Thursday 24 May 2012

I Can Disciple People


So, the last few days have been... amazing to say the least.
I didn't know my life could really look like this. I'm still in a bit of a shock, thinking about it.

Here's the deal:
Sunday night:
Swing Dance (one of my vivid passions).

Monday:
Went out with a close friend who brought to my attention that I am discipling people – and I didn't even realize it until she said it, so that was a revelation to me.

(Discipling is basically just like mentoring – helping someone learn things, and showing them through daily living, not just theory, but real life. If you want to know more of what descipling is, my friend explains it pretty good here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSo1tGbjSTY

Friendship with God

Tuesday:
Went for a walk'n'talk with another friend, and had one of THE BEST talks all about beliefs, and worldviews (how different people view the world), and how hers and mine contrast.
This conversation felt different to me, because I was quite clear-headed, and even though we have differences, I could understand where she was coming from.
We talked of all sorts of things, religion, relationships, evolution vs creation, morals, beliefs, ideas, many ideas, and thoughts. And by the end of it all, I discovered it all boiled down to one VERY *simple* thing: Relationship with Jesus/God; I have it, and she doesn't.

It was really simple, actually. And I was able to articulate it in a simple, and easy way – and she got it too. BECAUSE it was so simple.

See, it's just that I'm friends with this dude named Jesus, we hang out, and we're cool like that. And she just hasn't met him yet, so when I talk about, Him, she doesn't, and can't follow.
Everything I believe in, and my whole life is grounded in Him, including, my worldview, how I look at every detail of the world, from the beginning of the world, to the end, from my purpose in life, to nature, to people, animals, and my values and ethics – it's all based on this one dude, Jesus, and my RELATIONSHIP with Him. Not just a theoretical God out there somewhere, but a real dude who has a name, a face, and a personality.

The other thing is, I only figured this out, because I *listened* to her. I wasn't sitting there talking my face off, telling her what I know, and why and how she should do the same. We both talked, and while doing so, I was listening to God, and His Spirit in me, to understand what He wanted me to say and do, and how He wanted to treat my friend – and mostly, just how He viewed her, not how I view her.

Cause I, as a friend who cares about her, would be all in her face... trying to help her see the awesome gift that's out there for her, and try to convince her to reach out and grab it, and end up getting frustrated with her.
But me, as a child of God and seeing her in HIS viewpoint...
...He just told me to love her (SIMPLE!).

...At one point in the conversation, where I was rather frustrated with her, I asked God,
“Where do I go from here?!”, and He said,
“Just love her”, and it was like I looked at her differently all-of-the-sudden, and saw her as God does, and He gave me a whole whack of His overwhelming Love for her.
Then out of that Love, suddenly an idea came to me of how to share it. I was able to share with her things that God saw in her, like how she was able to be open to talk about these things.

It all boils down to the simple things, really. All the most complex and detailed things can all be brought down to the simplest of answers. And in this case, it was Jesus, and friendship with Him.

Tuesday Evening:
MORE SWING! **HEAVENLY** Hung out with some awesome people afterwards, which made my night. YAY! I prayed for God to make swing extra special this night, and He most definitely did. Thank you God, you're awesome.
Just goes to show he likes to do things for me that make me happy! :)

Thursday 17 May 2012

A Far Green Country: Into the Wild

A Far Green Country: Into the Wild: Homeschool culture is a strange thing. I know the homeschool world is pretty vast and varied, but I mean that odd bubble of huge white vans...