Pastor Marlon led our devotional time on Monday night. Here are some highlights:
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Day Four
The focus for today: The protection of the Shepherd.
Our in-house Bible study time taught us a little something to remember about God's word.
Know it.
Stow it.
Show it.
Know it in your head. Stow it in your heart. Show is in your life!
Our competitive natures came out at recreation time. We held an in-house ping pong tournament as well as a card (Speed) tournament.
Our in-house Bible study time taught us a little something to remember about God's word.
Know it.
Stow it.
Show it.
Know it in your head. Stow it in your heart. Show is in your life!
Our competitive natures came out at recreation time. We held an in-house ping pong tournament as well as a card (Speed) tournament.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Day Three
The focus for today: The provision of the Shepherd.
Our in-house Bible study time looked at God's promises. After watching a Falls Creek-prepared video, we broke up into pairs and were assigned an emotion and a scripture to go along with it. We then put what God promised into our own words. Those promises were put on large paper and taped to the walls as a reminder to us that God has promised a lot.
Here are the emotions we explored:
Tired....Matthew 11:38
Frustrated and Anxious....John 14:27
Down....John 15:11
Bored....John 10:10
Rejected....John 6:37
Defeated....John 16:33
Useless....John 15:5
Unloving....John 15:9
Worthless....Matthew 6:26
During the afternoon some of the girls swam with snakes at Baptist Lake. Seriously, we saw two while in line to get life jackets! One had a frog in its mouth. Also at the lake were blow-up glaciers to climb. Others of us went to Alpine Towers to test our abilities and overcome fears. The end result was forming unity with our teammates. That night some of the girls met Jeff Johnson and some of the boys went on Icee dates.
Our devotional time was led by Josh Hall from Falls Creek. He shared the story of Paul's life. In addition, Rebecca, a missionary serving as a nurse in the middle east, told us her stories about reaching out and witnessing to the people who have never heard the word of God. She used a cubic square with pictures to communicate with them the stories of Christ's life.
One particular story Rebecca told stood out: There was a mother and son who came to the medical post just as Rebecca and others were leaving. The boy had a big gash on his head, so the medical crew stayed late to help him. Later in the week, the mother invited Rebecca and the others to come to her house and meet all of her family (cousins, nephews, everyone). The family wanted to hear about this God the missionaries had been talking about. Rebecca said just through the medical team staying late that night they were able to share God's word with this family, who is now spreading the word to others.
Our in-house Bible study time looked at God's promises. After watching a Falls Creek-prepared video, we broke up into pairs and were assigned an emotion and a scripture to go along with it. We then put what God promised into our own words. Those promises were put on large paper and taped to the walls as a reminder to us that God has promised a lot.
Here are the emotions we explored:
Tired....Matthew 11:38
Frustrated and Anxious....John 14:27
Down....John 15:11
Bored....John 10:10
Rejected....John 6:37
Defeated....John 16:33
Useless....John 15:5
Unloving....John 15:9
Worthless....Matthew 6:26
During the afternoon some of the girls swam with snakes at Baptist Lake. Seriously, we saw two while in line to get life jackets! One had a frog in its mouth. Also at the lake were blow-up glaciers to climb. Others of us went to Alpine Towers to test our abilities and overcome fears. The end result was forming unity with our teammates. That night some of the girls met Jeff Johnson and some of the boys went on Icee dates.
Our devotional time was led by Josh Hall from Falls Creek. He shared the story of Paul's life. In addition, Rebecca, a missionary serving as a nurse in the middle east, told us her stories about reaching out and witnessing to the people who have never heard the word of God. She used a cubic square with pictures to communicate with them the stories of Christ's life.
One particular story Rebecca told stood out: There was a mother and son who came to the medical post just as Rebecca and others were leaving. The boy had a big gash on his head, so the medical crew stayed late to help him. Later in the week, the mother invited Rebecca and the others to come to her house and meet all of her family (cousins, nephews, everyone). The family wanted to hear about this God the missionaries had been talking about. Rebecca said just through the medical team staying late that night they were able to share God's word with this family, who is now spreading the word to others.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Day Two -- Need feet to follow
Pancakes for breakfast!
For our in-house Bible study time, we played a game of "Do you really know me?" (which was a lot like the old Newlywed Game). Three sets of good friends volunteered to play. Half of the partners had to leave the room while the remaining partners answered questions about their friends.
What is your friend's shoe size?
What is your friend's favorite food?
What is your friend's middle name?
What is your friend's favorite song?
Does your friend prefer Facebook or Myspace?
Kelli's answers matched all of Kathryn's answers. Fernando's answers matched 4 of Justin's and he had a little help from Dustin matching the 5th answer. Kathy and Brittany matched 3. Everyone who played won prizes from 89.7 Power FM.
Then we talked about what this exercise was all about. Knowing someone. Being known. Knowing God. God knowing us.
During recreation time we headed to the rope's course. After a long wait for the shuttle and getting off at the wrong stop, we managed to make it to the course. Our guide really put us to the test -- we had to rely on each other, trust each other, and most of all, have a little faith.
Pastor Spoo brought four pairs of shoes to the stage tonight to illustrate proprioception or where we are spiritually.
He held up a pair of fuzzy slippers first. These shoes represent comfort. Slipper-followers are in it for the blessings and eternity in Heaven. They aren't prepared for any rough terrain.
Next came a pair of pink high heels (he promised us they were not his). This pair of shoes are tight . . . uncomfortable. The high heels-followers are stuck on the rules and not their relationship with God.
He then held up a pair of shoes he called his Sunday shoes, describing them as the shoes he only wears on Sunday. Sunday shoes-followers only walk the walk one day a week.
Lastly he showed us his favorite pair of shoes, ones that his kids like to walk around in when they are playing dress up. "When I want to look like Daddy" shoes-followers are simply practicing the faith of their parents and do not truly have faith in God themselves.
Stepping away from the shoes for a moment, Pastor Spoo shined the spotlight on Phillip and Nathaniel. Jesus said to both, "Follow me." See their different responses here. It was interesting to compare and contrast these two friends. One enthusiastically followed and told someone else. The other was skeptical, probably stuck up and prejudiced, and needed proof. While the responses were different, the end result was the same: they both followed Jesus.
Which brought us back to the shoes . . . well, not really.
Truly following Christ is best represented with bare feet.
Our devotional tonight started off with a wild game of Marco Polo. We played 3 rounds:
1) Two players who knew each other very well -- Kelli and Kathryn played this round. Kelli was blind-folded and Kathryn was strategically placed on the other side of the room. The rest of us were quiet (as best as we could be). Kelli said, "Marco." Kathryn said, "Polo." Kelli found Kathryn easily.
2) Kelli and Kathryn played round two. Kelli was blind-folded again, but this time all of us were told to make some noise to distract her. Kathryn was strategically placed in the kitchen. It took a little longer, but Kelli knew Kathryn's voice and found her.
3) Round three -- two players who did not know each other well -- Fernando and Clay. Fernando was blind-folded. Clay was strategically placed outside on the porch. We were instructed to make as much noise as possible and to distract. Fernando had a hard time hearing Clay's voice and it took him a while to find him.
We then dissected the game and what it represented. See if you can figure it out.
The floor was then open for us to share when we have heard God's voice or felt his presence. Several shared their testimonies and we ended our devotional time in a big circle, holding hands, and singing Jesus Loves Me.
The focus for today: The presence of the Shepherd.
For our in-house Bible study time, we played a game of "Do you really know me?" (which was a lot like the old Newlywed Game). Three sets of good friends volunteered to play. Half of the partners had to leave the room while the remaining partners answered questions about their friends.
What is your friend's shoe size?
What is your friend's favorite food?
What is your friend's middle name?
What is your friend's favorite song?
Does your friend prefer Facebook or Myspace?
Kelli's answers matched all of Kathryn's answers. Fernando's answers matched 4 of Justin's and he had a little help from Dustin matching the 5th answer. Kathy and Brittany matched 3. Everyone who played won prizes from 89.7 Power FM.
Then we talked about what this exercise was all about. Knowing someone. Being known. Knowing God. God knowing us.
During recreation time we headed to the rope's course. After a long wait for the shuttle and getting off at the wrong stop, we managed to make it to the course. Our guide really put us to the test -- we had to rely on each other, trust each other, and most of all, have a little faith.
Pastor Spoo brought four pairs of shoes to the stage tonight to illustrate proprioception or where we are spiritually.
He held up a pair of fuzzy slippers first. These shoes represent comfort. Slipper-followers are in it for the blessings and eternity in Heaven. They aren't prepared for any rough terrain.
Next came a pair of pink high heels (he promised us they were not his). This pair of shoes are tight . . . uncomfortable. The high heels-followers are stuck on the rules and not their relationship with God.
He then held up a pair of shoes he called his Sunday shoes, describing them as the shoes he only wears on Sunday. Sunday shoes-followers only walk the walk one day a week.
Lastly he showed us his favorite pair of shoes, ones that his kids like to walk around in when they are playing dress up. "When I want to look like Daddy" shoes-followers are simply practicing the faith of their parents and do not truly have faith in God themselves.
Stepping away from the shoes for a moment, Pastor Spoo shined the spotlight on Phillip and Nathaniel. Jesus said to both, "Follow me." See their different responses here. It was interesting to compare and contrast these two friends. One enthusiastically followed and told someone else. The other was skeptical, probably stuck up and prejudiced, and needed proof. While the responses were different, the end result was the same: they both followed Jesus.
Which brought us back to the shoes . . . well, not really.
Truly following Christ is best represented with bare feet.
Our devotional tonight started off with a wild game of Marco Polo. We played 3 rounds:
1) Two players who knew each other very well -- Kelli and Kathryn played this round. Kelli was blind-folded and Kathryn was strategically placed on the other side of the room. The rest of us were quiet (as best as we could be). Kelli said, "Marco." Kathryn said, "Polo." Kelli found Kathryn easily.
2) Kelli and Kathryn played round two. Kelli was blind-folded again, but this time all of us were told to make some noise to distract her. Kathryn was strategically placed in the kitchen. It took a little longer, but Kelli knew Kathryn's voice and found her.
3) Round three -- two players who did not know each other well -- Fernando and Clay. Fernando was blind-folded. Clay was strategically placed outside on the porch. We were instructed to make as much noise as possible and to distract. Fernando had a hard time hearing Clay's voice and it took him a while to find him.
We then dissected the game and what it represented. See if you can figure it out.
The floor was then open for us to share when we have heard God's voice or felt his presence. Several shared their testimonies and we ended our devotional time in a big circle, holding hands, and singing Jesus Loves Me.
The focus for today: The presence of the Shepherd.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Day One - You are here . . . now follow me
Bunk beds. Identification wrist bands. Walking up and down hills. All are a part of our daily life here at Falls Creek. We're busy unpacking our things and checking things out.
By the way, the food is wonderful.
Great worship service tonight. Deron Spoo, the evening speaker, introduced us to a $5 fancy word.
Proprioception
In short, the meaning is "you are here." He taught us about physical proprioception and then asked us to consider our spiritual proprioception. Jesus used two words passionately: Follow me.
Each night this week we will look at how different individuals in Jesus' time responded to him when he said, "Follow me."
He asked us to see which character with whom we identify.
Tonight Pastor Spoo made Peter come to life. In the Greek, when Peter says "I'm going fishing" he is literally saying he is going back to fishing. He was this close to giving up on Jesus. He was disappointed and believed Jesus had let him down. If you are this close to giving up on God, Peter is your man. Jesus let Peter know 2 things: that Peter was going to be an old, old man, and that he wanted Peter to "follow me."
We all have something in common with Peter. While we don't know how long we are going to live, we do know that Jesus says the same thing to us. Follow me.
Our devotional time started off with a name game. We had to come up with an adjective that started with the same letter as our first name. Then we went around the circle repeating each other's names, each person saying all the names of the participants to his/her right. Here is who we met (not necessarily in this order): Sensational Shelley, Princess Paden, Awesome Alicia, Crazy Curtis, Jurasic Justin, Wonderful Will, Delightful Dawn, Tricky Trista, Courteous Chelsey, Jumpin' Jake, Cool Clay, Beautiful Brittany, Krafty Kathryn, Kissable Kelli, Zebra Zack, Observant Osmar, Freaky Fernando, Dumb (his choice, not ours) Dustin, Nice Naomi, Hot Holland, Magnificent Micah, Sweet Sarah, and Kind Kathy.
By the way, the food is wonderful.
Great worship service tonight. Deron Spoo, the evening speaker, introduced us to a $5 fancy word.
Proprioception
In short, the meaning is "you are here." He taught us about physical proprioception and then asked us to consider our spiritual proprioception. Jesus used two words passionately: Follow me.
Each night this week we will look at how different individuals in Jesus' time responded to him when he said, "Follow me."
He asked us to see which character with whom we identify.
Tonight Pastor Spoo made Peter come to life. In the Greek, when Peter says "I'm going fishing" he is literally saying he is going back to fishing. He was this close to giving up on Jesus. He was disappointed and believed Jesus had let him down. If you are this close to giving up on God, Peter is your man. Jesus let Peter know 2 things: that Peter was going to be an old, old man, and that he wanted Peter to "follow me."
We all have something in common with Peter. While we don't know how long we are going to live, we do know that Jesus says the same thing to us. Follow me.
Our devotional time started off with a name game. We had to come up with an adjective that started with the same letter as our first name. Then we went around the circle repeating each other's names, each person saying all the names of the participants to his/her right. Here is who we met (not necessarily in this order): Sensational Shelley, Princess Paden, Awesome Alicia, Crazy Curtis, Jurasic Justin, Wonderful Will, Delightful Dawn, Tricky Trista, Courteous Chelsey, Jumpin' Jake, Cool Clay, Beautiful Brittany, Krafty Kathryn, Kissable Kelli, Zebra Zack, Observant Osmar, Freaky Fernando, Dumb (his choice, not ours) Dustin, Nice Naomi, Hot Holland, Magnificent Micah, Sweet Sarah, and Kind Kathy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)