campus groups Testimonials

I came to Glorieta, in general struggling with baggage from back home and having doubts about if I was to be there at all.

I was struggling a lot with daily quiet timesŠ—”when I did have them, they were only devotional readings with no directions out of books of the Bible I had read superficially hundreds of times. I was feeling frustrated because I had no victory but was conceited in thinking that I had the basics of Bible study. Soon God confirmed that I was to be at Glorieta, though I was trudging through housekeeping.

After finishing ONE on ONE with GOD, I am a zero with the rim rubbed off! I feel like I can fully rely on God to be my worth and value! His mercies are new every morning. I have direction on how to know God’s Word. I am so excited to see how the disciplines developed will affect my life! I am learning how to meditate and how to have a conversation with God through His Word. How did I live before I knew this? God has really given me a heart for discipleship. I am blessed!

Amy V.

Before I started ONE on ONE with GOD, God found me not wholeheartedly seeking Him.

I did what I wanted to do. There were things I prayed about, but I usually made my own decisions without waiting on God’s answer. I’ve tried in the past to have a quiet time, but it never worked. I would read through some random Scripture as fast as possible so it wouldn’t take up too much of my time. I was not overly open about sharing my faith. I didn’t think I knew much about the Bible since I have not read through it. When I would read it, it didn’t seem to apply to me, and it certainly didn’t make an impression on my life.

After this summer and ONE on ONE, I trust and rely on God. There were many instances in the dining hall when I was exhausted, frustrated, and ready to shake a freezer around, but God taught me that no one matters but Him. I can never please people. That is one major thing that moved from my head to my heart. I am getting more consistent with the time I spend on my spiritual food. I do have a long way to go. The real test of faith will be when I go home and back to school and see how consistent I am. I am now much more open about sharing my faith. God will do wonders if I’m just willing to yield to the control of the Holy Spirit. I made a commitment to God to share with my familyŠ—”especially my dadŠ—”my personal testimony. I pray that I will show love for others, even those I don’t Š—“feelŠ— like loving. The Scripture memory plan has helped me to get started. I just started to memorize a few verses at the end of the spring semester this year. I’ve found that it’s not hard to do if you stay in the prayerful and thankful attitude all day. Memorizing and pondering, picturing, and praying help me to be successful in this.

Lisa G.

When I started ONE on ONE with GOD, He found me loving with my own love, expecting something in return for my love, and relying on people for my needs.

He found me wanting to know Him more and knowing that He was going to change my life through this study. God found me wanting a more abundant life, wanting to know how to get there, to stop worrying and let God work in His own timing. I wanted to desire Him but was struggling.

After finishing ONE on ONE, I am still struggling to desire God over anything else. I have begun to notice my selfish love and have begun to counteract it. I am trying to be an obedient Christian and follow God’s will and His Word. This is hard for me. I feel like I should be perfect, but I can’t be. He finds me knowing that He is the Almighty God and that He loves me and would never do something that wasn’t good for me. I also have come to the conclusion that He will always provide a way out. He has shown me so many new things about Himself. It has been fun!

Megan H.

When I started ONE on ONE with GOD, I was desiring to know God and to know how to have a more efficient and structured quiet time (a plan).

I was wanting to know how to disciple girls to know God. I had just started to read His Word regularly and was in the Old Testament.

Now I am reading both the Old and New Testaments! I am journaling what God speaks to me. I am thinking (meditating) on God’s Word, which helps in application. I am more disciplined to spend an adequate amount of time with God, and I’ve even been able to wake up at 4:00 a.m. I pray daily for specific people. I have grown closer to the people in my group. I have been better again at memorizing verses. I think more about or of God throughout the day than I used to.

Amanda W.

God found me away from Him when I started ONE on ONE with GOD this summer.

Yes, I was going to church and Monday night Bible study, but I was not in His Word on a day-to-day level. That is something I have a hard time with in my life because I was not taught it growing up in church. I always wanted to know Him, but I was lazy about reading my Bible. I stayed in the world and not with Him. I knew that I was wrong but did nothing to correct it.

God has used ONE on ONE to help me become more intimate with Him, to stay in His Word on a daily basis, and to not give into my worldly desires but to strive to do God’s will and stay in His Word.

Brandy F.

University student

At the beginning of the summer, I was spiritually dry, but I was longing and searching to draw closer to Him.

My quiet times were not consistent, and I did them more out of obligation and requirement than desire. I did realize that I was in this horrible state, but I did not know how to get out.

After finishing ONE on ONE with GOD, God finds me digging into His Word to find His answers. I am more confident in my relationship with Him and know that He is with me. He loves me, and He is the Blessed Controller of all things. I don’t have to depend on a Bible study that someone gives me to learn more about Him, but instead, He reveals Himself to me through His Word. I have found a new life verse in Philippians 3:10, and that is my #1 desire: to know Him.

Amber G.

University student

Before I took ONE on ONE with GOD, I didn’t have a consistent or in-depth quiet time, and because of that, God was not able to speak to me like He wanted to sometimes.

I was prideful in thinking that I was a Š—“good ChristianŠ— and that I knew all I needed to know. I was stubborn in letting God change me.

Now I have a consistent quiet time where I’ve really learned how to allow God to speak to me. I’ve learned to break down my pride to allow God to work on me where He needs to. I’ve also learned a lot about who God desires me to see Him as when He reveals Himself to me personally. I know that I’ve learned to rely much more on God and to trust His sovereignty.

Heather T.

University student

When I came to Ridgecrest and heard about ONE on ONE with GOD, I instantly knew this was something I needed to do.

Before coming here, I was searching for a way to know God better. I was having a Bible study every day, but I was doing it out of a book, not the Bible.

After finishing the course, I have fallen deeply in love with God. I look forward to spending time with Him every day. I want to share Him with others. I have learned how to seek God and understand what He’s saying to me.

Emily H.

University student

When I started ONE on ONE with GOD, I was a little apprehensive about how my schedule was going to work with Covenant group, Highpoint meeting, and ONE on ONE all meeting together.

I also didn’t know what it was going to be like to start over with the disciplines when I was already consistent and settled into my quiet time. I was excited to have the opportunity to be discipled over the summer, especially while I was discipling another group myself.

I have been blessed tremendously by going through ONE on ONE. It has changed the way I approach my relationship with God and my quiet times. I think it’s really neat how God uses the times when we least expect to learn something new to completely change our perspective and teach us the most. Going over the disciplines again has caused me to be even more consistent and disciplined in my quiet times and also to be more consistent and aware of discipleship and accountability. I enjoyed being able to share ONE on ONE with the girls in my group. It gave us a bond and helped me to connect to them and to incorporate the disciplines into our Highpoint meetings. Most of all ONE on ONE has encouraged me to be even more dependent on Jesus for love, comfort, and strength. My purpose is nothing more than to continually know Him completely.

Molly P.

University student

ONE on ONE with GOD has really shown me the why behind all the disciplines: to know Him.

Having this perspective has allowed me to deepen my relationship with the Lord. Until ONE on ONE, no one had ever given me such a clear picture of why we need to invest time with the Lord. When I began the course my Scripture memory was weak. But at the end of the summer, I can see how God has given me a new desire to hide His Word in my heart.

Jennifer W.

University student

Before I started ONE on ONE with GOD, I was excited about becoming more consistent in the spiritual disciplines, and I had an intense desire to know how to listen to God and submit to Him.

My quiet times were more consistent than they had ever been, but when pressure arose, my quiet time would be one of the first things to go.

After finishing ONE on ONE, I feel that the secrets concerning how to know God and live for Him have been revealed and made plain to me. I understand why I need to saturate my life with God’s Word and prayer. I know that my determined purpose is now to know Christ deeply and intimately. My quiet times allow me to put God first and bask in His presence at the onset of each day, and the Daily Commitment Reminder reminds me of God’s wonderful promises and the desires He has for my life. I’m excited about learning to love God with all my heart (cultivating natural loving responses to Him), and I know my love for God will overflow into love for others. God has given me a bigger desire than ever to witness for Him and to disciple other Christians. I have decided to yield to the Holy Spirit and abide in Christ.

A.T.

When I began ONE on ONE with GOD, I was undiscipled, questioning how a Christian ought to be, willing to know Him, and uncommitted to a quiet time.

I was a carnal ChristianŠ—”selfish, prideful, and searching for more.

After finishing ONE on ONE, I am educated, humble, and willing to get up early for God. My eyes have been opened to self rather than just others. I have a heart for seeking His will every minute. I am important in His sight.

Amy C.

I came to Ridgecrest as a Christian, having just finished my first year of college.

I depended on God for some things and sought His guidance in the big situations of my life. I did not have a consistent quiet time and did not allow God to be in control of my life each day. I was depending on Him for salvation and just a few other things. I understood what it meant to have a personal relationship with Him, yet that wasn’t always daily or real to me. I was not seeking His will completely or allowing Him to use me as I knew He could have.

God has completely changed my life and worked wonders in me through ONE on ONE with GOD. I enjoy my time with Him each and every morning and don’t know where my day would go if I didn’t have my time with Him. I long to saturate my life with Him so that I may learn to know and love Him more and more each day. Through ONE on ONE I’ve learned how to feed myself through simply His Word and to receive great joy from just spending time with Him. My prayer life has tremendously increased. I find myself praying more and more each day. I depend on God for the little things and am learning what it really means to yield to Him and allow Him to control my life every day. I talk openly a lot more with my friends and family and find myself loving more only through His love. I know ONE on ONE has made a HUGE impact on my life, and I will be forever changed. God is so much more real to me now. I could go on and on about how I’ve been changedŠ—_Thank you for being so faithful to Him and giving of your precious time to lead each of us here!

M.M.

University student

I was searching for a more personal and productive way of discipling and a more intimate relationship with God when I started ONE on ONE with GOD.

I was ready and willing to give my all to His will. After finishing, I am thriving on all that He has taught me. I’m ready to keep on as I finish my work here and head home. I am finally completely in God’s will for my life, having given all to Him.

Beth M.

Before I began ONE on ONE with GOD, God had been putting certain people and certain groups of people on my heart.

At the time, however, I didn’t have the tools to disciple or reach these people. Also, God found me with a desire in my heart to do something bigger than what I was doing. I didn’t know and still am not quite sure what this desire is. I had a longing in my heart that there was more to life. I would read about the twelve disciples or about Paul, and I had this sense in my heart of something telling me to Š—“get readyŠ— every time I would read about the disciples of Christ. But I still had no way of equipping myself or others in the direction of this calling.

After finishing ONE on ONE, I still have this sense of a calling that I am going to do something or go through something much bigger than myself. I still have a sense of something telling me to get ready and be prepared whenever I read about the disciples. Whenever I read about the martyrs or people who have done things similar to that, I still get a sense of relating to the stories and a voice telling me to get ready and remember the things I’ve learned because I will need them. But now I really feel that I have the disciplines to train others and continue studying on my own to get ready for this calling that I am sensing. I am also at a point where I would be absolutely content about coming to grips that this calling may be just to lead a Š—“normalŠ— life, and the longing is just to know Him more.

Tony H.

Before ONE on ONE with GOD I was complacent and rather apathetic in my walk with God.

I had almost a super-spiritual attitude in which I thought there was just not much else that I needed to know about walking with Christ. I was inconsistent in my daily time with God. I wanted to know Him more but not enough to discipline myself to do so.

Now I have a true and natural desire to draw closer and closer to Him. I have the feeling and the knowledge that there is always a spot closer to the Lord’s side, and He has so much left to teach me yetŠ—”even basic lessons from this study sometimes proved to be challenging for me. ONE on ONE has been that challenge that I needed to put me back on my feet where the Lord wants me.

Jana B.

University student

When I started ONE on ONE with GOD, I desired to be more committed to the daily disciplines.

I wanted to know how to dig deeper and be in love with God’s Word more. I lacked discipline in most areas of my life. I wanted to know all of God’s plans for my life (job, school, marriage). I wanted to learn how to be an effective disciple-maker.

After finishing session 15, I desire to know God. If I do that, everything else will come into focus. My discipline has grown to where I seek God every day. The more I seek Him, the more I find new ways of seeking Him. I’m feeling prepared to begin to lead others in being disciple-makers. I’ve learned to keep my focus on Jesus rather than on anything else and to be in constant communication with Him throughout each day.

E.F.

University student

Before ONE on ONE with GOD, God found me having consistent daily quiet times.

But I had blinders on in some areas. I wasn’t getting the most out of my quiet times. I was searching for my place in His vision for my life, and I was in need of growth during the summer before me. I wasn’t in constant conversation with Him, and I wasn’t in the habit of regularly expressing my love and need for Him.

Today I’m closer to God, but focus is still a daily struggle. One day at a time God will Š—“continually transformŠ— me. I have no need to worry. I find myself in conversation with God more regularly. I’m starting to see where God desires to fine-tune areas of my life. He has used ONE on ONE to show me areas that need improvement. In His timing I will become what He desires of me. Š—“Why hark back on what you once were when God desires you to be something you have never been?Š—

Amber H.

University student

Our Young Life club is active in training disciples for Christ, and I have found this book to be a very effective in doing that.

Randy F.

When I started ONE on ONE with GOD, I had a relationship with Christ, but it was not as close as I would have liked.

ONE on ONE has helped me cultivate a closer walk with Christ. It has encouraged me to share God’s love with those around me. Today I consider Christ my everything; I completely rely on Him. My walk with Him is a journey, and I hope to continue to learn and grow. Thank you for ONE on ONE with GOD.

Kim M.

University student