This one shouldn't be too long for once haha.
Recently, Rhea put together a small group for college and just out of college students. It is going so well and we can really see the Lord working in and through this bible study. Right now, we are going through the book Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung. It is truly something. The book is about how too many people wait on the will of God to be revealed when it's right in front of our eyes, in the Bible. We just need to pick it up and read it and allow the Spirit to work in us. Not only that though, this book talks about how we ought to just do something. Sometimes, God doesn't give us direct answers. Actually, most of the time, God doesn't give us direct answers. We can never 100% fully know everything God wants us to do so we must step out in faith knowing that whatever we do, God can use for His glory. We may not know what specific job to take or who we are "destined" to marry, but as long as we are reading the Bible and living by God's word and growing in our relationship with the One who created us, then maybe by just doing something, we will be able to see all that God has planned for us. Waiting is a good thing, don't get me wrong, but sometimes, people wait too long and miss an opportunity. We are not called to sit back and just wait for God's will to be revealed to us. Is that what the diciples did? No! They went out from town to town preaching the gosple. That's God's will for all of our lives. As long as we are doing that, we can't go wrong (granted we aren't deeply rooted in some sin, but even then, God can use anyone to spread His word to others).
I'm also reading another book that I love and I am hoping to talk my small group into going through. The book is called Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman. It's about how many people are fans of Jesus but few are actually followers of Jesus. Are we the kind of people who only go to God at night when all things are going wrong or only on a Sunday morning? Or do we seek God at all times of the day no matter what is going on in our lives? Which are you? Kyle talks about, in one of his chapters, how a man decided to leave his church. He said this man sent him an email with one sentence as to why he was leaving the church. It read, "I don't like Kyle's sermons." Kyle decided to call this man and ask what he didn't like. Maybe he wasn't the only one who thought that, but then Kyle called. The man went on and on trying to avoid a direct answer to the question and in the midst of all his ranting, he said one line. It went something like this, "All your sermons try to interfere with my life." Wow. The guy didn't even realize what he was saying. Isn't that the point though? Didn't Jesus interfere in people's lives if they wanted to truly commit to him? It's not easy to live for Christ. It's not some walk in the park with no obstacles, no trials, no hardships. In fact, we are promised trials and persecution by others because of our faith. But in the end, it is all worth it. God deserves all we have and more. This walk with Christ shouldn't be some "side job" we decide we want one day and quit the next. It's a life-time, eternal commitment to loving and living for God.
Enough with my ranting about these amazing books haha. A little update on my school. I am officially going to Crossroads Bible College. I start on August 29th. Classes for me are on Mondays from 6-8:40pm (Intro to biblical counseling), Tuesdays from 2:30-5pm (I cannot remember what class I have this day, sorry), and Thursdays from 8-10:40am (New Testament Survey) and 1-5pm (Humanitarians 1 & 2). I am extremely excited to start this semester and see what knowledge and wisdom I can gain from these courses. One thing that is worrying me a little is the money situation. It turns out Crossroads is a bit more expensive than I originally thought, but it'll all get worked out.
Since my last update, I haven't had too much new happen in my life. I am working insanely too much this week. I have the 5:15am shift and it's exhausting, but I'm getting used to it a little. Hopefully, by Friday, I'll be to the point where I don't need a nap after I get off work. We'll see.
Also, I have been trying to invest more deeply into the lives that I have already begun investing into. I got some words of encouragement this summer from many people but one thing that really stuck was when someone said this to me, "It doesn't matter how many lives you invest into, it matters if your investments in those lives make a difference." It got me thinking. Does my involvement in the student minitries make a difference? Am I investing in these students lives as much as I can or is it just whenever it's convenient? So, I started hanging out with the girls outside of church and it's making a difference to me. I love being around them all and I love getting to know the girls more and being involved in their lives. I consider every girl a friend of mine and I love how much they care about one another. It's so encouraging. I'm excited to see what more God has in store :)
Alright, I think that's it. I'll try and update more frequently. I've been really busy with work and stuff, but I will post more often just for you, my avid readers.
Oh one last thing, I'm going to start training for a marathon. I think I just became officially insane. I hope to run it in the spring. We'll see how it goes...
Recently, Rhea put together a small group for college and just out of college students. It is going so well and we can really see the Lord working in and through this bible study. Right now, we are going through the book Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung. It is truly something. The book is about how too many people wait on the will of God to be revealed when it's right in front of our eyes, in the Bible. We just need to pick it up and read it and allow the Spirit to work in us. Not only that though, this book talks about how we ought to just do something. Sometimes, God doesn't give us direct answers. Actually, most of the time, God doesn't give us direct answers. We can never 100% fully know everything God wants us to do so we must step out in faith knowing that whatever we do, God can use for His glory. We may not know what specific job to take or who we are "destined" to marry, but as long as we are reading the Bible and living by God's word and growing in our relationship with the One who created us, then maybe by just doing something, we will be able to see all that God has planned for us. Waiting is a good thing, don't get me wrong, but sometimes, people wait too long and miss an opportunity. We are not called to sit back and just wait for God's will to be revealed to us. Is that what the diciples did? No! They went out from town to town preaching the gosple. That's God's will for all of our lives. As long as we are doing that, we can't go wrong (granted we aren't deeply rooted in some sin, but even then, God can use anyone to spread His word to others).
I'm also reading another book that I love and I am hoping to talk my small group into going through. The book is called Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman. It's about how many people are fans of Jesus but few are actually followers of Jesus. Are we the kind of people who only go to God at night when all things are going wrong or only on a Sunday morning? Or do we seek God at all times of the day no matter what is going on in our lives? Which are you? Kyle talks about, in one of his chapters, how a man decided to leave his church. He said this man sent him an email with one sentence as to why he was leaving the church. It read, "I don't like Kyle's sermons." Kyle decided to call this man and ask what he didn't like. Maybe he wasn't the only one who thought that, but then Kyle called. The man went on and on trying to avoid a direct answer to the question and in the midst of all his ranting, he said one line. It went something like this, "All your sermons try to interfere with my life." Wow. The guy didn't even realize what he was saying. Isn't that the point though? Didn't Jesus interfere in people's lives if they wanted to truly commit to him? It's not easy to live for Christ. It's not some walk in the park with no obstacles, no trials, no hardships. In fact, we are promised trials and persecution by others because of our faith. But in the end, it is all worth it. God deserves all we have and more. This walk with Christ shouldn't be some "side job" we decide we want one day and quit the next. It's a life-time, eternal commitment to loving and living for God.
Enough with my ranting about these amazing books haha. A little update on my school. I am officially going to Crossroads Bible College. I start on August 29th. Classes for me are on Mondays from 6-8:40pm (Intro to biblical counseling), Tuesdays from 2:30-5pm (I cannot remember what class I have this day, sorry), and Thursdays from 8-10:40am (New Testament Survey) and 1-5pm (Humanitarians 1 & 2). I am extremely excited to start this semester and see what knowledge and wisdom I can gain from these courses. One thing that is worrying me a little is the money situation. It turns out Crossroads is a bit more expensive than I originally thought, but it'll all get worked out.
Since my last update, I haven't had too much new happen in my life. I am working insanely too much this week. I have the 5:15am shift and it's exhausting, but I'm getting used to it a little. Hopefully, by Friday, I'll be to the point where I don't need a nap after I get off work. We'll see.
Also, I have been trying to invest more deeply into the lives that I have already begun investing into. I got some words of encouragement this summer from many people but one thing that really stuck was when someone said this to me, "It doesn't matter how many lives you invest into, it matters if your investments in those lives make a difference." It got me thinking. Does my involvement in the student minitries make a difference? Am I investing in these students lives as much as I can or is it just whenever it's convenient? So, I started hanging out with the girls outside of church and it's making a difference to me. I love being around them all and I love getting to know the girls more and being involved in their lives. I consider every girl a friend of mine and I love how much they care about one another. It's so encouraging. I'm excited to see what more God has in store :)
Alright, I think that's it. I'll try and update more frequently. I've been really busy with work and stuff, but I will post more often just for you, my avid readers.
Oh one last thing, I'm going to start training for a marathon. I think I just became officially insane. I hope to run it in the spring. We'll see how it goes...