Speaker of the Week: Greg Fritz

“I want to talk to you about the value of the Word of God in your life,” Greg Fritz said. For his second time at Go, the well-known evangelist was outspoken and direct- we need God’s Word daily. “Open your Bible with me to Psalm 1:2-3,” he continued. “Listen carefully to this passage- ‘blessed are those whose delight is the Word of God, they will be as a tree planted by streams of water… whatever they do shall prosper.’ Now I know that during this time of your life you are trying to discover success and what that means to you,” he declared. “Listen! God says that, ‘whatever you do shall prosper, if you delight in His Word;’ so be confident about your future! To help you understand, think of God’s Word like food for your body.” With a wide smile he continued, “You don’t go days without eating do you? No, you eat each and every day so you can function properly”. It’s such a simple concept, but so powerfully true. Think about how much of our lives are centered around food- everything from food preparation to actually eating it. In fact, entire cultures are greatly influenced by their food. Mr. Fritz finished with a great statement and a closing verse. “The Bible is health for your body and wisdom for your mind,” he exclaimed. “I want to end with the verse, Proverbs 4:1-2,” Greg said. “Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.”

Radiate: Clean House

As the apprentices were putting together our outreach for this past Friday, they decided we were all going to be a blessing to Greg and Christa Baca. We wanted to serve the very people who have served and sacrificed so much for us and the Go family. So we packed up, headed out, and arrived at our Director’s house to clean, clean, clean. We all jumped right in- dusting, sweeping, cleaning counters, and doing some yard work that the boys facilitated. We had a lot of fun talking and enjoying each other’s company while being a blessing. To end the afternoon we all had coffee together and spent a little time with the wonderful people that pour so much of their lives into ours!

Open House: April 4, 2011

If you’ve ever considered joining the Go Internship or if you’re interested in finding out what we’re all about, join us at our next Open House Event. During Open House you can have a look around our offices, meet the founders, Greg and Christa Baca, the Staff, and this year’s current Interns. This is the perfect time to have your questions about the program answered.

Open house begins at 4:00PM from 4:00-4:15pm tour the offices and take a look around. From 4:15-5:00PM Greg & Christa will be sharing about the program. Hear from current interns about the direct impact the program has made on their lives. Feel free to bring a friend or two, grab a starbucks on the way over, and come chill and hang out.

Go International Offices
12814 S. Memorial Ave, Suite 120
Bixby, OK. 74008

Speaker of the Week: T.L. Osborn

For T.L. Osborn’s second visit to Go International he decided to share a few principles and pieces of wisdom he learned throughout his lifetime. Although there were many things he shared (I’m sure there could have been many more), he repeatedly exclaimed the importance of this one truth: The power of God and his love is in the gospel- nothing on our part or our own actions, just simply the message of Jesus Christ.

After he finished this key point, he cited a statement made by Gandhi: “If you have an idea, think about the poorest and most needy people you know about; if it will help them live a better quality of life, then it is a good idea.” I personally love this powerful observation about the purpose and potential of ideas. Many times we have dreams and ideas, but it’s easy to doubt whether or not it could really be useful. Gandhi put it well, “If it will help someone, it’s a good idea”.

Filled with conviction, Mr. Osborn began to explain the importance of remembering Jesus. “Jesus said, ‘Remember Me,’” he stated. “Many times we are hoping He remembers us, but it is we who need to remember Him.” Many people often desire the power of God, but they forget that it’s love that comes first. “You cannot have power without love,” he said. T.L. shared this example: Calvary = love, Pentecost = power. First Jesus gave love, and then He gave power. As I sat there and continued to listen to him speak, I was amazed by how much he stressed the importance of learning. Nearly 90 years old and he is still striving to grow, not only spiritually, but intellectually as well. For one of his final thoughts T.L. once again brought the discussion back to the importance of the gospel by saying: “The mission of every person who follows Jesus Christ is to be His witness. Remember, those who preach the gospel stand in the place of Jesus, and they are as He is. Ministry is not your own, you are simply a continuator of what Jesus did.”

Speaker of the Week: Barbara Arbo

“The beauty of casting your cares to the Lord is that it shows that you trust Him,” said Barbara Arbo. She followed up this statement with Isaiah 30:18 – “The Lord longs for those who look to Him”. Our heart is His desire and our trust in Him, a prized possession.

Mrs. Arbo continued by boldly declaring her next point: “The fact is, we are born into this world with nothing and once we leave we take nothing. The Bible says that every good gift comes from above, so we have nothing on our own.” After that she made this powerful statement: “If we are going to have something to give to others, we must first come to God to receive it”.

Her words stayed with me for sometime that day. Recently, I’ve had to come to a place of honesty with myself. I’ve always wanted to do something for God that was bigger than me and I knew it would require that I grow in many areas of my life. So, in my pursuit of the God-given dreams for my life, I worked hard to grow in these areas- so much that I often forgot why, or rather, Who I was doing them for in the first place. I set my goals and dreams in the place of the God who gave them to me. Just like the Israelites in the Old Testament who turned to worshipping idols of metal and stone and in time, forgot their God. They worshipped the creation, not the creator. In my weakness and frustration I once again realized how much I missed intimacy with God and in His faithfulness He brought me back to Him again.

Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, extend to the skies, and Your faithfulness to the clouds. -Psalm 36:5-

Through My Eyes by Lauren Bruhn

After Christmas break

Hello! I hope that all of you readers had a restful Christmas season, ate bundles of deliciously fatty food and enjoyed time with your families- I definitely did! First off, 10 days in the office until Mystery trip, yay! The anticipation is quite overwhelming now that we are less than 3 weeks away from the trip; it seems almost unreal. This past week, we started a new series in Inspire class called “Eyes Wide Open”, and not to use such an obvious pun, but my eyes are definitely already being opened. With such a short amount of time left before we leave, I believe that it is no accident that we are talking about missions and issues that are taking place all over the world. In Hosea 4:6 God says, “My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge…” It is first knowledge that pushes people into taking action. We are definitely gaining knowledge in this core series, which is just propelling our excitement through these next few weeks and into Mystery Trip!

Speaker of the Week: Bob Harrison

This week once again, Bob Harrison, our guest speaker returned to the Go offices to share with the interns some wisdom he’s gathered throughout his life. For his first statement  Dr. Increase confidently proclaimed, “Everything you do is a calling card towards your future. Opportunity comes at any moment. You have to ask yourself if you’ll be ready for it.” He looked around the room and continued, “There are two things about life you need to know. Life is a mix of learning to enjoy where we are while preparing to go somewhere else.” Pausing to let the thought simmer he continued, “All too often people focus on just one of these things. These individuals are either so focused on the future that they don’t allow themselves to enjoy the life they are currently living; or on the flip side of things, they are so focused on enjoying life right now that they forget to plan for future opportunities”. He took the discussion a new direction by quoting something Norman Schwarzkopf told him while he was at a speaking engagement with him. “He told me that, ‘Life is a collection of seasons,’” Mr. Harrison said. “You see, often people tend to think of life as a continuum- we see it in a linear fashion.” The truth is, life is just like the seasons, one ends and another begins. We need to recognize what season we are in so we can embrace it for what it is and so we also can properly prepare for the upcoming season ahead. Mr. Harrison continued with many more valuable pieces of information, but there was one key point he left us with that grasped my attention- Change begins with us. If you are looking for change in your life and the environment that surrounds you, begin with small changes in your personal life. The smallest of steps pave the way for the greatest moments of progress.

Written by: David Solomon

Through My Eyes by Lauren Bruhn

“Life is a series of seasons; unfortunately, we tend to think of it as a continuum. One season ends after the other, and it’s important that we learn how to embrace new beginnings.” This statement was made by Bob Harrison, one of the most quotable and wise men I’ve met, when he came to speak to our small group of interns. As a man who has come from conquering the business world to ministering to thousands and overcoming tragedy, he spoke from his heart, and from his life’s experiences. His genuine nature is what makes him so inspiring and we were anxious to hear each word that came from his mouth.

“The real success to life is to enjoy the season you are in, but always prepare for the next,” he said. Unexpected things happen weather tragic or beautiful, but through the good and bad seasons, God is speaking to us. Everything we do is preparing us for the future. Bob also said something that I think is so important in today’s society, since we live in a culture where planning ahead is so crucial. “We need to learn to pause, take a step back, and truly enjoy the season that God has placed us in.” It is definitely an art to master the balance that Bob spoke of, but once we can do this, I believe we will be able to further enjoy the lives we have been given.

Through My Eyes by Lauren Bruhn

Lately I have been taking time to ponder Hebrews 11:1 – “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” Last summer I had a lot of time to be alone and to really concentrate on God’s voice and His vision for what was coming up in my life. One of the things I spent time contemplating was Africa. For as far back as I can remember, I had always wanted to go to Africa and work in an orphanage, but I knew there was a difference between wanting to go and being called to go. So this past summer I asked God if that desire was from Him. His answer? Yes. Just yes, which you’d think would make me rejoice, but it freaked me out. When? Where? What? How? All these questions were running through my mind constantly.

Fortunately, God is an extremely faithful God, and just as a loving father takes care of his children, God takes care of us. I just returned home from my first trip to Africa on Mystery Trip 2011! Sometimes we aren’t sure of the answers to the, “When, where, what, how,” and that’s ok. God just wants us to follow our dreams and trust in Him. Once we trust Him, things seem to happen so quickly and we don’t know how it all worked out. Whether it’s waiting patiently over time or it happens in the blink of an eye, taking steps of faith always feels uncomfortable, but sacrificing that comfort is worth having your dreams come true.