Esther lecture

Thanks to all of you who prayed for my lecture on the book of Esther. It was my final lecture of the 08/09 school year, and it was a success!!!

My main application points for the lecture were:

• value and identity: surveying the different characters in the story, and noticing where it seemed they got their value and identity. Was it from what others thought? power? wealth? God? etc and how their actions were a resutl of this - pride? humility? strength? wickedess? -- which leads to an examination of our own hearts - how do we value ourselves and where do we get our identity? how do we treat and/or interact with members of the opposite sex in light of this?
  
• steppping out: Esther and Mordecai were able to do incredible things because they identified with God, rather than their circumstances, and they took strength in him...I encouraged the students that they too are capable of doing things that are beyond them if they truly stand firm in who they are in God, and who God says they are...they are capable of changing the world, just as the hero and heroin in the story were...what is your "such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
  
• Remembering: we had some fun learning about the Jewish Holiday of Purim (which remembers how God used Esther to save his people from total annihilation) and then celebrated it ourselves at the end of class - this was a fun and interactive time for us...and was a challenge for us to be a people who remember who we are in God and what God has done for us

This was probably the funnest lecture for me to this year, and I know first hand from the students that God is doing alot in them through this book.

students talk: one student, a girl name Abby, told me that God is using this book to speak into some very specific situations in her life, as well as other students. She explained that this is a book that they as a class really needed, to study during this specific season in many of their lives, and that this is likely a favorite book for many, including her self. I say this is entirely to God' credit, and not mine, but to encourage you, that God is using SBS to change lives. Many of you are a part of that change. Thank you for choosing to be a part.

I have absolutely loved teaching this year! It has been one of the biggest stretches for me thus far, but incredibly rewarding, and worth every second of it!!!!!

What does the rest of the Year hold? While my teaching portion of the school has concluded, I am far but finished with my SBS duties. I will continue doing everything else that I already do: Attending classes, hospitality ministry, student discipleship, grading etc. I will take the week before my wedding and the two weeks after my wedding off and will be back in time to see the students finish out their career as SBS students. The school year ends June 28th...but us staff will stay on for another week or so. Then we will have a little bit of time off in the summer, and its back in August to prepare for next year's school. Whew!

Well, that's it for now!

How can you pray?

please pray for the students: that they will finish the year out strong!

Please also pray for my finances! Please pray specifically for at least two hundred and fifty dollars more a month to come in. This is my minimum financial need at this point. I also appreciate if you could pray about how you could be a part of meeting this need through giving.
Please see the top of this blog page for more info on how you can give, or contact me with any questions.

Love ya!

Overdue update!

Hello dearest friends and family!

I humbly apologize that it has been a while since I posted an update. I offer no excuses, but rather confess that in the midst of all the busyness of marriage preparations, wedding planning, and my seemingly unending duties as SBS staff, I have failed to do so properly. I humbly ask for your grace as I am still learning the ropes of life as a missionary. You, as my prayer/financial/emotional supporters are all a HUGE part of this ministry that God has me doing here with YWAM Montana. If I have in any way made you feel anything different from that by not writing, please forgive me, and know that is not my heart. During this season as a soon to be maried woman, and SBS staff, I am learning the art of multi-tasking like never before, and sometimes I fail miserabley at it. You are all a priority, please know that.

ok, so... for the main update points:

• I taught Psalms on March 6th, which I feel went well. It was a more difficult lecture to prepare for, as it was a much different style of book, and lecture than I was used to teaching, but God faithfully led me through my preperation and lecture time.

• Main application points for PSALMS: The Psalms were the "hymnbook of ancient Israel." They can serve us, the contemporary readers, as a guide to healthy balanced worship and prayer. They are an example to us of how to be completely honest and broken before God, without being irreverent. The Psalmists often cry out to God in lament, and we see that God deems this as acceptable. The psalmists were crying out to God in hard times and ask him why. It is important to note that they never fail to end their lament with a proclamation of God's greatness; remembering who is, that he is so much bigger than their situations (and/or) understanding. He is always faithful and trustworthy. The Psalms show us how to trust God and worhsip him in both the greatest and hardest of times. I encouraged students to be completely honest and vulnerable with God, whatever they are going through. This is his desire. I also pointed out, that as the Psalms are poetry and songs. They show us that creative expression is something God values. I told them that if being most vulnerable with God for them is to dance for him: dance! if it is to write, or paint or just cry out to him, do it!

• As we always do in an SBS lecture, I explained some of the historical, cultural and contextual elements that need to be understood in order to safely and properly interpret the Psalms, as they are a specific type of literature and should be interpreted thus

• Students ended winter quarter at the end of March then enjoyed a with a week long break. This week started their third and final quarter of their career as SBS students. They will graduate in June.
  

• I am now preparing my final lecture of this school year. I will teach Esther on April 20th.

• I am getting married next month!!!!! Yay!!!!!! Justin will be officialy joinng SBS staff in August and we look forward to staffing next school year together.

• As we are nearing the end of the year, we are beginning to hear about what different students are planning to do in the future and how they want to use their SBS education. We have many students who feel a long term call to the world's 10/40 window. For those of you who don't know, the 10/40 window is a term for the parts of the world that are most unreached by the gospel and often most hostile to it. The nations within this window are often some of the most dangerous and poverty sticken in the world. How incredible to think that you and I have a part in equipping people with the tools that they need to go into those hard places with a solid biblical understanding of God, and an ability to train and equip others to stand on a firm biblical foundation as well. God is doing stuff, and you and I are so priviledged to be a part of it!!!!!
  

Prayer Points:


Please Pray for Students:

• One of my students who is from India has been denied her visa extension and will be deported in 30 days. PLEASE PRAY that God would do a miracle in this situation, and that she will be able to stay and complete the school. Her name is Anmol, she is only 17.

• for all the students: they would give this last quarter their all, and continue to learn, grow and be radically transformed! Please pray for continued guidance as to their futures.

Please pray for me:

• I am so busy! Please pray for God's grace and continued revelation. I am learning so much through this challenging season, but I can't do it without his help. Pray for wisdom in balancing everything that I have going on, and to be Ok with the fact that I am not perfect and that the best I can do, is all I can do. ( I am learning how not to be a perfectionist)

• Please pray for my upcoming lecture

• please pray for my upcoming marriage and for my future Hubby. God has been ROCKING OUR WORLDS as we have been walking through pre- marital counseling and other types of emotional and spiritual preparation, and its awesome! Pray that he would continue to build into our marriage in this season of "pre-marriage."

• please pray for our finances. As with everyone, times are tough, but God is faithful in times of plenty and want.

Love you all! Let me know how you are doing so I can pray for you!!!!!