sustenance

A sweet-as verse a friend read to me yesterday...

"...now He offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world...I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." -Jesus (John 6:32-5)

a beautiful waste

Well. Lesson learnt today? Don't walk away from computer whilst wearing headphones connected to said computer. Right. Now that I've successfully untangled myself long enough to grab my journal...

When Dalton was here awhile back we had an Adoration night, and he was singing something so good I wrote the gist of it down...

I've waited a long time to break this alabaster jar
but You're worth it
I wanna hear You say
my life is a beautiful mess
here at Your feet
I wanna be like David-after Your heart
like Mary-choosing that which was best
as I sit at your feet pouring out fragrant oil
May my life have no agenda
just adoreYou
love You and be loved
waste my life at your feet
it's the one thing I desire...



Psalm 27:4 "the one thing I ask of the LORD-the thing I seek most-is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD's perfections and meditating in his Temple"


PS: God MARVELS at you!

God's cry

I'm reading a fantastic book right now, called "After God's Own Heart" by Mike Bickle. It's about becoming like David. What set David apart as a man after God’s own heart was his unrelenting passion to search out and understand the emotions of God.

I'm not very far in, but love it so far. One thing I love is how Bickle expresses God's attitude toward us, and I just wanted to share that with you...

“turn because I am married to you. My heart burns with longing and desire for intimate fellowship with you. I yearn for close relationship and encounter between My heart and your heart.”  

kiwi national anthem

an absolutely amazing song, with phenomenal lyrics... click here

E te ariki

I just want to share some lyrics with you, of a beautiful Maori song we learnt weeks ago for the national gathering...


E te ariki
whakarongo mai ra kia matou
e te ariki
titiro mai ra kia matou
tenei matou o tamariki
e whakapono ana matou kia koe
aue aue
te matua te tamaiti, wairua tapu e


O God
listen to our call
O God
look kindly upon us
here we are, Your children
we place our faith in You
Father, Son, Holy Spirit

something's missing

I read a sweet-as blog post the other day that really hammers the nail on the head...

Something has been stirring in my heart. There's an unsettling; a cry for more in our worship.
Over the last decade there have been many amazing songs written that have inspired the Church and drawn millions of people into a response of worship. The quality and choice of excellent worship songs has perhaps never been better. But are we missing something?
Reading Martin Smith's book "Delirious" I was struck by his comments:
"We've become too song focused, and in truth I believe that we need to be more worship focused. We've lost the ability to push aside the songs and replace them with 25 minutes of crying out, opening our hearts and heads with the raw worship of God who's within us. With Kevin (Prosch - a pioneer of spontaneity and prophetic worship in the 1990's) you never knew what was going to happen at any point in a worship session, but in church today, often 6 songs in 29 minutes, you make sure you get your 2 most popular ones in there so they get a decent boost up the CCLI charts."
I fear that for many of us in our corporate expression of worship we've allowed the song to become king! Are we more focused on getting the songs right and the arrangements sounding huge, than we are on preparing our hearts? Are we expectant in leading a time of worship because of a great new song that connects or because God is at work?
I'm desperate to see more freedom in our worship. To move beyond the songs. The songs in themselves have never been the final destination in our worship. Simply a vehicle to facilitate our worship. How amazing would it be to spend 30 minutes standing in silence in our times of worship simply because people are blown away by the majesty of God? Wouldn't it be exciting to see congregations take over the worship spending 20 minutes singing their own songs and words in response to God's mercy?
Worship is a spiritual activity. If we want to recapture more of God in our worship, more freedom and more of God's power, it will come through following the lead of the Holy Spirit. I've been thinking about how we can step out more in the spontaneous. Not for the sake of it, but simply because we're hungry for a more authentic, raw and profound encounter in worship. Here's some thoughts:
1. PRIVATE CRY: Someone once said, "worship leading is taking your private cry and making it public." How much are we spending time alone crying out to God? Singing our own songs? Offering up our messy and heartfelt cry? If we want to step out and lead in this - we've got to engage with it ourselves.
2. LEAD WITH THE END IN MIND: In the 'Seven Habits of Highly Effective People' Steven Covey writes about the importance in leadership to begin with the end in mind. When leading worship what are we trying to accomplish? Is it to teach great new songs? Is it to encourage people to 'feel great?' Surely it's about people being freed and released to meet and encounter Christ. To spend time in his presence. To respond with gratitude and thanksgiving. Ultimately it's about relationship - intimacy. Worship is about glorifying God and enjoying him forever.
I've observed in the way I lead worship that often I try and make each session of worship the most amazing time. Nothing wrong in that - but in doing so I came to realise that I wasn't taking risks. I was in danger of focusing so much on the present that I wasn't leading with the end in mind. I wasn't thinking about where I wanted to see the worshipping life of the church in 6 months. I was taking all the leadership and responsibility of leading of worship on myself rather than placing the responsibility on the congregation. As worship leaders we need to be training, encouraging and inspiring people in their worship. We need to release their song and cry of praise and adoration. We're not about performing, we're about encouraging participation. We don't want consumers, we want a people consumed with God! In releasing this, let's not be afraid of mess and a few mistakes. It's part of the journey. It's part of relationship.
3. RADICAL FRINGE: This isn't about a haircut - but it's great to find places to step out in spontaneous, free flowing worship. Whether it's a group of mates, a prayer meeting or creative worship night. We're currently trying to put a few dates in the diary where the agenda is simply to meet with God and to step out. There's no pressure of leading a congregation. It's relaxed and a safe place to experiment and grow in this stuff.
God is up to something. I believe there's a real need for worship leaders to seek more of God's Sprit and lead in our worship. Never at the expense of content and sound theology, but surely there is a place where we move beyond the songs and find ourselves overwhelmed and undone.

curry and saris

Well folks, alas I can tell you my outreach location...it's back to INDIA!!! Which I am superstoked about as God's really giving me a heart for this nation and all that entails. So in 6 weeks I along with 4 all-star students (2 europeans and 2 americans) will be leaving on a jet plane. The vision is to worship and pray heaps, minister to those less fortunate, esp. in slum areas, meet cool backpackers and tell them about Jesus, and whatever else the Spirit leads us to. Planning wise everything's still in the beginning stages, but we are uber excited. Just wanted to send a brief update. Please pray for unity and somewhat smooth planning, and openness to where God would have us go during this. And have a wonderful day!

out of sequence

I read this quote the other day...God can work out of sequence-there can be nothing, and boom! He can speak things into existence. Thought this was a great reminder. Anyway.

• Femi came and went on Calling and Destiny, which was phenomenal. Both students and staff (including yours truly) were blessed as Femi made himself available for one-on-ones every spare minute.
• The national gathering happened, which was crazy busy and awesome. It was fun to meet more whenau, experience some Maori culture, worship together, serve together, etc.
• Aaron Walsh from Tauranga House of Prayer spoke this week-we got to feast on the character and nature of God. And boy did we feast-I could barely sit up straight after His first lecture, for the Spirit really just flows through him like nobody's business. 
• I'm stoked for outreach! Praying and researching different ministry opportunities, excited for whenever the teams are finalized.
• Praise report: I finally have my missionary visa! Good until March 2013, thank You Lord! Please continue to pray for those who are still in the application process-Cindy, Kent, and anyone else I can't recall.
• Keep praying for healing as sickness is going around. And praise Jehovah Rapha for the healing that has already taken place, and for the healing that is to come.
• May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen!

sunshine and prophecy

Well good morning, it is indeed an exceptionally swell morning as the sun is shining after a mostly rainy first week. Students are here and things are rolling, at a faster pace than I expected. People are hungry and just diving in, which is a privilege to watch and be a part of. God is on the move, as usual (pretty sure I write that in every post, but it's so true!) The first week was an intro week/crash course about YWAM, intercession/hearing God's voice, worship , community, backpacker ministry, etc. Great basics to know from the start of a DTS. I'm seeing God move thru healings, people speaking out, praying for each other, and worshipping. Goodness worship is amazing. I'm eating it up this year, more involved than I have been before and students are so keen to jump in-it's fantastic. Phenomenal. Formidable. Yup. This week we continue to dive in as we our topic is Destiny and Calling, taught by Femi Oni, a man of God from the UK with roots in Nigeria, who bursts out in prophetic stuff in the middle of a lecture sometimes-that is, if the Spirit leads Him too. And it's sweet. We have a national YWAM gathering here this weekend, which will be ridiculously awesome. So people are coming from out yonder, our base will be full and we all get to be involved serving and sitting in on lectures and such. And it will all kick off with some Maori spice-a traditional haka and a song. I am amped. So. Now that you're up to speed, I will leave you with a few prayer requests:

-continued healing for those feeling ill (spiritually/physically/emotionally)
-attitudes of grace and flexibility for the national gathering, as we are unsure exactly how the weekend will look at this point
-praise and continued prayer for open hearts, both in staff and students, to allowing God to do is thing
-UNITY!

Many blessings to you, and let me know how I can pray for you! PS: God and I both think you're pretty amazing.

coughs and card-making

Well. It would appear I'm somewhat do for an update. Today is a short-and-to-the-point update sort of a day. I am still here in Oxford and God is here too. The last few weeks have involved bonding as staff, learning more about YWAM, praying for students, and eating delicious food. My official job roles (i say official because I believe in teamwork-which means you have specific jobs but should also help out other brothers and sisters as needed) are leading school intercession and helping out with worship. Simply put, I am stoked.

Prayer requests on the brain today:
-our incoming students, for safe travels and calmness in the last minute preparations
-healing, as sickness has been making it's way around here lately. And praise that Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals is on the move
-pray for my friend and sister in Christ, Lara, who went in for surgery today

Blessings and peace to all.

sleepless and pensive in Oxford...

So, I made it to Oxford. Flew here today-actually, make that yesterday. It is actually too early Sunday morning-I thought I should be sleeping, God thought I could use a middle-of-the-night worship session. Fast-as, bumpy-as flight-gotta love crazy wind action. I have reunited with many whenau and have many conversations waiting to be had, stories to be exchanged. God is already moving like crazy. A fresh hunger for the Word is in the air-how it fattens my Spirit and flows like liquid honey thru me.

On another note, India's been on the mind. So many memories of cramming 6 people into 1 rickshaw, dodging cows on the street, and waking up at 5am to the calls of "chai, chai, chai coffee...". But that is not what continues to grab at me. When asked to describe India I keep it simple-"chaos." That's physically and spiritually. The faces of India are so impressed in my memory, it's like it was yesterday. The crippled beggar, the shopkeepers, the scruffy but beautiful children on the street-these are God's people. The lack of light in their eyes, the hunger for real satisfaction. And revival is coming, I can feel it-for not even the highest heavens can contain the King Himself. I can't wait. 

wisdom

Reading through the book of Proverbs today, I enjoyed this chapter so much I thought I'd share it...

Proverbs 2

Wisdom's Worth

    ¹ My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
    ² listening closely to wisdom
    and directing your heart to understanding;
    ³ furthermore, if you call out to insight
    and lift your voice to understanding,
    ⁴ if you seek it like silver
    and search for it like hidden treasure,
    ⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD
    and discover the knowledge of God.
    ⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom;
    from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
    ⁷ He stores up success for the uprigh^{t
    8} so that He may guard the paths of justice
    and protect the way of His loyal followers. 
    ⁹ Then you will understand righteousness, justice,
    and integrity—every good path.
    ¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your mind,
    and knowledge will delight your heart.
    ¹¹ Discretion will watch over you,
    and understanding will guard you, 
    ¹² rescuing you from the way of evil—
    from the one who says perverse things,
    ¹³ [from] those who abandon the right paths
    to walk in ways of darkness,
    ¹⁴ [from] those who enjoy doing evil
    and celebrate perversity,
    ¹⁵ whose paths are crooked,
    and whose ways are devious
    ¹⁶ It will rescue you from a forbidden woman,
    from a stranger  with her flattering talk,
    ¹⁷ who abandons the companion of her youth 
    and forgets the covenant of her God;
    ¹⁸ for her house sinks down to death
    and her ways to the land of the departed spirits.
    ¹⁹ None return who go to her;
    none reach the paths of life.
    ²⁰ So follow the way of good people,
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
    ²¹ For the upright will inhabit the land,
    and those of integrity will remain in it; 
    ²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land
    and the treacherous uprooted from it.  


<sup>The Spirit's still moving here.

In 6 days I will head up to Oxford for staff training. Whilst I will miss Queenstown, I am amped-as to be reunited with my Oxford whenau.

May the Lord give "it" to you, whatever your need-provision, healing, peace, strength, etc. Blessings to all.</sup> 

The Mountain Climber

THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER

They tell the story of a mountain climber, who desperate to conquer the Aconcagua, initiated his climb after years of preparation. But he wanted the glory to himself, therefore, he went up alone. He started climbing and it was becoming later, and later. He did not prepare for camping but decided to keep on going. Soon it got dark...

Night fell with heaviness at a very high altitude. Visibility was zero. Everything was black. There was no moon, and the stars were covered by clouds. As he was climbing a ridge at about 100 meters from the top, he slipped and fell. Falling rapidly he could only see blotches of darkness that passed. He felt a terrible sensation of being sucked in by gravity.

He kept falling....and in those anguishing moments good and bad memories passed through his mind. He thought certainly he would die. But then he felt a jolt that almost tore him in half. Yes!! Like any good mountain climber he had staked himself with a long rope tied to his waist.

In those moments of stillness, suspended in the air he had no other choice but to shout, "HELP ME GOD", "HELP ME!"

All of a sudden he heard a deep voice from heaven..."What do you want meto do?"

"SAVE ME"

"Do you REALLY think that I can save you?"

"OF COURSE, MY GOD"

"Then cut the rope that is holding you up."

There was another moment of silence and stillness. The man just held tighter to the rope.

The rescue team says that the next day they found, a frozen mountain climber hanging strongly to a rope... TWO FEET OFF THE GROUND.

How about you? How trusting are you in that rope?


Why don't you let it go? I tell you, God has great and marvelous thing for you.
CUT THE ROPE AND SIMPLY TRUST IN HIM...

-- Author Unknown

Three Bullets

There once was a man who had nothing for his family to eat. He had an old rifle and three bullets. So, he decided that he would go out hunting and kill some wild game for dinner.

As he went down the road, he saw a rabbit. He shot at the rabbit and missed it. The rabbit ran away.

Then he saw a squirrel and fired a shot at the squirrel and missed it. The squirrel disappeared into a hole in a cottonwood tree.

As he went further, he saw a large wild turkey up in a tree, but he had only one bullet remaining. A voice spoke to him and said, "Pray first, aim high and stay focused." However, at the same time, he saw a deer which would provide more meat than the turkey. He brought the gun down and aimed at the deer. But, then he saw a rattlesnake between his legs about to bite him, so he naturally brought the gun down further to shoot the rattlesnake. Still, the voice again said to him, "Pray first, aim high and stay focused."

So, the man decided to listen to God's voice. He prayed, then aimed the gun high up in the tree, and shot the wild turkey. The bullet went into the turkey, deflected off a bone and hit the deer, killing it. When the gun fired, it knocked the man off balance, he stepped on the rattlesnake's head which killed it and fell backwards into a pond. When he stood up to look around, he had fish in all his pockets, a deer and a turkey with which to feed his family. The snake was dead simply because the man listened to God.

Moral of the story:
Keep God first and everything else will follow.

Pray first before you do anything. Aim high in your goals, and stay focused on God. Never let people or things discourage you concerning your past. Do not look to man for your blessings, but look only to God.

-- Author Unknown

The Gift

THE GIFT

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him.

He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.

Angry, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible. Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day.

Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt. 7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?" As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

-- Author Unknown

words of wisdom...

"If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare composed poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper, who did his job well."  -Martin Luther King

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. -Colossians 3:17

signs and wonders-everyday Christianity?

Kia ora and blessings to you, beloved children of the King! I've been soaking here as per usual, a continuous bath of sorts! These last few days I've watched 2 incredible movies that you must watch-"Finger of God" and "Furious Love", by Darren Wilson. Perhaps some of you aren't so keen to waste away your day watching a pointless movie, and I'm right there with you. However, these movies have purpose and really make you think.

So I'm talking about Finger of Love today. This movie has people showing gold teeth God gave them in the first 5 minutes, and it continues to blow you away-the next few minutes include gold dust, gemstones appearing from thin air (which jewelers cannot identify as these gems are completely perfect and flawless), as well as manna turning up in people's hands and (one man's) bible-just a few of many signs of God's power. This filmmaker proceeds to travel around the world capturing many more signs on tape, as well as interviewing alot of people. As the film progresses, he asks a thought provoking question, something to the lines of "Could it be that signs and wonders are not to be once-in-a-while occasions, but part of everyday life as a Christian?" He interviews Heidi Baker as well, who drops this "Children believe God can do anything, until an adult tells them otherwise."

Fast-food Christianity is simply not cutting it. Where in the Bible does it say go to church once a week, maybe the Tuesday prayer meetings, then put your Bible aside til Sunday and she'll be right?

I have yet to find this in the Bible-so I'm quite curious how this perspective engulfed most of the Western world. I'll tell you what Christ does say, though: "Follow Me."  If you're going to follow someone, you need to walk in their footsteps. Christ didn't simply "do" church. He went around loving people and doing signs and wonders-even in cities where unbelief was present. He also gave us authority and said we would do greater works...so what are we waiting for?

Safely Home-an absolute MUST READ

A fantastic book about the persecuted church in China.

And the picture from which the author took great inspiration...

staying warm by the fire, for starters...

Kia ora whenau, from the winter wonderland here.

It's about time for an update. Hard to believe I've been here in Queenstown, New Zealand for a month already-and what a month it's been. I'll be honest, I'm struggling to think up words to write, to even begin to tell you about life. What does my life look like? That's tough to answer as each day changes-after all, it's not my day, but God's. Some things that are constants in my life right now include digging into Scriptures, worshipping, and praying with/for others. As I wrote that I remembered how Jesus taught with stories. I think I will do as He did with a few testimonies of what God's been doing...

1. provided a baby grand piano-so upon arriving in Queenstown I was disappointed to find out the church I'm plugged into here had no piano, or even a keyboard. So I prayed a simple prayer-God, I would like a piano at the church-not a keyboard, A PIANO. I did not travail many hours in prayer, but of course Jehovah Jireh responded because He's awesome like that. 3 weeks later the church purchased a beautiful baby grand piano for less than it was worth-the woman who sold it preferred it go to a good home. It was in a spiritually dry dwelling so we laid hands on it and prayed. And what a blessing it's been-to me and to others. I continue to pray and hope each note I play is to the glory of God. Janet says it well, "I would rather have that piano played with no technique/expertise but a heart full of passion for Him, than played with all the expertise in the world but no passion."  Oh and get this-my sister Lara also got blessed with a steazy keyboard for our house.

     2.  God's into fulfilling our seemingly small desires as well. The boys had bought some delicious raspberry lemonade with me in mind and one day Seth wanted some. I told him it had all been consumed, but not to fear as I would pray for more, knowing Gabe and Kent planned to go grocery shopping that day. Again, a simple prayer-for God does say "don't pray like the heathens do, babbling on and on...vain repetition, etc." "Dear God, please tell Kent and Gabe to get more raspberry lemonade." Seth looked at me as if I was ridiculous. Imagine his surprise and my delight when the boys got home later, and the first thing they pulled out was this juice.

And that's the tip of the iceberg-There's many more stories, enough to write a novel.

Rereading what I've just written, it seems like a huge thread weaving it's way around right now is prayer-and what power prayer has indeed. I recommend listening to the song "history maker" if you haven't already. God's always speaking, and I pray you and I will always listen. I read in a book (Living Water, by brother Yun) the other day "it is only those who get away from the roar of the world that are able to hear God." May you find that stillness.

Prayer requests:
-that God would give me even more of a heart of worship, and more capacity for said heart
-continued prayer for the visa application I have in, favor from the people looking over it, and that it would be granted quickly. (I just called today and it is still in a line waiting to be looked at)

Thank you heaps for praying. And I would love to know, how can I be praying for you?

May the love of the Father, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit go with you all.

ummm....

So as usual the words don't exist to accurately relay life. Basically the Holy Spirit is doing His thing here in QT and I get to be part of it. I feel like I've finally grasped what it means to worship in Spirit. This last week has been one to remember, especially last night. Life here means church is a lifestyle and people, not a building. There's no concrete formula to it. Yesterday, for example, included laughter, revelations/visions given and confirmed, chains broken, sitting, lying, shouting, groaning with the Spirit...etc. Intercession is getting further weaved into my heart. God is good. May He bless you and your family in abundance today.

frost at my window

Kia ora from New Zealand! I've been here about a week now and what a week it's been. This moment finds me in Queenstown, which is a tourist town down south. I've been here a few days living with brothers and sisters in a community house. Honestly, I don't have words for an update, but a brief one is in order I'm sure. Well, God is moving. He is very much alive and here. I've had so much revelation this week as has everyone I'm sure and am currently diving into the book of Exodus (which I recommend  if you haven't read it) One of the things we're really trying to live out here is being Mary while being Martha, that is, sitting at Christ's feet in everything we do. It's not just a thing to do Sunday mornings. God doesn't live in a building. He's omnipresent. And He makes house calls! This means we can feast on Him anywhere-did you know God loves housework?! Just one example of many. It's nippy down here as it's winter, but our Spirits aren't fazed-in fact, they're really stirred. We start most mornings off with some corporate prayer and today was really powerful, declaring God's goodness and provision among other things. Yesterday I found myself eating dinner at a table where 8 different nations were represented. 8 different nations! Life is good.

Once again I'm packing...

Well folks, I'm pleased to say the time as come to bid adieu to this chapter of my life. New Zealand's been tugging at my heart for awhile, so it was with utmost happiness and peace that I gave notice at my 2 jobs, and am preparing to head back to one of my many homes away from home, that is the beautiful country of New Zealand.

I will book my plane ticket in the next few days, and first head down to Queenstown to do life with 3 brothers and a sister down there.

And I will staff the backpackers school come mid-Septemberish.

For this chapter, there is but one rule...

a quote...

"Always do what you are afraid to do."

Bracelets for sale!

Still have a bunch of threads of hope bracelets for sale. $2 each, 50% of proceeds go back to the organization. http://www.threadsofhope.com.ph/

Willing to mail them if you order a bunch.

Drop me a line...

here's to Pentecost

Acts 2


The Day of Pentecost

1 When (A)the day of Pentecost [a]had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled (B)the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire [b]distributing themselves, and [c]they [d]rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all (C)filled with the Holy Spirit and began to (D)speak with other [e]tongues, as the Spirit was giving them [f]utterance.

5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, (E)devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And when (F)this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own [g]language. 7 (G)They were amazed and astonished, saying, “[h]Why, are not all these who are speaking (H)Galileans? 8 And how is it that we each hear them in our own [i]language [j]to which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and (I)Cappadocia, (J)Pontus and [k](K)Asia, 10 (L)Phrygia and (M)Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around (N)Cyrene, and [l](O)visitors from Rome, both Jews and [m](P)proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” 12 And (Q)they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others were mocking and saying, “(R)They are full of [n]sweet wine.”



Peter’s Sermon

14 But Peter, [o]taking his stand with (S)the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. 15 For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, (T)for it is only the [p]third hour of the day; 16 but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

17 ‘(U)AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says,

‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL [q]MANKIND;

AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY,

AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS,

AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS;

18 EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN,

I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT

And they shall prophesy.

19 ‘AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE

AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW,

BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE.

20 ‘THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS

AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD,

BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME.

21 ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT (V)EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’



22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: (W)Jesus the Nazarene, (X)a man [r]attested to you by God with [s]miracles and (Y)wonders and [t]signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered over by the (Z)predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, (AA)you nailed to a cross by the hands of [u]godless men and put Him to death. 24 [v]But (AB)God raised Him up again, putting an end to the [w]agony of death, since it (AC)was impossible for Him to be held [x]in its power. 25 For David says of Him,



‘(AD)I SAW THE LORD ALWAYS IN MY PRESENCE;

FOR HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN.

26 ‘THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY TONGUE EXULTED;

MOREOVER MY FLESH ALSO WILL LIVE IN HOPE;

27 BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO (AE)HADES,

(AF)NOR [y]ALLOW YOUR [z]HOLY ONE TO [aa]UNDERGO DECAY.

28 ‘YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE WAYS OF LIFE;

YOU WILL MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS WITH YOUR PRESENCE.’



29 “[ab]Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the (AG)patriarch David that he both (AH)died and (AI)was buried, and (AJ)his tomb is [ac]with us to this day. 30 And so, because he was (AK)a prophet and knew that (AL)GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one [ad]OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE, 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of [ae]the Christ, that (AM)HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh [af]SUFFER DECAY. 32 This Jesus (AN)God raised up again, to which we are all (AO)witnesses. 33 Therefore having been exalted [ag](AP)to the right hand of God, and (AQ)having received from the Father (AR)the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has (AS)poured forth this which you both see and hear. 34 For it was not David who ascended into [ah]heaven, but he himself says:



‘(AT)THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,

“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,

35 UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”’



36 Therefore let all the (AU)house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both (AV)Lord and [ai]Christ—this Jesus (AW)whom you crucified.”



The Ingathering

37 Now when they heard this, they were [aj]pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “[ak]Brethren, [al](AX)what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “(AY)Repent, and each of you be (AZ)baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For (BA)the promise is for you and your children and for all who are (BB)far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly (BC)testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “[am]Be saved from this (BD)perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand [an](BE)souls. 42 They were (BF)continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to (BG)the breaking of bread and [ao](BH)to prayer.

43 [ap]Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many (BI)wonders and [aq]signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed [ar]were together and (BJ)had all things in common; 45 and they (BK)began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46 (BL)Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and (BM)breaking bread [as]from house to house, they were taking their [at]meals together with gladness and [au]sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and (BN)having favor with all the people. And the Lord (BO)was adding [av]to their number day by day (BP)those who were being saved

Now that's what I call a solid-as day.

scrumptious dessert recipe

1 pkg (2 cups) butterscotch chips
1 pkg (2 cups) chocolate chips
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried cranberries
1.5 cups salted pretzels, broken in half
2 cups almonds

Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips either via microwave or stovetop. Add raisins, cranberries, pretzels, and almonds. Mix thoroughly. Drop teaspoonfuls onto wax paper lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate until set for about 30 minutes.

jehovah jireh

Matthew 6

30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.



Isn't that just straight-up awesomeness?

mustard seed faith

Matthew 17

14 When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying,


15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.

16 "I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him."

17 And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me."

18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it out?"

20 And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.

21 But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.


I didn't realize up until a few days ago I had never seen a mustard seed. When I thought of mustard seed I pictured something similar to the size of an apple seed. The other day my supper contained mustard seed. There, right in front of me was a helpful visualization of the amount of faith Christ talks about here. I am awestruck that such little faith can do so much. How much could we do if we all had faith of a mustard seed?

Seeing mustard seed really opened my eyes and given me new perspective on this passage.

an interview with god (author unknown)

The Interview with God


I dreamed I had an interview with God.

“So you would like to interview me?” God asked.

“If you have the time,” I said.

God smiled.

“My time is eternity.

What questions do you have in mind for me?”

“What surprises you most about humankind?”

God answered:

“That they get bored with childhood,

rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.”

“That they lose their health to make money,

and then lose their money to restore their health.”

“That by thinking anxiously about the future they forget the present,

such that they live in neither the present nor the future.”

“That they live as if they will never die,

and die as though they had never lived.”

God's hand took mine,

and we were silent for a while.

And then I asked:

“As a parent,

what are some of life's lessons

you want your children to learn?”

God replied:

“To learn they cannot make anyone love them.

All they can do is let themselves be loved.”

“To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.”

“To learn to forgive

by practicing forgiveness.”

“To learn that it takes only a few seconds

to open profound wounds in those they love,

wounds which can take many years to heal.”

“To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most,

but one who needs the least.”

“To learn that there are people who love them dearly,

but simply have not yet learned how to express or show

their feelings.”

“To learn that two people can look at the same thing

and see it differently.”

“To learn that it is not enough that they forgive one another,

they must also forgive themselves.”

“Thank you for your time,” I said humbly.

“Is there anything else you would like your children to know?”

God smiled and said,

“Just know that I am here. Always.”

– author unknown

Do you believe in Easter?

http://www.crossroad.to/Victory/testimonies/believe.htm

what is the gospel?

Amazing, amazing video.

what is the gospel

read it!

You must read this book. It is nothing short of amazin and is my new favourite book. I ate it up in 2 days. It was that good.

amazing song!

So I recently stumbled across this amazing song by Phil Wickham. I love it so much that I wanted to share it:

Heaven Song

update

Well, it's been awhile since I blogged. So a brief update of now is in order I supposed. You may now call me a city slicker. Just  kidding! But I did move to the city! And got a job waitressing at Salisbury House. What can I say, the tips won me over...

In other news, I read an interesting article the other day...

how to read your Bible

So starting today, I am challenging myself to read the Bible thru in a month. This is not intensive study, or pausing to underline every interesting bit. This is simply reading, and trusting the Spirit will give me remembrance of the word as I need it. So of course, that means I don't have time for a lengthy blog update. That is all.

Chaos

I've decided that is the one word that sums up India. Well, from Hampi we headed to Kolkata and volunteered at the Mother Teresa house. Me and ML were stretched working at the orphanage with the handicapped kids, and the guys worked at a home for men. It was exhausting but good-for-us work. Kudos to all mothers out there-you guys are amazing for all you do. 4 days of it is enough for me! We also met a brother from Toronto working in Kolkata for a year, and hung out with him and friends. We also got to go to their church which was cool. With a bunch more quotes (mainly Mother Teresa) added to my stash we caught the train (a means of traveling which I've thoroughly enjoyed) to Varanasi, where we enjoyed some peanut brittle and got to touch base with friends from Arambol. We also got to meet Kent's friend from last year and enjoy a nice team dinner together looking out at the ghats. From here we trained to Agra, where we packed in a day of the Taj, Agra Fort, and enjoyed a hotel involving luggage boys, a door man, and a hot shower. After a few hrs of sleep we-you guessed it-trained to Mumbai which is where I write this from. The last day. It is bittersweet, I'm excited to see everyone again but sad to leave India and the good times we've had. It's not over though, this is a lifestyle that I hope we all carry out wherever we go. I am very thankful for India/backpacking and the appreciation it gives me for seemingly ordinary pleasures which are known as luxuries-a hot shower, a washing machine (I haven't washed my jeans in 2 months-my mother would be proud! Jk!), a comfortable bed, silence, toilet paper, clean washrooms,...the list could go on and on. But, I am out of time so I will say adios, next update coming at you probably from NZ. Hey, have an amazing day!

An Overdue Update

Well, I am still alive and well in India. To be honest I don't even know where to begin. I often find myself thinking of how I could possibly describe India to those who haven't been, and still find myself at a loss for words. I think it's somewhere you just have to see yourself to really know. In brief...  my team spent the first 3 weeks down south in Arambol which is a huge tourist spot. From there we overnite bused it to Hampi where we've been a week. After a few nites here Kent actually ended up meeting a pastor who runs a cafe (though it's currently closed) and he is blessing us with accommodation. Crazy how God works eh? This wknd we got to experience the local train and headed to his hometown to attend church. It was a day and a half affair and his family warmly welcomed us into their home, feeding us an abundance of good food, borrowing and giving us clothing, and even doing our laundry for us! We attended 4 church services and are slowly but surely getting our singing act up to par. We also got to pray for a bunch of people, including praying for a few healings which was really cool. I'm really touched by how hospitable the people here are. Ok, this update does not do these last few weeks justice but it will have to do for now, I'm outta time and I have more of India awaits! I'll leave you with a quote I stumbled upon:


"Success is failure turned inside out."