A little further in....

So it's officially week 4 of the Jax STP. Life is crazy. To put it into perspective... I started this post one week ago and just now got time to finish it. I can hardly believe that three weeks have already passed, but at the same time I feel as though I've been here for a solid 4 months. God has been super faithful and has done A LOT in the past few weeks. Let me fill you in (just a little snapshot) of what He has been teaching me:

• Before the team members even got here, I was really struggling a lot with feelings of inadequacy when it came to being a team leader. I had a lot of fears, because I knew that, although it would be STP as it was the last time I was here, my role would be very different. Thus, I didn't know what to expect and I was scared. One day we read Philippians 3:4-4:1. In this passage, Paul is talking about how we should not put our confidence in our flesh. He drives this point home by listing the earthly and religious qualifications that he could claim, but states that they are nothing compared to Christ. This really helped me to see that it's not about what I've done. There is no way I could be fully "prepared" to be a team leader. Although I have had experiences that have equipped me for this experience, I have nothing that qualifies me, but Christ alone. He is the only merit I have, and that is more than enough.
• I've also learned to treasure God's word in a way that I never really have before. One thing that rocked my world was the verse Jeremiah 15:16 (among others) that says, "When your words came and I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty."
• I am learning to love the people God has placed around me. He is challenging me to love them well; not half-heartedly, or with any selfish intention, but sacrificially. He's begun whispering reminders into my heart of the big lessons I learned last summer about what it means to love, and how we are called to love dangerously, all in, holding nothing back. He is beginning to give me a clearer snapshot of what it looks like for me to love others in that way.

That's only the tip of the iceberg of what He's teaching me... And now, Position in Christ, or Identity week is beginning, which I am more than a little bit excited for. This topic has been huge in my walk, specifically this past year, and has made all the difference in my relationship with Christ. I am so excited to see Him continue to work and learn even more and to see Him begin to transform how the people here at the program view themselves. Not through the lies the enemy has told them, or what the world says of them, but that they will see who they truly are: who God sees when He looks at them. Because THAT is their true identity.

Please continue to be praying for:

• Rest - sleep is a hot commodity, and with many members of the program working VERY early hours, it's getting harder and harder to be rested and ready for each activity.
• Health - there has been a lot of sickness going around the dorms. With everyone living in such close proximity, we can't seem to stop the spread. Strep and a few colds have infiltrated the program and we can't rid ourselves of them, so pray against illness.
• Team relationships - that we wouldn't let up, but continue running forward into those relationships and not retreat to our comfort zones, but that we would really go deep in fellowship with one another.
• Lives to be changed - I don't want anyone who is at this program to be able to leave without saying that God has taken a hold of their life in some way, and changed them radically, for the better.