Praise the Lord, I've Been Born Again!
I seriously cannot believe that September is over and we are again transitioning into another month of ministry! This month was full of such sweet gifts from the Lord and I am so excited to tell you all about it. BUT I wouldn’t get to even be a participant in what God is doing without the prayers and support from y’all, so thank you so much again for continually joining me in ministry!
Core!
Cores are our gender specific small groups that we host throughout the week and this year, mine has been so so sweet! I get to lead with a girl who was in my core last year, Sarah, and it has been incredible to watch her lead and steward our girls towards Jesus. Sarah grew up in an Indian-Pentecostal Church and brings so much life and wisdom to our group. I have learned so much about engaging the Holy Spirit through her so far and am so excited to keep learning from her this year. We also have some incredible girls in our group and it has been a treat to get to know them. It is clear to me that God has placed community in many of their hearts and getting to see them interact with one another, care for one another, and truly begin to see what community can look like has been such a treat. Weekly, I have seen many of them start to trust one another and see each other as not only other members of core, but friends. I am pumped to see what God has in store for our group this year ! Would you join me in praying that our group would continue to lean into community and keep their eyes on Jesus as they navigate the craziness of life?
This past year, I have really felt the Lord ask me to surrender the walls I have built to Him to allow Him to make me new. As someone who gets embarrassed really easily, hates being in front of crowds, and the thought of karaoke could make me throw up, this has not been a super easy process. But it is hard to reconcile my want and desire to seem put together against the Apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 4:10: “We are fools for Christ”. The thought of being a fool for Christ, is not something that I exactly find enjoyable, but I have learned over and over again this last year that being a fool for Christ is exactly what God is asking me to do. The girls that I get to meet with this year have been so helpful in getting me out of my comfort zone and asking me to participate in things that seem so silly- but it has also been the best time! Would you be praying that God would continue to reveal how to be a fool for Him, and that our community would continue to embrace that mindset as well?
This past weekend, UTD put on a 22 hour fall retreat that we call The Getaway, and let me tell you, it was incredible! This year, we wanted to heat up 3 values that we have been pushing through our large group meeting each week: rooting deep in scripture, branching out to others, and bearing fruit of a transformed life. We had 3 talks done by some of the pastors over each of these things, followed by a student testimony on how these things have impacted their lives. We also wanted to highlight the value of being in community and spent a ton of time mixing up groups and getting to know one another. It was an amazing experience and getting to watch them really embrace this “Fools for God” mentality was so so cool! Would you join me in praying that what they learned about Jesus really is solidified in their hearts and that the Lord continues to reveal to our community the Joy that is found in Him?
Thanks again for joining me in ministry this year and for being so supportive of all that God is doing at UTD! Your prayers and support have been so
apparent and appreciated!
Until next time,
Jessica :)
P.S. Waldo was in the core pictures last month! Can you find him this month?
Comments
Post a Comment