Testimonies
Testimonies from previous Master's Commission Students and interns.
Hi my name is
Kristen Nicole Milar
. I am 20 years old and I’m from Northern Kentucky. I am a
first year student in the Masters Commission Oklahoma City.
I grew up in a Christian home, two christian parents and three brothers. My entire life since I can remember I had prayed for a sister, and in September of 2000 the Lord answered my prayers. My mom gave birth to my first baby sister. Not long after she was born the doctors diagnosed her with mitochondrial disease and gave her a life expectancy of thirteen years. Shortly after in March of 2004 she passed away, and I quickly began to run from the Lord. I got into bad friendships and some really wrong relationships with people, and several time the Lord tried to call me back, but each time the enemy came back and reminded me what God had done to me. He had taken away my baby sister, the only thing that I ever truly wanted. I felt like I was being pulled between two things. What I knew was right, and how I felt toward the Lord.
So this past summer I decided to go on a mission trip to New Mexico with the church here in Oklahoma. While I was out here the director of the Masters Commission and the pastor of the church Covenant Life gave me an application for Masters Commission. I wasn’t exactly sure why at first, because I hadn’t asked for one nor did I have any interest in going. Later that day I was talking to a friend about why I didn’t want to do MC’s and one of the reasons I had told him was because of the money, I didn’t have the finances it was going to take to be able to do this. So he suggested praying for it, so I did, not even thinking that the Lord heard, or cared. But much to my surprise, He did. The very next morning I got a phone call from my mom saying that a couple people in my church had called and offered to help support me in the Masters Commission if for some reason I decided to do it. I figured if the Lord provided the money over night, then He must have really wanted me to come. So I, half willingly, turned in my application form.
Since I have been here this year the Lord has really healed some past hurts that I had not only toward Him but also ones that I had toward some of my family members. He has taken me into a deeper level of intimacy with Him that I thought I would never live to experience.
The most significant experience that I have had since being here is one that happened this past February. I have gone by Nicole, which is my middle name, my entire life. And back in February we went to a Masters Commission conference in Seattle, Washington. While we were there, we were having some class time together as a group, and couple people in the group started to minister to me about my name, and how Nicole meant victorious among people, and Kristen was follower of Christ, and that the Lord wanted me to step into a new identity in Him, to become a follower of Him and no one else. So I have gone back to my first name, Kristen. And since I have done this I have experienced such a breakthrough in who I know I am in Christ Jesus. I still mess up and I still have my faults, the only thing that changed is the way I think about myself when I do mess up. I am no longer a failure, or worthless, I am a daughter and a princess of the King!
-Kristen Millar
Hi, my name is Jordan, I
am 19 years old, and I grew up in the church. My dad was the worship leader,
and an elder in the church. Through growing up, I had fashioned my life to be focused
on pleasing others. I was always searching for the next way that I could make
someone laugh or smile even if it meant making fun of me or someone else. I was
looking for my identity in the pleasure of others. When I turned sixteen and
was finally able to drive, I prided myself in having a gas hog of a vehicle. I
thought that if I told people about how much I spent on gas they might think
more highly of me because they knew I had money. Again I was searching for my
identity in the eyes of others, and this was my attitude going into Masters Commission.
After a few weeks in Masters Commission, I realized that everything that I was looking to for identity and approval from, is not what matters. What matters is what God thinks about us, and who He says that we are. This was a huge revelation for me. So after I realized it’s not what I think, but what God thinks, I started to wonder what does God think about me? Who does God say that I am? I had thought about this for a while. And had heard many things from pastors and speakers about who God says we are. But none of it had ever really seemed to apply to my life. then one day at a Microsoft show, one of the masters commission guys I was working with had a word from the Lord for me, and he said, “the Lord says ‘First and foremost you are my son’” This time it sunk in. it was like the Lord knew what was going on in my life, and He had the answer to my question. So since that day the Lord has really opened up to me all the things that He says about me, and I have been getting better at doing the things for the Father in heaven like someone would do for their father here on earth. Like when God asks me to do something, stepping out in faith and boldness, not letting my focus be diverted to anything that is not of Him. So now that I have gotten a grasp on who I am, and what my identity is, I am able to take the next step. What the Lord is currently working on in me is not just stepping out, but doing so with courage, stepping out in boldness for the message of Christ, that if just one life were to be affected by it, that it would be worth it all. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”, and I want to encourage you, that you can do all things through Christ who strengths you. May the Lord direct your life, and may you live according to the Father’s direction.
Hi my name is
Kristen Nicole Milar. I am 20 years old and I’m from Northern Kentucky. I am a
first year student in the Masters Commission Oklahoma City.
I grew up in a Christian home, two christian parents and three brothers. My entire life since I can remember I had prayed for a sister, and in September of 2000 the Lord answered my prayers. My mom gave birth to my first baby sister. Not long after she was born the doctors diagnosed her with mitochondrial disease and gave her a life expectancy of thirteen years. Shortly after in March of 2004 she passed away, and I quickly began to run from the Lord. I got into bad friendships and some really wrong relationships with people, and several time the Lord tried to call me back, but each time the enemy came back and reminded me what God had done to me. He had taken away my baby sister, the only thing that I ever truly wanted. I felt like I was being pulled between two things. What I knew was right, and how I felt toward the Lord.
So this past summer I decided to go on a mission trip to New Mexico with the church here in Oklahoma. While I was out here the director of the Masters Commission and the pastor of the church Covenant Life gave me an application for Masters Commission. I wasn’t exactly sure why at first, because I hadn’t asked for one nor did I have any interest in going. Later that day I was talking to a friend about why I didn’t want to do MC’s and one of the reasons I had told him was because of the money, I didn’t have the finances it was going to take to be able to do this. So he suggested praying for it, so I did, not even thinking that the Lord heard, or cared. But much to my surprise, He did. The very next morning I got a phone call from my mom saying that a couple people in my church had called and offered to help support me in the Masters Commission if for some reason I decided to do it. I figured if the Lord provided the money over night, then He must have really wanted me to come. So I, half willingly, turned in my application form.
Since I have been here this year the Lord has really healed some past hurts that I had not only toward Him but also ones that I had toward some of my family members. He has taken me into a deeper level of intimacy with Him that I thought I would never live to experience.
The most significant experience that I have had since being here is one that happened this past February. I have gone by Nicole, which is my middle name, my entire life. And back in February we went to a Masters Commission conference in Seattle, Washington. While we were there, we were having some class time together as a group, and couple people in the group started to minister to me about my name, and how Nicole meant victorious among people, and Kristen was follower of Christ, and that the Lord wanted me to step into a new identity in Him, to become a follower of Him and no one else. So I have gone back to my first name, Kristen. And since I have done this I have experienced such a breakthrough in who I know I am in Christ Jesus. I still mess up and I still have my faults, the only thing that changed is the way I think about myself when I do mess up. I am no longer a failure, or worthless, I am a daughter and a princess of the King!
-Kristen Millar
Hi, my name is Jordan, I
am 19 years old, and I grew up in the church. My dad was the worship leader,
and an elder in the church. Through growing up, I had fashioned my life to be focused
on pleasing others. I was always searching for the next way that I could make
someone laugh or smile even if it meant making fun of me or someone else. I was
looking for my identity in the pleasure of others. When I turned sixteen and
was finally able to drive, I prided myself in having a gas hog of a vehicle. I
thought that if I told people about how much I spent on gas they might think
more highly of me because they knew I had money. Again I was searching for my
identity in the eyes of others, and this was my attitude going into Masters Commission.
After a few weeks in Masters Commission, I realized that everything that I was looking to for identity and approval from, is not what matters. What matters is what God thinks about us, and who He says that we are. This was a huge revelation for me. So after I realized it’s not what I think, but what God thinks, I started to wonder what does God think about me? Who does God say that I am? I had thought about this for a while. And had heard many things from pastors and speakers about who God says we are. But none of it had ever really seemed to apply to my life. then one day at a Microsoft show, one of the masters commission guys I was working with had a word from the Lord for me, and he said, “the Lord says ‘First and foremost you are my son’” This time it sunk in. it was like the Lord knew what was going on in my life, and He had the answer to my question. So since that day the Lord has really opened up to me all the things that He says about me, and I have been getting better at doing the things for the Father in heaven like someone would do for their father here on earth. Like when God asks me to do something, stepping out in faith and boldness, not letting my focus be diverted to anything that is not of Him. So now that I have gotten a grasp on who I am, and what my identity is, I am able to take the next step. What the Lord is currently working on in me is not just stepping out, but doing so with courage, stepping out in boldness for the message of Christ, that if just one life were to be affected by it, that it would be worth it all. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”, and I want to encourage you, that you can do all things through Christ who strengths you. May the Lord direct your life, and may you live according to the Father’s direction.
-Jordan Marlowe
Hey! My name is
Laura Swanson, and I am so excited to have the opportunity to share a little
bit about myself with you all today. First, I would like to ask, how many of
you have ever really wanted to be loved? Growing up I longed to be loved, and
longed to be accepted, but there was a fear planted in me that I would be
rejected. I looked for love from my family and my friends but my relationships
were not real because I was afraid to really show them who I really was. I
would lie about things that did not even matter because I felt that if they
knew the truth they would reject me. I did not find fulfillment in my
relationships because they were based on a lie. I would have friends over all
the time, but even being surrounded by a lot of people, I still felt empty and
alone. Since, I did not find fulfillment in friends, I looked for it in a
boyfriend. Once again, I was afraid to show how I really felt about things so I
compromised a lot in my relationship. Our relationship was not very pure and I
struggled a lot with feeling guilty and ashamed. Even after the relationship
was over, I was still overwhelmed with these feelings. The guilt and the shame
took the joy out of living. I came into Master’s Commission still feeling this
way. I thought I would be rejected by God, by my parents, and by my friends if
they knew the mistakes I had made. One day in worship at the beginning of my
Master’s Commission year, the Lord touched me. I started crying, I told my
discipler what was going on, and the things I had been keeping hidden. I told
my parents the truth, and that day there was so much freedom because I really
felt God’s love and forgiveness in my life. I realized that day that the Lord’s
love is unconditional, and His love is what fills the longings and emptiness of
my heart. He showed me that I am His daughter. He restored my innocence again.
Spending time with the Lord, and hearing Him speak to me about who I am, has
given me so much freedom to walk in purity and to trust Him. I do not need to
fear rejection because he loves me. He accepts me! He not only restored me but
He restored my relationship with my family. I am closer to them more than I
ever have before because now I keep things in the open. Relationships are no
longer fake. It has been the most amazing thing to see the Lord bring so much
restoration in my life already. If you are in my place where you have been
looking for love or fulfillment in the wrong places, the Lord wants to fill
you. He wants to restore you too! He is the only one who can fill that void in
your life. He is the only one who can make you innocent again. Run to His open
arms. He is waiting for you!
-Laura Swanson
My name is Denica. I’m 20 years old and from Kirkland, WA, which
is where I was first a student in Master’s Commission in 2007. Last year I worked full time and God called
me this year to intern in Oklahoma City.
I grew up with people always telling me that God had an amazing plan for
my life and wanted to use me to change the world—this birthed a desire in me to
be this kind of person. But even with
this desire I was controlled by my limitations, including my self-centeredness. People always used to tell me I was a shy
person, and there was a point in my childhood where I no longer thought of this
as a good word, and so it hurt every time someone mentioned it. I also believed many lies that kept me from
being the person God called me to be such as, “I don’t really have anything to
give or say” and “no one really likes me or cares about me.” I felt looked over and forgotten, and this
brought me into discouragement and a lot of self-pity and isolation. I never felt I was good enough of a person
My
student year in Master’s Commission brought many changes. God revealed himself to me in ways I never
thought imaginable and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he cared about me
and he really did choose me to do great things for him. So one step at a time I began to release the
lies to him and trust in his faithfulness.
He was always faithful even though I
felt I kept failing him and was so unwilling to change. Now I know that God won’t ever let me go or
take his love away from me, and that has brought me a new confidence. I can speak for him without fear and I can
walk in an identity of boldness, being a warrior and a firestarter. He’s using me to show people his love and to lead others into a deeper
relationship with him. My focus began to
be turned off of myself that first year, and ever since I find him reminding me
to keep my eyes on him. He’s called me
to a life of trust, and with this, comes freedom! If you struggle today with knowing who you
are or trusting that God loves you, He wants to show you a measure of His love
that is so deep and bring you a new freedom to live the life He’s called you to
live. None of us are disqualified. I recently heard a line to a song that was
slightly changed that said, “When you’re with your Daddy, you’re not what they
called you anymore.” It’s time to find
who we are in Daddy’s eyes.
Adventure. It's something we all long for. We belong to the generation that has invented extreme sports and virtual reality
video games. We thrive on the exciting, the unexpected, even the
dangerous. When we can't experience a real adventure, we look for
some substitute that will simulate the excitement we are yearning for
more than anything else. We watch action movies and we read fantasy
novels. We dream of that excitement and we long to be the hero.
Whether I realized it or not, I had grown up with that same desire, but it wasn't until I entered the Master's Commission that I realized what I had been missing. Like many of you, I've been involved with the church for most of my life, but there was little adventure or excitement to be found there. I knew the Bible stories and I could obey the rules, but it had little effect on my everyday life. Master's Commission changed my perspective. Often, our generation perceives God and the church as the strict disciplinarian who goes around making sure no one is having any fun. What MC helped me realize is the Kingdom of God is not about what you can't do, but about all the things you can, and are meant to do. There's a rumor going around that God is the enemy of all things fun and exciting. It's simply not true. God is in a good mood, He loves you, and He wants your life to be exciting, adventurous, and fun! The Master's Commission will open your eyes to the adventure that awaits you as a follower of Christ.
So as you consider whether God is calling you to dedicate a year of your life to Him, realize this: You will not be trading in your life of freedom for a year of rules, restrictions, and working your fingers to the bone. You will be embarking on the greatest adventure of your life. You will make lifelong friends. You will travel places and see things you never would've expected. You will see God reveal your gifts and talents to you and turn them around to change the lives of people you come into contact with. You will have fun! Master's Commission helped me set out on the most exciting journey of my life - pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ and helping to advance His kingdom on the earth. There can be no greater adventure. Are you ready?
I
went into Master's Commission after high school in hopes that I would
finally be able to have a real relationship with God. I grew up in
church, but never really felt like I knew God. It seemed like all I
was finding were a bunch of emotional highs that would never last. I
got to a place where I would go to church every week, but sit in the
back and try to look like I didn't want to be
there. I was rebelling outwardly, but on the inside I really wanted
to know God. I began to get more and more desperate to know
Him, which motivated me to join Master's Commission as a kind of last
ditch effort to meet the Lord. God met me in an awesome way during my
student year in MC's. I found it so much easier to connect with God
in the environment of Master's Commission
because it helped to eliminate all of the distractions that
kept me from God. God began to show me that He was there for me, and
I got more and more familiar with being in His presence. This changed
everything in my life and began a process of change that has
continued on as I grow more and more in relationship with Him. So,
for those of you who desire to know the Lord, but feel like He is out
of reach I would strongly encourage you to give Master's Commission a
chance. It is a great tool to help you advance your relationship with
the Lord wherever you may be at.
It's been great to be here in Masters Commission. Since the first time my parents and I talked about it we really knew it was the Lord calling me to be here. This is a time of preparation and also transformation for my life. God has called me to a higher level in life, to be different, to go against the flow. That costs a lot. It is painful and it goes totally against what I want, but it is not about me. It's about God only. He is our creator and to Him we must go. He is our source and He is the one who is going to give us what we need.
The
time here in MC's has been a wonderful experience. I can already see
the changes in my life. It is a true blessing to all of us when we
hear that wherever we go we change the atmosphere and it is not us,
it is the Holy Spirit in us. We have been seeking His face and His
presence, dying to ourselves everyday and there is nothing better in
life than that. The reason I say that is because when there is
less of us there is more of God in us, and there is where the good
feeling comes. I encourage anyone who reads this to start living at a
higher level in your relationship with God. Like I said before it
costs a lot - your life - but it is worth it.
I
entered Master's Commission just out of high school, hoping to come
out the other side as a perfect Christian. I thought Master's
Commission was a fix-it program that solves all your problems and
answers all of your questions. Instead, I found more than a
program.
I began my year in Master's Commission not knowing really who I was, much less personally knowing God's love and character. Although I grew up in a Christian home, being trained in the ways of the Lord from the cradle, I still knew I was missing something. I had known about God all of my life, but I didn't know what it meant to have an intimate relationship with Him that is real, not just a practiced, religious ritual. Through the process of the Master's Commission program and all of the training I received, I found what I was looking for: a real relationship with God that proved His love and faithfulness in every way. Because of that relationship with God I was able to find my identity, and through the love and support of the people in the church and in my class I was pressed hard into the Lord. I came to know that in every problem and hard time I face, God is the solution and His love is big enough to handle anything.
Master's Commission is a tool that the Lord used to
reveal His love and plans He had for me. I began the year with the
intention of not getting close to anyone and finishing the way I
started. God had different plans. The first four months I hated the
program and acted like it, and I'm pretty sure everyone knew how I
felt. I was not ashamed by the fact that I was rebellious. I was
untouched by the tears and talks we all had. For many, the time of
breaking is when you're the most hard. I thought I was the hardest I
could ever be, but then got harder. My heart was straight up stone. I
would not and could not let anyone in. I put up this front that all
was good with me but on the inside I was slowly dying. Father, in His
amazing patience and grace, stood by me and loved me through it all. He really began to give me a heart for MC, and I didn't want it, so I
hid and thought about quitting because I didn't want to love it, and I
didn't want it to make me religious. So I began to run and run
fast from the love I felt. The Lord brought me back into His arms, and
into the arms of my brothers and sisters as they also were waiting
for me to find out they loved me.
Now I am ready to take on the world head on and step up to the plate, and I am ready to help others who have been hurt and have felt as if they are worthless because Father says we all are worth the death of His son. If you are considering doing MC then I will pray for you earnestly because it's a hard road, but at the end you are not disappointed. What you are giving up for a year is nothing compared to what you will receive from Father. I will be praying for you all.
This may seem strange, but I never wanted to join Master's Commission. After I graduated from
college I was planning on going straight for my Master's degree and
even spending a semester studying abroad. However, God had other
plans. He told me He wanted me to dedicate a year to serving Him and
to help start MCOKC.
I joined Master's Commission on staff as an Extern. I never would have thought I would have gotten as much out of this year. The Lord has been changing and cleaning me. What I have enjoyed even more is how being an Extern has allowed me to pour into the local church. As an Extern, I get to work closely with our youth group, lead local outreaches, and help with administrative duties in the church. This year has been amazing and I'm so thankful for all God has done to me and through me.
Hey! My name is
Laura Swanson, and I am so excited to have the opportunity to share a little
bit about myself with you all today. First, I would like to ask, how many of
you have ever really wanted to be loved? Growing up I longed to be loved, and
longed to be accepted, but there was a fear planted in me that I would be
rejected. I looked for love from my family and my friends but my relationships
were not real because I was afraid to really show them who I really was. I
would lie about things that did not even matter because I felt that if they
knew the truth they would reject me. I did not find fulfillment in my
relationships because they were based on a lie. I would have friends over all
the time, but even being surrounded by a lot of people, I still felt empty and
alone. Since, I did not find fulfillment in friends, I looked for it in a
boyfriend. Once again, I was afraid to show how I really felt about things so I
compromised a lot in my relationship. Our relationship was not very pure and I
struggled a lot with feeling guilty and ashamed. Even after the relationship
was over, I was still overwhelmed with these feelings. The guilt and the shame
took the joy out of living. I came into Master’s Commission still feeling this
way. I thought I would be rejected by God, by my parents, and by my friends if
they knew the mistakes I had made. One day in worship at the beginning of my
Master’s Commission year, the Lord touched me. I started crying, I told my
discipler what was going on, and the things I had been keeping hidden. I told
my parents the truth, and that day there was so much freedom because I really
felt God’s love and forgiveness in my life. I realized that day that the Lord’s
love is unconditional, and His love is what fills the longings and emptiness of
my heart. He showed me that I am His daughter. He restored my innocence again.
Spending time with the Lord, and hearing Him speak to me about who I am, has
given me so much freedom to walk in purity and to trust Him. I do not need to
fear rejection because he loves me. He accepts me! He not only restored me but
He restored my relationship with my family. I am closer to them more than I
ever have before because now I keep things in the open. Relationships are no
longer fake. It has been the most amazing thing to see the Lord bring so much
restoration in my life already. If you are in my place where you have been
looking for love or fulfillment in the wrong places, the Lord wants to fill
you. He wants to restore you too! He is the only one who can fill that void in
your life. He is the only one who can make you innocent again. Run to His open
arms. He is waiting for you! -Laura Swanson
My name is Denica. I’m 20 years old and from Kirkland, WA, which
is where I was first a student in Master’s Commission in 2007. Last year I worked full time and God called
me this year to intern in Oklahoma City.
I grew up with people always telling me that God had an amazing plan for
my life and wanted to use me to change the world—this birthed a desire in me to
be this kind of person. But even with
this desire I was controlled by my limitations, including my self-centeredness. People always used to tell me I was a shy
person, and there was a point in my childhood where I no longer thought of this
as a good word, and so it hurt every time someone mentioned it. I also believed many lies that kept me from
being the person God called me to be such as, “I don’t really have anything to
give or say” and “no one really likes me or cares about me.” I felt looked over and forgotten, and this
brought me into discouragement and a lot of self-pity and isolation. I never felt I was good enough of a person
My
student year in Master’s Commission brought many changes. God revealed himself to me in ways I never
thought imaginable and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he cared about me
and he really did choose me to do great things for him. So one step at a time I began to release the
lies to him and trust in his faithfulness.
He was always faithful even though I
felt I kept failing him and was so unwilling to change. Now I know that God won’t ever let me go or
take his love away from me, and that has brought me a new confidence. I can speak for him without fear and I can
walk in an identity of boldness, being a warrior and a firestarter. He’s using me to show people his love and to lead others into a deeper
relationship with him. My focus began to
be turned off of myself that first year, and ever since I find him reminding me
to keep my eyes on him. He’s called me
to a life of trust, and with this, comes freedom! If you struggle today with knowing who you
are or trusting that God loves you, He wants to show you a measure of His love
that is so deep and bring you a new freedom to live the life He’s called you to
live. None of us are disqualified. I recently heard a line to a song that was
slightly changed that said, “When you’re with your Daddy, you’re not what they
called you anymore.” It’s time to find
who we are in Daddy’s eyes.
-Denica Mcall
Adventure. It's something we all long for. We belong to the generation that has invented extreme sports and virtual reality
video games. We thrive on the exciting, the unexpected, even the
dangerous. When we can't experience a real adventure, we look for
some substitute that will simulate the excitement we are yearning for
more than anything else. We watch action movies and we read fantasy
novels. We dream of that excitement and we long to be the hero.
Whether I realized it or not, I had grown up with that same desire, but it wasn't until I entered the Master's Commission that I realized what I had been missing. Like many of you, I've been involved with the church for most of my life, but there was little adventure or excitement to be found there. I knew the Bible stories and I could obey the rules, but it had little effect on my everyday life. Master's Commission changed my perspective. Often, our generation perceives God and the church as the strict disciplinarian who goes around making sure no one is having any fun. What MC helped me realize is the Kingdom of God is not about what you can't do, but about all the things you can, and are meant to do. There's a rumor going around that God is the enemy of all things fun and exciting. It's simply not true. God is in a good mood, He loves you, and He wants your life to be exciting, adventurous, and fun! The Master's Commission will open your eyes to the adventure that awaits you as a follower of Christ.
So as you consider whether God is calling you to dedicate a year of your life to Him, realize this: You will not be trading in your life of freedom for a year of rules, restrictions, and working your fingers to the bone. You will be embarking on the greatest adventure of your life. You will make lifelong friends. You will travel places and see things you never would've expected. You will see God reveal your gifts and talents to you and turn them around to change the lives of people you come into contact with. You will have fun! Master's Commission helped me set out on the most exciting journey of my life - pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ and helping to advance His kingdom on the earth. There can be no greater adventure. Are you ready?
- Dusty Somers
I
went into Master's Commission after high school in hopes that I would
finally be able to have a real relationship with God. I grew up in
church, but never really felt like I knew God. It seemed like all I
was finding were a bunch of emotional highs that would never last. I
got to a place where I would go to church every week, but sit in the
back and try to look like I didn't want to be
there. I was rebelling outwardly, but on the inside I really wanted
to know God. I began to get more and more desperate to know
Him, which motivated me to join Master's Commission as a kind of last
ditch effort to meet the Lord. God met me in an awesome way during my
student year in MC's. I found it so much easier to connect with God
in the environment of Master's Commission
because it helped to eliminate all of the distractions that
kept me from God. God began to show me that He was there for me, and
I got more and more familiar with being in His presence. This changed
everything in my life and began a process of change that has
continued on as I grow more and more in relationship with Him. So,
for those of you who desire to know the Lord, but feel like He is out
of reach I would strongly encourage you to give Master's Commission a
chance. It is a great tool to help you advance your relationship with
the Lord wherever you may be at.
- Ricky O'Hara
It's been great to be here in Masters Commission. Since the first time my parents and I talked about it we really knew it was the Lord calling me to be here. This is a time of preparation and also transformation for my life. God has called me to a higher level in life, to be different, to go against the flow. That costs a lot. It is painful and it goes totally against what I want, but it is not about me. It's about God only. He is our creator and to Him we must go. He is our source and He is the one who is going to give us what we need.
The
time here in MC's has been a wonderful experience. I can already see
the changes in my life. It is a true blessing to all of us when we
hear that wherever we go we change the atmosphere and it is not us,
it is the Holy Spirit in us. We have been seeking His face and His
presence, dying to ourselves everyday and there is nothing better in
life than that. The reason I say that is because when there is
less of us there is more of God in us, and there is where the good
feeling comes. I encourage anyone who reads this to start living at a
higher level in your relationship with God. Like I said before it
costs a lot - your life - but it is worth it.
- Moises Diaz
I
entered Master's Commission just out of high school, hoping to come
out the other side as a perfect Christian. I thought Master's
Commission was a fix-it program that solves all your problems and
answers all of your questions. Instead, I found more than a
program. I began my year in Master's Commission not knowing really who I was, much less personally knowing God's love and character. Although I grew up in a Christian home, being trained in the ways of the Lord from the cradle, I still knew I was missing something. I had known about God all of my life, but I didn't know what it meant to have an intimate relationship with Him that is real, not just a practiced, religious ritual. Through the process of the Master's Commission program and all of the training I received, I found what I was looking for: a real relationship with God that proved His love and faithfulness in every way. Because of that relationship with God I was able to find my identity, and through the love and support of the people in the church and in my class I was pressed hard into the Lord. I came to know that in every problem and hard time I face, God is the solution and His love is big enough to handle anything.
- Kerri Freeman
Master's Commission is a tool that the Lord used to
reveal His love and plans He had for me. I began the year with the
intention of not getting close to anyone and finishing the way I
started. God had different plans. The first four months I hated the
program and acted like it, and I'm pretty sure everyone knew how I
felt. I was not ashamed by the fact that I was rebellious. I was
untouched by the tears and talks we all had. For many, the time of
breaking is when you're the most hard. I thought I was the hardest I
could ever be, but then got harder. My heart was straight up stone. I
would not and could not let anyone in. I put up this front that all
was good with me but on the inside I was slowly dying. Father, in His
amazing patience and grace, stood by me and loved me through it all. He really began to give me a heart for MC, and I didn't want it, so I
hid and thought about quitting because I didn't want to love it, and I
didn't want it to make me religious. So I began to run and run
fast from the love I felt. The Lord brought me back into His arms, and
into the arms of my brothers and sisters as they also were waiting
for me to find out they loved me. Now I am ready to take on the world head on and step up to the plate, and I am ready to help others who have been hurt and have felt as if they are worthless because Father says we all are worth the death of His son. If you are considering doing MC then I will pray for you earnestly because it's a hard road, but at the end you are not disappointed. What you are giving up for a year is nothing compared to what you will receive from Father. I will be praying for you all.
- Whitney Graham
This may seem strange, but I never wanted to join Master's Commission. After I graduated from
college I was planning on going straight for my Master's degree and
even spending a semester studying abroad. However, God had other
plans. He told me He wanted me to dedicate a year to serving Him and
to help start MCOKC. I joined Master's Commission on staff as an Extern. I never would have thought I would have gotten as much out of this year. The Lord has been changing and cleaning me. What I have enjoyed even more is how being an Extern has allowed me to pour into the local church. As an Extern, I get to work closely with our youth group, lead local outreaches, and help with administrative duties in the church. This year has been amazing and I'm so thankful for all God has done to me and through me.
- Frances White
