A Year of Renewal

God is so faithful. I have loved every moment being back in Ghana. It has been a busy couple of weeks of working to get things ready for the new teachers and doing whatever I could to help around the school. I got a lot done in my classroom during this time and I really got to focus on the focus of my year. This year my focus for my class is to follow God and be wise in what He has for my students and me. Our class verse is Proverbs 3:7, “ Be not wise in your own eyes: Fear the Lord and depart from evil. I love this verse because if we have a relationship with Christ we shouldn’t want to be wise in our own eyes. I always want to make sure that I am acquiring of the Lord before I make decisions.

      This past week we had teacher training. Our theme this year is renewal. Renewal in all areas of our lives, whether that be at school, in our lives, or in our relationship with Christ. This really inspired me. This summer I was on a quest to really find who I was in Christ. I was reading a book, The Real Me: Being the Girl God Sees. This really changed my view of who I was in Christ. That God made me with all my insecurities, and faults for a reason and that He made me the way I am because I am special to Him. At the end, it gives a list of who I am to God. God started my renewal process this summer by showing me who I am. Starting a fresh turn in my relationship with Christ (a renewal) by showing me that I am forgiven (Ephesians 1:7), made new in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), blessed and chosen by God (Ephesians 1:3-5), Strong (Ephesians 6:10), Holy and without blame (I peter 1:15-16), Set free (John 8:31-32), complete (Colossians 2:10), not guilty (romans 8:1), At peace with God (2 Corinthians 5:18), Protected (I John 5:18), Marked as God’s (Ephesians 1:13), created for good (Ephesians 2:10), Loved (I Thessalonians 1:4), Becoming more like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18), not afraid (2 Timothy 1:7), and Never alone (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). 

Renewal is a process that we go through in our walk with Christ and it is a good change. Renewal is required but only God can renew us from within. Mine has started and I am ready for God to stretch me in ways that I could never imagine this year. God has already stretched me this past week with some of the things I am involved in this year.  This year I get to be on the chapel committee. I think this is going to stretch me more than anything else this year. Helping to plan what happens in chapel and getting the opportunity to speak not only once but at least 3 times. This is going to be the biggest challenge for me because I am least comfortable speaking in front of people, all of my insecurities come out and all my inadequacies. I am so excited though to get the opportunity to take things that these kids know and use it to share the gospel and share who Christ is. This is a big request for me as my first time speaking will be in two weeks the final message of three-called Ready Set Go. I get to speak on the Go. Then our next themes are superheroes and what are qualities that we need to be superheroes of the faith. I get to speak about Esther and how she was a biblical superhero. The Last theme is Disney movies. We are taking Disney movies and pulling biblical truths from them. My movie is The Lion King. I was rewatching it today and seeing what God can show me through this movie and I am so excited to look into something that I saw and heard. I can’t wait! 

      I hope this year as you read my blog that you would be encouraged. I can’t wait to share this journey with you. I am so thankful for all the prayers and support. God is going to do amazing things this year and I hope that you enjoy the journey as much as I am going to.

2 Corinthians 4:16 “For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”