Hey Fam!!
Sooo I don't think I have ever posted on here... Or if I did it was a longggg time ago. So I think it's time for an update! I was looking threw our Kaleo yearbook this morning and something hit me really hard. It was God telling me it was time to let my family know whats been going on in my life. As you all know I haven't been good at keeping in contact with all of you and I am greatly sorry for that. Truth is after Kaleo when I got back home I went right back to my old friends and therefore my old lifestyle. When I went out to Kaleo I was honestly doing it mostly for my parents. Throughout the program I learned more about God and his love for me but I still didn't let him take control over my whole life. I wasn't in the right place at that time and therefore didn't use Kaleo to its full potential. I believe that's one of the main reasons I went back to my old friends and was able to fall so easily. I continued to live at home until about four months ago when I got an apartment with an old friend. This is where my life took a turn for the worst. I started getting involved with a very bad crowd and started experimenting with very hard drugs. In a sense I just gave up on myself and said this is the life im meant to live. I literally sat in my apartment everyday for almost three months with my roommate doing drugs and drinking and thinking that, that was the best life for me. I knew God was real the whole time but felt like it was too late to come back. I thank God for my parents and their faith in him. Even though I gave up on myself my parents never gave up on me. They continued to pray everyday that God would work in my life. Well I can tell you now he has and like never before!! About three weeks ago now I woke up one morning and decided I just didn't wanna get high that morning. Well I can say that was definitely God and the power of prayer! I went out to my living room where I have been spending the last two months of my life and I just woke up. I saw all these things on my table that I once told myself I would never do. God definitely woke me up that day and told me there is a way better life I am meant to live. I went home the next week to my parents such a broken child and told them everything. I cant say how thankful I am for them and their grace to me. They welcomed me back home and said its time to start over. I am now two weeks to this day sober and I can't even explain to you how good I feel. God has already moved in my life soooo much in these last two weeks. I applied for the teen challenge program here in London and am heading out there near the end of January! So please pray for me as I am both excited and scared for the journey ahead. I thank God everyday now for my life and for my family. He is amazing and full of sooo much grace. This high I have now on Jesus is better than any high I have EVER experienced. This change in me now is soo different than ever before. My parents let me go and experience what I needed to, to reliaze that wasn't the life for me. I have come home now to God and my family and fully ready to do God's work from here on out! I have fully given every part of my life back to God and have FINALLY let him take full control of my life. AMEN!!! ahhhhhh i still can't get over this amazing feeling I have rushing threw my body. God is sooo good and I hope this is an encouragement to all of you! I love you all and hope you are doing well! I deleted facebook to get away from my old friends so this is the communication I have for now but I would love to get back in contact with all of you! :) Stay strong my brothers and sisters for God is good all the time!!
Much love
Nate
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Friday, December 7, 2012
MERRY ALMOST CHRISTMAS!!
Hey guys! I hope every one is doing very very well :) I am getting excited for Christmas myself, and all the fun stress of school work to be done for a lil bit!! I was wondering who all might be up for a big group skype over Christmas? I was thinking sometime after Christmas, like from the 27th onward, or even in Janurary at some point. All I know is that it has been much too long since I've seen most of your loverly faces, and I would like to have the experience once again. If we can get a general feel for when will work for people, then I will go around to everyone's facebook pages and let 'em know too! Hope to hear from you guys!
Many Much Blessings :)
Loges Magoges
Many Much Blessings :)
Loges Magoges
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
surprise
hey guys. i have a present to send to everyone who wants one. please leave the address of where you will be over christmas break if you are interested. love always, b.
Life.
Hey you guys.
Sometime it feels like our year never happened. But it did and when I remember it and talk about it, I know it was good. Hard like we all know, but the experiences will last a lifetime. To be honest, Life was hard after Kaleo. I didn't know where I fit in with knowing what to do so I took the year off and it was probably the hardest year I've had, but looking back I know there was good in it. But I won't talk about that. I'll talk about life now in the present.
I have moved to the states and now attend a Christian college (Dordt) in Iowa. Random. But my sister did go there and when I was looking for what to study and where to go, I wanted to go to a Christian college. I wanted to have the rest of my college experience in a Christian community. I needed it because I was so out of community. I think its good for me to have gone to a college where I didn't know a whole lot of people. I have met a lot of people and it has been good. Somedays I don't know why I'm here, but thats normal. So yeah. After the year I decided to come here to study social work and psychology. As I have a couple nieces and nephews now, I want to work with kids. Actually my goal is just to marry a doctor and aspire to be a stay at home dad.. haha. but yeah, I hope to become a child life specialist, which focuses on working with kids in a hospital setting. Kids who have illness and what I would do is tell them what is going to happen, give them tours of the different places in the hospital, and then design activities that will suit what they can and can't do. But that won't be for a while. I have about two years left and then a one year masters program which I will do either in Canada or the States. I prefer Canada, as there are to many quirks in America haha. Amurica!. Its going alright. I have met some really cool people and the atmosphere has been great. There is chapel every wednesday and praise and worship on thursdays and lots of opportunities. So thats my life in a nutshell right now. I would love to hear more about what you guys are doing because I don't know what half of you are doing right now. I pray for you guys constantly.
Speaking of prayer. I need prayer that I will stay consistent in my personal devotions. As I go to this college with all these opportunities I fail at spending my own personal time in devotions which has been a struggle.
I do miss you guys, but I trust that things are going okay and that you have had all different/awesome experiences since Kaleo. Oh how I wish we could spend a week on a boat or climbing a mountain. Nostalgic.
Sometime it feels like our year never happened. But it did and when I remember it and talk about it, I know it was good. Hard like we all know, but the experiences will last a lifetime. To be honest, Life was hard after Kaleo. I didn't know where I fit in with knowing what to do so I took the year off and it was probably the hardest year I've had, but looking back I know there was good in it. But I won't talk about that. I'll talk about life now in the present.
I have moved to the states and now attend a Christian college (Dordt) in Iowa. Random. But my sister did go there and when I was looking for what to study and where to go, I wanted to go to a Christian college. I wanted to have the rest of my college experience in a Christian community. I needed it because I was so out of community. I think its good for me to have gone to a college where I didn't know a whole lot of people. I have met a lot of people and it has been good. Somedays I don't know why I'm here, but thats normal. So yeah. After the year I decided to come here to study social work and psychology. As I have a couple nieces and nephews now, I want to work with kids. Actually my goal is just to marry a doctor and aspire to be a stay at home dad.. haha. but yeah, I hope to become a child life specialist, which focuses on working with kids in a hospital setting. Kids who have illness and what I would do is tell them what is going to happen, give them tours of the different places in the hospital, and then design activities that will suit what they can and can't do. But that won't be for a while. I have about two years left and then a one year masters program which I will do either in Canada or the States. I prefer Canada, as there are to many quirks in America haha. Amurica!. Its going alright. I have met some really cool people and the atmosphere has been great. There is chapel every wednesday and praise and worship on thursdays and lots of opportunities. So thats my life in a nutshell right now. I would love to hear more about what you guys are doing because I don't know what half of you are doing right now. I pray for you guys constantly.
Speaking of prayer. I need prayer that I will stay consistent in my personal devotions. As I go to this college with all these opportunities I fail at spending my own personal time in devotions which has been a struggle.
I do miss you guys, but I trust that things are going okay and that you have had all different/awesome experiences since Kaleo. Oh how I wish we could spend a week on a boat or climbing a mountain. Nostalgic.
Friday, November 16, 2012
easier to read now. typed it wrong the first time!
Hey family.
I miss you. I sit in my bed, up way too late (shocker, right?) feeling like tears are coming to my eyes because I just miss you all. It's been a long time since we were all last together and sometimes it feels as though it never happened at all.
I keep waiting to write on this blog until my life is together, until I've accomplished something or something big has happened in life or something, but nothing seems to be happening so I figure I might as well post anyways.
Last time I posted, I told you all that I was moving to Vancouver and staying at UBC, even though I wanted to be at Briercrest. I am now in my last few weeks of classes for this term at UBC and it's been okay. Definitely not what I wanted or what I feel I still want, but I have to keep believing that the Lord has me here for a purpose. I keep thinking, "When will it get easy? When will I get to live and completely love where I am?" I don't see it yet. And it's really hard.
I'm lonely. I don't really have community out here at UBC. I don't have time for anything because my work schedule is crazy and inconsistent. When I'm not in class, I'm working and when I'm not working, I'm usually home because it's 10 pm. And when I manage to get an evening off of work, I don't really have friends to spend it with.
I currently go home twice a week which also decreases my chance to really build relationships here, but I'm not there long enough to do things with people for one of the nights and the other night people are busy, so I feel like I'm less connected with friends at home too. I'm still involved at my church's youth group and I'm now also attending morning services there. Sometimes I wonder why I'm still there and I come to the conclusion that I just can't leave my youth girls. I'm still attending Ethos which has been really good for me. I'm getting involved in serving there and trying to make more connections.
The Lord had His hand in setting up my living situation. I am living in the place I'd hoped for much cheaper than I could have possibly dreamed. I am 10 minutes from campus and 4 minutes from work (2 minutes if I sprint). I live with a couple who has been married for 42 years and have served as overseas missionaries for many of those years. As most of you know, missions is my heart and it is really cool to have them to mentor me and encourage me in the faith and in those desires. They are so loving and so hospitable and have really just taken me into their family. I just love them.
God is good. I know that. I know that more than I know if I'm going to breathe my next breath. But it's hard to live each day feeling like I'm never going to be in a place where I am going to love every day. I get afraid to hope for things because I'm afraid that God will tell me no and ask me to do something different and scary. I am so lonely and I really just want to love where I'm at. I want to be faithful where I'm at. I want to do what God has for me here. I don't think anything is happening, I don't know why I'm here and why I continue on.
Please pray for me. Pray for me to find the Lord in where I am. Pray that He will show Himself to me in indescribable ways and that I will see Him. Pray that He will be my Friend, my Companion, and my Joy. And He is my joy. I can tell you that I still have joy, even though I'm lonely and unhappy.
I love you all. I'm still learning to rest.
Holly
PS Kylie, the friend of mine that I mentioned in my last post has been coming to church with me since April accepted the Lord and I got to help baptize her on October 7th. Praise His glorious name for this soul who knows Him. My beautiful friend who is more like my sister is now my sister in the family of the Lord. Soli Deo Gloria!
I keep waiting to write on this blog until my life is together, until I've accomplished something or something big has happened in life or something, but nothing seems to be happening so I figure I might as well post anyways.
Last time I posted, I told you all that I was moving to Vancouver and staying at UBC, even though I wanted to be at Briercrest. I am now in my last few weeks of classes for this term at UBC and it's been okay. Definitely not what I wanted or what I feel I still want, but I have to keep believing that the Lord has me here for a purpose. I keep thinking, "When will it get easy? When will I get to live and completely love where I am?" I don't see it yet. And it's really hard.
I'm lonely. I don't really have community out here at UBC. I don't have time for anything because my work schedule is crazy and inconsistent. When I'm not in class, I'm working and when I'm not working, I'm usually home because it's 10 pm. And when I manage to get an evening off of work, I don't really have friends to spend it with.
I currently go home twice a week which also decreases my chance to really build relationships here, but I'm not there long enough to do things with people for one of the nights and the other night people are busy, so I feel like I'm less connected with friends at home too. I'm still involved at my church's youth group and I'm now also attending morning services there. Sometimes I wonder why I'm still there and I come to the conclusion that I just can't leave my youth girls. I'm still attending Ethos which has been really good for me. I'm getting involved in serving there and trying to make more connections.
The Lord had His hand in setting up my living situation. I am living in the place I'd hoped for much cheaper than I could have possibly dreamed. I am 10 minutes from campus and 4 minutes from work (2 minutes if I sprint). I live with a couple who has been married for 42 years and have served as overseas missionaries for many of those years. As most of you know, missions is my heart and it is really cool to have them to mentor me and encourage me in the faith and in those desires. They are so loving and so hospitable and have really just taken me into their family. I just love them.
God is good. I know that. I know that more than I know if I'm going to breathe my next breath. But it's hard to live each day feeling like I'm never going to be in a place where I am going to love every day. I get afraid to hope for things because I'm afraid that God will tell me no and ask me to do something different and scary. I am so lonely and I really just want to love where I'm at. I want to be faithful where I'm at. I want to do what God has for me here. I don't think anything is happening, I don't know why I'm here and why I continue on.
Please pray for me. Pray for me to find the Lord in where I am. Pray that He will show Himself to me in indescribable ways and that I will see Him. Pray that He will be my Friend, my Companion, and my Joy. And He is my joy. I can tell you that I still have joy, even though I'm lonely and unhappy.
I love you all. I'm still learning to rest.
Holly
PS Kylie, the friend of mine that I mentioned in my last post has been coming to church with me since April accepted the Lord and I got to help baptize her on October 7th. Praise His glorious name for this soul who knows Him. My beautiful friend who is more like my sister is now my sister in the family of the Lord. Soli Deo Gloria!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Its my birthday, I'll share if I want to...
I know I haven't posted in a while, but last weekend I was visited by a blast from the past, my old youth leader, Amanda. She made me realize that right now, in my stage in life, this season I am in, I am lacking community. When I realized that I pondered on what community felt like, I hadn't felt it in a while. Looking back on it, even though we didn't always like each other or get along we were still considered a community and as hard as it was, I liked it. I miss the people, you people!
Now that the reminiscing is over with, I will share a little of my life... I don't know if you all know this but, I am in my first year of my nursing degree to become a registered nurse. In fact I am almost finished my first semester! I still live at home in Duncan with my rents and commute to Naniamo four times a week to go to school. I have a fabulous husky puppy whom I love and of course the moment you've all been waiting for....
I am...
NOT engaged yet, but still dating the love of my life.
The main reason I wanted to post on the blog is that coming home from school tonight I noticed a peculiar thing, there has been a ridiculous amount of people trying to crush my dreams. And the thing is, MY DREAMS ARE TO BIG TO BE CRUSHED! mwahahahah!
But seriously, most of the time when I tell people what I want to do in life their first reaction is to walk away because they think they are talking to a loonie bin. I want all of you to know that if we want God to move mountains we have to believe He can. That means we have to sound a little (or a lot) crazy and dream BIG and pray BIG and live life BOLDLY! I hope I'm not the only crazy one out there, and if I am then God and I have a whole lot of mountains to move.
In response to this post I would love, love, LOVE to hear what your craziest and wildest dreams are and maybe we can help each other out and make our dreams come true or maybe just inspire each other.
Many Blessings and Mucho Love,
Mary
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Alright People!
Hey guys, I've been checking the blog pretty much every day for the last two months, and nobody has posted, so I figured I'd go for it! I only have a few things though, so someone else will have to post soon as well ;)
School is going well, I am enjoying my classes, and like last time I posted, am in the process of making the final touches to a sermon in David Ernst's Homiletics class. I'm doing it on 1Cor. 12:12-27, and though I am not as excited for this one as I was the Ecclesiastes sermon, it should still be alright.
We had a mod week just over a week ago, and I went to my friends house in a town an hour away from here, and had a grand ol' time! We did airsofting, hot tubbing, played some Settlers, actually did some homework, and hung out. It was a very nice break, and I was glad for the breather before school began to become heavy.
Ok, now for what I'm excited to talk about! Just before I left home, I met a lovely young lady, named Marissa. She attended a few Bible studies that I was a part of, we had a sending off night for all the college students (which pretty much includes every one from my friend group but Marissa, she's working this year to save up for college). It was a nice relaxed night of stories by the crab apple tree and around the camp fire. During the course of the night, we started picking up apples and lobbing them at each other. I lobbed one over my friends head and hit Marissa on the arm. I pretended like it didn't come from me and looked away casually. It didn't work. No sooner had I shifted my attention, was I met by the hard smack of an apple against my temple! She's got a good arm :)
Anyways, long story short, the apple broke the ice and bruised my noggin, and a DTR came not too long after. We decided that since I was leaving for school soon, we would stay friends for now, but still make an effort to get to know each other. So we have been skyping, and I have to say that I am pretty taken by this gal. She is much like me in the way that she acts and jokes around, and she has a deep love for our Lord and gets energized by ministry. She is very thoughtful and wise, but loves being goofy too. And she is very pretty! I have a picture of her and I together for you guys...
School is going well, I am enjoying my classes, and like last time I posted, am in the process of making the final touches to a sermon in David Ernst's Homiletics class. I'm doing it on 1Cor. 12:12-27, and though I am not as excited for this one as I was the Ecclesiastes sermon, it should still be alright.
We had a mod week just over a week ago, and I went to my friends house in a town an hour away from here, and had a grand ol' time! We did airsofting, hot tubbing, played some Settlers, actually did some homework, and hung out. It was a very nice break, and I was glad for the breather before school began to become heavy.
Ok, now for what I'm excited to talk about! Just before I left home, I met a lovely young lady, named Marissa. She attended a few Bible studies that I was a part of, we had a sending off night for all the college students (which pretty much includes every one from my friend group but Marissa, she's working this year to save up for college). It was a nice relaxed night of stories by the crab apple tree and around the camp fire. During the course of the night, we started picking up apples and lobbing them at each other. I lobbed one over my friends head and hit Marissa on the arm. I pretended like it didn't come from me and looked away casually. It didn't work. No sooner had I shifted my attention, was I met by the hard smack of an apple against my temple! She's got a good arm :)
Anyways, long story short, the apple broke the ice and bruised my noggin, and a DTR came not too long after. We decided that since I was leaving for school soon, we would stay friends for now, but still make an effort to get to know each other. So we have been skyping, and I have to say that I am pretty taken by this gal. She is much like me in the way that she acts and jokes around, and she has a deep love for our Lord and gets energized by ministry. She is very thoughtful and wise, but loves being goofy too. And she is very pretty! I have a picture of her and I together for you guys...
So as you can tell, 10 outta 10 knock out babe :)
Yeah, that's been the excitement in my life lately! At Christmas time we are going to see how things are going, and consider dating at that point. Alright, now it's somebody else's turn! Looking forward to hearing from you guys!
P.S. The college she's saving up for begins with a B.
And ends with a riercrest.
P.S. The college she's saving up for begins with a B.
And ends with a riercrest.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Selfishness.
Oh hey there.
I have a little prayer request.
So this week has kind of been crazy. I broke up with Colin out of conviction after spending a week at camp. I strongly believe that this is a temporary break up and not a permanent one in any way... This week has kind of been the worst. Me and Colin are neighbours at school and my school is tiny so I see him quite a bit. Its especially hard cause both of us want to be together...
I think a lot of issues in our relationship stem from a lot of fears that I have. I'm scared of picking the wrong person, I'm scared of having a miserable life and I have a deep rooted fear that I will end up divorced...
Lately I'm realizing that I am not at all the person that I view myself as in my mind. Somehow I blur over the negative parts and just think I'm awesome. This leaves no room for growth.
I'm finally realizing how selfish I am. I'm kind of embarrassed about it. I pretend I'm not selfish by being nice when I want to be and giving gifts and cooking and that stuff but when someone needs me and its not my idea I'm always angry and unwilling. I'm struggling with how to fix that. How do you go about life and all of the sudden be less selfish? How do you tangibly work on that? I need practical ways to work on that. I need time to realign my relationship with God. I need prayer from all of you guys (please).
Hmm. I think thats it.
I love you all and I'm still relishing in the time I got to spend with some of you in august.
I have a little prayer request.
So this week has kind of been crazy. I broke up with Colin out of conviction after spending a week at camp. I strongly believe that this is a temporary break up and not a permanent one in any way... This week has kind of been the worst. Me and Colin are neighbours at school and my school is tiny so I see him quite a bit. Its especially hard cause both of us want to be together...
I think a lot of issues in our relationship stem from a lot of fears that I have. I'm scared of picking the wrong person, I'm scared of having a miserable life and I have a deep rooted fear that I will end up divorced...
Lately I'm realizing that I am not at all the person that I view myself as in my mind. Somehow I blur over the negative parts and just think I'm awesome. This leaves no room for growth.
I'm finally realizing how selfish I am. I'm kind of embarrassed about it. I pretend I'm not selfish by being nice when I want to be and giving gifts and cooking and that stuff but when someone needs me and its not my idea I'm always angry and unwilling. I'm struggling with how to fix that. How do you go about life and all of the sudden be less selfish? How do you tangibly work on that? I need practical ways to work on that. I need time to realign my relationship with God. I need prayer from all of you guys (please).
Hmm. I think thats it.
I love you all and I'm still relishing in the time I got to spend with some of you in august.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Two years since we met
[Brent "Moose" Lough]Wow, looking at the date it's been approximately two years since the day we all met, crazy how time flies. I haven't been to this blog much but i just read a bunch of the latest ones and its cool to see what you all are up to, new leadership roles and new freedoms, and I pray for the ones struggling they would find the overwhelming love of Jesus in a new way or revelation, because it makes all the difference!!
Well, where to start.. I miss our times together, hanging out on the sailboat, camping, hiking, surfing! Great memories with great people! And since leaving there at Christmas, I then went to a missionary school in Africa last summer for 3 months, got totally wrecked by the love of Jesus and joined a group of dreamers that were planning a missionary trip to every country in Central and South America, including the Caribbean. The trip was estimated at one year in length, and was starting right after the missionary school in Africa ended. I decided this is where I wanted to be, and thought God wanted me there as well, so I came home from Africa and a couple weeks later was off to Mexico.
Well, its now almost a whole year later, and here I am in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The trip has been a huge blessing, living in community like Kaleo but a little closer quarters, sometimes camping at gas stations or sleeping on the beach, or under the stars in an empty parking lot. Being led by the Spirit as much as we can as we travel, being of one spirit, and living in love is awesome. It's not always comfortable or makes the flesh feel good but you always have peace and joy in your heart, so not much else matters anyway!
It comes with sacrifices though, and after one year of being away from home, keeping relationships gets tough, as facebook and email is nothing close to just talking and being with people. And even harder when internet connection is limited, slow, and we just don't have it a lot.
I've been learning a lot, though, and recently God has been teaching me about Identity. If you don't know who you are, your self worth, and if you don't know how much God loves you, it's hard to love others and tell them how much God cares about them. First you get secure, then you can speak into others lives. And your self worth is huge! No one pays $100,000 for a $20,000 car, because its not worth it! But Jesus died for you. He said you were worth it. He saw past your sin and looked at your value, made in the image of Him, and said you were worth His blood! Know that and you will have the heart of God for people.
So anyways I been learning a lot, and I have until approximately April or May until this trip is done, and then will be returning to Canada, and I'm dreaming of taking a trip to BC to visit some of you! Well see what God has in store for me... I'm sure itll be good!
Love you all!
Brent
Well, where to start.. I miss our times together, hanging out on the sailboat, camping, hiking, surfing! Great memories with great people! And since leaving there at Christmas, I then went to a missionary school in Africa last summer for 3 months, got totally wrecked by the love of Jesus and joined a group of dreamers that were planning a missionary trip to every country in Central and South America, including the Caribbean. The trip was estimated at one year in length, and was starting right after the missionary school in Africa ended. I decided this is where I wanted to be, and thought God wanted me there as well, so I came home from Africa and a couple weeks later was off to Mexico.
Well, its now almost a whole year later, and here I am in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The trip has been a huge blessing, living in community like Kaleo but a little closer quarters, sometimes camping at gas stations or sleeping on the beach, or under the stars in an empty parking lot. Being led by the Spirit as much as we can as we travel, being of one spirit, and living in love is awesome. It's not always comfortable or makes the flesh feel good but you always have peace and joy in your heart, so not much else matters anyway!
It comes with sacrifices though, and after one year of being away from home, keeping relationships gets tough, as facebook and email is nothing close to just talking and being with people. And even harder when internet connection is limited, slow, and we just don't have it a lot.
I've been learning a lot, though, and recently God has been teaching me about Identity. If you don't know who you are, your self worth, and if you don't know how much God loves you, it's hard to love others and tell them how much God cares about them. First you get secure, then you can speak into others lives. And your self worth is huge! No one pays $100,000 for a $20,000 car, because its not worth it! But Jesus died for you. He said you were worth it. He saw past your sin and looked at your value, made in the image of Him, and said you were worth His blood! Know that and you will have the heart of God for people.
So anyways I been learning a lot, and I have until approximately April or May until this trip is done, and then will be returning to Canada, and I'm dreaming of taking a trip to BC to visit some of you! Well see what God has in store for me... I'm sure itll be good!
Love you all!
Brent
Monday, August 20, 2012
A Sermon and a half
Hey guys! It's Logan here, and I hope that everyone has been having a growing summer. I forget what I last wrote, so sorry if some of this repeats what I've said before. My summer has felt busy at times, and unproductive at others, but generally speaking, it's been alright. I took up my old job working for 2K Construction, and we've been doing roofing as usual, and also building a large shop with living quarters for the last 3 months. It's been good, and I've learned some new skills (which I will probably promptly forget once I am not practicing them anymore *cough* Greek *cough*). But maybe I'll remember something that's useful for the future. I finished this last Friday, however, because I hurt where I had my hernia last year. The idea of having to have surgery again isn't a big deal to me, though I would rather not. My biggest fear is possibly not being able to join RU, which I have been excited for all summer (I've even been practicing, pretending that I know how to dance!)
I've also been doing an internship at my church back home, under my youth pastor. He is a great guy, and I continue to learn lots from him, both by listening, asking, and by watching what he is doing. He has been a great mentor to me, and I pray that God continues to use this man in the same way that he has used him in my life. Or in a different way. I just hope that he is used. Anyways, my internship has been great so far, and I have had the opportunity to work alongside the staff at my church, teach bible studies, attend Elders meetings (even funner than eating wool socks!), and consider camp as part of "work". And coming up this Sunday, I will be preaching on Ecclesiastes, on how everything is meaningless! Yeah, I stole this sermon idea from Eric Ortland if you Briercresters are wondering, and for everyone else, it was a fantastically moving sermon, about how things can only gain meaning with God involved. I think it's a powerful message, and easy to preach on, so if I mess this up, then I really messed up... I would appreciate prayer for it. I have invited a few friends who will be coming, who typically don't attend church. So I'm leaving a lot to the Holy Spirit, because I might not give it much to work with :P.
As for the lessons that I've been learning this summer, God has been teaching me about humility and about surrendering my thoughts to Christ. Humility has come from my internship. One of my struggles as a biblical studies student is converting what I've learned into what I live out, and if that doesn't happen, then my knowledge simply becomes a source for pride (though I know there's lots that I don't know). Anyways, I have felt pride in several circumstances in my internship because of it, either because I knew something, or because of my "position" in the church. Anyways, in this God has shown me that I am not the all knowing, all powerful intern. Typically senses of pride are followed by me getting embarrassed.
As for the surrendering my thoughts to Christ, this has been from something one of the staff said at a guys talk that we had with all the boys cabins one night. The Scripture is:
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (1Cor.10:3-6).
I had heard this before, but it struck me this time that I should actually SURRENDER my thoughts when I had thoughts enter my head that were not honorable to God. anything that did not fit into the Philippians list of "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" should not be on my mind. James says that temptation gives birth to sin, and sin spawns death, so what good is it to be dwelling on the very things that bring me death, when I have life? I am no longer a captive to sin, but I am a slave to righteousness, and my reward is eternal life instead of death. Now I don't claim to have this perfect; I am still being taught this, and as Cal said, we will always be beginners at this. But I have found that in those moments of temptation, that when I do take captive my thoughts and surrender them to Christ, I find that I no longer seemingly have to dwell on these things, and temptation does not lead into sin. This being said, in terms of lust, ladies, it is immeasurably helpful when you are considerate of guys and watch how you dress. Low cut or tight shirts and short shorts/ yoga pants make it so much harder to treat you as sister's in Christ, and I, along with most brothers that I've talked with, find it much easier to transform you into an object instead of a person when you dress this way. It isn't what we want, but it's how our bodies react. (I am not writing this to anyone in particular, just as a general message). I understand that summer is hot, and it's fashionable, or maybe it's nice to get attention, but it makes it much harder for those who are trying to pursue godliness to succeed. Something to consider anyways.
Ecclesiastes has also been a good thing to be studying this summer, though I am having a hard time changing this from a good thought to a real life application. Basically my sermon goes like this:
-talk about my life, my experiences, friends, family, etc.
-All of this is meaningless
-Alexander the Great (idea stolen from Prof. Ortland), conquered land, dies, and nothing that he conquered stays the same: What was the point of his life?
-Rockefeller (my idea), Capitalist, monopoly on oil. Comparatively probably one of the richest men to have ever lived. Person asks him "when's enough?" and he says "just a little bit more"
-What gives you fulfillment? Money? Experiences? Conquering vast amounts of land? Sex or popularity or good looks or clothes? Your Job? Your friends? Your family? Wisdom? Love? At what point does our striving for fulfilment fill us to Rockefeller's "just a little bit more"?
- "All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing" (Eccl. 1:8)
-rich or poor, wise or foolish, popular or reject, you die. And everything that you stood and strived for will be forgotten. "What does man gain by all the toil, at which he toils under the sun." (1:3) So why bother? What point is there to life?
-Read Ecclesiastes 3:9-14
-Some of our desires gain meaning, because they are God's gift to man
-Gifts only carry meaning when they come from someone important to you (there is no significance in a gift if it doesn't come from someone) and it is meant to build relationship.
-This specific gift gains meaning because of God's nature. He's eternal, where we are temporary. Anything we accomplish contains no meaning "under the sun", because under the sun, on earth, things are temporary. However, God is eternal, and he watches what we do, and it is there that our actions are able to gain real meaning.
-Jesus says not to lay up for ourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
-Why do we then try to set our hearts on that which is fleeting? Why do we try to find peace in things that are going to fade or change?
-I don't think we can find meaning in life w/o God, and Eccl. ends with that: "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgement, with every secret thing, whether good or evil."
-If we have been created with the sole duty to fear God and keep his commandments, would we not best find fulfillment in the very thing we were created to do? And to do good in the eyes of God, this is where we will find true purpose.
-Don't believe me? Then I challenge you; Try and prove me wrong. See if you can find lasting meaning in this life w/o God. Because frankly, I don't think you can.
Well, that's my sermon. That was pretty much all of it, I didn't do very good at making it point form for you guys. Sorry I talk so much, hopefully you enjoyed reading, if you made it this far. Tell me what you thought of the sermon if you'd like! I would definitely like feedback on things that are good, or could use improvement. And I hope to hear more from you guys in the future! We had a little surge of blog posting, and it was great!!
Grace and peace, everybody!
Your friend,
Logan
I've also been doing an internship at my church back home, under my youth pastor. He is a great guy, and I continue to learn lots from him, both by listening, asking, and by watching what he is doing. He has been a great mentor to me, and I pray that God continues to use this man in the same way that he has used him in my life. Or in a different way. I just hope that he is used. Anyways, my internship has been great so far, and I have had the opportunity to work alongside the staff at my church, teach bible studies, attend Elders meetings (even funner than eating wool socks!), and consider camp as part of "work". And coming up this Sunday, I will be preaching on Ecclesiastes, on how everything is meaningless! Yeah, I stole this sermon idea from Eric Ortland if you Briercresters are wondering, and for everyone else, it was a fantastically moving sermon, about how things can only gain meaning with God involved. I think it's a powerful message, and easy to preach on, so if I mess this up, then I really messed up... I would appreciate prayer for it. I have invited a few friends who will be coming, who typically don't attend church. So I'm leaving a lot to the Holy Spirit, because I might not give it much to work with :P.
As for the lessons that I've been learning this summer, God has been teaching me about humility and about surrendering my thoughts to Christ. Humility has come from my internship. One of my struggles as a biblical studies student is converting what I've learned into what I live out, and if that doesn't happen, then my knowledge simply becomes a source for pride (though I know there's lots that I don't know). Anyways, I have felt pride in several circumstances in my internship because of it, either because I knew something, or because of my "position" in the church. Anyways, in this God has shown me that I am not the all knowing, all powerful intern. Typically senses of pride are followed by me getting embarrassed.
As for the surrendering my thoughts to Christ, this has been from something one of the staff said at a guys talk that we had with all the boys cabins one night. The Scripture is:
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (1Cor.10:3-6).
I had heard this before, but it struck me this time that I should actually SURRENDER my thoughts when I had thoughts enter my head that were not honorable to God. anything that did not fit into the Philippians list of "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" should not be on my mind. James says that temptation gives birth to sin, and sin spawns death, so what good is it to be dwelling on the very things that bring me death, when I have life? I am no longer a captive to sin, but I am a slave to righteousness, and my reward is eternal life instead of death. Now I don't claim to have this perfect; I am still being taught this, and as Cal said, we will always be beginners at this. But I have found that in those moments of temptation, that when I do take captive my thoughts and surrender them to Christ, I find that I no longer seemingly have to dwell on these things, and temptation does not lead into sin. This being said, in terms of lust, ladies, it is immeasurably helpful when you are considerate of guys and watch how you dress. Low cut or tight shirts and short shorts/ yoga pants make it so much harder to treat you as sister's in Christ, and I, along with most brothers that I've talked with, find it much easier to transform you into an object instead of a person when you dress this way. It isn't what we want, but it's how our bodies react. (I am not writing this to anyone in particular, just as a general message). I understand that summer is hot, and it's fashionable, or maybe it's nice to get attention, but it makes it much harder for those who are trying to pursue godliness to succeed. Something to consider anyways.
Ecclesiastes has also been a good thing to be studying this summer, though I am having a hard time changing this from a good thought to a real life application. Basically my sermon goes like this:
-talk about my life, my experiences, friends, family, etc.
-All of this is meaningless
-Alexander the Great (idea stolen from Prof. Ortland), conquered land, dies, and nothing that he conquered stays the same: What was the point of his life?
-Rockefeller (my idea), Capitalist, monopoly on oil. Comparatively probably one of the richest men to have ever lived. Person asks him "when's enough?" and he says "just a little bit more"
-What gives you fulfillment? Money? Experiences? Conquering vast amounts of land? Sex or popularity or good looks or clothes? Your Job? Your friends? Your family? Wisdom? Love? At what point does our striving for fulfilment fill us to Rockefeller's "just a little bit more"?
- "All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing" (Eccl. 1:8)
-rich or poor, wise or foolish, popular or reject, you die. And everything that you stood and strived for will be forgotten. "What does man gain by all the toil, at which he toils under the sun." (1:3) So why bother? What point is there to life?
-Read Ecclesiastes 3:9-14
-Some of our desires gain meaning, because they are God's gift to man
-Gifts only carry meaning when they come from someone important to you (there is no significance in a gift if it doesn't come from someone) and it is meant to build relationship.
-This specific gift gains meaning because of God's nature. He's eternal, where we are temporary. Anything we accomplish contains no meaning "under the sun", because under the sun, on earth, things are temporary. However, God is eternal, and he watches what we do, and it is there that our actions are able to gain real meaning.
-Jesus says not to lay up for ourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
-Why do we then try to set our hearts on that which is fleeting? Why do we try to find peace in things that are going to fade or change?
-I don't think we can find meaning in life w/o God, and Eccl. ends with that: "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgement, with every secret thing, whether good or evil."
-If we have been created with the sole duty to fear God and keep his commandments, would we not best find fulfillment in the very thing we were created to do? And to do good in the eyes of God, this is where we will find true purpose.
-Don't believe me? Then I challenge you; Try and prove me wrong. See if you can find lasting meaning in this life w/o God. Because frankly, I don't think you can.
Well, that's my sermon. That was pretty much all of it, I didn't do very good at making it point form for you guys. Sorry I talk so much, hopefully you enjoyed reading, if you made it this far. Tell me what you thought of the sermon if you'd like! I would definitely like feedback on things that are good, or could use improvement. And I hope to hear more from you guys in the future! We had a little surge of blog posting, and it was great!!
Grace and peace, everybody!
Your friend,
Logan
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