Learning from the Past

What do we do with our past failures and mistakes? This was somewhat the discussion that I had with Prof. Thomason. I struggle with blaming myself for things in the past. Satan knows my weakness to come down on myself and my tendency to say, "I failed!" It haunts me sometimes, looking back and seeing where I did not achieve and immediately Satan steps in and says, "If you would have done this things would be different" or "You just lack things to ever do this successfully." And those wounds cut deep! But talking with Prof. Thomason again allowed me to see those as lies, to not dwell on the things of the past, but to take them and learn from them. What are the positives that came out of events in the past and how can I use those to grow and work towards the future?
He took me to the quote of Michael Jordan when he said, "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." We will fail at times in our lives, but failure is not a bad thing. It teaches us valuable lessons and can inspire us to work harder and learn from these mistakes so we do not repeat them. Do mistakes and failures hurt? They can cut deep, deep wounds and are many times very painful, but we do not have to let them haunt us. God is the Great Healer and ultimately He wants us to look to Him in these times and ask Him to teach us and guide us, so that we can learn and grow to become better disciples of Christ.

The Gain of Wisdom

It is something that we strife for, something we try to gain through the years, and it is something that I have gained a lot of in my time here. For devo's in class the other day, we read Proverbs 1 & 2. In my time here I have poured through the first four chapters of Proverbs reading and re-reading them on the advise of my roommate. It has again reminded me the importance of wisdom and how beneficial it is to our discipleship to Christ. I have been learning so much through this semester and have gained so much insight that it feels like my head is going to explode. The FLI staff has told us we will leave here with more questions than answers. They are not giving us answers to lives biggest questions, but equipping us to discover the answers on our own. We read lots of books to give us insight on topics, but we keep the foundation of the Bible to find the Truth.
Proverbs 2 tells us to search for wisdom as if searching for a hidden treasure. We can go out into the dessert and dig a hole and expect to find treasure. Instead we must prepare, gain a knowledge of the ground we are about to step foot on, be prepared with the right tools, and have a knowledge of what we are looking for and how we are going to find it. This is the same with our faith. So many times I step onto the battlefield ill-equipped and unprepared for what Satan is about to bombard me with. I many times lack the correct equipment or the right knowledge to properly fight the battle that God has placed in front of me.
I must search for wisdom and do the work necessary to gain it. In James chapter 1, James tells us that "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault." God desires for us to gain wisdom, he wants to give us wisdom, but we must search for it. So search for knowledge through the word God has given us. James also tells us that God "chose to give us birth through the word of truth." Use the tools God has given us and prepare yourself for the battle that is at hand.

I Am...

At the end of our first marriage and family class, my professors put the words I Am... on the whiteboard. Every student then put up on the board words that reflected what they were feeling or what God was doing in them at this time. As we looked up on the board it was awesome to see how God was working, moving, and healing in all of our lives. After we finished class I thought it would be cool to put this in a wordle for all of the things that I am feeling.

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God's Peace!!

Where does that sense of peace come from, when we are in a stressful situation, which strikes fear into many? A time of uncertainty, where something could change our lives and we have no control over the circumstance? Yet God granted me a peace like no other. A sense that no matter what trials I may face, that the lover of my soul would always be there for me. God holds out His arms and Loves me unconditionally!! This is something that we can not even fathom!! We know we will face trials and temptations of many kinds, of what nature we do not know, but we always know that we have the armor and that with God on our side, who could ever stop us!!
There is something different about me since I arrived here just four weeks ago. God has worked on my heart, my selfishness, jealousy, and pride, and has broken me into a humble man, filled with peace and joy!!! What a transformation God has done in me! For He must become greater, I must become less!

Family, Church, Society

This week we finished up our first class which is, Family, Church, and Society Studies. What an incredible class it was, as Dr. Tackett led us through some intense subjects that our generation is dealing with. What a fascinating class and Dr. Tackett is such a wise man and it is incredible to sit and listen. It is impossible to describe the class and to explain everything I have taken away from this journey. There was so much to take in and so many interesting point I wouldn't even know where to begin.
Probably one of my favorite discussions came yesterday on the last day of class, when we discussed the heart and mind. I had just talked to a friend the night before about the heart and it was interesting talking about the relationship between the mind and the heart. Dr. Tackett explained how many times we look at this two things as seperate appendages, but really the heart is part of the mind. It was fascinating as we went through how this looks and how we fill our hearts with truths and what we must do to fill it with Truths.
As we look at society around us, it is incredible how we are influenced and how society effects what our beliefs are. It is sad to see the direction in which this country is going. One of the books we had to read was "How Christianity Changed The World." This book was encouraging to me, as it looked at the past and how Christians changed the society in which they lived. I never knew that cultures back in the first century had a massive homosexual problem, abortion problems, or such a disrespect for the beauty of sex. These things ran rampant through this culture, yet Christians stood up for what they knew was right and made a change in culture. Christians started orphanages and hospitals. It was around the great morals and beliefs that Christians held, in which this country was founded. Even the deist founders make statements that this country must be founded on Christian principles in order to succeed. Maybe they did not believe in Christianity, but they realized the importance of the morals and principles that are needed for a country to succeed. Do we learn any of this in schools? Of course not. It is sad and disheartening to see how far this country has fallen from this principles, yet it is encouraging to look back and see how Christians have made an impact. It is not an easy task, but if the church can take a stand and stand together, we really can change the world. It is time for the church to become more active. Dr. Tackett talked about how messed up the church sphere has become, as the church has become less active and has allowed the state to take control of many of the roles that the church should be in charge of. It's time for the body of Christ to gaze upon the face of God and to re-examine all that we know and believe. Look at the character of God and the structures that you designed. We have lost sight of His design and we must re-build His design. May we take a stand for the Truth that exist in God alone. Be encouraged Christians, because with God, all things are possible! Soli Deo Gloria!!

The Peak

I climbed my first 14er today!! Actually climbed my first 2 14ers today!! It's incredible to reach the summit and look out and feel like your on top of the world. It's breathe-taking looking at all of God's creation. What an incredible and mighty God we serve! A God who holds all the universe in His hands Loves me?
As we were hiking down, the question was asked, "What is one of the biggest things you struggle to grasp about God?" It was mentioned that it is hard to understand how God can care so much about every small detail in our lives. I love Jacob's response when he said that God created the leaves with such great detail that the pores open and close when they need water, that every living thing holds such great detail. If God cares that much about those details, can you imagine how much He cares for the details in our lives?
That hit me today, and how my Father can Love me despite my many failings, that through all my mistakes, He still Loves me and will take care of me. I could have sat at the top of the summit all day, just taking in the beauty that God has created. The climb was tiring but the result was magnificent. Life is the same way, but many times we fall from the summit and forget the beauty that God has given us to marvel at. We get stuck somewhere in life and stop climbing. We grow tired because we rely on our own strength. But no matter what God is with us and He wants us to reach that summit so we can marvel at the things He has done. The climb is tough, but the result is spectacular. Don't give up hope, because in the end it is worth it and God will be there with us through it all.

What is Truth?

The greatest question ever asked by man kind. Asked 2,000 years ago, it still baffles many and makes us all think. What is Truth? My first class was today and for the next two weeks, Dr. Del Tackett will be taking our class on a journey to answer this question. This is the question that will be answered throughout the semester, but we will have 2 intense weeks with Dr. Tackett, looking at all the spheres that exist in the world. There is not an area on this earth that God has reached His hand out to. The first day was so awesome and we haven't even started looking into the spheres. Dr. Tackett is so expressive and so full of wisdom, it seems like I could sit there all day and take in every word he says. I have been placed with so much wisdom around me, it's almost overwhelming trying to take it all in.

Also I got my practicum placement today and found out what I will be doing and I'm so excited!!! I'm working with an organization called Hope and Home and they are a foster care program. My task are so exciting, but I will explain them as I do them. It is exactly what I wanted to do for my practicum here and it deals directly with Social Work so it will give me a great experience to see if Social Work is a direction that I would enjoy going. It is going to be very emotionally draining, and I'm being trained to do the work of a graduate, so I will be diving right into the field. The thing I'm most excited for is being a supervisor for the meeting between the children and their biological parents. It will be the parent, there child, and me, so that will give you a little idea of what I will be doing. Check out more of what they do through their website which is hopeandhome.org
God has been so good and I have already grown so much. I can't wait to share with all of you in person about how God has worked in me. Love you all!!