안녕하세요 여러분! (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo yeo-ro-bun) Hello everyone!
I hope you're all doing well! :)
This week was very stretching for me both emotionally and spiritually. I learned a lot, cried a lot, and grew a lot.
This week we had Elijah Kim from 대구, 한국 (Daegu, South Korea) as our speaker! His lectures focused on understanding God's amazing, fatherly love for us. And realizing that He created us with a purpose.
Elijah grew up in a broken home and found it very difficult to imagine a loving father. He now is the father of four young boys, and his passion is talking about the fatherly heart of God, and how our relationship with God can help heal our emotional wounds from our childhood. And his teaching really made me realize how incredible God's love for us it.
Now Imma be straight with you, I started crying about 20 min into his first lecture.
He opened our week by talking about his family. He talked empathically about how excited he felt when he first found out his wife was pregnant. He told us how he would caress and kiss her belly because he was so happy to be having a baby! He felt like the 9 months took forever!! Then he told us about his abundant joy when their first son was born!
The Bible says God knew us and formed us before we were in our mother's womb, and before he even created the world. God has been excitedly waiting for us to be born since before creation, and we can't even imagine how overjoyed God is for us to be alive now!! Elijah's joy at seeing his first son come into the world doesn't even come close to how much love the Father has for us!!
The fact that He has known me since before the foundation of the world, and he has a plan for my life that he just can't wait for me to follow is just so mind-blowing. God's love is so incredible, unimaginable, and full!
Elijah also gave us 3 exercises to help us turn on the Relational Circuits in our brains. When our RC's are properly working we feel more connected to those around us, and find it easier to be empathetic. It also helps us enter into the presence of God more easily, and recognize his love for us.
The first exercise is primarily for building a pattern of happiness in our brains (great for people with depression, anxiety, etc.) You simply close your eyes, take three deep breaths, and think of one of your happiest moments (more specific is better) and re-live that memory, noticing how you feel physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Then, after a few minutes of this you can ask God to show you where he was/how he felt during that moment in time. It can be truly beautiful.
The second exercise is called "3-3-3" and you have to do it with at least one other person. You and your partner each share 3 things you are thankful for from the day, 3 things you are thankful for about God, and 3 things you are thankful for about each other!
I am currently doing it nightly with my roommate, Jennifer, and it has helped us grow so much closer already. Sharing our hearts with each other is a powerful thing! I'm appreciating more and more the gift of community God has given to me! :)
And the third and final exercise is called Immanuel Journaling.
"First, we write to the Lord about what we need from him and how we appreciate him in our lives.
Then we listen to God’s response to us in key dimensions of empathy. To listen to God in this context mostly means tuning into his thoughts and feelings for us, which generally come to us through our own thoughts and feelings. Specifically, you discern that God:
Sees you in your situation, Hears what you’re saying (and even what you’re thinking) Understands and validates the significance of your emotions Enjoys connecting with you (and has warm feelings toward you)
Lastly, we’re encouraged to find a friend or small group to take courage and be vulnerable by sharing our journal entry or two-way prayer letter."
~ https://www.soulshepherding.org/immanuel-journaling-worksheet/
At first I admit I was very skeptical of this exercise. Of course I can write a letter to God, but writing His response?? How would I know it's Him? Wouldn't I just be making it up??
But, after I started praying and writing down what I felt God saying to me It just all came out on the page. Some of the things God said to me hadn't been in my mind at all before I started writing. And once I read it aloud to the group, I knew it was from God. I just felt a real peace about the words being true, and I felt very comforted by my Appa!
The main thing I've been hearing from God (both in Immanuel Journaling and listening prayer) is the phrase "Quiet thy soul, my love," over and over again.
Anyways, I have been using these tools almost daily, and they have really helped me feel more connected to God, so I strongly suggest you give them a try yourself!
Then at the end of all the lectures for that week we had a time of prayer, repentance, and forgiveness. And in that time, I re-dedicated my life to God.
I want to give everything to him. I want to use my whole life to glorify him, doing whatever he calls me to do and going wherever he calls me to go. It was an incredible time, and God just filled me with love and excitement for my future and his plans for me and for his kingdom!!
Thursday night we had a group worship time at the base, and the founder of this YWAM base, Moses Kim, prayed for many of us students, and anyone who wants to build their life as an altar to God. As soon as Moses laid hands on me and prayed for me I felt as though a burden (physical and spiritual) was lifted off my shoulders. Moses prayed that my fears and burdens be taken away, and for other things that he could not have known are going on in my life, and it was just incredible. I felt the Holy Spirit moving through his words and stay with us in the room throughout worship!
I'm just feeling so thankful and blessed to be here learning about our creator, and growing closer to him! 감사합니다 여러분! Thank you everyone!
*Korean phrase of the week: 감사합니다 (kam-sa-ham-ni-da) Thank you!*
I do have a few prayer requests though if you feel led to pray for me! :)
1) That I'd learn and retain my Korean language skills faster.
Recently I've been feeling pretty isolated being one of the only non-Korean speakers, and this week has been especially tough in terms of that.
2) One of our staff members (Adrian) injured his knee playing soccer and will need surgery next Wednesday.
We are praying for miraculous healing to take place so that he won't need surgery!!
3) That I'd stop getting so many bug bites!!!
And as always feel free to message me with prayer requests!!
My schedule is very hectic so I'll try to respond when I can but it may take me a bit.
May the Lord bless you and keep you!
With love,
~Hope Starr, 성소망
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