Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts

Saturday, 27 September 2008

How has your faith changed since starting threesixty?

I have been writing a journal during quiet times to make sure I keep track of changes I'm going through and stuff I'm learning...so to answer this question I guess I'll have to refer to that. Looking back...I don't think I had a clue what I was coming to. I can't believe I devoted a year to doing...something! But I am so glad I'm here, and I really feel that God has plans for me here. Of course I have no idea what they are!
I guess it will be the same for everyone my age who is moving away to uni/gap years at the moment, but these last few weeks have been an obvious time of growth for me.
Firstly, and simply, the way I consider others, therefore the way I act towards them, is really beginning to change. It started at training- realising that God said all of creation was good,and yet we were very good.
very good? I can't grasp that! So every time there is a stunning sunset for example, that is nothing compared to how beautiful and valuable we are in God's eyes.

Psalm 45:11 "the king is enthralled by your beauty, honour him for he is your lord"

But that is everyone, and not just me!! So the way I understand "Love your neighbour as yourself" has been completely blown apart. As I accept that slowly, it really effects the way I judge people, the way I act towards people and the way I talk about them. It also really helps with dealing with people who I struggle with (although haven't come across too many of them yet..)

Secondly, and probably obviously, the way I consider church is being completely re-moulded. Again, at training, it was said to me that we need to consider Christ, then figure out our mission according to him, then to build the church around that. So often we build our church then desperately try to understand where Christ fits in and how on earth we do mission. That is why it's so exciting to be part of church.co.uk in Enfield, it's not...anything at the moment. It's being built. It's just a group of people seeking Christ and figuring out what his mission is for us. It really fits into the wider thoughts i'm having at the moment, about how we absolutely must have our eyes fixed on Jesus, and not on trying to get it right or trying to fit into what a Christian should look like.
So, at the moment, i'm trying to take the "teachings" and live them...which I guess goes completely against the whole not getting stuck in the rules thing...eek.