We are often surprised at the outward calmness of men who are called upon to do unpleasant and most trying deeds

She took for him an ark of bulrushes . . . and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.

Ex 2:3 (KJV)

    The mother of Moses laid the ark in the flags by the river’s brink. Ay, but before doing so, she laid it on the heart of God! She could not have laid it so courageously upon the Nile, if she had not first devoutly laid it upon the care and love of God.

     We are often surprised at the outward calmness of men who are called upon to do unpleasant and most trying deeds; but could we have seen them in secret, we should have known the moral preparation which they underwent before coming out to be seen by men. Be right in the sanctuary, if you would be right in the market-place. Be steadfast in prayer, if you would be calm in affliction. Start your race from the throne of God itself, if you would run well, and win the prize. –Joseph Parker

Is there a College Path which will Prepare me and Fit into what the Lord is Calling me to do?

This content comes from our sub-ministry A Different Approach to College

 

    I first heard of CollegePlus! (CP) during my Junior year of High School at the CHEF Homeschool conference in St. Louis, MO. Woody Robinson’s talks on Education the Founding Fathers Way and A Bachelor Degree by 18 instantly sparked my interest and I wanted to start the program. However, my parents wanted me to continue High School and, honoring them, I did. Hence, I struggled when the time came to choose a college. I wanted to do CP but my parents weren’t too hip on the idea. So what should I do? I did what I knew I needed to do: I prayed and submitted to God’s will. If He wanted me to go to CP He was going to have to move on my parents hearts to make it a reality. I wanted my parents blessing on my education, and not just do what my own wisdom told me to do. So I waited on the Lord . .  .

    Over the course of Senior year of High School, I was restless and discontented with the idea of going to a brick and mortar school. Moving away didn’t seem like the right fit for where God had called me in ministry and I had a deep desire to live in my hometown of Hillsboro or at least nearby. I also wanted a low cost to be the best steward of my resources. The timing of moving away to enter college made me nervous, and why should I trade the life I had some balance in for a party zone? In addition, I knew that I would have to leave my deep friendships, my beloved church, and my mentors to work, keep up with my studies, and build a new life. Thus, I sought the counsel of many and prayed without getting any peace. One of my counselors encouraged me to analyze the pros and cons of my options so I devised multiple scenarios of moving away: to a school hours away from my home, schools in St. Louis, and the local community college. I even considered driving back and forth 45 minutes each way to go to school and work afterward.  Nevertheless all these possibilities made me come face to face with the inefficiency, high cost, physical drain, and lack of flexibility of a brick and mortar school.

   Long story short, my parents came on board with me on CP as the school option this past April as we spent a day together talking about my plans for the summer. My prayers had been answered! I left that meeting with some peace and spent this past summer after graduating High School running my own lawn care, pressure washing, and odd job business, as well as, enrolling in the program I have dreamed of!

   Now that I’ve started . . . .

   I have been doing Life Purpose Planning; I have found that all my considerations, goals, and ministry calling are merging into one stream with many different streamlets. It is exciting to be able to continue my own business, internships, and ministry training on my schedule—shifting my study time around when needed—and being able to pursue my life dream of mentoring a generation of young men and begin to preach and teach the Word to the Church in America.

   As a homeschooler, I love teaching myself and studying material instead of sitting in the classroom wasting precious time. I’m on my path to a Communications degree which I’m already putting to use writing books and building a ministry! Internships and practical experience are around the corner! The expectation of being a licensed minister in a few years and the possibility of pursing a Masters in Biblical Studies to teach Bible at the college level are on the horizon!

   Only a few weeks into the program, I’m excitedly sharing CP with people. Just last week at a writing conference, I shared the CP program and my passion surrounding it with an education official as she listened in wonder and expressed an interest in helping the public schools she works with to incorporate some of it. And right after I enrolled, I shared with several friends and one got really, really passionate about being able to do what I was sharing.

   If you are reading this and want flexibility and freedom to follow the unique path and purpose that you feel God is calling you to, prayerfully consider CollegePlus! You can get your degree done faster, for less money, and get a better education with all the internships and real life experience you can have in a couple of years.

God bless, and study hard!

Ryan Marks

Minister, Student, Writer, Entrepreneur

www.focusingonthemarkministries.com 

==the summer of 2012

Find out more about CollegePlus Here

 

Our Resource: Standing for the Christian Faith in College

 

Is there a College Path which will Prepare me and Fit into what the Lord is Calling me to do?

  Is there a College Path which will Prepare me and   

      Fit into what the Lord is Calling me to do?

 

   I first heard of CollegePlus! (CP) during my Junior year of High School at the CHEF Homeschool conference in St. Louis, MO. Woody Robinson’s talks on Education the Founding Fathers Way and A Bachelor Degree by 18 instantly sparked my interest and I wanted to start the program. However, my parents wanted me to continue High School and, honoring them, I did. Hence, I struggled when the time came to choose a college. I wanted to do CP but my parents weren’t too hip on the idea. So what should I do? I did what I knew I needed to do: I prayed and submitted to God’s will. If He wanted me to go to CP He was going to have to move on my parents hearts to make it a reality. I wanted my parents blessing on my education, and not just do what my own wisdom told me to do. So I waited on the Lord . .  .

 

    Over the course of Senior year of High School, I was restless and discontented with the idea of going to a brick and mortar school. Moving away didn’t seem like the right fit for where God had called me in ministry and I had a deep desire to live in my hometown of Hillsboro or at least nearby. I also wanted a low cost to be the best steward of my resources. The timing of moving away to enter college made me nervous, and why should I trade the life I had some balance in for a party zone? In addition, I knew that I would have to leave my deep friendships, my beloved church, and my mentors to work, keep up with my studies, and build a new life. Thus, I sought the counsel of many and prayed without getting any peace. One of my counselors encouraged me to analyze the pros and cons of my options so I devised multiple scenarios of moving away: to a school hours away from my home, schools in St. Louis, and the local community college. I even considered driving back and forth 45 minutes each way to go to school and work afterward.  Nevertheless all these possibilities made me come face to face with the inefficiency, high cost, physical drain, and lack of flexibility of a brick and mortar school.

 

   Long story short, my parents came on board with me on CP as the school option this past April as we spent a day together talking about my plans for the summer. My prayers had been answered! I left that meeting with some peace and spent this past summer after graduating High School running my own lawn care, pressure washing, and odd job business, as well as, enrolling in the program I have dreamed of!

 

   Now that I’ve started . . . .

 

   I have been doing Life Purpose Planning; I have found that all my considerations, goals, and ministry calling are merging into one stream with many different streamlets. It is exciting to be able to continue my own business, internships, and ministry training on my schedule—shifting my study time around when needed—and being able to pursue my life dream of mentoring a generation of young men and begin to preach and teach the Word to the Church in America.

 

   As a homeschooler, I love teaching myself and studying material instead of sitting in the classroom wasting precious time. I’m on my path to a Communications degree which I’m already putting to use writing books and building a ministry! Internships and practical experience are around the corner! The expectation of being a licensed minister in a few years and the possibility of pursing a Masters in Biblical Studies to teach Bible at the college level are on the horizon!

 

   Only a few weeks into the program, I’m excitedly sharing CP with people. Just last week at a writing conference, I shared the CP program and my passion surrounding it with an education official as she listened in wonder and expressed an interest in helping the public schools she works with to incorporate some of it. And right after I enrolled, I shared with several friends and one got really, really passionate about being able to do what I was sharing.

 

   If you are reading this and want flexibility and freedom to follow the unique path and purpose that you feel God is calling you to, prayerfully consider CollegePlus! You can get your degree done faster, for less money, and get a better education with all the internships and real life experience you can have in a couple of years.

 

God bless, and study hard!

Ryan Marks

Minister, Student, Writer, Entrepreneur

www.focusingonthemarkministries.com 
==the summer of 2012

Taken from:
https://sites.google.com/site/adifferentapproachtocollege/articles/is-there-a-college-path-which-will-prepare-me-for-what-god-has-called-me-to-do

The Three Big Decisions of Your life

The Three Big Decisions of Your life

The way I see it, there are three major decisions/events in a person’s life.

            #1 Accepting Christ’s free gift of salvation is the most important event in your life coupled with maintaining a vibrant relationship with Him through communion with the Holy Spirit.

             #2 The calling that God has placed on you. Everyone has a calling (2 Peter 1:10). Your calling can be to serve in ministry, your career, a hobby, serving at your church, simply listening to people, and the list goes on. The possibilities are huge and fathomless because God makes us unique people that can use our talents in specific, yet personal ways. God has a specific thing—or things!—that He wants you to do in your lifetime. Have you sought Him for what that or those things are? Why or why not?

              #3 The greatest decision that you will ever make in the natural world is who you marry. You will be bonded to this person for the rest of your earthly lives; you will need to follow God’s leading together in your marriage; and the fruit of your marriage may be a family. Are you going to marry the right one? How will you know? Call upon God through prayer. Does God want you to marry the specific man or woman you are interested in? The Bible talks about asking and receiving: if you need wisdom, then ask God for wisdom (James 1:5). Isn’t wisdom required to make the decision of who you will marry? Then why not ask God? God will speak! If you seek Him, you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). Ask Him, you may be surprised what He reveals. If you truly hear His Words, they will line up with the Bible.

Quote for Contemplation

“It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to work for God without a call, because then you are not bothered by what God requires; common sense is your guide veneered over with Christian sentiment. You will be more prosperous and successful, more leisure-hearted, if you never realize the call of God. But if once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad; you will no longer be able to work for Him on the  common-sense basis.”

Oswald Chambers

The Three Big Decisions of Your life

The Three Big Decisions of Your life

The way I see it, there are three major decisions/events in a person’s life.

#1 Accepting Christ’s free gift of salvation is the most important event in your life coupled with maintaining a vibrant relationship with Him through communion with the Holy Spirit.

#2 The calling that God has placed on you. Everyone has a calling (2 Peter 1:10). Your calling can be to serve in ministry, your career, a hobby, serving at your church, simply listening to people, and the list goes on. The possibilities are huge and fathomless because God makes us unique people that can use our talents in specific, yet personal ways. God has a specific thing—or things!—that He wants you to do in your lifetime. Have you sought Him for what that or those things are? Why or why not?

#3 The greatest decision that you will ever make in the natural world is who you marry. You will be bonded to this person for the rest of your earthly lives; you will need to follow God’s leading together in your marriage; and the fruit of your marriage may be a family. Are you going to marry the right one? How will you know? Call upon God through prayer. Does God want you to marry the specific man or woman you are interested in? The Bible talks about asking and receiving: if you need wisdom, then ask God for wisdom (James 1:5). Isn’t wisdom required to make the decision of who you will marry? Then why not ask God? God will speak! If you seek Him, you will find Him. Ask Him, you may be surprised what He reveals. If you truly hear His Words, they will line up with the Bible.