Enemies of the Heart

I recently just finished Enemies of the Heart by Andy Stanley. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with Andy's book. It was previously released as It Came from Within, and during my last few years of high school I remember my youth minister using the video curriculum from it for some of our  Student Life sessions. In the book, Andy takes a look at four emotions (Guilt, Anger, Greed, Jealousy) and dissects them so that we can see just how destructive they really are. I'll admit that I never really took these emotions as serious as I should have, but after reading the book, I have a better understanding of them and now realize that the spiritual health of one's heart really does affect more than just a person's spiritual walk. Andy explains how each of these emotions work through a person's heart, bringing hardship and destruction on the relationships and people who are close to the 'infected' person. The 'cure' for these emotions include making a habit and practice of confession, forgiving, giving, and celebrating. I would encourage everyone who is serious about evaluating his/her heart's health to read this book. It's a fairly quick read and Andy writes in a way that's engaging, entertaining, and informative!


- Author's Website
- More Info
- Read Chapter One
- Author Bio

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Bittersweet...

Well, it's a little weird to say, and still a little hard to believe, but this past Wednesday was the final CSF Wednesday night of the school year. We had 42-43 people show up and it was a huge blessing. It's crazy for me to sit here and think that my first year in college ministry has already come and is one week away from going. This semester was full of joy, sadness, excitement, stress, ups, and down, yet it was all worth it. I truly think it is bittersweet that it's finally the end of the semester. I'm excited about the chance to enter into the summer season and speak at two camps, and prepare/grow for the next college school-year, but I'm also a little sad at the fact that four of my students are graduating next week and they are moving on to the next stage of their lives. I'm excited to keep in touch with them and hear about what God's doing in them and through them, and I pray that each and every day they will grow even closer to God than they already are!

This week I spoke on how as disciples of Jesus, we of all people, in fact we are the only people, who can and have good reason to rejoice whenever hardships and tribulation comes our way in life. I explained that trials can be divided into/seen in three categories:

1. Persecution/Hardship that comes from sharing the Gospel with someone and introducing someone to Jesus...
2. Hardship that comes from events that God allows to happen to test you...
3. Hardship that comes from events that God had nothing to do with but happened because we live in a fallen/broken world...

I'll briefly touch on the points that I made for each of these. First of all, if we are a disciple of Jesus, we are expected to share our faith with people. At the end of Jesus' parable of the sower, He said:

“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” (Luke 8.16-18)

In his gospel account, John calls Jesus the light of men, who's so powerful that darkness can never overcome him. Also it is from this light, from him, that all live comes from. If we have this light, Jesus, in us, we can't keep it hidden. Just like you can't light a light and then stick it under a bucket, we who are true disciples of Jesus can't keep Jesus 'bottled-up' inside of us so that no one can see Him. Another scary part of this passage is the end. Jesus says that to those who have, more will be given and from the guy who doesn't have, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away. This can relate to evangelism in a huge way! Those who have a real, personal relationship with Jesus in the end will receive more, which specifically is our inheritance of eternal life. Those who don't have that real, personal relationship with Jesus think that they have everything that they need. They don't want Jesus, because that would mean that they don't have everything that they need and they don't want to acknowledge it. In the end, every person is going to bow before Jesus. Some will do so willingly, some will be forced. It's in that moment that those who accepted Jesus, who have Jesus, will be given more, their inheritance. Those who never accepted Jesus, who don't have Jesus, the lives that they thought were theirs, will be taken from them.

Evangelism is an essential part to the life of a Christian, but it's not easy. You will run into hardship with some people. You might even be ridiculed or have to endure some trying times. But Paul gives encouragement for us.

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me." (Colossians 1.24-29)

The reason we as Christians can rejoice when we suffer when we share Jesus with others, is because we are sharing in the sufferings of Christ.

The reason we can rejoice in our hardships whenever we experience the second category of suffering, is because God's testing brings about positive construction. Many people confuse this aspect of God. They see this as an area where the Bible shows contradiction, because they don't understand that testing and tempting are two completely different things. Testing is constructive, while tempting is destructive. Temptation leads to sin, which then leads to death, while testing leads to an accurate assessment of growth or progress, and shows areas that person has grown in and areas that a person needs to grow in. God's tests helps our faith grow stronger. Peter explains it well.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1.3-9)

We can rejoice in the trials that are God's way of testing our faith because we know He's doing it because He loves us and because it will help us grow. The third and final category of hardship that we face as Christians comes simply because we live in a sinful/broken world. Yet we still have reason to rejoice. I think Paul shares with us the reason why.

“And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8.23-28)



“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?

                         It is God who justifies.

Who is to condemn?

                          Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right   

                          hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

                      Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or  

                      sword?

As it is written,
                          “For your sake (Jesus,) we are being killed all the day long; 

                            we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him (Jesus) who loved us.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8.31-39)

We have good reason to rejoice in every circumstance. Whatever the reason we might be facing a tough time might be, because of Jesus we have a GREAT reason to rejoice. I hope that you can get some encouragement from this and that you will remember these Scriptures the next time that you find yourself going through a really tough time. Well, I know it's been a long read for some people, but if you've made it this far, thanks for reading! =) I'm going to try to continue to post updates and stuff on here for you all about the exciting, busy summer ahead! I guess that's it for now! =) Until next time!

Pat

Nope... Nothing...

Don't ask me why that's the title. I just asked a student to give me the first title that popped into his head and those where the first words that came out of his mouth. Anyways, last night was a great night! We had to meet off campus at a local church because our room that we normally meet in was being used by the school for a program called 'celebration of scholarship,' but we still had 40 people show up! I talked about Jesus' parable of the sower as part 1 of a 2 part sermon 'mini-series' that I'm ending the semester with. We had a great time last night, but I have to admit, it's getting to be a little bitter-sweet. Next week is the last CSF of the school-year and it'll be the last time that I see some of the students who are graduating in CSF. My hope is that I can leave them with encouragement and motivation that will help them as they enter into the next stage of their lives. I also hope that the other students will get encouragement from it as well so that they can continue to grow in their relationship with Jesus this summer and come back to school with some awesome stories and an amazing testimony about how much they grew closer to Jesus and how much Jesus did through them. If you're reading this blog, I hope you will join me in praying for the students and pray that they won't abandon working on relational growth with Jesus this summer! I hope to keep you all updated on our adventures this summer with the two weeks of camp, our adventure to the 3rd-world country of Iowa (JK ;)...), our adventure to Florida, and then are big move from Avis to Lock Haven! I'd appreciate your prayers as Emily and I head into the summer and as the students go about their ways as well! Until next time! =)


Pat

Our Relationship with Jesus

This is sort of a recap of what I talked about last night for those who weren't there or even for those of you who were there and just want to read over it and let it simmer in your mind for a bit.

I was sitting in church this past Sunday and God slapped me in the face, and of all days, Easter. I got to church early because Emily and I were helping out with the sunrise service and then the two services after that. I was sitting there during the third service, looking through my Bible and just reading and thinking about different things (because I had already heard the sermon, haha). As I was reading through my favorite book, Micah, and then reading through other passages of Scripture, when I just started to just think and pray. Then it hit me. I grabbed a pencil and having no idea of what I was going to write, I began to and ended up seeing this on the paper.

"I think the biggest thing that our church has lost its focus on is the subject of salvation. We find ourselves hammering repentance and baptism a lot. Not that that’s a bad thing, but we’ve lost focus of the RELATIONSHIP! For if you truly love Jesus and have a RELATIONSHIP with Him, these things WILL come as a part of it. In fact your entire life will be a walk with Him, growing in this relationship!"


 Then as I was sitting there reading what I had just written, various Scriptures started coming to mind, so I wrote them down. They were:

Micah 6.6-8:

"What can we bring to the Lord? What kind of offerings should we give him? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."


Matthew 28.19-21:
"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Revelation 2.1-4:
“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands: “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!"

Nahum 1.7:

"The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him."

1 John 5.20-21:

"And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts."

All of these thoughts began rushing through my head. It was then that I realized that in all that I had right, I had it all wrong. I was just as guilty as the church at Ephesus when Jesus told them they had essentially nearly forgotten Him. I/we get caught up in the motions and the 'procedures' of becoming and being a 'Christian' that we lose sight of the one who started it all, and maintains it all (Colossians 1.17, Hebrews 12.1-2). In fact, I'm convinced that if we lose sight of Jesus, our relationship with Him becomes less and less, until finally we lose it all together. We might think we are still one of His because we go to church, pay a tithe, got baptized, take communion, etc., but the fact is we've just bought into a 'system-based' salvation instead of a Jesus-relationship salvation! Am I saying that I/we aren't Christian then if we find ourselves in this position? No, of course not! Even with the case of the church in Ephesus, Jesus told them that they needed to reevaluate why they are doing what they're doing and their priorities, because if they didn't, they would be in danger of having their lamp-stand removed. The point is that I'm saying if gone unchecked, walking down this path could lead to a person no longer being a disciple of Jesus. Now even with this, you could get into a discussion about if that means they wouldn't be Christians any longer or that their specific church congregation would be closed down. Regardless, I don't want either to be said of me.

So I'm sitting there and thinking about how my relationship with Jesus should be the priority above EVERYTHING else in one's life, including various doctrinal statements. So I sat there. Thinking. Finally God decided to give me a little nudge. He brought to mind my relationship with Emily. So I sat there thinking about that and it finally made sense. I'll try to explain it the best that I can...

I love my wife. VERY MUCH! =) I would do anything for her. I enjoy spending time with her, in fact, I try to get things done at work or when she's not home so that I don't have to do them when she is home and we can hang out together (play games, watch a movie, go on a walk, etc.). What would happen to that relationship if I decided to only spend 5 minutes with her (talking with, eating with, etc.) a day, for only... let's say... three days a week? What would that communicate to her and to everyone who saw that? It would tell her and everyone else that I don't really care about this relationship enough to invest in it. In fact, it wouldn't be much of a relationship, or at least the kind that it's supposed to be! I wouldn't really know her anymore. I wouldn't be involved in her daily life, I wouldn't know her 'pet-peeve' of the week (jk Emily.. ;)... ). I think you get the picture. So I started to think about all the things that I do know about Emily and what I would need to do if I wanted to get to know her better and learn things. The only way for me to know what she likes and doesn't like, what irritates her and what she loves, what she wants to do in her free time and what she doesn't want to do in her free time, is by spending quality time with her!

So after coming to this revelation, I asked the question, "Why is it that I don't spend time with Jesus, like I do with my wife and with other people?" I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this. The only conclusion that I came up with is that it's because I see these people everyday around me in flesh and blood. But even that's not an excuse. Before Jesus left this earth and flesh and blood, he said:

“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you."      (John 14.15-18)

The Holy Spirit is HERE! Jesus isn't dead, He's ALIVE! So what excuse do I/we have for neglecting my/our relationship with Jesus as badly as I/we have? I don't think we have any excuse! I will say, not passing blame by any means, but we as the church, I think, don't acknowledge the Spirit as we should. He's here with us! Why do we ignore Him?!?

Obviously, my relationship with Jesus hasn't taken my first priority, but instead I've moved it to the back/side burner. He doesn't have first place in my life, and even though I love my wife A LOT, there is NEVER an instance when she should replace Jesus as my #1 relationship! I'm reminded of when the Northern Kingdom of Israel was guilty of putting God on their back/side burners and what God spoke through Amos to convey to them.

"What sorrow awaits you who say, “If only the day of the Lord were here!” You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light. In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion—only to meet a bear. Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house—and he’s bitten by a snake. Yes, the day of the Lord will be dark and hopeless,

without a ray of joy or hope. “I hate all your show and pretense—the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings.
I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise!
I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice,
an endless river of righteous living."        (Amos 5.18-24)

Now granted, when Amos is talking about the Day of the Lord, he's referring God's judgment to come. What the Israelites didn't understand, is that he was referring to when Assyria would come and sweep them away. Yet there are some tones that also look forward to the second-coming of Christ. How guilty I have been of wishing for Jesus to come back! Amos message rings loud and clear to me today! "You don't know what you're wishing for because you don't have the relationship you're supposed to have with Jesus!!!" It's NOT enough for me just to give Jesus my Sundays and Wednesdays and maybe 5-10 minutes the rest of the week!!! That won't build a relationship, or at least a relationship that is considered to be your most important!

I got onto Biblegateway yesterday and the verse of the day really got to me. So I looked it up and read the rest of the section and it broke my heart.

"He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls."         (1 Peter 2.22-25)

If Jesus did all of this because he wanted a relationship with me, WHY DO I NOT VALUE MY RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM? It doesn't make much sense at all! And the absolute crazy thing about the whole thing, is that even though there are times when I blow Jesus off and show how little I care/value my relationship with Him, HE STILL KEEPS TRYING, LOVING, AND CALLING TO ME BECAUSE HE STILL WANTS THAT RELATIONSHIP!!!

I know this has been a long blog post and maybe a lot, but I really feel God has revealed to me something that a lot of us aren't getting. Going back to my example of my relationship with Emily, I took a little piece out of that book and I'm utilizing it with my relationship with Jesus. Since Jesus is REAL, ALIVE, AND HERE WITH ME, I'm blocking off various times throughout the week where He and I can meet up for a lunch date or a cup of coffee, just as I would if a student wanted to meet with me or an old friend wanted to come visit and catch up. Sure, I might look crazy, talking to Jesus in public, but if someone were to come up to me and ask who I am talking to, I'll smile and say, "I'm talking to Jesus. Would you like me to introduce you to him?" Thanks for reading! I pray that God will use something He's been teaching me to help you and encourage you in your relationships with Jesus!!! God bless! I love you all! Until next time,

Pat

Amazing

That's really all that can be said about last week's Stations of the Cross. We had a great number of people show up from CSF as well as a great number of people from the church and participate in the evening. We had a total of 11 stations in the Stations of the Cross that led people up to a communion station. We also had two other stations that people could participate in. One of the stations was a table with paper and Bibles on it. Anyone could go up and sit at the table and just free-journal. They could also read passages from Scripture and just write there interaction with the Scripture and the Spirit if they chose to. The worship leader, Kathy Spotts, helped us out A LOT in setting up for the evening. We can't really thank her enough for the work that she put into helping getting everything set up. Overall it was a fantastic evening. We also made copies from each station available for people to take home with them if they so chose. Many students and members of the church communicated just how much they enjoyed the opportunity to experience this 'different' type of service. I for one love the opportunity to have a break from a routine of a 'traditional' service and experience a service that forces you to use and embrace the non-linear side of your brain and use your creativity and allowing the Spirit to move and work in out of the ordinary ways while spending time with God.

After the service I was able to talk with Kathy and we agreed that we should try to do 'joint-services/experiences' like this more often. I personally think it's a great idea! I'm really excited to work with Emily and try to think of more variations and more types of services that we can put into our programming. I'm hoping that this might allow for an atmosphere in which students will come out to experience God in different ways. One of the biggest, most beneficial things that I experienced while growing in my faith was participating in services that didn't get stuck in a monotonous routine. There was a fresh service/way of connecting with Scripture and God infused throughout the year. Hopefully we'll be able to make some headway here soon, coming up with ideas for next semester's programming. I've already had some revelation regarding what to cover in the curriculum for next semester, and that's been really exciting for me. I would appreciate any prayers that you all could give for Emily and I in preparing for next semester and for this summer with the camp weeks that we are going to be participating in. We're super excited and just want to be used by God to be a conduit for his love and the gospel of Jesus to be spread through.

Sorry if this blog seemed a little scatter brained, haha. I'm currently trying to write this update for everyone while hanging out with a couple guys from the campus ministry. I used to think I was pretty good a multi-tasking, but I'm beginning to wonder if this isn't one of those things that I'm able to do while doing something else, haha. But nonetheless, you won't have to suffer through any more thoughts, haha. =) Thanks for all of your prayers and support! I hope you all know that it's not in vain and that you're helping to make a difference in the lives of people up here in Central Pennsylvania. I pray that God will bless each of you and the ministry (personal and/or vocational) that you all are involved in. Hope you all have a great week!!! =) Until next time!

Pat

Whew

Well where do I begin, haha? We've been having a 'break' from our regular programming here @ CSF-LHU. Two weeks ago we had students share a little bit about what they experienced and what God taught them on the mission's trip to Cleveland. That was certainly an exciting time, or at least it was for Emily and I. It was so cool to see and hear students come to realizations and conclusions that they were able to arrive at simply because they were living their lives in a way that is near the heart of God, loving and serving people. It's something Emily and I have been teaching and preaching on for a while, but this experience, I think, is credible proof for St. Francis of Assisi's quote, "Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." There's something to be said about hearing someone talk to you about living your life the way God would want and going out to actually do it, even if for a short period of time. Just last week, we had a movie night where we watched 'The Grace Card.' It was a great movie, despite the awkwardness of the acting at times. It conveyed a good message and many of the students loved it.

I must confess that I am a little nervous for tonight, but despite the feelings of anxiety that I do have, I think my feelings of excitement are just a little stronger. Tonight we've been able to partner with a local supporting church, Blanchard Church of Christ, and we are holding our 'service' out there. Tonight, since it's 'Passion Week' we're going to be doing something called the 'Stations of the Cross.' Traditionally, I believe this is something that originated or at least is primarily done in the Catholic Church. However I see GREAT merit in doing something like this and I'm just about as non-denominational as someone can get, haha, so I adopted the idea. I've had the privilege to participate in this 3 times already in my life and it's certainly a different experience. My hope is to allow people to engage their non-linear parts of their brains and encounter God, as they take a 'journey' through meditation, Scripture reading, and prayer along the path that Jesus took to the cross. My hope is that students will take it seriously and not see it as something boring that's going to make them move, but as an opportunity to engage all of their senses as they really reflect on the significance of why we as Christians celebrate this week as we do. I would appreciate any prayer that you guys could lift up for us tonight! I look forward to updating you (hopefully tomorrow) on how everything went! I hope you are all doing well! Until next time! =)


Pat

Too much...

First of all, I'm sorry it's been a few weeks since I last posted on here. I bet you already know what I'm about to say, because it's the story of my life, but these past few weeks have been absolutely crazy! (In a great way though! =)..) Last week we took 21 people on a mission's trip to Cleveland, OH. It was really awesome to see God move and work through the lives of these students. I was able to see some of them come to realizations about themselves that they probably wouldn't have reached if they hadn't went on the trip. A decent number of students had never been on a mission's trip either, so it was really cool to be able to be a part of their first experience. Our schedule for the week was packed to say the least.

We were able to work at a homeless shelter for men a few days out of the week. Two of the days I took a group of about 7 students at 6 am to serve breakfast there and then we cleaned about 4 bathrooms. It was certainly an experience to say the least. Sunday we were able to go help setup/tear down and attend Momentum, which was the church that I was able to work at as an intern about 3 years ago. That was a fun experience and many of the students had never been to a church that was based in a theater, so they absolutely loved it! We were able to go to two laundromats and serve people by helping to pay for their laundry and talk with them. The girls were able to go to a women's pregnancy center and help them out as well as a local camp, while the guys were able to go and help remodel a local church by painting multiple rooms. We all as a group were able to help out another local church by assisting them in unloading 10 pallets full of food and supplies that were dropped off for their food pantry. We also helped them in cleaning up their building. Some of the guys were able to go help a older man dig a ditch all the way through his back yard. When we were finished with the ditch, we guessed that if he had done that by himself, it would have probably taken him a month if he worked every day on it. What I thought was one of the most rewarding experiences was the fact that we were able to go out with some ministers and members of a inner-city plant and join them as they did their street evangelism. It was certainly stressful and possibly even a little frightening for some of the students, because the area of Cleveland where we were was the 'hood.' The group I was in actually ran into and talked to some gang members and drug (marijuana) addicts. But the awesome part of it all, was that we were able to pray with them and talk to them a little bit about what these guys were doing with the church plant. It was truly encouraging to see just how 'REAL' it was and to get a perspective on the type of life that the people in that area live in every day of their lives. This quickly became one of the high points for many of the students on the trip.

There was just so much that went on during the trip that I don't think I can do it justice to simply just tell you everything that happened. It's really hard to believe that there's only 40-something days left of school, and that May is knocking at the door. I've had a few students send me some reflections about what they experienced on the trip, and so I want to share at least these two as I close out this post. =) Until next time!

Pat

"Going on the mission trip was such a blessing and a humbling experience. Before going on the trip I stumbled upon Galatians 5:13 and that really prepared me to be ready to serve others with love and an open heart. This scripture really stuck out to me on Monday morning at 5 a.m. when I had to wake up to serve breakfast at 2100. It was tough getting out of my sleeping bag, but that scripture and Colossians 3:17 (the scripture that Pat spoke on the night before during devotions) really helped me get out of bed and prepare my heart to serve at 2100. Another thing that really struck me was how close I got to other students that went on the trip. I knew a little about Justin before going on the trip, but after, I felt like I knew him better. The scriptures weren't the only reason why I got out of bed Monday morning, Justin was the other reason. Without asking him to, he set his alarm to go off five minutes after mine and he made sure that I was up before going back to bed. I also didn't know Tyler or Josh Hornig that well, but after spending 6 days serving and playing pitch with them (almost every night), I got to know them better and found out how funny and what great people they were."

                                                                                       - Levi F.


"Serving the community & doing God's work in Cleveland was a promising experience. From cleaning, feeding & spending those without home, to assisting the church, & most of all being laborers & going after God's harvest. Personally I felt funny about spending my spring break doing community service & I wasn't truly seeking after doing God's work for this trip first. Most indefinitely after the experience that I had volunteering & spreading the love of God was a far better way to spend my spring break versus going on vacation. Not only did I grow closer to God & grow in love for him during this mission trip but I also gained a closer relationship with my fellow brothers & sisters in Christ. All in all it was wondrous experience & I'm ready & excited to go again."

                                                                                                                            - Jashawn K.