Monday, August 17, 2009
The wedding ring:
The wedding ring is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual gift it signifies to all that this man and this woman join together in holy matrimony through the church of our lord Jesus Christ.
God is so incredibly awesome!
I also saw God’s Providence during the time I was trying to come up with my speech:
Chad told me about the speech Wednesday and I was busy with other stuff all day Thursday, all day Friday, (except for random 15 min breaks where I worked on the speech). So I basically had Saturday to do it and it was completely stressing me out! You can ask Jordan. He asked me Friday night how my speech was going (at the time I had just a bunch of random notes everywhere) and so it wasn’t doing so great. He told me that he would pray for me. But Saturday I literally worked on it all day! I was so discouraged the first one or two hours because I couldn’t seem to get all my thoughts together and that’s when I realized I needed to pray about it! I realized that I needed to give the whole thing up to God and let him control the whole situation! I prayed that God would give me the words to speak and that people would realize that its not me but God working through me to encourage the church. I wanted my speech to be completely focused on God and for everyone to look past me and see him in it! I also prayed that he would pull my thoughts together and give me the right words to say! And that’s exactly what God did! God also sent Chad to me Saturday to give me websites to look up extra material on. I emailed my speech to Chad and this is what he wrote back, “While I think it would be very difficult to explain all of that in 5 minutes, the material is FANTASTIC!! Shorten it up a bit, and that will really be a God-centered blessing of a testimony of God's greatness!” In the end I had too much material instead of too little! God is Incredible! Also, since I worked on my speech all day and stayed up late practicing it; I was exhausted the next morning! I barely could keep my eyes open! I was also loosing my voice from reciting it too much the day before! “This could not be good” was the first thing that came to my mind. But God strengthened me and an hour or so before my speech I didn’t feel tired anymore! Also, my voice had gone back to normal! Praise be to God! Then for the actual speech! Before the speech I was literally freaking out! Chad prayed for the four of us during greeting time which really encouraged me and then during one of the songs Rachel R came over and prayed with Rachel y and I and that was a big blessing! As Grant was up there (he was right before me) I started praying. I prayed that God would give me peace and that he would use me and again that this would be a God-centered speech completely focused on Him! And as I went up I felt this peace suddenly sweep over me! It was an Indescribable feeling and I knew that God was working through this whole situation! I even presented the speech like a professional speaker which amazed me! I had people coming up to me complementing me on the whole speech and how it really encouraged and touched them and also how I presented the speech and how it was perfect and I was able to share with them the amazingness of God through the whole situation! It was an awesome experience!
Chad told me about the speech Wednesday and I was busy with other stuff all day Thursday, all day Friday, (except for random 15 min breaks where I worked on the speech). So I basically had Saturday to do it and it was completely stressing me out! You can ask Jordan. He asked me Friday night how my speech was going (at the time I had just a bunch of random notes everywhere) and so it wasn’t doing so great. He told me that he would pray for me. But Saturday I literally worked on it all day! I was so discouraged the first one or two hours because I couldn’t seem to get all my thoughts together and that’s when I realized I needed to pray about it! I realized that I needed to give the whole thing up to God and let him control the whole situation! I prayed that God would give me the words to speak and that people would realize that its not me but God working through me to encourage the church. I wanted my speech to be completely focused on God and for everyone to look past me and see him in it! I also prayed that he would pull my thoughts together and give me the right words to say! And that’s exactly what God did! God also sent Chad to me Saturday to give me websites to look up extra material on. I emailed my speech to Chad and this is what he wrote back, “While I think it would be very difficult to explain all of that in 5 minutes, the material is FANTASTIC!! Shorten it up a bit, and that will really be a God-centered blessing of a testimony of God's greatness!” In the end I had too much material instead of too little! God is Incredible! Also, since I worked on my speech all day and stayed up late practicing it; I was exhausted the next morning! I barely could keep my eyes open! I was also loosing my voice from reciting it too much the day before! “This could not be good” was the first thing that came to my mind. But God strengthened me and an hour or so before my speech I didn’t feel tired anymore! Also, my voice had gone back to normal! Praise be to God! Then for the actual speech! Before the speech I was literally freaking out! Chad prayed for the four of us during greeting time which really encouraged me and then during one of the songs Rachel R came over and prayed with Rachel y and I and that was a big blessing! As Grant was up there (he was right before me) I started praying. I prayed that God would give me peace and that he would use me and again that this would be a God-centered speech completely focused on Him! And as I went up I felt this peace suddenly sweep over me! It was an Indescribable feeling and I knew that God was working through this whole situation! I even presented the speech like a professional speaker which amazed me! I had people coming up to me complementing me on the whole speech and how it really encouraged and touched them and also how I presented the speech and how it was perfect and I was able to share with them the amazingness of God through the whole situation! It was an awesome experience!
God's Providence
hey so alot of you know that i made a speech (or in other words gave my tesimony of what i saw God do while i was at student life) but here is my essay that i took notes off of and spoke on:
God’s providence: through teaching, his people, worship, and his timing.
God’s providence meaning: the wisdom, care, and guidance provided by God.
Whenever we first found out that Pastor Matthew was resigning we were pretty upset! We were especially upset that we wouldn’t be there for one last sermon under our beloved teacher! I kept on asking “Why?! Why did God send us all the way out here far from home during this time!” But during the week I saw God miraculously work through the hearts of our youth group! We heard Ben Stuart talk about how everything happens for a purpose and it made me realize that God had planned this whole situation out before time began and that he had us there for a reason!
James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
-Teaching: When Ben Stuart talked about how God saw to it that a king would rise up from Jesse, and how he didn’t just appoint a random king, but that he ordained it before time, it made me realize that God will do the same for us! God has our every situation in his hand and he will rise up a leader for his people, he will not abandon us during this time! Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” This verse was such comfort to me during this time! It reminds us that we can come to our Abba Father and lay our burdens at his feet which is such an amazing relief!
-His people: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” During the week at student life that verse became real! I saw God work through our youth and minister and speak through them to comfort and encourage each other! I also saw God work through our youth group and bring us together! People who wouldn’t usually talk or hang out with each other began to!
-Worship: The song “Reign in us” by starfield was a perfect prayer that seemed as if it was written for us! “You thought of us before the world began to breathe and you knew our names before we came to be. You saw the very day we'd fall away from you and how desperately we need to be redeemed! Lord Jesus come lead us, we're desperate for your touch! Oh Great and Mighty One, with one desire we come, that you would reign, that you would reign in us! We're offering up our lives, a living sacrifice; that you would reign, that you would reign in us!” Also, the song “healer” by Kari Jobe was a perfect reminder of how we need to rest in God and lay our burdens at his feet. “I believe that You're my healer! I believe that You are all I need! I believe that You're my portion! I believe that You're more than enough for me; Jesus, You're all I need!”
-His timing: Matthew 6:25 & 33 says, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” God’s timing is perfect so we shouldn’t worry about what will happen to us when this or that happens! God has everything that we need and he will provide for us! John piper says, “To seek the kingship of God first in every affair and every moment of life is a thrilling way to live. It's full of freedom and peace and joy and adventure—and hardship; and it's worth it all. If you believe in the kingship of your heavenly Father, you do not need to be anxious about anything. If we are anxious about our life then it shows that we are really very much like the world in what makes us happy. And that ought not to be. It's such a foolish thing to insist on carrying anxious burdens which God has promised to carry for us when we put his kingly honor first in everything we do.”
God’s providence: through teaching, his people, worship, and his timing.
God’s providence meaning: the wisdom, care, and guidance provided by God.
Whenever we first found out that Pastor Matthew was resigning we were pretty upset! We were especially upset that we wouldn’t be there for one last sermon under our beloved teacher! I kept on asking “Why?! Why did God send us all the way out here far from home during this time!” But during the week I saw God miraculously work through the hearts of our youth group! We heard Ben Stuart talk about how everything happens for a purpose and it made me realize that God had planned this whole situation out before time began and that he had us there for a reason!
James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
-Teaching: When Ben Stuart talked about how God saw to it that a king would rise up from Jesse, and how he didn’t just appoint a random king, but that he ordained it before time, it made me realize that God will do the same for us! God has our every situation in his hand and he will rise up a leader for his people, he will not abandon us during this time! Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” This verse was such comfort to me during this time! It reminds us that we can come to our Abba Father and lay our burdens at his feet which is such an amazing relief!
-His people: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” During the week at student life that verse became real! I saw God work through our youth and minister and speak through them to comfort and encourage each other! I also saw God work through our youth group and bring us together! People who wouldn’t usually talk or hang out with each other began to!
-Worship: The song “Reign in us” by starfield was a perfect prayer that seemed as if it was written for us! “You thought of us before the world began to breathe and you knew our names before we came to be. You saw the very day we'd fall away from you and how desperately we need to be redeemed! Lord Jesus come lead us, we're desperate for your touch! Oh Great and Mighty One, with one desire we come, that you would reign, that you would reign in us! We're offering up our lives, a living sacrifice; that you would reign, that you would reign in us!” Also, the song “healer” by Kari Jobe was a perfect reminder of how we need to rest in God and lay our burdens at his feet. “I believe that You're my healer! I believe that You are all I need! I believe that You're my portion! I believe that You're more than enough for me; Jesus, You're all I need!”
-His timing: Matthew 6:25 & 33 says, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” God’s timing is perfect so we shouldn’t worry about what will happen to us when this or that happens! God has everything that we need and he will provide for us! John piper says, “To seek the kingship of God first in every affair and every moment of life is a thrilling way to live. It's full of freedom and peace and joy and adventure—and hardship; and it's worth it all. If you believe in the kingship of your heavenly Father, you do not need to be anxious about anything. If we are anxious about our life then it shows that we are really very much like the world in what makes us happy. And that ought not to be. It's such a foolish thing to insist on carrying anxious burdens which God has promised to carry for us when we put his kingly honor first in everything we do.”
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