Looking Back

Well...It's once again that time of year. Well; actually it's already a few weeks in. That time when students all over return to another year of study and learning. I'm privileged to have returned to a school that I find great enjoyment in attending. It's now my third and senior year here at New Brunswick Bible Institute.

There has been really too much time that has past since my last post to cover in much detail. My second year at school turned out to be harder than I expected...I really started to get distracted by the world and just wanted to live life and be at school to enjoy myself and do the things I wanted. Funny thing is that a principle that seems to hold true in our lives is that when we try our hardest to chase down what we think will bring s happiness and satisfaction were left with emptiness and guilt. There were great times of learning but also great times of struggle and failure last year. However in a way it's a necessary part of growth. We cannot just continually learn new things and then move on to the next new discovery in life. Growth takes testing and trying in order to fully develop and mature (Kinda cool that this concept is what I'm preaching on this Sunday at our evening service from James chapter 1). Sometimes in order to take what we know in our head and transfer it to a conviction and principle in our heart we must go through periods of failure and defeat and struggle. As I've mentioned before there is a reason it's called dying to sin. It's a whole lot like dying; it's a painful process and it takes a lot out of you (part of you is dying after all :P). But the more I realise my weaknesses the more God's strength and grace become real to me. Even when I feel like I cannot overcome a certain temptation or sin I can know that my God is powerful enough to keep me and Jesus' sacrifice was enough to forever break the power of sin over my life. Granted we don't live in light of that freedom all the time but that doesn't make it any less true.

So even though it was a hard year for me last year there were also many incredible opportunities to see God work both around me and through me. In days when I had my focus right there were plenty of opportunities to encourage another, to share something I was learning, or to simply testify of my God and what He is like. I also again had the opportunity to take two weeks at the end of the year and tour with a drama team from the school called SEM (Special Events Ministries). This was an incredible time of seeing God at work and constantly having opportunities to testify about Him and see his power at work in the lives of youth, kids, and adults as well.

Finally to catch up to the school year was my summer served at New Life Camp. Though to give what I learned fair justice will take more time to process and think through camp is always a challenging time that causes me to more clearly see myself as well as my need for God. I certainly learned to trust God more this year in any situation and circumstance and my trust in Him was definitely stretched like it hasn't been before. Perhaps another overall challenge was that I was confronted with the whether I truly care about and love others or not. It's so easy to just appear busy in our culture today and sometimes go the extra mile. If we are busy we receive the applause and the praise of others; but we can so often neglect the actual care and love for others souls. The appearance of love is often easy to fake; the true sacrificial love that God calls us to will certainly cost us much; but how great a reward and joy when we truly learn to love as Christ did. It was a great challenge and it's something I'll be learning for the rest of my life; but I believe it's incredibly vital. After all if we consider what Christ called the greatest commandments "Love the Lord you God with all of your soul, heart, and mind" as well as "love your neighbour as yourself" it shows us the incredible importance of love. Again people know that we are Christians by our love! Such an important thing to learn. Though I could go on I think I'll continue my thoughts later...but maybe I'll just leave with this thought. True and productive growth takes time and it often involves pain and trial. A tree grows over many years and most of the visible growth happens rapidly followed by many months of strengthening and hardening. O the other hand a squash grows in just a few short months...I'd rather be a tree though; how about you?

The Cost of Choosing to Stand

We just started into a new class today called Youth Ministry. Mr. Gary Stairs is our teacher for the course and we have it for a little more than a week (three class a day (50 min. each)). The majority of the classes today were focusing on some of the issues and trends that youth and society are facing today. Just looking at the effect of Media, the permissive culture, and the belief that there are no absolutes really reminded me where our culture is headed. The issue of tolerance, which no longer truly means the same thing that it used to mean, is developing and it is not a far stretch to conclude that in the next few years those who hold to Biblical values will begin to face opposition and even an amount of persecution.

 Tolerance used to mean that I do not agree with you but I will respect you while now it means if we do not agree with someone as well as hold their values and morals as equal to our values and morals we are intolerant and a bigot. In our Canadian culture this is beginning to be more and more of a pressing issue. As Christians we will continue to be faced more and more with a choice to make. Do we continue to grow more reserved and less outspoken for our faith in order to fit in and not be labelled as intolerant or will we be willing to bear some small amount of persecution in order to obey our Biblical mandate.

As we look to the coming years as Christians are we willing to take a stand beside our Christian brothers and sisters who suffer much for their faith...perhaps what the church in Canada and America needs is the kind of awakening and reality that persecution and trial can bring. In my reading this morning I read these verses

"Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1-2) "




In many ways I could wish that I would not have to face exclusion and the possibility of persecution in my life. I'm still human; I want to fit in and be accepted as much as we all do. I shrink from the idea and possibility of conflict but my faith in God and my belief in His word calls me to stand for the absolute truth that I believe in.

A final thought being this...Jesus suffered more than I will ever face...many of my Christian brothers and sisters suffered more than I will ever face...it is my desire to carry on this torch and to have the privilege to suffer for the name of Christ. However, the example to follow is Christ...the one who loved those who persecuted them...Can I love those who strike out at me with their words or actions...if I am marked out as bigoted and intolerant will I still show those people love? In all things this is my confidence; I am inadequate for the task, but Christ is absolutely sufficient.

The name of Christ is one that is completely worthy to live for, to suffer for, and if needed to die for.

A Faithful God and a Continued Story

Well...where to begin...it's now the 10th of October and much has gone by since my last entry in this blog...not sure how many will read it but if nothing else it helps me to organise my thoughts and think through things...If I can be an encouragement to another at the same time then all the better. I suppose it also serves to help keep my Parents and friends back at home updated about what I am learning and doing while out at school.

So...SEM tour; remembering back there are a few key things that I can remember from which I learned and saw my God further revealed through. First off almost the entire team got fairly sick at some point during the tour and at some points we considered the possibility of having to finish tour early. Despite exhaustion at times and sickness we still saw God work in amazing ways. I think we can experience the most fruitful ministries and greatest blessings when we are either forced to or allow God to have ultimate control...our sickness caused us to depend on God and our dependence on God allowed us to be part of His extraordinary plan and work. I wonder at times what it will take for us to surrender our independent and stubborn ways and actually come before God with a true sense of humility and dependence in our ministry. I think our independence really is the root cause of our prayerlessness and resultant lack of influence. Prayerfulness and independence cannot exist at the same time in ones life...Prayer is the very outflowing of our dependence on God...if prayer is not our natural habit than perhaps we ought to consider how much we truly recognise our need for God and our dependence on Him.

After SEM was done I saw once again the incredible provision of God in my life...for the few weeks that I had off before Summer Camp began God saw fit to provide me with rest as I needed it as well as some work to help pay for schooling...What a privilege is mine not to face worry or fear about my finances or basic needs...God has promised to provide!!

Summer Camp...I spent a month at New Life Camp in Durham as part of the leadership team to organise the coming Summer Camps as well as tackle applicable passages of scripture and issues faced while in ministry. It was an amazing month of prayer, struggle, time with friends, and teaching that really stretched me and forced me to consider several issues in my life. Then it was on to 8 weeks of camp...my responsibilities ranged from being a counselor at times to dicipling the other staff to leading games or songs or chapel, and many other activities. Through it all I saw God provide learned more lessons on prayer and dependence and saw again more of God's faithfulness and sufficiency.

Throughout these past months I continue to see more and more of my own inadequacy and sin...how much more self-centred and selfish can I be...I see more and more my improper motives...cravings for worldly things and realise more and more how desensitised I am to sin and how blinded I can become...yet Christ's sacrifice is more than a match for my sin and my failure...can I say that God's mercy and grace still amaze me enough times...This seems to be the continuing theme; that God's mercy and grace are amazing...that He alone is faithful. His mercies are indeed new every morning.

And now I'm back here at School. My Second year at NBBI...already the battle between self and the new man that I have become is raging. It certainly seems fair to conclude that Satan will do his utmost to keep me from learning, to keep me from impacting others for Christ, to keep me from being an encouragement. God has given so many opportunities this year to learn and to impact others yet there are so many things that can distract me and pull me away...If your reading this I would ask that you take some time when you remember me to pray that I would be able to resist temptation and that I would be in constant fellowship and dependence with God...I certainly need your prayers in this area...

And so another chapter begins...what does God have for me in these next days, weeks, and months...I'm not sure...but I can't wait to find out...Simply trusting Him one day at a time.

Andrew Paterson

It's April 12th today; there are only 8 classes left in this school year and exams...Looking back over the year is an encouragement in many ways...It's been an amazing privilege to see the students around me grow and learn...to see them struggle through days of sickness and physical exhaustion and find joy in the midst. This year has been an excellent time to not only learn from my classes and teachers but also to spend considerable time in the scriptures; just thinking and praying...God has shown me a lot and answered many questions.

I'm still so amazed at the grace and patience of my God. So often I fail in the same areas and at times is seems like I never move on from a struggle or have victory. There have been days when I have been ashamed of my actions and thoughts...I wonder just how often my Heavenly Father can look on my life and find joy...I find the longer I live andd the more time I spend in the scriptures the more I see my own failure and sinfulness. It would be easy to take the road of discouragement and fall to the accusations of worthlessness that Satan would have me dwell on. Yet the more aware I am of my sin the greater I'm amazed by His never ending grace. Luke 7:47 says that he who is forgiven much loves much and he who is forgiven little loves little. I think in a way this can also apply to our awareness of our sin. As I realise just how much I have been forgiven; I learn to love my Saviour more and more

I was sitting in the lounge by the dining hall this morning, doing my morning devotions and prayer. For a while I had been struggling with a sin and temptation in my life that seemingly would not be defeated. If it could not be defeated than perhaps I fought it in my own strength and without the strength of God; yet at times it seems so hard to tap into that power. We always hear in sermons and lessons that we must live throgh God's power and fight temptation in God's power and love through God's power...yet few and far between are the messages on actually practically tapping into the power of God. What does it look like? I think there are several factors which play into it. We know from scripture that the just shall live by faith. We also can know that God has provided for us all we need to live godly and righteous lives. We are saved through faith by the realization of our own inability and the belief and acceptance through faith of the sufficency of Christ's sacrifice. Perhaps in the same way we must come to the realization of our inability to conquer sin and through belief and faith accept the power which God freeley offers...after all the just are not only saved by faith; but they also live by faith.

There is still much to learn pn the subject of living in God's power and there are many questions that I still have. But I think that a faith without questions is not a living faith. When we pretend as Christians to have all the answers and to have no questions we first of all will not find answers and I believe that the "faith" we say we have is nothing more than a projection for others to see. It amazes me to see God answering my questions; whther it's through scripture, chapel, class or some other means He always answers. So here I am just a college student; pondering the questions of life...looking forward with anticipation to what the following years of my life will hold...

It is an amazing thing to be able to say that I have no fear, I have no anxiety or worry...I face life with a loving, all-powerful, gracious, understanding, and patient God who is so much more than words can describe...I can simply trust His plans and His guidance. So easily I could let the worries and cares of the world set in...after school I'll have loans to pay, descicions to make, but I can still just trust and walk with my God. Whether He provides the funds I need to pay for school through a gift or if He provides work after my years at school and calls me to live for Him there I can trust that the best place for me is right where He puts me...

So all that to say my God is great and worthy of praise...what can I do but trust Him with my life and walk...there can be no greater peace and joy in life. This may be the end of the school year but it's just another chapter that God has written; What has God been teaching you in these past weeks...never be afraid to ask Him your questions, to lay before Him your cares...How much of your life does He control? How surrendered are you to His will...just some questions I have been thinking about recently.

For those reading this you can be praying for me...in a couple weeks I will be going on tour with the SEM team; a group from school that does skits and gives testimony at various churches and youth meetings. Pray that I would stay focused on those things that are above and that I would have the opportunity to give witness and bear testiomny to the teens I meet of just how great God is...they so desperately need to know what it is like to rest in Him as well and to surrender all their life to Him.

A college student on a walk with God

Andrew Paterson

Single-Mindedness

I was reminded of a great truth today while I was in class. First off today was a day of answered prayer...I was seeking some answers and direction from God this week and today He saw fit to answer all my questions in a fairly clear manner. But one lesson stood out from the rest this morning in classes. It has to do with something of great importance to all of us; Purpose. For a long time many have searched for the answers to our existence; "Why are we here?", and "What is our purpose in life?" are some of the biggest questions one can ask. It is my conviction that I exis on this earth for one thing; to glorify God. In class today we took a look at 2 Corinthians 11:3. In the KJV it reads, "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."

The word simplicity in this passage refers to a singleness or single focus. Again we are to be focused soley on Christ and soley on glorifying God. Our focus and single pupose must be on Christ. However as this verse warns Satan will try his hardest to remove us from that single-mindedness or single focus. Eve had the focus of "I want to glorify God", but Satan began to divide her focus until she also began to desire a knowledge which she did not have.

So in today's world and life we are called to have one single focus...what other purpose or focus is Satan trying to instill in your life. What shocked me is it often times is something not sinful in itself. Satan doesn't try to shift our focus to being a criminal or a murder; no he is much more subtle. Honestly evaluate your drive and focus in life. Is it "I want to glorify God"? Maybye Satan is trying to divide your focus to "I want to glorify God" and "I want to excel in my workplace" or "I want to make a difference in the world". Interestingly enough these are both good desires yet they can so easily distract us from the single-mindedness we are to have in Christ.

What about me and my fellow students; what is our desire and focus. It can so easily become "I want to glorify God" along with things such as "I want good marks in school" "I want to be respected by my peers". So quickly our focus can be divided and we lose the simplicity or single-mindedness we are to have as Christians.

Here's a hard one for guys my age, often our focus can turn to "I want to find and marry and Godly wife." It is a great desire to have...but it must not become our focus...it must be a part of desiring to glorify God and it must not divide our focus. Paul speaks of this in 1 Corinthians 7:32-34...it is so easy for our focus to be lost. It is more and more becoming my conviction that until I can place my relationship with God over that of my relationship with others and especially my future wife I am not trully prepared for marriage.

We must have a single-mindedness...think of Abraham...if God today asked you to leave behind all you knew, to leave your family, friends, home, church, and all else and go to a place you did not know would you obey? What is your focus and mindset? Do you have a single pupose in life or is it divided? What do you need to surrender to God today?

So yeah...that's just a little of what God was teaching me in class today...what has He been teaching you?

Focused On Christ

So here at NBBI we just had two weekends of Teen Retreats. In short almost 300 teens invaded our campus and lives for Friday Saturday and Sunday of the last two weeks. It's been a wild ride of fantastic fun, junk food, screams, lost voices, ice cold water, and amazing Bible teaching. We had the teens play some of the craziest games and do some of the craziest things just to win the weekend for their team and it was loads of fun. However these times during the weekends can be pretty tough and trying for the students. Take what used to be our sleep and day and time off and replace it with extra responibilities, late nights, and craziness and you get a big chance of having discouraged, tired, and sick students. One of the things we have to do here at NBBI is never lose our focus. It's not the same as other campus', we are not all about the grades or the sports or the firends we can make...our focus is on Jesus Christ. Teen retreats has been an amazing opportunity for us to share with others what Christ has done in our lives and it gives us an opportunity to test our focus and dependence upon God. When your running on little sleep and exams are coming your either thriving with the peace and joy that comes from relying on Christ or your in a state of exauhstion and depression from trying to do it in your own strength. It's the perfect practise for real life. When your working full time with people or trying to be a witness for God after a week of hard work you will either stand or fall on this one principle...where is your focus. Is it on Christ or is it on something else. Take Peter for example...when he was focused on Christ he could do extraordinary things yet when he began to focus on the wind and the waves he began to sink...so where is your focus today? Is it on Christ or is it on something else...fellow students if you don't have joy and peace than I encourage you to check your focus...when we keep our eyes on Christ He will supply us with the strength, peace, and joy that we need...only when we keep our focus on Christ will we be able to say at the end of our life, "I have fought the good fight, and I have finished the race"

Cast Your Cares Upon Him

This week has been a big grwoing week fo me and some friends here at NBBI. It's one of those times when work strts to pile up and colds went around and many of my friends went through some trials and challenges this week. I myself wrestled with some big questions. It is in these times that I love the words in 1 Peter 5:7...Cast your cares upon Him for he cares for you. Life at times just seems to pull out all the stops and just hits us with all it's got. Wether it's a question God doesn't seem to answer, the pain from a situation, or the loss of a loved one life can really hurt some days. As Christians God doesn't promise to make our life always good and happy...in fact He warns us that trials and hard times are part of the cost for following Him. But He does promise to e with us and to support us through the hard times in life. It reminds me of a skit me and others on a team called SEM is doing...it's performed to the song called "Everything Falls Apart" by Fee. It has an amazingly powerful message that God will hold us together even when our life seems to fall apart. When God says to cast our cares upon Him I believe it is beacuse some worries and cares that we try to bear were never meant for us. When a loved one dies or when life just doesn;t make sense we are crushed under the extreme weight of sorrow and injustice. It is then that God calls out to us and tells us to cast our cares upon Him. Wecan rest in the knowledge that God is always wih us, always supporting us, and always working to give us what is best. So what are your worried about today or is their a greif or sorrow laid upon your heart...lay it at the feet of Jesus and know that He cares for you!