I was encouraged!

BEFORE YOU READ THIS- Check out the post by Reid below \/ this one!

I was encouraged today when I heard that some Barnabi were (literally) calling each other for accountability! It is so cool to see and hear about the reach of community that is far beyond a simple post or e-mail. It is REAL! This is what separates this type of blog from any other blog, we are able to contact, B.E.M.C. one another even outside of this web-reality.

Each week in praying "Father, I thank you for life today..." I am reminded that I'm not thanking him for MY life... I'm thanking Him for the life He allows me, the life I have in Him!

3. Humility-

Day 1- "Maturity is synonymous with humility."- Jeremiah 10:23-15 When I read this passage I think of a Jeremiah praying this and shaking. "Correct me, O LORD, but with justice; Not with Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing." His correcting will destroy me and build me back up, but if He chose to correct me with anger, I would be reduced to nothing. I see and realize Lord that my life is not my own! May I continue to die to myself so others may see YOU!

Day 2- Paul seeks Identity in Christ- I love how just by his introduction of himself in the letter he immediately Identifies himself in Christ! This is such an example, "follow me as I follow Christ". Paul could have introduced himself as, "it's me, I walked with Jesus... look at how I'm suffering, how I've done all this cool stuff" instead he shows us humility, seeking identity in one Who suffered a sinners, humiliating, death on a cross. Powerful! Humility! Reading about day 2 I was challenged with the last question, "What are you choosing today, The pain of discipline or the pain of regret?" I am reminded of Discipline=Freedom. I want to have the pain of discipline, this type of pain leads me to more freedom, this pain leads me to the cross, In the cross there is freedom from... When we look to regret ("instead of embracing the pain of discipline for attaining their life's deepest meaning and thrill, they settle both now and going forward for the scriptures promise of a far deeper and destructive pain... the pain of regret") we try to put shackles back on (insecurities, old lives/ ways ect.) when we do this we realize it those shackles don't go on any more, they don't stay on, we then realize that during this time the shackles were shattered and turned to dust! THEY ARE NOT SHACKLES ANY MORE, CHRIST DESTROYED/DEMOLISHED THEM... IT IS JUST DUST!! Please bring me discipline Jesus, draw me in, break me down, may I be humiliated for Your name, It is only for You that I want to live Jesus, may I no longer try to put those shackles back on Lord, They are just dust!

Day 3- Volunteer position is so cool. Here am I Lord,[ "it goes against what my other friends are doing the summer we graduate from high school, my summer to relax and have time off, wait what am I getting myself into" ], Send me! Sometimes I think we throw up our hands before we know what we are getting into... long hours, scrubbing floors, toilets, dishes... Have I made a huge mistake? He says "No, when you chose to follow Me, you chose to follow Me till the end! It isn't gunna be pretty, it isn't going to be glorious, it is going to be hard work bringing you often to your knees (laughter and tears). WE ARE ALL CALLED TO SERVE... how often do we say "I'm trying to figure out my calling" we are called to serve! WE must choose to serve!

Lord may we be made less so You can be glorified. May I keep choosing to serve you Jesus, that is what I am called to, may I not say "no" to serving! I see my hand shoot up Lord, Here am I Lord, Send me!

Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts! Keep blogging, and telling others about HIM! I'm encouraged AND challenged by the post below!!!

Pain of discipline or regret?

Hello friends

Tuesday scripture really spoke to me. 1 Corinthians 11:32 talks about discipline which has been a reoccurring theme in my life recently. I used to think Christians had it easy, the people I met at the church seemed happy and although they may have strayed at one point or another that was a choice that they made to walk away from God and then came back into his grace. So I figured as long as I followed God then my life would be perfect, right? Wrong. It took listening to my friends at college and all of your testimonies for me to realize God challenges us at every stage of our lives. There is pain and suffering in following Jesus, its not all rainbows and butterflies. But, here is the catch, if we don’t follow Jesus we may be able to cover up the pain but the regret and emptiness of not excepting Jesus love is far greater than the pain. Even with the pain we have God and our community to fall on to support us. Discipline is Gods way of loving us, and I am so glad that he does.

Also I just finished reading through Romans. Any suggestions of what I should read next?

Hi all! This weeks topic has been one thats hit me pretty hard, but Mondays in praticular. As i've been preparing for summer and praying about it, humility ha been a common prayer for me. With that verse, "My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent" its a total slap in the face. Yes, i am forgiven by Jesus' love on that cross....but i am still a sinner. Sometimes, even after i ask for forgivness and talk to God, my conscience still haunts me. I still beat myself up over my mistakes. It totally gets in the way. Instead we should be rejoicing in his grace and praising for his forgivness. Listening to what others criteque you for is such a big thing. For us to be able to take that to heart and grow from it is challanging but important. We just need to take it to God and ask for his guidance. Thats another thing thats been super important lately in my relationship with God. Theres nothing too small to bring to him. NOTHING. the more we talk to him and trust in him the stronger we grow in him. and how awesome is that?(: I dont know a lot of stuff. I dont know what to do sometimes. But what i do know is God loves me. He cares so deeply about me. He is constant. And he is SO GOOD!(: God bless you all this week.

Week 3: Hummility - Luke 22: 26-27

Hey Barneys! I love all of your posts! I hope you are really digging deep into the scriptures and the devotional. I have enjoyed being stretched and challenged this week in becoming humble.

This week I have really enjoyed the Luke 22 verse. "the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant". I love Christ's take on leadership. To be a leader is to be a servant. I know that the world does not often take this view of leadership. People often assume that leaders get the best of everything and deserve to be served by others. In the world, leaders get the best treatment, the most appreciation, and the closest parking spots. In our world it is expectant that leaders get the best of everything.

In the time Luke was written the Pharisees were the religious leaders of the day. They held much of the world's views on leadership. They got the best treatment, the best education, and they were seen as the closest to God (in their eyes, of course). So how revolutionary was Jesus' perspective on leadership? Hugely revolutionary! Both during that time and now. If you are a leader you are called to serve, to give up of yourself, to put yourself last, and to give up your rights so others can have theirs. ....wow....this honestly rattles me. The worlds perspective is so far from what Christ calls us to.

We are called to lead this summer on houseboats...which means we are ultimately called to serve. We are called to be like Christ and to serve as sacrificially as He has done. Christ is the leader of all, and yet He becomes the servant to all. He has left heaven, become nothing and served until death (Philippians 2:5-8). And he has given his life, poured himself out, and died as a servant to us all. He has become the ultimate leader, by becoming the ultimate servant. We are called to do the same.

Lord, I pray that you help us understand what it means to be a true leaders. Help us to become leaders, by teaching us how to be servants like you. Show us what it means to be humble and made less, so that you could be made more. It is all for your glory. In your name, Amen

ISAIAH 6:1-8

"My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and member of a sinful race..."
but God- THE ALL POWERFUL, MIGHTY AND PERFECT LORD OVER ALL THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING IN IT!!!- allows Isaiah to stand in HIS AWESOME PRESENCE and then goes on to cleanse the man with a burning coal!

Unbelievable
That's my God. That's my God.

Isaiah's thought process throughout his vision:

"oh dear. OOH DEAR. This is it! I'm finished. There's no chance! I'm stained with earth and dirt..."
(ANGEL picks up burning coal with tongs)
"Yup. I KNEW IT! yessir yessir... this is the end. oh man!"
(coal touches Isaiah's lips)
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
(coal is lifted off)
"............. wait. hold the phone... I'm not dead...."

ANGEL says, "No... Now you're clean. Your debts are pardoned, your guilt has been removed, your sins have been forgiven! You are blameless before the Lord and set apart for Him. You don't belong to the world anymore... You are HIS and HE is yours."

I love this passage. I love it because I know, in the spiritual realm, this is exactly what happens when someone comes to Christ. This is what happens when I come before my God and beg for His forgiveness. The only difference now is that instead of a burning coal, it's the blood of Jesus Christ that wipes us clean. Saved by grace. Set apart for His work!

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?'
And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"

Giving all the Glory to HIM!! : )

Hey Barney’s!

So unfortunately I was unable to attend the retreat with all of you guys! I heard it was amazing though and I can’t wait for training weekend with everyone : ) The reason I wasn’t at the retreat was because I was in Anaheim playing in our Big West Conference Basketball Championship which we won! Our team was fortunate to go on to play in the NCAA March Madness tournament at Stanford! We lost in the first round to Stanford, the number 2 team in the nation but the experience was so incredible and I’m so blessed to have been able to have this experience.

Through all the hype going on around our team and all the attention and “glory” our team is getting it was easy to get caught up and loose focus of who the glory really belongs to.

It is fitting that the topic of this week is humility with the realization of how easy it is to fall short and live for our own glory and not Christ’s glory. People are constantly trying to climb ladders looking for the next thing to fill the void in their heart. They think, “If I just make enough money to buy this car I’ll be happy,” “If I just marry the perfect husband or wife I’ll be happy” or as is the case with many athletes, “If we just win the championship I’ll be content.” The truth is none of these things will fill the void in our hearts. That’s why people constantly climb different ladders in search or something but are left dissatisfied. Winning the Big West Championship was great and fun but the “glory” that we received lasted for about a week or two and quickly faded. This “fame” that our team had worked all season was gone in a flash.

The glory that belongs to our savior lasts a whole lifetime. He is the reason that we live, the purpose of our life; our everything. I was definitely humbled with the whole experience of playing in the March Madness tournament as God revealed how unfulfilling the earthly glory of winning a basketball championship is. The temporary glory that people long for only leaves us broken and searching for more.

As Christians we are called to be ambassadors, representatives of God’s Kingdom to the lost citizens of the world, (2 Corinthians 5:20) Living for our own fame and glory is not in the proto-call. He demands all of us; not just church on Sunday’s, bible study groups, or weekly fellowship groups. He wants all aspects of our lives, our sports life, school, relationships, and friendships. It’s easy to compartmentalize Christ into our lives but He wants to infiltrate every room in our house, be the center of everything that we do.

This blog is so awesome and I’m so stoked that we get to learn and grow from each other and be, “mutually encouraged by each other’s faith,” (Romans 1:12) I know this summer is going to be incredible and I can’t wait for the journey that we get to take together! Have a great week everyone! : )

please pray.

hey i know this isn't related to our devotionals but i feel like you guys can help.

toda,y i came to school and found out one of my classmates, whom i have known since fiTh grade committed suicide last night.

my whole school is in shock.

i come from a small town so this is ridiculously surprising.

so all im asking is that you keep his family in your prayer. they really need strength right now. also pray for the students close friends and my school.

thanks,

micaela

~Insert fun quirky saying here~

What would you give up to serve your Lord. Your family, your friends, your music, the person you love most on this planet (the one that comes second to God). I can't even imagine what it would be like to give all those things up, not lose them, give them up. They are blessings from God, but he calls me to lay EVERYTHING at his feet, not just the weaknesses, that means the strengths and blessings too. He wants to be Lord over every aspect of our lives, and He Will have that. He knows what is best for us, and sometimes that means that life might hurt, alot. But we also know that with that pain of total submission comes his promise of blessings far exceeding the others.

GRRRIFFIN!!! YUS! :]

Griffin is a man of simple pleasures. He loves pizookies, the color purple and laughing. He is a man that never tries to magnify his problems but instead magnifies God so that the problems that are put before him are put into correct perspective before God. He looks at people and sees their beauty as children of God. He gives of himself without expecting anything in return, he loves without any form of prejudice, and serves selflessly just as our Christ asks us all to do. Griffin is a juggernaut of faith! He has challenged me, encouraged me, and modeled to so many the Christ lifestyle. HE IS A BARNABAS!!!
Yesterday, as I was reflecting on these last two weeks of devotions, Griffin came to mind. I was reading threw Matthew 22 where it says,"'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind.'[WEEK 1] This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important:'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[WEEK2] The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments". These last two weeks have been incredible... God has made himself known in ways I've never experienced! The funny thing is that the reason these last two weeks have been so incredible and the reason God has made himself so known to me is because they have been two full weeks of the most difficult struggles and challenges I've been faced with... but I always had God and my buddy, Griffin, with me, cheering me on, by my side. From the LA Marathon to juggling a full schedule under a tight budget, God has pulled me through and I don't think I could have made it without the blessing He has delivered to me through such a great friend. Now I'm faced with one more challenge: keeping my head high and eyes on our Lord as one of my best friends and brothers in Christ, Griffin, leaves for the Navy today...
The man who has always given of himself and loved others passionately is off to serve again... not any individual person like before but his whole country. Although, I miss Griffin already, when I said goodbye to him today, God reassured me that this was not the end of ANYTHING!!! This is the beginning of something great and now is the time to lean on HIM above anything else for my strength for each day.
I'm telling you about my brother not to make you sad but to encourage you. I told Griffin everything about Sonshine and I how excited I am to serve with all of you. He's told me how excited he is for me and how great this summer is going to be, not just for me but, FOR ALL OF US! Whenever I see him, he'll always tell me about how he's praying over Sonshine and how he loves what God has planned for us all. I know these prayers will come to pass! I know God will continue to reveal Himself to all of us. I know Griffin is going to make it make back home in one piece!
This is going to be great guys. SO GOOD! God is with us.

Sincere Love for People - Week 2

SINCERE LOVE FOR PEOPLE WRAP UP

"Ministry that lasts beyond the anguish of distress, tears, and crosses is not purpose driven but love inspired." - My response - "Less of me. More of you! Displace my darkness with your light.

"If you want to witness to dark, lonely hearts like Jesus, you must die. . . .He wants to shake the heavens through your death." - My response - "My cells want to live, yet you bid me to die!"

GIVE ME NEW CELLS GOD!!!!

In other words, "re-create me in grace by your spirit into your image so that I can bleed mercy to others like you Jesus."

Thank you.

Defining Some Christianese Through My Looking Glass...

Righteousness.

This is a word we tend to throw around in our Chrstianese speech. But what does it truly mean to be righteous? Jesus says in Matthew 5:20, "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." I might be just one of a handful of people who agree with me when I say this, but I think Jesus was being sarcastic! The Pharisees were regarded as one of the most righteous groups of people in that time. How was someone supposed to exceed them? But did the Pharisees really understand what it means to be righteous?

Righteousness is not an attitude. Righteousness is doing what is right in the Lord's eyes. It's about the heart and motivation behind your actions. Righteousness is the willingness to care for the most vulnerable in society. I read in a book once that the word "righteous" in Hebrew means "one whose aim is true." I don't necessarily think the Pharisees had an aim that was true. They were all about getting the laws right, being ABOVE everyone else. Being perfect.

Perfect.

Righteousness leads to perfection. Perfection by the world's standards is getting everything right to the tee, but perfection in God's eyes is maturity. I think you can be righteous and perfect but still make mistakes. As long as your "aim is true," you've got the point. I think we mix up the terms flawless and perfect far too often.

And once we find ourselves daily seeking after maturity, that's where we find humilty. Recognizing that seeking towards righteousness and perfection is NOT ABOUT HOW OTHERS WILL SEE US. If we're striving towards righteousness and perfection simply so that others will see us as such, then what we're striving for really isn't righteouss at all! That's what I think what the Pharisees thought righteousness was.

Lord, teach me and remind me to live in maturity so that I may serve you in humility and righteousness.

Amen.

lack o pride

I always considered myself to be a fairly humble person, and compared with the world, i was. But when it comes to the true test of humility, i fell fall short of the line.

This morning, during the devo, i probably made more connections than in almost any other so far. I don't know if that is because God is teaching me more and more each day to be like him or what but... One thing that came to my mind was picture of two people standing back to back, arguing. They had differing opinions and neither was willing to compromise. Then i thought of what humility would look like in that situation. Maybe it's like turning around and kneeling before the other person in forgiveness. Letting them know that it isn't about me anymore, it's about them. And even if the other person doesn't change, or doesn't understand why you are doing this, they see it. They see it and feel like they can breath again. Like it's a breath of fresh air, or a glass of cold water to a desert wanderer. They see it and find it "intoxicatingly attractive". In my short life thus far i have found that the most humble people always think they have the most pride, and the most prideful think they have much humility. A quick operational definition of Humility if i may, perhaps it could be defined as "Having no pride in our own actions". For what have we done great but that which God has had His hand in. We are nothing without him and so why celebrate our actions without him. This morning, before i started my devos I read i section in "The valley of vision" (If you don't already have one, i highly suggest one, it has been very inspiring, and Extremely comforting to me). In the section, at the very end it read "O that all my distresses and apprehensions might prove but Christ's school to make me fit for greater service by teaching me the great lesson of humility". When i read this i was a little shocked because the title of the section was "Need of Grace" and i didn't pick it out for it's connection to the devotionals, but God had me choose that one for a reason, and it was perfectly fitting for a reason.

This was supposed to post last night, but...alas it obivously didn't so, here it is now

In these last few years i've become aware of one of the biggest pitfalls of humanity, it leads to almost every sin committed (if not all). It's pride, it's looking at the good in ourselves and ignoring it in others. One thing that i've struggled with the most recently is seeing the good in those that have betrayed me. These last few months God has really just pushed and pushed for me to give up all the hurt and see that the people that have hurt are still created and loved by him, and in my case, they are his children.

Tuesday/thursday-I think i may have found a very common thread in this whole ministry, "it's not about us" it's not about our pain, our past, our future. It is about the light that shines within us, the light that i know i constantly hide from the world, the light that keeps me going in the darkest times, in the pain. That is the purpose of everything we do. To shine that same redeeming light into the lives of those people around us

Wednesday- As soon as we make a commitment to Christ, we agree to sever all ties with this world, we merely live here, we are not from here. But that also means we have to sever our ties with our wordly desires that come inherently with our bodies. As soon as that happens, as soon as we die to ourselves, then we can truly witness to the darkest places because our bodys aren't getting in the way anymore.

Friday-I think this was probably my favorite, and most inspiring day. Mainly because the devil constantly tells me that i've done nothing right. But God says that what we do doesn't make us who we are. It's our choice to let Him invade our lives and fix what we have broken, to realize that no, we can't do things on our own. I always have to remind myself that the best way to show Gods love, is to show people what He has done in my life, not what i have done for Him.

And If Our God Is For Us, Who Can Be Against?

BRAINTEASER: “does anyone KNOW youre a Christian by your actions, or THINK you're a Christian cuz youre acting?”

Sorry I did not provide a post last week, but I was struggling with this concept;

one of the hardest parts about making time with God is giving him our fear and stress about the business in our lives. I have to continually remind myself that not only should He be the priority in my life, but through Him, all my troubles are so small. I need to make time for Him and He will make sure I have time for anything that leads me toward his plans for me. Romans 12:1-2 tells us the steps of how to know God's will for our life: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Before the trip, I had already begun to transform significantly in the Lord. I was at church one day when they were passing around the tithing bucket. I only had a $20 and didn’t feel comfortable giving so much. However, being in high school with few real expenses, I considered what I really would be spending it on; a new pair of shoes. I really didn’t need another pair, so I realized that this was exactly the kind of thing that it means having that you are passionate about but is not neccisarily bad, like fashion, keeping you from God. I did not want to ever be in a place again where my own concerns stopped me from serving God when I really wanted to. For me at least, its not about the money; its about the concept of giving up those distractions in your life. I put the twenty in, and felt good about it, not because I was being generous, but because I had been released from the bondage of an idol over the one true God.

I also love what Brad said about not announcing our service to the world. Speaking of, in class I was able to donate more money this week than I normally could have toward our World Vision fund, but when somebody saw, they announced it to the class. I realized that I should have done it more discretely, because it is not my money, but God’s and the glory should go to him, not through me. I am trying to do good works without calling attention to myself, but it is hard to tell others about how to serve without making them think I am only asking for praise. I genuinely want my friends to experience the joy of service, not just congradulate me on my own actions.

I have also been having trouble in my attempts to witness to my friends who seem to be forgetting their walk with God. However, this weekend He presented me with the opporotunity to have “jam sessions” and play worship songs. I was seamlessly able to get a few of my friends to sing along, and hope to inspire more worship on the Senior retreat of my school which is Sunday and Monday. I want to die to myself and treat others in a way that they will want to taste more of the Savior. It is important that we treat every moment as a perfect moment to demonstrate the love of God, because if our walk of life isn’t any different from those of our friends, why would following God make a difference?

In addtion, I loved Thursday’s devotion about 1 Corinthians 10:16. On Wednesday I had experienced a situation where I had been deeply hurt by a person I care about because he had been stressed about some large changes in his life. I had worried about a comment he had made the whole night, overanalyzing the situation. The next day I read this devotion and it really hit me. It speaks about what being a leader is. We must learn to forgive, internalize our pain, and give it up to the lord. We must humble ourselves by putting the importance of others above our own feelings, and sometimes must risk severe emotional pain. But without this element of sacrifice we are unable to be completely in service for God, rather than ourselves. I realized over the past couple of days that his actions might have been cruel, but later I was presented with an apology when he explained that he had prayed about his situation and realized he had been in the wrong. However this will not always be the case, as not everyone will admit their faults. People might need a witness who will not fight back when they attack. We must serve with a submissive attitude to others.

Pardon my extreme nerd vibe! I get super caught up in just typing way too much information instead of connecting with all of you! I’m trying to work on being more friendly!

1 Corinthians

I think the passage that stood out to me the most this week was 1 Corinthians 12-31. "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." I love this image so much! It reminds me that we are not only part of God's family, but we are ALL a part of the body of Christ. "Even the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable." This really stuck out to me because sometimes I feel like I don't have some of the strengths that are obviously helping spread the word of God. But this verse is really encouraging because it reminds me that the strengths that God has given me are just as important and necessary as other ones. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, and it is necessary for all of us to come together and work together as the body of Christ to share his word. I'm SO excited for this summer, because I know that God will use all of our different strengths in our own separate ways to serve him, so He can change the lives of the campers :)

LOVE

Hello friends =]
Hope everyone had a great week!
Well! This week has been busy to say the least but these devos helped me put things into perspective...

Tuesdays was so amazing I just had to write about it :)
"For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you." 2nd Corinthians 2:4

This verse made me think of how Paul was so much like God! Corinth at the time was sin city, Paul continued to write to them because he knew he could save them. He loved every single one of them, not because he knew them, but because he knew that they were all God's creation. He was loving on them by sharing the word!
This got me thinking...Paul wasn't afraid to share with anyone...so why am I? God makes it clear: "Go out and share the word" is written EVERYWHERE in the Bible. So why don't I feel like I am capable of doing it?
Jesus died for me because he loved ME! This one reason should be enough for me to go out and show his love to others. This is my goal: to not be afraid and reach out to those God loves.

Finally, Friday!
So I was reading 1st Corinthians in my Message Bible. Oh my goodness it put the verses in perfect words.
"I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate-I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it- and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God's spirit and God's power did it." 1st Corinthians 2:3-5

We do not need to be in control of anything. It is okay to be scared out of our minds!! I mean Paul was...and Paul in my opinion was an amazing disciple! Sooo I thought that this verse was encouraging. We have to trust God and we do so God's love and power will move us in the direction of his will. He will guide us with his right hand so it is okay to be afraid =]

Well thats all for now folks
have an awesome weekend!

Mattew 6:1-4

WOW! Talk about inspiration!

The moment I read the verse my brain was in awwwwh. So I don’t want to be a hypocrite, but having to talk about the scripture it is kind of implying the possibility. So please, I hope by me talking about it doesn’t give the wrong idea to any of you.

Every sentence struck me on the idea of how true and fulfilling this scripture was. Now; many know God wants us to serve, but how to go about that was something I never thought of. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets….. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” I love to serve threw God to show my love for others; I believe in this with all my heart, but to brag or impress is simply in no way the rightful thing to do. Jesus sayed, “Then your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Just being reminded by the idea of God always watching over us, gives relief to get me threw the day. He sees and knows everything! These few versus definitely made it on my list of places to turn to when I am in need of inspiration.

We are the body.

Hi fellow barneys:)

Wednesday's lesson really spoke to me. I loved the references to the body parts and how no part is useless or any less important than another one. An eye cannot hear and a mouth cannot smell, which is why together they do it all. Individually they are incomplete, but together they create something whole and unified (the body!) This is really cool to me to look at this example in the church, showing how one person is no greater than another. We need each other to serve others and to serve God, and to be the body of Christ.

In God's eyes, were all equal. To me, this just shows how amazing our God is, and how big he is. He loves us all so much, yet knows us each individually. When I first heard this, (on houseboats actually!) I was stunned. I couldn't understand how he could know me just as much as knew everyone in the church sitting next to me. His love is that big!

These studies have brought me into such a deeper understanding of his love, and its only week two! You guys are all in my prayers and I hope this is helping you grow as much as it has for me:)

Ministry Love

I absolutely love this verse and passage (I know I'm a day late) I love how He says He lets us know the depth of His love for us! He never fails to remind us that He loves us and will always be there for us. What really stood out to me was that mini sty isn't purpose driven but love inspired. Everything we do for God is out love. If we love Jesus and love each other then discipleship will follow. I definitely agree with that. Yes God is there when we are suffering and live in anguish, and it seems to me that, its in those times when we or me personally feel God the most. But, He wants us to know that He loves us and will never leave us but wants to remind us that He is there and He has an unconditional love for us that will never go away. For me, it was really great for me to hear this passage from God and it helps me to be reminded of His love.

Jonathan runs the LA Marathon

and finished! :D
This whole last week was such a roller-coaster across almost every aspect of my life and God was so unrelenting in his presence in it all. The energy that filled me last weekend from meeting you all and catching the vision for this summer didn't waver at anytime and served as such a strong undertone throughout the week. Thank you all so much for that!!! I don't want to take any credit for what happened last week. Last week, as I expect this week to be, was a gift that only God could give! As my family, and I believe that's who you all are, I want to share this gift with you.. as briefly as I can, of course!

One of the first challenges presented last week was a challenge to step out in faith and to be bold in telling others about what God has done/is doing in my life. This conviction came from Tuesday's Selection for Meditation and was later echoed while reading through Acts when the Lord speaks to Paul in a vision and says, "Don't be afraid! Speak out! Don't be silent! For I am with you". The two scriptures were such complements of each other that I knew God had a purpose for giving them to me in the same day. I was going to have a long shift at work that day and I prayed about how I could use this opportunity at work to glorify God in the way he convicted me. He clearly put "asking for sponsorships" in mind which scared me because I hate asking people for money in any way! But GUYS!!! He was so faithful to show up in that shift. While I was on my lunch break, I came up to a regular customer and started telling him about Sonshine, about last weekend and about how I'm collecting sponsorships for the LA Marathon to fund camper scholarships. HE DONATED ON THE SPOT! Gave me cash straight from his wallet. But that's not all! When I went to shake his hand and thank him, he took me by that hand and started praying over me in the lobby of my Starbucks without any warning!!! How crazy is that! :D God is so faithful! He is so good. That whole day was full of blessings and grace. What a gift. "Christ breaks down self-doubt, timidity, and fear" but only if we are faithful to act upon his convictions!

THEN THERE WAS YESTERDAY!
OOOH MY! OH MY! 26.2 miles is crazy... 26.2 miles in the rain with lows of 43 and highs of 56 is insane! But although my knees started going at mile 3, he got me to mile 20. And although my entire body seemed to fail and say "NO MORE!" at that point, HE WALKED ME ACROSS THAT FINISH LINE at 7 hours and 16 minutes! God was in the pain, God was in every runner, God was in the cramps! He made himself known!!!
Yesterday I ran with a friend and I remember somewhere around mile 15, the cold and the rain were really getting to me and it was then that my friend started singing out loud! He sang "How He Loves" and I joined in and forgot the pain. God is HEALER! Looking back, I'm reminded of how Paul and Silas start praying and singing while they were in prison together after they had been stripped and beaten with wooden rods! I love that story and I once wondered "how can I ever have the chance to praise God like that"? Yesterday, God gave us songs and we sang!
Although today I'm sore like I've never been in my life, praise God for being so faithfully present! I'm confined to my house today and I've eaten so much already! The only "walking" I've done is more of a waddle but even in that PRAISE GOD! For He has finally helped me realize a life long dream...

I AM A PENGUIN!!! yus!

It's not that easy

Being a servant is not that easy. Living a life where you constantly put others before yourself is not that easy. Building up and encouraging others while you sit there humbly is not that easy.

I know, I have been trying really really hard. I’ve always considered myself a nice loving person but this past week it has been my goal to be a faithful servant, to listen to people in a loving way even if I want to go to sleep, to do chores when I’ve just gotten home from college and all I want to do is sit on the couch and watch TV and to love people no mater who they are. And now God is calling me to be completely humble! I’m not going to lie, I like attention, I am a loud vibrant person who loves compliments.

But the reality is none of that really matters, because I have Gods who loves and serves me. He has given me so much, he sent his son to die on the cross to save me from my sins. The least I can do is serve others in the way he has served, even though he will love me no matter what I do. Being a servant and humbling myself is not easy but it’s amazing, because God wants others to know his love. I am blessed that he has given me, and all the rest of us, the opportunity to serve everyday of our life. I know it’s not easy but I believe in all of you.

The Beauty in Tragedy

Hello my studly, awesome staff!
I know this post is a little late, but hey! Better late than never :)

I would like to reflect on the reading for Wednesday because it correlated well with what I've been reading and meditating on my personal quiet times too. What caught my eye in the devotional portion of Wednesday's reading was the part that said, "even right now at this very moment He is romancing you from His cross." First of all, how often do we notice that throughout the day? That moment by moment, the bridegroom is chasing after is his bride. Never ceasing. Never slowing down.

Father, I am terribly sorry that I don't listen for call as much as I should.

That is my daily goal: to listen for the sacred voice of God more often.

Secondly, I thought about the whole notion of being romanced by the cross. I think this is a beautiful image that has been depicted for us. Isn't God an awesome artist? It's pretty cool to think that in all of Scripture, the first thing that God did was create. From the beginning of time was art, and God continues to use art to move us, speak to us, and change us.

The piece of divine art that has been twisting my heart in a way it never has before is the cross. How often do we look at a cross and stand in awe? Are we speechless by what it represents? I think we should be. In today's culture, the cross has become a fashion statement. It disgusts me, honestly. No, I don't think there's anything wrong with wearing a pretty cross necklace, or having a painting of Jesus hanging on a cross in your room, but when we just wear the cross, look at the cross, or SPEAK of the cross without any conviction, I think we've completely missed the point. The point for me is not just that we have been saved (which is the most important part of the cross), but if you look a little bit further, the cross is a perfect example of how God makes beauty out of tragedy. The beauty in the cross is not just that we can make it a stunning piece of holy artwork, but that through the blood, the gore, the ultimate tragedy of the world, God used THAT to save our desperate souls. That's what's really cool about God, if you ask me. He uses the most unexpected things to capture us. He makes beauty from ashes. It is the dying Son of Man on the cross that holds out the rose of everlasting life to us. Wow. We serve an indescribable God, don't we?

Amen.

Praying for each and every one of you. Be blessed, in every sense of what that word means.

Megan O'Brien

Peter gets interrogated

Hello all, I am so sad that I was unable to attend the training weekend, I will meet you all soon enough. In the meantime, I look forward to sharing the Word with you.

Have you ever gotten annoyed when someone asks you the same question over and over? As if your first answer wasn’t good enough or believable? But then again, we are all sometimes guilty of asking a question repeatedly because we don’t believe them or feel the need to completely clarify an answer for our own well being.

It’s almost demoralizing to have someone not believe you, when you know that you are telling the truth, and that your “yes” is yes and your “no” means no.

I can’t help but think that this is how Peter was feeling when Jesus was asking him “do you love me?” But it must go deeper than that. It kind of seems like, a test? There is always that “one last check” to go over everything before you “hit the road,” to make sure you have everything you need.

It seems that maybe Jesus wanted to ask Peter so that Peter was completely sure of his answer. When some people are asked the same question repeatedly, they tend to rethink their answer, and almost become uncertain of their own thoughts. But the repeated questioning causes Peter to become upset, and he reassures Jesus that he loves him. One could say that Peter was slightly interrogated? Peter did not waver of falter when questioned.

Are we able to have the same answer when being asked to do something by God? If being asked to serve or do something over and over, will you become annoyed and change your attitude, answer, etc, after four questions? What about after 10? 20? I think the ability to stay strong and firm is essential when serving and showing love towards others. If you have a genuine love of Christ, why would anything change? You initial response should be that of or close to that of Christ; and there should be no need to change anything in that aspect.

This passage forces me to put myself in a similar situation to Peter, and ask myself how I would fend. If I’m doing what is right and I’m where I should be with God, then there should be no problem and I can feel confident about my 3^rd and 103^rd answer. Trust in God leads to love of God.

"You must follow me"

Thanks for all your posts! It has been super encouraging to hear how God has been growing you this week through his scriptures. I am learning a ton from your posts so keep it up. Its amazing how your insight can encourage others, and give them a different prespective about God's word. So cool.

Today I thought about the verse in John 21 when Christ asks Peter, "Do you love me?". All I keep hearing is Christ declaring, "If you love me, than serve. If you love me, then pour yourself out. If you love me, pick up your cross and follow me." I am learning that if we deeply love Christ we must be moved to do something. Ultimately, Christ is calling us to express our love for him, by serving others like he did. As we serve this summer we do not do it out of obligation or because its some kind of requirement, we do it out of genuine love for Christ and appreciation of who he is. He has given us so much, and we have no other response but to pour ourselves out in service to our King.

Secondly, I was drawn to verses 20-25. After his call to follow and feed Christ's sheep, Peter starts questioning what another disciple is called to do. "When Peter saw him, he asked, 'Lord, what about him?' ²² Jesus answered, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.'”

This verse struck a strong cord within me. It is so easy for us to compare ourselves with others. Sometimes we can get so fixated on comparing our lives, struggles, and callings with others, that we fail to keep our eyes on Jesus. Jesus is simply saying that it doesn't matter what others are doing, or not doing; YOU must follow me. Others around you might be living their lives completely different. Friends might be going down wrong paths. The world might be fixated on wealth, fame and sin. Christian friends might be called on a different journey than your own. But regardless, we are called to keep our eyes on Jesus and follow him. Don't look at others-press on toward Christ even if that means you find yourself alone. Often times the act of comparing ourselves trips us up, because we take our eyes off of Christ and fix them on places they shouldn't be. Jesus says, "My beloved child, don't worry about others......You must follow me".

Week 1- Friday John 21:15-25

Well, come to find out that I somehow started on week two; today’s journey will start on the correct day (Friday). I love the mission that we are all set out to do, it allows us to find new ways to love and cherish god; and to spread his love. Because of my mistake of starting on the second week, I plan on catching back up with everyone while they catch up to me.

Within today’s reading of John 21:15-25 I find the truth so dignifying. Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me Peter?” All three times Peter resounds, “Jesus, of course I love you.” It shows that even through the worst of wrongs; God still loves us and gives us another chance.
The second part; however, I am confused. When Jesus talks to Peter about getting dressed and having the ability of going where ever he wants as a kid, changes when he gets older. Jesus states to Peter that he will no longer have a say; that people will lead him to a place he does not want to go. How is the idea of Peter going places he doesn’t want to go, indicate the death by which Peter would glorify god? Because he will be serving for god even when he is willing, he will indeed go to heaven?

One of my hardest abilities in life is reading comprehension. I will be asking questions ALL THE TIME! But it is for me to only better my knowledge to serve god and others. I am always reaching for more knowledge and with this “Blog” makes my appreciation for love so much more powerful.

Week 1 - Genuine Love of Christ - What a Reward!

This week I felt challenged by your posts and the devotional guide to love for love's sake.

Why do I serve? To love for love's sake.

Why do I worship? To love for love's sake.

Why does Jesus call me to be sacrificed on a cross? Love for love's sake. At the cross I'm given the exquisite opportunity to love so the cross is not a duty, but a privilege!

So if loving is the reward and through serving/sacrificing we love, then what does Jesus give servants who sacrifice? More opportunities to serve and sacrifice!!

My stubborn brain/heart wants to look for some other purpose or reward but the reward is simply to live, love, laugh, and serve like Jesus.

Today I celebrate this tremendous mystery - By absolute 100% grace His blood can flow in my veins and move me to the rhythm of love.

To be moved by love is to experience every imaginable spiritual reward!!

category 5

My what a hurricane this past week has been, from barney training, to snowboarding in tahoe for two days with my uncle and his family. Through all the crazyness of having 9 people in two hotel rooms, and keeping track of little kids on ski slopes, i realized something. I realized it when i got home tonight. The more we try and control what goes on in our lives, the more we try and organize it. The more it falls apart in our hands. like some of you im graduating this year, and i still have to to take two more big tests, one of which is this weekend. But tonight, as i think back and remember the things i've been reading, a few things stick out to me

first, on sunday, a couple've my siblings and i watched the movie "Knight and Day". In this, Roy Miller (tom cruise, the main action guy/protagonist) explains that without him, the "girl" in the movie would have a very low chance of survival. Our relaitonship with God is a little similar in that, without God, were dead. We cannot do anything on our own power cause we have none, every ounce of strength we have comes from Christ.

second, we have a God who is so focused on becomeing more intimate with us, who wants so bad to have us at his side, the He has, is, and will do Anything to draw you closer to Him.

Third, if we just accept this invitation to dine with our Lord, then the worries and anxieties will fall away. He will take them on to his shoulders, and carry them to the cross that they might be crucified with him.

All in all, With a God so bent on saving us, on getting to know us more, on taking our sins and mistakes and absolving them why not let our lives slip through are fingers. Why not let them fall to the floor, broken and shattered, only to be picked up by a loving, gracious, mercifully, pursuing savior.

the aroma of Christ !

Whats up Team Barnabas! I hope you have all had a blessed week, and that this finds you well. I Have had a crazy weak with midterms and all the shannagins that come along with that stuff.. I know its thursday but what really has stuck in my mind and been laid on my heart is mondays passage for meditation:

2 corinthians 2:15-16 " For we are to God the aroma of Christ those are being saved and those who are perishing. To one we are the smell of death; to the other the fragrance of life."

For me I always remember smells, wether its the first house i lived in, the first studio i ever recorded in, my dads cologne etc.... to this day if i smell these things it triggers in my head the memories and things I was experiencing at that time. It says numerous times that our hearts should be overflowing with Christ's love. And I love that imagery( ps im all about imagery!) but this verse sparked a question in my mind. What does the aroma of Christ smell like ? and Do I smell like it ?

I think when we continually seek and fall more and more into this divine romance with Jesus we begin to smell like the aroma of Christ. I feel like this is telling me that I should be so in love and hidden in Christ that people can smell it off me like i am wearing a cologne. It has been my prayer since reading this that I would be so filled up with the Lord Jesus and his Spirit that I would smell like him.

Thats kind of been my weak in a nut shell

God bless all of you

-Chris

3rd day. His Mercy's are New Every Morning!!!

I have enjoyed reading many of the posts and I can just say that I am looking forward to reading many more, and I am inspired by what you guys are saying. For today I felt it was about His Mercy. He died on the cross for ALL OF US!! and he wants an intimate romancing relationship with us. its scary for me to think that His mercy is new every morning!!! it doesn't matter what we do, and how bad we do it, we are forgiven and have new mercy from Him everyday. because we are sinners, and will always be. I think its hard to accept it and choose to see that yes we wake up with a new refreshing unconditional loving heavenly Father. It is definitely a friendly reminder to me to know that I am loved unconditionally and there is nothing I can do ever that will make Him love me less or make Him forgive me any less. YOU are unique in your own way and God has His own planned out path for each and everyone of you. :)

Day 3

Alright so I have loads of homework to do so I thought I would get started a little earlier today.

So looking at the verse in Matthew I became aware of a few things.
"For where your treasure is, your heart will be also." I feel like there is no grey area with this statement. It's simple: the things you invest your time in is where your heart's passion is. With these next few months I hope that we can store all of our treasures within God's kingdom, "where moth and rust do not destroy".

The next paragraph describes, "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light." God's guiding light. So many times in our lives we go about filling our eyes and mind with evil junk, and see ourselves doing evil. What our eyes see is what we focus on, and where our minds are at. And "If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light." We could, quite literally, be filled up to our eyeballs with God's light or Satan's darkness, depending on the choices we make to fill it. With God's light filling our body, there is no way that Satan's darkness can hide within us because light is the absence of darkness. On the contrary, if we are filled with darkness because of our sin and what we choose to show our eyes, darkness consumes us. And it extinguishes our light because darkness is the absence of light.
So I take it seriously when we say "this little light of mine, im gonna let it SHINE"!!!

I love this last sentence of the final verse, "You cannot serve both God and Money." In my bible I love it how Money is capitalized to show how many idolize it and how evil it can be if we let it consume us like darkness. I also feel that money can be subsituted with whatever other earthly treasures we worship other than God. Like it says, "...he will be devoted to one and despise the other...".

I pray that we will focus our eyes on God, storing our treasures in His kingdom while being filled with His Light.

When I read the verse for meditation in John, my Bible commentary brought some new things into my view.

First when Jesus says that, "when I am lifted up from the earth..." he mentions his crucifixion, ressurection, and ascension into heaven.
The biggest impact I had from this verse is the second part, "...will draw all men to myself." It doesn't matter abour your "race, nationality, or status" as my book writes. Jesus' conqering of the cross was so meaningful to our spiritual lives it sweeps across "all men", letting them know of the good news of Jesus' crucifixion, ressurection, and ascension. Even after Jesus had returned to be with His father, He still leads His children to Him through His voice and through His servants spreading God's message to the rest of the world. We all feel The Spirit's tug on our hearts as He draws us to Himself. We all hear His voice inside of us, wanting that personal relationship because of Jesus' death, ressurection, and ascension.

I pray that Jesus will continue to "draw all man" to Himself through His tools, US! The servants of God!!!

Encouragement!

Okay well I want to start off by saying that this weekend came at the right time in my life!! I loved how we all connected and meshed so well!! We all trusted, encouraged, and loved on each other. It was AMAZING!!

Now reading this blog has got me so pumped up for this summer!

Now on to the good stuff...

In Monday's reading I loved how it challenged me to think about stories of other God's...In the stories i have heard of other god's none of them have ever "tried" anything like ours has. Our God challenged the Egyptians, brought the Israelites to the Holy Land, and saved them!! But they still took God for granite!! This reminds me of me at times.
I mean how many times has God saved me?
Too many times to count.
How often do I forget to thank God or do what he says?
Often.
God is a crazy huge God. He is crazy enough to send young adults out on a lake to bring his word to Jr. high and high school students! that's a crazy God!!

Then in the selection for meditation. The only thing that kept coming to my mind was humility. humility. humility. It's hard not to bring attention to yourself and say "Look what I did! aren't I great?!" God calls us to be humble. Jesus humbly served everyone he came into contact with. When he would make the blind see he would basically say do not go around and tell everyone what I have done. He did not want to draw attention to himself!! This is the model we are supposed to follow!! Its a good reminder for me over the summer.

Then Tuesday's reading...
Paul is this amazing Christian, that I don't know about you but I have always looked up to. He went through so much persecution and pain to live for God. Before he started following Jesus he was the pharisees pharisee. He was in the highest village etc. etc. Needless to say he had an amazing resume. BUT EVEN HE ADMITS HE ISN'T PERFECT!! "Not that I [Paul] have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me...I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Ahhh this is awesome. Even someone as good as Paul admits he isn't PERFECT! This is encouraging to me because this reminds me that God is going to save me from my sins and help me achieve that ultimate goal! I think Eric said it earlier that the ultimate goal is GOD!! He is the prize...meeting him and being in his prescense is the goal!! That's so awesome. God is helping us achieve him and what he has planned for us! Woot! We have God on our side!

Okay Finally! I loved 2nd Corinthians! "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." This is so encouraging!!! God frees us. As we discussed over the weekend in order to be free we must free our souls into the hands of God and let him mold us into what he wants us to be. It is no longer about us but about the lives of the campers we will be touching!!
Woot!!
Hope everyone is having an awesome week!!!

Philippians rocks.

Something that really stood out to me from yesterday's reading was the passage in Philippians. I love it because it's so real, in the way that we struggle with this stuff every single day. It's so hard sometimes to remember that our earthly possessions mean absolutely nothing to God. I get so caught up in what I'm wearing and how I look, I sometimes forget that none of that matters in God's eyes. It's so refreshing to be reminded that God loves me no matter what I look like. Especially going to a school where appearance is very highly valued and there is a lot of pressure to look good on the outside, I love being reminded that none of that matters to God, so I shouldn't worry about unimportant stuff like that.

I also love how he writes about "straining towards the goal." Even Paul admits that he's not perfect and that he doesn't have everything right. Sometimes it's hard to admit when we aren't doing something right because of our pride, but I love how Paul admits it so freely. He isn't embarrassed or ashamed to admit that he makes mistakes, so I shouldn't be either. One of my favorite parts is when he says "forgetting what lies behind." The past is behind me, and so are my sins, so I need to move on and focus on strengthening my relationship with Christ.

On another note, I had so much fun this past weekend with all of you and can't wait to get to know you better!!

tuesday.

i know this is technically posted on wednesday but it is referring to tuesday's devo.

first off i just wanted to say how great it was to meet you all.
this weekend was such a journey and im excited to see what God has
in store for us this summer on the water! it's funny because even though
we were together for a short time i feel as though i miss you all already
and can not wait to be together again come memorial weekend!
also thank you for opening up and sharing your lifestories and testimonies
of God's faithfulness in your life! know that i am praying for all of you :)

things that really stood out to me while reading through Philippians:

 3:7-14: "everything is a loss comparing to gaining Christ" these verses
stood out to me because it really set things in perspective. we hold earthly honors
so high in our lives such as awards, titles, roles, scholarships, recognitions, etc. but what paul
is saying is that even though he has all of these good things going for him all things
fade away after encountering Christ. It's one thing when we can recognize that Jesus holds
a higher value than earthly things but its another when we lay those things down at his
precious and holy feet just for the sake of knowing him more.

i LOVE the NLT version of this verse: "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ"


so true!
basically i just want to say how encouraging these verses as well as the study of today were for me. 
just recognizing the freedom we have through Christ to express ourselves in every single way!
it's so encouraging to hear Paul say that he desires to know Christ through his sufferings. That he 
would go that far as to suffer to know the Lord! How awesome is that! It's crazy because i think about it
and I don't know if i could handle suffering like Christ did. That is a bold statement! But Paul makes it because he is so confident and on fire with passion of knowing Christ. It gives me hope that I can work towards suffering for Christ and getting to know him more through this suffering. 


cheers to being free in Christ and suffering to know Him more.
-hope.

Day 2

Alright Day 2! I don't know about you guys but I am STILL tired from this weekend.
Before I dive in I just wanted to share a little something that impacted me this past weekend.
While I was talking to a few fellow Barnabusians in training, I said that I wish it was the summer already so we could start! Afterwords Andy wisely said that it was "all in the journey" leading up to houseboats. It took me awhile to realize, but he was completely right. The journey we all take, with this super ultra packet, and with our development towards becoming better servants, molds us throughout the weeks to prepare us for when we start our adventure! Im very thankful for this conversation I had with Andy.

So with today's verse for meditation I think the first thing to do is acknowledge that we have to TRUST God when He says He will always be there for you. This is evident by The Spirit. So if the Spirit is with us always then we will always have His freedom in our lives.

Also, while reading this verse in my Bible with commentary, it reiterates the fact that in verse 6 it proclaims "...the Spirit gives life." So we know now that the Spirit gives life and freedom to whoever finds it and invites it into their hearts. More importantly, we have God's gift of freedom all because of our new lives in Him.

The feeling I have from this verse is with God breaking down our timidity, self-doubt, and fear, we are now free and fearless to be righteous in His name! Pretty powerful stuff. Since we are now free to express ourselves as Christ's servants, He blesses each one of us with different, God-drawn talents. So use those talents to glorify Him and spread His kingdom! I also realize that with our own "tailor-made" blend of expressions (talents), God shows us that we are not just a generic creation, but He has an individual, personal interest in YOU!!!

With these gifts from God, modeled in Jesus' life, now given to us, we must use them as we become ambassadors of Christ. With the Spirit as our guidance we show to others Jesus' love for them and how He has molded us and highlighted our lives and talents. These individual gifts help us break free from this evil world and Satan, who tries to fill us with whispers of self-doubt, fear, and timidity.

Will we let our individual talents given to us by God help spread His kingdom as fearless servants through the Holy Spirit? Or will we succumb to Satan's whispers that we are unable to do so?

I pray that we will become fearless servants who use our own different talents to shine God's light to everyone around us.

Pressing on towards "the goal"?

What is the "goal"? How do I "press on"? We find the answer when we ask ourselves what Paul is pressing on to take hold of. My mathematical mind understands this language in the same way it understands order of operations.

"I press on to take hold of (that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me)"

For those of us who haven't done order of operations in a while, Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally. We need to understand what is in the parentheses before we can answer the question.

What is it "for" that Christ takes hold of us? What do we know about Jesus that sheds light on this question? We know, because of Jesus' prayer in John 17, that Jesus came to earth, wrapping himself in flesh, to glorify the Father (v. 1 & 4-5), Jesus is one with the Father and has been from the beginning of creation (v. 21), and it is His hearts desire that we be in complete unity with the triune God (v. 22-23). The word "for" implies three different sorts of motives for Jesus' actions. "For" is the reason that pushes Christ into action, meaning "as a result of", the end result that draws Christ to take hold of us, meaning "with the intended purpose of", and also intended to go to a recipient, meaning "intended to belong to".

"As a result of", "with the intended purpose of", and "intended to belong to"

As a result of:

Jesus takes hold of us, because he is told to do so by God the father, he only does what the Father tells him to do. (John 5:19-20)

With the intended purpose of:

Jesus takes hold of us so that we may be one with the Father, as He is one with the Father. (John 17: 22-23)

Intended to belong to:

We are intended to belong to God the Father (see Genesis-Revalation)

"That" for which Christ Jesus took hold of me = God the Father

Substituting "that" with "God the father", we understand what the goal is according to Paul.

"I press on to take hold of GOD THE FATHER!"

The goal of this human existence is certainly not fame and fortune. It's not even holiness or good works. It is a person, it is a process. The person=Yahweh, the process=sanctification by relationship.

God, I press on to take hold of you. Be that which I draw from, and that which I draw towards. Take hold of me.

Day 1 FIRST DAY WOOHOO!!!

So I had written all of this once berfore but had accidentally deleted the entire posting. Talk about a test of patience from God.

With Deuteronomy I was able to see how God is in everything.
God created all and does all so that we can come to know Him. How cool is that! I admit sometimes it is difficult to see how God is working in some situations, but I do know that He is always there so that we may have that chance to seek and find Him. The message states a few time that besides God, "there is no other", that He is the only singular Lord. One God, who does everything in His power to try to reveal Himself to us, is a pretty powerful and humbling message. We should love Him back!

Corithians provided a more serious aspect for me.
As I was struggling with my various addictions earlier in life I had become a twisted, sinful individual. With this dark time in my life, God was able to stoop down to reach me, and I yearned for a life renewed in Him. That is exactly what happened. Jesus rescued me in a very difficult time in my life as we all have had. I saw the light and life in His forgiveness and love. With my renewed relationship I dove right back into studying and living Jesus' example; with every time I began to feel like I had figured God out he served a religious beatdown that humbled me. And whenever I fell or began to wander He was ALWAYS there to pick me up.

Well that's the impact I felt from today's studies. I look forward to reading all of your posts!!!
GOOOOO BARNEYS!!!

Cant wait for this to start! First day is tomorrow!!!!!

Continuing to Give Ourselves Away!

A major point that I got out of this weekend is the reminder that we must continue to give ourselves away. We are called to take up our cross and follow Jesus. He is our example of a sacrificial servant that continually gives himself away. As we use this devotional, scripture, and blog to equip us with characteristics needed for this summer; we must also remember that these are characteristics for our lives. You are being trained and equipped to serve at Sonshine, but more importantly you are being trained and equipped to serve for life. So as you read and study each week begin to find ways to add these characteristics to your day to day life.

Thank you all for being apart of the Barnabas training! All the Admin have been blessed in getting to know you face to face and hearing your lives this weekend. We look forward to growing and developing as the Lord's servants with you.