week 3

This week was a very tough week for me spiritually and emotionally! Fiona Gifford from England spoke on Sin, Repentance, & Forgiveness.
HIGHLIGHTS from LESSON:
*the Flesh is constantly at battle with the Spirit (Romans 6, Romans 8:1-17, Colossians 3:1-17).
*Sin- man's failure to trust in God, state of unbelief, doubt.
*Sin entered the world in the form of pride and mistrust when Adam/Eve chose to be independent rather than dependent on God and obey the boundaries God set before them.
*Sin starts in the inside, in the heart, and exits the body by YOUR WILL allowing it to. So take control of your body!
*Pattern for sin is most likely because you haven't dealt with the root of it.
*What are your defenses, what you hide behind? What keeps you from being vulnerable (open to being wounded)? Could be silence, business/work, food, a smile, humor, self pity, perfectionism... These defenses need to come down so that humility (being known for who you really are) can come forth.
*Your reaction/response to situations in this world is the most powerful testimony you'll ever have!
*It's how you love one another that people see you are disiciples of God.

This was a breakthrough week for me personally and also as a group. Fiona facilitated a time where we could physically go through the steps of sin, repentance, & forgiveness through a series of exercises. She had us do several group activities where we were given the chance to look at each other through the eyes of God, and because of that we are on our way to becoming more unified. One of Fiona's individual activities gave us the chance to physically wash away our sins with the blood of Jesus Christ (red soap).

Local Outreach- TREASURE HUNT! >> coolest thing EVER!
*Strategy: ask God to give clues- article of clothing, color of shirt, place, name, unusual thing, that will help find the treasure- person needing help/prayer/word of encouragement in that exact moment!
*Plan: write clues down, pick a location to walk to first, start walking, & LOOK for the treasure!
I was skeptical of this at first... how is it possible that God can really speak to us about this kind of stuff? How do we know that these pictures/words we get are actually from God and not just our own mind making things up?...
But, through this experience, God taught me to just trust Him because He CAN and WILL speak to me!
So, this is what happened with my group:
-I got: dread locks, red shirt, Reebok, corner. Other 2 guys in my group got: snake, pink shorts.
-We started walking, and the design of a HUGE snake was built into the framework of the fence surrounding this house. So, we timidly knocked on the door! We talked to a young man who is not a believer, but instead believes in the power of the human mind and the good in man having the power to overcome evil. But he is very interested in other religions, including Christianity. He is always encouraged by Christians! And, he knows someone connected with YWAM.. so you never know what our little talk with him will lead to!
-We continued walking, and a man with long dreads wearing a red shirt was walking right towards us! So, we pulled the guy aside, we were very scared and nervous just like the first time, and told him he was part of our treasure hunt because he matched the clues we got from God! He happened to be a homeless man that lives on the mountain, and he has very weak eyes. So we prayed for safety & protection, and strong eyes with good vision! Who knows if God healed him, but the smile on the guys face after we were done praying was priceless!
*Some of the other groups stories are crazy cool! Another group got a picture of cans, so they went to the grocery store and went to the can isle... no one was there. But then, a lady came walking down the isle with a whole cart full of cans!!! So, trusting that she was their "treasure", they went to her! She happened to be a believer, and was on her way to distribute cans to the hungry, and earlier that day she prayed for encouragment since she was really nervous about distribution.. so this group was the answer to her prayers! How crazy! So anyway, they prayed for her & even gave her some money :)

Blessings to everyone! Hope you all are enjoying the snow :)
-Aslyn