Time

Well I went home for a week and it was awesome to be able to see everyone there, see how everyone has grown in their walk with God, and to be able to get a little peak of what my future holds. I got to see my new baby cousin, Marie who is very beautiful, not only did I see her but they EVEN let me hold her! I got to see my best friend Jake Collins get married to Kristina Pruitt and it was a beautiful thing to be able to see. I love weddings and just how biblical that concept really is. I got back to Leon and the first thing I got to see was a brother and his 2 sisters get baptized! Another beautiful thing to be able to see. I have been really blessed lately. We went to the waterpark Splash yesterday to celebrate the fourth of July. Im not sure if our country was even talked about much but it sure was fun grilling out steaks and going down all the slides at the pool. I like to look at it as more of a celebration of family and good friends. Because thats what we are here in Leon. My uncle is the evangelist at my church in Alaska and he preached on the last Sunday in June, and the homework he gave was to read the book of James once a day for the whole week. Well i forgot to yesterday but other than that, I have been reading it every day and its amazing how much you get from a book after rereading it over and over. New things stick out and definitions are cleared up and defined. This post is just to let everyone know I am alive, in my next one I want to show some of what I learned from James. God bless!

LIES LIES LIES

Have you ever noticed how messed up the world really is? I was listening to a sermon by one of my favorite preachers this morning, and he brought up an interesting point. WHAT IS THE WORLDS PROBLEM? Everyone has a problem with Christians, because they "impose their Christian views" on everyone. But they dont have a problem with McDonalds, whose advertisements entice you to eat something that will make you fat, or the porn industry, who uses internet advertisements on "normal" websites to entice you to watch a video or look at some pictures which wont make your significant other very happy. The world lets all those other media outlets and movie stars and magazines influence them and "impose their views" on them, without fussing and throwing a fit about it (and in most cases, the product or attitude they are enticing you to have isnt beneficial at all to your life), but when a Christian, someone who WANTS YOU TO BE SAVED FROM A HELL THAT IS VERY REAL tries to tell you about how to have a better life, they freak out. All I want is a chance to be heard! Guess what... we can even go to McDonalds together to talk about Jesus! Fine by me!

Do I Have What It Takes?

Lately I have been contemplating more often (is that a sign I am growing older?), mostly about my ministry and how it might turn out, what I might be doing. If I am seeking to be a "overseer" (One who keeps watch over and directs the work of others, especially laborers), I could be put in any kind of position by a congregation, such as preacher, evangelist, youth minister, etc. The following list from 1 Timothy 3:2-7 is the guideline that I must fulfill to be qualified to pursue one of those positions.

above reproach - blameless

only having one wife - faithful

temperate - not quick to become angry, stable physically and emotionally

self controlled - exercising control in every aspect of life

respectable - worth following and imitating

hospitable - welcome fellow Christians and strangers

able to teach - the ability to convey the message of the Bible effectively
not given to drunkeness - no addictions or bad habits

not violent but gentle - not quick to react harshly

not quarrelsome - peaceful and not eager to argue or fight

not a lover of money - financially content with what God has given me and also a clean record

manage family well - provide, organize, lead, love

obedient children - successful father deserving respect

not a recent convert - mature Christian, having weathered different trials and tribulations

good reputation with outsiders - respected by non-Christians

This is a rough list of what 1 Timothy 3 entails. I sometimes wonder, "do I have what it takes to do this?" or "am I really ready to undertake such a position in the church?" Where can I find the answer to that question? From other men, from peers in the church? No! I must seek God for the answer to that question!

“God is not looking for brilliant men, is not depending upon eloquent men, is not shut up to the use of talented men in sending His Gospel out in the world. God is looking for broken men, for men who have judged themselves in the light of the Cross of Christ. When He wants anything done, He takes up men who have come to an end of themselves, and whose trust and confidence is not in themselves but in God.” ~H.A. Ironside

I know that God wants me to do His will, all I can do is continue to love Him and find myself seeking to return to Him and be with Him every day.

The Watchtower

This is a copy of a bulletin that I just posted on www.myspace.com, asking for prayers from whoever reads it. I am writing this just 15 minutes after our friend left and I am really just in pain over his lack of faith and lack of initiative to really step out of the box and seek for the truth. That is his picture on the left. Please pray with us, because its about all we can do at this point.

Me and my friends just got done studying with our friend Abraham, a Jehovahs Witness here in Mexico. We have been studying with him for months and months now and we havent gotten anywhere, other than we offended him this time because we explained to him that what he believes is a lie made up by a group of men (the Watchtower Association). The truth offends people, and thats why people have always hated Jesus. I just want to ask that you would pray for all of the lost people in the world who dont know the truth, that they can somehow come to know Jesus. It hurts me so much to see people living their lives without a purpose, or even worse, living it for a fake one.

Moved

Hey hey. Well its been about 2 weeks, we moved from our house to an apartment building for various reasons, mainly because the rent on the house was more than we could handle and the contract ended. Moving itself was stressful but finally being settled into the new place was pretty nice. The ministry here, as always, is busy and always growing, which is awesome. Yesterday I was helping Jazmins mom do some stuff at her house and we went and had lunch and I was asking her about what she believes about demons and excorcisms. In a country where everything the Pope THINKS is a law or rule to live by, this means that exorcisms and demons are VERY real to the people here, as can be read about in this article http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/feb/15/mexico. The Mexican mindset is one of religious devotion... doing physical and mental "works" to make yourself right with God and the Virgin, keeping the demons and bad events out of your life if you accomplish these tasks. If only they knew that through Jesus Christ they can be freed from the law and given the Holy Spirit, who defends us from demons and Satan! The sad thing is, its not just Mexico that is affected by the law, its the whole "religious" world! Please help spread the truth about Jesus Christ to the lost world, so that they know that they dont have to be at any kind of risk, if they have the Holy Spirit!

Mi Familia

Hey everyone. Im sorry its been quite a few weeks since I have been able to write anything, my parents were here for one week and not to mention we are just straight up busy with different things. My definition of home has changed in the past year that I have been here. Home is not where are feet are planted or where my house or things are, but where my heart is. For the past year, my heart has been here with the work and with the people I have met. This doesnt mean that I forgot about my real family, who stayed with me for a week to see how and what I am doing here. But this kind of mindset makes it easier to move to through the next open door that God has for me, which will be moving back to Alaska in September to continue ministry there. Also, as Christians, our hearts should be set on heaven and on Christ, not an earthly home but a home with our Savior in the sky. My challenge is to spend as much time with the people and community around you as possible, and less time worrying about work and money. Remember where your true home will be, and that while we are here we have no other purpose other than to glorify God!

Search and Build

The first chapter of the book that I am reading right now ends with this paragraph: "Those who missed His Majesty's (Jesus) arrival that night missed it not because of evil acts or malice; no , they missed it because they simply weren't looking. Little has changed in the last two thousand years, has it?"

After I read that passage, I was transported back to the 18th of February where one of my neighbors was drunk and suicidal, and invited me into her house to pray with her and "help" her (there is a post titled "Crazy Walk" on this day that you can read more about that.) What she asked me that nite was "why do you know Jesus better than I do, and you are so young?" And what I told her was that for her whole life, Jesus has been looking for you, but have you ever reached out and looked for Him?

Maybe if you feel like Jesus is far away from you, you should look for Him! Are you looking for Jesus in your life? Do you look for Him during your day? HOW do you look for Him? When you find Him, what do you do? HOW can you look and find Him more?

Just ask yourself these questions... who knows, you might be surprised (and blessed) by what your find (Jesus).