Happy New Year from DBA...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7xGZl1B8-U

A good night

Man, tonight was one of those unforgettable nights that you look back on and think, "did that really just happen?" David and Lorna Joannes from Ako ay Pilipino Movement came and shared with some Filipino friends and family at my church today. It was somewhat of a culmination of about a month of crazy divine appointments since the day after Thanksgiving. I'm kinda tired and sickly right now, so I can't fully process everything, but all I can say that it was truly incredible.

Everything fell into place in exactly God's timing and way. It was amazing to see my family so passionate and excited about serving David and Lorna and facilitating their time here in Phoenix. My parents went out of their way to prepare food, clean the house, and make phone calls all day to tell friends and family about tonight's get together. It was really strange to me because my parents had never met David and Lorna. All they saw was the book the helped put together and my short little spiel about God doing stuff in the Filipino community. All I can say is that it had nothing to do with me. It was definitely all God.

I look back at all the things that have happened, and its like a crazy fairytale that I feel I don't belong in. I've had the craziest stretch of my life in the past semester and struggled with so many sin issues. Suffered from people-pleasing, performance issues and so much more. I look at all the good things I have done in my life, and I am reminded that my righteousness is nothing but filthy rags. But that's the beauty of it I suppose. It's all about grace. God has given us a good thing that we dont deserve. Man, I thought I understood it before. I thought I had it all figured. I remember reciting the definition of grace in AWANA: "Grace is a free gift that we don't deserve." If I only knew what it really meant back then, I probably wouldn't use the word so flippantly. But I realize that I still don't get it. God is soooo good. I don't even understand.

Anyway, it was so amazing to see my family so excited and so passionate for rediscovering their Filipino roots. You could sense the presence of God really stirring people as David and Lorna spoke at church tonight. Even before that, it was great to have them over at our house and chat over some delicious Filipino food. It was their first time meeting and eating with Filipinos in Arizona.

It has been so cool meeting them. It's like we have known each for so long because our hearts have been knit together with the same passions from rediscovering Filipino roots to planting churches amongst unreached people groups. I think one of the craziest moments was having everyone at my house gathered around the table to watch some of their videos about planting underground churches in East Asia. The stories are incredible. The favor of God and is hand is definitely over them, and it was such an honor to have them in my home.

It was just a really crazy night - down to the fact that Sara and Donna from Hawaii missed their flights and ended stranded here (which is the third time now for Sara). Good things always seem to happen when they get stuck here though haha. Anyhoo, it's so cool to see what God is doing. How he uses me and all of us in spite of our weaknesses and inadequacies. I'm also excited that David and Lorna will be coming to speak at our church again. I pray for more divine appointments; for more hearts to be stirred; and more encounters with the presence of God.

Ahhh....so crazy. God what are you up to? What a crazy adventure!

More Filipino Craziness

Ahhh sooo goood! Some friends from the Ako ay Pilipino Movement are gonna be in Phoenix tonight to meet with the Filipino Community and share some of what God has placed on their hearts. God is stirring the hearts of many people to remember who they are and where they came from - to know there identity. I am praying for a powerful encounter tonight as many in the Filipino community will come face to face with reality of who God has called them to be and what He has destined them for. Its so crazy to think how all of the craziness and divine appointments of the past few weeks is culminating with an opportunity for the Filipino community to hear a prophetic message and encouragement of what He is doing to restore His people and call them back to their destiny.

As I talked to a friend earlier today, she mentioned that more and more she is realizing that missions is not about bringing a message from a point of superiority. Instead, it is about empowering people to be who God has made them to be. To go off of this, I was talking to my professor the other day about the new Filipino book called Ako ay Pilipino. When he heard that it was written by some missionaries, he asked me if the writing reflected some of the missionary mindsets of old. He was referring to some of the material we had read in our class that showed Christian missionaries forcing indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands to give up their cultural values and traditions. I sat for a while, and I really believe that God gave me the words to speak in that moment. I mentioned that it was really interesting because what I see happening is that many missionaries I have met and come in contact with are "reminding people of who they are and not telling them who they should be." My professor was very surprised by this comment, and said that I was on to something and that I should keep delving into that idea.

It's so crazy to see what God is doing in recalling the cultural heritage of people and reminding them of their identity. At the end of the day, the pressure is off of us. We don't have to perform or try our hardest to put all the pieces together. This is something that I have been struggling a lot with lately. I have tried so hard to do things my own way and on my own time. I have failed a lot and overworked myself to the point of sickness and exhaustion. It is in these moments, that I am reminded that God loves me for who I am and not for what I do. We have a God who loves us not for what we do for Him but because of what He did for us. I am learning more and more what it means to rest in the reality that God loves me. That is our primary identity - to be loved by the King.

Check out these videos and be inspired by what God is doing amongst Filipinos as He is reminding them of who He made them to be.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dnh4VH_D0Q&feature=player_embedded



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EBd4fGXR6Q&feature=player_embedded

Alex doin' some freestyle worship

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQl-FP9gVVk

Reminscing an EPIC year!

facebook link

Here's a look at our Epic year in review. It's been a crazy year with so many ups and downs, but God has been good. I definitely want to spend some more time reflecting on all the craziness that has happened. But we have definitely grown a lot and learned a lot. I was reminded of this video just the other day, and as I looked back on it, I was reminded once again of the goodness of God despite all the uncertainty around me. It's been a transitional year to say the least. But its always good look back and remember the faithfulness of God.

Ako ay Pilipino Movement

Got to hang out with David and Lorna Joannes, founders of the Ako ay Pilipino Movement today. You could sense that it was one of those crazy divinely-inspired appointments when Kelly, Miles, and I finally got to meet them.

What are the odds that the people who came up with the idea for a new book in the Philippines would be hanging out in AZ for the next month or so? They just came out with a new book called Ako ay Pilipino that's gonna help revive and restore Filipino identity and destiny across the globe. All across the globe, God is calling Filipinos to remember who they are, and He is reminding them what He says about them. These are exciting times for Filipinos!



Be apart of the movement.

Check it out yourself: http://akoaypilipino.multiply.com
http://www.akoaypilipinongayon.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ako-ay-Pilipino-Ngayon/152353495066/

Hit me up if you're interested in getting one of the books.

"Know your identity, pursue your destiny."

The Filipino Question: Are Filipinos Asian or Pacific Islander?

This semester I took a class on Pacific Islanders. It was really interesting to get a cultural perspective that I never really was fully aware of or understood. In learning about the Pacific Islands, I learned so much about the beauty of culture, the importance of relationships, as as well as learning about the social injustices and historical wounds that they have experienced.

Along the journey,I learned a lot about myself and my cultural identity. I realized that so much of my history and cultural identity has been covered up by titles and labels that I have blindly accepted but never questioned. As I have begun to dig deep into finding more about who I am, I have discovered a lot of things that have given me a greater appreciation for the beauty of culture and the creativity of God.

This video was a project that documented Filipino identity. I really didn't intentionally go into this project in the first place, but as I did, I began to learn a lot more about identity and how confusing it can be. But in learning about the past and remembering history, we learn so much about ourselves.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciBmVL4pels

"Transforming Media & Entertainment"

For those of you who missed the Jaeson Ma's prophetic word about Transforming Media & Entertainment, check it out:

http://www.propheticmedia.com/video/xperience/xperience12_6_09teaching.mp4

It's a powerful word about how God is using media and entertainment to transform Hollywood. He is raising up young Asian Americans among many others who will make a profound impact on society and the world at large.

Community: Responses to Insecurity (Part 2)

One of the things I have realized is that one of the ways that the enemy tries to break up and confuse a community is through insecurity and isolation. God puts things on the hearts of many people. But so many times, they feel like they are the only ones with that passion. So there may be many people in a group who God is speaking similar things to - most likely complimentary things. But instead of recognizing the unity of what God is speaking, out of fear and uncertainty, people respond by doing things on their own rather than bringing others into it.

I think I am guilty of this a lot. I want things done on my time and in my way. But when people don't see things the exact same way that I do, I begin to feel inadequate and misunderstood. So often I fail to recognize that what God is putting on my heart is the same that He is putting on another's heart it's just packaged and understood in a different way. I run to conclusions rather than giving others the benefit of the doubt. If the person has a hard time communicating their ideas, then it becomes even more difficult. In the midst of these types of experiences, it is important to remember that we don't have to explain to other people what God has placed on our heart in order to be validated. If God has put something on heart, we have to go for it, and the rest will follow. We may be misunderstood at times, but one of the biggest principles in community is that TIMING IS EVERYTHING.

God has perfect timing and will do things in his way. We have to do what God has put on our hearts, but I believe we must also become aware of what God is putting on the hearts of others and discern the ways in which we can come together under a united vision for what God has for us.

But in order for this to happen we must communicate. I think one of the biggest things that hinder us is that when we face these difficulties we don't communicate. Community with one another and community with God are directly related. The way we relate to God will determine how we relate to others and the way we relate to God will determine how we relate others. If we don't spend time individually with God or with others and we are not spending time corporately with each other and corporately seeking God, what do we expect our results to be?

Our security above all is based in God, but since we also have a people part of us, community has such a vital role in reinforcing the things that God has placed on our heart. When we are in a healthy community that submits to one another in love and is willing to sacrifice for one another, I believe we will be able to piece the unique things that God has placed on our heart together.

So many times we come together, there is a lack of unity because there is a lack of security. Our group is individually lacking the fiery passion that comes from knowing God's passion for us, and likewise, when we come together, we lack belief that God is capable of the impossible.


Sometimes it takes the one bold person who has something in their heart to take the step of faith and believe that God will move in the hearts of others. Will you be that one? At the end of the day it comes back to knowing the goodness of Jesus. Security in him is what ultimately breeds confidence and dispels insecurity which will then catalyze authentic community.





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Excerpt from daily prayer devotional:

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

If one is to speak mightily for God, then one must walk humbly with God. Courage for Christ is a direct result of security in Christ. Prayer intensifies our fellowship with God. It is in that fellowship that the believer experiences the depth and width and height of the love of God. The Christian can face the gates of hell if he has been before the throne of heaven. Fear flees when one has basked in the perfect love of God.

Prayer:
Merciful, loving God, I long for deeper intimacy with You. Show me how to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly in Your holy Presence so that my fellowship with You will bring transformation into the lives of others. In Jesus’ Name I ask this!

Live A Praying Life!

Community: Responses to Insecurity (Part 1)

Insecurity sucks. It breeds loneliness and attacks sense of worth. Have you ever felt super excited or passionate to do something, and then you go around your group of friends to tell them, but as you go there, you just can't share anymore? It's like the atmosphere totally shifts and you can sense the lack of care that the others around you have. As a result, you start to doubt yourself, and you think that the thing you were excited and passionate about isn't really that big of a deal.

Community is a double-edged sword. It can either build you up or tear you to pieces. That's why community is such a big deal, and that’s why there is such a battle over experiencing authentic, transformational community.

Like I said previously, for myself, I have become increasingly unsettled by seeing the insecurities, not only in myself, but also, in seeing the insecurities in others. Why? Because if I am insecure and the people that I am around are insecure than we are just hiding away from each other and remaining in isolation - so in truth, we aren't really being a community. This breaks my heart because individually and corporately we are not living up to the fullness that God desires and has in store for us.

What I see in myself and in others is that I become passive and begin to suffer from unbelief. I don't step out into what God has for me because I begin to doubt that what He says will really happen. So with that, I have had two recent revelations.

The first one stems from a devotional reading I had this morning:

If one is to speak mightily for God, then one must walk humbly with God. Courage for Christ is a direct result of security in Christ. Prayer intensifies our fellowship with God. It is in that fellowship that the believer experiences the depth and width and height of the love of God. The Christian can face the gates of hell if he has been before the throne of heaven. Fear flees when one has basked in the perfect love of God.

The part that really rocked me was the part that stated "Courage for Christ is a direct result of security in Christ." Wow! So basically, I am passive and lack courage because I am insecure of who I am in Christ. How is this remedied? By spending time with God of course. But I think we can dig into this thought a little more.

As I was talking to my brother tonight, he said something I found pretty profound. He said that if we don't spend time on something, we become insecure when we actually have to do it. Say for instance playing the piano or any hobby or interest you might have. If you don't spend time playing and practicing the piano, when you actually have to play, you will be insecure playing it because you haven't spent time doing it. We are uncomfortable with the things that we don't do. This goes for people too. If we don't spend time with people, we are less likely to open up to them.

So then how do we think it works with God? Why are we struggling with fear of the impossible? Why don't we believe God for big things? Well, we are insecure of the things that we don't spend time with. If we don't spend time with God, how will we have confidence that He will come through for us.

This revelation really rocked me because I have realized how the enemy has attacked my use of time lately. I have put everything in front of God. As a result, I have increased fear and insecurity because I haven't spend time with God. So instead of growing in faith, I grow in fear because I think we really do fear the unknown.

Which leads me to an interesting quote that I saw tonight as well:

The number one sign of a religious spirit is passivity, and the number two sign is a poverty mindset - Graham Cooke

This quote is so crazy. When we become passive and face unbelief, we have lost our passion and devotion to God. Instead of having a passionate relationship, we fall into the one thing we all want to avoid - a religious, legalistic spirit. But when we don't step into faith, we are passive. When we don't believe that God will show up and do things we live in a mindset of poverty forgetting that we have access to every good thing that the Father has!

My friend Lauren has some amazing things to say on this idea. Why don't we believe what God says? Why do we base our faith on experiences? When we base our faith on experiences, we become insecure because we don't always see good results, and likewise our faith is based on unstable circumstances. But our faith isn't dependent on circumstances. Our faith is in God, who is always faithful and wants to show up more than we want him to show up! Read Lauren's Blog for more profound truths about this:

http://laurennanson.blogspot.com/2009/11/im-confused-but-im-not-budging.html


So the first profound truth for me is that confidence comes from being with and knowing God. We don't believe for big things and don't step out to see the impossible because we haven't had daily revelation of the majesty of God and His profound love for us. But just knowing God and praying is the first step. We still have to actually step out and do it.

This leads me to the second revelation. One of the most profound truths I have realized in my life is this idea that we have a God-sized vacuum in our life and we have a people-sized vacuum. We can't substitute one for the other. We need to have both. So when it comes to community, we need each other to combat the insecurity we face day to day.
In my next blog, I will examine the ways that people influence the way we experience God and ourselves.

Insecurity

Lately, I have been super insecure. I have had this irrational fear of my own inadequacy and a fear of the way others view me. I'm super insecure right now about writing this blog thinking that you will probably judge me. We all go through this I'm sure, but lately it has been really bad. It has been almost debilitating. Instead of stepping out and being who God had made me to be, I cower in fear and insecurity. This bothers me a lot because I see it not only in myself, but I see this passivity and insecurity in those around me.

Recently, I went to the Filipino club here on campus to hang out and show a video my group made for a class presentation. Some of the students in the club were featured in the video. As the video started and even before it started, it was amazing to see people who were in the video run out of the room because they were embarrassed of hearing and seeing themselves on video. Now, I can't blame them. I probably would be a little awkward too. As they movie went on, some of the students were laughing and kind of making fun of some of their friends in video. There seemed to be a general lack of interest in the video until the end, when people got silent and seemed to pay attention for once in the video. It was the part that mentioned we must remember who we are and featured a quote by Jose Rizal, a national hero of the Philippines. The quote was "He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination."

Now, I could skim over this sequence of events like it has no significance to the rest of my life. But I can't do that because I really feel like God is speaking to something bigger in this whole situation.

If you have read through my last few blog posts, you might now that God has really been putting the Filipino community on my heart in the past few days. It all began a while back, but this new fervor for the Filipino community came about this past Friday when I was awoken at 5am. If you look at my past blog, you will see that I was suffering from a lot of insecurity and awkwardness that morning. But it was through that God really reminded me of my identity and called me back to learning and understanding the cultural identity and destiny he has set forth for Filipinos.

Later that morning, I began to discover the prophetic destiny of the Philippines and hear some of the powerful words that have been spoken concerning this nation. It was an amazingly inspiring and empowering moment. Later that day, I was totally flipped upside down as I began to suffer a lot of spiritual attack and fell into sin. I confessed and got right with God again, and the next night as I was doing research I was led to a movement in the Philippines that is doing exactly what God has put on my heart - telling Filipinos who God says they are! A couple days later, I began to struggle again and experienced more spiritual attack as I again I fell into sin. Interestingly enough, that night I was working on the video about Filipinos that I was going to show to my class and that I showed to the Filipino club. All this to say that as I have been pursuing the heart of God for the Filipino people, I have experienced a level of spiritual attack that I have not gone through in a while.

In the midst of all that, I just got a message this morning that the founder of the movement in the Philippines that I just started tracking that they will be in Arizona this week and would like to get in contact! Crazy! Random!? Odd or God? So I potentially have a chance to meet the founders of the Ako ay Pilipino movement, God-willing. So pray for that.

Anyway, I share my heart again about the Filipinos because it has been through these experiences that God really spoke to me about the situation that happened at the Philippine club just today. Before, I went to the Philippine club I spent some time praying and coming before God. I haven't desperately called out to God in so long, but today there was breakthrough. I began to cry out for God and come before him in prayer in a way that I haven't experienced in far too long. Today, I also began praying for the Philippines. Now, I have never really prayed for the Philippines quite so fervently before. But today something was different, I started crying out to God for my people. It was a pretty powerful moment.

In that time, God began to speak to me through that incident on Friday morning again when he woke me up. What came to mind was that the insecurity and passivity I was experiencing that morning was what the Filipino community was experiencing as a whole. That thought really struck me, but then then I forgot about it until tonight when I went to the Filipino club. It seems to make sense why people ran out of the room when they were about to be shown on the video. It makes sense why there was a interest and a focus on the part that talked about remember where we came from.

The Filipino community is suffering a lot of insecurity right now. My friend put it like this, "hey man, read your blog. I have been pondering about Filipino stuff, too. I was doing a little research on filipino history, yesterday - colonialism etc. I had a lot of questions about filipino identity, and such. Ya, I feel there's still a lack of unity, and a unified culture, and a sense of self. Just thought I'd share that w you." The Filipino identity has been wounded and damaged by a history of colonialism and corruption. There is a lack of unity in the community. In fact, what I sensed tonight was a spirit of apathy and indifference. But as my friend Kelly has mentioned, it is so subtle that you can hardly recognize unless you know what is at stake.

I really believe that Filipinos are suffering from insecurity because they don't know who they are. They have taken on the titles that other have placed on them such as Asian or Pacific Islander because it is easy for others to understand. But what taking these titles has done is stripping away personal and corporate identity for the sake of taking on someone elses conception of who they think we are. There is a self-hate in our community. The enemy has caused us to hate ourselves because if we hate ourselves, we wont want to really know who we are or take the effort to find out.

Now this doesn't only relate to Philippines. I think it goes for all people. But God has been really showing me how these hurts have built up individually in me and culturally as a people group. I believe that in seeing some of these things, it informs the way I am able to pray and be aware of what is at stake individually and corporately. It is not a mistake that I have struggled so much lately. It is not a mistake that I have been feeling so insecure and now recognizing it in others. What we experience in the physical is an indicator of the spiritual.

The enemy doesn't want us to know who we are, but when we try there will be opposition. That's where community comes in. I'll try to talk more about that in my next post.

The Beauty of Culture

"Everything concerning a nation (an ethnic cultural group) has to do with salvation. It is the job of the people of that nation, it is their affair to respond to salvation. If we would be consistent, I think we would see that the field of culture is theirs. Ours is the gospel.

An evangelist, a missionary must respect the culture of a people, not destroy it. The incarnation of the gospel, the flesh and blood which must grow on the gospel is up to the people of a culture (24)."

"St. Paul and St. Peter said as much: 'The loving kindness of God has appeared to all men... God let's each nation (each tribe, each culture) go its own way... He is evident to them in the happiness he gives them.'

....St. Paul says this happiness is a sign of God among them. He was there before we ever got there. It is simply up to us to bring him out so they recognize him (44-45)"

Excerpts from: Christianity Rediscovered by Vincent J. Donovan

Filipinos Rise up!!!

This picture is a powerful representation of what God has destined for Filipinos, and not only them, but all of us who have felt overlooked, belittled, or misunderstood. The author of this quote is named Carlos P. Romulo, an influential Filipino statements in the mid 1900s. The picture reminded me a lot of Erik Fish's blog on "Throwing Rocks at Giants" (http://erikfish.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/throwing-rocks-at-giants/). It is a powerful reminder of the spiritual authority we have in Christ in breaking down strongholds and calling out for the kingdom of heaven to come down here on earth!

So the more I research about the Philippines, the more and more I am finding out about their unique destiny. Internationally-known prophetess Cindy Jacobs was in the Philippines this past March 2009, and she prophesied about the destiny of the Philippines and God's heart for the nation(here is the written out prophesy). Then as I did more research on the internet, I found a of pretty crazy things. There has been continuous 24/7/365 prayer going on in at least one place in the Philippines for at least the last year as well as some home churches being planted (24/7 prayer Philippines). Another crazy statistic - in 2003, more than half of the Philippines was under the age of 15 (Philippines age stat). That means, there is a huge youth population about 21 years old an younger that makes up the majority of the Philippines. Can somebody say Filipino youth revival? This is crazy!!!

Then, to further confirm the things God put on my heart yesterday, today I found a movement started by a couple using arts and media to capture the imaginations of the Filipino youth and remind them of their unique identity and destiny. They have just finished publishing a new book called Ako ay Pilipino - a tagalog phrase which means "I am Filipino." Check out some of the missions statement:

We believe that this country has a great destiny and is capable of being great in Asia, and in the whole world. The possibilities for success are beyond imagination, but we understand that this message needs to be revealed to the masses. It needs to be realized. It needs to be proclaimed, sparking hope and light in the midst of the present uncertainty...

Through books, short films, music, events, and what all kinds of media, it is our desire to awaken this generation of Filipinos to this potential and bright destiny the nation has in Christ.

Ako ay Pilipino is open to volunteers. If you're a Christian writer, artist, film maker... who wants to run with our vision, do get in touch with us and let's see what we can do for our nation

This just really crazy to me because it goes right along the lines of what God has been putting on my heart as well as those around me. Bringing awareness and using books, music, films, etc, to awaken Filipinos to their destiny!

This book is actually going to be premiered at an event called Jesus Revolution Now!: A Solemn Assembly - which will essentially be a day of prayer and fasting specifically for the nation and its leaders this coming November 30.

So ya, I'm not really sure what to think at this point besides the fact that God is on the move. He's calling the Filipinos to remember the identity and step into their destiny. He's going to use them to bless the nations. Crazy...

Check out this video: http://akoaypilipino2010.multiply.com/video



YouTube - Ako ay Pilipino (coffee table book launch) video

http://akoaypilipino2010.multiply.com/

Taken from the foreword of the book Ako ay Pilipino:

"We believe that this country has a great destiny and is capable of being great in Asia, and in the whole world. The possibilities for success are beyond imagination, but we understand that this message needs to be revealed to the masses. It needs to be realized. It needs to be proclaimed, sparking hope and light in the midst of the present uncertainty. For this reason, we began tracing the richness of the Philippine history to understand how we can move forward from here.

As we set out to write and design this book in August 2009, our country was going through a series of dramatic events from the political scene to natural calamities. And in the midst of it all, something was stirring in the air: a spark of patriotism and passion to see change in the nation. This book comes as a timely response to Filipinos nationwide who are crying out for more.

"What is the ultimate goal of this book, you ask? It's simple. We want to help change the mindset of Filipinos today, declaring their true identity as God intended them to be, and thus help fulfill the destiny that is theirs to claim.

Today, people are searching for the answers to many questions: "Who am I as a Filipino?" "Where am I going?" "What is my role in the Philippines?"

Obviously, one single book cannot answer all of these questions. But as you hear about the rich history of this nation - where we have come and where we are going - we believe that God will begin to open your eyes to the bigger picture of the Philippines' place in the world today.

Let the tiny seed of faith, hope and love for this nation begin to burst forth into life, redirecting the destiny of this nation."

David and Lorna Joannes
Founders - Ako ay Pilipino Noon at Ngayon

Learning God's heart for the Philippines

So, I was woken up this morning, and the first thought that pops into my head is wake up and get out of bed because I have this feeling that God had something to tell me. I felt like I needed to get out of bed and go for a walk. It was like around 5:00am. I normally am not awake at 5am, and I don’t normally feel compelled to wake up, go for a walk, and hear from God. I have been woken up in the past, but I have never actually woken up and gotten out of bed. I have heard of other people doing it, and so this morning, I was just really desperate to hear from God because I felt like I wasn’t really hearing his voice lately.

So I get out of bed, put on some clothes and my huge winter jacket. I walk down stairs and go outside through the garage. The whole time I was feeling super awkward and uncomfortable. I felt like a creeper going outside in the dark hours of the morning in my huge jacket walking around my neighborhood. I seriously felt so fearful and awkward. Even leaving my house, I felt weird. I was almost embarrassed being awake that early and walking out in my huge winter coat in AZ (even though it was really cold). I walked passed my brother in the living room, and I was just hoping not to be seen by him or anyone else.

As I walked outside, again I was feeling super awkward and uncomfortable as I walked down the sidewalk making everyone’s motion lights go off in the neighborhood. As I walked, I looked up at the sky and the stars were pretty visible. It was a pretty beautiful, early morning sky. I think I was looking at Orion’s belt, but I’m not really sure. Anyway, again I felt awkward just staring at the sky even though it was super early and there was no one around. I feel like God was trying to talk to me through that, but I just wasn’t listening because I was too caught up in my insecurities. I was feeling really self-conscious, and I kept walking. There were already people getting ready for work, and so there were cars around which made me feel even more self-conscious.

I made my way to the park and sat on a cold bench. As I sat there, I just felt more and more uncomfortable and foolish-looking. I kept looking around to see if anyone was around. Not only was I super self-conscious, but I was really scared that someone would come up and see me or something which is really weird and irrational because I live in a really nice neighborhood, and it was really early in the morning and dark so no one would be around. As I sat on the bench, I became colder and colder, and I felt like an idiot just sitting there unable to hear from God and feeling super insecure.

So I started walking back, awkwardly turning and trying to avoid passing cars. I walked for a bit looked up at the stars. The constellations looked absolutely amazing. So I kept walking, and then a thought dawned on me. Why was I feeling so insecure? Why was I so self-conscious? Then, I realized that I was thinking so much about how I viewed myself and how others viewed me that it was actually distracting me from hearing from God and stepping out in faith – not only in this situation but in my everyday life. I realized that so often I am afraid to take a step of faith because I am a) super self-conscious and insecure with myself and b) super self-conscious and insecure about the ways I think others perceive me. Because of that, I have doubted hearing from God and have feared stepping out in faith on a day to day basis whether it be talking to people and sharing what God has put on my heart, praying for them, or whatever else. Insecurity and fear of others has been hindering me from stepping into what God has put on my heart and destined me to do.

So that was the first powerful realization as I walked back home. With that, God began to really affirm me by reminding me of his promises to Moses and to Joshua. He reminded me how he showed up in signs and wonders for Moses despite his insecurity and fear of talking to the pharaoh and speaking. He reminded me of Joshua and how He made Joshua a leader who the others followed. He reminded me of Joshua 1:9 where He tells Joshua not to be afraid or terrified but to have courage because the Lord, God was with Joshua wherever he went. God really began to affirm me as a leader and the calling He has on my life. I realized that my fear and my insecurity was at times getting the best of my faith in God to come through for me just like he did for Moses and Joshua and so many others before me.

Then, I felt God speaking to me again, but this time about Filipinos. The thought that came to my mind was God calling me back to the Filipino student community at ASU. When I first got into this crazy journey, it all started with reaching out the Filipinos on campus. I felt a strong urge to again go to them and love them. I felt God calling me back to the thing that he first called me to. I felt like God was telling me to tell them who they are. Tell the Filipinos who God has made them to be.

God has been really speaking to me about my cultural identity lately as I have been doing my honors thesis. I have learned more about the prophetic destiny of Filipinos and what God has called them to do. The Philippines was named after King Philip II of Spain, who was consequently named after Philip, the evangelist in the Bible. Thus, the very name of the Philippines carries its prophetic destiny to reach the nations. There is so much more as well. I feel like I am just scratching the surface of what God has called the Filipinos to, and as I have learned more I have felt so excited and so empowered. I feel like God wants me to share this with the Filipino youth and the Church as a whole to awaken the destiny of His people.
So, hearing and being reminded of that was nice, but I wasn’t really fully sure if this is what God wanted me to do. Was he really calling me to go back to the Filipino community and tell them their destiny. But as I sat and thought about it, it gave me a new sense of confidence to begin to research more and see what God was doing through my honors thesis. So I get back to my house around 6am, and I got on my computer and simply Googled “Philippines.” I caught up on some current events and read up on some stuff. And then, I typed up some searches linking the naming of the Philippines with King Philip II. What I found rocked me, and I believe really confirmed God’s desire to wake up the Filipino youth to recognize the powerful destiny He has for us. I'm thinking that maybe God really does want me to share this crazy stuff.

Here are some of the links I found:


Find more videos like this on The Emerge Network





http://theemergenetwork.ning.com/video/prophecy-over-philippines-by


http://7churches.multiply.com/journal/item/9?&item_id=9&view:replies=reverse

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX-NWx4qKTI&NR=1

Some other interesting links (added 11/28/09)

http://jilworldwide.org/prophesy.php

http://www.24-7prayer.com/features/968

http://www.jilnationaloperation.org/index.php/component/content/article/2-general/8-prophecy-for-the-philippines-by-cindy-jacobs

http://www.jilarizona.org/

http://www.touchingthenations.com/

http://www.transformingthenations.com/index.php?church_2fo

http://operationworld.24-7prayer.com/country.php?country_id=145

http://rizapretty.multiply.com/journal/item/289/Do_you_love_the_Philippines_to_online_stores_patriotic_movements_all_my_contacts?utm_source=cp&utm_medium=facebook-cp&utm_campaign=rizapretty

http://akoaypilipino2010.multiply.com/photos/album/4/Ako_ay_Pilipino_book_-_now_available

Multi-Ethnic Churches

So as I was perusing through the internet tonight, I came across an interesting movement. While looking through organic-church planting websites, I came across a conference and just so happened to look at the schedule of the events. As I was looking at some of the breakout sessions, I saw one entitled, "Multi-ethnic Missional Community: 7 Principles." This really intrigued me, and so I began to look up the name of the guy who was leading the break out session. His name is Mark DeYmaz. He is the pastor of a multi-ethnic church in Arkansas named Mosaic. In looking at the church's website, I came across this article. It's an excerpt from his book. I feel that God really led me to this website for a reason. It really broke my heart especially reading the conclusion of this article. There is definite need for reformation and restoration within the church. Read it for yourself and see what you think.




Excerpts from the book, Building A Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church by Mark DeYmaz (http://www.mosaicchurch.net/html/WELCOME/whymultiethnic.asp)

I. Introduction

While government and educational programs, together with the efforts of countless individuals, groups and agencies, have long-sought to eliminate prejudice and the disparaging consequences of institutional racism still deeply embedded within our society, is it not time to recognize that true unity - a unity that respects and celebrates diversity - cannot be achieved apart from the establishment of churches which intentionally and joyfully reflect the passion of Christ for all people of the world?

For it is not the institutions of government, nor of education throughout America that have been ordained by God to this task, but rather the local church, the bride of Christ; we, His people (John 17:1-3, 20-23; Acts 11:19-26, 13:1, 16ff.; Galatians 3:26-28; Ephesians 4:1-6; Revelation 5:9-10).

Surely, it breaks the heart of God to see so many churches - in this city and throughout this country - segregated ethnically and/or economically from one another, and that little has changed in the fifty years since Martin Luther King observed that eleven o'clock on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in the land.

Brothers and sisters, it should not be so.

Concerning the movement of American Christianity towards racial reconciliation in the 1990's, author Chris Rice - in his book, More Than Equals - wrote the following profound words ...

Yes, deep reconciliation will produce justice, and new relationships between the races.
Yes this will lead Christians to become a bright light in the public square. But I have
become convinced that God is not very interested in the church healing the race
problem. I believe it is more true that God is using race to heal the church.

II. The Prayer of Christ

In John 17:2, Christ clearly defined His mission. He was sent to the world to give eternal life to all who would believe. Reaching the lost is what it's all about; it remains today the passion of His heart.

So after first interceding for the apostles (vss. 6-19), He prayed for you and me. Specifically - three times in four verses (20-23) - He prayed that we would be one, or "perfected in unity." Our unity, He declared, will be a visible witness to the world of God's love for all people. Our oneness will demonstrate that He is Messiah, who alone can bring peace to men.

In John 17, then, Christ not only defined His mission, but delivered to us the most effective means for reaching the world with His message of hope. He did not tell us to write a book, publish a tract or develop a program; He called us to be one - on earth as it is in heaven - so that the world would know God's love and believe.

III. The Pattern of the New Testament Church

Have you ever wondered why you have to read eight chapters into the Book of Acts to find anyone willing to leave Jerusalem for the sake of the Gospel? Consider, too, that in Acts 10, the apostle, Peter, is challenged to explain the fact that he has converted a Roman soldier to Christianity. Again, the question is why?

It was, indeed, difficult for the early believers to understand that Christ intended His kingdom to extend beyond Jewish borders, to encompass people from every nation, tongue and tribe. Even into Acts 11, they still don't get it! For in various towns, they speak of Christ only with the Jews (vs. 19).

But in Acts 11:20, a significant step is taken when men of Cyprus and Cyrene intentionally take the gospel to a diverse city called Antioch and speak of Christ with both Jews and Greeks alike. As a result, considerable numbers there come to Christ. Barnabus is sent from Jerusalem and later, Paul, himself, makes this church home. In time three missionary journeys are launched from the church and the gospel is spread to all of Asia Minor - and into Europe, as well - making the church at Antioch the most influential church of the entire New Testament!

So why did the church at Antioch care about the world? Because the church at Antioch reflected the world? They were a multi-ethnic people with a multi-ethnic leadership (Acts 13:1) who considered it essential to send their money, their men and their message of hope abroad - to friends, family and countrymen in obedience to Christ.

With this in mind, it is not coincidental that believers were first called "Christians" at Antioch (Acts 11:26). As Jesus, Himself, made clear, He is most clearly recognized in the unity of His children (John 17:20-23).

IV. The Pauline Mystery

From the beginning, the church at Ephesus included both Jewish and Gentile converts (Acts 19:17). And when Paul writes later in his letter to the church at Ephesus, “For this reason, I too, having heard of your faithÉand your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you“ (Ephesians 1:15-16), it is appropriate to ask to whom is Paul referring and why such inclusive language? It is my belief that Paul has in mind the multi-ethnic nature of this church-a community of faith in which both Jewish and Gentile converts walk, work and worship God together as one.

Beginning in Ephesians 2:11, Paul turns his attention to the Gentile community within the church. According to Paul, understanding of this mystery had not been granted to past generations but had only “now been revealed to the apostles and prophets by the Spirit“ (Ephesians 3:5). A common error is to assume that the mystery Paul is speaking of is, simply, the mystery of the Gospel-the good news message of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, his atonement for sin. Yet this is most certainly not the case! For in verse 6, Paul makes clears that the mystery of Christ is something altogether different: “To be specific, the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel“ (Ephesians 3:6).

Now at this point, it’s appropriate to recall why Paul’s imprisonment began in Jerusalem. Acts 21:27-36 informs us that a mob had been incited by the false accusation that Paul brought Gentiles into the temple. In addressing the crowd, Paul offers a defense by telling the story of his conversion. And near the end of his remarks, he says something most interesting: “Then the Lord said to me, Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles“ (Acts 22:21, NIV). Notice the crowd’s response: “The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!“" (Acts 22:22, emphasis mine). Indeed, the crowd listened to Paul up until the time he spoke of his calling to the Gentiles. It was only then, as he declared “the mystery of Christ,“ that Paul became its ambassador in chains (Ephesians 6:20)!

In Ephesians 3:7-10, Paul tells us that he was called not only to proclaim the mystery of Christ among the Gentiles but also “to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church“. In other words, Paul had not only been granted insight into the mystery of Christ but also insight into how, in a practical way, the mystery is to be lived out through the local church.

V. Conclusion

In their book, Divided By Faith, sociologists Michael Emerson and Christian Smith find that evangelical churches may actually (though unintentionally) be perpetuating systemic (institutional) racism throughout America.

Not only did their research confirm (to no one's surprise) that most American evangelicals attend an ethnically and/or economically segregated churches, but more significantly, that we spend 70-80% of our time relationally (i.e., time outside of work, school, sports, etc.) with those who attend our same, local church. Thus, they conclude, evangelical Christians are not only racially segregated from one another, but relationally segregated, as well.

So how does this perpetuate the system?

Apart from ethnically and economically diverse relationships, we cannot understand others who are different from ourselves, develop trust for others who are different than ourselves, and/or love others different than ourselves, etc. Apart from understanding, trust and love, we are less likely to get involved in the plight of others different than ourselves. Without involvement, nothing changes; and, the disparaging consequences of systemic racism remain entrenched in our culture.

A brief update

It’s so cool to see how throughout the Bible Jesus uses parables to explain the hidden things. In Matthew 13:34-35 it says, “Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables. This fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet: ‘I will speak to you in parables. I will explain things hidden since the creation of the world.’”

When the disciples asked why Jesus used parables he said, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables, ‘For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.” (Matt 13:11-13)

There is something about story-telling that is powerful. For those who pay attention and hear, they will hear the deep secrets and lessons that were meant to be heard. For those who are just going through the motions, the story may sound good, but it will go right over their heads. The same thing goes for us when we read through Scripture. We cannot merely just read with our mind. We must ask that God daily reveal himself to us through His Word. Jesus builds us up through the revelation of who He is in the Scripture.

Lately, God has been revealing that truth to me once again. I have been going through one of the most difficult times of my life in terms of experiencing so much attack on my personal identity and validity as a person. My mind has been a constant battlefield in which doubt, lust, and evil imaginations have been warring. It’s been hard. It’s been painful. It definitely has not been fun. But yet, in the midst of all that God has been reminding me that my identity is found him. My validity cannot be shaken. And my destiny is secured.

In the past couple of weeks, I have gone back to the place of understanding once again that it all begins and ends with intimacy with our Savior. Evangelism is overflow. Pray and missions are intimately married. But without knowing the goodness of Jesus, we have no place to begin. In the next post, I want to talk about God’s heart towards us. I want to talk about what Evangelism really means, and where it all begins. It has been a rough season, but I am daily being renewed and reminded how deep, wide, and high the love of Christ has been.

God has really been speaking to me through his parable of the Fishing Net in Matthew 13:47, and through the idea of just fishing in general. So I want to share a little about that journey. So be looking for that.

On a side note, I wanted to give a brief update on how things have been the past week. This past weekend, I was able to go to FRESH – it was a conference at USC. I got to hear Jaeson Ma perform is single “Love.” As usual, it was way powerful and the presence of God was there. Francis Chan gave a message on the need for anguish – the idea of what it really means to have a heart that breaks for the things that are on God’s heart. Then, we rocked out do David Crowder* Band after that. It was a super encouraging time for me because I got to see a lot of my homeys from my Epic Japan trip. It was so good to see them again. After the show, I got to hang out and meet a lot of people that are a part of the Passion Churches that started out in UCLA. It was so sweet to hang out with some of the first people who followed God in planting student churches. All together, it was a definitely a good time!

Got refilled and re-energized at the prayerhouse tonight!

Wooo! Jesus is good! I'm super exhausted right now, so I'll try to be brief. These past few weeks/months have been terrible. I have been so roughed up lately. It's been really sucky and really discouraging. I have been struggling internally and externally. Inside, I have been struggling with so much temptation, lust, and brokenness. Outside, I have been facing broken relationships and a lot of crappy situations that hurt my heart even more. To sum it all up, I have felt like a sitting duck. I'm out sitting on the water with nowhere to go, and I am just taking shot after shot, and it's starting to hurt.

But tonight, I went to the prayer room. We are in a season of 24 hour prayer for the next 30 days. Thank God! I was pretty pissed and not really wanting to be there. But I went anyway not really expecting anything. I sat there for the first hour kinda just observing and trying to press in. After about an hour, my friend Eric came and asked me if I would help him talk to a fraternity about joining a inter-Greek ministry type thing. It's really cool to see what God is doing through the Greek ministry at ASU. Anyway after that, I went back to the prayer room. It was pretty full because there was all campus worship going on. So I just stayed at the back and kind of just hung out.

After a while, one of my awesome friends Chris came up to me and started praying for me. It was so good to be prayed over. I have felt so disconnected and all over the place. Having him pray over was super-encouraging. I have struggled with my identity and validity the past few days, and I have felt really rejected and attacked a lot in those areas. But as Chris prayed for me, I felt so much better. Then, another guy came up and started praying over me and giving me a prophetic word. His name was Marco. I had kind of met him before, but he didn't know me at all, and I hardly knew him. But what he said was so right on. He basically came up to me and told me all about what God put on my heart without even knowing me or my name. The word he gave me was that I had discipleship all over me. God had given me craftsman hands and that I would know exactly how to speak into people's lives. He confirmed the apostolic passion in me. It was incredible.

These were all things that God has placed on my heart and has confirmed from time to time. But there is something about a timely word. Tonight, I definitely needed that word. As we talked, Chris went again and had Marco record the word on a digital recorder so I could keep it for the future, and so I got to hear it again. But something Chris said was really powerful. He told me "the prophetic reminds us of our identity." I have been struggling sooo much with my identity and validity. God spoke to all of those things tonight. I had been needing something sooo bad. Jesus showed up and ministered to me big time.

Afterwards, I got to talk to Marco, and we got to see that we have similar hearts. I look forward to connecting more with him in the future. Another prayer that encouraged me was a word that my friend Shaun Zajas gave me as he prayed over me. He said that I didn't have to worry about my identity getting knocked down. I was like a Red Wood tree. It is nearly impenetrable. He prayed that God had planted a seed and that now it was growing into something great and big like a redwood tree. It was so cool. He prayed that if I was a superhero my name would be legacy man because my legacy would last for hundreds of years and impact lots of people.

Ahhh!!! How encouraging is all that! Especially when I was feeling really crappy. God is sooo good! I needed a good encounter with Jesus. Being in the place of prayer did that for me, and it allowed me to get refilled and re-energized. God is good! He loves us all uniquely! Isn't that crazy. I got some good words of encouragement today. But can you believe that God has just as awesome and powerful words for you too! God loves us so uniquely that his thoughts towards us are more than the sand in the sea shore (psalm 139)!

Thank you Jesus for you love. Thank you that you love us uniquely and have thoughts for us that are more than we can even count! You never run out of good thoughts and things for us! May you remind us all that you are good and that you always show up for us in time of need!

I love you Jesus!

Simple Church @ Auntie Pei's

Tonight our simple church met at the home of Lydia's mother, who we affectionately refer to as Auntie Pei. Auntie Pei has been a true spiritual mother to our simple church community. Everyone loves her for her kindness and amazing heart. She truly has a true pastoral heart in caring and nurturing those she comes in contact with. Every time I speak to her, I am blessed and inspired by the insight she shares. Her words and her actions flow with the power of the Holy Spirit, and there is never a dull moment around her.

Every week is a new adventure, and this week was no exception. First, we all arrived and were able to eat some delicious Chinese food that Auntie Pei prepared for us. As usual, our group interacted and socialized for much of the first part of the night. We then went into a time of worship in which I was able to play my new keyboard. So exciting!!! Afterwards, everyone gathered around, sang happy birthday, and brought me a cake for my 22nd B-day. I feel old! Haha not really. But anyhoo, it was really great to spend my b-day with my awesome community!

Then, we all gathered around to hear Auntie Pei teach on some things God put on her heart. What she had to say was really powerful. She talked about prayer specifically referring to the Lord's prayer in the book of Luke. She broke it down for us in a way that I had never really heard before. One of the coolest things that I learned was that the word "Father" that Jesus used to refer to God was pretty out of the ordinary in biblical times. No one referred to God that way. Yet with Jesus referring to God as Abba, an even more endearing term for Father in the Hebrew language, he was demonstrating the powerful intimacy involved in prayer. This was such a cool reminder because I personally have been struggling a lot with prayer lately. I have just really had a hard time engaging with God while alone especially in this past week.

From there, Auntie Pei described some other elements of prayer and began to focus on examen prayer, a form of prayer in which we examine our feelings and bring them fully before God. Basically, you recall a moment in the day when you were most thankful or happy during the day and express those feelings to God. Next, you recall a moment in the day that you were disappointed or ungrateful for. We acknowledge those feelings to God with total honesty and allow ourselves to be where we are at with those feelings. Then we end by thanking God and recalling the feeling we had during the high part of our day.

We did something similar to this while we were in Haskell this summer. We went through a process called Heartbread in which we went through a similar exercise of examining our feelings and expressing them to God and to a partner. The exercise is really powerful because it allows you to be truly aware of what you are feeling inside, and in speaking frustration it actually helps to free you from the bonds that negatively hold you down. In speaking out truth, we remember the goodness of God.

So tonight, Auntie Pei had us go around and pray out to God the things that we were feeling. We started out first with our moments of gratitude and then our frustrations. What happened from that point was truly remarkable. People began to express their deepest emotions to God. I was able to share my joys and my frustrations publicly to God. It was the most powerful experience I have had in a while, and it was one of the most intimate times with God that I have experienced as of late as well. There was something truly powerful about our whole group being willing to be transparent with God and with one another. I feel as if we really stepped into something special tonight, and I know there was a lot of breakthrough that happened in my heart at the very least.

What I realized that in speaking out our joys and frustrations, we become aware of what is going on inside us. When we express those things corporately, we begin to uncover the schemes of the enemy that are coming against us because we are acknowledging and recognizing the things that are inside of us. One of the most profound lessons I have learned in all this is the importance of having a foundation that is based in intimacy with God and spiritual formation. I realize that for myself I could speak and hear about apostolic passion all day long. It is written on my heart and brings me much joy. However, I realize that areas that I need the most development and discipline are in that of spiritual formation. When I look back at my time in Haskell, I realize that the exercises and lessons in spiritual formation really provided me with a strong foundation in which to bring a strong relationship with God. Being aware of what was going on inside me allowed me to know how to connect with God in truly intimate ways.

Our simple church meetings are always pretty chaotic and unpredictable, but it is amazing to see how God always shows up in the midst of all the craziness. Tonight was an awesome night. Not only was I able to spend my birthday with awesome friends, but I was able to be reminded of the importance of knowing the heart of God. It is so amazing to see how our community has become so tightly knit. Many of the people stayed at Auntie Pei's house, either having deep spiritual conversations or having fun singing and being filled with joy. We probably could have been there energized and excited all night. Things are still tough and there are many uncertainties, but in the midst of it all, God has been good and being in community with believers has been medicine to my hurting soul.

another week and another gathering of our simple church

In this new season that God has called me into, I feel that it is really important to document the experiences and lessons learned. I hope that others will be able to take and learn from the things that I have experienced, and I think it will be awesome to look back at the things that were happening nowadays sometime in the future.

Tonight we met again for our simple church gathering. About 20 of us cram in together in Kelly's apartment. It's such a cool vibe though at least from my point of view. The small area allows us to really engage with one another. You can't really disengage as much when your in such tight quarters. We are still trying to figure out how to do things and how to adjust to different locations and different ways of doing things. So things are kind of rough. We still run into issues of starting on time and what not, but its great because while we are waiting everyone is engaging and enjoying one another's company.

When everyone was kind of settled, we spent some time in worship. Josh played some songs for us, and then Malina and Brittany led us into some time of prayer. Before that, they shared some amazing prophetic insight into what God was showing them about the campus in their time of prayer. It was really cool to hear their insight. We split into groups of 3 and prayed for one another and for the nation especially on a day when we remember the events of 9/11 eight years ago. Kelly then led us in a time of testimonies where we got to hear some of the things God was doing in peoples lives during the week.

After that, we went into some time in the Word. I guided this portion of the night. It was kinda crazy though because I was feeling really tired and worn out after being really excited and pumped for most of the day. But I pressed through it and had some people praying for me. I shared some of my testimony of what God has been doing in my life this week too. Then, we all read through Scripture together. We read through Luke 4:14-30. Stephen printed out the passage for all of us, and I brought some colored pencils so people could mark some of the things that stood out to them. We spent about 10 minutes on our own reading through passage before we discussed it together.

We had a pretty good discussion. I think we spent over an hour just talking about things that stuck out to us in the passage and what God was speaking to us through it. It was amazing to hear different people's insights, and it was cool to see how everyone was getting involved and engaged.

We chose to read through Luke because I really feel like God has some special things for us to glean from this particular Gospel. In reading through history of the Bible, I saw how Luke and Acts are books that are meant to be read together in two parts since they are written by the same author. In my mind, it makes sense that we should be looking at the book of Acts together because it really speaks to what we want to see God do in our campus. But I found it even more powerful to see the connection between Luke and Acts. What stood out the most to me is that one of the main themes in Luke is that of Jesus' ministry to the Gentiles and to the outcasts of society. Luke 4 really emphasizes this in showing where Jesus quotes form Isaiah 61 in which He talks about he has been anointed to preach to the poor, the brokenhearted, the captives, and the downtrodden. So one of Luke's major themes is to show Jesus' heart for those on the fringes of society.

I thought this was really powerful because as a ministry I feel as if God is calling our community to really minister to the fringes of society. The image I get is of a lighthouse in the center of the community emitting a light that travels outward. However, that light only goes so far. Where I feel like God calling me to is the boundaries, or fringes of what one can see on a map. As we go outward, the light surrounds outer edges and begins to move inward as well to meet the light coming outward. I may have spoken a little about this before, but I believe that it really conveys this idea that God has called us to seed out those who are the hungriest for Jesus - the places in which Jesus is already at work if we would only begin to have God open our eyes to see. I think it is cool to see how Luke and Acts are connected in that way. Luke shows God's love for the Gentiles and then Acts continues to show how the Apostle Paul took this idea to the next level.

So ya, I don't know. There is still so much I'm learning and still so much I don't understand. At the core of everything we are doing, I believe that we are learning more about the heart of Jesus and seeking out why He did what he did. Josh said something really powerful today when he mentioned how we aren't merely looking to be Jesus to others, but that we are looking at how Jesus is already work in them.

Anyway, needless to say, it's a cool journey we are on. I have no idea what I have gotten myself into, but I think that's ok. I know that once I find it out everything is going to change. It's a constant process in which we continually go after God's heart. It's happening. Slowly but surely. I'm realizing that it has been a pretty crazy, emotional week. My gut instinct is to keep pressing the pedal and going forward. But I realize that the biggest breakthrough I have experienced this weekend is when I have been broken, face down on the ground in my weakness. I realize how even now I have a short term memory. God works in our weakness, and it is not my brilliant tactics or methods that will change things, it will be God working when I have nothing else to offer.

So I must slow down, and believe that God is at work in his perfect timing. It's a fun adventure. I just have to remember to relax and enjoy the ride. God got's this. He wants to show up way more than I want him to. That's reassuring! ;)

Wow....did that really just happen???

Wow....did that really just happen???

I don't even know what to say right now. I am filled with an incredible amount of joy right now. I am still scratching my heading asking myself, "did that really just happen?"

So this past week has been one of the craziest, trying times for me. I don't even know where to begin. I have been knocked down on my face crying my eyes out multiple times this week, but in the midst of it all God has found some way to redeem it.

This week my girlfriend and I broke up. It was the hardest thing ever because our relationship had brought us both so close to God. It was difficult to deal with all the emotions, but in the midst of it all, what the enemy meant for harm, God used for good.

Tonight, Sara and I were able to find so much closure and breakthrough as we begin to step into the next chapter God has for our lives. Though we are no longer together as a couple, we remain co-laborers in the calling that God has placed on our lives. We have committed to pursue the vision that God has placed on our lives and remain friends in that process.

It's crazy because this is far from what the situation was like just a day ago. Yet I can't help but sense that there is such a powerful move of God taking place in our midst. What seemed like a heart-breaking break up has actually turned into a life-giving and transformational experience that has allowed both Sara and I to realize who we truly are and live out of the identity we have in Christ.

I can't even begin to express the freedom and joy that I have right now in knowing that I have the freedom to be who God has called me to be and live out the crazy vision He has placed on my heart. It is so amazing to be reminded that I am not in this alone. I have realized that in the midst of all the craziness that there has been such a strong, committed community of friends and family who have prayed for us and walked us through this process.

I can't even begin to express the amazing amounts of gratefulness that I have for all of you who have prayed and wrestled with me through this past week. I have seen the power of prayer, and I have seen the heart of God. I truly am beginning to grasp more fully what it means for God's love to be made perfect in our weakness. Our weakness allows God to demonstrate his full love and grace when we submit wholly to him. I am able to experience the fullness of that in this moment. And so I thank you again for you who have prayed for and with me. Sara and I were able to get so much closure and breakthrough today as a result of the grace of God and his amazing love.

Looking forward, I am hopeful - hopeful that God is going to bring into completion what He has birthed in my heart and in the hearts of so many who have a burden to see heaven touch earth. It's going to happen. Let us continue to pray and press forward into the promises that God has for us all.

Thanks so much and thank you God for you amazing love! AHHH I LOVE YOU, JESUS!!!!

Priorities

For so long in my life I have been plagued by procrastination and misplaced priorities. Tonight those things came back to bite me in the hardest way. I've learned a valuable lesson tonight that I pray will change the entire outlook of the rest of my life. There is one thing about procrastinating and mismanaging your priorities with school work. I've gotten away with that all my life. But you cannot always get away with procrastinating and mismanaging your priorities in relationships and life. I've hurt the people closest to me in the midst of my weaknesses and inadequacies. But I pray with all of my heart that tonight would be a changing point.

I pray that God would deliver me from my performance-based, perfectionist, procrastinating, priority-lacking lifestyle. I pray that God would give me a heart that truly knows how to love and care for others. May I be selfless and not selfish. Create a pure heart in me God, and forgive me for the ways I have hurt others, myself, and above all for hurting you. I pray that you would straighten my priorities, change my heart, and strip of me the distractions and hindrances that are keeping me from you.

Thank you for getting my attention God before it was too late.

Latest Developments in the Student Church Movement

God has been doing some pretty cool stuff this past weekend. In just the past few days, I have been able to see some breakthrough as new partnerships are developing in support of a student church movement that God has been putting on many people's hearts.

Just today, I was able to meet with my pastor, my parents, my brother, and my friends J'Shon, and Kelly to talk about what a partnership between my home church (Valley International Christian Church) and the student church movement that is being birthed at ASU and GCC could look like. It was such an amazing and powerful meeting that was divinely inspired by God. In the midst of a busy schedule and back-to-back meetings, my pastor took time out of his Sunday activities to have an impromptu meeting with my parents and students. I really wanted to talk to my pastor as soon as possible to bring clarity to the situation that is happening on the campuses. The past weeks have been rough and confusing at times because there has not been always been a lot of clarity and direction about the future. So it was such a blessing from God that my pastor, my parents, my brother, and friends would all be so patient in meeting together even at such short notice.

As we talked to each other about how my home church could support the student churches at GCC and ASU through prayer and financial support, I could really sense the presence of God at hand. It was so encouraging to hear my pastor fully supporting our cause and seeing what we were called to as an answered prayer. He made mention of how the church had been praying about planting a church in Northern Arizona, but it was not coming through. However, he told us that he realized that what we were doing was answered prayer to his desire and vision to plant churches. He told us how he would like to have a working relationship with our group in which they would not control or dictate anything that we would do. But rather, they would be there for accountability, prayer, financial support, sharing of resources, and whatever else we needed. He even talked about explaining what we were doing to the church. He recognized that some may have a hard time understanding what we were doing because it was not a traditional form of church, but he recognized the importance and the significance of what we were doing and wanted to get the church involved. He talked about having a commissioning service in which we could be literally sent as missionaries to mission field.

All the while, it was so awesome to have my parents there hearing our heart and passion for what God called us to do. My dad was so encouraging in voicing his support for what we were doing. He was blessed by the faith that we demonstrated, and he mentioned how he desired to have the faith like we did. It was so awesome to hear my mom and dad talk about how much they were supportive and excited for what God was calling us to do. It felt so good to know that in the midst of all the confusion and the attack that we have been experiencing this past week we were finally being heard and supported. I felt valued and cared for today by those closest to me, and I am excited to see what will come.

I know that there will be many bumps along the road and much more hardships ahead. But it is so encouraging to know that there are those who are willing to partner with us in prayer and support. This is God's work, and I definitely see his hand upon it. In the midst of my sinfulness and weakness, God's power is coming through. I am so grateful for the love and support he showered upon us today. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to step forward into mission that God has called us into at ASU, GCC, and beyond.

Together Again!

And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near. - Heb. 10:24-25

Tonight was one of my first nights hanging out with my simple church community in what seems like forever. Now I know why the author of Hebrews reminds the church not to forsake assembling together. It was so refreshing to my soul to be back with my family after not being able to be with them for most of the summer.

It was so encouraging to be together again loving one another and being reminded of how much God is at work in our lives. I can't even begin to describe the crazy experiences I have had today. I guess I'll work my way backwards. Tonight, our group got together. We had some worship time, and it was really cool because one of the guys that first led worship for us when we first started showed up and helped lead worship. It was crazy because normally I would be pretty anal about people just coming in and leading worship because I use to have certain expectations and ideas of what worship should look like and how we should experience it. But God has been really revealing to me how beautiful it is for others to take part in what He is doing. God wants all people to be able to experience his redemptive power. Tonight was a cool picture of that in being able to see one my friends play guitar for us in the first time in many many months.

After that, we went into a time of intercession. We broke into groups of three and prayed for one another. I got to pray with my two Chinese brothers Yanqing and Jiannan. It was awesome being able to hear the prayer concerns, pray for them, and then have them pray for me. We had another Chinese friend there too who isn't a Christian, but ended up praying with her small group as well. After a time of prayer, I got to share some of the things God had been putting on my heart.

I shared from 2 Corinthians 4:7-9. These verses have been super powerful in my life and are what I talked about in my last blog. We had a group discussion on what God was speaking to us through the verses, and it was so awesome hear peoples insight. I shared with them how the "Jars of clay" were like trash cans, but in spite of that, God uses us to demonstrate his glory. I got to really encourage people that no matter where there were at in their life right now, God loves them and wants to use them to demonstrate his power. I then went into talking about the legacy of what God has called us to as a simple church planting movement. I talked about the move student missions tracing it all the way back from the Haystack Revival, to the Student Volunteer Movement, to what we are experiencing today. I hope to talk more about this history later because it is super powerful.

So after Kelly and I shared some of our heart, I encouraged our group with what the next step God was calling us to. God has put on our heart to begin to pray for one another and for those who don't know him, and then to begin to invest our time in the communities God has called us to. We intentionally prayed that God would identify and begin to bring us three people who don't know Christ yet that we can begin to invest time in. We spent a few moments asking God to put those people in our hearts and pray for them.

After this time, some of the guys cooked up some spaghetti for us, and we at together. During this time, I had some awesome conversations with people. I got to pray and prophesy over my friend Zach and really encourage him to pursue his calling and gifting in music. I got to talk to a newcomer named Alex over what God was putting on heart, and I got to pray for clarity i figuring out what God was calling her to study. Also, a friend from California who we had met in Epic Conference two years ago was in town and I got to talk and pray with her also.

One of the craziest things that blows me away is meeting this new guy named Alvin. It turns out that Alvin is a senior here at ASU. He is a Japanese major, and he studied 11 months in Japan. Of all the places in the world and of all the places in Japan, it turns out that Alvin was actually in the same place in Japan that I went to last summer - Nagoya, Japan. We actually found out that we know the same people working for Campus Crusade for Christ, and on facebook we have mutual Japanese friends from the school we worked with there. I am absolutely blown away by this. How in the world does that even happen? Last year, God put a international Japanese student from Nagoya in our group, and we got to build a relationship with. Then today, God brings Alvin to our group, and he actually lives in the global village section of the dorm that I lived in and prayer walked over all last year. Is that crazy or what? God or odd??? All I can say is that is crazy. It's not everyday that you meet people from Nagoya, Japan. It's not like it is the biggest or populated place. And yet there have been many people from there that I have met at ASU. Something is happening. I have no idea what is happening. But whatever God did in my heart in Japan is coming back, and its freaking crazy!

Then as I was washing dishes today, I had an awesome conversation with Lydia. She was telling me about the awesome things God is doing in her life. She has a heart for the Uzbek community here at ASU. She did some work there with her family when she was younger. So God has totally put it on her heart to work within their community here and find the places where Jesus is at work. She told me about a message she was listening to the other day. A influential Christian leader went to Iraq and talked to the some important officials there. The Christian leader asked the Iraqi leaders an interesting question. He asked them if they had seen Jesus. The Iraqi leaders responded by asking why he asked the question. The Christian leader went on to respond that in the Bible Jesus showed up in the places that people least expected it. And of all the places in the world, Christians would probably least expect to see Jesus in Iraq. So the leaders asked him, what would it look like if Jesus was here. The Christian leader responded by asking them what they thought it would like. They went on to discuss it, and they thought that Jesus would care for the poor and outcast. So the Christian leader said ya you re right. Let's go do that. In response, some of top ranking officials told the Christian leader that if wanted to go do that work in their towns, they would offer him full protection to go to do those things.

The point is that God is work in the lives of people. Are role is not bring Jesus to people, but to find where he is already at work and be a part of it. One of the coolest things that I got to experience today was talking to my friend Brian and later Chris. As I talked to them, I shared with them a picture that I though would represent the move of God at ASU and in our communities at large. I saw a picture of ASU. In the middle of it was the prayer house. From the prayer house was a light that was moving outward in all directions. But I also saw from the fringes, a light surrounding map and moving from the outside in.

In this season, God has called me to go plant churches on the fringes of society. God has called me and many of those in our community to go love the seemingly unlovable. We want to go to the poor, the sick, the social outcasts. We believe that God is going to raise up an entire generation of misfits who will bring the Gospel to others like them and also back to the institutional church. Some may be offended by the notion of the social outcasts being powerful carriers of the Gospel. But that is who Jesus chose, and who he used. It's crazy to think of the amazing thing that God is doing.

Talking to Lydia today really reminded me of the heart behind what we are doing. At the core of why God has put this passion on our hearts is for the very reason of having the heart of Jesus himself. Jesus loved people, and he demonstrated this by spending time with them. There is something so powerful that people on the fringes of society will be able to understand and grasp about Jesus that I may never understand because of the ways I have lived in privilege. But as Jesus stated to those who have been forgiven much will love much. And at the heart of everything, God has called me to do, I must remember that loving with the heart of Jesus is the reason why w do this. I have realized that I often times have failed to truly love and have a heart of compassion for people or those I am with. I have a hard time connecting with people at a heart to basis at times because I have often gotten so caught up in the vision. I can encourage people with the big picture and seeing the move that God is doing, but I sometimes fail to really see people where they are at and connecting with them with my own heart.

I realized that talking to Sara today. I often fail to really listen to her and understand her. Instead of speaking to her emotions. I speak to her mind in a logical sense. It is interesting to see even that regards how men and women differ. But there is something so powerful that women possess in being to possess that kind of heart-felt emotion for others that I as a man tend to struggle with. It reminds of me this idea that Lydia alluded to when she mentioned that women are usually the first to come Christ in many cultures because they are usually the most oppressed, and they are the first to realize that they really need Jesus. I think that there open hearts and emotional bent really helps them to understand the love of Jesus in a unique way as well.

All this to say, that the body of Christ is so diverse, and we need one another. Sometimes I get so caught up in this mentality of trying to control others and have a say in everything that others do. But in this sense of control, I am limiting others from being who God made them to be, and I am also limiting myself because I am worrying about others rather than being an encouragement and then doing my part in responding to what God has called me to do. I realize how God has put other people in my life and is raising up others around to carry some of the desires and dreams that are on my heart. I wrestle with pride at times in not understanding to being a part of what others are doing. But I realize that when others are stepping into these roles and responding to God, it is actually an answered prayer, and it is releasing me to be able to step even further into what God has for me without having to be tied down to other obligations that were distracting from what God is really calling me to do.

So ya, today has been powerful and encouraging for me. Being in community once again was so refreshing and amazing. It is a small glimpse of what it will look like when the body of Christ comes together as a whole and begins to live out there destiny. What a powerful force that will be when body in unison works together to bless one another and bless those around them.

Let it happen, Jesus! Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven! We desire to take hold of all the promises that you have for us! Thank you for community. Thank you for the body of Christ. Thank you that you are already victorious and have overcome darkness. There is no pressure on us. Keep me from temptation and from pride. May I never forget the grace that you have and love that covers me. I desire to be fully surrendered to you, O Lord. Here I am, send me!