What is God saying to you? That is what I want everyone to
stop and think about right now...stop reading this and ask God what he wants to
speak to you. For some of you this may seem weird but God wants to speak to you
all. He desires to tell you all how much he loves you, and how proud of you. All
too often we pray and it is one sided, us asking God to reach out and help us
with the struggles we are facing. But what if we not only asked god to help us
but also listened to what he wants to speak to us. That is when things start
happening, when we surrender our own ideas of what it is to live and listen to
how God wants us to live. In Jeremiah 29:11-12 it says "For I know the plans I have
for you." declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to
give you hope and a future. For you will call to me and come pray to me and I will
listen to you." God has better plans for our life than we could ever dream of,
all we need to do is surrender our plans and say "God what do you want me to
do?"
A couple weeks ago I went to world
mandate, a church conference at CFCF. The first night the speaker shared
testimonies. At the end, he had a time of response, where you could go to the
front and receive the Holy Spirit baptism. Now I had done this before, during
my training for my mission trip to Nicaragua, and so I was like I already have
it, but then he said that it is something that doesn't have to be done just
once. At this, I practically ran to the front, I wasn't going to miss out. So I
was praying for God to come and fill me anew with his holy spirit, and a guy
came over and prayed for me, then I had a sudden urge to "speak in tongues"
though I didn't think I had ever before. So I quickly dismissed the thought. Then
as the response time was wrapping up, the guy came and said "Why are you still
here?" I told him how I didn't feel different and then he said alright lets
pray again, then he said that God just wanted me to yell out his name, and so I
started yelling "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" and then there was the urge to speak in
tongues, and he said "Go ahead, speak in tongues." so I did. Then the last day
of the conference the speaker was talking about the power of the Holy Spirit,
and so at the time of response, they were praying for people to receive the
power of the Holy Spirit. I went up and a person prayed for me to be filled
with gods love...and that was exactly what I had been longing for, and he prayed
that I would continually be filled so I could pour it out on others.
Since then I have been going to
God, more and have been asking him what he wants to speak to those around me,
and I have just been blown away with what God has been saying and how it is
exactly what that person needs right at that time. So let me just say a quick
prayer for all of you. "God I just pray for everyone who reads this, Lord I just
ask that lord they would be encouraged to stop and listen to what you have to
say to them, I ask that god your love would just fill them right now Lord, and
that with that love they would go to you and ask you how you want them to share
that love with others. And I just pray against all fears Lord, I pray for
boldness that can only come from you Lord. In Jesus name amen.
What is worship? How is it done? What
is appropriate during worship? These are questions that I will attempt to
answer from my experience in this blog.
So last Sunday
(8/22/10) I was sitting in church at CFCF. The preacher Travis Phillips was
preaching on unidentified fear. He brought up how these days we don't face our
fears, rather we avoid them and ignore them in the hope that they will disappear
if we ignore them. However as he brought up, it is pointless to just ignore our
fears we need to confront them. It was a very powerful sermon, and I would challenge
you all to listen to it: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/community-faith-christian/id357549710
here is a link to it. Toward the end, he challenges the men to stop taking the
easy road and to be radical and trust God with our hearts and go out and stand
up for what we truly believe in. At the end of the service we had a time of
prayer for the men. I went up and was prayed over. Because I had been asking
God for a while who I was to him while I was being prayed over the person praying
said that I was like David. It didn't truly hit me until this Sunday (8/29/10) as I stood
worshiping I felt free to worship move around and not worry about what people
thought of me. I really was able to feel God all around me. After the service I
was approached by someone who said that they really enjoyed watching me worship
freely. And a little later I was told by 1 of the worship leaders that he
enjoyed watching me worship. Then it hit me, David loved to worship God and
worship freely without fear. So the first question, what is worship? It is our way
of showing God how much we love him. How is worship done? There are no rules
for worship every person worships differently, everything goes. If you want to
dance, then dance! If you want to get in a prostrate posture do it! The most
important thing is that we express our love and joy to him. What is appropriate...anything
that you feel called to do; David danced naked in front of God! That is a man
who is so comfortable with who he is in God. He doesn't care what others thing,
he is sure of himself, he knows who he is and what his role is.
So I challenge every one of you
guys to ask God who you are to him. Walk out in faith trusting that he will
answer you...because he will answer that question. God meets us where we are...and
while he will call us to greater things, we need to step out in obedience,
simple obedience. How can God trust us with something great, and miraculous if
he can't trust us with something small, something that requires a little faith.
How can we do something that requires a great amount of faith if we don't do
something that requires little faith!
I encourage you all to be bolder,
to walk the dangerous road because that is where the people who don't know God
are. Please if you do go out and walk the dangerous road leave a comment so
that everyone can pray for you. I recently read the book Wild at Heart by John Eldredge in it he challenges men to step up
and be bolder...so let's do it men. Lets raise the bar for how men act and hw men
worship, how men are in church...walk out in confidence, be wild! Be the man you
are in God. You are all amazing men start living up to your potential. Don't
act crippled because that is what society calls you to do, rather listen to
what God is telling you guys. What the world really needs are men who are
willing to go where he is sending them. It's not easy path but it is a
rewarding one. Not for us, at least not in this life, but it will be in heaven.
Please leave comments and pray for me as I start walking out in confidence and
watching the miracles of God all around me.
So I am back home and I am writing this blog to finish out
my Nicaragua
trip. the past 8 months have honestly been the best months of my life, I wouldn't
change a single thing about those 8 months, the people I met and got to know
and love were so full of god, my teammates...who put up with me for 8 months...and
pushed me to be the best that I can in all situations. Looking back, after
about a week of not seeing my team, I realize that I really miss them and that community
that I was living in. they taught me so much about true friendship, and true
love. But life must go on. So taking what I learned from them, and applying it
to my life, I move on. Not forgetting what they have done for me, but holding
on to it, and learning new things as they come. After living in community like
that, I don't think I will grow as much without that type of living. But for
the summer at least I will be living at home, finding a job, and continuing to
fight the "Norm" I can still radically follow God, I just have to seek it out a
lot more. Right now I am trying to decide between young life, or helping out
with my new church service, so if you could all be praying about that I would
appreciate it. I am also seeking the gift of discernment out, so if you all
could be praying for that to, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all
for following me over the past months, and taking the time to read my blogs,
and I just ask that you would not forget how close God is to you, and all the opportunities
that he puts in your life.
So I went to church this morning, and it was awesome. We were singing amazing songs, and I could really feel the spirit moving. Today was the last church service at el Puente that I will be attending, and I started to really feel sad. Not that it was the last service but that even after 6 months of hard work, but I wish I could have done more for the community. I realized as I stood in front of the church that I knew about half the people, and it was hard to look at them as they were crying, and I myself was crying. It makes me realize that u don't really know what you have until it is gone. It just really stresses the importance of giving all you can while you can. It's kind of like psalm 39, which God gave me during solitude in Mexico.
Psalm 39:1-4 "I will watch my paths, and keep my tongue from sin, I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as wicked ones are in my presence. But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good my anguish grew. My heart grew hot within me, as I meditated, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue, show me O Lord, my lifeīs end, and the number of my days. Let me know how fleeting is my life." This is a the newest addition to scripture that I have memorized
I am excited to get back to all I have, because I know God has a lot planned.
Prayer request: safety, health, and an ever open ear to God.
I believe that we need more people who are this ready to fight for God. Just listening to this speech I get chills...can you imagine what it must be like to be around people who are that on fire for God? We need to be this ready to fight against Satan. Sure this is a very exaggerated video, but if you continue living your life as you are, would you be willing to look back to this point in time and be happy with the decision to continue live with the status quo in your life? I know I wouldn't want to just sit and let whatever happens happen and blame it on coincidence, or the way it has to be, I would want to go back and change my life, put the right things in order. I would want to be known as a man who fought for the younger generation. I want to be remembered as the watchman in the bible who gave the warning, not the one who didn't warn anyone. I want to rise up this generation to be a generation of warriors for God. Not just people who are sheep. But people who stand for what they really passionately believe in.
So the race has happened and it was a great success. We had plenty of runners, and plenty of people on the sign up table, and all was well. O yeah but I forgot to tell you that about half the runners cheated, and so we awarded the order they came into the finish line, minus one disqualification, and gave the prizes out and called it a day. I still cant believe that it all is over with, that means that I only have about a month left. There is a lot that I am learning and I know it will be hard to listen to God when I get back home, so I am a little sad for that reason about leaving. But I feel about ready to get home and just relax for a bit. Yesterday I got to watch T.V. for one of the first times in Nicaragua, and I was watching the news, and realizing what a bad spin it puts on the world, it seems to only show the bad things that happen, like a plane crash and a mine collapse. What about everyone else in the world? What about the couple who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary? What about the numerous children who were born yesterday? The whole world seems to be looking for all the sad news, and barely any joyous news. What about the news that though the kids in Nicaragua face many obstacles, there are still some who are able to break out of the mold and live a life, get a job, avoid drugs and alcohol , who get married and have a family, and know what it really means to work hard. There are almost no jobs in Granada, and though there aren't many jobs, the people who go through the hard work of proving their worth end up getting them.
God has literally been teaching me so many things. With my gift of Prophecy, I feel as though I have stepped more into that role. This past Thursday I listened to a downloaded sermon by Steve Thompson on Prophecy. It literally opened my mind up more to God, he doesn't just have you listen to him, he also has you prophesying. This sermon just lit the fire under me. I haven't gotten the chance to use my prophecy during ministry yet, it has taken me a while to figure out that I can always ask God what he wants to speak, and be able to hear exactly what he wants. But I feel as though I could go home right now and start prophecy in my church. When I think about it that is what my church really needs, someone to speak life into it. I feel as though my church is slowly dying, as are many churches in America. What every church needs is someone to speak life into it. That seems to have fallen solely on the pastors to do, but who when there is someone to lift up the church as a whole, and the pastors, then the churches problems wont only fall on the pastor. I feel like if a prophet, which can be anyone who honestly wants to hear God, which anyone can do, then we will start looking at the problems, and realize how little they really are. We would be able to actually enjoy congregations to the fullest, actually be able to spend a day with them and not feel like we have to be fake with anyone, or have fun with them, and not form cliques, and go and gossip behind our brothers and sisters in Christ's back. I have found what God wants me to do within my church when I get home, and that is to speak life into it, and its members, to bridge the age gap, and reveal how similar we all are. Something that I have learned down here is that no one is trying to get you upset or mad, we all tend to take things way to personally. Another thing that God revealed to me is that I am his warrior, and that I need to take every morning and put on my armor and get my sword ready for battle, because it is there whether I see it or not, whether I am ready or not, I will still be attacked. Another thing that I have been doing lately is writing down all the prophecy that God reveals to me, for myself and for others, because there is no way that I can remember all of them.
Prayer Requests: That I will continue to listen to God, and only God. That I will receive the gift of Discernment. That I will continue to focus on my time here, and not just look towards home.
So I thought I would update you all on how things are going
down here. As far as the race is concerned we have been going around to businesses
and we have been getting some sponsors, it is honestly hard to get any money from
anyone down here, and yet we are slowly managing to get some money. Personally,
I have been exploring prophecy more. I am learning that I will never really understand
it but I just need to trust that God has something he wants to say. I have also
been trying to live the lifestyle of prophecy. This looks like me always
keeping an ear open to hear what God is trying to say, no matter where I am or
what I am doing. It has taking for a lot in encouraging my teammates whom I am
around. So that is something that you all can be praying for me about. I have
also been struggling with Vida Joven lately. I find it hard because I am not
really a full leader and I don't feel like a participant either, and so it is
hard because I don't seem to fit either. I think part of it is the language
barrier, and another part of it is probably the length of time I have left
here. It has honestly been really hard to focus on working here, and so I have
just stopped looking and counting down how long I have. Instead I should really
be pressing in the hardest now, because I am only going to be here for a little
while longer. I have decided to live the rest of the trip in Nicaragua, with
simplicity in mind. This means eating more healthy stuff like fruit and veggies
and less snacks. It has been hard this past week, but I have felt closer to
God, I can feel the reward. I have also decided to try something new with the Jicaro;
I am making earrings out of it, and necklace pieces. This has been an idea I had
the whole time I was down here, I just never bothered to actually try it.
Prayer requests: pray that I can focus in on hearing God
more, that I make these last weeks last, that I am able to bring the team closer
together. Also for health, as the trip winds down just that I stay healthy.
So on Friday the 5th and Saturday the 6th,
I decided to do a talking fast. So for those two days I didn't talk to anyone.
Now if you are really looking for a challenge I strongly suggest you try
fasting from talking. The hardest thing for me was when people called my name.
The point of the fast was to learn about myself, and man did I ever. I also
learned that most of the time I just say things for the point of being heard.
And I also learned that I don't always have to contribute to a conversation,
because by doing so others don't always get the chance. Something else I
learned is to listen to what others say, not just for the sake of creating a
reply but for the sake of actually showing people that what they have to say is
important. Another thing that I realized is when you are just listening and not
speaking, you tend to understand people better and what they say tends to stick
with you easier. After I finished the fast, it felt so weird to be able to
actually talk and ay things, sometimes it still feels like I'm not supposed to
speak, because it would be cheating or breaking the fast, when in fact it is
long gone. In all seriousness though, I would ask God if he wants you to fast
from talking before you do, because otherwise you're just not talking for the
sake of not talking and you won't learn as much from it.
Granada welcomed Vida Joven, or Young Life, almost two years ago. This wildly successful program has demonstrated that young people here are hungry for wholesome alternatives to drugs, alcohol, gangs and life in the streets. As host to the Club, EL Puente is bursting with kids throughout the week. However, this Club receives no outside support, making the 5 Kilometer Fun Run essential to the Club's survival. Last year we raised about $4000 through this event, and this year we hope to raise double that amount, so that we can bring Vida Joven to another poor barrio, patiently waiting over a year for their own Club.
We hope you will sponsor youth in this year's race. If you'd like to help, we suggest the following sponsorship levels:
Single Sponsorship: $5
Triple Sponsorship: $15
Quintuplets: $25
Ten Youngsters: $50 (any amount is welcome!)
Checks may be mailed to:
Adventures in Missions
6000 Wellspring Trail
Gainesville, GA 30506
Attention: Nicaragua Kids Camp Fun Run (don't forget this!)
