Ok… let me just say I am LOVING our current project at the Institute. It is something I would never just sit down and do but Man, I am loving working on it. We are making
Belief Statements
These are like the “confessions of faith” that the early church fathers made like the Confessions of St. Augustine or the statements produced by the councils throughout church history – statements and confessions that define the things we stake our lives on.
For me this has been a project that is shaping my heart and solidifying WHY I believe what I do… it is a way of proving through the Scriptures, through history, through science, through archeology what I have built my life on as Truth.
So far we have done statements on…
The Trinity
God the Father
God the Son
God the Spirit
The Bible
Man, Sin, and Salvation
Angels, Demons, and Satan
It is so great to really dig into the Word and study and examine and understand what I believe and why. I would encourage you guys to sit down and do this… think about the whys of what you claim.
What are things you would stake you life on?
Well… I just got home from Israel.
My incredible parents took me on a two-week trip.
It was mind blowing. Moving in so many ways…
To see the land that God loves… to see the places He has called His own.
The places where He has written His name.
The places to where He will return.
The places where the Bible describes.
There’s something sweet about that country. I can’t really put it into words. Something in your heart comes alive by being in the land of God’s promises. [something in your heart always comes alive by being near God]
Below are a few pictures from my trip…
“The problem is not that the content [churches’ teach] itself is weak, but that the content is not provided in a purposeful, systematic manner. As a result believers are exposed to good information without context and thus lose that information because they have no way of making sense of it without the bigger picture of faith and life… Ultimately, believers become well versed in knowing characters, stories, ideas, and verses from the Bible, but they remain clueless as to their importance.” – George Barna, pg 260 "The Complete Book of Discipleship"
I think Barna has just summed up the American Christian faith. We are trained in nice, neat little packages of morality and analogy, with key words and flashy graphics. But most often we couldn’t explain God’s BIG PICTURE of how redemption and sanctification are woven from Genesis to Revelation. That is discipleship – introducing the believer to the Story Teller, giving him the story overview and the framework to understand the details, and then helping him find his place as he walks confidently towards the End- you beside him.
I have gone to church since birth, but until this year at the Kanakuk Institute, I didn’t have this big-picture context of God’s story. It’s not because my church lacked love, integrity, or even vision. Nor am I above saying it’s my own fault. I don’t know really where they blame should be laid, other than we live in a fallen world and I’m a big sinner.
But I can say with full confidence,
knowing the context of the story and the big picture of faith
makes all the difference in the world.
I may not be able to explain the rapture, pre-destination, or the why’s behind some theology - - but I am so grateful this year has taught me how to know God and the context to understand His passion for people.
If I could pay for everyone to come here, I would. I’m walking away from 8 months of school, confident of what I believe and why; passionate about loving people with purpose; and excited because of Who my God is!
Let me just tell y’all about my internship…
[we are required here to have a weekly youth ministry internship]
I work for a youth residential care facility about 10 minutes away. And it is INCREDIBLE !! The girls I work with come from all types of backgrounds and are from all across the ‘States. I have the blessing of hanging out with these precious girls all week long. We talk, have dance lessons, paint, do hair/nails, do homework, play guitar, play sports, all kinds of stuff. They are wonderful ladies and it is such a unique opportunity to just do life with them.
You can be praying for one girl in specific that I am mentoring. We meet one a week to have art lessons. She is wonderful, so sweet, and just all around adorable. Please pray that God opens our communication and that we can talk through some of the tough issues of life.
Ok first off - - apologies for not posting in like 8 weeks. I have no excuse so I won’t try and make one.
Let me just give you the run down though on the goodness of God –
First off –I am daily reminded of community and what true friendship means. These wonderful people show me every single day what the body of Christ should look like. Not –by any means- that we are perfect, but that we are striving, failing, picking each other up, and striving again after Christ.
Let me just say how much I LOVE Timothy Groups! If you don’t know what these are – they are based off of the idea that everyone needs a Paul and a Timothy in their lives- someone to mentor them [older, wiser, that’s walked through things before] and then someone younger that you can mentor. Timothy Groups are a chance for each of us to be discipled, prayed over, and walked through life with - - and in my group we almost always cry – good tears. Our group lasts for several hours, and it’s usually the highlight of my week. These 5 girls and our leader, Karen are INCREDIBLE! I’ve learned so much from them and it’s just awesome having people around you that help you be honest and love you through everything.
