This week has been a great follow on from last week talking about Christ in me. This week has been about church history. Last week we talked a lot about the split between the east and west church in 400AD and how uniting them can lead to deeper maturity. This week we started by focussing on this split, what was lost and bringing them together again. So in our class we went from Acts to last year, mainly looking at the western church but dipping into the Eastern church history too. It's been great to connect the dots, glimpse what could be, and see the strengths and weaknesses in the church through the ages, and have light shed on ours now. Also it's given us the great privilege to be reawakened by past convictions, devotion and love- and to see them come alive in us. Lord, bring us into the old and new stored up given in the years of your bride getting ready for your return.

Its been a massively impacting week here at the school of ministry tonsberg!
last week was a holiday and so we had no teaching but lots of relaxing, travelling, eating, and some of us had some exciting adventures to foreign lands.
we need the holiday to get rested because we've had a split week this week with such impacting teaching I can hardly take it in! the first few days a couple called Håvard and Karine Sand came to teach on the forerunner message (the spirit of John the Baptist). This was very challenging and something we all felt stirred up by. Another focus of this teaching was the wonder of who Jesus is and how we often get so distracted by other things especially ministry. It was good to hear their experience of how God has brought them from having a ministry focussed life to a Jesus focussed life- challenging to us also.
We then had a day off and celebrated Adele (the SoM leader)'s birthday by hanging out, eating way too much cake, giving ridiculous presents and having fun. It was lovely

Then the last few days we have had a South African lady who currently lives in the UK come teach us, called Ina. She has spoken about salvation for the last 3 days and has completely rocked and shaken us to the core. She has challenged us on such a deep level on our understanding of the gospel and salvation. She has been explaining about how we so often just speak about (and live at) the crucifixion, but forget about the resurrection and acension. How we are called to follow Christ to death but then to follow Him through resurrection and acension too, so we are seated with Christ Jesus in heavenlyl places (Rom 8:17 and Eph 2:6)
Anyway it's been mindblowing and somethinig I definitely want to look at more, so I'm excited!
Ina touched a little on church history, and next week we have five days on it, so it'll be awesome! I think this week has wetted our appetite for next. Looking forward to it!

This week has been quite a whirlwind. We have had two people coming to teach over the last 4 days. The first, Patricia Bootsma from Canada taught on prophesy, decreeing things over ourselves, our family, nation and world. She also taught a little on our role as intercessors, discipline in God and the house of prayer movement. It was a full 2 days! Then Haavard Sand came to teach on the bride of Christ. He had a powerful testimony about how God had drawn him to this revelation through his own journey. He showed us about the Father since creation has been longing to have us dwell with him and how the Son has been longing for a bride. His through biblical overview was incredible and so exciting so see all that God has done for us to win our affection.

So were now heading to our winter break where undoubtedly there will be lots of eating, relaxing, playing in the snow and using our down time too dig deeper with God. It'll be great!! :)

This week has been so incredible. We've been hearing teaching from the lovely and hilarious David &Faith Dalley & Daniel vdBrand. They have been focussing on God as our Father this week. Intertwined with this we've also been going through Healing Life's Hurts, which covers learning about forgiveness, making judgements, believing lies about God, us & others. Although all the students have all heard this teaching before, God has been going deeper with everyone. They've been letting Him bring up some really big issues, and have been really courageous in this. It's great to see people getting so free from this stuff. We hung out with David, Faith & Daniel one night (including some of us going to the world's end together). We had a great time of fellowship, food and getting drunk on the Holy Spirit in the lounge. Another fabulous week- thank you Jesus. We love you Holy Spirit and are so grateful for what you're doing in us. May it continue next week as we learn about prophesy and hearing your beautiful voice for other people too. Woohoo! It'll be great

As were rounding off the second week of teaching I am aware of so much God wants to do in me. Peter de Jong and Rene from Holland came to teach this week. They came with such depth and insight. They taught on the cost of following Jesus, being a servant, love, seasons, culture shock for overseas missions and leading as a parent does. It was quite a full week and has impacted us so deeply and I know God is doing deep things- which is exciting! We also went to a refugee community for the first time this module, where we held an evening of fellowship, worship, inviting God to do what He wanted and a chance to learn some Arabic it was such a privilege to be there and meet those lovely people and be invited into their homes and lives and them into ours. I hope and pray more lasting relationships are formed here.

Two new students have started this week- both returning from former modules and it's so great to have them and see God doing more and more in and through them. The class is bonding more and more as we connect over lunch, prayer, small group and ice-cream. I'm so looking forward to next week when our Daddy will once again rock our worlds!!