Personal Worship Training

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take me yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For me yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

— Matthew 11:28-30

If there could be a theme for Personal Worship Trainings this year it would be Matthew 11:28-30. Jesus' call for sinners to find their rest in him has been the unofficial main point of many of the talks that discuss the spiritual disciplines that we can practice to grow in our personal relationship with God. Throughout these talks, speakers have been encouraged to earnestly try these disciplines as apprentices under Jesus. Examples of these disciplines include prayer, memorization and meditation, fasting, and the Sabbath. 

In these disciplines, much of what is being practiced is contentment. The Sabbath’s days rest, fasting from food or other good things, meditating on Biblical truths for fifteen minutes or more in the morning, all are examples that call us to give up time and energy that could be spent elsewhere. This time that we are giving up does not go to waste as we proclaim, “all we have is all we need.” We are reminded of our need for God, our need for rest, our need for food. In these disciplines God shows us more of Himself in our faithful following and imperfect apprenticeship. 

Through the Personal Worship Trainings we are encouraged to gives these disciplines a try in order to experience their value for ourselves. We can implement and try these practices knowing that Jesus freely offers us rest. We can earnestly practice these disciplines with freedom knowing that our relationship with Jesus is secure. It is our ultimate joy in seeing more of God’s faithfulness in taking time to slow down and rest in His steadfast love. 

Thursday Socials

Between Walmart and Talks and Sleep there’s not often a lot of time for us to just sit and hang out as college students. However, Thursday nights when we get off of work and dinner, that is when the REAL fun begins! We have a social every night, which is an upbeat planned activity that everyone at Summer Training Project gets to participate in. Let me tell you, they are the definition of FUN and LAUGHTER and HYPE. 

Monday night is when the social is announced every week and we get excited, preparing and looking forward to that night. Leaders and different groups of students take turns hosting the event and everyone so far has done a fantastic job! During some of these socials it feels like you’re in the middle of a college summertime movie because the activity is so unique and everyone is having a good time and it is apparent in the moment how special it is and that you’re going to cherish it forever! Here’s a list of the social events and memories we've made so far!

• Low Country Boil - With everyone dressed up in southern flannels and cowboy hats, we had yummy food and plaid all kinds of carnival games followed by karaoke and dancing!

• Broadway at the Beach Scavenger Hunt - Rooms were paired up to go over to the large outdoor shopping area and complete tasks on a list such as ‘fake a proposal’and ‘do a snow angel in a water fountain’

• Boat Social - Teams were given a movie and had to create songs and dances to perform. The trick is we also had to create a ‘boat’ out of banana boxes, duck tape and saran wrap, to float and hold two people across the pool and back!

• Synchronized Swimming - The guys had to come up with a swimming routine in the pool to ask girls out! If the girls said yes, they had a fun group date planned for everyone to go on!

• Movie/Board Night - We had a chill social where we had snacks and played cars, while in another room groups of people competed at all kinds of board games!

• Tropical Vacation - Last week we had a Tropical Vacation social that involved everyone wearing their best hawaiian shirts and leis with snacks! There was also limbo and durfing contests, musical floaties and the fan favorite...swing dancing!

As I am posting this, it is monday night and we are anticipating one of the last few socials of the summer! Below are some photos of the blast we have being in community together!

Respecting the Sabbath

Picture around 80 students and leaders all arriving on project the first day, arriving tired but so excited we can barely sleep. Then picture working at Walmart, listening to inspiring talks by staff and doing all you can on the beach with new people for weeks on end… then imagine how tired we all got by the 3rd week…

We were thankful and anxious to finally be here and experience all we can then we realized a thing called Rest. We all need it. From the calmest Introvert to the most chatty extrovert, it is always important to take time to rest and relax. Humans are not built to be “on” or social 24/7. This is something I think every student struggled with here at project. With being around people constantly and having a busy schedule, it is impertinent that one remembers to rest in the midst of business. The talk of FOMO or “Fear of Missing Out” is very big here because it is something people need to overcome. What do you do when you know that you need sleep and would love to take a nap, but you see people going to the beach to learn to surf, the pool to jump in and have fun, and out to eat at a local restaraunt with good food? Here, you’re not just deciding between staying or going, but the many different places to go.

With all that being said, Emma Garcia gave a talk about The Sabbath and the importance of rest. We often forget that it’s one of the 10 Commandments told to Moses by God himself! Emma’s guidance was very timely for all of us to hear because we all long for emotional, physical and spiritual rest, whether we are in South Carolina or not. Thankfully we have a loving and perfect God that sets an example for us on how we should live to the best of our ability. Have you ever thought about how God did not need to rest?

“He will not let you stumble, the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he watched over Israel never sumbers or sleeps.”

— Psalms 121: 3-4

Emma went in depth to say that maybe the real reason almighty and everlasting God rested on the 7th day was not because he needed it, but because he knew we did! He knows his creation so well that it is no surprise to him that we get physically and emotionally tired.

The Lord in his greatness not only set an example of rest but he GIVES rest. We are able to find all kinds of comfort in him. He eases our minds, he refills our joy and heals our body.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”

— Matthew 11:28

This was needed for all of the students and leaders to hear. It is a great reminder that the Lord gives you strength and energy, but he also give you peace and rest. Praise God for both!

Pray for the people here the next few weeks and that we continue to work on a balance of work, fun and rest. 

I could talk a lot more and more about the Sabbath, but Emma does an incredible job! We have posted Emma’s talk titled Practicing the Way of Jesus under ‘STP talks’ and ‘Personal Worship Training.’ I would highly recommend listening to it because she describes a beautiful outline of examples and practical ideas of how to sabbath. 

Listen to the talk and then join us here in practicing sabbath and making time for rest.

Missional Training

Evangelism is something that can either be very scary or very enticing for people. Over the past few weeks one type of training we have been working on is missional training. This is to equip us on how to share the Gospel in a way that is loving, kind, and yet truthful.

In week one we covered the foundation of why sharing the gospel is important. Talking about that if we truly love people as we are called to, we want them to live in eternity with the perfect and pleasing God. How can we make this happen? By walking with them on their faith journey and encouraging them to seek God first, always!

We have also discussed the cost of missional training. Realistically, It can be uncomfortable and not the most fun or glamorous. It also causes some financial barriers for several reasons such as time, money, moving to a new place, etc. It all adds up and can cause a lot of heartbreak and hurt from the world and the people in it. Yet, to see someone receive grace and the gift of eternal life is so incredibly worth it. 

In the past few weeks, we have been working on logistical methods of sharing the gospel by coming up with different questions to start conversations and using diagrams for the gospel based on core verses such as

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

— Romans 6:23

So now you may be wondering - okay that’s great you’re learning but God calls us to actions and to be doers of the world...what are you doing? That would be a GREAT question!

The first few weeks here we have been working on loving and talking to our Walmart co-workers. As we have gotten to know them over the weeks here there have been several good conversations and bonding that we hope sparks a desire to know God more. There were even a few nights we had cookouts and invited our co-workers over to our project grounds to hang out and talk! This past week we started beach evangelism where we go walk along the beach and just strike up conversations about their experiences with Christianity and God. I think the more students that are being bold in their faith, the more God is equipping our hearts and minds to be more centered towards him. After doing it a few times, we can confidently say it is a lot less intimidating than one may think.

If you are reading this we encourage you to have conversations with people you wouldn’t think to talk about Jesus with and pray for those we talk to they a seed may be planted in their hearts.

Hard Conversations and Life Training

Hard conversations are happening everywhere. Western Culture is consumed with them, conversations on race, relationships, and identity. The world demands you to simply “do you” in this era of self autonomy. For many students, “Life Training” has produced some of their favorite talks so far. With conversations on Biblical Femininity and Masculinity as well as Ethnicity, and Sexuality, Life Training has prompted students to have conversations and think about topics that Western culture is already engaging with, mainly conversations around identity. 

Identity is a powerful thing that helps us understand ourselves and how we relate to the world around us. Life Training has played an important part in how we see more of not just ourselves but God and His good design for us as seen in scripture. Often pointing back to Genesis and the creation of man (Gen. 1:26-28) and woman (Gen 2:20-25), the talks during Life Training pointed participants to God’s good purpose for who they were created to be. 

The main point in Life Training this summer seems to all be very similar, to see that God is good, and Jesus is better. That God is a good God who gives His children good gifts (Matt. 7:11) and that a life following Jesus is far better than living to one's own desires. Life Training has shown us that we as sinful human beings are in desperate need of Jesus' redemption in our lives and as we have these conversations on Project grounds we are taking away necessary skills in engaging with our non-believing friends and the culture around us. As our theme book Philippians reminds us that our prayers for ourselves and others should be that we would abound in love.

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

— Philippians 1:9-11

This abounding love that comes from knowledge and discernment is being cultivated through thoughtful questions being asked and active listening as we build relationships with our roommates, classmates, co-workers and family and friends back home. 

Sin is a Parasite

One thing that is unique about project that personally energizes and excites me is that all of the students here are from different backgrounds, have different stories, have been hurt and loved back to life in many different ways. Yet we come and are in fellowship, listen to the same stories, pray to God together and come away with individual growth. This can be a wonderful thing, but a lot of times, especially in college when everybody grows at their own pace, it can be hard to not compare seasons of life. 

In a society where social media is such a highlight reel, we get caught in the trap of wanting to compare seasons, imitate others, or rush through the parts of life that are not our favorite. However, in a talk last week by Mike Parrett, he talked about how children imitate parents, the only thing we should imitate is God. If we look to him wide eyed and cheery, we won’t worry about what other people are doing or how we are viewed on earth. Imitating God is a beautiful sentiment because if we lived like Jesus we would fully care for everyone, be righteous and fair, and live with a generous and giving spirit.  Mike talked about Romans 8:28 which says

“and we know that in all things God works together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”

— Romans 8:28

saying that everyone is on their own journey and that is planned specifically for you by God. He continued to say some very profound things about how in every good thing there is sin because on earth, sin encompasses our lives and acts like a parasite to every aspect of it. One of the ways sin wrecks our calling is by making us feel that our calling is not as exciting, not as fulfilling, or as glamourous as others purpose God has planned for their life. This can be so detrimental and can not only affect us and our relationship with God, but also affect the people we are supposed to impact through our calling in life. Last week at project thanks to Mike’s words of wisdom we were able to address how sin is an intruder in our lives and how it acts like a parasite. This is a part of all our big problems in life. After all, recognizing the problem is the first step, right? The heart may be fickle with our feelings but God’s plan is good and constant!

Here at project we are having good conversations about how to recognize sin in our lives and to not let that stop us from God’s calling in our lives! We encourage those at home to think about how sin is affecting aspects of their life and pray for God to take control of that.

Comfort Zone

For anyone who does not know what it’s like moving across the country to live in South Carolina for eight weeks to be fully immersed in learning about the Lord and working at Walmart, the only word I can possibly use to describe it is impactful. One of the things leaders said the first week here was that while we were going to be doing a lot, we also have to say goodbye to our comfort zone. A lot of students, including myself felt this arriving in South Carolina. However, I would be as bold to say that the Lord does his best work when we push ourselves and fully submit to him. In the Bible it talks about not being afraid and being confident in the Lord a lot, it’s something we’ve even covered in a few talks these first few weeks of being here. The main verse that comes to mind for me is

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

— Joshua 1:9

I love this verse because wherever we travel, live or work, we can have assurance that God has not left us to be on our own, this includes South Carolina! As a first-time student coming to Summer Training Project, it is very evident that the Lord is doing good work here and that gives me peace in the midst of being involved into new experiences.

This first week has been a lot of stimulus with meeting people from several different schools, being on your feet all day walking around and listening and diving deep into the Word of God daily. It is physically, emotionally and spiritually stimulating. However, I am confident that all the students and leaders here are being pushed out of their comfort zone by learning a lot and really developing skills that we can use for the rest of our lives! Each day here ends with a grateful spirit, tired feet and a strengthened heart for the Lord as we get to know each other better and are becoming more unified brothers and sisters in Christ. What better environment to test our growth than in a safe community of Christians that cheer you on and celebrate with you!

I asked some students what are some spontaneous or bold things they that have done that expanded their comfort zone so far here and this is a list of what they said:

-          Sang karaoke in front of a crowd that you just met

-          Learned to skim board

-          Learned to stand up on a surfboard

-          Started conversations with co-workers talking about Jesus

-          Went night swimming in the ocean

-          Randomly been thrown in the pool

-          Threw a plunger in a toilet (we had a FUN low country boil)

-          Had conversations with people about difficult topics such as gender, race, sexuality, etc.

-          Faked a proposal and breakup in public (We had a blast as we did a scavenger hunt!)

-          Walked up to strangers at Broadway at the Beach and asking them if they’re from Minnesota.

-          Went on a helicopter ride

-          Prayed for a customer in a Walmart parking lot

-          Worked 8 hour shifts at Walmart/Chick-fil-a

Not to mention that moving across the country not knowing who you will be living with or anything about the area isn’t a big enough deal, that alone is removing us from our ‘safe place’ at home! We have done so much in two weeks I cannot wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store for us.

If you are reading this, continue to pray for everyone here and that we will continue to really live/grow in the uncomfortable moments here on project that are meant for us to build our faith.

We Made It!

Like the start of many high school commencement speeches I would like to start this post with a “well, we made it.” This statement feels like a long time coming, a lot longer than a 27 hour road trip or a week of packing or even a winter of looking forward to the beach can anticipate. The relief of finally being able to say “we made it” has been a joy a year in the making as we finally take STP back to Garden City South Carolina.

For a few staff and students the hotel that we call home for the next two months is familiar and full of memories of past summers filled with socials, early morning Bible studies, friends and spontaneous trips out to get ice cream. However, for a large portion of students and staff the hotel, STP, and South Carolina are completely new to them. With the COVID-19 pandemic canceling our plans for Project at thebeach the summer of 2020, there is a large majority of students who have not been able to experience STP in its fullest form. With many fresh faces and ideas for what this summer could look like this summer's Project with even more excitement than normal. As many Project-goers are exploring what a summer in South Carolina has to offer, students and staff both are also discovering new ways to “gain God” as we dig into the book of Phillipians. Our theme, “Gain” comes from Philippians 3: 7-8 which says:

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

As we welcome this summer and whatever new experiences it has in store, we look forward and pray that the idea of seeing our losses as gains in light of the gospel is an ever apparent theme in our day to day lives.

Below is a photo of our home away from home where we will be growing all summer long!

GAIN

This year on Summer Training Project we arrived and met up to welcome each other to our home for the summer and to discuss our verse and theme for the year. Gain. This theme is surrounding Philippians 3:7-8 which says

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ”

— Philippians 3:7-8

This is the main verse that the leaders chose to have us reflect on throughout our time here as well as dive into the book of Philippians. This is a sentimental verse and there is a lot to unpack in those 2 verses. Paul the Apostle wrote Philippians as a letter to the church of Philippi about 62 AD. That all sounds normal, but he actually wrote this during his time in prison. That fact gives a whole new perspective on this verse and letter overall. When he was put in prison for his faith, it would have been easy for him to have a negative outlook and question God for why he was in this situation. I think that is what most of us would do in a natural response. However, Paul sets a good example in verse 7 of no matter what accomplishments, or whatever you have ‘gained’ in life, nothing is more valuable than the knowledge of the Lord and having a relationship with Christ. Paul goes on to make a bold statement and say that everything else he has been given in life is a loss and meaningless compared Christ. This reflects how important knowing Christ is.

In verse 8, Paul continues to talk about gaining Christ. There is a shift from worldly gains to gaining Christ. Paul is saying that he has gained all worldly possessions and suffered the loss all of them, but nevertheless he gained Christ which is far more fulfilling and substantial than anything else. There is something comforting about God being so consistent in our lives that we always have the opportunity to know and love him.

What an encouraging verse to hear and base our summer on as we learn to prioritize God in our lives! Our goal as students throughout the summer is to really focus on what our own individual gains are, whether they are birth given rights, accomplishments, leadership titles, etc. and really think about the impact they play in our life and to work towards focusing on how we can use those to glorify God. Also, our primary focus is to understand that it is one think to see the goodness of God in others lives and read the words on a page, but it is another thing to individually gain a relationship with him and give in him wholeheartedly. This summer, I am looking forward to all of us gaining a deeper and meaning full connection with not only one another but Christ as well.