them all into one day. I know that when tomorrow comes, I will be incredibly exhausted, but hey, maybe God is giving me a chance to rely on His provision. Until next time...
So, on Monday we began with a topic that is truly a great challenge - other-centered living. And just in case anyone, for some bizarre reason, needed a reason to believe that other-centered living is important, consider this: Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your strength, and with all your mind. Then he said that the second was like it - Love your neighbor as yourself. On Monday, Ben, the campus director at the University of Florida, came up to talk to us about this topic. He outlined the need for us to consider others' needs to be more important than ours. He also pointed out that humility does not mean lying down and being a doormat, but loving our neighbor and considering them before ourselves.
Which led to Tuesday, where I had more great one on one discussion. This week it was not only one on one with my team leader, but also with a friend here in Jacksonville over struggling with past sin issues. It was encouraging to hear his story and hear how his struggles were very similar to mine. It's amazing how God is using the people here in Jacksonville to show me how much he loves all of us.
On Wednesday, we were again talking about other-centered living. A lot of it was very similar to stuff I had heard in the past. In fact, I'm sure that the speaker probably would not have affected me or caused any change had he not said this: Unless we are transformed [the word I prefer is moved] by how much love Jesus showed us by dying in our place, we can't have a real change of heart when it comes to serving others consistently. That hit me hard because I realized that the reason I struggle to consider other's needs more important than mine is partially because I've become numb to the story of the Gospel. This week, I've had to remind myself over and over what exactly it was that Jesus gave up just so He could have a relationship with me.
Thursday, we had our Bible Study. We brought up this same point about how we need to be moved by the Gospel, but we also brought up the interesting question of when one is being smart and looking out for his/her needs vs. when one is not trusting God to provide. It was a great conversation, and it was concluded with an agreement that we, as Christians, need to be more attentive to each other's needs especially when we realize them at a moment's notice.
Friday we had our program-wide Amazing Race. As a person who loves the TV show, it was a lot of fun to take part in the race. We had to find the oldest oak in Jacksonville, ride the tram across the St. John's River, eat a whip cream pie in search of marbles, and locate Mario and Luigi in the middle of a giant strip mall. It was so much fun. We didn't win, but we finished in the top 25%, so I can be pretty happy with our performance.
Yesterday we visited Wycliffe - a Bible Translation organization. When I first heard we were going here, I kind of thought the day would be boring, but I would be polite. The day was way better than I thought. I felt like I had my eyes opened to the need of people to have a Bible written in their own native language. Of the 7,000 living languages of the world, only about 2,700 have a New Testament or Bible written in their language. It blew my mind when I thought of all the places in the world that did not have any way to understand God's Word in a way that we English speakers take for granted.
Part of the reason we were at Wycliffe, though, was because this weekend was our "weekend away" from the program (Wycliffe is in Orlando). After Wycliffe, we spent the night in Orlando and spent all day today at Islands of Adventure. It was so much fun. I got to visit Harry Potter World, drink pumpkin juice and butterbeer, ride the Hulk, ride Dueling Dragons, and do so many things that I still can't believe that we fit them all into one day. I know that when tomorrow comes, I will be incredibly exhausted, but hey, maybe God is giving me a chance to rely on His provision. Until next time...
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Week Five: Prayer, Faith, and the Promises of God
To be honest, when this week began, I had no idea what in the world we were going to be talking about. "Prayer, Faith, and the Promises of God" to me sounds like the most generic and vague description for a topic to discuss. Looking back at the past week, I now fully understand why the week was given this name. Prayer is a way we communicate with God. It is powerful and has been known to move even God Himself. What do we pray for? We pray for God's promises to be fulfilled (or, as I heard it called this week, "claim His promises"). But in order to do that, we must have faith that God does and will fulfill His promises.
Now that I've given you a short explanation behind why these three topics were meshed together for one week, let me tell you how it went.
Monday we heard from Mark Smith, who has been in charge of our evangelism training on Saturdays. We talked about the Lord's Prayer and about prayer in general. He reminded us of some very important things about prayer. For one, sometimes when we enter prayer, we go in with a "everything's going well and I'm feeling holy" or a "nothing's going right and I just hope God will even hear me attitude." These take away from prayer because the focus of prayer is on God. Instead of treating God like a vending machine like we often do, we need to treat God as our Heavenly Father who loves us and wants to hold a conversation with us. The last big takeaway I had from the message is that what we pray for is still ultimately up to God's will. In the Lord's Prayer, we say "Thy will be done," and we need to remember that if things don't happen the way we prayed them, God is still God, and He answers according to what is best.
Tuesday was mostly an uneventful day other than the fact that I found a large nature trail after going on a run. I figure that it could be a great place for some alone time anytime for the rest of the program.
On Wednesday, we heard from Kyle Nelson, who is in charge of the program. He talked a large amount about the promises of God and how we can be encouraged by them and claim them. An interesting point that he brought up was that Paul wrote in the New Testament (where exactly I can't remember at the moment) that God's promises are the way that He reveals Himself to us. It shows us His power and also encourages our faith in Him. That night we received a prayer schedule and were challenged to pray for whatever group of people were listed for that day (e.g. family, believing friends, non-believers, personal ministry, etc.).
On Thursday, we reviewed most of what we had learned the past couple of days, but with one more important piece. We brought up how it is vital for us to believe that God is answering when we pray. In the book of James, James talks about how the person who does not have faith when he prays will not recieve what he asked for. We are coming to God with our issues and our lives. If we expect anything to happen, we need to believe that God will do something.
On Friday, we had our third group date in the form of a Cookie Cooking Competition. Two teams competed to create the most original, artistic, and tasty cookie within the time alotted. Our team created a "big rock candy mountain" out of M&M and Reese's cookies with Trix ice cream, Hershey's cookies and cream bars, Butterfingers, frosting, and green icing on top. Needless to say, after the competition, I didn't want to see another cookie for at least 24 hours.
Yesterday we had our Sports Day. We had a volleyball tournament, putt putt golf, water dodgeball, and a game called "tank wars." I managed to participate in all of them, but not necessarily with the best results. Our volleyball and dodgeball teams, both named "The Mammals," went an abysmal 0-4, and my excellent round of putt putt was ruined by a 10-stroke 16th hole. Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun, and topped it all of that night with a "thrift store prom" (where you buy your clothes from a thrift store and dance).
Today we went to our last "ultra contemporary" service and went to Adventure Landing as guests instead of employees. The rest of the night will involve a one-on-one time with my team leader, some rest, and probably another trip through that nature walk.
Now that I've given you a short explanation behind why these three topics were meshed together for one week, let me tell you how it went.
Monday we heard from Mark Smith, who has been in charge of our evangelism training on Saturdays. We talked about the Lord's Prayer and about prayer in general. He reminded us of some very important things about prayer. For one, sometimes when we enter prayer, we go in with a "everything's going well and I'm feeling holy" or a "nothing's going right and I just hope God will even hear me attitude." These take away from prayer because the focus of prayer is on God. Instead of treating God like a vending machine like we often do, we need to treat God as our Heavenly Father who loves us and wants to hold a conversation with us. The last big takeaway I had from the message is that what we pray for is still ultimately up to God's will. In the Lord's Prayer, we say "Thy will be done," and we need to remember that if things don't happen the way we prayed them, God is still God, and He answers according to what is best.
Tuesday was mostly an uneventful day other than the fact that I found a large nature trail after going on a run. I figure that it could be a great place for some alone time anytime for the rest of the program.
On Wednesday, we heard from Kyle Nelson, who is in charge of the program. He talked a large amount about the promises of God and how we can be encouraged by them and claim them. An interesting point that he brought up was that Paul wrote in the New Testament (where exactly I can't remember at the moment) that God's promises are the way that He reveals Himself to us. It shows us His power and also encourages our faith in Him. That night we received a prayer schedule and were challenged to pray for whatever group of people were listed for that day (e.g. family, believing friends, non-believers, personal ministry, etc.).
On Thursday, we reviewed most of what we had learned the past couple of days, but with one more important piece. We brought up how it is vital for us to believe that God is answering when we pray. In the book of James, James talks about how the person who does not have faith when he prays will not recieve what he asked for. We are coming to God with our issues and our lives. If we expect anything to happen, we need to believe that God will do something.
On Friday, we had our third group date in the form of a Cookie Cooking Competition. Two teams competed to create the most original, artistic, and tasty cookie within the time alotted. Our team created a "big rock candy mountain" out of M&M and Reese's cookies with Trix ice cream, Hershey's cookies and cream bars, Butterfingers, frosting, and green icing on top. Needless to say, after the competition, I didn't want to see another cookie for at least 24 hours.
Yesterday we had our Sports Day. We had a volleyball tournament, putt putt golf, water dodgeball, and a game called "tank wars." I managed to participate in all of them, but not necessarily with the best results. Our volleyball and dodgeball teams, both named "The Mammals," went an abysmal 0-4, and my excellent round of putt putt was ruined by a 10-stroke 16th hole. Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun, and topped it all of that night with a "thrift store prom" (where you buy your clothes from a thrift store and dance).
Today we went to our last "ultra contemporary" service and went to Adventure Landing as guests instead of employees. The rest of the night will involve a one-on-one time with my team leader, some rest, and probably another trip through that nature walk.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Week Four: Identity in Christ
This was a fun week.
On Monday, Jerry Bridges - an author and speaker - came in to talk to us about what it means for our identity to be "in Christ." Among the things that he shared was that we are perfect because Christ is perfect. When God looks at our performance, He sees Christ's performance and is pleased. Another interesting part of being "in Christ" is that we are no longer slaves to sin...but we are slaves to righteousness. This interesting concept was one that I would chew on more Tuesday.
During my one on one time Tuesday, I discussed with my team leader about how we view ourselves and how what the Bible says we are because we are in Christ. We talked about the concept of being slaves to righteousness, and agreed that the term "slave" - which has such a negative connotation today due to the Civil War - would have been more like a servant in the days of Jesus. However, because we are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness, we are no longer our own, and we no longer live our lives for ourselves. Following my one-on-one time Tuesday, I took this point away the most and tried to apply it the rest of the week.
Wednesday we heard more from Jerry Bridges. He reviewed a lot of things he had discussed on Monday, and also gave us a list of practical ways to remember what our identity is in Christ. Among them were memorizing certain scripture and reminding ourselves of the gospel everyday.
On Thursday, we had Bible Study at Chick-Fil-A after driving for about an hour to find a good spot. We discussed more of the same ideas - especially "slaves to righteousness" again.
Friday brought the arrival of my family to visit the program. We ate out at a place called Chowder Ted's, and then hung out the rest of the weekend. Friday night, the program held a talent show that was very entertaining and incredibly lighthearted. Saturday was the last Beach Evangelism and a trip to Jacksonville Landing (which is like a mini riverwalk), and today, I went with my family to St. Augustine (the oldest settlement in America) to visit all the tourist sites there. We are going to have rally night tonight so that tomorrow we can go see the fireworks at the beach, but until then, I'm probably going to relax for the few hours I can :).
Thank you to everyone for your prayers for the rain. We went eight straight days with rain, and most of the fires were beat back. We will be praying for those affected by the flooding of the Missouri River.
On Monday, Jerry Bridges - an author and speaker - came in to talk to us about what it means for our identity to be "in Christ." Among the things that he shared was that we are perfect because Christ is perfect. When God looks at our performance, He sees Christ's performance and is pleased. Another interesting part of being "in Christ" is that we are no longer slaves to sin...but we are slaves to righteousness. This interesting concept was one that I would chew on more Tuesday.
During my one on one time Tuesday, I discussed with my team leader about how we view ourselves and how what the Bible says we are because we are in Christ. We talked about the concept of being slaves to righteousness, and agreed that the term "slave" - which has such a negative connotation today due to the Civil War - would have been more like a servant in the days of Jesus. However, because we are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness, we are no longer our own, and we no longer live our lives for ourselves. Following my one-on-one time Tuesday, I took this point away the most and tried to apply it the rest of the week.
Wednesday we heard more from Jerry Bridges. He reviewed a lot of things he had discussed on Monday, and also gave us a list of practical ways to remember what our identity is in Christ. Among them were memorizing certain scripture and reminding ourselves of the gospel everyday.
On Thursday, we had Bible Study at Chick-Fil-A after driving for about an hour to find a good spot. We discussed more of the same ideas - especially "slaves to righteousness" again.
Friday brought the arrival of my family to visit the program. We ate out at a place called Chowder Ted's, and then hung out the rest of the weekend. Friday night, the program held a talent show that was very entertaining and incredibly lighthearted. Saturday was the last Beach Evangelism and a trip to Jacksonville Landing (which is like a mini riverwalk), and today, I went with my family to St. Augustine (the oldest settlement in America) to visit all the tourist sites there. We are going to have rally night tonight so that tomorrow we can go see the fireworks at the beach, but until then, I'm probably going to relax for the few hours I can :).
Thank you to everyone for your prayers for the rain. We went eight straight days with rain, and most of the fires were beat back. We will be praying for those affected by the flooding of the Missouri River.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Week Three: Relationships in the Body of Christ
This week we stepped into the dangerous territory of relationships. What's appropriate for a dating relationship? How should guys treat girls and vice versa? How does one pursue Christ while pursuing a relationship?
On Monday, we got the privilege of listening to Vic and Lindi Black talk about the importance of relationships and what God's picture of a relationship looks like. We heard a lot of good advice about a relationship such as being pure in our actions with a person of the opposite sex (beyond saving sex for marriage) and making sure that the focus of both members of the relationship is on Christ. It was a very difficult subject to talk about, but I feel like Vic and Lindi covered it all very well.
On Tuesday, I had my one-on-one with my team leader and got to enjoy the rest of the night off. I used that time to work on my Bible Study.
Wednesday, we had our workshop on Godly relationships with Vic and Lindi again. We focused on how we could take practical steps to be pure and focused on God in our relationships. We concentrated on what standards were appropriate for each individual and for Christians as a whole. We also outlined the roles that men and women need to play in a relationship. Most of it, I felt, was placing responsibility on the men by charging us to let the woman know where the relationship was going and to be the initiator. It was another fascinating night.
On Thursday, we had a Bible Study which focused a lot on mulling over what we had heard from the workshop and rally night. We had a great conversation in discussing the roles of men and women in a relationship and looking at Proverbs 31 (which is a guidline set out by a king's mother about a praiseworthy woman). Later that night, we asked out a group of girls from the program to go on a date night with our group. With three of us dressed as runners and me dressed as a Roman herald, we asked the ladies to join us for a night of obscure games fashioned like the Olympics. They said "yes."
So Friday, after a long day at work, we went out on a date night with Team Hakuna Matata to participate in javelin (throwing a swimming noodle), shot put (hurling a juggling ball), dizzy baseball (which made me very sick), and other similar odd games. It was a lot of fun, and when the night ended, we were all very tired but very happy.
Yesterday was beach evangelism. We went out to Hugenot State Park and didn't have very much luck with our conversations. However, we have to consistently remind ourselves that what we might see as failure could be still used by God since He plants the seeds and grows them. That night, me and three other guys went out to watch the U.S. vs. Mexico soccer game. For those of you who didn't watch it or don't know what happened, let's just say that there was much excitement when the U.S. went up 2-0 and much disappointment when we lost 4-2. But it was all good. Because, after all, it's only the game of soccer.
Today was our last Sunday service with our "Behind the Music" theme. For the past four weeks, we had been attending a contemporary service but looking into the story behind the hymns. Each week, we focused on a different hymn such as "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," "It is Well," and "Amazing Grace." For someone who grew up in a traditional church background, it was refreshing to hear these old favorite hymns and the story that led to their creation.
Tonight, I'm relaxing in preparation for another busy week. Thank you again to all of you who supported me to come down here. It really has been a blast to meet so many solid Christians and to grow with them in our relationships with Christ.
On Monday, we got the privilege of listening to Vic and Lindi Black talk about the importance of relationships and what God's picture of a relationship looks like. We heard a lot of good advice about a relationship such as being pure in our actions with a person of the opposite sex (beyond saving sex for marriage) and making sure that the focus of both members of the relationship is on Christ. It was a very difficult subject to talk about, but I feel like Vic and Lindi covered it all very well.
On Tuesday, I had my one-on-one with my team leader and got to enjoy the rest of the night off. I used that time to work on my Bible Study.
Wednesday, we had our workshop on Godly relationships with Vic and Lindi again. We focused on how we could take practical steps to be pure and focused on God in our relationships. We concentrated on what standards were appropriate for each individual and for Christians as a whole. We also outlined the roles that men and women need to play in a relationship. Most of it, I felt, was placing responsibility on the men by charging us to let the woman know where the relationship was going and to be the initiator. It was another fascinating night.
On Thursday, we had a Bible Study which focused a lot on mulling over what we had heard from the workshop and rally night. We had a great conversation in discussing the roles of men and women in a relationship and looking at Proverbs 31 (which is a guidline set out by a king's mother about a praiseworthy woman). Later that night, we asked out a group of girls from the program to go on a date night with our group. With three of us dressed as runners and me dressed as a Roman herald, we asked the ladies to join us for a night of obscure games fashioned like the Olympics. They said "yes."
So Friday, after a long day at work, we went out on a date night with Team Hakuna Matata to participate in javelin (throwing a swimming noodle), shot put (hurling a juggling ball), dizzy baseball (which made me very sick), and other similar odd games. It was a lot of fun, and when the night ended, we were all very tired but very happy.
Yesterday was beach evangelism. We went out to Hugenot State Park and didn't have very much luck with our conversations. However, we have to consistently remind ourselves that what we might see as failure could be still used by God since He plants the seeds and grows them. That night, me and three other guys went out to watch the U.S. vs. Mexico soccer game. For those of you who didn't watch it or don't know what happened, let's just say that there was much excitement when the U.S. went up 2-0 and much disappointment when we lost 4-2. But it was all good. Because, after all, it's only the game of soccer.
Today was our last Sunday service with our "Behind the Music" theme. For the past four weeks, we had been attending a contemporary service but looking into the story behind the hymns. Each week, we focused on a different hymn such as "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," "It is Well," and "Amazing Grace." For someone who grew up in a traditional church background, it was refreshing to hear these old favorite hymns and the story that led to their creation.
Tonight, I'm relaxing in preparation for another busy week. Thank you again to all of you who supported me to come down here. It really has been a blast to meet so many solid Christians and to grow with them in our relationships with Christ.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Fires in Florida
I'm sure you've all heard about the wildfires blazing around the country. I found this satellite image for the wildfires burning in Florida. Today was incredibly hazy with only a mile of visibility...maybe. Please pray for us and all others experiencing the same problem.
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