Hey Friends!
Two weeks into Clearwater Beach Summer Project 2013 and I'm finally blogging a little!
The first week being here on Student-Staff was pretty humbling and fun! Me and Chelsea (friend and other student staff) are here among 14 other staff members: full time and part-time families, as well as young adults who have devoted their lives to reaching out to college students.
Just in the first week of hearing their stories, joining in the devotions, being a part of planning the vision for the summer I have grown a heart for what they do.
These men and women have experienced things in life that I might never face while still holding tight to their love of Christ and what he has done for them-setting them free from bondage from sin.
Overall the vision of CRU on our college campus' and of this Summer project here in Clearwater, FL is for these 32 students (mostly sophomores and Jr.s in college) to
Love the Lord
Learn from each other
Live for the Lost
and Look to the Future
This vision will be lived out through a community team, prayer and vision team, lifeline (weekly meeting) team, and Evangelism team. Through all of these aspects of the project students will be in small group bible studies learning how to live a Gospel Centered Life. They will also be being discipled by a staff member weekly learning how to share their testimony, communicate the gospel effectively, and how to go through the grey areas of life with a Gospel Focused view of life. Additionally, and possibly most importantly, they will be taking imitative to share what Christ has done in their life throughout the week around Clearwater Beach and leaving the results of those people's hearts up to God.
I am humbled to lead a bible study of 5 girls along with a Staff-mom being my co-leader. I will begin (starting next week) discipling 4 of these 5 girls, weekly.
My intention is not use this blog to post their own personal growth, but my own while being a part of this journey on Staff with CRU for 7 weeks. I use this as a way to look back on my own personal life and see what God has been doing in my life and also to give you supporters an account of what your generous gifts are going to in my own personal life, much less others that I am growing along side with!
~~ The thing that sticks out to me the most when I think about what I have learned this week as I reflect on the first week with students here is the talk one of our staff did about the Spirit-Filled life!
He told us first about his experience in Senegal where he saw where slaves were bought, used up and sold for a price to buyers. These slaves were in bondage and they had no other choice to obey their masters.
Then something wonderful happened, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation that freed all slaves. But do you know what happened after the slaves were free for awhile--they went right back to their slave masters. They didn't know any other way to live but in service and bondage to them.
He compared this event in history to most Christians who have accepted the Gospel and are free from the bondage of sin because they believe in what Christ did for them--but they now don't know how to live as free people. Most of them try to "live the Christian life" by going to church, praying, and doing 'better' things than they did before. The others go right back to their old ways, going to their old slave masters for direction, comfort, significance, and meaning in their life instead of looking to the one who has freed them!
Paul (The speaker, not the apostle) told us how these people, and even us sometimes (actually a lot of the time), are not walking the Spirit Filled life. This does not mean they are not saved and it does NOT mean God loves them any less. But they are simply not allowing God to be a part of their daily and moment-by-moment walk with Christ as their Savior and Lord who has freed them from the bondage to temporary satisfactions such as guys/girls, gossip, pride, jealously, heavy drinking, etc. It says everywhere in scripture to be spirit lead and kept in step with the spirit, and I think this is what it means.~~
Thank you so much for your support and continue to keep the Clearwater Beach CRU Summer Project in your prayers as they try to reach this community with the Gospel while also learning what it looks like to live a Gospel Centered Live where ever they are placed in life.
****Special Prayer Request: Unfortunately, one of my bible study girls (Jr. in college), on the first night here, was rushed to the ER because of sever pains from Kidney Stones. Among passing a couple stones already (with several left to go), visits to the doctor, and painful nights, she is still participating in the project as much as it is possible. Please, Please keep her in your prayers for her pain and mostly for her heart that she can still constantly look to God during a hard and unexplainable time in her life. Thanks!
Also pray that God will work in my own heart and teach me to love Him more as I have this experience to live with 14 full-time Missionaries for 7 weeks in action!
Please contact me for anything--even just to say Hey!
Danielle Cassidy
Clearwater Beach Summer Proj.
Clearwater Beach Summer Proj.
c/o North Sunrise Resort
669 Mandalay Clearwater Beach, FL
33767
910-540-5789
_________________________________________________________________________________
"If you had a greater view of God's Holiness or a greater understanding of your own Sinfulness, how would it change your outlook on every single situation in life....?"
-Gospel Centered Life
No comments:
Post a Comment