The Lesson For Christians In The "Wonder Woman" Movie

Courtesy: Warner Bros.

There's this little movie out in theaters right now called "Wonder Woman". Maybe you have heard of it, since it is smashing records at the box office and making history for the women behind the scenes. Being the geek that I am, I watched it twice within the first five days it was in theaters, and I loved every minute of it. If you have not watched it yourself, read on at your own risk. There are some spoilers ahead.

The most surprising thing to me and the group of 20 church-going women with whom I saw "Wonder Woman" on opening day: the powerful Biblical parallels that can be applied to us right now.

Yeah, you read that correctly.

Early on in the film, Hippolyta tells Diana a story of war and how it came to be. It follows Greek mythology of Zeus, the king of the gods, creating humans to be good creatures. Ares, the god of war, became jealous and corrupted man, sparking evil behaviors and bloodshed. Sound familiar? Sounds a lot like the creation story and the battle between God and Lucifer if you ask me.

Without going too deep into the plot, Diana leaves her safe home island of Themyscira with an Allied spy to go kill Aires, which would break his spell over mankind and return earth to peace. Despite some wonderfully done fight scenes, Diana's plan does not quite work out. She and Cap. Steve Trevor get into a fight, where she rehashes some of her mother's final words in the film, "Be careful in a world of men. They do not deserve you." Steve tells her that it's not what about what is deserved, but what you believe.

Courtesy: Warner Bros.

It's a point she does not full comprehend this until she sees Steve sacrifice himself for the greater good. The grief breaks her free and she finds herself positioned to kill a human who succumbed to Ares' whispers (helloooo, Lucifer!). In that moment, she flashes back to a conversation we could not hear earlier in the film. It's the conversation where he tells her that he loves her, then runs off to sacrifice himself for the people at the base.

Instead of killing the human, she marches toward Ares and says, "It's not about 'deserve'. It's what you believe, and I believe in love."

That moment is so incredibly powerful and appropriate for the time we are living. How many times do we, as Christians, discount our ability to do something or forget who we are? Just like Diana, we are created from the dust of the earth and brought to life by the breath of God (Genesis 2:7). He is the King of Kings, so therefore, as His children, we are royalty. (Romans 8:17a, Romans 8:14, John 1:12). The last verse there specifically says, "to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God."

It's not about what we deserve, but what we believe. If you believe God is who He says He is, then you have to take His word about who you are too. You have the authority through the King of Kings to be a warrior princess (or prince) on mission to set the world right.

And how does that happen? Through love.

1 John 4:8 says, "But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." If you have spent any time in Christianity, you have probably heard that the goal is to be like Christ, therefore, our goal is to be a picture of love to the world.


It's not our place to judge, because we ourselves are not worthy. Judging others knocks you out of the promise too. Instead, we are to fight darkness by being the light of love; by being like Jesus.

God cannot be defeated, so we should draw power from His example. We fight from a place of victory, not for it. Since we have already won, we should fearlessly run into battle like Diana leaving the trenches, knowing that no weapon formed against us will prosper.

My dear wonder women around the world, don't listen to the whispers of the enemy leading you toward destruction. Don't listen to the people who speak negativity and say you cannot achieve your purpose. Be like Diana. Know what God created you to do. Fight fiercely and fearlessly to achieve that goal. You are a warrior princess for the King of Kings, and He created you to do great things.

WRSM Spring Quarter Quotes: Wednesday/Friday Edition

Biblical Prophesy with Pastor JD King (JDK)

JDK: "You like the pictures? I'm trying to work with millennials. I'm trying to get used to it."

JDK: "Somebody might have a prophetic pastoral leaning. I should probably get that."

JDK: "The School of Ministry is getting almost old enough to vote!"

JDK: "You guys are like Superboy and you're just finding out you have super powers."

JDK: "[Class ends at] 9:50, technically. I'm going to try to be more honorable about that. Wait, who's up after me?"
Class: "Pastor Aaron."
JDK: "Ohhh... yeahhh..."

JDK: "How can you judge something if you don't process it."

JDK: "What do you do if you get smut on your hands?"
Erica: "Wash it off. Why am I the only one answering this question?!"

JDK: "Not everything you know is for everyone else to know."

JDK: "God doesn't respond well to inaction."

JDK: "Sometimes, what you say can transform the whole world."

JDK: "Put on your tights! Put on your cape! It's a sign for me to go into battle and be a superhero! Put on your spidey suit, man!"

JDK: "The prophetic isn't the miracle of speaking; it's the miracle of hearing."

Samuel on anointing oil: "It smells like Jesus!"

Dylan: "I keep thinking of BBQ. God likes the smell of a burnt offering."

JDK: "Our job isn't to run from the dangerous. It's to tame the dangerous for God."

JDK: "Faith is a willingness to ask and respond."

JDK: "Christians should make the best art, not this crap we normally see. Oh, Lord, I'm getting quoted. I stand by the quote, but still."

JDK: "Your gifts can take you far beyond what your character can hold."

JDK: "You could probably get any spiritual gift you wanted if you contended for it."

JDK: "If what you're saying doesn't edify the church, you better shut your mouth."

JDK: "In our society, it's actually worse to be socially awkward than a thief. There's something really twisted about that."

JDK: "Mates, dates and babies are good topics to prophesy about."
Class (jokingly): "True!"
JDK: "The answer is obviously false."
Esther: "Unless you want to get punched."
Dylan: "Fruit punch."
Esther: "I'm not a violent person, but there is a line."

JDK: "All things should be tested, including you and I'm doing it now. I should put that at the top of every [quiz]: 'Test all things.'"
Samuel: "Oooh! I get it now."

JDK: "If you've got a problem with this, get saved!"

JDK: "I want you to pick your favorite Bible character."
Samuel: "Jesus, duh."
JDK: "Besides the Son of God..."
Rose: "Holy Spirit!"
Erica: "God!"
JDK: "Besides a deity..."
Dylan: "Balaam!"


Honor and Authority with Pastor Aaron Lage (PAL)

PAL: "Anyone want to volunteer to take attendance."
Erica: "I knew you were going to say that."
Hunter F.: "Prophetic."
Erica: "I'm going to put that in my prophetic journal."

PAL: "Honor is easy when you feel it, but honor is not a feeling."

PAL: "Honor is more about the person doing the honor than the person receiving the honor."

PAL: "You are worthy of honor because of who you are in Christ."

PAL: "To honor people, you have to see people for who they're becoming."

PAL: "A culture of honor isn't built on what you need; it's build on what you give."

PAL: "He was telling [girls walking by] that they were going to hell for wearing pants. Not shorts! Pants!"
Samuel: "I'd just take my pants off right then and there!"
(not sure): "Cash me ousside."
PAL: "Did you just say cash me outside? I don't think I can recover from this... So, honor..."
Caila: "Because that's NOT honorable."

PAL: "It's like you're arguing with a gorilla. GRRRRRRRRRRR! (while fake pounding on his chest.)"

PAL: "What did you think of the chapter?"
Samuel: "It was cool to hear their story."
PAL: "I can always count on you for a deep answer."

PAL: "Danny Silk is a stud."

PAL: "Honor is not a formula."

PAL: "You don't hear people say, 'I'm a manipulative, controlling person.'"
Esther: "Well, some people do and they are proud of it, but they generally aren't Christians."
PAL: "Or they're in politics."

PAL: "You have to make sure love rises higher than the tension."

PAL: "Praying for the right thing is always the right thing."

PAL: "Do we know that Gabriel has wings? We know cherubim and seraphim had certain kinds of wings."
Esther: "So, he flew like Superman."
PAL: "We're creating our own modern Greek mythology."

PAL: "God is not subject to your Nintendo!"

Caila: "I got grounded one day, just one."
PAL: "She's crying just thinking about it!"

Samuel: "I fell asleep a couple times in church and I didn't care. Like, I got spanked a couple times in service."
Ryan: "In service?"
Samuel: "Yeah, they'd take me out and spank me."
Ryan: "Holy Spirit and fire!"

PAL: "We've got God up in heaven like, 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.' It's the trinity!"

PAL: "Evil is you being less than the son or daughter you are called to be."

PAL: "You are not empowered to follow Christ through guilt. You are empowered to follow Christ through love."

PAL: "A culture of honor deems everybody worthy."

PAL: "You're going to receive mos of your blessings from other people."

PAL on food: "Technically, anything that fills me up, I'm going to think it's beautiful. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

PAL: "Humor, for me, is a tool. Sometimes to annoy people."

PAL: "Anything that causes you to act out of fear is a poverty mindset."

PAL: "You becoming powerful brings heaven to earth. You realizing you are powerful brings heaven to earth."

PAL: "If you can't accept a gift or be a receiver, you probably haven't switched over to a kingdom mentality."

PAL: "It's that 'living for a weekend' mentality, but not a World Revival Church weekend, because those are powerful."

PAL: "You, many times, are the answer to your own prayer."

PAL: "As we're going to go on to... (looks at clock and hisses) I HATE TIME!"

PAL: "You make fun of flannel-graph Jesus but there are people saved today because of it."
Samuel: "What's a flannel-graph?"
PAL: "You should know what a flannel-graph is."
Caila: "I don't know what it is either but I kept my mouth shut."

PAL: "Apparently [making a whip] was a skill Jesus had already acquired."
Esther: "He couldn't just Google it."

PAL: "One of the best ways to honor someone is to allow them to be free."

PAL: "A lot of the time, you don't know the difference between getting pruned and cut off, so you respond like you're cut off."

PAL: "God's given you authority and you're still running back and forth along a one foot tall fence."

PAL: "Loving yourself is loving Christ in you."

PAL: "Your identity is in the body, the group, and that prevents isolation."

PAL: "You can't simultaneously walk in unforgiveness and walk in the royalty God has given you."

PAL: "Don't let dead religion suffocate your desire for greatness."

PAL: "If you can go through the gauntlet with God, what can't you do in real life?"

PAL: "If an angel shows up, I wanna tackle it! Preset! Like Pastor Steve teaches! Preset! If an angels shows up, tackle it."

Dylan: "Greatness does not involve algebra."
PAL: "Solve for x. X always equals greatness."

Hunter F.: "Deep fried in pride."
PAL: "Somebody's from the south. We can deep fry everything."

PAL: "We don't honor people because they are honorable. We honor people because we are honorable."

PAL: "I'm part of a secret society called the truth tellers."
Esther: "If you're part of a secret society, why are you telling us?"
PAL: "Because I'm a truth teller."

PAL: "He's the King of Kings, not the King of paupers."

PAL: "That was the second greatest sneeze I've ever heard!"

PAL: "Maybe [Moses] did some Judo moves... or Egyptian moves... or maybe he did hieroglyphics in the air."

PAL: "Your sense of injustice has to reach a higher level than your concern with what other people think of you."

PAL: "You can still fulfill your calling in camel hair with locust breath."

Erica: "[David] is the millennial version of a king."

Samuel: "Jesus roadies."

PAL: "Stop waiting for permission. Or if anything, I've given you permission, so now you have it."

Samuel: "Did we just trade Lee for doughnuts?"

Ryan: "I'm French."
Dylan: "That explains why you're such a coward."
Class: "Oooh!"
Ryan: "I'll take it."
PAL: "He's got a white flag of surrender in his pocket."
Ryan: "Always prepared."


Arts Through Church History II with Pastor Eric Thomason (PET)

Josiah: "We are calling it ATCH now."
Stephanie: "ATCH-TWOOO."
Josiah: "That's perfect."

PET: "What does monophonic mean?"
JoAnn: "One... phonic."

Sarah: "How do you spell that?
PET: "Francis?
Sarah: "No, Assisi. Nevermind." (writes 'A.C.C.' on board.)

Josiah: "As bad as these guys were, we have to remember there was good, too. Otherwise we'd still be Catholic."

PET: "If you didn't conform to the Church of England, where did you go?"
Sarah: "To JAIL!"

PET: "Maybe she's in the bathroom. I shouldn't have said that."
Hunter F.: "I can edit that out."
PET: "You can? Well, let's talk all about it!"

PET: "Just because they are shallow doesn't mean I have to give them a shallow song."

PET: "Where did Martin Luther get is church background?"
Emily: "Lutherans."

PET: "All of you in this room should be able to say 'prophetically speaks' before your name. Everyone in here can hear the heart of God and speak it."

PET: "That's how you really minister to people is when you've had pain of your own."

Josiah: "Everybody needs to buy a yo-yo."
PET: "I don't need to. They're already sitting in front of me."

PET: "Class is leaning to the right today."
Sarah: "Don't call us heavy!"

JoAnn: "Praise is like 'hallelujah!" and worships is like 'ahhh.'"

PET: "We don't want to scare people. That's God's job."

PET: "Some of it's pretty groovy. That's a 70's word."

PET: "Don't lose the rawness of worship."

Emily: "Can I agree but kinda disagree with you?"
PET: "There is no disagree."

PET: "God is not after pretty. He already knows what pretty sounds like. He's perfect. He's looking for rawness of spirit."

Josiah: "There was one service, we didn't sound so good for the first couple songs."
PET: "I know. I was there."

(JoAnn's hand keeps going higher.)
Emily: "Are you stretching?"
JoAnn: "Some of us don't like to project our opinions everywhere!"

PET: "I love that line that says, 'no one dared ask Him anymore questions' and I'm like, you are an awesome Savior."

PET: "You guys don't know how easy you have it." (about 100 times.)
Emily: "Lemme guess, we don't know how easy we have it."
PET: "Didn't I just say that? You should write that down."

PET: "Don't ever ever ever let a religious person talk you out of what you feel you're supposed to do for God."

PET: "Finding God in worship has zero to do with music."

PET: "There's probably one you want to do, but someone else is going to pick it."
Josiah: "So, you want us to be disappointed?"
PET: "Yeah!"

PET: "The weightiness of God is what changes your life."

PET: "Many times, the maintainers of the move of God are more important than the starters."

PET: "Pentecostals are all in and wacky as heck."

PET: "He woulda hater all of you. He hated Brownsville. He hated Toronto."
Emily: "Well, that's unfortunate because I'm pretty nice."

Hunter F.: "That's gonna be my fruity hand."

JoAnn: "Every time we say that, I picture a little lamb sitting on a biiiig chair."

PET: "John Wilkes Booth wrote that. Wait! No! William Booth. Wrong Booth."

PET: "If I took the little guitar off little tight pants, he wouldn't know what to do."

Sarah: "No one wants to touch your sweaty elbows!"

PET: "When you know it's God, you can't listen to the critics."

PET: "Josiah, can you pray for us since you just put a Pop Tart in your mouth?"
Josiah: "Yep. First of all, thank you Jesus for Pop Tarts. I love 'em."

WRSM Spring Quarter Class Quotes: Tuesday/Thursday Edition

Hebrews with Pastor Jack Walter (PJW)

PJW: "You'll notice participation is pretty heavily weighted, so you'll want to talk... intelligently, of course."

PJW: "Who said that?"
Caila: "Hunter. Anytime it's quiet, it's probably him."

PJW: "Truth prevails over facts."

Dorice: "The moon reflects the sun's light."
Caila: "So, we're all little moons!"

PJW: "How do you see people in our society trying to expand their spirituality."
Esther: "Really good coffee and essential oils."

PJW: "Problems happen when casualness and spiritual indifference set in."

Caila: "Hunter is the big-word-knower."

PJW: "I didn't know Eric from Peter Rabbit. Except Eric didn't hop around or have a tail or so forth."

PJW: "How'd we get on all that? The drifting..."
Esther: "You drifted off course and left the rest of us bobbing out in the ocean."

Caila: "What ways can we guard against drifting away and hardening our hearts? Not talking about food!"

Caila: "It's Hunter's group. They're not going to talk."

PJW: "He's a perverter. Or a pervert. I don't know if I can say that."

Erica: "I got weird, but just a little. Let me explain."

PJW: "God leads. He doesn't shove."

PJW on an answer: "I'll buy it."
Erica: You're buying lots of stuff today, Pastor Jack! You're going to run out of money!"

PJW: "What's the fruit of the Spirit."
Class: "Love, joy, peace, patience..."
Ryan: "And Pastor Jack!"

PJW: "Do you have your Bibles?"
Dylan: "What's a Bible?"
PJW: "Ohhh, we have to stop. He doesn't know what a Bible is."
Erica: "How did you get through 2.5 years of Bible college?"
Ryan: "Grace!"

PJW: "God bless you and I'm going to leave the mic here."

PJW: "I should have been killed, but God knew this day would come where I could torment you like you torment me."

PJW: "If we make ourselves available, God has great things for us."

Ryan: "Did you say you made your bed?"
PJW: "Yeah..."
Ryan: "Woaaah."
PJW: "Are you saying you don't make your bed?!"

Major Prophets with Levi O'Brien (LO)

LO: "I'm shaking a little bit, but not because I'm nervous. I just had too much coffee."

LO: "They weren't afraid of their calling. They didn't back down."

Dorice: "Mic drop! (pause) Marker drop!"

LO (on superclusters): "Sometimes I don't know what I'm talking about, but this time, I do!"

LO: "So, it looks like a brain."
Hunter F: "So, we're living in God's brain."

LO: "They compromised themselves into captivity."

LO: "You can only understand man when you understand God."

(LO tells story about childhood.)
Erica: "True story."
LO: "Of course it's a true story! Do you think I'd lie to you after talking about evil people?"

LO: "God is not a pagan deity that can be satisfied with surface stuff."

LO: "Something can happen and you're like, 'I can't get angry! I'm about to preach!"

LO: "I know, I'm moving around a lot. I think it's the coffee and the Spirit of God."

LO on Isaiah 20: "That's a silly picture. Don't make a movie out of that."

LO: "If I was God, we'd have rivers of coffee! Hot springs, man!"

LO: "The presence of God is what makes us different."

LO: "'Birthed wind.' I looked it up. It does not mean fart."

LO: "God needs to freeze time so we can learn and learn and learn."

LO: "We ain't got no time. Boring! That's boring. I need an hour and a half again."

Caila: "I looked up the meaning of Hunter once."
LO: "What did you think it means?!"
Caila: "Like, name meanings."
LO: (laughs) "It's over here meaning peaceful. What's it really mean."
Caila: "One who hunts."

LO after a joke: "Are you taking notes? Come on! This is a school of ministry!"
Erica: "I'll take notes when you say something important."

LO: "Whenever we put our trust in God with our effort, then we will find the reward."

LO: "I'm grateful for you guys."
Esther: "Because we laugh at your bad jokes?"

LO: "There is power in Jesus' name to get where you need to go. He is not the problem in that equation."

LO: "We aren't just changing today by what we do; we are changing tomorrow."

LO: "The mistake club... I'm not in that club."
Erica: "'Why preach?'"
(LO hangs head.)

LO talking about his dog: "Today is the first day we are letting him out of the kennel. (Pastor Mark presses his face against window.) He needs to be put in a kennel!"

LO: "I was looking for some revelation for myself. I was looking for a joke I haven't told yet."

LO: "Don't throw your English out the window when you read your Bible. A lot of those scriptures hanging on refrigerators don't mean what they think."

LO: "Mic drop moment! Which will be going extinct. We're all going wireless. Soon, there wont be any mics to drop."

LO: "You don't pray hard to get somewhere. You pray hard because you are somewhere."

LO: "I have a fear of Pastor Mark."

LO: "When you fear God, it shows you believe He's more powerful than anything."

LO: "I was waking up while you were worshiping. Haaaaa! You already had to be here!"

LO: "Don't get release getting out of it. Get release because you went through it."

LO: "Part of forgiveness is handing over the vengeance to God."

LO: "When you expect something of another person, it costs you nothing and it costs them everything."

LO: "Fear causes you to make expectations of people and God."

LO: "Y'all are terrible at riddles! Jesus, bless this class!"

LO: "Hunter, did you figure it out?"
Hunter D.: "Oh. I was reading Lamentations."

Hunter D. on Jeremiah 51:59-64: "Instead of a mic drop, it's a rock drop."

Caila: "I always thought Psalms was possums growing up."

PAL: "I used to think it was 'H to H, you're still the same.' I sang it like that for years as a kid. Like, from heaven to hell? I don't know."

PAL: "So, I got about 20 minutes to prep for this."
Erica: "I feel like that's all Levi puts into it."
Class: "OOOOOH!"
Erica: "Just kidding!"
PAL: "That's going in a blog somewhere!"

PAL: "Knowledge is not power to change."

Worship Unity with Pastor Nancy Thomason (PNT)

PNT: "If you don't sing and you don't play, don't panic. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I have a plan."

PNT: "We all carry something. How we carry it is the fun part."

PNT: "I knew you were a Bible girl, I just couldn't remember which one."

PNT: "Don't always wait to feel anointed; you are anointed."

PNT: "Your life is the song."

PNT: "Have you ever noticed how when God really nails something in your life, you turn really religious?"

PNT: "He's kinda like a cross between Santa and John Lennon... That's the Jesus of Illinois."

PNT: "The only thing the enemy can do is talk."

(phone chimes)
PNT: "Oh, it's my phone. I'm sorry. Oh, it's from Pastor Steve. I'll read it later."

PNT: "Love covers everything but love doesn't embrace everything."

PNT: "We will not be emotionally driven. We will be Spirit-led."

PNT: "If your kidneys are gone, so are you."

PNT: "Some of the most important parts of the body are hidden."

PNT: "I made another note... that I cannot read."

PNT: "What do people of faith do to mountains. We speak."

PNT: "The giant that lives is the giant you feed."

PNT: "You all have funny looks on your faces. Why is that?"
Esther: "Because we're convicted."
PNT: "Oh, good! We like that!"

Emily: "Joy."
Hunter F.: "Joyful giant."
Stephanie: "The jolly green giant?"
JoAnn: "That's the healthy giant."

Emily: "Caila prayed for me, so of course, I was dying on the ground."

PNT: "You will never experience father abandonment with this Father."

PNT: "God will put you alongside someone and your life, your song, will save them."

PNT: "If a person is not leading you to God, they are not from God."

PNT: "Drop her! I don't care how cute she is! Drop her and run away!"

PNT: "What [girls] do is have a whole Hallmark movie in about five seconds."

PNT: "Mercy gives an answer that brings life."

PNT: "People who are prepared recognize preparation never ends."

(Emily starts reading)
Esther: "I can't even hear you."
Emily: "I'm normally so loud. I don't know what's wrong with my problem is today."

Esther: "I failed an open book test once because I didn't read the book."

PNT: "If people have a wrong idea of Christ, they have a wrong idea of who they are."

Stephanie: "We are assigned battle buddies and today, the battle is staying awake."

PNT: "Each one of you has a song in your heart. What's your song?"
Stephanie: "Right now, it's a lullaby."

PNT on Pastor Kathy's preaching: "The flamethrower of God!"

PNT: "If you don't listen to you, no demon will listen to you."

PNT: "I pray for us to be like the New Testament church, but I forget [Annanias and Sapphira] is in it too. Oops!"

Josiah: "I have to walk now."
Emily: "Oh, poor you. You have to walk. On your legs. That work. Poor you."

PNT: "Being offended is the number one thing that will kill you."

Emily: "My real laugh sounds like a dying horse."

Getting Baptized The Second Time Around

It's a moment I still remember after about 20 years.

I was wearing a totally 90's frilly red dress that slightly resembled something a princess would wear, or so I thought. Despite my fever, I was in the tiny back room of the church, shivering and buried underneath all the coats we could find. I didn't become stubborn overnight, so it should come at no surprise that I refused to leave church sick.

It was baptism day and I wasn't going to miss it, not even for a fever. God is pretty cool in those moments and loves showing up. I remember Pastor Jack prayed for me while we stood in the water. He dunked me and I came out feeling so much better.

A lot can happen in 20 years, and it surely did in my life.

This past Sunday, I went back into a baptismal, this time in a different church, different state, and with a different heart. I've been asked about the why a few times, so here's the answer. It's been a long time in the making.

When I started going to World Revival Church, I got involved in the "Innocence Restored" book study within the first month. Rhonda, who was one of the leaders, told the story of her second baptism. I remember sitting in Dean'na's living room and thinking that maybe I should do that too. It's a thought that was always floating around my brain for nearly three years.

Getting that thought to become reality was a challenge. Every time a baptism came up, something kept me away. I watched the first one on streaming from work and reaffirmed in my mind that it was something I would do... eventually. It was just so amazing to watch.

If you haven't witnessed a WRC baptism, you are missing out. It's not a separate ceremony, but rather, baptism is a celebration incorporated into worship. The tub is set up to the left of the stage on the floor. While the congregation worships, the pastoral staff takes turns helping people into the water one at a time. When the person is lifted out of the water, there is an abundance of cheering, clapping, raised hands, and tears. The Spirit of God gets so thick in the room, and it's deeply moving to witness.

They announced the April 2nd date, but I didn't really think much of it. I knew I had plans the night before, plus there was an 11-hour overnight shift of work between dinner and church and another one immediately following service time. I figured I'd take a nap at work and avoid falling asleep on the drive home.

But at the event the night before, one of our school leaders talked to us about jumping off the cliff with God when He asks. She felt like some things she was supposed to do in life are not really options anymore because she responded to God too slowly. 

It didn't really hit me until I was driving home to change before work. Maybe this was one of those moments where I was responding slowly. After all, it's been nearly three years since I first thought of doing it here. The other thought that came up was Pastor Aaron telling me during a minor meltdown that he saw me as restored, even though most people are still dragging their feet about it. The action of getting baptized itself wasn't the only part that would show restoration. God told me that doing it with a certain person would bring about healing.

Before I even met Emily, I saw her as a little sister. We had some rough times, but we have been working through stuff together and growing closer together over the past few months of school. She has grown so much in that time, and I frequently catch myself watching her in awe of her heart and passion for God. While we are friends again, people don't seem to get that it's possible. We have both been amused by the weird looks that flit across faces when they see us together. The night before baptism, she even crawled up into my chair with me and we played on Snapchat for quite some time. So, when God said doing it with her would bring restoration, I believed Him.

There in my car, with about 10 hours until the service, I decided I was getting baptized again. Beyond that, I told God that when I came out of that water, the hurts of the past that I'd been carrying around were going to stay in that water. I mean, if He could use baptism to heal me of whatever sickness I was dealing with as a child, he most certainly could do this too.

I hadn't told anyone that I was going to do it, other than the church. Emily's face when she turned around and saw me in the matching shirt cemented that it was the right thing. She immediately hugged me. I was in line with my precious friends Emily, Kortney, and Issac for the baptism, with Rachel and Sarah acting as our towel girl and photographer. We were shaking, laughing and crying through the wait. 

Throughout the whole line of baptisms, the band played the song "Back to Life" which has about the most perfect lyrics for that moment.

"I, I’m coming back to life 

I’m feeling hope arise
Because of You, only You, Jesus
I, I’m leaving the rest behind
My heart is satisfied
Because of You, only You, Jesus
I lay down my weakness
I take on Your strength
I lay down my defenses
I step into Your victory
Resentment, depression & all anxieties
They have no power over me
Addictions, strongholds & every disease
They have no power over me."

When I came up out of the water, I felt so much lighter, it's ridiculous. I said "woah" and then realized I couldn't see anything for a minute, thanks to my contacts moving out of place. The presence of God was so sweet in that moment. The girls and I just stood dripping wet near the line hugging each other and watching the rest of the group get dunked. I saw a few confused people staring at us, but felt them getting the point that the time for judgement is past.

When all was said and done, more than 50 people were baptized that morning. You can see the video montage of it here.

The rest of that day was so wonderful. Even when customers tried to get snippy with me, I didn't care. The peace and joy of Jesus were so strong, and have carried along through the past week. It's really hard to put into words how incredibly life changing one seemingly simple moment can be.

Perfectionism, Shame, Worthiness, and Oh So Much Vulnerability

Ever feel like you're seeing a word pop up repeatedly in your life and wonder if you're supposed to be learning something from it? Me too. The past couple weeks has been one of those times.

In case you didn't catch it from the title of this post, I've been reading Dr. Brene Brown lately, which started this whole journey. My book club read "I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't)" in February, and tomorrow we will discuss "Daring Greatly." Both of these books explore her research in shame and vulnerability. Yes, it's pretty heavy stuff.

At first, I was only able to acknowledge that it is good and important information. But then, I noticed that word 'shame' was showing up everywhere. It reared it's ugly head in fictional books I was reading. It popped up in class conversations. It sparked sobbing over too-close-to-home homework for one of my classes. Situations showed up and highlighted some shame issues, especially while reading "Daring Greatly". At one point, I was reading it and saw a picture in my head of someone brushing away dirt and exposing a vast web of roots. That's a picture of how shame has infiltrated my life and I had no idea how it had shaped the person I am now and the problems that have plagued me. Through all of the 'shame' pop ups, I've been trying to figure out where it all started.

The first moment that this all started clicking into place was when Dr. Brown talked about perfectionism. I have claimed that title for so long, I can't even tell you where it started. So, imagine my feeling when reading that it's a shield against vulnerability. Brown writes, "Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving for excellence. Perfectionism is not about healthy achievement and growth. Perfectionism is a defensive move. It's the belief that if we do things perfectly and look perfect, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgement, and shame... Perfectionism is, at its core , about trying to earn approval... Perfectionism is a form of shame."

Well, crap.

So, I spent a few days trying to trace it back through my life to figure out why I put so much pressure on myself and how it shapes my behavior. Needless to say, I'm not fond of the results. I won't go into it in detail here since this isn't really the proper place for all that junk, but I think it goes back to childhood. That was confirmed more in the parenting chapter of "Daring Greatly" (which I almost skipped since I don't have children.)

Don't get me wrong: I love my parents (hi mom and dad!) and they did the best they knew how with us, and this is not some blog of blame, but there were certain things during those young years that left me feeling unwanted, unloved, and lacking. Somewhere along the line, I got it in my head that if I was perfect at everything, especially the things they wanted me to be good at, then maybe it would fix everything. Maybe it would make up for every problem that I always traced back to my own existence. Shockingly enough, it didn't.

Instead, it became a pattern that infiltrated every relationship in my life. Anything less than the best is a crushing weight of disappointment and shame. I felt like I was constantly letting everyone down, from family, to coaches and teammates, to coworkers, to friends, to boyfriends. That just created a shame wall between me and everyone, and made me feel like I wasn't worthy of anything good. It created this cycle, especially with boyfriends, where I would force myself to go along with what they wanted, be miserable, fail to be perfect, feel unloved and unworthy, we'd eventually break up, I'd feel more unworthy and unloved, so I'd lower my standards in search of someone I could be perfect for. For example, an ex of mine just popped up out of the blue. I was hit with so much shame for how people might judge me for dating that scraggly-bearded weirdo, for I let him treat me, how I failed to be the person he wanted me to be, (even though pretty early on in the relationship, my aunt pointed out that I was not being myself when he was around, which made me realize how miserable and not into him I was, but yet I stayed with him until things exploded because I was afraid that was the best I could get).

It's a whole cycle of disaster that destroyed every bit of self-worth I had. I stopped seeing value in myself as a real person. That realization slapped me in the face first in my Honor and Authority class, when Pastor Aaron said that we are all worthy of honor because we are sons and daughters of the One True King. My immediate reaction was, "Maybe you all, but not me" and I shut down for the rest of the class. A few days later, he said he was glad I was in the class and I called him a liar. Let that sink in. I called my pastor a liar for being nice. Why? Because I disagreed with him. Why? Because I didn't feel worthy.

The thought running through my head in that moment was, "Yeah, right. No one wants you around." I constantly battle that feeling, especially in class. The shame of past mistakes built a wall between me and my classmates. While there are more cracks in that barrier with some, I still battle feelings like I'm not worthy of being there or wanted. The drive of perfectionism keeps me trapped in silence for fear of being wrong or sounding stupid. Perfectionism and shame are a really strong box that suffocates everything you're supposed to be.

Friday night, Jill prayed to break familiar spirits, and this all started clicking into place. I had struggled with reading "Daring Greatly" but was finally able to finish the second half quickly. Dr. Brown teaches that vulnerability is the way to break through shame, and that is why I am writing this.

It's a step out of the box toward a new level of freedom. But it's just one step. The other big factor is allowing the Holy Spirit to show the next one, and then following the journey. It's important because the other word that's been popping up around me lately is fierce. You can't be fierce if you have locked yourself in a box of perfectionism and shame.

A Weird Winter at World Revival School of Ministry: Part Two

As promised, here is part two of the Winter '16-'17 quote chronicle. This includes the Wednesday/Friday classes and both worship classes for the quarter. Some interesting stuff awaits.


Five-fold Ministry - Pastor Aaron Lage (PAL)

Pastor JD King (JDK): "In heaven, there will be no florescent lights. I know."

JDK: "You need to be ok with what God made you to be like with your giftings."

JDK: "When you know there's going to be a war or a battle, it's better to do it sooner on your terms rather than later."

JDK: "I'm doing my rabbit trail, but just a little longer and then we'll shoot it."

JDK: "It's very hard to apostle from the pulpit."

PAL: "The way that you keep unity is by constantly trying to glorify Jesus."

PAL: "How do you convince someone about apostles."
Caila: "Heal their body."
PAL: "Well, they really need their mind healed."

PAL: "If that's the only qualifier, I'm going to write homework to you guys like, 'I, Aaron, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ.'"

Esther: "I know my horse facts!"
PAL: "But apparently, you don't know your Bible facts."

PAL: (on getting knocked off a donkey) "Can you imagine how that would be written in King James?"
class: "Knocked off his... ahhhhh...."
Dylan: "Still accurate."
Stephanie: "Knocked off one and onto the other."
PAL to Caila: "I'm still waiting for you to get it."
Caila (deadpan): "I think I already have."

PAL: "When it comes to apostleship, the future of the church is at stake."

PAL: "We say the prophetic is a gift, but whose is it? Is it God's or yours?"

PAL: "When you use the prophetic gift, other's should want it."

PAL: "Does anybody know who Isachar is?"
Erica: "I did last night but now I don't."
Dorice: "I'm glad you said that because I thought I was just being old."

PAL: "Maybe instead of worrying about the dangerous, we need more of it."

PAL: "Christians are like, 'life, liberty and the pursuit of JOY!'"

PAL: "We spent a whole hour talking about the prophetic, so you darn well better be open to the prophetic."

Caila: "Where's Mr. Hunter?"
Samuel: "He's your hubby. Shouldn't we ask you?"

PAL: "How do you sort that out?"
Esther shrugs
PAL: "That's your level of discernment? *Shrugs*"

PAL: "Openness without naivety. Discernment without judgement."

PAL: "If you frame every prophesy through your current situation, you're probably going to miss God."

Caila: "I feel like people are like, 'What's your gift? What's your gift? What's your gift?' but really, it's what are you hungry for?"

PAL: "That's absurd. When was the last time you were around a donkey anyways?"
Erica: "Mexico."
PAL: "That's a burro."

PAL: "You're open to a donkey saying it, but if a valley girl starts talking, good luck."

PAL: "Father, I have sinned. I only prophesy in Elizabethan."

PAL: "Don't hesitate. You may never know the reason why the Holy Spirit will bring things to your remembrance."

PAL: "Don't worry about a catcher. The ground's not that hard."

Caila: "Stephanie! You need to open your mouth more often! Golly gee!"

PAL: "A plus B equals C. C stands for Christian."

PAL: "I'm not sure I'd describe anyone in America as mature right now."

PAL: "We end up downplaying our gift so much, we're ineffective."

PAL: "You cannot life for Jesus as a cynic."

PAL: "I could take your phone and open your Bible app and see the last time you opened it and how long you spent in it. I can also look at the last time you opened Facebook and how long you spent on that. That's convicting!"

PAL: "You are prepared and ready. Make up your mind that you're prepared."

PAL: "Compassion has more than one face."

Caila: "I need to leave the United States. (pause) I need to be more cultured."
PAL: "The way you said that was not how you meant it. I was like, 'is she volunteering to be deported?'"

PAL: "That was such a weird analogy."
Caila: "But I got it! I really got it!"


How To Minister In Healing with JD King (JDK)

Hunter F.: "I thought it was donuts."
Rose: "Aside from where it says 'Office Depot' on the box."

Hunter F.: "I feel smarter already."
JDK: "The goal of a praxis class isn't necessary to be smarter."

JDK: "If you're taking notes only because I'm going to look at them, then really, I've failed."

JDK: "A client is seldom the reason a healing doesn't happen."

JDK: "Just so you guys know, even though we're supposed to be off the subject."

JDK: "Healing tends to flow out of your connection with God."

JDK: "Don't get me wrong. People need to stop being rats."

JDK: "You need to start being yourself. It's better than you think."

JDK: "Sometimes the hard work isn't for the outcome; it's for your character."

Samuel: "The glory!"
JDK: "I know you're mocking me, but I'll take it."
Samuel: "No! It's my favorite!"

JDK: "You should try to get seven hours of sleep at night."
(half of class looks at Stephanie)
Erica: "Nice try, Steph."

Erica: "I don't like Star Wars."
JDK: "You don't like Star Wars? Stop cussing!"
Erica: "I'm a Trekkie."
JDK: "Maybe that's the fifth symptom: emotional, biological, and being a Trekkie."

JDK on quizzes: "Are you going to lay in bed all Christmas break wondering how you did? You might not be Lydia Campbell  but there are people like that."

JDK: "I thought that was Aaron standing up there."
Samuel: "Aww! That's a compliment! That guy's a hunk!"

Samuel: "I've never prayed for the color of poop before."

Samuel: "A lot of people like their problems because it allows them to self-indulge."

JDK: "God uses the people who make you uncomfortable to bring you what you need."

JDK: "Healing is the gospel."

JDK: "Prayer directed toward the problem is more successful prayer."

Dylan: "You put 'anointing with oil' twice."
JDK: "Wow. You've got the gift in correction, grammar or otherwise, is not a way healing flows."

JDK: "Actions are more important when there is less overriding anointing."

JDK: "He's making fun of Bono from U2, who is one of my personal heroes."
Samuel: "I'm sorry."
JDK: "Why would you say that?
Samuel: "Out of all the people in the world?"
(JDK lists facts about Bono)
Samuel: "I guess I don't really know him that well."
JDK: "There we go!"

JDK: "Dylan, if you're going to laugh, I get to laugh with you. That's the rule."
Dylan: "He said 'not like this' and I said 'definitely not like this.'"
(JD's face goes blank, returns to teaching, and ignores the class' laughter.)

JDK: "I don't know much Spanish. Taco... Burrito... Those words I know."
Caila: "Are taco and burrito Spanish?"

JDK: "Pour yourself into something, someone, every once in a while."

JDK: "If God gets all the glory, you get none of the blame."

JDK: "Somebody pray for Hunter. Let's go."
Hunter F.: "What's wrong with me?!"


Arts Through Church History I withe Pastor Eric Thomason (PET)
Note: This was a history class, so there weren't many spiritual quotes. However, there are plenty of dumb ones, so enjoy.

PET: "We need to get [Emily] in here. She's going to come in here all bubbly and want to say something and I'll be in the middle of a message."

PET: "If someone sang like this, I would say, 'Jesus, forgive me. I'm about to sin.'"

Emily: "I feel like I'm going to suck now that you've explained it."
PET: "You will but it's ok. (class laughs) Let's just call it like it is, guys."

Emily: "You make it sound pretty. When I did it, I sounded like a dying cow."
PET: "What's funny is, you kept saying 'dum dum dum' and it's like, yeahhhh..."

Sarah: "Darn those Greeks!"

PET: "Do I need to spell Renaissance for you?"
Emily: "No. I know how to spell that."
PET: "I'm just saying, sometimes I have to spell six-letter words for you."

PET: "You don't have to be a purist like me."
Sarah: "I'm not!"

PET: "The people you're going to have to fight are the believers."

PET: "Praise and worship is not a prequel to the word."

PET: "If I draw it, it will look like a deformed elephant."

Sarah: "Do Presbyterians believe that?"
PET: "mmmhmmm."
Sarah: "Do they know they believe that?"

Emily: "I need to have a talk with this guy [John Calvin]"
PET: "Well, good luck because he's pretty well dust by now."

Sarah: 'It's people like that who say you can't swing on the swing set anymore."
PET: "And for the random thought, you can just keep drinking your coffee."
Sarah: "I'm just having fun here."
Emily: "I like this Sarah!"

Emily on Martin Luther: "He thought he was the stuff."
PET: "You would too if you got to wear a cool hat like that!"

Sarah (out of the blue): "Can a nun be a surrogate mother?"

PET: "You can prophesy on the drums. You can speak the heart of God by beating something."

PET: "God responds to a true heart of worship."

Hunter F.: "I thought it said making of bacon but it says making of deacons."
Josiah: "I wanna go to that church!"

PET: "Every revival has its own soundtrack."

PET during songwriting: "How about blow instead of fall because winds don't fall."
Emily: "Rains do."
PET: "And people."

PET: "Who wants to come up with a melody."
Emily: "Oh! Oh! Me! Oh!"
PET: "Is that your melody? 'Oh oh me oh?'"

Emily: "Ohhh! So it's obo, not hobo!"

PET: "You get a great cello player in worship, God will come and sit on the front row."

PET on sneezing: "Just do it, man. Blow your glasses off."

PET: "We can't let other people who are stick in the muds dictate who we are in Christ."

JoAnn: "I just have instrumental turrets."


David's Tabernacle with Pastor Kathy Gray (PKG) and Heather Eschenbaum (HE)

HE: "[Pinterest] is the most covetous website I've ever seen! I want that and I want that, but I'm not going to do anything about it."

PKG: "There can be spiritual death and you might not even know it."

PKG: "Don't ever name your kid Annanis! Or Sapphira! Go with something simple, like Kathy or Steve."

PKG: "Guard the ark. Guard His presence by guarding your heart."

Emily: "I didn't want to scream at you. I was like, she might smite me."
HE: "So, you threw your friend under the bus."

HE: "Prophesy means nothing because most people forfeit their anointing. Prophesy is just there to torment you later on what you didn't do."

PKG: "If you don't read the word, you can't be prophetic."

PKG: "You've gotta have the anointing of God to rule yourself."

HE: "You search for the caramel. Search, search, search. [A box of chocolates] is like dating! Search, search, search for the caramel. Get a coconut. Search, search, search."

HE: "I'll tell you about my experience of singing in church. Other stuff will probably come out. You know how I am."

PKG: "You lead by your life. You don't lead by holding a microphone."

PKG: "There's plenty of consequences to being an idiot in God."

PKG: "The way to win is to give thanks unto the Lord."

HE: "If you want your songs to be better, work on your relationship."

HE: "If you believe in the Kingdom and aren't singing, you're being stolen from."

HE: "You need to think of singing as a gun."

HE: "When you have to push for the things of God, you change."

HE: "Why don't we [sing] now or else you wont hear anything else I teach."

HE: "A spirit-filled person is a singing person. Musical ability has little to do with it."

HE: "Take every weapon that's given to you and do something with it."

PKG: "Mercy is God's love in action."

PKG: "When you're appointed, you're anointed."

PKG: "Fasten your spiritual seat belts!"

PKG: "I could never be an Uber driver. I couldn't handle the app. Why does it need an app?!"

PKG: "If you want words to say to God, you have to have His word in you."

HE: "Don't expect to reap things you won't participate in."

HE: "You need to faceplant yourself into the Word of God."

HE: "We think we are Mr. T in the Spirit, but no! We are Fat Albert!"

HE: "No, you worship with your hands and I'd like to take them away. You're waving them around like you're landing planes!"

PKG: "When you're in the presence of the Lord, that's when you're most creative."

Hunter F.: "It smells like chili in here."
Caila: "Ugh. Bodies. (sprays Febreeze)."

Hunter F.: "Sarah! Don't eat the Febreeze!"

PKG: "Rejoicing has nothing to do with what's going on around us."

PKG: "Frisking and frolicking in the Lord! Isn't that good!"

PKG: "It'dd be cool to show 'em what it's all about. We don't need hot dogs and beer to shout!"

JoAnn: "I'm not using real gold though. I'm using cardboard."

PKG: "We can only implement what we understand."

PKG: "We have the right to the light of life. We have the right to joy."

HE: "You need to live Biblical proportions."

HE: "Push yourself! Stop being pansies! I say that with love."

HE on 'shiggaion': "It sound like 'shenanigans' but it's not."

HE: "When the masses come, you will not have time to be ministered to. You'll be the Levites."

A Weird Winter at World Revival School of Ministry: Part One

I'm doing this a little differently. The quarterly quotes is going to come in chunks. Call it an inspiration from Rose, who as you're about to read, said, "I look at this list and I kinda don't want to read it. It's so much." That had nothing to do with the quotes, but putting six classes into one post was far too long.

So, for now, you can enjoy some of the memorable moments from the winter's Tuesday/Thursday ministry classes!


Book of Acts with Pastor Mark Pederson (PMP)

PMP: "When your passions become white hot in God, that's when you'll shake the world."

PMP: "The weakness in revival relationships is not usually a weakness in truth, but a weakness in fruit."

PMP: "People set on fire by God do not bring leftovers."

PMP: "When you believe the lie, you empower the liar."

PMP: "It takes character to pray for someone else what you want for yourself."

PMP: "Don't be afraid to tell your story. In fact, please do tell your story."

PMP: "You will find God continually dealing with your fear."

PMP: "Kingdom living begins in a place many people don't want to go. It begins with emptiness."

PMP: "Steph, are those gummies?"
Stephanie: " Yup."
PMP: "That's how I know you're close to the Lord!"

PMP: "Unrighteous anger is never satisfied."

PMP: "God doesn't come at you through your past. He comes at you through your future and pulls it into the present."

PMP: "The root of prejudice is pride."

PMP: "Anointed people are consistent."

Esther: "It's like following JD around and 'doin' the stuff.'"

PMP: "I remember stepping on a frayed extension cord. It was at night so there was a little dew on the ground. It moved me. *sings* I feel the earth move under my feet."
Caila: "Is that an old song?"

PMP: "Fear is never more prevalent than in times of revival."

Bob: "Bonus question. Why did I pick Tootsie Rolls?"
Caila: "Because you love us?"
Bob: "If I loved you, I wouldn't give you this trash!"

*Stephanie draws on Dylan's face with orange marker*
Dyaln: "No! I don't want to be Trump!"


Practical Ministry with Pastor James Koppang (PJK) and guest speakers

PJK: "Class expectations. Students are expected to attend class. Such high expectations."

PJK: "You're no longer in kindergarten; you're in big boy class now!"

PJK: "Ministry is building up the body that you've been put into."

PJK: "I don't have to look it up. I have students!"

PJK: "Pastor people toward something, not away from something."

PJK: "It's easy to dream on Instagram. It's harder to steward what you've got."

PJK: "I'm going to tell a story since I have time. Oh, wait! I'm supposed to get through four of these things?! I only got through one!"

Shelley: "Being around people of no vision will eventually steal yours."

PJK: "If I can persuade my wife to go a certain direction, I can persuade the masses. I've never had a harder sell than my wife."

PJK: "That's my natural reaction when I've upset my wife: go buy flowers or candy. It would be a little more weird if I went and did their dishes."

PJK: "I'm going to have to bite this. I can't talk with it and... I'm not that talented."

PJK: "I don't know what that's called."
A couple students: "Self-deprecating."
PJK: "Self-defecating?!"
Class: "No!!"
PJK: "I was gonna say, I don't care who you are, I'm not going that far."

PJK: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

Pastor Jack Walter: (goes off on tangent about filling gas tanks) "What does this have to do with weddings? Oh! So, when you go on your honeymoon, you don't run out of gas."

Bill: "I really don't like panic. If there is a crisis and you panic in front of me, I might just shoot you to get you out of my way."

Bill: "We call [the media department] the toilet. Throw money in and flush it."

Bill: "If you take care of people, you're never going to lack for volunteers."

Belich: "For some reason, I like the interaction. I'm sorry."
Esther: "Ask Pastor James how that goes,"

Belich: (shares example and uses Mary Jane as the name)
Hunter F.: "Darn Mary Jane!"
Belich: "I'm not sure why I said Mary Jane. (pause) Isn't that a pseudonym for marijuana?!"

Belich: "Twitter is mostly younger people. Facebook is obviously every person on earth."

Belich: "Cher is the only person who comes to mind, but not her. She doesn't need the social engagement."

Hunter F.: "Man, I had to look for like 10 minutes to remove that marijuana part [from previous class' video]."
Stephanie: "It's still going in the blog."
Rose: "You can't remove it from our hearts!"

Belich: "You have to work through *sigh* and be nice."

Belich: "Now we can run them [lights] at 100 and if people get blinded, it's only temporary,"

Belich: "Mmmm! They [lights] look great."
Hunter F.: "Like a fine pasta!"
Belich: "It IS like a fine pasta!"

Belich: (class hears noise) "That was weird.
Erica: "It's the bathroom."
Belich: "Are they scratching their name in the wall? 'Aaron was here.'"

Belich: "If you don't want team participation, ask your questions now!"

Rose: "I look at this list and I kinda don't want to read it. It's so much."

Erica: "Especially if they are doing sermons, hopefully they have a scripture base."

Belich: "This is good. How do you propose implementing it?
Hunter F.: "Doing it."

Belich: "It's all nasty stuff, like two pounds of roast beef and meatballs topped with... butterscotch."

Pastor JD King: "As students and all, you need to learn things."

JDK: "We have a tendency to think of the gift of administration as licking stamps and filing papers."

JDK: "I said this wasn't going to be theology, but just this part only."

JDK: "A little weirdness, a dash of weirdness here and there, I'm like ehhh. But if you're weird all the time by definition.....,,,,,"

JDK: "Do I sound like an ugly person?"

JDK: "Community is the glue that allows deeper truth to be heard."

Bobbie King: (on administration) "Bossy. Scheduling. Money. Sounds like being a mom."

BK: (on flunking a college class) "Can you believe it? Part of it was you have to go to class. But it was a three hour night class and I had better things to do, like my fish had babies and I had to be there for her!"

BK: "In the Kingdom of God, there is no hierarchy,"

BK: "Oh gosh! I've sheltered my kid too much. She's crying at the Bible."

Caila: "Get all of this out so when Heather gets here, I can focus."
Dylan: "You'll focus anyway."
Caila: "What, are you Mr. Heather now?"

Heather: "What if she goes to the left?"
Caila: "Ahhh!"
Heather: "Isn't that your right?"

Heather: "So, what we've learned today is that Caila is not a catcher."

Heather: "Don't be weirdy-weirds."

Heather: "What if she walks in and the people who have the antidote are selfish?"

Karen DeHaven: "Every minute at church counts."

PJK: "I want to leave ample time for Q&A."
(class laughs)
Erica: "Esther told [the guest speakers] to ask you how we do Q&A."
PJK: "Yeahhhh.... He's real proud of you on that one.

PJK: "The thing about the Holy Spirit is, He doesn't leave with a bang."

PJK: "At the end of the day, pride is going to be the thing. Pride is the number one destroyer of the anointing and the Holy Spirit moving in your life."

PJK: "I found that secret in my personal life. I mean, I'm sharing it. It's not really a secret. Read your Bible."

PJK: "Teaching is a stretch for me. I'm like, we've got the five-fold for a reason!"

PJK: "I call it pucker factor. I don't know if it's a thing or not."
Caila: "I'll look it up for you."
PJK: "Uhhh.... I wouldn't."

PJK: "People that you typically want to be like don't have five hours to hang out with you. If they do, they typically aren't the type of people you want to be like."

PJK: "We should have no one who is entry level for very long."

PJK: "You have to expect success on your life. You can't accept failure as an option."