Summer 2012 so far!

I can not believe that it is almost August!  This is crazy!  Where did the summer go?  We started out the summer with living in an RV out at the YWAM Orlando property.  All 5 of us were in one small RV with 3 beds and a couch.  Jesse now knows what it is like to have his feet hang over the end of the bed! He was a great trooper and never complained!  Why were we living in an RV?  Sammi, Hannah and I did the School of the Circuit Riders full time and Ned worked in the accounting office that was on the west side for the two weeks. We got a great visit in the middle of Circuit Riders from my brother Thom!  Always great to see him!
Circuit Riders ended on Saturday and on Monday we started the Youth Department training for the summer for about 10 days and then our team of 14 showed up for our trip to the Dominican Republic!
Oh the Dominican Republic!!  How I love this country! and the people there!  We painted churches, cleaned the orphanage, taught VBS's, did local prayer walks and park outreaches and helped with a feeding program!  It was amazing!  Our team ministered in someway to over 1400 people in those two weeks in the country!  WOW!  It was crazy good!
Back to Orlando for a week to try to help out and catch up on some laundry for sure :) and some work here.  Ned in the accounting office and me with the rental houses that YWAM Orlando has.  That was a busy week!!
Life for Youth Camp here we came!  Our SUV broke down about 20 mins from the house then took over 2 hours to get back!  We were able to borrow a vehicle and get to Vero Beach!  What a great week at camp!  About 120 in Junior Chapel each night and 180 in Bible class.  Such a great time.  Camp theme this year is John 15:1-17.  We shared on first being rooted in Christ, then how His love and our obedience makes our joy complete!  Jesus wants to be our friend and laid His life down for us!  Bearing fruit is the outcome of our acceptance and reaction to His Love!  Jesse did a great job showing the campers that they could come up with ways of bearing more spiritual fruit at home and at school. LOVE watching our children lead a chapel service and speaking!
We are back in Orlando now.  Sammi comes home on Tuesday!  She was given an opportunity to nanny for a family in Harrisburg, PA and also get to attend some of an intensive worship school up there.  She has loved it!
So back here in Orlando for a few weeks finally.  Just a couple of prayer requests...our SUV needs some major work or replaced.  It may be beyond repair at this time.  We need to find some housing out by the YWAM campus...either a couple of RV's or a house to rent.  Thanks for your prayers!

The Perfect Picture of Repentance

God so blessed me with the perfect picture of repentance yesterday.

Jesse had done something that he didn't really realize was wrong.  When he was questioned about what had happened, he realized that it was wrong.  Because it involved some younger children that he had possibly led into doing something wrong, he needed to repent to the other kids and to their parents.  He tearfully repented to each parent and the other kids and they immediately forgave him and told him they loved him.

Here was the coolest thing...Jesse shared with one of the dad's and this dad immediately forgave Jesse and then told Jesse how much he loved him and his tender spirit.  He spoke great words of life over Jesse's life and really showed Jesse that he was an awesome young man of God.  Then after affirming Jesse's identity, he goes...Guess what?  Someone blessed us with some money for tickets to a water park!  You get to go on Monday with my son!  Won't that be fun!!

That is the perfect picture of God's design for repentance.
1) We realize we have done something wrong or sinned.
2) We whole-heartedly repent!
3) God forgives us immediately.
4) God affirms our identity in Him and how amazing we are and how much He loves us.
5) Then He tells us how much He wants to bless us!  Might not be a water park but He has amazing things in store for us!

What a great picture to get to see!  Jesse left this experience with a clean heart!  And being blessed and joyful!  That's what God wants to do for each of us! 

2012 - Already a full year!

So it is January 8th 2012. The morning of the 8th day and I already feel like God has done a lot in 2012.
What has He done? He is speaking to me to do a few things.
One...write more. He has given me momentary thoughts that have really challenged my thinking or encouraged me and told me to write them down. I have had a couple of deep conversations with some people too about His Love and His Word. God really wants us to fully use the Helper that He sent to us. Yes! The Holy Spirit. He sent Holy Spirit to be a helper, counselor, encourager. The Greek word paraclete..was originally used. (look it up:) Holy Spirit is an active member of our Christian lives but only as active as we allow.
I had a friend already challenge me to write a blog or devotional...so here goes Darren! Not sure how to do this my friend...but here goes!
If you're reading this and you need a word of encouragement...here it is! God is alive and well and working for your best! Not what we want but what we need! What is best for us!
Having a hard time believing that? Its called trust and faith. It is looking at God's character and believing that He does not have favorites. That He loves us each equally! This has always been a bit hard for me to believe but I am choosing to believe it. A little over a year ago, God challenged me to really believe that He loves me and has a purpose for my life or to just stop! It was a harsh moment. But God doesn't want us to believe it only part of the time! He wants us to believe Him all of the time! To get up each morning believing that He has a plan and a purpose for us that day! To be ALL in!!
Is this hard? Yep!! Some days at least, those days when we are doing things we are tired of...painting trim, fixing a toilet (again), taking paint off of cabinet doors that we just put on but it didn't dry correctly, trying to get rid of bugs! Yep, those days are kind of hard to see that we have a purpose for the King of Kings! But then He allows us to pray for someone or challenges our thinking! Then we get a little glimpse of how much He cares about us!

So choose to believe Him or not!! Stop being half way in! Finish what He started in us when we were born! A purpose!! That what we have and what we are!
YOU HAVE A PURPOSE!! Step up and start living with purpose!