Monday, October 8, 2012

There is to many good things in life to worry...




       It’s crazy how right when you feel like life will slow down for a second, it doesn’t. As difficult of a truth that is to overcome, I am beginning to learn to welcome it with open arms. Sometimes when I think of responsibility I relate it to time, like finishing projects in a time line, or setting a time limit to finish something. When I succeed I feel great, I feel “responsible”. But what about when I don’t succeed? When I don’t succeed I get overwhelmed by quite a number things. I begin to believe things about myself, that honestly just aren’t true. Today I was thinking about how the destination isn’t the point of the journey, the journey is the point of the journey. The destination is a gift to give your entire being to, to enjoy upon arrival. Imagine if you took a road trip and the whole time you complained about how high gas prices are, the radio being too loud, the inside of your car being too cold and then too hot and then too cold again, or the drink you spilled on your lap during lunch. By the time you reach your destination you’ve got a piss poor attitude, because your still too caught up in all the things that happened to you on the way. The things that you couldn’t have done anything about anyways. But... What would happen if you embraced those things as they were? Found beauty in the tension of being too cold then too hot? Or being thankful that there is even gas to get you where you want to go? Or thinking, "man that was a dang good lunch, to bad that soda spilled in my lap." The journey is the point of the journey. The things you face on the road of life shape you into who you are upon arrival. Whether good or bad. Hopefully character is developed, not cynicism. At least that’s what I think. And I think it’s true. It’s what I am learning in my life right now. 

        Life doesn't really slow down. At least not since the time I last posted a blog. Which was too long ago. A lot has happened since then. How do I begin to fill you all in? 
The school...
 is what took up most of my time since the last time you have heard from me. It sure was incredible. We had thirty students from all over the world come and live and learn and do community with us. The Lord definitely blew my expectations away for the students and in my own life. This was the best school I have been apart of by far. It is so great to be put in situations that will either cause you to grow or fail miserably. It causes you to see where you still need to grow and also see places that you have grown, where you would have failed terribly a year or two earlier. I experienced both of those situations this past summer. I saw places that I have grown, I faced fears in areas I didn't believe I had what it took, and I also fell short in areas, but the Lord had plenty of grace to cover my back. I really do love this family I get to be apart of. We really are changing the world. 
Other than the school we have been traveling quite a bit. I have been playing a lot of music this past month and I love it! It has been so refreshing. I love everything about the beautiful gift of playing music. This fall is going to stay pretty busy for all of us traveling. There are some incredible places we are going to have the honor of traveling to, like Kona, Hawaii, Boulder, Colorado, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. So awesome! I will do my best to post a blog about each trip. I am learning that when you don't have time to do things you just make time. Its not as hard and overwhelming as it seems. 
Last but not least.
       I really would love to just thank all of you for all of your support. It really has meant the world to me and has proved the Lord's faithfulness. There have been times when I have had just enough money and then there has been times where I have more than enough and I was able to give money away and just bless my friends. So thank you all for giving and sacrificing. I have really learned a lot about the Lord in this process and I believe that that gift in and of itself is just as great as receiving a check in the mail. May the Lord bless you all abundantly in every area of your life. May he give back to you a thousand fold of what you have given to me through finances and prayer and support. I am praying for you all. 

a sneak peak of my summer:

Monday, June 18, 2012

There and back again, again

        Sorry it has taken me so long to write about the month of May. As many of you know I went on a trip to Brussels, Belgium and London, England last month Jonathan and the family and we returned just in time to start the 2012 18" Journey. So needless to say, I have had my plate full in the most beautiful way.
       So, Belgium and England. Wow. What incredible nations. In Belgium we lead worship for a conference where the people spoke English, French, and Flemish. While we led worship the words on the overhead were in all three languages. It was quite an incredible thing to see. It is cool to think about people engaging the Lord through our songs in there own heart language. Beautiful. The many people that attended that conference were transformed before our eyes in three short days. They uncovered the Lord's delight in them. When we truly see that, everything changes.
        From there we got to take a train under the English Channel to London. That was an incredible thing to experience, as if traveling across the Belgium and English countryside isn't incredible enough. When we arrived in London we were greeted by the 2012 Olympic sign. Crazy. We got to spend a whole lot of time in London. Not enough to delve deep into the heart of the city but I learned enough to get from the Piccadilly Circus underground station to Big Ben and back. The event we played at in England actually wasn't in London, it was in the county Sussex, in a town called Steyning. That event was a big ol' seventy two hour non stop worship event with about nine hundred people in attendance. We were honored to connect with the incredible people in United Pursuit Band and Jason Upton and his band. We felt so at home spending that weekend with them all. England is so close to revival smacking them in the face I couldn't even believe it. I mean, I am pretty sure they are already in it. The Lords smile over the U.K. is mighty precious. He loves his English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh sons and daughters.
        And as for the school... I don't know how to adequately put words to it, but I will confidently and futilely attempt to. We have twenty-nine students from five different nations. They are all incredible and have sacrificed so much to be here. This is definitely the best 18" journey we have had yet. It is easy to say that every year, but lets be honest it's actually true every year. It is just one of those things. The Lord is so very faithful. We are currently about to begin our third week of the school and it is incredible how much of a family we have already become. Forty plus people's journeys and walks with the Father are being intertwined this summer. I love my life. I am so honored to be apart of something that is changing the world as we know it. I can't wait to wake up on august the first and look myself in the mirror and see how much more of myself  I have become. But, it's the day by day that will get me to that day. I will be thankful for and faithful to find the Lord in every moment of each day. The Lord is in no hurry. I am learning to submit myself to the Lords pace He is setting for my life. It is quite the process. I am in a beautiful place of growth and for that I am thankful. I pray that I will always be growing.
Belgium sky

Arrival to London

Big Ben
        

Monday, April 30, 2012

There and back again..

      I just returned from a twenty day adventure with six of my closest friends, to Dubai, U.A.E., Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa. It was my third time going to Dubai, and second time going to South Africa. These trips are something I look forward to every year, and am so thankful that I got to see the familiar faces of long distance friends. I cannot write about all the events that took place on the long journey, but here are some highlights.





[Dubai]  
   The first leg of my journey brought me to Dubai. We were there to lead worship at a weekend conference in a church called "Gate Keepers." In those two days, we led two five-hour worships sessions.  The city is Westernized(to an extent) and pretty open to the christian church and the fact that we got to worship there was an honor. The people were so hungry for the love of Jesus and the heart of the Father. It was quite refreshing and it has awakened something within me. 


    

[Johannesburg]
 After an extremely full weekend of worship, we packed up our bags and headed toward South Africa. We were picked up from the airport and dropped off at Mark and Kathy Bush's home, which was actually a bed and breakfast called, "Grace House."As you can see below, the place      was awesome. We ate incredibly well, and were treated like kings!
       Two days after our arrival, we began playing at a worship school in Johannesburg with Central Parks Church. We did a set every morning and evening, and held teaching sessions in the afternoons for three days. I led two sessions on song writing and guitar. The students at the school were asked to choose from several different sessions lead by members of our team. The morning of my song writing class I found out that fifty-five students signed up! Honestly, I was freaked out, but, I went for it. I shared part of my personal story, shared songs that I've written and my process of song writing. I write songs to process where I am at in life and where I am at with the Lord. I wanted to encourage all the students to write songs for themselves, for the heck of it, not for anything else but the smile of the Father.
       The students were hungry to learn. We were constantly pouring into their lives, which was great but tiresome. The beauty of it all was that the people we ministered to really grasped the Father's heart. They were like sponges, asking and truly receiving the impartation of God's love.

[Durban]
      After a lot of ministry, we drove eight hours down the road to Durban to take a break. We spent three days in the most incredible beach house on the shores of the Indian Ocean. The Pastor of Central Parks Church, his whole family and a few of our new friends from South Africa came along with us on our adventure. There we rested, ate great meals, enjoyed the beach and got to know each other better.
      When we first arrived, me and Stephen(our sound guy/bassist) ran to the beach. The shores in Durban are really rocky, and have tons of crabs on them. Stephen and I caught one in hopes of eating it for dinner. The only problem was that it was scrawny, and interestingly colored, and the two of us didn't know if it was poisonous... so we set him free. lucky guy.


       The trip was  awesome and very stretching. I love traveling with the people I do life with. We will be hitting the road again soon, to Europe. We'll be ministering in England, Germany and Belgium, stay posted for updates! Thank you all for reading and supporting!





    
  
      


        

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Dear Friends.

For the past three years of my life, I have lived in the small town of Sophia, North Carolina, on a fifty-two acre ministry called “A Place for the Heart.” When I first stepped onto this land in the summer of 2009, it was for a sixty day school called “The 18 Inch Journey,” an arts and worship based school centered on discovering true relationship with Jesus. There I learned how to be fathered by God, after not having been fathered for so many years of my life. At the end of that summer, my school leaders Jonathan and Melissa Helser invited me into a 15 month internship. During that time, I dug my roots deep into the heart of the Father, fell in love with music, worked hard, learned about family and honor, and how to live and fight for my dearest friends in the midst of community. I set foot on a journey to discover the thoughts of the Lord over me, what he says about me. I learned to hear his voice and depend upon it. I said yes to forever being changed by the heart of the Father, and changed I have been.

After my 15 month internship in January of 2011, I was invited to come on full time staff at "A Place for the Heart." My role in this ministry team is quite vast. I work full time as the head of maintenance on the farm. Which includes mowing fields, blowing leaves, making plumbing repairs, renovating rooms, you name it, I have done it one time or another. I prepare and manage jobs for our interns to do weekly throughout the year. My heart is to teach them the value of ownership and what a gift it is when you no longer work out of duty but out of honor for those who have come before and who have given. Something I have been fortunate enough to learn during my time here on the farm and will forever carry with me in my life. In addition to those things, I serve with Jonathan and Melissa traveling the world apart of there ministry team that is changing the earth with worship. We create and cultivate a space for God's heart to collide with a generation and be forever changed by his presence. On these trips I have been honored to be able to lead worship in Dubai, U.A.E. and teach a class in Johannesburg, South Africa and share with others everywhere we go the part of the Father that I know. In the summer I help lead the "18 Inch Journey," the sixty day school that set me on the course Im on now, three years ago. My job throughout the year translates over into this school, only on a much larger and more 24/7 scale. I lead farm work details, times of worship, and small groups. I invest this time of the year to see others from all over the world come to "A Place for the Heart" and get radically changed by the intimacy of the Father.