Masks. Almost all of us have them. They hide our insecurities, they show others what we want them to see, and they allow us to be who we want to be, but they keep us from the very things we want most: To be known, and loved. What will it take for our maks to disappear?
After reading TrueFaced, our class is taking this week to learn the answer to this question. I typically don't take time to think deeply about what I read... this book was different. I saw myself in the examples described. I saw truths that, if I could apply to my life, would change the way I see others and provide freedom I have seldomly, if ever, experienced.
TrueFaced is about just that: being true faced; being yourself. The more I digested this book, the more I realized how many masks I have picked up. I want to look good and be accepted by others. I strive to do what's right in order to please God. I've decided that if I am to do well in this world, I'll just have to cover up my problems. I live as if I can fix myself... after all, I can do it on my own. This is okay, right? After all, shouldn't I be trying to please God?
While I should desire to honor God, what is the motive behind this desire? Too often it is, "So He will be happy with me." This view of God not only hurts my relationship with Him, but the way others relate to me. They begin to feel like they have to perform in order to please God and be loved by others.
Eph. 2:8-9 states, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from ourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast." This same grace I received at salvation is the grace God offers now. And it is the only way I can truly overcome my sin patterns.
I have to realize that no matter how much I mess up, God is pleased with me. I don't have to perform for Him, because He has already accepted me for who I am... a saint. As soon as I believe His definition of me, I am issued into incredible grace and freedom, and begin to live this truth with the people around me. Only God's grace and strength will overcome my sin and allow others to know me.
This week, I hope our class realizes who God says we are. When we do, the masks we have created before God and one another will begin to drop. We will accept each other dispite sin, frustrations, and awkwardness; and we will realize that it is when we allow others to see us, that we can be truly loved.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
First Semester
As I prepare to leave for Thanksgiving break, I am surprised at how fast the first semester has flown by. With only two weeks left, I have begun to ask myself: Am I accomplishing what I set out to do? The answer is both yes, and no.
When I arrived at Impact 360, my number one goal was to find out what form of missions God is calling me to. I would learn to hear God's voice, and then He would tell me where my future is going. During my time here, however, I have realized that while seeking God's will is good, often it is revealed step by step. I can use this year to learn academically, develop deep relationships with my fellow students, and spend time seeking God, or I can focus all my energy on hearing God's voice, and get frustrated when I don't.
As our group leaves for Brazil, my focus must be in the right place. If I spend the whole month only trying to discern God's call for me in missions, I will miss out on incredible opportunities to reach out to the Brazilian people, and to develop deeper relationships with my own team members. God is focused on accomplishing His purposes, not my desires, and I should be willing to jump on board. Our team will emerge from this experience with a much deeper understanding of the world around us, as well as lessons we will remember for a lifetime.
God has already used Impact to develop my experience in relating to and getting to know other people. He has also broadened my knowledge of the Bible, different worldviews, poverty, economics, and so much more. This semester has opened my eyes in many areas, and in that, I am accomplishing just what I planned... but more importantly, what He planned.
When I arrived at Impact 360, my number one goal was to find out what form of missions God is calling me to. I would learn to hear God's voice, and then He would tell me where my future is going. During my time here, however, I have realized that while seeking God's will is good, often it is revealed step by step. I can use this year to learn academically, develop deep relationships with my fellow students, and spend time seeking God, or I can focus all my energy on hearing God's voice, and get frustrated when I don't.
As our group leaves for Brazil, my focus must be in the right place. If I spend the whole month only trying to discern God's call for me in missions, I will miss out on incredible opportunities to reach out to the Brazilian people, and to develop deeper relationships with my own team members. God is focused on accomplishing His purposes, not my desires, and I should be willing to jump on board. Our team will emerge from this experience with a much deeper understanding of the world around us, as well as lessons we will remember for a lifetime.
God has already used Impact to develop my experience in relating to and getting to know other people. He has also broadened my knowledge of the Bible, different worldviews, poverty, economics, and so much more. This semester has opened my eyes in many areas, and in that, I am accomplishing just what I planned... but more importantly, what He planned.
Monday, November 15, 2010
The New Testament... Not Simply Head Knowledge
I was asked to write the blog for Impact 360 this week, and decided to use it here as well. Hopefully it will give you an idea of the classes we have been taking, and the depth to which God is taking us.
This week, I learned so much. When we began studying the New Testament, I had no idea we would end up drawing circular designs, listening to music, and spending time at Callaway Gardens, but through this time, I realized the New Testament isn't just about head knowledge.
While explaining the history of the gospels, Pastor Greg Brown revealed how these books are each unique because of the differences in character of their authors. God worked through these individuals to accomplish His plan. And in this purpose, God's quest for man, He seeks intimacy with His creation. Much of this week was spent studying emotional intimacy with God, as developed in the Kingdom Triangle, by J.P. Moreland. Often, we attempt to cut out our emotions in fear that they will rule us. As a result, we are unable to use them for good. However, it is only when we don't control emotions that they go wrong. In keeping with this idea, we practiced expressing our emotions on paper by creating mandalas. By the end of the week, class was filled with incredible drawings.
On Wednesday, the group took a trip to Callaway Gardens to spend half an hour alone with God. We had been given a series of pictures of Jesus crucifixion to meditate on, and many of us used both our mind and emotions in writing poems about what we saw. It was good to spend time meditating on what God has done for us, and some of the students returned later that evening for a longer stretch of time.
This week was refreshing. Not only because we were back on campus, but because we learned how to incorporate our emotions into what we do. I hope we, as students, can take this knowledge, and use it during both our individual and corporate devotions. God calls us to love Him with everything we have... and that includes our hearts.
This week, I learned so much. When we began studying the New Testament, I had no idea we would end up drawing circular designs, listening to music, and spending time at Callaway Gardens, but through this time, I realized the New Testament isn't just about head knowledge.
While explaining the history of the gospels, Pastor Greg Brown revealed how these books are each unique because of the differences in character of their authors. God worked through these individuals to accomplish His plan. And in this purpose, God's quest for man, He seeks intimacy with His creation. Much of this week was spent studying emotional intimacy with God, as developed in the Kingdom Triangle, by J.P. Moreland. Often, we attempt to cut out our emotions in fear that they will rule us. As a result, we are unable to use them for good. However, it is only when we don't control emotions that they go wrong. In keeping with this idea, we practiced expressing our emotions on paper by creating mandalas. By the end of the week, class was filled with incredible drawings.
On Wednesday, the group took a trip to Callaway Gardens to spend half an hour alone with God. We had been given a series of pictures of Jesus crucifixion to meditate on, and many of us used both our mind and emotions in writing poems about what we saw. It was good to spend time meditating on what God has done for us, and some of the students returned later that evening for a longer stretch of time.
This week was refreshing. Not only because we were back on campus, but because we learned how to incorporate our emotions into what we do. I hope we, as students, can take this knowledge, and use it during both our individual and corporate devotions. God calls us to love Him with everything we have... and that includes our hearts.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Overload
How do I begin? The past few weeks have been full to overflowing with classes, ministries, and hands-on learning opportunities. First, our group ministered to individuals living in an apartment complex in Atlanta. We spent the night in a host church before putting on a block party for the whole neighborhood. We offered face painting, snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn, music, bracelet making, and free lunch. In addition, we told bible stories, and I as well as a couple other students had the opportunity to share our testimonies.
Another weekend we worked with "City of Refuge", a homeless shelter in Atlanta. We prepared for their upcoming fall festival, handing out fliers in the neighborhood and setting up the room. We also helped fix up a house, and spent time with the people there.
This past week, our group traveled to SIFAT (Servants In Faith And Technology). We were taken to an area filled with reproductions of houses from countries like Nigeria, Nepal, Bolivia, and the Philippines. Taking only our sleeping bags, we stayed in these "countries" for the night, cooking our beans and rice over a fire. The next day we learned about basic technologies that are transforming third world countries, such as bio-sand filters and fuel-efficient cook stoves.
One unforgettable memory from SIFAT was our "Slums Experience". Around 8:00 the second night, we were divided into families, given roles to play, and led into a reproduction of a slum. As missionaries, my family's role was to find food, water, and shelter while helping others as much as possible. We were offered many opportunities to make money, including selling drugs[don't worry, they were fake ;) ], prostitution [and once again, don't worry, this would have been fake :P ], and stealing, however, as missionaries, my family tended fires for many of the locals... an easy job, but many never paid us for our work. We finally earned enough money to buy a house and, through a dishonest business dealing, lost not only our shelter, but our money. Discouragingly, our attention was shifted to finding food. We were given a bowl of soup by a kind family, and finally began to focus on helping others.
Towards the end of the night, I was standing in line to buy soup, when the individuals in front of me began to share Christ with the store owner. I joined them, and the woman called for the police. The three of us spent the rest of our time in jail, where at least we had a roof over our head.
While this wasn't a real slum, we experienced many of the same emotions of rejection, anxiety, and hopelessness as people who live there daily. Through this trip, we gained a deeper understanding of life in third-world countries, and learned about appropriate technology that can change lives.
Needless to say, my head is swimming. In between these adventures, we have taken classes, read books, and written papers, and although it has been tough, I have learned so much. God is showing me more about Himself, myself, and the people around me, and I know I will be able to use these experiences for many years to come... not only to help others live daily, but to give them eternal life.
Another weekend we worked with "City of Refuge", a homeless shelter in Atlanta. We prepared for their upcoming fall festival, handing out fliers in the neighborhood and setting up the room. We also helped fix up a house, and spent time with the people there.
This past week, our group traveled to SIFAT (Servants In Faith And Technology). We were taken to an area filled with reproductions of houses from countries like Nigeria, Nepal, Bolivia, and the Philippines. Taking only our sleeping bags, we stayed in these "countries" for the night, cooking our beans and rice over a fire. The next day we learned about basic technologies that are transforming third world countries, such as bio-sand filters and fuel-efficient cook stoves.
One unforgettable memory from SIFAT was our "Slums Experience". Around 8:00 the second night, we were divided into families, given roles to play, and led into a reproduction of a slum. As missionaries, my family's role was to find food, water, and shelter while helping others as much as possible. We were offered many opportunities to make money, including selling drugs[don't worry, they were fake ;) ], prostitution [and once again, don't worry, this would have been fake :P ], and stealing, however, as missionaries, my family tended fires for many of the locals... an easy job, but many never paid us for our work. We finally earned enough money to buy a house and, through a dishonest business dealing, lost not only our shelter, but our money. Discouragingly, our attention was shifted to finding food. We were given a bowl of soup by a kind family, and finally began to focus on helping others.
Towards the end of the night, I was standing in line to buy soup, when the individuals in front of me began to share Christ with the store owner. I joined them, and the woman called for the police. The three of us spent the rest of our time in jail, where at least we had a roof over our head.
While this wasn't a real slum, we experienced many of the same emotions of rejection, anxiety, and hopelessness as people who live there daily. Through this trip, we gained a deeper understanding of life in third-world countries, and learned about appropriate technology that can change lives.
Needless to say, my head is swimming. In between these adventures, we have taken classes, read books, and written papers, and although it has been tough, I have learned so much. God is showing me more about Himself, myself, and the people around me, and I know I will be able to use these experiences for many years to come... not only to help others live daily, but to give them eternal life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)