Happy spring to you all! Following up on my last newsletter, I have finished moving into the new apartment. It took me a bit to get fully settled but I now truly feel at home. It has been one of the most amazing blessings I have ever received. I quite like homemaking and it has been so refreshing to do things like cooking and baking again. I also took full advantage of the blank slate of my room and worked to transform it into a peaceful sanctuary. It feels so wonderfully surreal. I was so blown away by the generosity of those of you who helped make this all possible. And once again, I want to reiterate just how thankful I am. Here are a few photos of my room:
On another exciting note, we are finally launching the Going Bible Course on Friday (the 23rd). The course is designed to teach anyone how to study the Bible for themselves. We aim to help reduce Bible illiteracy by making Bible study more accessible. Thanks to the flexible nature of online courses, it can be taken by anyone, anywhere in the world, at any pace. We have invested hundreds upon hundreds of hours from the filming to the post-production. It has been a long journey since we began the planning last October. The project grew and stretched me in ways I was not expecting, and there were times it felt like we would never complete it. Yet, as we prepare to take the course live, it all seems worth it. I am filled with anticipation for what this course will accomplish both in YWAM and the body of Christ in large. The previous course, we launched less than a year ago, has already had hundreds and hundreds of students and our prayer is that this one would reach even more people with its broader appeal.
We are making the 20+ hours of video content freely available both on YouTube and goingcourse.com for those who just want to hear the teaching. There is also a workbook with guided assignments that will take you through all of Exodus, Jeremiah, Luke, Acts, Colossians, & Philemon that can be done alongside the videos. The workbook and assignments are accredited by the University of the Nations and come with remote coaching from our team here in Switzerland. If you are interested in taking the course, I am happy to point you in the right direction.
Now that we have completed the Bible course production, I have turned my attention to a new challenge: rebuilding the base’s website. Our current site was built 5 years ago by someone who was just learning web design, and it is nearing the end of its useful lifespan. The base is in a time of sweeping expansion, not only in physical size but also in the number of languages, programs, and ministries we engage in. As you can imagine, there are a number of unique challenges in building a site the represents and serves all of this well. I am excited to have a new project to head up. This time I have a much smaller team, and I think I will find it refreshing after the Going Bible Course where I was doing more management than hands-on work. I am excited to create a beautiful new site to serve and support all the ministries of the base.
Lately, I have been reading the story of the children of Isreal entering the Promised Land. I stumbled across a section of the story that I somewhat glazed over on my previous readings. The story takes place in the final part of chapter 5 where Joshua has an encounter with an angel. Isreal was getting ready to attack Jericho, and Joshua asks if the angel is for Isreal or their adversaries. The angel tells him that he is for neither, rather he is there for the army of the Lord. Joshua then submits to the angel and asks what the Lord would have him do. Following the Lord’s instructions, the Israelites go on to defeat Jericho in the famous story we all know. It struck me how limited Joshua’s perspective was at that moment. He was looking at Isreal vs the Canaanites and the angel points out how he was missing the point. It is almost as if he is asking Joshua if he is with the Lord or on his own. This led me to wonder how many times in my own life I miss the point just like Joshua. Am I too quick to view things in strictly human terms and take the helm or do I seek to constantly align myself with the Lord’s direction and follow His leading even when it doesn’t make sense like walking around a wall?
As always, thank you for coming along with me in this adventure of faith,
Ben