Give examples of how the practice of ministry has affected your experience and understanding of A) God At the core of my understanding of God is a God of love in covenantal relationship with God’s children. Romans 8:38-39 says it well; “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The practice of ministry has only proven to strengthen that belief. I was called early Saturday morning to sit with a family who had just learned of the death of their daughter/granddaughter in a vehicle accident.…
In the book Father Cry, Billy Wilson brings to attention the importance of having and eventually become a spiritual father, mother and/or son and daughter. Wilson conveys his message by bringing attention the spiritual relationships of people in the Bible. These people realized their position and embraced their title. Wilson urges us to identify our roles and pursue it.…
The two Books of Samuel are part of a series of books (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings) in the Hebrew Bible/ Old Testament. These books describe the development and rise of kingship in Israel. In the bible, Samuel plays a critical role because he assists in bringing together the period of the Judges and the monarchy as he guides Israel to kingship. The Greek translation of the book, the Septuagint, was the first version to divide the Books of Samuel into two different parts. We can’t completely confirm who wrote the Books of Samuel; however, it is highly possible that they were compiled from the writings of the prophets Samuel, Gad, and Nathan.…
In the book, A Grace Disguised, by Jerry Sittser, the author shares an emotionally raw account of his personal loss of three family members-his wife, his young daughter, and his mother in a tragic car accident. He takes us through his ability to endure grief and the long journey to forgiveness. Not only must he care for his remaining three children and their emotional wellbeing, he must conquer his own emotions, overcome the overwhelming feeling of loss, and repair his relationship with God. Sittser shows us through his own pain the importance of taking on loss and sorrow head on, that darkness comes with unforgiving and light with forgiveness, and that no one is immune from having hardships brought into their lives. Everyone will suffer from the pain of loss at some point in their lives.…
There are many stories told in my family. Anyone and everyone told them, some nights it would be my mom and other nights it would be my grandpa. There would always be two stories read; the first one would be from a book called “My Book of Bible Stories”. This book has so many pictures asks questions has descriptive words and is still one of my favorite books. After that story whoever was telling the story would make up a silly story usually about a blue or green man with a giraffe that went traveling and exploring (I have no clue why).…
7eventh Time Down sings the song, God is on the Move. The words of the refrain, “God is on the move, on the move, Hallelujah. God is on the move, in many mighty ways” accurately reflects my life. God is definitely on the move and has been preparing me for this journey in the MOL program. Thinking about events in my life that contributed to my growth as a leader, several events come to mind.…
“Our enemies have made the mistake that America’s enemies always make. They saw liberty and thought they saw weakness. And now, they see defeat.” George W. Bush stated this about the cowardly September 11th attacks. During that fateful day I was glued to my poorly constructed high school chair, gazing in disbelief what was unfolding on Mr. Cox’s History class television.…
“One of the secrets of life is making stepping stones out of stumbling blocks.” –Jack Penn As my thoughts raced and mocked every ounce of confidence that I could have possibly possessed, I impatiently prepared for what was about to come. It was finally my time to be in the limelight—my time to share my God-given talents. I came from a shy and insecure mindset, but being chosen for the soloist position in a new style of worship would change everything for me.…
Alcorn, Randy. 9 Facts About Heaven that Will Surprise You, www.lifeway.com/Article/pastor-Questioning-heaven. Written by Randy Alcorn who is a New York Times best seller. This article is about what to expect when we arrive in Heaven. Despite the fact that a large portion of us are in no rush to get to our last destination, we as a whole have questions concerning it.…
On October 8th, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire began. It burned down homes, killed hundreds, and demolished buildings. $200 million worth of buildings were destroyed. It is rumored that the fire was started by Catherine O’Leary’s cow who knocked over a lighted lantern.…
The Quests of the Caleb Twenty-four hours is a long time to spend with siblings and especially in a stuffy car with rain gushed down from the clouds on the outside. The began the long and protracted trip on the Monday of Spring Break. My family each can stand each other, but not long enough to travel for that long with them considering the fact that the vehicle used was designed to fit 4 people and there was six of us! The trip lasted about 12 hours each day over the period of two days. Each day I slept for about 4 hours.…
In the third grade, my Dad and I drove home from a birthday party for one of his fellow police officers. The festive and upbeat night took a turn for the worst when we reached the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Robert Road in Redondo beach; we had unexpectedly struck the back fender of a truck and spun out into the center of the intersection. As I sat in disbelief, my Dad spoke to the other driver and they exchanged information. He drove home with a sullen look that was new to me, we didn't say a word. At home, I sobbed as I overheard my Dad stress to my Mom that he would lose his beloved job.…
When my mother was forced to leave the United States and go live in Poland I became forlorn. She was deported to Poland because she was missing some necessary documents that were required in order to live in the U.S. Many contrasting thoughts began to evolve and collide in my head. I had a feeling bothering me that my mom moved because of me. I didn’t understand anything because I was only in third grade.…
Including Samuel is a documentary about the experiences of many individuals with disabilities in the traditional education system within the United States. While focusing on inclusion and the environment of schools with individuals with disabilities in mind, the film explores many interesting viewpoints on the subject. In the main spotlight of the documentary lies Samuel, a boy born with a disability and his families efforts to allow him to grow up in an integrated school system. While this family struggles with many of the daily issues of having a son with disabilities, their efforts were immortalized in this documentary. It was incredibly interesting to see this documentary from the viewpoint of my own life, growing up in a traditional…
In the novel "The five people you meet in heaven" by Mitchen Albom showed one of the important relationships which are Eddie and his father. Through this relationship, it revealed the negative and positive influences that the relationship gave. This relationship impacted Eddie, himself the most and few to others. This essay will explain how the relationship positively and/or negatively impacted Eddie's childhood, adult life and life see in heaven with a theme, forgive and forget. Eddie's relationship with his father in his childhood was terrible, which negatively influenced his childhood.…