what up.
a question i had before coming to georgia was “why do i have to blog?” i was really just confused as to why that was a necessary thing. but in my time here i’ve learned that blogging is actually quite beautiful. i also think the reasoning behind blogging is important for me to share with you, my readers, before i continue with the rest of my blog. so, here at AIM, we are encouraged to blog because Jesus blogged. like seriously Jesus blogged. well not actually, but he did share stories of how God was working. throughout his ministry, Jesus took these large seemingly abstract ideas of the kingdom of God and tailored them to stories. these stories could then be understood and digested by the listeners, not as deep philosophical ideas, but as ideas wrapped in everyday activities. so that’s what blogging is, i get to tell stories of how God is working in and around my life.
so here are three of the most impactful things i’ve learned, seen, and experience since i’ve been here in Georgia…
– i’ve learned that there is an actual difference between the head and the heart. since being here in georgia i really believe that God has brought out the moving trucks and dollies and began moving things, one by one, from an understanding to a belief. i’ve seen this in God’s grace and what that means for my life. early on in the second week i really struggled with what i was supposed to do and what grace looked like practically. the answer? run to God. i have received grace from the Father through the perfect blood of the son and all God wants in return is for me to run to him, spend time with him, and love him. through having that realization about God i also learned the importance of setting time aside from your day to spend with the father and how beneficial that is to me. this has changed my view of what it looked like to walk with the Lord dramatically. no longer was reading the word and sitting in silence in presence of God a chore, it is actually something i look forward to and plan out days in advance because i thoroughly enjoy sitting with my Father and Friend.
– since i’ve been here i’ve seen some rad things. the one with the most impact has been seeing the fruit of the seeds my parents planted. the first that comes to mind is the guitar. i used to think the gifts God gave us came ready to use right out of the box. not quiet, you actually have to put time into learning how to use your God-given gifts. so for twelve years, that’s what my parents did, they helped me and gave me the opportunity to learn how to use the gifts God has given me. now, i am getting to use those gifts for the benefit of the body of Christ, which is the reason God gave them to me. it’s so cool to be able to pull out my guitar in the evenings, start playing a song and have people to come around me. however, their focus isn’t on me. their focus is on singing praises to our King.
– it was very difficult to pick the most impactful thing i’ve experienced. mainly because this experience changed my life, from a spiritual and physical standpoint. on september 24th i got healed. for the last few years, i’ve struggled with a weird physical ailment. my left leg was significantly longer than my right leg, which caused my pelvis to become tilted pretty much. for years i solved this by putting a lift in my right shoe which evened out the unevenness. despite my solution, i still suffered pain that forced me to sit out or play extremely limited minutes in the last six club soccer games i ever got to play. on thursday morning we had a session on how the Holy Spirit works through people and how we can ask to partner with God. at the end of this session the speaker invited anyone who was feeling physical pain to raise their hand so that people around them could pray over them. two people around me raised their hands, i did not. we prayed for those two people and asked God for the opportunity to partner with him and for him to heal them. after we finished praying they both were healed. we began talking within our group while other groups continued praying and my team leader Nathan began to explain how one day he hoped to see God make someone’s arm grow back or something crazy. while this conversation was going my heart was pounding so hard i thought the people beside me could hear. i knew that the Holy Spirit wanted to show God’s power by making a leg grow back. so as my group’s conversation continued i took off my right shoe and pulled out my heel lift. then i spoke up and said “i don’t know about growing an arm back, but i have a leg that could grow a little more,” i continued to explain what the problem was and how it had affected me. Nathan then directed me to take off both my shoes and to sit with my legs straight out in front of me. then my group of brothers and sisters laid their hands on my legs and we prayed. when we opened our eyes the Lord had healed me. i quickly did a few exercises and straightened out my legs to check their length, it was the same. I HAD BEEN HEALED. God had healed me. after standing up and hugging a few people i picked up the heel lift off the ground and threw it in the trash. he truly is the Healer, both of brokenness and of legs!
