We often refer to February as the "Love Month" in Chi Alpha since it's a great time to discuss relationships surrounding valentines day. So, what better way to finish the month than with a day devoted to learning about the love of our heavenly Father and his desire for us to know and experience Him as he truly is.
Saturday, February 27th, about 20 students gathered together to take part in the Father Heart of God Seminar. A 12 hour seminar put on by my former mentor from Montana State University and long time Chi Alpha veteran Dick Schroeder. Dick's teaching helps students work through broken areas of relationships in their lives and God's desire for us to live in true forgiveness and love. Students spent time learning the importance of forgiveness and letting go of the weight and captivity that holding offenses brings. Here's a quick testimony from one student that took part in the seminar...
"Going into the Father Heart of God seminar, I did not really know what to expect. I spent the night prior going through the family evaluation packet realizing the true dynamics of my family. I learned that because my parents divorced when I was young, I did not know what a real father was like. That point in particular scared me. I had been viewing God in the same way that I viewed my dad, absent and angry. Though I knew in my mind that both loved me, I felt it was a distant, conditional love. There was a time during the seminar where Dick spoke about the seven common misconceptions about God, it was at this point that I realized just how skewed my views were. I looked at four of those misconceptions to be truth. As we prayed over those thoughts I could feel God working, slowing churning the rusty cogs in my mind, and opening my heart.
Forgiveness was another large part of the day. There had been many times in my life where I had thought that I had forgiven all those people who really hurt me, but there was still a lot of hurt left. Having the ability to go through and let the spirit guide you to all of those people who you have not forgiven yet was really interesting. The people who came up were ones who I had not thought about in years, but looking back those where the ones I needed to forgive the most. Along with forgiving those around us, Dick also made a point to take the time to truly forgive ourselves. That was tough. I had been carrying around so much shame (feeling inadequate, etc...) that it was like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. God has really been working miracles in that area of my life, looking back no more than six months ago, I was soft spoken, quiet, scared, and had a self confidence that was through the floor. I can't say now that I am completely healed and that every aspect of my personality has changed, but it is leaps and bounds better than before. I am no longer afraid to be a strong woman of God, and no longer afraid to stand up for what I believe in.
The very end of the day was saved as a time of prayer and ministry. There were many points in the day that the topic of divorce was brought up, this struck a chord with me because my parents have been divorced since I was four. So I have never really known what family is supposed to look like. The first prayer we spoke was over that; Dick had all of those people who came from divorced families to come to the center. There were three of us. At that point the group gathered around and prayed to break the cycle of divorce in our families, and that we were the ones who were going to change it. That night of prayer was the most honest and heartfelt that I have ever experienced. The Holy Spirit was there guiding and watching over us. Leading everyone back to God in some way. It was one of the best experiences; I also had an opportunity that night to pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I was baptized by the Holy Spirit, and received a prayer language. Overall, I could not have asked for a more powerful Spirit lead day. It was an experience I would recommend all students to go through to learn more about yourself, your family, and God."
Forgiveness was another large part of the day. There had been many times in my life where I had thought that I had forgiven all those people who really hurt me, but there was still a lot of hurt left. Having the ability to go through and let the spirit guide you to all of those people who you have not forgiven yet was really interesting. The people who came up were ones who I had not thought about in years, but looking back those where the ones I needed to forgive the most. Along with forgiving those around us, Dick also made a point to take the time to truly forgive ourselves. That was tough. I had been carrying around so much shame (feeling inadequate, etc...) that it was like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. God has really been working miracles in that area of my life, looking back no more than six months ago, I was soft spoken, quiet, scared, and had a self confidence that was through the floor. I can't say now that I am completely healed and that every aspect of my personality has changed, but it is leaps and bounds better than before. I am no longer afraid to be a strong woman of God, and no longer afraid to stand up for what I believe in.
The very end of the day was saved as a time of prayer and ministry. There were many points in the day that the topic of divorce was brought up, this struck a chord with me because my parents have been divorced since I was four. So I have never really known what family is supposed to look like. The first prayer we spoke was over that; Dick had all of those people who came from divorced families to come to the center. There were three of us. At that point the group gathered around and prayed to break the cycle of divorce in our families, and that we were the ones who were going to change it. That night of prayer was the most honest and heartfelt that I have ever experienced. The Holy Spirit was there guiding and watching over us. Leading everyone back to God in some way. It was one of the best experiences; I also had an opportunity that night to pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I was baptized by the Holy Spirit, and received a prayer language. Overall, I could not have asked for a more powerful Spirit lead day. It was an experience I would recommend all students to go through to learn more about yourself, your family, and God."
~Brieanne Kosmata (Junior)
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