A Journey Through My Notebook

 

 Hello everyone! I recently finished one of my sermon notebooks so for this post I'd like to venture off my normal content and take a little personal journey through my notebook (May 17, 2019- February 1, 2023).

·       My notebook begins in May 2019. From then till early 2020 there was very little application and emotional connection. I didn’t know what I was writing and why. And looking back at it, what I was writing was not accurate. I didn't know how to check my interpretations for biblical accuracy and I took verses out of context. If there is one thing you can learn from this blog please learn to read verses in context. It is essential for your Christian walk. 

·       Fast forward to April 5 2020. This was a significant day for me. This was the day I got cheated on during quarantine. I spent the morning crying and thinking life was over. I was more lonely than ever. My mom encouraged me to watch virtual church even though I was in so much emotional pain. So I grabbed my notebook and Bible as I usually did. But this time was different. My heart was opened and vulnerable because of the pain I was going through and  God used it as a growing point for me. That sermon was about growing through trials and thanking God for them. I knew God was using that sermon to teach me something. I knew I wasn't alone. God was with me. From then on I became more interested in growing my faith because I was at rock bottom and my faith in God was the only thing I had to lean on. If you are living through some of the worst times of your life, don't give up. It's not over and God is with you always. Open your heart to Him and see what He can teach you. 

·       Following that day my notes were longer with more meaning, questions, and depth.  Later that year I was baptized after talking to both my mom and my minister about the lifelong commitment to Jesus (July 11, 2020). I truly believe if I had not been cheated on, then I would've never had the emotional vulnerability I needed to grow my faith and eventually be baptized. I would've never know that such a beautiful and life saving thing would come out of something like that. But God has a will and His way is better than ours.

       I began taking notes and going to more devotionals that just Sunday mornings (Wednesday evenings, youth devos, women's devos). I couldn't get enough of it!

·       The rest of my senior year following baptism I continued to grow and learn more about: love, God’s love, Love rejoicing in truth, how selfishness will destroy you, God’s awareness of our service, self-control, pride vs humility, don’t fear death, obeying God, spiritual hope, God’s divine nature, the response to forgiveness, the promises of God, why have parables, praying spiritually, God vs mans way, God remains true, gaining all spiritual blessings, and stability through Christ. These all helped me grow in my Christian walk through my senior year of high school and helped me build spiritual strength before heading into college.

·       The summer after senior year I went to counsel at Little Prairie Bible Camp as I did every summer where I met my boyfriend. Now I am not going to sit here and talk about my relationship because that isn’t the point of this blog but I will emphasize how important it is to have Godly relationships even while dating before marriage. Dating is like the trial version of marriage and it is so easy to get distracted by each other and pulled away from God. Having a Christian relationship is important to keep each both on track and you will have a deeper form of joy because of it.

·       Now fast forward to college. It was my first day at Mizzou and I was terrified to say the least. I knew no one. I had no friends. I felt so alone. In times where you feel alone Satan will try to pull you away from God but it is important to surround yourselves with Christian friends to encourage you. That’s where Christian Campus House comes in. I began going to Christian Campus House in October of 2021 after coaching middle school volleyball was over for the season. Man did I need it. Volleyball had yet again taken me away from God (but more on that another time). 

·       I started by going to the Well (Wednesday night worship) at CCH weekly. I didn’t know anyone going in but I met some of the kindest people I have ever met. They brought me in and continually invited me to things even outside the Well such as Andy’s ice cream. It was the community I needed the most. If you feel alone I encourage you to find a good Christian community and if you don’t have access to that then I encourage you to find one Christian friend to help guide you and grow in fellowship with. ( I can even be that friend for you😊. )

·       In the spring I joined a small group bible study at CCH where I learned more in depth about women of the bible and made even more friends. Then one Wednesday night we talked about having our voices heard as Christians and being disciples to the nations. I knew that I wanted to start a blog for a while but I just didn’t know what about. I knew I loved nature but I also wanted to share what I knew about following christ. I was conflicted. I thought about all my “wow” moments in nature and what I thought about and realized I felt closest to God in those moments. So after lots of thought and prayer I combined the two and started my blog. (On February 6, 2022) Its been over a year, yayyy!!.

·       Later that Spring I went on a spring retreat with CCH where we journeyed through Titus and it was one of the most informational weekends full of spiritual growth and fellowship that I’ve ever had. I loved it!  I also went on a Women’s retreat with CCH where we heard from some of the senior girls and it really impacted me because they discussed many things that I had been struggling with for years. It really set off a lot of personal growth for me.

·       Then summer came and I journeyed to Paragould Arkansas to serve the people at Childerens Home Inc. It helped me see how important service is even if the service is merely project based and non evangelistic.

·       Then school started again and this year I am living at CCH. On Wednesday nights we dove into the Sermon on the mount where we discussed: mourning over Jesus’ death and our own sin, having a pure heart, how to face persecution, becoming the salt and light of the world, the fulfillment of the law, how to deal with emotions in a biblical way, adultery, divorce, lust, promises, what it means to be a follower of Christ, giving without pride in ourselves, and deep living.

·       I don’t say all of this to toot my own horn. I am a sinner. I fall short. My flesh is weak. I am saying all this to offer you encouragement. There are others out there going through the same things as you don’t suffer alone. Talk to someone. Get involved. Serve others. I am also saying this to encourage you to find some sort of way to reflect on your spiritual growth. If you are not a note taker as I am, find some other way to reflect. And lastly use your testimony and your story to help others!

      Thanks for reading:) 

             Abby :)