Hi this is Zoe, often called Ian’s daughter learning to live with Jesus which is great most of the time but can sometimes be quite a lot to live up to. This blog is about learning to live with Jesus. Most of the time I can get involved in a lot of the events at the base, go to Christmas parties at Paisley, make loads of great friends, go on amazing outreaches and many, many, many more! A great example of this is when I went to Africa, in April 2019. I went with Dad and an outreach team and had the time of my life. We got to spread the Word and at the same time enjoy the different culture and weather! We also connected with a Christian family who want there to be a base in their country and have land on which it could be built.
As well as all of these amazing things that Christians my age get to do there are also a few difficulties. School may be one for some people, as friends and frenemies may be confused as to why you would follow a religion and go “on holiday” but not relax by a pool eating ice cream all day. Some may be so confused that they start “bullying” who ever it is. I am very lucky learning to live with Jesus in many ways, but this is one that I think is very important, not being bullied, not having to judge myself every two seconds because I am afraid of what people think. This is a very big advantage, especially when I go on outreach because otherwise, I would be extremely self-conscious and not much help.
Another downside is that we often don’t have enough money for everything that we want. We have plenty for what we need, but it is often very difficult to have to say no I can’t get that we don’t have enough money. On a happier note I get to do this! And as well as doing this I can help Dad record songs and learn to fix leaks, boilers and loads of other useful skills in life. And many, many other things like this. Thanks for reading, I really hope I didn’t bore you!
https://ywamseamill.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024_04-YS-Web-Logo_02-300x138.png00Amanda Bentonhttps://ywamseamill.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024_04-YS-Web-Logo_02-300x138.pngAmanda Benton2022-03-03 19:29:342022-03-03 19:29:35Learning to Live with Jesus
My story might be a bit different from some, it is all about trust in God, so here it goes. Our journey started before 2014 but culminated in coming to Seamill to do the fall DTS in mid-September 2014. We knew we were supposed to be in Scotland at that time but in June of 2014 we still didn’t know how we were going to get there. Much less what we were going to do once we did!
In a series of miraculous events, we ended up finding out about YWAM, Seamill and the date of the DTS. It’s much more exciting than the way I just phrased this but I don’t have that much space! We applied in July and because we weren’t the normal “age” they questioned us several times. They asked if we wanted to do a Crossroads DTS. Honestly we didn’t know what a DTS was, we just wanted to get to Scotland. So we said no – “if you want us we’ll come, if you don’t we’re coming to Scotland anyway!”. I guess they knew we were serious and that’s exactly what they wanted to hear, so we came.
A change in pace
Through a lot more miraculous events, we got to YWAM Seamill and completed most of the DTS. With two weeks left to go on our outreach to Cyprus, I lost the use of my hands and feet. We had established some wonderful relationships with the local church in Larnaca and my friend took me to her doctor. That doctor then referred me to a neurologist. They did an MRI on my brain and found a tumour which was pressing on my brain stem. I had to go back to the States right away and have brain surgery.
You may think – this isn’t very uplifting – where is the Lord in all of this? I also had my own questions, “God, why did you tell us to be here and have all these miraculous things happen? What is the point, why don’t you heal me, why am I going through all this?”
Well I had the surgery, the tumour was benign and I began my recovery process. I couldn’t walk, couldn’t feed myself for awhile and went through depression, frustration, etc. But I came through it and 10 months later we finished up the last two weeks of our DTS in Louisville, Kentucky.
The call of God remains
You see as my husband and I came home from Cyprus, we just knew that God still wanted us to be in Scotland. We didn’t know what was ahead of us but we knew we had a word from the Lord. We needed to finish well so we could go back to Scotland when this was all over. I wasn’t sure if I could – the surgery changed things. Physically I wasn’t the same but I had a trust in God that I didn’t have before.
I thought I had a lot of trust in God before, I mean didn’t we change everything in our lives – quit our jobs, sell our house, move away from our family, blindly move to a new country without knowing anything about what we would be doing? But God remains so good and so trustworthy! When you are facing death and you have no fear, there is a trust there that is supernatural and I thank God for that. He is everything He says He is and He is worthy of our trust (and everything else we could possibly give Him).
An unshakeable trust
I wanted to tell this story because only God knows what He wants to do with our lives. Only He knows how He will lead us. Proverbs 16:9 “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.”
We’ve been here 4 years and the Lord is still directing us step by step. We still don’t know exactly why we had to be here when He said but we trust Him – now more than ever. None of us know the impact of the small or big things we do, but if we listen and have a trust in God, we can rest secure in His outcome.
https://ywamseamill.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024_04-YS-Web-Logo_02-300x138.png00Amanda Bentonhttps://ywamseamill.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024_04-YS-Web-Logo_02-300x138.pngAmanda Benton2022-03-03 19:25:342022-03-03 19:25:36A Trust in God
The beauty of being part of YWAM (in my case at YWAM Seamill) is the freedom to follow God’s leading when He speaks within the simple but profound context of “To know God and make Him known”. This leads to being with a mission always.
We are two single women of very different backgrounds who met doing our DTS in Hawaii – and not even on the same DTS. Going to do a DTS when the “youth” bit no longer applied, was a step of faith. However, I was following God’s lead (though it did not necessarily making sense in my own logic). He gave me a new friend with whom I could start dreaming out loud on sunny Sunday afternoons at the Kona Pier. The deep desire to be able to go to other lands and peoples and share God’s love was a shared dream and desire. It was great to be able to share dreams with someone and in turn hear her dreams.
God had His own plans
So it began. In early 2018 we went on our first short-term (2 & ½ months) mission trip. In this blog post I would like to write about our second, and hopefully not last, mission trip to South East Asia at the end of 2019. We had 3 locations planned, 2 in Vietnam and 1 in Cambodia. However, according to Prov. 16:9 “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps”. God indeed changed our plans to 1 location in Vietnam and 2 in Cambodia.
This change of plan was not in God’s quiet voice, but by the cancellation of our second location in Vietnam at the end of our first week. We were in the midst of acclimatising to the tropical climate and catching up (we live in different countries). “What now?” we thought. Through a wonderful lady we met on our previous trip to Central America, we connected with a long-time missionary who “just happened” to be not just in the same city as us, but in exactly the same guesthouse! At a 7:30am breakfast appointment on the day we were leaving we met up and she connected us to a young man in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Locals rising up
The absolute beauty of what we experienced and saw in all 3 locations was that all these ministries are pioneered and run by people in their home towns and villages. We foreigners join in as encouragement and support. I was so thrilled to see this. Because when I was younger and first started dreaming of missionary work, all the ministries I knew about in South East Asia were pioneered and run by people from the West. Big thanks to all those who gave their time and put their faith and energy into loving strange and foreign cultures to make Jesus known! Now their fruit is multiplying and new ministries are springing up and spreading the love of Jesus.
Our first location was in Northern Vietnam. A young single lady started this location only 4 years ago. It has already grown to 3 houses, many national staff and multiple international teams a year. We were only to be there for a short time. So we clearly knew from God that we were to offer to do exactly what she needed us to do. We first had a very fun day of orientation. This included learning about the history, present and culture which of course includes food. After this they kept us very busy. We loved every single minute of it (exception might be crossing roads with a continual flow of scooters!). It was a real privilege to be able to help in this vibrant work.
Growth everywhere!
The second location was the newly established connection in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Here we met a young man who was not YWAM, but had been part of another US based mission organisation. He was a youth on the streets before he was found and helped by Christians. After years of growing strong in his faith, God led him to go and live in a very poor community along a filthy subsidiary of the Mekong River. Two families live in container size homes built literally on top of each other. The community space and church he built only a few years ago is already too small. It cannot hold his Sunday and midweek meetings. We joined in where needed and played a lot with the roaming children, of which there are plenty.
Our third location was in Battambang, Cambodia. Here YWAM connected us to a man who is reaching his community by running an English Christian school. This is a school for children of all ages to attend when they are not at government school. The man is from this village and God used him to pioneer and run this ministry. And yet again, this school is expanding faster than the space available.
A blowing of God’s Spirit
Throughout our travels, I had the same impression and message while praying for the workers and their work. This is that God is blowing His Holy Spirit into these kindling, letting them erupt and shine forth.
I feel so privileged to be able to go, visit, and spend a short time with these amazing people who dare to step out and do what God is calling them to do.
Things escalated fast! First rumours from distant lands. Stories heard from China of a mysterious growing virus. Then, news of the spread to surrounding nations. Before we had the time to look up from our screens, the rude intruder ‘COVID-19’ was on our doorstep demanding that we cancel every conceivable plan we have for 2020! How could something invisible to the naked eye travel so fast and cause so much shaking to every aspect of our society? Amid the grief, loss, and fear that COVID-19 has brought, could there be a ‘divine disruption’, a blessing in these dark circumstances?
Corona madness swept onto our shores in the UK in late February leaving the government in a frenzy trying to figure out a way forward through such uncharted territory. At the same time healthcare professionals took deep breaths as the magnitude of the crisis built on the horizon like a scene from ‘The Perfect Storm’.
As social distancing guidelines were implemented to ‘flatten the curve’ we saw plans and long awaited events being cancelled, gatherings shut down, schools and non-essential businesses closed. We saw all of our favourite coffee shops, pubs, and restaurants struggling to survive, and then ultimately close their doors ‘until further notice’. Meanwhile a stockpiling war waged in the aisles of our grocery stores, leaving empty apocalyptic shelves, and drastically increasing the value of toilet paper! We have seen the best and the worst of humanity emerge – acts of fear driven selfishness, as well as incredible gestures of generosity and neighbourly kindness.
The Disruption
Here we are, currently in lock down, counting the days with a lot of uncertainty ahead of us; but not without a daily dose of humour to brighten the days! There is no doubt that COVID-19 has disrupted every single one of our lives, and will continue to do so for an undetermined amount of time. We are all adjusting to a new normal. We are affected in similar ways, and in different ways; experiencing a plethora of different emotions which are neither right or wrong – but they are ours to feel and to work through.
The implications of this virus are beyond massive. Many people are working from home and finding online alternatives to connect with work, friends and family. For some it has meant unemployment and loss of income. A real struggle is to know how we are going to pay our bills, feed our families, or regain job security. Some of us are feeling isolated and alone – having to adjust to unstructured days. For others it has meant homeschooling our children and having a full house. Staying at home can be an enjoyable family environment, an opportunity to rest, to reset or focus on creative interests. For others it can be very daunting and complex; like those in abusive environments or struggling with addictions.
For key workers this disruption has meant even more hard work, adjusting to the imminent demands, and needing to dig deep to get through each day.
Whatever our circumstances, we are experiencing limitations on every side – we are experiencing loss, disappointment, grief and more. The temptation is to blame something or someone other than ourselves. But blaming will only attempt to shift our pain onto an external target and doesn’t resolve the loss we feel in our hearts.
Divine Disruption
The term ‘divine disruption’ is when something unexpected happens. This is usually something negative or inconvenient that disrupts our plans and interferes with our lives. But as a result of this change, life comes from it. The disruption leads to progress and change that would not have occurred without the unexpected turn of events. This causes us to pause, to re-evaluate, reset our path, and to make positive changes that redeem the negative event and bring growth. I have often heard of individuals who have experienced a major life crisis; like a car accident, an attack, or relationship breakdown. After recovery the individual becomes a better, freer, and more whole person as a result of their experience.
Divine disruption: These two words have been lingering in my heart over the past few weeks of unprecedented uncertainty. We are already seeing some beauty and positive things come in the midst of dark times.Please do not hear me incorrectly. I am not suggesting that the Corona virus was caused by God, but He creates good out of bad situations.
We can easily read about all the negative news and repercussions on our society, which are very real. But we can also recognise a divine involvement braiding through our homes and communities. I am more grateful than I was a month ago for things that I am seeing emerge in this crisis. I am not suggesting that we ignore the struggle, pain, and harsh realities – these need to be acknowledged and felt! But we can also look at the world, our communities, and our lives right now and find good things that we are experiencing amid the struggles.
And the People Stayed Home
A popular poem by Kitty O’Meara has been shared all over social media throughout the past few weeks. Kitty was originally from Ireland and lived from 1839 – 1888 and wrote this poem in Paris during the Cholera pandemic in the mid 1800’s.
“And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced.
Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently. And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.”
Listen Deeply
This poem captures the essence of the blessing that is in front of us in so many ways. For many, being forced to stay home has meant distractions are removed. In the stillness we are faced with our fears and emotions that we have numbed for so long. Some of us are starting to feel the dust settle; we are pausing, reflecting, and being still for a moment. This creates an opportunity to allow ourselves to reconnect with our hearts again. To allow God into vulnerable places, or to simply be present, meditate, and allow ourselves to listen deeply. This is not exactly easy, but it is a platform for radical change. We heal and seek out truth in desperate times. When we abide in the Lord, it is always fruitful; though it can feel restless and inactive.
It is in this place of many tensions that we also start to question what is important in our lives. What kind of ‘normal’ do we want to return to? Now that our normal has been interrupted, we might as well tear down our old ways and re-evaluate what we truly value. What do we want to keep, and what shall we re-envision? How will we move forward into a healthier, more whole lifestyle and society?
Creativity
This excites me! Creativity and innovation are birthed out of struggle or a need for a solution. We would not have invented the flushing toilet or Penicillin without dire need. During the great plague in Britain Isaac Newton was sent home from Cambridge in a similar ‘social distancing’ precaution. It was at home in the countryside that he made some of his greatest discoveries. Watching an apple fall from a tree in his family’s garden led him to discover the law of gravity!
It is in struggle that we grow – whether we are being challenged on the front lines, or at home. This is not pressure to force yourself to be your most productive self. But allow the grace to lead you to listen to your body, soul, and spirit and inspire change.
Collective Experience
For the first time in history humanity is having a shared experience! Never has there been a time where we have had the ability to connect through technology in a global crisis that is touching most nations on the earth. How rare and amazing is that? COVID-19 has not discriminated according to economic status, culture, gender, or sexual orientation. No one gets a ‘get out of social distancing free’ card and none of us have immunity against this virus.
For the first time as a global community of humans we all need each other to get through this. In this bizarre season we can relate and empathise with one other as a community all around the world in a way that we have never been able to before. We have something that unites us as nations of the earth against this invisible enemy! There is so much scope for increased connection and compassion within humanity and between groups who may have previously been hostile toward one another.
We are not just collectively united to fight this virus together. We can be united in our experience of grief and loss, as well as kindness and generosity. This is a very bonding thing.
In the midst of the many unknowns ahead there is a divine disruption that is quietly seeping in. People are asking the question, “How can I give and bless the world through my gift or resource during this time?”
Reconnect
As a church – we have been forced out of the building! And we are finally realising what it means to be a body without our focus being on a physical church. God’s presence is filling our homes and we are connecting to one another in more meaningful ways. Our services and worship sessions are streaming the internet to where many hurting and hungry hearts are waiting; who would never have made it into a church building in the first place.
Families are experiencing conflict, which naturally arises when confined indoors together. And as these things surface, it has forced conversations to happen that would have normally taken months to present, hidden amongst the busyness of life. Honesty, vulnerability, and understanding are coming forth and creating healthier more open relationships; even though the process might be painful. Kids are spending more time with their parents, giving the opportunity to build memories that will be treasured for years to come.
And the list goes on, there are endless possibilities in which this disruption is creating beauty and goodness in ways we did not expect.
Selah
One of my favourite words in the Bible is the word ‘Selah’. This is a musical direction in the book of Psalms which means; to pause, to reflect, to contemplate before continuing. The Psalms were traditionally sung, and often this was an instruction for voices to pause while the music continued, giving a moment to listen.
As COVID-19 continues to sweep the globe we have corporately been forced to stop and take a ‘Selah’. We are in essence on a global time-out! Our once bustling global community has halted with brakes screeching. Many who have spent their lives running on the treadmills of busyness and noise have stopped. For the first time they are recognising the music that was playing all along. Even if this is the only thing you do – listen deeply! Go out on your short daily walk and be present! Listen to the birds – no one told them to stop singing because of the pandemic! Even in this very real struggle there is beauty to be experienced – so don’t miss out. There is deep pain and sorrow, but also joy that feels all the sweeter in a time of struggle.
Follow the divine in the disruption. You may be surprised what beauty you find there.
Our Feb 2020 DTS leader Sam had the unimaginable task of navigating the unforeseen task of leading a school through a global pandemic with a myriad of implications that no one has ever had to think of before. Always ready to learn and pass on experiences, maybe you can learn from his (slightly tongue in cheek) reflection on this turbulent season.
If indeed you read this blog because you are about to lead a DTS where a pandemic will hit the whole world after around six weeks of your school and you are forced to send your trainees home and are given the opportunity to finish the lecture phase all online, well then, you are very welcome! You will find all you need in this elaborate piece of advice, make sure you follow all that I recommend here.
And if not – if you just read this because it exists or because the title sounds appealing, well then, you are welcome!
In any case, I hope you are indeed interested in stories that spill the wonders of God. I certainly hope that you won’t be disappointed in this following story. I – undoubtedly– was not.
It is the story of the last DTS from my perspective. Can I say that what happened was successful or even fruitful? Or maybe the whole thing was a mistake? I think it would be more beneficial if I don’t comment personally on this, but if you do know someone who participated in the school, you might want to ask them those questions. But I do feel confident enough about what happened that I am writing about it… maybe that will spark your interest.
Ok let’s get started and let me share my “wisdom”.
1. Go on Holiday before you cancel
First things first: You need to plan a holiday (aka a long weekend – I mean, it’s a DTS so nobody really has time for an actual holiday) right before the ominous day comes when you will cancel the DTS. Yes, rent a car, go up to the Scottish Highlands with good friends and spend four wonderful, restful days in a cottage next to a stunning loch while your trainees are you having some nice(ish) days far away from you, trusting them to get ready for the coming weeks and months after the ‘intense’ first six weeks of the school.
And then while you’re there sitting on a couch enjoying some peace and quiet, mentally prepare for how in the coming 72 hours your whole world will get turned around and history will be written. While you’re at it, get your pun-repertoire out and joke with your friends about how ridiculous it would be if the government would announce a nationwide lockdown… haha! How crazy would that be!
Anyway let’s take a small step back from hypotheticals and reconsider the title of step #1. Maybe we should call it ‘the Grace of God’ for what a gracious gift He gave you to spend four days relaxing & enjoying, reflecting & weeping with God before jumping into weeks and actually hours nobody really prepared you for. Yes, even with the best base leadership you have, you will feel unprepared for the coming beast.
2. Plan only local guest speakers for the online phase
Oh yes, while you so strategically plan your DTS and invite all these amazing speakers, place the ones who don’t need much travelling or organizing after that well-planned long weekend. It should be common knowledge, I guess, that it wouldn’t be the wisest thing to book speakers who have complicated travels or flights for the online part of the school because you would need to cancel all of that and so forth. Instead, for the weeks where you will be online, you could plan speakers who are local anyway, and then once it’s their week you just give them a few phone calls on how to best do the week. Easy-peasy, you don’t need to worry about getting them to and from places anyway.
I guess I don’t think the title to step #2 is accurate any more. Since no one has the foresight, wisdom and kindness to plan the speakers for you in such a humble way, the credit must be to God. Let’s call it, ‘the Grace of God’!
3. Make sure your speakers are still available after transitioning to online
Since you so masterfully placed these local speakers in your online DTS, make sure that the pandemic also impacts the speakers’ calendars so that they will still be available for their online teaching week (which will be a week later than originally planned). Trust me: the week you are cancelling the DTS, you will be quite busy anyway. Praying and discussing the decision to cancel (that was indeed a long night…), talking with your trainees about it, doing a spontaneous graduation/goodbye evening, sending your trainees home, planning an online lecture phase and more praying will take you a few days, so now the week you originally wanted to do must be postponed for a week.
So yes, you’re right this title must also be changed to ‘the Grace of God‘ after considering the absurdity of all this and how faithful God still is and how He always provides enough!!
4. Take everything with a smile
Yes, my friend, take everything with a smile! Even when your base leader sends you a message during your long weekend saying another YWAM Base in the UK has closed to all outsiders. Even when you come back from your lovely weekend away and another good friend meets you at the front door with hand sanitizer and laughs about how your country’s minister announced a “catastrophe”-level for your home nation – haha! Even when a staff member comes over after dinner and asks if you heard that one of your trainees is in tears in her room because her prime minister has just asked all traveling residents to come back immediately. Yes, take it with a smile when you and one of your staff remember the prophetic words God gave you and your staff team about the school. You had no clue what they meant but now it dawns on you! Even after talking with that trainee and you begin realizing it is going to be a loooong night.
Yes, take it with a smile when you call your base leader to ask what the heck is going on in the world and he tells you more details about the extent of the lockdown that you had no idea about – and now your school has changed dramatically and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Yes my good friend, take it with a big smile when you sit in that room and have absolutely no idea what is happening or what to do and the staff member that sits with you laughs and cries hysterically because well… Indeed, good times! For God Is All You Need and He’s surely there and enough!
The Grace of God! The Grace of God! The Grace of God! – that must also be the title of step #4 because how else can you have joy in such a season where all understanding, securities or safeties like money, programs, politics, sports, media get thrown out the window. Yes ‘the Grace of God’ is the reason you can have a smile on your face, knowing His character and will.
5. Know when to be serious
Rejoice in every season but don’t despise the pain that comes with such a disturbing turn of events. Remember that people are individuals who will experience in these hours and days shock and wounds that you truly don’t wish anyone ever experiences. Be with them in silence, in understanding, in patience, in grace and lightness!
Please understand why I need to change this title to ‘the Grace of God’ because how in the world can you be sensitive and honouring when you stand before your class first thing in the morning after having not seen them for four days and tell them that the thing that brought you all together, that has changed lives and formed true friendships, is ended – with immediate effects.
How in the world can you have a worship time filled with sincerity, honour and gratitude after your trainees have called their families and booked flights home? Yes, unashamedly I will also call this step ‘the Grace of God’!
6. Surrender to God
I guess I need to apologize to you at this point for not telling you this earlier. From the first day you committed to staffing or leading the DTS, may it never be your school! You just be God’s gofer. Let God be the leader – you just serve Him and go where He leads, lest on the day you realize you need to cancel, you freak out because your school has failed. No, not so. Rather, you have already surrendered your position and relationship to the DTS totally for Him to start and Him to end, for Him to build and Him to break down. May you not stand between His plans and His school. But you my friend, rest in Him, for He gives and He takes away but He surely finishes what He starts!
Yes, it is not as easy as said, but it is possible! Remember? The grace of God? Because when you spend energy, life, emotion, money and work an average of twelve hours per day in this school, it won’t be easy to hear that, because of government guidelines, you need to make the decision to cancel the DTS. But hey, remember? The Grace of God?
7. Relax
As said earlier, you simply follow God. And by the way, when the time approaches to make that infamous decision that no one warned you to do – ever – you will have no wisdom and experience to know what to do anyway! You cannot be prepared for this. So relax! One step after the other. You were never alone in this, so why should God let you do this part by yourself? Nonono! He knows, He sees the end from the beginning! And you? You can get yourself a cup of tea and realize that by doing those small steps the decision has already been made and you come to peace with it, embrace it and move on with it. But don’t be too hard on yourself, for yes, it will hurt and you will always remember that moment because you didn’t want to do it but, my goodness, the grace of God will carry you!
I forgot to change the last title, even though it is so clear and appropriate to do so. Let me do so here: The Grace of God!
8. Give your Yes to God
You remember the long weekend I talked about earlier? You need to plan and do it before you cancel a DTS! And when you drive back from the most relaxing days you’ve had in a long time, you might want to sit in silence and ponder the literal and proverbial mountain that is in front of you. You might think the mountain is five more lecture weeks and an outreach, still feeling the weight of the last mountain climb which was intense weeks of preparation and starting lecture weeks.
And suddenly, your base is no longer three hours away from you but only one minute, and no matter if you feel ready or not, no matter if you know what is waiting for you or not – there’s only one minute before you arrive. You sit there, in the car, driving up that famous hill to your base. And in the most real and vulnerable way, you give your yes to God again, knowing that He called you for this DTS. You give your yes, not because you know what is awaiting you, but because somehow you trust Him and that His grace has and is always enough!
Okay, you feeling like you’re getting more equipped for how to successfully cancel a DTS and transition it into an Online lecture phase??
9. The grace of God
I guess this title is not that descriptive or insightful, but I struggled to find a title that best describes the following content. What better title is there for the ability to create an online DTS (that has never ever existed) like that in just two days, other than ‘the abundant grace of God’?!? Especially since on the first day of constructing the online school you end up having to spend all your time solely in prayer, even though having every intention of spending time on the practical side of things. But you didn’t realize how much this is on God’s heart until you had prayed.
Yes, this God of yours will even go so far to give a Norwegian lady a dream about your tiny insignificant school. She happens to be a friend of your previous Father heart of God Irish teacher, who happens to send you an email expressing his heart and urge to continue with the DTS (you haven’t even told him about any of this) just in time for you to read, when you finished your prayer meeting and the email says the same concerns and message you just heard from God in your prayer meeting!
At this point, you maybe want to stop reading this and consider this Almighty and Awesome God and bow down and worship Him!
Even though the Grace of God is 100% the right title for this step, one hugely important part of God’s grace towards the school and this particular step is your staff team. I will now come to address them with insufficient words…
10. Get the best staff team
My friend, you will need to realize as you read this, or if you go through this kind of situation, that you need to humbly confess God’s generous grace for giving you an amazing staff team. You will even often say to them that you wouldn’t mind going through such a crisis again with this team. You will joyfully acknowledge that you are not the star at all; but rather the Creator of the world who gives you humble, hard-working and mature staff alongside you. Yes, let’s give Jesus Christ the honour and thanksgiving that is due to Him again and again!
Laugh, weep, celebrate, repent, pray, worship, plan, hang out, pray more – you will need all of it – a lot – and yes, enjoy every single moment together.
11. Pray
Nothing will work without the actual presence of God – or are you just there to run your nice Christian program? Isn’t it God’s school? – maybe He knows what is best for it and what to do. Yes, with the presence and power of God – much is possible – sehr viel, mucho, veel, beaucoup, muito de. Plead with God, repent often, pray your trainees through the battle, share God’s heart. My friend – if you believe, then God will answer your prayers! Fight any trace of unbelief that would stop you from even attempting to obtain God’s promises through prayer! Don’t you remember what the Lord Himself said? Pray and keep praying! Pray often! Pray much! Pray about everything and anyone! If a thing is not reality yet, your assignment to pray isn’t finished yet!
Okay, sermon over. Let’s just call this ‘the grace of God’ too, for everyone who truly prays knows that there is absolutely no credit to the man in prayer but rather to the divine in action!
12. Bonus: Extra Grace of God
We slowly come to the end of my “wisdom” in cancelling a DTS because of a global pandemic and continuing it online: it’s actually nothing new. If you have taken careful notes and you wrote at any point ‘the grace of God’, then this will not necessarily make you much wiser, for God will give you His detailed and humble graces that sustain, help and equip you to prosper in all of God’s will.
In my case, the extra grace of God was a bold Irish man of God who spoke on the DTS in week 5 and then totally out of the blue committed to continuing with the school because God spoke to him about it. (He’s the guy whose email I mentioned earlier. In that same email he offers himself to you to support what God shared with him (do you see how God doesn’t say something without offering the resources to do it?)). He ended up doing two small groups over Zoom, taking one trainee into his own home for two weeks, and praying together with your team for up to four hours per week.
I tell you – you can’t make this stuff up! It was mysterious, exciting, nerve-wracking and worth it. Praise God! Forever and ever! He has done all things well. (Mark 7:37)
And you? You’re a drop in the bucket – may you be a salty one.
https://ywamseamill.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024_04-YS-Web-Logo_02-300x138.png00Amanda Bentonhttps://ywamseamill.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024_04-YS-Web-Logo_02-300x138.pngAmanda Benton2022-02-28 14:03:592022-02-28 14:04:0112 Steps to cancelling a DTS… and then finishing it online