For the better part of three months, we have been here on the AIM campus. We eat at the same tables, have sessions in the same rooms, sleep in the same spots, and use the same porta potties. The leaves are about gone and the grass is just not as green anymore. Time has passed by and we have been here. Seasons are shifting and we have been here to watch it happen.
Side note- This shifting, this change, has made me really thankful for the physical renewal of our bodies. They are the only things that don’t show the wear and tear of our time here.
Furthermore, take the portas for an example. They used to have four nicely colored signs signifying which squad can use which one. Now the colors have faded and two of the four signs have fallen off. We have put in good time here. And it shows in more ways that just the porta potties. It shows in what we have learned and how we have grown.
With time passing, I have learned so much.
– I have learned how the Lord is my steadying post, the one in which my stability flows.
– I have learned about my authority and how to step into the greater role of leadership I have been given.
– I am learning to deeply trust in the promises that He has given to me.
– I am renewing my faith in the concept of ‘from glory to glory’.
– I am developing my vision, dreams, and values. You want to know my current top five values? They are Wholeness/Health, Capacity/Effectiveness, Friendship/Connection, Trust/Kingdom, and Feel.
– I have been discovering how to live life with an unveiled face.
– I am digging up and around the shame that I experience to better understand it and be freed from it.
– I have learned about my gift of pastoring/sheparding and how to do that well.
– I’ve had so much good time to dig around scriptures.
– I’ve learned that humans have the ability to control self and have tried to integrate that into my life style more.
My squad has learned so many things as well. Here are some of their thoughts.
– “I have been learning that when we meet the Father with undivided devotion, then He WILL give direction & make our paths straight.”
– “Since being here at AIM, I’ve learned to keep myself open in my heart and in my mind so that way God can do and say what he wants through me as a leader.”
– “I’ve learned that I can do nothing on my own. I also will not get anywhere if I am seeking the things that God created rather than just seeking the creator. Learning to seek first the kingdom of God and then all the rest will fall into place.”
– “While being in Georgia, I have learned deeply that it doesn’t matter your location or circumstances in order to grow more and share the Gospel. God will create a learning experience for you no matter where you are.”
– “God doesn’t belong in a box and it’s actually way freeing to let Him into every aspect of my life.”
– “Since being in Georgia, I’ve learned to step out of my comfort zone in boldness to speak up and step out.”
– “A relationship with God includes conversation; He listens to us but He also wants us to listen to Him.”
– “Regardless of the situation Jesus can always work, something as simple as going to the grocery can change someone’s life forever.”
– “I have learned that the pressure is not on me to preform, but to just be obedient to what the Lord tells me.”
– “We often attempt to satisfy our lust for status, position, good reputation… all of the things. He didn’t satisfy my lust for those things, which I figured he would do if I asked. Instead he showed me that I didn’t need any of those things, because I have him.”
– “I have learned that I don’t have to perform healings and save a bunch of people for God to love me. He already loved me unconditionally and that love now urges me to share his love. Not because I have to but because I want other people to experience what I’ve experienced.”
