Confirmation Reflections
On Pentecost Sunday, the young adults of our congregation gave witness to their faith and their Savior and were confirmed. Check out what they have written about their connection with Jesus . . .
Ivy St John
He died for me, he rose for me, he even took away my sins so I could be free and live forever in heaven with him. Who does this sound like? Jesus Christ, of course. Jesus means a lot to me. I don’t have to live for eternity in hell because of him. Instead, I am going to live with God in heaven forever. Jesus is my Savior, Redeemer, Creator, Lord, and everything to me.
This past year, being in confirmation class has had a big impact on my faith life. The Lord has helped me to understand a lot better what he wants to teach me. My faith has grown because of this. I have learned so much about Holy Communion, Baptism, the Ten Commandments, and many other things. I have never really had an opportunity to stand up for my faith, but I know that I would if I was confronted by someone who was an unbeliever. I would tell them all I know about Jesus: what he did for us, why he did it for us, and why God sent him. I hope that I will have a chance in my lifetime to tell someone about my Lord.
My Life Verse is Psalm 108:1-3. “My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.” I think that this verse might help me in the future by helping to praise God with all my heart, and not just with my actions. I play piano and sing, so I can praise God with my music.
During the rest of my life, I am going to grow in my faith. I will spend as much time as I can in prayer with my Savior. I can also take part in the church services, so I can praise my Lord. I plan to grow constantly in my faith, and use what I have learned about my Savior in Confirmation class to tell others, so they can be faithful to God, too.
Zach Wawrzyniakowski
In Mathew 4:4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
This is what Jesus said when the devil tempted him the first time. Jesus, at this time, was very hungry, having not eaten for 40 days. The devil wanted Jesus to give into him, and turn the stones into bread, and this verse is Jesus' response. The devil was trying to get Jesus to do as he desired by falsely using Scripture, but Jesus perfectly used the Scripture in his responses. It means that if a man just had a loaf of bread, it will not be enough. We need God to survive. So if a man had a Bible and the ability to worship, he would be able to live out his life to the best way he can. Without God, it is impossible to truly live. The words that come from the mouth of God are his teachings. That includes every verse in the Bible, the teachings of Jesus, and the writings of his disciples. God will tell you many things through your life and you must follow his instructions and his teachings to live out your life.
Alex Kline
What does Jesus mean to me? Well to me Jesus means a hope for a life in heaven and hope to all people that we have been saved, and will overcome all evil with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Something that has impacted my faith life? Well, that would definitely have to be the fact that my grandma had to have heart surgery, God worked through my friends and family to help me through that.
My Life Verse is Ephesians 6:12-13, which states: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” In the future this verse will most likely help me to stand firm in my faith if anything should come my way to threaten it.
I plan to grow in my faith by strengthening my faith in God and to trust in God, and to help others strengthen their faith and reliance in God. Maybe even to help bring others into the Christian faith.
Daniel Schmidt
Jesus, to me, is the embodiment of all things that God gives to us. He is love, always caring for me no matter what I do. He is wisdom, guiding my path so that my life glorifies him. He is compassion, forgiving my sins and paving the road to heaven. Another thing that Jesus has done for me is to strengthen my faith towards him. This past year, I have come to see Christ as something more personal to me than ever before. Before I went to confirmation class, I always thought that Jesus was distant, that he died for us and forgave us a long time ago. Now I see more clearly how he guides my life and the lives of others. He is my eternal friend, someone I can confide in and trust. This has changed the way I pray, the way I worship, and my faith as a whole. The Life Verse that I chose is Proverbs 2: 6, “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” This verse means that the only way to make the right decisions and to grow in faith is to receive these gifts from God. He is the source of all knowledge and is the supreme guide of my life. This path leads me to act in ways that strengthen my faith and to fulfill God’s command of spreading the good news. To grow in my Christian faith my plan is to stay active in the church’s youth group, and to continue studying God’s Word and applying what it says to my life.
Laura Christoph
To me, Jesus is someone to talk to. He is a loving friend who will do anything to save me from eternal suffering. He is also the Son of the Father, a shepherd who loved us so much he gave his life on the cross so we may spend everlasting life with him.
When I was in a swimming club it was very hard for me to swim laps for a long time. When I felt like I couldn’t go any farther I would ask God to help me finish. In the end God helped me to persevere and finish.
When one of my friends asked why I go to church I told her that I enjoy going to church because it helps me to make the right choices and have a better relationship with God.
I picked Psalm 95:2, “Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song” to be my life verse because it helps me always remember that God has not only given me all I have in my life but also a chance to live eternally with him in paradise. Even in the worst situations I need to try to remember to extol him with music and song.
I plan to continue to be in the Active Christian Teens (ACT) group and continue to come to church and possibly help with vacation Bible School this year. I have learned so much in the past two years of confirmation and feel my relationship with God is much stronger.
Scott Vyhanek
Jesus is my Savior. We all should have Jesus first on our list of the most important person to us. Jesus set the way things are and we need to follow. I can say when I started confirmation class I did not know everything about what God has done for us. Pastor Rob makes it easy to understand and has been a good leader through these years. If I ever have to stand up for my faith I wouldn't have any problem telling people who the real God is.
My life verse is Matthew 7:12, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye ever so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” This verse is what is known as the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I will always keep this verse in the back of my mind when I get mad or angry at someone. So I don’t do anything to them that I would want in return.
I will keep going to church and keep growing with God so all of my sins are forgiven and I'll have a place in heaven with my Savior.
Nicole Nowicki
Jesus is the most important thing in my life right now, and he always will be. I know that he will always be here for me when everyone else isn't, he'll be there whether I'm angry, sad, frustrated, and even when I'm stubborn. I can depend on Jesus and I know how much he loves me, because he died on the cross for me and because of him I can go to heaven.
One thing that has had a huge impact on my faith life is my school, Shoreland changed a lot for me. It introduced me to new things about God that I hadn't known before. It was scary to have to be the new girl in a high school in a town I'd never even heard of before. I was worried about the normal things a new kid is worried about, making friends, who to sit with at lunch, my grades. I prayed the first few weeks before school started and I wasn't very confident about making friends. The kids and the teachers at school seemed intimidating, but after about two weeks I was very comfortable with the environment of it all. We went to chapel everyday and we had a religion class which was different to me, but I learned a lot about God and how important it is to have him in my life. The school definitely strengthened my faith and the Lord really helped me through being the new girl at school.
Since going to Shoreland, and going to confirmation classes, I've had a lot of opportunities to teach my family things that they didn't know about Jesus. It feels good to let other people know that we get to go to heaven because of what God did for us, and because of how much he loves us. I know that learning things like that is comforting so sharing those things with other makes you feel good.
My Life Verse is Isaiah 41:10, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." I will be able to go back to this verse whenever I am in an uncomfortable situation, or whenever I am worried or scared, I'll be able to just think about this verse to be reminded that the Lord is here to protect me whenever I need him.
I will grow more in my faith each day as I continue to go to school and church and learn more and more about God. I plan on telling my family all the wonderful things I learn every time I learn something new. And one day when I have kids, I'll get to teach them everything I know about our amazing God, and let them grow in their faith.
Vanessa Hillary
Exodus 15:2 says, "The Lord is my strength, He is my song, He has become my salvation. He is my God, I will praise Him, my father's God and I will exalt Him."
This Bible verse applies to my life because the section "the Lord is my strength" is like He is the foundation of my life; He supports it, He's in it, and He runs it. "He is my song" is when I sing to Him every Sunday and throughout the week. "He has become my salvation" is him saving me by sacrificing His ONLY son. "He is my God" is plain and simple - He is my God. "I will praise him" in all I do for Him: church, confirmation, and singing. "My father's God" - He is the God of all my fathers and my father's fathers; etc. He is the God of all my mothers and my mother's mothers; etc. "I will exalt him" is me doing all I can for Him. What this verse means to me is that God will help me all throughout my life. He knows everything about me and will help me through everything. He knows my thoughts before they even occur to me. He knows whether I will end in heaven or hell, He knows what is right for me and the good and sometimes bad choices I make. He will always be in my heart. He helps me through all that I do, all that I will do, and all that I've done. He knows my past present, and future. He knows things about me that I don't even know. This is what God and what this verse means to me.
Gordon Christoph
Although I have heard and believed all my life that Jesus is the bridge to heaven, confirmation class has given me a whole new perspective of this. Now I know that He also comforts me, and wants to be my best friend, while being my Lord at the same time. The more I talk to Jesus the more I know that I can turn to Him whenever I need to. There have been many different occasions in my life that I’ve turn to Jesus. He has helped me be more diligent and responsible in my life, and also helped me by being a good role model to my little brother. This past year I have made a better relationship with God and learned that I’m here to serve and honor him. Romans 10:9 says “That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This means Jesus won’t forsake me. The reason I chose Romans 10:9 to be my Life Verse, was because it reminds me of the promise of heaven. This verse cannot explain more clearly God’s promise for me. All I have to do is say that Jesus is my Lord, and believe that He’s my gift of salvation, and I will go to heaven. He saved me from death and my sins. As I grow older, I plan to keep helping out our church by ushering. I also want to keep myself busy in our Active Christian Teens program, and Sunday School. God has given awesome things to me, and I hope to share God’s gifts with others.