WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME

​CP UPDATE #2    WAKE FOREST WEEK #1
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I have to admit, after the spiritual high of being in New York I was nervous to come back to NC. I felt like I was thriving in New York and I didn't want the growth in my life to be disrupted. Well, as always, God is faithful and this past week in WF has been so impactful.

This week I had to call on God to graciously bless me with:
-an excitement about being back in NC and the privilege to learn more about Him
-energy to get through the day when I didn't get much sleep the night before
-confidence and boldness in sharing His powerful gospel
- & rest when I felt the need to participate in every activity around me.

God puts daily weaknesses like these in our lives so we can depend on Him. And great things happen when we call on His name and put Him where He should be- at the center of our lives.

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(my evangelism group after sharing the gospel in mooresville)

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

REMEMBER GOD'S GOODNESS: 
"I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me." -Psalm 13:6
SUNDAY was so sweet. It was great to be back at Summit's Blue Ridge campus. The sermon that morning wrestled with the question of "how long?" when it comes to suffering. In Psalm 13, David cries out to God with questions- asking if God will forget him forever and if sorrow would always remain in his heart; some pretty honest stuff. But what I found most interesting was David's response at the end. After explaining his frustrations, he calms his heart and says: "I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me." And that last verse hit me. In the midst of our confusion about what's happening in life, it's freeing to actively remember how good God has been and trust that He will continue to be faithful. 

Sunday night was also pretty cool. My City Project friends and I cramped into one small kitchen/lounge area at Southeastern for dinner. That setting definitely challenged my introvertedness but that's okay because it was so nice to laugh and be in community with my brothers and sisters in Christ.



THE GOSPEL INCLUDES GOD BEING A PERFECT FATHER:
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" - 1 John 3:1
MONDAY was a time to dig deep into the gospel and God's role as our Father. The morning began with a lesson about the nature of God by Pastor J.D. Greear. I was reminded that the gospel actually changes the way we should live. We learned that religion says "I obey to be accepted" while the gospel proclaims the truth of "I'm accepted so I obey." We were also challenged to begin to view every part of the Bible through the lens of the gospel.

That afternoon we read from J.I Packer's book Knowing God. And I was not prepared. The text was long and complex at times and really required every ounce of my brainpower to begin to grasp what was going on. I was, however, so thankful that we were given a text that was so dense because it led to conversations that pointed back to truth and looked back on what scripture had to say.

 J.I. Packer detailed God's character as a Perfect Father (faithful in love, interested in all we do, always available...) and us as adopted children (chosen, justified, and loved). One of my favorite pieces of the text states: "to be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved by God the Father is greater." Justification says God has forgiven me and I am free from the hold of sin. Adoption says God is my loving father and I am free to run to Him. 



CARRY EACH OTHER'S BURDENS:
"Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." -Galatians 6:1-2
TUESDAY night was eye opening. The first half of the day, all of us doing City Project had the privilege of attending Summit's All Staff meeting. I also found my new favorite worship song and you should definitely ​check it out.

Tuesday night was probably one of the realest times I've had in a long time. And by that I mean that God gave me a true glimpse of what it means to carry each others burdens in the Christian life. During my time with my devotional group, we shared our personal struggles. And since then we've been living out Galatians 6:2 and it has been beneficial for my own walk with Christ and with my relationships with my sisters in Christ. I am able to keep my sisters accountable and they do the same for me- encouraging and praying for each other constantly.



DECLARE, BUT NOT IN MY OWN STRENGTH:
“When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” -Luke 12:11-12
On WEDNESDAY we got to hear a great message on prayer. We learned that our prayer life reveals our view and value of God, which is something I had never thought deeply about before.

Wednesday night was a time for Broad Gospel Sowing, similar to what we did in New York. For me personally, sharing in the Mooresville area was twice as difficult than NYC. Most people we asked to pray for responded with "I'm too busy right now" and that rejection drained my excitement. I began to get in my own head and I had to go to God and acknowledge that I share in His strength and not my own. But God still worked in the rejection and used those in my evangelism group. My friends weren't fazed and continued to seek out people that would hear the gospel. That night, two of my friends got to share the gospel twice!



PRAYER:
"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." John 15:7
THURSDAY was another day filled with highs and lows. That day we went back to our college campuses to prayer walk. While it was exciting to be back at NC State for the day, I felt a little uncomfortable when we arrived. Everyone else was so ecstatic to be back "home" but being on campus was unsettling for me. But God had a purpose for me to feel that way. While we were praying I was convicted that God specifically put me at NC State for a reason and He's given me a privilege and a job to share the gospel with my friends at State. It was a joy to pray in the heat for God to work in the places where He put us.

During our time of prayer, I also recognized the importance of praying God's Word. It's easy to run out of thing to talk to God about when we speak from our own minds but everything changes when we ask God to do what He's already said in His Word.


THE WEEKEND 
Along with growing closer to Christ with my CP friends spiritually, we also do things like go to Jubala on a Saturday morning, have movie nights, and beat each other in bananagrams and ping-pong.  Everyday I'm made aware that I am so blessed to be in this community this summer. God is so good.

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PRAY FOR: 
*The people we will be evangelizing to while were in NC- that God would open up to conversations about the gospel. 

*All of us doing City Project- that we'd continue to desire to grow closer to God and build the community we have in each other.

I know that was probably a lot to read but I can't help but share all the amazing things God is doing at City Project! Again, thank you for your support and time.

❤️Natacha

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