Lecture Phase

Oxford, New Zealand


On my DTS there was 16 students & 7 Staff. out of the students there was 12 guys who all lived together in one dorm room. Then 4 girls who all lived in a single room. Because we had a small DTS group and also we lived together we became very close and have made some solid relationships. there was 1 Swiss guy, 1 Scotsman, 2 kiwi boys, 3 yanks & 4 Canadians & then 1 paddy. then the girls were 2 Canadian, 1 kiwi & 1 Latvian.


We had 12 weeks of lectures. With 7 Speakers coming to speak to us. We had a lady called Georgina-bennet Williams speaking on the life of Jesus, A man called mark Parker speaking on Lordship & also a second week on relationships, A man called Phil Tait on Holy Spirit, Aaron Walsh for Character & Nature of God, Patrick Dodson on vision & calling, Steve Ahern on the Father Heart of God, Graham & Sabrina Walsh on Spiritual Warfare Deliverance & Healing. David Stevenson on Evangelism & youth culture. So we had a great range of speakers who knew these topics and helped to understand them better & also it gave us the chance to dedicate 1 week to really try and grasp these topics with each other. So we were all fighting through ideas and theology's together. All these weeks were really good for setting my foundations in what I believe and re-thinking & realising why I believe and live by the truths that I follow. So really grounding my foundation in truth.

Alot of the things that god was speaking to me throughout the Lecture phase were all highlighted on the first couple of weeks and then continued through this whole time. So both Georgina & mark had a huge influence on me. Both the topics of Lordship & Looking at the life of Jesus really got my heart going.

God Choosing me

One of the first Lessons which georgina really taught me was the fact that God choose me I didn't choose him. When she first said this too me I ignored it and disagreed because I was thinking if god choose me then where's the freewill and then why doesn't he just choose everyone. Then months later it came back to me and I started to think into it. What did she mean. I found scriptures showing that God does choose us but then we still have to believe and walk to him. So its still similar but it just levelled my feet and brought me down a couple of steps. Me thinking that im great and ive chosen God and im walking and living for him look at me where as actually he's God and he's got some plans for me. He's created me and he's got some ideas.


Transformation - Mindsets, Lordship

A very important thing which ive had to keep praying about was letting myself be transformed by god. One thing god was speaking to me was. Peter you've done a great job so far. Trying hard to be holy & righteous and obey Christ and walk with him. But whats next? Cause if you want to go any deeper and if you want to pursue god deeper & more intimately. If you want more your going to have let me (god) transform your mind and renew your thinking daily. as im writing this im realising it very difficult to write about.

Simon Peter

One of the first things that got highlighted was the character of Peter in the bible. It kept coming up everywhere. In the local baptist church in Oxford and during lectures and through words people were giving me. At first I wasn't having any of it cause it was prity obvious that my name happens to be peter I can understand the mix up. But during my personal devotions and all the time I felt god starting to highlight so many similarities, characteristics, and the things that mi like. So I started to explore it. And beginning to be open to god transforming me. The idea of giving yourself completely to the lord like what Luke talks about in Luke 14. So the idea of letting god change me and use me to reach people. Transforming my mind so that he could use me, so that I could become more and more obedient, more willing to be devoted to the king each day. So that was tough giving things over again to the lord. My reputation, my future, my securities. These are all things which I had given to the lord many times before but to do it again it was so much more sincere and a lot more painful but freeing.


Pleasure Vrs Consequences

Another important principle which im gona keep was from one of our speakers called Aaron Walsh. This was the fact that the consequences of sinning and fighting against sin by what will happen if you sin, this just isn't enough to combat sin. Like a man cheating on his wife knows what will happen if he gets caught his kids will hold such a bitterness ex. But the consequences just aint enough. Or a Priest molesting children. Consequences just wount work and arent a sustainable way of fighting Satan. But the amount of pleasure we get out of god is the best way to stand against the enemy. By the amount of pleasure you get out of Christ being greater than the pleasure of sin. If Christ is your greatest source of pleasure or happiness then sin wount have such a hold over your life. So its been making me think how dependant I am on Christ and how he is my source for everything.

Four weeks into DTS I was asked to Co-lead an outreach team. So my mind was starting to change on investing into the lads who were around me and who I was going to be asked to lead for 2 months in Indonesia. I loved the opportunity to step up and take more responsibility but it was tough with the preparation of outreach & other bits in planning my time and leaving some of the freedoms of being a student. But still God was faithful and has taught me many things through this and also showed me some great ways of being a leader and how to lead people and how not to lead people.

This 12 weeks was a great time of just intense learning and such a graceful environment to learn and dig deep with god. It was full of many hilarious moments which ill never forget and will always crack me up. There no point going through them. From amazing scavenger hunts, many Raves, Many Fancy dresses from emo day to prepy day, the odd skinny dip/slide/puddle jumping, plenty of snowboarding, late night Disney sleepovers, and plenty of practical jokes.