Live Your Faith

At Thrive, we work with a large range of students and families. One type is “the-kid-who-grew-up-in-church”. Being a kid who grew up mostly in the church myself, I found it was harder for me to really take on my faith as my own and live it out. When you’ve known something your whole life, it’s easy to just fall into the motions. Our goal at Thrive is to challenge students out of that mindset; to live out their faith as their own, and to serve God and each other. For the last two years, we have implemented something at Thrive called our “Bringers”. These students, who are in any grade, are our students who want to go beyond the motions. Who not only want to come to Thrive, but want to own Thrive as their own ministry to lead their friends to Christ. Within the last two years, we have seen countless Thrive students invite non-believing friends, lead games, dress up as characters, lead worship etc… but none as much as our senior classes.

This year, I have been particularly impressed with our seniors. A lot of them have grown up in the church and, until now, have coasted along; coming to Thrive, but not really feeling the urgency of the Gospel. This year though, God is moving. I can see their growth, and our underclassmen notice it too. At our fall retreat, Ignite, one student has really stuck out to me. Ashley has gone to Salem First her whole life, and has been a part of Thrive for almost 4 years. Over the summer, she connected with some freshman girls, to get to know them and make them feel truly welcome at Thrive. This year she has been constantly welcoming students at Thrive, getting to know their names and where they go to school so they feel at home. She really has a heart for the underclassman girls, wanting to be a good role model for them. Last week on our retreat, she pulled aside some students, mostly freshman girls, to get to know them on a deeper level and to specifically pray for them. Usually, the leaders are the ones having 1 on 1’s with students, but Ashley devoted her whole free time to meeting with students! She’s been in church her whole life, and she is getting it. She blesses me and I see Christ moving through her so evidently. It’s so exciting to see students live out their faith! She has been a part of this ministry, but now she has made this ministry her own.

-Jessica Ivanitsky

Strength in the Lord

“Mom, Dad … I want to be the one to tell you, we’re getting a divorce.” “This is your doctor; the tests are back … it is cancer” “Sorry, I can’t pretend any longer – the Bible just doesn’t work for me.” “We’ve had to make some difficult choices; clean out your desk; we are letting you go.” “Yes, I’m sure … it’s conclusive you have (this disease).”  Receiving just one of these messages would be tough to hear at any time … but especially challenging when you are approaching retirement, looking forward to enjoying your grandkids, planning a special wedding anniversary, feeling your precious Christian family is intact.  But God often writes the story different than we would.  When asked recently why a friend serves as a Bible study leader, without much thought the answer quickly came: “I lead Bible study because I want to be used of God to help others grow in their faith.”  This was the truth 8 months ago when all five of the above situations were beginning to be birthed in this person’s life.  With more real life stories than they would have chosen to tell, it is still the truth … because God is in control even when life spins out of control.  The following quote from Charles Stanley says it best: “I wonder how many times you have said to the Lord, ‘Dear Lord, I want you to use me.  I don’t want a lot of pain in my life, but I’m willing to be used.’  Sorry, God does not work that way.”  If you want to be used by God, get ready to hurt.  If you want to be a comforter, then get ready to suffer.  If you want to be someone who can really encourage others, then you must be a person who has walked through the valley of discouragement, surrounded by hurt, suffering and loss. God is equipping you and me to be vessels of love, healing and restoration to a world of people filled with pain, hate and despair.  I lead Bible study because I want to be used of God to help others grow in their faith.  Yes, I found strength in the Lord my God! I Samuel 30:6b. - A Fellow Believer   Recommended Reading: Behind the Mask by John Lynch, Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol--For those with unresolved life issues this is a helpful book to face them, and slay them with the grace of God.

Waiting…with open arms

Do you like to wait?  I do not find waiting easy.  I will come back on a different day and a different time if I don’t have to wait.  But sometimes we are called to wait.  We don’t get any other options, but to wait.  While we wait, however, we do get options.  We can wait impatiently, we can wait with an angry heart or we can wait with faith.  During this Advent season we are invited to anticipate the coming of our Lord.  We look forward to His return, but today we wait. 



I have often been drawn to Simeon, the president of the “waiting” club.  Simeon was asked to wait for the consolation of Israel.  He was waiting for the comfort of his nation, but with each day that passed he wondered when it would occur. But the scripture tells us how he waited.  He was told that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.  Given that Israel had not heard from a prophet in over 400 years it took a lot of faith to believe that God was about to break His silence.  But he trusted in the Word that was given to him and therefore he waited—with open arms. 



When you wait with faith it creates two things.  First it creates the belief that God will act.  He had faith that God was going send His Christ.  His faith gave him the ability to go to the temple courts with anticipation.  His faith gave him the conviction that he would not die before he saw God’s promise.  But his faith also gave him open arms.  When Simeon took the infant Jesus in his arms it says that he praised God saying:  “Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace.”  What did the Lord promise?  He promised that Simeon would receive the Christ.  It did not say that Simeon would receive a child who would be King.  He had faith to be open to God’s sovereign plan.  He was led by the Holy Spirit to recognize God’s sovereign promise.



God is going to call us to wait.  But His invitation is to wait with faith:  faith to believe that God will act and faith to receive with open arms His sovereign plan. 



“Almighty God, grant that we joyfully receive from You Your sovereign plan and that we, your children, will wait with open arms to receive it.”

-Pastor Mark