This is a post that I am requiring to be more viewed instead of read! Needless to say.. I am moving to Africa to help plant a church.. The Life Church Durban! Check out this sermon video for more information.. :]

In The House: Pt. 6

So here goes my first real post! I guess I can start out by saying my life is considerably  always busy, but I like it that way! Being a  full-time college senior and a full-time 2nd year intern at my church will do that.

Although with all that has happened in my life within the past few months this post is solely directed toward the aspect of school in my life. I am a few months away from graduating and well over halfway through my first semester as a senior. I thought senior year was supposed to be easy.. I was wrong! I’ve just this semester started on my minor in Biblical Studies and I love being able to learn more about God and the Bible with each class. This semester I am taking Poetic and Wisdom Literature which is on the poetry and wisdom books of the Bible such as Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Lamentations, and Ecclesiastes. Definitely have had my view on how to read the Bible expand with this class. On the other hand, I just finished a night class on Biblical Interpretation which is the foundational core class for my minor. I think I may have worked harder in this class then I did in Pentateuch. This class required a lot of exegesis on different passages in the Bible. My first main interpretation paper was on Matthew 5:13-16 on being the “salt and light” of the world.. the great calling for all disciples and missionaries! :] However, my final paper we had to choose yet another passage and this was an even harder decision. With this final paper we even had to do a presentation in front of the class! That is something I am really not good at. Ultimately, I chose 1 Timothy 4.  My main points in the exegesis were to highlight on being the example to others instead of following one. I went through and further explained different aspects of the chapter, but my leading point was from 1 Timothy 4:12, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” I explained how this was not only instrustion to Timothy as a new pastor, or to young people, but also to those who are new believers. It’s a passage of encouragement to everyone, and even in doing this paper I was encouraged.

Now despite all the anxiety and nervousness for giving the presentation, apparently I did something different from everyone else. During the Q&A part of my presentation, I had a few classmates ask what I was doing with my degree and tell me I should preach! HA! Of course that is not my plan, but those were more words of encouragement for the calling I have. I even got to specifically share with the lady next to me, who just wants to be simply a nurse, what my plan was for after graduation and how I am moving to Africa to help others and work with youth. Being the youngest in the class by far, she was encouraged and inspired by my plan to consider maybe even being a nurse in Africa. Wow!

So it was as if my pursuit of finding encouragement had come full circle! I tried to find the encouragement to find the right passage to write the paper, then fulfilled that with explaining the calling of encouragement within the encouraging passage, and then by receiving encouragement from my classmates for my work. Then, I was able to encourage another with my heart for Africa, which her awe alone was even more encouraging.

This is my first post. This is because Kelly said I needed a post.

“Good luck, Kassie” -Kelly