Hey from Staff Training!

                The journey has begun here at staff training and it's going incredible. God has been teaching me so many things this week. It has and still is super nice to be without a computer and cell phone this week. I will get all communication tools back on Thursday. I would like to ask that you continue to pray for our team as we prepare to go minister to hundreds of kids in Moss Point Mississippi a week from today. I will be posting a more detailed blog post when I get my computer back. Hope everyone is well and thanks for all the love and support.

Here we go!

Here we go! Less than 8 hours now til I leave for the summer with WinShape Camps C3. I will be traveling over 5 states this summer and will be gone for 74 days. It is going to be an incredible adventure, and I can’t wait to share with each of you all that God does in my life during this summer. Please pray this week that I will trust in God to have everything work out. Also please pray for the WinShape staff. I will update again soon but until then. God Bless!

5 days away!

These past few weeks have been some of the most exciting, tough, and rewarding weeks of my life. From making incredible grades this semester at school to receiving many blessings that I cant explain all I can say is it's really incredible to seee God work.

The week of exams I was asked to come outside because a group of middle schoolers and parents at our church needed to "ask me me a question." Little did I know they had a trick up there sleeve. A few weeks prior to that I had been talking to my parents about getting an IPad for this summer because it would be so useful and well worth the investment but decided not to so I could save funding for school. Well you see that group that called me out didn't have a question for me but a gift. They handed me a box.... Now when I received this box I was thinking they had something silly in it but I opened it and within that box was another box which was wrapped. I opened that wrapped box and within it was an IPad 2 with a smart cover and a note that said; " Aaron thanks for all you do we love you." At the time I didn't know how to reply I was so overwhelmed and thankful for this gift. It's really cool to see how God works in incredible ways. I want to thank each and every one of them for this gift. Don't worry it will be used.

As I have been preparing for The University of Mobile I have been that God would supply the funding needed to go to school there because I know without a doubt in my mind that He wants me there. It's so incredible to see God work because He is supplying that funding needed in different ways. For instance I had someone tell me they are paying my textbooks and just different people giving money because they truly believe the Lord wants them to. I can honestly say this always brings tears to my eyes because it's so incredible to see God provide. Now I haven't reached my goal yet on what I will need but I am honestly not worried and trusting that our cretor will supply all of my needs according to His plan.

This past Wednesday was my going away party at RidgeCrest. When I say that I am going away I don't mean forever. What I am saying is I am headed off to a mission field that God is sending me too and I will be returning. It was really incredible to see so many people come and just show love and wish me off to become the man that God has called me to be. If you know me you know that I truly have a heart for helping others and that I would give everything I had to see someone come to know Jesus. The past 11 years as a member at RidgeCrest and year and a half on staff have been such a blessing. I have learned so much from the adults, students, and children. Each of you have impacted my life in a way I will never forget because I love each and every one of you. At the party it was great to be able to say thanks for all that everyone has done for me. To my surprise the choir had raised money to help support me at college as well as many others had given money for my journey. When this happened I just lost it. To think all I was doing was my job being a follower of Christ and being a good steward of what He has entrusted me with. I can just say thank you from the bottum of my heart and that I cant even describe how much it means to me that you all have such giving, loving, encouraging hearts after the Lord.

WinShape Camps C3- 5 Days
The countdown is at less than a week now and I am prepaing for all that God had in store for this summer. I am so excited! I have been learning all the lessons, my skill, and all the music we will be doing at worship. I can honestly say I am pumped for what God has in store and can't wait to see His name lifted up above all others and lives chnaged, hearts made new seeing that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. This summer is going to be great!

Prayer Needs:
1.) Please pray for WinShape Camps (Staff,Campers,Communities)
2.) Please pray for me as I finish preparing everything for this summer and that I would stay encouraged in God's word.
3.) Pray for Physical Health
4.) Pray that the Holy Spirit would begin to prepare the hearts of the people in each of these communities.
5.) Traveling grace
6.) Growth of the Spiritual Seeds that will be planted

Thanks for everything!

Exam Week

I am planning to post a blog post updating on everything that has been going on the beginning of next week. It has been rather crazy with school finishing up and exams starting which is the reason behind me not posting much. I would like to ask this week if you would be in prayer for me as I take my exams and that everything I study and have prepared for will come to my memory. Pray for WinShape Camps C3 Blue Team and all that God has in store for this summer. Thanks for everyone that is following this blog and I look forward to posting an exciting post next week. Have a blessed week/weekend.

-Aaron

Worship

             Today I felt that God wanted me to share something I wrote about a year ago. It talks about worship and what worship is and means.
            Sunday was incredible! God really moved at RidgeCrest during the Victory worship service and it was so wonderful to see all that he has done and continues to do.
            This week I ask that you pray for God to continue to teach me new things as well as to fully trust that He is going to supply all my needs. We serve a great God and He deserves all the praise!

Worship

            The dictionary defines worship as “reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.” Around the world, there are scores of religions and thousands of ways in which people worship. If we could observe all methods of worship, we would encounter practices that are intriguing, unique, beautiful, and at times, some that are altogether strange. But what is true worship? Matthew Champ says simply that, “Worship is worship.” I agree completely. As the Holy Spirit leads we worship freely in reverence and awe of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our worship may take many different forms.

            God loves it when we spend time with him, and he longs to see us grow in him. In John 4:24, Jesus tells his disciples: “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” What did Jesus mean by this? He meant we must worship him above all things and with all that we are. “In spirit” means from the depths of who we are, through the bodies God has blessed us with, his temple to be used for his glory. “In truth” means we are called live by the God’s word, in supplication and prayer.

            Worship is something that comes from the heart: shouting, lifting hands, proclaiming the name of the Lord. However, in Romans 12:1 the apostle Paul explains worship in a deeper way. He encourages the church in Rome to partake in a form of worship that goes beyond singing or the lifting of hands. Paul says, “I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” Worship, then, is not just certain actions we do but our entire lives.  As Paul says in another letter, “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Many of us are guilty of seeing someone worshiping in a different way and immediately judging them, but we have remember: there are as many ways to worship as there are Crayola colors – not one is the same and each is beautiful in its time!

            Worship is not only for God, but also for us. Worship is the means by which God restores us when our souls become tired and weary. God fills us with his love and grace as we express our gratitude to him through praising and proclaiming His name. He reminds us of who we are and who he truly is - our Creator, the one who made you, me, and the entire universe. He’s marvelous and wonderful! The best way to grasp the true meaning of worship is to experience it for yourself – so I invite you to step in and open your eyes to glimpse eternity. You will never see life the same again. 

Time to Update

It has been way to long since I have updated so i have decided to post an update. God has taught me a bunch over the month of March and I plan to share it all in a post very soon. I ask that you pray for WinShape C3 Camps, UMobile, and for RidgeCrest Baptist Church. How can I pray for you guys? Have a great week!

February

               Sorry for waiting a month to update but life has been pretty crazy but full of many blessings.

                I was able to go to another Visit Day at The University of Mobile on February 4^th with my dad. Let me just say going back I felt a peace that I was home and that I was where God wanted me to be. I have never been on a college campus that is so excited for the Lord and where everyone is trying to help and better their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. During my visit day I had scheduled an audition with the CPA. As I waited for my audition a student from the school stopped and asked if they could pray for me and pray that God would just use me and calm my nerves. Now I found this to be just incredible. How many times does a student at a university come up to someone and pray for them? Words can’t even express how much that meant to me. I sang for Dr. Breeland and Mr. Lovely played piano for me. As I finished my last song Dr. Breeland asked me to come to his office. He said so many encouraging things and in a way helped me see that God was using me. I was given a scholarship for the choir which was such a blessing. Praise God! After we talked I went to the concert with my dad which had all the choral groups at the school. It was incredible and let me just say the entire trip was well worth the visit.

                At the beginning of January my dad asked me to look into a camp that a friend had mentioned to Him called WinShape. His friend said that he thought it would be a perfect fit for what God is calling me to do. So after thinking about it I decided to go check out the camps website. For awhile I have known what WinShape is because I have worked at Chick-Fil-A. So after thinking and talking to my parents and my music minister I decided to apply knowing that if God wanted me to have the job then it would be provided and if He didn’t then I would still be able to work with the students and worship ministry at RidgeCrest. I was praying during all of this time that He would just send me to where he wanted me and I would go. After turning everything in and having a Skype interview a week later I received a phone call. Now I normally don’t answer phone calls but in this case I did. The person asked if I was Aaron Collier and I said yes and asked if I still was interested in the position as a worship leader at a WinShape C3 camp. Let me just say I was beyond excited and said yes. God is so good to supply so many awesome opportunities. I can’t wait for this summer and how God is going to use this camp and all of us to shine his light to students. I have started praying for each person I will come across and be working with. Even though I have yet to meet them they are still my brothers and sisters in Christ and it excites me to work with them.

                I was given the opportunity last week to go to a worship conference in Texas with my music minister at Gateway church. I really enjoy going to conferences because I learn so many incredible things about worship. God is so good and deserves all the praise and as I sat with 800 other worship leaders with the same goal and ready to praise God with their everything it is just incredible. I can honestly say God truly taught me a lot at this conference and I plan to continue to live to be more like Him and one day lead His people in worship. The conference was great and I am so blessed to be saved by God’s grace.

                Can I just say the month of February over all has been full of many blessings and surprises. God tells us in scripture that if we follow Him and leave everything behind He will reward us. This month He has done more than that He has reassured and comforted me with His plan. He deserves all the glory, honor, and praise.