Hi everybody!
Hello everybody!
I've never had a blog before. I have Facebook though. I don't really know what to do. If other people can comment on here feel free to ask me about my life : ) Oh, apparently you guys can comment so that's good.
So this is Jasmine Fairbanks and I am at the Teen Mania Ministry's Honor Academy in Garden Valley, Texas which a Christian leadership school/ministry internship, basically, yet it's a lot more. It's sort of like being on a mission trip because we are working toward spreading the gospel, but we stay in one place and reach people through the phones, etc. I call for the Minneapolis Acquire the Fire youth conference. Our event is on Feb. 4th & 5th, which is in like 2 weeks! I'm excited, I get to go and help! We'll help set up the event and with registration, etc. This weekend is also the Houston Acquire the Fire, which I will get to attend. This will be the first full Acquire the Fire that I've ever attended! However, I went to a youth conference called Covenant High In Christ (CHIC) in 2009 and it was awesome and totally changed my life! I think the two events are pretty similar. Evangelical Covenant Church teens--go to CHIC when they go! Do it!
Today is a ministry-wide fasting day (basically pray instead of eat day). We usually do these every other Wednesday. So instead of lunch today we had worship and prayer from 12-2pm all together in the auditorium. It was really good, refreshing and freeing. We sang this song that goes, "No one else can love you like I love you Lord, because I was made unique in your heart. I was made to bring you joy....Now I have a purpose, now I have a destiny, you made me for your glory..." That hit me so hard and freed me a lot today because I tend to focus on my failings a lot sometimes, and it was like God showing me, "No, Jasmine. You bring me joy, even as you are. You are unique to my heart. You glorify me, even though you mess up, what matters is that you are trying." That was really good, and I realized like, now, right now, in every moment I have a purpose. To bring Him joy, which I actually do because He loves me no matter what and I do bring Him joy.
We also prayed together in groups, and for a while they had us get into our call teams and other interns prayed for us. It was really cool and I felt so supported, so called and backed up. I knew that we had the support of everyone there and it was really encouraging. I will never forget that, and will always see that as a picture of the support of my brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, whenever I'm feeling like I'm having to do it all on my own. It was just another way of God showing me, "I'm here for you. I'm for you. You are not on your own."
We also sang this song today and it was really good. Freedom in Christ!
Here's a poem, like a picture, God gave me yesterday and is really trying to work on me lately, as I need to learn to open up to Him more and to others:
I've never had a blog before. I have Facebook though. I don't really know what to do. If other people can comment on here feel free to ask me about my life : ) Oh, apparently you guys can comment so that's good.
So this is Jasmine Fairbanks and I am at the Teen Mania Ministry's Honor Academy in Garden Valley, Texas which a Christian leadership school/ministry internship, basically, yet it's a lot more. It's sort of like being on a mission trip because we are working toward spreading the gospel, but we stay in one place and reach people through the phones, etc. I call for the Minneapolis Acquire the Fire youth conference. Our event is on Feb. 4th & 5th, which is in like 2 weeks! I'm excited, I get to go and help! We'll help set up the event and with registration, etc. This weekend is also the Houston Acquire the Fire, which I will get to attend. This will be the first full Acquire the Fire that I've ever attended! However, I went to a youth conference called Covenant High In Christ (CHIC) in 2009 and it was awesome and totally changed my life! I think the two events are pretty similar. Evangelical Covenant Church teens--go to CHIC when they go! Do it!
Today is a ministry-wide fasting day (basically pray instead of eat day). We usually do these every other Wednesday. So instead of lunch today we had worship and prayer from 12-2pm all together in the auditorium. It was really good, refreshing and freeing. We sang this song that goes, "No one else can love you like I love you Lord, because I was made unique in your heart. I was made to bring you joy....Now I have a purpose, now I have a destiny, you made me for your glory..." That hit me so hard and freed me a lot today because I tend to focus on my failings a lot sometimes, and it was like God showing me, "No, Jasmine. You bring me joy, even as you are. You are unique to my heart. You glorify me, even though you mess up, what matters is that you are trying." That was really good, and I realized like, now, right now, in every moment I have a purpose. To bring Him joy, which I actually do because He loves me no matter what and I do bring Him joy.
We also prayed together in groups, and for a while they had us get into our call teams and other interns prayed for us. It was really cool and I felt so supported, so called and backed up. I knew that we had the support of everyone there and it was really encouraging. I will never forget that, and will always see that as a picture of the support of my brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, whenever I'm feeling like I'm having to do it all on my own. It was just another way of God showing me, "I'm here for you. I'm for you. You are not on your own."
We also sang this song today and it was really good. Freedom in Christ!
Every Captive Free
By Matt Gilman
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me
Because He has anointed Me to preach good news
To take away all of Your sorrow and Your mourning
To give the oil of joy and a garment of praise
I have seen you in your captivity
And I will open up every prison door
So arise and shine for your light has come
My glory is rising upon you
I am dancing over you
I am singing over you
Songs of deliverance
And I will set every captive free
And you will be with Me
You are mine
I've carried the weight of your iniquity
I've carried the burden of your shame
I've called you by name, I've called you by name
You are mine
Here's a poem, like a picture, God gave me yesterday and is really trying to work on me lately, as I need to learn to open up to Him more and to others:
Open up that wrought-iron gate,
that heavy door of your heart.
The hinges may be deteriorating and noisy
as you pull it open slowly
against the gritty resistance that therein lies.
Keep pulling and I will give you the strength.
My grace is upon you.
Open up that shut off heart of yours.
Let me inside.
I will give you a brand new heart door,
to which only you and I will have the secret code.
Even now, with you heart all dirty and closed off-
darkness, sludge, and mold inside, spiderwebs on the gate-
I call it beautiful, I see it's potential,
you have given it to me and it is mine.
I will be faithful to restore it.
Let me wash off all those old regrets,
sweep out the hurts, and mop all the
selfish desires and impurities away.
We will make your heart new again,
a sanctuary of peace only for you and I.
Inside we will keep only special and beautiful things.
Take my hand.
We will wash the windows together with my love.
You will never forget or regret it.
Now is the time, now is the day.
Sieze it and redeem it!
Carpe Diem! (Go Dead Poet Society movie!)
I really do love it here and am learning a lot! These past 5 months have gone by so quickly! It's a year long program. I started in August of 2010 and will graduate this August (2011)! It can also be more than a year long program but I'm not sure what I'm doing next year. I'm thinking about it though, etc.
Thank you friends and family for all your prayers and support! Without God, esp. God, and you all, there's no way I'd be here. Peace and love to y'all! (By the way I'm in Texas), -Jasmine F. : )
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