OK ChicaGO SEMP Team,
Remember what we talked about on Sunday morning. Let's stay committed to the things we said we were committing to on this journey together. Make sure you all post your thoughts with your name and the things that God has challenged you with this week throughout your time in Max Q from Week 4.
Remember that this helps to encourage one another as well as helping us to see where God is challenging us along the journey. Use these posts to pray for one another as well.
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One big thought for me this week was out of Day 3,
ReplyDelete"You can commit yourself to making an impact in your sphere of influence by developing balanced friendships with unbelievers according to God's guidelines."
The idea of BALANCED friendships is the key I think. When I first became a Christian I thought I had to cut off and break away from my non-Christian friends which I think hurt them a little bit and their image of Christians.
It wasn't until a few years later that I saw this idea of needing to have balance in those relationships. Christ sent us to save the lost as he came to do. My friends were lost. If I just stuck around Christians I would never end up accomplish what Jesus wanting when he talks about the Great Commission.
If this is an area where you may be struggling. Remember, BALANCE is the key.
Chris
Does your age negate your ability to be influential?...NO!! I am not a teenager and I see students at church doing amazing things for Christ. There are a lot of sold-out, passionate, young Christians who are boldly following Jesus and letting Him lead them way out of their comfort zones. They are an amazing example and witness for everyone and very influential. This can be the case for every one of you going through this training and going on the trip.
ReplyDeleteMy spiritual muscles are pretty strong, but I must work at it continually, just like everyone. I have been trying the past few years to make my TAWG in the morning and at least be in the Word each day. Of course I try to pray daily, but rather than one chunk of time, I try to focus on God's presence with me always and pray whenever I'm lead to.
this week in max q i really got a lot out of it! the thing that hit me the most was 1 timothy 4:12, "don't let anyone look down on your because you are young, but set and example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, and faith and purity! that really stuck out to me because i always think that since i am young no one will listen to me but i am wrong, people will listen to me if i have faith and know what i am talking about and just not throwing things out there. so in order for me to set an example for everyone i need to study the scripture and go to God for everything.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Hiester
Things that stuck out to me this week include:"A standard restricts freedom in a sense, and nobody likes that. Not even God"(Day 1) ~God wants us to have freedom! "A challenged faith becomes a strong faith."(Day 2) ~I can relate to that. My family has all had to start living my faith in God that he will provide each month for the last couple of years. We have definatly grown from that. ~I caught from Day 3 that you need to have a balance of how often you hang out with your christian friends vs. your unbelieving friends. Something I stuggle with because I am normaly talking to my christian friends or around them more often. I have been challenged to reach out in that way. ~From Day 4 I caught that it is good to be asked the Why? question and it actually helps you grow towards Christ. ~And finally from Day 5, just the idea of wisdom is knowledge AND action has challenged me to put that into action/practice as well.
ReplyDeleteBethany Metzler
This week I got out of Max Q that we need to have a balance of friends and that different people need more or less christian friends. Certain people need the Gospel presented in a way that is understandable to them. Some people think that the 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 passage means that we should become the people that we are trying to save. However I believe this passage means that we should not be afraid to become like them. For instance if I have a lost friend who likes to go golfing and he invites me to go with him, but I do not like golfing I should accept the invitation and not necessarily preach to him the Gospel, unless he asks. When he asks the why question like "how could you not be upset that I beat you." answer the question honestly and let God do the rest. Of course that are many situations where a person is ready to hear the Good News and we should not be afraid to share it with them, but sometimes our actions speak louder than words.
ReplyDeleteDan Mohler
this week really kept repeating how important it is to set standards for yourself so that when you challenge yourself and your faith with befriending non-christians you wont be pulled away from your faith but instead make your faith stronger. setting standards has never been something i really thought about for myself as a christian. i dont think about it because i used to be someone that thought i was automatically good enough not to need any boundaries made, but thinking through this weeks max q i realized i have fallen away from always knowing right from wrong so this is when i need these standards the most. it helped to be able to write a rough draft of some little boundaries for me to start with.that way i can be set in my faith and ready for being challenged here and when i move to France.
ReplyDeletebailey dahlgren
I found something really funny on day two that I really liked...
ReplyDelete"We all jog faster and with better form when cars are comming as opposed to when we're all alone on the road"
Ahahahaha because that is exactly what I do, jk not really but it was a great example of how we act around our friends when we know they are watching. We kind of clean up our act and be the better person when they are looking at us to see what we do in situations because they need some insight on how to do things, but we actually need to act this way all the time. Also, on day three, I liked how I Timothydescribes that we need to be examples in every area of life.
Jessica Tuttle
Something that really stuck out to me this week was that having friends who questioned your faith is as healthy for you as it is for them. This is something I really struggle with I tried to fit in with my friends so they dont question me about why I do certain things, but this just reminded me it's good for ur friends to question u because it will only make you stronger for Christ and it will help them out too. Something else I want to work on for this week is to always be prepared for when I get ask questions about my faith, by reading my bible and praying.
ReplyDeleteJaylin miller
I think the big thing for me this week is the simple reminder that learning is NOT growing.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it gets really easy to get caught up in reading more of the Bible, listening to more sermons, memorizing new Bible verses, and several other good "Christian" things while not putting anything into practice. I can be really good at accumulating new knowledge, but if I'm no different afterwards and nothing changes in my life because of that new knowledge, I haven't really grown. After all what good is it for me to hide God's word in my heart if I don't go out and do what it says because I'd rather be comfortable and not take a risk?
Hence, the big question for me moving forward is what do I value more: comfort or growth?
this week was a growing/learning experience bcuz of the whole learning about freedom thing like i that question has been on my mind for a while the age old "y do i have to follow so many rules?" and i was a lil worried bcuz i was thinking wat wood happen if i someone asked me that and i woodnt no but now i learned that u dont have to do anything, u can do ANYTHING u want but sometimes its not all that good so i guess that it was a lil more comforting noing that i dont have to follow them (rules) but that im choosing to follow them and gaining more freedom
ReplyDeletekylee stutzman
One thing that has stuck out to me over the week is the importance of haveing biblical principles, and to stick to them. I always new that was important, but I never new just how important it is until I started working on my max q. It is one thing to have good principles, it is something even greater to live out what you believe. That is what has been on my heart this week.
ReplyDeleteMarcus
Throughout all the days, what really stuck with me was Day 1 comment about how God's rules are like an umbrella that shelter us from the bad. So then, having good princibles and staying under God's umbrella, and living by these rules, you can become different than those around you and they can ask 'Why?'. I really like all the metaphors the authors use!
ReplyDelete-kelly
Something that was very personal for me this week was the discussion of standards. I can testify to the truth of standards being a separation factor in the minds of my unbelieving friends. I wasn't always the best Christian and I had very loose standards at one point, but I have definitely noticed that my friends have seen a change in me. Max Q has definitely helped me prepare for the "Why?" question that I really struggled with before...
ReplyDeleteHolly Prawat
something that stuck out to me was day 3 and 1 timothy 4:12. I think that since we are young we think, oh they are older than we are, they wont want to listen to me. but we need to understand just because we are young we can change the lives of everyone around us. we are all part of the body of christ wether you are 15 or 30. we all have the same ability to reach out to people around us. Something else that stuck out was the quote at the beginning, "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything." This really stuck in my heart because if we dont set our ground as christians, we will fall for anything the world throws at us.
ReplyDeleteSara Ivin
"As a christian student, you need to have certain specific, God-based standards that distinguish you from your peers. And these standards must be non-negotiable."
ReplyDelete"Your standards are what will set you apart in the minds of your unbelieving friends. Standards are the separation factor."
This week I learned that I honestly dont have very many standards set for myself anymore. And that makes me feel disappointed in myself. Like I've failed God already and we haven't even left yet.
-Haley Miller-
What stood out to me this week was day 2 when is said "a challenged faith becomes a strong faith." For a while I felt like my spiritual life wasn't going anywhere. I was stuck in the same place and I didn't know how to get out. Then after reading that I realized that I needed to be challenged so I could dig deeper to find the answers to those questions. By doing this my faith will grow stronger and my relationship will go farther. I now welcome questions about my faith and I'm more confident about answering them as well.
ReplyDeleteLindsey Allen
This week relates well to me on day 2 when it talks about how spiritual training parallels physical training. I've taken my physical training very seriously for the last two years, and have seen great results as the result of that. There are many different aspects to it, but one that really stuck out to me is that if I try taking on too much at one time it won't do me any good. And neither will not taking enough on.
ReplyDeleteJustin Krakowski
What stuck out most to me was that you could become lazy when your in a youth group and you could become in the lost world when your with lost people, and it could lead you to destruction
ReplyDeleteDaniel Clickovich
i need to obey my Lord and Savior, all the time.
ReplyDeletespencer dahlgren
I really like the idea that if we follow gods rules we will have more freedom than we can every imagine. I never thought of it that way, the world tells you to be free you have to do what feels good for you. It doesn't matter who you hurt or what the consequences are, just as long as you are happy and free. But that happiness and freedom does not last very long. Gods way of being free will last a life time.
ReplyDeleteI loved the illustration of the umbrella in the rain on day 1. I could SO relate to this. I do not like to be out in the rain without an umbrella especially if I spent a long time getting my hair, makeup and clothes looking the best I could. Now if I have an umbrella I'm ok because it protects me. The rain is like the wprld and the umbrella is like God.I work hard on growing spiritually, following Jesus and doing the things that will glorify Him.I can be in this world just as I can be in the rain, with my umbrella or God as my protection. I have the freedom to go out and run in the rain (or world) knowing He is right there with me all the time. He is my umbrella of protection. I don't ever want to throw that umbrella away. I want it with me through every storm of life. THANK YOU JESUS FOR BEING MY UMBRELLA!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat I took outta this weeks max q is that we need to be free in gods eyes he sets rules for us to help us come closer to him and there not pointless, they're there so we can live for him and be good influencers to the lost- Bobby krakowski
ReplyDeleteMy age does not hinder the fact that I am an influence in others' lives!
ReplyDeleteBy setting an example in all aspects of my life and my walk with Christ, I have the ability to change not only childrens' lives, but those who are older than me too!
In setting an example, I think I first gain respect from adults. They see that I take my faith seriously and that I'm not just a luke warm Christian!
~Emily Hoffman
Coming into this trip the one thing I really wanted to acomplish was to gain the ability to talk to my nonbelieving friends with confidence in what I'm saying. I have never really felt I knew the Bible enough to really give an answer to anyones question about my faith, God and religion as a whole. Which is why up until recenlty I have avoided the "why" questions all together. Realizing now that the answer to most questions being asked don't necessarily have to come from the Bible, they just have to be the truth.
ReplyDelete-Amy Fanning
It talks about in the bible about how there are certain things set for you like sex after marriage for example and drinking at the appropriate age. I always wondered why there were so many things set so you could be a christian and it always made me feel limtited. But then I read in the max q that God only sets these so you can be free which makes so much sense. Because if you drink before you age you could do something you regret for the rest of your life because your werent mature enough or if you have sex before marriage you could get pregnant and take care of a baby before you start your life. Therefore your not free. Now it makes total sense.
ReplyDelete-Logan Gomez
On day 2 of week 4 is what spoke to me because as i was reading the Q-point it said "you cant build physical muscles without resistance. And you cant build spiritual muscles without the same." On the side as a note i wrote how i interpreted that--you cant grow deeper in your spiritual walk with Christ unless you are challenged. I dont think they could tell us any easier way that this is gonna be tough!
ReplyDelete-----Tanner White :)
on day one of week 4 of max Q i really got out of it that i let people decide for me to much because i dont want to let my disition make them feel uncufeterable. so i say pick this this or this. i shoul be stating what i want to do and then if they dont like then they can give there in put. this could hurt me in the end if i do not start makeing dicition on my own because when something real importen comes up and i leave it for some one else to decide they could pick the wrong thing for me. it may be better for them but not for me.
ReplyDeleteshayna gravy
"When you choose to live by Godly standards,you aren't loosing your freedom;you're protecting it."
ReplyDeleteThis stuck out to me so much. When your friends around you are doing something you know isn't a God approved thing to do sometimes you feel as if your being restriceted from different things. Now i realize that some of those things my "friends" may do have consequences and after awhile you don't feel so free. So this is something i can now remember in the back of my head for when im in a circumstance like that with my friends.
~Danielle Hudson
This week the third day hit me, i need to set standards for everyone. I need to show them the same love Jesus shows to me and everybody. I need to show my love to my unbelieving friends.
ReplyDeleteMatthew Prochno
what stuck out to me was when it talked about running with better form when cars are coming. it hit me because i notice myself doing this both literally and how we act when we know our friends are watching.
ReplyDeleteThis week I think I loved the most so far because its so true and it sheads so much light on the christian walk and faith that that to often goes unseen. Why we have our rules, wy God gave them to us and why there so important!I think it helped us to expand our thinking and live more free and joyful then before.
ReplyDeleteDana Keller
P.S. Im a big quote person and the one I cant keep out of my head lately came from day 2 : If everyone is thinking the same no one is thinking
i learned this week that when you have unbeliving friends it can acutally help you grow spiritually. i thought that was really cool because that means you need to grow stronger in your faith to help these people.
ReplyDelete~Austin Conrad