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Hey Everyone,
Thanks to all who follow my blog and read it! I have recently upgraded and created my own website where I will now be hosting my blog from. Go check that out at www.kyleandrewzimmerman.com.
Kyle
what is my call?
Sometimes I wonder what I am truly called to in life. Am I called to be a leader in the church, am I called to be a great brother, am I called to be a friend to all? When I think of calling I think that this is the most important thing in my life. If God has called me to something then it is super important!
I think I am called to love God with all my heart, soul and mind. This is a simple realization that by living 100% for God I am going to be a good church leader, brother, friend and anything else I feel called to. But to truly live sold out for God, and let that love and relationship have an overflowing nature into the other aspects of my life is, in a way, revolutionary.
So often we are taught to excel at school, relationships, tasks, our job and I feel we miss out on the real purpose for our life. I want to love God and let that be my first priority in life. Everything else will follow!
So in considering my future and what to do after college this really impacts the way I consider my options. I feel like for grad school a Biblical Degree is in order. If I am going to spend the money to get a degree I want it to impact my relationship with God in the deepest way possible!
I also feel God calling me (a secondary calling) to be very theological in my ministry someday. That I am to really figure out theology and it's application to children as they develop. I want to hit kids with as deep of theology as possible for their age group starting as soon as they are born. Having a worldview from birth that God created them is a very powerful thing! Oh man, I'm excited to challenge kids to fall in love with God at a young age!!!
I think I am called to love God with all my heart, soul and mind. This is a simple realization that by living 100% for God I am going to be a good church leader, brother, friend and anything else I feel called to. But to truly live sold out for God, and let that love and relationship have an overflowing nature into the other aspects of my life is, in a way, revolutionary.
So often we are taught to excel at school, relationships, tasks, our job and I feel we miss out on the real purpose for our life. I want to love God and let that be my first priority in life. Everything else will follow!
So in considering my future and what to do after college this really impacts the way I consider my options. I feel like for grad school a Biblical Degree is in order. If I am going to spend the money to get a degree I want it to impact my relationship with God in the deepest way possible!
I also feel God calling me (a secondary calling) to be very theological in my ministry someday. That I am to really figure out theology and it's application to children as they develop. I want to hit kids with as deep of theology as possible for their age group starting as soon as they are born. Having a worldview from birth that God created them is a very powerful thing! Oh man, I'm excited to challenge kids to fall in love with God at a young age!!!
answered prayer
I have a hard time waking up in the morning. While I would classify myself as a morning person, I would also classify myself as sleep deprived and always looking for those few extra minutes.
Last night, when I was going to bed at 1am, I felt this huge desire for reading God's word and spending time with him and a sadness that I hadn't been able to read my Bible that day. I prayed a simple prayer, "Lord help me to wake up and spend time with you in the morning". I then went to bed with my alarm set for 7:15. When my alarm went off this morning I was less than enthusiastic and I hit the snooze. But once my alarm went off again I remembered my prayer and I got out of bed with an attitude that it was time to Worship God! I praise him so much for this answered prayer, that he would help me wake up and above all remind me of my last thought and desire of before I went to bed just as I am waking up so that I can follow through this morning. God is so good.
9 ”So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:9-10)
When we are seeking after God the desires of our heart will be that of his, and when we ask for those things, we will receive them. This is a simple example of how I can claim the promise in this verse today!
Last night, when I was going to bed at 1am, I felt this huge desire for reading God's word and spending time with him and a sadness that I hadn't been able to read my Bible that day. I prayed a simple prayer, "Lord help me to wake up and spend time with you in the morning". I then went to bed with my alarm set for 7:15. When my alarm went off this morning I was less than enthusiastic and I hit the snooze. But once my alarm went off again I remembered my prayer and I got out of bed with an attitude that it was time to Worship God! I praise him so much for this answered prayer, that he would help me wake up and above all remind me of my last thought and desire of before I went to bed just as I am waking up so that I can follow through this morning. God is so good.
9 ”So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:9-10)
When we are seeking after God the desires of our heart will be that of his, and when we ask for those things, we will receive them. This is a simple example of how I can claim the promise in this verse today!
releasing the future
It may be odd to think about releasing the future since no one can predict it. However, I believe many of us if not all of us try to control it and direct our steps today so that we will arrive where we want to be in the future. I am very much guilty of doing this in my life, trying to make sure I don't get off the path I've created for my life.
Well God is revealing to me that this is, simply put, sin. I don't want sin in my life, but giving up control of my life to him is not easy, and I really don't know how to do it. I believe I will continue to give up pieces of control to Him for the rest of my life.
As far as my future is concerned, I am anxious about it. All of the uncertainties and unknowns that will follow this constant known as college. Upon graduation where do I go, what do I do, who do I hang out with? All of these thoughts run through my head.
Well I feel very strongly that God has called me to ministry in the local church and that my path is heading to that destination. However, that's about as much control as I have given God. I still want to control where I go, who I work for, what ministry I get to do, and who I can impact.
Wow, that sounds super selfish and stuck up when I see it written down.
But I don't feel selfish. If you ask me about my future I will tell you (and have been telling others) that it's completely in God's hands and that he will place me in the right church. However I have always in my mind been truly saying, "God will put me in the perfect church for me and I won't have to deal with problems because that ministry and my personality will be a perfect match." Now that is selfish.
This weekend I went back home to Victorville and talked with my family and pastors from my home church. I was very encouraged to talk about my passions, future, ministry desires and church's in general. This may not seem like a big deal but what happened in my heart this weekend was a big deal.
I released my home church to God as a place I would be willing to work in the future. Since feeling God's call to ministry I have always had the unspoken (and possibly spoken at times) understanding that I would never move back home and do ministry in the church I grew up in. What I really was saying was, I don't trust you God and I think that the best church for me is not this church.
By releasing this church to the Lord I feel like I am closer to being able to say, "Lord send me" and truly mean I am willing to go wherever. I don't know if that will happen soon, where I am able to release my whole future to Him, but I am praying and working toward that end.
And to clarify for anyone close to me that may be reading into this, I am not saying I want to work at the church I grew up at. I am just ecstatic that my heart is now much closer to being ok with working where God wants me to work.
I am now saying "Lord, please place me in the perfect ministry for your kingdom, not for my personal comfort." Please pray for me that this will be true in both my heart and in my future and that I continue to release my future to Him since he already knows it!
Well God is revealing to me that this is, simply put, sin. I don't want sin in my life, but giving up control of my life to him is not easy, and I really don't know how to do it. I believe I will continue to give up pieces of control to Him for the rest of my life.
As far as my future is concerned, I am anxious about it. All of the uncertainties and unknowns that will follow this constant known as college. Upon graduation where do I go, what do I do, who do I hang out with? All of these thoughts run through my head.
Well I feel very strongly that God has called me to ministry in the local church and that my path is heading to that destination. However, that's about as much control as I have given God. I still want to control where I go, who I work for, what ministry I get to do, and who I can impact.
Wow, that sounds super selfish and stuck up when I see it written down.
But I don't feel selfish. If you ask me about my future I will tell you (and have been telling others) that it's completely in God's hands and that he will place me in the right church. However I have always in my mind been truly saying, "God will put me in the perfect church for me and I won't have to deal with problems because that ministry and my personality will be a perfect match." Now that is selfish.
This weekend I went back home to Victorville and talked with my family and pastors from my home church. I was very encouraged to talk about my passions, future, ministry desires and church's in general. This may not seem like a big deal but what happened in my heart this weekend was a big deal.
I released my home church to God as a place I would be willing to work in the future. Since feeling God's call to ministry I have always had the unspoken (and possibly spoken at times) understanding that I would never move back home and do ministry in the church I grew up in. What I really was saying was, I don't trust you God and I think that the best church for me is not this church.
By releasing this church to the Lord I feel like I am closer to being able to say, "Lord send me" and truly mean I am willing to go wherever. I don't know if that will happen soon, where I am able to release my whole future to Him, but I am praying and working toward that end.
And to clarify for anyone close to me that may be reading into this, I am not saying I want to work at the church I grew up at. I am just ecstatic that my heart is now much closer to being ok with working where God wants me to work.
I am now saying "Lord, please place me in the perfect ministry for your kingdom, not for my personal comfort." Please pray for me that this will be true in both my heart and in my future and that I continue to release my future to Him since he already knows it!
i have a feeling...
...that God is going to use me in ways that I can't imagine right now. In class today we were talking about biblical leadership and at the end of class the professor asked if we were willing to step up and be this kind of leader, a servant who sacrificed for others. He then asked us to try envisioning where we would be five years from now in ministry.
First off, I want to be a servant leader! That is a goal of mine and something I want to strive for.
Secondly, I was thinking about my future in ministry and all I saw myself doing was being involved in life change. The next thought I had about my future in ministry was that of missions work.
Could mission work be for me? I have a feeling that it could be. Being able to be relational, teach, think outside of the box, work with families and having to be entirely dependent on Christ...what could be better than that?!?!
It's something to think about..."gonna be a good night"!
First off, I want to be a servant leader! That is a goal of mine and something I want to strive for.
Secondly, I was thinking about my future in ministry and all I saw myself doing was being involved in life change. The next thought I had about my future in ministry was that of missions work.
Could mission work be for me? I have a feeling that it could be. Being able to be relational, teach, think outside of the box, work with families and having to be entirely dependent on Christ...what could be better than that?!?!
It's something to think about..."gonna be a good night"!
a little this and that...
Wow, I just had an amazing conversation tonight with a good friend. I am a very relational person and really get fueled up by conversations such as this, and through this have thought about things with a slightly different lens.
One such thing is girls. We talked about relationships and girls in each others lives (or lack there of/prospects) and what we valued. I walked away with the idea that waiting is good and that this girl has got to be pretty phenomenal! We also talked about love and how the day you say "I do" is when your relationship is set in stone and that the commitment of love, not the feeling of love is the foundation.
Is life really all that complicated? I would say yes, there is so much to think about and process through and decisions to make. All of this then needs to be filtered through a number of different lens' both biblical and culturally (or at least it would seem) before a final decision can be made. However what if we lived in black and white? What if you approached life with a very small consistent playbook? You always approached life with the utmost integrity, love for people, humility, wisdom and dependence on God especially through prayer? It seems like this would take a lot of the complications out of life.
One other thing that this guy said was great. He said (which he got from somewhere else), "live life as if you could lose your salvation while knowing that you are secure in Christ". Now I don't know if this completely encompasses the Christian life, in fact I know it doesn't, but it sure gives me perspective on a godly fear. I all to often think and approach God as a mentor, friend, coach or guide. I don't approach him as my GOD. I don't have a commitment to my God that would overshadow anything else that could ever happen in life to me. I think this is so because I don't necessarily see him as my God. I want to, and it is my prayer, reoriente my view of God as I AM.
Well I need to write a paper for class, but this is healthy for me to journal and process and be transparent (with whomever may read this...) and I love it. I wish I blogged/journaled more often but time doesn't necessarily allow for it. I'll leave with this prayer:
God, make me see you as God. In some way this week knock me to my knees and make me realize just how just, powerful, loving and everything else you are. Father help me to be a man who lives humbly and loves deeply and cares for those that need to be cared for. I want to grow, help me to do so. Amen.
One such thing is girls. We talked about relationships and girls in each others lives (or lack there of/prospects) and what we valued. I walked away with the idea that waiting is good and that this girl has got to be pretty phenomenal! We also talked about love and how the day you say "I do" is when your relationship is set in stone and that the commitment of love, not the feeling of love is the foundation.
Is life really all that complicated? I would say yes, there is so much to think about and process through and decisions to make. All of this then needs to be filtered through a number of different lens' both biblical and culturally (or at least it would seem) before a final decision can be made. However what if we lived in black and white? What if you approached life with a very small consistent playbook? You always approached life with the utmost integrity, love for people, humility, wisdom and dependence on God especially through prayer? It seems like this would take a lot of the complications out of life.
One other thing that this guy said was great. He said (which he got from somewhere else), "live life as if you could lose your salvation while knowing that you are secure in Christ". Now I don't know if this completely encompasses the Christian life, in fact I know it doesn't, but it sure gives me perspective on a godly fear. I all to often think and approach God as a mentor, friend, coach or guide. I don't approach him as my GOD. I don't have a commitment to my God that would overshadow anything else that could ever happen in life to me. I think this is so because I don't necessarily see him as my God. I want to, and it is my prayer, reoriente my view of God as I AM.
Well I need to write a paper for class, but this is healthy for me to journal and process and be transparent (with whomever may read this...) and I love it. I wish I blogged/journaled more often but time doesn't necessarily allow for it. I'll leave with this prayer:
God, make me see you as God. In some way this week knock me to my knees and make me realize just how just, powerful, loving and everything else you are. Father help me to be a man who lives humbly and loves deeply and cares for those that need to be cared for. I want to grow, help me to do so. Amen.
an update on life
I officially started my Senior Year (and last year) of college at Biola University 2 weeks ago. So far it has have been going great and I am loving everything about it…besides all the work that is. Both semesters of mine are going to be super busy since I will be taking extra full course loads to graduate on time and working 20 hours a week at my church. It’ going to be awesome!
As far as my internship goes I just hit my 1 year mark working at Friends Church in Yorba Linda, CA. For those of you that don’t know I work in the Children’s Department there with kids from 0 years old up through 6th grade. It’s been quite an exciting year and I truly believe that the Lord is using this church to prepare me for ministry. In the last year I have been to Summer Camp, Winter Camp, worked on VBS, helped lead a mid-week program for 5th and 6th graders, worked on the weekends leading small groups, teaching large group, and learning the ropes as well as many more amazing opportunities to grow in my leadership and programming abilities. It’s been quite challenging, but a huge year of growth for me!
Something that’s been very exciting for me this year is getting an apartment with 3 other guys. It’s pretty awesome and I’m really enjoying the whole process of the place. I mean I really don’t mind the cleaning and chores and cooking and stuff. It’s quite fun actually! Having a place that I can call mine is super nice after I’ve moved 7 other times since starting college.
What I’m excited for this year: Graduation! That’s a big one since it’s the end of my basic education! I can see freedom (or at least it looks that way to me) at the end of this road and I can’t wait to not have classes! I’m also looking forward to developing some great friendships with Biola people and Church people this year! I’m a people person and love to connect with others and what God is doing in their life.
How God is working in my life: God is really working on my heart right now. I have a lot of head knowledge and a lot of times know the right thing to do. However I don’t always feel it or want what is right and best. I believe God is really working on my heart to line up what I know to be true with how I will feel in those situations. I’m really excited to see how my heart and mind can someday work as a cohesive team to help me make the wise choices in life!
If you want to get a hold of me to ask more questions or check in to see how I’m doing you can do that these ways:
E-Mail: kyle.a.zimmerman@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kylezimmerman
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kyle_zimmerman
As far as my internship goes I just hit my 1 year mark working at Friends Church in Yorba Linda, CA. For those of you that don’t know I work in the Children’s Department there with kids from 0 years old up through 6th grade. It’s been quite an exciting year and I truly believe that the Lord is using this church to prepare me for ministry. In the last year I have been to Summer Camp, Winter Camp, worked on VBS, helped lead a mid-week program for 5th and 6th graders, worked on the weekends leading small groups, teaching large group, and learning the ropes as well as many more amazing opportunities to grow in my leadership and programming abilities. It’s been quite challenging, but a huge year of growth for me!
Something that’s been very exciting for me this year is getting an apartment with 3 other guys. It’s pretty awesome and I’m really enjoying the whole process of the place. I mean I really don’t mind the cleaning and chores and cooking and stuff. It’s quite fun actually! Having a place that I can call mine is super nice after I’ve moved 7 other times since starting college.
What I’m excited for this year: Graduation! That’s a big one since it’s the end of my basic education! I can see freedom (or at least it looks that way to me) at the end of this road and I can’t wait to not have classes! I’m also looking forward to developing some great friendships with Biola people and Church people this year! I’m a people person and love to connect with others and what God is doing in their life.
How God is working in my life: God is really working on my heart right now. I have a lot of head knowledge and a lot of times know the right thing to do. However I don’t always feel it or want what is right and best. I believe God is really working on my heart to line up what I know to be true with how I will feel in those situations. I’m really excited to see how my heart and mind can someday work as a cohesive team to help me make the wise choices in life!
If you want to get a hold of me to ask more questions or check in to see how I’m doing you can do that these ways:
E-Mail: kyle.a.zimmerman@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kylezimmerman
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kyle_zimmerman
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