Another week gone by at Patmos: Reality Discipleship, and this time, I am no longer panicking. I have come to have a joy about the journey, though I don't enjoy every facet of it. I am convinced that God is using this to reveal and remove sin in my life, and the process is very painful. This does not move me, because I know the outcome, and I know that, no matter if I complete or fail this course, I am still a son of God. Knowing who I am and Whose I am is keeping me afloat right now.
No, I am not planning to return early, but I had seriously considered it last Sunday morning. I felt later on that this was simply the devil working his craft in my head and that I needed to stick around and see what God would do on my behalf.
Enter a 30 day personal challenge that I had practically begged for at the beginning of the term. It will immensely help my wandering eyes, and I launched into it with hope, not even asking for prayer for this time but for the time that I would be released from it, not realizing that God had a different plan.
The change that God wrought in me actually has me looking forward to the end of the challenge, when freedom is restored, because I am now confident that I will not forget the lessons learned in this challenge. I am not begging for the days to pass quickly, just that each daily exercise be done in grace and love of God. That way, I will have created a habit of righteousness that will be immensely difficult for my wickedness to overcome.
Evangelism opportunities have continued to be scarce, but this past Friday, we did have some chances. I wanted to launch right in, but I ran into a cultural barrier: I don't play basketball well (partly because I can't jump), and I don't stand out like a sore thumb in the Bahamas. I am the majority here, and it did cost me interaction with the guys we were trying to reach. My heart's desire is to humble myself in such a way before God that He is willing to open the doors for me.
He did open doors for other people, though (probably because they actually prayed before going out and I just assumed that I was going to get one). Several of my team members were able to minister to different onlookers as the pickup games progressed. Their stories cannot be recorded here, because they are not mine. I will ask them to post their own (perhaps on their own blogs?) at a later time.
Actually, we do have a collective blog: http://revelation19.blogspot.com. We do ask that you do not post comments, but you can read ours. It will give you a small glimpse into the things that we learn here.
But, no, it will not tell you how we learn them. Part of the Patmos experience is the element of surprise, so we can't ruin it for you.
Well, we could, but that wouldn't be very nice. =D
Thank you for your prayers. God bless.
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