The Gospel 101

God is absolutely addicted to you. His thoughts about us can not be numbered (Psalm 40:5, 139:17-18, Jer 29:11). Simply put, He can not get you off of His mind. You are the apple of His eye. He has ALWAYS known you. Before the world was, He knew you (Jer 1:5).

When the religious men challenged Jesus asking if it was “lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” in Luke 20, Jesus replies saying “Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” But in Genesis 1:27, it says “Man was made in God’s image, and after his likeness.” We belong to Him.

Again in the parable of the lost coin in Luke 15, when the coin was lost, it never lost its original inscription or value! As Francois du Toit (author of the Mirrorword Translation) says, “There can be no ministry, until we understand that the world has ALREADY been reconciled to Him.” In John 1, John drops a bomb when he says “ Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Until we realize that he already took away (past tense) the sin of the (whole) world, we have nothing to offer man except religion.

The Gospel, is a proclamation of mans innocence. The cross dealt with our sin (all of us) when we “died WITH Christ.” His resurrection then announces our innocence, thus cancelling every excuse and every form of distance that could serve to separate us from the intention of His death - Union with Christ. Until you understand that He desires simply to be with you and share intimate fellowship (Union) you will remain mired in rules and religion, searching for a way to achieve what was already freely handed to you. Pursuit is useless UNTIL you understand that it is HE who pursues YOU.

More to come… chew on that for a While.

Hold NOTHING Back

I see so many people who are dissatisfied with their current situation in life. Careers, location of residence, jobs… you name it. I have talked to many such people, and encouraged them to make a change and to pursue other dreams that they once had. However, I have found that most people scoff at the idea of a major-life-altering change to pursue a “frivolous dream.”

• “The economy is bad… I can’t quit the job I have now, even though I hate it… I might not get another.”
• “At my age, if i left the job I’m in, I might not get re-hired”
• “I don’t have the energy to start a whole new _________.” (fill in the blank: career, ministry, business, orphanage)
• “It’s just not that simple… what would I do with my_______?”(house, car, mortgage)
• “What if it didn’t work out?”

All valid points. Now what does God say?

• “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” -Prov 3:5-6
• “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because
   of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” -Deut 31:6
• “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece.”  -Luke 9:3
• “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19

Or, how about this?

Jacob was a cheater. Peter had a temper. David had an affair. Noah got drunk. Jonah ran from God. Paul was a murderer. Gideon was insecure. Martha was a worrier. Thomas lacked faith. Sarah was impatient. Elijah was moody. Moses had a speech impediment. Zaccheus was too short. Abraham was too old. And Lazarus was too… dead.

God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the CALLED. So the question becomes, what has God said to you? What dreams has he laid on your heart? I’ve said this in other posts, but you CAN NOT pick and choose which parts of the Bible you will believe, follow, etc. You can’t choose to believe that God is your Saviour, but not your provider. You can’t choose to obey the part “not coveting your neighbors camel and donkey, but ignore the parts about “go into all the world…” “Heal the sick, raise the dead…” 

We can play the what if game till were dead. It is possible. The worst part is that although hindsight is 20/20, we can live from Heaven TODAY. All those promises… they’re for real, and for today. But I leave you with this challenge: if you truly believed the verse from Isaiah 41:13, “I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’” If you truly believed that you had NOTHING to fear, because God himself would be right beside you helping you, WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY with your life?

Hold nothing back. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

The Cross

Get this. You are a NEW CREATION. If I were to say I discovered a new species, it would be implied that this species had NEVER been seen before, and was unlike species that had prviously been known. How much GREATER than is a whole new creation? This CRAP about the struggle with the old man has GOT TO STOP! Seriously. If, as Romans says (about 40 times) that the old you is dead, died, no longer alive, crucified with Christ… HOW is it that people struggle with this old flesh??? IT”S DEAD! The Bible also forbids necromancy… communication with the dead. If you are continually bringing back your dead man, you either dont know that he is dead, or you dont want to let go of that dead man.

At the cross, YOU DIED WITH CHRIST. In as much as Jesus was crucified, SO WERE YOU! I dont know how else to put it. You NO LONGER have to deal with that old self. The nature of the flesh NO LONGER has a hold on you. Romans 7, where paul talks about the struggle of not doing what he wanted to do, and doing what he didnt want to do; COULD NOT have possibly referred to His current state as he wrote the letter (unless Paul was a scizophrenic, bi-polar, double-minded man). The Romans 7 struggle refers to life outside of life led by the Spirit, or life before receiving Christ (who transforms you INTO that new creation).

As Kris Valloton says; “If you are waiting till you die to be perfected and live in freedom, then you have made death your saviour.” Many People like the verse “you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free”. The truth is a Person. His name is Jesus. and He already DID set you free. “It is finnished!” Not “It will be finnished!” Stop asking Him to do something for you, that He already accomplished 2,000 years ago.

Sorry if this is coming out in a harsh way… not my intention… Im just SO sick and tired of hearing Christians begging God to set them free, not understanding who they are, what He did, what they have access to, and why they don’t look any different from the world. There is no longer an excuse to live a lifestyle of sin, shame, boredom, regret, powerlessness, pride, anger, defeat, self-pitty, or LIMITS OF ANY KIND. Believe that what He said was and IS  true. He wouldnt have given you a promise, and then not given you the power and ability to fulfill that promise. (The power and ability come in the form of the Holy Spirit, who is the fulfillment of every promise.) Period.

Thats all. No pictures. Very little punctuation, spelling, or grammer. deal with it.

VAGABOND(er)

The word vagabond, is a word normally associated with a shiftless, wandering, vagrant “bum.” However, as Ralph Potts explains, the word actually means

• “(1) The act of leaving behind the orderly world to travel independently for an extended period of time. 
• (2) A privately meaningful manner of travel that emphasizes creativity, adventure, awareness, simplicity, discovery, independence, realism, self-reliance, and the growth of the spirit. 
• (3) A deliberate way of living that makes freedom to travel possible.”

As I have stated in the past, I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel to many different countries; from Haiti to Colombia,  Ireland to Thailand,  and Kyrgyzstan to Mozambique. I never feel quite as alive, as when I step off of a plane in a foreign country with absolutely no idea where to go, and have no ability to communicate with those around me. (Other than with hand gestures or the occasional word that I picked up somewhere along the way). I relish the feeling of the unknown. I will admit though… it makes my heart race EVERY time. (Although not so much in places like Ireland and Germany where “English” is spoken by enough people to make it easy on me)

Vagabonding, however, is a whole new and unexplored mode of travel for me. To clarify, vagabonding differs from ”travelling” or “vacationing”in that it is more of a long-term, solo-style of backpacking, with no real “plan” or list of places to stay oand things to do. It’s a blank canvas that encourages the complete disregard for a guidebook, or predetermined route of any kind, which allows you to simply enjoy the present moment and surroundings of the place you are in without any thought as to “whats next?”

Why do I bring this all up, you ask? Good question. I shall answer it for you (In case you didn’t see this coming) I’m going! [vagabond-travelling, that is] To where? Well, as of today, the “plan” (or, lack thereof, if you want to hold me to the previous paragraph’s idiosyncracies) is to Fly from Sacramento to Vietnam, and from there spend 35 days walking, boating, and riding elephants through Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and back to Hanoi, Vietnam; where I will fly to Hong Kong for one last week before heading back to Sacramento, California. Im also trying to fit in Indonesia/Burma somewhere in the mix, if time allows.

The beautiful thing about it all is that this type of travel is incredibly affordable. Airfare will (obviously) be the most expensive part, but not nearly as bad as you might think. Everything else will cost under 15 US dollars per day. (Trust me, I spent 12 days in Bangkok and literally couldn’t spend 20 bucks per day, try as I might)

Another part of this that I enjoy as much as the sights and possibilities, is the preparation for the trip. (Which should be happening next summer) this includes figuring out what to take, gathering gear, discarding things I wont need (aka: simplifying), as well as saving money (no more Starbucks, movie rentals, in-n-out burger, unnecessary new clothes, Ben and Jerry’s©, etc) for the next 9 months. Most people don’t realize that for the cost of a pizza in the USA, you can eat well in Brazil for a week, for the cost of a tank of gas; you can ride a train from one end of China, to the other, and for the cost of rent in America, you live nicely in a beach hut in Indonesia for a month.

I’m hoping that this trip will be an interesting combination of adventure, sightseeing, and ministry. (Healing the sick, raising the dead… ya know… that type of thing)

I’m also considering a South America tour as opposed to SE Asia, but I think Asia would be more stretching since it’s a little farther away, and the languages will be far more unknown  (I understand enough Spanish/Portuguese to get by in S. America.) With that said, my purpose in writing this was to simply share a little of my excitement, and perhaps inspire a few readers to do some travelling or even a little “Vagabonding.” All for now.

“Missions” Trippin’?

Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE adventure. Heck, it’s what my name means… (Adventurous, Vivacious.) Many of them stem from growing up in Haiti, and many others from my time in the army, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the best ones have all come in the past few years while travelling to Africa, Asia, and South America on “missions” trips.

Missions Trip. I really don’t like that phrase. To me, it stirs up memories of a bunch of youth and adults, who travel to some far away country after months of bake sales to raise money, and, upon arrival; stay only in the safe spots, whilst over-using their tiny bottles of hand sanitizer, and occasionally putting on a puppet show for a group of kids, and upon completion of many weeks of said puppet shows, offer a brief altar call accompanied by little slips of paper to record personal information and tally up the conversions. (Longest sentence of your life…I know… shutty; This is MY blog, and I say grammar goes out the window.)

I am not against puppets, muppets, hand-sanitizer, or otherwise. I’m simply saying that there is more. Much more. And to go somewhere to  ”suffer for Jesus” on a missions trip in order to fulfill some moral, ethical, or religious duty is a complete crock. We GET to go places to OPENLY and BOLDLY share the good news of what Christ did FOR US. The problem only comes when we water down the Gospel, and hide it amongst cleverly disguised puppet shows and skits, while denying the power of God.  “Having the form of godliness, but denying its power, avoid such men as these.” -2 Timothy 3:5 Say what you will about this verse, but I don’t seem to remember Jesus… or any of His followers side stepping the Gospel because it might not be understood or liked. But enough of my rant… I didn’t mean to get off track.

The reason I brought this up, is that I HAVE been ashamed to boldly proclaim this good news before. I HAVE gone to countries and “tried to love” the hurting people. I HAVE gone to places and tried to do my best to listen to their stories, while looking for any available break in the conversation to recite some good theological quotation that was prepared in advance, with all the arrogant-humility I could muster. What a load of CRAP!! Seriously. The LAST thing people in this world need is another agenda-filled miserable Christian missionary with a bunch of “good answers” and doctrine. They’ve heard that. Powerlessness didn’t work then, and it wont work now.

Thankfully, I have learned the truth along the way; that only God has what people need. That the only way to see them set free is to love them as He loved me. When you see Him for who He is, and what He has done, there is no “trying” involved. You can’t help but find the places that need His love the most, and genuinely embracing everyone you see. Love seeps out of your very pores, and dances out of your eyes. The Gospel is felt and demonstrated before it ever has to be preached. THIS is evangelism 101. Too many missionaries are burnt out, tired, depressed and just surviving, while missing the freeing reality of Grace. What do I mean by that? I mean only this; the battle is won, and it was never ours to fight. WE do not save people, He already paid the price, We now get to reap a harvest for which we DID NOT LABOR. It’s a joyful dance.

I’ve lived over seas about 19 out of my 26 years. I’ve gone to countries and felt that beat down-miserable-hopeless feeling. But I can also say that I know I never need to feel that again. You actually have the PERSON of LOVE dwelling inside you, if you believe. So trying is never needed. Just be. All for now.

PASSION

The world can’t afford not to see PASSIONATE Christians.

Dull, lifeless, hypocritical, boring… these are words commonly associated with “church-going-good-Christian-folk.” passionate, alive, joyful… not so much. How can we NOT be passionate? Passionate about life, what we believe, every breath? How is it that people who believe that the KING OF KINGS is LIVING INSIDE OF THEM can stumble about without purpose or passion, fulfilling their daily necessities, and trudging about as though they were merely surviving?

Life was MEANT to be an adventure with God. ITS IN THE BIBLE!! Look at the way Jesus did life… or the people he trained, for that matter!  Boring and drudgery were NOT an option. Your safe life, is NOT very safe… the only place of safety is to walk right on the edge, every single day, consumed by His presence. This is a strong statement, but anything less than 100% of you is simply an unacceptble offering, to the One who gave EVERYTHING.

Here is my reasoning in emphasizing this, over and over; I have seen people (by the hundred), neighborhoods, and villages TRANSFORMED by a passionate group of people, filled with the Spirit of God, willing to risk everything. I have NEVER seen lives transformed by a good church-going attendance record, or by miserable/bored believers who are just clinging to Jesus to make it through their terrible life, before he comes to rapture them away from this “dark world.”

The best part of this is, YOU ARE QUALIFIED, through Jesus. If ever you think that your past has disqualified you… take a trip to Colombia. I challenge you to meet a few of the boys like I met. One such boy’s father was murdered when he was 3, his mother was a prostitute, he lived on the streets since he was 6, used every drug known to man, was beaten by the police… on and on. Today he, at 17 years old, is a RADICAL follower of Jesus, a worship leader, and one who carries more of the character of God than most life-long believers I have ever met.

Ephesians gives a reason to be passionate:

‘This is how we fit into God’s picture, Christ is the measure of our portion, we are in Him; invented and defined in Him. God’s blueprint intention is on exhibition in us, everything He accomplishes is inspired by the energy and intent of His affection.” – Ephesians 1:11 in the Mirror translation

If that doesn’t jack you up, check your pulse.

In the words of Jonathan David Helser’s song “Fly”:

I close my eyes
Everything disappears with Your smile
I raise my hands; On a cliff I stand
Arms open wide
You’re the Father, I’m the child
You whisper to me: Step off the edge–

Leave it all behind!
Leave it all behind
Cut loose, cut loose the tie
Let it go, let it go

For way too long
I’ve settled for these lies
When so much more
Has been waitin’ on the other side
I think it’s time
We crossed this river so wide
Leave these shores, step off the edge

The Heart of God

I have seen the very heart of God.

I just returned from a two-week trip to Medellin, Colombia. I’ve been to about 18 or 19 countries now, and I have to say that Colombia captured me in a way I’ve never seen before. I don’t really know where to begin, to be honest. I could start with the first day I arrived; where only an hour after I dropped my bags in the house where I stayed, we hit the streets and saw Jesus heal 3 people. One of whom felt fire rush down his back, and with wide eyes asked us “what just happened to me?” We were able to explain Who had just healed him.

I have about a hundred stories swimming through my head of amazing testimonies, and miraculous healings that took place, but I want to elaborate on my opening statement:

I have seen the heart of God.

I saw it in a little girl who, although she had nothing, gave away her hat after she was given a t-shirt.

I saw it in a man named Jason, who was strung out on drugs and living on the street with nothing more than the clothes on his back, but after being healed, he looked up and thanked God and yelled “What Grace, What Grace!”

I saw it in faces of the street kids as we played soccer with them on a beautiful green field, using a couple of logs for goal posts.

I saw it in a crazy Colombian ghetto, where on streets lined with children passed out from sniffing glue, prostitutes, and homeless drug addicts; God showed up and touched them with His love, and for possibly the first time in many of their lives, they saw that they had value.

I saw it in a taxi driver, who bought me a pack of crackers at a gas station with the little money he had because he didn’t want me to be hungry in the airport. He also spoke just enough English (and understood enough of my Spanish) to pray the Lord’s blessing and protection over my life as we approached the airport to leave.

I am so thankful for my family, friends, church, education… the list goes on forever… I’m extremely blessed. But in all of the many amazing things in my life, I have never felt as alive and full of joy as I was on the streets of Medellin, where I both shared and witnessed the heart of God. The hungry are always filled, and there is an amazing hunger in Colombia for God. I hope to return next summer to spend a few more months there.

I’m overwhelmed to have been able to take part in sharing the love of God in Colombia. He is SO GOOD! Thank you to any and all who supported me in going!

Restlessness and Zucchini-Cake

So, it’s a little after midnight… and I’m a bit stir crazy. I know this because I keep walking over to the fridge and peering in, hoping that something will be in there that wasn’t the last time I looked. I don’t know why I do this… I just do. So with 2 pieces of chocolate-zucchini-cake consumed, I’m… blogging.

This past year at school, I had to take psychology as one of the pre-req courses for the nursing program. For one assignment, we had to listen to a podcast about a woman who suffered a stroke (or something like that), and it affected a part of her brain that controlled words and language. Long story short, EVERYTHING went blank. EVERYTHING. She later recovered, and described what happened to her. Basically ALL thought simply ceased to exist. All the voices, thoughts, questions, ponderings… whatever you want to call them; turned off. Think about it… all your thoughts in your head are based on words and language. Without words, you can’t have any real thought. She went on to say that it was a feeling of indescribable peace. She had no worries, because she literally had no thoughts about worry, because there were no words to describe worry. No “what’s going on?!” or ”How did this happen?” Nothing. It was just quiet. When she looked at a painting she couldn’t say to herself, “that’s beautiful, what great use of color!” She simply saw it. [I’m trying to convey what no words would mean, without you listening to a 90 minute podcast]

I’ve often wondered, since hearing about her story, what that would be like to have a condition like that. To have every single nagging thought silenced. Every question or concern; vanish. To simply see something incredible or beautiful, and not have to describe it, quantify it, compare it, or question it… just enjoy the moment. To look at people on the street and not have ANY sort of label, thought, or judgment about them… but just see them. As people.

I believe, of course, that I don’t have to suffer a stroke to be able to see people/things in this way. I can already see how my mind is changing in so many ways concerning labels and judgments towards people, just from spending time with the one who created us, and seeing the way He sees people. Perhaps this whole rant is the result of some (slightly dry) Zucchini-cake. In any case… I’m thankful for words… and I’m on the fence about Zucchini. I do, however, love my bed, and think it’s about time I headed in that direction. Goodnight.

 

Lovin’ Life

 

At the Bean in Chicago

If I’ve used this title Already, I’m sorry. It just happens to be a true statement… a lot. How can it not be? This life is such an awesome journey with our creator! I just got back from a 3 day trip to Chicago, for the wedding of some close friends. It was awesome… and I don’t normally even like weddings, haha! Good coffee, time with friends… 10 mile hikes through the city… lunch 95 floors up in the Hancock building… techno-dance-parties after the wedding… good times

Now in PA for a week, before heading to South America to work with underage prostitutes, street kids, and generally just people who need to know the love of their Extravagant Father. I’ll be going with a friend from Bethel Church, and a few others. I’ll share more details when I return, but think it best to keep it quiet until then. I don’t know why, but I always seem to come more alive when in a trash dump, with a few dirty hungry kids, than I do in most churches. I feel the presence and excitement of God in those places more than just about anywhere else I go. Things are so simple there, and there is only 1 rule: LOVE. Nothing fake, no pretense, no agenda, no 3-songs-and-a-45-minute-sermon-then-cake-and-coffee-church-service. Just people, Jesus, Smiles, and LOVE.

Whenever I’m there, I feel like a different person. Yes, it is more than possible to love in that way here in America. Of course. I’m simply saying that this is what happens in me in those places. I’ve never been really at home here, like I was growing up in Haiti, or while visiting Mozambique, South Africa, Thailand… I’ll Stop for now… much more to follow. Please keep me in your prayers. I’ve never read Rob Bell’s book, but I feel like the title is going to perfectly fit this trip: “Love Wins”

A couple of last thoughts… I was talking to a good friend while I was in Chicago, about the things God was doing in his life, and as time went on, he said that “On judgment day, we will have to give an account for our sins.” If you believe this, I have one question… If God “No longer remembers our sin” (2 Corinthians 5:19, Hebrews 8:12, Isaiah 43:25, Jeremiah 31:34, Hebrews 10:17), then how exactly will we be judged for them? BELIEVERS WILL NOT BE JUDGED FOR THEIR SIN. So what WILL judgment day for the believer look like? I have a few thoughts… but I’d rather hear yours

 

Wrecked By Grace

I just returned from a week-long vacation to the outer banks with my family, and it was AWESOME. Had such an amazing time, and just so appreciated the time that we had together. I love my family so much, and am so incredibly thankful for them.

My last post on grace was intended to be continued, and I will get to that in the next post. So instead of  writing about why I believe so strongly in grace, and making a case for why it CAN NOT be “over-emphasized,” I wanted to write about the impact that the reality of this message of grace (AKA the Gospel) has been having on me the past few months.

As I sit here, I realize that I am back to a familiar place. Over the past weeks and months, I have struggled to explain in words the change that has taken place. On the outside, it would appear that not much is different… but in my heart, it’s a totally different story. I can’t seem to go anywhere: work, home, friends, family… church… without it spilling out of me. Grace SETS you free. It removes the struggle “to become” and allows you to “just be.”

Back in October of last year, a friend of mine shared a dream that she had with me. She said that in the dream, she was in this huge castle, and was running around like crazy to prepare a huge celebration to honor the king. There were hundreds of others all around her, scurrying about, doing the same thing. From bakers and cooks, to people cleaning and decorating; each one working as hard and fast as they could, for their king. However, as she went about her task, she glanced up at the balcony and saw him looking down smiling, trying to catch the eye of the people working. She immediately smiled back, and a tear came to his eye. He looked at her and said “don’t ever get so busy working for the king that you forget to stop and smile at Him.” So many people are set on working to impress the Lord and somehow earn his love and favor that they fail to see that they already have it… fully. YOU WILL NOT BE MORE ACCEPTABLE OR LOVED, WHEN YOU BECOME “BETTER.”

Anyways, with that said, I’m back to square one. What has happened, in my heart these past few weeks? How to put into words what I feel?  I was recently reading a blog written by my friend Phillip on this very same topic. Phillip was able to put words to [a portion] of what has happened. He writes:

“Overwhelmed with what grace communicates, I’m in awe and in child-like wonder of creation and life all around me. Since the day grace first entered my heart I’ve never experienced or come to realize a life of freedom and splendor as these last couple of months in the Lord. My eyes have been opened anew to the beauty I always knew was there, but which I could never fully see. Now it’s being revealed to me in ways far beyond what I could have conceived or conjured up.”

 Because of grace, and the freedom it brings from having to earn or work for anything from God. (which I have really strived to do in the past) I feel as though my eyes have been opened to the things that are really important. When The Veil was torn from top to bottom (it started on His end) the separation ENDED. This means that we NO LONGER have to be separate from god… EVER. In other words, “spending time with God” no longer has to look like so special event. It means CONSTANT COMMUNION with the Father… THROUGHOUT THE DAY!! ALL DAY. ALL NIGHT.

 It means I no longer HAVE to fulfill some dream or goal. I GET the opportunity to go to school, where I can learn to be a nurse, and one day bring healing to broken hurting people. Along the way, I get to learn about God’s creation, impact the other students around me [at this stage/place in my life], and enjoy every breath that I take. The end result of being able to help people and bring an end to child prostitution, which was once the supreme goal in my life, will now be the cherry on top… the result of a daily dance in which I get to fall more in love with Jesus, watch HIM bring freedom to others, and not even have to work, but simply participate in an amazing journey with the one I love. [yes, that was one LONG poorly structured sentence.]

You see, I can no longer fail. There is nothing to achieve, nothing that must be done. I HAVE time to stop and smell the roses. Time to ENJOY life. There is no longer a “sacred” category, and an “every-day life” category that I put different events into. EVERYTHING becomes sacred. EVERYTHING… EVERY MOMENT becomes an encounter with a different facet of Jesus. I see him now, in so many ways, times, places and things. I catch glimpses of Him throughout the day. Finally I feel like I understand what David meant when he said “I have set the LORD continually before me… Therefore my heart is glad.” (Psalm 16:8-9) I can continually be with Him. No condemnation. No Separation. NO STRINGS ATTACHED. That’s Grace.