Identity Crisis: Who Am I?

The past weeks focus looked at just who each one of us, individually, as followers of Jesus Christ. Not only that, but also what exactly holding one’s identity in the Lord actively looks like.

Before the week began, I was contemplating my identity as I previously knew myself in various facets; there is the person I present myself as, and the person who I truly am including both painful and joyful secrets. I know who I am in Christ – deeply loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing, powerfully equipped, and complete in Christ. But I act according to the lies I believe – that I am vile and disgusting.

I didn’t really expect to hear anything I hadn’t before, going into the week since I knew who I was in Christ. I discovered, however just because I could tell someone who I am in Christ doesn’t mean I believe it because actions meet with beliefs. Unbeknownst to me, God started working on my heart’s identity before the week had started. Showing me how I truly identified myself as to others, and the lies I believed about myself. In retrospect, He had to break me so I could hear the message of what He, my creator, thought about me.

My Lord told me that I am holy in his sight, righteous and blameless. Insane? Yes. True? Yes. Am I capable of holiness? No, which makes the redeeming power of Jesus Christs blood all the more powerful, that through the simple acceptance of Christ and invitation for Him to be savior and Lord (ruler) of my life I am blameless in His sight. Regardless of the insane amount of things I do that are in direct opposition to everything my Lord is about, he still sees me as his beautiful daughter who he rescued from depravity and destructive obsessions. As I continue to soak in that knowledge of who I truly am; a child of the King, I am in awe of the Lord’s great power and strength!

God bless,

Heather

Spiritual Multiplication

Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Commonly referred to as the Great Commission, this is just one of many verses which gives the command to GO so that others may learn the Good News and to also teach them how to live righteous lives on earth. A mission that desperately needs to be taken outside of the U.S but that I also must share wherever I am, including Jacksonville Florida while I’m here.

Matthew 7:18 – 20 says “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” This scripture has been on my mind recently, and caused me to evaluate my own life and whether I truly do love others enough to share the power of Jesus death and resurrection, that erases our sin so that we can live eternally with God Along with loving new and old followers of Jesus Christ alike as we all strive to live righteously. So, I’ve begun to pray asking God to give me good fruit that I may remain in Him, growing and maturing in righteousness and bearing good fruit.

God is faithful, and has responded promptly to bless me with opportunities to plant seeds of the good news, see it sprout, and also stand besides it watching and encouraging growth.

This past weekend I was teaching a 9th grade Sunday school class with my friend Aly and a church member Ryan. The topic was sharing Christ in different cultures, and as we shared about going out and sharing the gospel in different settings and situations (Including the JAX beaches) Dillon, one of the guys, started asking questions on how to actively do it in his own life. As we were beginning to close, he said one of the most beautiful statements I’ve ever heard “So, can we do this?” I was, needless to say, ecstatic at his willingness and said “Yes! Come with!” His desire to go out is just one answer to my request that I can give what little knowledge of life in Christ I have with others. I am stoked about the opportunity to be of use in God’s kingdom on earth.

So, Wednesday I’ll be going with Aly today begin training and on Saturday we’ll be hitting the beach with a bunch of high school students willing to boldly proclaim the goodness of faith. I am so blessed to be given the opportunity to use the word of God to teach others (2 Tim 3:16) and excited! Please pray that:

• God will give us the wisdom & words to train the students
• A group of BOLD students
• God’s grace to be shared
• Teachability to both students and adults as we learn from each other
• Kristen & all other new believers.

Praise God for His faithfulness to fulfill all the promises He has given us!

For Lack of Better Title: UpDate!

This past week has been: difficult, a blessing, challenging, and overall one large lesson on the faithfulness of God to His children. He has shown once more that he brings to completion the promises He gives to obedient, expectant children and redeems our brokenness.

Difficult.. but a huge blessing: The first full work week was crazy but wonderful. I was able to establish relationships with all of my 4th, 5th, and 6th grade kids and not only find out who they are but also teach them who I am and what I’m about. I’m excited about the ministry opportunity and am excited to see how God uses me at Isle of Faith to further His Kingdom.

Challenging… and a large lesson on God’s faithfulness: Outside of work, the life lessons continue. Beach evangelism was difficult for me this week as I started out with two outright rejections, which is extremely rare. TJem. O was able to speak with a few more women who were polarized either fully serving the Lord or not even interested in spiritual matters. After, I was encouraged by a team member as we discussed how 1st) Our feelings don’t dictate our success, we are successful simply if we are obedient to Christ’s command to go and spread His word and 2nd) that some seed will fall on rocky, some on thorn infested ground, and some on fertile soil. God worked successfully to further His Kingdom & that was a great reminder of just how faithful God is to fulfill His promise to open the eyes of the blind.

Gods faithfulness in providing jobs and hours has also been refreshing this one area where I have seen myself grow simply in the realization that the Lord can, and will, provide for every need and that finances are a completely inadequate excuse to disobey the Lord’s command to go and make disciples.

Friday I was blessed tremendously with a day of communion with Christ, ministry, and fellowship and was reminded just how blessed those who call on the name of the Lord, and how privileged I am to share in Christ’s suffering along with His comfort (2 Cor 1:1-12).

God bless!!

JAX STP 411

I arrived in Jaxonville 17 days ago (after a sweet road trip down) and time has flown by at an insanely rapid pace... I wonder to myself how in the world it's already 6:45 a.m. on June 17th. Here's a small look into a typical day:

6:30: Run (Obviously I skipped it this morning to catch up on things like this :) ). And most importantly, sharing a wonderful morning with the few other morning people who are around (and the not so che

8:30 Work: I work at Isle of Faith Daycare and am with the oldest group (3-6th graders) all day which is pretty wonderful! They're precious kids ... even if they're a little obnoxious sometimes ... and we love each other for the weird quirks we all have.

6:00 Off Work: I don't work from 9 - 6 every day, more like every other and on the off days I go in at 2:30 which is nice because it gives me a lot of time in the Word, with Memorization, and cleaning "The Crossings" (our dormitory).

6:20 Back on campus for some grub

7:00 Evening Sessions (Nav Night/Workshop/1 on 1's/ Team bible study/ Date night)

9:00 chill time/bible study/fellowship... etc

I've been blessed with a wonderful team made up entirely of seniors has taught me so much already, and the members include:

Kayla: Team Leader, and a a JAX STP Alumni, she has a gentle and soft heart and enjoys cooking, movies, and studying the Word (naturally)

Amy: Is a good friend from UNI, and I've been so blessed to have her with me! I can't even begin to count the many ways I've been encouraged by her, and the great fun we've had (even though we tend to be opposites, it makes life so fun!)

Ally: Is from KU she enjoys stuffed dinos, frozen yogurt, and is our token backseat driver.

I'll give a more intense update later, (no really... i'll try... the internet in the dorms is really sketchy) but for now remain in the Fathers love, seek out His will and obey out of gratitude for what He has done for you.

Coffee Chats

Running through the front door, I spotted my good friend Lydia, and hurriedly ran and give her a hug. Exclaiming my apology for being late, I then look around slightly embarrassed, greeting everyone in the shop (who seemed to find my antics rather humorous (specifically, the man who watched me parallel park and end up on the curb...), with a smile and slight laughter.

Purchasing our cups of goodness we went to enjoy the glorious summer day in Iowa. Slowly, the last 6 months of stories began to pour out; with all of the scandalous and holy details. As one hour, then two passed; I became aware of how wonderful fellowship with old friends is. There's something about a friend who knows it all; the days where you didn't know what was up or down, and days where you think that the world belongs to you... the friend who you can still laugh with about that inevitable "awkward stage" and entrust every new secret of your heart to. The one who understands that walking with the Lord has never been easy, and it doesn't look to be easy in the future... and is right there walking along besides you anyways.


"Faithful friends are beyond price: No amount can balance their worth"

My Grace story is that God is RELENTLESS.

I grew up in a Christian family, said the sinners’ prayer by 7, and knew all the right answers to Bible Trivia by the time I was ten. I was the epitome of the good church girl, and before the age of 7 I knew I was going to “be a missionary” when I was older. I became enamored with the story of Mother Teresa, and other faithful believers who went on grand adventures to share the gospel and help the desolate, poor, and alien.

However, as I entered middle-school I became sick of Christianity, and began resenting all the rules it imposed on me. Quickly, I turned my back to God, telling Him that I didn’t need him to thrive. I started living a life obsessed with popular culture, and became an expert on living a double-standard lifestyle acting as a chameleon wherever I went. After a year of living a lifestyle going against God’s teaching, everything that I had built up to bring me happiness began to crash down around me. Slowly, I sunk into a deep depression that I blamed solely on God.

I hated God and I hated people.

God is faithful though, and he shone through my hatred bringing me back into His arms. I decided to give God a try again, and my sophomore year of high school I choose to go on a mission’s trip that changed my life – There I experienced for the first time the unspeakable joy of speaking freely about My Savior. This began a two-year time period where I was living the Christian lifestyle in a small and unremarkable way to make everyone around me comfortable. I was doing all of the right things, and in some ways even for the right reasons. In retrospect, the lifestyle I was living was simply to live up to the “perfect Christian girl” label I had.

Senior year I began walking away from the Lord again, I was getting sick of trying really hard and honestly didn’t see what was so great about the “Christian” life. To me, it seemed like a good excuse to judge everyone around me because of my “moral superiority”. From my senior year of high school to my first year at UNI I struggled with how I wanted to live. There was a large part of me that wanted to live for the Lord – but I didn’t know how to truly do that and honestly trying to force happiness through others acceptance, as miserable as it was, lay easily accessible in front of me.

Somehow, my brother managed to convince me to work at a camp in Colorado last summer, and God began blessing me with a community of believers who were seeking the Lord. As the summer ended, I began praying that God would give me someone at UNI that wanted to follow Him so we could journey together and find community. Thankfully, God is faithful and answered that prayer and I have come to my knees multiple times in wonder that God would bless me with so many wonderful people who truly love the Lord all around me.

As God has blessed me, I’ve come to understand that we are all blessed to be a blessing that others may also know the abundant life that God provides to all who follow Him. Honestly, I wish you could see the sick nature of my heart a year and a half ago, or even a few months ago – because God has been so incredible to take me from my miserable state of self-dependency to Christ-dependency. To a life that is so full of His joy & peace. I know that there will be tough times ahead, but I am confident that the Lord will continue the work He has begun in me and complete it.

The fact that I can stand and proclaim the name of the Lord is a testimony to His faithfulness and ultimate power over the devils evil schemes and my own inadequacies. I am in awe that he has brought me to a place where I am able to consistently choose obedience to His will and plan for me, instead of my own. To a place where I have finally come to the realization that His way is costly, but that it is WORTH the price. Because the joy and life that Christ brings is the only thing that makes this life meaningful.

I’ve tasted the darkness that those living apart from total surrender to Christ experience, and am desperately, earnestly clinging to the knowledge that the Lord can open the eyes of the lost to accept the Good News of Jesus death and resurrection! That they may experience the abundant life only He can give. Therefore my life mission is this: To zealously proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven to ALL nations that He may be glorified!

How Good the Lord is to relentlessly pursue!

The Shaikh People

This past semester I've taken Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is following the Lord!) In Cedar Falls. It has been a huge blessing as I've come to see more of God's heart for the nations, and His desire to make himself known that all nations, tribes, and toungues may glorify His name (Matthew 28:18-20, Revelations 5:9).

My heart has grown more in line with The Lords throughout the past year. Becauseo f this, I have been meeting together with other in prayer for the nations, and have decided leaving UNI this semester to adopt an unreached people group. That I may ask the Lord to make His name known to one people group, that His name be glorified

The group I have chosen is the Shaikh people of Nepal. I chose them for a variety of reasons including:

1) God is growing in me a heart for the Muslim people, and I'm getting very excited to join in the work He has started to make His name glorified in the Muslim world.
2) Muslims are beautiful, beautiful people.
3) Strategy:The Shaikh people also have a large presence in the Panjabi region of Pakistan, including a large Sikh population (Sikhism is a religion similar to Hinduism that I have studied this past semester).
4)Nepal is fairly accesible through business start-ups, shelter homes, etc. and the Shaikh people of Nepal can reach those in their people group in the Panjabi region of Pakistan.
5) Least Reached People Group: The Shaikh people fall into this category meaning that they have noone trying to reach them with the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven!




Shaikh Bio:
Occupations: Traditionally they are farmers, but many are now hold jobs in business, and public service.

Join me in praying that:
Spiritual Leaders Would come to Christ through visions and revelations
That the Lord would build up workers to go and reach the Shaikh people
That the Shailkh peoples hearts would be opened to the Gospel message

(Simply go to the Joshua Project to adopt your own people group, or learn more about the Shaikh people!)