Christmas and bears

Hey everybody! The snow has melted but we are still feeling the Christmas cheer here in California, as we drive with our windows down and feel the warmth of the sun on our faces (did you know Redding is #2 on the list of sunniest cities in America??). We had a tree-lighting service at Bethel during the winter blast, which really made things feel Christmasy:

A bundled up Jeremy Riddle led us in some carols

Then today I went with some friends to a nursing home, where we got to spread some joy by singing carols. They were very appreciative and said we did bring cheer to their environment, which they don't always get to experience. It was a great way to pour out love, which actually makes room for us to receive more love in return. It's a nice little cycle.

Earlier this week we had an Encounter Day, which was basically a small personal retreat followed by a time of worship and sharing with our core group. If you're confused about the seemingly endless list of groups, we have revival groups (70 people), core groups (20 people), and small groups (5 people). So for my encounter I went with my small group leader to Whiskeytown lake and hiked on the trail:

The actual lake is much bigger. This is more like a creek on the side

Right when we got there, we saw some fresh BEAR tracks in the snow! At least we thought they were bear tracks. But I'm no doctor...

I was scared, I'll admit it. All alone on the trail, my imagination running more wild than anything I came in contact with. I thought about how the bears are probably eating more now to prepare for their winter hibernation. But then I realized that if I'm living my life on a mission towards a vision, I shouldn't be scared of death in any way, because I'll only get as much accomplished on earth as I have days given to me. And God will provide for what needs to happen.

I think this is choice we simply have to make before we get into a difficult situation. Much like "Will I defend Jesus if someone I respect mocks him?" or "Will I worship Jesus even when I don't feel close to him?" That last one is a toughie because it's so easy for me to be led by my feelings. Feelings make a great thermometer for how things are going inside, but they make a terrible master.

That's all for now. 3 days of school this week and then I'll be back on a plane to Cincy :)

For your Christmas enjoyment, my favorite carol - O Holy Night sung by Josh Groban

SNOW

There is no escape. Whether you live in Ohio, Texas, or California, winter has come and dumped a freezing blanket of awesome on us all. What started as a few flakes looking out of place against the palm trees turned into this:

"Those are not palm trees." Yeah but it's a nice pic.

My revival group had gathered for a Christmas party and gift exchange, but after dinner the decision was made to end it early so we could drive home and be safe. So some friends and I went to the Civic Center (where we have class) and had a snowball fight. We also took advantage of the glorious packing ability of the snow and rolled a giant snowball. It ended up being about 6 feet high:

That's the silhouette of a champion.

After building a wall of snow in front of a friend's front door, we called it a night. And what a week! This past week was relationship week at BSSM. So we heard a variety of amazing talks on friendship, dating, marriage, and all that good stuff. Danny Silk brought a life-changing message about boundaries, and one of my favorite events was Men's Night. The ladies had one too, which I heard was fantastic. But I got to gather with the other men in my class to worship (interesting sound with just the low voices, very powerful) and hear from a speaker. It ended with some ministry time and guys seeing breakthrough in different areas. For some odd reason I felt less distracted on that night...

So here's the thought for this week: the bar is always being raised. Think about it. Humans are designed to want to succeed and explore. We were called to subdue the whole earth, and it's natural for us to want to reach new heights and set records. This desire, harnessed in the wrong way, led to things like the building of the Tower of Babel, where people tried to reach heaven and show off their pride in humanity. But no matter how you look at it, it's clear that when we reach a certain level, there is expectation to go above and beyond.

This is also true with spiritual things. When we reach a level of intimacy with God, he wants to bring us even closer. When we do something great, he wants us to do even greater things. Now there are two ways to look at this bar being raised. You can look from a worldly perspective and say that you never have enough, and that you are never good enough. It may seem that God is never fully satisfied with your work. Or you can look with a heavenly lens and see that God went to great lengths to raise us up himself, and he is SO satisfied in us if our identity is in Christ. God would love you the same if you never prayed another prayer or read another Bible verse. But he knows that there is so much more for us to experience - so much more of Him to know. So he calls us to come, and to reach.

Listen to this song and get pumped up! The Anthem by Jesus Culture. Wow!

Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

I'm sure you've already read a lot of posts about what people are thankful for, so I'll try to avoid making a big list, but I hope everyone was able to reflect on all we've been given in life. If you're reading this, you have access to a computer or phone, which not everyone has the privilege to enjoy, so there's a start!

Monday we had a Thanksgiving meal as a revival group, since that's they day we meet normally. We got to share in pairs things about the other person that we are thankful for, as well as give small gifts, so it was a cool time of getting to know people a little better. 

I was also thankful for beautiful California weather to play football in, and for my safety after we ended up playing tackle football with some guys who were a bit bigger than us:

The "Turkey Bowl" - they've been doing it since '76

On the big day, the other BSSM students from my apartment complex and I banded together and made an amazing feast. For most of us, it was the first one away from home, so the fact that all of our kitchens are still in tact is pretty cool (minus one small burner-on-fire incident). We also took in some other students who needed some awesome company to celebrate Thanksgiving with. Here's the gang:

I contributed the corn pudding and jello salad! Thanks Mom :)

It's been great seeing all the international students post pictures of their "first Thanksgiving". They got to experience this American tradition with us students or families from Bethel who volunteered to host them for their meals. Overall, just a whole lot of smiles and good community. So again, I hope you had a great day or week of celebrating and being content, no matter your situation. Thank YOU so much for reading this and for supporting me in my journey here at Bethel! I pray that you receive many blessings of peace, love, and pumpkin pie!

This week I don't have a song but watch this 6 minute clip from Graham Cooke! About how much God loves us no matter what:

In His Gaze

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far to my South Korea trip! The first payment deadline was met (with 2 hours to spare!) and I have a month and a half until the next one. You can still donate here if you want to.

The past two weeks have been amazing. There are no crazy events that stand out but it seems like every day we get hit with a new truth or revelation about a concept that's spoken on. Kris Vallotton has been blowing our minds with a couple talks on truth, the Bible, and how nobody can accurately interpret the Bible without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We get to download 10 of the talks for free (3 bucks a piece after that) so I'll definitely try to get some of the more impactful ones to save a share. I'm also enjoying worship more, and it's definitely a highlight of every day. Sometimes I wish I was up on stage playing but I know that I already have plenty of things to do with my time.

A few days ago some friends and I went to Whiskeytown lake to have a late-night bon fire under the stars. The next day there was a fire by the lake on the news but we are 95% sure it wasn't our fault:

Don't worry, we covered it up with sand afterwards

One thing we sang during worship one day was the phrase "You never take your eyes off me." I don't think it's from a particular song, but I love the idea of God constantly looking at each one of us. It's a gaze so loving that no deformity or sin will turn it away. No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him in (John 6:44) so even the most rebellious souls are being wooed daily. The stories of people "finding God" are actually stories of people finding out that God has been chasing them their entire life, and He actually knit them together in the womb (Psalm 139).

He's not like a celebrity that people follow on Twitter, limited by time and space. He has enough mind-space to concentrate fully on everybody, all the time. And we're engraved on the palms of his hands (Isaiah 49:16). God delights in us and loves looking at his creation. He knows when we sit and when we rise, when we go out and when we lie down. He is extravagant in his pursuit and extremely optimistic. He is awesome!

I've been jamming out to this on guitar recently: Great I Am by New Life Worship

Annyeonghaseyo!

Hey family and friends!

For those of you just joining the weekly frenzy of this blog, I want to catch you up and get everyone on the same page.

Here's a little refresher, at no extra cost: For the past 2 and a half months, I've been in Redding, California studying (we’ll call it that) at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. We are learning how to encounter Jesus and help others encounter Him as well. We get a lot of practical training in ministry, Bible study, and growing in intimacy with God. It’s been an amazing ride and I can’t wait to see what is in store for the remainder of the school year.

One exciting adventure that I will be part of is a 2-week trip to South Korea next March! I’ll be going with a team of about 20 people, including my revival group leaders, Young and Hannah Kim. They were both born in South Korea and want to see the people there meet Jesus. So we're going to introduce them. 

This is Seoul, the nation's capital. We'll be spending most of our time here, teaching, preaching, and showing them honor in any way we can (one of BSSM's core values is having a culture of honor). We will get an opportunity to teach at supernatural school ministries that have started in Korea, preach at church services, lead treasure hunts, pray for the sick, and minister to Korean celebrities who are hungry for Jesus and influential in their society. Young and Hannah also led a team here last year, so they already have people inviting us back to be with them. I'm praying that we will be able to meet PSY, a very famous South Korean celebrity who has grown in popularity recently. With music videos getting over a billion views, imagine the people he could reach if he found out what Jesus did for him:

He could be the next Billy Graham!

I can't wait to visit Asia for the first time and surprise South Korea with God's love. Please mark March 22 - April 4 on your calendar if you want to partner with us in prayer. We'll be meeting as a team to get to know each other and pray a couple times each month until the trip. If you want to contribute to the $2,400 it will cost me to get there, there are a couple different ways to do that. You can make a check to Bethel Church (with a note that it's for Nick Hunter's South Korea trip) and send it here:

Bethel Church
ATTN: Missions Dept
915 Twin View Blvd
Redding, CA 96003

Or you can just click here!

  

Thank you in advance for sowing into what God is doing throughout the world! One hundred years ago Korea experienced a powerful move of God's revival and from that historical outpouring of the Holy Spirit birthed churches all over the nation. Korea was split into two nations after Korean war and to this day is separated. We are going to be Jesus' hands and feet to bring renewal, revival, healing, restoration, identity, and reconciliation to these wonderful people.

Kamsa Hanmida! (Thank you)

This song is awesome, especially when it gets to the bridge! Alleluia by Jesus Culture

Sacrifice

November is in full swing and it's still sunny and in the seventies here :)

This was part of the inspiration for last week's post:

We've moved into the second term which means new AMT's (electives) and now tracks are emerging. A track is basically an in-depth elective that will last longer so you can go deeper. I was accepted into the counseling/inner healing track, so I'm excited to be starting that on Tuesday! One thing we'll be talking about is the Sozo ministry at Bethel. I'll be in this track for the remainder of the school year. 

My revival group had our first City Project last Friday, so we got to go to a park and do various feats of physical strength and cleaning. Mine involved wearing a very cool jet-pack (leaf blower) and clearing the path of leaves for an event that weekend:

We just passed a homework milestone, which is the monthly date where they will actually start locking you out of the attendance system if you have missing assignments. Since we don't really have tests at BSSM and there really aren't that many rules either, this is probably the biggest measure put in place to make sure students are actually doing work, not just getting drunk on the Holy Spirit and having worship parties, as awesome as those are. So we've all pretty much settled into a (barely) regular rhythm of reading:

One thing that has been on my mind lately is the idea of sacrifice and how it surfaces in almost every area of our lives. We were saved by a sacrifice and though we no longer have to make physical sacrifices to atone for our sins, we have chances every day to sacrifice to our King. He is certainly worthy of our time, our money, and our to-do lists. I think God enjoys when we "waste" our resources on him. Like when the woman poured a bottle of very expensive perfume on Jesus' head (Matthew 26:7) and he said it was a beautiful thing. The disciples all said "Why this waste?" but they didn't understand that the woman was showing that she was truly willing to give up everything for the Savior of the world. 

David was man who understood sacrifice. He writes in the Psalms, "My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). What God really wants is our heart. And Proverbs tells us that everything we do flows from our heart (Proverbs 4:23) so what happens inside will manifest on the outside. One great story from David's life that I've heard taught on a few times here comes from 2 Samuel 24. King David is told to use another guy's land to build an altar to God which will stop a plague on Israel. When he goes to buy the man's land, the man offers to give it to David for free along with cattle for sacrifices because he knows it's for the Lord. But David refuses the gift and says "I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." If love doesn't hurt a little, we're not seeing the full spectrum of love. Sacrificial love is the kind that endures through hardship. 

So we have many chances to sacrifice to God. Not to earn his love but to demonstrate our love in response to His. Sometimes it means giving up our comfort or our reputation. God does not command us to be outcasts but Jesus promised many times that following him would bring hardships. In the end, we are His children who don't need to worry about lacking anything. Our Dad owns it all and he "has been pleased to give [us] the Kingdom" (Luke 12:32). Living for God is not easy but it's joyfully hard.

Our first payment deadline for mission trips is coming up in a couple weeks! It's been so cool to hear the different testimonies of God's provision flowing in. If you want to sow into my trip to South Korea, you can donate here!

This week's song is a good, intimate one: Worthy is the Lamb by Brian Johnson.

A Christian's defense of Halloween

Halloween is unique, to say the least. Like every other holiday, it involves food (in this case, 2 of the 4 main food groups according to Buddy the Elf - candy and candy corn). But unlike other holidays, the season culminates in a 2-hour game of make-believe followed by a candy coma and the realization that you've taken in a week's worth of sugar in one night. The holiday takes a lot of flack for its spookier connotations, and many Christians take cover and suffer through it, happy to be one day closer to Thanksgiving. But I want to share what I love about Halloween and some characteristics that I think God loves too. Instead of writing about its origins (which have mixed Christian and pagan roots) I want to call out 4 great things I see in it today:

Creativity- God is the ultimate Creator, and since we're made in his image, we've got some pretty active creative juices flowing in us too. People go all out on creating the best costumes, sometimes planning for days what they will wear for a few hours come October 31st. Whether it means popping some tags at the thrift shop or popping holes in a cardboard box to make a robot, everybody loves a creative costume. Even if someone is making a gross, inappropriate, or in some way "sinful" costume, they can't help but use their God-given creativity, which has potential to one day lead them closer to the One who gave them that gift.

Generosity- Isn't it fun to give?? Jesus said "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). That may be a hard principle to teach the kid sitting on his bed surrounded by Milky Way wrappers and the unopened Bottle Caps that nobody likes, but everyone who has seen the delight on a child's face when they get candy can attest to this truth. Obviously Christmas kind of takes the cake for bringing about generosity (though Black Friday shoppers certainly hide their generosity well) but people generally enjoy sitting on their porches with their fog machines and flickering lights, waiting to give without asking anything in return.

Fellowship- How many nights a year is it socially normal to visit all your neighbors' houses and see parents walking with children on every sidewalk? I'm not saying that broken families are made new because of Halloween, but it certainly has a way of bringing people together and creating friendships. Now you could leave it at that and decide to only talk to your neighbors once - Hey...Bill. How have you been since...last Halloween? - or you could take advantage of one of the many conversations starters made possible by Halloween - Hey Fred I love how you used a mop on your kid's head to make the evil minion's hair from Despicable Me 2. Did you find that on Pinterest? - the possibilities really are endless. Find a couple people who seem cool or maybe who don't seem cool at all (they could probably use some friends) and start some relationships. It's what we're built for.

Being like a kid- Jesus said "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). There are a lot of childish ways that we shouldn't strive to emulate (being irresponsible, selfish, or rude) but there are SO many child-like characteristics that we often lose when we make the journey into adulthood. Children have faith, they trust without questioning, they rely on their providers, and they sleep soundly even during troubles. God wants us to have an awe for him like a child watching his dad work on something amazing. He wants us to talk to him just because we can, not only when we're in trouble. Halloween brings out the kid in everybody. You get to dress up like anything you want and eat every Reese's cup in the bag. You get to go to dance parties, watch movies, and laugh a lot more than you would on an ordinary day. The main event happens after work hours and ends early enough for everyone to participate.

So there you have it. We're made to look like God and even those who don't know that yet find themselves acting like Him somehow. Halloween comes with a lot of weird baggage, but when you boil it down to its celebration, you can see little glimpses of Heaven invading Earth. And superheroes invading your front lawn.

The Box

I'm back in Redding after a great trip home to see my wonderful cousin, Alexandra Richard, marry Andrew Canada! It was a fun weekend of getting to know new people and celebrating with friends and family:

The beautiful bride and her good-looking cousins

I'll never get tired of looking at clouds from a plane, and I took this shot as we broke through the cloud barrier that covered Chicago. It reminds me that even on the cloudy days, the son is still shining above us:

Insert caption about how God is the same way

The latest news in the BSSM world is that today was the official day when mission trips for the Spring were announced. I'm going to South Korea! We'll be in Seoul training Christians, ministering to celebrities, and releasing God's Kingdom in a country that is home to some of the largest churches in the world (Yoido Full Gospel Church, for example). I'll send out a letter later with more details, but if you want to come alongside of me to help make this happen, you can give here. Pretty much the whole school will be covering the globe at the end of March, so please pray that people experience Jesus in radical ways.

We've also been training for our city service projects. These are practical ways that we are investing in the city of Redding to see it become more whole and filled with love. I'll be helping to lead a kids' program in our neighborhood every Thursday. We've already met many of the kids here so we're excited to see them meet the power of Jesus!

There are a lot of references here to the box that everyone carries. It basically signifies our understanding of God and how he works. If we hear or see something that's not in our box, we question it at first because it's not what we're used to. Everyone is born with a pretty big box, but it shrinks under the extreme pressure of the world and our experiences. As we grow in faith, our box gets bigger and we're open to newer and crazier things that God wants to do. Jesus had a very big box but the religious people he spoke with usually had tiny boxes. In fact, religion has a way of making the world's smallest boxes.

I love that Jesus doesn't try to shove his message into everyone's box. Like when he tells the people who are following him to eat his flesh and drink his blood (John 6:54). He had just fed the 5,000 and walked on water and was running a pretty great ministry in our eyes. But after this statement many people abandon him because the teaching was too hard. In their box, they wanted a king that would destroy their oppressors and be awesome, not cannibalistic. But the 12 disciples stayed close because they new that he carried "the words of eternal life."

Jesus also told parables to hide things from people who didn't have a big enough box to receive his message. Jesus says "I speak in parables, so that, 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand'" (Luke 8:10). The humble and hungry people who truly seek out Jesus to learn more are the ones who understand his messages. Proverbs also says that "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings" (Proverbs 25:2). God likes when we search for him.

I've noticed many times that I try to bend and fold the gospel in such a way that it will fit into someone's box. I think it comes from a good heart, wanting everyone to know the truth, but God doesn't need us to make him look good. It's his nature. Sharing his love and power with people will always sow a good seed, and that is more important than we may think. Just keep sowing.

Here's a new song that I like: Shores by Bryan and Katie Torwalt from Jesus Culture.

Forgiveness

The feeling of being caught up on homework is a great one. I hadn't felt it since falling behind when we went to retreat but now I sit knowing that I've read and written all that's required of me for now. I even had time last weekend to go to the driving range with some friends:

They opened up sign-ups for mission trips that will happen next March and we all chose our top 5 trips that we would like to go on (we'll be placed in only 1). So by the grace of God, I may be going to one of these 5 places in the Spring: South Korea, Hollywood, Mozambique, Israel, or South Sudan (that's a country now!). I was drawn to South Korea because my revival group leader, Young Kim, and his wife, Hannah will be leading the trip. All of the trips will be around 2 weeks long. We also got the opportunity to go to a ropes course as a revival group and spend time growing closer and doing cool activities together. You learn a lot about trust when you are holding onto 7 other people 40 feet up in the air:

Another awesome group I'm part of is the Single Life Workshop (about 800 people!). It sounds kind of weird, but it's something that I wish more people could experience. It was started by a couple who ran a workshop for married people, and then they realized that if they taught these principles to people before they were married, there wouldn't be so many marriages that needed saving. Their biggest focus is to be open and have nothing hidden, so we get really close with our small group of 8 people. One tactic they used was to have a time of silent listening where we wrote down things that God was telling us about ourselves. Then after the time was up they told everyone to read what they wrote down to the small group. I love being forced to be vulnerable (get weak), because it feels so good afterwards.

So far we've read 4 books for school (a miracle by itself) and my favorite is the one we just finished, The Supernatural Power of Forgiveness. It was written mostly by Jason Vallotton but his dad, Kris, wrote the last two chapters. I highly recommend it! Anyone who has ever experienced pain will benefit tremendously from this book. I'll end this post with my favorite nuggets (as my dad would say) and quotes from the book:

-Time does not heal wounds. There is a healing process that takes time, but without this process (of recognizing and mourning the pain) the wound will just fester and hurt more.

-We are the ones that hold the keys to our own happiness, but we can give those away if we decide that we can only be happy when others are. "Victims believe that their external world has to change in order for them to be okay."

-"Insecurity is actually security rooted in the wrong resource."

-Forgiveness does not mean reconciliation or trust. Trust is earned through relationship, but forgiveness was purchased by Christ on the cross.

-"The day that Jesus was crushed for our sins, He revealed the meaning of true justice. Justice was no longer found in revenge, but in forgiveness...true justice is only found when each person gets what Christ paid for on the cross."

This song literally would not get out of my head this week: For the Cross by Brian and Jenn Johnson

FOMO

What a week! Last weekend I went into the mountains to a retreat with my revival group and 4 other revival groups. We hit the ground running, as we were met by a group of enthusiastic 2nd year students who were waiting to prophesy over us. That was actually one of the highlights of the retreat for me, as they illustrated how easy and casual it can be to call out the greatness that God sees in people. It's really encouraging and I'm happy that the culture here is so full of it. During the remainder of the retreat, we spent time worshiping, listening to speakers, and inviting the Holy Spirit to come (and he doesn't need a second invitation). It was also very cold! So I was happy to get back to my home (it's home while I'm here, Mom) in the Valley.

Mt. Shasta, enjoying its new coat of snow.

We got a new world map for our apartment (I was pretty excited). It's not just any map though - it's a reversed map. Chew on this for a little bit:

Who said North was up anyway?

Ebi and Raj also cleaned out the spice section of Walmart to begin bringing India (and all of its smells) to our apartment. They are always generous and offer to feed us. 

This past school week was purity week for us, which meant we got to hear amazing talks from some of our pastors and a ministry called Moral Revolution. Kris Vallotton (pastor at Bethel) started the ministry and they travel all over, calling people to a higher standard of purity and setting people free from unhealthy baggage. It's really remarkable what they do. We were able to laugh and cry through this subject that many churches see as "touchy" or taboo. 

The fear of missing out (FOMO) is huge here. There is just so much to do. So many people to meet and so much of God's goodness to enjoy. Sometimes I have to sit back and tell myself "There are a lot of people out there who are going to do a bunch of amazing things that never involve me." Wait, really? Yes. And that's okay. Here's another thought that helps me - "Jesus is enough." Just him is enough, without all the other stuff. We don't ever have to worry about missing out on him because he's always there waiting to encounter us. 

Longing for more of him is good though. Usually when we find longing in our life, it's from lack. If you don't have something, you long for it. But so many things are opposite in the Kingdom of God. The more you get of God, the more you want him! And I heard a great word from someone about this tonight: Jesus is the one that leads us to God, so when we feel a longing for God, that itself is God in our lives. I've often been praying for more of God, wondering where he is, and not realizing that this longing for more is his Spirit inside of me, burning. Wow.

Go ahead and miss out on something. "For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom." (Luke 12:32) 

Song to check out this week is Spirit Break Out by Jesus Culture.

Free to be Bound

When it rains it pours, and we got drenched for a couple days which cooled things off quite a bit. God showed once again that he can take the gray things and make them beautiful:

We didn't have class this week but different revival groups have been heading out to their retreats at various times. We leave in about an hour, which is why I'm writing on Thursday. Most of this week has been spent hanging out with friends, doing homework or getting ready to do homework (it takes a certain amount of mental preparation for me, and many times I don't make it past that stage).

A few people from my revival group got together and watched the first two films from Darren Wilson, who has been traveling the world for the past 7 or so years trying to find God at work. The first film is called Finger of God and is a great place to start if you want to discover some of the supernatural things that God is doing in the world. There have been 2 more amazing films since then and I think another is coming out in the near future.

The thought that came to me this week is how against our nature it is to stay within boundaries, but how much freedom we can experience if we agree to be bound by certain things. Humans are built to explore. We aren't okay with not knowing what's out there. Christopher Columbus, Lewis and Clark, and many other heroes showed us that it pays to expand our boundaries now and then. But what I'm talking about is the value of recognizing a place you don't want to be and setting up boundaries to stop yourself from getting there.

Think about juggling on a mountaintop. Sounds exciting right? Juggling requires you to look up and therefore you aren't really paying attention to what's below you. A choice would have to be made in how much freedom I want to allow myself on that peak. I would choose building a fence that restricts my movement over a tumble that ends my life. It's a boundary that would allow me the freedom to move about without worrying about where the edge is.

Dad and I, raising a fist to celebrate this boundary

In Christ we have complete freedom. Paul mentions twice in 1 Corinthians that "Everything is permissible - but not everything is beneficial" (1 Corinthians 10:23). This is why we set boundaries. God has already punished Jesus for every wrong thing I will ever do. But I don't want sin to taint my part of the relationship I have with God. I am free to do whatever this world has to offer, but I am also free from doing those things.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1). Live in this freedom because when you are free to be bound, you are bound to be free!

Song of the week is God I look to You by Jenn Johnson. 

Get Weak

Gray clouds are covering the skies of Redding and we're supposed to get rain for the first time since I've been here. It feels wonderful outside.

The Mose bros finally found an Indian restaurant within walking distance downtown, so we went there Monday (and they went back the next two nights, asking for more spice each time). This is Ebi:

Yesterday was our last day of class until September 30th. Here's what class looks like:

Bill Johnson started off his session with a moving testimony and it gave him so much joy that he started laughing and enjoying God. This went on for about 5 minutes and then he said "Let's just lift up praise to God." That led into an hour and a half of spontaneous worship and praise. That man loves God's presence and is teaching us to do the same.

Next week is retreat week. Every retreat is only 3 days long, but they are layered throughout the week since there are so many students (around 2,000). I'll be spending a lot of time with my revival group (60 or so of us). After we get back we'll be on a more "normal" schedule, so I'll be at school 4 days a week from 10:30am-4pm.

Lately I've been thinking about strength and how much people love it. We spend our whole childhood growing up to be strong. We spend our whole adulthood convincing others that we've achieved this, whether it be through a strong job, a strong family, or strong friendships. If we don't think we're strong enough, we build up walls around us for an extra layer of protection, so that nobody can harm us. As Christians, we especially want to look like we're doing things the right way. After all, we're called to be pure, joyful, and loving. What would people think if they found out we were anything else? Then we read this verse:

2 Corinthians 12:9 - "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

I remember hearing a story once about a theology professor putting a lamp in the middle of a classroom and then putting a box over it. He turned off the classroom lights and it became dark. After turning the lights back on, he passed the box around the room, allowing each student to inflict some wound upon the box. Everyone took their turn punching holes or ripping off part of the box. Finally he placed the box back on the lamp and turned off the lights. This time, the lamp shone through the box and lit up the room. The box could boast in its weakness because its identity in that dark room was in the light of the lamp. It revealed the lamp to the world.

We've been learning a lot about honor, and what it means to live in a culture that is willing to confront its members for better of for worse. Part of this means being open and vulnerable about our lives. One of Bethel's core values is "Salvation creates identity." If we truly believe this it not only reminds us how we are to live but it gives us freedom when we mess up. I can share my mistakes with others because through salvation I now have the identity of one who never made a mistake. And that's where God shines the brightest in my life.

I think God wants us to get weak and open up to those close to us so that he can shine through us more. The testimony is a powerful thing, and it's only made possible because humans mess up and need fixing. The routine action of humanity after making a mistake is to get defensive and hide everything bad about ourselves. That's the easy way out, but not the best way out.

A box that is beaten up lets more light shine through it and a broken cup spills faster. We have something amazing inside of us. Our purpose is to spill it out. But if we spend too much time trying to make ourselves look good, we'll distract others from what really matters. And those walls we build to keep people out? They also keep God in. He respects our free will so much that many times he will only move if we ask him to.

If you open up, you will be vulnerable. You may get hurt. Allow that to happen. There is freedom in trust. Jesus is our identity. When people expose our weakness, it exposes his greatness.

The song on my heart this week is He is Yahweh written by Dean Salyn.

Fresh Starts

Everybody loves a fresh start. A break in the pattern. By slipping out of any chain of events we allow limitless possibilities to break into our world. A fresh start allows you to color outside the lines that were drawn from months or years of life before, to explore new boundaries and horizons.

This season of my life finds me in Redding, California. Spelled just like it sounds. The journey has taken me over the Golden Gate bridge:

...in and around Whiskeytown Lake:

                ...by and over Burney Falls: (hiking over)

                                    ...and through the Redwood Forest: (That's Mom and Dad!)

It's definitely quite the change of pace. I'm a student at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, a school in its 16th year, run by Bethel Church. We just had our second day of class today and one more day tomorrow to finish out the week (no school on Fridays). I'm living with 3 other guys in my class: Aaron (Texan, straight out of Frisco Vineyard, coffee addict), and the Moses brothers (aka the Mose Bros). They're from India and this is their first trip to America. So far they love it or are very good at hiding their disdain.

As I think more about it, I realize that a fresh start is not as far away as it looks. It doesn't have to look like quitting your job or moving across the country. I did because this is an opportunity that I didn't want to pass up, but really every day is a new chance for a fresh start. In fact, a Christian's life should always be a bit unpredictable. Jesus says in John 3:8 that a person born of the Spirit is like the wind. "You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going."

The wind has no routine, but it does not blow anywhere that the Father does not allow it to blow. It stays within the boundaries of his will yet gets to experience utter freshness daily. We are free to start new friendships, traditions, and patterns whenever we want to. If you need a change, pray for change. Then go get it.

One thing Bill Johnson (senior pastor of Bethel Church) has taught us so far has been to give thanks for what God has already done, even if it seems small. After years of drought, Elijah saw a cloud the size of a man's hand and new it was a sign that an amazing rainstorm was coming. He got excited and had faith that God would provide. Whatever your next step in life is, praise God for the one you're standing on right now.

My thoughts are filtered through music and there is almost constantly a song in my head, in my heart, or in my mouth. The current one in all three is Build Your Kingdom Here by Rend Collective Experiment.

Constant Discovery

I saw a puppy the other day, and though its leash restrained its mobility I noticed that nothing could contain its joy to live. I can't imagine the stream of thought that went through its head:

"Oh hey that's a cool leaf. Wow! That stick smells nice! CHECK OUT THIS FIRE HYDRANT!"

While his human walked calmly down a relatively uninteresting stretch of sidewalk, this puppy was having quite an adventure. What if we lived in such a state of marvel that discovering new things was an everyday joy? Or have we cornered ourselves into the thought that we already know everything worth finding out?

Imagine how many possible experiences living on this planet provides. Think of the depths and chasms that are still awaiting human discovery or the millions of books written about something that someone was passionate about. Ponder the sounds and smells of a thousand cultures, all coexisting during this time. There are limitless discoveries that a human can have, depending on the drive to cross boundaries and explore.

Or maybe more importantly, what can we still discover about each other? The people you see every day on the job, that girl who brews your coffee, that guy who delivers your mail. We all carry around a bundle of relationships and experiences that define who we are, but how often do we scratch below the surface to cross someone else's life path intentionally? Maybe somebody's day is just waiting to be made, and you have all the ingredients in you. Sometimes a kind word is all it takes.

People are amazing. They are unpredictable. Life is adventurous. Go marvel at something.

First Post

The first post - the one that maybe nobody will read. You can't not have it though. Unless you buy out someone else's blog, you can't hit the ground running with fans and people reading your stuff and fireworks shooting off. It all starts with that first blank page staring back at you, waiting to be transformed into a small reflection of a thought trail.

The trail that led me here is one paved with failed attempts at figuring out life and it's many subsidiaries. Why do humans like patterns so much? Why do we try to put things in order and predict what will come based off of what has passed? I think we are scared of what we do not know, uneasy in situations when we have no clue what will happen next.

Thus, the routine.

Our little slice of predictability. Our shield from surprises. I want to mess that up (in a good way). I don't think auto-pilot is a good setting for our brains, our bodies, or our beliefs. We can do better. And that's why I'm making this blog.