Heaven In The Real World

So another week down and more still to come!

For the week we had our director, Dan Thomas teaching us out of Colossians. The theme of our class was "Christ in you the hope of glory". I enjoy it very much when Dan teaches and the style he uses to present what he has to teach.


A few things that caught my attention in class were.
Colossi was pretty much a melting pot of cultures.
They were known for their cold, cold mountain water streams.
Epaphras brought the Gospel to Colossi.

In the letter Paul writes to Colossi we so that they are commended for their faith. However Paul goes on to explain they do not have to do anything more than believe to be saved. As Colossi was a melting pot of cultures other religious practice's were finding their way into the church. We can see in these verses some of the things that were being mixed into the church. In 2:8 we see the idea that you need to keep learning and growing in knowledge to get closer to God. In 2:16 we see how the old testament law was still trying to be imposed on new believers, which some were gentiles. So they really didn't care about the law. Last but not least we see in 2:18 how it was being said you needed to have visions and dreams and contact with angels to be closer to God.
As Paul would tell them plainly, "no you don't you have Christ in you and that's all you need".
Christ in you= All that Christ is, is available to you.
You in Christ= All that Christ did is credited to you.


 On Tuesday for workday the group I was in was tasked with, shoveling and breaking ice of a roof. Fun stuff haha. It wasn't to bad I enjoy getting
out and working around the lodge and helping out.








Friday and Saturday we did our LOVE A LIFTIE outreach both days
followed by Soup and Tune on Saturday night. What we do for Love a Liftie is, we go out and hand out goodie bags with snacks and stuff to the lifties and just letting them know we appreciate them. We also invite them to Soup and
 

Tune, which happens each week and that's where anyone can come and wax their board for free, get some dinner, and just hangout and have a good time. You may think "hmm well that really doesn't seem like they are talking a lot about Jesus or church and stuff like that"? Well you would be wright. We take a bit of a different approach on this opportunity that we have. They will know us by our love. That's how we treat this outreach and use it for our way into peoples lives to build a relationship and go from there.

Well Sunday I got to go to XGAMES ASPEN!!!!!!!!!!! It WAS SOOOO FREAKING AWESOME!!!!!!!! I had a great time with friends hangin out down there. Its always a plus too when the event is free. It was definitely something I would not get to see back home.However the great day would end soon after we left. Shortly after we got on the road we received a call that a the father of a friend of ours had passed away. It is always hard to deal with loss. But I take joy in knowing that the Lord sees the bigger picture, and he is close to the brokenhearted.

 This is one of my favorite Chapman songs ever.

I saw it again today in the face of a little child
Looking through the eyes of fear and uncertainty
It echoed in a cry for freedom across the street and across the miles
Cries from the heart to find the missing part

Where is the hope, where is the peace?
That will make this life complete
For every man, woman, boy, and girl
Looking for heaven in the real world

To stand in the pouring rain and believe the sun will shine again
To know that the grave is not the end
To feel the embrace of grace and cross the line where real life begins
And know in your heart you've found the missing part

There is a hope, there is a peace
That will make this life complete
For every man, woman, boy, and girl
Looking for heaven in the real world
Heaven in the real world

It happened one night with a tiny baby's birth
God heard creation crying and He sent heaven to earth

He is the hope, He is the peace
That will make this life complete
For every man, woman, boy and girl
Looking for heaven in the real world


Till Next Time
Love Jared

The Adventure Continues - I Do Believe

 Sorry for the delay, we had internet problems over the first weekend back and I wanted to get at least a full weeks activities in to report :)


I am now halfway done with my year at Timberline. All I can say is that I am so happy that I was willing to trust the Lord and step out on faith. It has been such an awesome experience and I would not trade it for the world. I am so happy to be back with friends that now feel like family and so very thankful for my time at home with family and friends over Christmas break. I am glad to say my arm is almost back to 100% still a bit stiff with some rotation but it improves day after day. For those who do not know, my arm was in a sling for a little over a week and even when I was able to bring it out my mobility and range of motion for my arm was very little. You may be asking "well how did you injure yourself"? Well I found out I'm able to go down MOUNTAINS in Colorado on my Longboard at about 20-25mph but not able to go about 10mph or so on what maybe could be considered a hill in Florida. So I fell and banged it up pretty good, thankfully no break, just a bit of road rash and a whole lot of swelling. Other than that I had a very good time back. I was so thankful to have thee opportunity to lead music for my home church my final Sunday home. It was a blessing to lead and sing with everyone.
I cannot express how grateful I am for the generous giving of my church family in supporting me for my last few months out here. It truly shows how God will take care of us when we have no idea to get by or when we cannot do it on our own.

Matthew 6

Do Not Worry

25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ?

28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

So returning to Timberline this week on Wednesday. I was able to be accompanied by my buddy Chris and he will be staying for a week hangin out and seeing what all goes on out here. I had the pleasure of teaching him how to board and watching him eat it quite a few times. He did manage to get it his second day out. He was able to make a few good runs. He also got the experience the late night shenanigans that go on. 

This past full week we had Wayne Weissman going over bible study methods with us. I enjoyed it thoroughly. On Thursday we had to prepare a 3min teaching from a few passages we went over the previous days. I did my minisermon on Luke 2:8-20. I wanted to point out things that we may read but not always really pay much attention to as it is the Christmas story and we focus on Jesus coming.
So my 5 points were-

1-When angels show up and or the glory of God shines, most of the time if not always the people who are in the presence of them or it are pretty freaked out and terrified.

2-This is one of the first times a savior is foretold to people since the Old Testament according to Luke.

3-A great multitude of angels appeared so this must be a big deal.

4-The shepherds not only believed but then went with haste to see what they had been told about.

5-Bethlahem means "house of bread" and Christ is the bread of life.

Thursday night we had a Sader meal and celebrated the Passover feast. We are doing it now since it is closer to the date rather then when we actually went over the feasts of Israel. Wayne headed it up, it was a very fun night.

We will have our first group in this week for the guest season. We spent most of Tuesday afternoon preparing the campus for the group. I was out with my team clearing, prepping, and preparing the ice rink. It is a Middle school group of at least 40, it is going to be nuts! I am very eager for the weekend to start with the group, as this is one of the big reasons that I wanted to come out here. The hands on aspect with youth is something I have been looking forward to.

The group arrived Friday night, I was on program team. Program team gets to basically be the face of Timberline while guest are here. We did everything from leading worship to handing out skates and sticks for the rink and running games. It was an awesome weekend! We found out this morning that a kid one of the program staff had been talking with, gave his life to the Lord. That makes the whole weekend worth it! 

As I sit and close this post out, I think of how I will transition what I have learned this year to helping possibly lead outreaches when home at Riverside. Something I think that happens to a lot of us with outreach is we either get scared of it or we say the old "well someone else will do it I don't have to". But guess what? THAT IS THE WRONG ATTITUDE TO HAVE!!
As I sit and think about how 40 Middleschoolers descended upon me and the other students this weekend, some of the students were a bit apprehensive and anxious for it, thinking they were not ready for the task at hand. But it just goes to show, when we think  we aren't ready God usually is.  

 Sitting in a traffic jam 11:52 p.m.
Just a few miles south of Cincinnati Ohio
I take my pen and start to write
The thoughts that fill my head tonight
Nothing terribly profound
Just these simple words
That keep my heart anchored down
That keep my restless heart anchored down

I do, I do, I do, I do believe
I know, I know, I know, I know it's true, yeah
I do, I do, I do, I do believe
Lord, I believe in You
I believe in You

Now these can be confusing times
The skeptics posing as the wise
It's hard to see the light
Through all the shadows of the doubt
But You keep saying all the while
It takes the vision of a child
Looking through the eyes of faith to see reality
So once again I will say
I believe You're the life
You're the truth, You're the way

I do, I do, I do, I do believe
I know, I know, I know, I know it's true, yeah
I do, I do, I do, I do believe
Lord, I believe in You
I believe in You

If this faith in You is blind
It's not to anything that's true
'Cause Your love opens up my eyes
To see that everything I need
Is found when I believe in You, yeah

I like these lyrics for this week because at least we had an impact on one kid and he now sings this chorus in his heart.

Till Next Time
Love Jared