When we think about the word “freedom,” many of us automatically think of positive experiences. We correlate freedom with joy and excitement. Yet, we forget that freedom has another face that goes unrecognized. When we are confronted with freedom—the wide open space to think, reflect, and make decisions—things become more complex. The complexity leads to questions, to fear, and ultimately to anxiety—the reality is that freedom comes with responsibility, and sometimes responsibilities lead to anxiety. This is the responsibility to make choices, make mistakes, suffer the unknown c... (read more)

God speaks to us in mysterious ways. Like when the pastor is giving the message and you’ve been struggling with something all week – possibly praying over it, asking God for an answer – and what’s coming out of pastor’s mouth is exactly what you needed to hear; that’s God talking to you. Same thing applies if you happen to have turned to the Word for guidance. Even if the passage you’re reading is something random you happened to have flipped to, you can find that God is trying to tell you something and it’s not too hard to decipher. Sometimes, when the pastor or speaker calls ... (read more)

I‘ve been dwelling a lot on my own pride and how it subtly creeps into my everyday activities. Amongst many of my failures and embarrassing moments, it’s easy to take credit and bask in my own talents and accomplishments when the opportunity presents itself. When competing on the basketball court, I would often butt heads with other players on the court to prove who was better or who was right on a particular play. Those situations ended with me with a bigger ego or in humiliation in front of nine other people. Over time, I would feel foolish and stupid realizing that my actions benefite... (read more)

I have realized in my past experiences that God loves to use the weak. I feel one of the great example is myself. I am so imperfect in so many ways, and when I do ministry I feel that there are so many others that are so much more capable than me at doing ministry. However, I see God always using me, even though I am not the greatest speaker, even though I am not the bravest, even though I am not the most popular person, God always finds a way to use me... I started to realize something as time progressed, God doesn't need the most capable people to do his work, if that were the case, God woul... (read more)

When I was in middle school some people around me made some pretty big moves that left me with some unfavorable circumstances. At a young age I became keenly aware of the concept of “upward mobility”, the capacity of an individual to change their situation by moving their way into a position of greater status, power or wealth. From then on the race was on, to move into higher social and economic standing as a way to escape my present reality. In high school I did everything I could to move up in popularity, up in social status, up in class rank - anything and everything that would help me ... (read more)

Prov 3: 5Trust in the LORD w/all your heart + lean not on your own understanding 6in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. A couple months ago, I gave my friend her belated birthday present! A Groupon for a 2 hr trapeze class!! :D Being former gymnasts, I thought this would be fun… til we stood on the ground, looked up, and watched a girl fly through the air with the greatest of ease… and then I started getting nervous as my body reminded me I’m not as young as I used to be.. Haha. After stretching, our instructor turn... (read more)

Christmas is over.i ate so much i can barely move.why did we celebrate?because God sent Jesus.Jesus died for us.by coming back from death, Jesus dominated satan, sin and death.for that we should be grateful.we should share the good news, be the light, and inspire others to change.i am done eating.are you ready?the weekend 2012: MOVE.... (read more)

Prayer. I've heard it from student testimonies. I've read it from staff testimonies. This year I experienced it without a doubt. * * * * * Flat on my back on the tabernacle floor. Listening to John Chang's chatroom. Staring intently at the heater suspended in the tabernacle rafters. Any normal person would be lying in bed recuperating. But we're not normal, right? * * * * * Aside from being ridiculously good-looking, Dom makes an excellent road trip mate. Christine let me borrow him. Why? I couldn't drive. It just so happens that Dom was working r... (read more)

“Worship is the constant remembrance of the Unchanging and the Holy” - Evelyn Underhill Worship can be described in so many ways, but I think that Underhill understands the heart of what worship is; remembering who Christ is. When we look at our lives and examine our hearts, it is inevitable that we will find dirt, mess, our flaws, and the depravity of our own sin. And when we look at Christ, we will see perfection, we will encounter grace, and mercy, and love. As we look at who we are in light of who Christ is, the natural outflow will be a life of worship. We will understa... (read more)

Hi Theophilus! I hope you were blessed at the pre-rally if you went. I am so excited for this upcoming retreat! The theme as you all know is Rescue. As I think about this theme, I more and more realize how desperate I am for Jesus’ rescue. The truth is that I am a messed up lover of God that is in need of His perfect love and grace. Do you ever feel like this? This year has been a hard, but good and humbling year of reconciliation and healing for my own personal life. God knew the condition of my heart though I was not even aware of it. To be honest, I didn’t even know t... (read more)

One thing that my mother always stressed when we went over to someone’s house was to say “thank you” to our hosts. Whether it was for a meal or after receiving a small gift, my mom would always ask me, “Daren, what do you say?” or “Daren, did you say thank you for dinner?” I would respond with a monotone “thank you” as if it was another chore. Now days, it’s become second nature for me to thank family and friends for hosting a meal or filling out a report or picking up that jacket that I forgot at church. But what about the things... (read more)

Hey Theophilus!! Happy New Year to all!! Here are some updates in my life and how God is working for me personally. This past year was my first year anniversary with Michelle. Wow what a journey it has been. From my proposal at Theophilus' Pre-Rally to marriage and now ONE YEAR!! God is good. Last August, I went to get a physical for my health and found out that my cholesterol was higher than normal and it was a wake up call for me so for the past three months, I have been on this crazy diet while working out. I HAVE LOST 30 POUNDS!!! Went back to the doctor and my cholesterol went down. Go... (read more)

Sawadeeka Theophilus! Jen Mo here! J. Still adjusting to jetlag, but I recently got back from a medical missions trip to Thailand where my team partnered with God in ministering healing and partnered with an organization who rescues kids who are at risk of being sold, fights human trafficking, and also has a ministry school that equips people in Bible, business, prayer and preaching the gospel. J God did so much in 10 days—I’m still trying to process everything—but one thing I can say: trips like these make me understand the Gospel and appreciate the weight of the w... (read more)

We all do stuff. School. Homework. Study groups. Midterms. Finals. Sports. Teams. Clubs. Music. Practice. Reading. Writing. Working. We all do stuff, and we don't do it by ourselves. Brothers. Sisters. Parents. Family. Friends. Classmates. Coworkers. Neighbors. Community. Whether you like them or not, these are the people we do life with. By the end of this week, every student will be on holiday Christmas break. It's a break from many of the things on the list above, and a break from some of the people on the list above. Yet it's also a time... (read more)

We've now hit December. WHOA! Not only is the holiday season upon us, but "The Weekend"-planning season is in full motion, too! Are y'all ready for it — The Weekend 2011?! As a reminder, if you haven't yet SAVED THE DATE in your calendars, go do so now! March 24-27, 2011 (Thursday-Saturday) at Black Lake Bible Camp! This year's theme? "RESCUE". What about "Rescue"? Well, this theme is three-fold and here's how we'll walk through it: What we've been rescued from, what we're rescued into, and how we join in God's rescue of the world. More on that later! I recently found this video ... (read more)