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James Ponak Randy Green Charlene Beasley Jenny Barker Melanie Loewen Joel Tarzwell
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James Ponak
There are so many great things I could say about the Master’s Commission program, but I feel that one word sums up all my thoughts: identity. The MC students enter this one year program with all kinds of ideas about who they are, who God is, and how they should respond to the world around them. Some of them come in with broken hearts and lives, and some with fear and anger. Some will come in with fragmented theology, and others with good theology that they don’t own. Some come in thinking they are nothing; and others, they come in thinking they are everything. They look through the lens of their life experiences, and they see a distorted image of who God is, and who they are; an image of an undersized God and a super-sized past; an image of themselves moving forward in their own strength and wisdom. By the grace of God, they find themselves in the Master’s Commission, not really knowing what to expect, and yet, drawn with varying levels of expectation and faith. They have just entered, with all that they are, into a year of clarity; a year in which they will discover God’s true identity, and theirs. In the course of a year, they lose themselves, and find themselves all at the same time. They encounter the difficulty of living what Jesus said in Luke 9:23: “Anyone who would come after me must deny himself, carry his cross daily, and follow after me.” And yet, as the year unfolds, they discover the truth of what Paul said in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Through many acts of service, homework, long hours, getting up earlier than they want to, and then wanting to run away, but simply running into huge walls of discipline surrounding them, they find themselves upon the cross, dying. They lay there; they feel empty as their old identity breathes its last, and that spirit that was so anxious to rise up every other time, cannot find the strength to rise again. And then, right there in the middle of their brokenness, one of the wonderful MC leaders comes along and shares their suffering, pours in the oil of compassion, and speaks truth into their life. The students hear the truth that they are sons and daughters of the King, and that they were born with a purpose greater than themselves, and that there is an inheritance they can own. They begin to see God as Father – a Father who longs to reveal Himself to them as the only One who can fill them; the only One who can raise them up again. They begin to find their Father’s dream for their life; a dream far greater than they are. Suddenly, they find themselves standing by God’s grace, in His strength, and with His passion and vision. As sons and daughters, they look around the room realizing they are not orphans; they are members of a community of faith; a family. They have lost themselves along the way, and yet, now more than ever, they truly know who they are. As I have had the opportunity to get to know many of the Master’s Commission students from the classes 2002, 2003, and previous and present ones, this program has touched my life. I confess that I am sad that I was never enrolled as an MC student, but now, I sit back watching them, and I learn and grow. I admire the young men who have learned that to honor Christ is to be a gentleman, and that chivalry, tears, kindness, humility and dancing are all a part of being a real man. I’ve admired the young women who have come to understand that purity and modesty are beautiful, that they are complete in Christ, and that you can wear a dress and still move mountains. I can truly say that after spending time with these incredible young people, the Master’s Commission program has affected my identity too. In July of 2002, I came to visit Glad Tidings, and I knew that God wanted me to stay. It didn’t take long for me to realize that this was a blessed place for many reasons, not the least of which was the Master’s Commission. In August of 2002, I attended the MC graduation ceremony, and I listened to the students share their testimonies, and each time, this congregation applauded and cheered each changed life. I realized that this was a house that believed in and supported the next generation; that had a vision greater than itself; and that this was a place where lives and dreams were being restored. I can see clearly now, after almost two years of attending here, that the Master’s Commission has affected our identity too. As we continue to applaud and cheer on the MC leadership and students, we will continue to find ourselves reflecting the identity of Christ. |
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