Through Zechariah, the Lord our God spoke these timeless words: “I will put one third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.‘”
Fire is necessary to refine silver and test gold, and through destruction comes new creation. The Epistle of James reminds us to consider these trials pure joy, knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance, and to let our endurance have its perfect result so that we may lack nothing. God gives and He takes away, and He is always… always good. When I was first chosen as team leader of Judah, I looked at my new team with bright optimism and a genuine desire to draw close to them. My earliest memories as a team will forever be dear to me.
We stargazed, studied scripture, and shared smiles. We got pulled over by the cops, played silly games, and witnessed Christ with enthusiasm. Time flew by, and as the months went on, my heart took root in my teammates’ lives. As friendship
turned into family, those roots sprouted and began to blossom into a new understanding of myself. Things surfaced that I never knew existed, and I discovered new facets of love, both pure and holy. We laughed together and
Fire is necessary to refine silver and test gold, and through destruction comes new creation. The Epistle of James reminds us to consider these trials pure joy, knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance, and to let our endurance have its perfect result so that we may lack nothing. God gives and He takes away, and He is always… always good. When I was first chosen as team leader of Judah, I looked at my new team with bright optimism and a genuine desire to draw close to them. My earliest memories as a team will forever be dear to me.We stargazed, studied scripture, and shared smiles. We got pulled over by the cops, played silly games, and witnessed Christ with enthusiasm. Time flew by, and as the months went on, my heart took root in my teammates’ lives. As friendship
turned into family, those roots sprouted and began to blossom into a new understanding of myself. Things surfaced that I never knew existed, and I discovered new facets of love, both pure and holy. We laughed together and
we cried together. We sought God
as a team and we found
Him as a team. And most rewarding was seeing God develop and bind together our team as He grew each
one of us in uniquely wonderful ways. We found joy in the dumps of the Philippines, revival being unveiled in China, hope in the darkest streets of Kenya, and sincere faith in Uganda. God truly fused us into a single unified song to speak to the Nations. And now, even though we’ve been placed on new teams, we are still the same song merely split into a fuller three-part harmony. A group of three of us was sent to the left and a group of three was sent to the right. As for me, I’ve been put on an entirely new team without any of my old teammates, but our veils are only removed so we can better reflect the splendor of the Lord, as we are transformed from glory to glory into His image. Judah will always have a special place in my heart. When a team is able to make such an impact on a person, it never dies.
Him as a team. And most rewarding was seeing God develop and bind together our team as He grew each
one of us in uniquely wonderful ways. We found joy in the dumps of the Philippines, revival being unveiled in China, hope in the darkest streets of Kenya, and sincere faith in Uganda. God truly fused us into a single unified song to speak to the Nations. And now, even though we’ve been placed on new teams, we are still the same song merely split into a fuller three-part harmony. A group of three of us was sent to the left and a group of three was sent to the right. As for me, I’ve been put on an entirely new team without any of my old teammates, but our veils are only removed so we can better reflect the splendor of the Lord, as we are transformed from glory to glory into His image. Judah will always have a special place in my heart. When a team is able to make such an impact on a person, it never dies.
Farewell Judah, the first chapter in a lifelong pursuit for the true church.
