Applications...

This is the paper that I used for my application for Winebrenner. I might be counting my chickens before they hatch, since I haven't recieved confirmation, but here is what I wrote. The question is what is your relationship with Christ, how has it affected your worldview and what events have helped you get to where you are?


Jesus Christ is the Savior of my soul. Without Christ, I would be nothing because my identity is in Him. He has taken many stances in my life, of recent being General, Comforter, Restorer, and All-Knowing. If I were to describe Christ in my life, it would be just two words, beautiful and perfect. The problem is, you can't describe perfection. Christ says in Scripture that “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh to the Father but by me." (John 14:6) I whole-heartedly believe everything that is in the Book of Life by a faith that is nearly unquestionable.

This belief that I have adopted has nearly consumed me in every aspect of my life. The morals that I have been raised with by my parents finally have meaning. This love that my grandfather preaches about, I finally understand how embracing it is. The biggest mark that I have seen in my life has been the idea of grace. I am a youth counselor at Bluffton’s Youth for Christ where I serve with Jim King. Working with the kids, sometimes forty-five 5th and 6th graders at a time, can sometimes get on your nerves. They have two levels of noise, loud and louder. I’ve had moments of conflict with kids that just didn’t understand the idea of respect and I would leave that night very troubled. But that night when I’m having my quiet time with God by diving into the Word or just talking to Him in my bed, I remember where these kids are coming from: broken homes, poor families, and even abusive pasts sometimes. I’m completely overcome with compassion for them. My heart breaks and I realize that I wouldn’t give it up for anything. One Sunday a few years back, my uncle preached on Mark 10:13-16 about how important our children are to Christ. This has been my personal mission verses ever since. But how many times have we screwed up with God. I wouldn’t blame Him for just wanting to quit on us, quit on me. You see it so many times through Scripture of man screwing up and God getting angry, but He doesn’t leave. Not in a million years. He turns His back on the sin and unfaithfulness, but will never ever stop loving us. This is the kind of man I want to be for all those that come in contact with me.

Since coming to Ohio Northern University, I have begun to find my identity in Christ. I’m coming to find more and more that I have a passion to work with people on a personal level. Witnessing to people has been something that I have never done before college and since have desired to improve. Some of the best organizations I have been apart of don’t come across as evangelical on the outside. My junior year of college, I was able to help organize my Habitat for Humanity chapter to go on a trip to Jacksonville, Mississippi just eleven months after Katrina hit. Five months before this trip I was able to go with a group from Campus Crusade for Christ down to New Orleans to help start the relief efforts. I don’t bring this up to be prideful, but to show that my heart lies with the hurt and the innocent. Both times we went down I was able to interact with several families and pray with them over the situation. At times, we were sent out to simply wander the streets asking those we saw if they had any prayer requests. I didn’t lead anyone to Christ in those two weeks but I found the heart of God in witnessing to the parents who were seeing hope for the first time in months and the youth that had been growing accustomed to despair. They probably don’t remember me anymore, but I remember them and in that I want to hold on to their memories for as long as I can.

Throughout all of the experiences I’ve had and Scriptures I’ve read through, I’ve come to a basic spiritual motto: “It’s all about relationships. It’s all about intentions. It’s all about God.” This statement is what inspires me with the hope for a better coming generation. I’ve seen successful parenting from my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and I know the hurt that is out there. Through all of this, the only solution for these families is Christ and I hope to show it to them through my volunteering and counseling. For the parents, I hope to show them what is becoming of the world as many of them are not connected with this generation and are missing what is happening in their children’s lives. For the children, I desire to see hope, passion, and restoration throughout all of their lives and for them to not be afraid to trust in God and act on His behalf.

Currently my desire is for the betterment of Northerwest Ohio, but every day I hear about the pains this world is going through and my heart yearns more and more to reach beyond those bounds. I don’t know where God is going to place me at in my future, but my ministry is for the individuals that hurt, the ones that don’t seem to have it together, and those that are seeking answers. I hope to be a light for those that are looking for the easy yoke and light burden (Matthew 11:30), the Restorer of nations and souls (Isaiah 58:12) and the leader in our spiritual battle that wages invisibly right before our very eyes (Psalm 91).