RUF: Study Program

This month has also been the first month that I am working on my intern study program. The study program consists of reading assignments in different books each month, as well as reading through the Bible over the next two years. We'll do some reading in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Sorter Catechism as well. At the end of each month, we submit reports to our campus minister and to our area coordinator that try to draw out some of the more helpful truths from the books that we have read and the ways that we can apply our reading to our ministry and to our conversations with students.

This month we read a book called "Asking" by Jerry Panas and a book called "Trusting God" by Jerry Bridges and read through the Gospel of Mark.

Here's an excerpt from my report about "Trusting God" -

"While it may go without saying based on the title, this book is essentially trying to encourage the reader to believe that God should be trusted and that we are called to trust him. However, it seems to also be an exhortation to those who struggle to trust God completely because it addresses many of the questions and concerns that believers and nonbelievers alike encounter when considering the question of whether or not God can be trusted. Bridges empathizes with those who may find it difficult to trust a God who allows sin to continue or who permits “bad things” to happen to those who love him. I think that Bridges does a great job with many of the questions that seem to be most common in discussions about the goodness of God, such as How does sovereignty work exactly and What will God’s Love look like when manifested in my life. I think that Bridges provides some much-needed perspective and helps to make expectations realistic and to really help readers get a grasp of the larger picture of God’s glory and how His ultimate plan combines His desire for His glory with His desire for our good. "

We have a lot of really incredible books coming up in the program and I'm excited to see the things that I am able to learn and apply through the program.