Learning to Live in the Blessings of God

One of the recent themes I've been reading in scripture is that of God's blessings and curses. Israel inherited blessings from God for following through with His commandments, and they received curses when they did not. However, God made unconditional promises to His people that He would keep regardless of what they did. How does this apply to us believers?

In Christ, we have been given every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3). We are loved with the same love that the Father has for the Son (Jn. 17:23). We still have the choice to quench the Spirit or to walk according to His guidance...to obey or disobey.

Spiritual blessings don't come from earning God's favor; we already have that. But they come from allowing God to work through you, day in and day out. (Ro. 12:1-4)

What are these spiritual blessings? Love, joy, peace...to name a few. We are not human doings...no, we are human beings. We were designed to abide in the Vine. How is your life different when you abide in God and let Him work through you?

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Since last time:
- We have read almost all the way through Deuteronomy in our daily readings. Almost every page has something written on it (the HS is revealing a lot through Keith)!
- I had my host week: a week for me to step up as the leader among my teammates and a host for groups coming to camp. It was tiresome, but also an empowering role in which I was affirmed in some of my gifts.
- In preparation for our trip to Israel in January, our tour guide Arlie has been teaching us actions to "Walk Thru the Bible"...choreography for knowing scripture! We're at Pentecost.
- Each teamer has gone on recruiting trips to universities with full time staff, seeking for prospective summer coaches for camp! I traveled to UT, UTSA, and TSU.
- ...Aaaand yesterday our program leader, Keith, sent us on a race-scavenger hunt around the city to find out where we're going for our missions trip! The results:

In February, we'll be venturing on a tri-country ski trip through Italy, Slovenia, and Austria for the purpose of spreading the gospel! You know what this means...fundraisers!

Pray:
- Praise the Lord that Truett has softened some and we are able to be around each other without much tension. Continue to pray that he will pursue unity for our team, and I will learn to love him well.
- Pray for unity among the MACs (Men After Christ) on TimTeam. The WOGs (Women of God) have become an authentic and cohesive group, but the male side of the house is still not willing to meet together on our own accord, even for prayer and fellowship.

- Pray for an outpouring of the Spirit upon each of us to serve each other in God's way, according to the spiritual gifts God has given each of us.

- Pray for good fundraisers and the financial means necessary for us to go on our missions trip.

IHS,

Daniel

Come and See!

Above: our team's mission statement and picture.

"The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.'"

Everybody on the Tim Team has, to some measure, come into the discipleship program with questions regarding their vocation. Personally, I came into the program hoping to gain vision on God's plan for me in the future, and this quickly proved to be a dangerous expectation. Keith, our discipleship leader, will often use the phrase "come and see" in reference to questions of our agenda, missions trips, or future plans. We don't know what tomorrow brings, but we know that He will be there.

God is more concerned with our trust in Him than us knowing all of the answers. In response, I'd rather be part of His grand plan than attempt to make Him part of mine.

"They said, 'Rabbi' (which means 'Teacher'), 'where are you staying?'
'Come', He replied, 'and you will see'." -John 1:38b-39a

Keith models this mantra wonderfully by offering plenty of surprises.

- we were told we were going to lead a group kayaking down the river, two days before it happened!

- a trip to the Majestic Theater to watch a play of Beauty & the Beast.

- surprise trip to watch the new Left Behind movie together.

- an unexpected day on the Guadalupe river to get to know each other, followed by a night of camping!

- tickets to a Baylor/UT volleyball game

- we have yet to find a location for our missions trip in February! God will certainly provide.

- never knowing what my schedule is going to be like a week from now.

- many, many more!

In retrospect, God always proves Himself faithful. Reading through the Old Testament paints the big picture of God's faithfulness to His promises and character and has helped me trust that God will show Himself faithful through the Team this year.

You can be praying for me:
- that Truett and I would learn to communicate better with each other. It seems like everything he says to me is an attempt to shut me down. We are clearly very different people. I hope to be at a place where I can communicate peacefully with him.

- that God would provide a place for the Team to go on our missions trip this February!

- that God would provide a niche for me on the team where I would be best suited to love others in boldness.

Thanks!

-Dani

P.S. Here is some footage from the high ropes course at camp. This video is of me and Alysa going off the 

Leap of Faith.

Surprise Party

For those who don't know, I have signed up for a 12-month discipleship program with T Bar M camps in New Braunfels, Texas this year called the "Timothy Team". Working two summers as a sports camp coach left a strong mark on me, to say the least. I had great respect for the staff at camp in every regard, and since I had no other plans for this year, I deemed it time to gain vision for my future.

Expectations can be dangerous; the surprise parties that Jesus holds are always the best.

Let me tell you a few things I didn't expect about the TimTeam:

- to be working 8-5, M-F and two weekends per month.

- to be spending more time facilitating team building with group retreats than discussing our discipleship curriculum books. Rhetorical question: "Wait, discipleship is more about living the faith than it is learning about the faith?"

- to get so many dine-out meals for free!

- to be focusing more on a group calling than a personal calling. "So this isn't just a year for me to discover my vocation through prayer?"

- to get such a workout from the Big Swing on the high ropes course!

- to receive such a dynamic and condensed education of Old Testament geography.

- to be empowered to lead worship music, use a soundboard, get a truck out of mud, build bunk beds, lead dozens of group games, dance the story of the Bible, oversee camp operations...and more.

But the greatest surprises come from these brothers and sisters.

They are the main reason why this is a discipleship program. All that I do this year, whether in mission trips, facilitating group games, or studying Scripture, is done alongside them. They'll keep me in check, and by God's grace I'll do the same for them.

(L to R: [1] Eric, me, JP, Tyler, Truett, Jordan [2] Alysa, Alicia, Audrey, Kaitlin, Ashton, Hannah Beth)

You can be praying for me:

- that God would provide me daily motivation to love my brothers and sisters, despite our differences.

- that I would be receptive to the Holy Spirit as He reveals ways I can grow as a leader, brother, and servant.

- that fear of people would cease as I get to know the people I'm living with, and as they get to know me. That God's Spirit of courage and boldness would pervade.

- that the reading of the Old Testament and discipleship would be transferred directly into my work with groups that come to camp, so that people from outside would see Christ in me.

Thank you for your prayers!

Daniel

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A random tidbit to chew on:

"We only know Him in so far as we are known by Him, and our contemplation of Him is a participation in His contemplation of Himself. We become contemplatives when God discovers Himself in us," -Thomas Merton.