Peruvians Unbeatable Love (PERU #4)

God has blessed me with opportunities to spread God’s Word here at home and abroad in numerous countries. I have seen Americans cry because of witnessing God’s glory in action. I have seen strangers cry upon realizing the saving grace of God’s power. This year I was able to witness a tender-hearted individual cry because she saw God’s love and glory being shown through the people of Grace Church. Make sure you grasp such words, that God was shown through the people of Grace, and it was nothing to do with our earthly nature but everything to do with God’s heavenly nature.

Although you can certainly see the love they have for our being in their country, it’s certainly not the only illustration of their immense passion and love in life. These people learn to treat you as a member of their family, they treat the searching souls of this world as family, and they honor God as the head of their family.

I guess I’m at a loss for words on how to illustrate their love through simple text on a screen. I’ll leave you with an example of the love that has been shared with me. The friends I made 12 years ago remain to this day. They treat me with love and respect despite my absence, and we pretend we never left each other’s side. They share tears with myself and other friends from Grace upon leaving… only a week together and our lives have changed together… Doesn’t matter whether a language gap exists or not, love can be shown and felt despite such a challenge…

A Childlike Love, A Child Like Faith (PERU #3)

Think about our cultures opinions on people and life. In the general sense, most opinions are rather negative. When you look at a high school aged individual, you often assume they are immature or a nuisance to have around. What we forget is how immensely capable they are of caring for others; or more specifically, for Christ.

Childlike Curiosity

In Peru we were required to maintain a very hasty schedule, each and every day was filled with blessings but required every ounce of energy a human could offer. The nights often resulted in each team member falling asleep as early as they could, between 10 and 11:30. I arrived at the hotel rather late, and certainly passed curfew. Despite the late hour, I found almost the entire youth group awake. They weren’t being obnoxious; they weren’t running around making noise, they weren’t even talking about current social topics. Each of them lifted up their Lord and Savior in worship, praising God for a week of blessing and awakening deep in their souls. I gazed in a room of children and teens, but tonight I saw a room of young adults honoring their creator.

Childlike Passion & Zeal

We can look down upon our youth, question their zeal for Christ during a trip to Peru, or even demand extensive rules be placed upon them to maintain order. In reality, it was the youth that led spontaneous worship sessions, it was the youth that has been impacted for life, it was the youth that made countless eternal friendships, it was the youth that sought God’s heart in an indescribable way.

The youth of our trip grasped the idea of worship; they took it upon themselves to thrive in their Lord’s presence.  We can be angry that curfew was broken, but then your missing the point.  God calls to the children of our world, and the youth of our trip answered such a call.  They grew in God’s Word, they grew in their worship of Him, and they grew in community because of Him.

Childlike Faith

I thank God for giving these kids a childlike love. I thank God for providing me an example of what my life has been missing and how simple it is to achieve the faith I desire to have.

God is a Protector… (Peru #2)

Protection during arrival to Peru
The lights come on and the people in the plane begin to stretch, six hours of flying and we’ve finally made it to Peru. Although our team desires nothing more than a comfy bed to sleep in, we still have security… customs… and the drive to our hotel before bed is even an option. Regardless of our sleep deprivation, the team is filled with joy and anticipation of our arrival.

Gathering our bags went smoothly, progressing through security showed no challenges, and the caring people of Peru had nothing but our safety on their minds.

Leaving the airport we approach our buses, illuminated by the glow of the city. We circle up our team and mix together with our Peruvian brothers and sisters. Prayers break out; prayers for success in sharing our Lords message, prayers for peace and faithfulness, and certainly… prayer for protection while ministering in Peru.

The bus is filled with silence, nothing but the engines roar is heard in a bus filled with sleepy Americans. I lean my head against the window, hopeful of catching up on some sleep during this hour long drive. My mind is awakened by the sight of beaming lights circling over our bus. Bear with me and attempt to visualize the words. The street lights were extended into an arch encompassing our bus. Technically, this was due to the bending of light in the bus windows… but it was a vivid illustration of our Lord surrounding us with his protection. These lights encompassed our bus the entire way to our hotel, and God’s protection remained constant for the next ten days.

Janelle Elise Photography

Protection for the Americans and Peruvians during a God honoring trip
Whether it be my father witnessing to a gang leader, a remarkable man of God sharing God’s story in the house of a man who recently murdered several people, painting in one of the more dangerous blocks of Callao, or any of the other scenarios we allowed ourselves to be in, God remained a constant protector for over 200 Americans and several hundred Peruvians.

I thank my Lord for the memories created in Peru this year; I thank my Lord for the 12 years of memories created in Peru since 1999.
I thank my Lord for protecting the people close to my heart and for bringing new believers into His Kingdom.

Didn’t you know… I’m perfect…

Perfection is a dream distant from reality

I’d love to stand in front of you, in front of the world, and boast a life free of mistakes. I wish I could stand there in total confidence and honesty, telling each of you I’ve lived a perfect and God honoring life. Anyone reading this and anyone who knows me knows I have made mistakes, and understands that perfection is a luxury absent of our world. We can achieve such greatness and strive for that God honoring life, but our creator has only achieved such perfection.

It’s no secret… I’ve made mistakes…

Recently I had my relational mistakes brought to light. Having your dirty laundry brought back into the light is never a preferred experience, but I do have a different outlook on the concept than perhaps most. I was told that I wouldn’t succeed in finding someone as easily, mostly because of the challenges I’ve had in my past or the mistakes I’ve made. I disagree, and I believe the reason for my disagreement applies to far more than simply relationships.

Don’t judge based on the past… judge me based on the present…

When people ask me what some of my dreams or goals are, I have several answers to give. One of the most significant dreams I have is to become a well-known author, and I actually took the first step towards that dream by recently finishing my first book. This book addresses the key mistakes I’ve made over the years in my relationships. If you truly desire to know all the mistakes I’ve made, read the book… otherwise, all you really need to know is what I learned through those experiences.

I now have the ability to succeed in relationships in a way that was absent of my life before, and I have a greater understanding of that mythical gender known as “female.” I learned the do’s and do not’s of the physical world, what dating outside your religion can do to the relationship, how effective boundaries strengthen a relationship, how a painful breakup is actually an incredible blessing down the road, and how much every relationship (good and bad) can teach you about life/yourself/and the dating world.

Further understanding….

I’ve been told that the most successful people in the world have often made the most mistakes, also that they “stand on the shoulders of giants;” but we’ll save that quote for another post someday. I’ve hit this point home in countless posts so far; mistakes are always going to have lessons. It doesn’t matter the foolish act you’ve done or how bad you feel you messed up, it matters how you pick yourself up and brush off that dirt. How will you take a negative experience and turn it into the positive lesson you need.

Let it be known…

I have made mistakes and there are relationships in my past that have suffered because of those mistakes. I have made mistakes in my professional, academic, personal, social, and all other aspects of life. But if those mistakes were capable of teaching me valuable lessons, I consider them a necessary blessing.

Don’t let the world tear down your credibility because of trivial mistakes, let the world become humbled by your ability to rise from the dirt covered ground and succeed where others have failed.

Part 1 of 3: Learning From The Wise

Wisdom Comes From Experience…
And The Ones Who Came Before Us…

One of the best parts about wisdom is that its not gained easily, and it often comes from experiencing mistakes. I find joy in the nature of wisdom because true, genuine, and immense wisdom is a honor/privilege and not a right. Not to mention, perhaps I’ll have a significant chance of developing a great deal of wisdom considering the amount of mistakes I’ve made over the years in my life. Even this particular introduction took me 6 tries until I felt I was typing what I was actually feeling… issues right?

Because wisdom is partially a gift that is gathered over time and through many mistakes, it only makes sense that the ones who precede us would have more wisdom than us (at least that would typically be true). With that in mind, there are several people that have invested in my life without the realization they’ve even done so, men that only spent a brief moment in time with me.

Before I go on, I want to suggest a piece of wisdom for each and every reader out there.
Cherish the moments you have with your loved ones… had I realized the amount of wisdom my Grandma had, I would have taken first semester of school off that year to spend with her. The time together is limited, and will certainly fade away if not held close to your heart.

Recently a family unexpectedly blessed me, I had the opportunity to meet one of their uncles and their grandpa. An experience that could have been taken for granted resulted in the highlight of my short-lived trip recently.

I was rather lost in the midst of constant conversation, uncertain of what the topic even was. I figured I’d skip out of the confusion and move to an entirely different scenario. It was much darker downstairs, certainly more comfortable than the humidity and sun upstairs. This man was content in his solitude, learning back in thought while alone in this dimly lit room. We sparked up conversation that had no relevance to out lives; topics that were scattered across the board. Agreements about the “deadbeats” in our country was briefly addressed while complaining about our political system. Joy was found in the challenges of life; the tasks so many people give up on and our mutual passion to solve these problems. He explained the concept so while, it’s like a puzzle that needs solving; pride is found in the solving of these “puzzles.” My favorite topic was simple; vintage cars. I didn’t have to explain why I love them or how they bring such joy to my life, he just knew. He explained… when you step into a car with such a long hood, turn on the lights, and cruise the streets… it’s not a chore or even driving, its something more and it brings such happiness.

The second man could make even the most depressed individual a joy to be around and truly thrilled to be living life. It didn’t matter the topic or the opinion, he showed genuine interest in each word that would exit your mouth. There wasn’t that absent minded feeling we often get from people, there was 100% concentration on the conversation at hand. We talked about school, our passion for the communication discipline, and the passion I had for developing a second book; a book on “a strangers wisdom.” Ideas were exchanged and insight was gained by the two of us. I left that house feeling truly lifted up, lifted onto the shoulders of giants. My attitude seemed to be sky high, it only improved upon my learning that he also appreciated the conversation and had high hopes for my future.

I know that some of the experiences and emotions I write about will only be partially understood, but I’m sure each of us have experienced the joy gained when someone “fills our cup.” The first man showed me how to have a passion for life even after experiencing most of what the world has to offer. There is a great deal of satisfaction to find in the little things, and life’s outcome is not determined by the world but by our own choices. The second man showed me how to invest in the people I interact with, even if only through simple communication. Because of our brief conversation I gained a greater understanding of how much we can learn from each and every interaction; which is ironically what my second book will be about.

These men didn’t know me, they may not even realize the positive influence they had on my life… but that doesn’t change the fact that they did.
Whether we’re with a close intimate friend, or a complete stranger from the streets… every interaction is a chance to bring happiness to another and positively influence their life.

A Night Of Musical Memory

An odd start to an important message

Sometimes I find myself confused with the way I go about things… uncertain why I must do things the way I do. Take for example the beginning of this post. I type several lines of thoughts, over and over again they were deleted and my screen bright with an empty white background once again. I couldn’t decide the music to play and the sound alone confused me. I closed my eyes, put on headphones to block out the silence that had become so loud, and began to write. Began to spill my thoughts onto this digital notepad. The annoying thing for you, the reader, is thinking that this is a post about my habits or disgust with my slow start to a simple post… but you’ll soon realize this is a post about the night I’ve recently experienced, the night of musical memory.

Few Knights remain in our world

Many years ago I had the privilege of babysitting for a dear friend of mine, Brian; though I would of referred to him as Mr. at the time. I had never baby sat for a single person before. You could try and say that I’d watched over my brother and sister in the past, but in reality it was more like a violent anarchy. Regardless, I watched over two young boys, one of which was named Brandon. It was the dream job, play video games and eat pizza. I’m not quite sure why more men haven’t realized the secret benefits of babysitting. Brandon was a young kid; we played Legos and pretended to live in the medieval times. I’d love to tell you I won the sword fight, but I wasn’t quite gifted in the art of swordsmanship.

Brandon and Andrew last year... One year later we had an encore.

This afternoon I understood the expression, “don’t blink.” It seemed like yesterday that a friend’s boy, wielding a painfully strong plastic sword, was chasing me. Today… well today he showed the world he was a young man of God and someone likely to make a mark in this world. Brandon and his father Brian sang in front of many family friends. He was once a young boy but today… knocks on the door of manhood. Brian has shown Brandon how to be a Knight in a world nearing the absence of chivalry. They have grown together, developed a passion together, and most of all a love for each other.

Four childhood friends, become four Godly influences in our world.

The families that gathered tonight haven’t known each other for many years, before some of the kids were even born. We grew with each other through childhood, the awkward teenage years, and now we begin to enter the world as adults. Andrew, Gracie, Maddie, and Curtis have known each other longer than they could likely remember. I’m sure their parents have those embarrassing pictures we each try to pretend don’t exist. They’ve gone through life learning their strengths and passions, they’ve learned how to excel in the gifts God has given each of them. Each of these remarkable people took a God given gift of childhood friendship, and turned it into a life long experience.

Only yesterday were these four dear friends absent of my social life. I’ll admit it. I was older and more “mature,” why would I of been spending my time with the younger crowd. I talked with the other family friends, more towards my age. These people have grown to be remarkable friends, and will become true men and women of our Savior. They each have an understanding of their God given gifts, and intend to impact the world using those skills.

Blink if you must… but life waits for no one.

If I were to post about the amazing people I’ve come to know and be greatly influenced by, I would be writing on an hourly basis… perhaps I’d need a thesaurus to avoid over using the words remarkable and blessing. The point isn’t how blessed I’ve been with the friends and family of my life, its how fast times change and how quickly we go from innocent children in a small world, to adults in a far from innocent and very large world.

Every time I look back on the memories I’ve been given, it seems so much has passed by already. Blinking is a necessity of life and obviously I cannot avoid doing what is humanly necessary; but I hope and pray for nights like these. I saw my family bound with the families around us. My “spiritual uncles invest such love in their kids, love that they’ve also invested into me. I saw friends who used to run around in diapers or drop my camera into a river; become some of my most valuable “possessions.” Perhaps you doubt me, but you heard it here first… these names will be known in the years to come.

Life is like the wind… we cannot see it or truly understand it… it’s swift, coming through one window only to leave through the next…. Cherish each gentle breeze that influences you and how you flow through life.

Graduation… who knew I’d make it…

Between you and I, and I guess the entire internet, I should probably be laying my head down and striving for even the slightest bit of rest before I graduate tomorrow afternoon.  It’s 4:25 at the time of my writing this post, and sleep seems like the most challenging concept to me.  I’ve dedicated the last 4 years of my life to this idea of a degree, in hopes that I’d become the successful person I’ve dreamed (and know) I’ll become.  But now that I’m reaching the end of this 4 year journey, I’m left with the fear of loosing what has passed.

Freshman Year

I transferred into Bethel second semester and hardly knew what I was getting into.  I wasn’t able to live in the dorm I wanted to, and I moved onto campus during a break in the school year; save to say I was one of 10 kids on campus.  I was unsure of myself and the “adventure” I had just begun.  Despite the fear, I was blessed to meet many amazing people; people that eventually changed my life.  Some of these people are now getting married, some of them I no longer see, and some… well some of them are still very dear friends of mine that I’d take a bullet for.

Sophomore year

I had the privilege of living with some remarkable guys sophomore year, one of the more memorable years of my life.  Countless cabin trips, exploring around Minneapolis, hot tub runs that resulted in near accidents on the way home; I don’t suggest falling asleep at the wheel….  Regardless the events or the challenges we encountered, my “brothers” and I were able to make the year a dream come true while teaming up with the girls next door.  Making sophomore year even more exciting, one of my best friends and the neighbor girl began dating…

Junior Year

The memories of college continue in the most abundant way, truly a blessing from my Lord and Savior.  Although, how my parents believed sending four college students to Florida was a good idea… I have yet to understand.  Despite their brief lapse in judgement, memories were made during that spring break escape.  I’d love to elaborate and share with you the riveting experiences that came from a week in sunny Florida, but what happens there… stays there.  I promise you this, we made memories and we wont ever forget them.  Oh, and if you know the owner of this boat… please don’t tell him we took a personal tour, thanks!

Senior year

I’m not sure how, but senior year finally arrived and I was still alive.  This year was filled with the adventure of a new “crew,” also known as the “crownies.”  I had the blessing of spending time with my closest “brothers”, while spending time with some of my favorite girls; including my sister!  The memories were crazy and unique, but always a blessing in my life.  Each of them continue to progress through the college experience, while I begin to leave and approach the next area of life.

There is no possible way to express the joy and fear I’m experiencing.  The only way to truly understand it is to go through graduation in your own life; which I’m sure many of you have been able to do.  I wish I could tell you about each memory I’ve grown to love since freshman year.  There is no room for the memories of cabin trips, battle lake, Branson Missouri, Marco Island, Milwaukee CSCA, Colorado NPDA, relationships began and relationships withered away… but every friendship remained strong, and not a single experience has grown to regret; every single one has grown into appreciation for the ones that surround me.

I love the experiences I’ve had over the years.  Despite my fear and anxiety of whats to come, the memories are in the past and I can no longer live in what has already occurred.  I look forward to my future and the bright opportunities the Lord has for me, the memories to come will only make life better; the memories to come will only make me love life more.

Contradictory Emotions

Perhaps I’m mistaken, but I have a feeling no one would call life simplistic… or a walk in the park. In fact, most of the time we hear about the challenges someone is currently facing versus the bliss and joy that is often experienced within life.

Think about it. When you ask someone “how it’s going,” they typically respond with one of two answers, good or bad. If they say bad, the flood gates will open and out pours an hour of pain and suffering that may not even be that intense. Though, we never seem to hear the good or the happiness… or at least not in the same extensive detail as the negative.

I’m just as guilty as the rest of the world. Today I went out with some friends and the night is finally ending with my eyes closed. Fingers making an oddly peaceful clicking noise against my worn out keys, and attempting to portray an idea or emotion to you, the reader. If you asked me what I thought of my day, the response would be simple. The first half was tiring but amazing, finally finishing off school and making great memories with friends. The second half was long and tiring, seeming to never end. But that’s a lie, the second half of the night was hard but it also had such immense positives. I was making memories with people I hold dear to my heart, one of my best friends became official with a remarkable girl, laughs were shared and smiles never seemed to fade away… despite the joy I experienced, it was the negatives that first came to mind,

We allow the small negatives of our world to rule over ourselves, they become the king; even if they deserve little or no recognition. No ones perfect, believe me I’ll be the first to jump on that grenade. But despite our imperfection and our constant failure, we can succeed in this one small category with such ease. Concentrate on the joy and happiness that our Lord provides on a daily basis, realizing how many blessings emerge within our life. Learn from the negatives, but never allow them to control you. Most of all, remember that within every negative, a positive is always capable of emerging, if you only you allow it too.

God In The Stars, As Numerous As The Sands…

Gazing deep into the darkness of the deep blue sky you give your wonders, dreams, hopes, and aspirations to the heavens. In return you receive a glimmer of light in your eye from the heavenly stars above.

The waters crushing voice, the sounds of swift winds, nature’s singing crickets, and the soothing sound of a midnight’s sky surround you. As you gaze into this dark blue canvas you begin to imagine God and the masterpiece he has created. Although you may be alone; you feel surrounded by knowledge, by God. Each star glistens in its own individual way, each wind makes you feel a special tingle, each wave sends us a new beginning, and each cricket brings an old memory. And when added together, you get God’s personal painting on our own worldly canvas.

Photo Credit: Colorado Captures

What is it about the country that makes you take time for yourself, time to realize the good and bad of our lives. You look up into this sea of sparking darkness,  as if the stars provide a sort of insight into yourself. It is said that God made the stars in the sky as numerous as the sands of the earth. I look to the sky and discover the thoughts of my life, thoughts that originally did not make sense to me. What is it about this light filled sky that brings us closer to ourselves and closer to the one we call our Father.

Now if you’re aiming for the astronomy view, you can say that these beautiful dots of light are simply burning gasses from another galaxy, another “sun” if you will. As I look into this heavenly sky there is only a few explanations that come to my mind; beauty, happiness, creation, and most of all God. God created our earth with a little piece of him in everything around us; the waters of our lakes, trees of our forests, and the list continues. I believe God is seen in our midnight sky more than anything else our earth has yet to have shown us. It’s because I see God in our midnight heavens that I believe they are there for an additional reason besides astronomy. This reason being as simple as communion with God, togetherness with our world’s personal creator.

Prayer, the act or practice of making spoken or unspoken communication with God. Communion, a feeling of emotional or spiritual closeness, an association or relationship. God gave us prayer as a method of learning about Him, communicating with him, fellowshipping with him. Is it possible that God gave us the midnight heavens as another method of being alone with Him? A chance to look deep into ourselves while at the same time looking deep into our relationship with our Father.

There are a few key things I believe you should remember when talking about the night sky being a method of being alone with God. The sky does not possess special powers, just as trees don’t have Gods spiritual powers within them. God gave us this earth to use, we are supposed to be stewards here but while also remembering that these creations do not have souls and feelings. My argument is simple; the sky resembles one of our most beautiful sights as man, it’s one of the closest things we can match God with. Also, the darkness and solitude you receive while watching the sky provides a perfect chance to be alone with our God. The perfect chance to connect with Him on a very personal level.

God has given us above and beyond what we have deserved on this earth. If we took a moment to look at our lives, we’d be forced to realize that it’s completely true. Not only has God given us a lot, but also he has provided tremendous views on earth for us to admire. All of which should show how powerful He is, all of which we can use to have a great communion/prayer time with God.

 

 

God’s Hidden Blessing In An Obvious Curse…

The moon illuminates the dark Colorado roads, glistening off the magnificent mountains. The nature that engulfs this area is comparable only to the heavens we have yet to experience. The trip is slowing to a near end; this trip to the airport is filled with the unique and soothing sound of Mumford & Sons. Perhaps it’s the snow tipped mountains, maybe the solitude rendering my in a state of pure thought, or maybe God trying to teach me a lesson. Regardless the reason, I am brought through time to a memory… a three-day memory.

A seemingly average December day always has the potential to turn into a blindingly white blizzard, a blessing or curse of the Minnesota world. What could be defined as a three-day “curse,” allowed seven friends to become a “snowed in family.” This is the memory that is set on repeat in my mind; the blessings that came out of what should have been a negative.

I could tell you about Jordan dressing up in fluorescent blue pants and wearing dads old purple hat. Maybe you’d enjoy hearing about Ryan and I’s video documented trip through the blizzard, which may have ended with two grown men liking the ice and running away screaming for an undisclosed reason. There’s always the inside jokes behind endless photo booth pictures. Perhaps you’d prefer the foolish stories of the men wrestling in the snow, or sledding behind the Pathfinder. Personally, watching Ryan slide around behind the car and ending up face first in a snow bank was a highlight… perhaps this is due to my being the driver. But now that I’ve sufficiently wasted your time with the images flowing through my mind, I should probably tell you the real purpose for this post.
The blessings that we experience in our life could easily be interpreted in a negative fashion, just as the negatives also have blessings lurking in the midst.

So many times in my life have I made a fool of myself, shown others how easy it can be to act negatively. Isn’t it within my Christian job description to be a shining light for our Lord and Savior…. Then why act negative when I have a contrary emotion available to exhibit. We aren’t perfect, I could bring shock to your world about the wrong I’ve done (and I bet your could do the same to my world). But despite our sinful nature and desire to find the wrong in every circumstance… we have the privilege of free choice, the opportunity to discover the blessings Christ has laid out for us.

Imagine the last time you were grounded by your parents, for many of my readers that may be a challenge, do your best 😉 . Let me guess, you were sent to your room or grounded from the cell phone; furthermore you probably believed you were unjustly punished. Anger began to well up within yourself and you made certain to show your parents the anger that boiled over. Ever take yourself out of the equation and strived to look at the act of your grounding objectively? You may realize that your parents actions led to you being a better man, someone who perhaps was more trustworthy or gentlemanly. You could go so far to say that your parents decision to ground you, resulted in you being “good” enough to marry your husband/wife.
There are blessings around each corner, even when the tears slide down your face there is something that shows the blessings of Christ within our world.

Whether your stuck in your house for three days due to a blizzard, struggling from an emotional circumstance in life, or late because of a flat tire…
God has a blessing waiting to be found, a blessing waiting to emerge in your world.