Transition : Week 5

Week Five update,

I’m going to split this into two, things that I’ve been up to and things that I’ve been learning/processing

What I’ve been up to:

Week 3 Lectures on Repentance and Forgiveness, We had a good time of confession as a Group on Friday and as people turned and confessed it was a great time of healing and bringing to light some areas of guilt and shame and turning from them. It was quite an emotional time but God really moved and brought about freedom in people’s lives as they fully committed all to him. I have also been able to use a lot of my skill helping out in different areas around base fixing their industrial Fire alarms on two different occasions and plastering and electrical work.

Week 4 Intersession and Worship looking at the importance of prayer and how important how it is to pray and that it is not boring but a two way conversation and sometimes interactive. How Worship is a lifestyle of obedience and sometimes sacrifice not about the individual but giving to God who is worthy. This week I also found out that I’m going to Nepal, India and Thailand for the second half of the 6 months. So I’m really looking forward to this.

Week 5 I am in Busselton about 2 hours south staying at a campsite on the beach. It has been lovely having lectures and getting up for beautiful sunrises and learning about the Person of the Father in the trinity, often most neglected in our church teaching. Looking at identity and how value is found in him alone and what he thinks of us. It was a week that made me extremely thankful of the parents that I have and even extended family and how they have endeavoured to portray God character throughout their lives and have done a good job showing me unconditional love I sure needed it J. I am so thankful for this.

Aunty Roslyn has also been here for the last week lecturing at another school (community development) and it has been awesome to have her around to hang out with. We on Sunday last week went to a wildlife park and had a real Australian experience even kangaroo steaks, eaten before feeding them at the wildlife centre. On Thursday night we went out and Saw Nana (Jacksons) Cousin, Aunty Anne. This was nice; one to get out and drive and two to make connection with relatives. On Saturday we went into the city and did a bit of shopping and had lunch on the water front. We went up the bell tower it was so nice having a familiar face around.

Things that I’ve been learning/processing

Week 3 we had lectures on repentance and forgiveness. One of the main points from the teaching that has impacted me is that true repentance consists two parts. First Faith in God and second confession. Making an active choice not to continue in practicing the same sin (wrong behaviour) and turn to God instead and practice his way of thinking. That Pride has two expressions, Superior and inferior. Superior looking at our own ability and self-righteousness and lack of need for God and inferior believing lies about ourselves or value based on things, relationships, performance, and success as our culture portrays it to us. This leads to all sorts of insecurities and causes us to compensate with superior pride and try to elevate ourselves to have a scene of significance and worth. But this will always fall short as we will never be fully at peace within ourselves unless we agree with God on how he views us and we believe that ourselves. For me Superior pride has been a major battle especially with my theological training; judging others, valuing others based on cultural values rather than how God values them. It has been humbling removing some of the masks I have had up and not even been aware of allowing other people to have an opinion that is different than mine and not have to prove to them why they are wrong. But to take what they are saying and ask myself ‘is there any truth in what they are saying that I can challenge some of the lies that I might believe’. Being slow to speak and quick to listen and learning how to serve with pure motives instead of trying to gain influence and or power of some description.

I have also been meditating on how much Pride has influence the church in the west. How we value being of right doctrine so much that we will cause so much division. That our opinions are so much more important than the people we communicate with. Now I still understand the importance of sound doctrine and not falling on hearsay but how often do we stake a position of assumption that we are right and not let character trump our unity and both parties humbly approach disagreement with the presupposition that perhaps I might be more wrong than the other party and seek out our own faults before letting other know of theirs. For me this extents into the rest of my life as well. Realising that my world view is far from the biblical ideal and continually seeking revelation and understanding.

Prayer Points:

Finances for other people on my Course that have still not raised enough to go on the second half of the trip.

That God will contiune to teach me and grow me: In particular for my attitude of Pride (that God will continue to produce humility in my life)

Applications as we apply for visas for the second half of our course and good cheap tickets

For My family back home as Mum and Dad and Emily and Joel are moving towns