Chapter 1 personal notes...

What chapter 1 has so much to teach me! No wonder the intro suggested to read a chapter a week. It will give me time to re-read the chapter and practice the training exercise at the end of each chapter! Some random points that might interest you:

• peace during frustration--personal story offered by a past reader
• Will power what is it really?
• What causes change?

Describe your own experience with trying (and failing) to change. Could the failure be because of a lack of training and not lack of effort? Explain.

A common place example of trying to change is setting the new years resolution to lose weight. I have tried to do that multiple times and failed miserably. I would start out strong, stay away from sweets, work out, but I'd slowly increase the amount on my plate each day. Staying on a work out schedule was never hard for me. I love working out and being active. Watching what I eat is more of a challenge.... I would try my hardest to stay away from the fattiest meals and the yummiest deserts.Failure, looking back, was probably brought about by lack of training. Idk what healthier options were out there or how to make easy yummy smoothies with yogurt, or that I get hungry after a run because I'm craving protein not a 5-course meal. My success on losing weight came after my running buddy shared all this. She helped me train for a 10K and each day shared more and more information on how to be a healthy runner. This I can easily see transferring to changing in the person God wants me to be. I have grown up and taught that if you ask God to change you, He will. So I would ask God to change me and wait patiently. I would, and still do, read my bible and have a quite time with Him but I never actually felt a change....

In short the book is telling us how we change:

1. Changing the stories in our minds (idk how this will help...)
2. Engaging in new practices (oky that's obvious)
3. reflection and dialogue with others who are on the same path as us (encouragement? challenge? maybe even a lil competition?)
4. All under the leading of the Holy Spirit (God, of course!)

Have you practiced spiritual exercises in your life, and if so with what intention and what result?

My daily/morning bible readings! I started reading my bible the summer before my freshman year of college. I had three intentions, to be known going into college as a Christian, to grow in wisdom and learn more about the bible, and finally because isn't that what every good Christian does? My result? I love it! I learned so much and I was able to apply it to my everyday life. Now everyday i do not feel like I am talking with God or that I learned anything at all from a passage but it are those few moments where I make a huge revolution and/or feel rewarded by feeling closer to God that make me continue studying His word. This has taken up time to get ready in the morning, time away from facebook (what a sacrifice!), and time to sleep-in a good 30 mins longer, but I have found it well worth the time and none of those mentioned above were ever missed

Training Exercise for this week... To sleep in at least once a week to the point where you can not sleep any longer. That might actually be easy on Saturdays. Though another tip offered was to go to bed at a consistent time. That might take more work because back at college I want to stay up at night with friends or my boyfriend and hangout. I love to get up early and to be productive... maybe I should chose a time that I go to bed every night. Since I have such a busy schedule this week, I think this discipline will, in the long run, be most effective. I chose to go to bed at 10pm every night. No later. Earlier is better. :) Until school starts up however I will sleep in as long as I can (mostly because my parents like to watch movies with me at night). 

A book!

So being a small group leader I am asked to join in a weekly discipleship with the leader of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (IV).  Last semester I did terrible and showed up only 1/2 (maybe 3/4ths) of the time. While there I wasnt open of truly feeling like I was learning about God. I was very thankful for my spiritual mentor because she has pushed me toward God and has helped me grow closer to Him then any other person I have come across! I have felt moved by prayer and the power that really is behind such a God given opportunity! Thank you God!

OKY now to the title. At the end of this past fall semester the leader of IV suggested we start a book in the Spring semester to help us grow. The book is called The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith. I have yet to open it and read it. I shall summaries the back cover for you by pulling out key sentences that will play into what i will talk about next.
"We all have ideas we tell ourselves about God and how he works in our lives. Some are true--but many are false. In the pages of this book you are invited to put your ideas to the test to see if they match up with what Jesus himself reveals about God. Once you've discovered the truth in Scripture, you can engage in a process of spiritual formation that includes specific activities..."

What ideas do I hold about God?  God desires that we come to Him like a father wants a relationship with his children. God is very merciful and grace shouldn't be taken lightly because of how real and how amazing it truly is. God has a sense of humor (have you really looked at your self in the mirror or looked at any type of animal, weird!). God doesn't make you happy, He gives us peace and joy but not an emotion. God will provide.
What am I expecting from this book? I am curious about this spiritual formation! This is my last year in school and I want to grow even closer to God. I want to have something constant as I leave my friends and where I have lived for 3 years and God never changes. I am expecting to grow and develop new habits that lead to more of a personal relationship with God.

Well I hope to keep you updated... we shall see :)

What I got from One Verse

What a wonderful God-filled day when you sit down to read a passage in the bible and you get hooked and stuck on one verse out of seven. Oky I know that is not a massive amount of verses but in the OT one verse has 2-3 sentences! haha Clarification= 2 Samuel 2:1-7. This is after the death of Saul when David is about to make his next move.

Verse one is the verse I got stuck on: "In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. 'Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?' he asked.
The Lord said, 'Go up.'
David asked, 'Where shall I go?'
'To Hebron,' the Lord answered.

What can you get out of this one verse. Its simply a conversation to God. That's it! I think we can learn something from this simple conversation.

David asks God specific questions that require immediate action! The first question: Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah? provides two answer choices from God. Yes=action, move to Judah      No=wait here there is something better where you are now or Judah is not safe.

Asking God specific questions mean you are not afraid of what He has planned for you. (True surrender I guess) If you are afraid to ask God specific questions then you are too comfortable in your current life-style and you don't want to be changed. How else will you know God's will for your life if you don't ask God specifics about little actions?
Yet when I stop to think of what specific questions I want to ask God I thought of myself as talking to a magic 8 ball. Questions like: will I get into Graduate school? Does this guy like me? Questions that ask if I will get something. Im not asking questions the lead to action. Questions I think God wants us to ask might include: should I give to this person? Do you want me to join this mission team? Should I serve here? Should I take this job offer even if it requires moving? These questions require action and faith! Was it safe for David to return to Judah? David didn't know! Even though Saul was dead, he still had followers who knew Saul wanted to kill David. I applaud David for asking God first and then not hesitating and acting immediately. How often do we stop and calculate our funds to determine how much we can give without hurting ourselves? How often do we weigh pros and cons about serving? God desires that you ask Him specific questions and acting on that answer because then you are taking a step in faith. You are truly handing over your personal plans and your worries by asking God specifically where He wants you. You cant insert your ideas if God gives you specific answers to questions. Broad questions allow us to control His plan.

You know you found someone special when....

You're normally a morning bird but this person seems to keep you awake when you talk at night. You feel like you can just talk all night long and never miss a wink of sleep. They keep you on this high of warmth and openness. Honesty is always there and lies are hard to find. Stories revealed yet the view of this person never changes and the person doesn't change their view about you. No question is off limits and you find things in common that lead to understanding. Similarities that up you up further, that make you search deeper within yourself as well as the other. When the conversation has to end and good nights have to be said, you long to share your giddiness to the world but alas everyone is in their very own dream world. Imaginations flying in their heads. You, your excitement that you want to share with this sleeping world, is that your very own dream is now and finally reality.