Friday, March 7, 2014
Setting the Pace pt 3
During this time, I was given the role of a middle action group (mag) leader, basically a Bible study. I led action group for four action group leaders and discipled 3 of them. I also was in an action group with the two other mags and the four student leaders. It was possibly one of the best and most growing Bible studies I've ever been a part of. I am truly blessed to have grown with those men of God.
During discipleship, a big focus was sharing. So I went sharing at least 4 times a week. In this time my heart grew tremendously for sharing. One of the weeks I went sharing 16 times. God really used this time to stretch me and give me greater confidence in my ability to share the gospel with the Holy Spirit working through me. In this time, I saw 10 people come to Christ. I praise God that He used me to lead these young men and women to Him.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
But A Mist...
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
On this day 12 years ago, many lives were lost in a horrific act of terror. There is no good explanation. No good reason. Nothing. Today I reflect because of two young men I knew, though not well, who lost their lives in recent weeks. Both were young. Both were popular. Both were star athletes. Everyone liked these young men. One was starting his senior year. The other starting life in the real world. Both had so much potential.
Like many others I am left wondering Why? Why God would you let someone die so young? Why would you let someone who has so much potential die? I don't have an answer. I probably never will. Many emotions can well up inside. Anger. Sadness. Hopelessness. Defeat. The most recent passing is the one that has me choked up the most. But its strange. I didn't know him that well. I spent a summer in Colorado and got to know this young man. The emotions keep coming.
I am left knowing certain truths though. God is Sovereign. 1 Timothy 6:15 says ...God will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. God is above all, he knows all. He is in control. God is Love. 1 John 4:8 says Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. I don't claim to always understand God's love. But I know he loves each and every one of us dearly. God has a Plan. Proverbs 16:9 reminds us In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. You never know what tomorrow is going to bring. But God establishes our course for His glory.
Hold on to these promises about God. Take refuge in the Lord in the difficult times. Take refuge in the Lord in good times. He is our strength. Our purpose.
Come near to God and he will come near to you
James 4:8a
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Psalm 9:9
Lastly, I want to say its okay to be upset with God. Throughout the Psalms we can see David and other Psalmist exlaiming "GOD! Why have you forsaken me!" Jesus even said that on the cross! God created us with feelings. He knows we will be upset with Him many times. Be truthful with him, don't be afraid to speak your mind, to feel like you have to be okay with tragedies. Just know he is faithful. Psalm 33:4 says For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. We can't know all things. all reasons. And sometimes we will feel like we have more on our plate than we can handle. That is when we go to those God has put in our lives to help us limp through until we can walk on our own again.
Here is an article that can be for those of you thinking "I can't handle this anymore."
Life is but a mist. Make the most of the time you have now. Glorify God with your life. Share the gospel as often as possible. You never know when life is going to take a tragic turn. Love each other. Love God.
Above all else.
Praise God in the good. Praise God in the bad. Praise God.
Give Him the glory.
Give Him the glory.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Setting the Pace pt 3
1301 Central Avenue Ocean City, New Jersey.
The second half of the summer the staff left and gave us their responsibilities as leaders of the project. We were all given different roles and each role was important in many different ways. An example of a role that may not seem important at first was important in setting the moods and inspiring us. That team was the vibe team. The three wonderful young women who were in charge of that did a fantastic job inspiring us to treasure the gospel and to Go among other things.
Anchored in Christ
The responsibility I was given was a middle action group leader. I had a Bible study with the leadership team and got discipled by a pretty stellar dude named Jake Pearring from UCLA! I was blessed and humbled to gain wisdom from this kid who was 2 years younger than me. I also led a Bible study for 4 action group leaders and discipled 3 of them. It was a privilege to pour into these incredible men who were themselves pouring into men of their Bible studies. I was the in between man, that's why I was called the middle action group leader. The action group leaders led bible studies and discipled the rest of the project students. This time of leading felt behind-the-scenes because I don't feel like I got recognized at all for it. Which is fine and great! It was humbling seeing God use me like that and help me grow in different areas outside of any sort of spot light. It definitely helped me prepare to lead a Bible study back on campus and disciple a few solid guys here. I am blessed to have been able to do that.
And then there are all the people from project. I call them family now. The type friendships I created there are unlike any I have ever experienced. It was the most Biblical community I've ever been a part of. The women were so encouraging. The men were so encouraging. We had deep conversations about life, our lives all the time. We shared our life stories, our testimonies with each other. Sometimes sharing for over an hour, going in depth and being open and authentic with each other. I know I will not ever have this type of community ever again, but thats okay. To experience that is to experience a little piece of God. And I want more of it. It only helps my relationship with Christ by remembering those friends from Ocean City in the summer of 2012.
What is even more astonishing about these friendships is how real they really are. A saying on project was campus trumps project, meaning campus is so much more important than anything we had here on project. Project was just a training ground for home. So as a result, some of these friendships may be harder to keep up. Sure, some are better at keeping up than others, but some, myself included, have a hard time staying in contact with everyone. The great thing about that is that if I see any of the guys or girls, I can sit down and catch up on life and have a deep conversations. It is almost as if we have never left each other. The genuine love felt between everyone is great.
If I had no idea what real friendship and community was before, I do now, this is it. Brothers and sisters in Christ, living life together and serving Christ together by telling others about him.
What is even more astonishing about these friendships is how real they really are. A saying on project was campus trumps project, meaning campus is so much more important than anything we had here on project. Project was just a training ground for home. So as a result, some of these friendships may be harder to keep up. Sure, some are better at keeping up than others, but some, myself included, have a hard time staying in contact with everyone. The great thing about that is that if I see any of the guys or girls, I can sit down and catch up on life and have a deep conversations. It is almost as if we have never left each other. The genuine love felt between everyone is great.
If I had no idea what real friendship and community was before, I do now, this is it. Brothers and sisters in Christ, living life together and serving Christ together by telling others about him.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Setting the Pace pt 2
Going into project you are told the second half of the summer is where you grow the most. The part where you are without the staff and on your own. After experiencing it a second time (the first time was in Alaska), I can vouch for that and say it is very true!
I decided 2 posts wouldn't be enough, so in this post I'll just describe the weekly themes that were student led. Part 3 will describe the growth through leadership and how the friendships from the summer continue to impact me.
Weekly Themes
student-led second half
Treasuring the Gospel. What kind of struggles do you face in ministry or your personal walk with Jesus? It is these things that tempt us to say its not worth it. Our brokenness should bring us to a dependance on the Spirit. Are you going to treasure jars of clay or the gospel? Like 2 Corinthians 4 says, the jars of clay are our brokenness and sin, while the gospel is a relationship with Christ and eternal. Our suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory of Christ. It is these things that I often forget. But those days I do remember, those days I do treasure the gospel, that is when my struggles become momentary and fleeting compared to the glory of Christ. Keep your eyes on the prize, the best is yet to come!
Running to Win. This seems to be a theme I need to review more for myself...so here ya go! 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says we should run the race of life in such a way to receive the prize. That prize is God returning. How do we do that? With self control and discipline. If athletes train their whole lives for a few moments of glory, how much more so should we live our lives to win the prize of Christ? To do this, you need a running partner to hold you accountable and to help you train your the spiritual muscles. What pace are you running in the race? When we truly recognize that Jesus is the only imperishable prize, our natural response will be to run to Him. Will you run the race with me?
Who Will Go. If you've read a good amount of the Bible, a common theme of going is seen throughout. It is important to recognize who we are and who God is and surrender to Him. God's holiness is set apart, it is outside of our comprehension. In Isaiah 6:1-8 God is described as "holy, holy, holy," or the holiest. Isaiah responds by saying he is ruined! Sin is an offense against God that has eternal consequences, that is why Jesus had to die on the cross. God offers us this relationship, but we deny it, saying "I don't need You!" Charles Spurgeon said that God won't do anything with us until He has undone us. We say "I don't need You!" God says "I love you!" He did that by dying on the cross, in verse 7 God cleanses Isaiah, then says "Whom shall I send? Who will go?" Isaiah responds by saying "Here I am! Send me!" God offers us the privilege to serve Him. Are you willing to surrender it all for God's glory? If you don't feel a calling, GO! God will use you! What do you need to surrender to God? Are you willing to give up everything to be sent?
Anchored to Christ. How can one stay anchored in Christ? Read at 1 Corinthians 15:58. Be steadfast, immovable, keep doing what you're doing! We need to continue to pursue Him and He'll meet us where we're at. Here are three challenges. Prioritize your personal relationship with the Lord. the number one sin committed by Christians is not keeping the Sabbath Set the pace for a gospel centered community, lead by example. Lastly, prioritize sharing the gospel on campus. Sometimes we think our comfort is worth more than thousands of lost souls. Sharing our faith may be tough. It can be discouraging, 3 indispensable requirements for a missionary are patience, patience, and patience. Successful evangelism is taking the initiative to share Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results up to God. Sharing is stretching, our Father makes many a flower bloom unseen in the lonely desert. Remember, it is WORTH IT! Our mission on Earth is to glorify God! Know,your labor is not in vain! Galatians 6:4 tells us to not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap what we've sown. This is a week where continually am reminded how important it is to be anchored in Christ, running whole hearted after him.
Every time I go back and review what I've learned from this summer, I can see where I was a year ago and see where I am now. I am so. much further along in my faith now than I was a year ago
I decided 2 posts wouldn't be enough, so in this post I'll just describe the weekly themes that were student led. Part 3 will describe the growth through leadership and how the friendships from the summer continue to impact me.
Weekly Themes
student-led second half
Treasuring the Gospel. What kind of struggles do you face in ministry or your personal walk with Jesus? It is these things that tempt us to say its not worth it. Our brokenness should bring us to a dependance on the Spirit. Are you going to treasure jars of clay or the gospel? Like 2 Corinthians 4 says, the jars of clay are our brokenness and sin, while the gospel is a relationship with Christ and eternal. Our suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory of Christ. It is these things that I often forget. But those days I do remember, those days I do treasure the gospel, that is when my struggles become momentary and fleeting compared to the glory of Christ. Keep your eyes on the prize, the best is yet to come!
Running to Win. This seems to be a theme I need to review more for myself...so here ya go! 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says we should run the race of life in such a way to receive the prize. That prize is God returning. How do we do that? With self control and discipline. If athletes train their whole lives for a few moments of glory, how much more so should we live our lives to win the prize of Christ? To do this, you need a running partner to hold you accountable and to help you train your the spiritual muscles. What pace are you running in the race? When we truly recognize that Jesus is the only imperishable prize, our natural response will be to run to Him. Will you run the race with me?
Who Will Go. If you've read a good amount of the Bible, a common theme of going is seen throughout. It is important to recognize who we are and who God is and surrender to Him. God's holiness is set apart, it is outside of our comprehension. In Isaiah 6:1-8 God is described as "holy, holy, holy," or the holiest. Isaiah responds by saying he is ruined! Sin is an offense against God that has eternal consequences, that is why Jesus had to die on the cross. God offers us this relationship, but we deny it, saying "I don't need You!" Charles Spurgeon said that God won't do anything with us until He has undone us. We say "I don't need You!" God says "I love you!" He did that by dying on the cross, in verse 7 God cleanses Isaiah, then says "Whom shall I send? Who will go?" Isaiah responds by saying "Here I am! Send me!" God offers us the privilege to serve Him. Are you willing to surrender it all for God's glory? If you don't feel a calling, GO! God will use you! What do you need to surrender to God? Are you willing to give up everything to be sent?
Anchored to Christ. How can one stay anchored in Christ? Read at 1 Corinthians 15:58. Be steadfast, immovable, keep doing what you're doing! We need to continue to pursue Him and He'll meet us where we're at. Here are three challenges. Prioritize your personal relationship with the Lord. the number one sin committed by Christians is not keeping the Sabbath Set the pace for a gospel centered community, lead by example. Lastly, prioritize sharing the gospel on campus. Sometimes we think our comfort is worth more than thousands of lost souls. Sharing our faith may be tough. It can be discouraging, 3 indispensable requirements for a missionary are patience, patience, and patience. Successful evangelism is taking the initiative to share Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results up to God. Sharing is stretching, our Father makes many a flower bloom unseen in the lonely desert. Remember, it is WORTH IT! Our mission on Earth is to glorify God! Know,your labor is not in vain! Galatians 6:4 tells us to not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap what we've sown. This is a week where continually am reminded how important it is to be anchored in Christ, running whole hearted after him.
Every time I go back and review what I've learned from this summer, I can see where I was a year ago and see where I am now. I am so. much further along in my faith now than I was a year ago
Friday, January 4, 2013
Setting the Pace pt 1
Months after I have returned from project in Ocean City, New Jersey, I'm reeling from the impact it has made in my life. Not only from what I've learned, but the friends I made there. The theme of the first week was Setting the Pace, I'd like to believe that I did exactly that for the rest of my life.
The more I reflect on the summer, the more I realize that each of the weeks has impacted my life in different ways and continues to do so. And every time I see project people again, I realize more about the relationships that were made there. These different aspects continue to affect my life in positive ways.
In this post I'll look at the first half of the summer. The next one I'll look at the second half and friendships.
Weekly Themes
With staff
Setting the Pace. This week didn't seem to make much of an impact at the time. But because I took the theme of that week to heart, I believe I not only set the pace for my summer, but for the rest of my life. The steps of faith I began taking were ones that would continue to impact me. It was that week that I went sharing with my discipler TJ Habel for the first time. That would plant the seed that would grow into a love of sharing. It was that week that I began to make friends with those on project who would become like family, even if I never got to know them deeply. The connection of the summer was enough to make us family. We shared our stories with each other and got to know each other deeper than we had anyone else in our lives. I praise God for that.
Thirsting to Know Him. This was the first week we went through our Thirsty devotional with our action groups. It talks about walking with the Spirit and thirsting to know Him. We talked about Psalm 63 where David was in a desert. I'm not sure if it was literal or spiritually that he was in the desert. God is the only thing that can quench our thirst, not food, not friends, not relationships, not things. Only God can. David saw God's glory and wanted Him. The more tastes of God we have, the more we desire Him. I only find that to be more and more true the more glimpses of God I have.
Killing the Giants. If greatness is your goal, safety can be your enemy. On a scale of 1-10, how risky is your walk with God? If you want to grow like never before, start giving God things that are hard to do. These are just a few quotes from the week. Its a week that reminds me that with God, I can kill the Giants in my life, whether it is sharing with someone or going outside of my comfort zone. In Joshua 3, the Israelites had to step into the Jordan, a raging river, before it would be calmed. Sometimes in life God calls us to step into the raging river before He calms it. When we step into the unknown Jesus meets us there.
All for One. Looking back at this week I'm reminded how important it is to work as the body of Christ. One day this week we had to rely on one person to wake us up because only one alarm could be set that day to meet a challenge. Its important when we speak truth into others lives to do it in love. We learned how we need to bear each others burdens together. We need each other in community to build each other up and spur one another on. Know there is no true christian maturity or ministry without love.
World Vision. This week possibly has had the biggest impact on me. Its where I learned more about God's heart for the world. Its this week I believe I met the four things to know I'm called to full time ministry. I'm convinced the world's problems are spiritual. I'm convinced Jesus is the only answer to those problems. I'm convinced God can use me. I'd rather do ministry than anything else. Four perspectives of mine were shifted. From What is God's plan to my life? to What is God's plan and how do I fit in that? From I will stay unless I get a special call to go to I will go unless I get a special call to stay. From God please tell me if I should go to God please send me. From Here I am, send Him to Here I am send me. God has put it on my heart to serve Him by reaching the world. I don't know what that looks like yet. I could go over seas, or I could stay here in the U.S. and mobilize others to go themselves. I may end up only supporting a missionary who goes overseas and praying for the unreached people groups of the world.
Agape. The staff were leaving this week and they showed how much they loved us and how important love was. People want to follow a loving leader. There are different things in our lives that keep us from seriously experiencing Christs love for us. An improper view of God, a lack of faith, not listening to those He has put in our life, not using the gifts He has given us, and not using the logic He has given us. These are a part of the 5 spiritual senses God has given us. God wants to have a personal relationship with you, a part of that is leading you by listening to the 5 spiritual senses. I find myself using these sense more since project has ended.
This is just half of what God did this summer. God is BIG. He did big things. more to come later on what he did in Ocean City.
#OCSP12
The more I reflect on the summer, the more I realize that each of the weeks has impacted my life in different ways and continues to do so. And every time I see project people again, I realize more about the relationships that were made there. These different aspects continue to affect my life in positive ways.
In this post I'll look at the first half of the summer. The next one I'll look at the second half and friendships.
Weekly Themes
With staff
Setting the Pace. This week didn't seem to make much of an impact at the time. But because I took the theme of that week to heart, I believe I not only set the pace for my summer, but for the rest of my life. The steps of faith I began taking were ones that would continue to impact me. It was that week that I went sharing with my discipler TJ Habel for the first time. That would plant the seed that would grow into a love of sharing. It was that week that I began to make friends with those on project who would become like family, even if I never got to know them deeply. The connection of the summer was enough to make us family. We shared our stories with each other and got to know each other deeper than we had anyone else in our lives. I praise God for that.
Thirsting to Know Him. This was the first week we went through our Thirsty devotional with our action groups. It talks about walking with the Spirit and thirsting to know Him. We talked about Psalm 63 where David was in a desert. I'm not sure if it was literal or spiritually that he was in the desert. God is the only thing that can quench our thirst, not food, not friends, not relationships, not things. Only God can. David saw God's glory and wanted Him. The more tastes of God we have, the more we desire Him. I only find that to be more and more true the more glimpses of God I have.
Killing the Giants. If greatness is your goal, safety can be your enemy. On a scale of 1-10, how risky is your walk with God? If you want to grow like never before, start giving God things that are hard to do. These are just a few quotes from the week. Its a week that reminds me that with God, I can kill the Giants in my life, whether it is sharing with someone or going outside of my comfort zone. In Joshua 3, the Israelites had to step into the Jordan, a raging river, before it would be calmed. Sometimes in life God calls us to step into the raging river before He calms it. When we step into the unknown Jesus meets us there.
All for One. Looking back at this week I'm reminded how important it is to work as the body of Christ. One day this week we had to rely on one person to wake us up because only one alarm could be set that day to meet a challenge. Its important when we speak truth into others lives to do it in love. We learned how we need to bear each others burdens together. We need each other in community to build each other up and spur one another on. Know there is no true christian maturity or ministry without love.
World Vision. This week possibly has had the biggest impact on me. Its where I learned more about God's heart for the world. Its this week I believe I met the four things to know I'm called to full time ministry. I'm convinced the world's problems are spiritual. I'm convinced Jesus is the only answer to those problems. I'm convinced God can use me. I'd rather do ministry than anything else. Four perspectives of mine were shifted. From What is God's plan to my life? to What is God's plan and how do I fit in that? From I will stay unless I get a special call to go to I will go unless I get a special call to stay. From God please tell me if I should go to God please send me. From Here I am, send Him to Here I am send me. God has put it on my heart to serve Him by reaching the world. I don't know what that looks like yet. I could go over seas, or I could stay here in the U.S. and mobilize others to go themselves. I may end up only supporting a missionary who goes overseas and praying for the unreached people groups of the world.
Agape. The staff were leaving this week and they showed how much they loved us and how important love was. People want to follow a loving leader. There are different things in our lives that keep us from seriously experiencing Christs love for us. An improper view of God, a lack of faith, not listening to those He has put in our life, not using the gifts He has given us, and not using the logic He has given us. These are a part of the 5 spiritual senses God has given us. God wants to have a personal relationship with you, a part of that is leading you by listening to the 5 spiritual senses. I find myself using these sense more since project has ended.
This is just half of what God did this summer. God is BIG. He did big things. more to come later on what he did in Ocean City.
#OCSP12
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Ocean City Summer Project 2012 post project update...finally
Wow! What an incredible and life changing summer! Thank you so much for being a ministry partner for me through prayer and financial support. It is hard to explain all of what happened during the summer in just a blog post. Its even hard to explain it in person. I wish I did a better job of updating, but I got so caught up in the summer and what God was doing. It is something you would have to experience your self. So I will try my best to say what I can in this blog and if you try and contact me later, I’ll try my best to do justice to how great of a summer it was.
God did amazing things this summer in and through the lives of the 104 students that were in Ocean City this summer. The easiest way to see ways God moved is by looking at the numbers; 8,403 spiritual conversations and 258 decisions for Christ. That isn't even counting the number of people the gospel was presented to. I personally shared with about 200 people, leading 11 people to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. I was able to present the gospel to countless others and encourage many Christians who I met on the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. They were left with a booklet with more information and our contact info in case they had any questions.
Not only were other people’s lives on project changed, the lives of us students were changed forever. Our perspectives on living the spirit filled life, treasuring the gospel, sharing, and Christian community were all shifted in incredible, God-glorifying ways. The first half of the summer was spent focused on living a Spirit-filled life. In this time the amazing Cru staff from campuses all across the country were able to pour into us and help us grow in our walk and understanding of what it means to live a Spirit-filled life. Each student got disciple by a staff person. Discipleship consisted of an hour of sharing on the boardwalk and an hour of
huge part of the growth experienced on project.
Every student on project got a job. These ranged from the grocery store, to surf shops, to a toy/pirate store. I happened to work at a McDonald’s. It was quite the experience. Our jobs were also another ministry place for us. I was able to get to know my coworkers and have a few spiritual conversations with them over the summer. One Cru-coworker shared the gospel with a few Spanish speaking coworkers in Spanish. It was really cool seeing God use that for ministry purposes at McDonald’s. Working at McDonald’s gave me a new level of respect for those who work there and gave me better insight as to how to be a better customer.
We learned a whole lot this summer. It was described as a fire hose of information. The week that had the biggest impact on me was World Vision week. During this week we talked about what it means to be a world Christian. Instead of having a mindset of focusing on what I can see and my own little world, it has started to change towards what is best for God’s kingdom. I’ve really gained in my understanding of how big God’s heart for the world is. Throughout the whole Bible God professes how every tribe, tongue, and nation will worship Him someday. About 42% of the world’s population remains unreached. You can learn more about that at joshuaproject.org or by reading Roger Hersey’s book “The Finishers” which can be found on amazon.com.
After sharing on the boardwalk with around 200 people during the summer I’ve gained a passion for sharing my faith. I love having spiritual conversations and telling people about Jesus Christ. With all these conversations I was able to learn valuable skills in how to smoothly and boldly transition to the Gospel during a conversation. I also can easily go through the Gospel with someone, whether I am using the Gospel booklets Cru has called “Knowing God Personally” or I’m reciting it to them by memory during our conversation. Those of us who went on project are more trained on how to share the gospel than 95% of the US’s pastors. That’s a pretty humbling stat to me. I praise God for this experience and I know I will be using it in the future. One of my favorite sharing memories I happened to be sharing with 3 high school girls who were in Ocean City at a church conference. It was great being able to encourage them in their faith. One of them even has Purdue in her top three choices for school. Even more amazing than that is one of the guys at the conference was going to Purdue. So I was able to meet up with him and get his contact info and get him connected with Cru at Purdue. I have been able to continue my friendship with him here at Purdue. It is so cool to see the different things God does.
Cru staff from around the country were the staff on this project. On July 12th staff officially handed project over to us students. This meant they gave their duties to us. The position I was given was a middle action group leader, which meant I lead a Bible study for other action group leaders who led Bible studies for the rest of project. I also discipled those three guys. I also attended a Bible study that I went to with the group of four students who were on the leadership team. Two of them planned weekly studies and led a study with me and the two other middle action group leaders. My discipleships also consisted of an hour of sharing plus an hour of discussing things and helping my disciples grow. We tried to model discipleship after 2 Timothy and what Paul did with Timothy. I really enjoyed helping my guys grow in their faith and leadership. It was a great experience challenging them in different areas as I was challenged also. They say discipleship is 20% what you know and 80% your character. I don’t claim to know much, but I believe I was able to
Again, thank you for all the ways you supported me! Whether it was financially or through prayer or both, I wouldn’t have been able to have this experience without you. The Lord has done amazing things through me and others this summer. I can’t praise God enough for the eternal impact that has been made as a result of this summer that so many students and I had in Ocean City.
In Christ,
Ben Ooms
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Ocean City Summer Project. The Fire Hose...
WOW! I can't believe I've been on project for only three weeks! I feel like I've been here in Ocean City, New Jersey for longer than that. Within the first three days it seems like all of us students were great friends, hanging out all the time and sharing our lives to each other. It is pretty amazing. I've already grown a great amount with my own faith and in my sharing ability.
So! I will say the most important update first! The main reason we are here on project is to tell people about Jesus, to tell them the gospel. To put the gospel in quick bullet points, it'd be something like 1. Jesus loves you and created you. 2. All are sinners and therefore eternally separated from God. 3. God responds to this by dying on the cross and bridging that gap, reaching down to us. 4. We have to respond to this action of God by accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior. Our goal on project is to make it a lifestyle to tell people that. We have a little booklet called "Knowing God Personally," KGP for short, that we use to visually show them the gospel. You can download it as an app on your android or iphone, it is called God Tools. We have learned various simple ways to initiate conversations with people and start talking about spiritual things that lead into sharing the gospel. Already I have had the privilege of talking to 17 people on the boardwalk here in Ocean City. Every time so far I've been able to give them the KGP. I have been able to go through it with about 10 of them. None of have decided to accept Christ yet for my encounters. Within those 17 people, I've talked to 6 Christians, being able to equip 4 of them on how to share the gospel themselves. Of those 4 people, 2 were about 5th grade and the other were seniors in high school. The crazy thing about that is that before we let them know we were Christians, we asked the question, "If you could make sure you do one thing in your life, what would it be?" The little girl responded that she wanted to share Jesus with at least 2 people. Wow! How great is that!? She was excited to receive a tangible way to do that. I praise God for that encounter! So far as a project, we have talked to over 500 people, 22 of them accepting Christ. I can only be in awe of God's power already here on project.
We have heard from many great speakers here on project already. The staff here on project are probably some of the best within Cru. There wisdom that they've been able to pour into us is incomparable to other moments in my life so far in such a short window of time. The director of project, Bob Fuhs, told us at the beginning of project that this summer will be like a firehose of Christ. We will be getting so much life from the Spirit this summer that it will change our lives forever and hopefully those we interact with forever too.
We have learned so much on project so far that I can't put it all in my blog. I will try and put a few tidbits here within my blog. The theme of the first week was "Setting the Pace" for the summer and for the rest of our lives. That meant pursuing other Christians and opening up to them, getting into the habit of good times with Jesus, and sharing the gospel. The most influential talks I've heard in awhile was by Roger Hershey, a well known person within the Cru community. He was here to visit. He talked about being finishers and world Christians. He believes that my generation may possibly be the greatest generation of all time (or the second, the first being the initial group at the time of Christ's death and ressurection). He believes this for four main reasons, the worldwide explosion of the church, technological resources the church has never had, American colleges roles in reaching the world, and financial resources.
Matthew 24:14 says "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." This helps with what Roger Hershey was trying to say. In todays world, the gospel could finally reach all the ends of the Earth.
John Piper said "Missions exist because worship does not."
So! Lastly. I got a job at McDonalds! It was the first place I applied and I've been pretty busy with that. I've learned a lot about what it is like to be on the other side of the register and how I can be a good customer in the future. The McDonald's people are trying to do their best to do your order, but when its busy, it can't always happen in a timely manner.
Prayer requests!
So! I will say the most important update first! The main reason we are here on project is to tell people about Jesus, to tell them the gospel. To put the gospel in quick bullet points, it'd be something like 1. Jesus loves you and created you. 2. All are sinners and therefore eternally separated from God. 3. God responds to this by dying on the cross and bridging that gap, reaching down to us. 4. We have to respond to this action of God by accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior. Our goal on project is to make it a lifestyle to tell people that. We have a little booklet called "Knowing God Personally," KGP for short, that we use to visually show them the gospel. You can download it as an app on your android or iphone, it is called God Tools. We have learned various simple ways to initiate conversations with people and start talking about spiritual things that lead into sharing the gospel. Already I have had the privilege of talking to 17 people on the boardwalk here in Ocean City. Every time so far I've been able to give them the KGP. I have been able to go through it with about 10 of them. None of have decided to accept Christ yet for my encounters. Within those 17 people, I've talked to 6 Christians, being able to equip 4 of them on how to share the gospel themselves. Of those 4 people, 2 were about 5th grade and the other were seniors in high school. The crazy thing about that is that before we let them know we were Christians, we asked the question, "If you could make sure you do one thing in your life, what would it be?" The little girl responded that she wanted to share Jesus with at least 2 people. Wow! How great is that!? She was excited to receive a tangible way to do that. I praise God for that encounter! So far as a project, we have talked to over 500 people, 22 of them accepting Christ. I can only be in awe of God's power already here on project.
We have heard from many great speakers here on project already. The staff here on project are probably some of the best within Cru. There wisdom that they've been able to pour into us is incomparable to other moments in my life so far in such a short window of time. The director of project, Bob Fuhs, told us at the beginning of project that this summer will be like a firehose of Christ. We will be getting so much life from the Spirit this summer that it will change our lives forever and hopefully those we interact with forever too.
We have learned so much on project so far that I can't put it all in my blog. I will try and put a few tidbits here within my blog. The theme of the first week was "Setting the Pace" for the summer and for the rest of our lives. That meant pursuing other Christians and opening up to them, getting into the habit of good times with Jesus, and sharing the gospel. The most influential talks I've heard in awhile was by Roger Hershey, a well known person within the Cru community. He was here to visit. He talked about being finishers and world Christians. He believes that my generation may possibly be the greatest generation of all time (or the second, the first being the initial group at the time of Christ's death and ressurection). He believes this for four main reasons, the worldwide explosion of the church, technological resources the church has never had, American colleges roles in reaching the world, and financial resources.
Matthew 24:14 says "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." This helps with what Roger Hershey was trying to say. In todays world, the gospel could finally reach all the ends of the Earth.
John Piper said "Missions exist because worship does not."
So! Lastly. I got a job at McDonalds! It was the first place I applied and I've been pretty busy with that. I've learned a lot about what it is like to be on the other side of the register and how I can be a good customer in the future. The McDonald's people are trying to do their best to do your order, but when its busy, it can't always happen in a timely manner.
Prayer requests!
- Spread of the gospel
- For me to befriend coworkers at McDonalds and be a good witness
- To learn from the messages we hear twice a week.
- The community to grow close and closer to God as a result
- for me to grow closer to Christ
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