Keepin It Real...

Im Gonna Keep On Babblin'

2011-07-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

Therefore he reasoned in the synagoue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.

-Acts17:17

The Christian’s constant witness may seem as worthless talk to some, but keep talking. Talking about Jesus is the spark that brings revival.

It is impossible to keep silent once you have truly believed the message of the gospel. In this story, you see Paul in Athens beholding all the idolatry and false teaching, and his spirit was grieved within him. He was surrounded by idols and idol worshipers. Once you have truly believed the gospel, all other teachings will cause you to rise up and speak the truth. This world is full of philosophers with followings, speaking empty lies to itching ears.

God had burned the message of the gospel into Paul’s heart, and He has burned it into mine as well. Telling the story is everything to me. A “babbler” is one who might appear to others as simple or ignorant. It is derived from the Greek word, spermologos, (sperm meaning seed, logos meaning to collect.) In the timed of the disciples, it had been used to describe someone who would survive by collecting scraps falling from the wagons and carts going through town. In a similar manner, Paul’s audience in this story most likely looked upon him as a mere babbler—distributing scattered knowledge here and there, but not truly learned about any subject.

Paul was not responsible for the results of the message, only for getting the message out. He was responsible for “babbling.” The hearers of were responsible for the results. Some mocked. Some procrastinated. Some believed and followed. It is like that in any revival.

Like Paul, as long as I have breathing in my body, I am going to keep on babbling. In the true sense of the word, it suggests on is outside of the world’s literary, philosophical realm—and that is just fine with me. I am not here to conform to this world’s philosophies…I have been transformed by the renewing of my mind! -(Steve Hill)

In early August, I will be moving to Orange County, California. We are believing that the Lord is going to pour out historic revival there. We plan to cover every area that the Jesus movement covered in 1970s. We will be preaching the Gospel in the streets, beaches, and everywhere else we can; to everybody that we can. The Lord has said to get a one way ticket, so Im not sure how long ill be there. I will continue to keep you updated on what the Lord is doing. Please pray that the Lord will release Heaven on earth, as He saves, heals, and delivers the masses.

I Don't Want Entertainment, I Want Jesus.

2011-06-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

"There is something in the Pentecostal work that is different from anything else in the world. Somehow, in Pentecost you know that God is a reality. Wherever the Holy Spirit has right-of-way, the gifts of the Spirit will be in manifestation. Where these gifts are never in manifestation, I question whether He is present. Pentecostal people are spoiled for anything other than Pentecostal meetings. We want none of the entertainments that other churches are offering. When God comes in, He entertains us Himself. We are entertatined by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! Oh, it is wonderful." -Smith Wigglesworth

Father Of Lights.

2011-06-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

I can't wait for this movie to come out:

If you haven't seen them yet, you need to check out Finger of God and Furious Love.

Check them out HERE

My Next Adventure.

2011-06-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

This is the next adventure that I will be going on. I leave for Kona, HI on June 19th to help staff this school. For 5 weeks we will go through intense training to ensure that we are fully equipped to preach and demonstrate the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After the school, I will be helping lead a team to the Los Angeles area to release the love and power of Jesus Christ. I appreciate your continued prayer and support, and I will keep you updated as much as possible. Feel free to contact me with any questions. Thank you for joining this journey with me. Check out the promo video below.

“No family was too poor, no house too filthy, no town too remote, and no people too ignorant to receive the good news that life could be better.”

Promo Video

O' God Stamp Eternity On My Eyeballs.

2011-06-01T21:11:00.001-07:00

The Vision.

2011-05-18T11:29:00.001-07:00

This is my heart's cry. I will live and die for this way of living because the Lamb is worthy of His suffering. I am His reward and other's have to know that they are. Be challenged. This is your inheritance.

The vision is Jesus - obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus. The vision is an army of young people. You see bones? I see an army. And they are FREE from materialism. They laugh at 9-5 little prisons. They could eat caviar on Monday and crust on Tuesday. They wouldn't even notice. They are mobile like the wind; they belong to the nations. They need no passport. People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence. They are free yet they are slaves of the hurting and the dirty and the dying.

What is the Vision? The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes. It makes children laugh and adults angry. It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars. It scorns the good and strains for the best. It is dangerously pure. Light flickers from every secret motive, every private conversation. It loves people away from their suicide leaps, their Satan games.

This is an army that will lay its life for the cause. A million times a day its soldiers choose to lose that they might one day win the great, "Well Done, faithful sons and daughters." Such heroes are as radical on Monday mornings as Sunday night. They don't need frames from names. Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again, "Come on!"

And the army is disciplined. Young people who beat their bodies into submission. Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms. The tattoo on their back boasts, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes. Winners. Martyrs. Who can stop them? Can hormones hold them back? Can failure succeed? Can fear scare them or death kill them? And the generation PRAYS like a dying man with groans beyond talking, with warrior cries, sulfurous tears and with great barrow loads of laughter! Whatever it takes, they will give.

Breaking the rules. Shaking the mediocrity from its cozy little hide. Laying down their rights and their precious little wrings, laughing at labels, fasting essentials. The advertisers cannot mould them. Hollywood cannot hold them. Peer pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late night parties before the cockerel cries. They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive inside. On the outside? They hardly care. They wear clothes like a costume to communicate and celebrate but never to hide. Would they surrender their image or popularity? They would lay down their very lives - swap seats with the man on death row - guilty as hell. An electric chair for a throne. With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days, They pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on them. Their DNA chooses Jesus. He breathes out, they breathe in. Their subconscious sings. They've had a blood transfusion with Jesus. Their words make demons scream in shopping centers. Don't you hear them coming? Herald the weirdos! Summon the losers and the freaks. Here comes the frightened and forgotten with the fire in their eyes. They walk tall and trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension.

Their prayers summon thehounds of heaven and invoke the ancient dream of Eden.

And this vision will be:

It will come to pass; it will come easily; it will come soon. How do I know? Because this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning of the Spirit, the very dream of God. My tomorrow is His today. My distant hope is His 3D. And my feeble whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking "Amen!" from countless angels, from heroes of the faith, from Christ Himself. And He is the original dreamer, the ultimate winner.

Guaranteed.

-Pete Craig

FIRE.

2011-05-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

In The Silence.

2011-05-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

Tired of telling you, you have me
When I know you really don't
Tired of telling you I'll follow
When I know I reallly won't
Cause I'd rather stand here speechless
With no great words to say
If my silence is more truthful
And my ears can hear how to walk in your way
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/j/jason_upton/in_the_silence.html ]
In the silence
You are speaking
In the quiet I can feel the fire
And it's burning, burning deeply
Burning all that it is that you desire to be silent, in me

Oh Jesus can you hear me?
My soul is screaming out
And my broken will cries teach me
What your Kingdom's all about
Unite my heart to fear you,
To fear your holy name
Adn create a life of worship
In the spirit and truth of your loving ways

-Jason Upton

Papa Mateos

2011-03-09T21:10:00.000-08:00

It never fails, as soon as I walk out of my gate I hear the little voices calling, “Papa Mateos!” My heart stirs with love for each of the lives represented, as I scan the scene to find my little friends. As they come running, I open my arms ready to pick them up for a hug. With smiles on their faces, they ask me how I’m doing in Portuguese, and I respond the best I can. Then with broken English they communicate with me the best they know how, but there is no mistaking love. I have made quite a few buddies since I have been here, and ill have to admit, it’s going to be hard to leave them.

Its plain and simple, we are friends. We enjoy each other’s company, when we see each other we smile, we talk, and we spend time together. There is actually anticipation, in my heart, for the next time we will meet. I am always expecting to see my little friends at every turn, and I know that they are looking for me as well. This reminds me of another relationship that is very important to me: my relationship with the Holy Spirit. Some may think that the Holy Spirit isn’t that personal to us, but I beg to differ. In John 16:7, Jesus prepared the disciples for His ascension into Heaven as He said, “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”

In no way would I think that it was a good idea that Jesus left the earth, but according to this Scripture I have to put my faith in Jesus’ advice. According to Jesus, it was and is to our advantage that He is no longer on earth. In John 14:17-18 Jesus prophesied, “But you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I WILL NOT leave you orphans; I will come to you.” I declare to you, Jesus is with us, we are not orphans; we have the Spirit of the living God inside of us.

As the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is here to help us, comfort us, teach us, empower us to minister to others, etc. Just like I enjoy spending time with, talking with, and just hanging out with the kids, I am learning to embrace my relationship with the Holy Spirit. The more real this relationship becomes, the more fruit my life will bear. Jesus was clear about this in John 15:5 when He said, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, BEARS MUCH FRUIT; for without Me you can do nothing.” The Holy Spirit is God in us, and this is the way that He has chosen to communicate to us. Unfortunately, He is the one, from the Godhead, that usually gets left out.

Scripture is clear that just like we get feel grief, the Holy Spirit can too. (Ephesians 4:30) What do you think He feels like when He is constantly ignored, mistaken, left out, or quenched? I sure know that I have been very guilty of this in my past and still can be. But as I truly repent, I want to turn away from this mindset and set my mind on cultivating a deep relationship with Him, thus doing the opposite of the previous. Therefore, I want to be led by the Spirit in every aspect of my day and allow His leadership to be what dictates how I lead. This means including Him in every aspect of my life. Expecting, desiring, and waiting on His leadership will drastically change the way we live. When you think about it, this seems very basic. I think its time we get back to the basics and get connected with the power that is going to change the world. Your thoughts?

Thank you for your continued prayer and support. Email me if you need need anything!

The Hungry Ones...

2011-02-20T13:56:00.000-08:00

The last 2 weeks, our team has been getting settled in here at the Iris base. Since this is an orphanage, you can imagine that there are a lot of different things that need to be done. Before we came, as we prayed about helping Iris, the Lord highlighted the fact that we were to serve them wholeheartedly while we were here. Desiring to be completely obedient, we have been committed to just that. Now I like the preaching of the Gospel, seeing salvations, healings, miracles, etc, but that isn’t all that goes on here. There are 100’s of little mouths to feed, kids to watch after, food to buy, gardens to plant, classes to teach, etc. On a daily basis, this Iris base feeds over 1000 children and around 400 workers and missionaries. Their staff ranges from women that care for the children to guards that man the gates round the clock, and many others. There are also 20+ full time missionaries that live on or around the base. So much goes into the daily “in’s and out’s” of a full time orphanage.

As a team, we have all decided where we wanted to serve and have been going to those jobs daily. Personally, I decided to go help in the kitchen. I don’t know what it is about kitchens, but I haven’t seemed to be able to get away from them. I think the Lord is really trying to show me how to find joy in the everyday tasks that we do. Brother Lawrence, an old Gregorian monk from the 1600s, is known for having a very intimate relationship with the Lord. A collection of his writings called “Practicing the Presence” tells of how he learned to practice the presence of the Lord in his everyday activities. He writes, “"There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful, than that of a continual conversation with God. Those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it." I was defiantly inspired by his words and his stories, and have been willing to put them to the test. Each day I have to give the kitchen workers the food to cook, oversee their work, and go buy the supplies for the week. So I have been determined to find Him there.

Bright and early, I meet the workers to get ready for the day. We sing worship songs, pray, and greet each person individually. This is a great time of the day for me. Even though I’m not fluent in their language, we laugh, dance, and really bond during this time. After we pray, I take them into the storage room and give them the supplies to cook for the day. Since you are feeding over 1000 people a day, for lunch and supper, this takes quite a while. It usually takes over 100 pounds of beans, twelve 15lb. bags of rice, and a few other ingredients. After I get them set up for the day, I have to go to town to buy other food for the week. I usually have to go to the market, and other little stores along the way. There really isn’t one store that has it all, which makes it quite an adventure. After town, I usually have to be back on the base to receive our larger orders. The bigger stuff we need, like beans, rice, etc., comes by truck. Some may say, “Sounds like a pretty boring job to get stuck with, why did you go all the way to Africa for that?” My answer to them would be simple. Sometimes the Lord cares so much about you that He will move you all the way across the world to teach you something. It’s hard to learn to be poor in Spirit in the midst of the materialism that is in the western world, or the rest of the world for that matter. It’s easy to say that we don’t love our nice cars, houses, food preferences, etc until they are stripped from you. Jesus declared in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” I don’t know about you, but I want the revelation of Heaven now, so I long to be poor in Spirit. Being poor in Spirit is a frame of mind, and desiring “stuff” easily clutters our ability to grasp this revelation. This self-emptying conviction, that “before God we are void of everything,” lies at the foundation of all spiritual excellence, according to the teaching of Scripture. Without it we are inaccessible to the riches of Christ; with it we are in the right position for receiving all spiritual supplies.

Grasping this TRUTH means that we can have the Kingdom now, and we don’t have to wait. The said in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” I want to know Him, way more than having my stuff. And this experience has made me realize how much comfort I found in some of my stuff. I can honestly say that I’ve never been happier or more fulfilled than now. I would be satisfied with living in a tent for the rest of my life, as long as I had the Holy Spirit and His presence. To clarify, I’m not saying that I have completely arrived to being poor in Spirit, but I’m closer than ever. Its amazing the realm of Heaven that opens up when you only have Him to run to.

The other night, I went outside and looked up at the stars. I don’t know if you have ever experienced it, but the stars in Africa are different. There are no bright lights that are dulling God’s creation, and the picture of the sky that is painted is unbelievable. As I gazed to the sky, I started to cry. I felt the presence of God, and I heard the Spirit whisper, “I love you.” I immediately cried out to Him for more of His love. Although I know that I am closer to God than ever, I am hungrier than ever. This makes you feel like you are so far away from Him. Misty Edwards puts this feeling in to words way better than I could. She sings:

Though I sleep,
My heart is awake
Though it's night, on You I wait

It's been a long night,
And I am weary
It's been a long time,
And I am hungry

So I'll wait in the stillness again
I'll wait in the quiet again

When I heard Your voice
When You said my name
When I heard Your voice
My heart it yearned

In the middle of the night
In the middle of the night
In the middle of the night
My heart it yearns

Though You're far away,
Still I'm here to say
I am Yours, I am Yours
And when You feel so far away,
Still I am here to say:

I am Yours, I am Yours

And I pay my vows,
No turning around
I'll burn the bridges that can't be found

For when I heard Your voice
And You said my name
When I heard Your voice
My heart it yearned…
For You…

I would be willing to bet that most of you are in the same boat. Those that are hungry can be comforted by Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” The Lord isn’t at all surprised by this hunger that we have. The reality is that He is the cause of it all. He wants us to seek Him. The hunger that we have for Him is the substance and the evidence of His hunger and love for us, and as we press in we discover more of Him. Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of Kings.” The Lord hides His glory, and the hungry will seek it out. Those that want more will NEVER give up, they refuse to be denied, the hungry ones.

This hunger has been shared by many of those that have sought the Lord. In Psalm 27:8 King David wrote, “"When You said, Seek my face; my heart said to You, Your face, LORD, I WILL seek." The Lord is saying the same thing to you today. Seek my face, and you WILL receive. This invitation is inviting you into the depths of His Kingdom explained above. Mike Bickle explains that Lord is saying, "I’m drawing you, you are restless, you are restless for me. Don't drink from other water! It’s Me you are hungry for; it’s Me you are thirsty for. I created you to thirst for Me! Your thirst was created so you would come for Me! Its the evidence of My desire for you!" So be encouraged! And press in to the Lord; He has a world of things to reveal to you. No one who waits on the Lord will be ashamed, or disappointed. Get what He has for you!

Abiding In Him...

2011-02-09T05:22:00.000-08:00

God continues to pour out His faithfulness on me according to Philippians 1:6, which says, “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you WILL carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” That particular Scripture, among others, has been bringing a lot of encouragement to me lately. I can be encouraged that God is more committed to my future than I could ever be. You may ask, “What part do I play in this then?” Jesus declared in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” We all know that bearing fruit is an important part of our Christian walk, because Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruit.” Personally, I can allow myself to be overwhelmed when I constantly focus on bearing fruit. The reason I get overwhelmed is because bearing fruit shouldn’t be my focus. I have a promise: that if I abide in Him, He WILL abide in me, and I WILL bear much fruit. My main focus should always be my ministry to God. In Mark 12:28, a scribe asked Jesus, “What is the first commandment of all?” Jesus then responded, “The most important one is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Intimacy unto fruitfulness should be our goal, not the other way around. The “things” we do for God will never be able to replace the joy that is found in His presence. As we enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4)--we are renewed, empowered, and filled with love and purpose. In this place, God allows us to see His empowering grace at work, which is slowly transforming us into His likeness. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) This is what allows us to minister, to others, in love and power. It’s simple; if you want to learn to love, spend time with the One who created it. Some people may think that they can find love from another source, but as Heini Arnold writes, “As long as we think we can save ourselves by our own will power, we will only make the evil in us stronger than ever!” This may leave you asking, “Well, how do I abide?” The biblical definition of abiding from John 15:5 is: to wait for or to endure without yielding. It means that we can just receive His love that He is constantly pouring out. It means that we can just sit and enjoy God. The Lord is always looking to bless us with His love and His presence. When is the last time that you just sat and waited on God or you just told Him that you were there to listen? When is the last time that you asked Him to bless you with His presence? I don’t know about you, but this is good news to me. The God of the universe just wants me! The same God that spoke the world into existence just wants to hang out with me. And from that place, I WILL find intimacy with Him. From that place, I WILL know His heart; therefore, I WILL know how to pray. From that place, I WILL want to read His word, put it to memory, and obey it. From that place, I WILL be led into worship. And in that place, I WILL find the fullness of joy, and this gives me strength for everything else. (Nehemiah 8:10) As the secret place (Psalm 91) becomes your dwelling, you realize that Jesus is actually with you throughout your whole day. It’s not a TRUTH that you just read about anymore, it’s a reality that you walk in. Abiding has taught you to become constantly aware of His presence. This is how Jesus constantly knew what the Father was doing, and how He heard what He was saying. Throughout His life, He learned how to abide. I want to be about my Father’s business, just like Jesus was, and abiding in Him is the key! So I end this by declaring to you John 16:33, where Jesus encourages us by saying, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

The Church Glorious...

2011-02-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

POWERFUL, stunning, and ALL-CONSUMING. The church JEALOUS, devouring YOUR WHOLE LIFE. The church magnetic, CLAIMING EVERY MOMENT OF YOUR BEING. The church LIVING and FREE. The church winged in flight. NOT A PLACE, but A PEOPLE-LIVING IN THE HEAVENLIES, CONSTANTLY CONSUMED WITH HIM, and BLIND TO ALL ELSE. The church she once was, OUGHT TO BE, CAN BE, WILL BE! A bride--PASSIONATE, frolicking, wooing and MADLY IN LOVE WITH HER LORD AND HER LOVE. A people who KNOW and EXPERIENCE HIM!

-Gene Edwards

Your Kingdom Come...Your Will Be Done...

2011-01-31T13:24:00.001-08:00

Expectations couldn’t even begin to come close to preparing me for what I have been experiencing on this trip so far. I know my last update began much like this as well, but God continues to exceed my expectations time and time again. Last Thursday, we left Capetown, South Africa and headed towards our adventure that waited in Mozambique. After a 12-hour layover in Johannesburg we flew to Maputo. When we arrived to the airport we grabbed our bags and headed to the bus ticket booth. Unfortunately, we found out that the next bus didn’t leave until a week later. Now you may be wondering, “Why didn’t you arrange that before hand?”, but things just don’t work like that in Africa. Normally, if you just head out on a missions trip everything is taken care of, however, we all know that the real world doesn’t always work that smoothly. God has really been teaching me about that. Sure, its great to have things arranged etc, but that isn’t always God’s plan. If we get so caught up in our “strategy” and the “plans” that we have made, we wont be free to be moved by the Spirit. I’m not saying that planning is wrong, I’m just saying that sometimes the Holy Spirit wants to blow you like the wind. I am so thankful that He is teaching me this, because this truly adds to the adventure of following Him. Getting back to the story, this whole bus deal threw us for a loop, so we really started to wonder what we were going to do next. We decided to get a place to stay for the night, and arranged for them to come get us. As we were walking to the bus stop, where our ride was going to pick us up, a young boy approached us. It was pretty obvious that he wasn’t in the best of shape, and that he probably was asking for money. He was speaking Portuguese, so we barely understood anything that he was saying. There was a horrible wound on his leg that flies were constantly landing on, and with desperation in his eyes he pled with us and we understood none of it. I’m not saying this stuff to gross you out, I just want you see and feel what I was feeling. To be completely honest, I didn’t know what to do. I have a 4-year ministry degree, have studied missions at the University of the Nations, and have been involved in inner-city ministries for the last 4 years, and none of those “credentials” had prepared me for this. The reality is, you can’t be prepared for a situation like this. In this moment, I was completely vulnerable, and had no clue what to do next. That is exactly the place where the Lord wants us to be everyday, desperate and completely dependant on Him. We are called to be like children, in dire need of a loving Father to show us the way. I was armed with only one weapon, and that weapon was simply that of love. As we thought of his possible needs, we grabbed a left over muffin and some un-opened bottles of water that we had. We lovingly handed them over, and he downed them like he hadn’t eaten in days. We prayed over his wound and hugged him several times to try to communicate that he was welcome among us. His spirit seemed like it had been lifted and he just stood around and smiled. I can’t tell you what happened within him, but I know that at that moment, he felt loved. Shortly after this, our ride showed up and took us to the backpacker’s lodge that we found for the night. Not knowing what to do next, we prayed and felt that the Lord confirmed for us to find another bus to Pemba. Pemba is at the opposite end of Mozambique, so it is quite a drive, and most buses don’t go that far. As we asked around, we heard about a bus depot nearby that would possibly have a bus going to Pemba. So with a word from the Lord, I left with Katherine and Haley to find a bus. We grabbed the first taxi we saw, and headed towards the depot. As we arrived at the depot, we were in awe of the scene before our eyes. Multiple buses were scattered between street vendors, in what looked to be a dump. Ill have to admit, at this point I’m thinking, “How are we going to find a reliable bus here?” Then I remembered that the Lord had told us to find a bus and this was where He had taken us. We pulled in and the first bus we pulled up to said: EXPRESS PEMBA on the sign. Still a little weary, we get out and jump on the bus to check it out. There was some guy speaking English, so I told him that we needed 10 tickets to Pemba. To make a long story short, we eventually booked our tickets and headed to Pemba Sunday morning at 5am. Arranging it couldn’t have gotten any easier. The bus ride was, without a doubt, one of the craziest things I have ever experienced in my life. We ended up being on the bus for over 40 hours with over 20 stops at least. The majority of the time we were smashed in a seat with our knees barely fitting, while the bus went over numerous potholes in Mozambique’s scorching heat. There was constant rap, 80’s love ballads, and various other music from their country blasting in our ears the entire time the bus was moving, also, about 35 hours in, 4 of us realized that our feet had swollen from being in the same position for so long. Mine were so swollen I could barely walk. Needless to say, I had plenty of time to think and meditate on the situation. To be honest, there were a couple times I thought I was going to literally “loose it” and start swinging at the seat in front of me. I don’t really know what that would have accomplished, but for some reason in our feeble minds we think temper tantrums are actually to our advantage. As I processed my thoughts, throughout this journey, the Lord constantly reminded me of the Israelites. They had EVERYTHING provided to them numerous times, and they still complained constantly. Even though I didn’t voice my complaints. I was annoyed, tired, and constantly reminded of the fact that I didn’t have to be doing this. While I’m having these thoughts, the glorious presence of our Lord rested upon me, and immediately I was reminded that He IS TOTALLY WORTH IT, so I repented and considered it pure joy to be faced with this trial. There is just something about His presence that washes all our cares away, right? I want to be a man that constantly lives in that place. I’m telling you that there is TRUE JOY that can be found in suffering. I know that Jesus, Paul, and other heroes of our faith have endured much more suffering than some swollen feet in an African bus ride, however, when I said that I would follow Jesus, I signed up knowing that I would endure suffering. In 1 Corinthians 13:4, Paul opens up his description of love by saying, “Love suffers long.” You can’t think that picking up your cross daily will be an easy task, so this definitely means that you will endure suffering. The problem is that we take so much into our own hands and protect ourselves from these things. We say, “Well Jesus hasn’t called me to that” or “He wouldn’t ask me to do something that intense!” Sadly, I am coming to realize that we miss out on a lot of what He wants to show us when we depersonalize the scriptures and pick and choose what we want to be obedient to. If you follow the teachings of Jesus, I promise you that you will suffer and you will eventually find joy in that place. Personally, I’ve started to look at my life and ask myself, “How am I suffering? If I’m going to bear the cross daily, what does that look like?” I want to walk in the fullness of what God has for me, and I am prepared to endure whatever I have to endure to receive it. Since this has become my desire, I have found that my prayers have changed. I have been asking the Lord to take me through the refiner’s fire, so that I will be conformed into His image. And as I have mentioned above, with the fire comes the suffering, so the Lord has highlighted some areas where He is allowing me to share in His sufferings. This brings me back to our journey in Mozambique. We stopped one last time in Nampula, before arriving to Pemba. A lot of people had gotten off in Nampula, so this leg of the journey was way easier for us to endure. There was a guy a couple of seats ahead of me that came back and sat with us. He said that his name was Jack, asked me my name and what we were doing there. So I told him that we were there as missionaries and that we were going to be working with Iris Ministries for the next 2 months. He said that he had heard of Iris and encouraged us in our adventures. Through listening to his story and sharing more of mine, I could tell the Lord was at work. During our conversation, I commented on the cuteness of the little toddler that was sitting near us. Then Jack said, “Wasn’t it awesome when life was that easy?” Immediately, the Lord reminded me about how we are called to live like children, and to be completely dependant on Him. I lovingly explained how we are called to be like children, and how life doesn’t really have to be as difficult as we make it. As I continued to talk about putting our lives completely in the Father’s hands, Jack commented on my faith. He said, “You have one of the strongest faiths that I have ever heard in my life.” So then I asked him what he put his faith in, and he said that he was a Muslim. I was totally surprised, but aware that God had totally set this guy up for a power encounter of love. I showed him a couple of scriptures and he was totally open to hear and learn more about Jesus. Since he spoke English, I felt that I was supposed to give him my Bible, so he could seek and find for himself. I had just bought a new Bible in Johannesburg, so I had a fresh new one to give him. He was very happy to receive it and he assured me that he would read it. About this time the bus stopped in Pemba and we had to get out and meet our ride. I got Jack’s number and assured him that we would touch base while we were in Pemba. We got off the bus, grabbed our bags, and headed to the Iris base. Upon arrival, we were shortly briefed, blessed with some beans and rice, and showed to our rooms. We got a good night’s sleep and prepared for our first day. After breakfast we met our contact Katie, and she took us on the tour of the base. It was amazing to see all of the areas of ministry that we would be working in, so our anticipation rose by the minute. After our tour, we headed to the prayer hut for some worship and prayer. We all positioned ourselves for worship and began singing and praying. The presence of God began to thicken by the minute, and I began to be overwhelmed with His love. I realized that we were finally here, and I knew that we would never be the same again. After an amazing time of prayer, worship, and an encounter with God’s love, Heidi came up and greeted us. She hugged each one of us and welcomed us to the base. We were all amazed at her love and dedication to make everyone of us feel welcomed. This wasn’t an act; she was truly excited to see us. Here is a lady that has more on her plate than any of us have even imagined, but she still makes time for the one. She truly practices what she preaches! We then hurried to our lunch of rice and beans, and headed to a birthday party for the kids that were born in January. After having a time of games and fellowship, we entered into the church so the kids could get their presents and their cake. When they handed out the presents, they encouraged us to pray over each kid that was receiving. When I started praying for the kids the Lord really started to move upon me. Heidi pointed to a little girl and told me to pray for her. She appeared to be an infant, but as she explained, I realized that it was a 3-year-old suffering from malnutrition. This little girl had a full mouth of teeth and probably weighed 30 lbs at most. When I laid my hand on her and started to pray, I started to weep. Immediately I felt the Lord’s heart for this little girl and I started to declare life over her. The Lord then revealed to me that He was answering my prayers and He was allowing me to feel His burden for His people. Even though I was burdened, this reminder gave me joy, as I continued to pray for the kids. As I laid my hand on the next little boy, it happened again. I felt the Lord’s heart for Him as well. He was an orphan and it was clear that he was under that spirit. The Lord longs to be in relationship with us, and when we don’t believe that we have a loving Father, He is saddened. When I touched this boy, I knew that He needed to know His Heavenly Father, so I declared that over him. By this time I was a total wreck. The fact that the Lord allowed me to feel just a little bit of His heart for the lost just broke me. Again, I was reminded of my total dependence on Him, and how desperate I was for Him to fill me with His love. If this was my first day at Iris, what else was I going to experience? I could continue to tell you every little thing that happened, but ill save it for my book. LOL. Most Thursdays at Iris, a team of people pack up and head out to the bush for the weekend. They journey out to villages to preach the Word of God, pray for the sick, cast out demons, etc. This is going to be one of the main activities that our team will be involved in nearly every week. So on Thursday we helped pack up the trucks and headed out to the bush for an unforgettable time in. Upon arrival, we started to set up our tents, the audio equipment for the Jesus movie, and greeted those that were there. As the dusk settled, we started the movie. Many people from the village were starting to show up to view the movie. The Jesus movie is the account of Jesus’ life translated into the tribe’s native language. The ministry teams will show the movie, have a time of preaching, and then minister to those that are there. After the movie, Heidi got up and started to preach the Gospel. As the Spirit stated to move, people responded with prayers of repentance etc. As she declared that the Lord was healing, some people came forward, were prayed for, and were healed. As the meeting drew to a close, Heidi called us all over. She directed us to a hut and explained that we were going to have dinner. Since Katherine and I were the leaders on this outreach, she said we were invited to eat with the leaders of the village. Our visit was a very big deal to them, and they wanted to celebrate. Despite their financial situation, they prepared us a meal of goat and maize to honor us. So just when we thought the night couldn’t get any better, we ate goat with Heidi and Rolland Baker, and our new friends from the bush. During dinner the leaders explained how blessed they were to have us come from America and how it was an answer to their prayers for Mozambique. They then expressed how they wanted to pray for us. So after dinner the leaders started to pray for us. As they laid hands on us and prayed, I could feel their tears falling on me. You could feel the power of the Holy Spirit being released. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but you could tell it was from the heart and with much authority. This turned into an all out prayer session where everybody ended up getting amazingly blessed and filled with joy. We were all laughing, crying, and releasing blessings! God is so good. Never would I have imagined that I would be in a hut in Mozambique getting prayed over by people I had never met. See, that is the crazy thing about the Kingdom. You can meet somebody for 5 minutes and feel like you have known them for your whole life. Being able to share a love like that is priceless. We have family from all over the world, and the Lord longs to unite you with them. The next morning we woke up to Heidi brewing Starbuck’s coffee, in a French press, and commenting on how she loves to sleep at her room at the billion star hotel. She was referring to her tent in the bush. She called us all to breakfast, we ate our bread, drank our coffee, and fellowshipped in love together. It was amazing to feel the love that the village people had for us, and they had never even met us. Again, it really revealed the way the Kingdom of God works. We shared the same love and Spirit of our beautiful Savior and that immediately connected us. We hung around the village, played with kids, and did some house visits in the village. After that we packed all the equipment up and got ready to have another service in a neighboring village. Heidi, Rolland, and some others left to go back to the base, so we were with some other leaders from Iris. Our team and some of the other visitors had planned some dramas and another guy, named Elder, was doing the preaching. As we set up all the equipment for the Jesus film and the service, we played some Mozambique worship music. All of us were dancing and laughing until we were covered with sweat. The night finally came and we started the movie. After the movie ended we prepared our skits, while Elder prepared to speak. Elder is a translator, so he explained the skits after they were performed. The movie and the skits were very powerful, so it stirred the people’s appetites for more. After Elder explained the skits, to my surprise he called me up front. When I got up there, he told me to start preaching the love of God and to declare what the Lord was doing. I was totally caught off guard by this, therefore, I returned to the place of total desperation for God to move. I asked the Holy Spirit to release His presence and I started to talk about the love of God. I told them that the Lord had sent us all the way from the United States to tell them about His love for them. I declared that the Lord was there to save, heal, and deliver and whoever was thirsty could come drink. Our teams prepared themselves to pray, as numerous people rushed to the front. This was probably the most amazing thing I had ever seen in my life. The Gospel was preached to the poor, they heard the good news, and they ran into the arms of freedom. The first kid that came up to me pointed to his ears and made a grunting noise. I placed my hands on his ears and commanded them to be opened in Jesus name, and started to smile. I whispered, “Jesus,” in his ears and he repeated it to me numerous times. I asked Elder to come over and translate for me, so I could know for sure. He said that the kid had been deaf in one of his ears and all the kids used to call him names for it, but now he could hear. Amazed, I praised Jesus and continued to pray for the crowd of people. Numerous people chose Jesus, were healed, and repented of witchcraft, lust, addiction, and many other things that night. It was a life changing experience. Again, I declare to everyone who is reading this, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He saves, He heals, and He delivers. This isn’t just for Africa; this is for the entire earth. He is going to fill the earth with the knowledge of His GLORY, as the waters cover the seas. Every Christian has the authority to do these things, Jesus declared it in Matthew 10:6-8 and we are called to freely give what we have freely received. That includes money, wisdom, healing, deliverance, etc. If the Lord has brought you through a trail, you have the authority to help others through the same thing. We are blessed to be a blessing to others, and its time we start living in the freedom that Jesus’ blood bought for us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit that lives within you, be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven coming to earth in Jesus’ name!

The TRUTH Hurts...

2011-01-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

"It is much more comfortable to depersonalize the poor so we don't feel responsible for the catastrophic human failure that results in someone sleeping on the street while people have spare bedrooms in their homes. We can volunteer in a social program or distribute excess food and clothing through organizations and never have opened up our homes, our beds, our dinner tables. When we get to heaven we will be separated into those sheep and goats Jesus talks about in Matthew 25 base on how we cared for the least among us. I'm not convinced that Jesus is going to say "When I was hungry, you gave me a check to the United Way and they fed me." or when I was naked, you donated clothes to the Salvation Army and they clothed me." Jesus is not seeking distant acts of charity. He seeks concrete acts of love: "you fed me..you visited me in prison..you welcomed me into your home..you clothed me." -Shane Claiborne

The same yesterday, today, and forever...

2011-01-15T01:33:00.000-08:00

There is no way to describe my excitement and the fullness of joy that I am experiencing here in South Africa. In an attempt to put this experience into words I will BOLDLY declare Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." We have been seeing God's love radically encounter people from every walk of life in South Africa. I am going to share some of my experiences and include some the experiences from some of the other students here. So here we go... Teresa writes, "We bumped into three sisters: Irene, Sylvia, and Veronica. We walked into their home and Irene began preaching to us about God! It appeared that she was a passionate lover of Jesus. As we got into deeper conversations about God, Veronica stood up said, "I am a sangoma and I believe in Jesus!" and then left the house. I had no idea what a sangoma was, but Kath told us after we left the house that a sangoma was a witch doctor. The next day we went back to their house to find just Veronica sitting on the couch as Irene was cooking lunch. We began talking about God and this time Veronica didn't leave, but began to passionately ask questions. She asked questions that wouldn't likely be asked in the western world, questions that took me off guard. She wanted to know if all creatures under the ocean were evil because sharks attacked people and the sea was dark and mysterious. We responded by saying only God can create things and so all water creatures were good. Then she said that a strange man said that he was Jesus and would prove it by calling all the whales out to a certain area of the ocean the next day. She said that what he said would happen actually came true. She was clearly very confused because she didn't know what to believe in anymore. She claimed that she believed in Jesus, but obeyed her ancestors and believed they had power. She said that she knew a man who had died after being hit by a car, but saw him walking into a store a couple days later. She asked us, "Did the man really die?" She said that babies would die, but their moms would be haunted by their cries at night. She wanted to know if the babies hadn't really died, but were being kept by the devil, only taken out to haunt their moms. Now she was pretty worked up, and she told us about how her ancestors came to her in her dreams and told her she had to do certain things if she didn't want to die. She said that they sometimes also gave her answers and directions, ones that turned out to be true. She said that sometimes they would haunt her in her dreams telling her they were going to kill her that night. At those moments she would cry out to Jesus and wake up to find herself alive. She was so confused because deep down she knew that Jesus was the one who saved her, but she believed her ancestors had power and was afraid to anger them. She burst out crying in frustration and confusion. So we ran to her side and immediately asked her if we could pray for her. She said that she was done with being confused and wanted to choose Jesus. She accepted Jesus into her heart and even allowed us to cut off the beaded bracelets and anklets on her baby. She said that if he didn't wear the sangoma bracelets he cried when they went to sangoma ceremonies because their ancestors would haunt him, but she believed us when we told her that only Jesus could protect her baby and protect her in her dreams. I closed off this epic moment with a prayer breaking off all generational curses and ties with her ancestors and just overall protection over her household. We returned on Monday to find that she and her baby had slept soundly friday night and all weekend! Her face was full of peace and joy and she lit up when we handed her a Bible dedicated just to her and told us that she saw the words from Genesis 27 in a dream months ago when she was pregnant. God had been preparing her for us even before we had ever met her. This passage about Esau's blessing given to Jacob was connected to the blessings God meant for Veronica and how it would not be stolen from her. She understood what we were saying and what the Bible was saying on such a deep level that I was surprised she had never owned a Bible before. We prayed for her and the blessings that were meant for her." As you read that story, doesn't faith in God just rise up inside you? There is not one of you, that is reading this, that doesn't desire to see God do amazing things in your life and in the life of others. That story sounds like it could be placed right in the pages of the Bible and it sounds like a couple of rag-tag disciples were the ones doing the ministering in it. There was no eloquent speech, no lights or fireworks just plain love. God is still up to amazing things in this earth and His "vision statement" hasn't changed. Its simple : love Him and love others. These students here come from many different backgrounds, and none of them have an "education" in ministry, they are just simply learning to love. Moving on...Brycen writes, "We Have only been here for a little over a week and i’ve already fallen in love with the place. God is obviously at work here in Cape Town and on the streets of Masi’. It’s such a blessing to fly half way around the world to a place you’ve never even heard of and feel right at home. Our mission is simple. To love the people of the Township of Masi’. We believe In one core strategy on our trip. The heart beat of our lives. ” Intimacy Unto Fruitfulness” We like to use the analogy that Jesus is our very best friend and that the closer we are to him, then the easier it is to introduce him to people! In the short time that we have been here we have been almost robbed 2x, Seen some minor healings (healing’s have quickly become one of my favorite things to pray for :) its super fun when people get healed ) seen some people tied up with voodoo lead to christ, help build a shack in the middle of a garbage dump, Hung out with some Rasta’s (legit Rastas’ not like the white kids back home who just smoke a lot of weed ) poured our hearts out and prayed over numerous people, and had our heart stolen by every little black rascal that runs by. The kids are so amazing. All the people are amazing and a priviledge to meet, seriously. You can meet them one second then the next they are inviting you into their homes! And the people here are hungry for the Gospel! God is so at work here its awesome. And its awesome because i feel like we don’t have to do any work, We just fall more in love with him, and trust him for everything else. He leads us to where he wants us to go. God has continued to just pour out blessing’s on us over here in Masi’ as we work among the poor. He has not ceased to be good in fact it almost seems like he’s been more good then ever! As he pours out revelation after revelation of what it looks like follow him. Every day I die I care a little less about me and fall more in love with him. Ephesians 3:14-19 For this reason I kneel before the father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may stregthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. (this is where it gets good) And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how and long and high and deep is the love of christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God. Wam-Bam-Thank You ma’am. My God is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords...Highest of the most High, and he loves YOU." Whoa! This is a man that has been following the Lord for a little over 3 months. Before he came to YWAM he was addicted to heroin, and I have seen his transformation. From reading his blog, it clearly sounds like he has been following Jesus for years, but its only been 3 months. Thats what life transformation looks like. When you meet Jesus, your life should be radically changed. These kind of stories shouldn't just come from the "elite" Christians. God is in the business of transforming and using every believer's life in this way. This is how Habakkuk 2:14 will be fulfilled. God is serious about getting His glory, so we just need to be serious about Him getting it. EVERYTHING flows from a place of intimacy. Therefore, commit to making Mark 12:30-31 your life's goal. When Jesus was asked what was the most important commandment, He answered by saying, "THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel (God's chosen people): The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” I can confidently tell you that this still works today, just as it did then. When you commit to living a life of love, you realize that it truly brings you life. This sets you free to be who you were made to be. Possessed by the Holy Spirit you will blaze a trail of love that will impact EVERY life that you encounter. Who wouldn't sign up for that? I know that I have been ruined for life, I can't go back to the way I used to live. It would be pointless and lifeless. With all that being said, If this Christian life ever gets dull, remember: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and FOREVER. Crack open the Word (Jesus Christ), have a look at what is inside, and apply it (love) to your life. Its sure to keep things purposeful, fulfilling, and exciting.

Hangin' In South Africa...

2011-01-07T01:35:00.001-08:00

It has been quite a trip so far. We are finally getting settled into our house here in South Africa, we arrived here on the 1st. Since our team is only here for a couple of weeks, before we go to Mozambique, we have committed just to serve the South Africa team in whatever way we can. For the last couple of days we have been working in the township of Masiphumelele, which is about a 10 minute walk from our house. A recent fire left over 700 people without a home which has added to the intensity of our experience so far. It has been quite overwhelming seeing the depth of poverty that these people are living in. It has definitely made me realize how easy it is for us to take things for granted, on the other hand, it has shown me how simply we can live. There are several Christians living in the township, and we have had the opportunity to work with them every day. Getting to know them has been amazing and has stretched me in a major way. I have constantly been reminded that the reality is: Christ is ALL we need. These people that we are working with are some of the poorest people I have ever seen, but if they have Jesus they have it all. You can see Jesus of the faces of the Christians we are working with. They are FULL of joy and incredibly driven to show Jesus to the other people living there. They live with urgency. They don't just preach to the people, they demonstrate the Gospel through love and service. Watching their passion has truly stirred my affections for Jesus and it sets the bar higher and higher for me. They are defined by 2 Corinthians 8:9, thus knowing, when someone enters into a relationship with Jesus they are RICH! More and more I am realizing that this wealth is something that I would sacrifice anything for and that His Kingdom is priceless. (Matthew 13:44) So if this is only the beginning of this adventure, I am excited to see what else lies ahead. Its obvious that the Lord is doing a lot on our teams and that more is to come. If you are praying for us, please continue. Pray that the Lord would continue to be glorified through our weaknesses, that we find affective ways to reach out to the Masi people, that He would continue to strengthen us as a team as we prepare for Mozambique, and that He continues to pour out His grace and His love as we give it to others. Thank you so much for your continued support of what God is doing in and through me. I pray blessings over each one of you!

Ministry Update...

2010-12-29T14:15:00.000-08:00

Supporters from Matt Beasley on Vimeo.

Currently Wrecking Me: I Want To Know You.

2010-12-18T13:26:00.000-08:00

I stand before You, Awed by Your Majesty
Covered by Your mercy, Your blood has made me free
Draw me to You, and set my heart on fire

I want to Know,
You're my one desire

I give you my worship
All of my Passion
I give you my whole heart
All my devotion

Grace never ending, Your hands they carry me
Your body is broken for all the world to see
My heart is held by love so unconditional

You captivate me
You're the lover of my soul

I give you my worship
All of my Passion
I give you my whole heart
All my devotion

Here I will bow down
Say that I need You
Here I will worship
Say that I love you

Oh how I love you (4x)

I want to know You
Let Your Spirit overwhelm me
Let Your Presence overtake my heart

-Jesus Culture

The Journey Continues...

2010-11-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to start! This has been one of the most incredible times of my life and this is only the beginning. We are up at 6 for breakfast, in class from 8-12, lunch from 12-1, prayer room from 1-3, and then we have numerous outreach and worship times. As a class, we are going through some of the most intense teachings on things like the Kingdom of God, world views, original design, the power of the tongue, the Holy Spirit, etc. I can honestly say that this has been some life altering stuff. Honestly, it amazes me how the enemy has hidden a lot of these truths from me for so long. Not only has it been hidden from me, but its been hidden from most of the church as well. It is his mission to keep us from our destiny of living as Sons and Daughters of God, however, God isn't letting that happen. There is a generation of people that are rising up and they desire nothing less than the FULLNESS OF GOD. They want everything that God has to offer, and they don't care what price they have to pay. They are burdened by the condition of the world, the church, and their comfortable little lives, and they are determined to see the promise of Habakkuk 2:14 fulfilled in their day or they will die trying. They are committing their lives to go wherever the Lord calls them and they will give Him ALL the GLORY! I am realizing that this is the cry of my heart! I just want to walk in the FULLNESS OF GOD. I want EVERYTHING that He has for me and I will do ANYTHING that He asks me to. I understand that this will cost me everything (reputation, approval of man, comfort of material things, or prestigious roles), but I don't care anymore. I have tried to fill my life with everything else in this world and NOTHING fulfills me except the fullness of Christ. If I am going to follow Christ, I want to give Him EVERYTHING! (Philippians 3:8) With that being said, I want to thank those of you that have supported me in this through prayers and financial contributions. I want to let you know that you have been a part of changing my life forever and I am very grateful for your faithfulness. I want to ask you to continue to pray for me and to ask the Lord about further financial contributions. I feel that the Lord has led me to start raising finances monthly, so I am asking that people would pray about partnering with me in this manner. If any of you want any more information on what is going on here, partnering with me, or if you just wanna talk I would love to hear from you. Email me at Matt.Beasley@theLOTproject.com, call me, or set up a time to skype (BeazlyBoo1)! I am always ready to fill you in and answer any questions that you have. Please stay in touch with me. I will continue to update this blog from time to time. Until next time..Love yall!

The past week or so...

2010-10-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

As you know from my previous post, I have moved to Kona, Hawaii to go to YWAM's Discipleship Training School. After being here for almost 2 weeks, I have really gotten settled into the community here. There are about 70 people in my class, ranging from the ages of 17-36, and everyone here shares an mutual hunger for the Lord. Many of the people here have sold their houses, cars, etc...to come here and experience the fullness of what the Lord has for them. That may sound "crazy" but it sounds like a story that would fit well in the pages of the Bible. Almost everyone I have met has been filled with a raw hunger for the experiential knowledge of God! That just brings joy to my soul because the Lord PROMISES that they will be filled in Matthew 5:6. With that being said, there has already been some POWERFUL worship services and ministry times. Our class is definitely a motley crew. There are 11 different nations represented and the students come from every walk of life imaginable. (Drug addicts, make-up artists, website developers, contractors, students, hair stylists, nurses, etc.) This creates some interesting conversations, however, the beauty of it all is that we all share a love for Jesus. Even after just a week and a half we feel like we have known each other forever, so there is truly a community being formed. In the past week, we have been getting to hear the history and vision of the Community Transformations class. Many salvations, healing miracles, and faith stories have come from the previous classes. This makes me very excited for what is to come. We also were asked to pray and choose where we thought the Lord wanted us to go on our 3 month outreach, and I chose Mozambique, Africa. This country is known as one of the poorest countries in the world, so I am looking forward to helping the people here. While we are there we will be partnering and working with Heidi Baker's Ministry, and where ever else the Lord leads us. This trip has blown my mind so far and I know that there is a lot more to come. I just want to thank those that have supported me through prayer or financial support, I couldn't do it without you. Please continue to prayerfully consider supporting/partnering with me financially. One time gifts are great or you can consider giving monthly. You can donate by clicking the pay pal button on my page or you can send a check to the address below. If you want a tax write off make the checks out to The LOT Project and leave the memo blank. Put a sticky note on it notifying that the money is for the trip. I thank you for taking the time to read this update, for praying for me, and for helping financially. Please pray for me as I continue to follow the Lord's leading!

Send Donations to:

Matt Beasley

P.O. Box 4181

Anderson, SC 29622

If you want to know more about this you can call me or you can email me at Matt.Beasley@theLOTproject.com

Please Consider Supporting Me...

2010-09-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

The Lord has really be weighing heavy on my Spirit the last couple of days. I have been feeling a stirring for the last couple of months, but I haven't known what it was. The LOT Project and AHOP have been doing really well and I couldn't be more excited for what God is doing in Anderson, SC. On a personal note, I haven't ever been hungrier for a deeper relationship with the Lord. In asking God what's next, I feel that He has a lot left to pour out in Anderson, specifically in the area of discipleship. Earlier this month I was asked to speak at YWAM's DTS (Discipleship Training School) in Kona, Hawaii. I was very honored by this opportunity and I started to look into the program. As I researched the school, I realized that it was something that I would be very interested in. Over the past 5 years my heart's cry has been to be discipled. In talking to the YWAM DTS leader, I could see that his heart is to truly see communities transformed by the love of God. The more I thought about it, I could see the urgent need for discipleship to come to Anderson, SC. With that being said, I believe that God is leading me to attend YWAM's DTS this fall. I really believe that there is a lot there that can be imparted to me, and in return be brought back to Anderson, SC. This may sound crazy to some, because it is, however, I am going to follow the Word of the Lord at all cost. School starts September 30th, so I will be leaving before that. So here's the catch: I need prayer and financial support. I have to have a one way plane ticket ($538 or skymiles) to Kona, Hawaii, and $10,000+ over the course of the next 3 months. This may have knocked a few of you out of your seats, but I know that this is totally possible and it is in the Lord's hands. What does this money go to? Well, the first 3 months of school we have 30 hours of class time, corporate worship, and street outreach. Then the second 3 months we go to another country (South Africa, Finland, Israel, Amsterdam) or another US location. (New York, California, and maybe Anderson) The funds will also cover food, boarding, school materials, etc. I have total faith that God is going to provide the funds for this opportunity. I am asking you to pray for me and if you feel led to give to ask the Lord how much. If you want a tax write off make the checks out to The LOT Project and leave the memo blank. Put a sticky note on it notifying that the money is for the trip. You can also donate by paypal, there will be a button up shortly. I thank you for taking the time to read this blog and for considering partnering with me. Please pray for me as I continue to follow the Lord's leading!

Matt

Send Donations to:

University of the Nations
Matt Beasley
Com Trans #432
75-5851 Kuakini Hwy
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740-2199

If you want to know more about this you can call me or you can email me at Matt.Beasley@theLOTproject.com

What does love look like?

2010-09-14T07:54:00.000-07:00

“What does love look like?” is the question I’ve been pondering
“What does love look like?”
“What does love look like?” is the question I’ve been asking of You

I once believed that love was romance, just a chance
I even thought that love was for the lucky and the beautiful
I once believed that love was a momentary bliss
But love is more than this
All You ever wanted was my attention
All You ever wanted was love from me
All You ever wanted was my affections, to sit here at Your feet

Then I sat down, a little frustrated and confused
If all of life comes down to love
Then love has to be more than sentiment
More than selfishness and selfish gain

And then I saw Him there, hanging on a tree, looking at me
I saw Him there, hanging on a tree, looking at me
He was looking at me, looking at Him, staring through me
I could not escape those beautiful eyes
And I began to weep and weep

He had arms wide open, a heart exposed
Arms wide open; He was bleeding, bleeding

Love’s definition, love’s definition was looking at me
Looking at Him, hanging on a tree
I began to weep and weep and weep and weep

This is how I know what love is, this is how I know what love is

And as I sat there weeping, crying
Those beautiful eyes, full of desire and love

He said to me, “You shall love Me, You shall love Me
You shall love Me, You shall love Me”

With arms wide open, a heart exposed
With arms wide open, bleeding, sometimes bleeding

If anybody’s looking for love in all the wrong places
If you’ve been searching for love, come to Me, come to Me
Take up your cross, deny yourself
Forget your father’s house and run, run with Me
You were made for abandonment, wholeheartedness
You were made for someone greater, someone bigger, so follow Me
And You’ll come alive when you learn to die

-Misty Edwards

Prayer Room Testimony...

2010-08-20T23:02:00.000-07:00

This is a testimony of the POWER of God's presence...This is why we constantly declare an atmosphere of freedom over AHOP...Just step into His presence and He will do the rest...It's really that simple...

"I went to the prayer room the other night. I've never known what it's like to like crawl up in your Daddy's recliner and be held, but I'm pretty sure that it felt something like that x1,000,000,000. I laid down in the floor and within 30 seconds, I was in tears! I've had so much going on lately, and I've felt so torn about so many decisions about the church, my discipleship group and serving. It was so different to be away from everything, and be so relaxed and focused. So thank you so much for all the work everyone put into it and for allowing people to use it anytime. Best idea ever!"

Dont Be A Dying Star...

2010-08-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

You've got your best man on the front side
You always show your best side
And evil's always on the other side
You say this is your strategy
But son I hope you take it from me
You look just like your enemy
You're full of pride
We better trash our idols if we want to be
In the army of the Lord
And the greatest idol is you and me,
We better get on the threshing floor
When will we learn that God's strategy
Is giving glory to the Lord?
We better trash our idols if we want to be
In the army of the Lord

Star how beautiful you shine
You shine more beautiful than mine
You shine from sea to shining sea
World-wide is your strategy
But shinning star I hope you see
If the whole wide world is staring straight at you
They can't see me...

-Jason Upton

The World Is Wide Open...

2010-08-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

There is a power in poverty that breaks principalities
It brings the authorities down to their knees

There is a brewing frustration and an ageless temptation
To fight for control by manipulation

The God of the Kingdoms and God of Creation, God of the Nations
Sent this revelation through the homeless and penniless Jesus the Son
"The poor will inherit the Kingdom to come"

Where will we turn when our world falls apart
And all of the treasures we stored in our barns,
Can't buy the Kingdom of God?

And who will we praise when we've praised all our lives,
Men who build kingdoms and men who build fame, but Heaven does not know their names?

And what are we gonna fear,
When all that remains is a God on the throne with a child in his arms
And love in His eyes?

And the sound of His heart crying...

Take us way beyond religion
Way beyond the minds of man
Take us way beyond religion
Way beyond the minds of man
Take us way beyond politics and the ways of the world
Oh deeper, deeper, deeper, deeper, deeper, deeper,
We want to go deeper

Deeper into the ways of you Jesus
Teach us how to love, teach us how to love, teach us how to love,
Teach me, teach me how to love, teach me how to love
Teach us... teach us how to love

The world is wide open
The world is wide open
The world is wide open
It's wide open
It's wide open
It's wide open
It's wide open
Teach us how to love
Teach us how to love
Teach us your ways Jesus
We want to walk in your truth

Sons and daughters of the living God
Sons and daughters of the living God
Sons and daughters of the living God
All of heaven is waiting on us
It's waiting
It's waiting
It's waiting
It's waiting
Were waiting
I hear all of creation crying, "We're waiting"
"We're waiting"
"We're waiting"
"We're waiting"
"We're waiting"

Show us how to love

Stop Telling Us... That You're The Chosen People,
Start Living Like A Chosen People

Jason, I'm calling your name
Bryan, I'm calling your name
I'm calling your name
I'm calling your name
I'm Calling your name

Every son and daughter in the Church today...
I'm calling your name
Teach them
Teach them

That my ways are far beyond the ways of man
My ways are far beyond religion
My ways, my ways, are far beyond one people
My ways, my ways, are higher than your ways
There higher than your ways, higher than your ways
There higher than your ways

Teach them how to love
The world is wide open
Teach us how to love

Calling on you...
Waiting on you

Sons and daughters, sons and daughters, sons and daughters
Of the living god

It's time, it's time
We are,
Sons and daughters of the living God
Sons and daughters of the living God

-Jason Upton

Anderson House Of Prayer

2010-06-07T07:46:00.000-07:00

The LOT Project Promo Video...

2010-05-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

Why are we not told plainly?

2010-04-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

He charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. Mark 9:9.

Say nothing until the Son of man is risen in you—until the life of the risen Christ so dominates you that you understand what the historic Christ taught. When you get to the right state on the inside, the word which Jesus has spoken is so plain that you are amazed you did not see it before. You could not understand it before, you were not in the place in disposition where it could be borne.

Our Lord does not hide these things; they are unbearable until we get into a fit condition of spiritual life. “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” There must be communion with His risen life before a particular word can be borne by us. Do we know anything about the impartation of the risen life of Jesus? The evidence that we do is that His word is becoming interpretable to us. God cannot reveal anything to us if we have not His Spirit. An obstinate outlook will effectually hinder God from revealing anything to us. If we have made up our minds about a doctrine, the light of God will come no more to us on that line, we cannot get it. This obtuse stage will end immediately His resurrection life has its way with us.

“Tell no man …”—so many do tell what they saw on the mount of transfiguration. They have had the vision and they testify to it, but the life does not tally with it, the Son of man is not yet risen in them. I wonder when He is going to be formed in you and in me? -Oswald Chambers

The LOT Project is gettin' some coverage...

2010-03-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

CHECK THIS OUT...

Braving The Waves...

2009-07-27T05:36:00.000-07:00

I know it has been quite a while since I have updated my blog. Im not going to lie, I have been very busy and blogging is something that you have to be disciplined at if you want to update regularly. Apparently I have not mastered that art yet. However, I have had some ideas floating around in my head for a while now. I just recently got back from Daytona Beach, Florida. I went with NewSpring's youth group Fuse*. Needless to say, I had quite a week in a hotel room with 5 of The LOT Project boys. Every morning we would go to a worship service and some preaching, then we would get some free time. The boys chose to go back and forth from the pool to the beach, so I gained some sunburn and a lil' insight for this blog. As I was in the ocean, God spoke to me clear as could be. As we waded back and forth through the waves, as the crashed down upon us, I started thinking. Sometimes we catch a good wave and ride it into the shore, but sometimes we get hit unexpectedly. This is when it became very clear to me. These waves are just like our walk with Jesus Christ. Without a doubt, waves are going to come throughout our Christian walk. It would be nice if Christians didn't have to worry about that, but they do. So how do you deal with these waves? You have to prepare for them! When I wasn't paying attention, some waves absolutely dominated me. I mean I got hit and went flying uncontrollably. However, when I would pay attention and dive through the wave, I came up on the other side. I couldn't have done this if I didn't know the wave was coming. In life, if we are not aware that we will face hardships in our walk with Jesus Christ, then when they hit we will be caught off guard. Sometimes that allows us to be tossed around like we have been hit by a wave. James 1:2-6 tells us, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." So I think Jesus wants us to know that the waves are coming, but do we put our faith in Him when they hit us. My prayer is that we will be prepared when they hit us. If we are prepared when the waves come and we"dive in" God's Word, then we will come up on the other side. Sure we might have a few battle scars to remember the waves, but scars look cool right? (I've actually started a collection myself.) King David, who saw his fair share of waves wrote in Psalm 89:9, "You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them." And he is right on the money with that statement. God sees the waves before they crash down on us, and His promise is that through a relationship with His son Jesus He will calm the sea. Do you believe that? Or are you going to continue to go bodysurfing blindly? The choice is yours...

Keepin' It Real...

BeEazy

Who You Rolling With?

2009-06-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

In John 10, Jesus spoke to the Jews about The Shepherd and His Flock. He said, "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Are you listening to the voice of your shepherd? Is Jesus your shepherd? Those are questions that we all need to continually ask ourselves. In times of struggle or confusion, they make all the difference. Jesus tells us that His sheep follow Him b/c they hear His voice. Are you obeying your shepherd's commands? If we are His sheep, He will not fail to instruct us. If we are Jesus' sheep, we will also flee from the voice of the stranger, b/c it is not the voice of our shepherd. Jesus went on to say, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Again, there are going to be thieves and robbers that try to lead us astray, but if we are Jesus' sheep, we will not listen to them! This could come in any form, but if Christ is in us, the Spirit will convict us. We have entered through the gate, which is Christ, and we have been saved. Our shepherd has come so that we could live abundant lives through Him, and He wants to lead us to that life, however, it is crucial that we LISTEN and OBEY. Jesus goes on saying, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." Our shepherd laid His life down for us on the cross! Are we laying our life down for Him? We deserve nothing less than death for our sins, but Jesus said, "Nope, Im paying for their sins!" Why? B/C Jesus listened to the commands of His father. Like Jesus, do we desire to know the father? If so, we are going to lay our lives down, as a sacrifice, for the sheep that are not yet in the pen. Jesus doesn't need to use us to do this, but He wants to use us. Walking through life as a living sacrifice, for Jesus, is living life to the fullest. Is it going to be hard? Um, Yea! But the struggle that you encounter cannot even compare to the joy that a surrendered life will bring. I pray that I can listen to the voice of my shepherd, and that I will sacrifice for the sake of the sheep that have not yet entered the pen. I don't want to be led by a hired hand, b/c they will only lead me to destruction. There is one flock and one shepherd, and that is who I want to roll with. Who you rolling with?

Repentance...

2009-04-25T05:41:00.000-07:00

God I come to you out of shear desperation. I am a sinner in need of forgiveness. I fall short of the man that I want to be everyday. My spirit is willing but my flesh is weak. I pray that you will forgive me for the sins that I have committed against you. Every time I sin against you it is like I am nailing a nail in Jesus’ hand. I pray that I can submit to your laws everyday, instead of choosing to submit to the flesh. Convict me when I am wrong, and show me the way I need to go. I pray that you will constantly remind me that Satan hates me, he only wants me to fail, and he is the father of lies. I pray that I can see the world through your eyes Lord, and that I will act the way that you call me to. The world that we live in is dark, and Satan is always looking to pull your children towards him, but I know that your power is stronger than his. You crushed sin when Jesus rose from the dead. God I want to completely turn from evil in every way. I pray that you will continue to pour your love into my life. Give me the strength to live according to your word, so that I can be a living testimony of it to others. I ask all of these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Keep Pushin'...Don't Look Back...

2009-03-30T05:58:00.001-07:00

Job 22:26-30 reads: “Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God. You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vow. What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways. When men are brought low and you say, 'Lift them up!' then he will save the downcast. He will deliver even one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands." Job was, without a doubt, going through a pretty tough time in this part of his story. He had lost his family, his livestock, and he had been struck with many other things. A friend of his, named Eliphaz, is encouraging him with the words above. Since this passage came from the Bible, these words are also to us. As I read this scripture, and many more, I am also encouraged. In the midst of ministry, many of us get very frustrated. Many people think that things always go great for Christians, not so much. Yes we have constant joy that is found in Christ, but life still happens to us along the way. Fortunately, we always have God’s word to comfort us in our struggles. As I continue to pour myself out to my students, I get very frustrated at times. I see very little fruit, even though I give it my all. This scripture convicted me. I find my delight in the Almighty and I just need to lift my face to him and pray! I should continue to fulfill my vow, and know that God hears my prayers. God is at work even when I don’t see Him working. The scripture is really encouraging to me where it says, “When men are brought low and you say, 'Lift them up!' then he will save the downcast. He will deliver even one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands." WOW! God is going to intercede in the lives of others, on our behalf. That is just a kick in the rear for me. My heart truly breaks for those that don’t know Christ. I need to live a righteous life, lift others up, and they will be delivered! I love the promises that in the word of God! I pray that I can continue to keep pushing toward the goal that is found in Christ Jesus, because the eternal lives of others are at stake. Are you pushing towards Christ, or are you looking back?

Observing Lent...& Not the Belly-Button Kind...

2009-02-24T05:27:00.000-08:00

I think I can honestly say that I legalism is not an attribute of mine, however, I do have a desire to become more disciplined in my walk with Christ. I have only been passionately following Christ for about three years now, so spiritual discipline is a new thing for me. I was totally challenged by Mark Batterson's blog on lent. Check it out! Anyways, I totally feel like giving up TV for lent would be a plus for me. I'm not choosing to sacrifice TV because Mark did last year, I chose it because in its place I am going to read through the library of books that I own, in addition to the Bible. Your Bible or another book is doing no good on your shelf. I have really grown to love reading because of the learning that I experience. Before I accepted Christ at 23, the only book I had read cover to cover was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (You can laugh, I know that is pitiful.) But now, I am challenged in my walk with Christ through the books that I choose to read. Do I hold them higher than scripture? No way! But I am challenged by the way God uses these authors as vessels to challenge their readers, He has been in that business for a while now. The authors take different angles and stances on issues, so it intensifies my thought process by reading their books. Mark says, "Subtraction Plus Addition Equals Multiplication." You can't go wrong with that. I need less of myself and more of Him, so I pray that God will show me what He wants me to see during this season of lent. What are you giving up for lent?

Valentinus Kept It Real...

2009-02-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

I know this is a couple days late, but here is the real reason we celebrate Valentine's Day. We have Valentine's Day because of the fascinating life that a priest named, St. Valentine lived. According to history, Valentinus (the Latin form) was thrown into a dungeon. Although his jailer, Asterius, was not harsh, the priest lived with only the bare necessities. His one comfort while in prison was his friendship with Asterius' blind daughter. She befriended the kindly priest by bringing him food and delivering messages. After a year in jail, Valentinus was summoned to appear before Claudius II. The emperor was so impressed by the young priest's dignity that Claudius attempted to convert him from Christianity to save him from execution. Valentinus, however, refused and was ordered to be beaten with clubs, stoned and executed. In the last days of his life, Valentinus, through his faith, restored the sight of the jailer's daughter. He also converted Asterius and the girl to his faith. On the eve of his execution the priest wrote a farewell message to the girl and signed it 'From Your Valentine.' His execution was carried out on Feb 14, 269 A.D in Rome. According to legend, a pink almond tree, a symbol of friendship and affection shared each anniversary of the priest's execution marks Valentine's Day. Although, thought to be a day for lovers, Valentine's Day is actually a day to profess your love and affection for anyone. It is a time to renew and strengthen the friendships and relationships that are shared with everyone. Show others the love of Christ. It may mean you will be thrown in prison and executed, but honestly I don't know of a better way to go. Personally, to die for my faith would be an honor.

Are You Rescuing Slaves?

2009-02-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

There is a well known story in the Bible that took place in Exodus 2. It is about a Hebrew baby boy that was born to a Levite woman. The Pharaoh of that time ordered that all Hebrew boys to be killed at birth. (Exodus 1:16) He feared that eventually the Israelites would out number his people and engage in war against them. (Exodus 1:10) To save the boy's life she put him in a basket and placed him in the Nile river. (Exodus 2:3) This boy was rescued from the river by Pharaoh's daughter, and she saw that he was cared for. (Exodus 2:5-9) When the boy grew older, Pharaoh's daughter named the boy Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water." (Exodus 2:10) My question is, who have you rescued out of the water, or do you need to be rescued? The same God that spoke the earth into existence loves every person on this earth, but we are all slaves to sin. The rapper Trip Lee puts it like this, "The good news is we can be born again, the bad news is we were born to sin." Ain't that the truth! So those of us who have been born again have a job to do. Who do we know that is still a slave to sin? Moses went on to become a man of God. God presented the ten commandments to Moses and trusted him to present them to the Israelites. (Exodus 20)How many of us pass a Moses everyday? God has plans for every person on this earth, and he wants to use us to bring that out of them. With that being said, my prayer is that we go out daily with the mindset that God is going to use us to rescue slaves...

Kicks For Christ...

2009-02-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

The L.O.T. Project wants to encourage people to give $25 or more to support Kicks For Christ. Kicks For Christ is a shoe ministry that provides new shoes for the kids that we work with. In many cases, these kids have never experienced the reality of getting a brand new pair of shoes. We want to be able to provide that to them. Among other outreach ideas that we have, we think that Kicks For Christ will prove to be a success. Providing new shoes for kids is one way of bridging the gap of trust and communication. We want the kids to totally open their lives up to us so that God can use us to disciple them. For just $25 a kid will recieve a brand new pair of Converse Chuck Taylor’s. Skip going out to eat one night and be apart of changing a kids life. Your prayers and contributions are greatly appreciated!

On the verge...

2009-01-29T05:30:00.000-08:00

There is something going on in the upstate of South Carolina. God is moving in AMAZING ways. At FUSE* (NewSpring's Youth Group) last night we saw at least 25 students STAND UP and VOCALLY PRAY TO RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST!!! That is absolutly HUGE. This is becoming the norm at FUSE*. Does that mean we are getting comfortable with it? NO WAY! FUSE* staff and volunteers are digging deeper than ever, just trying to grasp what it means to be leaders in this movement. It was also parent night last night and we saw far more parents than expected. It is like God continues to blow our mind EVERY week. Students are going to go home and start leading their parents to Christ, they are going to go to school and start talking about what Jesus is doing in their life, and more and more names will be written in the Lamb's book of life. Why? Because those that are far from the Love of Christ are hungry and are just waiting to find the Hope that Jesus brings, and its just around the corner for many people. I am just amazed that I get to be apart of this. I pray for other people to get involved in this movement, or allow God to start one through you in your community. We are all the body, so we are all working together for the same thing. Let EVERYONE you encounter today be affected by the Love that Christ has for them. It is simple as holding a door, smiling at someone, or being INTENTIONAL in your approach and meeting a need of someone in need. Bridge the gap folks, be OBEDIENT, and Love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27) We are on the verge of something HUGE! Are you going to take the next step?...

The Ragman...

2009-01-16T09:19:00.000-08:00

Notice the parallel with Isaiah 42:1-9...

Ragman...

I saw a strange sight.
I stumbled upon a story most strange like nothing my life,
my street sense, my sly tongue had even prepared me for.
Hush, child. Hush now and I will tell it to you.

Even before the dawn one Friday morning I noticed a young man,
handsome and strong, walking the alleys of our city.
He was pulling an old cart filled with clothes both bright and new,
and he was calling in a clear, tenor voice: "Rags!"
Ah, the air was foul and the first light filthy to be crossed by such sweet music.
"Rags! New rags for old! I take your tired rags! Rags!"
"Now, this is a wonder," I thought to myself,
for the man stood six- feet-four,
and his arms were like tree limbs, hard and muscular,
and his eyes flashed intelligence.
Could he find no better job than this, to be a ragman in the inner city?
So I followed him. My curiosity drove me. And I wasn't disappointed.
Soon the Ragman saw a woman sitting on her back porch.
She was sobbing into a handkerchief,
sighing, and shedding a thousand tears.
Her knees and elbows made a sad X.
Her shoulders shook. Her heart was breaking.
The Ragman stopped his cart.
Quietly, he walked to the woman,
stepping round tin cans, dead toys and Pampers.
"Give me your rag," he said so gently,
"and I'll give you another."
He slipped the handkerchief from her eyes.
She looked up and he laid across her palm
a linen cloth so clean and new that it shined.
She blinked from the gift to the giver.
Then, as he began to pull his cart again,
the Ragman did a strange thing:
he put her stained handkerchief to his own face;
and then he began to weep,
to sob as grievously as she had done,
he shoulders shaking.
Yet she was left without a tear.
"This is a wonder," I breathed to myself,
and I followed the sobbing Ragman
like a child who cannot turn away a mystery.
"Rag! Rag! New rags for old!"
In a little while,
when the sky showed grey behind the rooftops
and I could see the shredded curtains hanging out black windows,
the Ragman came upon a girl whose head was wrapped in a bandage,
eyes were empty.
Blood soaked her bandage.
A single line of blood ran down her cheek.
Now the tall Ragman looked upon this child with pity,
and he drew a lovely yellow bonnet from his cart.
"Give me your rag," he said,
tracing his own line on her cheek,
"and I'll give you mine."
The child could only gaze at him while he loosened the bandage,
removed it, and tied it to his own head.
The bonnet he set on hers. And I gasped at what I saw:
for with bandage went the wound!
Against his brow it ran a darker,
more substantial blood-his own!
"Rag! Rags! I take old rags!" cried the sobbing,
bleeding, strong, intelligent Ragman.
The sun hurt both the sky, now, and my eyes;
the Ragman seemed more and more to hurry.
"Are you going to work?" he asked a man leaned against a telephone pole.
The man shook his head.
The Ragman pressed him: "Do you have a job?"
"Are you crazy?" sneered the other.
He pulled away from the pole, revealing the right sleeve of his jacket
- flat, the cuff stuffed into the pocket.
He had no arm.
"So," said the Ragman. "Give me your jacket,
and I'll give you mine."
Such quiet authority in his voice!
The one-armed man took off his jacket.
So did the Ragman -
and I trembled at what I saw:
for the Ragman's arm stayed in its sleeve,
and when the other put it on he had two good arms,
thick as tree limbs: but the Ragman had only one.
"Go to work," he said.
After that he found a drunk,
lying unconscious beneath an army blanket,
an old man hunched, wizened, and sick.
He took that blanket and wrapped it round himself,
but for the drunk he left new clothes.
And now I had to run to keep up with the Ragman.
Though he was weeping uncontrollably,
and bleeding freely at the forehead,
pulling his cart with one arm,
stumbling for drunkenness, falling again and again,
exhausted, old, old, and sick,
yet he went with terrible speed.
On spider's legs he skittered through the alleys of the City,
this mile and the next, until he came to its limits,
and then he rushed beyond.
I wept to see the changes in this man.
I hurt to see his sorrow.
And yet I needed to see where he was going in such haste,
perhaps to know what drove him so.
The little old Ragman - he came to a landfill.
He came to the garbage pits.
And then I wanted to help him in what he did,
but I hung back, hiding.
He climbed a hill.
With tormented labour he cleared a little space on that hill.
Then he sighed.
He lay down.
He pillowed his head on a handkerchief and a jacket.
He covered his bones with an army blanket. And he died.
Oh, how I cried to witness that death!
I slumped in a junked car and wailed and mourned as one who has no hope -
because I had come to love the Ragman.
Every other face had faded in the wonder of this man,
and I cherished him;
but he died.
I sobbed myself to sleep.
I did not know - how could I know? --
that I slept through Friday night and Saturday and its night, too.
But then, on Sunday morning,
I was awakened by a violence.
Light - pure, hard, demanding light -
slammed against my sour face,
and I blinked, and I looked,
and I saw the last and the first wonder of all.
There was the Ragman,
folding the blanket most carefully,
a scar on his forehead,
but alive!
And, beside that, healthy!
There was no sign of sorrow nor of age,
and all the rags that he had gathered shined for cleanliness.
Well, then I lowered my head and,
trembling for all that I had seen,
I myself walked up to the Ragman.
I told him my name with shame,
for I was a sorry figure next to him.
Then I took off all my clothes in that place,
and I said to him with dear yearning in my voice:
"Dress me.."
He dressed me. My Lord,
he put new rags on me, and I am a wonder beside him.
The Ragman, the Ragman, the Christ!
-Walt Wangerin Jr.
Isaiah 42:1-9-
The Servant of the Lord
1 "Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him
and he will bring justice to the nations.

2 He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.

3 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his law the islands will put their hope."

5 This is what God the LORD says—
he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:

6 "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,

7 to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

8 "I am the LORD; that is my name!
I will not give my glory to another
or my praise to idols.

9 See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you."

Entertaining Angels...

2009-01-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

Hebrews 13:12 says, "2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." I know that you folks that read my blog are tired of hearing me scream the same thing from on top of my soapbox, but I can't help but notice God constantly putting these things on my mind. I was reading in Judges earlier and God laid this on my heart. Manoah's wife was sterile, but the angel of the Lord (Jesus) came to her and said, "You are sterile and childless but you are going to conceive and have a son." (Judges 13:3) How many times has God laid something on our heart? How many times has He told us that a blessing was coming our way? The angel of the Lord (Jesus) continued to to say to Manoah's wife in Judges 13:4-5,4 "Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, 5 because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines." Now, I know we are blessed regardless of our faithfulness or not, but are there more blessings for us or for others through us if we are obedient to God? Im pretty sure the answer is YES! The angel of the Lord was informing Manoah of a future blessing, but the news came with a demand of obedience. When Manoah heard of this he prayed and begged the Lord that the angel return with instructions of how to raise the son that was going to be born. (Judges 13:8) When God lays something on our heart, do we go to Him in prayer to figure out the specifics? We should! As the story continues, God heard Manoah's cry, just like He hears ours, and the angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah's wife again. She quickly ran to Manoah and said, "He's here! The man who appeared to me the other day!" Manoah went to talk to "the man." He got the same instructions that were given to his wife, and wanted to prepare a young goat for the angel. But in verse 16 the angel said, "Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD." (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the LORD.) Did you catch that? Manoah didn't even know that it was the angel of the Lord, JESUS, that he was offering hospitality and gratitude to, but Jesus said, "Offer it to the Lord." This is what reminded me of Hebrews 13:12. Manoah had an encounter with Jesus, God in the flesh, and didn't even realize it. How many times have we had a chance to show a stranger LOVE, through hospitality or humility? Well Manoah sacrificed the goat to Lord and the Lord did an amazing thing, while Manoah and his wife watched. (Judges 13:19-20) God will do something amazing with our lives when we are obedient to His call. God is ALWAYS faithful to His word, we have to be faithful on our end and we will be AMAZED by what God does. Jesus says in Matthew 25:40, 40"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." God is all around us! Everywhere I look I see His face. How many times do we walk pass Jesus (the least of these) in a day? We can have a huge impact on their lives if we are obedient to God's call. We can fall on our faces before God bc of an experience like Manoah and his wife had bc of their obedience, or we can face the reality of Matthew 25:41-43. I pray that we can be intentional in our approach each and every day. The people in this world are in trouble folks. What are we going to do about it? Are we entertaining angels when we get the chance?

Mission Impossible?...I Don't Think So...

2009-01-06T07:38:00.000-08:00

The missionary nature of the local church is a very controversial topic among the people in the world today. The overall view of this topic would range from good to bad depending on where the opinion was coming from. If you look at the local church as a whole, of course you see each one of them involved in missions in some sort of way. How do we define missions though? The Bible defines missions as a task that God has given us to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, so that we can all experience His love to the fullest. The real question is, “What should that look like, or what does it look like?” Personally, I think that Christians, as a whole, need to get up off their butts and STEP OUT of the comfortable little Christian box they live in.

I am writing this blog as a personal opinion on the missionary nature of the local church. I don’t want this to make me sound like I am self-righteous at all, nor do I think that I have all the right answers. I try to read scripture and apply it the best I can to my own personal life, because in the end that is the life that I am most responsible for. The topic of missions in the local church particularly fires me up because I have seen how beneficial serving has been in my own personal life. The passion that flows from me about this topic is coming from the overflow of God’s work in my life. The Bible says, “From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks,” and my heart breaks for this very thing.

If you took a survey of the local church’s involvement in missions, you would find that almost every one of them is involved in some way. Their involvement may be in cross-cultural missions, city missions, or international missions. They may be contributing by sending money, raising money, praying, going on mission trips, or getting physically involved in their communities in various ways. If you looked at each one of the church’s missionary natures from a biblical standpoint, the facts would be startling. Personally, I think that most churches leave a lot of things out when it comes to missions. They pick and choose which aspects to devote time and resources to. The problem isn’t the church; that was God’s idea. The problem is people that make up the church. All of us are guilty of interpreting scripture to suit our comfort levels. I think it is time to start reading the scripture, truly understanding it, and applying it to our lives in the way it was intended to be applied.

I personally think that today’s typical Christian is comfortable with their own salvation; thus, their focus is still on themselves. The cliché description of their relationship with Jesus Christ is summed up with the two words, “Fire Insurance.” After their initial salvation experience they slowly fall into what I like to call “A Christian Coma.” Their relationship with Christ becomes centered on not doing certain things, like sin, instead of striving to do things for the kingdom. I think there is a sense of blindness among many people in the Christian world today. There are opportunities to serve others, by sharing the gospel or simply loving people right where they are. This reality hits close to home for me because this is exactly what I experienced after becoming a Christian. I got in the routine of focusing on attending church, reading my Bible, and praying a certain amount of time a day. God finally got through to me this summer, when He revealed to me the joy that He brings when I started focusing on Him. Of course attending church, reading God’s word, and prayer are important for spiritual growth, but when that is your focus you get caught up in that, thus, many Christians are focused on ministering to other Christians. When your one and only focus is Christ, you realize that the creator of the universe has a purpose for your life, and it changes the way you live your life. You start praying prayers that you have never prayed, you start taking chances that you have never taken, and God starts using you like you have never been used before. I started to realize that my salvation wasn’t about me it was for everybody. Now that I have accepted Christ, He has given me the power to have a HUGE impact on the lives of those around me. I started to apply that in every way that I could and saw that God had far bigger plans for my life than I had ever imagined. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has perceived what God has prepared for those who love him, but God has revealed it to us by His spirit.” That scripture really came to life to me. I can walk in the spirit in my everyday life, because God’s Holy Spirit lives within me. The same power that raised Christ from the grave is given to me with the intention that I use it for God’s glory. If that doesn’t get you fired up, I don’t know what will.

I have been praying for God to break my heart for what breaks His, and to allow me to see every person and every situation through the His eyes. This prayer has driven me to urban ministries working with the homeless and kids from broken homes etc... These ministries aren’t the only things that I involve myself in, but I truly think that God is showing me that these things are looked over by many people. My mission is not to stomp on people’s feet over these things; it is to show others the importance of ministering to these people. Sure ministering to the least of these involves stepping out of your comfort zone, but that is what God calls us all to do. When you start to minister to these people God shows you how you can be used in their community and He will break your heart for them. As you continue to minister to them, God lays a burden on your heart for ANYONE that doesn’t know Him. When your focus is on Christ you subconsciously pick up your cross daily and follow Him. You will do things for the kingdom without even thinking about it. I think living your life in this way is what Jesus was talking about when He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The fact is you are making disciples of ALL nations, when your focus is on Christ. Applying the Great Commission to your life on a daily basis has an impact on others that is unbelievable.

The church should dissect scripture to get to the exact meaning of God’s idea for missions. When that is found, the congregation should disciple every member of its that attends, with the intention to fulfill the Great Commission. If the church makes disciples of those within, then they will make disciples, thus, making a global impact for Christ. I don’t claim to have all the answers, and I may come across as pushy or a “know it all,” but I feel that that God has revealed this to me. I am responsible for my life and the way that I live it, so I intend to be involved in the things that I have mentioned. I want to live my life to the fullest every day with the direction of the Holy Spirit and if that takes me to the city slums, the African plains, or the trailer park, I plan to be faithful. Many think that they are unworthy to be used in a mighty way by God. They think that the dreams they have to make a difference for Christ are just dreams, or impossible missions. The reality is that if Christ brings you to it, He will bring you through it. Through the power of Jesus Christ, ANY and ALL missions are possible.

The L.O.T. Project

2009-01-05T21:57:00.000-08:00

It all started as a "crazy idea" that I thought that I was just making up in my head, but now it is becoming a reality. It seems that more and more God continues to show me that His hand was and is on this "crazy idea." I just started looking at what and who was around me in my everyday life. In a typical day we encounter many different types of people. Some may be believers and others may not be. Some may be criminals and others may be saints. Any way you look at it, you are going to encounter those that don't know that Jesus loves them and wants to have a relationship with them. What do we do about that? Well, as the great theologian Alan Jackson says in one of his songs, "Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us, but the greatest is love. LOVE. That is the answer. We have to love these people right where they are. This is in no way going to be easy, but it is a must. Personally, I believe that we will be held accountable for the people that we encounter in life. When I see that someone doesn't know Jesus, I want to do something about that. God has given all of us the gift of the Holy Spirit, and through that gift we can do something about it. Some friends and I have started taking kids to youth on Wednesday and church on Sunday. Some of their parents even come on Sunday. I have seen five boys accept Christ in a little over a month. God is absolutely blowing my mind with this. I have also been doing a lot of work with the homeless. God has been breaking my heart for people that don't know Him, so I have to do something about it. What if more kids show up? What if I encounter 100 homeless people? (Easy to find in Greenville) How can I help these people? I really feel that God is leading me to start a non-profit ministry that reaches out to the people He loves. Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." I want to be able to do something for these people and I know that God wants that too. The ministry is called The L.O.T. Project. It is an acronym meaning the least of these. Also in the old testament, Abraham pleaded to God to spare Lot's life, and I am pleading to God to spare the lives of those who don't know Him YET. Give me one more month, one more week, one more hour to show these people the love of Christ, that is my prayer. I have been praying over this for months, I have been serving with all I have, and I have been asking others for advice. The L.O.T. Project is becoming a reality and God is blowing my mind and lives are being changed. Feel free to donate to this cause, and know that your contributions are greatly appreciated. You can donate money, your time, resources, advice, but most importantly your prayers. Thank you for your support...

Let's Go To War...

2008-12-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 20:1-4 - 1 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3 He shall say: "Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. 4 For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."

The world we live in today is certainly a cruel place. At any given day you can turn on the news and be overwhelmed by the horrible things that are going on. Satan and his angels are fighting to keep everyone from hearing the truth of the Gospel. Personally, when I dig into scripture I get FIRED UP when I read about war. Automatically I make the parallel to my life today. Sitting behind the locked doors of our homes satan does his best to win this war. What are we going to do about it? As followers of Christ we have to fight fire with fire. We need to remember that God is always with us in this battle, and He will fight with us if we let Him. Christ's power that lives within us is so much stronger than the powers of satan. (1 John 4:4) With that being said, let's go to war against these evil forces. The eternal lives of others are at stake here. In the movie Scarface, Tony Montana said, "You wanna go to war with me, i'll take you to war!" We can make Romans 16:20 a reality because God is with us...Let's go to war with these cock-a-roaches (satan's army)...

High Wire...- From Everything Counts...

2008-12-24T08:26:00.000-08:00

Colossians 3:3 -3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Some people want you to believe that a life as a follower of Jesus is like walking the high wire in the circus. Nothing could be more wrong. Walking the tightrope is a better analogy to a life WITHOUT God. Believers start the long climb up the stairs, and from our perspective the steps at the top look narrow and difficult to keep our footing on. As we get higher we realize the steps are wider and easier to stand on than they were when we started. To those back on the ground it looks las though we're in danger of falling backward, but where we are we feel more secure than we ever did before. Jesus said, "Do not let your heart be troubled." Once you get into an experience you know is from God, there's no way your heart can be troubled. It isn't possible. You'll feel the peace Jesus promised to leave with you. Stop worrying. Stop thinking you will fall. Stop stressing. You're in the presence of God, and nothing you can do will separate you from that. From this point on nothing is the same as it was. Stand firm. Plant your feet. Jesus is here, and He is not going anywhere.

Thumbin' For A Ride...

2008-12-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

I was on the way to a meeting this morning and I passed a guy looking to hitch a ride. Honestly, I felt that I should turn around and pick him up. I didn’t hear a vocal voice from God, but I felt like the Holy Spirit nudged me. The Bible is clear about the Holy Spirit’s presence in a believer’s life, and I try to obey when I feel it move. Just for the record, any stories that I blog about are totally God’s doing and I want absolutely no credit. ALL the glory goes to God. Anyway, I turned around and picked the man up. This kat had a beard of Zeus goin’ on and he was rockin’ a jean jacket makin’ no apologies. (Like any of that matters) I introduced myself and asked him where he was going and he said, “Name’s Kurt, goin’ to Wal-Mart.” A lot of people would say, “What the heck are you thinking? People are crazy these days and hitch-hikers kill people.” I know as soon as my mom reads this she is going to call me and tell me not to do it again. I know that advice is because people love me and don’t want to see me hurt, BUT I love Kurt and I don’t want to see him hurt either. (Eternal Punishment) Sure, just because you are a hitch-hiker doesn’t mean you are not a believer, but regardless it is an opportunity to help someone out. Plus, you have a captive audience because they aren’t going anywhere until you take them there. My fear of being hurt by someone, has been muffled by the scripture (aka THE WORD OF GOD) that I read. (Psalm 46, 91, 125 - Acts 5:29 - Acts 5:38-39 – 2 Corinthians 1:10) There is a possibility that I could be robbed, hi-jacked, or killed. Honestly, a martyr’s death would be an honor. If someone kills me because I am trying to show him or her the love of Christ, oh well. I could think of other ways of dying that are just lame compared to dying for Christ. Besides, one of my Christian friends will get fired up and evangelize even harder because of my death. People might even accept Christ because someone tells my story. The glory of God has been shown through the death of others all throughout history, DUH. Moving on, Kurt said that he needed to deposit some money in the ATM, so I asked him what he did for a living. The ice had been broken so I asked Kurt if he knew Jesus and he said, “No not personally.” BAM!!! That was the reason that the Holy Spirit nudged me to pick Kurt up. He didn’t know Jesus Christ PERSONALLY. I gave Kurt a quick version of what Jesus did for us on the cross and told him how Jesus had worked in my personal life. (The ride lasted 4 minutes) I asked him if he would like to come to church with me sometime and he kind of changed the subject, so I didn’t push the issue. I don’t know what has happened in Kurt’s life in the past, or what is going on in it now. One thing I do know is, that Jesus wasn’t picky about who he served! Jesus WASHED THE FILTHY FEET OF JUDAS, a man that He knew would betray Him. God calls us to leave no stone unturned, so I want to try to impact EVERYBODY that I can with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Why be ashamed about it. (Romans 1:16) If you are calling me radical, then I am guilty as charged. Jesus was radical, the disciples were radical, and Paul was radical, so I am just following those that have come before me. I just can’t stand the fact of me crossing someone’s path and them not hearing the TRUTH, if I’m given the opportunity. Kurt didn’t accept Christ today, and I’m fine with that. God just used me to plant a seed in his life. I told Kurt that anytime I see him, I will give him a ride and I dropped him off at Wal-Mart’s door. I’m not sweatin’ it, because I know that if I see him again that I have another shot at sharing the Gospel with him. Sooner or later that double-edged sword is going to cut his heart. How many people do we know that are just living their lives just thumbin’ for a ride, just like Kurt? I’m not even saying physically thumbin’ for a ride; I’m talking spiritually thumbin’ for a ride. They need a ride to get to that destination, which is Jesus. We drive past people like this every day. We have the car; we have the map, yet they are still left on the side of the road with their thumb up in the air. Let’s fuel up our cars, highlight our maps, and give someone a ride. You know where they NEED to go; all you have to do is stop…

This dude kept it real...

2008-12-16T05:16:00.000-08:00

The Keith Green Story...Episodes 1-7 It may take over an hour to watch the whole story, but it is worth it!

WE can do it...

2008-12-15T11:20:00.000-08:00

As Americans WE ARE BLESSED! Deuteronomy 8:7-9 says, "7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills." Maybe we don't see these EXACT things, but we do see far more. We live in a land where we turn on a faucet and get running water, we can get wheat and barley etc at the grocery store, bread is not scarce, most of us lack zero of what we NEED from day to day, and the iron and copper have already been dug up all we have to do is purchase them. There are two groups that live in America today. Those that have an abundance of resources and lack nothing that is NEEDED, and those that do lack the things that are NEEDED to live. I want to talk to those that have an abundance. Deuteronomy 8:10-16 says, "10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you." Then we are reminded in Deuteronomy 8:18 that we are to remember the LORD our God, because it is HE who gives us the ability to produce wealth. and in Deuteronomy 8:19 we reminded19 If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Those scriptures are a refreshing reminder with a consequence at the end. We need to push or pride aside and remember that WE have done NOTHING to earn or deserve the things that we are BLESSED with. If we aren't giving ALL THE GLORY to God then we are DEAD WRONG [ :o) ], and if we aren't BLESSING the group that lacks we need to pray for direction. Personally, I think that a lot of Christians lack the guidance of the Holy Spirit bc they don't understand that they have it. (Acts 1:8) In John 16:23, Jesus said, "23In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." Jesus is referring to the work that His Holy Spirit will do through us, when we ask God for the help. We cannot harness this POWER anymore. I always think of the things that the disciples did. These were guys that society had shunned and deemed as worthless as far as education goes, and Jesus chose them to do many great things. This makes me think selfish thoughts from time to time, kind of like a kid saying, "He did it, why can't I." The disciples were human, just like us, so doesn't Mark 16:15-18 speak directly to us. It was Jesus saying it, so we KNOW it isn't a lie. If Christians stop listening to the lies that the enemy fills our heads with, start recognizing the POWER that God has given us, start using that POWER to affect other people's lives around us, then the world will be changed. Acts 4: 32-35 says, "32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need." Could you imagine the things that would happen if we would just apply God's word? That group that lacks that I mentioned, would be ELIMINATED.(Acts 4:34) I pray that I will see this Unified Movement in my lifetime. WE can do it, GOD SAYS SO...

You Got Tha Power...

2008-12-11T06:23:00.000-08:00

I'm reminded of a song that came out in 1990, when I was only 8, called The Power by Snap!. When it was released in the U.S. it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on both the Billboard Hot Rap and the Hot Dance Club Play charts, as well as peaking at #4 on the U.S. R&B chart. Finally it was certified platinum in the U.S. By worldly standards most would say they had made it. If your song tops the charts then you are a household name among the fans of your music. The lyrics go:

Chorus:

I've got the power hey yeah heh

I've got the power

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh yeah-eah-eah-eah-eah-eah

I've got the power

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh yeah-eah-eah-eah-eah-eah

Gettin' kinda heavy

1st Verse:

Like the crack of the whip I snap attack

Front to back in this thing called rap

Dig it like a shovel rhyme devil

On a heavenly level

Bang the bass turn up the treble

Radical mind day and night all the time

Seven to fourteen wise divine

Maniac brainiac winning the game

I'm the lyrical Jesse James

Ok that is enough, you get the picture. This guy, "Turbo B" is boasting about his rapping skills. What if these Kats were rapping about their approach to the lost, instead of their lyrical skills? The truth is, if Christians would put their time, talent , and treasure (BCoop*) into loving God and loving people, this world would be a totally different place. It is our job to get out there and serve others at all cost. If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal savior, WE have the POWER to make a huge impact on the lives of others. The same POWER that raised Christ from the dead lives within us. Sadly, Snap! was a one time wonder in America with this single. I guess "The Power" fizzled, but the POWER of Christ will never fizzle or fade. It is always going to be chart topping and it will always receive platinum status. It is still as strong today, as it was then. A life that is wholeheartedly devoted to Jesus Christ will write the new pages of history documenting the POWER of Jesus Christ. YOU HAVE THE POWER. USE IT!

The last step...

2008-12-05T23:40:00.000-08:00

I am going to put a disclaimer on this blog entry for the simple fact that if you are a Christian and you read this, your heart should break, and that should drive you to act. If you are not looking to be challenged by this or touched, you should immediately go search for images of puppies running through flowers or something. I had a life-changing experience today, to say the least. If you know me personally, you know that lately I have been involved in a rescue mission for the homeless in Greenville, SC. Today I had a meeting scheduled in Greenville with a pastor named Steve Stanley. He is a master’s student at Southern Wesleyan and he is in my homiletics class. We share the same passion to reach our community for Christ. I have been thinking about starting a street ministry to meet some of the needs of the homeless people that are on the street, and offer various other things to the community. I was having a look at the property that his church is on, to see if it would fit the vision, and it fit like a glove. When he gave me a tour of the property my mind was blown. The property is almost perfect for the vision that God has laid on my heart. There is a separate building that has a gym, a kitchen, showers, etc, and the facility is barely even used. You may ask, “Why in the world are you having this vision, or why is a gym a big deal?” I’ll tell you why, because God’s heart is breaking, over and over again, and those of us that have received His gift of Salvation, through Jesus, are demanded to take the Gospel to EVERYONE that hasn’t heard the good news. Sure, you may say, “We are in America, it is impossible to live a day without hearing something about Jesus.” That may be right, but which voice is louder? Picture a child or adult (ANY color), that hasn’t eaten a nutritious meal in a week. Is the growling of their stomach louder than the Gospel of Jesus that they are hearing? Is it louder than their single mother’s frustration that is constantly taken out on them? Is it louder than the physical, mental, and emotional abuse that plagues the lives of many people? Is it louder than their addiction to drugs, sex, or alcohol? You get the picture; the fact is that many of them aren’t hearing the Gospel because the sin that surrounds them is far louder. You may ask, “What can I do about that?” I can relate because I have been in those exact shoes. I am by no means trying to boast about my involvement in the community, but since I have gotten involved, God created a spark in my heart for these people. The more that I serve these people, the more God breaks my heart for them. Scripture has started coming alive, my prayers are deeper and far more meaningful, and that spark in my heart has started a fire. God clearly tells us that we can make a difference. Timothy 4:11-16 - 11Command and teach these things. 12Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 13Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 15Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. We have to be intentional in our approach to reach others. Ron Carpenter, a pastor in Greenville, prayed, “I believe there is a generation that is rising up, and taking its place. Lord we thank you right now that this generation is not hoping for anything, but they have faith, mustard seed faith they hope for nothing, so Lord we decree and declare that this generation will man their post, they will take their stand, they will march forward and take over this Kingdom, a Kingdom Revolution, Lord something that moves full beyond our imagination, and beyond our thinking. God do it in us, do it in us this day, the third awakening is here.” We can make a HUGE impact, for Christ, on our community and then the world, but it starts right where we are. Back to the story I was telling. After Pastor Steve and I met, I went on down the road to the mission that I volunteer at. There was a 6^th grade singing group there, and some volunteers with them. There were a lot of extra people eating so that means extra dishes. I ended up helping another guy wash dishes for most of the shift. I had talked with “John” quite a few times, and he was a really nice guy. The first couple times we talked, “John” was talkative and had an upbeat personality, but lately he has seemed troubled. Double dish duty assures a captive audience, so I dove right into the opportunity. I asked “John,” So what has been troubling you lately man. You seem like something is on your mind.” He said that he had a lot on his mind lately and apologized if I had been offended. I assured him that I was just concerned about him, and that he had been in my prayers. As we were talking, dishes were starting to pile up, and then something clicked. That is the way life is. Sometimes it is like the world hands us a lot of dirty dishes. We are weakened by sin and the dishes keep on coming. That is the way “john” felt at one time in his life, until he found out about the dish washing skills that Jesus has. I had to remind him that Jesus is on his side, and if he would just cast his burdens on Jesus things would get better. We continued to talk and he shared a really personal story with me. This was a hand written account of how God got “John’s” attention. This is where this blog gets intense. “John” writes: “I was walking down the street, but I wasn’t on the sidewalk. I was walking through my misery, loneliness, self-pity, and hopelessness. I was wondering how I could make it end. My life felt as if it meant nothing anymore. I made a plan to walkout in front of traffic to end my life, and end my misery for good. I was standing at a busy intersection and waited for the best opportunity to step to my death. When it came, I started to take my final step and a hand, as strong as a vice, grabbed my shoulder, and pulled me from the curb. When I turned around, I didn’t see a man of extraordinary strength. I saw a feeble old lady that looked like someone’s grandmother. It was clear that she had a frail little body, but she was very strong in her spirit. When she saw my face and looked into my eyes, she lost her glow and her smile left her face. With her eyes saddened, she seemed to remember something and perked right back up. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pamphlet. She took my hand and placed the pamphlet into it and said, “You are just the person I have been looking for today, may God bless you son.” I thought, why would she be looking for me? I have never seen that woman in my life, but as she walked away I took a glance at the pamphlet in my hand. I read, “Let not your heart be troubled!” I said to myself, “Well she did find someone with a troubled heart today.” The more I thought about it, it wasn’t her telling me to not let my heart be troubled. It was God working through her. I looked up into the sky and made the decision to get in touch with a man I knew from a church. One week later I was at the mission in the rehab program. I feel that God grabbed my attention that day by using a little old woman. I hope and pray that I get through this program, if I don’t, God might not try to get my attention again.” WOW! Personally, this really touched me, to say the least. I was crying like I had lost a family member or something. I just pictured millions of people in world today that are in “john’s” shoes. What if that old lady would have decided shuffleboard was more important that day? We would have never had the honor of hearing his story. God used a little old woman to drastically change the direction of “John’s” life. How could he use this generation? The reality is that YOU know that there are “John’s” in your life. Everyday we allow them to walk by us without sharing the Gospel or showing them the love of Christ. They are just a step away from death and we occupying ourselves with whatever WE want to do. Jesus DEMANDS us to reach out to those that don’t know him, and if we don’t, there will be Hell to pay, literally. Matthew 25:40-43 - 40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of the brothers of mine, you did for me.’ 41”Then he will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42“For I was hungry and you gave nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ What are we waiting for? The time is now! We have to do something! Lives are at stake. Eternity is at stake.

Put me in coach...Im ready to play...

2008-12-01T01:47:00.000-08:00

What are you passionate about? Is it music, is it sports? Is it eating ice cream? (Random)... The true definition of passion is whatever a person is willing to suffer for, that kinda changes your answer to the question above huh?...I dont know too many people that would suffer for a bowl of ice cream. Anyways... "Passion" has a root meaning that comes from the Latin word paserre, which means to suffer. The word "apostle" means a sent one, or a messenger. If you put those together you get "Apostolic Passion," which is a deliberate choice to live for the worship of Jesus. This commitment is so strong that it will drive someone to the point of death for the cause. There have been many people in history that have possessed this "Apostolic Passion." The fact is that God has called ALL of us to spread His gospel, and we can be assured ups and downs along the way. These downs will consist of times of suffering for the cause, which is Christ. We can decide to sit on the sidelines and be "comfortable" with our salvation, or we can get in the game and play as hard as we can. I want to live my life with an Apostolic Passion to serve Jesus Christ. Sure, I know there will be times when I suffer, but nothing can compare to the suffering that Christ endured for us. We should consider it an honor to suffer, so that Christ's name can be glorified. I pray that all of us can have a desire to suffer for Christ. If you have received the free gift of salvation that Christ gives to everyone who will receive it, then you are in the game. The question is, "Are you ready to play?"

Cuts to the core of me...

2008-11-25T18:02:00.000-08:00

The Great Awakening...

2008-11-22T18:42:00.001-08:00

Today I took a group of students; from NewSpring's youth group FUSE*, to the Greenville Rescue Mission. I remember the first time that I served in a Rescue Mission and how it opened my eyes to a whole other way. It was a joy to have the opportunity to see these students serve the men of this mission. I think that many Christians pray for the lost and pray for Jesus to break their hearts for what breaks His, but are they putting feet to their prayers? When you take a step of faith God may show you that you have a passion to serve others in an unusual way. I know that is what happened in my life, and im pretty sure that happened today in the lives of 6 young men, and 2 other leaders. It is such a joy to see men get fired up about Kingdom work. One of the students walked up to me and said, "Man this is awesome, if I didn't decide to come I would have just been sitting around at my house." That shows me that today there was a "Great Awakening" in the heart of a young man. I am so proud of all the guys that went with me. They have no idea the size of the impact that they had on the men of that mission. The fact is that there could be a "Great Awakening" in the heart of EVERY Christian, all they have to do is answer the call that Jesus gives everyone of us in the Great Commission. When we look at our lives; as Christians, do they reflect the life that Christ lived? Are we making disciples of ALL nations? Are we cross-cultural in our approach as a church or school? (Music, Outreach, Clubs) Are we colorblind? (We need to be) Are we going outside the camp? (Rough neighborhoods, un-reached regions)The fact is that Jesus did reach out to ALL nations and He made the first disciples, He was intentionally cross-cultural in his approach, He didn't pick and choose who He served bc of their color or status, and he ALWAYS went outside the camp to do His thang. (Hebrews 13:13) We need to check ourselves as Christians bc God has given us the power to do great things. In the history of Christianity; in America, there have only been 2 "Great Awakenings," I think it is time WE start another one....

One Love,

B-Eazy

My heart breaks for this very thing...

2008-11-19T06:53:00.001-08:00

The wheels up there are turning...

2008-11-18T23:28:00.000-08:00

Here it is at 2:28 a.m. in the morning and I am still up. I just have so many things running through my head right now. I have been praying for a God sized dreamed to be laid on my heart and it seems that my prayers are being answered. Of course, I understand it could take years for a dream to be reality, but doesn't something spark the dreams we have at night? Since the incredible summer I had working with Kingdom Building Ministries, God has really challenged me to get involved. As this semester started, I just tried to take advantage of some opportunities that God had put before me. I started by getting the "Red Tape" out of the way. The applications, interviews, meetings, etc... After that I was cleared to work at a homeless mission, to be a mentor of a 12 year old boy, and be a small group leader at FUSE*. Along with these things, my plan was to still have time to take 18 credit hours in school. As the semester moved along I realized that God was allowing me to devote ample time to all these things. I continued to pray that God would allow me to manage my time wisely, and He did. The joy from all of this is seeing the fruit that flourishes from God using you for His purpose. My friendship with Armondre (the boy I mentor) has now turned in to 5 boys, as I shared in an earlier post. While spending time at Armondre's house, God has given me the opportunity to share Christ with his mother, sister, and even his neighbor. That just blows my mind. Next, I have been working at the rescue mission a couple times a week, and God is blowing my mind there too. I have been working in the kitchen. I try to get there so that I can help prepare, serve the food, and clean up after the meal. During this time God has given me numerous opportunities to share the Love that God has for us with others. Sometimes it's just a big smile and a "How Ya Doin?", or other times I may have a deep conversation with someone. I have even got the opportunity to share Christ with a Gnostic. The options are endless when it comes to how many ways you could be use at that place. They need people to lead worship and speak in chapel, people to cook, people to clean, people to counsel, people to pray, people to prepare food, people to well you get the picture. The point is that whatever you do well, they could use your services. This place serves those that Jesus talked about when He said "The least of these." These people may be drug addicted, alcoholic, bankrupt, homeless, sick, etc... But the beauty of it is that their lives change when they enter the mission. Day 1 they are trusted with a job and shown that they have a purpose there. The more I talk to the men there the more my heart breaks for the community. They don't only serve men, there are several families with children that live at the mission as well. Last, but not least, I have been working at NewSpring Church's youth group called FUSE*. That is one of the things that I do with the boys that I mentioned. They also like to go to the 6 o clock service on Sundays. All the students at FUSE* are impacted every single week. The worship is great, the small groups are stellar, and the messages are meaty. God moves every single week there. I am so blessed to be apart of all this. You may be asking, "Where is he going with all this?" The point I am trying to make is that all of these things are privileges. I don't deserve a single one of them bc I am a sinner, but through Christ I have been forgiven and I now have life. Before I was saved, I spent 23 years doing world business and now I want to be about Kingdom Business. If the same POWER that raised Christ from the dead lives in me, then what am I capable of? I'll tell you right now it is not meant to be used playing Halo 3. Im not pointing any fingers or standing on a soap box, but it breaks my heart for there to be a list full of kids that need mentors, multiple surrounding cities with thousands of homeless people, and broken lives everywhere else you look. In the middle of all these things there are churches, Christian Universities, and "Christians". Are lives being changed? Sure there are lives being changed all over the community. The question is, are you willing to be used to change lives? I am not trying to boast about what I do at all, I would post this as anonymous if I could. It is just sad that so many people are capable of making a HUGE difference of the lives of many people that have just lost all hope. I have just been challenged lately, to step it up a notch. It's like Brad Cooper said, "Act before you preach." That is the way I want to live my life. I don't want depend on anyone but God, so I put my focus on him and just DO WORK. The odd thing that I have realized about all this is that I get a real joy from serving others. I guess that is why Jesus said, "Love God First and Then Love People." I pray that others will get on board with these kind of things. I pray that God continues to break my heart for what breaks His and that He will reveal Himself to the students at FUSE*, my little crew of boys, and the homeless at the mission. It isn't a question of is God going to move bc it is a question of how. I think that He is calling other Christians to be a part of it as well. I think that God is putting that very thing on my heart. God is calling me to Act before I Preach and to move others to do that as well...Im going to continue to pray for all these things and God will do His thing...so now I just need to hold on bc I am going to be going on a wild ride...daggum it is flippin 3:45 a.m. I gotta hit tha hay we'll see ya...

Answered Prayer...

2008-11-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

I mentioned yesterday that I have been taking some kids to church with me...Well last night I gained two more...That would put me at five kids that will be riding to church with me...but the problem is that I can only sit four in my car with me...I started praying and asked for some prayer from some family and friends, for another form of transportation so I can get the crew to church...today I talked to a guy that had a van and he said that I could use it whenever I needed to...WOW, God didnt waste any time on this one...now I am just praying for these kids that go to see the importance of Christ in their lives...God IS going to work in their lives and I am honored to be a witness of it...I cant wait to see how he is going to move in the future...Until we meet again...

It's been too long...

2008-11-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated this blog in ages. I have been so busy with life I have actually put blogging on the back-burner. I plan on updating it on tha reg from now on. God has been working in my life in amazing ways. He has given me multiple opportunities to serve others and it has been such a fulfilling addition to my life. I have been going to the Greenville homeless mission a couple times a week. There are so many lost people at that place, so God has given me plenty of opportunities to share the gospel and some have been very receptive. I mentor a 12 year old Afro-American boy and that has been quite a challenge. God is def trying to teach me patience in that situation. I have seen weekly progress in his life though, so it has been a great experience so far. I really feel like God is showing me the importance of being ethnically diverse in my world view. Since I started working as a mentor, it has given me many other opportunities to serve within y community. I have been working with FUSE*, which is the youth group at my church, and through that I have met some really great people. 2 of the kids in my small group ended up living in my neighborhood. I now take them to youth every Wed. and NewSpring church on Sunday nights. As im writing one of them just brought 2 of his friends over to my house and now they all want to go. God is really blessing my situation and his ministry through me. I pray that He will continue to break my heart for the lost and that He will allow me to look at everyone and every situation through His eyes. I am so thankful that I serve a God that wants to use me to make an impact on the lives of others. I can't wait to see what happens in the future...hold it down folks...and keep your eyes focused on Him...

One Love,

B-Eazy

Life...

2008-09-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

One of my Dad's good friends died earlier this week and I am getting ready to go to the viewing. It really took us all by surprise because he fell out of a tree, while deer hunting. It really reminded me that our life could end at any time. A while back one of my friends died in a house fire. Another death that really took me by surprise. I wrote some thoughts down after his death and thought I would post them again. I think that everyone should constantly be aware that we aren't promised life tomorrow. The ONLY promise of eternal life comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Life is short, most will say...With a snap of the fingers all is swept away...All feelings, all thoughts no longer there...Only memories remain in the air...Families and friends all shed their tears and wonder where to go from here...Loss of life just doesnt seem real...Just last week together ate a meal...Stories and smiles united you had...Thought of the loss just makes you mad...If only you could take their place...Them losing their life is such a waste...How did they stand on shaking ground...What did they lean on when no one was round...Did they trust in Jesus Christ?...Did their faith in Him Shine through their life?...If so, its time to wipe the tears...Because there was meaning for all their years...Their life was taken for a cause...Standing before their creator the angels applause...Well done my servent God will say...welcome to heaven and endless days...Thats how I pray people live their lives...Although others take life in different strides...They choose to be about theirselves...Never lifting hands for someone else...When their ground is shaking they strive alone...Pride leaves them empty as no one home...If only they would except the costless gift...That Jesus gives us with a sip...He shed his blood for you and I...Eat the bread for his body died...3 days later he rose from death...Our sins forgiven he says with breath....Take my story to nations he did preach...The life he lived we need to teach...To waste our time on worldly things...Just seems like cheating our Holy King...Down to business we should get...Copying his life every bit...Since life is short they still will say...We need to take advantage in every way...Of time we have here on earth...To redirect this awful curse...When people see us in that final box...They know that Jesus was our solid rock...So all the tears can turn to praise...In Faith that they will see us another day...In Beautiful Heaven we all will live...those who chose to recieve that priceless gift!!!

Passion of the Christ...

2008-07-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

Im here in Iowa staying with my friend Mitch and his family. Mitch is the new pastor of the satellite campus of Heritage Wesleyan Church of Rock Island, IL. It was awesome to come here and be able to relax for a few days after the stress of the past couple months. Then I saw myself getting far too used to the laying around, and I had to get myself back in check. Whether one is a believer, not a believer, an enemy or anything else, it is my job to serve them in any way I can. In the last 2 months I learned that I have a desire to serve others. I want to always be on my feet looking for ways to serve others, so I appologized to Mitch and his wife Ann and started to help with anything that I could around the house. At times serving may mean that I have to suffer or give up my time, sleep, energy, or money, but through God's strength I pray that I can delight in suffering. A KBM speaker, Adrian Despres, says in one of his sermons that, Jesus died for you, so you can suffer for him." I think that he makes a good point. He goes on to say that if you love Jesus then you will be passionate about it. One of the definitions of Passion from dictionary.com is Passion- the suffering of Jesus at the crucifixion. "Whoa," is what I said when I read that. Do we have that kind of passion for Christ? If so, this should flow out of our lives in every possible way. I pray that I can have that kind of passion for Christ, like he had for me. The problem is that we let things get in the way of that. Whether it be things we struggle with, fear or shame of what others think of us, or just lack of knowledge. Whatever it may be, we need to step up and start living righteous lives for Christ. When we get scared to stand up for our faith, picture Jesus on the cross lifting his body up to take another breath and let it remind ourselves that we have no idea what suffering is. But Jesus knew what it was like before he was crucified, during, and after. When my walk gets lazy or when I worry about what others are going to think about me, I have to picture Jesus and it gives me what I need to press on. God puts opportunities in front of us everyday. There is always a chance for us to share our faith. Whether it is through our service, our attitude, or our words. I do not want to put myself in the category that so many other Christians have put themselves. The category of being a hypocrite. Naturally, all of us are going to be hypocrites in some way or another, but we can practice what we preach. When we are labeled Christians, we are watched like a hawk by others. Some of them are believers, some of them are not, some are curious, and still some are not. But if we can allow those people to have an experience with Christ by allowing Christ to show his love to them through us, then what? That might be "the straw that breaks the camel's back" for some of them. The walls might be broken down because of that very experience. But if they see a Christian that is doing, saying, or condoning something that is clearly not Christ-like, then that could build a wall that is going to make it that much harder to reach them. Personally, I don't ever want to be a legalistic person. Jesus died for us so we wouldn't have to live under the law, but under his grace. But we do have to constantly be aware of what we are saying and doing in our everyday lives. Also the things that others don't see can affect us too. Those "secret sins" that no one sees need to be stopped as well. Because God always sees them and they hinder us from growing closer to God and keeps us from experiencing everything that He has to offer us. So if you want to make a difference in the world we live in today, then be PASSIONATE about what Christ did for us and return the favor. Until we meet again...

It Has Been Forever...

2008-07-14T10:19:00.001-07:00

I am really sorry that I havent updated this blog in so long. It has been hectic in my life to say the least. The second group of students arrived, we took off on the trip, and when we got to Seattle Andy and I drove the RV's all the way back. That is just a little introduction to what I have been doing in the past days. Starting from where I left off last time, we continued to prepare for the next trip. The second group of students were in their classes while we debriefed the first group of students. On July 2nd the office had a catered party for many of the surrounding supporters, so they could come and meet some of the students and see in action what their support was doing. Im sure it was really cool for them to see what their contributions were going towards. On July 4th the office had a cookout at a nearby park. We had hotdogs, hamburgers, and played a bunch of games. It was really cool to have a little break before the 2nd trip started up. That night we went to the Colorado Rockies game, and there was a huge fireworks show afterwards. The next day we went and got the RV's and packed them up and headed out later that night. We had a short little drive to Cheyenne, Wyoming where we stayed the night at an RV Park. The next morning we headed to Utah. We drove all day and arrived there around 6. Along the way the scenery is unbelievable. I do not understand how someone can think that the earth was created in any other way other than by God. Some thought had to go into the intense detail that you see in creation. That next day we headed to Mormon temple square again. Since we had been there before the Mormons seemed to be acting a little shady towards us. A couple members of our group had on shirts with scripture on them, so we stuck out like a sore thumb. There were a couple of heated discussions that went down with a couple of the elders that were walking around, but we weren't there to bust any bubbles so we kept our cool. All I can say about the experience is that we should be in constant prayer for the Mormon people bc they had a jaded view of the truth. I think that they have truly been deceived by the false teachers that the Bible warns us about. It blows my mind that they can say that they believe the Bible and that they follow its teachings, when clearly the book of Mormon contradicts that. John states CLEARLY in Revelation 22:18-19, "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away form him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. It doesn't get any more black and white than that. Did Joseph Smith skip over that part? Who knows, but Mormonism is one of the fastest growing religions in the world now, so we have some work to do. Maybe if Christians were driven enough to hop on their bikes and go from door to door sharing our faith, then the TRUTH would spread throughout the earth. Clearly we need to sow for ourselves righteousness, and breakup the unplowed ground (Hosea 10:12). The unplowed ground is all around us, especially where people have been subject to a false truth. Anyways, after that we all went to a park in Salt Lake City for lunch. This wasn't your average family friendly park. Personally, I saw drug deals going down, prostitution, and some other shady activity. Needless to say Salt Lake City Utah is a dark place, but it is encouraging to know that Jesus is the light of the world and that we take him everywhere we go. That night it was a relief to be in the Christian environment of the Salt Lake City Mission. As I wrote a couple weeks ago, this is an intercity homeless mission that we go and serve at. We sat through the worship service that the Bikers For Christ put on and then we cleaned up the worship area and served the food to the homeless. Afterwards we ate dinner with some of the staff that works there. I got to hang out with Mike again, the ex con that I met the last time I was through. It was a blessing to hear what God had been doing in his life since had stopped in last time. I got his address and plan to keep in touch with him from now on. The next day we headed out to Idaho. This is a 600 mile trip. Along the way we stopped for a little dip in the river. The testosterone was flowing and most of the guys decided that they would cross the creek. When on the other side a couple of the guy, including me, decided to climb some rocks that were going up the side of the mountain. About 5 of us got to the top which was about 35-40 feet from level ground. I wanted to take the "challenging way down" and as I started down the tree that I was holding uprooted. To make a long story short, I beat everyone else down. I fell about 35 ft. hit a tree on the way down, did a flip, and landed on my back. Everyone thought I was dead, but I hoped up and exclaimed, "YEA, that was awesome." This little event proved to be very preach-able for my future. See if I wouldn't have hit the tree on the way down, then I would have free fallen 35 ft. to the ground. But when I hit the tree it broke my fall and redirected my path. Just like God does when we get off track, he breaks our fall and redirects ou im r path. Maybe the only one that could get that from an experience like that, who knows...Then we crossed back over the river bruised and battered, knowing that we conquered the rock..haha sorry Mom. We got to the 3 rivers RV park and went to sleep for the night. We woke up and found out that our rafting reservations were not what we thought they were, so we could not raft that day. We had no phone service of internet so we loaded up and headed for Washington. On the way Terrence set up a rafting trip down the Wenatchee River for the next day. We stayed in Wenatchee that night and rafted the next day. It was cool for the leaders to get to go down another river this time. Not as intense of a ride but we still got to wear the cool wet suits...haha. After the trip down the river we loaded up and drove to Seattle. When we got to the church, where the team was staying, the students cleaned the RV's spick and span. Andy and I crashed for the night bc we had to drive the RV's back the next day. We got up at 4:00 am and headed out for Colorado. We drove a 21 hour trip in about 30 hours. We stopped to nap for 3 hours, eat, and get gas. We we got back on Saturday, Colorado never looked so beautiful. I have rested for 2 days now and am back in the office to help out with whatever there is to do. Tomorrow the students get back, so we will have to go pick them up at the airport. This experience has been so great. I have really learned the importance of looking at the world through the eyes of Jesus. I have really gained a desire to serve others in my everyday life. I am looking forward to taking these lessons home with me and applying them to my everyday life. I appreciate the prayers that have been prayed for me during this time. I can honestly tell you that they have truly been answered. Until next time...God Bless...

In the last couple days...

2008-07-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

In the last couple days we have been in Seattle, Washington serving in various ways. Since the last update, we went to a homeless mission in Wenatchee, Washington and helped around the complex. Some of the students did landscaping, some picked peas, some tore down an old green house, some washed vehicles, and some dug out some stumps. I tried to get a little of all of it bc I really enjoy hard work. It was really cool to give the staff of this mission a little break from the everyday duties that they are responsible for. They really seemed like they appreciated our help. This particular mission is a Christian mission that can house up to 100 people. While we were there they had about 30 people living there. Some of them have jobs and some of them just work around the mission. The students really seemed to enjoy serving the people at the mission. I talked with a man named Robert that was a real hard worker. I automatically assumed he was a Christian and as I talked to him more he informed me that he wasn't a believer. But he mentioned that this was the closest he had ever been in his life to making that decision. Pray for Robert. On Sunday we went to the Famous Top Pot Donuts for breakfast and then we went to New Life Christian Church in Seattle. It was a ethnically diverse church with no air conditioning haha. It was a really cool experience but a hot one too. It was fun to worship with the members there. Monday was a really laid back day for us. We packed our things up and cleaned up the church we had been staying at. Tuesday we headed to the airport and flew back to Colorado. Upon our arrival to the office, we got to meet the student of the 2nd 16 days. They are a great group of students too. It is an older group age wise, so I am pumped to get to know them. Last night Bennett and I got to go back to our "Colorado Parents" (Loren and Cheryl Hayes) house for the night. We washed all of our clothes and relaxed for the first time in weeks. It was cool to just hang out and chat with Loren. I have really enjoyed getting to know Him and his family. I truly feel that God has a future for our friendship. I am currently at the office preparing for the next trip. I read 2 Peter today and have really been encouraged to continue to dive into God's word to increase my faith so that I can be productive and effective in my knowledge of Jesus Christ.(2 Peter 1:5-9) Laurel and I are continuing to pursue God's plan for our life by fasting from our relationship, so prayers for that are definitely needed. We need to continue to have prayer for unity on our team of leaders and that we can be the example of Christ for the students. Thank you for your prayers and concerns. Until next time...

Where do I start...it's been a while...

2008-06-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a while since I updated the blog. It is bc I have been driving an RV for over 1600 miles. AHHAHAAAA...haha it has been an awesome experience so far. When we left we went to Wyoming and camped for the night at a RV park. Then the next morning we headed out to Salt Lake City, Utah. We arrived there late and slept for the night. The next morning we got up and headed to Mormon Temple Square. When we got there we went on a tour and got to hear some of the history behind the "religion." During the tour it really seemed like they tried to give a lot of credit to Jesus and recognize Him as their savior, but they forgot to add a lot about their other beliefs. Being the edgy kind of guy that I am I wanted to asked a couple of questions so the students could understand our differences. The tour really made it sound like their were no differences between Mormonism and Christianity. Some more questions followed from the students and it seemed that the Mormons present were getting a wee bit uneasy, so I thanked them and we left the building. I really learned a lot at Mormon Temple Square bc it allowed me to see how mixed up that some people can get when they are led astray. The Bible warns us so much about false teachers and I got to experience it firsthand. The tour guides really just seemed like they were robots and they really had no clue that there is another truth outside of Mormonism. They are modern day people still bound by law (and ankle length dresses) and Jesus did not die so that we would be bound by law. So we need to pray for them. Later that night we went to the Salt Lake City Mission and served the homeless Supper. It was really cool how they have the mission set up. The homeless people that want a meal have to come in and sit through a chapel session, and then they get to eat. 3 men gave their lives to Christ the night that we were there. I met a man that was serving there his name was Mike. He had been in prison for 23 years and had been a member of a huge white supremacy gang. He commented on how much encouragement he got from seeing the students serve and then he mentioned that minutes later he turned down a drug offer for the first time in his life. It is so cool to be a part of something like that. I hope and pray that Mike keeps up the good work bc he will influence so many. The next day we drove all day to Idaho, and then the next day we went white water rafting down the Lochsa River. This is a class 4 river and that is the roughest river that can be commercially rafted in the United States. It was a huge rush to say the least. The next day we drove to Seattle, Washington. We are staying on the 3rd floor of a church that is located here. Today we went to a home for mentally and physically handicapped children that cant be cared for by their parents. There were 8 kids that were living at the home with the 24 hr. nurses that were on duty. We got to help around the house and spend time with the kids. None of them could talk and only one could walk, but they really seemed to enjoy our company. It was really cool to see the students interact with them bc it really stretched their faith. I was stretched too bc it is something that I am not used to doing. I am missing my family and friends like crazy. I am also missing Laurel and ask that anyone that is reading this to continue to pray for us over these 40 days. This entry was a lot of info and I havent really reflected on it that much, but I will have these same experiences in about 2 more weeks. God Bless everyone and stay tuned...

Let The Games Begin...HEYOHHHHHHHHH!!!

2008-06-21T09:19:00.001-07:00

We are leaving today for our road trip from CO to Seattle, WA. Along the way we will be experiencing many things. From meeting the students and interacting with them for the last 2 days, I would say that we are in for quite an adventure. I appreciate all the prayers going up for us and encourage as much as possible. I know that God has me here for a reason and I want to be the best example of Christ that I can be. These students come from a wide range of backgrounds, so each one of the have to be cared for differently. KBM wants them to grow close to God during this time as they can. I have also been praying that I will be humble and understand that even though I am a leader, I can learn a lot from these students. They are practicing the faith at the high school age and unfortunately I didn't do that. With that being said, the good thing is that we serve a God that specializes in those kinds of people. It is amazing to me that God wants to use us no matter where we have been or what we have done in our past. More and more each day I have been realizing that God has me here to stretch me and to reveal His perfect for my life. I am so excited to see what He wants to do through me. I am so thankful for the Godly parents, Brother, Grandparents, My Lady, Extended Family, and Friends that God has put in my life. They have been such an influence on who I have become. I always remember after I became a Christian the note that I found in my Bible from my Dad. He referred to the story of John the Baptist when he Baptized Jesus in Matthew 3, when Jesus came up out of the water heaven opened up and the spirit of God descended on Him. Then in verse 17 God said, "This is my son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased." That forever changed our relationship because I finally understood how much I was loved by my Dad and I had made him proud, and he was proud bc my heavenly father was proud. Anyways, to sum all that up I LOVE all the people in my life. Laurel (My Lady) and I have decided to take 40 days from each other while I am out here. We want to hear God's voice and allow him to totally bless our relationship by revealing to us what direction it needs to take. I am truly blessed to have a girlfriend like Laurel she is great. Please pray for us and ask God to show us his plan for our relationship. If you know Laurel please encourage her and help her through this. She is very strong but she needs encouragement just like I do. I am pumped to see what God is going to do throughout this trip that I have embarked on. Well I gotta go so I will update soon...God Bless!!!

Here We Go...

2008-06-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

Back Stage At Crowder

The time is here...16 Days starts this morning...i am about to go to the airport and pick up our first student...as you can see i got a new haircut for the occasion...Go Big or Go Home is what i always say...haha sorry Dad its not a part but God still loves me...haha...anyways be in prayer for our team and for the lives that will be changed on this trip...i plan to be the best example of Christ that i possibly can...i have a passion for the younger generation and it is a blessing to have an opportunity to pour into their lives...Ichthus was awesome...even though we had to bust our tales the whole time and missed most of the acts...we still had free time when we hung out with the speakers and fellowshiped with each other...Charlie Alcock and Johnny V are nuts...I also strolled backstage at the David Crowder Concert, one of the perks of working for an awesome ministry...well the time has come...there will be limited posts for the next 16 days bc of limited internet availability, so be patient on the updates...i plan to type them up and post them later...hope everyone is doing well...Live in Love and God Bless...

Love You All,

Matt

Catching Up....

2008-06-13T15:02:00.001-07:00

I know it has been a long time since I posted a blog...like over a week. We have been really busy preparing for the 16 days trip and Ichthus. I had had the opportunity to hear Caleb Bislow speak and then go rock climbing with him in Colorado. that was an absolutely awesome experience. He is an outside the box kind of guy, and it shows in his ministry. He thrives to go where no one else will go and do God's work. I encourage anyone that is reading this, to click his link from my blog page and check him out. Tuesday of this week we leave Co for Wilmore Kentucky for Ichthus. This is a huge Christian music festival on the Asbury Campus. I am promoting all the different programs for KBM here. I actually got to introduce Caleb Bislow before he spoke today. That was awesome bc i wasnt expeciting it, but that was a cool way to stretch me. Lately, I have been watching some of the recent episodes of the Real World Hollywood. I felt led to pray for the guy named Joey in the house. I actually wrote him an email about Christ on myspace. I wasnt expecting to get a response, but he wrote back and he even asked for advice on some things. I want to ask anyone that reads this to pray for Joey. He has struggled with drugs and alcohol for a while in his life. He said in a blog of his that, "addiction is like having cancer." But I told him that our Lord and Savior can Cure that cancer. So pray for Joey's salvation and also pray that he will continue to talk with me and that Satan will not have any pull in that situation. We are on a break bc there was a huge storm on the festival grounds with thunder and lightning. Some of the people were jumping in the mud like wood-stock. Thanks for all the prayers for me...I will update asap....We'll See Ya

The Promo Movie Is Finished...I Think It Went Pretty Well...

2008-06-04T23:52:00.000-07:00

This is the video that I have been working on at KBM...Blood, Sweat, and tears went into this

jewel...It is a promo video for an upcoming summer camp in 2009...an office parody seemed to be the best way to go...enjoy...haha

"Sweetly Broken"

2008-06-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! I hope everyone that reads this is having a great day. Here at KBM, on Tues., Thurs., and Fri. we start our morning off reading scripture and praying for certain issues that are going on in the lives of the staff and their loved ones. This morning was really great, so when I went back to my desk I decided to continue the time with God. When I do my devos I usually have some soft worship music playing in my headphones, it helps drown out the sounds of a typical office. While reading the song "Sweetly Broken" by Jeremy Riddle came on. I LOVE this song because it reminds me of the time when I was 23 when I accepted Christ into my life. Music works that way for me, no matter what you are experiencing, there is a song that can totally sum it up. The lyrics for "Sweetly Broken" go like this:

To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of its suffering I do drink
Of its work I do sing

For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just

Chorus:
At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified

You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled

Chorus:

In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness

As you read through I thing that it is easy to relate what you are reading. The feeling is an amazing one and when I hear this song I relive that amazing day when Christ washed my sins away. The song says, "At the cross Christ beckoned me" (and you).

beckon |ˈbekən|verb [ intrans. ]make a gesture with the hand, arm, or head to encourage someone to come nearer or follow.

Christ made this gesture with his hands, his arms, his head, his heart, his will, the rest of his body and his life. He died for us so that we could come more near to him. He wants to know us, he wants us to follow him bc he knows what is in store for those who love and follow him. When I was "Sweetly Broken" I hit my knees, and as I remember I was lost for words because I weeped for a while before I could speak. I was lost in the LOVE that Christ had for me, because previously I didn't even remotely follow him or have the desire to, but I felt his arms wrapped around me. And finally I surrendered my whole life to him. Christ called me out of sin (death) and called me into life (Christ), and by Christ's death we are reconciled. That means our relationship with God is restored, we are on "good terms" again, with God. Now we can see how wondrous his redeeming love is and how great his faithfulness is. Download the song, it is powerful. Now he I put links to my blog on myspace and facebook bc I hope that people will find their way too it. So if you got here on accident or were just curious there is a reason. I pray that there are some people that read this that don't know Christ yet, because you need to know that Christ wants a real, daily, intimate relationship with you. And if he will forgive the guy that I used to be, then none of you will have a problem with it. Jesus said that he is the way, the truth and the life and that no one gets to the father (God) except through him. So don't waste anymore time, do it now. While listening to that song I continued reading from 2 Cor. and I ran across a verse that really sums up the life that every Christian should strive to live. In 2 Cor. 6:3-10 Paul writes, "³We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.⁴Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; ⁸through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed;, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. I think that Paul is really trying to explain to us what a Christian's life should look like. Don't make anyone else stumble by how you live your life, commend ourselves in every way, no matter the situation don't lose our focus, with this we make others around us rich, and even if we don't have any material thing we posses everything. I get chills reading this verse because that is the man that I long to be. When Jesus walked the earth, that was the life he lived. I challenge you that if you label yourself a Christian to do everything that you can to live your like¹⁰sorrowful this verse instructs us to. Sure you will sin, you will falter, but God is a redeeming God. If we truly seek repentance then we will be forgiven. However, repentance is not a desire to change, it is always an active response to God's word. So practice what you preach, live a wholly surrendered life, and watch what God will do. Thanks for those that are praying for me, I can sure feel it. Feel free to email me or whatever with any request that you may have. We'll see ya...

2008-06-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

Its a beautiful day here in Aurora, CO...haha i bet yall wish you could see these breathtaking mountains every morning...sorry dad...haha...anyways...i was reading a little in the Bible this morning and Paul was talking about reconciliation and in 2 Cor. 5:18-21 he explains how all this reconciliation comes from God..

reconcile |ˈrekənˌsīl|verb [ trans. ] (often be reconciled) -restore friendly relations...Paul says in verse 18 God reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation...this means when we accept Christ as our Lord and savior that our relationship with God, the creator of heaven and earth, is restored...once the relationship was divided by sin but now, through Christ, it is totally restored....in the definition it says "restore friendly relations" so that means that we are God's friend!!!...does that not just pump you up? The God of the universe WANTS to be our friend...we are just a little speck on the planet and he wants to be our friend...powerful huh?...and as mentioned earlier...Christ gave us the ministry of reconciliation as well, so he expects us to show this to others as well...so as children of God we cant hold other's sins against them...we have to imply the ministry of reconciliation so that we show them the love that Christ has for the world...20 we are therefore Christ's ambassadors as though God were making his appeal through us...Wow!...sounds like we have a mission on our hands, and it comes from God...God wants to use us in incredible ways...1 Cor. 2:9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him"...that is one of the most powerful scriptures that i have read in a while...it just shows us that without a doubt God has a plan for those who loves him...it means he is going to blow our minds....use us in ways that are beyond our imagination....im ready to see how he is going to rock my world and the worlds of those around me that love the lord...it should be an everyday goal for all Christians to impact the life of someone else in a positive way...you never know who is watching, or who needs a kind word...well im gonna buckle down for some more office work, but ill update sometime soon...

PS...i am so thankful for all the prayers and support from my family and friends...it means a lot and it is surely needed day in and day out...God Bless!!!

an interesting Sunday...

2008-06-01T22:16:00.000-07:00

Its pretty late now here in CO, but i have had quite a day...We went with some of the students of KBM's "The Experience" to Word of Life Christian Church in South Denver today...This is a charismatic church so naturally i was on edge when i went in...not bc i dont agree with the charismatic movement but bc you never know what to expect...they opened up with some worship...they had a phenomenal worship band and choir and they "threw down" as expected...for those who know me that was right up my alley...it reminded me of when i was in Africa worshiping with the people of Yaounde, Cameroon...jumping up and down singing at the top of their lungs...and then it just dawned on me...what would it be like when we go to heaven?...ill tell you right now you wont see me singing from a hymnal with a monotone voice...i would imagine everyone that is reading this would be right along with me worshiping just like the people of Yaounde, Cameroon or Word of Life Christian Church do it...for those that are saying, "yea but most of em are black" Nah not the case...there were just as many blacks as whites in there this morning and they all knew how to "cut tha rug" for the Lord...anyways...then the preacher gave his message...he was preaching from 1 Cor. 10:13 talking about the everyday battle that we have with temptation...and how God always gives us a way out and that we arent ever temped beyond what we can stand...and let me tell you he brought it this morning...He was preaching with authority to say the least...he might have looked at his notes 1 time...i knew what he was talking about...i invite you to check it out if you would like www.wolcc.net ...the only thing about charismatic churches that i dont understand is the speaking of tongues...ive heard a lot of views but i dont really know where i stand on it but agree or disagree ill tell ya that the spirit was in that church this morning and it was an awesome experience...i would highly consider making that my home church if i lived in Denver...but i have to get up bright and early tomorrow for another week at the office...tomorrow i should be finishing up the promo movie and a newsletter i have been writing to the 16 days students...all of you prayer warriors out there lift us up this week bc the enemy has been trying to us down...i know that satan is working his hardest when we are doing big things...this week we will be planning a lot of activities etc for the trips so hopefully all that will go well...more later but bed for now...we'll see ya...

ps i just beat bennett in darts 2 games to 1 Muhhahaha Muhahahah

Early Morning Devotions...

2008-05-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

I have been very encouraged this morning...i got up at 6:45, took a shower, got dressed, and ate breakfast...when i was waiting for everyone to get ready to leave i read my emails...i had 3 emails from various people from my mom's church saying that they were praying for me...that really got my day off to a great start...it is very encouraging to know that i have people praying for me...when i got to the office i sat down to begin my work day with some devotions...i read in my experiencing God devotional book and in my upmost for his highest oswald chambers devotional book...i am also reading in 1 Cor. right now...1 Cor. 12: Paul says that There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in men... and then verse 12 goes on to say The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many they form one body. So it is with Christ...for me this just reminds me of the fact that we that are in Christ are all different in many ways, but we are all on the same team and we are working for the same purpose....Jesus' blood washed all of our hearts clean the same way...Paul goes on to say in verse 21 The eye cannot say to the hand "I dont need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I dont need you!"...It seems to me that Paul is trying to create a visual picture to people of Corinth bc there was division in the church...just like Jesus used parables to speak Paul is trying to get the people to see his point...things cannot work for the glory of God if we are at each other's throats...I am on a team here at KBM and we all are on a team as Christians...we are all working for the same boss, which is Christ...Satan would love for us to be divided bc that will cause our team to fall apart...we need to be aware that the enemy is always looking to devour us and he would love to pounce on us when we let our guard down...working with others can be very difficult, but we need to remember that it is important that we stay together bc we are a body...and "if one part suffers every part suffers with it; and if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it...we are the body of Christ, and each one of you are a part of it"...I want thank any of you that are praying for me...i truly am blessed to have people that will take the time to do that for me...it means a lot....i miss my family...i miss my Laurel...and i miss my friends...but i am making more family and friends here...but im not making any new Laurels!!! haha <---that is my disclaimer....anyways...i know this is where God wants me to be and i am excited to see what he is going to teach me during this time...hopefully i will be adding more pictures and text sometime soon...take care and God bless!!!

Another day in the neighborhood...

2008-05-25T08:13:00.000-07:00

The pic is of yours truly, Sara, Terrence, Andy and Bennett...The 16 Days Crew...Notice the Road kill i added to the road...haha... 2 Tim. 4:5
But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. My mom sent me this scripture this morning...this is a perfect passage to remind me that things arent always going to go smoothly out here this summer or even when i get back, but i have to constantly be aware of the enemy's desire to devour me...we are doing amazing things and the better we do the harder satan will pursuit us...i got asked to make a promo video for a camp next year and it will be shown at Ichthus, which is a music festival in Kentucky...we have come up with the idea of an office theme to connect with the students...it is going to be funny but get the point across...we started filming for it yesterday and i put some clips together and it is working out perfect...anyone out there that cares can pray for this video to go well bc it is going to be shown in front of thosands of people...i am so blessed to get oportunities like this and i have to give God the glory for all of this...I have completed my first week at KBM and i have really enjoied it...it is a great place with great staff...God is working between the walls of that place for sure!!!...i know God has a lot to show us and has a desire for us to grow closer to him while we are on this trip...i pray that the students that come to the experience and the students coming to 16 days will be stretched and will grow beyond belief...today we are going to work on the video some more, eat some sushi for lunch, and then tonight go to a church in downtown Denver called Scum of the Earth...sounds right up my alley huh?... check em out http://www.scumoftheearth.net/ their name is based on Paul's writings...To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world. (1 Corinthians 4:11-13) I am really looking forward to it...i am pumped to see what God is doing with the edgy faithful Christians out there...stay tuned for video updates, pics, etc... love yall all!!!

Guess What?

2008-05-22T23:52:00.000-07:00

First off im new to this whole blog thing, so i can promise you that i prob wont write in complete sentences or spell things write all the time...haha i mean right ;)...anyways...for those who are close to me you know i have been out of town since last thurs. May 15...I flew up to Iowa to see my buddy Mitch Cartrette and Derik Idol...it was cool to see how God was working in their lives and in their church...i got an opportunity to speak at Mitch's young adult meeting, so that was cool to get to share my story...i have made a commitment to myself that everytime that God gives me a chance to share how he has changed my life, i will do it...this past Monday i flew to Colorado for a summer job with KBM (Kingdom Building Ministries)...i have been so excited to embark on this journey that awaits me...i am going to be here in Colorado for 2 months working with high school kids...i am driving an RV for a program called 16 days...it is designed to stretch the faith of the kids that participate in it...back to the plane ride...i was really ready to get to Colorado and our flight was taking a while bc people were waiting to see if they could get a spot on the plane...10 people got lucky enough to get a spot...one of them sat right beside me...i introduced myself to him and started some small talk...i forgot his name som we can call him "Bob"...he was coming from his brother in law's graduation in IL, he had to go back to work the next day...i told him about what i was doing in Colorado and we talked a little more in depth about that...then when the captain gave us the ok i turned on my electronic device (ipod) and proceeded to jam out to some david crowder...i am so add and i needed to do something so i pulled out a book ive been trying to finish for ever called unChristian...i was finishing up a chapter on sheltered Christians and i just felt a nudge from God...spark up a spiritual convo with "Bob"...i continued to read and decided i would finish the chapter first then in the book it mentioned staying connected to the surrounding world through tv, internet, newspapers, and then it suggested to buy The New Yorker magazine...guess what ol "Bob" was reading...so i was like God is trying to tell me something obviously...so i sparked up a convo about sushi in Denver and then i was like so what about you "Bob" are you religious or spiritual at all? he said no i believe that people are usually influenced by their surroundings when it comes to spiritual or religious beliefs...i said a little prayer and knew why God had be nudging me...so i said asked what he believed about creation and he said that he believed in evolution but couldnt give me an answer to the ? of how the world was created...he also had no idea or opinion on where we go when we die...he said we just die...i continued to pick his brain and he said since his 6 week yr old daughter was born he had started thinking about things a lot more...pray for "Bob" and the other people out there that are confused and stuck in the rut of worldly views...i wish i would have started the convo earlier bc then i could have shared more about how Christ can work in our lives but God will use someone to pick up where i left off...i landed in Colorado and me Terrence and Andy...Terrence works for KBM and Andy is an intern...we went and ate and then i met the family i am staying with for the 3 weeks im at the office...Louren and Cheryl Hayes and their son Jonah...they are a happily married couple in their 30's that welcomed me with open arms to say the least...i was weary about staying with random people but it doesnt get any better than this...i have a bed in the basement and home cooked food...Bennett is another summer worker and he is staying in the basement too...KBM is an awesome place to work for...on Tuesday, which was my first day, the whole office gathered in the conference room to pray...we read scripture and mentioned prayer request and split up in groups and prayed over the requests...then the day began...there are 2 big programs going on this summer at KBM...the experience and 16 days...we had to trace these promo signs out and cut them out of cardboard...then paint them...now 3 days later they are done...so that pretty much sums it up for now...im sleepy but more later stay tuned....

Keepin It Real...

Im Gonna Keep On Babblin'

I Don't Want Entertainment, I Want Jesus.

Father Of Lights.

My Next Adventure.

O' God Stamp Eternity On My Eyeballs.

The Vision.

FIRE.

In The Silence.

Papa Mateos

The Hungry Ones...

Abiding In Him...

The Church Glorious...

Your Kingdom Come...Your Will Be Done...

The TRUTH Hurts...

The same yesterday, today, and forever...

Hangin' In South Africa...

Ministry Update...

Currently Wrecking Me: I Want To Know You.

The Journey Continues...

The past week or so...

Please Consider Supporting Me...

University of the NationsMatt BeasleyCom Trans #43275-5851 Kuakini HwyKailua-Kona, HI 96740-2199

What does love look like?

Prayer Room Testimony...

Dont Be A Dying Star...

The World Is Wide Open...

Anderson House Of Prayer

The LOT Project Promo Video...

Why are we not told plainly?

The LOT Project is gettin' some coverage...

Braving The Waves...

Who You Rolling With?

Repentance...

Keep Pushin'...Don't Look Back...

Observing Lent...& Not the Belly-Button Kind...

Valentinus Kept It Real...

Are You Rescuing Slaves?

Kicks For Christ...

On the verge...

The Ragman...

The Servant of the Lord

Entertaining Angels...

Mission Impossible?...I Don't Think So...

The L.O.T. Project

Let's Go To War...

High Wire...- From Everything Counts...

Thumbin' For A Ride...

This dude kept it real...

WE can do it...

You Got Tha Power...

The last step...

Put me in coach...Im ready to play...

Cuts to the core of me...

The Great Awakening...

My heart breaks for this very thing...

The wheels up there are turning...

Answered Prayer...

It's been too long...

Life...

Passion of the Christ...

It Has Been Forever...

In the last couple days...

Where do I start...it's been a while...

Let The Games Begin...HEYOHHHHHHHHH!!!

Here We Go...

Catching Up....

The Promo Movie Is Finished...I Think It Went Pretty Well...

"Sweetly Broken"

an interesting Sunday...

Early Morning Devotions...

Another day in the neighborhood...

Guess What?

University of the Nations
Matt Beasley
Com Trans #432
75-5851 Kuakini Hwy
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740-2199