The Story of a Man Named Lazarus...

This past weekend, I found out that my bosses son, Jesse, had passed away. Although I had only gotten to know him a little bit, this still came as a huge shock for me. The last major death in my life was the passing of my grandmother about 4 years ago, and even then it wasn't quite as sudden. My grandmother spent her last couple weeks in a hospital bed where people could say their goodbyes. She had lived a long, full life serving the Lord. When she passed, it wasn't near as sudden. Finding out about Jesse was much more of a shock.

Over the past year or so, one thing I've been learning and seeing more and more of is the character of God, more specifically, the emotions of God. One thing I guess that had taken root in my mind is that the Lord is the same in his emotions, never changing. That the Almighty was so mono toned so to speak. It wasn't until I read the story of Lazarus in new light that this idea was shattered. The story which is in the bible, John chapter 11, goes like this.

Lazarus was a close friend of Jesus, and was the brother of Mary and Martha. Mary and Martha sent people to Jesus to tell him that Lazarus had fallen ill. Jesus, knowing of Lazarus's death at this point, waits a little longer to go down to mourn with the family. When he gets there, seeing the tomb, Jesus wept! Like, tears flowing, wailing, snot bubbles coming out of his nose wept! As some people in the crowed said "could not have Jesus prevented this?" Jesus was deeply moved, and ordered that the tomb be opened. And for the glory of God, Jesus said

 "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

He then directed his attention to the tomb and cried aloud "Lazarus! Wake up!"

And the dead man came out.

You see, it wasn't until I put myself in the shoes of Lazarus and not one of the side-liners that this passage finally hit me. It wasn't until I was able to say, I am a dead man, dead in my sins and I need the life of a Saviour that this passage became more than just a story. It wasn't until I heard Jesus weep and say "David! Come out!" that this passage actually made a difference in my life. I had always believed that Jesus was the resurrection, that He would bring to life all things, and as I write this fighting tears, I hold fast the reality that Jesus is saying "Come out!" not just to me, but to anyone who is listening. The reality that Christ mourns the death of our spirit as we sin, yet there he is again and again to say "David! Come out!"

The little bit that I knew Jesse was that he was full of the joy of God! Always willing to serve, even surrendering up a summer to serve at bible camp to share the love that Christ had given him leaves me still missing him, even though I know he has woken up. I know he's in heaven, and I hold fast to that truth, that reality of being made perfect before God in Christ and now worshiping the Lord without ceasing! But still, knowing that Jesus weeps over death, that The Almighty has felt exactly as I do gives me much more freedom to mourn, yet much, much more freedom to worship. Knowing that God is a good God and doesn't make mistakes, I find peace that this will all work for Him, who loves us.

Please be praying for Jesse's family, friends, and anyone else that knows him. Pray that the grace of God would comfort and uphold all who mourn.

If you are reading this and want to talk, lets talk. My facebook profile info is located at the top right corner of this blog. Know that you are loved beyond anything you could imagine, and Christ is saying "Come out,"

Surrender

Currently I'm sitting at my desk on a Monday evening, so very tired with no prevailing reason as to why, and the only thought that keeps on ringing in my head is to surrender. It's been my theme for the last couple months, something that I've been taken captive of and something that I need to captivate me every day.

Although I very much dislike teaching or preaching on something topical, there are too many examples of surrender in the bible to not mention a few. The easiest place in the bible to find them is in Hebrews 11, the hall of faith. All these people are recognized for faith that they exhibited in the Lord as examples of how believers in Yahweh proved themselves before God and man, and are written for both present and past readers to glean from.

Abel offering his best for the Lord as a sacrifice because he believed that the Lord deserved his best, believing that it would please the Lord, that it would bring him joy. Noah built an arch in an increasingly wicked generation because he had faith that the Lord would send rains upon the earth to judge the wickedness of mankind. He endured probably one hundred years of ridicule, hatred and abuse from the people around him as he built the arch in faith of what the Lord had said to him.

Abraham in faith left all of his life, his family and his possessions to go to a place that was not known to him because as an old man he believed that the Lords promise of bearing a nation were good. He trusted in the Lord as he walked along, and the Lord was with him. And then when the Lord asked him to sacrifice his son, whom the Lord had given him, he followed faithfully and nearly sacrificed Isaac. We know the ending to that story, the one of the Lords provision in trying times.

Moses by faith lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and with the power of the Lord defied ten of the Egyptian gods to provide escape from the clutches of evil that was entrenched in the Hebrew camp and practice of worship at that time.

One thing that all these examples have in common is that they have to surrender, both good and bad. 

Abel surrendered the fat portions of his first born from his flock to the Lord, the part that was the most desirable in his eyes, to worship the Lord. The fat portion is the most flavourable and the has the most calories, to some one who has to live off of the land and would have needed many, many more calories than most people today, giving up something that good would sound insane. But he did it because he loved the Lord, and sought to please Him.

Noah surrendered one hundred years of his life, again something good, to do hard back breaking labour and endured 100 years of ridicule because he loved the Lord, as he was the only righteous person left on earth whom the Lord saw.

Abraham surrendered relationships and business opportunites to follow the Lord and his promise of offspring. And then surrendered his offspring, something that was good.

A lot of the times that I've been taught surrender in church was to surrender the bad things, to leave them at the cross. I remember doing things in youthgroup like writing down the struggles that we have in life, maybe a secret sin that no one else knew about, and we were supposed to go up to the cross and nail it to it as a symbolic way of saying that they were the Lords, and we bear them no more! Praise the Lord O my soul!

However, we need to remember why exactly Jesus had to go the cross, and that was to take away the bad that separated us from God to restore a right relationship with God and make things new, and I thank God every day for that! But one thing that I rarely heard teaching on was to surrender the good as well.

Another thing all the examples of heros of our faith is that they all had to surrender good things in order to follow what the Lord had called them to do, and this is something that I am having to learn and re learn. Right now I am in culinary school for the purpose of missions, to use whatever certification I will have as means to reach people for the Gospel. This is  good thing. I love cooking! It is something that I am good at, it is something that I can connect with people whom I wouldn't normally get to connect with and show them the love of Christ. But I have to surrender it to Him as He has me here. School is not my forte, and if you are reading this, I'm sure you are aware. I enjoy learning, but I don't like textbook work. So school is a big step for me, to surrender these next couple years into His hands.

As I try my best to do well in school, work hard and study hard, I find myself having to surrender more and more, and I'll give this example. Several nights ago, my laptop broke down, and I had a test a couple of days away. What was I to do?? I started panicking and stressing out with such a pain in my gut, one that I hadn't felt in a long long time. I called the computer repair shop (under warranty) and they said that it would take 5 days to get it fixed. So then I started freaking out even more and started shaking. In the midst of all that, there was sudden clarity. Why was I so attached to this thing, this thing that doesn't give life, and yet I felt dependent on it like it was my own? Was God not in control? Did God not put me in school? Is He not sovereign over this as well?

Another thing I am having to surrender are my finances. I'm a fairly frugal guy, try to save up as much as I can and spend as little as possible. I don't buy new clothes until i absolutely need them. But while I'm in school, I won't be making near as much money as I was before, and having to pay extra for things like bus passes and tuition. Is the Lords bank not endless? Are the riches of His glory not proclaimed in all creation? I know that He's called me to school, and I have faith that He will provide for me.

I think I am starting to ware our in thought, but the ultimate example of sacrifice was Jesus.

Philipians says "[Christ Jesus] who though he was the very form God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross."
The ultimate sacrifice was that of a loving savior for those who did not love him. That an all loving, all powerful all knowing God sacrificed his Son to set things right with man and to set an example of true love through sacrifice. And that is the mindset we as followers of Christ are to have, daily. It is hard. As Jesus sweat blood before the hour of his betrayal, so we won't have an easy ride, but it isn't for us. It's for Him. As Abel sacrificed what he considered his best for the joy of the Lord, so we are called to do the same. Not out of compulsion, but out of love. When a man and a woman love each other, they sacrifice things in anticipation of the joy it will bring to their partner. The same is called for Christians to for God, as he sacrificed everything.

Please forgive how redundant some of those paragraphs might be, this is just what has been on my mind and on my heart as of late. And I hope that whoever reads this knows how much of a sacrifice has been made for you life, how much you are loved.

Times never change

A thought that has been recurring in my head is how bad of times we live in. With divorce rates higher then they have been ever before, abortion rates higher then they have been before, with things like cancer and heart and lung disease higher then ever before, with people falling away from the church in record numbers with the changing of my generation, we live in a bad, sinful generation!

It is not a good thing. I've heard a lot of people older then I say things like "This generation is probably one of the hardest generations growing up." and until today, I would have agreed with these people. We do have it pretty tough! With entry level positions for jobs needing a degree and 2 years experience, lots of people have a tough time getting a job, especially one that will pay then enough to not only make ends meet, but make a living of, we do live in a hard generation, in hard times. Before you have a job, you have to drop 4 years of your life and +$40,000 in debt, you're starting your adult life already in the hole, fighting an uphill battle.

This morning I finished reading the book of Matthew, and started reading through the minor prophets starting with Hosea. As I was reading, I noticed a lot of things that were going on in the land of Israel at the time. Things like famine and economic oppression were rather rampant in the land of Israel at the time, and the word of the Lord was against his people, very much so that he compared them to a wife of whoredom. With oracle upon oracle against the Israel, the Lords word was fulfilled with the decimation of Israel in 720BC as Assyria conquered and resettled Israel, the word of the Lord will not come back void.

I couldn't help but think, how would our generation fare in such a setting, with not only austerity from the political leaders against the people, but also from the priests themselves, taking bribes and influencing people not to serve the Lord, but follow their own passions by creating other gods and worship practices to satisfy their desires (Molech to sacrifice unwanted children for war, various gods for fertility and good crops having sex to worship them...). How would we do? well, obviously, we would follow the same patterns to a tee. Why? I'm not a time travelling man (that would be so cool) but looking at the trends of the people of God since the birth of the nation of Israel, the people always revert back to their own desires leaving only a few who remain faithful to the Lord in word and action.

With such examples as Elijah and the prophets of Baal, leaving a handful of Israelites faithful to the Lord, fast-forward to 595 BC as the Lord saves for Himself a handful of people to rebuild the nation, fast-forward to about 33AD, Jesus reveals himself to the five hundred people to spread the kingdom of God, fast-forward to the reformation when church leaders themselves domineered over the church body and vastly twisted the word of the Lord and left the flock in darkness, the Lord raised up Martin Luther to instil change and knowledge to His people.

Today, the church is letting a lot of things slip, thing of sexual immorality with premarital sex, pornography and homosexuality becoming mainstream things that people in the church body do, church leaders are more concerned with your happiness, and a rebuke is nowhere to be found. Things of holiness, steadfastness and sacrifice are pushed away from the presence of the pastor but replaced with the a selfish ambition and false fire.

Times never change. 

The only thing that has changed ever in the history of the church is the tolerance of human emotion in relation to the serious charge of holiness and humility of the people of God found throughout the bible. As people feel "oppressed" by the commands of God, pastors find ways to entice them to stay and compromise the message of grace, and  judgement. One does not know grace until he first feels the judgement of the Lord, the message of the cross, of love and compassion for the world.

Paul Washer once said "The most terrifying truths found in the scripture is that God is good...what's the problem with a good God? It's terrifying to know that God is good because we are not. So what does a good God do to with people like us, sinners? We've sinned against God, we've sinned against one another, we've sinned against nature, all creation calls for our condemnation. If a just God simply pardons the wicked, He is no longer just. How does  a just God call men into fellowship with him? Through the Cross of Jesus Christ. We see this tremendous unique revelation of the fullness of God in the Cross. God is just, and He must punish sin."

Too often people are concerned more with being comfortable and not sacrificing what they do in their free time rather then sacrificing their free time and their comfort for Christ. People have become so thin skinned that no one can tell them that they are doing something wrong without taking offence. "Real family and friends will always stab you in the front." the premise behind this lyric is that the people who love you the most will tell you the things you the hardest things that you need to hear, this is something lots of the church has forgotten. Even when truth is blaring in front of them, they become so thick skinned and don't take it to heart, or change. Is this not the message of the Gospel? That man kind is completely and utterly hopeless without the violent intervention of God on the cross, and the repentance of sin thereafter?

Times never change.

I am fairly conservative in my theology because I see a sever lack of passion and self discipline in most liberal movements. The feel good message of joy is in every sermon, but no one reads their bibles to see if it's true. People take the pastor at his word and accept the things that he is saying without looking it up for themselves, weighing or not whether truth is to be found in it, and then changing to that truth.

James 1 says it best "Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."

I  know it's Christmas, and and the time right now is to be doing the christmasy thing of advent, the expectation of the coming King, This was just on my mind today. How messed up this generation is. How messed up our world is. Good thing there is Christ. Good thing.

The Head of Stone

The most real thing any one has said to me in the last couple months was this: “When a father sees his child disobeying him, he notices it, isn't pleased and disciplines him. How much more does your Heavenly Father see your disobedience? Knowing this, saying grace covers all is theology from the pit of hell.”

This week has been a week of struggle and overcoming some giants in my life (I haven't said that before...). These words have been a bit of a reoccurring thought in my mind as I wrestled through some things with the Lord. They are good, sound words that need to be said more in the church, and in the world in general. To often i find myself doing things I know to be wrong, wasting time on frugal and worthless endeavours, or trying to work out thoughts and situations on my own that just won't be resolved. To pull out some lyrics from one of my favourite bands The Color Morale, “Real family and friends will always stab you in the front, and the end result is not one damn thing after another, its one damn thing over and over. We are condemned and this is how we learn.” The use of the word damn is meant in the context of being condemned. Like it's not a bunch of things that we do that seem to irk people or rub them in the wrong way, but it is usually only one thing that we do over and over that sets people off, and I find that to be the same way with our relationship with the Lord. Let me get this clear. We, apart from Jesus, stand condemned before the Lord in judgement. Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” and also Revelations 5:1-5 says that there is no one in Heaven, or on Earth or under the Earth that is worthy to open the scroll, except for the man, Jesus Christ. And there are multiple things that we have done to make us undeserving of the Grace of Jesus. What my point is is that in our lives, there are life long struggles that we will have to deal with until the day of our completion. My other point in all of this is that it is those people who are intentional with us, addressing things that they see as wrong behaviours, motives, or straight up sin in our lives that will help us out in our walk with the Lord. And it is those people that we need to be as well. Revelation 2 and 3 are chapters in the Bible where the Lord is reaming on churches about their sin and telling them to repent. How does he do it? THROUGH A MAN! Through the vision that John (the author of the book Revelation) is writing down and delivering to the churches! The Bible is filled with examples of people being intentional with sin. In Ezekiel 3:9, Ezekiel is told that he has a forehead of the hardest stone so that he can but-up against Judah, because they are a rebellious house. Paul goes as far to say that he has, and should hand certain people over to Satan to let them learn that the things they are doing are wrong (1^st Corinthians 5:3-4, 1^st Timothy 1:18-20). My friend has a saying: “Christians love people into hell” meaning that the church in general does not confront people with with their sin, but just says that they are loved, and that is good enough. They may pass it off as just planting seeds and then leave the rest up into Gods hands like the blood of the unsaved is cleared from their hands. Ezekiel 33 talks about the Lord sending the people of Israel watchmen, to tell them when they are out of line. If they do, then the peoples blood is on their own hands, but if the watchman cowards from his duty, then the peoples blood will be on his head. Another thing that the church says that if people say a prayer when they are 5 years old, go to church and youth group, start a family and bring them to church, they are saved. What a shallow Gospel. To live and receive the gospel message is a complete 180 in the way we live. Jesus in Luke 9:57-62 says this: “As they were going along the road, some one said to him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.' and Jesus said to him, 'foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.' To another he said 'follow me.' but he said 'Lord, let me go and bury my father.' And Jesus said to him 'leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.' yet another said, 'I will follow you Lord, let me first say farewell to those at my home.' Jesus said to him 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.”. This yells out that we can not be the same when we encounter Jesus Christ. To take the words of Paul Washer “When you are hit by a big semi truck, you will be changed. How much bigger is the Lord, and how much more should we be changed when we are hit by Him?” If you call yourself a christian, what sets you apart from the rest of the world? What makes you different? In Mark 5, Jesus sets a man free from demon possession ( I have heard a very sound argument that this man was possessed by something like five thousand demons). As Jesus was leaving that area, the man comes to Jesus and begs him to stay with him. But Jesus says to him “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” To often, we forget what the Lord has already done for us, and want Christ to fix our situations, or show us some grand sign that everything is going to be alright. Christ is not some formula, and more then likely, there will be no sign given. Back to the first things I said, we might have struggles, things we wrestle through, for the rest of our lives, only focusing on those struggles, and forgetting all that has already happened. For this demon possessed man, he went away rejoicing and telling others what the Lord has done for him. Is that not all we are to do? Praise the Lord for his great works and tell others about him? Revelation 12:7-12 says that we (christians) will be accused by the great deceiver, but we will overcome by the blood of the lamb, and the word of our testimony.

There are all my current thoughts on a page. Not sure that any of it actually flowed together. In summary though, we (Christians and the church) need to be more intentional in our endeavours with each other, asking the tough questions, calling people out if we see wrong, and if we are called out, take it to prayer and if there is found to be something wrong in your conduct, change. Proverbs 29:15 says “The rod and reproof gives wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” Also though, be kind with one another. Paul writes in 2^nd Corinthians 2:7-8 talking about confronting people, and them changing, “...so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.”

I hope that this is in some way a blessing to those who read it.
David

Take off your sandals

"When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” - Exodus 3:4-5

This is one of those passages that I have read over and over many times in my life, and brushed it aside as seemingly unimportant. This year though, I learned something. This passage isn't about the holy ground at all, nor is it about sandals. Before this last year, I would have come to take all of this quite literal, and would have been waiting for that one day when God would come to me and say "Take off your shoes, this place is holy ground." Funny thing this God fellow is though.

This last year, some one made it known to me that what was being said here was "Moses, take off the things in your past that hinder you from coming to me, for I have a great work in store for you." Have you ever gone on a hike and at the end of it look at your shoes? They shouldn't come out clean, at least not as clean as when you started your hike. They should be covered in dirt, mud, tree sap, animal droppings, but they tell a story. They tell the story of where you have been. It is the same with walking in the city. Perhaps you will step on a tack, or a piece of gum that will go with you to your next destinations. Again, your shoes will tell you where you have been. This is the same for Moses. What had Moses done up until this point in his life? He was spared at birth, grew up as part of Egyptian royalty (it is debatable to say that he was in line to be one of the Pharaohs, but I'll leave you to do that on your own study. I did), assuming that he was part of the royalty, he would have played a small part in the suffering of his people, he killed a man, tried to cover it up, and then he ran away from all his problems. This was all on his shoes at this point. But was the Lord absent in all of this? By no means! I'll get back to that. So, now we see where Moses was coming from, and God tells Moses where he is going to. God says "I have seen the suffering of my people, and I want you, Moses, to go and lead them to freedom by my hand." And even at that, Moses tries to make excuses as to why he shouldn't go. First he says "I don't know what to say." (Ex 3:13), then he says "Well, what if they won't believe that I am sent by you?" (Ex 4:1), then again, he makes another excuse "Well, I've never been able to speak very well" (Ex 4:10) then he just downright says "send some one else." (Ex 4:13). Moses was holding on to his past in the worst way, and the Bible even says that the Lords anger was burning against Moses (Ex. 4:14). All this time though, the Lord was working in Moses, and training him in the best way. The Hebrew people were slaves in Egypt, and once they were set free, they would have needed some one to lead them in all sorts of ways. Moses was educated to read and write and speak to people and execute justice being in the Egyptian nobility, and after he had fled away from Egypt he gained valuable knowledge of living in the wilderness, shepherding sheep, finding them food and water and searching out for them amongst a harsh landscape. This man Moses would go on to lead the Hebrews to freedom, execute justice on a day to day level, write down the Law of the Lord, deliver this law to the assembly, lead military wars against other peoples, and lead the Israelites around in the wilderness. But before he could do any of that, he had to take off his sandals. He had to get rid of the his past.

This is mirrored in the New Testament by he who would be a voice crying out in the wilderness "Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight!" (Matt 3:3) and "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt 3:2) Aka. John the Baptist. John was saying to a crowd "Stop doing things your way, and start doing things as you would in the Kingdom. I don't care where you are from, you can change." This is also seen in foot washing. Jesus says to his disciples "I'll wash your feet." Peter says "Then wash my head and hands as well" And Jesus replies "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet." (John 13:1-11) Feel free to disagree with me, but I have come to interpret this as saying they if you are living for and in love with Jesus, then you are already made clean, sanctified, redeemed by the blood of the lamb, bought, paid for. Your sins are forgiven and you are an ambassador, but you need still need to repent from where you have been. Again, John  the baptist says "Bear fruit in keeping with repentance" (Matthew 3:8), and the apostle Paul says "Work on your own salvation in fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12) as Paul is talking about being the light of Christ in this world. These echo the call of Moses, take off where you have been, and put on the burden of the Lord. "For my yoke is easy. My burden is light." It is said in Isaiah 52:7 "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news.." the feet go from being this ugly past to being something that is completely beautiful! What is the good news? It is the news of Jesus Christ, and what he has done in your life and what he is doing in the world. As we serve God, he is making us beautiful, and separating us from our old selves.

This last week was one of the toughest weeks in my life spiritually. This is probably the only time you'd catch me saying that I was attacked spiritually. My biggest struggle in the past was that I struggled with lust in my heart (being sought out through pornography and masturbation). For many years, it was my master, and I did nothing to get rid of it in my life, but made a petty plea/cry to God blaming him because he had given me these desires, and again a petty plea to take them so that I would stop sinning. That wasn't the issue though. For other years, I did fight for my freedom, and until a little while ago, it was to no avail. I'd try accountability partners, but the four or five people I had asked to help me out all lost interest and after a month or so just stopped caring. This never gave me a bad sense that I couldn't really trust people with how I was feeling, or what was going on in my life because it felt like no one cared. This last year, I studied every book in the bible 5 times over, and it was the best and worst nine months of my life. Best because it was a place where I could just devote myself to studying the word of the Lord, be away from distraction here at home and spend time with some other amazing people who are passionately in love with Jesus Christ. It was the worst nine months though because being nine months away from people you love is a long time, and it just takes a toll on relationships. There is some background for you the reader. How does this all tie in though? Through those nine months, God gave me a focus in life, where he is leading me. Its given me a more focused and driven pursuit for purity and humility. In Ephesian 6:12, Paul writes "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of darkness in this world, against the spiritual wickedness in this dark place." This word in Greek is the word "Pa/lh" and it is a type of wrestle in which the victor of this fight gets to hold his opponent down by the neck and gouge his eyes out. Learning this made me realize where my focus was, and by what I was having my eyes gouged out. Back to this last week. I was (and still am) free from giving into sexual temptations but this last week, temptation came stronger then I can ever express, and it lead me into a slight depression. But hope is a good thing. When the world comes against you, take heart. "For greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world." (1st john 4:4) and God upheld me in the roughest times. In the end of it all, all God said to me was "Take off your shoes. This time that I have given you is holy, it is precious. Take heart."

God saves lives.

Sean Naus and his family are people that I met this year on the Coast, and have been an awesome encouragement to me. This happened to them and their coffee shop, as well as the Board Store where they do business. And this is the hand of God in their lives.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/video/national/watch/29503844/security-video-shows-amazing-escape/

End of the New Testament

Well, Today is the official end of all New Testament studies. The school went to the Pig&Whistle pub to celebrate. It was really nice to just go out with everyone, take our minds off of the studies, and just have fellowship with one another. We have been extremely blessed to have the leaders we do here in the Sunny Coast. This is probably the only YWAM base in the world to take the students out to a pub in celebration of a milestone. The leaders know what people need, and that is to have the option to choose for ones self how they are to act. YWAM Sunshine Coast is really what one would make of it. If people came here just for the beach, then they would only get the beach. If they came here seeking a deeper more intimate relation with Jesus, then their world will be changed.

Here on the SBS, we have a group of 15 students and 8 leaders who are passionate about seeking God in worship and prayer while actively letting the Word of God transform their lives. I am extremely blessed to be put here amongst the other people that are here. God is melting peoples hearts and showing them their roll in the Kingdom.

I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who has, and is supporting me in this school! Your prayers and faith in God are above words. I'd like to ask any one who reads this blog to continue to pray for me as we pick up things in the Old Testament as the work load increases.

God Bless!

David

Revelation

Been in the book of Revelation this week. Not going to start giving a huge teaching on the book, but it is challenging. this book is all about comfort when going through times of great trial and persecution. Jesus tells the church in Smyrna right off the hop that they will be thrown in prison and tortured until they die.

I just keep looking at places in the world where this is reality for people, and wondering what have I done/what can I do to help? Praying for all the saints to be kept sanctified until the day is really the only thing I can do at the moment. Right now, God has me stationed in a bible school, learning the word, preparing me for what is to come. I have often gone into the community to tell people about Jesus to show them Gods love and be a light in this world. I take joy in that. Later though, am I willing to go out into a place where I will die by the sword, by being thrown in boiling oil, be crucified for whom I profess as the Saviour of my Soul? Am I willing to leave the comfort of family and friends, the comfort of a well paying, stable job to go to a place where I will be alone, stripped naked of all my belongings, sleep on freezing concrete floor, often not having any food? This is a reality that people have to face every day in areas of oppression.

Where is their comfort? where is their hope? In the Lord! They know that if they die, they will not taste death again. they will be safely under the alter of our Lord. We need to encourage these people, and also be encouraged by them as well. In the end, all who remain in Christ will have the Crown of life and will live forever in the glory of Him who called us. We need to be praying for people in hardcore situations of trial and persecution, wherever on the globe it is. If we aren't are we really supporting the rest of the body?

These are just things that I have been challenged by in this book. It isn't anything of fear, or being scared of what is to come, but out of love for the rest of the saints that need help and comfort that their Lord is in control.

Sorry. my thoughts are all over the place.

The Geltch Family

If any one who follows this blog could pray for one of the families on the base here. Mark and Mellissa Geltch (along with their children) are two very passionate missionaries who have given up pretty much everything to continue on making waves in Indonesia. This week, Marks Dad passed away. The Geltchs are in the process of moving over everything to Bali, and in two weeks time are to be living there for good. Please pray for Gods hand to move in their lives in this time.

I have only talked to Mark a few times in the time that I have been here, but every time has left me with encouragement and faithfulness. Again, please pray for them.

-David

Christmas and now...

During the Christmas season, one of my good mates down here invited me to his parents house for Christmas down in Huskisson, south of Sydney. That week, we had a really sweet barefoot bowls session, saw many beaches, kicked back on the porch and had many beers, went to the blue mountains, played aqua golf, played Cricket, played football(American), ate snaggs, ate ice cream, and went surfing. Words could not describe how blessed it was for me to be apart of the Windred family this Christmas. They took me in, treated me as their own, and supported me on my walk with the Lord. This Christmas, even though I was away from my family back home, was the best Christmas ever. I'm a poor Bible School student, yet the Lord decided to provide only in a way that he knows how to provide.

After the break was over, it was really easy getting back into the school, and all that comes with it. This last week though has just been stupidly hard on my soul. Not the work, nor is it anything in the work that is causing me such distress. I'm doing my work, and doing it well, getting high A's and having lots of time to just chill. What is causing my distress is a mixture of questions, passions, realizations and just a feeling of escape. Right now, the thing I want to do most is just take a flight to a place I have not been before, preach the word until I die, whether it be 60 years from now, or one day from now. Its not going to happen. The Harvest is ready, yet the workers are so few. This storm will pass, and I'll take joy once again, it'll just be in a little time. that's all. Just need to have patience I guess.

Family

Mark 3:33-35

^"33And he answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" ³⁴And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother."

The past few weeks have been pretty hard with being away from family and friends back home. There has just been lots of feelings of longing to see people, wanting to be there to see my niece and nephews grow up. Times where I just want to sit back, talk with my dad about things, or make a feast with my mom, and brothers, or just times of sitting back, and chilling with my friends talking about random things, just having a good time. But time and time again does God bring me back to his purpose for my life, not his. That there is nothing to big, nothing to small that I should be willing to surrender for the name of the Lord.

Not saying that the people out here are bad or anything. They have been here for me when I needed to talk, they have been here for me when God has been working through me, but there is just a different feeling, knowing that this is the only nine months that I will ever know/see these people for any extended amount of time. They play a very significant role in my life for the next nine months, but after that, what? Are they only to be acquaintances of mine?

Just thoughts...

So Far...

Hello!

Over the last two months, I've been in a bible school, on the opposite side of the world from where my home is. I can't say I've had a more challenging (Spiritually and Mentally) time in my life so far. Constantly surrounded by a community with little time to get away and live. Always some one around, never any privacy. There is always something that could use a cleaning in the house, and rarely any one ready to clean it. Spiritually, there is much more concious awareness as to an eternal perspective, and the choices that I see people making. Choices that separate further and further from the truth, and from Jesus. Also, to see peoples hard work and labour being turned up in vain. People showing raw emotional love and servant hood being denied by the ones meant to receive it.

As for studying, wake up, read a few chapters of my bible eat breakfast, go to class till lunch, study till Supper, study after supper till bed time, repeat. So little time to do anything else.

But it has also been two of the best times of my life. Being pushed away from my comfort zone into an atmosphere where everyone is working in harmony, in the Sunshine Coast of Australia onlooking a beautiful river. Being able to serve one another in a tangible way, and always looking to help one another out, and being open with one another about struggles, goals, passions, visions.

Being able to be covered in the word of God nearly every waking hour of the day, no where else would I have this opportunity. Also, any time I go out, I've had the opportunity to share in fellowship with some one else who has noticed my bible, and wanted to bless me with encouragement, I have been extremely blessed.

In my studies, the biggest thing that I have been learning, and recognizing is the idea of bowing before Jesus in the throne room of the Almighty, revering him, and serving him. about a month ago, I studied Luke and Acts, two of the books with the most real and practical applications to our lives as Christians. Recorded events and real teachings of Jesus, and his followers. Yet the story does not stop there. after the book of acts, the story goes on. We are Acts 29. we are the people that serve Christ, and seek to see his kingdom furthered, and to help a people who are so lost. More and more what I have been seeing is that if there is no action, no one telling others about Jesus, no one to go out, then there is no point in having faith in Christ. I just finished studying James, and the big thing in James is that if some one has faith, but does not live it out, his faith is dead, and he has no faith. It is the sin of not responding to the call that Jesus has in our lives to out and tell others about him. A theme that runs through Hebrews is how God has spoken to the nation of Israel, yet the fathers had not responded, but continued on. The author of Hebrews is crying out to the readers to not be hard in their hearts, so deaf in their ears to the voice and leading of God. How they will miss the mark because of their inaction. Yet how different are people who call themselves Christians because they go to church every Sunday, and do nothing in between the weeks.

This has been on my heart, and it is more and more what I have been seeing in the scriptures.

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which have been prepared before hand, that we should walk in them."

David

Heyheyhey...

So, I'm back in Australia, and should really pick up writing the blog again. I guess people back home want to know what I'm doing...so, here I go.

A little over a year ago, God said to me, "Go to YWAM." So, last September, I went to the Sunshine Coast to do my YWAM. While I was on outreach, God said, "Go back to the Sunshine Coast, and continue with YWAM, and do the School of Biblical Studies." At the time, I was all hyped up to go. I didn't have anything back home to tie me down, no debt, nothing to stop me really. That was in February of 2011. SBS starts in September of 2011, so there was a little bit of a "waiting period" so to speak. During that time, I worked at a fast food joint, serving others, using my actions to witness to people, rather then preach to them. When I started there, I was the only Christian worker there, no one got along, and gossiped about everyone else. When I left that joint, there was a sense of peace, and calmness, and no hostility towards one another. Then I left to go work at Bible Camp, leading two discipleship programs during the summer, and cabin lead the Senior Teen week.

During the 6-7 months that I was back in Canada, I went deeper in relationships with people, and my family to. The first time I left for Aus, there wasn't a whole lot of emotional attachment. Yea, I loved people, and held them in respect as I would my own blood relatives. This time, leaving was hard. Really hard. If I were to use an example, It would be like pulling apart a string or something. Being attached to so many people, then just breaking off from them for a year with a simple tug. I mean, I can still communicate with everyone, and talk to them, but there is a little barrier of an ocean apart from all of them. Its just not the same. But, its necessary for me to do. Give up everything to follow the Lord. give up family, give up money, give up time, give up everything.
Before we can let God use us, we must first be willing to be sacrifices ourselves. Before we can say "God, what is it that you want me to do?" we must first be willing to say "yes" no matter what the cost. This is something of a cliché, you know, "of course we must be willing to do anything." But it's so much more then just words. Soooooo much more. Something that I have only started to learn, and until later on in my life, I'll never fully understand. I don't have kids, I don't have a wife, I don't have a house, I don't have a car, I don't have anything except me to offer. Even before I can have family, I must first be willing to give them up. I'm not going to use the classic Abraham offering Isaac at the altar, because I have no idea how Abraham felt, and have no idea how hard it would have been to offer up the only child he had bore. No way.

The story I will use is any story where Jesus heals people. The common thing that they all have is that Jesus showed compassion on them, and healed them. Then they went away rejoicing, and telling others about the what Christ has done for them. This is all I can do now. Rather then try and dwell on what I might have back home, I can rejoice with the mercies and blessings that Christ has given me today.

God Bless, David.

Habakuk 1:2

² How long, LORD, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not save?

Last post before outreach.

Hello!
For outreach, I will be with a team of 9 other people, going to Indonesia for one month, and Thailand for one month.
Not exactly sure what we will be doing during these two months.
If you would like to pray for us, please pray that we will not see this as just another part of our DTS, but rather as a chance to serve people as Jesus did, and also for protection. (Spiritualy and Physicaly).
Thank you all for your support, and constent encouragement! I love you all!
God Bless you, and keep you.
David.

Kingdom of Heaven, and Prayer week...

Hello!
I did not post last week because I felt that the past two weeks worked hand in hand. One week ago, the topic was the Kingdom of Heaven. NOT Heaven itself. The Kingdom of Heaven is simply the physical acts, and effect of the people who serve Jesus by being the example of what Jesus did, which was serve others. The parable of the leavened bread is a perfect example of The Kingdom. Even though there is only a little bit of leaven in the bread, it is leavened all the way through. Example: if some a church were to build a playground for every one to use, and some of the mothers got together, and started just building friendships, and spreading joy, THAT is the Kingdom of God at work. Then if some of the mothers there found out that one of the families that uses the park is struggling to make ends meet, and they all pitch in to support them in a rough time, THAT is the Kingdom of God at work! When Jesus said "The Kingdom of God is at hand," he meant it. The Kingdom of God is not the Church either. The Church is not a building that we all gather at, but the body of Christ. The Church and the Kingdom work hand in hand. When the Church benefits the Kingdom, the Kingdom will in turn start to bless the Church. That is what I love about how God sets things up! To work hand in hand. Also, in the Lords Prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven." Heaven is perfect. God desires us, all of us to live within the Kingdom. When we pray, we are to pray as Gods will, not our own be done. Ya, that can be a scary thing, but when we are truly fearing God, we will be obedient to him up to death.


Prayer Week.
This week, we had groups of five people switching off praying every three hours for five days. Literally, the whole week, we were praying. Prayer is so much more powerful then we think. Christians in China pray three to five hours a day. Christians in South Korea pray two to three hours a day. Christians in North America, three to five minutes a day. Look to China! Look to South Korea! Those are the places that Revival is happening! Before every great revival, some one started praying. China, a Communist nation, South Korea, not a Communist nation, are seeing revival, despite persecution, or despite living comfortably, without the immediate threat of Death.
This week, God has Blessed us greatly. People in our group who are Narcoleptic, Celiac, people with swollen ankles, and people with painful knees were all healed this week! Why? Because of Prayer. God wants us to talk to him. It is a two way relationship with God. There is no waiting around for God to just show up. The more we press in to God, the more he will reveal His awesomeness to us. Some times it does not happen instantly. Even if we do not see results, God is still working. One of my leaders went on an outreach and had the group that he lead pray for two hours every day before they started anything. Six weeks went by, and they saw no results of their prayers. Then, they were preaching to an unreached peoples group, and God started to use them like they have never seen before. People were getting healed, and people were getting saved! Some times, we wont even see the fruits of our labor though. Because two people prayed with an eight year old sixty eight years ago, then never saw the boy again, three generations of a family are now Christians. Prayer is essential, the the essence of communicating with God. Through prayer do we talk with God, and through prayer does God answer us.
At the end of the week, we went down to the beach, and sang some worship music for hours. After about three minutes though, we had people coming up to us, and asking us questions. It was great! At one point, there was about thirty people just standing around us, listening, and some were worshiping with is too! We even saw a few non Christians come to know the Lord that night!
God Bless you all!

David

Just some feelings...

These are just some random thoughts that I have been having. Not to be taken seriously or anything.

1. I really miss my guitar.

2. I really miss my Ipod, BUT if I had my guitar, I could play all the songs that are on my Ipod...
3. I even if i had my guitar here, there is no way I would be able to play it because I would also need my amp, and I'm not sure I would be able to lug an amp around Indonesia and Thailand when I am out-reach.
4. I want to write some songs. I cannot do that here because I do not have my Guitar.

5. I miss the good old Mennonite cooking. I should really whip up a batch of Perogies or something.

6. I'm usually in the mood to go play football or soccer or something.

7. Why is there no Ozone layer above Australia? SPF 50 barely keeps you not burnt.

8. I'm in Australia.

9. Water is good for you!

10. Tim Tam SLAM!!

11. Room mates do NOT appreciate it when you are up half the night coughing.

12. People say the funniest things in their sleep.

14. Cordial is best mixed with water. NOT strait up.

15. Why is there no Morning Tea back at home?

16. What will a Christmas without snow be like?

17. Who is Melchezideck?

18. BOOM, Roasted.

19. The Sage of Washington Oaks - The Color Morale.

20. I skipped #13.

Destiny by Design...

Hello!

This week the topic was "Destiny by Design," spoken to us by Ryan Kirk. He opened up the week with a trip to the Graveyard to look at all those who have passed away, and to see how they are remembered by what the inscription on the Gravestone says. This got us to thinking how we would like to be remembered, and other thoughts about Heaven and such. There was a reoccurring verse that went along with his speaking. "Naked I was born into the world, and naked I will depart..." - Job 1:21. This idea about how we should live a life like we have nothing to lose, except the things that will be eaten by moths, or be withered away to nothing by rust.
A lot of the time, we are consumed with our well-being, and storing our security in our materials and our money. God can take it away in a matter of seconds and then where does our security go?
Mr. Kirk also talked about the future. Our future should be involving the gifts that God has given us. If some one is good at Wood working, he would not go and pursue a career in fishing, trying to be the next host of a fishing show. He would use what he has been given, something that has come natural to him, and pursue a career in wood working. Take Barnabas. His gift was encouragement (hence being called the Son of Encouragement). He followed Paul from Church to Church encouraging Paul and the Church. When Paul was fed up with Mark, and how he did not evangelize enough, Barnabas kept encouraging Paul to give him another chance. Two chapters later, Paul was asking for Mark to come with him because, "He is a useful tool to me."
Another point that came across, and struck me like a book was, "how does living with an eternal perspective change the view we have on the unsaved?" How do we view those who are unsaved when we are going to Heaven, and you know very well that those who are unsaved are going to die into an eternity of physical and spiritual anguish? We should never let an opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ slip away. Plant seeds, and save lives.

Thank you for your continual support and prayers. They mean more then words can ever express.

David

Missions Week...

Hello!
This week, Chris and Susanne Donaldson, from Christchurch New Zealand, came to speak on the Missions heart of God.
One fact that they shared is that only 2% of all missionaries are reaching to the people who have not been reached. Only 2%.
God is a God of Missions. In the Old Testament, God sets up the Israelites to be missionaries. In Deut. 4:5-8 Moses says that if you follow the Law, the Nations will see how we are at peace, how we are not sick, and how we are in tune with our God.
And in Joshua, the cities that are to be conquered by the Israelites are trembling with fear because God has delivered them from Pharaohs hand by parting the Red Sea.
Every one around them were seeing, and recognizing that their God is a God that was real.
Chris also talked about the different roles that missionaries are to take on, according to their gifts.
Paul was the Pioneer. Romans 12:20, 2nd Cor. 11:22-24, Acts 20:3,4
Phillip was the Evangelist. Acts 8:4-8, Acts 8:26-36, Acts 11:19-20
Barnabus was the Encourager and Supporter. Acts 4:36-37, Acts 9:26-27, Acts 13:1,2
Gaius was for Hospitality. 3rd John 5-9
And there are many more to add to the list...
We then talked about how even when there is former existence of God in Nations, he will still make himself known.
In Athens when Paul was visiting, he went to debate with the scholars of the day. He then brought up the alter to the "Unknown God." Who that Unknown God was, was the Lord Almighty.

In the 6th Century BC, there was a very bad plague that was going around Athens. Once they had all offered sacrifices to the major gods (Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, ect...) they then went to the Oracles of the day. God gave a vision to the Oracle of Delfi to go see the Poet Epimenides regarding the matter. Epemenides said that you should get sheep to fast for several days, and when the days are up, send them out. Where they lay down, you will build an alter, and sacrifice to this God. Epimenides did not give the name of the Lord, because he did not know it. One thing about sheep is that they will not lay down until they have been feed, and their stomach is full. For the Greeks to see starving sheep laying down was a sign to them that this "unknown god" was the true God. Once they made the sacrifice, the plague stopped, and they want back to their ways.
God will make himself known to nations, but needs us to be his hands and feet to reach to the nations that are waiting, and hungry for the truth. When God calls you to a certain area, he will also call others to support you.
God is a God of Missions. Amen?
Thank you for your continual prayers and support!
God Bless you all!
David.

The Nature and Characteristics of God...

Hello!
Week 4 has come to and end. This week, Judy Smith (the speaker) talked about the Nature and Characteristic of God. She opened up the week by looking at the first three chapters in Genesis, and breaking down the original intended relationship that God wanted with us. One thing that she stressed is that God wants community with us. She looked at how important the concept of the Trinity was. It tells us that God has been living in Community with Jesus and the Holy Spirit for an eternity before the earth was created. She also looked at how Isahia 53 is the exact prophecy of Jesus, and how every verse fits the life of Jesus perfectly.
She then looked at the Servent Characteristic of God. Jesus came to serve us, not to rule us. if you look at the world, and its view on things, you come up with words and phrases such as: Dictator, Power, Personal Gain, Controling, The American Dream, Selfish, Fear, Abusive.
If you look at what Jesus was trying to do, you get words like: Humble, Self Sacrificing, Love, Last, Caring, Good Heart, Selfless, Thoughtful, Generous and Respectful. It is good to look at things with the Jesus point of view. It makes things much more enjoyable in the World.

The last thing that Judy said was the God raises the Dead. This was important because if he did not raise the dead, then how are we to get to Heaven when we die?

Thank you for support and prayers!
David