lectures

A large chunk of my time here is spent in lectures. Our first and second week were taught by staff and mainly by the YWAM Maui base director, Tom Osterhus. I have very much respect for Tom and his ability to effectively communicate the wisdom the Lord has given him. He did "Biblical Overview" last week which might sound dry, but is far from it! I absolutely LOVED the entire week and grew so much. You leave with headaches and have conversations and wrestle with things, and know God is stretching you and making you who He has created you to be. This week was "Inductive Bible Study." I had gone through it before so it wasn't new information, but I was able to practice it and feel comfortable with the concept now. We have a more in-depth project due in a month, so we'll see if I'm still saying that once I get into Phillipians.

Here are some excerpts from the first few weeks ...

• God knows what His potential through me is, and it is far beyond anything I can grasp!

• Having a Biblical worldview is important because ideas have consequences! This is a catchphrase for our school, and I'm fascinated by the examples we study. America was based on Biblical principles and prospered for so long because of that solid foundation we take for granted. Since we have turned away from those standards as a nation we have begun to fall into deeper depravity and until we turn back to the Lord, our nation will continue heading in a frightening direction. Nations like Nepal that are based on Hindu principles have never achieved much. Even a country like Finland which doesn't profess Christianity but is still based off of Christian ideals has reaped the benefits of living from godly guidelines. When North and South Korea split, the North remained communist and now has rampant starvation. South Korea turned to Christianity at the end of the war and is thriving. They actually send out more missionaries than anywhere besides the USA and even have four of the world's biggest churches!
• I was intrigued by the difference between consequential judgment (we sin and that has natural consequences/effects) and retribution (God's punishment). This came out of a discussion about people who say Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans was the people 'getting what was coming to them.'
• God has been teaching me so much, a lot of which might make you say 'Well duh Chels', but it is deeper than I can put into words. It's about connecting head knowledge with heart. It's about confirming truth inside of me and learning how to articulate it so that I can effectively communicate my passion for the Lord to the world.
  

• Theology can lead you into a deeper place of worship because it magnifies the TRUTH of who God is and as we get in touch with scriptures we learn who God really is. Worship is meant to be an expression of the TRUTH that we know. I am learning so much about truth. I'm also convicted of being a "sponge thinker" because I tend to just absorb and need to be more of a critical thinker in all of life. We took evaluations and almost everyone scored in the "secular humanist" range ... SCARY!

• "The marks of truth as Christianity conceived then are that it is supernaturally grounded, not developed within nature, objective not subjective, a revelation and not a construction, discovered by inquiry and not elected by a majority vote, authoritative and not a matter of personal choice." [Harry Blamires]

• The Abrahamic Covenant blows my mind. It opens my eyes to who God is and how much He loves us. Covenants in that day had to be walked out by both parties to signify commitment, and whoever broke it would be cursed. Imagine the fear that Abraham had to feel about entering a binding covenant with an infinite God! But God was the only one who had to walk through it. Whether Abraham broke it or not, God's promise to him would remain!

Yeahhh, that hardly scratches the surface. I am so thankful that I am here and for everything the Lord is revealing to me. Yesterday in our girls small group time I was one of the only ones not crying from the stress of the school and I was questioning myself like, 'Am I not putting enough into this Lord? Should I be more frazzled to be more stretched?' I can picture God laughing at me, but of course in the moment He calmed my ever so quick to compare spirit. We've got a good thing goin on Chels, and there is no need to compare yourself to anyone else. So many sweet times with God, every day. Whenever I'm gone I find a million more things to be thankful for about myself/family/life ... and lately a big one has been: work ethic. Thanks Ma! :)