We are Dead to self

The last two Holy Terror students arrived Thursday night. So they’re all here and absolutely awesome. I don’t know if the Martyrs session started out like these guys are but this should be so awesome. I’m almost disappointed that I’m not going to be here to see it all. But I know that the plans that are set for me elsewhere will be just as amazing as what’s happening here.

This past Friday we had one our first debriefing sessions which is a new idea that the leaders have started in order to beat the information overload and burnout. This first session was a time for all of us to die to ourselves. Some students this year and last year had to lay down some old identities and old labels we were holding on too. We had a funeral for everyone. Everyone came into a small room and we lay down on a black sheet we were then covered by another black sheet. Then we laid down our old identities of the things that we needed to die to in our lives and declared that we were dead to ourselves. Then it was that declared we were alive in Christ. We rose up and came into our new lives. Jeni gave everyone a new name from Christ. It’s funny when Christ shows you some things you need to lay down; it’s sometimes things that you think are essential to your lifestyle and essential to who you are, but Christ shows you how it can interfere with what he has to put in place of that. From his identity you can gain an even fuller experience with him and cause you to be a more effective tool used for his will and his plans. “but God being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgression, made us alive together with Christ, and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in ages to come he might show us the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7. Who are you in Christ Jesus?