My wife and I were driving to our house after dropping everyone off for this LA Missions Trip last week, and it struck me…we’re home. This is weird. This is back to, like, normal.
Every morning of our LA Missions Trip, we opened with devotions. And then we took testimonies. And then we ministered. And we played. And we gave more testimonies. And we gave of ourselves. And we lived in this weird little non-normal alternate universe for 5 days.
Then when we returned, it was like…oh…I drive this road every day. I see that building every day. I see those people every day.
When we were in LA, everything was about ministry and outreach and spiritual things. Then real life strikes back. And the real struggle begins.
Making your spiritual life real means that you live it day by day. It’s Monday morning spirituality. It’s Friday afternoon spirituality.
It’s shutting off Netflix and opening your Bible. It’s REALLY talking to your guy friend about his salvation instead of just being burdened about him when you’re in church and the preaching’s convicting your soul. It’s like…talking to him!
Everyday spirituality is holy living (asking the questions from last Thursday’s sermon: “Am I MORE holy after the Knott’s trip? Did I obey God yesterday? Am I pure? Am I right with God? Am I trying to be like God wants me to be?”)
Trips are like alternate little worlds we go to. But you have to return from those trips and make real-life choices.
I’m glad you’re in church tonight. That’s a great start! Keep doing right. I love you all. For those who went on the LA Trip…thank you for making it one of the TOP FIVE trips I’ve ever taken. Seriously!
-Bro. Ryan
Bro. Ben’s Note
Hello again everyone! Last week I told all of you about when I got saved, now I’d like to tell you about when I surrendered.
I was fourteen, a freshmen in high school (and obviously the coolest guy in the group, if not the world). Every year we went to the “Our Time Youth Conference” in Washington, Iowa. Every year God always spoke to me there in a big way and I expected Him to do the same. This year, throughout the whole conference, I knew God was trying to tell me something; I could feel it. Bro. Sam Epley got up to preach a message, and he had a fake fire near the pulpit. I was very curious what the message was going to be on. The title of it was “Keep the Fire Burning,” from Jeremiah 20:9 (now my life verse). I could tell you the whole plan of the message, I could tell you the amazing illustration he gave. But all I wanna tell you is that I knew God was talking to ME. A fourteen year old kid, and as simply as I could do I asked God what He was telling me. The preacher then said something along the lines of, “maybe God is calling you to the mission field!” I remember that thought sticking with me, and I asked God one question: “Lord, the mission field?” Immediately I hear the Lord tell me YES. IT took me a whole year to tell anyone, and six months more to say yes to God. But boy am I glad I did! God has given more opportunities than I could’ve imagined in just these 5 years since, all because I obeyed Him.