I am glad that my life is in God’s hands, because God has a better understanding than I do of which college I should attend, or graduate school, or how I need to manage my time with my animals and with other people in my life.  I make mistakes and God is awesome and righteous because He does not make mistakes.  I would be much more content if I remembered that God is trustworthy and I able to lean on Him and not my own understanding.  I know that God is good and faithful and that He is three persons in one.  I need more time with Him so that I can build my faith and trust in Him solely.  Knowledge is knowing some information, but wisdom comes from God and puts the knowledge into action.  I need more faith from God, to know that He will, has, and is removing my sin from me and that I can trust that my life is not mine, but His. ​​

I see several other believers around me and they encourage me by their faith, which God has given them.  I desire to grow closer to God in a fellowship of other believers and encourage them to grow closer to the LORD and not only know how awesome He is, but have faith that He will never leave you or forsake you.

Elyse Kipfer was an intern at New Beginnings July through September of 2017 and is now a current Resident Supervisor at New Beginnings. She is a Psychology Major and Communication Minor at Wisconsin Lutheran College. She aspires to be a Christian counselor for victims of sexual violence. Her free time consists spending time with her horse, dog, family, and friends. Furthermore, she enjoys having deep conversations and digging into God’s Word. ​

​Jesus Christ lived among mankind holy, the sinless one took our sins on himself, he died for mankind, and then God raised him from the dead on the 3rd day, according to Scriptures.  

We experience the power of the resurrection every day, so let’s not wait till Easter Sunday to talk about it.  Our spiritual power lies in the victory of our resurrected Lord, Jesus Christ, who said after conquering death, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matthew 28:18)

 The women came to the tomb in love to mourn.  "The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.  Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.  There you will see him.  Now I have told you.” (Matthew 28:5-7).  The women heard the news and they saw the evidence, the huge stone in front of the tomb had been rolled away, and they could see for themselves that the tomb was empty. There are at least 12 different appearances of Christ in the resurrection accounts.  They were physical, tangible experiences with Christ eating, speaking, and allowing himself to be touched.  He could transcend locked doors, and yet he could still be touched and he could eat.  The stone was not rolled away from the tomb so Jesus could get  
out, in his resurrected state he could walk through the tomb walls if he wanted!  The stone was rolled away so people could see, so they could witness that the tomb was empty. 

The resurrection was the beginning of a great missionary movement that has never ended and will not end until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.  Praise the LORD.  “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him;” …   (Revelation 1:7)

This missionary movement is called the Great Commission: “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.  When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20). 

​In conclusion, first, Jesus lived as our Substitute, He obeyed God’s law perfectly for us, and God credits his holiness to our account.  Second, He died as our Substitute, God put all our sin on him, and Jesus Christ gave his life as a ransom payment for all.  By his perfect life and His willing death Jesus cancelled our sins and set us as one with God.  On the basis of Christ’s finished work all of humanity has been declared not guilty (justification).  Salvation is a gift, earned by Jesus for all people, offered to all through the Gospel (Good News about Jesus), and received by faith.

“This little light of mine/I’m gonna let it shine,”[1] These are familiar words, and have even been used as a children’s song, but how often do we stop to think about what it really means? God made each of us with a gift, and he wants us to use it. Whether our gift is writing, making friends, doing arts and crafts, singing, exploring science, or ministering, we have our gifts for a reason.
[1] https://genius.com/Traditional-folk-this-little-light-of-mine-lyrics

There is a quote about talents which goes, “If you have talent, use it in every way possible. Don’t hoard it. Don’t dole it out like a miser. Spend it lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke.”[1] God didn’t intend for us to keep our talents for ourselves. He gave every single one of us a light to shine on this dark world.
[1] http://www.art-quotes.com/getquotes.php?catid=301&numcats=372#.WddwEVtSzIU

​Everybody seems to have some reason to complain today.  You might have a coworker who comes to you saying that the extra hours are unfair, the workload is too much, or their salary isn’t enough.  You go home and listen to the kids complaining about school or how they don’t like the dinner that you made.  You turn on the evening news and it is more bad reports and people complaining and protesting the latest issue.  Even at church, sometimes there is grumbling or complaining that the new color of paint is too distracting or the pastor isn’t just exactly to your liking.

The mothers here at New Beginnings are no exception.  There have been many complaints about different aspects of our program and house rules.  It breaks your heart to hear them talk about how their family gave them up or didn’t want them around so they went from house to house or the abuse that happened at home.  Lack of personal transportation seems to be another common complaint.  It is difficult to haul a stroller with baby, diaper bag, purse, and groceries onto a city bus every time you need to run out. 

​What does God tell us about complaining though?  In James 5:9 we are told “Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged.  The Judge is standing at the door!”  Paul tells the church in Ephesus “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”- Ephesians 4:29.  

The mothers here at New Beginnings have had rougher lives and have seen the hardships that many of us have not.  They, too, have reason to rejoice.  The complaints about the program should be rejoicing that there is a safe place to help them get on their feet and share God’s Word with them.  No matter what their complaints are about their families, they can rejoice in knowing that they are part of the New Beginnings family and are children of God.  Hauling a baby on a bus to get groceries can be a struggle but they can rejoice that they have been blessed with a child, have money to buy food, and a safe place to store and prepare the food they have been blessed with.

How do we know that we should be rejoicing?  Romans 5:3 says “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;”.  We are also told in Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!”  This last one is one to truly live by.  “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

As a final thought, I would like to share with you Romans 15:13 as my prayer for you as you continue to follow Him.
 
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”