Week Ten -- Spiritual Leadership

Our speaker this past week was Dan Thoemke from Hillside Community Church, who taught on Spiritual Leadership. It was a really cool week, where we looked at the lives of Moses, King Saul, King David, and Jesus. We talked about what leadership looks like, what the struggles are, and how to be someone who leads while glorifying the Lord.

Dan Thoemke

One thing Dan asked us was who has had the greatest influence on our lives. We went around the room and shared who it was. Most people said their parents, a few said siblings, aunts, etc. But it was really sweet to see that the people who have the greatest influence are common people.

Leadership really isn't skill-based. It's about being faithful and consistent.

"In every age, there comes a time when a leader must come forward to meet the needs of the hour. Therefore, there is no potential leader, who does not have an opportunity to make a positive difference in society. Tragically, there are times when a leader does not arise to the hour."

~Winston Churchill

We were reminded that Biblical leadership is not limited to the Christian community. We have opportunities to lead all the time. It's just a matter of recognizing them.

"The enemies we do not destroy in our strongest moments, will be the same enemies that will destroy us in our weakest moment."

~Tommy Tenney

A huge focus of this school has been cutting stuff off at the root--dealing with our junk now so that we don't get down the road in ministry and 40 years from now realize we fell prey to the same thing that the enemy used against us in our youth. This place, the environment I'm in, is the perfect place to deal with that stuff. It's easy to deal with it here because people are wanting to help us be accountable. But in other places and most scenarios, you have to make yourself accountable to people. It's a lot harder when you're outside of a discipleship bubble. I encourage you to ask people to speak into your life more often. No, it's not very fun. :) But we should have relationships with people we respect and know have our best interest in mind, where we can receive the hard truth. I want to create a culture where I can receive correction and then bring it before God so He can really deal with my heart.

Another theme God really highlighted to me this week was literally loving your neighbor. What do we think Jesus actually meant when He said, "Love your neighbor"? I've grown up in a house where we honestly haven't done that effectively. We are cordial to neighbors and have light conversations, but now I want to be intentional about building relationships with them. Real relationships. This earth is as close to heaven as some people will ever get, and I don't want to take that lightly.

We had the opportunity to close our week of teaching with a Q&A time with a panel of really awesome men and women of God who are leaders in the area. We had a couple pastors, a detective/chaplain from the police department, and a man who just stepped down from an official "pastor position" to go into real estate. We asked them hard questions like, "What's something you wish you'd have known 25 years ago?" and "How do you deal with failure as a leader?" We finished out the week with really asking ourselves, "Am I okay not doing formal ministry?" We should be! I think the answer to this last question shows who we're actually doing ministry for.

The panel during class time

Saturday was our third and last of what we call, "Service Saturday." Service Saturday is simply a day where the students and staff at YWAM Denver disperse across the city to different organizations and just serve whatever needs they have. My small group along with two others went to do four hours of children's ministry with Burmese refugee kids. We taught about the fruits of the Spirit and how much God loves us. We also sang songs, played games like musical chairs, and decorated Christmas cookies. :)

The precious kids decorating cookies

This day reminded me of outreach in Costa Rica. It made me miss it!

Our fun group!

Two weeks to go! Please keep me in your prayers as I wrap up my school and have a few final projects to finish. Thank you!

~LC

Week Nine -- Comparative Religions

Brenda Lewis was our teacher this past week on "Comparative Religions." It was a lot of review for me because I took philosophy and worldview in high school, but it was a fantastic week nonetheless! Brenda is a YWAMer who lives in Colorado but spends several months in India each year, where she has safe houses for kids who are taken out of human trafficking. Her passion for India was absolutely contagious, and I think most of my school was ready to go with her by the end of the week! ;)

In this picture, we were listing off all kinds of adjectives and aspects of Jesus' character and nature. It didn't take long to fill the white board.

The focus of the week was the importance of knowing what we believe and why we believe it, while also learning what other people believe so we can understand where they are coming from and therefore reach them with the Gospel.

We spent a lot of time looking at and discussing pantheistic worldviews, such as Hinduism and Buddhism (which was born out of Hinduism).

What I think is so interesting in different worldviews, is at some point, they are all inconsistent with what they say they believe. For example, Buddhism says that people have no value. However, it also acknowledges suffering as a problem and wants to eliminate it, but why would that matter if we have no value? Also, I've heard people ask, "If God is real, then why do the innocent suffer?" But if there is no God, what makes them innocent, and who cares if they suffer? Christianity alone says that we are significant and have value!
The list of inconsistencies goes on and on...

The conclusion that we came to is that all people want to know two things:
1. Is God good?
2. Does He love me?

We went on to analyze monotheism, specifically Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.
It's interesting to see that other worldviews are also SO motivated by works. In others, you work to be accepted by God. But for Christians, we work for Him because we are accepted! It's out of love.

Some great points from the week are:
-We only believe that which motivates us to action.
-To know what someone believes, look at their life.
-Thoughts-->Choices-->Actions-->Habits-->Character-->Destiny
-Every emotion is the slave of what you think.
-Christianity is the only worldview that will satisfy the belief that we are significant and have value.
-Love is unconditional, but relationship is conditional because it is always reciprocated. 
-Law protects value! This is easy to see simply by asking people, "Why do we have laws?" They would say, "For safety." But to protect what? The answer is obviously people, because people have tremendous value.
-The first 4 commandments protect God's value (love God), and 5-10 protect our value (love others).

Wednesday evening was the start of our 4-day Thanksgiving break. Heather Miller, one of our school staff, invited a bunch of us girls over to her place for the holiday! She is wonderful, and we had a great time cooking all day and feasting later. :)

Heather is the angel in the middle :)

This weekend was also our final weekend to work on our Outreach Project. One of the requirements of this school is to set up a mock outreach, where you budget all your needs and get contacts overseas to set up ministry times for the standard two-month outreach off of a Discipleship Training School. The outreach I set up is to Hong Kong for the majority of the time, with the last two weeks spent in Newcastle, Australia. It was really cool to contact YWAM bases all over the world, ask about the ministries that go on there, and get more of an idea of what it looks like to plan/lead an outreach!

I have less than three weeks here in Denver until graduation day... It's been an incredibly enriching couple of months, and I'm excited for what the next few weeks have in store :) 

Thank you for all your prayers and love!

Week Eight -- Advanced Bible Study

Eric Barlow taught in my school this week on what is typically called, "Advanced Bible Study." He changed the title to "Bible-Centered Leadership" because of how vital it is to live this way as Christians. A Bible-Centered Leader refers to one whose leadership is informed by the Bible, who has been personally shaped by Biblical values, has grasped the intent of scriptural books and their content in such a way as to apply them to current situations, and who uses the Bible in ministry so as to impact followers.

A few key verses (there are a lot more) we looked at which emphasize the value of the Word are...

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."

~Isaiah 40:8~ it's a lasting source!

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

~2 Timothy 3:16-17~ the guarantee!

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."
~2 Timothy 2:15~ the proper response to the guarantee!

The only thing that will ALWAYS equip us in ministry is the Word of God. Why wouldn't we want to take advantage of that? There are people in other parts of the world who literally offer their right arm for a portion of the Bible. We have all the resources available to us to dig into the Word, yet we don't do it. Be encouraged to start; we are so blessed! :)

By the way, I highly recommend "Blue Letter Bible" for really studying Scripture verse by verse. I had never heard of it until a few weeks ago, and it has been an incredibly helpful tool!

The past week was a lot of hands-on class time: studying Scripture, reading commentaries, and figuring out what our Bible-reading game plan is. We created a 3 year and a 10 year plan to study books, themes, passages, etc. more in depth, choosing about 3 for each year.

I'm really thankful for the teaching we received because it is a huge foundation that we are completely lacking in the body of Christ. One of my prayers is for a fresh revelation of the value of the Word. I don't want to take it for granted!

Week Seven -- The Cost of Discipleship

I feel like I say this after every week of teaching, but this was literally the most impacting week of teaching I've ever had! Last week we had Dean Sherman, and this week we had his son, Troy. I have 43 pages of notes, which I wish I could somehow share with you. But I'll try to condense the main points. :)

Troy's teaching on "The Cost of Discipleship" was based out of 1 Corinthians 4.

He talked about how easy it is to "pick at rotten fruit." By this he means we generally choose to focus on sin instead of good things when we look at other people. But really, we need to get to the root of what's wrong or else we'll just strengthen the spirit of religion. And it's so easy to focus on the sin in other people's lives instead of calling out the good. What are we so focused on that makes us actually blind to the beautiful things? I want to be a person who calls out the good so much that when I tell someone I need to talk to them, their assumption is that I want to say something positive! When we condemn someone for their sin, what we do is encourage other people to "keep the mask on." I never want to be guilty of discouraging transparency. If I'm the one bringing the conviction, I'm failing that person. I have to let the Holy Spirit bring conviction or else the change won't last! Change through shame is never effective.

One main point of the week is that it's not a matter of if but when you'll be hurt by people in leadership. "The Christian army is the only army where the soldiers shoot each other." Jesus was killed by, not the pagans, but the religious!

Often the very things that you think might be disqualifying you from leadership might actually be the reason God's calling you to it. What you do doesn't define you, it's what you do with what you've done. Troy talked about how he's had moments where he fell on his face before the Lord and asked Him, "Why are you using me?" And He responded with, "Because of what you're doing right now." What you do with failure is everything!

There's nothing more unfair in life than leadership--look at Jesus! If there was anyone who earned a great, easy life, it would be Him! But instead He was brutally beaten and crucified for loving people and living a life of service. Suffering is always a part of leadership. The reality is we are called to a ministry of obedience, not success. If you're drawing value from your work, you'll compromise and burn out. If you need to see results, you're compromising. 

Work and serving should be the natural overflow of abiding in the Vine. He wants us to be obedient out of love. Servant-hood is not just "important" in leadership, it's everything!

Another point that hit me hard was that the higher you get in "position," the more you're going to have to seek out discipleship. If you get to the point where people stop approaching you, something is wrong. We should never be unapproachable. We have to choose to surround ourselves with people who will tell us the hard truth. Surrounding yourself with people who tell you what you want to hear instead of what you need to hear is evidence of pride.

I wish I could do this week's of teaching justice, but that will have to do. If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you personally. :)

Blessings!

LC

Week Six -- Effective Personal Ministry

This week we were blessed to have Dean Sherman teach us about Effective Personal Ministry. He taught during my DTS on Spiritual Warfare, and I remember more one-liners from his week of teaching than I do from any of the other weeks.  He has a way of saying things that sticks with you!

Class time

We asked ourselves, "Am I effective in personal ministry?" And, "What do I do personally that changes lives?" Dean addressed that the idea of being "called into ministry" is tradition--not Biblical truth. We are all called into ministry, in one way or another, which is exciting!

Something else he taught that made SO much sense was the difference between Greek and Hebrew thinking. I have often tried to determine the root cause of the "gap" in thinking between my generation and the generation before us. Obviously this gap can be more or less depending on where you grew up and what kind of environment you were raised in. However, Dean explained that my generation naturally leans Hebrew thinking, and the generation before us is made up of Greek thinkers.

Here's the differences between the two:

Greek                                                      ______          ______         _________Hebrew

Know/believe because your brain contains/agrees vs Know/believe by life experience

"Educated" means going to school vs Education is experiential

Categories vs Integration

"The Word" vs Experience

Understanding vs Practice

Being vs Doing

Older generations vs International Youth

Western vs Islam, Hindu, Buddhist, Animist

It's important to realize that one of these is not right or wrong. One is not better than the other. There must be both to effectively reach all people and spread the Gospel. We don't ever want to put the Word of God against Experiences with Him. But it is also incredibly helpful to understand that the reason why Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Animists are the most unreached by Christians is because we've been mostly Greek thinking. Whereas in these cultures, their religion determines their lifestyle.

A simple example that shows the difference in thinking between the two generations is whether hats should be allowed to be worn in church.  The older generation (Greek thinking--categories) says hats should not be worn in church because it calls for something different than the rest of the week. My generation (Hebrew thinking--integration) says, "I wear hats during the week, so why not Sundays?"

This made so much sense to me when Dean explained it. A way I've seen this played out today is I've heard many older people voice their disdain regarding people's experiences at places like Bethel Redding. But with my generation, that's what we need, simply because that's the way we learn! We need to have an experience that surpasses head knowledge to really "get it." I don't know where you are with your opinions about God showing up in supernatural ways or what you think about Bethel Redding and places like it. (And I'm not trying to change someone's opinion of it :)). With that being said, I have grown up in an incredible Godly home and gone to private Christian school and church all my life. I had a lot of head knowledge coming into DTS and loved God already. But I have to say, when I had an encounter with the Holy Spirit last fall and had gold dust on my hands, it ignited my faith in a way that being "educated" about it never would have. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, feel free to ask me about it :))

Some other points that Dean made were:

-There has never been a spiritual event or movement that hasn't been called demonic.

-Don't limit ministry to a position. And if you don't get the position you wanted, you might actually have more time for ministry.

-The better you get at what you do, the more choice necessary to depend on God.

-If we do things out of obligation in our own strength, we will burn out quickly. We must choose to depend on the Lord and work out of the joy He's given us to be our strength! (Nehemiah 8:10)

-Religion is doing it because we did it. It's okay to do things again. It's wrong to think we have to!

-One way we administer blessings to others is by receiving from them. (Philippians 4:17) It's a ministry to others to allow them to give to you.

-The world system is buying and selling. The kingdom is giving and receiving.

-Kingdom laws are just as reliable and true as gravity is.

-The Bible never says the evangelist is the only soul-winner. This idea has kept millions from being reached.

-There's ZERO possibility that God will not be with you when you fulfill the Great Commission.

-It's not "your" ministry. If it is "your" ministry, it's not ministry.

-If you don't know where to start in ministry, start by being a friend. Everyone needs one, and you can start right now.

-All character and behavior needs to be measured from Jesus Christ.

This was such a rich week. I recognize the depth of the content I learned and know it will take a while to truly process and put it into practice. But what a sweet time of gleaning from Dean Sherman. Thankful that this guy who is 70 years old, who has been in YWAM 46 years, and who speaks about 300 days out of the year, saw great value in investing in my school!

I'm officially halfway through this school, which is mind-blowing. I would appreciate prayer as we continue through the next six weeks and learn more about what being a leader in ministry really means.

Thankful for YOU and your prayers! :)

Week Five -- Acts One & StrengthsFinder

What a whirlwind of a week! We began with our Acts One Conference, where five YWAM bases came together for two full days of completely Spirit-led worship and teaching. It was a phenomenal time of simply seeking the Lord's face and whatever He wanted to do! Many people were set free from lies and chains the enemy bound them with for years, and people were healed of physical ailments as well. Jesus is so good!

The latter half of the week was focusing on us as individuals and our personalities. We took a DISC test (which you can take for free here), and we also took a test called StrengthsFinder 2.0. I absolutely love this kind of stuff. :) It's a huge passion of mine to teach people about their personalities and strengths so that we can better understand ourselves and others. I learned SO much about the gifts God has given me and what they look like in my life.

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me in prayer and finances. I'm so appreciative of all the people who have seen me as worth investing in! In this season, I would love prayer as I'm learning to rest in God and trust in Him even when I don't see the next step clearly. He's slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together, but I am comfortable knowing that He knows what's next. I'd rather follow His plan than my own!

Blessings,

xo LC

Week Four -- Biblical Ministry

Before I get into the teaching of this week, I want to talk about something YWAM Denver did last weekend. We had a 24 hour prayer room with live worship, which we called "Dwell." It was an amazing time spent with the Lord, where we got to soak in the Spirit-led worship led by different musicians part of YWAM Denver. Also last Friday night, two of my friends were healed! They received prayer because each of them had one leg shorter than the other, which was causing back pain, and the Lord grew their legs to the same length!!! Praise Jesus!

A collage of pictures my friend Sarah took from Dwell

So, I was especially excited for this week because our speaker was Donna MacGowan. Her husband Mark directed my Young People's Discipleship Training School last fall, and she is incredibly wise. So, I'm a huge fan. :) I love her practical teaching so much. I hope to apply everything she taught to my life!

The point of this week was to teach us how to do ministry well; how to minister to someone directly and by the Word of God. She shared life lessons and experiences that she learned the hard way, which I'm so thankful she was willing to share with us. How wonderful for my class to have the opportunity to glean from someone who has been in ministry for decades!

Here are some things I am taking away from this week :)

Tips in ministry:
   Listen more than you speak
   Open your heart to hurt with the person
   Voice your love for them
   Entreat the Lord together (pray)

"The process of change does not always look like progress." -Duffy Robbins
     This is important to remember, especially because the enemy so loves to attack us with discouragement and lies when we are in fact changing.

This is a really powerful video on how knowing Jesus reverses our thinking!
---> Reverse Thinking

Something Donna taught that relieved my heart a lot was that in ministry, it is not my job to:
-Heal the wound lightly     ~Jeremiah 6:14 & 8:6
-Set them free     ~John 8:32
-Convict of sin     ~John 16:8
-Judge (in a bad way)     ~Matt 7:1 & 7:16
      In judging a person, it is so important to NOT assume motives. "Just Ask" is something we say a lot at YWAM because so many conflicts can be resolved immediately by simply asking the person about it! If a person does or says something that offends you, the best way to deal with it is by the conflict resolution process set before us in Matthew 18:15-17. If we follow this simple process, most conflict will be resolved in that first step! :)

We looked a lot at the way Jesus did ministry because He is our ultimate model.
One thing we learned by doing this, is that it is vital to only do what the Father is doing. To be sensitive to what He is speaking to us. To not try to do things out of our own strength. I'm reading a book called Leadership Paradox, and I love this quote from it:

One principle alone guided Jesus' response to any situation: "The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases Him." By putting the Father's will above his own, Jesus dwelt in that serene place where ego, prestige, and position had no dominion (55).

"You cannot place the divine truths directly in someone else's heart. All that you can do is place them on the heart, so when the heart breaks, they will drop in." -Hasidic Proverb

In the same way that it's important for me to know what isn't my job, it is just as important to know what my job is:

-Know the Word     ~Hebrews 4:12 & 2 Timothy 3:16

-Lead the person back to God for counsel     ~John 14:16 & 26

-Help them in the job of sanctification     ~1 John 3:2-3

-Listen     ~Romans 10:8

-Invite them to see truth     ~John 8:31-32

-Pray for revelation     ~Ephesians 1:17-19

-Speak truth in love     ~Ephesians 4:15

-Ask God for wisdom     ~James 1:5

-Encourage     ~Hebrews 10:24

-Pray     ~James 5:16

In talking about God physically healing people, we don't want to miss emotional healing that needs to take place, too! We should be seeking the FACE of God more than the HAND of God.

There was much, much more that we learned on identifying problems often encountered in people's lives, and what the symptoms, origins, and solutions are. It was an incredible teaching, but too much to blog about! ;)

We finished the week with talking about boundaries in ministry. This teaching specifically was SO good to me because I've grown up in a ministry-oriented family and church. We identified that fear is actually what keeps us from setting boundaries. But we have to set them because it is what is most loving for us and the person we are ministering to.

Types of boundaries to set:

-Dependency boundaries--Be careful of needing to be needed and thinking that you're the only one who can help someone.

-Time boundaries--Don't tell people you're always available to them. That teaches them to depend on you instead of God. And, set a time boundary for how long you have a conversation.

-Place boundaries--Be wise! Think about the level of privacy, lighting, and the time of day.

-Topic Boundaries--Be wise about how much you share about your past/sin; our focus should be more on JESUS. Be willing to say something when the conversation becomes too intimate. Remember: intimacy is not always physical. It's okay to say, "I don't think I'm the person for you to be sharing this with."

A key to setting boundaries is setting them before you need them. :)

Thankful for a great week of learning about ministry and the opportunity to immediately put it to practice!

Week Three -- Peace Under Pressure

What a powerful week... I'll attempt to convey how impacting it was! ;)

Our topic of the week was "Identifying the Pitfalls of Leadership." The teacher was Doug Toller, who pastors a church in Winter Park, about two hours from our base in Arvada. He's an amazing man of God, who lives with incredible transparency and humility. Listening to his testimony and life experiences was really inspiring, and it has positively challenged me in so many ways.

One of the main purposes of this school is to train us to be leaders who LAST; to develop our character and help us learn how to avoid the pitfalls that so many people in ministry sadly fall into. I heard the statistic that only 30% of people in ministry make it through life without huge moral failure. And so many of those things could have been avoided by making simple changes early on. Most of the time, people fall away from the Lord because of pressures, not theological issues. So, the heart of this week was to identify the pitfalls of leadership and have peace under pressure.

The areas of pressure we covered were:
-Pressure of Confrontation
-Pressure of Personal Surrender
-Pressure of Compromise
-Pressure of Popularity
-Pressure of Liberalism
-Pressure of Being Misunderstood
-Pressure of Constant Resistance

There is good news! Romans 5 reveals that God has a purpose for us in times of pressure and that is the development of Christ-like character! :) Praise Jesus for that.

A couple things I'm taking away from this week are:
~My beliefs and convictions need to be based on Scripture alone, not feelings. This seems obvious enough, but life would be a lot different if Christians actually did this. There were several moments this week that Doug taught a truth that seemed uncomfortable, but every time someone would object, he'd say, "Well, that's not what I said. That's what the Bible says here."  It was great. It becomes easy to compromise truth when you get into the emotional realm.
~I need to embrace correction because it develops character. I think the church generally shies away from correcting people because we live in a society where people are SO easily offended. They view correction as rejection, instead of seeing it as a way to improve their character and become more Christ-like.
~I was also really challenged to start memorizing more Scripture. I was blessed to go to private Christian school my whole life, so I did this a lot out of necessity (for Bible class and memory verse quizzes). But I've been really excited to start doing this out of desire and a longing to fill my mind with truth. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says to "take every thought captive to obey Christ." This is because the enemy loves to feed us lies, so we have to be ready to capture those thoughts and refute them with truth from God's Word. Even when Christ was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit for 40 days, the devil used Scripture to test Him! It's easy to manipulate Scripture by taking it out of context. We as Christians should literally train for times like this, so that we know the context, and know what the Word really says in times of struggle and temptation.

I'm incredibly thankful for this week and all that I learned about avoiding pitfalls in ministry. I'll carry these lessons with me throughout my whole life!

Week Two -- Community

Wow, this past week was a full one!

We began our lectures with our teacher David Clark from YWAM Minneapolis. The topic he covered was Worldview, and his focus was on “the quest for community.” He covered a lot of church history, but his main point was that because God is a communion (the Trinity) and we are made in His image, we were designed to have community with other believers. And this is something that is really lacking in the church today, because we as a society lean toward individualism, rather than the happy medium between individualism and collectivism. The pendulum always swings from one extreme to the other! We talked about different things that have influenced our individualism, and what we can do as followers of Jesus to show people genuine community. I really believe that community is one of YWAM's not-so-secret successes, because people get here and feel like they were created for this kind of living; where people are real with each other and love each other where they're at. It's a beautiful thing.

David Clark teaching my class

Friday night I had the opportunity to go to Kingdom Night, which is a night of local outreach that YWAM Denver does weekly. I went two times during DTS, and they were really cool. But this time just took it to a whole other level. About 50 of us drove to downtown Denver, and we always start the night with some worship and prayer at a church.  From there we split up into smaller groups. My group had 6 people total, 3 of them I just met. The plan was to meet back at the church at 10 pm. So we headed down to 16th Street Mall, each team going to whatever spot God led them to. We started out playing some worship songs, which was good. But I think we were all kind of bummed that we weren't having some insane experience. Little did we know what was about to happen ;)

In about the middle of our time singing, a group of adults walks by us. The guy sitting next to me, Anthony, saw them and says to us, "I think I know that guy." But he's from Oregon and didn't think it could possibly be him. Well, at almost 10 o'clock right as we are about to get up to leave, the group walks right next to us, and sure enough, Anthony realizes it really is this guy he knows from Oregon! The guy finds out we are YWAMers and says, "YWAM and I go way back." I didn't know what he meant by that at the time. So all of this group leaves except one guy, by the name of Chris, who sits down and starts asking us all kinds of questions (with a lot of casual swearing). :)

"So, what are you guys doing here?"

"You just come out here to talk to people?"

"No, really, why are you here?"

"You have no agenda?"

He then found out we love Jesus, and you could feel some tension. But he was curious why Jesus would have anything to do with why we were there. So this girl Kimberly in my group starts sharing her testimony about how she shouldn't even be here since she tried to commit suicide earlier this year. Jesus totally saved her life, and the doctors told her that half the pills she took should have killed her. But Jesus saved her! And so she was led to YWAM, and she is just sold out for God and telling people about how they can have a relationship with Him.

Chris was visibly moved at the several testimonies shared by my group. And he said, "You guys know what. While she was speaking, I looked around this group, at each of you, and looked into your eyes. And you guys....you are real. You really believe it." Turns out he's the CEO of a brewery in Oregon, and he was so astounded that our faith was genuine! We didn't just come out there to bash people over the head with a Bible. We came out to give people some hope and just love on them in whatever way we could.

He thought it was the coolest thing that YWAM is all over the world and we just swarm the nations to serve people however we can. He just kept asking questions and kept reaching up to his head like he was mind blown. He said he felt like he was in a movie. Haha!

We talked to him for about half an hour, and then he said,

"Listen. You guys keep doing this. This makes a difference."

He gave each of us his card with his email address. So Chris leaves, and Anthony starts to tell us about how the guy he knew in the group, is actually a YWAM kid. They're families are really close. Apparently this guy's parents were some of the first YWAMers to go to China, but he has really fallen away from God. So that night he was reminded of YWAM and how God still loves him like crazy!

AWESOME.

So, we just happened to go to Kingdom Night.
Anthony almost didn't go because he had homework.
We could have chosen any spot along a long strip mall.
And these guys who are from Oregon just happened to be in Downtown Denver at the exact same time.
None of this was a coincidence.
Talk about a Divine Appointment.

Week One! Bonding.

Well, week one has just come to a close! :)

I flew out early Monday morning after a not-so-great three hours of sleep and was picked up at the airport by some staff here from YWAM Denver. That Monday was mostly registration, getting unpacked, and settling into our rooms. I have five fantastic roommates! We get along great and spend a lot of our free time together.

Between my lack of sleep and the change of elevation, I wasn’t feeling good at all that first night. I went to bed just thinking to myself, “Okay, why am I here?” The next morning I woke up feeling the same discouragement. But that day, God just affirmed that I AM supposed to be here, and He’s with me every step of the way. We have had beautiful worship times and teachings on fundraising, intercession, and the flow of worship.

My school started having sessions, and our director was able to share his heart for our class. My director is Mark Davies, and his wife Maritza is my small group leader.

This school is all about growing your character and becoming a leader in ministry who lasts. Mark said it breaks his heart to see people, who have been in ministry for years, end up succumbing to junk the enemy throws at them. He also shared a very sad, sobering statistic that only 30% of people in ministry make it through without a huge moral failure.

Mark talked about the importance of being able to learn from anyone. No matter who it is, you can learn from people. Ask good questions. Glean wisdom from the things people have gone through. He also joked about how our School of Ministry Development (SOMD/Phase Two) is also called the School of Mastering Death and Weeping. Haha!

We went over class homework and projects we will be doing, such as public speaking, creating a “Vision Project,” and organizing a mock outreach to another country.

I know that the next three months will be challenging, rewarding, and worth it!

I’m so thankful for your prayers. Keep em up! :)

Enjoyment or Idolatry?

It's been five months since I graduated from DTS, and I’m officially on the countdown until I go back for a secondary school. 74 Days!

I've had an amazing time being back in ministry with my family, doing worship at churches and going to do prison ministry together. Every time I can hardly contain all the joy!

Something I've noticed lately is the barometer, or the temperature gauge inside me, constantly monitoring my relationship with the Lord.

There have been some moments since I've been home where I felt like I’d been a little bit stagnant in my growth in God. I knew something needed to happen, and I knew it was something I needed to do.

Then I read this...

"When we don't care if an enjoyment is making us more holy, we are moving into idolatry." ~John Piper

Hmm. Okay, I'm guilty. ;)

When I read this quote, I thought, "Ouch." It felt like a slap in the face, but in a good sense in that it got me back to thinking about all the things I might enjoy but aren't necessarily good for me. I started thinking about movies, music, even food. How often do I do something without thinking, "Does this please God?" Without even pausing to question, “Is this pushing me TO or pulling me FROM God and His plans for my life?”

I know, there might be some people who are thinking, "Come on, isn't that a little legalistic?"

Well, from what I have seen, I think that the church has gone from such strict rules, to nearly the polar opposite of encouraging people to do whatever makes them happy because “God loves you where you're at.” Yes, rules and commands have their place, and yes, God does love us no matter what.

However…

I think some people have succumbed to the idea that they can "follow Jesus" without making changes in their life post-salvation. Many in our society are so easily offended that correcting certain behaviors or calling them on sin would be taken as a direct insult to who they believe they are. But as the Bible says, "You shall know them by their fruit.”

Fruit.

The best proof of Jesus being alive and real is Him being alive in and through us, right!? That can't help but result in a changed life. I don't know if it's possible to have a radical encounter with Jesus and not want to change some things in your life.

Will it be easy? No, probably not.

Will it be worth it? Absolutely.

I believe God wants us to daily assess our hearts, minds, motivations, and growth according to His Word; to live in a state of learning and becoming the most outstanding example of Himself that we can possibly become.

That John Piper quote has just stuck with me. I couldn't help but think about it for weeks afterwards. So naturally, I started to think about those things that aren't growing me in my relationship with God. I've stopped listening to secular music whenever I’m driving, which I was doing quite a bit. Since then, I can honestly tell a difference in my thoughts and attitude throughout the days. I've also changed the way I eat, even though I was already conscientious about putting healthy food in my body.

"If it stops you from getting closer to God, then it needs to go." ~Unknown

I can truthfully say that I feel like these changes have really grown me and helped me grow in my relationship with the Lord.

I encourage you to just think about what those things are in your life that you know aren't helping you. Pray, and I mean really ask God, about what needs to change. What I changed might not be what you need to, and I don't think I'm done making changes. But I can tell the Lord is drawing close to me as I choose to be closer to Him.

Yes, it is worth it.

He is worth it.

Moments Like These

A couple weeks ago, I heard the very sobering message that a man by the name of Kenny passed away due to a motorcycle accident. He was instantly gone, and his wife was left behind... nine months pregnant. My family didn't personally know Kenny or Paige, but many of our friends did. Needless to say, our hearts were broken for this family. Paige had their first baby, a little boy named Liam, just days after Kenny passed away.

It's been amazing to see the body of Christ come together to support Paige and her son by starting fundraisers and such to raise support for them.

Every little bit adds up, so if you can, please donate here: Pellanda-Nair Family Fund

It's also our responsibility as brothers and sisters in Christ to keep this family in our prayers.

Pray for peace, comfort, strength, and added faith.

Moments like these are hard to understand... They can stir up confusion, but they can also stir up faith if we press in more instead of wanting to crumble and give up.

I know that God will never leave nor forsake us. He promises us so.

I know that He is always good.

I know that His plans are better than ours.

And I believe that.

Fall Afresh

First, click this link, and watch the video.

Fall Afresh~Bethel Music ft. Jeremy Riddle

I don't know about you, but this song puts me at complete ease despite whatever is going on; it fills my heart with joy.
I love the fellowship this video displays. God is such a good God for giving us beautiful people to do life with. He created us with the intention of us being in relationship with Him and others so that we never have to feel alone. Isn't that so good?
My prayer today is that the Holy Spirit would fall afresh on each of us. That today wouldn't just be another day. That He would re-ignite incredible, fiery passion within us to know Him more and lead others to do the same. Time to show extraordinary love. Build new relationships. Talk to people. Share what Jesus is doing in your heart and the lessons you're learning.
You never know how much what you say impacts other people... It might even change their life.

Quiet Time Mix

Here's a mix I created for those soak session quiet times with Jesus.
Dive in.
Enjoy. :)


Quiet Time Mix--Grace is an ocean.

To be Childlike

Something God has been graciously reminding me of is the importance of being childlike in my walk with Him, my perfect Father.

"Therefore take no thought, saying, 'What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?' ...for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."

~Matthew 6:31-32

When I look at a healthy, Godly family, the best cared for in the household are the children. We know that kids have no worries, yet they are taken care of because their parents love and cherish them.

"Let the ways of childish confidence and freedom from care, which so please you and win your heart in your own little ones, teach you what should be your ways with God; and, leaving yourself in His hands, learn to be literally 'careful for nothing'; and you shall find it to be a fact that the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (as with a garrison) your heart and mind through Christ Jesus." ~Hannah Whitall Smith

Oh, what it would look like if a person fully lived a life of faith in childlike wonder of the Father... I believe this is key to living a life "free of want," as David writes in the beginning of Psalm 23. What does it look like to live a life free of want? It looks like us relying on the Lord to meet our every need and desire--all of it being fulfilled by Jesus.

That is a beautiful relationship.

~Consistency is Key~

Wouldn't it be so cool to have breakfast with Jesus in the flesh? Well, I think the next best thing is to have breakfast with Him knowing His presence is there with me. Just something I've been thinking about. :)

I've been home about 2 months now! The way time flies amazes me. It's definitely had its pros and cons, not going to lie, but it makes me so incredibly thankful for my family and all their love and support. I miss my YWAM family, the worship sessions, the cold Colorado weather, and just all the experiences. I think the hardest part has been staying disciplined and having quiet times every day. And, not beating myself up over the times that I don't have the 1-hour-soak-session-types that I like to envision every day. Something I've learned is that quiet times are great, but I can spend time with Jesus anywhere, doing anything. It doesn't just have to be sitting down reading my Bible, although that is great because we should desire to dig in to the Word. It can be while I'm driving to work, watching the sunset at the beach, or baking cookies. The most important thing is choosing to spend that time with Him; inviting Him to be there and being sensitive to what He's saying to you. Being consistent in spending time with Him on a regular basis is key, just as it is in any other relationship you have.

I'm loving being home and back in ministry with my family. We've done worship 4 weekends at different churches since I've been back. I really missed singing with my parents and watching my studly little brother, who's not so little anymore and almost 14 (what!?), rip on the bass. I'm so blessed by my family.

Also, I applied to the Phase II/School of Ministry Development at YWAM Denver this fall, and I got accepted! It's a three month school that ends just before Christmas, and I'm SOOO excited. :)
Thank you still for all your prayers!
~LC~

¡Pura Vida!

¡Pura Vida!

What a whirlwind these past couple weeks, and even months, have been. I apologize for not posting this earlier! I wish I could have posted more during my outreach in Costa Rica, but our time was extremely busy with ministry and internet was limited. So, I'll give you a large update on all that we did during our time there! :)

As you from the last update, we started by working with Homes of Hope. The three families we built homes for were so extremely blessed and thankful for all that we did for them. Those weeks were filled with a lot of manual labor. We were doing things like leveling ground, digging holes, carrying buckets of dirt up hills, bringing cinder blocks down to the sites, and more. It was hard work, but it was SO rewarding. God worked on our hearts and blessed us through blessing others.

My team plus a few friends, with one

of the families in front of their home

Another picture of me and a little boy who stole my heart.

Isn't he precious? He lived nearby and would always come to be with us.

We also worked with Freedom Streets, the ministry working to help get prostitutes off the streets by giving them jobs in jewelry making. 

Here's a picture from one of our days with those ladies

And another one with more of my team playing with kids

We also went to La Cumbre Christian Adventure Camp. There we built friendships with the kids who came for an "open camp" week, did skits for them, and worked all around the camp. The last night of the open camp, we had a bonfire and were able to go around and pray for all the kids. That was such a special time.

During our time there, I received a phone call that my great grandma, Eva Lathen, passed away. It was hard to be away and miss her memorial service, but I was blessed to know her and am so thankful for the Godly life she lived. My team was so supportive, and I really appreciate how wonderful they were.

Two of the girls who came to La Cumbre,

with my friend Haylee and me

After La Cumbre, we left to be part of something called the Bible project. The goal of the Bible Project is to get the same version of the Bible into every home in Costa Rica in ten years. We went to a beautiful town called Orosi for door-to-door evangelism and Bible distribution. This was a type of ministry that I realized I really love. The people were SO friendly and welcoming to us. They were completely receptive and would often invite us into their homes and share with us about the things they needed prayer for. Overall, we distributed 360 Bibles! It was an amazing time. :)

 Dios Habla Hoy (God speaks today) is the version of the Bible we distributed

My distribution team and translator with one of the

ladies who invited us into her home. She was a sweetheart!

After this, we did something called NIKO. NIKO is a YWAM program that is a five-day, wilderness survival training. Part of NIKO is not knowing what's going to happen, so we aren't supposed to talk about it too much. But what I can say is that it was a really difficult, yet amazing time with God. We had no choice but to rely on Him, and it was SO good. It was a stretching time, but I know that my whole team would agree that it was worth it in the end. :)

We also went to a little beach town called Jaco. During the day, Jaco was absolutely beautiful. The main street has a lot of touristy shops and restaurants, and it's right next to the beach. When the sun would set, you could feel the spiritual atmosphere shift. Jaco is known for it's sex tourism, so human trafficking and prostitution is a huge industry there. While we were there, we did a lot of kids ministry. There were many Nicaraguan squatter families who had been there ten years or so, living in tiny houses made out of sheet metal. We would go into this big field surrounded with trees, and kids, anywhere from infants to about 14 years old, would come to be with us. We told them Bible stories, played games, and one day we washed their feet like Jesus did with the disciples. You could see they were embarassed, but it was so cool to do that service for them.

Our last week of ministry was spent with Freedom Streets again. We helped put together the sets of jewelry and get them ready to sell. We also did a night of prayer on the streets. We took a van to downtown San Jose, where we spent our time in a park. There were girls selling themselves on the corners, and we were right next to them singing and praying. Teresa and Ruth, the girls heading up that ministry night, went to talk to the ladies and continue building their friendships with them and witness to them about Jesus. As we were praying, we could feel the spiritual darkness being pushed back. It has no place in the presence of God!

Most of the girls from my team with Teresa and Ruth,

who taught us about the trafficking in Costa Rica

All in all, outreach was a life-changing experience. God taught me a lot about doing EVERYTHING as unto Him. Whatever it is that I am doing can be done as unto the Lord, which is a life-changing perspective to keep.

I want to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who supported me, financially and in prayer. THANK YOU for being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and helping send me to Costa Rica and to the entire Discipleship Training School. There are no words to describe how much it changed my life.

I'm keeping all of you in my prayers and praying for revival in your families.

God bless you!!!

~LC~