Learning to Trust. . .

This week I have really been learning to keep my trust in God.  I know this may seem elementary, but it has been a really tough lesson to learn.  I found that I put more trust in  the “things” that I have rather than the God that I serve.  This was a real wake-up call that I finally decided to stop hitting the snooze on.

On Monday my phone decided that it was no longer going to work properly.  No big deal right?  Wrong! You don’t realize how dependent you are on your phone until you no longer have one.  As I was trying to adjust to that change my car battery died, yes it died.  Luckily with the help of a nice man from the gas station, Stacey, and Karla we got my car started up again.  Next my computer screen would not light up.  This really worried me because the majority of work that I do requires the use of a computer. 

I was so stressed about all of these things and I wasn’t sure how I was going to make everything work.  I finally broke down and gave it all to God.  This should have been my first instinct however my trust was in the wrong place.  When I realized that I had been idolizing the possessions that get me through the day I truly had to repent.  My trust is in God who makes all things possible.  I have no need to worry about the little things.


Sasha

Tagging

For my other two hours of personal ministry I went tagging.  What is tagging you ask? Well, tagging is when you write encouraging words or scriptures on note cards or paper and place then in random locations for people to see.  This was a fun event in which I was able to minister to people in a very unique way. 

I cut out the paper and then elaborately decorated the front side to draw people to the card.  On the reverse side is where I wrote out the scripture.  I went to three different locations and taped the cards to bathroom stalls.  Obscure place? Yes it is, but that is what is so great about it.  A random place that is least expected.

The scriptures that I wrote on the cards were:

John 3:16
This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.

John 15:5
I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing.

Psalm 36:5-6
God's love is meteoric,
      his loyalty astronomic,
   His purpose titanic,
      his verdicts oceanic.
   Yet in his largeness
      nothing gets lost;
   Not a man, not a mouse,
      slips through the cracks.

Philippians 2:14
Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed!

2 Corinthians 5:17
Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!

This ministry affected the everyday people who saw and read the tags.  Like silent witnessing this is a creative way to let people know who God is without being harsh or forceful and it allows for the church to step up and harvest the seed that was planted in the lives of the people who saw the tags.

Sasha

Silent Witnessing

For two of my personal ministry hours I decided to do some silent witnessing. Silent witnessing is when you take a sign and write a phrase such as, “I’m praying for you,” or “True love does exist,” and hold the sign while standing alongside the road silently holding the sign. This is a ministry that everyone can participate in.  It is highly effective and reaches multiple people.  It triggers the interest of those who pass and allows for the ministry of the church to be strengthened.

I love this ministry because it catches peoples attention when they least expect it. It is an out of the box creative way to share the love of God to every kind of person. Instead of shouting and being overly exuberant about the message, silently holding a sign that has words of hope and encouragement on them affect people in a different way.  People are often taken back and surprised by what they see.  As people drive by they have different reactions some honk or wave, some intently stare as they pass, some even try to ignore it.  No matter the reaction that they have people see the message.  It drops a little bit of hope on their day and makes each person driving by question what the sign means to them in their life. 

Another reason this ministry is affective is that it touches an abundant amount of people, but the message is still personal to each individual.  Because there are so many cars that pass each person sees the sign for themselves and has their own reaction to it.  It plants a seed that sparks curiosity and hopefully a desire to know more. 

This type of ministry can be carried through to the local church in two ways.  First the church can get involved in participating in silent witnessing.  It is a great way for the church community to get involved and volunteer alongside one another.  Also the church grows from the product of silent witnessing.  Because the seed was planted it can be well harvested in the local church community.


Sasha

Body Shop. . .

Body Shop. . .

This week I went to the gym with Whitney and Anneke.  It was a lot of fun and a great workout.  First we did some strength training that included working on every muscle possible.  We built up the muscles in our arms, legs, and core.   Wed did this for about 30 minutes, then we were of the the elliptical.  I ended up running just under 2 and a half miles in 30 minutes.  By the end my already tender calf muscles were killing me.  Despite the pain and because of the pain it was an awesome workout.

My second body shop was spent with Jillian Michael's kicking me into shape.  I did 20 minutes of cardio, abs, and strength.  Then I moved onto some more specific exercises to strengthen my upper and lower body.  I did 30 minutes of this and then a ten minute cool down.  These exercises benefit me because they make me push past my limit.  As I  continue I am getting stronger and building more endurance.

My last body shop of the week I did a combination of everything.  I did 10 minutes of legs and 20 minutes of arms .  Then I mixed up cardio and abs. I would do 30 crunches then 40 jumping jacks back and forth.  It was definitely tiring but also rewarding.  In this body shop I worked longest on the areas that I struggle the most in.  By doing this I hope to improve on my areas of weakness so I can continue to push myself further.

Body Shop. . .

My first body shop of the week was the best one ever.  Stacey, Karla, Ciera, and I all worked out together.  First we worked out with a DVD called Hip Hop Abs.  We did this for 30 min. Next we did our own stations and had an epic dance party for 30 more min.  It was a ton of fun and a ton of exercise.  We worked on our abs, arms, legs, and everything in between. 

For my second body shop Stacey and I decided that we wanted to be hikers so we hit the trail.  We went to Piney Run Park and explored the woods.  We started on the Lake trail, then veered to a couple other trails.  We had a great time while working out our leg muscles. 

My last body shop was quite intense.  I worked out with the Jillian Michale's 30 days to fit DVD.  I did two 20 minute session that worked on cardio, abs, and strength.  For the rest of the 20 minutes I worked on more abs and did some leg exercises.  Immediately after my workout my calf's were killing me. I’ll say it was a pretty good workout!

What I learned. . .

I have learned quite a bit this past week, but I think the main theme that jumps out is the concept of being grateful.  There are so many simple things that I took for granted.  Little things such as constant communication with God, a warm bed and blankets, even life itself are things this week that I learned to appreciate so much more.

In our Prayer 101 class we talked about how prayer in its simplest form is communication with God and that we should talk to God about everything.  I realized that I simply need to talk to God more.  The one who created the universe wants to hear me and even better than that he wants to speak to me.  How can i not be grateful for His constant devotion?

During our homeless experience I realized how much I missed my simple little mission bed.  When we were out in the cold all I could think about was getting warm.  I wasn’t worried about anything else all I wanted was a blanket and a pillow I didn’t care if they matched or even if they were clean I had one thing on my mind and that was warmth.  This experience reminded me in a huge way that I should always be thankful that I have a place to lay my head at night.

Lastly we all got a chance to attend the Right to Life March.  This was an amazing event that really gave me perspective of how valuable a human life is.  So many have been aborted and never had the chance to live.  Through this event God really spoke to me about how precious every life is.