Notes

At the beginning of my freshman year at Cornerstone I started writing down notes from sermons, chapel, and missionary sessions. The notebook is now full…it was amazing to look back through it and remember all that the Lord has taught me though the preaching, teaching, and encouragement of godly people over the past year and a half. Here are just a few tidbits from that notebook.

The preaching of the cross shows the love and grace of God, which no other way can show. NEVER STOP PREACHING THE CROSS!

Christ is glorified through sinners being conformed into the image of Him!

To bring glory to God should be our highest motivation!

Make your plans in pencil – God’s ways are not our ways.

Good judgment comes from the Word of God.

Is there anything we do that does not have to include God?

Is God just a fire escape to me or is He the ruler of my life?

We base much of our theology on what we sing and the music we listen to.

The Spirit NEVER leads us to be entertained by evil.

Jesus is the greatest blessing ever given to man!

Two thirds of Moses’ life was spent in preparation. God is constantly preparing us for what He has for us in the future. God’s time is different then my time. God is not concerned with time as we are.

Bringing glory to God does not come through what I do – it is what Christ does in me and through me!

I am identified with Jesus Christ. How does knowing this affect the way I live?

Christ was born to die so that we may have life!

God’s work needs to be done in God’s way.

Knowing God helps us to live right.

Our lives are a manifestation of what we think about God.

The fire purifies the gold. When the goldsmith can see his face reflecting in the gold he knows it is pure. The Lord purifies us so that we are a mirror of Him.

Often we want God’s approval of OUR plans rather than HIS plans

Thankfulness Gage – My thankfulness is a gage of my relationship with Christ.

Do not sacrifice truth for “peace”.

When I pass up an opportunity to share the gospel with someone because I say “Oh, they probably won’t accept it” is me not having faith in God’s power in the gospel of Christ.

“Grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. AMEN” – 2 Peter 3:18

Thanks to God

Thanks to God

By August Ludvig Storm

Thanks, O God, for boundless mercy

From Thy gracious throne above;

Thanks for every need provided

From the fullness of Thy love!

Thanks for daily toil and labor

And for rest when shadows fall;

Thanks for love of friend and neighbor

And Thy goodness unto all!

Thanks for thorns as well as roses,

Thanks for weakness and for health;

Thanks for clouds as well as sunshine,

Thanks for poverty and wealth!

Thanks for pain as well as pleasure

All Thou sendest day by day;

And Thy Word, our dearest treasure,

Shedding light upon our way.

Thanks, O God, for home and fireside,

Where we share our daily bread;

Thanks for hours of sweet communion,

When by Thee our souls are fed!

Thanks for grace in time of sorrow

And for joy and peace in Thee;

Thanks for hope today, tomorrow,

And for all eternity!

Cease not to give thanks

It looks like Christmas here….CBI is covered in a white blanket. But it is not Christmas, it’s the season of THANKSGIVING! Oh give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good!! God has blessed me beyond measure! To name just a few, I am thankful for…

- Jesus Christ; my Savior, King, and Friend!

- The Word of God which lives and abides for ever!

- The conforming work of God in my life!

- The wonderful family that God placed me in! Pa and Ma – the ones who love me more than I know, point me to the Lord, pray for me, and are two of my best friends! Isaac – my comrade all growing up, the one I can talk to about anything, challenges me in my walk with the Lord. Luke – my pal, and co-laborer in camp cleaning for many years, bestower of many knives and gun holsters :D Ezekiel and Moriah – the two little munchkins that were born on the other side of the world but God’s plan was for them to be in our family!!

- The Shively family, my family away from home and friends!

- My grandparents – for their godly example, encouragement, and support.

- Cornerstone Bible Institute. A place to be challenged in the Word of God and to prepare me for ministry! The impact this school has had on my life cannot be placed into words

- Friends - for fellowship around Jesus Christ, times of hilarity and contagious laughter, and companion in times of study as well as procrastination.

- The faculty and staff of CBI who love the Lord, serve him moment by moment, give their time to invest in our lives, are always willing to listen, teach us as well as laugh with us, open their homes to us, and love us!

- For Lopez Canyon Bible Camp, the best place in the world to grow up, all that the Lord taught me there about being a servant, and all the practical tasks I learned to do that can be put into use wherever the Lord may lead me.

- For Black Hills Bible Church, the times of gathering around God’s Word, fellowship and fun times, and the opportunity to teach Sunday School!

- For each new day that the Lord brings. The Lord’s mercies are new every morning and each day there is more to be learned about of who He is!

- The trails and challenges of life that God allows and uses to conform us into the image of His Dear Son. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: - 1 Peter 1:7

Cease not to give thanks!

Redeemed

Understanding more and more of Greek is so rich. It is like reading in color. For our one English word for “Redeemed/Redemption, there are three Greek words.

agorazo - has the meaning of “to buy in the market place”

exagorazo - has the meaning of “to buy out of the market place, never to be resold”

lutroo - has the meaning of “to loose, or set free by paying a ransom”

We put them together and it says:

Christ bought us out of the slave market of sin. We are eternally secure in Christ. Christ set us free from sin’s bondage by paying the price sin demanded – DEATH!

This is redemption! We are bought with a price. We are not our own. We belong to the Lord!! Walk Worth of our very worth God!

GO.....For the Sake of His Name

Go to the world for the sake of His name; to every nation His glory proclaim. Pray that the Spirit wise will open darkened eyes, granting new life to display Jesus’ fame.

In Jesus’ power, preach Christ to the lost; for Jesus’ glory, count all else but loss. Gather from every place trophies of sov’reign grace. Lest life be wasted, exalt Jesus’ cross.

Love the unloved for the sake of His name; like Christ, befriend those whose heads hang in shame. Jesus did not condemn, but was condemned for them. Trust gospel pow’r, for we once were the same.

Rescue the lost for the sake of His name; as Christ commands, snatch them out of the flame. Tell that when Jesus died God’s wrath was satisfied. Urge them to flee to the Lamb who was slain.

Look to the Throne for the sake of His name; think of the throng who will share in His reign. Some for whose souls we pray will share our joy that day, joining our song for the sake of His name.

In Jesus’ power, preach Christ to the lost; for Jesus’ glory, count all else but loss. Gather from every place trophies of sov’reign grace. Lest life be wasted, exalt Jesus’ cross.

Life....

...it moves on very fast. It is hard to believe that I have been back at school for a month. It is also amazing to see all that the Lord has taught me just in these past 4 weeks! My classes this semester are:

- Biblical Greek

- Theology (covering: man, sin, and salvation)

- Exodus - Deuteronomy

- Pastoral Epistles (1 Tim - Titus)

- Galatians

- Ministries of the Christian Woman

- History of Missions

- Choir

Outside of the class room I am involved in teaching Sunday School (6-9 year olds), Youth Group, cooking for the school on Friday nights with Sarah (fun times we have together! :-D ), and hanging out with fellow students. It is such a blessing to be in fellowship with other young people who have a desire to grow in their relationship with our Lord and want to serve Him with their life!

One of the MANY things the Lord has been teaching me is to pray without ceasing. We as believers have the privileged to go strait to the throne of grace, not just when in need but also just for fellowship with our Father! It is such an encouragement to pray with others in the body if Christ and to know that fellow students, faculty, family, and friends are praying for me!

"We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you"

- Col. 1:3

Thankful!

I've been blessed with an amazing family! I'm thankful for them, for the time I've been able to spend with them this summer, for the chance to get to know my little baby sister and brother! <3