So boot camp started about a week ago, and I hope to document the journey on this blog as regularly as possible, but limited internet access will hinder this greatly.

Here are some recent thoughts until I can provide more.

Suffering for Christ is something I have come to understand to some small extent in the past year. I understand it just enough to know I want it, but not enough to realize I wouldn't really if I knew it well enough! But the truth is, we should desire it because we know that our likeness to Christ is identifiable by our suffering for Him. But as of lately, God has been revealing the truth that submission is the key in partaking in Christ's suffering.

Eph 5:21 "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."

Any act of submission we come to should be seen in direct relation to Christ!It is revolutionary to realize that every action Christ took, from the decision to become human till resurrection was an act of direct submission. He submitted to a body. He submitted to knowing fully the glory of the Father and the greatness of what the earth could be and the salvation and restoration of the Father. At the same time, he knew the fullness of the falleness of humanity and the end results of the lives surrounding him. Yet he lived his life on constant submission to the will of the Father in His teaching, and in constant submission to others who always rejected or misunderstood Him. Jesus Christ was, and still is, the most misunderstood human being in the history of the planet! I cannot imagine having a perfect perspective on the world and every individual life and yet never being understood when I spoke.I say all of this to conclude with this. As I was realizing these things, I thought of my friend/roommate, Dave. He works with inner city kids in an after school program, where I used to volunteer daily. Those kids hate everything he says. They argue against him every time he tries to portray the Gospel to them. They will not accept his love, and mock and scoff at his perspectives on life. He gets pretty discouraged and loses focus sometimes, which makes total sense. But here's the point. Even if he never sees results, even if there never even are results (which I don't believe is true), he is living out a story that directly reflects Christ's ministry on earth.

His narrative in life right now perfectly reflects a small scale of what Christ's entire existence on earth consisted of!

What an intense mission, how much more purpose could we ask for!

Be encouraged in your hardships, whatever they may be, for the Father is reflecting Himself through you in such circumstances!

Truly, there is greater glory to Him in such a setting!