God's Garden

Wow. It has snowed 3 times in the last 2 weeks (not showers, actual accumulation)! We got another 6-8 inches on Friday (4/17) and our leaders, who live 2o miles north of here, got 2 and half feet. We are learning that the climate changes quickly here. Thursday was warm and sunny until 3, then the temperature dropped and we had 3 inches on the ground by 9pm. The cool thing is, most of it melts the same day or the next (that's the kind of snow Tim's mom likes). The sun came out briefly between the storms yesterday and we went over to Garden of the Gods to check out the views. We were amazed at the color and variety of the rock formations. Michelangelo used canvass and marble, God used the earth to create beautiful pictures.

The break didn't last long (because Kasey prayed for more snow), but our friend Ginny got some good pics anyways. We wish you could have been here to see the colors and scale in person, the pictures just don't do it justice. Enjoy!

For more pics go to (copy and paste if the link doesn't work):

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=89377&id=545691244&l=a8dbfe29c9

Week 2 - One Message

While our room doesn't have much of a view, this is what we see most mornings (when the clouds aren't concealing it) as we walk to breakfast, Pikes Peak. It is so incredible to begin each day confronted with God's majesty.

Week 2 was taught by Dean Sherman, a hilarious man who shared the simple message that we have ONE singular purpose as Christians: Love one another (1 John 3:11). When Jesus was confronted with the question, "What do I have to do to receive eternal life", he leads the inquiring expert in the law to the simple answer: "Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:25-28). God became man for one simple reason: RELATIONSHIP. He desired to reconcile us to Himself and through this act He taught us how to love one another. Jesus lived in relationship for 30 years before He atoned for sin. He ate with people, He went to weddings, He lived in other people's homes, He poured himself into 12 close friends. If we are trying to live the "Christian life" by living a bunch of rules, we have missed the big picture. Are we focused too much on the Christian faith (what doctrines we believe, our denominational stance, etc) and not enough on living in relationships?

Week 1

This week we heard about "Hearing the Voice of God" from Paul Hawkens. Such simple yet profound truth, God wants to talk to us! He is a great communicator, we just need to learn how to hear His voice. Hearing God is not a gift, it is a skill that is developed with practice. We are all capable of hearing, but many of us don't give God the time or space to speak into our lives. Paul encouraged us to ask God, "How do you feel about me?" We encourage you to take some time to ask God and patiently wait for His reply. You might be surprised at just how MUCH He LOVES you!

We also learned about intercessory prayer and how God wants us to stand in the gap for others. Moses stood in the gap for the Israelites (Exodus 32, Psalm 106:23) and He invites us to do the same.

Sunday we visited a church pastored by author Dutch Sheets for Easter. We had our first white Easter, which was a lot of fun. The leaders of our DTS invited us to their house for an Easter dinner and 40 or so of us gathered to celebrate the resurrection. Check out the pics!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=89379&id=545691244&l=ca60eac05d

CDTS - Orientation

In preparing for our CDTS, we came across the idea of having God's eyes when we look at a person. Thus the title of our blog, abbasvision. What if we saw people not for how they act, but for who they could be in Christ? It is much easier to criticize and cast people aside who don't measure up to our expectations. But is that was God does to us? How many times have we fallen flat on our faces, only to have God pick us up, dust us off, and reassure us that He loves us? As Kasey and I prepare to spend 12 weeks learning more about God, I have been challenged to try to see people as God sees them. To see the hope, promise, and beauty of their life and not the junk that weighs them down.

This idea of Abba's vision for others was reinforced Thursday night at our first "Family Night" here at the Park. Family Night is a worship service open to the community that features staff and visiting missionaries from the Park. This week we heard from missionaries from Afghanistan who asked us to share what we thought about when we heard the terms "Afghanistan" or "Muslim." Some responses were jihad, war, terrorism, and oppression. The missionaries then told us about the mission they had established which was bringing hope and a future to those who truly had none. They relayed the story of a woman who was enslaved by her husband's family after he ran off to Iran and married another woman. Bruised and battered by not only physical, but emotional abuse, we heard how this woman, and many like her, have been able to share their stories with Christ and receive a new found hope.

We invite you to pray for a specific girl, whose story particularly touched our hearts. The girl, in her early teens, has been imprisoned for becoming pregnant as the result of rape. Even though she was raped by a relative, under Islamic law, if an unwed woman becomes pregnant, she is to be put to death. Her family and the local authorities have had "mercy" on her and agreed that instead of death, she will be imprisoned for 30 years and her baby will be killed after it is born. The missionaries have secured asylum for her in another country, but her father will not permit her to go, because the family is shamed by her pregnancy. Please join us in praying for her father's heart to be changed, that this girl may be released to seek asylum in another country, and that her baby's life may be spared. Please pray that this change will occur quickly, as the baby is due in 2 months.

Hope to the hopeless, that is the story that we all have an invitation to join.