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Faith is a lifestyle

kenneth-e-haginKenneth E. Hagin’s testimony is the reason Rhema Bible Training College exists. It’s hard to fathom sometimes the deep, unwavering commitment Bro. Hagin had to the Father. Of course, we all know that to those whom much has been given much is required.

My favorite Bro. Hagin stories are the ones where he was just living life—paying bills, running errands, etc. I was recently reading The Midas Touch for a class and came across this statement “I was putting on my socks one day and the Lord spoke to me…”

I had to stop reading for a moment. Wait a minute. Bro. Hagin put on socks?!? Then I started laughing…of course Bro. Hagin put on socks! He was a man, right?

Rhema’s goal is to train ministers of the gospel, men and women who follow God in everyday moments and also in extraordinary ways. We are repeatedly told that the stories shared in classes are for us to see that God will move in our lives.

This is the main reason I was drawn to Rhema. I didn’t want to go to a college that only dealt with hypothetical situations.

rbtc-sealI wanted to go to a college that not only challenged me but also equipped me to walk out my beliefs.

I wanted to go to a college that encouraged me to start living out the truth on the job, in the grocery store, and running errands.

Bro. Hagin’s mandate from God was to “teach my people faith” and his legacy continues through the thousands of Rhema graduates around the world.

If Father God is calling you into ministry, you need to check out Rhema Bible Training College. Come and see what He is doing in the student body’s lives. A great way to do that is during our Spring College Weekend. For more information please visit, www.rhema.org/rcw

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RBTC at Power & Love Conference

Last weekend the student ambassadors had the opportunity to set up a booth during the Power & Love conference. 

Pastor Craig Hagin was invited to speak by his good friend and evangelist Todd White. Of course, RBTC had to be represented! A student event was moved to a different date, BUT it was worth the change of plans.

rbtc-power-and-loveThe response by the conference goers was phenomenal!

Most of the attendees were from different states–many had never heard of Rhema, so our ambassadors were able to introduce them to our college and ministry.

Todd White invited us back on Saturday night when he was sharing.

When the ambassadors arrived, our table was almost empty of materials! It was set up on Saturday morning and people were stopping by all day.

Being flexible gave our Admissions Office an unexpected open door for recruiting. Can you imagine if we’d said no to eat chili and watch a movie? (Note: There’s nothing wrong with fellowship, but it’s important to know when to disappoint the right people.)

Now we have a TON of perspective students out there with our material–and I guarantee they will do some recruiting for us just by telling others within their sphere of influence. 

I wanted to share the success from the conference because I want to ask for your help.

Is your church/ministry having a conference in 2017 RBTC should know about? Please let the Admissions Office know! We are always looking for opportunities to share Rhema with others! 

Contact the Recruiting Department by phone at 918-258-1588 ext 2379or by email at cwicks@rhema.org

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Thanksgiving Blessings

rbtc-sealThanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

It’s a great time to reflect on the blessings of being in Christ—He’s given us everything!—and to recall all the ways His hand is moving in our lives.

Did I mention that turkey and dressing is one of my most favorite meals?

There’s nothing like a good pan of dressing (or stuffing as it is known by my friends above the Mason-Dixon Line) to make the heart happy.

And while I am thrilled that my family is invading Broken Arrow to visit me, I was reminded that many of my fellow Rhema classmates will not be sitting around the dinner table with their natural family.

The good news, though, is that no one will be alone because the Rhema family is huge—and worldwide!

Many graduates add extra dinner plates to their tables.

Many current students bring a passel of people home with them for the week.

I’m reminded of the words of Jesus in Mark 10:29-30:

Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.

I am so thankful for the friendships that are burgeoning this school year!

My more extroverted personality makes me a social butterfly, so leaving the place where my roots run deepest was a challenge for me.

Jesus’ promise, however, remains a source of constant comfort and encouragement.

I have sat around numerous tables with new friends, both students and alumni, since moving to Oklahoma. Every single person has told me the same thing:

If you ever need anything—and I mean anything—do not hesitate to call.

This one statement illustrates the Rhema family at its best. And it’s one of the many reasons I give thanks for Rhema Bible Training College.

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Rhema College Weekend

I knew it was time for a change and I prayed for six months with no clear direction as to what I needed to do.

My answer came in an email with this subject line:

It’s not too late to go to Rhema

And I remember thinking, “It’s not too late! Going to Rhema is something that I’ve wanted to do for 5 years…maybe the time is now.”

I told my dad and stepmom what the Father was laying on my heart and, of course, they both said, “Sounds great to me! You need to go check it out.”

My parents are both Rhema graduates, but they never once said a word to me about attending Rhema. It’s their desire for all of their children follow God and be led by Him.

My dad and I drove out for College Weekend and we prayed a big prayer:

Father, we’re believing I will have a place to live and/or a job by the end of this weekend.

I knew immediately Rhema was truly the next step for me.

From visiting classes to the session with Dean Tad to the current students I met at lunch—the entire weekend was awesome.

rhema-pic

We can’t wait to meet you!

And guess what? God answered my prayer!

I met the sweetest woman at church who offered me a place to live on the spot. It was a total God connection because she was a family friend who my parents hadn’t heard from in many years.

This was the first of many moments where God cleared the path for me to become a student.

If God will do it for me, I know He’ll do it for you!

I encourage you to make the trip out for College Weekend. If there’s a stirring in your heart to attend Rhema, you need to come.

Click here to sign up!

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High Expectations

There is a high level of expectation and excitement at the beginning of the school year. Students are pumped and you hear things like: “I’m following Jesus, baby! Nothing will slow me down!”

You can feel the energy in the air and it’s quite electric. Girls and guys look their best, act their best, and say their best.

Imagine a diamond ring in a display case. Everything about it sparkles and glimmers. 

I think this is awesome! Students should be excited. In fact, they should come to school expecting great things to happen.

Miraculous events take place all throughout the school year at Rhema and I truly believe it’s because there’s a multiplied level of expectancy.

It would be harder for me to believe that 300+ faith-filled, Spirit-filled Christians are hanging out in one place and God didn’t show up on a daily basis.

However, I am always a bit skeptical for the same reasons I get excited…

Being overly emotional leads many Christians astray. The need to be “spiritual” is dangerous.

rbtc-sealI often wonder how we can be any more spiritual than “I am a spirit, I have a soul, and I live in a body.”

So what’s with the need to be more “spiritual”?

I believe it boils down to a misplaced sense of what it means to be significant, yet trying to gain significance by impressing others leads many Christian leaders down a road of empty accolades.

True significance is only found in Christ. No man or woman can meet that need.

As the school year progresses (or you’re preparing to come to Rhema next year), here’s my encouragement to you: 

 Always be excited.

Always be real.

Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Walk in the reality that you’re approved by God and called into ministry by God.

And know that you’re a vital part of the Rhema family, a part of Brother Hagin’s God-given commission to “Go teach my people faith.” 

 

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Ordinary Hamburgers

 “This is just an ordinary hamburger. Is that okay with you?” 

I was invited to eat lunch with a few friends and they were bringing the food.

“Of course, I love ordinary hamburgers–I love all hamburgers!” 

And it’s true. I was not lying to my friends, blowing happiness and sunshine their way to be nice.

Ask anyone who knows me well: I’ve never met a hamburger that I haven’t liked. If I had to choose between a salad and a hamburger, a hamburger will win every time.

What got me thinking was the phrase “ordinary hamburger.”

My friends and I had a great conversation over ordinary hamburgers.

I loved every minute of it because I was secretly thrilled to be invited to eat an ordinary hamburger on an ordinary day for the sake of connecting with someone else.

I am a big fan of ordinary. 

If I had to choose between big, magical, once-in-a-lifetime moments and small, ordinary, yet repeatable moments, that choice is a no brainer to me. Ordinary wins every time.

Because 95% of life is ordinary. Chasing the extraordinary 5% is costing us big time. 

So, please, invite someone over for an ordinary experience, like coffee or dinner, and have some fun!

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Who you’re not

Do you know who you’re not? 

I realize this is a weird question. Experts and amateurs alike focus more on discussions around discovering who you are than discovering who you are not.

However, it’s vital to know both. 

You’re more likely to be counterproductive, pursuing things that are not related to your purpose, if you never discover who you’re not. For those who are Christians, you’ll also see more results in your spiritual life by knowing who you are and who you are not.

The topic of identity gets a lot of attention in our culture because our fast paced culture doesn’t allow much time for introspection and reflection. If you’re not moving at full speed, someone else might get ahead of you! 

Never mind the fact that life is more a marathon than a sprint….

By learning who I am not, I am freeing myself up to be who I am.

My focus is getting sharper.

My purpose is becoming clearer.

I compare myself to others less and less.

I don’t have to be you and you don’t have to be me. Isn’t that awesome?

Take my advice. Spend some time getting to know yourself. Then get busy chasing your dreams and helping others.

Know who you are, know who you are not. 

 

 

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Because we’re family

The Kingdom of God is an upside down Kingdom from beginning to end.

And I struggle as a young person to wrap my head around these upside down commands because nothing about our world is about putting others first.

The worlds says, “Me first!” and the Kingdom says, “Me last!” 

Check out Romans 12:10 in these 3 translations:

NLT: Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

ERV: Love each other in a way that makes you feel close like brothers and sisters. And give each other more honor than you give yourself.

MSG: Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

We are to love everyone like they are our brothers and sisters. This makes sense when you think about it because there are only two types of people in the world: Those who are already our family in Christ and those we want to see become our family in Christ.

My favorite verse is 2 Corinthians 5:16. 

 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!

Evangelism is not about us versus them. Outreach is not about being a bully and forcing Jesus down someone’s throat.

I can’t get away from these thoughts…

I am not sharing the gospel to get ahead.

I am not seeking a platform to build “my ministry.”

 Evangelism has absolutely NOTHING to do with my advancement and absolutely EVERYTHING to do with showing someone else the path to redemption. 

The path of humility is all about taking jealousy and the need to get ahead off the table.

We’re on this journey together.

We’re growing together.

We’re serving together.

You’re not more important than me and I’m not more important than you because we’re family. 

 

 

 

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Just keep asking

“I’m just going to keep asking if I can help. Who knows? One day the answer might be yes.”

After the Boiler Room I was teasing one of my friends–a mom with two young kids–about her not accepting my requests to help ferry things to her car. 

She’s never really needed my help because her husband is great at taking care of that kind of stuff–which is awesome btw. 

It got me to thinking…

There’s nothing wrong with sticking your neck out after being turned down by whoever you’re trying to help. 

Just keep asking. 

Just keep being a friend. 

I truly believe that’s one of the biggest reasons most Christians aren’t making disciples like we should be. 

Most of us give up way too fast on people. 

Most of us have bought into the lie of microwave evangelism when evangelism and discipleship is more akin to a crock pot. 

It takes time. 

I’ve spent a lot of time in different communities where trust is everything. 

You have to show up and keep your word. When you don’t, you better fess up fast because the people can smell a phony a mile away. 

This kind of intentional lifestyle of service is refining; think about it like sand paper that takes off the rough edges. It demands absolute sincerity. 

And it’s truly the most worthwhile way to live. 

I am a better person and Jesus follower because of this demand to slow down, to take off my mask. 

Going back to what I said earlier, never stop asking how you can help. 

Being available to serve is a foundational teaching within the gospel. If Jesus’ mission was to serve and not to be served, then that’s our mission too. 

Be unrelenting in your pursuit to help, to pray, to encourage. 

You might get turned down 9 times out of 10. 

You might get cussed out. 

You might be misunderstood. 

Just keep asking. 

Because your quest to serve will provide opportunities to share the love of Christ in ways you could never orchestrate on your own. 

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26

My birthday was awesome!

I received so many sweet Facebook posts, messages, texts, and phone calls. 

I talked with my family and even got to FaceTime with one of my best friends. 

The weekend as a whole was a whirlwind of fun from start to finish. 

Here are the highlights:

  • Thrift store shopping
  • Barnes and Noble 
  • Barbecue
  • Finding Dory
  • 2 get togethers
  • Fireworks
  • Reading
  • Coffee
  • In PJs till lunchtime 

I basically partied like a rockstar all weekend. 

And while I’m thankful for good work, getting back into my routine will be hard tomorrow. 

Now, it’s time for this 26 year old to go to bed! 

Remember: the new blog schedule is Monday and Friday. 

Let me know if you have any topics you’d like me to discuss more in-depth.