The trip to South Asia that I was privileged to be part of last month was pretty incredible. So incredible that I don’t really know where to begin or how to convey all that God deserves credit, honor, and praise for. If you want to read about the vision of the trip and what we were planning on doing, take a look at my last update, Did Someone Say “South Asia”. ...
Did you know that there are approximately 3 billion unreached people in the world? That means that 3 billion people have never heard the Gospel and have no opportunity to hear it. This can be due to several reasons; they may live in an area where there aren’t any Christians (like persecuted countries), where Christianity, the Bible, and even saying the word “God” is illegal (like North Korea), or where they simply don’t have access to Gospel materials (like remote headhunting tribes). ...
Do you ever feel like life hits you out of nowhere like a tornado without the tornado warning? All of a sudden, your rosy, cheery existence is interrupted by a whirlwind of upsetting change and chaos that leaves you windblown and chapped as you try to fit together the remains of what you once knew as normal? That’s how this past month has been for me. I have just experienced a lot of personal loss that sometimes feels debilitating. My younger sister (who is also my best friend) got engaged and went away to school in Arizona, my uncle passed away, and I said good-bye to the high school ministry at my old church as I now transition to Calvary Chapel Saving Grace. ...
This past month has been a whirlwind and God’s faithfulness is so evident. I had the privilege of serving as a counselor at two summer camps this year which happened to be back to back. Basically I left on July 24th for the first camp, got back in the afternoon on the 28th, and left the next morning for another four days! The theme of the first camp was Created and we talked about science and the Bible and why we can trust the Bible to affirm true science. It was a radical week as we saw students’ questions answered and lives changed. Two of the girls in my cabin accepted Christ and were baptized! I was one proud leader. ...
I have been sitting here staring at a blank screen for the last few minutes because I don’t know how to convey or properly share the beauty of our God. Our God is the God who leaves the 99 to seek and find the 1 lost. Our God is the God who loves us so passionately that He submitted to death on the cross. Our God is the God who calls every nation, tribe, tongue, and people group to Himself. ...
Wow. Just wow. There is so much that God has done in the past few months and if you have followed me at all on Facebook or on my Christ Pursuit blog I must beg your forgiveness for neglecting to update you all! Life has been somewhat crazy and I have gone through quite a few transitions, the most notable of which is my new position as administrative assistant with Saving Grace World Missions. ...
Joshua’s heart broke for the hundredth time as he reflected on the happenings of the last 6 months. Not only had his subjects rebelled against him under the direction of the Eastern foreigner, but his beloved wife had been hiding an affair for 4 months before openly leaving Joshua to stand behind the man who seemed to take everything from him. He couldn’t understand how she could leave him, and worse yet, he couldn’t hate her; he loved her too much. Many in his kingdom had been reluctant to follow the man from the East, but when the princess came out as his mistress, they began to question if Joshua was actually as good as they thought he was. If his own wife chose this Eastern man over him, how good could he really be? It was then that Joshua truly lost it all and in the last two months the rebellion had grown from a smoldering ember to a raging blaze. Joshua was not a coward, but he was patient and he waited for correspondence from his father, the King, before quenching the rebellion. He wanted to be sure to act in accordance with his father’s wishes. When word came, Joshua was swift to act and he rallied his loyal soldiers to march against the very people they were sworn to protect. ...
“Vision always starts with a burden. Follow the burden, see where it takes you, and maybe it will lead you to the Lord’s vision for your life.” Doug Souder When I heard those words, I knew I had to begin earnestly praying for a burden from the Lord. I began to fast and pray that God would give me some sort of vision in regards to what He wanted me to do because I simply wasn’t feeling burdened for the land of Israel. For almost two and a half years I have been praying for the Middle East and though I felt burdened for it, I did not know if the burden was specifically for long-term missions, or just for prayer. As many of you know, I felt called to Israel and I knew that coming here this semester would help clarify that calling and that God would either open or close doors. My heart was confused when I had been here for two weeks and didn’t have any desire to stay here long term or even to go out and evangelize. Part of that has been the spiritual warfare of being here, Jerusalem is a heavily oppressed city and it is evident after being here for a prolonged period of time, but part of that was also that I simply didn’t feel any kind of burden outside of the usual for this place. ...
I heard this story on April 20th, 2017 and I’ve been writing it ever since. The story I heard was just the bare bones but it pierced my heart and I thought, “I need to share this.” This is only the first half, if you enjoy it, leave a comment and let me know that you want the second half, it should be ready next week. Enjoy. \\\__ The sun broke over the tops of the trees and cast its brilliant light upon a clearing in the forest. The light revealed a circular pit eight feet deep and twelve feet across with a single lonely post standing in the center. About the pit, a stillness hung in the air and an eerie silence seemed to speak of the terrible fate that met all those who spent their last moments there. The only disturbance to the unsettled peace was a soft breeze that explored the deep grooves on the post where tiger’s claws had left their fearful mark. Wrapping around the post and picking up speed as if spooked, the breeze raced back into the forest, through the trees and into the valley several miles away where it rallied its strength and charged onward across the valley to the royal palace that stood proudly upon the mountainside opposite the forest. ...
The Lord is doing amazing things here in Israel! It has been two weeks and I am so incredibly blessed by His presence with me and His gentle care of me. As the girls’ dorm steward I have additional responsibilities like resolving conflicts, making sure the rules are being upheld, and serving the others students in general. The past weeks have been extremely stretching because I struggled the first week with fatigue and I had to daily crucify my flesh just to stay awake, let alone serve others. Through it God reminded me that I do not have the luxury of walking in my flesh, whether everything is going well or everything is going wrong. As a servant of the gospel, I am called to die daily for His name’s sake and this was a wonderful opportunity to grow in that daily crucifixion when I most certainly did not feel like it. ...