the Art of Self Feeding

the Art of Self Feeding

March 20th

I have been to my share of youth camps, DNows, weekend retreats and every one of those has had the same attempt to beat us over the head with the Bible to instill a sense of habitual quiet time.

It has never worked.

I would go about my day spending no time in the Word, no time in prayer, no time in worship until I showed up to church on Wednesday night and Sunday morning to get my weekly fill. As most of us, Christians, do.

It wasn’t until college where I began to pick up my Bible during the week outside of the church walls. But even then, it was not every day. I began to pray when I was out and about during the day, but it wasn’t everyday and it wasn’t heartfelt. (I’m not saying that every prayer has to be heartfelt, full of tears but we need to understand whom it is we are approaching when we pray.) None of this was completely evident in my life. But in all honesty, how many of us can say we actually get up an hour or two early every day to spend time with the God who died to save us? Convicting.

I have never prayed more, I have never read the Bible more, I have never worshipped through actions and with my iPod more than I have when all of that privilege was taken away.

I spend several hours a day on the campuses having spiritual conversation after spiritual conversation and it’s HARD. My faith has never been tested further than in the constant questioning of a biochemistry freshman in a cafe. Those spiritual conversations are draining, but where could I find somewhere to rest because I did not pay attention to the leaders attempting to create in me a genuine quiet time?

Every Sunday we wake up and go to a Portuguese speaking church and even with a translator (thank you Bethany and Jonathan for always translating) it is difficult to keep up and stay focused, my “weekly fill” had disappeared and I had nowhere left to go.

I have to seek God. I have to make time to read my Bible, I have to make time to pray, I have to turn on my iPod and spend alone time in my room to experience genuine worship with my God. Things that I had been taught over and over, but never had put into practice until now. Oh, how thankful I am now for this experience of completely dependence and reliance; and, how thankful I am for supervisors who invest so much time in teaching me and checking up on me.

So, I am turning into the leaders I had at all of those camps about to beat you over the head with the Bible and give you steps for Self Feeding. These are my personal steps, there is probably thousands of websites with world known theologians who could give you so much better steps or programs, but read what you want.

READ THE BIBLE- Just pick it up and read. The Bible is truth, it is living; no matter what you read you will get something out of it and it will be rewarding. You could read five verses or five chapters, but as long as you are in God’s Word everyday it will make a huge difference! Do not just read the Word; meditate on it, pray it, and do what it says. If you do not know where to start, I would recommend John.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrate even to dividing souls and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James 1:22

How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to Your Word.

Psalm 119:9

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Luke 11:28

PRAY, oh my goodness, PRAY- We have the easiest way of connecting to God and all humans love to do it, so just talk to him! Talk to him the way you would talk to your best friend. Tell him your fears, your heartaches, your dreams, your loves, your desires, your frustrations, all of it. He hears us, we have a promise in that. Also, write down your prayers! There is nothing more encouraging than reading back and seeing where God had answered prayers that I had prayed.

I have trouble staying focused in prayer and genuinely praying with purpose. So, Bethany showed me how to make a prayer calendar. Each day of the week is a topic which I take my time to pray for.

Monday: I pray for my family.

Tuesday: I pray for Westside, the Chauncey’s, staff, deacons, mvmt, the college.

Wednesday: I pray for Portugal, the missionaries, people I have connected with and the other HandsOn students around Europe.

Thursday: I pray for my friends.

Friday: I pray for myself; my dreams, my future hsband and kids, my work here in Portugal and at home.

Saturday: I pray for my country, Obama, the presidential election, abortion, ISIS, etc.

Sunday: I leave open for God to direct my prayers.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances…

1 Thessalonians 5:16

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

1 John 5:14

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.

Philippians 4:6

WORSHIP- Worship God; in prayer, in actions, in song. I truly believe that every situation is a opportunity to worship and give glory to Christ. I have been so thankful for my iPod while I have been in Portugal and the worship music that is on it. Sinking Deep, by Hillsong, has been an anthem for me.

“I’m wide awake, drawing close, stirred by grace and all my heart is Yours. All fear removed, I breathe You in, I lean into Your love. Your love so deep, it washes over me, Your face is all I seek, You are my everything. Jesus Christ, You are my one desire, Lord hear my only cry to know You all my life.”

But worship Him always.

Sing to the Lord, all the earth’ proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place. Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in splendor of his holiness. Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”

1 Chronicles 16:23-31

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—he good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:1-2

READ OTHER CHRISTIAN BOOKS- You will be surprised at how much you can learn from authors such as Francis Chan, Beth Moore, Andy Stanley, and others. They bring knowledge from hours searching through the Bible and diving into the Word deeply; they provide wisdom and knowledge in their writings.

A good friend once said to me, “Never feel bad about paying money for books. When you buy books, you’re buying ideas.” That good friend also said, “Whenever you stop reading is when you stop learning.” (Thanks Asa Walker for being that good friend).

I encourage to keep reading and to keep learning.

All of this is stuff you have all heard before. Heck! I had heard all of this before and never paid attention to it until now. But it has made a HUGE difference in my life, my walk with Christ and how I have made it this far in my mission in Portugal.

Like I said, these are my personal steps and have been what works best for me. Some may agree, some may disagree. But no one can deny that dwelling in the Word, praying earnestly and honestly, and worshipping with a genuine heart does not bring you closer to Christ.

I can only hope that some of what I have said has resonated with you, and you do not take as long as I did to discover that we all need to passionately pursue Christ in our own time and outside of church. That is how a true relationship forms.

It’s crazy that I will be back in the United States in only 70 days, but I still have a lot of work to do here.

I love you all and I will see you all soon.

Ash

PS: Keep your eyes out for a blog covering 3 weeks here in Portugal, hoping to have it up this Saturday!

Praises:

-Bible study with Cristiane being a huge success

-Ole Miss team doing an amazing job!!

-Callie and I are getting connected in amazing ways on the university

Prayer Requests:

-That Callie and I become even more connected with students and make friends

-That we can successfully and quickly start a small group

-That many will come to know the Lord in our time here, many seeds will be planted

-The other 14 HandsOn students around Europe, that their ministry will flourish

-Joao (Cristiane’s fiancé) to have a softened heart towards God and the Gospel

-Our bible study with Cristiane, that we will be able to speak clearly and boldly, that she will come to know the Lord

-Aurora, as Callie and I continue to share with her

-That we can successfully follow up with all of the connections that were made during the week Ole Miss was here

-Basketball Camp that is this upcoming week (March 21-March 26) that we will be diligent in our work there