Exposing Christianity

The end of 3 months within the School Of Ministry Development has ended and a new season has begun, within the position of staffing the program of Mission Adventures, for the summer. We are in our first week with kids from a youth group located in Mesa, Arizona. We are way BUSIFIED. Yes...thats a new word, apply it into your vocabulary today:) Note to self: I love people...especially young people. Moldable minds...hungry and searching for identity and their place in this world. I think i'm gunna like this discipleship role. So thats this summer...hosting a new team of youth groups each week...taking them all over LA, checking out the city...street n BEACH evangelism...helping out in local ministries...teaching the kids about their strengths, about God, about their inheritance and destinies available to them through their relationship with God. It's pretty tight business! After this week...we have 4 more weeks left. Then I have a couple weeks down time before starting to staff the Fall School Of Ministry Development, with an amazing and uniquely dynamic team of staff. I CAN'T WAITTTTTTTT!!

So thats a low-down of whats been up the last several weeks. For MA training we visited this organization called PATH the other week. Its a comprehensive homeless shelter. We got talking to a guy that lives there about Christianity. He actually brought it up and had some pretty intense opinions of us...thus leading me to the need to process out sum thoughts on the topic:)

Christianity. We hear this word, religion, classification...thrown around alot in the States, right? But what does it really categorize to the rest of the world? In my opinion, I think the term has been incredibly tainted, and the image it bears is not a quality representation of what i take it to hold. I almost hesitate in labeling myself a Christian, as i have come to realize that what the world sees in the meaning is not at all what i want attached to my identity. So...my favorite part...the root causes:) And to be straight up with you, i think alot of the responsibility in this negative association lies in the hands of Christ-Followers, themselves. We have ALLOWED Christianity to be slandered, mistreated, misrepresented...as we sit on our sofas---perhaps disagreeing---but doing nothing to contradict or challenge. We are not playing this game right! We are on the defense without any offensive strategy or application. I feel like lines are being drawn left and right, but so many self-deamed "Christians" are satisfied with sitting out. Our complacency will soon overtake us. We CANNOT sit idoly by why the "world" defines us...while the WORLD participates---while the world is the only one debating with thier lives. We MUST live our faith out. We must give a rebuttle to the worldly-minded through the activity of our lives. Because faith without action is pointless. We are called to defend the Gospel by walking it out---Everyday my sisters n brothers---everyday we wake we must choose to enter into the struggle---to fight the war that is being waged in our very midst. Souls are at stake! We MUST care what people think of us, for it is by our lives that God is represented---whether in a positive or negative way, whether we like that fact or not. His very essence---the sanctity of His very name is worn on our hearts and displayed to the world by how we live this life out. Are we representing His heart well?? Do we really know him well enough to rep it out correctly---humbly---with integrity, fervency, and boldness? Are we giving all of our heart and mind to God or are we taking all that we can from him without giving any or just parts of us in return? Just some questions that have been rolling around in my mind lately! No big deal lol.

Lets put a new spin on this definition of Christianity. Lets step up and redefine and redeem the meaning and purpose of our faith, so that God is seen for all who he truly is...no room for doubts or condemnation. For if we are rightly walking in the footsteps of our Savior, there will be no open door for slander or a misinformed society.


Prayer Points:

*Staying focused on the ultimate goal of Christ-likeness and knowing God---during this season
*Perserverance and diligence through mundane tasks
-I thrive on relationships over tasks---and the way MA is set up this year is that the staff is split into 2 teams. one team is with the kids during the week and the other team is doing work tasks---mainly in the kitchen all day.

*Trusting God with all things---finances---family---Trust in general:)
*Sleep! I'm having trouble turning my mind off at night---no sleep plus work all day equals exhaustion.

Thanks to all of you!!! much love.

kate