WOW!

As I stated in my last blog update - I am going to be processing for quite some time, so I am not sure where and when all of what God has taught me as a result of my trip to Asia will come out - but here is a little more of what God is telling me, at least for today.

Something that I have begun doing since returning from Asia is prayer walking.  I realized on my trip that my heart and calling is for here, right here in the place that God has me - Apollo Beach/Riverview, FL!  And if I am going to truly LOVE my neighbor - shouldn't that be where I begin.  I have been in my neighborhood for almost 4 years now, and I know virtually no one.  We don't really have next door neighbors (vacant house to my right and language barrier to my left).  So, I am starting to look for opportunities to build relationship, but first - I am praying.  I go for a run at least 3x's a week, and I walk our dog every day - so I have turned my jog and dog walking time, into a time of prayer and praise.  I thank God for my neighbors, I pray for different things as I pass by the homes, I ask God that He would start a revival in our neighborhood - that this street would glorify Him, that we would be protected - all sorts of things.  Really whatever I feel led to pray...

So, as I was praying this morning, something that hit me - was how beautiful and awesome my neighborhood is!  I'm serious, my neighborhood is gorgeous.  I know in America, and even in Riverview - it's not much to look at, but man... I LOVE IT!  The homes may be small, and the grass is all dying and there are cars parked along the sides of the road - but we are all so blessed!  We have beautiful little ponds  - just to look at.  We don't need to use them to wash our clothes, bathe in, or drink from.  We have yards to play in, not sleep in or let cows eat from.  We have sidewalks to travel on, not muddy roads to walk on.  I doubt I passed a house without heating or air conditioning, to allow up to keep our temperature comfortable regardless of the weather.  I am sure every home I walked passed had some sort of refrigeration device to ALLOW US TO KEEP FOOD until we desire to eat it!!!!  What a huge blessing!  I am willing to bet that each home has multiple rooms, multiple beds, multiple showers and bathrooms, multiple devices to keep us entertained.  HOW RIDICULOUSLY BLESSED ARE WE!  

Then it occurred to me, when was the last time I was thankful for any of that?  My answer... never.  I had never been thankful for that.  I began to confess as I walked - for myself and my neighbors.  We take so much for granted, we feel entitled to so much.  I get frustrated if my house doesn't stay at 76, because then it is uncomfortable.  There are people sleeping in dirt and drinking from a river nicknamed the DEATH RIVER - and I complain about having to drink Aquafina instead of Zephyrhills???  

Then, another thing hit me - as I was walking along my wonderful sidewalk, across my beautiful ponds, with fountains going and the sun just coming up and the clouds glowing - God blessed me with a wonderful sunrise!  It was gorgeous.  And in that moment, I was so grateful - because I was experiencing the beauty of the Lord - and this is something that my brothers and sisters in Myanmar and Cambodia and all across the world can experience.  They may never know a home with A/C, or a refrigerator to save food (a foreign idea in some cultures, you have food... you eat it!).  But, they know the beauty of a sunrise!  They can experience God's magnificence in that way.  

So, this morning I made God a promise.  I don't usually like to make promises, but I did this morning.  I promised that as long as I am drawing breath, the rocks will not have to cry out to God!  I am going to praise Him, for He is worthy to be praised.  I am going to thank Him, because I have an abundance of reasons to be thankful.  And for the rest of my life, whenever I have to think about what to be thankful for... I now know - that in the grand scheme of things... I am rich!

Thank you Jesus, for the greatest gift, the greatest blessing and for opening my eyes to the wonder of your love and Creation.  You did a great job!

First Blog since Asia

My plan was to blog throughout my time in Asia... but God had a different plan.  I was unable to access my blog almost the entire time I was overseas and the few times I could - I was also able to speak with my wife and son, and I chose to do this instead.  So - for the first time, in what feels like months - I return to the world of blogging!

As I sit here and try to think about what to write about my experience, I find the same problem I had as I tried to journal my thoughts each day... words don't do this justice.  Really truly, anything I can think of to say about our experience over there - downplays the reality.  

There is so much I have learned and so much that I have experienced that to record them all would take a long time, and no one would want to read that all - so I will share in bits and pieces as God impresses on me different moments and different experiences from Asia.  

Right now, the thing that is sticking with me - is the Freedom we enjoy here in the USA that is completely foreign in Asia.  Each country we visited had to some degree - a level of persecution or restriction placed upon the Church.  It was heartbreaking to see what some of the Xians have to endure for the Gospel.  But, it was encouraging to see them enduring it and considering it a joy to face trials!

It really struck me in China - that we American Xians have NO IDEA what persecution is.  I have read the New Testament, and I see what the first Christians went through, and I know a little of Church History and what occurred - but it was always a history lesson, never something that I thought still happened today!  Wow, was I naive.  In Beijing - everything is under gov't control!  The cabs are all run by the gov't and there are literally microphones in every cab - video surveillance everywhere you look and NO RIGHT TO PRIVACY!  I asked one of the girls who helped a pastor we were getting to know, if they had a right to privacy, and she looked at me like a confused puppy.  She didn't understand the question!  What a different world we live in here in America.

It's funny - those who know me, would say that I am about as patriotic as an agnostic is religious.  Just don't care.

Well, that has definitely changed as a result of being in Asia.  You don't truly appreciate freedom and rights, until you experience them being taken away!  In China, you aren't allowed to get on Facebook, to get on Twitter, to access blogs.  You can send out emails, but the gov't reads them first.  Your emails come into your Inbox already having been read.  When you are out in public - it is wise to sensor your speech, we didn't use words like "missionary", "Bible", "preaching", "pastor", etc... because the gov't is listening to every word you say!

I knew that I was going to come back changed and that God was going to do a work in my heart - and I had prepared for God to tell me that I was suppose to move to China or something.  Never in my dreams did I imagine I would come back with a love for America and a heart to see our freedoms protected and ensured!  

We need to care about what is happening in our country, we need to care about the laws that are being passed.  And with each new law and each new regulation - we are surrendering our rights and giving more control over to the gov't - who little bit by little bit - is stealing our freedom.  And, having just experienced NO FREEDOM - let me encourage all of us, to get involved and be instruments of change and to become activists for freedom!  Because Xians are the first ones to be censored and monitored.  

Is that what we want????

Asia Bound!

Well - Drew and I decided that it would be a good idea to try and get on Asia time from the get go, so we are staying up all night.  We ventured out to Denny's at 1:00 in the morning in Minneapolis... let's just say that this must be the popular thing to do by the people who make up this lovely city, because we saw some winners for the "it's you" game.  I hadn't really eaten since lunch, and it was way too late (or early) to eat, but I figured I am on a mission trip, and gonna have to eat stuff like cat and squid or something here soon, so I should enjoy American food while I can.  So, I downed a cheeseburger that had hashbrown casserole and eggs on it - sounds interesting right?  Let me just say, it changed my life (and shortened it at the same time)!

So far, it has been an interesting journey - we got off to a rocky start.  The flight here was delayed about 3 hours due to weather and construction at the airport here in Minneapolis.  But, I ran into some people I knew at the airport and we aren't flying to Detroit until 6 am this morning, so we weren't really in a hurry.  I spent some time reading my Bible and a book that I brought with for entertainment.  I was reading in Psalm 26 and David praises God for allowing him to stand on level ground and bless Him in the great assembly.  That struck a chord with my heart, as I go to ground that has literally been shaking over the last couple of days, and I prepare to enter into a place that has different religions, morals, culture practices, social graces and - well, just about everything - I felt like God was telling me he was going to give me solid ground to stand on.  That I would continue to walk in His faithfulness, as I have been for 6 weeks now in regards to this trip.  Needless to say, it was an awesome time of being in the presence of God and hearing Him speak right in the terminal at TIA.

I am excited for this journey, I am tired already - but that is kinda on purpose right now.  Continue to pray for our journey, safe travel, my family (I am missing them already), and that we would experience a change of heart on this trip.

1 Timothy 1:5

Running

As I am sitting here, I am jamming out to the worship set that we are gonna be doing this Sunday - and I am excited about worshipping with my family at South Bay this weekend.  All I can say is I expect the praise team to bring the pain (or the nuts, as some of them would say :)

This morning, I was suppose to go to the gym in my neighborhood and work out (lifting weights sucks) but luckily I couldn't find the card to let me into the gym, so I had to go for a run instead (much more enjoyable).  As I was running, I was praying and asking God to speak to me, and one of the many things that I love about God is that He is so faithful at taking the natural and making them supernatural.  

I have been trying something new in my running routine.  Instead of just jogging 3 or 4 miles, I am trying to do intervals.  I run hard for a few minutes and then jog for a few minutes and then run hard, and so on and so forth.  This has challenged my legs and stamina in a great way, and has made running a challenge again, which I appreciate.  Well, this morning, I was struggling to keep the pace and my legs just wanted to jog, not run hard, so I began to pick objects out and I would run to them (a car parked at the end of the street, or a fire hydrant or something).  This helped me, it gave me somewhere to go, something to aim for, and it took my mind off the immediate.

As I was just being, and asking God to speak, all of a sudden, a little light came on, and I heard His Spirit whisper into mine, that this is true in life as well.  That I need to focus on things down the road, not the immediate.  While the pain is real, and the desire to do what is easy is sometimes overpowering, it becomes easier to overcome if we look at the things ahead.  Maybe this is what the author of Hebrews is talking about when he says that we are to run with endurance the race marked out for us, and we are to fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith.  

I was challenged this morning to stop looking at the immediate, and look to the future.  To see how the immediate is nothing more than a step in the direction of where God is at, as He pulls me into His presence, and prepares me for the future.  Sometimes is hurts, sometimes I don't want to run, sometimes I am willing to run but I want it to be at my pace and sometimes I am ready and willing to give it my all.  But, if I don't think about how I feel, and the surrounding circumstances, but I look to Jesus, and I run to Him with all that I have - each step becomes purposed in a passionate pursuit of the face of God.  

That's what I want.

That's what I need.

That's where I am going.

God speaks!?!

I am not being able to get to this as much as I would hope - but this morning, I am gonna make some time real quick, because God has been speaking loud and clear lately, and it is exciting.

Sunday night, we had a leaders meeting at South Bay, and in it we were challenged to practice listening prayer.  This is something I have done for awhile now, but the way in which is was described was a little different than I have done it, so I am trying something new.  I have added some actual time ON MY FACE into my time with God.  I am a big journaler and so normally, I allow God to speak as I just sit in my chair and wait for God to speak.  While I still journal like a madman, I am now spending time kneeling and with my face in my lap, seeking God and being still, in a new position, prostrating myself before the Lord.

In the last few days, God has spoke Loud and Clear to me.  It has been amazing.  At the training, I didn't get a chance to share, but we practiced listening prayer, and as I was waiting and being still, God showed me a picture of David and Bathsheba.  I was confused why he would show this to me, so I went to the word and began to read the story... and something hit me - This story begins with the phrase "In the spring, when Kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, his servants and all of Israel... But David stayed behind."  As I read this I was hit with the fact that David was not leading, he was not going out before his people, he was not where he was suppose to be - and he fell hard because of it!  Leaders are called to go before the people, to be out in front leading the charge and being an example for people to follow.  Jesus did this with the disciples, Paul charges his followers to imitate him as he imitates Jesus!  God asked me the question and posed me with the challenge "Where am I leading and who am I going out before?"  

The next morning, I was on my face asking God to speak to me - and he told me that I was holy!  Me!!!  My first thought, was no God, you got this wrong.  Maybe you were meaning to talk to somebody else.  But then, as I prayed, I decided that if God was going to call me holy, I wanted to know what that meant.  So I asked God to reveal it to me through His Word.  I opened to Deuteronomy (one of my favorite books of the Bible) and I was on track to read chapter 10 that day.  Here is what chapter 10:8 says "At that time the Lord set apart (made holy) the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the lord to stand before the Lord to minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day."  If I had been wearing socks, God would have rocked them right off!  Here He calls me holy, and when I open the Word, he shows me what it means to be holy, or set apart - to carry His covenant (for us it is the Gospel of Jesus), to stand before Him (be in relationship with Him), to minister to Him (still processing this one), and to bless His name (at all times, with all people, in all situations)!  Praise Jesus, I was more than a little stoked!

So, yesterday, I get down and begin to praise God and call on His Name to speak and put myself (to the best of my ability) in a position to hear from Him.  And as I was there, in the quiet place - God told me he was going to call me by a new name.  I am excited to find out what this means, I have no idea - but God said it, so it is true.  I am feeling like it is going to mean  some growing, some stretching, and this morning as I was asking God to reveal what that meant, the word "worshipper" came to mind, so God is revealing more what that may mean, but I am not sure yet.

Today, was another awesome day of God speaking, but He told me that this morning's insight is not for broadcast, so I will exercise restraint and discernment and hold to what God told me to do, but it was amazing time in His presence this morning, as well.

I take all this time, and share all of this by means of challenging you - get on your face before the Lord. Quiet your mind, maybe turn on some praise music and let the Holy Spirit flow through you.  Spent some time repenting, confessing Jesus as Lord and allow Him in to your quiet time, and you will be amazed at the transformation in your heart that will occur.  We are born for relationship with Him, let us enter into it!

Yesterday was a really rough day!  I had to go to the pool twice.  I know your heart breaks for me, but as I was swimming with my son, God taught me a lesson that was pretty cool.

We were hanging out on the steps, and my son likes to have me stand in the middle of the pool and he will swim to me.  Sometimes, I back away from him, strengthening his swimming ability and his lung capacity (seriously his lung capacity is amazing!).  Anyway, we were swimming, and I had backed too far, and even though he was only four or five strokes away from me - IT FELT TOO FAR!  So, he turned around and swam back.  It was almost 3x's farther to accomplish this than take the extra 5 strokes to catch up with me.  But, he knew behind him was safe and that he could swim that far.  But, what he didn't realize is that it was way more effort, way more work, and took a lot more strain on his lungs to accomplish going backwards.

In that instance, God showed me how often I am guilty of this same exact thing.  He calls me to trust Him, have faith in Him, and rely on Him a little more.  I go a little further, but when God wants me really to lean out on the edge of it all, and keep pursuing Him, I turn around and go back to my safety net.  I rely on the known, rather than the unknown.  I trust in myself and my ability to swim back to safety; rather than pursue God and trust that He will grab me before I drown!  

So, my new prayer is that I would not settle for the comfortable, but as I press into the thick of darkness and meet with God, I would not fear or rely on my own ability.  I am praying that God would continue to call me to press out a little further, pursue a little deeper, and that I would not fear!  I am excited to see how God is going to call me to swim to Him and I pray that as He stands out there asking me to go a little further, I would swim with all my strength to get to those areas I have been to afraid to go.

Hopefully that makes sense, 

1 Timothy 1:5

From a website called "Stuff White People Like"  - not gonna lie, I love my moleskin notebook, and some of my favorite time is spent at Panera with my Bible, Moleskin and Mac!  I think this article may have been written for me :)

#122 Moleskine Notebooks

February 24, 2009 by clander

Since all white people consider themselves to be “creative,” they are constantly in need of products and accessories that will allow them to capture their thoughts.  One of the more popular  products in recent years has been the Moleskine notebook.

This particular type of notebook is very expensive and was quite popular with writers and artists in the olden days.  Needless to say, these are two properties that are highly coveted in the white community.   In fact, it’s a good rule of thumb to know that white people like anything that old writers and artists liked:  typewriters, journals, suicide, heroin, and trains are just a few examples.

Much like virtually everything else that white people like, these notebooks are considerably more expensive yet provide no additional functionality over regular notebooks that cost a dollar.  Thankfully, since white people only keep their most original and creative ideas in the Moleskine, many of them will only be required to purchase one per lifetime.

But the the growing popularity of these little journals, is not without its own set of problems.  One of the strangest side effects has been the puzzling situation whereby a white person will sit in an independent coffee shop with a Moleskine notebook resting on top of a Apple laptop.  You might wonder why they need so many devices to write down thoughts?  Well, if a white person has a great idea, they write it by hand, if they have a good idea, it goes into the computer.

Not only does this help them keep their thoughts organized, but it serves as a signal to the other white people in the shop that the owner of both instruments is truly creative.  It screams: “I’m not using my computer to check email and read celebrity gossip, I’m using it to create art.  Please ask me about it.”

So when you see a white person with one of these notebooks, you should always ask them about what sort of projects they are working on their free time.  But you should never ask to actually see the notebook lest you ask the question “how are you going to make a novel out of five phone numbers and a grocery list?