Back in the good ole U.S. of A.

I'm back! And now that I'm over my jet lagged mind and my body has caught up to the day/night flow of the time difference from Australia to the US I thought it would be good to update all of you on a little of my life.

As I sit here and look at the white powdery stuff that has lightly fallen on to my neighborhood I can't help to be a little overwhelmed. Thinking about the past 6 months is like trying to stop an oncoming train with a rubber band, it just won't stop, and I think that's the point. This life never really stops and it certainly doesn't go into slow motion like the movies portray. You know when there is a really intense moment in a movie and the main characters slow down, or sometimes everything else around them slow down? Well, real life isn't like that. It just keeps coming and no matter how many rubber bands you have, your thoughts/friends/events/church and everything in between is just kind of there. And with all the support of all the people around me I am so thankful, so absolutely blessed for all of you and I couldn't think of any other people to be sharing my life with than you. But, (of course there's a BUT) you see my perspective on life has changed since being away. I no longer see things the way many people in our world do, I have been consistently asking God to change my mind on things, to allow me to see the world the way He does. And I think, actually I know, that He is slowly answering my prayer. Even though this season of my life has not been the easiest (actually that's an understatement), Father is teaching me some valuable lessons about His Kingdom, about His church and about the people that are all around me that He so desperately loves.

That last statement is exactly the point. It's HIS Kingdom and HIS church, it can't be and never will be my kingdom or my church. The more and more I get to know Jesus, the more and more I just love people, and it goes for the church as well. Even though there are things that may upset me about church in general, it isn't mine, it has to be His. Over my time in Australia and India I got to encounter many different people, religions, cultures and much more and through all of it I have come to the conclusion that Jesus loves them all. And because Jesus loves me, you and everyone else in the world, my job is to do the exact same. I have to meet people exactly where they're at and love them, because Jesus does. What's amazing, and awesome, is that the more I have relationship with Father, the more I just fall in love with the people around me, He gives me the compassion and then I just do what He is doing, which is to love the person that's next to me.

Thanks for reading! Much more to come later :)

Here's a couple more photo's from my time in India:

Our group performing a "Jesus" skit in an Indian village

People watching the skit

India!!!

Hey guys!

I'm going to try and explain to you what has happened over the past 6 weeks as my team and I have traveled from Darjeeling (Northern India) to Pondicherry (Southern India). Here's my explanation in a couple words: You know what you consider normal? I had to forget all of it and start over.   :)

India was crazy! But so amazing. We first arrived in Kalkutta, a very large Indian city where the sights, the sounds, the driving and the smells were completely foreign to all of us. We took a 10 hour train ride overnight to a jeep that took us up into the Himalayan foothills of Darjeeling. It was one of the craziest driving experiences ever! From cows, goats and monkeys in the middle of the road, to driving very fast on the edge of a cliff, we made it safely. The views in the mountains were AMAZING. On clear days we were staring at the 3rd largest mountain in the world (Kangchenjunga). We took a 12K hike (7.5miles) uphill, where we walked through the clouds and saw this!

The south of India was almost like entering a whole new world compared to the north. It was filled with excitement, hard times and lots and lots of ministry. This was definitely NOT a vacation, it was a time to be stretched and allow God to work in the lives of the people around us. We joked the whole time that the terms "time off" and "plan" should not be in the dictionary. Here are a couple things I want to share with all you fine people reading, enjoy :)

Look at the day and then look at the grace for that day. Our minds try and comprehend the vastness of this earth, oceans, land and seas. And yet we can't even comprehend the amount of people on this tiny planet we call our own. While I was staring at the stars, standing on the edge of the Indian Ocean I wondered why our God comes after us, imagining the beauty of space and what it looks like from Fathers perspective. My mind was blown, again, and the rattle inside my own head needed a break from the constant motion of thoughts. From stars, to people and cultures, I wondered how life rotates like the earth and how the bigness of it all related to me. Our world is so small to what our Father sees and yet He wants to use me to change it. You see, when new experiences and craziness hits a life like mine, it tends to shake things up and then things I didn't know were there just come out. Like the times we had no idea what we were doing until we were doing it. Or when we walked into the middle of a village and had the opportunity to tell others about Jesus, the 15 house meetings we went to, the 2,000 tracks we handed out, the 10 open airs, 5 people giving their lives to Christ, the sermons I preached, the classes we taught and so much more! This is NOT NORMAL LIFE. I think Jesus is waiting for us to get out of "normality" so that He can teach us, so that our inside can be shaken and He can come in to fill it with His truth. He is waiting to teach us, to fill us with His wisdom and often times I ask for Him to teach me. But, I don't want it to be hard, I would ask "God why do I have to go all the way to India for you to teach me this?" And He says "Because you wouldn't have learned it back home." Father is looking for us to get out of our comfort zone, so that He can input His truth and His strongholds in our lives.

I have so much more to say and I am sure I will put my thoughts into blog form when I arrive back in the States. But, thank you soooo much for every bit of support (financially and prayer wise)!!! You all mean so much to me! =)

Me giving my testimony in Darjeeling.

Indian village

Jacob (one of our team members) sharing about Jesus in a village

Our team and the Indian Ocean

Learning about stillness/update from Australia

I was re-reading some of my old blog posts, just to see the journey that my mind has taken to get me where I am today. Or should I say, where God has taken me. I think I want to bring up a point that I wrote in August and expand on it. Here's what I said:

There is something about stillness. I'm not sure I can put my finger on it, but God created it for a reason and when God is given your stillness, He uses it and responds to our effort. When you ask God to quiet your mind and your heart, it allows Him to sink in. For Him to become reality, its like He reveals His kingdom not just to you, but in you. You start to become filled with His wisdom, start to live a life centered on the only one worth centering your life on. The inner transformation of your life is critical and important to God. It's where God makes His home and His Spirit advises. Stop worrying about what your going to do tomorrow, focus on turning your inside into something that IS God's.

I spent the last week in a small town of Roma, Austrlia. We stayed at a church, doing service projects, teaching Religious Education classes in the public schools for 3rd graders and leading a youth group. It was much more relaxing than the previous two weeks and we had a lot of time to spend with each other. Most mornings consisted of breakfast at 8am and then worship/prayer time from 9am-10:30. One morning we spent 15 minutes as a group in silence, just listening and waiting on the Lord. Here's what I realized in that 15 minutes devoted to silence: before I came to YWAM I was a little scared that the amount of time praying, worshiping and quiet time etc.. was going to be hard on my mind. I was afraid that I would get worn out emotionally, physically and spiritually.

HA, looking back on it I feel silly even thinking that, but I honestly think thats the way people view "religion". As an activity that takes something from them and then you just become tired and want to move onto something different in order to regain the energy you once had. This is NOT how Jesus intended it to be. He says over and over again how His burden is light and His yoke is easy (Matthew 11). And how He makes me lie down in green pastures, He wants to lead us beside quiet waters and restore our soul (Psalm 23). A quick note on the Psalm 23 passage: A lot of times people assume this means that they have to do something in order to lie down in green pastures. We insert "I" when it clearly says "HE". This week I encourage you to take some time for stillness, tell Father that you believe Him when He says HE will restore your soul and that you don't need to work for that "light burden" because He has already taken it. In essence, BELIEVE WHAT HE HAS ALREADY SAID. I think this process will start to shift our thinking and our religious mindsets as to what church/religion is really like. We should enjoy God because He enjoys being with us! =)

We also got to celebrate Thanksgiving American style in Australia! I am so thankful for the group of people I am with, I can't imagine doing this DTS with anyone else :)

 

And here's one of the beach we went to on the Great Barrier Reef :)

Update on Australia

First off: My friends Bobby and Anna are getting married today!!!! Congrats Guys! Wish I could be there!

Ahh, its been a MONTH since I have updated this blog, it's weird to think that I haven't updated the internet world on what's been happening in my life for that long. BUT, do not fear, I am alive and well and have been learning a lot. Here's a quick update:

We have been traveling around Australia to small country towns for the last three weeks. The first week we were in Tenterfield helping to complete "The Pass it on Tour". Our base traveled to 17 different towns, putting on after school events, working with local churches, teaching Scripture classes in public schools, doing service projects and having an event every night in a huge tent. The event usually consisted of worship, a talk on the Father Heart of God and lots of prayer. It was a crazy week of 70 YWAMers sleeping in a smallish room in a church, showering only once all week at a local public pool, being busy from 7am till 10pm at night, playing with children in a giant blow up soccer field and learning the local games of Australia. Although it was tiring, and it consisted of me getting sick on Friday and missing that day's activities, IT WAS SO WORTH IT. The friends we made, the impact we had and the lessons that I learned from a God that is jealous for His children was incredible. I learned to stand on God and now am starting to understand the verse "The joy of the Lord is my strength." Shout out to all the people in Tenterfield, you guys are amazing! Please know that you don't need us, God is with you all the time and is waiting for you to respond to His love. Everything that you give to Him is so worth it! :)

The next two weeks were a little less crazy, we went to Beaudesert and stayed on the floor of a Baptist church, took showers at a local primary school (1 at a time), did a lot of service projects, taught a couple  Scripture classes at a public school and then went to a couple different churches on Sunday to share a message and who we are as YWAM. This past week we went to a YWAM base in Toowoomba, AND GUESS WHAT! WE HAD BEDS AND SHOWERS! Haha, I know its not a big deal to you guys, but to us it was amazing. Waking up every day and taking a shower seemed like a new experience. Why do we need to shower every day anyways? ;)  It was a great week of lectures, our speaker (Pablo) runs a YWAM base in south Australia. His heart for people is incredible and I will be forever grateful of the time he took to teach us.

Well, that's about it, I have another blog post in the making which I will post before we leave again for 4 weeks next Saturday. Until then, may God bless you and keep you.

I am the END

The last couple days has been a whirl wind of experiences and I'm still trying to process all that has happened, but one thing I know more than anything is that God deserves all of me. I have been asking God to take me wherever He wants me, to teach and mold me into someone who can be used for His Kingdom. This is what Father God told me: Intimacy is the answer. He said "I am not a means to an end, I am the end." Whoa! Strong words and it made me re-think everything.

For the past two years I have been praying and asking God for things: freedom from sin, overcoming situations, strength, wisdom, faith, open ears to hear His voice, eyes that see the way Father sees the world etc. etc. etc. I'm not saying that these are terrible things to ask for or that we shouldn't ask, because Jesus told us to ask the Father.  Luke 11:9 "And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" and James 1:5 "If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him."

So, what was I missing? It wasn't like God hadn't been answering my prayers, because He had been, He was teaching me what it looks like to live a life with Him. BUT, I had been missing the point, I was always thinking about how I could go effect others or change the world for God's Kingdom. God said, "Those are good things, but don't worry about them. All I want is you, the end goal is ME." God has given me a passion to know Him and to know His Word. I just want intimacy with God, I want to wake up every morning and spend time with Father, not for answers, but just for Him. God will speak, I guarantee it, but have you ever thought to just go get coffee with God? Or spend an entire morning not saying or asking for anything? Just listening and "hanging out" with God? Talk with Him like He's right next to you, because He is right next to you :) It's amazing what He will teach you through that silence. Maybe, instead of expecting an answer to a question, God can actually say what He has wanted to say for a long time.

Be encouraged today because: Romans 8:21 "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

God's child

I feel as though it's been a long time since I have updated this blog. I'm not sure if that's because my experience in Australia has been a whirlwind of emotions and experiences or just because I feel as if I have been here about 6 months, when in reality its only been a month. Let's get right into what I want to say.

Life on the YWAM base is awesome. Every day is filled with prayer, worship, teaching and amazing people who are here for God. I have never been surrounded by so many people who all want the same thing: Jesus. They want to know Him, find Him, seek Him, know His voice, know how He feels and go after Him with everything they have. They are willing to lay down their own dreams and desires and do whatever He says. They want to change and be transformed so that God's glory and kingdom will be spread to the ends of the earth. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they are perfect and don't make mistakes, but they want to love the way Christ loves and tell the world that Jesus is life.

If you ever get to the chance to be in a community that lifts the name of Jesus higher than anything and then lives it out, DO IT. You can't help but to be changed, God is so evidently working in our lives and we aren't ashamed to say that the only reason is Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected. You see, we live resurrected lives here. Lives of victory, hope, perseverance, love, peace and abundant joy because He promised us life and life to the fullest. I think one of the most profound things I have been learning is to live a life that measures up to who I am. I am a child of the Creator, seated in heavenly places with God and I have been given authority on this earth. Not because what I did or what I do, but because God said so and God's words are truth and life. When God speaks, truth reigns. Over the past 27 years of my life I have been speaking over myself things that God hasn't said. I think we all do this to some extent. We tell ourselves who we are, what we are worth, what we can and can't do, but in reality the only thing we are is what God says we are. I am in the process of realigning my thoughts to what God has said through Scripture. I am taking the promises of God and making them mine, because they are mine!

 1 John ^{3:9   "}No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God."

Ephesians 1: 4-5 "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will"

Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

YWAM part 1

I'm here in Australia and I feel as if I need to update all of you on some of my crazy adventures, not in the physical realm, but in the deep places of my life that are being challenged. The past 10 days since I arrived has brought many different emotions, expectations, friendships, challenges, but more importantly, God. At the moment, there are so many thoughts inside my head that this blog may seem to be all over the place, this is because I feel as though my insides are everywhere. At one point I want more, and at the next I am questioning and working out what "more" looks like, what it feels like and how to respond. So here is my response:

This is a lifestyle, not a moment. Jesus is a lifestyle, the Holy Spirit is a lifestyle, walking and talking with God is a lifestyle, learning, wisdom, righteousness, holiness are lifestyle words and God is teaching me that all my expectations are possible, but they don't just happen and they certainly don't happen on my timeline. Lifestyle also means that every place I go takes work and effort, I can't expect that because I show up I can bring my world into their world, that all my expectations will be met or that my learning environment will be the same. So, what else has God been teaching me? Two things stand out:
1) I am trying to learn what it means to go after God out of a place of rest:
When I first arrived all I wanted to do was worship, go deep, ask questions, learn, seek God, pray and meet new people who wanted to do the same. Since the start of the Discipleship Training School I have been trying to learn rest, to rest in God instead of striving after Him. Don't get me wrong, there is a place for going after Him, I actually think that you can pursue God out of your place of rest. Interesting concept that God is revealing to me daily. This leads me into the second one.
2) I am learning what my identity is in Christ
Who am I? I am a son of God, but what does that mean and what does that look like from Scripture? Do you find it revealing that Satan tempted Eve by saying "If you eat of the fruit, you will be like God." Is it not interesting that we already are like God? God said in Genesis 1:26 "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness." Be encouraged today, son or daughter of God :)