Week 6 of lectures was really good and a lot of fun too. The classes were led by Andy and Colin who both live here on the base. We covered the topic of evangelism and had some 'practical experience' during the week as well.
The first couple of days we looked at simple questions but really took them apart and analyzed them. One of these questions being: "What is the Gospel"? Initially it seems like a really easy question to answer but after taking out all of the 'Christian jargon' it was hard to explain what it was. As a class we discussed various ways of explaining the Gospel to those who know nothing about Jesus or the Bible.
Throughout the week we also looked at the importance of allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us as we evangelise. Another point that really stuck out to me this week was the question: "Is Jesus worth it?". When faced with evangelising it is easy to say no because it pushes you out of your comfort zone and it puts you in a vulnerable place but the question you always need to come back to is the one above: "Is Jesus worth it?". If you believe in Jesus, you also believe He is the best way to live your life by so why wouldn't you share Him with others? If Jesus, and what He has to offer, is true why wouldn't you tell others about Him?
As a practical aspect to this week my DTS went into Harpenden and did some mini evangelism with the people there. At the very beginning we all went to a little square downtown and did a random, funny dance, that lasted for two minutes, just for fun. However, as background information, Harpenden is a very small town and not much happens there; the police station is only open a few days a week. Anyways, apparently as we were making a little noise downtown some people called into the station complaining that there were some people making a ruckus. In the end nothing happened and it was all sorted out but it was a good start to our adventures!
The rest of the week went well and just had some processing time on the weekend to think over all the information we had been presented with during the week. Thanks again for reading and your prayers are greatly appreciated!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
The Holy Spirit
Another week has flown by here on the Oval and I am now officially half way through my lecture phase here in Harpenden. The weather hasn't been too exciting as it's rained a fair amount this week. The DTS from September was back on the base this week finishing up their last week of their school so it was really cool to hear their stories from their outreach locations. It has for sure made me more excited about my upcoming outreach to South Africa!
This week's lectures were taught by Connie Taylor and we learned all about the Holy Spirit. The lectures were both encouraging and challenging and have left me with a lot to process. We looked at many different scriptures to learn about who the Holy Spirit says He is and how He works in us. The Holy Spirit has also made many covenants with us and we looked into how these covenants affect our lives. He is our Jehovah Tsidkenu (the Lord our righteousness), Jehovah Mekadesh (the Lord who sanctifies), Jehovah Shammah (the Lord who is ever present), Jehovah Raphe (the Lord my healer), Jehovah Jireh (the One who provides) Jehovah Nissi (the Lord our banner/victory), and Jehovah Rohe (the Lord our shepherd). We also looked at the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how they appear in our lives.
This week we also had a 'Love Feast' which was a lot of fun. It's basically a feast for God and to recognize what we are thankful for. So my whole DTS prepared thank you cards for God and dressed up for the feast! We all took part in an amazing chocolate fondue, worshiped God together through music and prayer and read our thank you cards aloud in the group. It was really encouraging and refreshing to hear what other people are thankful for and to rediscover the MANY ways in which God is good!
Thank you for reading and prayers for my teams outreach preparation would be greatly appreciated! Specifically for the location within South Africa God wants us to go and how He wants us to share His love with others. God bless!
This week's lectures were taught by Connie Taylor and we learned all about the Holy Spirit. The lectures were both encouraging and challenging and have left me with a lot to process. We looked at many different scriptures to learn about who the Holy Spirit says He is and how He works in us. The Holy Spirit has also made many covenants with us and we looked into how these covenants affect our lives. He is our Jehovah Tsidkenu (the Lord our righteousness), Jehovah Mekadesh (the Lord who sanctifies), Jehovah Shammah (the Lord who is ever present), Jehovah Raphe (the Lord my healer), Jehovah Jireh (the One who provides) Jehovah Nissi (the Lord our banner/victory), and Jehovah Rohe (the Lord our shepherd). We also looked at the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how they appear in our lives.
This week we also had a 'Love Feast' which was a lot of fun. It's basically a feast for God and to recognize what we are thankful for. So my whole DTS prepared thank you cards for God and dressed up for the feast! We all took part in an amazing chocolate fondue, worshiped God together through music and prayer and read our thank you cards aloud in the group. It was really encouraging and refreshing to hear what other people are thankful for and to rediscover the MANY ways in which God is good!
Thank you for reading and prayers for my teams outreach preparation would be greatly appreciated! Specifically for the location within South Africa God wants us to go and how He wants us to share His love with others. God bless!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Lectures, London and Outreach
This week has been very busy and full of lectures, practical experience and excitement. My DTS spent this week learning about intercession and spiritual warfare from Steven Hanvatty. We covered many different topics such as allowing God full control and guidance in our lives, looking deeper into the armour of God (Ephesians 6), the history of sin in the world, how we are ambassadors for Jesus Christ and the power of prayer.
I found the lecture on the armour of God very insightful and learned many new things despite having known about Ephesians 6 for a long time. We learned a bit about Roman history and that helped to understand the importance of each piece of armour. The belt of truth is our identity in Christ; the truth from the Bible defines who we are. During Roman times the soldiers would each have their rank on their belt so everyone would know who you were by looking at your belt. The breastplate of righteousness guards our heart and emotions just as in real battle it would protect our torso. The sandals of the gospel of peace allow us to have a firm grip and to stand firm in our beliefs. The scriptures give us a foundation for what we know to be true. Just as during the Roman times the soldiers would attach nails to the bottom of their sandals to add extra grip during battle. The shield of faith enables us to take our position in God to fight for Him. As we get to know God better our faith increases and we are better equipped to defend and protect ourselves. The helmet of salvation protects our minds from the lies of the world and lets us take each thought captive in Christ. And finally, the sword of the Spirit is our only offensive weapon and truly fights the battle. It is key to warfare and is full of God's truths.
We also had the amazing opportunity to go into London and pray for the Parliament of England. Our speaker had connections with a current member of parliament, Fiona Bruce, who is a known Christian governmental leader. We attended a Bible study in the Westminster chapel with other members of parliament. We had the opportunity to talk with Fiona about her role in government and then pray for her and for England as a whole. Along with this came a very interesting tour of the Parliament buildings which was full of history and strong Christian foundations which are not necessarily present today. By the end of the day: Parliament, seeing Big Ben, the London Eye and taking the Underground I was extremely tired but it was worth it!
To finish off this rather long entry I will tell some wonderful news! Our DTS has decided on two outreach locations for April. One team is going to Tanzania and my team is going to go to SOUTH AFRICA! I'm really excited for this and can't wait for it to come. It's amazing how God worked through prayers and intercession to lead us to these destinations and how right they feel. God will work in great ways!
I found the lecture on the armour of God very insightful and learned many new things despite having known about Ephesians 6 for a long time. We learned a bit about Roman history and that helped to understand the importance of each piece of armour. The belt of truth is our identity in Christ; the truth from the Bible defines who we are. During Roman times the soldiers would each have their rank on their belt so everyone would know who you were by looking at your belt. The breastplate of righteousness guards our heart and emotions just as in real battle it would protect our torso. The sandals of the gospel of peace allow us to have a firm grip and to stand firm in our beliefs. The scriptures give us a foundation for what we know to be true. Just as during the Roman times the soldiers would attach nails to the bottom of their sandals to add extra grip during battle. The shield of faith enables us to take our position in God to fight for Him. As we get to know God better our faith increases and we are better equipped to defend and protect ourselves. The helmet of salvation protects our minds from the lies of the world and lets us take each thought captive in Christ. And finally, the sword of the Spirit is our only offensive weapon and truly fights the battle. It is key to warfare and is full of God's truths.
We also had the amazing opportunity to go into London and pray for the Parliament of England. Our speaker had connections with a current member of parliament, Fiona Bruce, who is a known Christian governmental leader. We attended a Bible study in the Westminster chapel with other members of parliament. We had the opportunity to talk with Fiona about her role in government and then pray for her and for England as a whole. Along with this came a very interesting tour of the Parliament buildings which was full of history and strong Christian foundations which are not necessarily present today. By the end of the day: Parliament, seeing Big Ben, the London Eye and taking the Underground I was extremely tired but it was worth it!
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| January DTS with Fiona Bruce |
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| Big Ben |
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| Thames River |
Monday, February 7, 2011
Freedom Week
The past week has been very good and also very challenging. Throughout the week we focused on our original designs and on our strongholds. Original designs being the unique creation of each person and how we are each created for specific things. The stronghold aspects of the teachings referred to the areas in our lives that keep us from fulfilling our original designs.
There was a lot of time spent in prayer, many encouraging conversations and a lot of time spent thinking through the lectures. Within the context of original design and strongholds we also touched on subjects such as the power and authority that has been given to us through Christ, how fear can hold us back in our relationship with God, how to respond to injustices that happen to us and others, the powerful effects words (both positive and negative) have on other people and how forgiveness is the foundation of God's kingdom and His very nature.
I've also been working on different assignments and work duties throughout the day. The weather has been fairly nice and sunny this week but with a lot of wind. A group of us from the DTS program took the train into St. Albans this past weekend and had a chance to check out the open market and a beautiful cathedral. It was great to see more of England and to hang out with everyone!
There was a lot of time spent in prayer, many encouraging conversations and a lot of time spent thinking through the lectures. Within the context of original design and strongholds we also touched on subjects such as the power and authority that has been given to us through Christ, how fear can hold us back in our relationship with God, how to respond to injustices that happen to us and others, the powerful effects words (both positive and negative) have on other people and how forgiveness is the foundation of God's kingdom and His very nature.
I've also been working on different assignments and work duties throughout the day. The weather has been fairly nice and sunny this week but with a lot of wind. A group of us from the DTS program took the train into St. Albans this past weekend and had a chance to check out the open market and a beautiful cathedral. It was great to see more of England and to hang out with everyone!
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