First week!

We have officially completed our first week of school! The first two weeks are intensives. Basically it is lectures from 8:30-5; so a lot of good solid teaching and information. After these two weeks we will get split into tutorials which is the group of students ( about 15-25) that we will be doing all of our classes with for the year.

The teaching so far has been great! Today I was sitting in class just thinking about how much I have to learn and all of the areas that I need to work on in my life. It is really humbling just hearing the heart and the attitude that I should have and realizing how many times that I have completely missed the mark. At the same time it is an incredible invitation to step into this season ready to be stretched and to grow. An opportunity to lay everything down and give it all that I have. We are not here just to go through the motions, we are here to build a solid foundation in becoming the servant and the minister that God has called us to be.

We are all on a journey and we are in this together. It is about building the church. It is about being apart of a family that is for something far greater than ourselves.

A small thought for all of us wherever we are in life, and whatever season that we may be in:

What are you DECIDING to do to change the world around you?
-It is not necessarily about the huge things that everyone looks at and says "wow". It is about the little things that we have the opportunity to do everyday, the moments we choose to stop and ask ourselves "how can I serve this person or how can I encourage them and build them up?"

I am convinced more and more each day that it truly is the small decisions the little things that we do that make the BIG difference in the long run. It is the little things that we decide to do or not do that can either help us to become the person God has called us to be or can very well destroy us. Let's not overlook them lets start to decide to do the small things that will build up others...and to get rid of the little compromises that very well have the power to take us out.

The Greatness of our God

Hello All!
God is so good, isn't He?? Each new day I am just amazed at all the things that He does for us. I am blown away by how His love that is absolutely unchangeable. He never leaves us and He will never forsake us. He always always keeps His promises and we can turn to Him in any situation and He shields and comforts us. I am in awe of how holy and just truly Great our God is...words cannot even describe...my human mind cannot even begin to comprehend who He is. In all of His greatness He chooses to reveal parts of Himself to me and to you!! We serve an Awesome God. We cannot be complete or fulfilled when absent from Him. We were made to need Him and to love Him. I am so excited to be on this journey with my Savior, with my best friend, with my God. He is with me even when I mess things up (which is quite often). Today I am thankful to have Him in my life, I cannot imagine not knowing the One who gave all that He had so that I could truly live. I cannot imagine my days without Him. He is my very best friend and I am in awe of the fact that He takes the time to reach into my small world and love me. He walks with me, He makes prepares the way for me, He orders each of my steps. He is my Lord. He is worthy of all that I am.

Being here has been incredible so far! Our housemates are awesome...this week we are having a competition on who's banana bread is the best! Bennie(morgan)and I against Bri and Linnea...we are totally going to win :)
The weather in Australia is chilly and sort of rainy, but no snow, it usually is in the 40's or 50's in the day so it is not a bad winter at all. We are looking forward to warm weather and sunshine though.
This past week we had conference and it was amazing! Speakers Andy Stanley, Pastor Brian, Ed Young, Judah Smith, Ed Young...all sorts of good ones! Also Hillsong, Isreal Houghton, Kari Jobe, Tim Huges, Chrisy Nockles for worship! It was truly a great week.
This week we are hoping to go have a picnic on the beach...hopefully we get a somewhat sunny day
It is fun being in a house where there is constantly music or singing :) This week is also job hunting week...lucky for me they don't have applications here, you just turn in your resume. That saves me a lot of paper work...filling out the same thing over and over again is not my definition of fun at all haha. So blessed to be here!...maybe next week we'll have a story about crocodile hunting or something...hmmmm for now that is all I got :)

Random stuff

This week is the Hillsong Leadership Conference. Some amazing speakers and worship leaders will be there; it is going to be awesome! Last night it was really awesome to look around and see the church packed out with people hungry for God...we even had a huge group in the overflow room; it was incredible to be in the house of God worshiping with one heart united together...nothing like it! Judah Smith spoke last night at our Sunday evening service; if you are in to podcasts you should look him up. This was our first time hearing him speak, we enjoyed it!

Top foods in Australia that are a must try if you ever find yourself down under:
1. Mi Gorang (delicious noodles)
2. Tim Tam Slams (Chocolate cookies...super yummy with coffee!!) AMAZING

Also Hillsong's new album "Beautiful Exchange" is officially out!! Great album, definitely a must get!

Thought for the day:

Psalms 18:32 IT IS GOD that arms me with strength and makes my way perfect

When we are following Him; He goes before us and makes us successful. The key is not to get in front of God, but to follow behind when we jump ahead we very often get off the path that He has for us....

Something to think about :) Have an awesome day!

Australia!

We are both here in Australia, and much enjoying our time. Morgan/ Bennie has been here for 6 months now and has been loving it and growing tremendously. Thanks to her I (Brittany) am now here. Her and a couple friends raised my tuition for this year so that I could come for the July semester. God is so awesome isn't He? Just when we think it is not going to happen, He shows up in a huge way. And you know what? He has been working all along...we just don't see everything. We need to trust that He hears us when we call on Him and that He is working on our behalf in spite of what we see or feel.
So we are back together!! God is incredible. We have been blessed with some awesome housemates and relationships! Each of us have our own unique journey, but are extremely blessed to be doing life together. I went to a Hillsong church service for my first time this past Sunday, and that is when it really hit home that I am actually here. My dream is coming to pass...something that has been in my heart for years and years. And I am here entirely in His strength and not on my own, which is comforting to know because I cannot do this without Him.
We will be doing are best to keep you all up to date on what is happening; it is going to be awesome. As of now I am still getting used to the huge time change! But it has been great so far, I am super excited for school to start in the next couple weeks. Also Hillsong Leadership conference is coming up this next week! Lots of exciting things happening, so make sure to keep checking in :)

So it has been a while since we have posted anything; we will soon be giving you the updates on Australia!!
Psalms 100:4 talks about entering into His gates with thanksgiving; and going into His courts with praise.

This is the key to entering into the throne room of God. Thankfulness is the gateway into His courts. Why? because He is more than worthy of our thanksgiving and praise. So today let's take a step back from all the worries and the things that may not be going right and start to thank God for what we do have. God does not respond to complaining and grumbling; He responds to a thankful heart; if you are not able to give thanks now, you won't give thanks when everything is good either. It is a habit, a small thing that we continually remind our selves to do because it brings glory to God. I believe that as we begin to be thankful our eyes will be opened to all that we truly do have to be thankful for...the list is unending.

Masterpiece

Ephesians 2:10 For we are Christ's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we could do the good things He planned for us long ago.

It is comforting to know that God has a plan. He has a purpose for you. You are a unique masterpiece, there is only ONE YOU. He placed you thoughtfully into His plan, and has good things planned for you. You have been trusted to represent Him to everyone you come in contact with; you were made in His image.

Forgive

Hebrews 12:15
...watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

Forgiveness. Not an easy thing always. It is easy to hold things against people especially when it hurts bad. A lot of the times if feels like we are helping ourselves by unto holding unforgiveness and bitterness.

But let me point out something that God says in his work "it will trouble you" (above). Not only that but there are so many other verses that tell us to forgive, just as He has forgiven us.
God is RIGHT, He IS GOD--if our actions are not in line with His word then we are in sin and sin ultimately grows and leads to death.

Sin is not presented without a catch. Just as a fish is not just going to just bite on a hook; the fisherman has to use something that is appealing to the fish, that way the fish is more focused on the bait than the actual hook.
Satan knows that unless sin has some "bait" we are are not going to go for it. Satan tells us "if you forgive your just letting that person off the hook, you need to make them pay for what they did to you, you have a right to hold unto the pain, etc..." God clearly points out the fact that attached to the bait is a hook that will catch us and bring us straight to our destruction/ our death.

God's word is black and white; quit trying to justify your situation. Take it as it is, there is no hidden meaning. It means exactly what is says "bitterness will bring trouble upon you".

Pastor Duane Vanderclock says it this way, "you can get bitter or you can get better".

It is up to you.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. THEREFORE CHOOSE LIFE.

Be Still

"Be still and know that I am God"

Truly it is okay to be still; Making everything work can be quite a task, and yes we should do the best we can in every situation; but it is okay to BE STILL, ultimately it is in His hands. We can take comfort in the fact that it is not all depending on us to make it work. HE HOLDS YOUR WORLD IN HIS HANDS.

Many times we do not know the answer, or we do not see to the end of our situation, but we can REST in the fact that we KNOW HIM. He sees the beginning from the end. We can be confident in the hope we have in Him. So when all your thoughts are spinning out of control today, remember this "be still and know that I AM GOD".

We've got nothing to lose!
He gave it all to give us true life.
Father We want to KNOW YOU MORE.

What are you living?

Titus 1:6
Such people claim they know God, but they deny Him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for anything good.


This is a pretty bold statement. Again and again I have read verses that talk about the way that we live. Our everyday lives are to be a reflection of Him. It can be quite an overwhelming task to think about...getting our lives to SHOW that we know God in every area. We all deal with "stuff" and each day of our lives we will continually have more to improve on.

1 John 2:6 Those who say they live in God, should live their lives as Jesus did.

How are we supposed to live? Like Jesus; we are to take on His passion, His heart, and be His hands and feet in our world.

I just want to focus on one area that I know we all can improve on:

Matthew 20:28 For even the Son of Man came not be served, but to serve others and give His life as a ransom for many.

Jesus served people.
Each of us have many opportunities in just one day to serve others, even in the little things. Serving can be difficult; it gives without expecting to receive anything in return. Jesus represented the heart of a true servant. If we want to truly live like Him we also have to take on the heart of a servant.

Who can we serve this day? What can we do to help someone else? Without wanting anything in return, but simply just to bless them.

I know I have missed it in this area many times. There have been lots of moments where I am so focused on my own needs and goals that I forget that I am truly here for something greater than myself. Living for myself is something way too small to live for. It is when I begin to take on His purpose and heart that I find true fulfillment.

Father I ask that you would help us to be servants. Show us the needs around us, and give us the compassion to do something about those needs. Teach us how to serve. We want to be Your hands and feet. Help us to live in a way that brings glory to You.

Growing

It is a new week and I am excited! I am at my home in Vestaburg, which I love; it is absolutely beautiful! We live on a small lake and also have a couple acres of swamp, which is great for roaming around and exploring (you never know what you might find out there). The trees today are slightly covered with a frosty ice, although I am ready for summer, it is really beautiful. God's creation is absolutely amazing!

For the next couple months I have committed to "growing my roots" Col 2:7 "Let your roots grow down into Him and let your lives be built on Him. Then you will stay strong in the truth you have been taught and you will overflow with thanksgiving". To spend more time than normal building my foundation and getting God's word in my heart. I would like to share with you my journey. To keep you posted on what I am learning each day. Not only will it be helpful to you all, but it will also help me. I will do my absolute best to keep you posted each day; and I pray that this will inspire you as well to spend some extra time on your own foundation.

If we ask God to open our understanding, He will. If we come willing to listen, He will speak.

So for today, here are some things that I am chewing on:

James 3:13 says that If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with humility that comes from wisdom.

There is a lot that we can gain from this verse, but I just want to focus on the last part of it. HUMILITY THAT COMES FROM WISDOM

(Wisdom is so much more than knowledge)

-Godly wisdom produces humility

- James 3:17 But wisdom from above is first of all pure. it is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.

Wisdom is so much more than I realized, and I still don't have a clue. But there is something extraordinary in Godly wisdom- it produces fruit in your life, it brings humility and discernment. It is pure, loving, gentle....all of these things. It is a lifestyle.

Putting what you have gained in your heart from the word and putting it to use, that is wisdom. It goes beyond knowledge (just knowing); it is apart of your very essence.

I don't fully understand exactly what true wisdom is, but I am realizing that it is a treasure - Just as is talks about in Proverbs, it is more valuable than gold. Do we take wisdom seriously?
It is valuable, worth being sought after. It changes you, it guides you, and it produces fruit in your life.

James 1:5-6 If we need wisdom, all we have to do is simply ask.......

It is freely given to us. We have to be willing to receive it.

(I don't know if this is helpful, these are just my scrambled thoughts)

Feel free to comment, what do you think about wisdom? I want to hear your thoughts, I want to learn from you. Even if it is a small thing to add, I want to hear it; let's go on this journey together.