Last One for Class....

1. Here says spiritual disciplines are not designed to be ends in themselves, but are intended to facilitate a person's journey into greater freedom in living a Christ-like life. How did your practice of the disciplines help you grow in your faith in and obedience to God? Answer: Each of these disciplines affected me in a unique way. It would be hard for me to explain some of them because you are not me. But I can tell you in general My spiritual life at the beginning of the semester was stagnant. I didn't really do much with it, just read the bible, prayed and went to church on Sundays. But throughout this class I started to learn about different things I can and should be doing in my life. As I started doing these I have found a new fervor and pull towards ministry and the life God has planned for me. Without this class I think, I would sill be at that stagnant state instead of where I am now which is alive and pursuing God's will in my life.


2. What were some of the distractions or hinderances that kept you from practicing or practicing to the fullest, the assigned disciplines this semester? What does this show about yourself? How do you plan to address this area of struggle? The biggest hindrance was remembering to do them. I have a memory about the size of a peanut. So trying to remember one more thing was hard. When I did remember, I didn't really struggling with the action of doing it. This shows about myself, that I need to work on reminding myself and try to remember different ways. I need to focus on things more in order to remember them. So I plan on confronting this area of forgetfulness just by doing that, I am going to put notes on my phone, write down and re-write things.


3. Identify 3 disciplines you think mesh together well and explain how you see them interrelating. How would you plan on practicing them together?  The most mesh worthy and beautifully out of all the disciplines are Study, Solitude, Meditation. These all deal with getting away from distractions and focusing on whats truly important, God. Study is the aspect of reading and rereading the Bible, Solitude is where you get away from it all in order to study. Then when that is done and maybe even during that, we need to meditate on God's word. This is how these would be practiced together.


4. Identify one discipline you would urge a new believer to practice. How would you instruct the discipline? Why do you think this discipline is especially well suited to the formation of a new believer? The one discipline that I would urge a new believer to follow would be study. I would instruct the discipline almost the same way we did in class. I would tell them that every four days or so they find a passage and them they pray on it and read it then reread it everyday. I chose this one because as Christians we must follow God's will and we can't hope to do this without reading his word and rereading his word. Reading the Bible and learning what God has to say is the most important thing for a new follower of Christ.


5. Spiritual disciplines fortify believers against some of the universal struggles and weaknesses all Christians have battled against. Identify and describe an area of weakness you observe Kuyper College student population. What spiritual discipline, if corporately practiced, would target this area of weakness and why? Not to beat a dead horse but the discipline Kuyper struggles with I would say is study. I am not saying Kuyper students don't read the Bible. I am saying that they need to study it. SO many times we at a Christian college think we know it all so we read the Bible through tinted glasses. How can we even hope to glean more information and new information if we keep reading only what we want to read and hearing only the parts we want to hear? So corporately we must keep each other accountable with this discipline. We must study in order to become better Christians and better people.


6. What advice would you give to the next class of spiritual formation students at Kuyper College who will be practicing these disciplines? I would say remember, remember. Stay accountable and keep others accountable. Try to keep practicing these disciplines even after the required time because you learn even more. Good luck and pray often God bless.

SUBMIT!! no... NOW.... ok...

 This was the last week of class and that means the last spiritual discipline. This week I was told to follow the discipline of submitting. I at first wouldn't submit to this idea. But after it was defined to me as submitting to God's will and doing as Christ would. I figured it was on practice that I needed to start doing more. I told myself that I would pray more for God to guide me and for me to follow his call no matter what. Now this isn't always played out in one week. So I also tried not to be so over bearing with my opinion and to hear what others have to say.


In the end I feel like I accomplished my goal so far. This task of spiritual disciplines never truly stops. The blogs may stop but not the practice. I will hopefully continue and follow and submit to God's will. Although I may falter. I hope that I can stay on the path as much as possible. God has provided and will provide. I will continue blogging and hopefully keep doing well on all of these disciplines. Keep practicing these disciplines. God is good.

Solitaire? Solitude!

This past week we had to practice the spiritual discipline of solitude. Solitude is the idea of not just being alone but being fully disconnected from the world. In class we defined it as a way to focus on God without any distractions. For me I wanted to try this when it was dark. Just go out sit in a field of darkness by myself without any technology or people within a long distance.

So I did this two different nights and it was at first boring and then kind of relaxing. It was amazing how I felt when I took thirty minutes out of my day to remove myself from all distractions and to focus on God.  This discipline was not easy for me. I am an extrovert and I need and crave human interaction. So going out into the dark without any contact was a challenge and I thought it was going to be stupid.

It wasn't stupid though. I was able to focus on one thing, God, That was all that I needed to do was to focus on God and thats what I did. I don't know how well I will do with this one in the future but it was not a failure at all it was a raving success. Trust God take a hour or even half that and get away from it all and just focus. Focus on the one who never stops focusing on you and realize all the things you are missing.

SImple way is the right way.

Simplicity, is defined as trust in god, willingness to use what we have for others and a freeing from anxiety. This is the discipline I was challenged to do this past week. When we talked about this I was like HA! this is easy anxiety and trust what easy concepts how could a Christian not do these? Then I realized that I am not fully focused on God and how I can't do these to the best of my ability unless my focus is fully on God.

So I decided to change my focus and trust away from things that were physical and started trust fully on the spiritual. And can I say it was fantastic!!! Knowing God has it all in his hands was awesome, not to say I never had that security before but when I am praying for it everyday and looking for God's hand in it. So simplicity never would of put it as a way to worship but it is! and that blows my mind.

So I challenge you to go out and trustGod in everything. God can remove anxiety. It worked for me and it CAN work for you. Worship God in all aspects of life. Be simple, be stress free and TRUST God.

Reread The Reading, Reread The Reading, Reread...

Rereading, a technique used by people every where to better understand the words in front of them. In class this past week we were challenged to do something seemingly easy. We were asked to study a passage in the Bible. Or in other words to "study" it. I thought while in class this will be easy. But then our professor defined study, " Study is the reading and rereading of a passage over the course of many days". Many days? How many days does it take to  understand a couple verses? Well, I was in for a big surprise. 

That night I chose my passage James 3:1-7. The passage goes "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. ² For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. ³ Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. ⁴ Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. ⁵ So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! ⁶ And the tongue is a fire, thevery world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. ⁷ For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. ⁸ But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison." 

You might be thinking why did he read this passage? Well I am going into the business of talking to people and large groups. So I figured what better passage to glean knowledge from than this one. So I did it every day I read this passage and not just once a day but TWICE! It was eye opening. The way that every time I reread this passage I had some new perspective or look at it. It was amazing that this study was a way to worship God. I was able to put my trust in him even more deeply because I realized that I cannot do this alone.

So I challenge you reader not to just read this and say"good for him!" but to read the Bible or even another intellectual reading and keep reading it reread the reading. THe BIble is a great book filled with knowledge for all people and I challenge you to keep on rereading.

Fasting With a Purpose

Fasting the idea of giving up in order to better focus myself spiritually on God. So in class we were challenged to fast either for a couple hours or even a few days. Fasting isn't just not eating food. But it can be anything that pulls us away from God or distracts us. It helps us put faith in God you get us through the day.

So I decided that for twenty four hours I would not eat at all. I would only consume liquids. This I thought would be a challenge and a growing experience for me spiritually and physically. I started it off at eight o'clock on Monday night So I did some homework drank water and then went to bed. Today I just treated the day like every other day. I just didn't eat. It wasn't hard for me. After eight o'clock tonight I had some chicken and continued as normal. Now that I reflect back I see I did it all wrong that I only completed it half way. That if I am going to fast on something it need to be challenging enough were I feel as though I cannot go on without God.

This troubled me and I tried to imagine how long I would have to go and get a necessity of prayer. I now find myself wanting to do it again but for a longer period. The first time I did it was more of a proving to myself. Which fasting is not about. I want the next timeI do it to be ever trusting and be in prayer and meditation the whole time I am in it.

Fasting is easy and in that I must try to lengthen it. I feel God challenging me. Not in that to do it longer or strain myself but rather challenge in the way that I must rely on God's strength and help to sustain me. I challenge you to trust God and try fasting. Praise God for all that he is doing and will do.

A Spiritual Journey (mine)

I was born at a young age. This is my Journey of spiritual growth. Everyone in my family knew God almost all of us went to church every Sunday. Mom and Dad were both Christians. This influenced me greatly knowing my two favorite people in the whole world followed Jesus then I should be a follower like them. As a kid I never really noticed what was a God moment and what wasn’t all I knew is that if I loved Jesus then he would help me out in everything I did.I had one time of depression when I was a child when I was seven my great grandma died. I barely knew her but I still was old enough to understand what this meant. I cried as all kids do. We went to the funeral home I saw her there. No life in her only an empty body. My dad told me not to worry because God is with her and she is worshipping God like she did on earth and that one day I could meet her again. This growth taught me to be strong because God is there.


When I grew out of childhood and became a pre teen it was a time of growth for me spiritually. Middle school youth group and just different events in my life that hurt a lot but my dad and mom helped me see God’s good in it. My mom and Dad pointed me to God but I accepted Christ in 5th grade at a summer camp. When I was ten years old my aunt Lana passed away. She was 33 years old. It hurt so bad. I couldn’t express my hurt to anyone but my family. No one understood. I prayed to God for comfort and he comforted me. I knew God was there and even though life hurt I trusted he would help me get through it. I grew so much through these years. There was a lot of hurt but God showed me that I can love even deeper than I thought I could. Hurt included the loss of many friendships and the whole idea of grades in my life and not doing well. All of this prepared me for my high school years

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 In high school God showed me my calling. I was able to preach in front of church and this made me feel like I was made to do this. That is when I discerned my call from God. When I was a senior in high school my grand father passed away. It was Christmas and we all headed home then at 2:01 our family got a call that grandpa had passed away from cancer. This really challenged me. I cried and prayed for comfort. It came but that didn’t stop the hurt. I really saw strength from my father in that time and it astounded me. Me and my cousins carried Grandpa’s casket to the grave and that was it. The hurt was still there and I thanked God so much for his faithfulness in his comfort. The thing that maybe hurt almost as much as that is when I cam back from break and I walked around not one person asked why I looked sad or if I was okay it hurt. The friends I thought I had to comfort me weren’t there at all. This taught me that in the end the only person I can rely on is God. He never lets me down and is always there for me no matter what. I trusted God and he brought me to Kuyper.College has been quite the experience I have grown up faster than I can notice. I have gained a whole new depth of understanding for relationships and what true friendship means.  


God has changed and shaped me into a man and hopefully will continue to do so. Hopefully this skim view of my life and how I have grown spiritually.   God is good through all things and I thank him everyday for all he has done for me.

  

Prayerful Consideration of Prayer

Prayer, used by Christians and non-Christians alike. It is a way for people to consult with the almighty, right? Not really, in class we learned that prayer is a form of worship. So this week we had to practice this discipline. I am usually a regular prayer, I prayer before I go to bed and when I eat. But I never really pray because I feel called to I always did it out of routine. This week I tried to be more spontaneous.
 

Whenever something came up that even teetered wether or not I thought I needed to pray for it. I did it right then and there. So I almost made it a game. I sat waiting for something I could talk to God about. From wether I should buy a car or not to what kind of drink I drink. As I sat around Sunday I thought about is that really prayer is for? Prayer is a time to bring my troubles and blessings before God and thank him for it. So I started on Monday praying to God not because it was a game or because its routine but because I know that God wants to hear all I say and to help me with everything he does.


Prayer is probably in my opinion the most important and under used discipline we are told to do. Prayer is a calling by God to bring our troubles, our burdens to him and trust that God's grace and good will, will do what is for his glory. Prayer is a way for us to talk to God and we shouldn't be scared of it because no matter what we say God will listen and help us through it.

Pray everyday about all things . Don't be afraid to pray for the hard things and the small things. God wants to be there for you no matter what.

Meditating: Not Just for Hippies and Monks

This week we were challenged to do the spiritual discipline of Meditation. The definition of meditation is the clearing the mind of worldly thoughts and thoughts that would distract us from thinking about God. When we do this we let are mind be filled with what God wants it to be filled with.

When I first thought of meditation I thought of sitting in a tower, legs crossed and humming the same tone. Meditation is different than that., it can be used to glorify God and to help us i what we do. So my goal for the week was to meditate least once a day for a half an hour or more at a time. Sadly this dream did not come into fruition. Instead I only did it three times out of the six days. At first I was upset with myself for not completing my goal. After that little pout I decided to try to look at the bright side of it.

The first time I meditated was on my porch, in a lawn chair, in mid-afternoon. For abut five minutes I kind of joke around I sat the best I could in a cross legged position and then put my hands out to either side and started humming a song. If anyone saw me they would have thought I was crazy. But when I actually started to clear my mind and focus on nature and God it was an experience I had never felt before. After roughly a half an hour I got up and went through the rest of my day. My day finished out great. It was an amazing feeling everything I did and everyone I talked to I was more happy more wise and less immature.


God proved me wrong when I thought meditation was only for hippies. I am excited to continue on this  way of worship. God leads and teaches in mysterious ways. Try meditating some time you might end up liking it.

Confessions of a Male College Student.

Confession, a scary word to a guy. Showing weakness to others, confessing that we can not do and be all that we claim. This week I was challenged in the spiritual discipline of Confession. I thought to myself "Hey! I do this one!" This excited me but then I remember I have to confess, to people on my blog, about my confessing. Confessing, I confess I confess. Well there thats it......

Wow that would have been a lame blog. So I decided to share with ya'll why I confess and the kind of people I confess to. Confessing is an acknowledgement of falling short or doing something that I am embarrassed or ashamed of. Now guys, I know this can sound rather silly (dumb) whatever word you think fits best. But as a guy and one who doesn't like being vulnerable, I have to say that if you confess to the right people (and God) it can be very therapeutic. Being able to remove that weight off your chest and just letting go of something that you did is a wonderful. Plus then the other person keeps you accountable to make sure you don't do that again.

Now choosing the kind of people who will listen, give feedback and not judge are hard to find. I really only confess everything to three people; my girlfriend, my best friend and God. All three of these are trusting, loving and able to keep me accountable of what I do. They aren't afraid to tell me if I am wrong or to listen to my rants. When choosing the people you want in your most deepest part of your lives you have to know them well, trust is also very important, the most important though, in my opinion is that you want to hear what THEY have to say. This isn't a time to vent and then walk away. No confession is a time to make yourself vulnerable and let people know you are weak. And trusting that the person you confide in is able to give you the advice or hug that you need.

Confession is healthy, its hard and most important it is a way for us to glorify God. God is always there for us when we feel like no one else is. He strengthens us in everything we do. Confession is a way for me to admit I am fallen, broken and unable to save myself. GOD is all I need and should want. God can help me in my struggles. Praise God for He is good all the time and never falters.

There you have it I Reuben Antvelink am weak. I confess my struggles to people and I know that I have a God who loves me through all of my problems. PRAISE GOD!

Can relaxing, be worship?

What is worship? A way to praise God for what he has done and will do. This week I was challenged in class to worship the way God intended. Worshipping God is a discipline Christians embrace. It is a way for us to give back to our Creator and King.

The spiritual discipline I decided to embrace is that of taking the Sabbath. The Sabbath is the Holy day, a day to remove yourself from the worries of the world for one day. Trusting that God will take care and provide for me. In today's society and culture this idea seems impossible. Taking a day to do nothing? Doing no work, no homework, not cooking a meal and just removing yourself from the daily routine seemed impossible.

Taking Sunday as a day of rest meant no homework so... As a college student I had to do all of my homework on Saturday. This was tough giving up my social life and some activities in order to be able to keep my Sunday free of work and stress.  At that time Saturday seemed like a horrible day made of pain and stress. And Sunday looked so sweet.

As I got back from church I was thinking "YAHOO, nothing to do today but sit, go on facebook and hang out with friends." It was all hunky dory until about a little bit after dinner. I sat there looked at myself and thought, "What have I done today?" I thought I hadn't done anything. But I DID do things like I was able to take time for myself, I was able to reflect on life, able to just rest and relax.

Worship isn't just singing to God or praying but being able to relax in his Grace and being fully reliant on our creator. So take a day, rest, relax and enjoy this earth in which God has created.

An intro to the spiritual journey which is my life

I never have been much for being vulnerable or for that matter talking about my feelings. But I am called by God to help people in any and all ways I can. So blogging was one way for me to do this. In order to read this blog you must understand three things about me.

1) I am a God-fearing, people loving Christian. God has called his followers to love others and to be a witness of his grace and mercies. God's word influences all I do.

2) I am a jokester, fun slides into everything I do. Being boring isn't what I am about.

3) I am a geek. I read comic books, play video games and playing board games.

These three things will influence me and who I am for the rest of my life. This blog will help you see my life as it happens. I am writing to reflect on the Christian life and also how God is influencing my journey.

I want you to come with me on this journey. My blog will be updated weekly and hope it speaks to you and what you are going through. God is always with us and he is my rock and my fortress, all other ground is sinking sand.