Rachel's Reflections

"The only thing I want in life, is to be known for loving Christ." The Cause of Christ By Kari Jobe My personality is polar opposite of Peter's. He was a bold, rash, extreme, intense, all-or-nothing kind of guy. I am quiet, reserved, balanced, and thoughtful. Yet in the midst of these differences I have seen myself in Peter through studying his life this past week with a few other young women.  Peter was an uneducated, common man but he made the decision to follow Jesus (Luke 5:11). Even after this decision he had many ups and downs: he walked on water, denied Jesus 3 times, and confessed Jesus as the Son of God. In every instance God was working in Peter's life to grow him in maturity. The study ended with a confrontation between the religious leaders, responsible for Jesus' death, and Peter (and John). Despite the leaders' warnings Peter boldly proclaimed the Truth. The religious leaders were astonished because these men, Peter and John, were un

I was sitting on a couch in the lobby last night while all the youth from 6 different churches worshipped inside the auditorium. After a long, stressful, exhausting day my stomach and head decided to hurt. I was beginning to wonder why I had gone to the youth combine when one of our girls came out and sat by me. It started as a casual conversation but I felt the Lord urging me to go deeper. I was not sure how until she started talking about her friend's struggle and I saw how I could connect it.  "Let me ask you two questions that you can ask your friend, but first I want you to answer. On a scale from 0-100 how sure are you that you are going to heaven when you die?" "I think 50% because I'm not perfect but I've been a good person." "Next question: you're standing before the gates of heaven and God asks you why He should let you in, what would you say?" Her answer was very uncertain and works based. She said nothing about Jesus as the

80+ kids sat attentively as I spoke about Noah's trust in God Thursday afternoon, but they did not know how real this story was for me. God asked Noah to trust and obey Him even though he did not fully understand why "and Noah did all that the Lord commanded him," (Gen 6:22). God called Noah to a very specific task and Noah did not turn away from it, no matter how hard it became. These kids from the Zandspruit community grasped the message of the story and the importance of trusting God in the midst of difficult circumstances.  I have taught many lessons to children over the years as many of you know, but I always find that kids are the most attentive when God is using the lesson to speak into my own life as well. God's Word never returns void but it is extra encouraging to see the visible impact on others when I simply share from a heart being molded by the hands of my Heavenly Father.  Earlier in the week a situation stared me in the face and drove me directly t