New York City Missions

Wow, how can i explain this mission? My goodness gracious. This was just absolutely crazy. Getting there I didn't know what to expect. I knew we were going to share the Good News of Jesus Christ but it turned out men of God changed my life in those 6 days. God has been so good to us, showing our the whole team the meaning of being one in the body of Christ and truly having an intimate relationship with Him. Having a team of 33 from Tennessee with funny accents =P, I thought it would just be an ordinary mission working together. It soon turned out we became family. We bonded so much and we all drew close to God so radically and intimately in that week man. One moving location whom "Yogi Bear" ( name of the ministry there ) preached at were subway carts. What happened was that one person would get up , draw the crowd's attention and share the love of Jesus Christ. I personally shared my testimony, and just the love of Jesus, and with God's presence with you, He moved souls everywhere He went. After sharing the Gospel, we would ask if they would accept Jesus into their heart, then the whole team would move out witnessing one on one to the peeps in the subways. Hearts were change and people were delivered all by God's grace, and I saw God move through that week i never even imagined. Though we were rejected at times, God's grace and love pushed in and we weren't looking forward to results or people's approval, but just being obedient and faithful to God. He opened up doors and opportunities which blew me away. One time we were singing worship songs in the middle of the train station, and I saw a girl curious on what we were doing. Explaining how we were just worshiping God and how God moved in my life, I saw she was deeply moved and God's love had just touched her right in the heart. It was amazing. Another time was when Evangeline and I met a couple at Coney Island. We shared the Good News of Jesus Christ and it moved both people. They soon accepted Jesus in their heart and were completely moved by God's grace. I felt the presence and pouring of God's presence and salvation moving and shaking New York City. The Tennessee folks were just also amaZING. They were just so nice and so on fire for God. They were all a bit shaky in the beginning but as i saw God working through each and every one of them throughout the week, they were all shaken radically and were freaks for JESUS! We bonded and unified and had awesome and hilarious times together, and God was just always there with us no matter what happened. He never left our backs, and He never will. Now you may ask how do you evangelize to people or how do you start a conversation. 90% of people won through Christ are won through family and friends. BE their friends, be a Jesus to them. Love them as Jesus would love them, and know how much God loves you that He was willing to be crucified on the cross for your sins. It's that easy, and just a simple conversation like that can change a person for all of eternity. There was an amazing skit team and drama team just giving it all out for Jesus. Encountering God was amazing as well. When pastor Jay shared the message of when sin came through the world , it brought shame/guilt, fear, assigning blame, rejection, yet when Jesus Christ died on the cross, it nullified all of it and when He resurrected from the dead, He conquered all the obsticales in our lives and that He lives in us now giving us the same authority and love. God's been amazing throughout this week, and im praying that will give a chance for God to reveal how much He loves you, and who you can be with having Him in your life.

revolution cry, can you heart it?

Sometime this decade, something went wrong. Whether it was just after-shocks of the Hippie Rebellion or 9/11, or even the War in Iraq, something's wrong with our generation. So you ask how? Let's go over the facts. If you have been frozen up in an ice cube since the 1960, and now you wake up to 2007, let's see what changed. Divorce rates sky rocketing, to 1/2 marriages are ending up in divorce( what happaned to i ll love you until the end?), teen trippled suicide, soaring rate of depression( some say it's even worse than the great depression, i guess video games and lsd does get you pretty down), quadrupled rate of reported violent, from whether the columbine shootings or the recent v-tech one, something's wrong, oh so dearly wrong. Can we change in the midst of darkness? Are we able to turn around? Guess what? It doesn't end with this. It doesn't end like this, and never should. And definetly, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. God is raising a generation, a generation to let us get back to our first love, to change society, and change the world. So , what is this called, oh , oh , that word. Revolution. Now, I'm not saying that you rebuke your teachers and start protesting and complaining to your local government, or throw the national govt. It's simply just a call for something far more radical. Simply just living out the Bible, having a call for the people of God to spark a chain affect which can change the world, giving the depressed hope, finding skeptics on their knees, the lost found, and ultimetly, God's name magnified. So you say, count me in! I want to change the world! Yeah, let's live for Jesus! Wohoo! Yeah, I like that, that's the spirit! But look, the is something else that you must see. Now you look back to Jesus' day, where chariots were the new dodge durangos and then there was the all american donkey replaced the ferrari.. Looking back at Jesus' life, I saw wow, this dude was crazy. And He was. He challenged the Pharisees, traditions, healed the sick, raised the dead, prohpecized, spoke with authority, i mean like Jesus was pretty awesome ( He was nice too , and loving =) ) But as i also look back at His life, people tried to kill Him. He was betrayed( Judas who sold the brotha out for 30 pieces of silva ), rejected, persecuted, flogged, and ultimetly nailed on the cross for what? Let me tell you something. Light is always a threat to darkness. Truth is a threat to lies, Purity a threat to perversion, holiness a threat to sin, God's people a threat to the world. Simply to put it, Jesus was a threat. The way he rolled was a threat, His lifestyle , His standards, they were all threats. Why? He was revolutionary. He was light in the darkness.That's why the Gospel is such a threat to the world system, even though the message within the Gospel is actually one of peace, love, and reconciliation. Jesus never gave up, i wondered about that. And then i saw His passionate love for His people, gentile or jews. He loved them so much he was ready to be humiliated to the lowest level of a common criminal, to be beat, to be flogged, all while He had the complete the authority the Son of God. He loved us this much. You cannot go anywhere of do anything or have any slight of a passion for God unless you realize His intimate love and passion for you. That's the only thing that will get you running, that will have that fire burning in your heart, that will allow you to run and not grow weary, that burning passion in your heart, that's called love. Psalm 147:10-11 - His pleasures is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delights in the legs of a man, the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love. More than anything, God wants to be in a close relationship to you and me. That's what sparks a revolution, an overflow of love. pow.

Wow. Back in the early days of like apostle paul and his bro's , they were just so fun to be around. I mean like, when the believers all shared their possessions and everyone became a big family, rich or poor, everyone becomes homies and brothas in Christ. The poor and rich collided, they they broke bread, praised God, loved each other, do crazy things like heal the sick, like i mean, it was pretty wack back then. It was a whole new way of life, no wonder the early church was called the Way. Greek or Jewish, Philip preached to all, breaking the ethnic barriers, regardless of who or what you are, your always accept by the blood of Jesus. Like how Jesus hanged out with the prostitutes and the lepers, these guys schooled the Romans, dared to help the poor like beautfiul, and dared to go against traditions. I was reading this book, called The Irresistible Revolution, and this guy, Shane Claiborne ( one dangerous dude ) he shared this thing called radical interdependence. The reality of this divine multication is realized only when we depend on one another and God. He caught a glimpse of this concept in Calcuttu, and found it again in his neighborhood. Kensington, Pa, one of the poorest districts in Pennsylvania. From the streets either being piled with trash, or the walls covered with graffiti, it was a pretty neglected neighborhood. Yet, this neglection was a perfect scenario to organize themselves. Sometimes when the city refuse to plow their streets, they would just get out and have snowball fights and shovel their streets together. Or when trash piled up, it was a darn good excuse to have a block party, clean up the trash, open up the fire hydrant to play, and play in the water. A family whom owns a mini mart in the town, over the years Shane and the family became inseparable. Their kids would come over his house for homework, or do theater camp, or have all sorts of fun. Then Shane would rehab their house, and sometimes they taught each other things such as Spanish. Often times they needed transportation to restock the store or pick up the kids. So Shane and his crew found that he could insure them under their policy. They shared cars with each other all priceless like they were just one big family . They were neither Good Samaritans, nor were they an efficient nonprofit provider, better yet, they were a family, and money lost it's revalance. So many times scenarios where one person has a plumber but doesn't have a construction man, and another dude needs a plumber and has a construction man. It's not the matter of money, but it's the matter if we unite and became one in Christ and in each other of the body of Christ. I remember i heard somewhere that one horse could carry like 200lbs or something, but two horses can carry like 1200lbs, now that's something. Jesus didn't call us to be in our own Christian bubble , but He called us just to be a family with one another, loving each other as if we were all bros. By doing that, it just seems to make sense. Like Shane, money was no longer an issue, the town was no longer a ghetto but a community. Christianity no longer focused on us, but it focused on Jesus and one another. Things work out much better when we do them, together, regardless of one's the president of north Korea and the other one anti-war protester, it just all seems to make sense, together.

07.07.07 is coming near. What does that mean? The Call, Nashville, were about 100,000 youth are going to gather at Titans stadium and fast and pray and ask the Lord if we can remarry Him, for we're just so empty with Him. Oh God, we need you. Lord, may you deliver us from our enemies, yet transform our enemies so that they may know the divine love and grace of our Gracious God, Jesus Christ. I feel God is moving across the world, China in particular, and i feel something is going to blow up in the Call Nashville. God is going to shake the heavens and His mighty hand is going to transform the lives of many. I ask for your prayers because it doesn't begin with us preaching, but it all starts on our knees. May God bless you all.

Or so?

With divorce rates climbing over 50%, I ask myself, what is happening to this generation? I see how America’s marriages are being torn apart from cheating husbands and unfaithful wives; then I look to see how our relationship with God is? Like in book of Hosea, it showed how the Hosea the prophet radically loved his wife even through the numerous affairs and deceptions she provided abundantly to her husband. Hosea still treasured her and loved her. Similarly, I feel that yet we are a generation nearing divorce, yet God is still calling us to repent, to come back to Him, with arms wide open and a divine hug to gives us. As I was typing this, I looked out the window in my bedroom, and I saw the sun setting. 76 degrees, partly cloudy, 8:29 PM, I gazed at the pinkish clouds and the sky falling into a majestic purple. I was in awe of God’s beauty, authority, and His radiant love. To be honest, I find myself daily, choosing another task, and leaving God empty handed. Thinking back, I saw how God continuously blessed me even when I cursed Him. Seeing how He never gave up hope on me though I gave up faith in Him. Looking back, I am in just amazement in how God is daily, left behind in all our agendas and yet He still loves us and calls us to a place of repentance. Like Hosea’s wife committing adultery, here we are, waking up and deciding we’re too tired to go to church, when there He was; having 7 inch nails being brutally put through his wrists. And I wonder, how much longer should we continue this, cheating on God should I say? Jesus Christ is not only our Heavenly Father, not only our personal Savior, but He’s also our Bridegroom, our Lover, our dangerous, compassionate, good, Lover. Jesus not only died for our sins, but He also died so we could know and have a relationship with the King of kings, Prince of peace, the Great Counselor, and God Almighty. With Independence Day coming and the fireworks popping over everywhere, I see how America the country has it’s patriotism for our freedom and our rights. Still on that subject, I look how we got there? How many hours George Washington and his troops stood in the bitter cold and just praying to God to save them from the British? Who was the One that gave birth to this country, and delivered us from a vicious king? And then I remember, oh yeah, it was He, Jesus. Yahweh, Jehovah, Messiah, Christ, it was He who was the one who gave us the victories when all the odds were against us. It was He who never gave up Hope in us, all when we gave up hope on each other. Yes, it was who? Jesus. Getting back to the roots of our country, I see how we drastically drifted and forgot who created those miracles which got us her in the first place, who gave birth to us, who loved us in such an extreme radical way that He offered His only son to pay for our transgressions, and I come back to this name, Jesus. Jesus.. wow. Oh Jesus. It was You.