"It Happened"

Back in the days before I did the bridge on Sunday nights I went into Duncan with a group Justin rounded up to minister to the homeless and poor people of the city. I haven't been able to go at all this semester, but I did have another opportunity to be a part of what Justin's group was doing one Saturday.

Justin came into the room where I was doing homework and asked if any of us wanted to come visit a man named James who was in the hospital in Duncan. I don't know why I said yes, I had a lot of homework, but I felt like it would be good for me to go. I think it's how I was raised. I remember one year at christmas our whole family went to the hospital to visit an elderly man that my parents knew. He had no relatives to visit him and he was brought to tears when we sang with him and prayed with him.

Unfortunately the man we were going to visit was not in the hospital. We found out later that he had left the day before. We couldn't find him at the hospital, so we thought we would look at a place where James often hung out. On a beach, by the river that runs through Duncan. We did not find James there, but we did meet a bunch of his friends. A lot of them seemed rough around the edges, most of them were drinking, and a few had already had too much. But two words made the whole trip worth it. A man who Jeremy and Justin had the opportunity to speak to and pray with approached them. He was smiling as he said, "It happened."

It happened, an answer to prayer. God was moving in the campfire crowd on the beach of the Duncan river. Making a name for himself. Even in all the brokenness and sin. God is moving and is going to continue to work as his people pray and love. I'm excited to hear about how next year's kaleos continue this ministry

The Fire

There's something special about campfires. There's something extra special about campfires at kaleo. This past campfire was no exception.

We made our way down to the beach late one night last week and started a fire. Well some of us did, others of us went and collected roasting sticks, and others just sat and enjoyed the stars camping in the night sky.

The night was simple, we roasted marsh mellows, Justin read us the story of Jonah, and then we sang some worship songs to our father.

It was simple, but it was so powerful. I remember the joy that came over me as we lifted up our voices to the Lord. One song would end and then soon after, but not too soon after someone would start singing something else and we would sing some more.

The night ended with us all being very thankful to God and voicing that in prayer. God has truly blessed us this year and the campfire reminded me just how much.

The Passion

I looked up what the word 'passion' meant and I found this:

strong and barely controllable emotion.

Then I looked farther down and saw a definition for the term 'the passion':

the suffering and death of Jesus.

On Easter a bunch of the Kaleo crew congregated in the lodge to watch The Passion of the Christ. I don't think I was prepared for it, in fact I know I wasn't. There were so many times when I instinctually closed my eyes, or turned my head, or gasped at what I was seeing. I remember thinking, 'What Passion.' The devil couldn't control Jesus' passion, the beating and scourging couldn't control it, the crucifixion couldn't control it, and even death itself couldn't control it. Driven by love Jesus gave himself up to death on a Cross. This is how he shows his love. Love for his father, and love for the adopted sons and daughters his blood would purchase. The bible talks about the love of Christ controlling us. That's possible because his own love controlled him first and made love possible for us.

I want my passion for Jesus to only be controlled by love.

Haven't you heard? He is risen!

Yesterday night was a saturday like any other. I was hanging out in the office with a bunch of people when Jeremy walked in and made his proposal.

"I'm going up maple mountain tomorrow at six for Easter if anyone wants to come."

I don't know what made me think that it would be fun to get out of bed at six o'clock to hike up a mountain, but on Sunday morning, before dawn, I found myself with Jeremy, Justin and Nicole hiking in the fresh morning air. We hiked in silence. Good Friday was just two days before. A day that we remembered the death of Jesus at the hands of sinful men. It was a somber mood as we walked and remembered. We made it to what we thought would be a good place to stop and we paused. Jeremy said some words and we sang some songs and something began to stir. Then Justin prayed. He spoke softly, as he recalled and thanked Jesus for his work on the cross, then he said

"Thank you Jesus, now may we shout it from the mountaintops, HE IS RISEN!!!" His voice echoed through the forest and over the waters as he screamed those words at the top of his voice.

Jeremy spoke after Justin had finished. "I feel like the disciples must have felt when they were at the empty tomb. Just before they went running to tell the good news to the others."

And we were like them, we did run. We ran all the way down Maple Mountain shouting and singing, "Have you not heard? He is risen!"

Our sorrow was turned into joy and our tears to laughter. He is risen and I want to live always like the disciples as a herald of that news. He is Risen

After the camp fire

There’s something intimidating about a blank word document when you feel like you may have something worthwhile to write down.

Anyway, here’s where I’m at with four weeks left in Kaleo. I’m still waiting to here back from camp about a job, I’m starting to wonder how much I’ve really changed this year, I’m starting to fear not being able to say the words, “until next time.”, I’m worried that this year might be nothing more than a social delight filled with exceptional morals and deep, vulnerable friendships.

It might be greedy, but I want more. I think I also want less. I want more of God. I want more of his grace in my life, I want his discipline, I want his fellowship and communion. I want to leave this place so changed that every morning I wake up into communion with God.

I could do with less of anything besides this. You can have all this world, give me Jesus!

I could do with less soccer in Q-town, fewer trips to town, less deep conversations, less campfires, less rock-climbing sessions, and way less time online.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy these things. I do. But in the end they’re only gifts to be enjoyed. They don’t bring life or joy or love or happiness, at least not the kind that bridges the gap of eternity. I want more.

I’m praying that God would be tearing out the parts of me that the old man is holding onto, and filling me up with a heart that’s completely his.

I want to be changed by Him. I want him to be glorified in everything I do.

I want to know my God more and more each day as he moves me from one degree of glory to the next.

The Manventure according to James (the non-synoptic version)

During the reading break was the manventure, and the men went on the manventure and they invented the manventure and they went on the manventure that they invented.

It so happened that Jeremiah, Nathan, Marcus, Timothy and Justice were residing in the town of Qwanoes upon a dark and dismal afternoon.

Now Jeremiah, Nathan, Marcus, Timothy, and Justice were all sons of Momma Badke, who was the son of Grandma voth who was in her 100th year of life.

Now it happened that there were five large cattle grazing in the desert of the Q. In anger Marcus took out his sword which was four feet in length and slaughtered the cattle in his anger.

After dragging the carcasses three miles into the wilderness the brothers erected a tower on a hill outlooking the sea of shining waters.

The men kindled a fire and roasted the cattle whole and Justin said,"Men this meat that we have thus cooked upon the fire that we have kindled now shall we eat with glad hearts."

And they ate and told many tales of the year past and fell asleep in the light of the dying fire.

(Some of the earliest and most reliable manuscripts don't include this next part)

And it so happened that later that night Nathan arose from his sleep and fought two cougars that had advanced upon his brothers and he killed the cougars with his bare hands. And thus he was no longer considered the worst person in the world.

It's been a while... let's talk about the olympics

So here's the deal. I volunteered at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games! Sounds pretty amazing right? Well in some ways it was for sure. The world's best athletes coming together to compete on the world stage. People from all over the world came to support their athletes. Canada all rejoiced over Sidney Crosby's "Golden Goal" and everyone was feeling pretty good about the record number of gold medals as well.

But then I thought about how many people would remember these games in 10 years, 100 years, 1000 years and I realized that even something as great as the olympics will one day only live in a dusty history book on a library shelf. Yes Even the golden goal will be forgotten. It will not have eternal significance.

There were things that happened at the olympics that did have eternal significance. And that makes me happy... no not happy, joyful.

It was amazing to go into a work setting with the intention of praying and sharing what God's been doing in my life this year and throughout my life.

There were definitely times of despair, but the joy outweighed it in the end.

I got opportunities to share the gospel with people and talk about awesome things God's been doing in my life.

I planted some seeds, watered others, and now get to pray that God would make them grow.

Praise God for giving us eternal purpose. Pray that I would be seeing that purpose rather than the temporary ones the worlds trying to make me settle for.