The Beginning of the End

For those of you who don't know, I am spending the next 9 months in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Why? Glad you asked. After spending 2 solid years at Maryland on the slippery slope of academic complacency, I decided that throwing my life away wasn't the best use of my time. As much as I loved Maryland, I needed a change of scenery. One thing led to another, and now I am a part of the In Ministry Training (IMT) program at Victory Bible Institute (VBI). I don't know if I will become a pastor, or pursue any kind of Christian education beyond this year, but I do believe I will grow closer to God through this experience, and that's why I'm here.

This first week of IMT has been all about team building and becoming familiar with the program. There are about 50 total IMTs, some in their first year, some in their second, 2:1 girl to guy ratio (yea... I know). Speaking of girls, dating is strictly forbidden, along with secular music, staying up past sundown, and purchasing imported beer. We've spent hours going over the many, many rules, and most are hilarious, but I don't really like imported beer, so I think I'll survive.

A lot of the team building activities were very familiar to me as I've spent so much time as an RA and a camp counselor, but I definitely had to get used to the Tulsa style of things. I have never been around quite so many people who feel the need to pray in tongues at every opportunity. It has been a learning experience, but I'll talk more about that in a second. I tried my best to take advantage of the activities to get to know the team, and despite my frustration with the monotony of it all, I learned a lot. Good for me.

Back to the issue of prayer. Any of you who have known me for awhile are probably aware of my high level of both intrigue and frustration when it comes to prayer. I've spent the past 3 years doing a lot of thinking about why we pray, how it works, if it works, etc. I definitely don't have all the answers, but it has been a fun journey. Unfortunately for my sanity, my new friends in Tulsa have a different approach to prayer, which has introduced a lot more questions for me to ponder. They are strong believers in the gift of tongues, or prayer languages, and it seems almost expected that if someone is praying in a group, everyone else will be praying in tongues. This took some getting used to. Ask me for stories. Hilarious.

NOTE: For those of you who are confused by the idea of praying in tongues, I know how you feel. I don't know very much about the topic myself, but I would be glad to talk about it with anyone who is curious. Crazy stuff.

Another tendency I've noticed around here is to pray with confidence that prayers will be answered, often miraculously. The most prominent example has been in the area of divine healing. It is not uncommon to hear people praising the Lord for miraculous healing that has yet to take place. I appreciate the concept of praying in faith, and I covet the faith to be able to pray like that, but I am also confused. What if God has other plans for the person's illness? I definitely have a lot to learn about healing. And about prayer.

Will I ever post on this blog again? I hope so. If you are reading this, and found it remotely interesting, I would love to hear from you. My goal for this year is not to lose all my friends, in case there was any confusion.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:12-14