Hello all,
I am now a week into the new semester, and God has already been teaching me so much! I am excited for all that God will continue to teach me both in knowledge and in my walk with Him. It will be a challenging and stretching time for me, but I know it will be so worth it! I managed to survive through my Greek class, and am excited to put it to use in my Exegesis of Johannine literature course this semester. I also just got a job at Starbucks in Lexington, and am excited to start training tomorrow. I know I will be crazy between classes and work, but it will be good!
Lately, I have been listening to this song over and over again by Bebo Norman, called “Nothing Without You.” It has been my ongoing prayer and heart cry this past month. That God would shape and mold me so that this will be true. My prayer is that I may truly live a life that reflects the words in this song. To come to the point where I realize and live my life according to the fact that without Him, I have, and am nothing; but it is in Him and only Him that I can have strength and love in my brokenness and begin to share that strength and love with others around me. That the world may look at my life and see that apart from God, I am nothing. That God will “Take my time here on this earth and let it glorify all that (He is) worth.”
I have posted the lyrics below so that you all may read them, and ask yourself if you have this same heart cry in your own lives. If you have not heard or own this song, I encourage you to download it on Itunes by the artist “Jordan Howerton Band.” I hope you all have blessed week.
In Christ with love,
Jordan
“Take these hands and lift them up
For I have not the strength to praise You near enough
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You
Take my voice and pour it out
Let it sing the songs of mercy I have found
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You
All my soul needs
Is all Your love to cover me
So all the world will see
That I have nothing without You
Take my body and build it up
May it be broken as an offering of love
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You
All my soul needs
Is all Your love to cover me
So all the world will see
That I have nothing
But I love You
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
With all the strength that I can find
Take my time here on this earth
And let it glorify all that You are worth
For I am nothing,
I am nothing without You”
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Worship God
Hello all,
Be proud, this is my second blog update within a month’s time! :) Like I said, I am going to try and keep this updated much more often that I did last semester. I am officially half way done with my month long intensive course of Greek! I was honestly a little nervous going into this class, it has been a ton of information to soak up, and at times has been overwhelming, but I have actually really liked it! We will see if I say the same thing after these next two weeks….
I have been reading a book over Revelation by Eugene Peterson, and there was one part that really stuck out to me that I want to share with you all. Twice, in Revelation 19:10 and 22:8-9, it is seen that John falls down at the feet of the Angel who revealed things about the Lord to him. Who can blame him? The angel probably came in great splendor and glory, with all of this knowledge, with a Word from the Lord. Yet, both times the angel rebukes John and refocuses his worship, telling him “Do not do that…worship God.” Eugene Peterson puts it in his book in this way, “get up. Get on your feet. Worship God, and only God. Angels, prophets, and fellow Christians stand on the same level and kneel together on the same ground-as worshipers.” As John bowed down in worship before the angels they were quick to correct his misplaced devotion.
I made me examine my own life and begin to ask this question. Do I have a misplaced devotion in areas of my life? Do I bow down in worship before things that aren’t God? They could be great things, for studies, church, etc….yet, even if they are good, we are not to turn them into idols. As the body of Christ, we are all equals….we “all kneel together on the same ground-as worshipers.” I challenge you to ask yourself these same questions. Are there any areas in your life that you put in a place of worship….placing it (or them) before God? I challenge you to pray about it, and leave you with these words, “Do not do that” “get up on your feet. Worship God and only God.” This is my prayer…..
Lord,
I want undistracted devotion to You. I want to worship You and You alone, nothing or no one else. I want to worship You with all my heart, mind, strength, and soul! You are my King, You are my God, and I love You so much! I want to give You all that I have, all that I am. Create in me a clean heart, one with undistracted devotion and worship towards You! It is in Your amazing, wonderful, and pleasing name that I pray,
I hope that this was as challenging and encouraging to you as much as it was to me.
In Christ with love,
Jordan
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Hello all!
I know it has been a little while since I last posted anything on this blog....I am sorry for that, things seemed to get really crazy as I got further into the semester! I am now officially finished with my first semester of Seminary and it truly was a blessing. God has taught me so much already in my time here both inside and outside of the classroom in so many ways! I cannot wait for the semesters to come and how He will continue to teach me and mold me in His image, all the while preparing me for the ministry to come that He has set before me.
Yesterday, I was sitting at Starbucks getting some reading done for class (yes...I am already reading a few books for the spring semester) and I stopped reading for a little while to do a devotional, and the poem that was in this book really spoke to me, so I wanted to share it. It is from Psalm 139:14 which says,
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
Following is the passage:
"You're special. In all the world there's nobody like you. Since the beginning of time there has never been another person like you. Nobody has your smile, nobody has your eyes, your nose, your hair, your hands, your voice.
You're special. No one can be found who has your handwriting. Nobody anywhere has your taste for food, clothing, music or art. No one sees things just as you do. In all of time there's been no one who laughs like you, no one who cries like you, and what makes you cry or laugh will never produce identical laughter and tears from anybody else, ever. You're the only one in all of creation who has your set of abilities. Oh, there will always be somebody who is better at one of the things you're good at, but no one in the universe can reach the quality of your combination of talents, ideas, abilities and feelings. Like a room full of musical instruments, some may excel alone, but none can match the symphony sound when all are played together. You're a symphony. Through all of etenity, no one will ever look, talk, walk, think, or do like you.
You're special--you're rare. And in all rarity there is great value. Because of your great value you need not attempt to imitate others...you will accept--yes, celebrate your differences.
You're special and you're beginning to realize it's no accident that you're special. You're beginning to see that God made you special for a purpose. He must have a job for you that no one else can do as well as you. Out of the billions of applicants, only one is qualified, only one has the right combination of what it takes. That one is you because--you're special."
I hope that this passage blessed you as much as it did me. Through this, I hope that each of you may realize how truly special you are to God. That He made YOU in His image. That YOU were fearfully and wonderfully made. God took the time to make you the exact person that you are, and He loves you so much. May we remember the great amount of love, time, and care it took God to make each one of us. In this Christmas season, may we remember the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. That we are so special and God loves us so much that He gave His only son, so that we may have eternal life (John 3:16). So remember, God loves YOU more than you can ever imagine!
In Christ with love,
Jordan McFall
I know it has been a little while since I last posted anything on this blog....I am sorry for that, things seemed to get really crazy as I got further into the semester! I am now officially finished with my first semester of Seminary and it truly was a blessing. God has taught me so much already in my time here both inside and outside of the classroom in so many ways! I cannot wait for the semesters to come and how He will continue to teach me and mold me in His image, all the while preparing me for the ministry to come that He has set before me.
Yesterday, I was sitting at Starbucks getting some reading done for class (yes...I am already reading a few books for the spring semester) and I stopped reading for a little while to do a devotional, and the poem that was in this book really spoke to me, so I wanted to share it. It is from Psalm 139:14 which says,
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
Following is the passage:
"You're special. In all the world there's nobody like you. Since the beginning of time there has never been another person like you. Nobody has your smile, nobody has your eyes, your nose, your hair, your hands, your voice.
You're special. No one can be found who has your handwriting. Nobody anywhere has your taste for food, clothing, music or art. No one sees things just as you do. In all of time there's been no one who laughs like you, no one who cries like you, and what makes you cry or laugh will never produce identical laughter and tears from anybody else, ever. You're the only one in all of creation who has your set of abilities. Oh, there will always be somebody who is better at one of the things you're good at, but no one in the universe can reach the quality of your combination of talents, ideas, abilities and feelings. Like a room full of musical instruments, some may excel alone, but none can match the symphony sound when all are played together. You're a symphony. Through all of etenity, no one will ever look, talk, walk, think, or do like you.
You're special--you're rare. And in all rarity there is great value. Because of your great value you need not attempt to imitate others...you will accept--yes, celebrate your differences.
You're special and you're beginning to realize it's no accident that you're special. You're beginning to see that God made you special for a purpose. He must have a job for you that no one else can do as well as you. Out of the billions of applicants, only one is qualified, only one has the right combination of what it takes. That one is you because--you're special."
I hope that this passage blessed you as much as it did me. Through this, I hope that each of you may realize how truly special you are to God. That He made YOU in His image. That YOU were fearfully and wonderfully made. God took the time to make you the exact person that you are, and He loves you so much. May we remember the great amount of love, time, and care it took God to make each one of us. In this Christmas season, may we remember the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. That we are so special and God loves us so much that He gave His only son, so that we may have eternal life (John 3:16). So remember, God loves YOU more than you can ever imagine!
In Christ with love,
Jordan McFall
Monday, September 21, 2009
Update #1
Hello all!
I have been here in Kentucky now for almost 3 weeks! I have heard from a few people, wondering how I have been doing, and I realized that I haven’t been the best at staying in contact with most of you back home since I got here to Asbury. I am sorry for that, and so I thought it would be good to send out a short update to you all instead of the simple text messages I have sent out to some people, saying simply “things are good.”
Things have been really crazy, but also really good as I have been getting into the swing of things here. God is teaching me and stretching me so much already in these short 3 weeks, it is amazing. I am currently taking 12 hours of Masters’ levels classes, to which I was told by many people here that I am crazy for doing so….we will see how the semester goes :) I am taking the following classes: introduction to the New Testament, Inductive Study over Matthew, Kingdom Church and World, and Life of Prayer. There has been a lot of reading for the classes, and I have either just turned in my first papers for the class, or am in process of getting ready to turn them in. It is hard to pick a favorite class, but I really enjoy and have already learned so much in my Life of Prayer class.
The community life here has been really good for me, and it is such a blessing to be a part of it. Myself and a group of guys have started to meet together once a week to just spur one another on in our walk with God. To come together to pray for one another, learn from each other, memorize scripture together, fast together, and just simply hang out together. I know that God will use this group to stretch me, and am so excited for what God is going to do through us coming together, even if it will be hard at times.
I also am now in the seminary choir….we will see how that goes, since I was never in Choir. but somehow I passed auditions and the director let me in, Lol. I am also playing intramural volleyball on Thursdays now, which should be fun! Another thing I have been a part of is AHOP (Asbury House of Prayer). It is every evening at 9pm during the week, and it is just a time that students from both the college and the seminary can come together to worship and pray to God. There is no set “order” of things, we just kind of come together and go as the Spirit leads! This time each evening is so amazing to come before my Creator, praising Him, crying out to Him, and just taking the time to be silent and listen to Him.
I have also started to play the djembe during AHOP…I walked in one evening and one of the guys handed me the drum and said, “I brought this for you to play” and so I have been attempting to play it each night since then. Through my "Life of Prayer" class and my time spent each evening at AHOP, God has been teaching me so much about worship and prayer, and it has been so amazing. If any of you want a good book on prayer, I highly suggest "Prayer" by Richard J. Foster.
Needless to say, things have been challenging but really amazing here so far. I am excited for all that God will continue to teach me in my time here. I hope this has given you a little glimpse into all that God is teaching me in my time here so far.
In Christ with love,
Jordan McFall
I have been here in Kentucky now for almost 3 weeks! I have heard from a few people, wondering how I have been doing, and I realized that I haven’t been the best at staying in contact with most of you back home since I got here to Asbury. I am sorry for that, and so I thought it would be good to send out a short update to you all instead of the simple text messages I have sent out to some people, saying simply “things are good.”
Things have been really crazy, but also really good as I have been getting into the swing of things here. God is teaching me and stretching me so much already in these short 3 weeks, it is amazing. I am currently taking 12 hours of Masters’ levels classes, to which I was told by many people here that I am crazy for doing so….we will see how the semester goes :) I am taking the following classes: introduction to the New Testament, Inductive Study over Matthew, Kingdom Church and World, and Life of Prayer. There has been a lot of reading for the classes, and I have either just turned in my first papers for the class, or am in process of getting ready to turn them in. It is hard to pick a favorite class, but I really enjoy and have already learned so much in my Life of Prayer class.
The community life here has been really good for me, and it is such a blessing to be a part of it. Myself and a group of guys have started to meet together once a week to just spur one another on in our walk with God. To come together to pray for one another, learn from each other, memorize scripture together, fast together, and just simply hang out together. I know that God will use this group to stretch me, and am so excited for what God is going to do through us coming together, even if it will be hard at times.
I also am now in the seminary choir….we will see how that goes, since I was never in Choir. but somehow I passed auditions and the director let me in, Lol. I am also playing intramural volleyball on Thursdays now, which should be fun! Another thing I have been a part of is AHOP (Asbury House of Prayer). It is every evening at 9pm during the week, and it is just a time that students from both the college and the seminary can come together to worship and pray to God. There is no set “order” of things, we just kind of come together and go as the Spirit leads! This time each evening is so amazing to come before my Creator, praising Him, crying out to Him, and just taking the time to be silent and listen to Him.
I have also started to play the djembe during AHOP…I walked in one evening and one of the guys handed me the drum and said, “I brought this for you to play” and so I have been attempting to play it each night since then. Through my "Life of Prayer" class and my time spent each evening at AHOP, God has been teaching me so much about worship and prayer, and it has been so amazing. If any of you want a good book on prayer, I highly suggest "Prayer" by Richard J. Foster.
Needless to say, things have been challenging but really amazing here so far. I am excited for all that God will continue to teach me in my time here. I hope this has given you a little glimpse into all that God is teaching me in my time here so far.
In Christ with love,
Jordan McFall
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Officially at Asbury Theological Seminary
Hello all,
After a long drive I arrived in Wilmore on Tuesday, and spent the day settling into my dorm room, and meeting new people here. Today was the first day of new student orientation, and although it was a packed day and an overwhelming amount of information, it has been amazing. I am so excited to begin my new journey here, and as I have arrived, I know all the more that this is where God has placed me. The community here at Asbury between not only students but also the faculty is amazing to be a part of, and I am excited for what God has in store for this semester! If anyone is interested and would like to send me mail, I have posted below my address here at Asbury, and would love to hear from you! I hope to post another blog on here in a couple of days to keep you all updated.
In Christ with love,
Jordan
Jordan McFall
ATS- SPO #701
204 N. Lexington Avenue
Wilmore, Kentucky 40390-1199
After a long drive I arrived in Wilmore on Tuesday, and spent the day settling into my dorm room, and meeting new people here. Today was the first day of new student orientation, and although it was a packed day and an overwhelming amount of information, it has been amazing. I am so excited to begin my new journey here, and as I have arrived, I know all the more that this is where God has placed me. The community here at Asbury between not only students but also the faculty is amazing to be a part of, and I am excited for what God has in store for this semester! If anyone is interested and would like to send me mail, I have posted below my address here at Asbury, and would love to hear from you! I hope to post another blog on here in a couple of days to keep you all updated.
In Christ with love,
Jordan
Jordan McFall
ATS- SPO #701
204 N. Lexington Avenue
Wilmore, Kentucky 40390-1199
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Asbury Theological Seminary
Hello everyone!
I have been home for two weeks now, and just wanted to do a really short update for anyone still checking this! I have been asked by several people if I was planning on keeping this updated as I head to Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky this fall. So I thought I would let you all know I will be keeping the blog up and will try to post every once in a while, while I am in Kentucky. My hope is that when I do this, it will give you an update on all God is doing in my life in my time there and that it may be an encouragement to you! Thank you again for your continued prayers and support.
In Christ with love,
Jordan
I have been home for two weeks now, and just wanted to do a really short update for anyone still checking this! I have been asked by several people if I was planning on keeping this updated as I head to Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky this fall. So I thought I would let you all know I will be keeping the blog up and will try to post every once in a while, while I am in Kentucky. My hope is that when I do this, it will give you an update on all God is doing in my life in my time there and that it may be an encouragement to you! Thank you again for your continued prayers and support.
In Christ with love,
Jordan
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Finally another blog! :)
Hello all!
I am so sorry it has taken so long for me to post anything. It seems like since our team left Tanzania, I have had such a big flood of thoughts and emotions, I have had trouble coming up with something to write. But, I will start with our last day in Tarime.
We all decided that we wanted our last day to be at Gamasara with the kids, because this is a place they love so much, and we wanted to share it with them one more time. We wanted the day to be a fun day with the kids, and not an entire day of sadness saying goodbye the entire time. Because it was our last day, the entire staff came out there with us, which was so much fun! (they normally don’t come) The kids did a small program for us in the morning, where there was a lot of crying coming from everyone, including the staff. From there we went outside, and had lunch, which was a blast! We had asked the staff what a good treat would be for the kids for lunch, and he told us bread and jam. So we stocked up on bread, butter and jam for the day. It was so much fun to see how excited and happy they were to have something that we consider “normal” back in the United States. I don’t think there was ever a point that there was not a long line of kids. As we emptied the cans of jam, the kids would take them and lick the rest out of it, I think some of them had like 8 pieces of bread with jam! I don’t think I have ever seen kids so happy about food, and it was a blessing to be there to see it.
After that, the girls planned out a field day for the kids, and so we did some fun games. We did tug of war, three legged race, and sack races. The tug of war was hilarious; the kids were so into it! At one point I tried to help the team that kept losing by tying the end of the rope around me so I could just run in the opposite direction. It was funny to see the kids laugh about this, and yet tell me that I couldn’t do it, because it was cheating. After that, we did the staff against all of the kids, and that was so much fun! Even Bebe Leah (the grandma, who takes care of the kids at night) joined in! She even did the three legged race, which was hilarious! It was the perfect plan for the day, because it was so much fun, and kept all of our minds off of the fact that it was our last one with them for a while. Normally, when we would go out to Gamasara, we would ride out there and back with the kids, but this time we decided it would be better to not ride back with them. We didn’t want to have a long and drawn out goodbye, so we loaded all of them up into the truck, and then said goodbye as they were driving off. Although it was hard, it was truly a blessing to be able to say goodbye in that way.
I don’t feel as if I truly captured any of my emotions in this blog, but I wanted to give you all a glimpse of our last day with the kids. I miss them all so much, and things don’t seem the same without them around. It was really hard on me to say goodbye to them, because the reality is, that I have no idea when I will be back to see them. Yet, I know God had me here for this amount of time for a specific reason. I know that when it is time to say goodbye, it is because God is calling me to a new place and new adventure in my life. So even though it may be hard, I know God is good, and that He is in control.
I hope to post a blog about Nairobi soon, since we have been here for a bit, but I will hold off a day or two so you can enjoy this one first. But, I do have one prayer request. Please be praying for my transition here in Nairobi. Although we only have 6 days left before flying home, it has been hard for me to be here, because my heart is still back with the kids. So pray that God will give me the strength to press on, so that I may give my best towards the students here and the time I have left with them.
In Christ with love,
Jordan
I am so sorry it has taken so long for me to post anything. It seems like since our team left Tanzania, I have had such a big flood of thoughts and emotions, I have had trouble coming up with something to write. But, I will start with our last day in Tarime.
We all decided that we wanted our last day to be at Gamasara with the kids, because this is a place they love so much, and we wanted to share it with them one more time. We wanted the day to be a fun day with the kids, and not an entire day of sadness saying goodbye the entire time. Because it was our last day, the entire staff came out there with us, which was so much fun! (they normally don’t come) The kids did a small program for us in the morning, where there was a lot of crying coming from everyone, including the staff. From there we went outside, and had lunch, which was a blast! We had asked the staff what a good treat would be for the kids for lunch, and he told us bread and jam. So we stocked up on bread, butter and jam for the day. It was so much fun to see how excited and happy they were to have something that we consider “normal” back in the United States. I don’t think there was ever a point that there was not a long line of kids. As we emptied the cans of jam, the kids would take them and lick the rest out of it, I think some of them had like 8 pieces of bread with jam! I don’t think I have ever seen kids so happy about food, and it was a blessing to be there to see it.
After that, the girls planned out a field day for the kids, and so we did some fun games. We did tug of war, three legged race, and sack races. The tug of war was hilarious; the kids were so into it! At one point I tried to help the team that kept losing by tying the end of the rope around me so I could just run in the opposite direction. It was funny to see the kids laugh about this, and yet tell me that I couldn’t do it, because it was cheating. After that, we did the staff against all of the kids, and that was so much fun! Even Bebe Leah (the grandma, who takes care of the kids at night) joined in! She even did the three legged race, which was hilarious! It was the perfect plan for the day, because it was so much fun, and kept all of our minds off of the fact that it was our last one with them for a while. Normally, when we would go out to Gamasara, we would ride out there and back with the kids, but this time we decided it would be better to not ride back with them. We didn’t want to have a long and drawn out goodbye, so we loaded all of them up into the truck, and then said goodbye as they were driving off. Although it was hard, it was truly a blessing to be able to say goodbye in that way.
I don’t feel as if I truly captured any of my emotions in this blog, but I wanted to give you all a glimpse of our last day with the kids. I miss them all so much, and things don’t seem the same without them around. It was really hard on me to say goodbye to them, because the reality is, that I have no idea when I will be back to see them. Yet, I know God had me here for this amount of time for a specific reason. I know that when it is time to say goodbye, it is because God is calling me to a new place and new adventure in my life. So even though it may be hard, I know God is good, and that He is in control.
I hope to post a blog about Nairobi soon, since we have been here for a bit, but I will hold off a day or two so you can enjoy this one first. But, I do have one prayer request. Please be praying for my transition here in Nairobi. Although we only have 6 days left before flying home, it has been hard for me to be here, because my heart is still back with the kids. So pray that God will give me the strength to press on, so that I may give my best towards the students here and the time I have left with them.
In Christ with love,
Jordan
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