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[238.62 --> 239.72] Cassie, what is your answer? |
[240.18 --> 241.40] I do, God helping me. |
[242.06 --> 243.18] Maya, what is your answer? |
[243.54 --> 244.82] I do, God helping me. |
[245.04 --> 246.14] And Kyla, what is your answer? |
[246.38 --> 247.66] I do, God helping me. |
[247.92 --> 248.22] Amen. |
[248.22 --> 254.42] Now, church, it takes a village to raise people in the faith of Jesus, and I ask you to stand |
[254.42 --> 255.62] because I have a question for you. |
[259.66 --> 265.44] Do you, brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ in this church, receive these three young women |
[265.44 --> 267.68] as members, as part of this family of faith? |
[268.18 --> 274.12] Do you promise to love them, to pray for them, and to encourage them as God gives you opportunity? |
[274.58 --> 275.40] What is your answer? |
[276.10 --> 276.76] We do. |
[277.06 --> 278.00] God helping us. |
[278.22 --> 278.66] Amen. |
[278.86 --> 279.64] You may find your seats. |
[280.50 --> 283.58] At this time, I'm going to invite the three of you to share your story of how God's grace |
[283.58 --> 285.38] has shaped and molded your lives. |
[288.66 --> 289.10] Okay. |
[289.68 --> 290.26] Thank you. |
[292.14 --> 292.54] Okay. |
[295.00 --> 298.36] Okay, so my name is Cassie Hoidema, and I'm sharing my testimony. |
[299.06 --> 300.60] I grew up in a Christian household. |
[300.98 --> 304.58] Both my parents are Christians and taught me the importance of a relationship with Christ. |
[304.58 --> 308.42] However, I was living in my parents' faith rather than my own. |
[309.06 --> 313.36] I went to a Christian school from kindergarten to grade 12, and I never realized how privileged |
[313.36 --> 315.12] I was to have been taught with a Christian mindset. |
[316.08 --> 319.92] For me, though, I just went about life, going to church and youth group because it was a routine |
[319.92 --> 322.00] rather than because I actually wanted to. |
[322.00 --> 325.70] Fast forward a few years, and the world went into complete isolation. |
[326.48 --> 329.30] I wanted a relationship with God, but for the wrong reasons. |
[329.88 --> 334.84] I wanted it because my friends seemed to have these deep relationships with Christ, so I was |
[334.84 --> 335.58] just trying to keep up. |
[335.58 --> 339.78] I would attempt to read the Bible, but not actually know what I was reading or care to |
[339.78 --> 340.40] understand it. |
[340.78 --> 344.44] I would not prioritize watching church online as there were so many other things I would |
[344.44 --> 347.20] rather be doing, and it kind of acted like background noise. |
[347.66 --> 349.42] My passion for God was just not there. |
[349.92 --> 353.86] I was not putting time to grow my relationship with Him compared to the amount of time I was |
[353.86 --> 357.06] putting to other things like sports, school, and friendships. |
[357.06 --> 361.38] It was not until about 10th grade when my mindset started to shift. |
[361.82 --> 366.04] I realized that if I wanted a relationship with God, I was going to have to work for it. |
[366.52 --> 370.16] This meant making time for God, reading His Word, as well as being willing to listen. |
[370.86 --> 373.64] I got the opportunity to go on a sailing trip with my class. |
[374.16 --> 378.36] Through this trip, I was overwhelmed by the power of God through nature, community, and worship. |
[379.52 --> 382.38] After this trip, I made an effort to grow my relationship with Him. |
[382.68 --> 386.92] I started engaging in chapels, listening to sermons, and trying to challenge my thinking. |
[387.76 --> 389.74] At this point, though, there was still something missing. |
[390.14 --> 393.78] I was waiting for my God moment, you know, that moment that you hear about when God came |
[393.78 --> 395.20] through at tough times and struggles. |
[396.08 --> 399.76] This thought came to me because all the testimonies I had heard had one of these moments. |
[401.10 --> 405.14] At the beginning of the school year, I went to Rock Ridge Canyon with my grad class. |
[405.50 --> 408.98] This opened my eyes to see that your God moment doesn't have to be a time of heartache, |
[408.98 --> 410.52] but it can also be a time of great joy. |
[411.66 --> 415.24] I started reflecting and realizing how blessed I have been to not have gone through this kind |
[415.24 --> 415.70] of heartache. |
[415.70 --> 420.88] Many of the people that are here today, like my parents, grandparents, extended family, |
[420.98 --> 424.48] and friends, have shown me what it's like to live as a child of God and have helped shape |
[424.48 --> 429.54] me into the person I am today through meaningful conversations, giving advice, as well as being |
[429.54 --> 430.22] a listening ear. |
[430.84 --> 434.56] I'm very excited to see how God uses me in the future and how I can continue to grow my |
[434.56 --> 435.44] relationship with Him. |
[435.44 --> 439.30] These are a few reasons why I'm beyond grateful and blessed to make my faith my own. |
[439.30 --> 441.08] Thank you. |
[441.08 --> 441.58] Thank you. |
[441.58 --> 442.22] Thank you. |
[442.22 --> 442.48] Thank you. |
[442.48 --> 442.84] Thank you. |
[450.84 --> 454.02] Hi, my name is Maya Van Rink, and this is my testimony. |
[454.92 --> 459.62] So, one of the biggest blessings in my life is that I grew up in a Christian home with amazing |
[459.62 --> 461.38] parents that made our home Christ-centered. |
[462.10 --> 465.92] Church was our regular Sunday morning activity that was just a given, and I knew no different. |
[466.80 --> 469.22] As a kid, I never knew how lucky I was for this. |
[469.78 --> 474.48] Other than church on Sunday, I always knew to pray before a meal, before bed, and to read the Bible after dinner. |
[475.18 --> 479.96] That was the routine. This was what I was supposed to do, but I never truly knew why. |
[481.06 --> 485.20] This was a foundation from my parents, but it was their relationship with God, not mine. |
[485.96 --> 489.90] It all began to change when I went to high school, and life was not so simple anymore. |
[491.16 --> 494.46] It did not help that in my first year of high school, there was a pandemic. |
[494.46 --> 501.12] But during COVID, I did little to nothing to grow my faith, and it was hard to when I felt like I had nobody around me. |
[501.44 --> 505.88] I missed my friends, playing sports, and just the environment of being around others. |
[506.46 --> 509.92] I was not motivated to do anything, including Christian practices. |
[510.60 --> 515.64] I had a hard time listening when church was online, and Sunday mornings ended up being my weekly coloring time. |
[516.70 --> 521.72] However, through this, I learned the importance that community and interactions are to me. |
[521.72 --> 525.30] Although the beginning of high school was rough, it changed. |
[526.00 --> 530.24] In grade 10, I knew I needed to figure out Christianity and what my faith really is, |
[530.36 --> 536.34] because church and the whole idea of being a Christian ended up feeling more like a chore after having two rough years. |
[537.06 --> 542.88] I was curious, and I always wished I knew more about my religion when people asked, or even when I would question myself. |
[542.88 --> 545.14] This is when Misha came. |
[546.08 --> 550.48] I remember the youth night she introduced the importance of silence. |
[551.88 --> 554.62] And I decided this was a practice I was going to start doing. |
[555.28 --> 559.38] I did this because I was not sure where to start, and this was often my problem. |
[559.88 --> 563.58] I was always so busy, and I never gave myself time to focus and look to him. |
[563.58 --> 570.10] I would sit in silence for one minute in the morning and one in the evening to reflect and think about God |
[570.10 --> 574.62] and see what stopping my busy brain from the world around me would do to help grow my faith. |
[575.68 --> 582.48] Around that time, I also started doing devotions in the morning, praying more, and reading the Bible every night before bed, |
[583.48 --> 588.04] to both learn and build my connection and relationship with God. |
[588.04 --> 597.60] I finally felt like I was beginning to truly know Jesus, and I took time to learn intentionally and to intentionally learn to the sermons. |
[599.08 --> 601.56] Going to church around this time changed for me a lot. |
[602.12 --> 607.42] Not only was I listening more and beginning to take the message of the sermons in, but I also began to sing. |
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