Over this past year and last summer God did some conforming in my life. It was a slow, but gradual process that took time but it was necessary for me to become a like Jesus Christ.
This past summer at Discipleship Focus, I came to realize and know that God is in control of our lives every day. He used this concept that the taught me last summer in my supposed search for a job. He kept reminding me that is in control of my life even when I didn't want to acknowledge it at times. He gave me a certain peace about the ability to go through hard times. Through this time, I have gained the ability to remind myself that he is in control of whatever situation I'm going through.
I also gained the ability to the desperately dependent on God this past summer at Discipleship Focus. I thought I was dependent on God before last summer but I think I've been able to acknowledge the times that I need him. I can remind myself I can depend on him with anything because he is the source of anything Godly in my life.
I have also gained the ability to present situations and abide in him during good and bad times in my life lately from the experience I had last summer. I gained the ability to present things to him that I could not before. I have been able to present certain jobs to apply for in the past year to him and God has given me leading to if I should get the job or move to that place.
Lastly, I have gained the ability to trust him with bigger and bigger things therefore my faith has increased. This has happened with the ability to present and abide that I discussed in the last paragraph. If he can present a situation or struggle, then we will be able to trust him with the next one. That is how my life has gone in the past year. It has been a struggle at times but also a time of growth in my life. We have to trust him, because he is faithful and in control.
This conforming process that I have discussed Paul presents to us in Romans 8:28-29. It says this,
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
This process may be long and gradual but at the end Jesus is at the center of it all. He is the one doing the molding in our life. We can't make it in this life on our own. We can't produce growth in Jesus or good on our own in life.
God may use good times or struggles in our lives to produce this conforming process in us. We have to remind ourselves that this process is necessary for our growth in him.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
God's love never fails
God's love never fails. A simple but truth that we need to realize daily and cling to with all of our lives.
When the frustrations of life get to us, God will never let us go. He is with us every minute of the hour of the day. He wants to be with us at all times and wants to know what we are going through in our lives at the moment. God's love and so wide,long, and deep. It is so fearless that he is in constant pursuit of us.
His love never ends. When us as humans fail us, God will never fails us. In Isiah 40:28, it says "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is an everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom."
God loves and pursues us daily with everything he has. In Lamentations 3: 22-24, it says about God's love, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassion's never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion;
there I will wait for him."
God loves us in the good times in also the bad times. Isiah says this about this topic of God's love in Isiah 54:8,
"In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you."
Psalm 136 is another passage that describes God's love that never lets us go. The passage describes God's greatness, glory, and power shown to the people of Israel.
The most definitive response to God's great love for us is in the often quoted Corinthians 13. Most of that passage is used for occasions such as weddings. While most of Corinthians is used for weddings, Corinthians 13:8 is the verse that most describes God's unfailing love. It says this, "Love never fails.
But where there are prophesies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge it will pass away."
God loves us and pursues abundantly. He wants the best for us in our lives. We have to remind us when life is hard.
When the frustrations of life get to us, God will never let us go. He is with us every minute of the hour of the day. He wants to be with us at all times and wants to know what we are going through in our lives at the moment. God's love and so wide,long, and deep. It is so fearless that he is in constant pursuit of us.
His love never ends. When us as humans fail us, God will never fails us. In Isiah 40:28, it says "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is an everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom."
God loves and pursues us daily with everything he has. In Lamentations 3: 22-24, it says about God's love, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassion's never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion;
there I will wait for him."
God loves us in the good times in also the bad times. Isiah says this about this topic of God's love in Isiah 54:8,
"In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you."
Psalm 136 is another passage that describes God's love that never lets us go. The passage describes God's greatness, glory, and power shown to the people of Israel.
The most definitive response to God's great love for us is in the often quoted Corinthians 13. Most of that passage is used for occasions such as weddings. While most of Corinthians is used for weddings, Corinthians 13:8 is the verse that most describes God's unfailing love. It says this, "Love never fails.
But where there are prophesies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge it will pass away."
God loves us and pursues abundantly. He wants the best for us in our lives. We have to remind us when life is hard.
Friday, June 17, 2011
D-focus skit night
Today is the anniversary of the D-focus skit night. That day will live on infamy of all the participants from last year.
My cabin, cabin four, performed the Little Boys in White T-shirts skit which changed Notch Pines forever.
Andrew Clark punched a hole in the wall from our jumping up and down. We broke a chair as Carlyle sat on Dan Anderson. There were a lot of blood and tears shed that night as well. In the opening scene, I flew by as I chopped trees down.
I will always have that night etched it my mind. The reason is because of the crazy destruction we caused and how hyped up we were for that night. We drank so many energy drinks that night. When it was finally time to perform the skit, the craziness just erupted inside of us and through us. It was at that time the most epic D-focus skit had finally come to fruition.
Ann Pinkerton, the D-focus Coordinator, said afterwards the skit was banned from D-focus. Some people laughed about that night while others were scared of the havoc that we caused during that fateful night. It all felt like a blur after the events had transpired earlier that night.
I think that night as helped as bond together as cabin. It was early in the summer and we were just starting to get to know each other. It would have been around the fourth week into 10 weeks we would be developing friendships together. It truly was a great time living together as a community experiencing life together with that cabin. We learned about each other's tendencies and our likes and dislikes in those 10 weeks last summer.
I believe that Jesus brought us together to have that community last summer and perform that legendary skit. He also used that community to help us grow and encourage us during those 10 weeks of discipleship.
Living in community is one of the things God uses to grow us in him. He brought us together that summer for a truly great time of growth in him. These people I will know my entire life and for that I am eternally grateful.
In closing, I say always pursue community because the growth you will experience is immeasurable. Cherish those times where you are living together in community.
My cabin, cabin four, performed the Little Boys in White T-shirts skit which changed Notch Pines forever.
Andrew Clark punched a hole in the wall from our jumping up and down. We broke a chair as Carlyle sat on Dan Anderson. There were a lot of blood and tears shed that night as well. In the opening scene, I flew by as I chopped trees down.
I will always have that night etched it my mind. The reason is because of the crazy destruction we caused and how hyped up we were for that night. We drank so many energy drinks that night. When it was finally time to perform the skit, the craziness just erupted inside of us and through us. It was at that time the most epic D-focus skit had finally come to fruition.
Ann Pinkerton, the D-focus Coordinator, said afterwards the skit was banned from D-focus. Some people laughed about that night while others were scared of the havoc that we caused during that fateful night. It all felt like a blur after the events had transpired earlier that night.
I think that night as helped as bond together as cabin. It was early in the summer and we were just starting to get to know each other. It would have been around the fourth week into 10 weeks we would be developing friendships together. It truly was a great time living together as a community experiencing life together with that cabin. We learned about each other's tendencies and our likes and dislikes in those 10 weeks last summer.
I believe that Jesus brought us together to have that community last summer and perform that legendary skit. He also used that community to help us grow and encourage us during those 10 weeks of discipleship.
Living in community is one of the things God uses to grow us in him. He brought us together that summer for a truly great time of growth in him. These people I will know my entire life and for that I am eternally grateful.
In closing, I say always pursue community because the growth you will experience is immeasurable. Cherish those times where you are living together in community.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Affirmations
I am blogging about something that we all need sometimes. It is an added boost of confidence that says hey you can be good at this or that in life.
It can come in any form when said. This certain thing someone says to us can help pull us together in the right direction as well. Also, it can help fire us up and realize where we need or be or go in life. These could also help us realize what is true for us in our life. They can give us the drive to succeed as well.
Affirmations help us recognize who we are and want to be.They help us realize our passions in life and how we can't stray from them. They give us a realization of what we are good at.
They (affirmations), remind us of the past and the future. Also, any little affirmations can give us the ability to push forward from where we are in our life. They give you the ability to say,"This is where I should go, or that is where I should go for the future."
They give you the ability to cling to what matters the most in life.It is if you hold onto that, then you will be able to make it through anything in life. They give you the ability to push through life when it seems as if it is crumbling. A little affirmation can help you realize what you need the most in life. That you have to cling to that more than anything.
Affirmations can help build you up or break you down. Though, most of the time they will help build you up and get you going in the direction that you want to. They could even find the right path that will give you the most joy in what path for your future you are seeking.
It can come in any form when said. This certain thing someone says to us can help pull us together in the right direction as well. Also, it can help fire us up and realize where we need or be or go in life. These could also help us realize what is true for us in our life. They can give us the drive to succeed as well.
Affirmations help us recognize who we are and want to be.They help us realize our passions in life and how we can't stray from them. They give us a realization of what we are good at.
They (affirmations), remind us of the past and the future. Also, any little affirmations can give us the ability to push forward from where we are in our life. They give you the ability to say,"This is where I should go, or that is where I should go for the future."
They give you the ability to cling to what matters the most in life.It is if you hold onto that, then you will be able to make it through anything in life. They give you the ability to push through life when it seems as if it is crumbling. A little affirmation can help you realize what you need the most in life. That you have to cling to that more than anything.
Affirmations can help build you up or break you down. Though, most of the time they will help build you up and get you going in the direction that you want to. They could even find the right path that will give you the most joy in what path for your future you are seeking.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Snoop's life: Spiritual Maturity in Christ
Snoop's life: Spiritual Maturity in Christ: "Today I will be blogging about a very important topic in our lives as Christians. It is the important topic of spiritual maturity in Christ..."
Spiritual Maturity in Christ
Today I will be blogging about a very important topic in our lives as Christians. It is the important topic of spiritual maturity in Christ.
This topic was discussed at Dicipleship Focus last summer. Will Wyatt who wrote the study Discovery along with his wife Betty Wyatt talked about this topic in the study. The Wyatt's also started Dicipleship Focus in 1977.
Dicipleship Focus is a summer long dicipleship, servant leadership program where you go through the study Discovery and work at Silver Dollar City or Whitewater. It is a college aged dicipleship program in Branson, Missouri. The community along with my small group, cabin, and leaders changed my life forever.
Spiritual maturity in Christ is the ability to trust God more quickly each time with more situations. I have been able to do this in the past year through my growth last summer at Dicipleship Focus and experiencing these kind of situations in the past year. I have been trying to find a job for a while, God has helped me trust him with everything. He has reminded me that I need to present everything to him even though sometimes I don't want to. He has also given me the maturity to wait for his timing in life.
I have gained the ability to trust him in any and every situation lately though it is hard sometimes. I just need to remind myself that he is in control of my life in whatever I am going through.
We have to be desperately dependent on God for everything in our life. We can't produce anything worth spiritual maturity on our own in our life.
If the branch of a tree isn't producing any growth, then the tree will not grow. If the branches are watered and nurtured, then the tree will and produce fruit and endless growth. This is like us as Christians, if we don't depend on Jesus for our every need in our life.
Spiritual maturity is a long process but necessary to our growth as Christians. It also reminds us of our need for Jesus in our life daily something we sometimes take for granted at times. We have to be in tune with Jesus at all times, abiding in him with everything we have.
This topic was discussed at Dicipleship Focus last summer. Will Wyatt who wrote the study Discovery along with his wife Betty Wyatt talked about this topic in the study. The Wyatt's also started Dicipleship Focus in 1977.
Dicipleship Focus is a summer long dicipleship, servant leadership program where you go through the study Discovery and work at Silver Dollar City or Whitewater. It is a college aged dicipleship program in Branson, Missouri. The community along with my small group, cabin, and leaders changed my life forever.
Spiritual maturity in Christ is the ability to trust God more quickly each time with more situations. I have been able to do this in the past year through my growth last summer at Dicipleship Focus and experiencing these kind of situations in the past year. I have been trying to find a job for a while, God has helped me trust him with everything. He has reminded me that I need to present everything to him even though sometimes I don't want to. He has also given me the maturity to wait for his timing in life.
I have gained the ability to trust him in any and every situation lately though it is hard sometimes. I just need to remind myself that he is in control of my life in whatever I am going through.
We have to be desperately dependent on God for everything in our life. We can't produce anything worth spiritual maturity on our own in our life.
If the branch of a tree isn't producing any growth, then the tree will not grow. If the branches are watered and nurtured, then the tree will and produce fruit and endless growth. This is like us as Christians, if we don't depend on Jesus for our every need in our life.
Spiritual maturity is a long process but necessary to our growth as Christians. It also reminds us of our need for Jesus in our life daily something we sometimes take for granted at times. We have to be in tune with Jesus at all times, abiding in him with everything we have.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Restoration process
God is in the process of restoration in people's lives. He accomplishes this during hard times or tragedy in people's lives and also uses this time period to help us grow in him.
God exiled the people of Jerusalem and Judah for 70 years because of their sins and praise of idols and not of God. He used that to make them realize how much they needed to depend on him.
The theme of restoration is discussed throughout Isaiah and the book of Jeremiah. In verse 30:18, God says "I will restore the fortunes of Jacob's tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place." In Isaiah 49:8-9, God says this about the his restoration of Israel and Judah, "In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, "Come out," and to those in darkness, "Be free!"
In Jeremiah 29:11-14, God reminds the people that he has a plan and wants the people to have a future. This hardship is just something God is to make the people realize their utter dependence and need for God during this time.
God calls us as Christians in the 21st century to serve the oppressed and those that need a restoration process in their lives. Restoration can take place anywhere in anyone's life we just have to recognize someone who is in need of it.
It is a slow process that takes place through a time a patience and waiting. It is also a time when we realize that we need to pick ourselves back up from our feet and trust God with our life. It is then we can remind ourselves that he is the only thing that bring us through any hardship in life.
God exiled the people of Jerusalem and Judah for 70 years because of their sins and praise of idols and not of God. He used that to make them realize how much they needed to depend on him.
The theme of restoration is discussed throughout Isaiah and the book of Jeremiah. In verse 30:18, God says "I will restore the fortunes of Jacob's tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place." In Isaiah 49:8-9, God says this about the his restoration of Israel and Judah, "In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, "Come out," and to those in darkness, "Be free!"
In Jeremiah 29:11-14, God reminds the people that he has a plan and wants the people to have a future. This hardship is just something God is to make the people realize their utter dependence and need for God during this time.
God calls us as Christians in the 21st century to serve the oppressed and those that need a restoration process in their lives. Restoration can take place anywhere in anyone's life we just have to recognize someone who is in need of it.
It is a slow process that takes place through a time a patience and waiting. It is also a time when we realize that we need to pick ourselves back up from our feet and trust God with our life. It is then we can remind ourselves that he is the only thing that bring us through any hardship in life.
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