Latest Learnings

We've  been learning a lot. I feel like the season we are in right now is one of "watching" if that makes sense. Not a whole lot of strife, struggle or tragedy going on in our life right now [THANKFUL]. I feel like it's going on all around us and we are learning from the example and experience of others. Good and Bad. I feel like we are there to be supportive of a lot of other people, which is great! Emotionally draining at times, and that feeling of not really knowing what to do that would be comforting/helpful. 


I know we are inadequate, but our God isn't. That's a lot of what we are learning. How much grace we need. How awesome we AREN'T. How much we can't do and how much we need God. As we are faithful in the work that He has called us to do, especially with Crave [College Ministry], I know that God will bring the increase, depth, growth and faithfulness in others. We are still striving to get the core group together and strong, but this much I know for sure, we MUST be faithful with the few has given us. Again, all by grace. I read this today and thought it was very fitting...

1 Samuel 2:9

"He will guard the feet of His faithful ones,

 but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, 

for not by might shall a man prevail."

In all this: ministry, comforting, challenging, counseling, I know it's not by my might that anything shall succeed. In fact, I pray that I will not succeed [in ruining everything] but that any success will be the result of God's blessing and hand in the lives of others. 


This is all very humbling. A killer to pride, which is the greatest, sneakiest enemy/sin of all. That was one of the themes in Luke 13, which we discussed this past Tuesday at Bible Study. Pride really is destructive in every sphere of life, and unless we are conscious of that, we are likely to go on sinning in pride and asking for God to knock us down a notch in humiliation versus walking in humility by the power of the Spirit, and being lifted up. 


So here's the Pride Test we all took this week. [And Failed. It's okay, you will too.]

Pride Test

1. Do you long for a lot of attention? Spiritual gift of freaking out, needy and desperate, pushy, demanding attention. 
2. Do you become jealous or critical of people who succeed? 
3. Do you always have to win? (Cheat at board games?)
4. Do you have a pattern of lying? Under lying is pride, its hiding things that might not put you in a favorable light, to be perceived as someone who you truly aren’t. 
5. Do you have a hard time acknowledging you are wrong? Not confessing sin, getting caught. Then putting up a fight. Getting emotional, changing subject. Can’t say you are wrong. 
6. Do you have a lot of conflicts with other people? Proud and Proud fight a lot. Very rarely is there massive conflict between the humble and the humble. 
7. Do you cut in line at the store, airport, freeway, etc? 
8. Do you get upset when people don’t honor your achievements? When people don’t thank you or good job. 
9. Do you tend more toward an attitude of entitlement or thankfulness? We deserve hell, everything else is a gift. Proud people feel like they deserve good. Humble people say thanks. 
10. Do you honestly feel you are basically a good person and superior to others? Smugness, superiority. 

If you scored 1-10 you are proud. If you scored 0 you are very proud. 

Haha, I like that last part, about being scored. It's so true though. 

May you go, not in discouragement, but knowing that by God's grace we pursue humility for the rest of our lives, and that it's a miracle he works into our lives. Humility is not something we can accomplish or "do" for then it would really be pride anyways. "Hey, look! I achieved humility!" [Think about it...] Pride is natural, humility is a miracle. We'll fail this test often and need to focus on Christ, for He is the ultimate example of true humility.