"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -Marianne Williamson
"This is the only time in history when I get to fight for God. This is the only part of my eternal story when I am actually in the battle. Once I die, I'll be in celebration mode in a glorified body in a whole different set of circumstances. But this is my limited window of opportunity, and I'm going to fight the good fight for all I'm worth." -Joni Eareckson Tada
"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger than him attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoils." Luke 11: 21-22
House - People
Strong Man - Satan
Stronger Man - Jesus
Spoils - Weapons
When Jesus died he went down to hell and tore it up. He crushed Satan's head under his heel. It says he took his armor and divided his spoils. That means that Jesus took all the weapons from Satan and his army, they don't have weapons anymore! He looked at Fear and at Rejection and said "COME HERE!" and they each came and bowed down before Jesus and handed over their weapons. The only thing they have to fight you with is words!
"ALL authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Mt28:18 The truth is that the only authority that demons have in your life is the authority that you give them. In Jesus you have all authority.
God took Ezekiel to a valley filled with dry bones, He had Ezekiel walk around and take a look at them and He said to Ezekiel "Can these bones live?" So many things in the bible have symbolic meanings, what do the dry bones mean? Follow me for a second...
Proverbs
13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick...
15:13 ...A sick heart crushes the spirit
17:22 ...A crushed spirit dries up the bones
Hopelessness makes the heart sick which crushes the spirit which dries up the bones.
So the bones in the story represent lost hope, and God asks Ezekiel "Can these bones live?" ('Can this hope live?') Ezekiel basically says "I don't know" then God says to him "Speak into these bones and say 'Hear the word of the Lord, God says to you He will cause breath to enter you and you shall live!'" So Ezekiel spoke to the bones and said what God had told him to and guess what happened! Tendons and muscle and skin grew on the bones and they came alive! Standing before Ezekiel was a living army.
Prophesy to the places in your life where you've lost hope and watch them come alive.
Here at G42 we had to write our story in a 'creative' way this week, here's what I came up with...
"He was born on a cold winter day in central Minnesota, blue eyes, blond hair and a pink bow on his head. His parents were missionaries, his grandparents were missionaries in fact his whole extended family were missionaries. Needless to say adventure and the nations ran through his blood.
He grew up with little money and wasn't able to travel much only leaving the country for two weeks in his 21 years of life. But that was all about to change, something radical was about to happen is his life. You see he always wanted to see the world but he was told that he would end up just like his parents, no money, bad jobs, stuck in the suburbs forever miserable. He lost hope, and the pain of that hopelessness was too much for him to bear alone, so he turned to drugs and he turned to alcohol. To ease the pain and to escape from the reality of the life that he was stuck in, the life that he couldn't escape.
He would hit rock bottom and cry out to God "please save me, I'll do anything!" and God would lift him back up, but as soon as he was on his feet again he would start to run back to the same things that eased his pain before. Repeatedly he would hit bottom again and cry out again and God would lift him back up again and again and again. But that was about to change, something radical was about to happen in his life.
The hopelessness kept building and the darkness got darker he felt time was running out that he was wasting his life away but the more he tried to fix it the more he tried to escape this life the more he realized that he couldn't do it on his own and the more hopeless he became. But that was about to change, something radical was about to happen in his life.
He started to explore this God that he had always cried out to and he found out something that he never knew before. He found out that you can have a relationship with this God and if you could have a relationship with this God that meant that this God was real and if this God was real that meant that there was hope. And this radical fact changed everything. His hope was restored.
He lifted his hands and said once again "God I will do anything, please save me!" But this time he meant it, he knew that it was real. And God began to take him on a journey. A journey that took him around the world, a journey that broke everything in him, a journey that cleansed him, that gave him passion and worth. A journey that gave him confidence and hope. God gave him the life that he always dreamed of but never could've had on his own.
It hasn't been an easy journey, but I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything. I don't know where I'll be going next but I do know one thing, I'll be going there with hope. "
This last month I had the opportunity to help release 180 young adults into their destiny. A destiny that they might not have expected, one that they would not have gotten if they didn't respond to God's call on their life. During this time you are taken on a journey of healing, finding your identity and empowerment. It's not a long process and it's just the beginning but that little bit changes your life. That little bit of REAL TRUTH sets you free, and you are never the same again. I was never the same again. Having the chance to be on the other side of that experience made me feel more alive than ever! I loved it! It brought me so much life! Isn't that what it's all about? Living for things that bring you life?
This January I'll be starting a 6 month program at the G42 Leadership Academy. There, I will be living with about 20 other interns all getting equipped to to follow their own call in life. We will be making a plan and then, upon graduation, executing that plan. Whether it be a business, a church plant, a non-profit, more school or whatever! Here I will be getting equipped to step out and DO, to step out and make a difference!
My Vision
Passion # 1 - I would love to be in a place where I can use the tools and experiences God has given me to activate and set free young adults like myself! I would love to mentor and give away what I've been given. Maybe I will start some kind of camp or small resort center where they can come to learn and explore more. Focusing on the process of healing, identity, empowerment and exploration. Finding out who God really is and who they really are. When you discover those things I believe you can do anything.
Passion # 2 - I would love to design and open 24/7 prayer and worship houses. God has put a fire in my heart for worship that I want to share.
Here's how you can help!
I need supporters who believe in me and believe in what I am doing. This is the for the crucial training to launch me into this ministry. I need to raise $6000 for this next step. Please consider partnering with me and with the dream to raise up a generation that will change the world. You can send money to me or donate directly on the school's website ( info below (tax deductible) ).
I've just finished my time on The World Race! Conclusion?
I have been completely transformed...
It all started at training camp HELLO GOD!
Finally I found something real.
First stop Central America! Welcome to living in community! Life changing lessons on grace, patience, selflessness...learning how to serve and love.
On to Asia! In Thailand I had one of the greatest revelations of the trip. It's ok to be me! Your uniquely who God made you, so stop trying to be something your not!
This was quickly followed by anepic identity crisis hahaha...
Who am I?
T.I.A. (This is Africa)
I went through the fire. I found out what I was made of.
Eastern Europe. A mix of brokenness, maturity and responsibility. Growing UP.
Ireland!
The Adoption. Finding out what it means to be A Son of God
and having HIM as MY FATHER.
Overall an amazing year. My life was changed, I was changed, and most importantly everywhere we went other peoples lives were changed!
Thank you to all who supported me this last year!!
*** I invite you to the next step of my journey!
I still need your help!
Find out about Georgia,Spain and what's next here on my new blog page! ***
It's been about a month since I last said anything on here, I apologize. It's time for a little update!
The last time we talked I was in Moldova, the poorest
country in Europe. It was beautiful, we stayed in a
little cottage in a remote village out in the country for about a week. We rested and helped fix a bridge thatwas destroyed during a flood. It was so refreshing being there, we ate fresh veggies from the garden, fresh eggs, (if the rooster kept crowing at 5am we would have had fresh chicken!) we bathed in the river, had camp fires and explored the huge hills around us. The second part of the month we moved into our contacts house and helped put on another children's camp. They would come to the church from about 9am-1 and then 4-7. We would play volleyball, soccer, frisbee, jump on the trampoline, sing songs, make puzzles, run around, play music, teach about the bible, arts and crafts, all that fun fun fun fun fun.
Next we met up as a squad for a couple days in the capital of Moldova (don't remember the name) it's always awesome to see everyone again.
Then we started off on our 36+ hour journey to our Ukrainian Ministry, a big blur of busses, various levels of uncomfortability and pain, and a lot of waiting later we were finally there! We were living with a pastor and his family at their house/church. We hit the streets at night trying to talk to people about his church and whats been going on in their lives and how we can help. We had devotions in the morning and prayer in the evenings, taught english during the day and spent a lot of time thinking about home and whats next. We helped the farmers pick their fruits and veggies, we visited an orphanage a few times to bring some love to the kids, went to the hospital a few times to pray with the sick and dying (which was amazing, a reminder about why I'm out here and what this is all really about) Then of course we went to the beach on our days off! The Black Sea was amazing, I always love going to the beach.
And now after a 16 hour bus ride sitting on the floor in the back of a van, I am in Kiev, about to head to Ireland for our final debrief and The Awakening! A scary and exciting time, the trip, the season, the year is ending. It's time to go back home and start the next adventure. For me that will hopefully look like G42 in January (leadership academy) and hopefully helping out with the World Race Training Camp in October, but I will explain more about my future... in the future. SO! That's a quick over view of the last month or so, I will be home on the 3rd of September, hopefully I will see yall soon!!
I have traveled the world for almost 10 months now, I have seen and experienced many things. Sometimes it seems that my environment changes every day. While it's hard to keep track of all the things
that are different, it's the things that are the same that stand out the most. One of these is that people all
over the world are starving. Some for literal food, all for spiritual food. Food that can only come from one
place, from one source, from God.
It's like a Koala in the middle of the Amazon, he has a million different kind of trees to eat from but
none of them give him the nutrition he needs to survive. So he dies surrounded by more food than he could eat in 100 lifetimes. All he needed was one Eucalyptus. We try to make up for our lack of food with religions, denominations, traditions, sermons, books, theologies, activities, charity, teachings, small groups, but is it working or making it worse when all we need is His words. It seems like all we are doing is creating new different trees that won't feed anyone.
The world is so loud with all these things that no one can hear the voice of God anymore or they are so busy and distracted they don't stop to. We have been lulled to sleep by all the pointless noise, we have stopped eating and now forgotten where to find food. We need to wake up. We need silence from the noise. Nothing is a louder wake up call than silence. Like when you're in a restaurant and all of a
suddeneveryone stops talking, the silence is so loud that it makes everyone in the whole room suddenly
aware of everything around them. We all need to stop talking and start listening. Stop preaching and let
God speak.
Can you imagine how powerful it would be if a church took a month and every Sunday they had
maybe a half hour of worship and then they were just silent before the Lord. They just let Him speak to them. I might be crazy but it gives me goose bumps to think
about. That congregation would be drastically
changed, inspired, refreshed. Things would start
happening in that church, in that town, in that country. Things would start happening inyour lifeif you stopped and listened to what God is saying to you.
"(1) Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!
Come , buy wine and milk without money and without price.
(2) Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in rich food.
(3) Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David."
This January I'll be starting a 6 month program at the G42 Leadership Academy. There, I will be living with about 20 other interns all getting equipped to to follow their own call in life. We will be making a plan and then, upon graduation, executing that plan. Whether it be a business, a church plant, a non-profit, more school or whatever! Here I will be getting equipped to step out and DO, to step out and make a difference!
the church from about 9am-1 and then 4-7. We would play volleyball, soccer, frisbee, jump on the trampoline, sing songs, make puzzles, run around, play music, teach about the bible, arts and crafts, all that fun fun fun fun fun. 
uncomfortability and pain, and a lot of waiting later we were finally there! We were living with a pastor and his family at their house/church. We hit the streets at night trying to talk to people about his church and whats been going on in their lives and how we can help. We had devotions in the morning and prayer in the evenings, taught english during the day and spent a lot of time thinking about home and whats next. We helped the farmers pick their fruits and veggies, we visited an orphanage a few times to bring some love to the kids, went to the hospital a few times to pray with the sick and dying 
(which was amazing, a reminder about why I'm out here and what this is all really about) Then of course we went to the beach on our days off! The Black Sea was amazing, I always love going to the beach. 
