If you weren’t new to Awakening this past Sunday, you might have been slightly surprised to see Steve Clifford, WestGate’s head pastor, speaking from the front instead of Awakening’s pastor, Ryan. Steve generously devoted his evening to visit Awakening and spoke on the topic of money and what it means to be a joyful giver.

We recognize how touchy the subject of money can be in American society, especially when asking people to give it away. This is interesting, because if Steve’s submission that “we [Americans] are all rich”  is true, why do you think any of us might have a hesitation to give to those who have not?

I can just imagine myself attempting to explain my response to a group of people in Ethiopia who probably know nothing about it’s like to have an abundance of clean water, let alone any sort of monetary wealth.

In Mark 12:41-44, the Bible illustrates a poor woman who offers two small coins as her tithe into the temple treasury- the smallest offering allowed at the temple. It was nothing compared to what the rich people in the crowd offered, and yet Jesus is overjoyed with the woman, and displeased by the others. It turns out, giving sacrificially isn’t about dollar amount, or emptying your bank account. Jesus is challenging the people around him to act in such a way that changes the heart from selfishness to love that is unconditional.

This makes me wonder, was Jesus ever displeased by my giving that was hardly a sacrifice to my daily living? Does the God of the universe — the “I am”– really need my $10, $20, $50 a week?

Personally, I truly believe that to give, whether it be time, talent, or treasure, because we know we can depend on our Father as Jehovah Jireh (Provider), we are acting in true “joyful giver” form.

“But just as you excel in everything- in faith, in speech, in knowledge…see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the SINCERITY of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others”

2 Corinthians 8:7-8 (emphasis added)

God also speaks to you poor college students too:

“…Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to he does not have”

2 Corinthians 11-12

Regardless of dollar amount, giving is a pre-determined act of worship, and when we worship in complete thankfulness, we adopt a spirit of generosity and joy.

“Teach me your way, O Lord”

Psalm 27:11

Author: Kate Anderson

These past few weeks, I have been really learning why prayer is so important and why it should be a significant part of our relationship with the Lord. As a child who grew up in a Christian home, I thought we only prayed before dinner and going to bed. We prayed as a family, thanked him for the food on our plates and the beds we got to sleep in and that was it. I really did not think too much of it. As I got into high school, I used God as a vending machine: when it was convenient and when I wanted something. “Dear God, I really didn’t study for my math test. Can you help me get at least a passing grade?” or “God, I really need a parking spot. Wanna help me out?” For most of high school and the beginning of college, that’s what my prayer life was like. I used God when I needed him to come through for me. Little did I know, I was in for a rude awakening. I began to question the concept prayer. I didn’t understand why we needed to pray. God is all-knowing, right? His will is ultimately going to be done, right? So, why was it necessary for me to ask God for things like community, jobs, friendships? Friends, I struggled with this. I could not figure this out. I was doing research, reading my Bible and seeking council. I wanted to get to the bottom of this. Someone had shared one verse with me and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 14:13

There it was, simply stated. God gets the glory. I think back to those thoughts of getting the passing grade or finding the parking spot and I didn’t even thank God for those times when it did happen. I applauded myself and figured I could get away not studying and the answers would just “come to me” again. So, not only is prayer powerful, but it is something we should take very seriously. I was at Hume Lake a couple years back as a counselor and our speaker spoke on how he viewed the idea of prayer. He shared that it is us coming before his throne so reverently humble and surrendering the wills for our life. Bowing down before the throne, praying within the will that God has for our lives and giving him the glory for what he is going to do.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

Yes, God is going to bless us and give us what we need in our lives; but it may not be what we desire for ourselves. For me, I have a hard time seeing the bigger picture. I focus in on one tiny detail and I’m set. No one can change my mind. Friends, that’s an issue in my life. As I’ve been learning to pray God’s will for my life, I’ve been slowly taking off those blinders and I’m able to see why instances did or didn’t happen in my life. And it’s just not the big things. God wants to be a part of the little things in our lives. Even if it is finding that parking spot, being in communication with God daily is so important. As I’ve been in my small group, I’ve had the opportunity to pray for the ladies in my group. I do life with these special women. They have shown me how very different their approach to circumstances are because of the power we have in prayer. Whether it being talking with a boss, finding a job or just getting more sleep throughout the week. God is a part of their daily lives.

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

Matthew 21:22

I encourage you, my friends, to be in prayer and really comprehend the power that we have in Christ because of prayer. May we approach his throne in confidence knowing that God will always listen and answer those petitions in his will for our lives. Make your requests known to God. It may not be the answer that we want, but we don’t always get to see the bigger picture. God is all-knowing, right? He’s got our lives in the palms of his hands. He loves us, his children, and wants nothing more than to bless us immensely. Continue to be in conversation with your Heavenly Father. We serve a big God who can do so much more than we could even begin to dream of.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

Ephesians 3:20

Author: Nicole Presley

God is constantly at work in our lives. He is in the constant process of molding our hearts and spirits to be more susceptible to His voice, and pruning out the junk that can suffocate His ultimate will in our lives. God wants us to be holy, shining, vessels of His son, Jesus, and He is most often in the midst of our trials and circumstances to do a deeper work in us so that He can ultimately do a great work through us.

Over the past several months God has been raising up and removing whole sorts of junk in my life – pride, lies, and insecurities that have been deeply rooted in my life. The process has been painful, to say the least, and has left a deep sting, because of pride, and a void that I am humbly having to allow God to heal and fill with His joy.

The other week I stumbled across the Proverbs 17:3 where the writer reminds us of the process in which precious metals are melted in order to be poured out into shapes. The verse reads:

The crucible is for silver and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.

I love this analogy of metal working in comparison to our lives and how God is working to transform our lives to be holy reflections of His glory. Let me explain why, because I am sure you may be wondering why a crucible and a furnace have anything to do with the trials in our lives.

Most metal pieces – used for jewelry and smaller sculptures – are broken globs of metal and unless the metal-smith is planning to carve the final design into the raw metal, the globs need to first be cast into a mold, then shaped, and eventually polished. All throughout the process, the metal must undergo constant firings to both purify the metal from impurities that have been collected overtime, and strengthen the metal for the next phase.

The process of beginning a metal piece always begins with the initial melting of the globs of metal. For silver (I’ll use this since I’ve worked with this metal before), the process begins in a crucible, a ceramic or stone based bowl. Once all the pieces of silver have been added, the crucible must be placed under an intensely hot flame. The melting phase does two things. First, it liquefies the silver to the point that it can be poured into a mold that is sufficient enough to begin the creating process. Second, the melting raises the impurities of the silver to the surface. As the metal is liquefied and shaped under the heat, the impurities remain at the top. Once the heat is removed and the silver and the impurities solidify and the two elements are left divided. The metal-smith now must remove the impure end of the cast. There are a variety of ways to remove this part of the cast piece, but the simplest way is with a single, well-trained, blow to the end of the mold – this can be done because the impurities cause a weakness in this section of the silver mold. The area can break easily, without shattering the rest of the mold.

As the original mold is then hammered, pressed, etched, and soldered the metal must continue a process of being placed under the fire until it is red-hot (on the brink of melting) each time the shaping process reaches a breaking point. The re-firing of the metal continues to strengthen the metal from factures and removes additional impurities that are picked up during the shaping process.

Just like the metal, God is taking us through uncomfortable circumstances to test (as the proverbs writer explains) and ultimately purify our hearts and strengthening our faith. God is using the fire of these trials to bring us into a deeper and holier stand before Him. However, we must be cautious as such trials can often cause us to become frustrated, and bitterness enters in because our pride, our desire for control over our lives, and our faith are challenged. We must learn to humbly welcome the trials and inner work that God wants to do in us – a mindset I am still learning to own. James tells us to take pure joy in such trials because of the maturity that these trials produce in us.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4 (ESV)

The pruning and molding processes will occur throughout our lives, and God is using these trails to deepen our faith; to help us trust His leading and direction, to learn His voice in the midst of our daily lives and to follow Him, knowing that in the end His will is best. Cling to God during these trials. Reflect on Psalm 46 and specifically on verse 10, where God tells the psalmist:

“Be still, and know that I am God”

The “being still” is not a physical stillness as Jay Kim pointed out at this year’s Winter Retreat, but rather a willingness to become aware and ultimately reliant on the presence of God in any circumstance.

It would be easy to say that going through the challenges and trials over the past several months have been worth it; as I know ultimately that God is working out a deeper purpose. However, the bigger truth is that through the challenges, the constant heart, spirit and mind checks and despite the pain, I’ve had the chance to have a time of clinging on to God and am learning to trust Him with deeper areas in my life. The ultimate outcome when we learn to trust God and allow Him to have His way, is a deeper awakening and freedom to the life He intended for us have and a purer more real worship of our Holy God.

Author: Emily “EmJ” James

Ever since I can remember, I have been intrigued and drawn to the mysterious and unknown. Perhaps it had to do with my early years as a magic hobbyist and enthusiast and that addictive feeling I got when I was genuinely fooled by a great trick. Or, it could have been that my favorite movie growing up was “Harry and the Hendersons”. The heartwarming story about a family that hits Bigfoot with their car on the way home from a camping trip. Or just maybe it could be connected to the catchy theme song and intriguing host of one of my favorite childhood shows “Unsolved Mysteries”. Whatever it was, I had this fascination at an early age and it has carried with me into my adult years.

Every day I spend about three hours in the car driving to work and home. Although I try to spend some of that time listening to my bible on tape or praying, I have recently found myself pulling up many different documentaries on YouTube and listening to the audio (possibly occasionally looking down at the video as well). Not only is this terribly dangerous to do while driving but, the content in these video usually has no real value and always comes back around to me wondering if they have found bigfoot yet or if aliens really do exist. Although I know deep down that most of these videos are completely fabricated or fictional, my curiosity gets the best of me sometimes.

I was really convicted recently and wondering why I can be so intrigued by hoaxes and pop culture but when it comes God, I rarely take the time to bask in His wonder or ponder His magnificence. He is the creator of that feeling of awe that I am so drawn to but for some reason I fill my life with distractions and false hopes when He is all I need. Psalms 65:8 says:

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where
morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.

I so long to filled with awe and consumed by God’s wonders. I excitedly look forward to spending more time with Him and discovering the true mysteries my future holds. I hope and pray that you will push away all the distractions in your daily lives that keep you from meeting God and spending time in His presence.

Author: Chris Waltner

How did you first hear about Jesus? Maybe it was in Sunday School? Young Life? Family? Friends? Maybe you grew up in the church. Someone had to tell that person about Jesus, right? That person was acting boldly. They recognized the fact that everyone has the chance to spend eternity with or without Jesus Christ. Everyone has a soul. Everyone was created in the image of God. So, who are we to deny someone that chance by not sharing the gospel? So, here is where living on mission happens. Be intentional. Don’t be afraid to engage in conversation. Recognize that you may be the only way the people in your sphere of influence see Jesus.

I had been thinking about this and praying for boldness and God blessed me with an opportunity. I was grabbing a sandwich while on my lunch break and there a lady sitting outside the shop. She asked if I had any spare change. At that point, I knew God was giving me an opportunity to be bold, which is definitely outside of my comfort zone. I asked if I could buy her lunch. To say the least, she was surprised. I bought her lunch, sat down with her and asked if she knew Jesus. (Got right to the point, huh?) She explained her current situation and how she ended up on the streets. I shared the gospel with her and asked to pray for her. Will, I ever see her again? Who knows. What do I know was that God ordained that lunch conversation to happen. He knew that I would want a sandwich. He knew that she would be sitting right in front of the entrance. There was nothing I could have done in my own power to make that happen. Is her life going to be different because of what I shared? I hope so. I would like to think that the ten minutes I spent with her changed her eternity.

So, now what? Friends, be intentional. Be praying that God would give you opportunities to be bold. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ryan Ingram shared in one of his messages that there are 100,000 people, between the ages of 18-25, who live in the San Jose area. Three percent of them know Jesus. Let me do the easy math for you. Ninety-seven percent of the people living in our own city don’t know Jesus. That shocks me. Think of how much that number would change if we lived intentional lives. Imagine all the lives that could be affected if we lived on mission.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

Author: Nicole Presley