<---Berry-picking at Fordyce Farms. A nice "break" from studying...and a chance to start working on my sun-absorbtion for outreach. ;) Week 4 at Crossroads Discipleship Training School brings "Plumbline". What's that, you ask? The best and most difficult week of the school, I've heard. It's a week that brings us to deal with the difficult issues in our lives as God brings them to our attention. The image of a plumbine is used. In really rough layman's terms=a weight hangs on the end of a string and this line helps a building be straight. Except this plumbline is based on God = truth on one side and love on the other. I'm anxious to work through the rest of this week and strengthen my "life message" with God's help.
Last week we learned about "Lifestyle of Repentance". Based on the Bible and the rich family heritage of our speaker, I learned that this means having such a close walk with God that you are always listening to the Holy Spirit and doing what He says. It was encouraging to hear this, as God's been helping me understand this concept better over the last couple of years. A few other encouragements I heard: 1)Plant seeds of gratefulness, not of bitterness (sometimes easier said than done!), 2)Blameless does not equal faultless, 3)Get the mind of Christ through reading the Word, spending thime with Him, spending so much time in His presence I start to look/act/see, etc like Him, and 4)Do not judge--you don't know the truth in others' hearts! All of this reminds me to have an unshakable confdence in the unchanging character of God (not dependent on circumstances) through the tragedies and joys of life.
Such in-depth teaching, daily time living in community (4 women now in our room, 8 in our suite sharing one bathroom :)), and service in the hospitality department and other ways God leads...such is my "learning zone" at YWAM-Salem. My days are all mixed together now and I'm having a hard time keeping the days straight!
Please continue to keep my finances in your prayers. God is faithful and He will provide. I am currently at 62% of support, which means funds are still needed for outreach and living expenses. Those funds need to be raised by August.
I'm so thankful for your prayers and encouraging posts/emails and look forward to hearing what God is doing in your life. I apologize for the times I don't get back to you in a timely manner ~ when I find a moment, I often don't have phone/internet access! They're working on that at the "base" (our collection of living and meeting buildings).
Praises: relief from allergies, new experiences (yea for berry-picking!), LOTS of learning in class and out
Prayers: Humility before God as He "breaks" and rebuilds me for what He wants, emotional and spiritual healing
In God's love and grace,
Amy
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