Reflection Of Retreat

Finding our identity in our culture today is difficult unless one is truly searching for truth and is being drawn to Jesus by God Himself. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him (English Standard Version, John 6.44). The enemy is always attempting to undermine God’s work here in the world, however, God is still in ultimate control. This does not stop satan and his angels from blinding the minds of unbelievers of the truth of the gospel. If someone wants to find out the reason for their life, they have to go to the one who wrote the book on our life; Jesus. I was brought up in a denomination called the Church of Christ. At this denomination, there were godly people attending, just not as many as one would expect. They taught by strictly reading of scripture line by line rather than teaching the hermeneutics of the scriptures that the pastor chose

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." When we have this kind of responsibility in the congregation, it makes a domain where we are all in this walk of life together. We appreciate great circumstances together and express gratitude toward God, yet we likewise stay with each other amid troublesome circumstances. Truth be told, if there are never troublesome circumstances, we would never reach the point of knowing whether we are submitted or not. " The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Dr. Martin Luther King

When I arrived, I was a little surprised at the demographics of the two hundred people that were in attendance. I had previously attended a Celebrate Recovery meeting a few years prior and the only demography I encountered were those who seemed like they “needed to be there.” However, I was pleasantly surprised to meet the individuals at this meeting as the people seemed like average everyday people. I felt like I belonged, and as though my struggles matter because all those in attendance were seeking after that new life, set free in Christ. There were people from all over, all different struggles and situations that it made the

In the Christian community, every single person plays an important role in making the community as safe and caring as possible. One of the most vital beliefs of a Christian is that we are all equal, so we when we are called to serve and help each other, we should obey. This call, although we may hear it at different times and see it in different ways, the call comes to everyone. We may have different understanding of the call, or we may even conflicting ideas of how to answer this call, but in the end, every single idea is important.

In recent years, God has become a very important part of my life. I am determined to learn more about God and look forward to seeing what he has in store for me and my family. At one time God was not a big part of my life, I did not attend church regularly or feel close to him. I have always believed in God and Jesus Christ as our savior, but did not actively seek a closer relationship with him. I feel that much of that changed when I accepted my current job in a church based preschool program. After taking the position in the preschool, I was then offered a position in the church’s nursery on Sunday mornings. I accepted this position also and my son and I started attending Church every Sunday. In the time since, my husband, myself, and our children have all joined the Church, been baptized, and become very active in our Church. I feel that this was God’s plan for us all along. I feel that God guides our decisions each and everyday, and I now use prayer to seek his guidance for our lives.

Our relationships with other people give a strong sense of what our relationship with God is like. How we interact with people on a daily basis and the relationships that we build goes a long way in showing just how we feel about them. In Romans 1:10 we see that Paul wanted desperately to come to Rome to teach, to interact, to fellowship, and build relationships with the Christians that were there. Just as God wants a personal relationship with His creation we all feel a deep need for relationships with each other. It was not meant for man to go through life on his own without being able to interact with each other. We see the genuine love that Paul displayed toward the people and churches throughout his epistles and it should make us want to have an even stronger relationship with our Creator.

By acknowledging each individual’s status as a child of God, the damning effects of fear, deception, and hatred can be eradicated by the powerful love of Christ. For Thurman, the true spirit of Christian relationships rests in the ability to love one’s enemies. Although this specific teaching is not new or unique, its application to Christian relationships (especially between the “disinherited” and the “privileged”) is extremely pertinent. Enmity between two individuals or two groups of individuals causes a physical and spiritual disunion that obstructs the individual’s ability to experience the power of Christ. Therefore, I must resolve to always demonstrate an attitude of love toward my enemies in order to preserve the unity that is so vital to genuine spiritual experience. Ultimately, I found Howard Thurman’s theory on the “disinherited” to be both logically valid and extremely thought provoking. In truth, I experienced a deeper engagement with Thurman’s ideas than any other spiritual practitioner that I have explored thus far this semester. This study has caused me to reflect on my own status as a “privileged” individual, realize my need to identify with the “disinherited,” and remember to demonstrate love to my

For this assignment, we had to attend a meeting of a spiritual tradition that is not our own. As this assignment's due date approached, I became very anxious! I didn’t quite know where I wanted to go. In my sewing class one day my friend, Kelly Jorgensen, had asked if I had finished the assignment. I had not. “Me and Karlie Mortensen are going to the Baptist church over by Riverton Hospital this Sunday at 6:00 PM if you want to join us” she offered. I found this rather funny. The day before, as I was driving home from work, the Harvest Valley Baptist Church sign had caught my eye. I thought to myself that I should

Sitting on that front row one Sunday morning several years ago, I heard one of those sermons. The topic was relationships, and how God places people in our lives for specific reasons. Though simple in context, it was a message overflowing with applicable truth that gave me new perspective from that point forward. As I have examined my life since then, I often think about that sermon. Not only has that message been extremely relative to me, but I’ve also come learn that most often times we don’t realize or understand the reasons why our lives intertwine with certain people until well after they’ve come and gone. Now, as I walk down memory lane and reminisce over various time periods throughout my short 35 years, I recall many people who have drifted in and out. Most often, the reasons have been in related to age, relationships, new interests and hobbies, or just life in general, and for the most part, have been so subtle that there nearly impossible to pinpoint. However, there are a few that remain vividly burned into my memory. One in particular, which I hold with the highest degree of fondness, was so dynamic and had such a drastic impact on me that it shook my very character, resulting in a permanent,

Nearly every Sunday my family and I get up, get ready, and drive less than a mile down Old Hickory Boulevard to Forest Hills Baptist Church. We participate, teach, and volunteer for a majority of the events that our church puts on throughout the course of the year. Over time, I have learned many things. For example, as a communal body, Christians are inspired through a conviction, which calls them to action, therefore, motivating them to be more like Christ every single day. This is accomplished through the teachings of the Bible, regular prayer, etc. All of these things are fundamental parts of my religion, but they all mean nothing if we are not allowed to have a relationship with Jesus.

As a Christian what I have observed in my school and in my generation is that youth do not understand what it is to be a Christian and disciple of Christ. There are those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ nor understand what being a true Christian. Then there are those who claim to be Christians but continue to live their lives with the rest of the world. And at last those who have truly dedicated their lives to Christ and have a personal relationship with Him. In 2008 I started my own organization to encourage teens to have a daily prayer life and personal relationship with Christ. I saw this need in my school and I decided to do something about it. The scripture that I use for my organization

One thing that I find interesting and one that I enjoy is Montreat. Montreat during the year serves as a presbyterian college just outside of Asheville North Carolina.During the summer it serves as a Presbyterian Youth Conference. It is held over the course of 6 weeks. Broken up into three sets of two, each with different planning teams and small group leaders. There are many things to do at Montreat, not just take a break and connect with God a little more. You could hike up Mt. Lookout, go rock hopping, or sit in an eno and eat some ice cream from the Huckleberry. However you choose to spend your free time you always seem to make new friends.

Fast forward, the Lord guided me through the U.S. Marine Corps, Desert Storm and four tours of U.S. Embassy duty, it was not easy as in those days you had to fight daily as a Marine. It was just par for the course, so to speak, this I believed harden my spirit along with frequent drinking. I think the drinking became a way of coping with the tragic death of my mother among other things. While in the Marine and living in Africa I had a vision of a mountain and a gathering of people dressed in white. I later determine that the mountain and the people were in Ethiopia. The people all looked as though they were in a trance and were walking to and from the mountain. When I would walk up and asked them what they were doing, they would only say one word to me "Exodus" the Greek word meaning to depart just as the Israelites had departed Egypt. At the moment I did not truly understand what God was saying, but I now I realize that God was telling me to turn away from my worldly ways. See as a Marine I became very aggressive and would fight at the drop of a hat. I was a drinker and womanizer and the more of both I had, the better I thought I was doing. That said, the vision I had was the embarkation line of my departure from the Egypt of my flesh and the beginning of my journey and transformation; not to say I am perfect now because I am still a finite being, but I am not who I used to be.

Living in community will expose selfishness, ambition, jealousy, dissension and impurity in ourselves, allowing us to experience loss, despair, and stress. Even so, all of this is important to our spiritual formation because we mature as Christians,

In examining my experience during the recent Cohort Intensives held at Payne Theological Seminary (PTS) in Wilberforce, Ohio; I was quite intrigued with how all of the scholars and guest speakers reinforced many of the initiatives I have already implemented in the context of my own ministry. Likewise, my time spent in class with my Cohort mentors Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie and Rev. Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson was both scholastically and spiritually invaluable. During the week-long Intensive class sessions with my mentors, I learned a number of new things about myself that I was not previously willing to address. In short, I had a moment of self-actualization that required some personal omissions on my part regarding my faith and yes some internalized oppression as labeled by author Gayraud S. Wilmore. Opening up in class and admitting a few of my own short-comings was nothing short of liberating. Suddenly, I felt as though I had an epiphany; that has given birth to a renewed zeal, mind, and spirit. For the first time in years I am certain that I am now moving closer to the apex of excellence where God intended me to be.