Our first week of school is over and we are certainly looking forward to all we have to learn in the upcoming year. Tanner and I are each enrolled in the following classes: Biblical History, Old Testament Bible Books Study: The Prophets, and Biblical Discipleship. In addition, I am taking a class regarding the history and biblical context of mission work while Tanner is taking a class about preaching in Christian ministry. What an amazing opportunity we truly have ahead of us. Perhaps my favorite thing about our class schedule thus far is the time carved into our schedule for spiritual reflection and prayer. On Tuesday mornings we have school wide Chapel, allowing time for the student body to come together to worship and listen to a devotional message. On Tuesday afternoons, we have an hour for “World Focus” prayer. During this hour, we break into small groups to pray for specific regions in the world and pressing issues and needs prevalent in the respective region. We also have Midday prayer on the afternoon of Tuesday through Friday. This might be my favorite aspect of the schedule as we gather together and take time to reflect and think through God’s faithfulness even in the normal happenings of a school day. Even in being here just one week, I have realized the benefits and appreciated the joy it brings me to diligently stop the hustle and bustle of everyday life in order to consider God’s faithfulness and grace ushering me through even what may seem routine.
Tanner and I have already been assigned a couple of papers, and we have eagerly begun working away. Tanner is working on his Biblical History question in which we must discuss certain aspects of King Solomon’s reign as it is portrayed in I Kings. And I have chosen to tackle our Biblical Discipleship assignment first. We have been asked to develop a ministry approach to discipleship that might work within our own home Church. We have certain guidelines we must follow and requirements to meet. I have read quite a bit today about discipleship within the first century church. Discipleship was a process, determined and decided and a life-long event in first century Christendom. When one became a Christian, he or she became a committed follower of Christ. I don’t know if any of you have experienced this in your own faith communities, but sometimes we cheapen this idea of discipleship to simply some program we must complete or something to cross off our religious checklist. I have sometimes mistaken discipleship as a quick fix, when in reality the beauty of discipleship is that it lasts a lifetime. We are committed to the process of becoming more like Christ, daily learning His ways and following in His footsteps. The culmination of discipleship is when we see our Father face to face and hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25).
On the practical side of things, some of you might be wondering if I took any adventures into town or around our new city here in Northern Ireland. Yes! I have had quite a productive week in Northern Ireland. Tanner and I officially opened a bank account here so that we can pay our school fees, we attempted to visit the Doctor so as to register for health care but we must return on the 28th of September, we took a big shopping run to Super Tesco (thanks to our lovely friend Shelley who transported us there and back), we consumed TWO Jenz milkshakes (more about this later), I took my first visit of this stay into the Belfast City Center to activate our Cell Phone, and I went on an amazing drive through a bit of the countryside to see my friend’s, Shelley, house and meet her lovely family! Whoo . . . what a whirlwind. Shelley introduced us to Jenz milkshakes. Jenz is a little shop off of Lisburn Road that sells milkshakes, coffee and sandwiches! But, their signature item is the Hippy Shakes. A Hippy Shake is sort of like a Blizzard or McFlurry in that you pick one out of like 20 candy bars to mix into your vanilla milkshake! It is a bit overwhelming for indecisive people like me, but I REALLY loved the Oreo Hippy Shake. If we lived in a Utopia, I would drink an Orea Hippy Shake every day, but unfortunately calories do count even here in Northern Ireland. I also had a blast seeing Shelley’s house this week and meeting her family! Her house is beautiful, and the drive from her house back to Belfast Bible College was simply picturesque. I felt like I was in a movie! And Shelley’s family was so welcoming, so interested in America and what life was like back home. It made me miss my own family and friends!
Today is winding down, and tomorrow will prove itself another day in our Northern Irish adventure. We are taking a C.S. Lewis tour tomorrow afternoon, and I am really quite excited! While I have read many of Lewis’ works, perhaps A Grief Observed is one of my favorites. Maybe because it is the most recent piece of his I picked up; however, I appreciated Lewis’ uncanny reaction and response to grief and the monster it can be.
May I end with a quote I read in one of my readings today, it comes from a man by the name Cyril of Jerusalem. He said, “It is the sincerity of your resolution that makes you ‘called.’ It is of no use your body being here if your thoughts and heart are elsewhere.” When we reflect on our life, on our jobs and current duties as perhaps students, teachers, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, etc., may we realize that our work is only sincere if we do it with the entirety of who we are. And perhaps we might venture back to what I mentioned at the beginning of this blog: discipleship. In our pursuit of knowing Christ and making Him known to the world around us, are we investing ALL of who we are? Christ deserves our all, may we endeavor to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him more whole-heartedly today than we did yesterday (Matthew 16).
