Ruined for the Ordinary

Picking Up the Pace

2006-04-02T08:20:00.000+10:00

Well, I have been back in the States for almost a month now. Time sure does fly in this fast-paced, 1st world, Western country. I am happy to report that God has been ever-so-faithful since my return. Less than 18 hours after I arrived back in Charleston, I was blessed with the perfect job - waiting tables at Bookstore Cafe. If you aren't so fortunate as to live in Charleston, Bookstore Cafe is, in my unbaised opinion, above and beyond the best breakfast place around. The hours are exactly what I was hoping for - four days 8-4 during the week and an occasional Saturday or two. Perfect for planning a wedding!

Speaking of wedding plans, they are in full swing. This is another area where God has been miraculously wonderful. From our invitations to the D.J., I truly feel that His hand has been upon every aspect of the planning. It seems that whenever Jason and I are together, things easily fall into place. We were out shopping for wedding stuff the other day and ran into his friend who owns a limo service. We needed one, but weren't even thinking about it and, in just a few minutes, it was done. We also happened upon a reasonably priced videographer at Mosaic Church in Charlotte, NC a couple of weeks ago. Those are just a couple of examples of the multitude of blessings I feel He has poured upon me. For any brides-to-be, a hilarious and helpful book I've been reading and would like to recommend is Dazzled to Frazzled and Back Again - The Brides Survival Guide by Ginger Kolbaba.

Today was the Cooper River Bridge Run, a 10K, and a pretty big deal in the Lowcountry - somewhere around 45,000 people ran and walked it this year. The (Kenyan) person who won ran it in 28 minutes! Jason and I ran together and finished in 57 minutes and 10 seconds, a couple minutes shy of our goal of under an hour...not too shabby for our lack of training! It was a lot of fun and I am already looking forward to next year's race.

What I Learned in School

2006-03-04T12:23:00.000+10:00

2 Samuel 24:24 says "nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing." I’ve had the revelation that, after all He has done for us, our sacrifices to God should be somewhat painful. Though the DTS course has been the hardest six months of my life, I feel like I have grown so much and learned many significant lessons.

One of the biggest things I learned is that when we truly seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness, God rewards our faithfulness (Matthew 6:33). Just as a related sidenote, I bought my wedding dress a couple of days ago! The first one I ever even tried on. I felt like God handed me the most beautiful dress I had ever seen (and I have looked at quite a few online over the past couple of months) with a $1000 discount. So amazing!
Partially because a lot of the time I had nothing else to do, I dug deeper in the Word than I ever have before in my life. I was actually given the nickname "verse girl" by one of our team members. I have grown to truly love to grow closer to God by reading the Bible. It has really become my bread of life.

Is that really You God? is the title of one of Loren Cunningham’s (founder of YWAM) books. I have realised how important it is to use the Lord as a filter for everything we are told and for any doors that happen to open. I often find myself asking, "Is that really You God?"

I have also learned the significance that one person can have on the lives of others. Telling one single person about Christ can impact generation after generation. Christobel, an Indian native, was one of our leaders on outreach. Her parents became Christians because a missionary came to their village to tell them about Christ 50 years ago. Her life and passion for the Lord had such an amazing influence on my life. It made me really think about whether or not what I am doing today is going to last beyond my lifetime.

EGR – Extra grace is definitely required when living in community. God has given me a revelation that no matter how much grace I give to others, it will never surpass the amount of grace that He has given me. I have also experienced that prayer for more grace really works – praise God.

Out of all of this, the most important confirmation I have gotten is that missions is truly my hearts desire. Nothing could satisfy me more. I continually want to use the gifts, skills, talents and resources that God blesses me with to reach the lost. I don’t exactly know what is next, but I do feel that God is calling me to work in full time ministry. Does anyone have a job offer? :)

Last night was our DTS graduation. It’s hard to believe that it is actually over. Somewhat bittersweet, I suppose – I am going to really miss all of the amazing friends that I have made, but, at the same time, I am so ready to come home. God bless you, thank you so much for your prayers and I’ll see you soon!

Almost Home...

2006-02-23T16:41:00.000+10:00

Do you remember the movie “Planes, Trains & Automobiles”? Well, I feel like I am right in the middle of it. After a bumpy 16-hour bus ride, a very long 16-hour “layover” in Bangalore and a smelly seven-hour train ride, we finally made it back to Chennai. Our flight to Australia leaves tomorrow afternoon and then it’s back to the States in just a little over a week!

It’s going to be bizarre to go back to a country where I will drive on the right side of the paved road, pretty much all cars have A/C, four wheeling is for snow and “off road”, horns are typically only used in frustration, people are fined for littering - it’s definitely not the way of life, showers are prominent - no more bucketing!, STDs are sexually transmitted diseases - not the phone booths I use to call home, people are usually over 18 when they get married, the only things women wear on their heads are hats and sunglasses - no baskets, sticks, etc., I won’t a superstar (but I will be a bride!) or a singer (oh yes, as sad as it is, many microphones have been put to my lips over the past few months), no one will ask for my autograph or try to take pictures of me, the only herds I see will be of people at a good concert, I’ll have my very own room (at least for a little while!) with a mattress on a bed, children suffer from obesity and materialism (not poverty and starvation), children will be in school - not working construction, carbs are bad, you go to the grocery store for food - not your backyard, tap water is drinkable, Thanksgiving is the only meal that takes more than two hours to make, high maintenance orders (I would like an iced, grande, sugar-free vanilla, non-fat late please) are common and shoes are pretty much required everywhere you go. Crazy as it is, in so many ways, I am really going to miss India!

Valentine's Day, Ministry and More...

2006-02-15T23:48:00.000+10:00

"Who is this guy?!?!" is exactly what my teammates said when we walked in the door after ministry yesterday to find 48 beautiful, long-stemmed red roses and tons of imported chocolate from "Jason Surratt, South Carolina, USA". Who knew that you could send flowers across the world? Especially to an address of "783 Near Merces Church" – no that is not the street name, just a general direction. God definitely had His hand in the success of Jason’s incredibly romantic Valentine’s Day display. I feel so blessed to have such a thoughtful and devoted fiancee! This one can go in the "Jason’s Guide to Romantic Moments" book.

Thankfully, ministry is going just as well as my love life. We have spent the past few weeks working with about 40 children – teaching songs and dances, playing games, giving English lessons, telling Bible stories and helping with homework. I felt like such a mom yesterday as I went back and forth between helping one girl, who was reading a story, with words she didn’t know and counting with another! It has truly been better than I could have ever imagined. Our last day with them is this Sunday and it is going to be so hard to say good-bye. Turns out that Hancee got a sponsor and is going to be able to attend a great school in June! She is really coming along with her reading and speaking.

Jason and I have decided to sponsor a sweet, very artistic (the first day that we were there he spent a couple of hours drawing me a picture of Jesus) little boy named Durgenai and I couldn’t be more excited. He came from a village on the outskirts of town and a Hindu background. His parents both passed away when he was very young and, before he came to the orphanage, he was living with a relative who also passed away. He came to the orphanage for what was supposed to be a short time as his relatives sorted out where he would live. When it came time to leave, he was very unhappy because he wanted to stay with the children. For his better interest, his relatives worked it out for him to stay in the orphanage temporarily. Now he will be able to stay permanently and is going to be enrolled in school in June! We are delighted to ensure that he will be raised in a Christian environment and get a good education. Even more so, I am glad to be able to support him and all of the other children in prayer. I can’t wait to get to a better computer where I can post pictures – they are so precious! If you are interested in sponsoring a child, please feel free to ask me for details.

Glory to God - Ephesians 3:20 Style

2006-02-07T16:30:00.000+10:00

Thinking back, so much has happened since my last post. We spent an incredible three weeks in Rayakatta, a marvelous mountain encircled village, two hours south of Bangalore. We were so blessed with wonderful accommodations and even hot water! Though we had been warned that Rayakatta would require much spiritual warfare, nothing could have prepared us for what we experienced. We worked mostly with Pastor Johnly, a wonderful servant of the Lord who moved to the village 30 years ago when no one there had even heard of Jesus. Since that time, his church has grown to over 400 members. During our stay, we did a lot of village ministry – house visits and open air meetings, visited a reformatory school, two private Christian schools, preached the gospel in front of a couple of Hindu temples and performed/gave messages and testimonies at several churches. We witnessed many salvations, saw an entire village come to Christ (!) and prayed for and saw a demon possessed woman delivered. Praise God!

I admit that I am fairly sensitive and, if you went to Sri Lanka with me a couple of years ago you know that the poverty brought quite a few tears to my eyes. I mentally prepared myself before coming to India and, though I have seen conditions worse than I imagined possible, I have been holding it together quite well. However, my heart finally broke one night as we prayed for a 90 year old man – lying on his death bed, a dirt floor with a pile of old clothing as a pillow – to receive healing. He received salvation. This man was the head of the village. I don’t know what moved me more – the fact that he had waited so long and lived almost his entire life without knowing the Lord or the hope that his last dying wishes and words to the village people would be that Jesus is the only way to heaven.

After a smelly, 16 hour train ride, we are now in the state of Goa (a.k.a. God’s one acre!). Our initial accommodations were not exactly five star – a roach infested kitchen, two bedrooms (no beds), a hall and one squatty potty for eleven people and a baby. But, once again, God has been faithful and provided us with a much better set up, real toilet and all. We are positioned very close to the orphanage where we have been and will be working during the majority of our remaining time in India. One of our responsibilities is to help the children with their studies so yesterday I was going through this ABC type book with Hancee, a precious twelve year old girl. I asked one of the older orphans what we should be studying for school and was informed that Hancee is not going to school. She came from a bad family and was never been enrolled as a small child. Now, neither the public nor private schools will take her because she is too old. This absolutely kills me. I am going to do everything in my God given power to try to rectify this situation. The sad fact is that there are countless numbers of children just like her all over this world. Please pray for Hancee and the many other children who do not have the opportunity to have an education.

Missionary/Wedding Planner

2006-01-09T10:08:00.000+10:00

So, I have been in India for almost two weeks now and, so far, it has beenan amazing trip! Right now we are in Tirupattur and we have been doing alot of village ministry. That usually consists of a couple of dances orskits, a preaching of the gospel message and lots of prayer. I preached thegospel to a crowd of about 200 one night! God has been so faithful to workthrough our group and many have accepted Christ.

Aside from ice-cold bucket “showers”, our accommodations have actually beenan upgrade from Island Breeze. There are crazy monkeys everywhere - theybroke into our room yesterday and stole our bananas and chocolate. I stillthink they are adorable, but the other girls are kinda freaked out. Thefood is amazing!

Everything is an adventure. Just walking an hour and a half, dodgingpeople, cars, rickshaws, bicycles, motorcycles, cows, chickens and poop touse the internet is a journey in itself. I am pretty used to the blaringhorns by now, but every now and then one is really loud and I scream forfear of being run over. The people all know us (you can’t miss the onlywhite people in town) and have been so kind.

Our team leaves for Rayakatta (sp?) on Wednesday and then we go up to Goa inFebruary. We will return to Australia on February 25th and I will be backin the States on March 5th! Please keep my India team in your prayers! Iwill try to keep you posted as often as possible, but don’t expect to haveinternet access again until Goa.

Planning a wedding from India isn’t exactly ideal, but it’s a goodconversation topic for our down time. The other day 2 Samuel 24:24 was agreat encouragement for me. It says something about not sacrificing to Godunless it actually costs something. Jason and I have been so blessed totalk often. The date is set for June 25th in Mount Pleasant. YEAH! Wewould greatly appreciate your prayers and encouragement during this last twomonths apart – wait, just 57 days. J

We're ENGAGED!! The story...

2005-12-22T23:01:00.000+10:00

Jason arrived to Brisbane on Friday, December 16th. From the airport we went directly to Hervey Bay where we took a ferry to the oh-so-beautiful Fraser Island. We stayed at Kingfisher Bay Resort which was absolutely wonderful in itself. You really appreciate air conditioning and clean bathrooms after you haven’t had them for three months! Saturday morning, Jason and I had a delicious breakfast, complete with pancakes, maple syrup and scrambled eggs (another delicacy that I had not had the pleasure of enjoying for three months). He said he had a surprise for me and we didn’t have time to do anything else so we laid out by the beautiful marsh for a little while. At 11:15, a van picked us up in front of the hotel and took us to a helicopter pad!!
The “heli” took us for an aerial tour of the island. It was a lovely day and the water was so clear that you could see all kinds of fish from the sky. Because it was a little windy, the pilot didn’t take us to the planned destination (a sandbar in the middle of the bay), but instead to a delightful private island. We had it all to ourselves for four hours. Jason and I were dropped off with a picnic lunch, blanket and a tent for shade. We decided to explore “our” island and walked to a point where there was a 100 yard long sandbar, just a short wade away over crystal clear water and smooth multi-colored stones. At the tip of the sandbar, with an audience of several exotic pelicans and some sting rays, Jason got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! After I said that there was nothing that I would rather do and jumped up and down a few (okay, maybe more than a few) times, we sat on the shore and talked about the buying of the ring and him asking my dad’s permission (that’s a funny story in itself!). Then we walked back to the tent to celebrate over our first meal together as an engaged couple! And what a meal to celebrate with – cheese, olives, veggies, fruit, several dips, Caesar salad, oysters, prawns, crab, cheesecake – YUM! After the heli picked us back up and dropped us off, we went out 4-wheel driving (you have to drive a 4-wheel drive on Fraser Island because there are no roads). It was a little scary at first, but ended up being a blast. We didn’t have much time so we went to Lake Mckenzie and swam in the refreshing, bacteria free, crystal clear water. We finished off the day with a wonderful dinner at the resort and a couple of joyous phone calls to the pleased parents. And as if he hadn’t already done enough, Jason gave me a wedding planning guide (I am sure that we are going to look back and laugh at the thought of me planning our wedding while on outreach in India)! Talk about a fantasy of a day! It is still hard to believe that it really happened.

Jason and I are so blessed to have one another and are delighted to announce our engagement. We will be married in May or June of next year.

We are writing this post from Sydney, Australia, wishing you a very Happy Christmas!

God is good...all the time!

2005-11-28T17:29:00.000+10:00

Sorry about the lack of posts, but what an awesome two weeks I have had! We spent a week at a conference/lecture with Jim Stier learning about evangelism and God’s heart for missions. Stier told some incredible, faith building stories. My favorite was about a 15 year old boy that was on a mission trip in Hade. He was going door to door asking people if they needed prayer. He came to a house and the woman told him that her neighbor could probably use some prayer because she looked horrible (“like she was about to die”) earlier that week. So the boy went to the neighbors home and found the front gate and front door wide open. He clapped (instead of knocking) and saw that there was someone sleeping on the bed just inside the house. So he, quite boldly, went in and just started praying that God would touch the woman. The next thing he knew there was a man standing behind him. The boy asked who he was and the man replied that he was the owner of the house and that it was his wife lying on the bed. The man asked what the boy was doing in the house and he said that he was just praying for his wife and that she was healed. The man told the boy that she hadn’t healed. The boy argued that yes, she had because she was stirring right there on the bed. The man said again “You didn’t heal her because she died last night, you raised her from the dead!” The man had just been at the coroner and funeral home making arrangements for her burial. When he came inside and saw the boy praying there was another man there as well. The other man touched his wife when the boy asked God to touch her. True story. The point was that we should expect miracles and pray with faith when we pray.

The conference was great preparation for the following week that we spent in Byron Bay doing outreach. Byron Bay is like the Daytona Beach of Australia. All of the students that just graduated (yes, they graduate in November here – weird, huh?) go there for what they call “Schoolies,” a time to pretty much just let loose and party like crazy. It is a beautiful area, but very full of all kinds of very innovative spiritual concepts (witchcraft, Buddhism, worshiping the dim star of the southern cross, etc.). All of these people are just searching for the true Lord, Jesus Christ and because it is such a “spiritual” place, it is very common for “God conversations” to start. It was an amazing week! Our group of about 40 students from different YWAM bases did sports outreach on the beach during the day (for me, it just doesn’t get any better than talking to people about God, playing soccer on the beach and getting a tan all at the same time!), had free cookouts (sausage on the barbie, anyone?) and worshipped in the parks at night. People were really drawn to our worship and we always ended up with a big crowd around us. Countless seeds were planted and several names were added to the book of life – glory to God! I was asked many difficult questions, but God totally spoke wonderful answers through me. I had many moments when I was actually surprised at the words coming out of my mouth! I talked and prayed with a girl named Jenna (crazy, huh?) who accepted Christ into her heart. It was such an incredible experience.

I am now back at the base for three more weeks of lectures. We have the former President of YWAM speaking this week and I am really looking forward to some inspiring insight from him. The countdown has begun (okay, okay, I started a couple of weeks ago) for when Jason arrives - 18 days to go! Then it's off to India on December 26th. As always, prayers are greatly needed and appreciated.

2005-11-10T13:06:00.000+10:00

Once again, we have been blessed with a remarkable teacher this week. I just want to pass along a bit of the wealth of knowledge that I have taken in over the past few days.

In following God’s will, we need to remember the WOW principle:
What do I need to do?
Our attitude as we go through.
What do I have to leave off?

We are made up of a body, soul and spirit. The soul is composed of the mind, will and emotions. The body and sprit are constantly in a tug-of-war battle for the soul. Consider the analogy of a white dog (spirit) vs. a black dog (body). Whichever dog is fed, will win the battle for your soul.

Read Luke 10:25-37, the story of the Good Samaritan. The priest and the Levite didn’t stop to help because they put their reputations before the man in need. The priest would have been “unclean” for 21 days, meaning he would not be able to work or receive income. God doesn’t respect our reputations – he desires that we act righteously in all situations, no matter what the cost. The mistakes or the priest and Levite teach us that we should never put our position, profit or a program before people. The Good Samaritan let the man ride on his animal while he walked, paid for him to stay at the inn (plus any other expenses incurred) and was made late for wherever he was going (probably an important meeting). In return for laying down his rights to help the wounded and robbed man, the Samaritan got tired, poor and inconvenienced, BUT he was the hero of the story.

You are probably familiar with Matthew 7:13-14 that says “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it.” I heard a very cool way of describing this verse. Pretend you enter the subway station in NYC and go through the little gate to get down to the subway. It’s rush hour so there are a lot of people trying to get down into the subway system (this narrows the path) and you realize you don’t know which one to get on so you stop, turn around and try to go back to the gate to ask security. The path going toward the subway is wide – there are many people going that way and they are all wondering why you are trying to go the other way (some probably think you are crazy). They may stop you to ask what you are doing and tell you that you should just go to the subway because it is easier. You may just get caught up in the crowd (talking to a friend or even your spouse) and taken down to the subway. When you commit your life to Christ, people – friends, family, co-workers – will block the path because they know your old reputation. You have to stop to explain and justify yourself to everyone. The path to heaven becomes smaller and smaller as more people that are going the other way block your path. It’s not enough to just stop and turn around (repentance), but you actually have to start walking (sometimes fighting your way) toward heaven. A great reason to stay plugged into a church is because it is a lot easier to go against the current with a big group of people. I just want to encourage you to continue going against the flow!

After the fall of man, God put curses on Adam. Genesis 3:18 says “Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.” Thorns and thistles came along with sin. I don’t think that it is just a coincidence that Jesus had a crown of thorns on His head (Matt 27:29), bearing the sins of all mankind, when He was crucified on the cross. This proves that God knew what was going on and had a divine plan in place all along.

Well, if you made it this far, I hope you learned a little something. For now, I am feeling a bit tired, poor and inconvenienced (praise the Lord) so it is time to end this post.

Random Updates

2005-11-02T18:19:00.000+10:00

Okay, I have been super slack on my blogging lately and I am sorry. For the past week and a half, I have literally been overwhelmed with information on the Holy Spirit (last week) and Spiritual Warfare (this week). I couldn’t begin to tell you all that I have learned – I haven’t even had time to process it all myself – but my personal highlight of the Holy Spirit week was learning about the Power and Spirit of Elijah. Before last week, I am not even sure that I knew anything about the Spirit of Elijah, but the basis is that it is a prophetic call to prepare the bride of Christ for Jesus’ return. It coincides with a Spirit of Repentance, Healing and Reconciliation. We are called to draw the treasure out of people. John the Baptist had the Spirit of Elijah on him (Luke 1:15-17) to prepare the way for the first coming of Christ, but it now applies to the context of Christ’s return to reign on earth for 1,000 years. I also learned a lot of innovative details about the Five Fold Ministry (Eph 4:11) and the Gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:8-10). As for this week, I’ll just say this… I thought I knew a good bit about Spiritual Warfare and over the past couple of days I haven’t even been able to keep up with new information that we are being fed. It’s crazy. We have been so blessed with wonderfully anointed teachers.

Last weekend was a free weekend so Saara and Johanna and I went to Surfer’s Paradise to celebrate Johanna’s birthday. It was really nice to get off the base and away from so many people. We just relaxed on the beautiful beach (water is still a little too cold for me to go surfing!), shopped a bit and Johanna’s mom paid for us to go to a really nice dinner.

I have found out some info about the India trip. We will be staying in a village on the outskirts of Bangalore. There will be no running water – that means bucket showers and holes in the ground for toilets (oh yeah!). This realization has helped me to really appreciate our base bathrooms! It’s going to be like heaven when I return to the States. Anyways, there are 25,000 people in the village and 1% are Christian. They cannot speak English and we cannot speak Tamil (their primary language) so that is going to make for some interesting ministry time. The majority probably can’t even read so it’s not like we can just show them a Bible passage. If you have any skit, drama, dance or other ministry ideas, please feel free to share. Otherwise, our team could really use your prayers.

~Shout Outs ~ I want to give a shout out to Carrie Davis and the little one that God is knitting inside her as I type. I also want to give a shout out to my awesomely supportive boyfriend Jason Surratt – you are unbelievable and I can’t wait to see your gorgeous face in just 43 days!
That’s all for now. I should be sending out some new snapfish photos soon. If you haven’t received them and would like to, please just send me an e-mail and I will be happy to get you the link.

Angels & Mortals and thensome...

2005-10-21T17:15:00.000+10:00

Our DTS class is playing this game called Angels & Mortals – talk about an awesome game that I definitely recommend! Everyone in the class draws a name and you bless that person for a few days (we are doing it from Tuesday evening until Friday afternoon). You aren’t supposed to spend much money (around $5) and your angel is supposed to be a secret. My angel left me a sweet and encouraging note and yesterday morning I received a big fruit basket (with chocolate dip!) at the beginning of class. Then, around 3:00pm, I got two notes labeled 1 & 2. The number one note said to “get all dolled up for a date and be ready at 4:50.” At that point, I could read the second one. Let me pause for a moment to add that it was obviously a girl’s handwriting so, don’t worry Jason, I wasn’t about to go get ready for a date with a guy. My second note said to go to the hall. Around 4:45 someone announces over the loudspeaker that I can’t come to the hall until dinner is announced. When I finally went up there, I was greeted at the door by Stacey, dressed as a maître d' She took my arm and escorted me to the production office where Chelsea (also dressed as a waiter) handed me a beautiful flower. They took me into the office which was filled with flowers, candles and a table set for one. On the table was a letter. This is what it said:

Jenna…
I know you are here expecting to be on a date tonight…but your Prince Charming is on the other side of the world. So, I, your Heavenly Father, wanted to have a special dinner date with you…my precious daughter.
You are so beautiful. Jenna, I have watched you grow up into a beautiful young woman. I was there with you on your first day of school; you were so tiny, so nervous, so precious. I watched you expand your mind learning how to read and write, maximizing the gifts I had given you… you always excelled.
I cheered you on from the side lines as you played soccer…I never missed a game, I still remember the day you scored your first goal.
Jenna…I want you to know at this moment just how much I love you. Thank you for the moments that you spend with me during the day… those early mornings…talking to me. I love hearing your sweet voice.
I want you to know that I’ve always been there Jenna, and I will never Leave you. Every time you cried I was there weeping with you…the moments you felt alone or abandoned I was there.
Jenna… when you walk down the isle, when you have your first child, when you buy your first house…I will be there with you, rejoicing with you and so very proud of you.
So tonight, while you are far from family and friends…May you find yourself at home in my arms…the arms of your Father.
I love you Jenna…My precious little girl…
Dad

How incredibly sweet is that?! I cried for about 20 minutes and then proceeded to have a date with Jesus. It was an awesome date (best I’ve had in about five weeks) and I felt like He was saying that I should go to India for outreach. I was really excited because the past five weeks have pretty much been turmoil as far as my outreach decision goes and today was the D day.

This morning in class, I started second guessing my decision thinking that it was just my will pulling me toward India and that maybe I should go to Micronesia. I felt like I was trying to justify my decision to go to India and that, if it was really of the Lord, I shouldn’t have to justify it. We had a time of ministry where we were supposed to write anything that was keeping us from the fear of the Lord (that has been our topic for the past few days) and take it to the cross at the front of the room. When I went up there, among other things, I pretty much surrendered my desire to go to India. Right after that, the person leading our class said to pray and ask God for a specific word for someone else in the room. Chelsea, my staff small group leader, came directly to me and said that God had just spoken to her and said that He has a specific place that He wants me to go on outreach and that He has been trying to tell me for a while through other people and such and that I had been resistant to it for a while. He said that I was being sent to touch a group of women and one particular woman’s life. The place was India. Talk about confirmation! God is so good! It was just like Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22). I now feel a total peace about it all and there will be no more second guessing.

"I Hate My Life!"

2005-10-18T16:25:00.000+10:00

“God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” – Hebrews 12.10-11

Encountering spiders in the shower, roaches in the kitchen and ants in our pants has made “I hate my life” a commonly used phrase (jokingly, of course) among the students on our DTS. I have been in Australia for over a month now and the past couple of days I have been more than a little bitter about my living conditions. I thought that when I left Charleston – Jason, my friends, family, church, income and the comfort and security of the United States – I was giving it all up for Christ. Tonight, I realized that I hadn't. Mark 15:26 says “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple.” I realized that I hadn’t died to myself – my selfish desires for air conditioning, high speed internet, proper extermination and the like. Jesus doesn’t literally want us to hate our families or our selves. We should, however, “hate” them compared to the way we love Jesus. There should be a difference in the way and amount that we love Jesus and prioritize our lives. Tonight I left my selfish desires at the cross and realized that it is a good thing to hate my life. John 12:25 says “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” So, every time I want to complain, I will just stop and remind myself that I hate my life in the best way possible.

Hope You Get a Laugh Out of This...

2005-10-13T18:21:00.000+10:00

I was told that I need to stop “preaching” and blog about more fun things that are going on so here goes. Try to imagine that you are me in these stories – it will make it that much more fun.

Maggots from the Nut Shack
Just like at home, during small group we usually sit around snacking and talking (always about important Bible stuff, of course). Tuesday, I was munching on some mixed nuts and dried fruit that I had purchased from the Nut Shack at the hyperdome (a.k.a mall). When there was a pause in the conversation, I looked down into my nut sack and was terrified to see a little white maggot squirming around. I screamed. Everyone started asking what was wrong and all I could do was whimper. They soon discovered what was wrong. Tonight I am going to tell the nut shack man that there are maggots in his mixed nuts!

Spider Madness
If you know me, you know that I can not stand spiders. They may be God’s creatures, but they have eight legs, are ugly, scary and just really freak me out. Today, my groups work duty was to clean all of the spider webs off of the lights, ceiling and fans in the main hall because there is a wedding scheduled here this weekend. I know that I wouldn’t want spider webs on the ceiling during my wedding so I went into this task with a pretty good attitude. After the first light cleaning, spiders are just raining down. I was just a little bit petrified that my worst nightmare was coming true, but, under the circumstances, I dealt with it rather well. We were almost finished when a girl came up to me with a very scared look on her face, pointing at my shirt. I immediately jumped back and screamed (also, if you know me, you know that I have a very piercing “spider scream”) and yelled “That’s it – I am done. I am not doing this anymore!” Please recall that the large majority of the insects and reptiles in Australia are poisonous so, don’t laugh - you would have done the same thing.

More Scary Spiders…
Last night, Aisling, one of the girls in our class, jumped out of the top bunk of her bed close to hyper-ventilation. Laura, the girl below her asked what was wrong. She replied “I hate my life! They’re everywhere!” “What Aisling? What’s everywhere?” Laura asked. “Spiders, they’re as big as my fists – two of them, right in my face!” By this time, everyone in the room is awake wondering what is going on. Laura says that it is okay, she is just dreaming, but I wasn’t convinced. Someone had come over with a flashlight looking for these huge spiders, but I wasn’t satisfied and made them turn on the light. My bunk is right next to hers and there was no way that I was going back to sleep if there was an inkling of a spider in the room. After about five minutes of hunting for these spiders, Aisling had pretty much convinced herself and everyone else that it was just a dream, but it still kept me awake for quite a while. When I finally fell asleep, I had a dream about two huge spiders. In retrospect, it is pretty funny, but the fact is that those spiders could have very well been real.

Learning about the Bible

2005-10-12T18:15:00.000+10:00

BIBLE – Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth

The Bible tells us where we come from, why we are here and where we are going. There are 66 books in the Bible – 39 in the Old Testament (originally Hebrew) and 27 in the New Testament (originally Greek). In every book of the Bible, God is calling us into relationship with Him.

We learned about Bible translators that risked their lives and some that were persecuted to the point of death to make the Bible available to us today. Wycliffe an Oxford Theologian that first translated the Bible to English (1382 AD) said “All matters of life should be submitted to the truth of the scriptures that even common people should have access to it.” He strongly challenged the practices of the church and was hated so badly that he was killed and later persecutors dug up his bones and burnt them. That is some intense hatred! Today, Bible translators have two major obstacles – historical/cultural barriers and linguistic/language barriers. Bible versions range from the Literal Hebrew/Greek (NKJ) to Equivalency (NRSV) to Paraphrased (MSG, NLT). The Western world is so blessed to have such vast access to Bible. There are still parts of the world that have to actually share single pages of the Bible. Think about that next time you put off reading. J

Old Testament breakdown:
~Genesis to Deuteronomy – Pentateuch/Law
~Joshua to Esther – Historical Books
~Job to Song of Songs – Wisdom/Poetical books
~Isaiah to Daniel – Major Prophets
~Hosea to Malachi – Minor Prophets
New Testament breakdown:
~Matthew to John – Gospels
~Acts – History Book
~Romans to Philemon – Paul’s Letters/Epistles
~Hebrews – Sinkrisis (compilation of sermons)
~James to Jude – General Epistles
~Revelation – Apocalyptic Literatures

Father Heart of God

2005-10-10T16:19:00.000+10:00

Last week I came to a deeper understanding of the Father's Love for us. We read the Father's Love Letter (visit http://www.fathersloveletter.com to read this awesome letter) and talked about verses that specifically spoke to our hearts. I would recommend doing this for anyone who is unsure of God's love.

The best part about the week, however, was the last couple of days where we had sort of a Cleansing Stream retreat for our class. If you haven't done Cleansing Stream, I would recommend that as well (http://cleansingstream.org). Having been through Cleansing Stream just the weekend before coming to Australia I thought that I knew what was in store, but, as usual, God did more than I could have asked or imagined. At one point, I was on my knees praying for a girl that had been deeply wounded as a young child. There was some major spiritual warfare going on and the presence of the Holy Spirit was so prominent. The Lord gave me this amazing revalation that it was for this very reason He sent Christ to die on the cross - to take away her pain, heal her heart and set her free. He did the same thing for you too. You just have to claim it in Jesus' mighty and powerful name. Galatians 5:1 says "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:7-9 says "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) All fo these verses totally came to life for me last week. Praise God! We have to let the Holy Spirit search our hearts so that we may become free vessels for Him to use for His glory!

This week is going to be intense as we are studying the Bible. Please keep our class in your prayers. Because of all of last weeks breakthroughs Satan is definitely on the prowl... and the last thing he wants is for us to dig into the Word. Thanks!

2005-10-04T18:51:00.000+10:00

Top 10 Things that are Different (but, not necessarily bad) about YWAM Island Breeze:
10. You only get napkins at restaurants and at special occasions.
9. Does anyone remember clothes lines?
8. We actually drink rainwater that sometimes has living organisms in it (you think I’m kidding). Isn’t there supposed to be a big hole in the ozone layer over Australia?
7. “Ants in your pants” isn’t just a funny saying anymore. They are huge and they bite like wasps sting.
6. Power Point is the place where you plug things into the wall.
5. Killer birds… and everything else.
4. You hold your breath and pray every time you plug something in because it is quite possible that it could blow up.
3. The mosquitoes actually bite through your clothing.
2. Mullets are “in”.
1. The saying “Good night, don’t let the bed bugs bite!” has taken on an entirely different meaning.

2005-10-01T18:38:00.000+10:00

This Week’s Highlights
This week encompassed so much that I can’t even begin to tell you about everything so here are some of the best (not always new, but in a new light) thoughts that I picked up:
~an egg that stays in it’s shell is no use to anyone – it must be broken (Josh, you can add this to your analogy about an egg holding the cake together)
~God may hurt us, but He will never harm us; He may cause us pain so that we can become free of it – for example, when someone has a tumor, possibly cancer, the surgeon will cut it out to save the patient further pain
~there are four main sources from which we receive communication: God, the world, our own flesh and the devil - instead of listening to ourselves, we should communicate with God and others
~B.C.G. (Blaming, Criticizing & Complaining and Gossip & Grumbling) is an infectious disease in the Church; the cure is B.C.G. (Being Continually Grateful) and D.P.T. (Daily Praise & Thanksgiving)
~Because He wants us to become more like Him, God speaks to everyone, all the time
~He speaks specific plans, love, comfort, truth, warnings, correction & rebuke and guidance
~Philippians 3:10 is an awesome verse…meditate on that
~just like playing darts, you can hit the bulls’ eye - God’s perfect will, anywhere else on the board - his permissive will or you can totally miss the board – sin
~intercession: praying for others by knowing God’s heart; pleading with God for mercy on behalf of a sinner; standing in the gap
~petition: praying for ourselves
~spiritual warfare: standing against/between Satan and another person
~God speaks through nature (Romans 1:20), written word, rhema word, living word – Jesus speaks, dreams, visions, angelic visitations, family, friends, enemies, pastors, speakers, music, media, inner voice, closed doors, open doors, deep inner knowing, financial provision, audible voice, conscience, circumstances
~He usually confirms what He is speaking through two or three sources – peace, scriptures, Godly advice
~God never contradicts His own Word in the Scriptures (in context)
~God never violates His own principles
~God never tells you to do anything selfish, untrue, immoral, unkind or unloving
~In ministry, human sympathy will not take you far, but divine passion will.

Last night we went on our first official outreach in the somewhat sketchy, near the train station, downtown area of Logan City. In a word, it was AWESOME! We had a prayer power hour and then went out in groups of four to evangelize to whoever we came across and invite them to come have coffee and pastries at our makeshift "coffee shop." Many people were open to hearing the gospel. I had the biggest Holy Spirit buzz when we finally left around 1:30am. Praise the Lord!

Today, we went to downtown Brisbane and hung out around Southbank, a man-made beach in the middle of the city. It was much more beautiful than I had imagined and we had a great day, full of sun, sand and shopping.

Next week, we will be studying the Father Heart of God - stay tuned for updates.

2005-09-26T18:48:00.000+10:00

What am I learning?

Lectures officially started today and it was AMAZING! Pat Derham from the Adelade base is our guest speaker this week and, in two short hours, she erased any doubts that I had about being here. I am going to try to recap our morning session, but, just as a forewarning, this is going to be a bit lengthy and I won’t even be able to come close to the wonderful job she did.

We began discussing the differences between God and Satan. The point was to really comprehend that Satan isn’t as powerful as the world can make him out to be. She compared him to a lion without teeth and to the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz who was actually very small, but used a megaphone to make himself seem huge.

This is why God will always win and Satan will always lose:
God is Eternal – no beginning, no end; God’s justice is for all of time and not just this earth; He doesn’t always give instant answers b/c he wants us to grow – we do have all of eternity; Satan had a beginning
God is Creative – all creativity comes from God; unless we know what to look for, Satan can counterfeit anything – however, just like counterfeit money, Satan’s copied works are devalued; we must become experts at God’s truth to better discern Satan’s imitations; Satan’s power is over the ignorant; Satan appears as an “angel of life”, a.k.a Lucifer
God is Omnipotent – love is power under control; there is no limit to God’s power; we give Satan power because of unbelief and sin; sin opens the gates for attack – we must close even the smallest gates of sin
God is Omnipresent – all places, all time in His fullness; He will never leave us or forsake us; God is as present as the air we breathe; ex. the air is filled with radio waves and we must have equipment, a source of power and must be tuned in to the station – it is the same with God – He is our source of power and we must be tuned in so we can hear when He speaks to us
God is Omniscient – all knowledge, wisdom and understanding from all time; read Psalm 139 and James 4:7; we resist Satan with the knowledge and understanding of God’s Word; ex. Say you are a little baby chicken and Satan is a fox – no matter how hard the baby chick tries to stand up to the fox, alone he would be destroyed; if the little chick stays in the comfort of it’s mother hen’s wing, the fox would be afraid to come near; we must stay under the protection of God’s love; Psalm 91:1
God is Light – the further we are from Him the bigger our shadow; God has no shadow or darkness; just as the moon can only reflect light from the sun, Satan can pretend to have light from God
God never dies – 1 Tim 1:17; you can never lean too hard on the heavenly Father; example of Job
God is Truth – accurate, complete and eternal; much of the world tells half truths or exaggerations – that is still a lie and on Satan’s side

That's all for now. To be continued...

2005-09-22T16:36:00.000+10:00

Orientation is going great. We have discussed the history of YWAM and Island Breeze (the subdivision of YWAM in which I am enrolled), cross cultural relationships, quiet time, small groups and work duties. Learning about the foundation and vision of Island Breeze was really cool. It all stemmed from one man’s holy discontent. I have decided that one thing that I really want to gain from my whole DTS experience is finding my holy discontent. Just one thing that gets me so fired up that I absolutely have to do something about it – one pure and holy passion for which I can focus my God given gifts.

In discussing quiet time, someone compared it to our spiritual food for the day. If we don’t eat, we get thin. If we don’t have a daily quiet time with our creator, we will become spiritually thin. One of the best things about being here is that I have been able to wake up early and have abundant amounts of time to spend with the Lord. I am not rushed to get ready for work or to go shopping or to the beach (I couldn’t go anywhere even if I wanted to). I can focus all of my attention on knowing Jesus more intimately. My goal is to become spiritually overweight by the time this DTS is over. How is your spiritual weight?

2005-09-20T17:07:00.000+10:00

This week we are doing orientation activities. I feel like I am a freshman in college again and love it! We even got a syllabus! For the next twelve weeks, this is what I will be studying:
~Nature/Character of God, Prayer, Recognizing God’s Voice
~The Heart of God
~Jesus-Fear of the Lord/Lordship/Conscience
~Worship, Stewardship
~Holy Spirit
~Spiritual Warfare
~Life from God’s perspective
~Mission/Evangelism
~Outreach Week @ Byron Bay
~The Bible
~Destiny
~Relationships

This is definitely the most exciting syllabus that I have ever had. I have to do book reports and everything. I am so excited about what God is going to do in my life and in the lives of those in my class. Today, I played an actual soccer game for the first time since I broke my leg. It was so much fun – even in the bad soccer shape I am in, I still scored two goals! I just tried to post some pictures, but it isn't working for some reason. Probably because the internet connection is S-L-O-W! I will try again tomorrow.

2005-09-19T18:45:00.000+10:00

G’day!
I am sorry that it has taken me so long to post. I know that some of you have been on the edge of your seats waiting for this. I haven’t been able to get my computer hooked up to the internet until now, but from here on out I plan on posting at least once a week. The YWAM base isn’t exactly what I had pictured, but I am getting used to it. I am sharing a room with ten (!) other girls who are all in my DTS class. There are also four guys and one married couple with a child for a grand total of 17. Our ages range from 17 to 27 (I was very relieved to find that I am not the oldest “youth with a mission”) and I think we are going to have a great group. We have people from the States (I am the only southerner!), Canada, Fiji, Ghana, Ireland, Finland and Fiji. Quite a mix! I have already connected with a lot of the girls. A few of them have boyfriends that they miss too. :) More about the base… the bathroom/shower area is about 100 yards away from our room. That is fun, especially in the middle of the night when you have to use the restroom. To top it off, we have to watch out for all of the poisonous snakes, spiders and toads. Already, I have killed two spiders from the reach of my top bunk. Just down the road there is a man-made lake with a wake board pulling wire. It, like a boat, pulls you around on a wake board, knee board or skis. How cool is that? I have been running in the mornings around the lake and plan to start a workout program for whoever wants to join. Right now, it is quite chilly in the morning and at night, but the days are unbelievably perfect. The sunsets are amazing and the stars shine so brightly.

I want to thank everyone – you know who you are – that made it possible for me to be here. May God pour abundant blessings on you. I am going to Monday night Meeting now (kind of like Monday night church), but pictures and many exciting posts soon to come!

2005-09-13T21:08:00.000+10:00

the other woman...
Two weeks ago another woman came into Jason's life. She is huge, destructive and famous world-wide. She has been taking up the large majority of his time, keeps him up until all hours of the night, makes him stay on the phone, fills up his inbox and causes him to be late. He is so excited that she has come into his life that he hasn't even tried to hide her from me! However, being the loving girlfriend that I am, I am grateful that he has found someone(thing) for which he is passionate. I was even praying that God would put something big in his life to occupy his time while I am away. Gotta love it when He answers prayers like that. :) By the way, her name is Katrina. Has she gotten hold of your man too? I am thinking of starting a support group.

2005-08-20T01:12:00.001+10:00

Rollercoaster
I feel like I am standing in line for an emotional rollercoaster (in many ways, it has already started). When I saw it from afar, it looked like such an adventure – fun stomach dropping descents that would make me a stronger person. I knew that this was something I really wanted to experience and God confirmed He wished for me to go as well. Now I have my ticket and am about to embark on one CRAZY ride. As I get closer, it just looks bigger and more precarious. There is no stopping, no turning back, just full force twists, turns, ups and downs. My whole world is about to be turned upside down and I am a little bit scared. Thank goodness God running the ride and I can trust Him as my safety belt! I am trying to gather the courage to sit back, put my hands up and enjoy the ride. Please pray that He would prepare me for the motion sickness that I am undeniably going to feel.

2005-08-20T01:12:00.000+10:00

Last night, I had a dream that when I woke up, it was time for me to leave for Australia. I was totally unprepared and had a horrible feeling. It made me wonder, when the time comes, will I be ready? I think that physically I will be fine (I am such a planner!), but I am not too sure about the emotional side. What can I do to better prepare my heart and those closest to me? Suggestions please!

2005-08-16T06:05:00.000+10:00

It gets more real every day!
Do you ever imagine something, but don't feel like it is really going to happen? That is how I have felt about going to Australia for about ten months now. I am leaving in less than one month now and it gets more real every day. I have paid my deposit, raised about 80% of my goal funds, secured a plane ticket and obtained my visa. So many steps in the process and they have all gone rather smoothly. I am confident that God will provide me with the rest of the money I need in His perfect timing - probably the very last minute. :) I learned the other day that a man named Johannas from Germany is donating a generous sum of money toward the cause. He visited Seacoast about a month ago to do intense ministry training & learn about our multi-site operation because, get this, he wants to start a Seacoast Germany! How cool is that?! I barely talked to him, but apparently he and Jason prayed for me and my trip quite a bit. Talk about unexpected sources! God works in the most incredible ways...praise Him!

2005-08-11T23:05:00.000+10:00

Back to School

In a sense, I am going back to school so I decided to do some preparation homework. I have been thinking about the main purpose of the Discipleship Training School - fulfilling the Great Comission. As stated in Matthew 28:19, I should become better equipped to "go and make disciples of all nations, battizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." What does it really mean to become a disciple of Jesus Christ? A disciple of Christ, as defined in www.dictionary.com, is one who (1) believes His doctrine, (2) rests on His sacrafice, (3) imbibes His Spirit and (4) imitates his example. Here are a few Bible verses that stand behind that definition:

John 6:69 says "We believe and know you are the Holy one of God."
Hebrews 10:10 says "we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Matthew 11:28 says "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Ephesians 5:18 says "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."
2 Corinthians 3:17-19 says "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

As believers, we should always be involved in continuing education. We do this by reading God's Word daily, attending church services as well as joining a small group in order to better understand Biblical prinicples. When Christ ascended, He gave some gifts "to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming." (Ephesians 4:11-14)

When we first become Christians, I think that it is kind of like entering Kindergarden. Hopefully you have a great teacher, learn the basics, make some life long friendships and learn from your mistakes. Most of the time, Kindergarden is a lot of fun - you get to play, have nap time and the "work" is usually fairly easy. However, there might be factors that keep you from excelling or even liking school - difficult tasks, bullies, a bad teacher, etc. - but if you really focus and and work hard, you will move past that stage. As you move from grade to grade, the difficulty level only gets harder and the distractions become more prominent. In Christianity, the levels aren't as defined as they are in school, but there is always room to grow more like Christ and become stronger in your Christian walk. Once you excel past the stage of being a "baby" Christian, Satan will increasingly do all that he can to keep you from furthering the Kingdom of God. So, be on guard! Is it time for you to move up a grade? What is holding you back? Pray that God would reveal His next step for your life. Should you be leading or coaching a small group? 40 Days of Community is about to start at Seacoast and hosting a group would be a great way to "move to the next level". Please visit https://my.updateu.com/registration/register.asp?intOrgID=1444&intEventID=1822137&intOccID=45087596& to register to be a 40 Days of Community host. If you are interested, but would like more information before signing up, please contact me.

2005-08-11T05:26:00.000+10:00

Psalm 2:8
Many people had never heard of the small country of Sri Lanka before the tsunami last year. It is unfortunate that such a disaster had to occur to make the rest of the world aware of their existence. However, Seacoast Church has had a relationship with their people for several years now. Last fall, I was blessed with the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Colombo, Sri Lanka with seven other people from Seacoast Church. For months building up to the trip and as we traveled almost exactly halfway around the world, I tried to imagine what to expect. After traveling for three days, I was hit with a wave of humidity as I stepped off the plane in the Colombo airport and was taken aback by my surroundings. The streets were filled with a chaotic mass of cars, rickshaws, people, bicycles and even cows. The smell in the air was putrid and the smog was so thick that our snot was black after just a few hours of breathing the air. Sounds of motors, the grinding of gears, blaring horns and Sinhalese chatter filled my ears.
Barely having time to get over the initial culture shock, our team began working with Bethany Church, focusing on outreach and youth ministry in the community. The large majority of the people have virtually nothing as far as material possessions go, but their hearts are overflowing with love and joy. Most houses consist of dirt or clay floors, a curtain door (if at all), a tin roof and no running water. The “bathrooms” are typically a hole in the ground out back. The Indian Ocean that lined the city was a beautiful blue-green from a distance, but incredibly contaminated with waste and pollution.
Though they had barely anything and much less to give away, we were treated like kings and offered some kind of refreshment in every home we visited. After seeing groups of children fighting over cheap plastic sunglasses and small pieces of candy, I realized how much we have and take for granted in the United States. Because there is virtually no medical care, people have to rely on their faith in God for healing. The power of prayer takes on new meaning when you have to earnestly pray “Give us today our daily bread.”
Though it sounds like it would be a very sobering experience, after spending two weeks in their Spirit filled culture, I was more humbled and closer to God than I have ever been in my life. I am not sharing this experience to give you a guilt trip, but a gratitude trip. Be thankful for the country you live in and think twice before you complain. We have all been blessed more than we could ever ask or imagine. Glory to God.

*Note: If you would like to find out more about international or local missions opportunities, please visit http://www.seacoast.org/mountpleasant/missions/index.html.

Originally posted July 28, 2005

2005-08-05T23:45:00.000+10:00

My Best Friend
Do you remember how when you were younger, you could only have one best friend at a time? You said things like, "If you do this, I'll be your best friend." There were BFF heart necklaces that broke in half and each friend got a piece. Luckily, as I have grown older and wiser, I realized that I can have as many "best friends" as I want. They each hold a special place in my heart and always will. Since they have been such blessings in my life, I am going to highlight some of my best friends in my upcoming posts. Who is your best friend?
Above all, Jason Surratt is the best friend I have ever had. He loves God and wants to spend his life serving him. He loves missions. He is constantly supporting and encouraging me. He makes me laugh. He always calls. He listens when I need to vent. He takes care of me in the sweetest ways. When I had surgery on my leg, he took off work, stayed with me at the hospital all day long, then proceeded to deal with my sickness and pain for a couple of days. He even made a schedule of all the medicines I was supposed to take. He brings/sends me flowers. Sometimes, he tucks me in (and even tells me an occasional story). He is patient while I shop and even helps me pick things out. He drives an hour to have lunch with me (nevermind that he gets to play free golf after lunch). He calls me sweet names like pookie lou and faucet. He makes an effort to know my friends and family. He prays for me and he prays with me. He swings with me - even though swings make him sick. He is the most incredible and versitile athlete I know. Because of him, I can consider myself a surfer, tennis player and softball player. When we play softball, he always catches the ball when the other team hits it to left field - I can trust him out there almost as much as I trust Jesus. He works out with me even when he doesn't want to. He doesn't mind taking lots of pictures. He writes me notes and cards. He gives me back rubs when I am sore. He tells me I'm pretty when I feel like I'm not. He is so much fun on road trips and plane trips and boat trips. He is competitive. He is generous. He works so hard at all he does. He is an amazing leader and teacher. He is a wonderful co-leader in our small group. He thinks of me before making plans. He doesn't get upset when I cry because he appreciates my compassion. He is patient. He writes me e-mails that brighten my day even though he would prefer to just talk on the phone. He dances with me (even though neither of us can dance). He surprises me. He loves that I am a little wierd. He is thoughtful. He holds my hand at the most opportune and needed moments. Though he isn't always very serious, he always knows just the right thing to say to make me feel better, more secure and loved. He has an incredible family. Sometimes, he calls me in the morning on my long drive into work just to help me pass the time. He sings with me in the car. He will eat another brownie or get ice cream or order dessert if I want it, just to make me feel better. He knows what I drink at Starbucks (it's pretty complicated). He likes the opera and Broadway shows. He tells me when I have something in my teeth. He plays with my hair. He tells me when I need to adjust my attitude (in the nicest way). He cares about my opinion. He doesn't boast too much when he wins in Nerts. He dresses up with me. He stops to let me use the restroom when we are on road trips (unless we are late for a softball game). He is trying to get me to eat meat (once, he tried to tell me that pepperoni wasn't meat), just so we can better enjoy meals together and he doesn't want me to have to cook different food every time we eat (so badly that he even asked me to pray about it - I am humoring him). He thinks he is always right, but I never say I told you so when he is wrong (Saturday night, we had plenty of rain gear for the JT concert. Jason said it wasn't going to rain so we left it in the car. It POURED for almost the entire concert). In short, he loves me like I never imagined I could be loved. Who could ask for a better friend?
*Please note: To all of the men out there - though, in my opinion, it will never be possible to meet Jason's match, you should observe and try to replicate his behavior and qualities. You will make all of the ladies out there a lot happier. Ladies - back off, he's taken.
Originally posted August 1, 2005

2005-08-05T23:44:00.000+10:00

Spoiled Brat
On Saturday, after driving for three hours in what could have been deemed a monsoon, passing four wrecks and reading three chapters of John, Jason and I arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina. My parents arrived just before we did. I should have been ever so grateful that they drove two hours just to take us to dinner before we went to see James Taylor. However, I was quite disappointed to find that my parents were waiting for us at Razzols, the only restaurant which Jason had told me he didn't want to eat. Of course, being the wonderful girlfriend that I am, I always want him to be more than happy. So, the fact that he told me to "just be agreeable" didn't change my mood at all. I mean, it was for his sake, of course, that I was upset in the first place. After sitting down for about 15 minutes, halfway trying to convince my my parents to go to another restaurant (if I really wanted to, we could have gone elsewhere), and staring at the unappealing menu, I reluctantly agreed to split something with my mom (if the food was going to be bad, I didn't want to eat a lot of it). Well, my food turned out to be fine (and at least Jason said his was good) so I felt badly for being a brat at the beginning of the evening and apologized to my parents as my dad paid the bill.
When we left the restaurant, we went to the parking lot to get some rain gear my parents had brought to us for the concert. My brother had borrowed and sent my big hiking pack back with my parents. I went to lift it out of the trunk and noticed it was heavier than usual. When I looked inside, I found a brand new, super-thin laptop, complete with wireless internet. I was so surprised and thankful. It was like Christmas without the anticipation. They knew that I wanted one for my trip to Australia in order to better communicate with family and friends (and keep my loyal blog readers up to date of course). One of the coolest parts about the laptop is that there is a world map on the desktop with current times for all timezones. So, I will always know what time it is in the States, no matter where I am. But wait - that's not all...in the front of the pack, I found a check with a significant contribution for my trip. They also brought the best fresh baked, homemade chocolate chip/walnut cookies I have ever tasted, a book on Australia and other fun accessories for the computer.
As we were heading to the concert, I began to reflect on the abundant blessing that my parents have always been in my life. Their gifts, attitudes and actions on Saturday day reminded me so much of Christ. No matter how bratty we may be at times, He never ceases to stop loving us. As Chris Tomlin put it, "He sees the depths of our hearts and He loves us the same." Praise the Lord.
Jason told me that I can be kind of bratty around my family. Maybe it is just because they have always made me feel so special - attending all of my soccer games, providing a wondeful education, taking care of all of my car problems, helping me when I am in financial need, just listening when I need to vent, caring when I am sick, constantly praying for me... I realized on Saturday that, through their overwhelming love, my parents have spoiled me. And I don't mean spoiled like I am ungrateful or anything like that, but I guess that, since I don't see them very often, I have just come to expect to get my way whenever they are involved. Anyways, I needed the check in attitude and am grateful that Jason said something. I am going to work on it and I am sure that with a lot of prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit, my attitude will be adjusted. Is there an area in your life where your attitude needs a check?
Originally posted July 31, 2005

2005-08-05T23:42:00.000+10:00

Excerpt from The Gift of Change
An underground revolution is sweeping the hearts and minds of the people of the world, and it is happening despite the wars and terror that confront us. This revolution is a fundamental change of worldview, and it carries with it the potential to reorganize the structure of human civilization. It brings a basic shift in the thoughts that dominate the world. It wages a peace that will end all war. It is a global phenomenon that will change the cellular structure of the human race. To those who are part of it, who feel called to it, its reality is a growing if not obvious truth. To still others, it's a lofty but ridiculous notion, a preposterous and silly idea.
Yet no social revolution of any import emerged because everybody woke up one day saying, "I get it! I get it!" Such revolutions emerged instead from what anthropologist Margaret Mead described as "a small group of concerned citizens." Not only are such groups capable of changing the world, according to Mead, but in fact, they're the only thing that ever has. And they are doing it now.
A spiritually attuned counterculture is already in our midst. It is marked not by clothes or music, drugs or sex, as was the counterculture of the sixties, but by the internal attitudes of those who perceive it. They make suggestions and comments that are just a little bit wiser; they bring new insights into areas previously locked down by the status quo. They see some star in the sky that not everyone is seeing. And in their presence, we start to see it too.
Signing Up for Duty
We sign up for duty, for participation in this revolution, through a sincere desire to be used by something larger than ourselves, for the purpose of healing the world. It doesn't even matter if we don't call that "something larger" by the name of God. For some people conspire with God who do not yet believe in Him.* It is ultimately not our belief but our experience that matters.* God has no ego by which to be insulted if we do not get His name right.
But whatever name we call Him, we come to realize that we are the army, but He is in charge. He cannot use us to change the world deeply until first we have been changed by Him. To surrender the world to Him, first we must surrender ourselves.
The change begins with a shift in the lens through which we perceive the world. It grows within us to affect not only our own lives, but also the lives of those around us. It leads us to connect with others who are similarly undergoing a transformation of their ego structures, from an old perspective to something new. And through our individual and collective efforts, divinely inspired, we will turn the world around in time. Just when we thought all hope was ended, hope will reappear.
For those of us who are cynical; for those of us who are too tired now; for those of us who are weary of the way things always go; for those of us who used to care but are too busy now just trying to get by, there is a change afoot. It begins in the heart. And as it rises to the surface, it will change all things.
Imagine that God has asked you if He could use your hands and feet, to go where He would have you go and do what He would have you do.
Imagine that God has asked you if He could use your mouth, to say what He would have you say and to whom.
Imagine these things because He has.
"Many are called, but few are chosen" means that everyone is called but few care to listen.* The call goes out to all of us, all the time. None of us has more or less capacity for contributing to the salvation of the world.
Choosing to serve God, we are choosing the path toward God's greatness within us. When we see people who are clearly letting the spirit work through them—who have found their genius, their power, their passion—we are not seeing some special force at work that chose them over others. The power did not choose them so much as they chose it.
Those among us who have achieved the most have achieved only a fraction of what all of us are capable of.* The "gifts of the Holy Spirit" are waiting for all of us, when our lives are dedicated to God's plan.
Every morning, we have a choice: Will I seek out God's plan today, or will I go about my day as a slave to my ego's agenda? To choose God's plan is to choose the option with the best opportunity for turning your life into a conduit for the miraculous. As soon as we start asking Him how we can help with His plan, rather than just asking Him to help with our plans, everything will be better for everyone.
We're here to be teachers of God—that is, those who demonstrate love. God has a plan for the salvation of the world, called "the plan for the teachers of God."* His teachers come from all religions and no religion.* There is nothing to sign up for, no worldly organization or institution to belong to. It simply refers to a stirring in the heart, which then activates an internal guidance system already present within us. If we ask how to help, He will show us how to help.
While there are hate-filled people planning ways to sow violence and destruction on earth, God has a blueprint for creating peace on earth. It's not a physical blueprint, but rather a plan that exists in His Mind, pieces of it ready to be downloaded into the mind of anyone who asks to receive his or her part. Each of us carries maximal potential to be used by God to heal the world.
He has a plan. And it cannot not work.
~Excerpt >From The Gift of Change by Marianne Williamson

2005-08-05T23:08:00.000+10:00

You are My Sunshine
I just heard an inspiring thought that I wanted to share... treat each person that you encounter as if you are the only ray of sunshine that they will get in a day. Without your added brightness to their day, they would not have any at all. Wouldn't that be sad? So, no matter how much the person might grind on your nerves or how mean they may be (all those EGR people), try your best to be their sunshine. You might be surprised at the results. :)
Originally posted July 25, 2005

2005-08-05T23:01:00.000+10:00

It's so Simple
A few nights ago, Jason took me to see Batman Begins at the IMAX. Don’t worry – I am not too fond of people telling me about movies before I have seen them, so I won’t ruin anything. However, if you don’t want to know anything about the movie, stop reading now and check this blog out after you have seen it. At the very beginning of the movie, someone tells a young Bruce Wayne (pre-Batman) that if he travels to this remote, freezing cold, mountainous area, finds and picks a very specific blue flower in the midst of the rocks and snow and carries this fragile flower to the top of the mountain, he will find what he has been searching for. Well, against all odds, he does it. And guess what happens when he gets to the top – he gets his butt kicked! Someone should have told Bruce Wayne about Jesus.

Aren’t we so blessed that receiving salvation is so simple? God humbled Himself in the form of a man and came to this earth. He lived a sinless life and died on the cross for all of mankind’s sins (that’s a lot of sins!). All we have to do is believe it and accept Him as our personal savior. We go from being condemned to death to being forgiven and having eternal life. In addition to receiving the wonderful gift of everlasting life, we get to have a personal relationship with the creator of the universe! How awesome is that! Imagine the most wise, caring, generous, patient, faithful, forgiving, loving person in the whole entire world wanting to be your best friend no matter what you do or say to Him (try to be nice - he did save your life J). Praise the Lord for His grace and mercy, then go out and tell someone how easy it is to “find what they have been searching for” and receive the gift of eternal life!
Originally posted July 22, 2005

2005-08-05T23:00:00.000+10:00

I Surrender All
I have worshipped to the song "I Surrender All" many times. However, a couple of Sundays ago, while singing this song, the Holy Spirit really gripped my heart. The song lyrics go something like this:

I'm giving You my heart
And all that is within
I lay it all down
For the sake of You my King

For the sake of knowing You
The glory of your name
To know the lasting joy
Even sharing in your pain

And I surrender all to you
All to You, All to You

I'm singing You this song
I'm waiting at the cross
For all the world holds dear
I count it all as loss

I'm giving up my dreams
I'm laying down my rights
I'm giving up my pride
For the promise of new life

And I surrender all to you
All to you, All to You

In preparation of going to Australia, I am feeling the pain of surrendering it all - leaving my precious family, my absolutely amazing boyfriend, my job, my incredible friends, my time, my home in the beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina (okay, I don't really have a home)...but these things really aren't mine at all, are they? They are all wonderful gifts from God and He could take them back at any time he wishes. As the Cleansing Stream Seminar workbook points out, death to joys, hopes, dreams and desires happen when you cease to keep your gaze upon the Sovereign One who can do the impossible(1-25). I am trusting that as I keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, He will give me the strength, wisdom and ability I need to obey his calling and I am hoping that he increases my vision, desire and joy to serve His Kingdom.

Apart from Christ, our thoughts are governed by our sin nature, which always put ourself first. Surrendering to Jesus means completely giving Him control over each area of our lives - finances, time, talents, abilities, possessions - regardless of the circumstances, how we feel and what other people say. Human wisdom is not the same as His wisdom. One of my favorite verses is "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." -Romans 12:1-2 Once we have accepted Christ into our hearts, we have surrendered to Him and are no longer part of this world. Jesus said "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." -Luke 9:23 I must do this as I chose to wholeheartedly follow Christ. Please pray that the Lord gives me peace, joy and strength as I surrender all.

Next time you are faced with a decision (big or small), consider what God wants you to do. Rely on the Holy Spirit for wisdom. God's Word will help you separate your soul (thoughts, emotions, attitude) from your Spirit (His Holy, Living Spirit within you). Let God's will be your own and ask Him to help you do what He is blessing, not just bless what you are doing.
Originally posted July 18, 2005

2005-08-05T22:58:00.000+10:00

Support
I am ten weeks away from my tentative departure to Australia. Throughout the entire process, God has taught me so much. For a while, I considered going to Charlotte, North Carolina for the DTS. It seemed like the answer to all of my questions and doubts about going to Australia - I would be close to family and friends (at least for the lecture session), home for the holidays, be able to play a physical part in the start up of Mosaic Church (as well as establish a liason between YWAM and Mosaic)... However, after much prayer and consideration, I truly believe that God has plans for me to go to Australia.
My deepest apologies to those of you (especially Jason) whose hopes were up for me staying nearby. I have been in situations before where I have felt God leading me in a direction that I didn't necessarily want to go. I know that I can rest assured that He has my best interest in mind and that I must be obedient - no matter how difficult it may be. Please let this be a lesson to you all - be open listening to God's whispers and be willing to follow when He pulls on your heart. Satan WILL try to take away and deter you from God's immaculate and fulfilling plans (John 10:10). After considering Charlotte, I know even more now that God wants to take me out of my comfort zone. As my dear friend Mary Mac put it, "to NO ONE in the universe does it make sense to leave the man you love and everything you know and that is how you know my sweet Jenna that there is a God, that you would do something so crazy!" So, I am going to do my best to "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let [my] requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard [my] heart and mind in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7
Lately, I feel as though God has constantly been right by my side - teaching me, knowing me, growing me and showing me that He will take care of me as I trust in Him. I am up to $3568 in financial support and have been blessed with a wonderful (rent free!) home to live in during my time of transition. Through prayers, conversations (pre-Superman), financial support, e-mails, cards, phone calls, letters and hugs, I have also been shown the great extent of supportive friends that God has put in my life for a time such as this. Thank you all so very much. Please keep it up!

Originally posted July 6, 2005

2005-08-03T00:50:00.000+10:00

Support Letters
I am sending some of my support letters today. This is what they say:
Halo: Kohom~d~
That is Sinhalese for “Hello. How are you?” As you know, last fall I went on a mission trip to Sri Lanka. It was one of the most eye opening and life altering experiences imaginable. In the two weeks that I was there, I saw God move in incredibly powerful ways that touched many hearts and lives forever. I was taken way out of my comfort zone and spiritually stretched beyond belief…and I have never felt so fulfilled. I discovered more about myself and God during those two weeks than I had in the past two years. Since that time, God has put a program called Youth With A Mission (YWAM) on my heart. YWAM is an international movement of Christians from many denominations dedicated to serving Jesus throughout the world.
After prayerfully considering my options, I applied and was accepted to the All Tribes Discipleship Training School (DTS) in Carbrook, Australia. This program will prepare me for full time ministry with cross-cultural evangelism training. The DTS will assist me in gaining knowledge to “go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19),” fulfilling the Great Commission. The school consists of a lecture and an outreach phase that will last for twelve weeks each. To learn more about YWAM or the DTS that I will be attending, please visit http://www.islandbreeze.com.au/. Also, while I am away, I will be journaling and posting pictures at http://jennalewter.blog.com/.
The course starts September 18th, so, I only have a couple of months to prepare for this journey. During that time and, of course, while I am there, I would greatly appreciate your prayers. It is not going to be easy to leave behind my family, friends, job and the wonderful city of Charleston, South Carolina. I am incredibly happy and have been abundantly blessed but, I have come to the realization that worldly success does not equal a purposeful life. My heart’s desire is to know God intimately and make Him known; “Simply put, if [I] am not willing to take what is dearest to [me], whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, [I] can’t be [Jesus’] disciple (Luke 14:33). I hope you understand the difficulty of this calling and know that your prayers are so very important.
I am also responsible for raising $10,000 worth of support. This will pay for the cost of the school, three months of missions work, living expenses and all transportation involved. Please know that any investment you make in God’s Kingdom is more significant than any other you can make on earth – it’s eternal! Anything you could do to aid me financially would be such a blessing. Fortunately, I was able to set up an account with Seacoast Church. If you would like your donation to be tax deductible, please fill out the enclosed form and make your check payable to Seacoast Church.

Thank you and God Bless,

Jenna Lewter
843.696.5674
Originally posted April 26, 2005