so week 2...it's been so busy!! i thought that once i got into some form of a routine, things would slow down and i would have more free time...apparently that is just not so! one of my friends said that it will only get busier from here with weekend fundraisers and activities and such. Crazy!! :D At this point though (saturday afternoon), i have all of my homework done for the weekend-yay! It was so nice to be able to sleep in past 5:45 this morning--and it may become even more rare. :( ha.

This week our lectures were all about the character of God. Richard Blake was our speaker...and amazing one at that. i loved the way he explained things very clearly and in terms of me and my relationship with God today. He also presented some good challenges. one of the reasons i decided to do missions with YWAM was because of the lectures and teaching phase--i like their mandate to "Know God and to make Him known." so naturally, i loved this week's topic because i really want to strengthen my relationship with God and in order to do that i need to know and learn His character and ways. It was definitely good background information. one thing that really stood out to me and was the fact that God is a theistic God as opposed to a deistic God. He's very personal and involved in our lives--he "interferes" and directs us. I don't know about you but it would pretty much stink if we were created and then left alone to fend for ourselves in this crazy, mixed up world.

Another thing that was really interesting to me that Richard said is that the Bible is incomplete. That struck me as strange at first, but the more i thought about, the more sense it makes--God wrote it for us but in order for us to really understand it and get the most out of it, we need God to intercede and help us out with meanings and applications. I really like looking at it in that light because it's kind of like a puzzle or a mystery...it also requires a deep and personal relationship with the author...which is my original goal! :D

Richard also introduced a new phrase equal to sin--relationship destroyer. I really love this description because for me, sin has almost become--not cliche--but maybe over-used...? Anyway, i really like that description because it creates an actual picture for me--i can actually imagine the damage it would do--destroying a relationship--not only with God but also with whoever is involved. It makes me think even more about the things i do or say before i do or say them.

My favorite challenge of the week from Richard was the verse 1 John 4:20--if anyone says,"I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. It really made me think about how i relate to others and how i treat them. Our relationship with God is directly related to our relationships with humans. Think about it... : ).

Friday's class was pretty intense--our 2 hour lecture session turned into 6 hours and 15 minutes. Our application for the whole week was praying and getting a word from God about which of His many attributes we either had a false view of, or needed to work on. We then proceeded to stand up in the front of the room and we prayed for each person in the class(about 40 people). It was incredible how God moved each person and revealed himself to each of us. My weak area turned out to be understanding the enormity and depth of God's love for me and the fact that no matter where I am or what's going on in my life, He is always enough for me. Prayer from you all for revelation of that love would be amazing... : ).

Well, that's pretty much it for now, sorry this week's post was so long...!! haha talk to you all soon,
Rachel