Hoopla!

I am thinking back to one of my first memories of our small group, and I remember having the opportunity to reassure Kate of the legitimate concerns she had about being able to keep up with the workload, and the relief she felt when hearing that others struggle as well.  It came full circle today as she reassured me that if I can handle school at EBC, I will be able to handle the work of a Nursing student.

It has been a very interesting experience for me in this "more mature group" as we often call it, especially since I am the youngest by at least 6 years.  In these last two weeks it has been especially evidant.

Last week we talked about wether or not a spiritual mentor could be younger than the mentee.  My age was obviously noticed in that context, and I did make points for age being less relevant.  The concensus seemed to be that it does not matter if a spiritual mentor is younger than the mentee; if the spiritual mentor is young, as in immature, then that is certainly a problem.  I thought it was ironic that even if I was talking to people 8+ years older than myself who did not agree with being mentored by somebody younger than themselves, they were still listening to me.  My point may have been made regardless of the words I used ;)

This week we had a barbeque at Kate's house, and everybody was again able to make it.  What a great group!  And to think that Kate likes to do nice things like this. That is crazy!  Anyway, topics ranged from sexual techniques, bad sex, good sex, orgasms, fake orgasms, fidelity, potential partners, sexual preferences, and masterbation within the context of marriage.  We also talked about border crossing by way of Lake Superior in a ski-doo.  I learned a lot for sure, though there were times when I was uncertain about wether or not I wanted to know what I was learning.  And I have a lot of conversations about sexuality.  I simply have never seen people get so honest so fast, and this has been a huge benefit to me.

It is not possible to see from my current perspective if this will be possible, but I would love for our group to connect next year.  If nothing else I feel I have excellent rapport with all the members of my group, and would feel comfortable coming to them for advice or help.  Perhaps we will take our developing relational skills and use them in new supportive relationships, or perhaps we will have the opportunity to support each other again in the future.

What should a spiritual mentor look like?

All were present and involved in the conversation.

Our last group discussion proved to be enlightening. Being somewhat of a more mature in age group (to my group- it's a good thing!!) we have had some healthy talks and rest with the fact that it is okay to have our own opinion, we do not all need to agree, we can still get along even if we do not agree. Moreover, to have a healthy balance it is good to be open minded to hear what everyone has to say. Spending the last ten weeks together has helped us to grow personally and become more comfortable as a group. Announcing that Kate has made the decision to be baptized is a true sign that individuals in our group are growing in Christ. She is gettin baptized this Sunday! Congratulations Kate, we are soooooo excited for you!!!!

I raised the question again of: should we have a younger spiritual mentor? My purpose in asking it again was not to challenge the comment that we should not get “caught up in age” , but more to shed light on the deeper part of where the question is coming from and what it really means. Some valuable comments by the group were said such as: Good mentors ask questions and they don't give all the answers. We could get accidentally mentored, could be different mentors for different things. Younger could bring a nice touch especially if the person has not had a Christian relationship before.

Here is my personal view: I firmly agree, we should not get caught up in age, in fact, if the person is God sent and is spiritually mature with living in Christ, nothing else should really matter. God sent is the key word. Should we not be looking to the Bible and Holy Spirit for guidance on who should be our Spiritual Mentor? The Bible tells us that Elders should teach us (don't have the verse for the sake of time and space), older women to younger women and older men to younger men. Age is not mentioned, so being the ESTP that I am, logic comes first to mind. Experience from living in the world would naturally come from age. So this would look differently at different ages. It would be hard (but not impossible) to have someone under 20 mentor someone over 30. What about the sexual thoughts a 30 year old would get? The 20 year old is just identifying what that means to them. But in the later years, the difference is less extreme. Since we can only change with God's help, that would mean that we are mature enough to make the right decisions and appropriately use the authority in Christ that He has given us. In short, it is very useful to learn from everyone around us both younger and older. However, I define a Spiritual Mentor as a package deal. Someone who will hold me accountable and will have the experienced intuitive gifting that can probe my inner thoughts. Having someone who is wise (more likely an elder) is the most wise decision, otherwise although we will learn, we will be limited to what we can learn. This has nothing to do with being not teachable, they are completely two different things. Perhaps this is age that helps you see this. We have all been young at one time and look back at the interesting views we had. At what age do we become older?

I am glad that we are encouraging so many people to be mentors I believe that it is important to build people up. Possibly a solution is to have younger poeple shadow experienced spiritual mentors so that there can be more and each person can be highly influential In Christ.

Thank-you Jason for the guest speakers, it was very nice to hear them. You have been a strong leader and been open to what we all have to say. Also, having the small group was unique and a great idea. I really enjoyed my group, our class and all the discussions.

Its not the end........its just the beginning!!

This, apparently, was the last week that our small groups are meeting.  All were present today.

We had a lively discussion, of course;), about mentoring.  The thoughts and ideas flowed.  Sometimes they clashed, sometimes they meshed, but I feel that everyone was heard and felt secure enough in our group to express opinions that would, in the larger classroom setting, go unvoiced.  

I'm not really going to dwell on the mentoring issue today though, even though Mr. Martin and Jason did an excellent job presenting their ideas to the class.  Instead I would like to focus on the small group idea.

Thank-you Jason for implementing the small group formation.  In all honesty, the sharing and discussing of ideas in my small group has impacted me far more than the actual class has.  Kudos to you for recognizing this Jason, and for being mature enough in your relationship with the Lord to let Him lead your class in twenty "little" groups as opposed to you always leading us as one big group.  I am very grateful to you.

What can I say to/about my small group?  This has been the first small group I have been a part of as a Christian.  You all have impacted me in ways that I could never possibly convey to you even if I understood them all right now.  God has used you all to minister to me, chastize me, teach me, and surround me in a positive atmosphere.  How amazing is that? I am honoured to have gotten to know you all and look forward to spending eternity with you praising Him.

I pray that you always remember your zeal for the Lord as it is right now and that that zeal grows a thousand fold!!  

Love in Him who loved us first! (a favourite phrase from a favourite book ;)  )

Kate

 

 

Today we went on a retreat. We were supposed to hear God today. Mat was able to hear what he wanted to hear. He was searching for clarity on issues surrounding where it is that he is supposed to used by God. His conflict was with wether he wanted to be used in a corporate Church setting or not. From what I gathered there was conflict internally because he did not want that. But while walking he was given guidance from God and he realized that God would use him wherever he is.
Kate did not feel that she got much out of this retreat, except that she had a further revalation into her struggles as a Christian. At first she felt that the retreat was too forced, but I believe that she did get something out of it.
I did not get much of a chance to talk to Ben or Joanna when they got back but I would say that they atleast enjoyed themselves because of how long they were wandering around.
Myself (John Jonathan), I felt that I was going to get a lot out of this; however all I recieved was guilty feelings about the lust that I struggle with on a daily basis. I chose to remain silent for the whole day. The thing that I found weird is that it was easier to stay silent when everyone else was talking. When they were quiet also, it was more difficult.

the awesomest group time ever!!!

This week everyone was here for our group time, which made it super awesome.  We have such a dynamic group, its wonderful to have so many different viewpoints from so many strong (I hesitate to use the word stubborn!  lol) individuals!!

We started out talking about our views on what was discussed in class, which in itself was insightful as always, however we veered off onto a tangent that we followed and which led us all to stay for an extra half hour after class finished.  We started talking about commitment, what leads to commitment, attraction, sex, and guilt all from a christian standpoint. We all come from such diverse backgrounds and are all at such different points in our walk with Christ that the thoughts and ideas that sprang up from our diversity fostered an openness and closeness that we, as a group, haven't experienced before.

As a fairly new Christian it was, and I am only going to speak for myself in this blog, so affirming for me to know that the others in the group struggled with the same types of issues as me.  The concepts of real guilt, false guilt, and shame, and how it all fits in with the other topics we were discussing was especially significant.  The Enemy is so adept at using guilt against us, even when there is nothing to be guilty about.  One group member stated that Satan puts certain thoughts and ideas into our heads and then turns around and makes us feel guilty about it in the hopes of causing us to stumble.  This is something that I am struggling with pretty intensely right now and I feel that the Lord used our group time to minister to me through our conversation.  Thank you Lord!!  

Thank you all for investing a little more of yourselves into our group than usual.  God has used you to instruct, teach, guide, and invoke self awareness for a struggling Sister and I am very blessed by all of you!!

Love,

Kate

Finances, A Touchy Subject

Kate, John, Mat, Ben and myself Joanna in attendance.

Jumping into finances as a debt was the start to a rather touchy subject. I say touchy because it was a general spoken consensus that we were unsure of what was really said about tithing. Was the Mennonite Foundation of Canada (MFC) telling us to give all of our money away at church or were they suggesting that we were bad if we were not tithing? In hopes to keep personal finances personal, I too will stay consistent and leave names out. A quick note that all who were present contributed to the conversation. There were a few confessions of feeling the pain of debt and the struggle to tithe when we are in a time of making ends meet.

After wrestling with the question what is debt? Most were in agreement that purchasing a house could be a wise investment and although technically a debt, it was more an asset. Some expressed their desire to pay off their arrears and others felt that paying them off is next to impossible.

My view is that bringing up the topic of tithing in ministry is a must but speaking about it does not have to frustrate, condemn or confuse people so much. It is my suggestion that MFC could have less focus on ten percent as the tithe and more focus on prayerfully identifying what is right for each person individually. If our relationship is personal to Jesus, wouldn’t that mean that the amounts we tithe are personal too? I would like to point attention to 2 Corinthian’s 9:7 “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity... (NKJV)”. My interpretation is that The Word is not just talking about money. Judging by many claiming this day that they felt guilty not being able to give as much as they would like, the attempt to discuss came across as very legalistic. Perhaps they could explore other ways to give so that it comes from the heart and seems attainable.

Kate’s suggestion for the MFC to provide ways for Pastor’s to talk more about tithing seems very suitable. I also agree with Ben’s idea that some churches do not need to be as big as they are and have all the fine trimmings. What else could that money be used for?

Titles are not important, right?

Today we explored the topic of finances in class.  In our own discussion group, we talked mostly about debt.  Seeing as how we are all students, debt is highly relevant.  Due to the personal nature of finances, no names will be mentioned.

We discussed the various levels of debt that each of us as individuals have incurred, and what it is like to have that much debt.  Levels of debt included small credit card balances, OSAP, lines of credit, governmental fines, and mortgages.

The following question was raised.  Does a mortgage actually count as debt?  It is certainly considdered a debt when it is applied to a speadsheet or when speaking to an accountant.  It costs money to live anywhere, so what is wrong with paying for a mortgage as opposed to paying rent?  The money payed out to rent is not retained at all, whereas with a mortgage, everything payed over top of the interest is retained in the value of the building/property.  We then discussed how when with any debt, there is value in every dollar that is payed out, exempting that payed out for interest.  The specific mechanics of reducing interest payments were discussed.

The following is an evaluation of the presentation by Mat Snyder.  These views are not neccessarily held by other members of Team Awesome.

The presentation has many important points, and primarily addressed the critical issue of opening up a discussion about money within the church.  This is an important stronghold that needs to be addressed. I felt the point about pastors being unwilling to talk about finances to have been made very well, and has been delivered to many young bible college students who will be future pastors.  The information about how much Jesus talked about money was especially important.

Improvements: The Christian jargon about sheep instead of dollars is unneccessary and confusing.  The bible is talking about income, which comes from work and monetary success.  Money is a clear analogy to cows.  The confusion about wether or not a student should tithe on his or her loan should have been made clear.  If money has not been earned, money need not be tithed.  The presentation could also have been adapted more to a student body.  The present reality of an average student is low income and large debt, so dealing with these issues in a practical manner first may allow other topics to be addressed with greater attention afterwards.