Learning Lots

I haven't been as disciplined on my blog posted lately and most of them center around traveling or doing various things in New Zealand but few are about actual Bible School.

It's hard to believe in just a couple weeks my time at Monavale campus will end. I have made so many close friends here and have learned SO much!

Just the list of lectures we have had is incredible. Our semester is broken into two terms (with the two week break in between). A list of the lecture we had the first term are: Daniel, Missions, Prayer, "Living as Jesus Lived", Colossians and Ephesians. This term we have studied: Revelation, 1 Corinthians, "Cults and Occults", Mark 1-8, Deuteronomy, Herbrews, 1 Peter and Minor Prophets. Each week a different lecturer or teacher comes in and teaches and it has been amazing. Some of my favorites have been Jim Wright who taught Mark 1-8, Lew Meyer who taught about cults and occults and Ron Lowery who taught Colossians.

On top of lectures, once a week we also have seminar groups and book clubs. The seminar group I'm in is Hermenutics with Hayden, who is also my family group leader. It's pretty interesting. I never realized how much I had gotten my theology from speakers or books or Sunday messages instead of reading and studying the bible for myself first. The book I'm reading is "Saving Life of Christ" by Major Ian Thomas who founded Capernwray. It's pretty amazing. The main theme of it is resting in Christ and not "trying" to be a good Christian but "trusting" God to work through you. It takes the emphasis off us and puts it where it should be, on Christ.

On top of that, we also have family groups that meet once a week during our morning tea time and that's like our small group time. My family leaders are Hayden, our dean of students and Dave Firth, our communications director and the BML (Business Ministry Leadership) teacher. I love family time and look forward to it all week. It's nice to bounce ideas of each other and we all take turns presenting a bible study that we have done.

The assignments we have are mostly bible studies. I've never written as many papers as I have here because I went to art school so it hasn't come naturally but I've really enjoyed it. We also did a oral report and study paper this term which was challenging but fun.

I think I've learned a ton from living in such a small tight-knit community as much as, if not more, than the lectures. You can't hold grudges and you can't pick and choose who you hang out with like at home. You also see your own selfishness a lot clearer when put in situations with so many different personalities and cultures. I have been stretched and challenged so much by the other students here. It's really cool how God planned for us all to be together for this time.

Thank you for all your continued prayer and support. I get overwhelmed sometimes that I get to be here and have this amazing experience and I wouldn't have been able to come if people hadn't supported me the way that they did.