tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522030504264146842024-03-12T20:57:53.900-07:00Chasing CadenceOn learning how to live in tune.Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-43289470940442530662015-04-13T07:07:00.000-07:002015-04-13T07:07:27.008-07:00God KnitsI just wanted to share something that God revealed to me in my quiet time this morning.<br />
I've been studying some scriptures that talk about sanctification, and through that study I came across these verses, I'm sure you're familiar with them.<br />
<i>For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.</i><br />
<i>2 Peter 1:5-8</i><br />
<br />
In the past while reading these verses, I've always gone away with a mindset that I have to go and work really hard to possess these qualities. I've always focused more on the last verse, looking for the end result rather than studying the first verse for wisdom on how to get there.<br />
Today God opened my eyes to see the very first part of this passage, where he says "make every effort to add to your faith..."<br />
Meaning that it all starts with faith. So I started thinking about faith.<br />
What is faith? It's the beginning and foundation and base of our whole belief system as Christians. It's what God gives us when He opens our eyes to the truth at the very beginning of our walk with Him. It's our understanding of our need for His grace, and our acknowledgment that He is sufficient to meet all of our needs, and trusting in His power to overcome every one of our sins.<br />
<br />
Then as I thought more about this, God made me think of knitting needles and yarn.<br />
I used to knit a lot (not very well, but I understand the concept).<br />
When you begin knitting something, the first row of stitches you make are different than all the ones to follow. You have to know how to "cast on" your first stitches. This creates the base of your project so that you have something to work off of as you begin adding rows to whatever your making.<br />
In thinking about the verses in 2 Peter, I realized that having faith is like 'casting on' your first row. If you don't have that base of faith, you can't add rows of goodness, knowledge, self-control, and so on. The stitches cannot be formed correctly unless you have that vital first row, which requires a different technique than the rest of the stitching.<br />
Having faith initially is different than adding to it.<br />
God gives faith, and you receive it. God also gives the Spirit, which enables you to add 'rows' to your spiritual walk.<br />
<br />
I realized that a lot of the time, I look for shortcuts to complete my 'project'. And so often I've tried to stitch rows without using my faith-base. I see now how that can cause a walk with God to feel like it's falling apart.<br />
I'm so thankful for this revelation today and I hope it helps you somehow, as well!<br />
I hope hard-core knitters aren't upset with me for using unofficial knitting terminology, if I did.<br />
<br />
Bye for now!<br />
ChelseaChelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-63751055605697462422015-02-15T06:23:00.000-08:002015-02-15T06:23:49.021-08:00A Raging War and the Wind.<b>There I stood in the center of a raging war. I was completely unarmed except for the mask I so tightly held on to, as if it held some sort of significance. I held out the hope that it could at least be used as a means of defense. When in reality it was only a flimsy mask, useless on the battlefield. I only had it because they told me I should have it. All the other children in the war had one, too. Maybe we thought we could fool the enemy by pretending to be someone else. Looking back, it seems so silly, but at the time I had a lot of faith in that mask.</b><br />
<b>The enemy was surrounding us, we were overwhelmed. </b><br />
<b>A fearsome beast came bounding toward me in a most vicious manner, and I braced myself.</b><br />
<b>I set my mask in place and stood my ground as I watched the beast approach.</b><br />
<b>As it closed in on me, the fear inside me grew. </b><br />
<b>My stance masqueraded bravery, but I was faint with fear.</b><br />
<b>Finally I gave in. Who was I to fight a beast? The battlefield is no place for a child.</b><br />
<b>I crouched down in my desperate fear and waited for the wind.</b><br />
<b>The wind always came at just the right time and carried the beasts away, remarkably leaving me unharmed every time.</b><br />
<b>Finally, as the beast made it's final leap toward me, the wind came.</b><br />
<b>As always, it violently carried the enemy away from me, while only tickling me with the faintest breeze, and gently stripping my face of the mask.</b><br />
<b>I always wondered how something so strong could be so gentle at the same time.</b><br />
<b>I suppose it isn't something for a child to understand.</b><br />
<b>All I know is that I am weak, the mask is useless, and the wind is unseen but reliable and far stronger than the enemy.</b><br />
<br />
—---------—-----------—-----------—-----------—--------—--------------—-------—------------<br />
<br />
As children of God, every day we stand in the middle of a raging war. We are attacked by all sorts of evil. We struggle and try and push and give it all our might to stand against the enemy. The world tells us to wear a mask, it suggests that if we pretend to be something else, perhaps the struggle won't be so difficult. But in the end we crouch down in fear and wait for our help. Our strong, reliable help. We can't see Him with our eyes, but in our desperate need He never fails to show up in time.<br />
He gently removes our masks, letting us know that we are accepted as we are.<br />
<br />
<i>(((In the story, the child was completely unarmed.</i><br />
<i>I want to state that it was written that way in order to emphasize our great need for God.</i><br />
<i>In reality, I'm truly grateful that God has indeed equipped us with the Holy Spirit and His Word to help us win our daily battles in life.)))</i><br />
<br />
And praise God that the war has already been won!Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-55586919176941441252014-08-28T08:29:00.001-07:002014-08-28T08:29:10.668-07:00To Cultivate a VineyardIsaiah 5:1-4<br />
I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a wine press as well.<br />
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.<br />
"Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?"<br />
<br />
The image of God's vineyard is a powerful illustration of his love for his people, and his grief when we ignore him and everything he's done.<br />
This passage tells of the tender care of one planting a vineyard. Working hard to give it every opportunity for growth, all the odds are for this vineyard. The soil is turned, the stones are cleared, good vines are planted—ones that almost guarantee a good result—, a watchtower is built and a wine press cut out in expectation of the good fruit to come.<br />
Everything necessary for a good result is right there.<br />
<br />
"...what more could I have done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?" (V.4)<br />
<br />
In the book of Isaiah, this passage is tucked in the middle of a large description of all the ways that the people of Judah are blowing God off in favor of temporary pleasure and gain.<br />
They are worshipping idols, the women are entirely self/image obsessed, it's a real mess.<br />
<br />
The issue? Materialism, of course. The people are starry eyed at shiny things that offer worldly pleasure and gain. The economy at that time is said to have been thriving. There was plenty to go around and yet there were people doing without, people in need but being ignored. Widows, orphans, outcasts.<br />
How do you suppose God felt about it? He had clearly abundantly blessed and provided for his people, instructing them to care for those in need. What did they do? They kept the riches for themselves and left the needy in need.<br />
<br />
The vineyard is planted, ready to thrive!<br />
But the ones tending aren't tending it at all. They are merely playing with the blessings given, not seizing the purpose of them—To glorify the Lord and care for the people in need (and therefore glorify God all the more!)—<br />
<br />
"...when I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?"<br />
People's selfishness, egos, pride, money-clenching.<br />
Question: are these things that people struggle with today?<br />
Answer: absolutely. Welcome to the USA, where we have everything at our fingertips.<br />
We have people rolling in riches AND people sleeping on the streets.<br />
We are a nation with a lot of potential and a lot of missing the point.<br />
God didn't plant a great vineyard for us to say "hey, thanks"<br />
He planted a vineyard for us to tend and make thrive. But it's up to us to take up the responsibility. He's gotten us off to a great start, but if we are going to take up the classic selfish gain mindset, we are well on our way to a bitter end.<br />
<br />
Isaiah 5:5-7<br />
"Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away it's hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down it's wall, and it will be trampled, I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it."<br />
The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.<br />
<br />
We as Christians really should be seeking to know the heart of God. And if we get to know the heart of God, we find that his heart is for those in need. And we find that we are called to care for those in need and share our blessings with them.<br />
I'm not pressuring you to donate half your life savings to an organization or to go spend the night with a homeless person.<br />
I'm telling you that I personally feel a responsibility to look for the opportunities are in front of me today to be what I am called to be within that opportunity, whatever that looks like. And I'm totally trusting God to make that evident.<br />
I'm seeing the emptiness of the world that will not last and desiring to invest my actions today for the good of eternity and the glory of God.<br />
I'm desiring to cultivate this potentially beautiful, productive, vineyard with the blessings I've been given.<br />
<br />
And may this not just be a blog post. Not just something on my mind today that passes away by next week, but a true motivation in my heart to live by the beat of God's heart.<br />
<br />
<br />Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-64002794230882587202014-06-29T20:53:00.001-07:002014-06-29T20:53:17.384-07:00Fragile, Noble.<div style="text-align: center;">
"Look Daddy, I'm strong" says the little 6 year old boy, flexing his 'muscles' for his Father to see and acknowledge. "Oh, yes, son. You're very strong." The father says, knowing full well that the boy would be helpless as a worm against a bird should he ever get into a tangle with a bully.</div>
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The boy continues, "and when I turn 7 next week, I'm going to be even bigger and stronger!"</div>
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The father imitates a bobble head to perfection as he pretends to believe whole-heartedly what his son claims to be true. All the while having a wider and more realistic grasp on reality, knowing that the boy would grow stronger as he grew older, but certainly would not change within the next week.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>"Look Daddy, I'm strong" </i></div>
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How many times have I tried to convince my Heavenly Father that I'm invincible.</div>
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How many times have I tried to fool my friends and family into believing that I'm a tough little, brave little, strong little non-giver-upper.</div>
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How many times have I thought to myself "this is no big deal. I can handle this."</div>
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How many times have I been deceived into thinking that I had the strength in myself to face the big, nasty world.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Guess what? God has always known how helpless and fragile I am.</div>
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I've never been able to convince him that I'm perfectly capable, thank you.</div>
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Because He's God. I believe he created me with specific weaknesses so that he could be my strength.</div>
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And He says it all over the place in the Bible and in my life, but did I get it?</div>
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Not too often. I didn't want to admit that I'm... I'm...Weak.</div>
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That I need help. That I can't breathe unless God permits it.</div>
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Because I have this issue that makes me want to be great, and it will do whatever it takes to avoid being hurt by anything, <i>or worse, </i>be looked down upon by someone who has their act more together than I. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Basically, I've been about as eager to be vulnerable as a mule is to carry a wide load up a mountain. </div>
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(Thanks for appreciating that analogy) </div>
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<br /></div>
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The issue with being 'strong' is that you never grow that way.</div>
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The other day God and I had a chat, a good chat.</div>
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I can just imagine Him saying to the angels, "watch. It's about time Chelsea gets the 'vulnerability' talk." </div>
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--I really love my Heavenly Father because He does this stuff.</div>
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He always teaches me things at just the perfect time. (Imagine that)</div>
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And with such intention.--</div>
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<br /></div>
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So we had the talk.</div>
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It turns out that if you're unwilling to get into a place where you could be broken into tiny little pathetic pieces, you're not allowing yourself to be prime molding material for your Maker.</div>
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What's the point of asking God to renew your heart and mind if you're not going to be vulnerable enough to be humbled, which is when you actually are in the perfect place to be formed into something new!?</div>
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<br /></div>
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So I asked God to humble me. Yes, I did.</div>
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Have you ever prayed that prayer? Scary, I know.</div>
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But necessary.</div>
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Sure enough! I had a pretty awful week with lots of opportunity to be humbled.</div>
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<b>Praise God.</b></div>
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I would rather endure much hardship and humiliation than be forever stoic and unmoving.</div>
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What good is a pretty statue of you to God?</div>
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He wants the real you with all your flaws and issues.</div>
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He wants you to know the freedom that comes in vulnerability,</div>
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<br /></div>
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He doesn't let us struggle for the sake of struggling, okay? God is truly a loving Father to His children. He wants us to become everything He has created us to be, even if we have to shed tears and be humiliated on our way there.</div>
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It's worth it.</div>
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Do yourself a favor and ask God to take you through whatever refining fire He has for you, but only if you're willing to be vulnerable and broken for an indefinite amount of time.</div>
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And if you're going through something that feels like that fire now, <i>ask God what He's teaching you.</i></div>
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Whether you ask him or not, you will find out eventually. God doesn't stop halfway through refining you (that would imply that God is not good, which goes against his character)</div>
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But I bet if you ask him what He's getting at, He'll let you in on it.</div>
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(Unless of course he knows you're not ready for that grand revelation. In which case, hang in there!)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Goodness, I've rambled. I just felt the need to spill about what God has been doing in my life lately.</div>
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This is how I process things, I write, and I pray that if it is God's will, this post would be used to encourage you. And if not, I pray that He'd make the link to my blog quit working.</div>
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--Amen--</div>
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<br /></div>
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By the way.. Sorry about the whole "seven-month-gap-between-posts" thing.</div>
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I realize that that is very uncool in the blogging society and I have no right to claim the title of 'blogger' anymore.</div>
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That's okay.</div>
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I hereby claim the title of 'sleepy child of God writing at 11:47pm because she had something on her mind and it wasn't this late when she started writing and now she's going to shut up because this rambling is getting annoying' </div>
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Bye!</div>
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<br /></div>
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-46984949046376747822013-12-31T19:41:00.001-08:002013-12-31T19:41:23.382-08:00Year End Reflections/boasting about God's crazy awesomenessI was just writing in a journal about some things that God has done in my life over the past year, and I was quite impressed. When God wants to do stuff, He doesn't mess around. Here's a scratch on the surface of what He's done in my life this year.<br />
<br />
* He promised to give me peace after a season of restlessness and "desert wandering", and he absolutely kept his word. He's truly proven to me that he is indeed, the Prince of Peace.<br />
* He gave me eyes to see how richly blessed I am, and he was delighted to see me delighting in it.<br />
* He said "watch this!" And provided for me in unthinkable ways.<br />
* He revealed to me all kinds of truth about his unchanging character and nature. And he showed me how everything else <i>is what it is </i><u>because</u> of <i>who he is.</i><br />
* He showed me who I am. And how very precious I am in his sight.<br />
* He revealed to me his Father Heart and I found out how amazing it is to take up my identity as a daughter of God.<br />
* He broke down barriers inside of me that we're keeping my heart from getting close to his.<br />
* He explained the difference between being quiet and being insecure. Then he broke off the insecurity in me and showed me how to walk out in quiet confidence. (Yeah!! God! For the WIN!)<br />
* He shared his heart for Thailand with me. I had no expectations for Thailand, I wasn't even excited to go until we were going, but once the plane landed, I was in love. It's inexplainable except that God was sharing his heart.<br />
* He let me experience righteous anger as well. It was strange but cool. It certainly gave me the drive to pray all the harder for a certain area in Thailand.<br />
* He taught me about being selfless and sacrificial for the sake of someone else and for his pleasure and glory. —not only taught me about it, but he gave me lots of opportunity to walk out in obedience in it. ;)<br />
* He taught me to be obedient <i>daily. </i>It's hard to live an obedient life until you're taking it one task at a time, saying "yes, Lord" to each individual thing he tells you to do.<br />
* He pursued me relentlessly. He actually said "I'm going to pursue you this week" one week, and by the end of that week, I was head over heels for Him. Still am.<br />
* He taught me about the power of prayer. It is effective. Hours of intercession on end gave me plenty of opportunity to see what good he will do through persistent and sincere prayers.<br />
So go pray. :P<br />
* He proved to me that He is the only thing that can fill that stinkin' void inside of me. And he's certainly filled it and is continuing to do so. And the more he pours in, the more I can pour out, and the more he can pour in...<br />
<br />
So there's the BIG revelations that I can think of right now.<br />
God's so great.<br />
And you know what? He won't be any less great in 2014!!<br />
Happy New Year! :)<br />
<br />
ChelsChelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-66842812774931256252013-11-16T02:35:00.000-08:002013-11-16T02:35:05.109-08:00Tile Floor Perspective Friday.Nov.15.13—Chiang Mai, Thailand.<br />
<br />
I sit cross-legged on the tile floor of a peaceful little balcony that I and my two room mates are so blessed to enjoy. When I look up, I see the tip-top of a tree and the dusty sky through the window.<br />
I hear the fireworks that go off whenever someone lights a lantern to send off into the clouds... The lights are everywhere in the sky. I watch them even now, as they drift without a care through the atmosphere.<br />
They blissfully wander through the clouds, looking down on this city.<br />
And what a sight it must be. It makes me think of what God's view must be like.<br />
I try to imagine what He must feel for this place.<br />
Maybe joy when He sees the ministries flourishing here, probably sorrow and compassion when he sees the heartbreak of so many people, surely jealousy and righteous anger when he sees the people worship puny little idols.<br />
<br />
Right now I see a long string of lanterns ablaze in the night sky. I wonder if each of them was set off to honor or please some false god.<br />
It crushes me to think about it— all the promises that these 'gods' make. They promise peace and prosperity to the people, but dead gods can't do anything.<br />
And so the people are left striving for and chasing a whole lot of nothing.<br />
It's the emptiness of the whole ordeal that weighs on my heart.<br />
<br />
But I think again about my God and of his view of this city right now.<br />
One thing I know is this:<br />
He sees is his little girl, sitting cross-legged on a tile floor of a balcony in Chiang Mai.<br />
He hears the weeping of my heart for this place, and suddenly His spirit is here with me, saying that he knows that I am feeling burdened and enclosed in the darkness that surrounds me. But he whispers softly, "I have overcome, I have overcome".<br />
He won't stop saying it, because it's the truth.<br />
He says that from a tile floor perspective, this city seems dark and hopeless.<br />
But he assures me that from a Heavenly perspective, there is no need for weeping or burdens, because He has overcome.<br />
<br />
And so the weight is lifted, and the balcony is peaceful.<br />
Now I can look up at the lanterns drifting with the clouds without a rush of negative emotion.<br />
My God is greater and he has overcome.<br />
Amen.Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-45435043661040522632013-11-10T16:12:00.001-08:002013-11-10T16:12:03.793-08:00Update from Thailand #2Update.<br />
(Farewell, Korat!)<br />
<br />
I can hardly believe that we've already spent 3 amazing weeks in Thailand.<br />
I've caught myself so many times thinking about what's happening here, and I stand amazed and honored to have a part in it.<br />
On Tuesday evening we'll leave the lovely city of Korat, and drive 12 hours to Chiang Mai. This is where we'll be staying for the next (and final) 3 weeks of outreach.<br />
<br />
So how about I tell you about what we've been up to?<br />
While staying here in Korat, we've partnered with a ministry called The Tamar Center.<br />
It's been an absolute pleasure to work alongside these guys! Their ministry here is amazing.<br />
They do so many things, I think we've only had a tiny taste of what it's like during our time here.<br />
But what we've been doing has certainly been full-on.<br />
<br />
1. English Teaching<br />
We did more of this than anything, and by our last school visit (yesterday), I think we'd just about gotten the hang of it ;)<br />
This is what a typical English teaching day would look like:<br />
We'd arrive at the school (we visited one high school, many primary schools, and one special ed school) and for the first hour or two and do a program with about 200 students.<br />
The program included some cover songs —I've about had it with "Baby" by Justin Bieber—, we'd do some skits of Bible stories (The Prodigal Son, "Davie and Goliath", etc.), play "Every Move I Make" or "O Happy Day" with hand motions and have the kids join in, and occasionally have someone share a brief testimony.<br />
Then we'd split into 5 or 6 groups, and teach English for around 2 hours.<br />
Then came lunchtime, which typically would take one hour.<br />
Then another 2 hours of English teaching in our separate groups before we all got together again for another 1 or 2 hours of songs and skits and whatnot.<br />
Then came time to say goodbye :( our students were usually very affectionate and would ask for pictures with everyone. Pictures with 200 students takes a while, folks.<br />
But it was sweet, I really enjoyed going to schools.<br />
<br />
2. The Village<br />
We were able to visit a village a couple of times while being here. It is about a two hour drive from our accommodation, so it was special to be able to go there.<br />
We'd spend a couple hours playing with the kids in the village, then have dinner, then we'd join the Christian adults of the village and gather for a time of worship, a testimony, and a message. This is a regular ministry of the Tamar Center folks, in fact, they reach out to this particular village every Tuesday.<br />
<br />
3. Evangelism/prayer<br />
There is a plaza type of thing in Korat that has statues and idols set up and it's a place known for all the prostitution that goes on in the area. Every Saturday evening we'd go there to pray and evangelize.<br />
On our first night going to this place, I was filled with a 'righteous anger' for it.<br />
God's certainly shared His heart for that place with me. It was the strangest thing to be so upset when typically, I'd be able to brush off the "icky dark feelings" and move on.<br />
But this place is dark, let me tell you. Every time we went, the same thing happened.<br />
But I know for sure that our prayers are having an effect on the place.<br />
I know for a fact that strongholds have been broken in that place for good over the past weeks, and by golly, they're not going to stop being broken because God is ready to take that place back and restore it and renew the lives of the people there.<br />
Ah-hem.<br />
<br />
4. Etc..<br />
-We also had the privilege of visiting a hospital (where we performed some songs in the lobby),<br />
-an orphanage (where we talked to the kids and sang some songs, gave a testimony),<br />
-a home for elderly folks (where we spent some time just chillin' and praying with the people).<br />
<br />
And many, many, more things.<br />
Today for our last day in Korat, we will go and see some really old temple ruins, and then go to the village one last time.<br />
<br />
That's all for now :)<br />
<br />
Chelsea<br />
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-937553139892821272013-10-26T00:00:00.001-07:002013-10-26T00:00:07.772-07:00Update from ThailandThailand.Oct25.13<br />
<br />
Sawat dee kha! (Hello!)<br />
<br />
It's officially outreach time.<br />
let me give you a somewhat condensed version of the past couple of days.<br />
On Tuesday in Bangkok we had orientation. Quite an amusing/informative morning, that was. In the afternoon we had a scavenger hunt (we students split into groups of 3 and explored Bangkok).<br />
In the evening we went to a very large mall, where I was thrilled to find a Starbucks-!!!!-<br />
My first Starbucks in 3 months. Salted Caramel Mocha. I think I may have been floating through the mall out of sheer bliss.<br />
<br />
On Wednesday we went on a prayer walk through Bangkok.<br />
We went to a temple, a palace, and another temple (which was located on top of a giant hill). We walked 300+ steps to get there... My legs are still sore :)<br />
We prayed at each place for different things. It was awesome.<br />
Not to mention all the modes of transportation throughout the day:<br />
Buses, trains, boats, Tuk tuks, and lots of walking.<br />
That evening we squished ourselves into a van and drove 5 1/2 hours nonstop to Korat.<br />
We were warmly welcomed by our hosts and shortly thereafter caught some serious zzz's.<br />
<br />
Thursday morning we woke up, had a time of worship together, ate breakfast, and headed out.<br />
We cleaned out the building that we are now staying in. It's a lovely place! Seriously.<br />
I'm stoked and feeling extremely blessed to spend the next 3 weeks here.<br />
We got ourselves settled in, then explored the area.<br />
And in the evening we ventured out to the mall. Guess what? Another Starbucks!<br />
:)<br />
<br />
But today was the best day yet.<br />
Our first official day of outreach-ing. :D we went to a high school and taught English! It was soooooooo much fun.<br />
There were about 200 students for the 11 of us.<br />
So first, we split all of the students into 5 separate groups. Each with 2 of us YWAMers as teachers. Some groups had translators, some did not. Thankfully, Rebekka and I had a wonderful translator. Otherwise, our class would have been a mess.<br />
So we started with about 2 hours of "English Class" with our group. In this time, we introduced ourselves and prayed for our time. Then we had each of the students introduce themselves, tell us how old they are, when their birthdays are, and stuff like that.<br />
They also had a worksheet that we helped them with. Most of the kids had no trouble with it, though.<br />
Then we all read about the prodigal son together. (At this time we were able to share about God's love. We had no restrictions on telling about God while at the school, so we went for it as much as possible :D)<br />
Then we sang "Jesus' love is sweet and marvelous". I made up some hand motions and we had some fun with it. Especially when the students sang the song in Thai and did the motions with me :)<br />
Eventually we stopped for lunch.<br />
After lunch, we were informed that we had another hour and a half to teach our groups.<br />
Rebekka and I had an "oh, shoot" moment then, as we'd already gone through all of our teaching material. But we came up with things to fill the time, although they were not incredibly informative regarding the English language. :P<br />
We played "duck, duck, goose", which was adorable. The kids got the biggest kick out of it. Everyone was wearing socks and the floor was slippy, so it made for some amusing playtime. We also played "red light, green light" for a bit. After that, we sat down and I shared my testimony. It was sweet, at one point I mentioned how I used to feel like I was not very beautiful or confident, and when the translator said it, all the kids said "aww! :("<br />
But I got to tell how God has changed my life, so it was awesome.<br />
Then they asked Rebekka and I to sing for them... So we did what we could on a whim.<br />
I think we sang 3 or 4 worship songs before I found myself leading the group through the hokie pokie. Hahaha! Good times.<br />
<br />
After our class time ended, all of the students came together again and we played some songs, people gave testimonies, and we did a skit.<br />
<br />
At the end of our time, we thought we'd finish with the song, "Oh, Happy Day". All of us were on a stage, doing hand motions and dancing around. I can't explain to you what joy filled my heart to see 200 students having fun and doing the motions along with us.<br />
Then it went crazy.<br />
Our wonderful musicians played covers of a few super popular songs (One Direction, Taylor Swift) while the rest of us were pulled into the crowd ;) we jumped and danced and sang. It was practically a concert. Lots of fun.<br />
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It was an amazing day, and I'm so glad that we were able to speak openly about God.<br />
I'm really hoping to see the students again during our time here. God is really, really giving me a heart for them.<br />
<br />
So anywho.<br />
That's what's going on.<br />
I'll try to keep you updated, of course!<br />
<br />
Chelsea<br />
<br />Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-89918564481886193392013-10-21T18:01:00.003-07:002013-10-21T18:01:50.521-07:00Posted from ThailandThailand.Oct 22.13<br />
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At nearly 9PM (Bangkok time) last night, our plane landed in Thailand.<br />
I don't know what it was, but before we even touched the ground, I just started to love this place. I'm totally captivated and intrigued at the differences in culture (of which there are many, of course) everything is so new and exciting...<br />
And think; God loves and watches over this place just as much as He does the States, or Australia, or anywhere. I'm incredibly honored to spend time here and excited to feel more of God's heartbeat for Thailand.<br />
So yeah, I'm elated.<br />
We're staying in amazing accommodations. We each have our own bed, there are super accessible and good showers, there's even air conditioning in our room!<br />
When we got here, we found a bottle of water, a note, and a sweet smelling ring of flowers on each bed (which were neatly covered with sheets, and topped with a pillow!)<br />
It may sound strange for me to be so excited about these things, but honestly I had no idea what to expect and was prepared to be fine with a sleeping bag on the ground.<br />
<br />
Our ride here from the airport was exciting. I don't know how to describe the vehicle.. We were basically in a partially enclosed truck bed with benches. One of the guys stood in the back of the thing and held on tight as we cruised along the highway and zippy little cars and motor scooters sped past us.<br />
<br />
I'm stoked, guys. This place is good.<br />
The whole ground/sleeping bag situation will probably become reality at some point, and that's fine.<br />
I'm just so blessed to have the opportunity to experience a different part of God's creation like this.<br />
<br />
Can't wait to have more to tell!<br />
<br />
ChelseaChelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-7019221099554250022013-10-09T02:47:00.001-07:002013-10-09T02:47:26.316-07:00Week 11. MissionsWeek 11- Missions/Outreach Prep (last week of lectures!)<br />
Journal entry no. 10<br />
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That's right, this is our final week of lecture phase. I can't believe it but on Friday afternoon, Outreach Phase begins!<br />
On Saturday morning we'll head to a small town here in Australia (about 2 hours away from our base). We'll be partnering with YWAM Brisbane and helping out with the "Go Pass It On Tour". These guys run to a town, set up a giant tent, host people from the town for exciting events, help out with projects in the community, go door-to-door giving out fun packages which are full of stuff focused on bringing families closer together, and teach about God :)<br />
We'll be with them for one week, and it's going to be awesome!<br />
Then we come back to our base, get re-packed, and head to Thailand on Monday morning!<br />
Yikes!<br />
<br />
So this week we've been talking about missions. (Makes sense, right?)<br />
We have a crazy awesome speaker named Angel McGill. She's a hardcore missions chick, and exactly what we needed this week as we prepare for outreach.<br />
<br />
We've covered a ton of super helpful topics.<br />
Such as...<br />
<br />
1. Knowing what type of prayer/worship is most appropriate for whatever setting you're in, and being able to discern what will be beneficial and uplifting to those you are worshiping with (assuming you're in a corporate setting). If you're by yourself, pray whatever way you do. But there's a reason why everything gets super weird when someone randomly shouts "hallelujah!" In a time of corporate prayer that's solemn/reflective. It doesn't fit and immediately disrupts some deeeeep thought processes, I'm sure.<br />
It doesn't mean that you aren't communicating with God the right way if you have a joyous moment with the Lord while everyone else is meditative.. But you should be sensitive to the atmosphere and respectful of others.<br />
If you're a shoutin' praise kind of person, awesome! That's great! But there are certain worship and prayer settings where that isn't going to be a very helpful addition to the worship. Holding back praise in a time of corporately speaking things out isn't uplifting to the body, either, for the record.<br />
It's about being wise in how you act, and being loving towards your brothers and sisters in Christ.<br />
<br />
2. We talked more about spiritual warfare, and the authority we have with our identity in Christ. It's powerful, man.<br />
Angel made an excellent point:<br />
The enemy has power, but not authority. There's a difference.<br />
Power can do nothing without authority saying so.<br />
<br />
3. When on outreach (and in life), you communicate a lot more with your actions/attitude than with your words.<br />
I could genuinely feel loving toward someone without them ever knowing it if I don't act like it. If I'm too shy or nervous to go talk to them, for instance.<br />
Clothes also have a lot to say. There are certain pairs of shorts that could seriously damage a ministry, and chances are, the offender would have no idea. Because different cultures have different opinions on what is acceptable and what is not. (Although there are some shorts that shouldn't be accepted in any culture, in my opinion) :P<br />
Anyway, we talked a lot about being aware of yourself and what you may be communicating, even if it's not at all what's on your heart.<br />
<br />
So those were the main things that I picked up in lectures so far this week.<br />
Of course there was plenty more, but I can't write everything down here, you know.<br />
<br />
So that's all for now, folks.<br />
Chelsea<br />
<br />Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-63910854686518580132013-10-05T14:03:00.000-07:002013-10-05T14:03:00.016-07:00Week 10Week 10.<br />
Journal Entry no. 9<br />
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This week has been.... Interesting.<br />
<br />
Monday was fun! We ventured out and visited the Easterfest office. (Easterfest is a giant Christian Music Festival that takes place here in Toowoomba over Easter weekend.)<br />
It was so cool to hear about what goes on "behind the scenes", and to get a bit of insight about what the Christian music industry is really like.<br />
I thought it was neat that the folks at Easterfest pray about each step of planning the festival. If God were to tell them not to have it one year, they'd cancel without hesitation.<br />
They're so committed to the Lord before anything else. I like that.<br />
I also like that when booking artists, they don't necessarily look for the best of the best, but rather who will have a big impact. Last year, they had a band that was not a 'Christian' band, but the members were totally followers of Christ.<br />
And apparently, they were one of the highlights of the festival for a LOT of people.<br />
I like that concept, by the way.<br />
Christians creating music that speaks foundational truth into the lives of those who wouldn't go near a 'Christian' album.<br />
Yes, that's right: I think that there should be more Christians operating outside of the Christian music scene.<br />
I totally love Christian artists straight up praising God, but what about the people who don't know God? They're left with very little music that actually speaks life.<br />
And so they tune in to the catchy songs about so-and-so cheating on so-and-so.<br />
How uplifting.<br />
I applaud Christians who are willing to break into that scene and speak Biblical truths through really amazing music.<br />
'Cause we've got talent, people! We could really shift some culture for the better if we accepted our God-given gifts and carried out our responsibility as stewards of God's earth!<br />
<br />
Thank you for enduring my rant.<br />
<br />
Tuesday was cool. Our speaker was a leader of a YWAM school here in Australia.<br />
He also is a filmmaker who just finished filming a movie. He showed us some 'behind the scenes' clips and talked about what it's like to make a movie.<br />
And he also talked about working as a Christian in a non-Christian entertainment industry.<br />
<br />
God was really talking to me in the beginning of the week about taking life one step at a time. As in, one day at a time.<br />
If I'm 1. Enjoying God, 2. Being obedient to God, and 3. Trusting God every day, life just works better.<br />
Really!<br />
Whatever challenge that comes your way, you can handle it with God's help one day at a time.<br />
Don't think about anything beyond every moment or you'll get overwhelmed.<br />
<br />
Which is precisely what happened to me on Wednesday.<br />
See, on Tuesday night I may have gotten a total of two hours of sleep.<br />
(Understand that I typically only get 6 1/2ish hours here, so I'm usually a little behind on sleep anyhow)<br />
So on Wednesday, this is what happened:<br />
I was exhausted from thinking and thinking about future, taking in tons of information in lectures for 10 weeks straight, I was feeling homesick, not caught up on sleep at all, and we were talking about the Holy Spirit in lectures (which isn't a bad thing at all, just one of the harder topics for me to think about. Especially when I'm already running out of steam), and I wasn't feeling too wonderful physically, either.<br />
<br />
So! I basically had a total breakdown at morning tea time on Wednesday. Ran to my room and had a good weep. From then on, things started getting better.<br />
A good cry usually does help, you know ;)<br />
<br />
Anyway. We continued talking about the Holy Spirit for the rest of the week...<br />
There is a lot to think about with that subject, and I'm still thinking.<br />
I'll let you know when I've processed it more or have had a big revelation about it.<br />
<br />
The main things I learned this week are:<br />
1. That I can trust God to lead me every step of the way, knowing His character enough to rest assured that He will not lead me astray. Especially if I walk in obedience with Him day by day.<br />
2. God is always, always right there with me. I felt His presence so strongly this week.<br />
Particularly when I was having my little breakdown... It was like His arm was around my shoulder and he was whispering, "it's okay, you can cry. Really, it's okay and I'm here for you". There were quite a few moments like that this week.<br />
God is so good.<br />
<br />
I get to sing on the worship team on Monday! I'm excited, thinking of it as "Monday's step of obedience" :D plus, an amazing roomie of mine is the worship leader. Woohoo!<br />
<br />
And one week from today Outreach phase begins! Again I say, "woohoo!"<br />
<br />
That's all for now..<br />
Chelsea<br />
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<br />Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-73106795165813651632013-09-28T04:10:00.001-07:002013-09-28T04:10:10.814-07:00Week 9- Music in MissionsJournal Entry no. 8 (week 9)<br />
Music/Worship/Missions<br />
<br />
This week we really tackled the 'music' aspect of this "Music and Worship DTS".<br />
It was quite fun :) Our speaker was an awesome musician named Stevie Lujan. (Check out his album, "Welcome Home", It's pretty great! http://stevielujan.com)<br />
It was fun to have Stevie as a speaker because he seemed more like a friend, just hanging out and giving us good advice while telling us awesome stories about what God has done in his life.<br />
<br />
We talked about all sorts of things relating to music and ministry.<br />
Ways of worship, callings, (more) Lordship, God's resources vs. ours, influence in the music industry, communication, social media/promoting yourself,<br />
we even had a day of songwriting, in which we broke into small groups and took about two hours to write a song. Then we all gathered back in the lecture room and performed our songs as a group. It was fun! It was also interesting to see how everyone's different styles came together to create something unique.<br />
<br />
I don't know if I've mentioned it yet on this blog, but since one of the first few weeks here I've felt like God is actually legitimately calling me to be a musician.<br />
When I first felt Him telling me this, it really threw me for a loop because at that point I was still feeling overwhelmed and inadequate.<br />
I reacted like this: "Okay. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the idea, God"<br />
And I think He kind of smiled at me and said, "You'll see".<br />
<br />
Ever since then He's been telling me (quite frequently, I might add) that He wants me to do music.<br />
Let me tell you, I've fought and doubted, and said "nah, not little ol' me" a whole lot.<br />
But I'm pretty sure He's not going to let up.<br />
<br />
A few weeks back, my friend Ashlee and I had written a song together about how the enemy tries to come and get us and pull us into the dark. But more importantly, how we have the authority to say "forget you". When we wrote it, we said "we should do this at the next 'Open Mic Night'".<br />
Well guess what? Open Mic Night snuck up on me.<br />
I woke up yesterday morning in an inexcusably grouchy mood. Evidently, my nerves translate into grumpiness. I commend my dear friends for encouraging me, rather than telling me to pack up my mood and hit the road. (I'm half joking.. It wasn't that bad).<br />
But I certainly wasn't excited.<br />
I had a solo part, for cryin' out loud. I was freaked.<br />
<br />
But I knew that this would be more than just singing a part in a song... It was actually a kind of warfare. I absolutely had to be obedient to God with this, even though I was ready to head for the hills. I guess that's why I was grumpy, I literally had no other option than to do this thing.<br />
Isn't it appropriate that the song was about spiritual warfare?<br />
<br />
So basically, Ashlee and I got up there in front of 40-50 people (even guests from the community!) and we did our thing. My voice wobbled during my part and I forgot to finish a line, but that was a part in the song where Ashlee and I were doing a 'call and response' thing anyway. (Ashlee was the 'victim', and I was the evil thing that was after her. Hehehe!)<br />
So yeah, in all honesty: it could've gone better, but I don't care! I was obedient to God and I took that first step. And you know what? I do believe I'll do it again sometime.<br />
My roommates had warned me that performing is addicting, I think they were right :D<br />
<br />
So that's that.<br />
I also spent a few hours on Thursday afternoon in the shade of a giant tree, under the clear blue skies, with big purple mountains standing off in the distance. And I wrote a good start<br />
to a song that I believe is going to be awesome when it's finished! I'm actually psyched to finish it and share it with people.<br />
So I'm starting to get excited about where God is taking me.<br />
Life. What a cool adventure :-)<br />
<br />
ChelseaChelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-64834137819321652812013-09-14T18:52:00.002-07:002013-09-14T18:52:17.224-07:00Week 7- the Lordship of Christ<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">Journal entry no. 7</span><br />
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The Lordship of Christ</div>
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This has been the best week of DTS thus far.</div>
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It was also the most difficult as far as lectures go.</div>
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On Monday, I didn't know if I'd make it through the week. Lectures were intense and long and they convicted me in all the right areas.</div>
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And our speaker had the to-the-point style of teaching that I didn't particularly care for at first, but knew the whole time that I needed.</div>
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The things I learned this week were 'life lessons', not just information to keep in my head, but new perspectives on life itself and how to live it to the full.</div>
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That's my kind of lesson!</div>
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So the main points that hit me hard this week were these:</div>
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1. Maturity</div>
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Our speaker (Mark Parker) was very passionate about the subject of maturity, Spiritual and otherwise. And rightfully so! Because our attitudes, ability to control feelings and emotions, body language, the way we interact with other people, and our sense of responsibility are all based on our level of maturity.</div>
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This hit me really hard.</div>
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My biggest struggle is with the attitude, which Mark pointed out much is harder to get over than drugs and alcohol.</div>
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Hello, conviction! We talked about maturity the most at the beginning of the week, which was good because that gave me the rest of the week to work on denying myself and choosing to be cheerful even when I didn't feel like it.</div>
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It's been good for me, and it gets easier all the time.</div>
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Not just with attitude, but every area of maturity. :D</div>
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<br /></div>
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2. Being a useful part of the Body.</div>
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I feel like over this week we students and the staff have become a family all over again. Somehow we've been unified in a whole new way and on a much deeper level.</div>
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It's awesome!! Mark talked a bit about how the parts of the body must work together and how each member should not just do it's own 'duty', but assist and encourage the other members as they do theirs.</div>
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One thing that Mark said that also really convicted me was this:</div>
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"Everything that you do affects the entire body"</div>
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I suppose I had been thinking that my problems were my problems and only sometimes would they effect others. Wrong!</div>
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Every single word and action and certainly my body language effect everyone around me. This certainly helped motivate me to adjust my little "woe is me" attitude.</div>
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Far be it from me to drag others down!</div>
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<br /></div>
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3. Laying things down/demolishing idols</div>
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In anticipation of the subject of Lordship, many of us would make comments like "watch out, Lordship week is coming up. You might just have to give up that chocolate!" Because if Christ is really Lord over your life, you've got to be willing to hand everything over to Him if He asks for it.</div>
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That's why everyone feels so free this weekend :) we're not all holding on to our precious little idols anymore.</div>
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Friday was a very long, full, exciting, exhausting, amazing day.</div>
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We started at 9am and ended at 1am. Yes, really.</div>
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We did a 'tabernacle' process. Thanksgiving, praise, publicly handing our lives over to God, giving things away, repenting publicly, laying things down, breaking off bondages, praising more, praying, overcoming obstacles as a body, encouraging one another through the hard things.</div>
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It was absolutely awesome.</div>
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And I've never felt more free and real and alive and in love with Jesus :)</div>
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<br /></div>
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I know it's not always going to be so fantastic to lay things down, and I won't always have the awesome community around me like I do right now, but another point that Mark made quite a few times was that we have to live today. Not being held back by yesterday, not being afraid of stumbling tomorrow. Just do what you know you have to do today and trust the Lord with it all.</div>
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Amen?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Next week we tackle the subject of Spiritual Warfare. o_O</div>
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I don't know what to expect with that, but I think I'll just live today while I have it here. And I do believe I'll enjoy it, too.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Bye!</div>
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Chelsea</div>
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<br /></div>
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-47824577465469893412013-09-06T14:15:00.001-07:002013-09-06T14:15:27.912-07:00Week 6— Evangelism<br />
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Journal entry no. 6</div>
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Evangelism</div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">If you were to come to this DTS as an observer, I'm certain that one of the first things you would hear someone say is, "it's about to get real".</span><div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
'Getting real' being that moment when someone is completely open about something that's bothering them, or they don't understand, or spilling something they've kept locked inside for ages.</div>
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We do it a lot around here, and I'm about to do it with you.</div>
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Because this week was pretty rough.</div>
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I can't say that I was thrilled about the subject of evangelism when I saw that it was our topic of focus for this week. I'm an introvert and the word 'evangelism' instantaneously sends a wave of fear, even dread, through my system.</div>
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(Yes, I am aware that I signed up for two months of outreach in Thailand)</div>
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I guess when I decided to come to this DTS, I figured it would be a good opportunity to get over my fear of people ;-)</div>
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It has been very good for that, but guess what? I'm still an introvert, therefore evangelism still holds very little appeal to me.</div>
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I suppose that I, like most people, immediately think of street evangelism when I think about it. You know, I get this image of someone walking up to a random person, pointing at their nose, and demanding, "Do you know Jesus?!? You NEED to know Jesus or you'll go to hell! Here, have a tract"</div>
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.....me and my mental images. I know that that's not what it's supposed to be like, but I'm getting real with you here. That's my first thought when I hear the word 'evangelism'.</div>
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Immediately followed by, "no thank you, I want no part in this". Which, if that's what evangelism really WAS, then absolutely, count me out.</div>
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But that mental image belongs in the rubbish bin.</div>
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It and evangelism have nothing to do with each other.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I was encouraged to hear that evangelism can be something as simple as buying a stranger's coffee for them. Because, as God would have it, evangelism is all about loving people.</div>
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<br /></div>
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One thing about loving people is that you cannot see yourself as better than they are in any way. We Christians tend to think that we are somehow 'above' the guy on the street, because 1. we're not on the street 2. We've got Jesus and we're not dirty anymore.</div>
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It is so easy to look at someone who is in need and without even realizing it, thinking "oh, that poor person! If only they had Jesus in their heart, they wouldn't be on the street!" </div>
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Sometimes, we might as well wear a hat that says "I'm better and I know it".</div>
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Guys. God sees every sin the same way. They're all dirty and deserve punishment.</div>
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I could think a nasty little thought that only God and I know about, and be every bit as deserving of hell as the murderer in prison.</div>
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The only difference between me and the person on the street is that I've accepted the grace Jesus paid for, and they haven't yet. That's it.</div>
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I'm every bit as deserving of eternal death, but I've been shown my need for forgiveness and taken hold of it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Yeah so, if I'm going to love someone, I need to make sure that I'm not wearing my superiority hat.</div>
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I'm going to be honest with you now, though, and let you in on what was really eating away at me this week. (I did learn all sorts of cool things and I could list every note that I took, but this is my journal, and journals are personal)</div>
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<br /></div>
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I felt a rain cloud over me all week long, but couldn't exactly pinpoint what was going on until I spent some hours today pacing, thinking, crying, asking God questions, getting real with myself, thinking some more, and pacing some more.</div>
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What a way to spend the afternoon, right? Talk about taking care of business!</div>
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God showed me that my little guilt problem was creeping back in.</div>
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See, my less than enthusiastic response to evangelism was quite the contrast to most of the other students. At least that's what it seemed like.</div>
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Some are even going into town on a weekly basis to evangelize and experiencing such cool things! So my lack of excitement immediately cast an almost imperceptible sense of guilt over me.</div>
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It was so small and unrecognizable that I didn't think much of it all week... Until today when God and I dealt with it.</div>
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But all the while, it was growing and making me more and more miserable, and therefore incapable of even being happy for those who are reaching out, much less excited to go out myself and talk to people.</div>
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I mean, really. By now, I felt like the LAST person God would want to use.</div>
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Then He straightened me out.</div>
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1. He doesn't love me any less now than He has before.</div>
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(Unconditional love. Best thing ever.)</div>
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2. I can't learn to love and care about people if I'm too busy feeling guilty and incapable.</div>
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3. God teaches people at different times and in different ways... Patience is important.</div>
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4. I don't have to be the one out on the streets! The people seeing all the action need prayer, too.</div>
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5. It's not about me having a load of really good faith. It's about me having the amount of faith that I have in a really good God.</div>
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6. If I'm willing to do what I can within the faith that I have, God is more than willing to make my faith stronger. But the key is not focusing on me at all, just Him.</div>
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Needless to say, my rain cloud has moved on and I'm trusting God to work with me just as I am. He knows what I need to learn and how to teach me.</div>
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Thank goodness!</div>
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Chelsea</div>
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-59761980069851245022013-09-01T01:53:00.001-07:002013-09-01T01:53:23.896-07:00Journal Entry no. 5 (Relationships)<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">Week 5- Relationships.</span><br />
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So this was the week to discuss all things relationship related.</div>
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We kicked off the week with an awesome lecture on 'the joy of singleness',</div>
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Which was really cool. Our speaker for that one was Letitia Shelton. she is the leader of many women's ministries here in Toowoomba.</div>
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She made the point that for many people, singleness is like an illness or something, they treat it as if it's going to kill them. They act out of desperation and end up wasting a bunch of time.</div>
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"Just stop worrying about it, and do something that matters!", she said.</div>
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Which I think is the perfect answer to the "woe is me, for I am single" mindset, because we tend to be so self-centered about it. If we put our time and effort into doing things for the good of our community and stuff, we'll automatically stop thinking so much about self and singleness.</div>
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Basically, what stuck with me from that lecture was: Being single may not be what you're aiming for, but if you are, so what? It's a season of life that God blesses in so many special ways. Make the most of it!</div>
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Then we moved on to relationship stuff.</div>
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We spent a good bit of time talking about the importance of forgiveness. (It's really important, guys) because you really shouldn't go into any relationship with a bunch of baggage.. When you do that, you end up passing it on to the other person, and you're both worse off than before.</div>
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So we talked a lot about that.</div>
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We also read in Ephesians 5, where it talks about how husbands and wives should act toward one another. Typically, you'd start thinking about the whole "husbands and wives" subject at verse 22, because that is where the "husbands and wives" heading is. But it was strongly suggested that we cross out the heading and start reading at verse 21, where it says "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ"</div>
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Because so often, the verse is misused to say that husbands can have complete control over their wives. I'll just say this: control and authority are two different things.</div>
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Authority is what the man ought to have, and he is instructed to use it in such a way that honors his wife. She, being blessed by this, ought to respect her husband. Which will give him more motivation to honor her. It's a never ending cycle, provided that both husband and wife submit themselves to one another out of reverence for Christ.</div>
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Makes sense to me.</div>
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We talked about the characteristics that a godly husband and godly wife ought to have.</div>
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The wife should be respectful, servant hearted, gentle, kind, honoring, and submissive. (Just to mention a few) she should look for ways to encourage her husband and support him in his efforts. She should be the one to keep the home in order and care for the children (of course, the husband has a major part in that, as well. But the wife is usually the one to take care of the immediate needs, like if the child is hungry).</div>
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The husband should love his wife so much that he's willing to give up everything for her. To lay down his life, you know? Like Christ did for us.</div>
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He should always be looking for what is most beneficial for his wife. He is the protector, he should be the one watching out for her and making sure that she's okay. He is the provider, he makes sure that his family is okay before doing anything else.</div>
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He has authority over his wife and children and will lead them in the way that is best for them.</div>
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The husband's list of responsibility goes on and on and on.</div>
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It's been interesting thinking about what qualities are found in a real man. There are so many guys out there who only care about themselves and what they want.</div>
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It makes me sick. </div>
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I'm so thankful to know and interact with real gentlemen.</div>
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At my church at home, here at this DTS,</div>
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And of course, I've grown up in a family where my dad really is the head of the home and is a great example of what a real man is.</div>
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I guess this is why I've always known not to settle for 'just any guy'.</div>
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Naturally, this week has inspired many interesting discussions among us students.</div>
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After one such discussion, another girl told me that she loved that I know how I'm supposed to be treated as the girl, and will not settle for less.</div>
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This was awesome to hear... I just wish that we girls in general weren't so darn focused on attention and emotion and desire that we let ourselves forget our value and preciousness.</div>
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It would be so amazing if girls could be secure in who God made them to be and not try to fill the void for love with stupid things by making stupid decisions that end up hurting them.</div>
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Sorry for ranting. This is just something that really pushes my buttons.</div>
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So anyhow, there's my thoughts on relationships week.</div>
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Next week: Evangelism.</div>
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Totally different, right? We'll see how it goes!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Bye!</div>
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Chelsea </div>
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-30540210958225510292013-08-24T23:34:00.000-07:002013-08-24T23:34:06.573-07:00Week 4. Biblical Worldview <span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">Biblical Worldview </span><br />
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Journal entry no. 4</div>
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<br /></div>
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So far, this week has been great!</div>
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I love the subject we are studying: Biblical Worldview.</div>
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I was raised with much emphasis on this area, which must be why I enjoy it so much.</div>
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<br /></div>
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One of our speakers this week is a local pastor in Toowoomba, Chris Windus.</div>
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If you've ever heard Del Tackett (of the Truth Project) speak, then you get an idea of Chris's teaching style.</div>
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I love it.</div>
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He makes point after mind-blowing point, and every now and again stops to take a breath. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Romans 12:2-</div>
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Do not be conformed 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.</div>
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So no matter where you are or what you are doing, you're worshiping something.</div>
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Whether it's God, self, food, material things, or whatever else, whatever you do is a form of worship.</div>
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This (along with plenty of other reasons, of course) is why Romans 12:2 is a big deal.</div>
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<br /></div>
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What does it mean to be conformed?</div>
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Imagine wet sand.</div>
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I for one really love to make sand castles. So if I have wet sand, I'm going for it.</div>
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So how do I make my castle? I pile up the sand and then pack it together real tight, until it starts to take on a new form.</div>
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When I do this, the sand doesn't stop being sand, does it? No.</div>
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It simply takes on a new shape. Why? Because I put pressure on it in all sorts of different ways and now its the first tower of my castle.</div>
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Bottom line: to be conformed is to take on a different form based on external pressure experienced.</div>
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This is what happens to our worldview when the world gets to it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But what does it mean to be transformed?</div>
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How is that different than conformation?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Another way to think of 'transformation' is 'metamorphosis'.</div>
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You know, like the whole caterpillar turned butterfly deal, it takes place on the inside of the cocoon.</div>
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In the same way, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our hearts and minds, and this is something that's got to happen inwardly.</div>
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Make sense? Our worldview is either formed either by outward pressures or by an inward renewal.</div>
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Inward renewal of the mind also implies a change in the way you think. And the change of the way that you think will change the way that you live.</div>
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So we started to think about what a biblical worldview looks like.</div>
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I mean, really. Where exactly are we coming from? In order to determine this, we think back to the character and nature of God.</div>
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Who is God? What does he look like?</div>
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Can we see him here on earth? No.</div>
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Why not? Because He was not created. He is Creator. He is not only outside of time, but creation, as well.</div>
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This is really cool because come world problems, while our 'created stuff' is limited, the Creator is not.</div>
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He has endless resources. Endless solutions.</div>
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That's pretty cool :)</div>
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<br /></div>
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This is the root of my belief that absolutely any situation can be turned around at any time, if God chooses to do so.</div>
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Of course, along with that belief (renewing of the mind) there also needs to be faith</div>
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(Renewal of the heart).</div>
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<br /></div>
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Note: in saying that God is outside of creation, I'm not disregarding Christ's coming to earth in any way, it's not like God is stuck outside of creation. He's fully here and everywhere else. Isn't that awesome??</div>
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You know what else (in particular) is great about God?</div>
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He has this huge desire to heal the nations. As in, ALL of the nations.</div>
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And he has had this desire since the very moment when they got screwed up by Adam and Eve.</div>
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<br /></div>
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On Tuesday, we looked at the Ten Commandments.</div>
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I can't believe this was such a big revelation to me, but as Chris went through the list, he made the point that God didn't put these commandments in place because he was bored and felt like making us miserable.</div>
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Not because He's a big, angry God who's just waiting for us to screw up so he can strike us with lightning. </div>
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He made them totally based on His love for us.</div>
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This DTS has been packed full of "I can't believe I really thought that" moments.</div>
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This is one of them.</div>
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Why no other gods? Because there is no other God. Searching for or worshiping a different one is just pointless. God knows that, and doesn't want anyone to miss out on the greatness of knowing Him.</div>
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Why no idols? Because that's just trying to make an image for God. We can't handle to know what God looks like. God knows that, so he said not to bother with the idol thing.</div>
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Why not misuse God's name? You'll misrepresent Him to yourself as well as others.</div>
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And so on with the rest of the commandments.</div>
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God made His law for our hearts' sake,</div>
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Which is cool because I think In order to have part in the healing of the nations, we must first have healing in our hearts.</div>
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Chris had so many amazing things to say, </div>
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I wish that I could go into every detail of what we've learned, but I just can't. That would be a super long post and you'd fall asleep reading it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I've got to wrap it up now.. All I can say is that this week has been very exciting and I've learned so much! In fact, so much that I need more time to process it.</div>
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Just this past week have I begun to really grasp some of the things from the first few weeks of lectures!</div>
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Please pray that things continue to sink in from here on out, as I take in more and more.</div>
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Chelsea :D</div>
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</div>
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-600325012494552022013-08-16T18:30:00.001-07:002013-08-16T18:30:06.327-07:00Week 3. Father Heart of God<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">Father Heart of God</span><br />
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Journal entry no. 3</div>
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8/14/13</div>
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I'm not going to lie, this week has been kind of hard.</div>
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God's definitely working on some things in me that need to change.</div>
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I'm not complaining, I'm just stating for the official record that sometimes when God works in you, it hurts a bit.</div>
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But it's alright. Everything is going to be great.</div>
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I've had a couple of serious "what am I doing here?" Moments this week, </div>
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A couple too many conversations like this:</div>
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"So what instrument do you play?"</div>
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"I kind of play guitar"</div>
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"Oh, cool. Anything else?"</div>
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"No"</div>
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"Do you sing?" </div>
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"Ummmmmmm. No."</div>
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"Okay... So... Why did you choose this DTS?"</div>
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<br /></div>
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The thing is, when I applied for this DTS (over a year ago) I had every intention of becoming a musician. I practiced a lot, I spent time watching 'how to play guitar' videos on YouTube, and I practiced some more.</div>
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And then what happened? </div>
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I guess I just stopped working so hard on music and wasted a bunch of time.</div>
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That's what has been eating at me so much this week.</div>
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Why am I always wasting time? Why don't I put in the effort to make something count?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Here's a thing: maybe all of these thoughts are the enemy trying to get me down.</div>
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Or maybe they're accurate.. </div>
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Or maybe they're accurate and the enemy is using them to get me down.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Assuming that is the case, what if I say that I won't take that? What if I say that from here on out, I'll try harder and do better?</div>
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I'll fall on my face, that's what.</div>
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But here's the thing that's being pounded into my head this week:</div>
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Yes, I can try. Yes, I'll fall. Yes, it'll hurt. </div>
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But grace.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But. Grace.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I was talking to a fellow from Holland last evening, and he made the comment that no matter how hard we try to better ourselves or fulfill our longings, we fail, and it always ends with grace.</div>
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"That's it," he said, "just grace".</div>
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<br /></div>
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Remember last week, and how I let go of feeling guilty and ashamed?</div>
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Well, I'm still feeling free, but I really need to keep focusing on grace. </div>
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'Cause it's a big deal.</div>
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So we've been talking about the Father heart of God.</div>
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Our speaker Roley Sondergold, has given us lots of statistics about how fatherlessness in the world is hurting so many. It's terribly sad to hear about this stuff!</div>
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I just can't imagine how hard it must be to accept that you are loved and delighted in by a Heavenly Father if you haven't felt that love on earth. No wonder it's such a struggle for some people!</div>
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I've thought so much this week about my earthly Daddy, and how awesome he is!</div>
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He's been a great example for me of how my Father in heaven loves and rejoices over me. He's truly committed to the Lord and to our family. </div>
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He's really super great.</div>
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<br /></div>
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8/17/13</div>
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<br /></div>
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The rest of the week has been better than the first half. I've been greatly encouraged by staff and fellow students. If there's one thing we aim for here, it's lifting each other up and encouraging one another. </div>
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I'm so glad to have had this kind of surroundings in almost every area of my life thus far. (Lord, help me when I find myself in a different atmosphere...)</div>
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I just love when the love of the Father just flows from person to person.</div>
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Anyhow.</div>
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I feel like the big thing I'm learning this week is a continuation of last week:</div>
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Guilt has no place in the heart of God's child.</div>
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I'm glad that this was one of the things that Roley spent a good bit of time talking about, since it's such a hard thing to apply to living and to truly accept.</div>
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I know it will be a long time until my reaction to mistakes isn't "oh no, what now?" But rather, "Praise God for grace", But God is working on it in me.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We looked at the contrast between an 'orphaned heart' and the heart of a son or daughter of God. Pretty drastic.</div>
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Orphaned Heart:</div>
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Sees God as a master</div>
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Tries to earn God's love</div>
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Is restless and uneasy</div>
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Feels like God is far away</div>
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<br /></div>
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Son or Daughter's heart:</div>
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Sees God as a loving Father</div>
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Knows that they are already loved by God</div>
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Is at peace</div>
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Delights in God's presence</div>
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(This is just a tiny portion of the list we studied, just to get you thinking)</div>
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It's straight-up sad to think about all the orphaned hearts out there.</div>
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But hey, that makes me excited for the two months we'll be spending in Thailand toward the end of the year!</div>
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I'm getting less nervous and more excited all the time, actually.</div>
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Woohoo!</div>
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<br /></div>
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I wish I could just download my notebook so that you could get an idea of how much I'm learning every week, but just know: this is a fantastic opportunity.. And I'm so blessed to be part of a DTS.</div>
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(Shout out to everyone back home who helped me get here :) )</div>
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And to God, for reassuring me that He wants me here.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm looking forward to next week. </div>
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We'll be studying about having a Biblical World View. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Make sure you watch for that blog post!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Love,</div>
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Chelsea</div>
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<br /></div>
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-51577293107313705212013-08-16T18:28:00.003-07:002013-08-16T18:28:53.990-07:00Week 3. Father Heart of God<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">Father Heart of God</span><br />
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Journal entry no. 3</div>
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8/14/13</div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm not going to lie, this week has been kind of hard.</div>
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God's definitely working on some things in me that need to change.</div>
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I'm not complaining, I'm just stating for the official record that sometimes when God works in you, it hurts a bit.</div>
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But it's alright. Everything is going to be great.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I've had a couple of serious "what am I doing here?" Moments this week, </div>
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A couple too many conversations like this:</div>
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"So what instrument do you play?"</div>
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"I kind of play guitar"</div>
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"Oh, cool. Anything else?"</div>
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"No"</div>
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"Do you sing?" </div>
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"Ummmmmmm. No."</div>
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"Okay... So... Why did you choose this DTS?"</div>
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<br /></div>
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The thing is, when I applied for this DTS (over a year ago) I had every intention of becoming a musician. I practiced a lot, I spent time watching 'how to play guitar' videos on YouTube, and I practiced some more.</div>
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And then what happened? </div>
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I guess I just stopped working so hard on music and wasted a bunch of time.</div>
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That's what has been eating at me so much this week.</div>
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Why am I always wasting time? Why don't I put in the effort to make something count?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Here's a thing: maybe all of these thoughts are the enemy trying to get me down.</div>
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Or maybe they're accurate.. </div>
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Or maybe they're accurate and the enemy is using them to get me down.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Assuming that is the case, what if I say that I won't take that? What if I say that from here on out, I'll try harder and do better?</div>
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I'll fall on my face, that's what.</div>
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But here's the thing that's being pounded into my head this week:</div>
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Yes, I can try. Yes, I'll fall. Yes, it'll hurt. </div>
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But grace.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But. Grace.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I was talking to a fellow from Holland last evening, and he made the comment that no matter how hard we try to better ourselves or fulfill our longings, we fail, and it always ends with grace.</div>
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"That's it," he said, "just grace".</div>
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<br /></div>
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Remember last week, and how I let go of feeling guilty and ashamed?</div>
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Well, I'm still feeling free, but I really need to keep focusing on grace. </div>
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'Cause it's a big deal.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So we've been talking about the Father heart of God.</div>
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Our speaker Roley Sondergold, has given us lots of statistics about how fatherlessness in the world is hurting so many. It's terribly sad to hear about this stuff!</div>
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I just can't imagine how hard it must be to accept that you are loved and delighted in by a Heavenly Father if you haven't felt that love on earth. No wonder it's such a struggle for some people!</div>
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<br /></div>
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I've thought so much this week about my earthly Daddy, and how awesome he is!</div>
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He's been a great example for me of how my Father in heaven loves and rejoices over me. He's truly committed to the Lord and to our family. </div>
</div>
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He's really super great.</div>
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<br /></div>
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8/17/13</div>
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<br /></div>
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The rest of the week has been better than the first half. I've been greatly encouraged by staff and fellow students. If there's one thing we aim for here, it's lifting each other up and encouraging one another. </div>
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I'm so glad to have had this kind of surroundings in almost every area of my life thus far. (Lord, help me when I find myself in a different atmosphere...)</div>
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I just love when the love of the Father just flows from person to person.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Anyhow.</div>
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I feel like the big thing I'm learning this week is a continuation of last week:</div>
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Guilt has no place in the heart of God's child.</div>
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I'm glad that this was one of the things that Roley spent a good bit of time talking about, since it's such a hard thing to apply to living and to truly accept.</div>
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I know it will be a long time until my reaction to mistakes isn't "oh no, what now?" But rather, "Praise God for grace", But God is working on it in me.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We looked at the contrast between an 'orphaned heart' and the heart of a son or daughter of God. Pretty drastic.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Orphaned Heart:</div>
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Sees God as a master</div>
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Tries to earn God's love</div>
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Is restless and uneasy</div>
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Feels like God is far away</div>
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<br /></div>
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Son or Daughter's heart:</div>
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Sees God as a loving Father</div>
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Knows that they are already loved by God</div>
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Is at peace</div>
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Delights in God's presence</div>
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<br /></div>
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(This is just a tiny portion of the list we studied, just to get you thinking)</div>
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It's straight-up sad to think about all the orphaned hearts out there.</div>
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But hey, that makes me excited for the two months we'll be spending in Thailand toward the end of the year!</div>
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I'm getting less nervous and more excited all the time, actually.</div>
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Woohoo!</div>
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<br /></div>
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I wish I could just download my notebook so that you could get an idea of how much I'm learning every week, but just know: this is a fantastic opportunity.. And I'm so blessed to be part of a DTS.</div>
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(Shout out to everyone back home who helped me get here :) )</div>
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And to God, for reassuring me that He wants me here.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm looking forward to next week. </div>
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We'll be studying about having a Biblical World View. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Make sure you watch for that blog post!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Love,</div>
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Chelsea</div>
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<br /></div>
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-25856122748650844092013-08-16T18:28:00.001-07:002013-08-16T18:28:01.992-07:00Week 3. Father Heart of God<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">Father Heart of God</span><br />
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Journal entry no. 3</div>
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8/14/13</div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm not going to lie, this week has been kind of hard.</div>
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God's definitely working on some things in me that need to change.</div>
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I'm not complaining, I'm just stating for the official record that sometimes when God works in you, it hurts a bit.</div>
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But it's alright. Everything is going to be great.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I've had a couple of serious "what am I doing here?" Moments this week, </div>
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A couple too many conversations like this:</div>
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"So what instrument do you play?"</div>
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"I kind of play guitar"</div>
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"Oh, cool. Anything else?"</div>
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"No"</div>
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"Do you sing?" </div>
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"Ummmmmmm. No."</div>
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"Okay... So... Why did you choose this DTS?"</div>
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<br /></div>
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The thing is, when I applied for this DTS (over a year ago) I had every intention of becoming a musician. I practiced a lot, I spent time watching 'how to play guitar' videos on YouTube, and I practiced some more.</div>
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And then what happened? </div>
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I guess I just stopped working so hard on music and wasted a bunch of time.</div>
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That's what has been eating at me so much this week.</div>
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Why am I always wasting time? Why don't I put in the effort to make something count?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Here's a thing: maybe all of these thoughts are the enemy trying to get me down.</div>
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Or maybe they're accurate.. </div>
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Or maybe they're accurate and the enemy is using them to get me down.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Assuming that is the case, what if I say that I won't take that? What if I say that from here on out, I'll try harder and do better?</div>
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I'll fall on my face, that's what.</div>
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But here's the thing that's being pounded into my head this week:</div>
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Yes, I can try. Yes, I'll fall. Yes, it'll hurt. </div>
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But grace.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But. Grace.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I was talking to a fellow from Holland last evening, and he made the comment that no matter how hard we try to better ourselves or fulfill our longings, we fail, and it always ends with grace.</div>
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"That's it," he said, "just grace".</div>
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<br /></div>
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Remember last week, and how I let go of feeling guilty and ashamed?</div>
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Well, I'm still feeling free, but I really need to keep focusing on grace. </div>
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'Cause it's a big deal.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So we've been talking about the Father heart of God.</div>
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Our speaker Roley Sondergold, has given us lots of statistics about how fatherlessness in the world is hurting so many. It's terribly sad to hear about this stuff!</div>
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I just can't imagine how hard it must be to accept that you are loved and delighted in by a Heavenly Father if you haven't felt that love on earth. No wonder it's such a struggle for some people!</div>
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I've thought so much this week about my earthly Daddy, and how awesome he is!</div>
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He's been a great example for me of how my Father in heaven loves and rejoices over me. He's truly committed to the Lord and to our family. </div>
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He's really super great.</div>
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<br /></div>
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8/17/13</div>
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<br /></div>
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The rest of the week has been better than the first half. I've been greatly encouraged by staff and fellow students. If there's one thing we aim for here, it's lifting each other up and encouraging one another. </div>
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I'm so glad to have had this kind of surroundings in almost every area of my life thus far. (Lord, help me when I find myself in a different atmosphere...)</div>
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I just love when the love of the Father just flows from person to person.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Anyhow.</div>
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I feel like the big thing I'm learning this week is a continuation of last week:</div>
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Guilt has no place in the heart of God's child.</div>
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I'm glad that this was one of the things that Roley spent a good bit of time talking about, since it's such a hard thing to apply to living and to truly accept.</div>
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I know it will be a long time until my reaction to mistakes isn't "oh no, what now?" But rather, "Praise God for grace", But God is working on it in me.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We looked at the contrast between an 'orphaned heart' and the heart of a son or daughter of God. Pretty drastic.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Orphaned Heart:</div>
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Sees God as a master</div>
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Tries to earn God's love</div>
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Is restless and uneasy</div>
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Feels like God is far away</div>
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<br /></div>
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Son or Daughter's heart:</div>
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Sees God as a loving Father</div>
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Knows that they are already loved by God</div>
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Is at peace</div>
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Delights in God's presence</div>
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<br /></div>
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(This is just a tiny portion of the list we studied, just to get you thinking)</div>
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It's straight-up sad to think about all the orphaned hearts out there.</div>
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But hey, that makes me excited for the two months we'll be spending in Thailand toward the end of the year!</div>
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I'm getting less nervous and more excited all the time, actually.</div>
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Woohoo!</div>
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<br /></div>
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I wish I could just download my notebook so that you could get an idea of how much I'm learning every week, but just know: this is a fantastic opportunity.. And I'm so blessed to be part of a DTS.</div>
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(Shout out to everyone back home who helped me get here :) )</div>
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And to God, for reassuring me that He wants me here.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm looking forward to next week. </div>
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We'll be studying about having a Biblical World View. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Make sure you watch for that blog post!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Love,</div>
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Chelsea</div>
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<br /></div>
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-74875235972050774212013-08-16T18:27:00.001-07:002013-08-16T18:27:48.801-07:00Week 3. Father Heart of God<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">Father Heart of God</span><br />
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Journal entry no. 3</div>
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8/14/13</div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm not going to lie, this week has been kind of hard.</div>
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God's definitely working on some things in me that need to change.</div>
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I'm not complaining, I'm just stating for the official record that sometimes when God works in you, it hurts a bit.</div>
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But it's alright. Everything is going to be great.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I've had a couple of serious "what am I doing here?" Moments this week, </div>
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A couple too many conversations like this:</div>
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"So what instrument do you play?"</div>
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"I kind of play guitar"</div>
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"Oh, cool. Anything else?"</div>
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"No"</div>
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"Do you sing?" </div>
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"Ummmmmmm. No."</div>
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"Okay... So... Why did you choose this DTS?"</div>
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<br /></div>
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The thing is, when I applied for this DTS (over a year ago) I had every intention of becoming a musician. I practiced a lot, I spent time watching 'how to play guitar' videos on YouTube, and I practiced some more.</div>
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And then what happened? </div>
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I guess I just stopped working so hard on music and wasted a bunch of time.</div>
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That's what has been eating at me so much this week.</div>
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Why am I always wasting time? Why don't I put in the effort to make something count?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Here's a thing: maybe all of these thoughts are the enemy trying to get me down.</div>
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Or maybe they're accurate.. </div>
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Or maybe they're accurate and the enemy is using them to get me down.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Assuming that is the case, what if I say that I won't take that? What if I say that from here on out, I'll try harder and do better?</div>
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I'll fall on my face, that's what.</div>
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But here's the thing that's being pounded into my head this week:</div>
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Yes, I can try. Yes, I'll fall. Yes, it'll hurt. </div>
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But grace.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But. Grace.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I was talking to a fellow from Holland last evening, and he made the comment that no matter how hard we try to better ourselves or fulfill our longings, we fail, and it always ends with grace.</div>
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"That's it," he said, "just grace".</div>
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<br /></div>
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Remember last week, and how I let go of feeling guilty and ashamed?</div>
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Well, I'm still feeling free, but I really need to keep focusing on grace. </div>
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'Cause it's a big deal.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So we've been talking about the Father heart of God.</div>
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Our speaker Roley Sondergold, has given us lots of statistics about how fatherlessness in the world is hurting so many. It's terribly sad to hear about this stuff!</div>
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I just can't imagine how hard it must be to accept that you are loved and delighted in by a Heavenly Father if you haven't felt that love on earth. No wonder it's such a struggle for some people!</div>
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I've thought so much this week about my earthly Daddy, and how awesome he is!</div>
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He's been a great example for me of how my Father in heaven loves and rejoices over me. He's truly committed to the Lord and to our family. </div>
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He's really super great.</div>
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<br /></div>
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8/17/13</div>
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<br /></div>
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The rest of the week has been better than the first half. I've been greatly encouraged by staff and fellow students. If there's one thing we aim for here, it's lifting each other up and encouraging one another. </div>
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I'm so glad to have had this kind of surroundings in almost every area of my life thus far. (Lord, help me when I find myself in a different atmosphere...)</div>
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I just love when the love of the Father just flows from person to person.</div>
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Anyhow.</div>
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I feel like the big thing I'm learning this week is a continuation of last week:</div>
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Guilt has no place in the heart of God's child.</div>
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I'm glad that this was one of the things that Roley spent a good bit of time talking about, since it's such a hard thing to apply to living and to truly accept.</div>
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I know it will be a long time until my reaction to mistakes isn't "oh no, what now?" But rather, "Praise God for grace", But God is working on it in me.</div>
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We looked at the contrast between an 'orphaned heart' and the heart of a son or daughter of God. Pretty drastic.</div>
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Orphaned Heart:</div>
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Sees God as a master</div>
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Tries to earn God's love</div>
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Is restless and uneasy</div>
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Feels like God is far away</div>
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Son or Daughter's heart:</div>
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Sees God as a loving Father</div>
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Knows that they are already loved by God</div>
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Is at peace</div>
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Delights in God's presence</div>
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<br /></div>
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(This is just a tiny portion of the list we studied, just to get you thinking)</div>
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It's straight-up sad to think about all the orphaned hearts out there.</div>
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But hey, that makes me excited for the two months we'll be spending in Thailand toward the end of the year!</div>
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I'm getting less nervous and more excited all the time, actually.</div>
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Woohoo!</div>
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<br /></div>
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I wish I could just download my notebook so that you could get an idea of how much I'm learning every week, but just know: this is a fantastic opportunity.. And I'm so blessed to be part of a DTS.</div>
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(Shout out to everyone back home who helped me get here :) )</div>
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And to God, for reassuring me that He wants me here.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm looking forward to next week. </div>
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We'll be studying about having a Biblical World View. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Make sure you watch for that blog post!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Love,</div>
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Chelsea</div>
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-72404579628474710742013-08-10T04:19:00.002-07:002013-08-10T04:19:24.517-07:00Week 2. Hearing the Voice of God<div style="text-align: center;">
Journal entry no.2</div>
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8/9/13</div>
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This week has been c-r-a-z-y.</div>
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So much has happened in such a short amount of time!</div>
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I think I'll give you the details in a day-by-day account, that will make it easier for me to write and easier for you to understand.</div>
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<b>Monday: super cool day.</b></div>
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First day of the school week, and none of us had any idea what was coming.</div>
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Our speaker for the week, Josh Cole, entered the room, bringing with him an uncommonly large amount of passion and energy.</div>
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The thing that really stuck out to me on this first day of lectures was that not only does God desire my affection (duh..), but He really is the fulfillment of every longing inside of me. (Duh again, right?)</div>
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Josh went over the categories of longings that we have as human beings,</div>
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1. To be enjoyed</div>
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2. To be fascinated</div>
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3. Beauty (to be it and perceive it)</div>
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4. Greatness</div>
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5. Intimacy </div>
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6. Whole heartedness</div>
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7. Influence (to be a world changer)</div>
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This was a cool lecture for me.... I'm one to daydream about all the cool things that could be coming my way in this life.</div>
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Then of course, Josh made the point that we have to hand over those longings to the Lord in order for him to really fulfill us in any of those areas.</div>
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My thoughts? <i>"But.. But... That's hard!"</i></div>
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Yes, Really.</div>
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At the end of the lecture, Josh turned on music and told us to think and pray for a couple of minutes.</div>
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This of course resulted in me on my knees, in tears, with people around me praying for me.</div>
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Josh asked if we were ready to hand over the longing in our hearts, and if we were, we were to go to the front of the room. </div>
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The front of the room was quite crowded.</div>
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More tears, more prayers, and the first grip on freedom for the week.</div>
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Score!</div>
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<b>Tuesday: The day that has people talking.</b></div>
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The morning session was awesome (we talked about what God looks like. Read Revelation 4)</div>
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That blew my mind.</div>
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But what made Tuesday famous around here was the evening session.</div>
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Understand that evening sessions are not the most enthusiastically attended lectures.</div>
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Almost all of us just felt like sleeping, even though we wouldn't have said so.</div>
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Josh started out talking about having vision for our lives, and being ready to step out in faith.</div>
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This was immensely hard for me to appreciate, because for some reason, I was feeling<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> particularly</span> doubtful about my future.</div>
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Honestly, this portion of the lecture is still a bit blurred in my mind.</div>
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But somehow we all ended up at the front of the room again.</div>
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So there I was again, on my knees, in tears.</div>
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Suddenly the direction of the lecture takes an entirely different path, and I hear Josh ask for everyone who struggles with self hatred to put their hand up.</div>
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I don't recall discussing with myself whether I should put my hand up or not, it just shot right up.</div>
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I had been really struggling with this again this week.</div>
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Then Josh told us who had our hands up (almost every female student) to stand on chairs and say that we were beautiful. This kind of helped, but didn't quite take us all the way to where we needed to get to.</div>
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Josh called all of the young men to follow him out of the room.</div>
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The were gone for a couple of minutes.</div>
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Then they came back and one by one, knelt down in front of us girls.</div>
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Then they began to apologize for every kind of hurt that had ever been caused to us by guys.</div>
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For me, this wasn't the big deal.</div>
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I haven't been mistreated by guys (praise the Lord),</div>
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But what got me was the sincerity in their eyes. They meant every word they said,</div>
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Which was what really meant a lot to me as they began to affirm us girls.</div>
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Saying, "There is not one girl here who isn't truly beautiful" and all sorts of other things.</div>
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After much of this, we began to audibly let go of things that we knew were dragging us down in our walk.</div>
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I chose to let go of the fear that God doesn't really have a plan for me.</div>
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What a stupid fear, right? </div>
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Well, it was real for me. So I gave it up.</div>
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And you can't imagine the freedom I felt.</div>
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At the end of the night, the room felt like we'd just won a war. 'Cause we had.</div>
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Almost every person let go of something that was seriously weighing them down.</div>
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You should've seen the change in every person.</div>
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It was so obviously God.</div>
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<b>Wednesday:</b><br />
We talked about receiving a word from God,<br />
And how sometimes God will give us "what" to say, but we need to seek direction for the "how" to say it.<br />
<br />
<b>Thursday: </b><br />
This was 'the big day' for me.<br />
Josh was speaking about shame and all the ways it can bring us down.<br />
He told us about the four variations of shame;<br />
Regret, failure, personal embarrassment, and defeat.<br />
He told us the different ways it can harm us;<br />
It can be the root of bad relationships, it can lead to self condemnation, feelings of guilt and unworthiness, it brings constant reminders of the sin in our lives, it makes us unable to forgive, and it feeds us lies, thrives on deception, and packs us full of guilt.<br />
<br />
At the end of the lecture, Josh put on music and let us pray.<br />
To be honest, I wasn't particularly interested in having a God moment. I didn't think I had issues with shame.<br />
As I prayed, I felt an arm around my shoulder.<br />
It was one of the leaders.<br />
She whispered, "Chelsea, I don't know if this means anything to you, but I felt God saying that He wants to pour joy into you"<br />
I was now confused. Didn't the other students who were in tears need joy more than I did?<br />
I briefly wondered if she had the wrong Chelsea.<br />
She continued, "and being able to receive it might require you to let go of something. In fact, I think God wants to give you a lot of things, but maybe you can't receive anything else without letting go of some things first"</div>
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Then it hit me.<br />
I'd been feeling guilty because I didn't feel like I had enough love for God's people.<br />
In this moment, God showed me that I didn't have that love, because I wasn't receiving that love from Him, because I was too busy feeling guilty about not having that love.<br />
The solution? Throw down the guilt!<br />
God pressed into my heart, saying, "guilt has no place in the hearts of My children"<br />
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And I laid it down.<br />
Let me tell you... it's amazing! I can't explain how much happier I've been.<br />
It seems that God really did want to pour joy into me.<br />
<br />
So those were the big, huge, things that God has done in my life this week. Some of them, anyway.<br />
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:)<br />
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Love,<br />
Chelsea<br />
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-63005878953576335562013-08-02T23:56:00.000-07:002013-08-02T23:56:05.720-07:00Week 1. The Character and Nature of God.<div style="text-align: center;">
Journal Entry no. 1</div>
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8/2/13</div>
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Monday morning at 9-something AM, I'm standing near the front of a room among 30-40 other people, all of whom I've just met for the first time only a few days earlier.</div>
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Just the previous day I'd stood in front of these people and told them the condensed version of my life story.</div>
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(Not exactly what I'd expected to be doing right off the bat)</div>
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Everyone else has told their stories as well. Now we all stand in the 'lecture room' singing our lungs out to the Lord, knowing things about each other that for some, even the closest people in their lives have never heard about.</div>
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It's an intense moment of worship; nobody's actually paying attention to the happenings in the room.</div>
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Some are standing up, some are on the floor; some may be curled up in a corner, talking with Jesus about big subjects.</div>
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I'm among those who are standing up.</div>
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My eyes are closed as I contemplate big subjects.</div>
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Suddenly I feel incredibly small and helpless as the realization of God's <i><b>greatness</b></i> pounds on my mind like some people around here pound on the djembe drum.</div>
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...with a lot of force.</div>
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For the first time ever while worshipping, I sit down; awestruck.</div>
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After the song comes to an end, the worship leader prays,</div>
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then we all open our eyes.</div>
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I only remember thinking, "<i>I <b>do</b> believe God just put me on the floor".</i></div>
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This is just one of the super-cool moments that I've experienced this week.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Soon after this, we welcome our speaker for the week, Pablo Nunez.</div>
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He opens up the book of Genesis and immediately makes an interesting point.</div>
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We all know that after each day of creation, God looked at what He had made and called it <i>good.</i></div>
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And after creating man, He even said that it was <i>very good.</i></div>
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What a compliment!</div>
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However,</div>
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Even though the world was without sin at that time, God did not say that anything was "<i>perfect".</i></div>
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Pablo noted that perfection <u>cannot get any better.</u></div>
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Therefore, when God said that man was very good, He implied that we would always have the potential to get better.</div>
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Pablo made the statement that <b>life is beautiful when you walk into God's plan for your life and know that there is <u>purpose </u>for it, and <u>potential</u> for you to become better.</b></div>
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It's a simple truth, but so very important.</div>
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What this says to me about God's character, is that he believes in us.<br />
Yes, <b>He's</b> the one who gave us such potential and <b>He's</b> the one who makes us into the better version of ourselves, but just think; he believes in us that we will believe enough in Him for our transformation.<br />
And He encourages us daily when we take that step and put in that effort to become new people.<br />
He's a <i>personal </i>God.<br />
Not like "my God, not yours", but he takes interest in each and every one of our lives. And He isn't just interested in having a part in the 'big events' of our lives, but desires to be in the little details, too.<br />
That's something that really blew me away this week.<br />
<br />
You know what else I learned?<br />
God's <u>characteristics</u> cannot contradict His <u>nature.</u><br />
'Duh', right?<br />
Well listen to how I came to this realization.<br />
<br />
Pablo asks us if we believe that God the Father turned away (or was separated) from Jesus in the moment that Jesus took all the world's sin on himself. Because God can't tolerate sin, right?<br />
So at that moment God and Jesus were separated, right?<br />
We're all familiar with Jesus' cry on the cross:<br />
"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" Or rather, "my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"<br />
Sounds like separation to me.<br />
<br />
Pablo looks at us for a moment.<br />
I can imagine we all have question marks floating above our heads.<br />
He asks us, "what do you think churches did before there were hymn books or fancy projector screens?"<br />
My mind at this moment reads: "......?....."<br />
Pablo informs us that when one has nothing to read lyrics off of, one must memorize the lyrics of a song.<br />
"So how do you think Jesus knew the songs he sang?" Asks Pablo.<br />
"By memorizing them" we respond.<br />
"What book in the Bible holds the lyrics to so many songs?" Asks Pablo<br />
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" the Psa-alms" we answer, as <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">if in Sunday school.</span></div>
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Pablo starts snapping his fingers like I've noticed he does when he wants something done quickly.</div>
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"Quick, everyone, open your Bibles to Psalm 22 and read", he says.</div>
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The sound of flipping pages fills the room along with the snapping of Pablo's fingers, this shortly thereafter interrupted by a perfectly unified class gasp.</div>
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Psalm 22:1 reads:<b> "my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?</b></div>
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<b>Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?"</b></div>
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Pablo instructs us to continue reading and take note of other verses in the psalm that remind us of Jesus death on the cross.</div>
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Verse 7- "all who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads"</div>
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Verse 8- "He trusts in The Lord," they say, "let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him"</div>
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Verse 14- "I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax, it has melted within me"</div>
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Verse 15- "my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death"</div>
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Verse 16- "...they pierce my hands and my feet"</div>
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Verse 17- "all my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me"</div>
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Verse 18- "they divide my clothes among them and casts lots for my garment"</div>
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Huh.</div>
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Finally, we reach the end of the psalm.</div>
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Verse 31- "they will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn— for He has done it"<br />
<br />
Silence overtakes the room for a moment.<br />
How about that? Jesus wasn't declaring separation from God... He was declaring victory over death once and for all.<br />
Because it is in God's <i>nature </i>to be Triune. Father, Son, and Spirit are one.<br />
God's nature is something that just <i>is</i>, it <u>can't be any other way.</u><br />
So if Jesus had been crying out because of separation from the Father, God's Triune nature would be contradicted.<br />
But it makes sense that Jesus would be singing. Rejoicing over the great victory.<br />
That doesn't contradict anything.<br />
Especially not God's nature of love, nor His merciful character.</div>
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<br />
This was such an amazing thing to learn.<br />
Absolutely blew my mind.<br />
<br />
Along with these revelations this week were many other moments which found me in complete awe as I learned more about the fullness of God's character.<br />
Seriously, I feel like for a very long time when I've thought about 'knowing God', there was a wee bit of knowledge, but also a huge blank spot.<br />
My understanding of His character just feels a bit more rounded out after this week, if that makes sense.<br />
And what's exciting is that I have all of eternity to know Him more and more.<br />
He <i>is </i>Infinite, after all. That's in His nature.<br />
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Good stuff. I'm so excited for next week, as we start to learn about "Hearing the Voice of God"<br />
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That's all for now,<br />
Chelsea </div>
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-33050345040054451922013-07-31T01:26:00.000-07:002013-07-31T01:26:21.597-07:00An Update from Australia :)<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">Post 2</span><br />
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Hello my dear family and friends!</div>
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Just in case you were interested in how things are going here in Australia, I thought I'd write about what's been happening on this YWAM adventure.</div>
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I felt like I couldn't write anything until there was a routine, and now there is. (thank goodness!). So now I shall write.</div>
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Every morning on Mondays-Thursdays at 6am, there is an optional time of worship/prayer/personal devotions. I've been trying to get up and do it, but I'll admit, this morning I failed... Since we've started the official 'lecture phase', I've already found how important it is to be rested as much as possible in order to be awake and grasp what is being taught as much as I possibly can.</div>
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This is not to say that morning devotions aren't super great, and incredibly important, just that I don't think I'd have picked up on as much during class today if I had not rested enough.</div>
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At 6:45, breakfast is served. As in, the cereal, milk, fruit and toast are out and accessible. </div>
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7:30-8:30am is to be used as quiet time or, for those who came to breakfast in their pj's, time to get ready for the day.</div>
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At 8:30 we have either worship or prayer. (By 'worship', I mean singing. I know that prayer is another form of worship)</div>
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9:30 we start lectures. We go until about 11am, when we pause for the all-important 'morning tea'.</div>
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Then back to class until 12:30ish (AKA: lunch time)</div>
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After lunch we either have free time, or we will do our work responsibilities. </div>
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One of my work assignments is baking for birthdays or morning tea.</div>
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I'm delighted to have been given this responsibility, I love to bake!</div>
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Yesterday, Tabea (another student who is from Switzerland, how cool is that?) and I were taken to the grocery store to pick out all sorts of baking ingredients. So fun!</div>
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Side note: Australians have cool food.</div>
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Then we came back and decorated 2 birthday cakes :)</div>
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Dinner is served at 5ish.</div>
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Some of the other students have the work responsibility of making dinner.</div>
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I applaud their culinary ability. We had some fantastic home made pizza this evening.</div>
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At 7 or 7:30pm, we gather together again for another lecture, or announcements, or something else. </div>
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Around 9pm, I'm usually exhausted and hauling myself back to the room that I share with 3 other lovely young ladies. (One from here in Australia, one from Canada, and one from Denmark)... We've already spent an evening chatting past my typical bedtime ;)</div>
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Basically at this point, I get ready for bed, crawl in, pass out for the night, and awake to an obnoxious alarm on my iPad and start the routine all over again.</div>
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I'm liking this.</div>
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Learning so much, learning to be open to trying new things (like ping pong and soccer and playing guitar in front of people I don't know that well) making friends, spending time getting to know my Heavenly Father. In fact, the subject we are studying this week is "the character and nature of God".</div>
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My mind is already blown. There's so much to think about and process! But some of the things that the speaker has pointed out in the Bible has caused the entire class to just gasp. It's hilarious, all of us at once being hit with some amazing revelation.</div>
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So cool.</div>
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This is an environment that is very open. </div>
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Open to expressing feelings, thoughts, what God is teaching us.</div>
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And while I've experienced this kind of environment back at home, it's still neat to be able to go for a walk with someone and talk with them like you've known them forever.</div>
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God's seriously working in each of our hearts, way more than we even realize. </div>
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And it's only been a few days!</div>
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<br /></div>
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So that's what's going on around here.</div>
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I miss everyone at home, so if anyone's up for a chat, shoot me an email!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Love,</div>
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Chelsea</div>
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-14653059583651851642013-07-24T14:29:00.004-07:002013-07-24T14:29:50.821-07:00Thoughts from the skyI'm on an airplane flying way across the world.<br />
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I've been on it for I don't know how long now.</div>
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Last night, I climbed into my cozy window seat, ready for sleep—not a meal. </div>
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However, 1-something AM found me thanking the Lord for my cheesecake/pudding cup thing (being the tastiest part of the meal by far), my extra blanket, and the empty seat between me and the nice Australian lady.</div>
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If there's a comfortable way to fly for 14 hours, this is it.</div>
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And so I fell asleep a very thankful passenger.</div>
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I woke up about an hour and a half ago, with a Thousand Foot Krutch song playing in my mind and a violent urge to listen to it for real.</div>
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Out came the MP3 player, and for some reason listening to that song brought about the same feeling that I get when I eat a spoonful of peanut butter after being slammed with a crazy craving for it.</div>
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These things are inexplainable. </div>
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I've been waiting for it to get light outside the window, but a moment or two ago I realized that pretty much no matter where we are at any given part of this flight, it will still be dark.</div>
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Time zones are confusing things.</div>
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So I press my forehead against the window and admire the clouds glowing in the moonlight. At least until the realization dawns on me that I'm being that person who leaves a smudge on the window that someone has to clean off later; that's when I move my head to an upright position.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Being one of the only people awake a large airplane with lots of people gives you a lot of opportunity to think about things. I guess if I were a really serious kind of person, I'd think about deep, serious things the whole way.</div>
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But I'm Chelsea, and my brain hops around.</div>
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I've been thinking the most about how blessed I am right now. (I've already described my flight arrangements).</div>
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Also, I don't feel anxious about all the new experiences I'm about to have as I had back at the airport. Maybe that will return once we land, but for now I'm just happy and excited. </div>
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I'm also thankful for the 6 (...I think..) hours of sleep that I was able to get.</div>
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And for the fact that I'm not nearly as restless sitting in this seat as I thought I would be. Usually I can't sit for more than an hour without going nuts.</div>
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<br /></div>
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God's hand is all over this. </div>
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I can just imagine him holding us in the air like we were a little toy airplane.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So, so thankful :)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Due to lack of wifi, I will be posting this sometime after I'm off the plane.</div>
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I have no idea when I'll get the opportunity.</div>
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I just thought it would be fun to capture my thoughts in a unique setting like this and I hope you were amused by reading them. :D</div>
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<br /></div>
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Written by Chelsea at who-knows-what-time on either July 24 or 25, 2013.</div>
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Time zones are confusing things.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1352203050426414684.post-17121875982283384072013-07-22T11:50:00.000-07:002013-07-22T11:54:21.342-07:00Seattle <div style="text-align: center;">
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It's everything they make it sound like.</div>
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From the first sight of it from our plane, I've been mesmerized.</div>
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Miles and miles of glittering lights welcomed us upon our arrival at nearly 1am, Sunday morning.</div>
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There's no way to describe it to you, except that it was beautiful.</div>
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We somehow made it to our hotel and dropped into our beds.</div>
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Almost 5 hours later I woke up.</div>
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The room was </div>
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1. Dark</div>
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2. Chilly</div>
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And I was ready wake up. (After all, it was almost 9am back at home)</div>
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After ridding ourselves of icky airplane germs, Grandma and I made our way to breakfast. (Which was delicious)</div>
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We were then ready to venture into the heart of Seattle.</div>
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We hopped aboard the hotel transport and a few moments later were at the Light-rail, which would take us to the big city. </div>
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Soon enough, we were there.</div>
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I'd dreamed about visiting this place for quite a while.</div>
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In fact, around this time two years ago, my intention was to move here when I turned 18.</div>
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...yeah, plans change.</div>
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But a change of plans doesn't mean a change of interest.</div>
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I am still quite captivated by this place.</div>
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The morning greeted us with a dense fog overhead.</div>
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Only a few tourists like us, and some super-fit-I-eat-grass-and-jog-in-the-morning locals occupied the streets at first.</div>
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But come noontime, we found ourselves among many others of all types.</div>
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At market, it's easy to tell the locals from the tourists.</div>
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The locals go in, buy their fish, veggies and maybe a donut or two, and then leave.</div>
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We tourists, watch the locals buy their fish and we take pictures of the guys who sell the salmon, because they sing and throw fish around.</div>
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We make our way down to the aquarium, where all the family tourists are at. </div>
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Cute little kids are everywhere.</div>
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Grandma and I take our time admiring the pattern on each fish. You have to really look close or you'll miss it! </div>
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We came to the conclusion that God must have really had a good time creating fish.</div>
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Later, we walk along Denny Way and eventually we're admiring the space needle.</div>
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Right beside the space needle is Chihuly Gardens and Glass. It's a museum with all sorts of blown glass sculptures and pieces.</div>
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Here Grandma reminds me about the building of the tabernacle, and how God gifted each person with amazing abilities so that it could be just as He wanted it to be.</div>
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We conversed some more on the subject, agreeing that those gifts are truly special.</div>
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That's God <i>enabling us to serve Him. </i></div>
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:)</div>
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We leave the museum and head the general direction of the light rail.</div>
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We pass by people with instruments sitting on corners.</div>
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They play with such skill and ability.</div>
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Even so, all you'll find in their jar is a just few dollars and maybe some cigarettes.</div>
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How <i>tragic</i>! </div>
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They've been gifted and they are surely capable of doing great things, accomplishing much.</div>
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But they can't see that. All they can see is today's reward: a dollar and a cigarette.</div>
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And evidently, that's good enough for them.</div>
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That's the part of Seattle that I don't like.</div>
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The desperation and longing for something is so strong</div>
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But nobody knows what it is that they long for.</div>
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:(</div>
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And so Seattle I have seen.</div>
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And I like it, but I'm pretty glad that there's been a change of plans for my life.</div>
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I don't know if I'd like living here, even with so much good coffee around (There are so many good looking cafe's!). </div>
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But yeah, God knew where He wanted me, and now He's taking me there! </div>
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Thank goodness He didn't let my plans work out.</div>
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Bye!</div>
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Chelsea</div>
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10999239186385217713noreply@blogger.com3