Kristian's Kaleidoscope: The Final Installment

            How truly blessed I am, God has blessed me so much through this internship at NBCC and in my walk with him.  I want to first thank all of the staff. You all were wonderful and dealt with me lovingly. I know there is a special place in heaven for you now. I learned so much from each of you and will take what I have learned and use it to further God’s kingdom. Do not worry your words did not fall on unwilling ears. Your thoughts, ideas, and actions will be used in my life and I am extremely grateful for each lesson I was taught.

            Second, I want to thank the church members for all the love and support. I am still astonished by the welcoming I received from each of you. Not once did I feel unwelcomed or out of place. Everyone was generous to me and received me with warm hearts. I owe you each a sensory thank you. I pray that God will keep you and bless you and may his face shine upon you.

            Third and most importantly, I want to thank my Lord and savoir Jesus Christ for all that he has done for me this summer. I praise him and continually thank him for such a loving and teachable internship. May he be glorified for all that was done in the church and in me.

            I am sad that this is my last blog. This blog was therapeutic in many ways. I was able to vent and express my feelings in ways I never have before. I enjoyed your feedback and was glad to write to an audience who would read my thoughts. Rather than a journal which is so one sided. It was a pleasure to be able to communicate my feelings and ideas with people. People who new me and truly cared about what I had to say. I thank you for reading and taking the time out to hear what I have to say. I hope that you have been blessed by me as I have been so blessed by each of you.

I know that God has a plan for my life and my prayer is that I will fully engage in his kingdom whole hardly without selfish means, so that his gospel is spread to all nations and disciples are made. 

Krisitan Beasley

Former Ministry Intern

Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plansI have for you,” declares the Lord, plans to prosperyou and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 

Krisitan's Kaleidoscope: North American, Microphones & Crazy Kids (Installment 10)

For those of you who were wondering where your ministers were this past week. We were at the North AmericanChristian Convention, and it was incredible! The convention was held in Orlando at the World Marriott hotel. The convention was a week long and consisted of two main sessions a day with several classes to choose from in between. While there, we got to hear such speakers as Rick Warren, author of Purpose Driven life, Bob Russell, and Christian comedian Chonda Pierce. The theme for this year was Refreshed, and that’s what we got, refreshed and renewed in the Lord. I have to say out of all the great speakers and classes my favorite part of the trip was getting to spend time with the staff that went. We had a blast together! We even volunteered to help count offering for the NACC, and that’s were we had some of the best times. All who went to the NACC were truly blessed!

Well, I hope you were at the ten-thirty service this Sunday because I got the chance to preach. What an experience and opportunity it is to preach the word of God! I just thank everyone here at NBCC for letting me get the chance to speak. I truly love preaching the word of God.  I preach again at all services on the 29^th so no excuses as to why you cant hear me then. And for all those wondering this time I will check the microphone before I get on stage. For the record, I just want to say I did turn the mic on; it just didn’t work. So not my fault, but all in all I had a great time up there, and I thank you for all your support. I just want to say that I really love speaking here at NBCC and being with you all and the reason is, I feel so loved here. I am not so scared to mess up when I preach, and I don’t get so nervous because I know no matter what, at the end of the day, you all love and care for me.

By the way, last night was our first night of Vacation Bible School, and it went great. The kids are learning about God on Promise Island, while here great stories, and doing fun activates. I ask you all to be in prayer for VBS, please pray that God will plant a seed in these kids so that it may one day grow into a beautiful tree of the knowledge of God. Oh, and I ask that you will as well keep those helping out at VBS in your prayers because kids are crazy, they have more energy than they know what to do with. 

Kristian Beasley

Ministry Intern

Kristian's Kaleidoscope: Installment 9

This last week, I had the privilege of visiting with one of NBCC’s finest members just for fun. It was a great joy to my life, and I hope they enjoyed the company as well. Not all the time but most of the time, I believe God gives us great joy when we are conversing and growing closer to other people. It is amazing how great a feeling you get when you receive a new friend. I was blessed this week in the same way when I got a chance to just kick back and talk one on one with a long time member here. I hope that person knows what a blessing that was for me. For those of you who do not yet know, I have been taking over Troy’s college and career class (C2) this summer. While we have been studying the Psalms, many great questions have been asked and answered, but last Sunday, I asked a really tough question and all of the students and myself really enjoyed talking about this topic. So here it is “Does God answer the prayers of a nonbeliever?” I would love to hear what you have to say on the matter. If you want, you can e-mail me at kristian.beasley@johnsonu.edu or talk to me at church about any information you would like to discuss concerning the question. Some verses on the topic are John 9:31, James 5:16, and Psalms 34:17. 
I hope you are ready to here your intern preach again! This coming Sunday, I will be preach in the 10:30 service. I know I lot of you have been asking lately when and where I will preach. So don’t miss it! It’s going to be a good one.
Also this week, most of your NBCC staff will be going to the North American Christian Convention. Please be in prayer for us this week; pray that God allows us to grow deeper in the Spirit and the Word as we are filled up and renewed by great preachers and evangelist from around the world. Though some of you might want to be in prayer for Sara Sharp and Shirley Wentzel as they hold down the fort while were gone having fun. This will be a great change of scenery for us, and I can’t wait to get in the hot tub at the hotel. I told Troy that I am only bringing two things my Bible and my swim suit. However, all playing aside I really want to grow close to God this week and straighten out a few things in my life. I hope that I get a chance to grow deeper spiritually and intellectually while at the NACC.

Kristian Beasley
Ministry Intern

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Kristian's Kaleidoscope: Installment 8

GET READY TO HAVE YOUR CAR WASHED!!!!!! This Saturday from 9am-2pm the C2 (college and career) class is having a fundraiser car wash at the church. I was looking at some of your cars last Sunday, and I noticed how filthy they were so come on down to NBCC and have’em washed for a good cause.  Also, coming up is VBS! Be ready to have some fun in the sun! VBS starts Monday the 16th- Thursday the 19^th.  Our theme this year is Adventures on Promise Island. We will teach kids what God what He promises to us. 

Well, for those of you keeping count it’s week number 8 for me. I am still loving it here at NBCC, and I still like most of you. Just kidding! I love you all, and I thank each and every one of you for making this internship so great. This past week was kind of crazy with three funeral services Thursday till Saturday. Then, with all the rain we had, I thought for a day or two we might have to build an ark like Noah. However, I hope you all stayed dry this last week. I know Bayshore was completely flooded and going down to south Tampa, I needed a raft not a car. I did see a sign posted on a church billboard on my wet way to work that read, “If you prayed for the rain, you can stop now.” I found it quit clever.

I learned a valuable lesson this week, that ministry is always full time whether you’re a part-time intern or a full-time senior minister. God’s work never stops. The kingdom of God doesn’t take a day off, I now realize.  Just because I am tired does not mean there are not people who need to be saved. God has called each of us to live a life that serves and glorifies Him and this is not depicted on our time but His. In 1 Peter 3:15 it says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” We must at all times be ready to serve God even if it means giving up our day off or losing time we could be at home. Being a Christian does not qualify you for a comfortable, cushy life but rather the opposite.  It calls for a life that faces hardships and endures for Christ sake. So remember, God wants us to have fun and calls us to relax but to always be ready to act. You could say we are called to be God’s firemen.

Kristian Beasley

Ministry Intern

            Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plansI have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Kristian's Kaleidoscope: Installment 7

Praise God! Two people were baptized this Sunday. What an amazing Sunday it was! Even in the rain, I hope all of you who came to the driven-in service liked my preaching. I had a great time out on the boat. What an awesome thing to be able to put on a resume - I preached from a boat like Jesus. Also, I look forward to preaching again on July 15 in the 10:30 service, so be ready to hear the Word.

This Wednesday is the church wide game night. I can’t wait to beat you all in some games and I don’t even like games!

Please be in prayer for the Morris family. For all who do not know, Syd Morris passed away June 25, 2012. He was an amazing man and was loved by many. He will be sorely missed, and all our hearts at NBCC go out to his family and friends. Syd is at rest now. We praise God in all things for the glory goes to Him above all. We also ask that you been in prayer for all our brothers and sisters hurting.

All those able to help, please do not forget about VBS. We could use more helpers. If you have any questions, please contact Troy Borst. We need more volunteers if we are going to reach and teach children the kingdom of God.

I want to leave you with this verse as I always do, “ For I know the plansI have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”    

Kristian Beasley

Ministry Intern   

Kristian's Kaleidoscope: Installment 6

Happy late Father’s Day to all the dads! I don’t know about you, but my dad’s day was great. It was so relaxing and fun; I hope everyone else’s was as great. In my opinion, we need more days to celebrate so we can get more time off.

For all those who attend the 8:30 drive-in service yours truly will be preaching this coming Sunday. We will continue in the book of Luke, so get ready to hear someone different for a change. Also coming up in July is VBS! If you haven’t signed up, well get on it! 

For those of you who are not in your twenties, my C2 (college and career) class has been studying Psalms along with those of you who attend Wednesday night. In our study, we have all ready gone through Psalm one, two and three. I tell you this because I want to share a little bit of what we have learned. First, through our studies, we have learned that Psalms one and two are the introduction to the book. Psalms one and two set the tune for the entire book of Psalms. The first chapter deals with being righteous and what will happen to the righteous and the wicked. While Psalm two deals with Jesus coming and saving the righteous. With that, I taught the Greek name of the Psalms, which is “Psalterion”. The word means, “to pluck.” The reason for this is the Psalms were to be song. They were for music so the word makes sense in that essence. The word Psalter can be another name for the Psalms as well. Also, we discussed how some of the Psalms were prophetic in a way because they were spoken from David about David but also Jesus. Some Psalms were meant for David, Jesus, and us. We talked about the Psalms being in 5 parts. Each part of the Psalms ends in a doxology, and scholars believe this to be true so that when the priest read the books of the torah in the synagogues that they could accompany each book with a Psalm - 5 books and 5 parts of Psalms to read together. When studying the book of Psalms the word selah comes up a lot, you will notice, in between the verses. The word means to pause; it is a musical direction. Selah is equivalent to our rest symbol in modern music. The over arching theme we learned from the Psalms was the righteous will be blessed through Jesus.

            That was just a little bit of what we have been learning and going over in class. I hope if you haven’t gotten a chance to check out our Wednesday night Bible studies, you will!! For all of you that just graduated, I look forward to you coming to C2. If you have any questions, just ask me, your friendly neighborhood intern. 


Kristian Beasley
Ministry Intern
Remember Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Kristian's Kaleidoscope (Installment 5)

Who’s ready for wacky Wednesday? I know I am! Its going to be so much fun, don’t forget June 27 is also our Churchwide Game Night. So be ready to have some fun and fellowship with others here at NBCC. That Sunday, however, I preach. I know a lot of you were asking me because you missed the first sermon but don’t worry! There is more of me to be had. I can’t wait to get the chance to preach again; I am very much looking forward to it. 
Like I say every week, God is doing big things here at NBCC and I cannot help say it, it's true! With big events like Wacky Wednesday, VBS, the mission trip to the Bahamas, and last week's Prom. It is hard to say that God isn’t moving this church. On that note, I just want to say how excited I am for VBS. Kids are one of my biggest passions so it’s going to be great working with them. We all have to admit the best part about kids is the fact that they say the darndest things. So if you want to hear the funniest things you have ever heard, and teach kids about Jesus then come help us out July 15th through the 19th. 
Well, as some of you who were at church this Sunday know, I had the privilege of doing the communion meditation. I truly enjoyed leading the church into a time of remembrance of Christ and His sacrifice. Like I said on Sunday, our time of reflection should truly put us back into that room where Jesus washed His disciples feet. As we meditate on Him, we should be brought into that upstairs room; we should see Jesus holding the cup in hand; we should feel ourselves reclined at the table. When we do this, when we remember like this, then we start to see the real picture of Jesus’ sacrifice; then we start to make out what He really went through on the cross. When we put ourselves back where He first broke bread, then we can see the pain in His eyes, the suffering on His face and see a glimpse of His great love for us. For then we will know that our God truly loves us and how great His only Son's sacrifice was. 
I look forward to another great week here at NBCC and can't wait for all the new, exciting, upcoming events! So everyone be ready for what God’s going to do! 


Kristian Beasley
Ministry Intern


“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Kristian's Kaleidoscope (Installment 4)

Thank you everyone at NBCC for all the support and love. For those who don’t know, yesterday was my first sermon here and the feedback was great. I truly enjoyed preaching, and I praise God for the opportunity to do so. If you missed me this time don’t worry I preach again the 24th at the 8:30 service. I have to say it was great doing a sermon on worry, I felt if I were going to tell people not to worry then I myself could not be worried. So I gave the sermon to God, and He took care of the rest. Also, I taught my first C2 class, which was awesome for all those kids just graduating or if you’re still in your twenties. Come check us out up stairs in Troy’s office at 9:30. This week in C2, we went over spiritual gifts. If you’re wondering what your spiritual gift is, then come by C2 and fill out a spiritual gift evaluation sheet. Next week in class, we look forward to seeing how we can use our spiritual gifts to further the kingdom.

I know I say this every week, but I truly mean it, thank you NBCC for all you have done for me, I am so blessed to be a part of this family! God is doing big things in me and in this church, so may all the praise go to Him. With that I have to say, it’s been great every Sunday seeing the 10:30 service packed out. Every Sunday, we are seeing more and more new faces. The growth that is happening to me and to NBCC is all due to our great God! I can’t wait to see how full the church is going to be at the end of summer when school starts back. Though with so many great things planned for summer, we can’t rush things. Stay tuned and read those bulletins for great upcoming events.

I pray that this week everyone at NBCC will feel a sense of peace and not worry about the things of this world. With last Sunday being on worry, it is my wish that each member will truly seek the kingdom of God and let all other worries fall to the waste side. Let Jesus become all you worry about; let His kingdom be your treasure and desires and lets all leave our worries at the cross.


Kristian 
Ministry Intern


 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Kristian's Kaleidoscope (Installment 3)

It has been another great week here at NBCC, I am learning so much every day. God has truly blessed me by bringing me to such a great church. One of the many things I have all ready learned here about ministry and work in general is that one minute you can have nothing to do and the next minute your swamped. You can all of the sudden have so much work you don’t know how you’re going to finish it. Also, I have become informed about some great places to eat here in south Tampa. I think I need to start blogging about all the different places I eat with Troy. We go to some great restaurants and some not so great ones. On that note, I do have to say that Troy and all the staff here are taking good care of me. It is quite a home here at NBCC. 
This week I had two privileges. One was seeing Kagan Moss and Syd Morris at St. Joes and the second was having a relaxing memorial day. I am pleased to say that both people are doing well and seem to be in high spirits. They both are looking toward to coming home, as well as both missing church and all of you. They thank you for the support and care.  However, they ask that you still keep them in your prayers. I hope all of you had a great memorial day, I know I did. I found it quite relaxing. We need more Mondays off of if you ask me. At Johnson University, were I attend, we never have class on Mondays. You just can’t help but get used to that extra day. 
Get ready for this Sunday! Three ministers are preaching three different sermons at three different times, so it’s triple the fun. It is a secret - who’s preaching at what time, though. You will just have to come and find out. A hint to our topic, however…. “Just don’t worry.” 
Well continue to pray for me as I start another week. I see God moving in me and in the church. God is doing great things here, we must praise him and continue in his footsteps. 


Kristian
Ministry Intern


 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future(Jeremiah 29:11).

Kristian's Kaleidoscope: Surviving Week One (Installment 2)

            I did it! I survived me first week here as NBCC’s intern. Though it was all so new and a lot to take in, my first week was great. All ready I have learned loads about ministry from this internship. I loved meeting all the great people here. Everyone was so nice and welcoming, I feel like I am in one big family. I just want to say “thank you NBCC for making me feel so welcomed.”  I truly feel like I am part of the body of Christ while here.

            My first week started out fast. First, Troy gave me a rundown of the church, and I have to say this place is beautiful. There is a lot of room for growth and a relevant feel here. However, my favorite part of the church has to be the big blue boat outside.

After I got the grand tour, it was time to help out with the food pantry. If you didn’t know, several beautiful women come here every Monday morning and create food bags for the needy. Then on Tuesday, we hand the food out to anyone who shows up. Having worked with Knoxville’s Lost Sheep ministry, a non-profit organization for the needy, I felt right at home talking to the different people who came in and handing out food.

One of the mandatory duties of my internship is to attend church meetings and on Tuesday I had my first staff meeting. I learned staff meetings can be done in 20 minutes, and you get most everything accomplished in the first 15 of those minutes. However what would be the fun of that? The staff meeting was well structured and informational but with a comedic undertone. I learned from the meeting that a church must be organized and always looking ahead but ready to deal with adversity with a sense of humor.

For my internship, I was asked to start a Bible reading plan. If you don’t know what that is, it is a scheduled outline for day-to-day readings that will take you through the Bible. I would encourage others to try a Bible reading plan. Every plan is different some are linear going start to finish in chronological order. Others are comprehensive, and some biographical. You can choose any plan for a set number of days or months, as you like. (I chose a biographical plan). They are a great way to expand your knowledge of the Bible while growing deeper with Christ.

I was also privileged Wednesday to attend Troy’s class. I would encourage those who have not yet been or who are thinking of coming to a Wednesday night class, to try out Troy’s. Right now, we are in a series called “I tell you the truth” which follows Jesus through the gospels. Troy also teaches C2, a college and career class for young adults. C2 is more youth engaged and for young couples. I look forward to teaching both on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. I will start the week of the 27, so be ready to learn, and know that God is going to do great things this summer!

The last thing I did my first week was probably the greatest. I had the honor of accompanying John Meisenbach on a hospital visit. John is such a well of knowledge; I am blessed to have him and Troy teaching me ministry. While at the hospital, John taught me the do’s and don’ts of a clergymen, being able to be light to someone in a dark place is what ministry is all about. I have learned so much just from my first week. God has truly blessed all the staff of NBCC with vast wisdom. I look forward to my continued mentoring, and progress here.

Kristian

Ministry Intern

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 

The New Guy in Town (Installment 1)

Most years, NBCC is privileged to host a ministry intern during the summer.  What is a “ministry intern?”  A ministry intern is a young man (or woman, I suppose) who is currently in Bible college and pursuing a ministry degree.  Thus far, we have hosted all young men learning for preaching ministry.  The interns come and learn about church work, church leadership, teaching, preaching, hospital visitation, jobs in the church, etc.  They are temporary employees of the church who learn the craft of being a minister.  


Troy
Christian Education Minister

The New Guy in Town

My name is Kristian Beasley. I am the new intern for New Beginnings Christian Church. I am excited to be here, and I can tell right off the bat this is a great place to belong. From talking with Troy, it is apparent that this church wants to be Christ to the community. With such outreach ministries like the food pantry, letting the Girl Scouts use the facilities, opening up the gym for basketball, and the drive-in Sunday service, it is evident that this church is being light to a dark world. 
During this internship, I will blog each week and give updates to what it’s like here at NBCC day to day. Each blog will contain my thoughts and ideas on the things, events, people, and places throughout the internship. 
In order to grasp a better sense of where I am coming from, you might need to know where I actually come from. I hail from the great state of Florida. Born in Tampa General Hospital, I have lived in Florida most of my life. I come from strong Christian roots and have a loving Christian family to back me up. Currently, I am working on my bachelor’s degree from Johnson University (Johnson Bible College). God has always been in my life, and I have no greater love than the love for my Creator and Savior, Jesus Christ. I tell my girlfriend that “Jesus is my one and only true love.” I am sorry, but no one holds a candle to Him. 
Some things I want from this internship would be that I want to draw closer to God. Second, I want to learn ministry, the ins and outs, the good and the bad. I am a sponge that wants to soak up all the waters, minerals and get all the nutrients out of it I can. Third, I need this internship in order to graduate; it is a requirement for my degree. Last of all, I want to give back to the church. During my stay here, I am given and taking away so much from it, I just hope that I am able to give whatever I can back into NBCC and its members. 
Already, Troy has me working on projects that will better prepare me for ministry, such as reading books on preaching, going out to meet with people and letting me preach by myself. I can tell that some of these projects will not be easy and some of them seem overwhelming, but through the grace of God, I know that Jesus will get me through and be with me every step of the way. “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11. 


Kristian
Ministry Intern