What is Love?

Now I'm not talking about the song, but what is love, really? The topic of love over my very short week has repeatedly popped up in big ways. From coming up in my morning devotions to heated arguments in class, it's a reoccuring topic. And I just wanted to share a little bit of one of the discussions from Tuesday's lesson. We were actually talking about Unity as a team and a HUGE part of that is love. we can't be unified with out it. So to understand love we looked at some verses.

John 15:12

“This is my COMMANDMENT: Love each other in the same way I have loved you,”

Romans 12:9

“Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them... Love each other with GENUINE affection and take delight in honoring each other.”

 

1 Corinthians 8:1
“ It is LOVE that STRENGTHENS the church.” “Knowledge puffs up while love builds up.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-13 Love is actions

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

 

Romans 13:10

“Love does NO WRONG to others, so LOVE FULFILLS the requirements of God's law.”

So we learned that God COMMANDS us, as Christians, to love people (not a suggestion). Then He tells us how to love one another with a real, GENUINE love (not a surface deep or hypocritical love, but deeper than feelings and emotions, because we love really isn't a feeling. If it were, we would be very fical because we always dont feel like loving people). Love is meant to strengthen and build up people. And love has to be active lifestyle (We can't just say that we love. We have to live it out and be patient, kind, not easily angered, etc.). And crazy thing is that if we all loved like this though there would be no requirement for laws, because we would all be looking to the interest of others before our selves. But sadly that's not the case.

The love which as Christians we are meant to have is the Biblical sense of the word. Not lust, emotion, or based on what we get out of it, no, we are talking about unconditional love that does not change.

Almost makes me think of the Prodical Son (Luke 15:11-32) that after how much he messed up and had wasted his father's money and his inheritance, his father was waiting for him to return to him and loved him even though his son had been the worst possible son EVER! God is waiting for us to turn and accept His love which is free. And in turn we can love others they way He loved us, unconditionally. Inspite of us, how bad we were and are, no matter if we choose to love Him or not, God loved us first and continues to love. “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

So since we are called to love the way Christ does, who is capable of this love? Are those who know God, who is love (1John 4:8) and have a relationship with Him, the only ones who know true love? Or are all humans capable of being loving, Christian or non-Christian?

Yes, all people are capable of loving one another in one way or another. We were made to be social and together (Gen 2:18 “It is not good for the man to be alone.”) But would you love someone who murdered your best friend or closest family member? Would you die for that murderer? It is easy to love those who love you, but is it possible to love your enemies? That is what God is calling us to do. Have unconditional love. No matter what they have done.

The best example of unconditional love is found in God. God the Father and Jesus are the perfect Father- Son relationship and they most definitely love one another because they are the same person! But because God loved us sooo much He was willing to sacrifice His Son for us, and Jesus was willing to lay down His life for us. Jesus didn't just die though for those who were good to Him and loved Him; He died for the people who turned their backs to Him and spat in His face. (The Bible says “no one is righteous not even one” Romans 3:10-12; “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23) As humans, we are His murders and every human being is accountable for His death, because He loved us soo much that he chose to die so that He could save us from our sins and make us right with God. But now that He has done that is He going to force us to accept it? No! But like the good father, He waits for us to return so that He can accept us and love us despite of what we have done to Him.

As Christians we are called to love as He loved and that is our highest goal (1 Cor. 14:1 “Let love be your highest goal!”) God loved us despite of our sin, and Jesus laid down His life for his executioners. We need to love our friends and enemies and do good to those who hate us. (Matthew 5:44 “love your enemies! Pray for those who perescute you!”... “If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even nonbelievers do that.”)


Really in the end those who know God know what love is. Because how else can we know what love is until we know the one who is Love and has showed us the ultimate example of love. And when He lives in us and give us His strength to love others. He wouldn't tell us to do something that we couldn't do and not help us! Does not mean it will be easy, but God will help us love one another.

So in the end, Love is unconditional and eternal and we need to accept God's love and we need God to love. Guess the Beetles had it right....All you need is Love.

Next Step...

Hello Church, Friends, and Family!

Thank you everyone for your support and for your prayers! I have been so encouraged by your support for me and what I am doing! I am sorry that my blogs have been a bit all over the place. I hope you will forgive me :D But we have been pretty crazy busy, and this is my first Saturday of relaxing since I got here :D Funny thing is I almost prefer crazy weekends. :D

Did want to let you give you an update about the past few days. On Thursday, we went to the reading club that we have in Burlington, Queensburgh which is a few minutes from here, but it a squatter village that has 'improved' and now has become a township. It is definitely one of the nicer townships, but it doesn't mean they don't have difficulties. While reading to the kids, one very little girl who could not speak any English, came and sat in my lap. I continued reading to the other children and helping them, but it was not until one little girl started poking the girl in my lap's face that I realized she was asleep! Pretty much adorable!!!

One of our team members was doing a presentation on his nation, Zambia, hence the soccer jersey :)
I am hoping to do mine closer to November so I can talk about Turkey Month :D

On the way home from Burlington, our leader's car broke down on the freeway :) Definitely a new experience of being stuck on the side of the road in a foreign country! But her husband was very kind and towed us home. (He has a land rover and she has a small VW -  we all piled in his car...just for clarification he was not pulling us in the VW) :D

Friday was the last day for Wilson our lecturer, but it has been a very impactful week to say the least.
He ended the discussion of the Lordship of Christ by having us write everything that has precedence in our lives (friends, homes, futures, family, feelings, and rights- Ex: the right to comfort, health, life, etc. - pretty much everything!). The idea of laying everything on the line was VERY daunting, but once we had we physically laid them at the cross in the room just as a representation that we were giving it to Jesus. But the real change was when we did that in our hearts. It was VERY relieving! We then burned the papers we had written everything on. Definitely the fun part :D

That night we were suppose to go to an Indian youth group in Chatsworth, but for some reason they had to cancel. Which meant we got to go to Westville Presby's youth group, crossfire. It was funny because it was the one night that they had a LOT of visitors for some reason. It was definitely a good time of fellowship and teaching. We made videos for a project on thanksgiving. My team performed a rap. (AKA one of my YWAM friends wrote lyrics while 2 of my friends laid the beat and I bobbed back and forth with what little swag I have :D ) At the end of the video, one kid may have broken a door doing a back flip, but who knows, it my have already been broken :) Now it is Saturday my one free day.

Since actually coming, I haven't actually put out anything specific for you guys to pray for me. I am very blessed and thankful because I know that many of you are in fact praying for me, but I also want to throw out there a special request about my next step. Where to go after YWAM? What I should do? Those questions have been popping up a lot. Even though, I am not fearful of the future, because in God's Word it says,

'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.' Phil 4:6

But I still do want to know what God has planned for me. I am considering many different options right now, but if you could I would really appreciate prayer for guidance and wisdom.

Thank you everyone for keeping up with my blogs and a special thanks for those who read it all the way to the bottom. ;D Love you guys!

Westville Presby Camp and Lordship study Oct. 14-7

October 14 & 15

This weekend I had the privilege of going to the camp with my church here in South Africa! Whoo!

I really enjoyed the weekend and it was really cool to see how we effected people's lives!

Ash and I worked as the children's workers, and we had 5 very special young ladies in our class :D They were all a handful, but each one of them was wonderful and really a pleasure to be with!

When we did have breaks, Ash and I were able to bond with the church body. It was really nice especially for me to remake some friendships from last year and start new ones. Probably besides doing a water games with the girls I really enjoyed a scavenger hunt that we did as a church. Everyone was on a different team based on their family and age groups. Funny thing was that there were only 3 or 4 on my team who were not considerably older or younger; so us for 4 did a LOT of running to get each target. It was really great getting to talk to the people on my team who I wouldn't normally have ever talked to, and it was cool to have that competive edge! My team did come in 3^rd place, but we would have come in 2^nd had we not gotten there only a few seconds late :(.

 

Later that night since there was no children's session got to go to the night time session, bonfire, and worship :D super awesome. Later played signs with some of my youth pastor's friends then later that night played mafia with the youth group. :D Good times!

Had fun teaching the girls about wanting more of God while the main service was learning almost the same thing :) It was definitely hard; had to stretch my knowledge to entertain all the kids for long periods of time, and It was very tiring, but it was TOTALLY worth it!

October 16 & 17

Classes started, but we have a new speaker, Wilson Goeda, who was the founder of YWAM Durban and handed it over to our base leader back in 2010. He is soooo enthusiastic! I don't know how I would be able to track him if I didn't have a laptop and could type! He just gets sooo excited about what we are learning that he begins speaking a million miles an hour!

This week we are discussing the Lordship of Christ. It is a really hard topic. In years past, Wilson mentioned that sometimes students have walked out because it is sooo hard to hear. It's all about giving God EVERYTHING and leaving no leaf unturned for Him. I was really convicted to put EVERYTHING on the table/alter for God to take or give. To some it might seem scary, but I actually find comfort in it that I am not in control, but God is! We keep mentioning how scary it must be for non-believers. I have no idea how they live life putting everything on their shoulders and carrying all that weight around! It's crazy how God is real and He wants to be incharge of our lives and our worries so we don't have to worry or be afraid! I really am enjoying this week's teaching!

Oct. 5 - Oct. 11

Hello Everyone!
WHooo Quite a week!
Well just the update.

Friday:
Went to Highway Christian Community Church (HCC). There were speakers from California. Pretty cool. Very very very charismatic church :) Lots of fun!

Saturday:
Went to Tala Reservation. No cats but lots of other animals :D Had picnic on the reserve almost got trampled by a rhino. No big deal :D Had fun getting out of the house! Really enjoy nature here!

Sunday:
Went to my beautiful Westville Presby with my friend Ashleigh :) Saw my friends new born baby girl for the first time! Most beautiful thing ever! The church is having a camp this coming weekend at a retreat place. Won't be able to go, because we have a special meet and greet at the church we are staying at, but two of the people had to drop out and there are now two fully paid places available..... REally WISH I COULD GO! Later that night had tea with some friends I met from last year :D saw their new house! My friends want me and my friend Ash to work in the kids ministry this weekend :( REALLY WANT TO GO NOW!

Monday:

Asked Geoff we could go to the camp this weekend instead of the thing for our host church :/ what's the worst he could say? no.
Got new speakers! Dan and Amy. Adorable couple from Wisconsin!  Crazy story: right before Dan was going to his DTS a while back he was using a wood cutter and he cut half of his pointer finger off! The option was to get it back on have 3 months of healing, 3 months of therapy, and it would never be the same...OR just leave it off, stitch it up, fine in 6 weeks. So he chose to leave it off so he could better serve at the DTS! :O Intense! Any who they are teaching Inductive Bible study and this week we are inductively learning the book of Ephesians. (Inductive studying 4 steps - pray, observe, interpret, apply). Now it's intense because first we pray to ask God to reveal things to us, then observing takes the longest because you have to analyze EVERYTHING, BUT not apply anything or interpret ANYTHING! then it's Interpreting which is seeing who was the writer, the original audience, the culture (not applying it to us but seeing how it applied to the people of the time). Lots of history, but we looked first in the Bible and other books in the Bible, then Bible dictionary and other resources. Very cool! and then we apply it to our lives ( How does this affect my life and how I will live it?) One thing Dan said was that "the Bible was written for us not to us". Gotta be careful!
But it was really funny they are both early 20s and they look like teenagers! Love it! (Funny fact totally guessed they were AWANA kids. So right :D )

Tuesday:
GEOFF SAID YES! Totally did not think he would but we are going to the Westville Presby camp this weekend to help with childcare!!!
Also are planning to go to the Drakensburg in a few weekends from now to get used to living in a "camper" style. 5 hr. hike to a cave, cook over fire, lack of showers, puff adders, and mambas (which my mother wants me to get me on the prayer chain and make sure I have a gun, a sword, a rambo knife....love you mum!) and just the other usual camping in Africa fun things :)

Wednesday:
Found out we are not just helping. We ae the kids youth camp directors. WHOA! Have to create our own teachings, plans, programs, games, crafts for an entire weekend! Total new appreciation for my Dad's job as a children's pastor ( not saying I had no idea he had a crazy job, but doing it myself now and having to come up with creative teachings...whoo what a job :D ). Totally thanking God I had Junior High Charges, also, to look towards! Thinking of doing the Living Waters year (2007??? maybe) think it is. Trying to remember everything....NOT THAT EASY! :) If any one has notes for that year please send them to me! Thanks!

Thursday:
Good day being really diligent working on projects for DTS and creating a program for the weekend and trying to get the supply list in before Friday :)
Working on the living waters idea how God is the whole "well that never runs dry" and just as we were getting ready to go to bed.... the faucet on the sink decides to break! Even though it was completely turned off it was coming out faster than the drain could get rid of it! We have been in this crazy hustle for 30 min. I had called our base leader Geoff who called the pastor of the church who came over and wow! It was really funny when he started talking about God being Living Water etc. and Ashleigh and I just looked at each other and laughed :) Clothes soaked, haven't showered, water still dripping not as bad :), and all other water shut off (toilet included!) I'm tired and ready for bed.

Sry it probably is really noticeable that I totally don't spell check or go back and grammar check my work. Sorry I'm either really busy or really tired to be honest. Which I feel bad about but u are getting my travel journal so :) no hating!
Thank you everyone for your prayers,

Sept. 30 - Oct. 4

Sunday:

Went to Westville Presby ( the church I went to last year). ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT :) I'm such a dork, but I really did love being back there and I am able to make it my home church until I go to outreach :)

Monday&Tuesday:

Started lectures taught by our very own base leader. This week's teachings were on Grace. Spent the first two days (Monday and Tuesday) talking about the law and sin. Our goal was to pretend we were Israelites under the law and we talked about how we would have to make sacrifices CONSTANTLY and over and over and over again! Just trying to atone for our sin.

Monday though my friend and I were gifted with a large amount of bubble wrap :) we had quite the party! Also found out that my friend could get us into Passion Concet for a fraction of the cost :D

Tuesday Night:

Went to Passion Concert :D totally excited, BUT got there and found out that we did not have tickets as thought we would. We (as in my friends not me;) )actually went around to people in line asking to buy their extra tickets! Totally did not think it would work, but God provided all the tickets we needed (7) plus an extra!....here's the cool part....FOR FREE! :D People just gave my friends their tickets and we got in! It was an incredible time of worship and teaching. Extremely focused on God not earning money for this or that or trying to sell the latest cd :) It was amazing! This is something Loui showed us that we saw on the big screen and we watched him make pretty cool. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zWKm-LZWm4 Check it out :) Mind blown! If you don't believe it at least check out his other videos first before calling him a liar. “How Great is our God” (if the world was the size of a golf ball) or other ones :)

Wednesday:

Finally started talking about grace! :) It was important though to find out what we had to be saved from. The fact that we are not judged by our standdards but God's is a huge struggle! So when we discussed the fact that Jesus came to be our one sacrifice for all time really did make me feel relieved to know that I don't have to keep offering sacrifices and be afraid of breaking the law and having God's wrath turned on me :)

Thursday:

Today we had more lectures on Grace pretty awesome, but then at 3pm we went to a township ( a squatter village that has turned into a little town- houses are usually wood or tin but there are a few concrete ones now because of the government.) We were at a specific one called Burlington working at a reading club that one of our leaders and his wife runs. When we got there, there were no kids so my leader Ben and I went to walk around. Totally joined a game of jump rope and did pretty good :) talked to a lot people and kids in the street. One Gogo (an elderly woman) had a bag of maize on her head and she asked us to pick up her bags on the ground, but we ended up offering to take her home. She swore she knew me which was really funny because she thought she had seen me from the creche she works at (a day care) playing guitar last year! Which I did visit a creche last summer and play guitar there, but it was at a different township. She invited us for tea next Thursday :) Pretty excited!

We went to a school warehouse looking thing and found a bunch of kids dancing in there. It was like Step Up or something it was awesome! Totally wanted to join them :) but knowing me I can't bust a move did not want to make a fool of myself! :) Reading club when we got back about 14 kids showed up and we made cards for kids in Scotland (where Ben's wife, Kirsten, is from). Also found out that Ben and Kirsten will be going with us to our outreach in Lesotho!!! YAY!!! 2 months of hard core camping!!! I'm excited! :D