CTI Graduation Statements

These are the statements and photos that we submitted for our graduation ceremony, which summarize how our CTI experience has changed our lives:

Jeoff Thompson

"After completing CTI, I have been able to wrap up the loose ends of the pieces of my life and I have been able to bring it all together, giving me clarity in my life's purpose. The picture of my life is much clearer.

During this season, I've come to realize that in order to have the greatest impact on the world at large, I must first impact those who are closest to me - my wife and my children. Instead of viewing purpose as solely pursing my gifts as a preacher/teacher/musician, my approach now is to minister, as priest and provider to my family first, and only then will I be able to properly use those gifts to serve others. "

Leslie Thompson

"Through CTI, I have learned that being in ministry is not just about the service and the work you do for the Father, to build and strengthen the kingdom. It's about character - as was so emphatically stated in the first class of my first year. It's about submitting your life to be scrutinized and broken down, and then rebuilt and strengthened, by the only one who can truly do so. This is done in order that everything you learn through that experience, may be used in your ministry, to provide answers and hope to others.

After going through the school of ministry program, I have solidified my passion for ministry to my husband, our 3 kiddos through nurturing and homeschool, and to women, regarding our biblical roles. I plan to use what I have learned in CTI, to build up those areas, and in that order."

Here's one of the things we're working on

Also, see the following post, for more information regarding the graduation, our plans, and more.....

CTI Graduation

After the ceremony.


(more details to come, this was just a start......)





What did you all get out of CTI? What type of ministry will you do?

It's a long story because it turned out to be much different than when we set out to join the program. But at the same time we joined, knowing that we were submitting ourselves to the Lord for that two years, for him to teach us about what ministry is, and to show us his direction for us.

Some we've learned through the classes (Hermeneutics, Apologetics, Systematic Theology, Old and New Testament Survey, Church History, Church Administration, Spiritual Gifts, Life Languages, Hearing the Voice of God, Vision Development, Public Speaking and Missions along with Prayer and Worship workshops sprinkled throughout this last year of the program -- I think that's everything but I may have left something off), and some we've learned through experiences that He placed us in BECAUSE we were in this season.

The second year included an internship that we did together, and the focus was on writing & producing music.

For us, the end of it is that we will first apply it at home and make sure we are in order with worship and leading our children at home, carrying out our roles at home, singing and writing songs with our kiddos. And we will teach these theological principles that we have learned, to our children to better equip them to impact the kingdom. We believe that as we are faithful there, the Lord will direct us further into any additional ministry areas.

That's the spiritual part of it, the practical part of it, is that it is a huge faith journey where we are really going to have to step up to the plate in a lot of areas to carry this out and we know it won't be easy!!!

CTI Graduation Dinner

Tonight was the CTI graduation dinner. We had a nice meal, a word from Pastor Ralph Holland, on 8 Sure Ways to Fail in Ministry, and How to Avoid Them, including Poor Time Management, and Lack of Integrity.


After Pastor Holland spoke, we received brief words of wisdom and encouragement from our instructors Michael Boos, Melanie Brondo, Pastor Daniel Erickson, Ken Loomis, Sue Loomis, Charles Rosson, and Prakash Wright, and the CORE Leaders - Alynna Jiminez & Christy Tizo.

After the program we took lots of pictures, met classmates' family and friends, and talked and talked and talked! These folks are truly like family!

CTI June - There's No Place Like Home

Man, this is a crazy, wonderful time of clarification and direction. I've said before (and have been saying for about a year) that the time we spent in CTI (School of Ministry) has been the best for our marriage.

I am still seeing more and more reasons for why that is true.

Month after month, we've had new challenges, new things happening that stretch us and that bless us as well.

The latest has been regarding the imporatance of building a solid foundation at home, for our children. I see even more clearly, after the past few months, that there is no place like home!

I realize that there are things each of us will be shown and will be convicted of and I never want to push my convictions on anyone else, so if you're reading this, know that it is me sharing what I have learned and how I will apply it -- but at the same time it is important for you to examine the scriptures and see it for what it is.

There is no place like home. What does that really mean? And if I believe that is true, what am I going to do about it? I'll tell you about my quest. You can be a Berean and sort it out as well.

There's no place like worship at home. Worship and Bible Study are important and are necessary. It is important for us to worship corporately and to assemble together with others, but the most imporant worship and modeling should take place at home. This is something Jeoff and I have recommitted to and have developed a very strong passion for, culminating with the completion of CTI. I don't think it's coincidental at all. We are to be equipped to do the work of the ministry and our equipping was done to carry it out here. It was designed to happen this way. Our true passion, our call to ministry is to raise up these soldiers, here, in our house and to model the roles of priest and nurturer before them, so they don't have to search for those answers outside of our walls. Father is called to teach his children the word of God at home and to carry out worship there. That is so much clearer to us now. Those are the qualifications of the Elder. (I Timothy 3). He is able to teach at home. He manages his household. He leads us in worship. This training we have received, will be applied at home first. Before we set off on any other journey, or mission, or meeting. When (and as) it's done right in here; we can be qualified to do so, even better out there. Some of the resources that have solidified that can be found at www.TriviumPursuit.com, specifically the audio on Family Worship.

There's no place like having home on my mind. I am so much more convicted and passionate about focusing my mind on the things of my household. Keeping my home, taking care of my husband and my children well. And not as just a duty or as something to fit in. But making it my first priority! Titus 2 - to love my husband, love my children, and be a worker at home, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. One of the resources that has solidified that, is the Mother's Day message from Dr. Tony Evans on May 13, 2007.

There's no place like teaching at home. I am so much more convicted now, to teach at home. Convicted to bring my children up in the ways of the Lord. To mold their character. To direct them with the rod of discipline. Deuteronomy 6: "You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." It will be very difficult for me to do that and do it well, if I continue to get up early in the morning and leave my house and come back to my house in the evening with only a few hours to fit all that in. I realize that doesn't read "thou shalt homeschool." But if we are to teach them, I believe we can pray to Him for a plan and for the provision to be their primary teachers. There's more I can say on this, but in making this decision, we also researched how "state school" came about, in our culture and the trends that have come about as a result. It all points us back to, what is the primary responsibility (Biblically) for the parent and for the home. One of the resources I found helpful - www.HeartofWisdom.com.

So, that's where I am right now and where we're headed, and it's so much more clear. I look forward to the rest of the journey!

CTI - Importance of Family

About this time we are really seeing just how important family is, in carrying out ministry to others. How badly do I want to be used of God to minister to others? How badly do I want to share the gospel of Jesus and the love of God with others who don't know Him?

Really really bad. I want to share with women, mothers, wives, young ladies, older ladies who I can provide an answer or hope to, marriages to-be, homeschool families, those seeking to homeschool, mothers seeking to stay home with their chidren, unreached people groups in far away countries, unbelievers in my neighborhood, youth, and more.

But:

1) I don't wait until I'm in an official position to do that. I do some now, and I think about it at various times throughout my day and night. I (we) am (are) passionate about sharing and ministering to others. And we will continue to do it.

2) I don't want the percentage of outside ministry to outweigh inside ministry. Ministry inside my home. Four things have stood out regarding this. a) I have heard Pastor Hayes mention several times about one prominent Pastor in another country who has a church of hundreds of thousands of people (one of the largest in the world) but his children do not serve the Lord. b) I also heard recently, an author on the radio, who read the following quote from Nelson Mandela. "To be the father of a nation is a great honor, but to be the father of family is a greater joy." - Nelson Mandela, Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. In his autobiography, Nelson Mandela shared that his children believed that, when he was released from prison, they would get their father back. Unfortunately, that did not happen. The majority of his time was still spent in running the affairs of the country and leading the nation. c) a friend recently sent me an article by Audrey Broggi, where she spoke of the importance of women understanding that we should view what we do at home as ministry (rocking, changing diapers, first-aid, discipline, molding, nurturing, hugging, cleaning, teaching them the word of God, how to live in Christ, how to exhibit the fruit of the spirit, etc.), instead of saying that once we get through that stage of motherhood, and lastly d) An audio message from Harvey Bluedorn regarding the importance of Fathers leading worship at home, and the qualification of an Elder which include mangaging his own household.

These all have helped us as we solidy our family foundation!

I talked to some of the students in CORE today and received their feedback on this, the importance of family, as they read the words of the songs they wrote, and thought of someone in their own family that they could minister that message to. I shared with them, our personal story of how we have had to balance our family life with our ministry work through these last two years and how, in this final year, we have been convinced that, while we will minister in the areas of evangelism, marriage, music, and more --- ministry will start at home first.then we can do real ministry. and lastly d) We heard in an audio message from Harvey Bluedorn regarding the importance of Fathers leading worship at home, and the Biblical qualifications of an Elder which include mangaging his own household, by carrying out the duties that God has outlined for Fathers in the home.

These all have helped us as we solidify our family foundation!

I talked to some of the students in CORE today and received their feedback on this, the importance of family, as they read the words of the songs they wrote, and thought of someone in their own family that they could minister that message to. I shared with them, our personal story of how we have had to balance our family life with our ministry work through these last two years and how, in this final year, we have been convinced that, while we will minister in the areas of evangelism, marriage, music, and more --- ministry will start at home first.

CTI March

In March, our class for 2nd Year students was Apologetics II but I am retaking Hermeneutics from last year (since the smallest little mama was born this time last year and I missed it).

I'll talk a little here, when I get another minute to post, about my renewed fire for apologetics and evangelism, although I'm not physically in the class.

CTI February

In February, the class for 2nd Year students was Hearing the Voice of God. It was an incredible class, taught by Charles Rosson.

Mr. Rosson is 79 years old and heads up one of the Prophetic Life Teams at Covenant. His wisdom and experiences were invaluable. In the next to last class session, he brought his team with him and divided us into 4 groups. His team members prayed for us one by one. It was amazing because many of themsaid they were new at prophecy and they were really just allowingthe Lord to speak through them.

Everyone student I spoke to said they received a personal, encouraging, and "on-point" word from the Lord. Regarding either where they are today, where the Lord has brought them, or where He is taking them!

For us the Lord spoke about our current concerns, specific steps, and our future direction.

It was so exciting!

We're supposed to get a CD of the prophecies so we can play it again (as many times as we want) to remind ourselves of what was said.

We are all called to prophesy! Prophecy is declaring the Word of God over our selves, our circumstance, and over others!!!

CTI: Holy Highway Outreach Event

The event this past weekend was incredible. Not only was it a chance for Jeoff to minister through music and for me to sing with him and the other participants, but it was an incredible move of God.

The ladies there at the facility were so touched by the princess makeovers they received and the messages from Pastors Derozette and Cyd, and not to mention the one on one ministry they received from all of the ladies who travelled to Pickton from Covenant Church.

It was an experience I'll never forget, and hopefully one the girls won't forget either.

CTI January

At some point I'm going to have to compile all of the notes I've taken over the course of CTI this past year and half but here's an update for January 2007.

This weekend we will be going to an outrech event for Holy Highway Home for Girls. Jeoff will be playing and I will be singing along with some really great ladies who sing a lot more often than I do! I count it a priveledege and it'll be a great experience.

I'm especially excited that Jeoff has met some great new musician friends who love the Lord and love their craft.

This home we are going to is for girls who have gone through difficult times in their lives and had to be sent there for rehabilitation. The theme of the weekend is "A Night with the King". We are praying that these girls truly have an encounter with the king that weekend and that his impact brings about a change in their lives that will last forever.

In January we are beginning a 3 week class, entitled Biblical Leadership.

And we will also be working with the CORE students on the original songs they have written. During this first month of the semester we will begin developing the musi for their songs and move forward toward production!

CTI December

In December, we finished up our Public Speaking class and I had to make up the Church History class since I missed it during maternity leave during my first year.

Public Speaking was one of the most fun classes I've taken yet.

We were given the opportunity to share a 3-5 minute testimony during the last class. I'm going to copy and paste mine here soon.

It was a great time to learn things about our classmates that most of us knew nothing of!

CTI Update: Since Life Team Transition

Shortly after we moved from the Young Marriage Senior Life Team leadership role, our baby girl was born. We knew that even in the naming of our daughter, some things were about to change in our marriage and our future. The Lord had spoken to me at the beginning of the year, that I needed to step back in trying to figure out names for our daughter and that instead, Jeoff would name this child. He said this would be a turning point in our relationship and it would represent a new season of leadership in his life. Shortly after her birth, we finished up year one of CTI and spent the summer resting some (from classes) and preparing for the internship year. That was a long process.

We initially thought we would intern in separate departments, Jeoff in Worship-Arts-Media or Education, and me in Children's Ministry, AHA or Education, but after meeting a few times with Andy Yonas, Director of CTI, we made the decision to intern together, with CORE Music. It was a little rocky getting to that decision because there were so many areas that we were interested in and felt would be good places to serve, but ultimately we made the internship decision based largely on the fact that music is deeply ground in both our hearts, and is a very large part of our passion. CORE Music was not something that had ever entered into our minds but was actually presented to Jeoff from Andy, as an opportunity to tailor the internship specifically to what his interests are. How cool is that?!

Since we made that decision, the Lord has opened up so many doors of opportunity, not positionally but just doors that have enabled us to serve and create together; and through this it has allowed Him to show us how closely he desires us to work together as a couple. For this season it's in the area of the arts.

Someone made the statement which has become a common saying that goes - "If mama ain't happy, ain't no body happy." I don't disagree with that statement but there is another side to it. While mama's happiness, contentment, and security is directly related to the atmosphere in the home, Daddy's purpose, fulfillment, and success is directly related to the couple's overall obedience to God's will and the effectiveness and legacy of the family. Jeoff said the other night that sometimes it's takes more faith to sit back and let things happen than it takes to "do something." That was mostly for me. There are times, of course, when it's appropriate to go out aggressively after something but in this season, as I've shared before, the biggest lesson I'm learning is to let the Lord move through my husband. There are things that I'm seeing in him regarding his passions, that I have never seen. The last two years of marriage have probably been the toughest, but they have absolutely been the BEST! Making the decision earlier this year to follow my husband's heart and trust what the Lord is doing through him was one of the best decisions I have ever made. and I know without a doubt that it is making lasting impressions on our effectiveness, unity and legacy.

We can't thank the Lord enough!

As mentioned earlier, our baby girl was named by Daddy. Her name Jadyn Ja'el, means "God has heard our prayer to ascend." That's what we believe. He has heard our prayer to ascend. It took courage to lose our fears and to embrace his call. But because we took this step of faith we are able to see things spiritually we were never even aware of.

Really, What ARE the Best of Times?

What ARE The Best of Times?

There are many times throught out life, marriage, career and ministry where one believes they are in the best of time. There are other times that an individual is striving for that time in their life, marriage, career, ministry or other.

I took some time to step back and look at these aspects of my life recently and I can truly say that I am in the best of times!

Not because everything is perfect. Not because I am in that place I want to be ultimately. Not because I have become the perfect wife, mother, or Christian. And not because I have achieved a certain position in ministry.

Well why do you say dat you're in de Best of Times?

Here are the reasons:

1. Stretching

It's a time of being stretched. Being in a place of commitment that is a little beyond what I think I can accomplish is actually a good place. When I'm in a place where I am choosing to do things that I have confidence in myself to complete, I don't think that's actually enough. There's n number of things I can do in my own strength but there's 10 times n that I can do in His strength. During this season in my life there are some choices I've had to make and some responsibilities that I have accepted that are stretching me beyond my natural capabilities.

That's a really good place to be! It will not be pretty, but it will force me to depend on the Holy Spirit and not myself.

2. Growing

It's a time of growth. First, as it pertains to my knowledge of the Lord and the Word; and secondly as it pertains to my knowledge and understanding of covenant marriage.

After a season four and a half years ago, where there was an abundance of time available to spend reading and studying the Bible individually, in corporate settings, or in small groups, I came to the season I am now in, where many more home demands are required. During this season it is actually an aspect of my growth as an individual to seek out ways to continue a form of study that can be accomplished even in this busy-working-mothering season. I'm learning more of the value of accountability and appreciate the courses that I am taking through CTI (School of Ministry) to provide this for me.

In marriage, because we have gone through and are still somewhat going through, a period of tremendous transition, there are countless opportunities for growth. I heard someone say that marriage is not designed to make us happy, but is designed to make us holy. So because of that refining process, it would not be wise of me to trip out when circumstances present themselves that are not pleasing me. What should I do? Line that emotion up with the Word and how it applies specifically to that which I am feeling. It's hardly related to what my husband has done or the amount of stress that this situation has placed upon me that I think is about to make me break. It's all about what the Lord wants me to do at that moment with that emotion I am feeling. What's my output going to be from that? Is it going to be a good fruit ..... of the Spirit......or a stinky, rotten spoiled fruit that's only going to make me sick?

That's the type of growing that's going on in me right now. But why you gotta be all deep? It's either deep or shallow and flaky. But I have to choose. And I hope more and more often I will choose the deep.

It's been one of the most challenging seasons for both of us but this 7th year has been absolutely the best year! Because of this type of growh and stretching. Making U-Turns and Knowing Who We're Truly Dealing With. Not the ugly that sometimes rises up when attacks ensue, but knowing the heart of who we married, and what (and Who) is at the heart of the Covenant we've made.

3. Faith Fueling

This has been a faith fueling time. Mostly because of what we see around us. It's exciting and faith fueling to see what is being done in the lives of others around us that we know and love, and the body of believers we love and serve. So many things have been prophesied over Covenant Church, the family we are sown into. From multiplication, to elevation, to territory enlargement! There are individual things we see in those we know which would be too many to name. That fuels my faith! Not to mention the step by step revelations the Father has made to us, each time we step out on something that doesn't make a lot of sense at the onset.

So I'm just ready! Ready to step out more. Ready to see more that's being done in others. Beyond what can be done to bless me and my household, I'm excited to see what will be done in those around me as well!

I need to ask myself from time to time, before I begin to label the "time" I am in.   Questions to ask myself: a.Are you comfortable in what you're doing with your gifts and talents, it may be time to stretch myself.  b. Are you stagnant in your growth, it may be a time to readjust some things so I can get in a place to learn more.  And know that that may also invlove some difficult journeys.  c. Are you discouraged or doubtful about your future, I may need to look around and see some of the things the Lord is doing around me and let that fuel my own faith for what He'll do in and through me!

The Best of Times. Is it all it's cracked up to be? It's that and it's more! It may take some going "toe to toe" but after the big dance there is a graceful bow. Not in our own honor. But in honor of the one Who is making it all happen!

 

CTI December 2005

Today is a pretty good day. I feel a lot better than I’ve felt in a few weeks actually. I’m sitting in my office, at my desk looking at the beautiful roses that Jeoff sent me this week. As I told him yesterday, they are a reminder that I am to do my work as unto the Lord and it is also a motivation for me to go on.

Last night in CTI - New Testament Survey class, the books that we covered were Galatians, Romans, and I and II Corinthians. We discussed the fact that Romans is so power packed with so much encouraging word and powerful truths. One of the students read a good portion of chapter 8 and when he finished we were all like wow. That’s how God’s word is. That’s what his word does.