"Oh, that You would rend the heavens."

Lately, God and I have done some wrestling.. in a good way. He's just really been teaching me to go deeper, go beyond (bahaaaa, MERGE plug). There have been multiple "concepts" lately, but the latest is purity, but not so much purity.. just power. but there's more to it. basically, i just tweeted this:

Love = Purity          Purity = Glory          Glory = Power 

Jesus said in John 14:15, "if you love Me, you will keep My commandments." The normal interpretation of this for me was a self righteous Pharisaic disposition of proving one's love for Christ by upholding the law. Jesus, though, fulfilled the law for you, so we no longer have to keep these commandments. He beckons us to love Him. From this intimacy flows endless rivers of integrity. When you love Jesus, you naturally long to uphold His standards. 

but why?

What in the world is the point of this rule following? Not rules, roads, and narrow ones at that (Matt. 7:13-14). This is a pursuit of the presence and nearness of God in our lives. When you love God, you want to be NEAR Him. in His lap. These "roads" (rules, laws, commandments, decrees, statutes, whatever) are for our protection from harm; moreover, they are beacons of hope guiding us to a heightened "state of purity" in our lives. We could get caught up in the hair splitting of terminology, or you could just bear with me as i try to put into words what the Spirit has put in my head. 

When you love someone, a spouse or a significant other, you want to be pure for them, right? It's a sense of faithfulness or loyalty to that person. It gives you nearness to them. Ladies, the last thing you want is a husband who runs to the computer screen for sexual gratification instead of you. why? He'd rather have something fake, it makes you feel terrible (something i can't fully understand, so i won't even try to put it into words). Vanity. It's empty and leaves them feeling the same; ladies, it would do the same for you. If this rings true, why do we as followers of Jesus run to everything the world has to offer for "love" and fulfillment? Why not truly lay hold of the Spirit of God? What else do we have?

Purity. Is. Essential.

Matthew 5:8 says, "blessed are the PURE in heart, for they shall see God." David said in Psalm 119:9, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word." Purity = Intimacy. Love leads to purity and purity leads to love. Would we rather be caught in a downward spiral of emptiness, or a vicious cycle of intimacy and fulfillment? David understood the importance of keeping God's laws, striving for them. They kept him out of danger, but, more importantly, in the presence of the Almighty.

Proverbs 4:23 says, "keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." Too often, I've heard this associated with dating. Yes, guarding your heart is important. What's so much more important is our pursuit of Christ. If we would set our focus on the King of Glory, we wouldn't have to worry so much about the next guy or girl shattering our heart. Seriously. David's Bridal University needs to CHILLL OUTTT. ring by spring? boof. In other news, our purity is a direct reflection of our vision of heaven and the Father. If we aren't remaining unstained by cultural influence and worldly pleasures, our perception of Jesus is muddied and our purpose remains unfulfilled. We become devoid and bereft. 

The Law is insane. Have you read Leviticus? yikes. Well, when Moses followed every SINGLE command God gave in the establishment of the tent of meeting (a representation of purity), something major followed. "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the Glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34-34). Purity of the "temple" led to a filling of the temple. Hold that thought.

1 Corinthians 6:19 says, "or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, Whom you have from God?" This passage is definitely talking about running from sexual immorality, but more so running towards purity, the glorification of God in our bodies. What in the WORLD are we filling our temples with? The world or the Spirit? Seriously, think about that. Housing the Spirit, the full Glory of God, cannot happen if we constantly grieve Him into a janitor's closet. We are refusing the fullness of God in our lives by choosing worldly lusts over true fulfillment. When God's Spirit is present and prevalent, the power of God works in crazy ways. 

The power of God needs to be let loose in our hearts and lives which will explode into the world around us. That's what we need, that's what God wants. Back to David but in Psalm 24 this time, "Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? and who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a PURE heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of Glory."

We all speak of a generation. There's even a song about it: "i see a generation rising up to take their place with selfless faith. I see a near revival stirring as we pray and seek, we're on our knees." So what are we gonna do about it? we can either tap into the dream of God and become this generation or prolong the inevitable and waste our lives on worthless pursuits and dreams ending in dead ends. We must seek God's face with clean hands and a pure heart. We must lift up our heads and fulfill our purpose as the ancient doors for the King of Glory to enter through. Cry out for His Kingdom and His return. Cry out for Jesus. 

Psalm 132:3-5. Isaiah 62:2-7. Matthew 6:10. Revelation 22:17. 

When we fulfill these as a person and a people, we will see the power of God break out unlike anything this world has ever seen. First, we must get back to purity. "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4:8-10). The beatitudes promise the kingdom of heaven, comfort, and satisfaction in righteousness will be given to these. When we bear fruit in repentance, we will see the face of revival in us and in the world around us.

God's heart BURNS for His people to BURN for Him. The dream of God is a global outbreak of revival and restoration. YOU, as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, are a minister of reconciliation. You are restoring a creation back to its Creator by the Spirit of God. We MUST let go of this world and our lives.We MUST.

I'm praying that theological disagreements are shattered by an overwhelming presence of the Spirit of God. I'm praying that apathetic hearts are gripped by the limitless love and jealousy of the Father for you. I'm praying for revival to break out in your heart and the world around you. I'm praying for revival. 

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.”

Revelation 22:17

home.

well, i'm home and i couldn't be happier. Words just can't express how refreshing it is to be back. I had dinner with my parents. I went to a show friday night and chilled with mason for his birthday and my homies in Mouth of the South. It was just super cool. I had dinner with the youth pastors (hs&jh) and their wives saturday night and started at Pantego Bible Church on Sunday morning. life's good. I have the coolest job ever. seriously. first day on the job (kinda, it was yesterday/monday), we had pancake discipleship. pancakes. merge students. james 4:1-12. freaking rad. did i mention pancakes? so cool. the kids in the group are incredible and really have a desire to love Jesus. in two weeks we're going to lake texoma for the upperclassmen retreat and the following weekend is welcome weekend and move up sunday for the incoming 7th graders. just some pretty cool stuff. God's a cool dude. today i helped the ResLife staff at DBU move mattresses, bed frames, and desks into the off campus apartments and i was in my apartment for the first time. i love it. it's gonna be pretty home-y for sure. the sad part is how closed off everyone i was able to talk to or see was. breaks my heart, but God is bigger. He's pursuing them and has been long before i came along.

James 3:13-4, let's go back to that. SO HUGE. "Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom" (js. 3:13). From the very beginning, a distinctly profound and important point is clearly stated: wisdom and understanding are significant. Moreover, they are crucial. Maybe that's why james wrote this in the fourth sentence of the FIRST chapter, " If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him" (v. 5). this verse is a good reference to the remainder of the post so "keep it fresh" (merge kids get this).

1) if God gives wisdom, shouldn't we desire it? (here's a hint: yes). If He gives it, obviously it's something we DON'T have. That might explain this, "Never be wise in your own eyes," or this, "Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil" (Rom. 12:16; Prov. 3:7). How, though, can we know it's something we don't have? we ALWAYS want our way and think we have the, or all the, answer(s) to our questions, problems, and situations. and everyone elses' too. AND if they don't do what WE think is right, THEY are the dumbest human who ever existed. man, that sounds like an attitude of a GENIUS. ..psych. one way, and one way alone can we acknowledge and accept this fact.

humility.

When we think we're wise you have outcomes like those mentioned in James 3:14-16, "But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth (don't put on a front of wisdom when you're full of poopy). This is not wisdom that comes down FROM ABOVE, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic (demons are spirits, so my guess would be the word is really 'unSpiritual'). For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice." in a nutshell: two kinds of wisdom, 1) from above and 2) earthly. heaven or earth, those are our choices of where we want to be fed from. we have the privilege of CHOOSING where we want our (some not so much) wisdom comes from. if the latter of the two leads to disorder and EVERY vile practice, what's left? if we want order and goodness, what should we seek?

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. and a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" (js. 3:17-18). so this is what james was talking about way back in that first verse, huh? makes sense.. when was the last time you just walked outside and had the purest motives, making peace with everybody, gently, listening to their INSANELY wrong points of view openly, mercifully handling everyone the same, showing sincere impartiality and bearing fruit in all of it? never. NEVER. none of us have, but we've had glimpses of it. why? it's God given, which is why we must ask for it.

chapter four is pretty easily summed up, you can read it. the selfishness and jealousy in chapter three carries down to war within us and cause fights and quarrels (v. 1). these lead to hatred and envy of others and we feel hatred toward them (if you aren't loving them and wish bad stuff would happen to em, be real, that's hate) which is, according to Jesus, the same as committing the act in our hearts (v. 2).

When we think we have it all figured out, we chase our desires, our passions, we fight for them! why would we ask God for this stuff? we can totally handle it on our own. heck, maybe we do ask, but do we reeeeally go to God as He is for who He is, or is He more like Santa Clause? Ho Ho Ho is right. which leads right into verse four! WHORES. James compares the Jewish Christians to prostitutes and adulterers, which they would have understood and HATED, in a good way. He tells them they've become their own God's enemies because they desire the things of this world over the kingdom of Heaven.

God is JEALOUS for us. His veins burn green with flames of jealousy. He cannot stand to see His people seeking their fulfillment and pleasure in things other than Himself. He loves us, but He's also selfless. He knows what is best for us, Himself, so He points us in the direction of Himself. Here's where it gets a bit lofty. God's jealousy is His provision for the fulfillment of our purpose: seeking and finding Him, praising Him. ultimately, His glorification is what He is seeking, but we get to play a part in that. cool, huh? moreover, Proverbs 26:11 says, "like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly." When we gain wisdom from God, we realize two things: 1) God is the ultimate fulfillment. 2) nothing else can fulfill us, it's foolish to try. take solomon for example. he was the wisest man to ever live (1 kings 4:29) and in his book ecclesiastes, the main point is the stuff of this world we so desperately seek after cant bring us satisfaction. BUT WE CONTINUE TRYING. so now what?

"But He gives more grace." God in His infinite holiness, FREAKING holy, beyond understanding or fathom, gives US grace. more grace. relentlessly. He pours out grace on us like air or sunlight, except without the setting. THAT'S A GREAT ANALOGY, thank you, Holy Spirit. Get this, texans. Sun = hot, yeah? especially when it was 108 today and i was sweating my butt off. when the sun is beating down on you, what do you wanna do? swim, drink water, GET OUT OF IT. The sun burrrrnnsss. God pours out His grace on us in the same way. We go outside, we can't handle it very long, so we don't wanna get burned. the more we realize that the sun's just gonna burn us, the less we wanna hang out in it. our desires change (little drastic, but bear with me). When we desire the things of this world, God pours out His grace to change our desires to Him.

 However, God only gives grace to the humble. We must humble ourselves before Him and accept the change. He gives us a glimpse of Himself, His wisdom, and our foolishness. We must humble ourselves by denying ourselves and taking up our cross and following Him.

wisdom follows grace so we understand how to flee from our old desires and run after these new ones.

This is the process of sanctification. Humility, Grace, Wisdom.

We must humble ourselves before God, accept His transforming power, and let His Spirit teach us all things (Jn. 14:26).

I admit, this may be off and we may disagree, but i love you and pray God's Spirit transforms you as we humble ourselves before Him.
I pray "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ; the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe" over you in the name of Jesus (see the remaining verses for the power that comes along with that ephesians 1:17-23). be wise.

Last Portland Update. EVER.

sad, huh? bittersweet. I'm more than excited to come home, but to leave "home" behind.. rough. TWO MONTHS went into Portland. That's a lot of prayer and sweat.. and coffee. This trip has been incredible. Shorties to know:

the pacific is not the gulf of mexico. wear a wet suit or prepare to freeze.

watching the sunset over the ocean is super legit.

seattle is cool, but Portland is better. They have cool kids that dance in the pit though. fun fact.

Driving in Portland is a tad bit confusing.

Waterfalls are fun to play in.

Alpaca's are nice.. sometimes.

Jesus is pursuing people long before you are, so you can trust Him to work and not stress.

i really really like riding bikes around the city. dallas stinks in that area.

the first piece of "furniture" to buy when you move into a house/apt is a plunger. trust me.

living on necessities is fun. a bunch of stuff weighing you down isn't.

Prayer works. Every. Single. Word.

I've met some really cool peeps and leaving them isn't gonna be the funnest thing I've ever done.

Patience is a lot more fun when God teaches you what it really means.. and He never stops doing that. whoa.

Food Carts after midnight are better than whataburger after midnight.

Nothing beats a good QT run, though. Straight up.

living off campus is gonna be kinda sad.

Crazy Love is a freaking GOOD book.

God's love, mercy, and grace are too good to be true.. but they are true, everyday, all the time.

That's all i think. pray for the people we'll spend these last few days with, pray for our transitions when we return. pray for a revival fire to burn our hearts, our country, and our world. pray in general. Thank EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU for praying or giving or following, even the people who will never read this, thank you. God honors you now and will continue to do so. Those who are faithful with little, will be faithful with much. believe it. i love you all to death. cheers from portland. put a bird on it. see yaaaaaaa.

Regular Radicalism

Why is it that we as the Church have deemed people radicals? You know, the ones that actually live out the bible so we don't have to. They go to the nations and give to the poor, all in the name of Jesus, while we rot in our comfort and claim the holy Creator of the universe is the center of our lives. Are we blind or ignorant? Joking or just foolish? Jesus set the standard of living in His footsteps at radical and anything short of it wasn't enough. He went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.. that's not what good Jewish boys do. He took them to the pagan capitol and told them on the rock of the pagan temple He would start His church, not even the gates of hell will prevail against it (they were standing on the rock that the altar of the pagans was cut into). He was a FRIEND of sinners. They called Him friend because He gave them reason. "greater love has no man than this," right? He gave His life for His friends.. in life and death. He was a rad Dude, all the time, and we are in awe of Him (rightfully so) but won't run after Him. This isn't saying we'll always be in stride with Him, but why aren't striving to be? Honestly? If we care more about our paycheck rolling in than we do Jesus coming back, we might be a bit confused. What are you anxiously awaiting? let that be the compass of where your heart is set. I'm not perfect, nor do I claim to be. This is reproof, let's grow together. If we claim to follow Jesus, we must do just that.. Follow Jesus. Not to the couch, but "to the ends of the earth" (acts 1:8). We really need to get a true grasp on what Jesus' life looked like and become more like Christ every second of every minute of every day, what does Christian mean anyways? The disciples were CALLED that because they LOOKED and ACTED as Christ did. What if we let the people who are watching our lives decide whether or not we were Christians, would they be able to tell? ouch. What do we have to lose?! We are pursuing the Almighty King of Glory, what's to be lost? He created you and all you desire, what's to forfeit? All we can do is gain from our sacrifice. He just longs for your love. He asked you to marry Him, and if you said yes, are you honoring your vows? Till death do you part..y together forever. Press on towards the fulfillment of your calling in Christ and walk from this life to the next with arms open wide ready to embrace your First Love and Highest Prize. Get lost in your worship of the Most High, lose yourself in His infinite love for you. You'll be surprised when what you find is you.. A much different you, but you'll like it. He's our Portion, and our never failing Fulfillment. Rest in the arms of your Warrior, your King.

just a wee update

so baaaasicallyyyyy, Portland has been the bomb. on friday, we went to multnomah falls and hiked up a waterfall. no big deal. we played in the creek and i drank the water and was super surprised at how sweet it was! ...and cold. We found some really cool stuff in the woods and just had a blast. we went to a fish hatchery too and saw Herman, the sturgeon. dude's huge. and our rainbow trout friend never left the glass. on top of playing in a waterfall, we went to mount hood and played in the snow... in july. talk about different. you guys back home are drought ridden and i'm making snow angels.. yikes. needless to say it was pretty cool. also, along the way we ran in to a few alpacas and had a little photoshoot. jeremiah's screaming out, "dude, it's like pokemon snapshot; take the picture!" it was a blast. we're still doing the usual.. whatever that is. I've been making a lot of progress with the baristas at our coffee shop and it's really cool to watch the Lord draw them to Himself in us. take that to mind, when you spend time with Jesus, people are drawn to it. Let the Spirit inside you draw people to Himself. short and sweet i guess. sorry for the pictures being all out of whack but you can see what i've been seeing! i'm on a plane home in 15 days. yikes. love ya!

King of Glory, have Your glory.

As of late, in my time spent with God, studying His word, praying, seeking, worshiping, He's been leading me to a new revelation that I think we all need to hear. It isn't a new age philosophy or a new way to see God move. It's not a new worship song, pastor, sermon series, or church to attend. It's an ancient path, an old, dusty, lost road. It's the walk of the fathers of our faith. In a confused and dying culture and time in our world, it's our only hope.

Around four of five weeks ago, I was praying to be changed to the fathers of old, the fathers of the faith. Praying to be so profoundly different from this world and culture because I've gone to the very basics and essence of the faith as the fathers of it had. The forefathers of the faith never even MOVED without the Lord saying to. They all went through the desert and wilderness and walked the ancient paths of Jeremiah 6:16. I was then brought to the wilderness to a revelation of the fathers and the ancient paths. I've been a son, yet it's time for the sons to become fathers. This is a prophetic call to follow an ancient path leading to the promise of God in Matthew 16:18. To take back the ground that Almighty Yahweh promised, Jesus secured, and we were born into, it's our inheritance as sons of the living God and heirs to His throne. We are to be a church of power. We will be.

Adam and Eve walked with God. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did too. Moses begged God to show him His glory. He saw God for who He is and spoke with Him mouth to mouth. These were powerful fathers of our faith, but they fell short in a manner that we do not. Through Christ, we house God's glory. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says we are temples of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, the Greek word used is "naos," transliterated to mean Holy of Holies. Let that sink in. Powerful, yeah? Exodus 40:34 is inside our spirit. Our souls are being readied to contain more. David sought God's heart; we are written on it. Isaiah whimpered before the throne of God, we're invited to come into His presence with boldness, expecting mercy and grace (Heb. 4:16). Jesus holds us and the keys of the Kingdom and hands them to us. What we unlock and allow to enter through us is our decision. We're the gates, we're the doors, we must open up, and let the King of Glory enter in (psalm 24:7-10).

Put off the old and put on the new.

This is deep. We aren't the first Christians; putting on the new isn't some new age philosophy, it's a tested discipline: crucifixion of flesh, liberation of Spirit, and pursuit of Holy. It's only new to us, because we're new to the family, an ancient family with an ancient tradition of walking ancient paths to claiming the ancient inheritance of an eternal God. It's worked forever; the forefathers did it. This is a story about a family! It fits all of us, but it's not about us! So we are moving toward the discipline of our ancestors. Jesus did it best. Huh? He walked the ancient paths better than the fathers referred to in the passage? Yeah, where do you think they got it? Jesus. He was there when the world began. Romans 13:14. To fully put ON Christ is to gravitate towered the most ancient paths. Think Adam and Eve ancient. Walking with God. Micah 6:8. Ancient. We are being moved to a posture of simplicity and freedom. Our minds wont be bound by cultural or self-opinionated doctrinal garbage, our bodies won't be hindered by the workings of our flesh because Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John). Matthew 10:7-8. Luke 4:17. Isaiah 61:1-4. Revelation 22. Sick, broken people will be set free.

Look around you.. The arid land that is being laid by the drought. The land is longing to have it's thirst quenched. That's America. We are amidst a drought. A power outage. We are in the appearance of God's power, but lacking the Spirit and running on the fumes of religion and tradition. Prophesy. Speak out life, truth, the Spirit and Word of the Living God. Birth something into the atmosphere. Bind the enemy and loose the creativity of God in your life and the world around you.

I'm genuinely curious as to why we, the Church, believe we have not because we ask not, but won't commit to crying out, day and night, "come, Lord Jesus." His kingdom will spring up all around us when we do more so than ever before. Ever. Literally, ever. For real. Picture the power we'll receive. The anointing. The Body operating in complete unity. It's the dream of the Father and the heartcry of Jesus for God's kingdom to come and will to be done on earth, we can make it happen! Why are we dreaming so small?! Will you join with me and committing to praying, "come, Lord Jesus. Let Your kingdom come, let Your will be done, on earth JUST like heaven." come, Jesus. Declare His glory. 

The heartcry of Jesus is that you would formulate a posture of opportunity and openness to putting His glory on display, in word and deed.

This involves sacrifice. We must lay our lives down at the feet of Jesus, casting our crowns at His feet, and hand Him everything. He is LOVE. He's gracious and overflowing with goodness. Trust Him. Trust Him. But this involves patience. Migrating out of a cultural lifestyle and into a style of life this world has never known won't be immediate.

Impatience brings forth idolatry. When you cannot wait for the Lord, you will seek to find pleasure in anything but the Lord. Be Still.

Psalm 25:3 "indeed, none who WAIT for YOU shall be put to shame." the answer to all our problems is patiently waiting for the Lord to come through. What's the waiting room look like? Three chapters back. 22:3. "You are holy and enthroned on the praises of Israel, Your people." what are we doing while we wait? If it isnt praising Him, we're in the wrong spot. CRY OUT TO HIM DAY AND NIGHT, because 9:7 says He established His throne for justice. When we praise Him from a heart of love and obedience, we become seekers, doers, and lovers of justice. Luke 18:1-8. He'll bring it hastily to His elect that ask for it, so ask for it! As we contend for the kingdom, the justice of the fatherless, the widows, the oppressed and afflicted, our "problems" soon fade away and become others in need of justice. Have a problem? Praise Him, and He'll change us completely. Psalm 37:3-7. This is the dawning of a new era of holiness and justice. Come, King of Glory.

Jeremiah 6:16 -

"Thus says the LORD: 'STAND by the roads, and LOOK, 

and ASK for the ancient paths, where the good way is; 

and WALK in it, and find rest for your souls.'

But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'"

- stand
- search
- step

Three things we must do to discern the path we must take.

- Stand: Stop what we're doing; stand still. I picture a crowd (culture) and you stop in the middle of it. People bump into you, you get some funny looks, but it's worth it. Listen for the voice of God. Like an Indian in the middle of NYC putting his ear to the ground.

- Search: Inquire in the secret place and in godly counsel. Do what God says. Completely. Whatever it may be. Even worse than the picture above, you start asking people directions to a place they've never heard of and continue putting your ear down.

- Step: "and walk in it." knowing what to do and doing it, go hand in hand. If you don't, it's sin (James). Lastly, you walk against the crowd. You think it was bad and hard before? That was nothing compared to this. Imagine crawling through the crowd. The hardest step is the first.

This is a vicious cycle leading to discipline, holiness, and splendor. All are in the courts of the King. People will call you crazy, they'll say you're a radical, you're taking things too seriously, or you're taking some things too far, but there's no 'too far' in a pursuit of the King of Glory.

Seek, and you will find.

change of heart?

Since I've been in Portland, God has been working in my heart to say the least. My entire view of life and mission has changed. Living out the Gospel is more than just living holy and walking with God, it involves an active, intentional pursuit of loving nonbelievers and believers alike, without compromise, and seeking justice and opportunities to serve without any desire to be praised. Matthew 6 beckons us to the secret life. "WHEN you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. WHEN you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. WHEN you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Mt. 6:3-4, 6, 17-18). We aren't seeking the praises or approval of men or the treasures of this world, we're chasing the heart of Almighty God and loving ourselves and our neighbors, present or future.

At DBU, it's somewhat of a Christian bubble (hello, sarcasm). We all have good intentions, desires, and purposes, but they remain just that, intentions. "Beautiful are the feet," not the intention behind them (Romans 10:15). Often times we get so caught up loving believers, we forget what talking to someone who doesn't know Jesus looks, feels, or sounds like. We freeze. We share the Gospel of Christ with them and if they don't accept, we give up. That's not what Jesus did. He lived among people without judgment and loved them to the truth. Our time spent in and with the Church should motivate us to go out and share with others in word and deed. This is by no way a rebuke, and I'm not above my message. He just hit me with this, hello? This is reproof to those of us who have fallen prey to stagnant Christianity, and exhortation of those who haven't. Let's just love God and people together, huh?

Anyways, since I've been here at Portland, I've been wondering how I can go back to school and incorporate the change God has performed in my heart and vision. Friday morning, I woke up with an email from the director of housing at DBU stating we have a record number of students trying to live on campus. They would be providing off campus apartments to 20 male students. Coincidence? Moreover, I would get to keep all the scholarships that require on campus housing. Coincidence? The result? I will now be living off campus, 15 minutes away from school, incorporating missional community and incarnationally living out the Gospel in an apartment complex and neighborhood in Dallas/Irving/Grand Prairie (Carrier Parkway, 2ish miles North of the QT and Starbucks. Total score, right?). "Ask and you will receive," indeed (Matthew 7:7). Seek to find the heart of the Father; when you take a breath, you'll look around and wonder when New Jerusalem came to town. When you walk with the King, the result is the Kingdom: in your heart, your mind, and your world.

Friday, I also hung out with my homeless friend, Dante. He needed to do his laundry, so I told him I would pay for it. We hung out the entire afternoon! I paid for his clothes, his lunch, and his frozen yogurt and what came to mind was Jesus telling us to invite people to our banquets and feasts that cannot give back to us after we have given to them, He's really just changing my perception. Dante and I discussed testimonies and spiritual journeys, and he was able to witness Jesus at work. The laundromat's detergent dispensing machine was broken so anyone could take what they wanted, along with the quarters people had already paid with; I attempted to fix it. When I couldn't, I discovered the Thai restaurant next door owned it. We helped them clear out all the money and items from the machine. Dante was perplexed that someone would do such a thing, and I met Tim, one of the Thai place's waiters, in the process: "I don't have any American friends." Something so small that I never intended to let anyone see turned into God being glorified. Dante has seen Jesus. Soon enough, he'll know him. ps.. stop and pray for Dante! do it, do it, do it!

this is just an update of what the Lord's up to. We're meeting people and doing our best to reflect the God we know, love, and serve. is it easy? not exactly. is it worth it? undoubtedly. Thank you for your prayers, love, and support! We love you guys!