One Look

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" Matthew 6:22-23

Our eyes can get us into a lot of trouble sometimes. If we fail to see a stop sign we might crash. If we look too much at a computer screen we get headaches. If we look at someone to hard or too long or not in a way they understand they might thing we're creepers. The list can go on forever. Yet even though subconsciously we all know this, I can't say for myself that I've ever actually sat down and though of how profound this truth is. 

Speaking literally, our eyes (apart from our heart and desires) are one of the first things to cause us to stumble or fall morally. There are countless examples of affairs that have started all because of one glace, one look, that leads to ungodly thoughts and then into actions. There are millions all over the world right now who are addicted to things such as pornography or explicit literature, all because of what seemed to be one harmless look that triggered something far greater inside the human brain than they ever thought possible. It only takes one look to end a friendship or a marriage; one look to start a lifelong addiction. A failure to look at the warning signs of a struggling friend that ends up in suicide; a failure to look at the people you surround yourself with that continue to drag you down deeper. 

One look or a failure to look holds extreme power to dictate the trajectory of our lives.

Even figuratively, the lenses in which we see our world projects the direction of our lives. If I choose to look at things that happen in my daily life as interruptions, frustrations, and obligations then its pretty likely I will live a miserable, defeated life. But if I instead choose to see through new eyes the whole atmosphere of my life changes. I start to see that the things set before me are actually invitations into a greater life, opportunities to work out the areas that I struggle with (patience! can I get a witness!?), and commitments are callings that I get to do instead of things I have to do. 

And now I see why Paul so stressed for us to "...fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:12) Because it is only when we consistently keep our eyes on Jesus, that they tend not to wander on to other things that seek to destroy us. It is only when our eyes are focused on him that we can see our world through his eyes, and it is only when we see through his eyes that we can reach out to the hurting and helpless around us. 

So let us fix our eyes on Jesus and never look back. 

Harassed and Helpless

"When Jesus saw the crowds he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Matt 9:36

I read this and think of how different a picture we have of this today. Judgmental and hateful people pointing their fingers at a lost, broken, and hurting world all while claiming the name of Christ. People who profess Jesus with their mouths but not by sharing his compassion. Churches that shout hate against culture and celebrities because of their values and morals, when we cannot expect unbelievers to live under standards to which they do not believe or yet even understand.

I think Jesus looks at the crowds today in the same eyes as he did in the gospel of Matthew, with compassion, knowing that they were harassed and helpless. Yet it breaks my heart to know that generally speaking it is the Church today that has done much of that harassing.

Should we not have a heart of compassion as our Savior did? Should we not strive to share and show this compassion to people who WE don't understand (Jesus understands them), people who are different than us, who hold different opinions and values, who live a lifestyle that we know little about.

Live a life of love. And remember that you were once one of those harassed and helpless. If not by the grace of God.

Qualified by The Blood

I've realized now more than ever before that I'm not at all qualified for the roles that I play in life. I'm not qualified to lead a high school small group. I didn't even know Jesus when I was in high school, so how on earth can I tell these girls to rise above the peer pressure when I did nothing but fall prey to it? I'm not qualified to be a nanny. I have the least patience out of anyone on this entire planet (my friends are laughing right now because they can testify). How can I show the love of Christ when I can't even be patient enough to be okay with the fact that it takes a four year old 20 minutes to brush his teeth? I'm not qualified to be an outreach liaison. I'm just a fresh off the press adult. With 21 years under my belt, how could I possibly have the knowledge and wisdom to lead those far older than me? And by far I'm not qualified to call myself a "Christian"! By gosh, with all that I've done, with all that I still struggle with. Surely, God some how pulled the wrong name out of the hat. 

But what if. What if its not my qualifications that actually count for anything? When God called Jeremiah He declared "Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5) If God appointed Jeremiah as a prophet before he was ever even born, then God must have pulled his qualifications from somewhere else. Being that God and He alone was there before the world was made, then it must mean that it's not what I've done or accomplished (or my lack of) that qualifies me, but it is what God has done and accomplished that qualifies me for the work I'm doing. 

Jeremiah thought the same way I do. (We'll probably be friends in Heaven) He replies to God's decree saying, "But Lord God, I don't know how to speak. I am only a boy." I sound like this a lot to God. "But Godddddd....! Really, Jesus! You must have meant to chose that other guy for the job. I'm only this kid with more failures to my name than qualifications." And while I'm saying all of my But Godddd..'s, God Himself, in His grace and mercy, is saying, But GOD in reply. "But GOD shows His great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:8) "But GOD chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and He chose the weak things of this world to shame the strong." (1 Corinthians 1:27) And I realize that I am one of those foolish and weak things He chose to do His will here on earth. I realize that its not my qualifications that matter at all, but that the very blood of Jesus has qualified me to do all things that God calls me to do. 

So by the world's standards you could say that I should probably be fired from all these roles I fill. I'm not smart enough, old enough, talented enough, or patient enough for any of them. But GOD Himself has qualified me to do all of these things and more. And His qualifications far exceed mine. Thank God that we are called before He even made us, before the world itself even existed. Thank God that He chose us and qualified us before we ever stepped foot on this earth to do anything right or wrong. Abide in His qualifications; in the reality that as followers of Jesus His blood not only wipes our sins away, but that His blood also qualifies us to do the things we could never do apart from Him. 

Lovers of Your Presence

"We are lovers of Your presence. And that's all we want to be."

Oh bless, this "Here on Earth" album by Bryan and Katie Torwalt has been preaching to me so much. Seriously, stop what your doing right now and go buy it, then continue reading. I feel like these past two weeks God has been consistently emphasizing to me His presence, the Spirit's presence and power within us and what that could bring if we were simply obedient. 

Man, could you imagine what our days would look like if we truly welcomed and walked in and by the Spirit's presence? I believe we'd see a totally different outplaying of our daily lives. Days where REVIVAL would be birthed in the hearts of believers and LIFE would be birthed within the hearts of the lost. Could you imagine what our days would look like if we truly walked by the Spirit's leading? I know we'd be in drastically different places than we choose to put ourselves in each day. I think I'd be on the streets more, in the slums, in community, and be more intentional with each place I went throughout the day. Could you imagine what our days would look like if we let the Spirit direct our words? We would be encouragers, grace bearers, people who build up and never tear down, people who put others before ourselves. Could you imagine what our days would look like if we embraced and lived in the power the Spirit gives us? Lives would be set free, sin would be conquered, victory would be the norm. We could bring hope and healing to the thousands. 

Could you imagine the outflow of Christ to others if we simply were more AWARE of the Spirit's presence, prompting, and power? God make us lovers of Your presence who are hungry for Your presence. Let us burn with a desire to see Your presence not only invade our lives, but the lives of this world. Let's not just imagine, let's see His presence flood this earth. 

The Shakedown before Revival

I feel like it’s a constant theme within Scripture of God always allowing faith rattling things to happen before He shows up in even bigger ways. Before Paul was set ablaze for Christ and took the gospel to more places than anyone in the world and wrote more than half of the New Testament he had to encounter Christ a shakedown kind of way. He was struck of his horse on the road to Damascus and Scripture says that he encountered the risen Christ. I don’t know about you, but I could only imagine how much this shook Paul to his core being a persecutor of the very Christ he was seeing. In the Old Testament we see how Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, suffered as a prisoner and servant before God brought him into the place of a pharaoh’s assistant. Joseph, who had previously seen dreams of his brothers bowing down to him, these very brothers that sold him into slavery, was most likely having his faith shaken as he sat in that prison cell. Yet in all these cases throughout Scripture we see that these “shakedowns” always brought about a greater good, a greater revival of the purpose and mission of God.

Currently, at Canaan, I feel like we are in this shakedown phase. With a change in some of the missionary staffing, we as a team and Canaan as a whole has had to readjust in many ways.  The kids have had to get use to a change in the teaching staff and adjusting to a few new faces. There are days when these changes seem impossible for them, but as we progress we are seeing the kids actually renewed and encouraged to strive on in even greater ways.

Also at Canaan right now we are having our land surveyed and the removal of squatters that are currently on our land. This is bringing quite the shakedown of our community as we are all on high alert because of the squatters potential outrage of being forced to move.  We have a whole new set of rules for where we can be and cannot be at certain times and as with any change it brings frustration. But after meeting with Pastor Henri last night the team now sees the greater good that will come from this happening. As these squatters are removed, Canaan will have more opportunity to grow and expand on the land that God has given them. With these projected long term expansions Canaan will be enabled to reach thousands and thousands more for Christ.

Personally, I’m being shaken to the core right now as well. A few days ago I got the news that my uncle who has been fighting stage 4 lymphoma for over a year was emergency admitted into the hospital. They have started him on heavy radiation and with a tumor close by one of his kidneys they are expecting this to have damaging effects on that kidney. Too often we think that if we are serving God that guarantees everything in our lives flow good and dandy. But that is nothing but a lie. I knew that as God led me to make the decision to return to Haiti for four months that my uncle was still sick. And yet God told me to trust him. So I stand here, an ocean away, with the reality that my uncle might not make it. But I also stand in the reality that I have a Savior who took cancer on the cross. I have a God that is a healer, who is The Great Physician.  I stand in the reality of a God who says that “faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains.” So while my faith is being shaken to the core right now, I praise God that I even have the gift of faith. I praise God knowing that in the moment I am being shaken, but it is only a preparation of a coming revival, a coming move of God.

The fact is that we don’t always understand why God does things the way He does them. But I am learning that I am so glad that He does do them His way. While the shakedowns aren’t that fun, I know that I stand in a faith that is ultimately unshakeable, and that God will bring me through, and us through anything that comes our way. I know that God uses these times to shape and mold, to build up, and push us on to greater things. So I praise God for these shakedowns, because it is only the flood gate being opened of the coming revival that is to hit this land called Canaan, to hit this country called Haiti that will ultimately flood into the ends of the earth. 

The Light in the Darkness

We got back into Haiti pretty late Sunday night. With it getting dark around 5ish here now, the ride back to Canaan was mostly in the dark of night. With the two hour drive, the dark of night, and it being a Sunday we passed by quite a few brightly lit churches meeting for worship. What a picture of the role of the church I saw that night. A light shining brightly in the darkness. With the lack of electricity in the majority of places in Haiti, you could only imagine how incredibly dark it gets here at night. I'm talking about darkness so dark you can't even see the hand in front of your face. What a picture of the lost in the world. People wandering around in the darkness of evil, deception, and sin. A world lacking of any Light to guide them. A world lacking of Christ. But on the other end what a beautiful picture these Haitian churches showed me that night. Many of these churches were the only sources of light. They were the only places with electricity or brightly burning fires. But the most striking thing about these churches was not the fact that they had a source of light. It wasn't even the fact that they had probably been worshiping for hours on end, or that the people worshiping had walked hours to be able to gather with a Christian community. The most striking thing was to see just how profoundly these illuminated churches penetrated the darkness. Wow. What a picture for us, the global Church. That in a world of such profound darkness, such profound lostness, the Church should be the brightly shining source of light that floods in. Let us as the Church strive to be this example to the world. Let us permeate and penetrate this vastly dark world. 

Back in Action!

Well, I think I've took a long enough break from the blog world! I am still amazed at how fast things when you follow Jesus. So for my first blog back I'm just going to update all of those who might not keep up with me. :)

This past November I was give the opportunity to head back to Haiti shortly after our one week team returned in October. One of the missionaries down there had to come back to the states and they needed a teacher to fill in for her while she was gone. As most of you know, I gladly and enthusiastically volunteered myself. Little did I know that the month I would be filling would be the time God would stretch me the most I've ever been stretched in my walk with Christ. To keep things short, let’s just say I saw God move in me and through me in ways like never before, and as a result I have come to know God more fully and His over exceeding capability to fulfill an Ephesians 3:20 promise!

I will probably post some excerpts from my writings that month soon to come, so keep your eyes open! 

During the time I was filling in I was actually invited to come back this next semester and take over the preschool program. After much prayer and a lot of back and forth time with Jesus, I have committed to return to Canaan and teach from January to May. The thought of being in Haiti for four months straight both excites me and scares me to death. I know that it will be a time of continued stretching, but also a time of seeing God move greatly. And there is nothing more I want in life than to witness and participate in a move of God. I know that God has great things in store for Canaan, and I want nothing more than to be an initiator of change to push Canaan to being a place where Jesus is overflowing from. From not only being a loving oasis for children, but being a sending place of world changers for the glory of God. 

The best is yet to come! 

Call to Sponsorship

As many of you know in 2010 I had the privilege of being a part of a team of 40 that packed our bags (and 50+ other bags of supplies) and left for Haiti. We were welcomed by many small smiling faces at Canaan Orphanage in Montorious, Haiti located about two hours out of Port-au-Prince. I knew that God was going to teach me a lot, but never did I imagine that in just a week the direction of my life could take such a drastic turn.

Haiti is continuously on my heart and on my mind and since stepping foot off Haitian soil a part of me has been missing. God has opened many doors through my time in Haiti. I now represent Canaan throughout my school and the city of Raleigh. I am privileged to run a pen pal program that connects people here to the kids at Canaan in order to build Christ-centered relationships and to surround these kids in prayer. I have the honor to speak about Canaan at special events and fundraisers and help in numerous needs to spread awareness and gain support of the efforts of funding the orphanage and outreach programs. The only thing I love more than sharing about what God is doing through Canaan and in Haiti, is being at Canaan and serving.

Shortly after returning and after many days in prayer I felt that God was leading me to return long term to teach at Canaan. About two weeks after I was pretty positive this is the direction God was leading me, my team leader, Seth, and Canaan’s U.S. connection, Chris, invited me out to lunch. Once again another door was being opened as they presented me with the invitation (and urge) to teach at Canaan after I graduate.

So now I am on the road of preparation to spend an initial one to two years teaching at Canaan after graduating from The College at Southeastern Seminary. In these 2 and half more years I have the task of preparing to live in Haiti verses visiting Haiti. This will include numerous trips, each getting longer in duration each time. And as you know trips cost money and need prayer.

I invite you first and foremost to join with me in prayer during this process of preparation. I know God has many more things to teach me in these 2 and half years and I will need all the prayer coverage I can get. Also, as many have seen on the news, Haiti is in desperate need of prayer as the country is still struggling from the 2009 earthquake and is also in a time of political struggle with the recent elections.

 I secondly invite you to sincerely and prayerfully consider sponsoring me finically in this process. My next projected trip is just around the corner, October 4-9. I will need to raise $1200 in order to cover my airfare and food costs. I know that these needs can only be met by a mighty move of God and the generous support of people like you. I thank you in advance for your prayers, support, and anything else the Lord might lead you to.

God is moving in a mighty way already. Children abandoned by parents or orphaned by the earthquake are not only finding physical refuge at Canaan, but are finding life abundantly in Christ. They are receiving an education from pre-school age through the completion of high school, enabling them to have the foundation to be world changers in their generation. Through Canaan’s Malnutrition Program children who once had no hope of living are being treated back to full health. Through their Medical Clinic the community and surrounding areas are provided with much needed medical assistance and education. Pastors from all over Haiti are being brought to Canaan to attend theological training and ministry equipping seminars, enabling them to reach their communities even more with the Gospel. Above all needs are being met and people are meeting Jesus, but this will only continue as God provides the laborers and missionaries. This is my call. A call that propels me forward, a call that moves me to action. I will not settle for watching from afar, but will pour out my life for the sake of the Gospel and for the nations.

I thank you for already being such a big part of this by being in my life in such a special way. Together, the nations will return to Him. Together, we will change the world.

Le’union fait la force.

(“Strength in unity” in Haitian Creole)

With much love,

 Kimberly Wheeler

If you are interested in finically or prayerfully sponsoring me please email me at: wheelerkd.sebts@gmail.com 

The Faithfulness of One

I recently read through the book of Acts. I love seeing how the early church was so bold and on fire. They went out to all lands and preached the Good News. Paul, especially, gets me pumped up. He man was radically transformed and set ablaze for the Kingdom of God. This passage about Paul in Acts really jumped out to me:

"Paul went into the synagogue and spoke out boldly for three months. He talked with the people and persuaded them to accept the things he said about the Kingdom of God. But some of them because stubborn. They refused to believe and said evil things about the way of Jesus before all the people. So Paul left then, and taking the followers with him, he went to the school of a man named Tyrannus. There Paul talked with people everyday for two years. Because of his work, every Jew and Greek in Asia heard the Word of the Lord." Acts 19:8-10

The first thing that really stuck out to me were the time periods. I like to rush things. I like to see things happen fast, but I'm learning more and more that that's not very realistic. Paul stayed in the first place for three months, and even then most people turned away from the Good News. Also, notice how Paul left once they became hardened. He didn't waste time with those who heard but turned away. He moved on to those who hadn't yet heard. Now don't get me wrong I don't believe anyone is past redemption, but I do think there is a certain point you can get to with someone where you've done all you can do, the rest is up to the Holy Spirit. So Paul went on and in this new place he stayed for two years. Not only did he stay for a long period of time but notice that everyday he talked with the people about the gospel. The last part of this blows my mind as it says that because of this daily faithfulness to the task every single Jew and Greek heard the gospel!! Every single one! This should be a wake up call to all of us. It only takes the daily faithfulness of one person for God to use them to change an entire continent! 


Let's get busy. You aren't responsible for the results, but you are responsible to your faithfulness of sharing the gospel day end and day out. If we've truly met Jesus, how can we not speak of all He's done!

Top 7 Things God Taught Me This Year

Wow, this year seemed so long, yet so short all at the same time. It was definitely a year of growth, along with those nasty growing pains of course! But all of it was well worth it. We aren't promised a happy and easy life as a follower of Christ and I thank God for the trials and suffering He has allowed me to go through because they have shaped who I am today. So as the summer roles in (!!!) here are the top 7 biggest things God taught me this year. 


1) This journey with Christ is a lifelong pursuit and I am just as in need of God's grace at every moment as the lost people around me. I am not beyond the gospel. His grace has saved me, is saving me, and will save me. 


2) While I have a responsibility for the people God places in my life, I cannot claim them as mine. They are His children, not mine. The most freeing thing this year for me has been the realization that the results are not my responsibility, but the faithfulness to the task is. 


3) Our God created things to multiply. Followers, disciples, churches, etc. God is a God of growth. We must never grow stagnant. 


4) Discipleship is vital! We must commit our lives to being poured into and pouring into others. God didn't call me to seminary for myself, but for the advancement of His kingdom.  Go deep with the few, pour your life into them, and see them begin to do the same in others. 


5) I have to work each day to be intentional. I get distracted way too much! Following Christ takes EFFORT and INTENTIONALITY! Intentional about my time in the Word, intentional about my use of time, intentional about the people I surround myself with, intentional with building relationships. These things don't just happen out of nowhere. 


6)Worship is so much more than music. It's a lifestyle Christ has called all of us to. It's why we were created! It is the laying down of every part of our lives to see God's plan and purpose rise up in us. For His glory to be what we yearn for. To see awe struck worshippers in a relentless pursuit of the God who created us. 


7) God is soooo much bigger than I thought. What He has done, is doing, and is yet to do completely blows my mind. 

Haiti Update

I know that many of you are wondering about when I will be returning to Haiti. My goal was to go for a month or longer this summer, but after a lot of prayer and consideration I knew that it was more of a selfish timing on my part. Many of my orignal sponsors have been convicted to go on international mission trips themselves this summer. I knew that it was more important for me to help fund them so that they can have that experience and bring back urgency for the gospel to infect others with than for me to be selfish and push to go see my kids again.  With growing into the idea that I wouldn't be in Haiti this summer I knew that it would be a growing period for me. After much more prayer, I knew that God didn't intend for this to be an individual growing period, but growth within community. Through that God has really burdened my heat for the vitalness of discipleship and pouring into others. So to make a long story short, I will have the privledige to pour into two young women's lives for three months. It will be like Jesus 101 on steriods! I can't wait to see what God will do through us coming together and growing and through the growth of these two girls. So with that, I know that God has called me to Haiti, but it must be on His timing and not my own. My next projected trip will be in October. This continual process of my mission in Haiti will only be possible through the continual giving of generous people. Therefore, I've made it easy for anyone to give one time or many times through setting up a paypal account. Anytime you feel led to give to God's work through me in Haiti, click the button to the left! It's easy as one, two, three! I thank each and everyone of you for your support for what God is doing in my life, your prayers, and continued finiancal support.

Jacked Up

I've realized just how much of a blessing it is to have lost people in my life. It means opportunities to see God move, to make an impact. Looking back I'm starting to realize that God doesn't just place them in my life for their good and betterment, but more for mine. I thank God for these friendships even on the worst days because God has used them to teach me so many things. He's used them to show Himself to me in ways I never understood before, to show me just how much I am still in need of God's grace at every moment. God doesn't put these people in our lives so that we can feel important because He is using us. He puts them in our lives to break us, to humble us, to draw us closer to Him and through that shine His light to others. 


It's easy to stay in the Christian bubble and look at how well your doing. The fact is its easy to look to Christ in the good, in the comfortable, and predictable situations. It's another thing to step out with someone who's on a totally different page than you and is carrying a ton of baggage and deal with that in a way that glorifies Him. Loving lost people is messy and its never easy. It hurts. A lot. You see them do the same things that hurt themselves over and over again. You see them take two steps forward and ten steps back. You struggle with the question of how you are representing Christ to them in your words, actions, and even your thoughts. But you grow dependent on the Holy Spirit to give you the go or the hold up on touchy subjects. You take risking the entire relationship and all that you've put into it by having one bold conversation that God is telling you to have. A journey of reaching the lost is a journey of pure faith.


But here's the thing I'm learning more and more: The results, the life-change is not my responsibility. I can't heal people, I can't fix broken relationships, and I can't change hearts. All I can do is share with them who can and trust that God is going to continue to relentlessly pursue them. I'm learning that I'm just as jacked up as anyone else and I am just as much in need of God's grace as the lost people around me. It's not an easy task. God never called us to take the easy road out. He called us to die, everyday, to our desires, to our expectations, to our controlling attitudes. I'm realizing that reaching out to others is also about God reaching out to me. 

My Prayer for You Today

I don't know who specifically will read this today, but I do know that God is running after you like never before. I know that you are loved beyond belief even when it feels like the whole world is against you. I know that you are being called to a life of purpose, of so much more than you could ever imagine. And so today this is my prayer for you:

"I remember you in my prayers, asking the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you will know him better. I pray also that you will have greater understanding in your heart so you will know the hope to which 

He has called us and that you will know how rich and glorious are the blessings God has promised His holy people. And you will know that God's power is very great for us who believe. That power is the same as the great strength God used to raise Christ from the dead and put Him at his right side in the heavenly world." Ephesians 1:16-20

The Passover

Many people think that the Old Testament is irrelevant to us as Christians. They say "Well, that was the old covenant, we are under the new covenant." Or "Those are only stories of the old days. We need to focus on the stories of Christ." The more that I get into the Old Testament though the more I see just how important it is. You see, the entire Bible is God's story of redemption to humanity. The Gospel can be seen even in the Old Testament! Here is something that I discovered yesterday in Exodus 12 with the passage about the Passover. The passage tells of God helping the people of Israel escape Egyptian slavery. The passage reads:

3 "Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs."

God then tells the people the specific way to go about cooking and preparing the lambs. Then he goes on to say: 

12 "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt."

Now here are some key points to focus on: By having the blood of the lamb on their door frames the people were passed over so that their firstborn would not be slaughtered. This was the tenth plague that was sent to try to get Pharaoh to release the Israelites. 

Now think to what Christ did for us! God's judgement has passed over us because we are covered with the blood of the lamb, Jesus! How awesome is it that God was foreshadowing what was to come in the person of Jesus Christ. God's story of redemption runs throughout Scripture. He always intended to make a way to bring us back to Himself and what a testimony we have to His faithfulness in His Word!

The Gospel

Plain and simple, yet powerful enough to change your life:

When God created the world everything was in harmony with each other. He made human beings in His image and likeness and they had a perfect relationship with Him. (Gen. 1:27) Nothing else He created was given that kind of worth. But with the creation of Adam and Eve and through their one act of disobedience sin entered into all of humanity.(Gen 3) It is because of that one act of disobedience that every human being from that point on, even to this day, is separated from God. 


We are born sinners, it’s a part of our nature and because God is holy He demands the just punishment for sin. (Rom 3:10, 19) The only punishment for sin is death. In the Old Testament we see the establishment of the law and the sacrifice of animals by the people trying to make their way to a holy God. (Ex 19)Though blood was spilt, none of it could truly pay the price because the state of our being is sinful in itself. God saw that humanity could never pay their way and so in His love He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth. 


Now the fact that God would come to earth is humbling in itself. God didn’t have to send Christ, Jesus didn’t have to walk around in a human body dealing with jacked up people.  He could have left us on that continuous process of failing over and over again and paying for it in the end. But He didn’t. Christ came and fulfilled His calling by living a perfect and sinless life, fulfilling the law in full. Because of that He was the only one worthy enough to be our sacrifice. And so He was crucified and took our place on the cross, the place that was rightfully ours. (1Pet 3:18) 


Through that act He made a way for all of humanity to be brought back to God. He made a way for us to have a relationship with our Creator again as God always intended it to be. (Gal 1:4) And He defeated even death, as He rose three days later and now sits in heaven at the right hand (the place of honor) of God the Father.  It is only through repentance and faith in Christ that we can come to a holy God and be seen as perfect and forgiven. (Eph 2:8-9) 


But faith isn’t just saying you believe, going to church, and doing the “Christian” thing. (James 2:17) It’s a whole life surrender. (Mark 8:34-35) A surrender that doesn’t always make your life easier, one that will cause you to walk away from many people you call friends for a higher calling. A surrender that will call you to do things way out of your comfort zone and people’s understanding. But yet, a surrender that will leave you completely whole because you are doing what you were created to do. A surrender that restores you to your original purpose. A surrender that frees you from the grip of sin and gives you power over sin to rise above. 


Christ calls us to repent and believe. But repenting takes action and it takes you turning the other way and never looking back. (Rom 2:4)

It requires a decision, a surrender. The question is are you ready to let go?

A Look Back into my Growth Process

I was cleaning out my computer last week and I came across some funny stuff from the early months after giving my life to Christ. Among them I found this; an answer I gave a friend about the purpose of life. It amazes me that I wrote this at only 2 months, but what a God we serve! A God who truly can run after you, reach down, pick you up, and set you on a never ending race for His glory. So here you go, a look back into my growth process:

The Question:

What is the point of living through this life? Why do we have to suffer through all of this? What is the point?

My Answer:

The point of living life is ultimately to BRING GLORY TO GOD. Life isn’t about us, it’s about Him. God might not give you what you want or change what you’re going through, but He will give you the grace to endure. If we took out the crisis of our lives we would take out the fight, and without the fight there’s no victory, victory that would bring glory to Him. God has allowed hard things to happen in our lives so we can show the world how great our God is and that knowing Him brings peace and joy, even when life is hard. When we see troubles and problems coming our way we are quick to see the bad in the situation. Yes, every crisis in our lives brings danger; the danger of being judged, the danger of losing something we love, the danger of letting our emotions take over. But what we fail to recognize is that every crisis also brings opportunity; the opportunity to seek the glory of God through every setback in our lives. God’s not going to call off the fight, He’s not going to magically take away the problem, He’s going to step in the ring and start fighting for you. I think of it like this, there is two ways to deal with setbacks: 1. Crawl up in a corner and feel sorry for yourself and get nowhere or 2. Rely on God whole heartedly to fight for you and rejoice and give glory to Him when He comes through.

We also tend to forget God’s past faithfulness. We get too consumed about how this situation is going to affect my life, affect my dreams, affect my family. We tend to allow today’s challenges to over-ride the victories of our yesterdays. God will never take you through a situation that He hasn’t already planned your escape route to. You can get through any and every problem in your life with the power of Jesus Christ. That same power that got Jesus out of the tomb lives in you. Because when Christ rose from the dead, you did as well.

You can’t just go through life barely surviving the setbacks, you have to get up and fight! I always wondered, “Well uh how do I do that exactly??” God had given us all a great weapon, and that is His Word. Every time the devil opens his mouth, you open the Word of God and FIGHT BACK.  When the devil is all up in your face asking you why all of this is worth it, you open the Word of God to Jeremiah 29:11 and you tell the devil it’s worth it because God has a plan for my life, God has given me a purpose and I will do His will and bring glory to Him. You will find yourself in places throughout life wondering how you got there and why your there. You have been strategically placed at that specific location at that particular time for a reason. There is a situation that YOU are the solution to! We don’t know what situation that will be or when it will come, but if we seek God in every crisis we will be prepared to turn our tragedy into a gift, a solution to someone or something. We will be prepared to shine light on others, to bring glory to His name. Think about this: God turned what seemed to be the greatest tragedy ever, into the greatest gift of all time, that through the death of Jesus Christ we have been saved. He can do that with our tragedies as well.

The purpose of life isn’t of our own interest; it isn’t to be successful in the eyes of society. The purpose of life is exactly the same purpose of Jesus’ life; to teach the Word, help the poor, heal the sick, bless those who have done you wrong, but most of all to fulfill the purpose that God has called you to do. For Jesus that purpose was to save us from our sins, for me, “But you keep your head in all situations, endure hardships, do the work of an evangelist, and complete all the duties of a servant of God” (2 Tim 4:5). What is He calling you to do? Seeking the answer to this single questions will propel you forward and keep you hanging on when trials are raging.

Sometimes certain setbacks we are dealt in life seem like no good would come from them at all. I think I am a perfect example of that. I didn’t understand it, I couldn’t understand it, and sometimes I still don’t understand why all the crap in my life had to happen the way it did.  But God doesn’t ask “Do you understand?”, He asks “Do you believe?”. Most of the time when great things happen to people in the Bible, it’s not because they came to an understanding of how everything added up, it was because they believed. They believed that there is a greater purpose in life than themselves.

The best way I can sum it up is that the purpose of life is not just to get to heaven when you die, but to bring heaven to earth through your life while you’re here. 

Do fishers, fish?

Evangelism has always been a big thing for me since day one. God really has instilled a burning passion in me for reaching the lost, for literally seeing the world come to know Jesus. People ask me what my biggest prayer is or what I would love to see God do in my generation and its always been the same thing: my prayer is that each and every single person on this earth would come to know Jesus, not just know about Him, but know Him. And people take that well, "Oh, yeah, me too! That would be great!" And I kindly nod and in my head I think to myself, "Am I really alone on this one, God?". You see people can agree with that statement all they want, they can even really desire for it to come to come true, but there is drastic difference between wishful thinking and actually taking action. 


Sometimes I think I'm all alone on this walk with Christ. Sometimes (a lot of times), I think I've totally lost my mind. The reason being? Because when I tell someone I want the world to know Jesus, every single person I've come into contact with, people I've seen in cars, on the street, on the television, people I've walked by, given food, helped out, or totally ignored come streaming through my mind. Faces, families, lives. When I say the word "world", I don't mean a generic "everyone", I mean a personal each and every one. That lady that cut you off in traffic that might have just lost a loved one. The man that bags your groceries trying to make enough to feed his family. The teenager that egged your house, trying to find something to do because his parents have put work before raising their kid. The child that looks alright from the outside, but is already coming to a conclusion that life is not worth living. 


I don't think I could even count how many people I come into contact with each day, but I know that each and everyone holds the potential for God to move. For God to redeem. But there is only one way that this will ever be able to happen and thats by being who God has called us all to be. In Mark 1:16-20 we see Jesus pick his first followers. We see how they drop everything and just go with Jesus, but something that sticks out even more to me is in verse 17. "Jesus said to them, 'Come follow me, and I will make you fish for people." You see Simon and Andrew were fisherman, like many of that day. As fisherman, they fished. You wouldn't say that they were fisherman if they didn't fish, right? Just like you wouldn't call someone who didn't cook a chef or someone who didn't paint a painter. But Jesus changes their occupation just slightly in verse 17, saying they will now be fishers of people. So likewise if you do not fish for people then you wouldn't be deemed a fisher of people. 


Christ calls us ALL to be fishers of people. That is our job, our calling, our occupation first and foremost. And with the vast amount of people that we come into contact with each and everyday, I'd say we have no excuse to not fulfill this role. Yet, more than half of this country claims to be "Christian". I'd challenge you and ask are you a "Christian" or are you a "fisher"? Because the term Christian is only a term society has deemed. Fisher is an occupation Christ has called us to. The world is hurting. The world is in need of a Savior, Jesus Christ. And they will only come to know him if we, as followers of Christ, are faithful to the task He has called us to. If we take the thousands of opportunities that stand right in front of us. 

Baby Musician

This semester I somehow ended up taking two music classes, guitar and piano. I am just starting to learn on both of them so as you can imagine I'm seeing a lot of black and white these days! But something even odder has been happening. Somehow while I'm sitting on my guard stand at work, I realize I'm making up songs of my own in my head. So the other day I was just singing this one free for all, but then realized I should probably be writing these down. Now I know that these lyrics don't do much apart from the music and please remember I am a baby musician, but I thought I'd share with you the first song I actually wrote down! 


Every day I wake up and I think to myself,
Lord, you're not done with me,
Lord, you're not done with me quite yet.


And so today I'm gonna die to myself
because I'm not my own
and His glory demands my death. 


But how could I in this human flesh
bring any worth to Christ our Lord.
I'm just a sinner caught up in myself
but praise the Lord,
today I've died to myself. 


You see, redemptions not just a one time gift
its an ever continuous trip
And so each day I've gotta die to myself.
That's the only way this flesh can live. 


This story is Yours 
From creation to fall
from Christ on earth,
in glorious birth.
From Jesus stoned 
and brutal death.
From the risen tomb
to His return that shall be soon.
You alone have penned my worth. 


So this is how this human flesh 
can bring any worth to Christ our Lord.
This is how this sinners heart
is no longer on myself.
It's all in His and my death. 


Through my death
and Christ's true gift
I've learned that I have my part in Your story
it's no longer just a list
of numerous scripts
its the story of You and me
the story of how you wanted it to be.


I thank you that
You died to redeem us all
Now I die daily to fulfill Your call. 

19 Christmases

Another Christmas gone by and another new year. Time seems to fly by so fast sometimes. I guess when you think about it though 19 Christmases doesn't seem like that many. 19 Christmases, 19 years, and it comes to an end. An end for me at least. This Christmas was much different than any other. Maybe it was God continuing to teach me things from Haiti or maybe its now that I've grown a little from being a fresh-off-the-yes Christian that I now see Christmas very differently. I do know though, that this Christmas was my last Christmas. My last "americanized" Christmas.


As I went through the pre-Christmas weeks I found myself continually thinking, how have we lost the real meaning of Christmas this much? How could we have turned Christmas into something that doesn't even have Christ in it at all? And may I be as bold as to say, what are we as Christians thinking when we conform to the world and celebrate it like everyone else with just the extra church service thrown in!? These questions troubled me, the stores troubled me, receiving anything at all troubled me. 


And I think it should. I think it should trouble each and every one of us that call on the name of Jesus. As I thought more and more on what the true meaning of Christmas was, I felt God speak to me in some specific areas. Now don't get all up in an uproar, hear me out.


I don't think Christmas was ever mean to be about giving, apart from God giving Himself through the birth of Christ. Now let me first define what I mean by giving. Christmas is not about giving gifts or money. It was never meant to be about giving and recieving. 


To see what Christmas is really all about I think that we instead need to focus on why God gave His Son. Mark 10:45 says "The Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many people." So should we not instead serve in celebration of the birth of Christ? If Christ came to serve, shouldn't we be serving, especially at Christmas time? Should Christmas not be about laying down our lives, sacrificing everything for the sake of others? Or should we continue to give and receive yet another shirt, yet another gaming system, yet another material item that we already have such an abundance of?


You see there's a huge difference between giving and serving. Anyone can give. Anyone can throw some money at you. Anyone can purchase something, wrap it up, and hand it away. But to serve. To serve as Christ served. That's a whole different ball game. It's giving on steroids. It's not necessarily giving material things away, but giving your life away for the sake of the Gospel and God's people. 


I don't know what you'll be doing next Christmas. I hope not going through the motions. And I'm not sure exactly where God will send me, but I do know what I'll be doing in celebration of my King. Serving like I've never served before. For this is our whole meaning for existence, that He came to serve, He came to lay down His life, He came to redeem the world. Should we not do the same?

The Five Major

Wow, can I just say I am so glad this semester is over. I feel like God was dealing with me in so many other areas that school was on the back-burner. But by the grace of God, I got through, and actually did pretty well. So to close up this semester I thought I'd share the five major things God taught me this semester apart from school. 


Here it goes:


1. We can do nothing apart from Christ. 
I cannot change someone, save someone, or make their life better, only God can. A few times this semester I found myself in a situation where I knew God had put someone in my life to reach for Christ, but I often found myself trying to make things happen out of my own power or guilt tripping myself when things didn't progress the way I would have liked them to (that brings us to #2). In all these situations I found myself in the position where all I could do is let go of the control I was trying to have and just be there ready for when God wanted to use me. 


John 15:4-5 "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing."


2. We are on God's time, not ours. 
I'm the type of person who likes to know what's going on and when. But God definitely does not work that way. The friend I'm still talking to that I would have liked to take those next steps 2 months ago. The bad habit I would have liked to kick 4 months ago. The urge to go back to Haiti now! In all these things, I've learned God is in control, especially when it comes to timing. He knows so much more than I ever will and He sees the whole picture of all of our lives. So the smartest thing to do (even though its hard) is to trust in Him that things will happen when He has decided, in their prime time.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 "Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end."


3. God intended for us to do life together. 
God never meant us to go through life keeping our struggles and trials to ourselves and suffering in silence. He didn't intend for what He's doing in our lives to be kept secret either. It is vital that we are plugged into a group of believers that can support us in times of need, speak Truth into our lives, and slap us when we are about to do something stupid. You will be surprised how many other people end up getting set free when you open up and download. It's great to pray for each other, but Jesus didn't just sit around and pray for His disciples, He did life with them. He got up in their junk, called them out when needed, and built them up in Truth and love. 


Hebrews 10:24-25 "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near."


4. We are in desperate need of God's grace everyday at every moment.
 As many times as I've failed this semester, said the wrong thing, did the wrong thing, or didn't do anything, I've learned that I am in absolute desperate need of God's grace at every moment. We are by nature sinners and will continue to sin day in and day out until we meet Jesus face to face. But PRASIE GOD that His mercies are new each day, that His grace is poured out in ABUNDANCE day in and day out. Don't get me wrong, this grace is not an excuse to sin, but a perpetual motion that guides us back to the cross of Christ, where we see the high cost of sin.


Lamentations 3:22-23 "Because of the Lord's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!"


5. We are blessed beyond belief and that should result in gratitude and praise.
God has absolutely poured out so many blessings in my life. First off, I'm alive which means He's not done with me yet. He not only provides the necessities of life, but above and beyond. Going to Haiti this semester definitely turned my whole world upside down on this subject. I realized that even as a 19 year old, I have more than about half the world does. For example, I have a car with heat and air and even music. Half the people in the world don't have heat or air in their homes, or electricity or a home at all if you want to be honest. God has blessed us abundantly, but we should never allow this to lead us into the feeling that we are entitled to it all. Every blessing God pours out should return to Him in praise and thanksgiving, and also in service to others. Because if you want to talk about entitlement and what we deserve, well I don't think you want to go there. Because what we deserve is a life separated from God, a life in hell. We deserve the wrath and judgement of God. We don't even deserve to be alive!


Ephesians 3:20-21: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever."