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.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
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.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Week Two: Deeply Rooted - The Word of God
"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
--2 Timothy 3:16-17
"For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division between soul and spirit..."
--Hebrews 4:12
What is the Word of God?
We all have our "churchy" answers: it's the Bible, God's written code for how we act and live, it's a roadmap, it's how we live our lives. All of these are decent answers, but they just don't seem to drive home what exactly the Word of God really is.
As you can see from the verses above, the Bible has many entrees describing what the Word of God is. It's a "double-edged sword," useful for "teaching, correcting, and training in righteousness," it's also described as a mirror, a "lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." All of these things sum up the Word of God and its importance.
This week, the focus of our discussion was on how we as Christian can become rooted in the word of God. On Monday, we heard from Ken, an elderly man who helps with the Navigators at the University of Northern Iowa. He emphasized a lot about what the Word of God is and is not. Much of what he said for what the Word of God is has already been stated earlier in this blog post, but what caught my attention was what the Word of God isn't. The Word of God is not something that is left up to our judgment. "All scripture is God-breathed." It is not our place to pass judgment on scripture because it is the divine Word of God. This idea is something that stood out to me because I find myself judging the scriptures from time to time.
On Tuesday, we had most of the night off, but my team leader John and I met in our weekly one on one time to talk about how I was doing in keeping up with all the program requirements and in working on memory verses and Bible Study.
On Wednesday, Kevin DeFelice talked to us about how the Word of God has an impact on our lives. He gave examples showing how the Word of God helped in different ways - such as convicted, supporting, and leading - throughout his life. I liked what he had to say, but what probably got to me more what when a girl named Jill came up and shared her testimony about how the Word of God had been powerful in her life. When she recited Isaiah 55:9, I felt as if God was talking straight to me through her. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." This was really big for me because I was so exhausted at that point and really kind of wondering what in the world God was doing with some worries I had on my mind.
Thursday we had to say good-bye to Justin for a few days (he had to go to a wedding), and we decided to have Bible Study outside of Smoothie King (which serves insanely delicious smoothies, if you ever drive by one). We again went over how the Word of God was important to our lives and how useful it was as a tool for God. Afterwards, we had a few shenanigans in the parking lot of a strip mall when Isra and I were left behind at Target. We wound up "hijacking" our ride back when John and Mark were in the middle of the drive-thru at McDonald's. (The cashier gave us some pretty interesting looks.)
Friday was group movie night. I watched Tangled (since the other choice was the new Karate Kid) and Gladiator. It was a great time to chill out and have some fun before the weekend.
Saturday we went out and did beach evangelism. The first guy who talked to us just kept talking to us for hours while we tried to get a word in, but the last group we spoke to was much better at making conversation. They were two young women. One claimed to be a Christian while the other didn't exactly commit to any religion. Both (but especially the one who didn't claim to be a Christian) seemed to focus a lot on love and good works. They were willing to admit that sin was in the world, but the one who didn't claim any religion found it difficult to believe their needed to be a reason for Jesus to be perfect. It was a long conversation, and I don't think anyone's mind was changed, but I feel as if we witnessed for Christ well (to the Holy Spirit's credit, not ours).
Tomorrow will be a day of relaxing and welcoming back Justin. The whole program is starting to pick up speed, and it's hard for me to believe that we're already approaching week three. Happy Father's Day to all the dads (and especially to mine, of course)!
--2 Timothy 3:16-17
"For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division between soul and spirit..."
--Hebrews 4:12
What is the Word of God?
We all have our "churchy" answers: it's the Bible, God's written code for how we act and live, it's a roadmap, it's how we live our lives. All of these are decent answers, but they just don't seem to drive home what exactly the Word of God really is.
As you can see from the verses above, the Bible has many entrees describing what the Word of God is. It's a "double-edged sword," useful for "teaching, correcting, and training in righteousness," it's also described as a mirror, a "lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." All of these things sum up the Word of God and its importance.
This week, the focus of our discussion was on how we as Christian can become rooted in the word of God. On Monday, we heard from Ken, an elderly man who helps with the Navigators at the University of Northern Iowa. He emphasized a lot about what the Word of God is and is not. Much of what he said for what the Word of God is has already been stated earlier in this blog post, but what caught my attention was what the Word of God isn't. The Word of God is not something that is left up to our judgment. "All scripture is God-breathed." It is not our place to pass judgment on scripture because it is the divine Word of God. This idea is something that stood out to me because I find myself judging the scriptures from time to time.
On Tuesday, we had most of the night off, but my team leader John and I met in our weekly one on one time to talk about how I was doing in keeping up with all the program requirements and in working on memory verses and Bible Study.
On Wednesday, Kevin DeFelice talked to us about how the Word of God has an impact on our lives. He gave examples showing how the Word of God helped in different ways - such as convicted, supporting, and leading - throughout his life. I liked what he had to say, but what probably got to me more what when a girl named Jill came up and shared her testimony about how the Word of God had been powerful in her life. When she recited Isaiah 55:9, I felt as if God was talking straight to me through her. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." This was really big for me because I was so exhausted at that point and really kind of wondering what in the world God was doing with some worries I had on my mind.
Thursday we had to say good-bye to Justin for a few days (he had to go to a wedding), and we decided to have Bible Study outside of Smoothie King (which serves insanely delicious smoothies, if you ever drive by one). We again went over how the Word of God was important to our lives and how useful it was as a tool for God. Afterwards, we had a few shenanigans in the parking lot of a strip mall when Isra and I were left behind at Target. We wound up "hijacking" our ride back when John and Mark were in the middle of the drive-thru at McDonald's. (The cashier gave us some pretty interesting looks.)
Friday was group movie night. I watched Tangled (since the other choice was the new Karate Kid) and Gladiator. It was a great time to chill out and have some fun before the weekend.
Saturday we went out and did beach evangelism. The first guy who talked to us just kept talking to us for hours while we tried to get a word in, but the last group we spoke to was much better at making conversation. They were two young women. One claimed to be a Christian while the other didn't exactly commit to any religion. Both (but especially the one who didn't claim to be a Christian) seemed to focus a lot on love and good works. They were willing to admit that sin was in the world, but the one who didn't claim any religion found it difficult to believe their needed to be a reason for Jesus to be perfect. It was a long conversation, and I don't think anyone's mind was changed, but I feel as if we witnessed for Christ well (to the Holy Spirit's credit, not ours).
Tomorrow will be a day of relaxing and welcoming back Justin. The whole program is starting to pick up speed, and it's hard for me to believe that we're already approaching week three. Happy Father's Day to all the dads (and especially to mine, of course)!
Friday, June 10, 2011
(Full) Week One: Intimacy with Christ
The week began on Monday with my first day of work at Adventure Landing theme park as a member of "park services." The job was just about what I thought it would be with less down time than the manager seemed to imply. At my job, which I work from 10-4 every weekday, I clean trashcans (of which, there are countless at the park), check and clean bathrooms every hour, clean up messes left behind by guests, take out the garbage, and a number of odd jobs to help keep the park looking nice and sanitary. It's a tedious job to be sure, but it's nice to know that I'm doing something other than sitting around the dorm.
Monday night we had what we call a "rally night," which is basically a night where we sing worship songs, hear from a speaker, and then sing another worship song (for those who are not aware, this is just like a typical Thursday night back at UNL except we call it Nav Night). The speaker for this week was Mike Jordahl. For full disclosure, I am a huge fan of Mike Jordahl. When we went to something called a Laborer's Retreat back in February, he was the main speaker and spoke passionately (and relevantly) on being disciples who make disciples. Ever since I had heard he was coming to JAX, I was very excited. Little did I know that my team would wind up eating dinner with him just hours before he was to talk to us (but that's another story).
Mike did a great job of illustrating to us what intimacy with Christ looks like. The quote that I really liked is that we want to know that God is as real "as our right hand." He highlighted things that we as Christians do (such as comparing ourselves, maintaining our pride, having hard hearts, and a few others) that keep us from developing a relationship with Christ and knowing Him personally. My team left that night with a lot to talk about.
After a somewhat eventless Tuesday, Wednesday we had a workshop night where Mike spoke again along with his wife Nancy. We worked through questions to try to figure out what things in our lives were preventing us from having a close relationship with Christ and what things were going well.
Thursday night we had Bible Study. My team members had a great conversation focused on how we were going to be accountable to each other so that we could grow together. We also spent Thursday night asking out a group of girls to a date night where we would play cards, Family Feud, and enjoy some ice cream.
Which leads to today. We finished our awesome group night, got to eat real steak (YES!), and will soon be going to bed. Our team is scheduled to do beach evangelism on Sunday, so tomorrow will be a free day of relaxing and probably eating at a local place called Angie's Subs (which is famous, obviously, for their delicious sub sandwiches). Sunday will be the day I experience ultra contemporary service at Beach United Methodist. I'm a little anxious to be truthful because I'm worried if the pursuit to be contemporary will go too far, but I'm hoping for the best.
Thank you guys again for all of your prayers. It rained on Monday, so the threat of fires was greatly diminished, and our prayers were answered.
Monday night we had what we call a "rally night," which is basically a night where we sing worship songs, hear from a speaker, and then sing another worship song (for those who are not aware, this is just like a typical Thursday night back at UNL except we call it Nav Night). The speaker for this week was Mike Jordahl. For full disclosure, I am a huge fan of Mike Jordahl. When we went to something called a Laborer's Retreat back in February, he was the main speaker and spoke passionately (and relevantly) on being disciples who make disciples. Ever since I had heard he was coming to JAX, I was very excited. Little did I know that my team would wind up eating dinner with him just hours before he was to talk to us (but that's another story).
Mike did a great job of illustrating to us what intimacy with Christ looks like. The quote that I really liked is that we want to know that God is as real "as our right hand." He highlighted things that we as Christians do (such as comparing ourselves, maintaining our pride, having hard hearts, and a few others) that keep us from developing a relationship with Christ and knowing Him personally. My team left that night with a lot to talk about.
After a somewhat eventless Tuesday, Wednesday we had a workshop night where Mike spoke again along with his wife Nancy. We worked through questions to try to figure out what things in our lives were preventing us from having a close relationship with Christ and what things were going well.
Thursday night we had Bible Study. My team members had a great conversation focused on how we were going to be accountable to each other so that we could grow together. We also spent Thursday night asking out a group of girls to a date night where we would play cards, Family Feud, and enjoy some ice cream.
Which leads to today. We finished our awesome group night, got to eat real steak (YES!), and will soon be going to bed. Our team is scheduled to do beach evangelism on Sunday, so tomorrow will be a free day of relaxing and probably eating at a local place called Angie's Subs (which is famous, obviously, for their delicious sub sandwiches). Sunday will be the day I experience ultra contemporary service at Beach United Methodist. I'm a little anxious to be truthful because I'm worried if the pursuit to be contemporary will go too far, but I'm hoping for the best.
Thank you guys again for all of your prayers. It rained on Monday, so the threat of fires was greatly diminished, and our prayers were answered.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The First Week
"Week Zero" has finally passed. It's been an interesting and (at times) exhausting first few days down here in Jacksonville. We've spent a lot of time being orientated to how the program will be run, had to dedicate a lot of time to a personal quiet time, and have spent a lot of time going out to find people jobs. In the end, though, this first week has been a great experience.
One of the important parts of my trip here to Jacksonville is my team. This group - consisting of students from Northwest Missouri State, Miami (Ohio), Kent State, and UNL - will be working to build me up and help me to continue to grow in my personal relationship with Christ. Our team leader, John from NWMS, is an interesting character. He can be a bit obnoxious, but he is a great guy who has a deep love for Christ and a passion for spreading His message to high schoolers. I will be having Bible Study with these team members starting Thursday.
Another important part has been the food. One should know that in Jacksonville, the water tastes horrible. We use a Brita filter to drink most of our water. Meals are usually deli sandwiches or PB & J's, but dinner we get to eat extravagantly by going to the Univeristy of North Florida cafeteria. Oddly enough, the food at the UNF cafeteria is not even half bad.
Thursday I had orientation for my job here in Jacksonville. I am working for Adventure Landing - a theme park - as a member of "park services" (which is a fancy way of saying pooper scooper and trash guy). I've been told to bring my swimwear every day I got to work. Apparently on the really slow days, the employees are allowed to go out and enjoy the water slides. I start full-time Monday.
Saturday was our first day of beach evangelism. It was a very interesting experience. Me and my partner were rejected about six times before someone let us talk to them about the Bible. We didn't, as they say down here, "bring anyone to Christ" but we certainly had some great conversations, and I know that God was using our time there for His purpose.
Today we went to our church for the summer - Beach United Methodist. This church is insanely big. It has traditional, contemporary, and (I am being completely serious here) ULTRA contemporary services. Part of being a member of this church is that we have to take care of kids at the children's ministry while their parents are off at church. This means that on days like today we would go to the contemporary service for an hour and then report to the children's center to take care of the kids whose parents were at the next service. It was cool to see a church that had that much organization (although, personally, it made me wonder whether there is ever such a thing as having too big of a church).
For the rest of the day, we will relax and try to prepare ourselves for the coming week. I know that I haven't slept much this past week, so today will be a time for catchup. I apologize for having such a long post after having not posted for a while, but I also want you guys to know that our time down here is being well-spent, and I can't to see what else God has in store for us while we are down here. Please keep praying for us.
(Also, please pray for the area of Jacksonville, which is experiencing forest fires due to having recieved no rain in the last few weeks. We are praying for those affected by the floods of the Missouri River.)
One of the important parts of my trip here to Jacksonville is my team. This group - consisting of students from Northwest Missouri State, Miami (Ohio), Kent State, and UNL - will be working to build me up and help me to continue to grow in my personal relationship with Christ. Our team leader, John from NWMS, is an interesting character. He can be a bit obnoxious, but he is a great guy who has a deep love for Christ and a passion for spreading His message to high schoolers. I will be having Bible Study with these team members starting Thursday.
Another important part has been the food. One should know that in Jacksonville, the water tastes horrible. We use a Brita filter to drink most of our water. Meals are usually deli sandwiches or PB & J's, but dinner we get to eat extravagantly by going to the Univeristy of North Florida cafeteria. Oddly enough, the food at the UNF cafeteria is not even half bad.
Thursday I had orientation for my job here in Jacksonville. I am working for Adventure Landing - a theme park - as a member of "park services" (which is a fancy way of saying pooper scooper and trash guy). I've been told to bring my swimwear every day I got to work. Apparently on the really slow days, the employees are allowed to go out and enjoy the water slides. I start full-time Monday.
Saturday was our first day of beach evangelism. It was a very interesting experience. Me and my partner were rejected about six times before someone let us talk to them about the Bible. We didn't, as they say down here, "bring anyone to Christ" but we certainly had some great conversations, and I know that God was using our time there for His purpose.
Today we went to our church for the summer - Beach United Methodist. This church is insanely big. It has traditional, contemporary, and (I am being completely serious here) ULTRA contemporary services. Part of being a member of this church is that we have to take care of kids at the children's ministry while their parents are off at church. This means that on days like today we would go to the contemporary service for an hour and then report to the children's center to take care of the kids whose parents were at the next service. It was cool to see a church that had that much organization (although, personally, it made me wonder whether there is ever such a thing as having too big of a church).
For the rest of the day, we will relax and try to prepare ourselves for the coming week. I know that I haven't slept much this past week, so today will be a time for catchup. I apologize for having such a long post after having not posted for a while, but I also want you guys to know that our time down here is being well-spent, and I can't to see what else God has in store for us while we are down here. Please keep praying for us.
(Also, please pray for the area of Jacksonville, which is experiencing forest fires due to having recieved no rain in the last few weeks. We are praying for those affected by the floods of the Missouri River.)
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