1 John

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life--the life was made manifest to us, and we have seen and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us. That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you so that you too may have fellowship with us; indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things to you so that our joy may be complete. This the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.
I John 1:1-2:1

God has really been speaking to me through 1 John. As I study it I am also praying through it. I believe this is what we will go through in the girls bible study this next semester if the Lord permits. It's so rich with truth. And it calls us out of a complacent life with God.

I'm so excited to go back to Bowie for a second year. This summer, one of my teammates, Brandon, helped make a new video, highlighting God's work at Bowie State. Check it out!

A Student Recognizes The Cost of Discipleship

Luke 14:25-33 addresses the cost of discipleship. I had the privilege of reading this passage among challenging scriptures with a student today who has been asking hard questions, questions that no one else can answer but her. She's realizing that following Christ is a commitment. She has to let go of some things in order to take the Bible seriously. Although she didn't walk away like, "Yes, I'm ready to give up everything for the sake of Christ," she did walk away encouraged that she is not in this alone. She does not have to muster up the strength to walk this out perfectly. That's impossible! Christ has already done that, and that's why we can rejoice in the fact that his grace empowers us to become more and more like Him.

Please pray for her that she would have courage in her walk of faith, not to follow her friends but to wholeheartedly follow God instead.

* * *

I'm happy to announce that Bowie State Navigators is now an official organization at BSU!!!!
We can now reserve rooms for our large group meetings. Here are a couple pics from last week.

Check out the Bowie State Team in Ministry Launch Video

This video was filmed when we first started the school year. So hear our stories, check out the man in charge of the whole operation, see the school!

Unfortunately I was sick that week, so you won't see much of me, which makes it an even greater video!!!

Click here to view BSU Ministry Launch!

Let's join Moses in Pointing to Jesus

Today I read something powerful. In Exodus 34:8, Moses prays for the Lord to be among the nation of Israel and for him to forgive them for being such a stiff-necked people. Then he makes the most interesting request. "Take us for your inheritance."

Take us for your inheritance.

I could not get passed this verse. I was moved by how all scripture points to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For every believer, we can delight in being the Lord's inheritance through Christ, for He bore our sins, drank the cup of God's wrath on our behalf, enduring the most horrible death--separation from God. By doing that he purchased a people for God and God gave us to Christ as a gift, as an inheritance.

Just recall Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1:18, that we would have "they eyes of [our] hearts enlightened that [we] may know what is the hope which he has called [us], what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints."

Moses was praying for Jesus, for only through Jesus can we receive forgiveness of sins! Wow. And to think that not only are we His inheritance, not only do we belong to Him as His treasure, He is also our treasure. He is our portion. We gain in Him.

I am his and he is mine!!!! What a glorious inheritance indeed!!! Oh God, thank you for answering Moses' prayer and for including us in that picture of plentiful redemption.

And thank you for being so faithful to preach the gospel in the old and new testament. I just realized that when you declared, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation," in Exodus 34:6-7, you were preaching the gospel. Through Christ we receive that grace, and mercy, and steadfast love. You will not clear those who remain guilty because they refuse to change their minds and turn to you, but how faithful are you to those who do. Moses repented for his people.

"O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities."
Psalm 130:7-8

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!" Psalm 33:12

Can we pray together for our hearts to be humbled at the revelation of who Christ is and what He is done that we might know Him? And will you join me in praying this for the girls I'm getting to know at Bowie State? That they will all freshly encounter the gospel and begin to live their lives in response to it?

Thanks!

--Laura

Thoughts From Bible Study Our Staff Team is Doing Calle Advance the Gospel

Without Christ our purpose is broken. We were created to bear the image of God, to be as close to him in likeness and in relationship as creaturely possible. We are most human and most fulfilled when receive restoration from Christ. For Christ also suffered once fo sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might... bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit. Praise Him!

Thoughts Before Next Semester Begins

Home is where my heart has not been....

"Home is in the will of my Father"--Lindy Black, the Navigators

I am homesick.

I want to go home.

I didn't realize I had wandered so far.

I'm hurting, because I fear that I cannot decipher the language of your heart anymore.

How is it that my actions can look the same from day to day (going through the motions of "pleasing God") and yet my heart be so cold, so unmoved, so unwilling to go deeper? And how is it that I can know this, ache because of it, and do nothing?

What happened?

"Prone to wander, Lord I feel it.
Prone to leave the God I love,
Here's my heart. Oh, take and seal it.
Seal it for thy courts above."

If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
John 12:26

Mold me into Your servant, Lord.