By Jay Mitchum
Hello friends! It is hard to believe that we are only two months away from the end of Fellows. With each passing day it seems as if the clock is moving faster and faster. This past week was as busy as ever for us. Several of the Fellows headed out of the DC area for the weekend. I was able to head to Oxford, MS to see old friends at a wedding! Other weekend destinations included Columbia, Lancaster, Auburn, and Chapel Hill. We were right back at it on Monday with tutoring at Cornerstone followed by Roundtable. We celebrated Russell’s half-birthday in true Fellows fashion – affirmations abounded as we encouraged our brother and all that he means to us. “Salt” was my word of choice – Russell consistently adds the taste of the Gospel to all interactions. Tuesday, we returned to our internships – where the rubber meets the road in terms of navigating faith and work. On Wednesday, we ended the day at Pastor James Forsyth’s house for Life & Leadership. After feasting on Chipotle, we were treated to a conversation with Pastor David Stephenson on what the Gospel accomplishes in terms of adoption. In Jesus, we are adopted by the Father. This adoption gives us an eternal security that soothes our fears and anxieties. As our weeks go by faster and faster, we are also wrestling with big topics raised in our classes with Bill Clark and Bill Fullilove. Lately, I’ve been wrestling the concept of the delight of the Father. Have you ever taken the time to intently think about what it really looks like for your Heavenly Father to feel delight in you? This week the fellows have been confronted by this question through the book Anatomy of the Soul by Curt Thompson. At one point in the book, the author asks the reader to imagine what it would be like to be in the presence of God while He is feeling delighted to be with them. In an effort to assist the reader in this exercise, the author recommended looking over the words of Zephaniah 3:17, “the LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by his love; He will exult over you with loud singing.” Take a moment to think about the phrases “He will rejoice over us with gladness” and “He will exult over us with loud singing”. Our Heavenly Father finds such intense happiness in our presence that He sings with all His voice. The God who spoke creation into existence, who called out to Adam in the Garden, who spoke promises to Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and David, and who fell silent as His Son hung on the Cross loudly sings songs of joy about you! What else can we do in response but to sing!
Pictures from the Week
