I am just amazed on Henri Nouwen's teaching about the beloved.
If we could just know that we are God's beloved children and His loved in whom He is delighted. Imagine! The challenge is embodying that truth and living it out.
There is something beautiful that happens when we are called beautiful, love, desirable. It's amazing...
If we could live in the identity that Jesus lived in, knowing that we are truly God's beloved, our lives could become blossoms which are a fragrance to all creation.
There is something that stirs deeply in our soul when we know that there are great riches that are before us, one who loves us and desires us with His heart and speaks well of us, and one who gives us the food and substance that we need to live. True riches are not attains by our own hands, and true love is not earned, nor is what we need brought forth through our own efforts. It was in these was that Jesus was tempted. True love and sustenance is a gift for sons and daughters of the one true YHWH God.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
2010 Trip Colombia and Brazil
In March, I was invited by my friends Steve Phillips and Michael Ellis to do the boot camp school for Nehemiah Ministry International at Rey de Reyes church in Cali, Colombia. I was privileged to stay with one of the inspiring youth leaders Jonathan Calderon. It was truly a life changing experience as we went through the counseling material as a community. It was exciting to be a part of a church community, with closely nit small groups, which is alive and growing. I was amazed by the love of the people for one another in the church. After the course, I had to take the offer of my friend David Cruz to go back and stay with them for a few more weeks. We celebrated birthdays together, went to small group meetings together, went to the streets of Cali to promote Jesus to the people, and enjoyed a weekend leadership retreat.
After the course at Rey de Reyes, I traveled to the three frontiers of Brazil, Peru, and Colombia in the Amazon. I soon connected with a mission called AmazonXpeditions through a friend. I met the son of the founder David Gonzalez, and I was amazed by his passion to use all the resources he could to bless people out on the river. I had the chance to join them in going out to small communities on the river bringing food supplies and water purification systems. There is something truly satisfying about being able to bring food to people who need it. Going out on the river with them to do missions was the nothing less than the experience of a lifetime.
During my time there, I had the privilege of staying with the Ticuna people in a little village close to Leticia, Colombia. They would smile as I would walk through their village of houses built on stilts paved by muddy paths. I spent a good amount of time with one boy named Fabricio. He was very nice, smart, and friendly, and he enjoyed showing me around his little village. But I soon noticed that he like many of the others would come to a feeding program, because there just wasn’t enough food in his home. It made me think about what James wrote about in the New Testament, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27 ESV).
After my trip in the Amazon, I was privileged to stay with pastors Jairo and Doris Niño in Armenia, Colombia. I met them through pastor Penn Clark a friend of mine. We spent time together and went through the inner-healing and deliverance material together again. They taught me many things through their experiences in the international field. I loved staying with them. I really enjoyed their loving family, warm hospitality, time of fellowship, and their church. I saw the needs for music ministry, and media ministry, and discipleship among the youth, and which all add to my desire to go back in the future.
The trip was life changing. The course on inner-healing and deliverance was really good. I made some great friends and I was able to participate in some great missions with the indigenous people in the Amazon.
After the course at Rey de Reyes, I traveled to the three frontiers of Brazil, Peru, and Colombia in the Amazon. I soon connected with a mission called AmazonXpeditions through a friend. I met the son of the founder David Gonzalez, and I was amazed by his passion to use all the resources he could to bless people out on the river. I had the chance to join them in going out to small communities on the river bringing food supplies and water purification systems. There is something truly satisfying about being able to bring food to people who need it. Going out on the river with them to do missions was the nothing less than the experience of a lifetime.
During my time there, I had the privilege of staying with the Ticuna people in a little village close to Leticia, Colombia. They would smile as I would walk through their village of houses built on stilts paved by muddy paths. I spent a good amount of time with one boy named Fabricio. He was very nice, smart, and friendly, and he enjoyed showing me around his little village. But I soon noticed that he like many of the others would come to a feeding program, because there just wasn’t enough food in his home. It made me think about what James wrote about in the New Testament, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27 ESV).
After my trip in the Amazon, I was privileged to stay with pastors Jairo and Doris Niño in Armenia, Colombia. I met them through pastor Penn Clark a friend of mine. We spent time together and went through the inner-healing and deliverance material together again. They taught me many things through their experiences in the international field. I loved staying with them. I really enjoyed their loving family, warm hospitality, time of fellowship, and their church. I saw the needs for music ministry, and media ministry, and discipleship among the youth, and which all add to my desire to go back in the future.
The trip was life changing. The course on inner-healing and deliverance was really good. I made some great friends and I was able to participate in some great missions with the indigenous people in the Amazon.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Cali
These last two weeks in Cali have been amazing. I was able to go to take a course at the Rey de Reyes church in Ciudad Jardin. I have been able to meet so many youth who are excited about God and desire to see His name glorified throughout the earth. Their hospitality was amazing as I was very welcomed and experienced the warmth of these Colombian people. The course on inner-healing and deliverance was very good as I learned so much about counseling and why we are the way we are. There were many times of rejoicing. But the best part was making new friends. I met new friends that were very excited about going to the streets and reaching out to the homeless and feeding them. One night, we went out and we found ourselves among crack-dealers on the streets of Cali. It was amazing, as we were able to talk with one guy who was totally captivated by us and even ignored his customers so that he could just talk with us. It was amazing to see the transforming power of Jesus on the streets of Cali and it was so special to have a bonding time with the guys.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Medellin
It has been a very busy day today in Medellin. We went to the comunas ( slums ) on the north side of the city. Then we went up the famous gondolas to the top of these beautiful Andes mountains. It was breath-taking. However, on the way down, we came across a homicide site. It was shocking to see a dead body in the middle of the street. People were gathered around. The pastor told me that it is common to have 8-10 homicides per day here in Medellin--though the statistics reported are much lower. After that, we went to a cell-group. It was really nice to have fellowship, worship, and get to know the people in the house churches here in Medellin. It was inspiring. My heart was taken away by the people who live in extreme poverty in the midst of drug-related violence that plagues the city.
Being with the poor
After being a few days in Medellin, I've been attracted all the more to be with the poor. To be in the midst of those who have been brought to the bottom. It's when we meet with people like that something special happens.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Llegado en Medellin
I have arrived in Medellin. It has been a blessing as I have arrived in the house of a pastor and her family. It has been very good. I have learned so much over the last two days about life in Medellin. It's a beautiful a city, but also it has been plagued by violence in the comunas (slums), prostitution, and drugs. I went today to a family who just recently lost their son to homicide in their community. It has left the whole family preoccupied. It left a woman as a widow and a little boy as an orphan. It made me think. Violence is something that needs to be combated and we must respond with love and compassion to those who are affected by it--especially the orphans and the widows. This family lost their brother just a few months ago, but you can see that God is doing miracles in their family--bringing joy and peace in the midst of distress.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Colombia, South America...
Tomorrow, I am embarking on a journey which will start in Medellin, Colombia and eventually lead to the Amazon in Colombia and then Brazil. My heart is stirred and I am excited about the things God has in store for this trip.
A few months ago, when I would pray, Leticia, Colombia was on my heart. I had met a friend from there, Samuel, when I was at the YWAM base in Recife back in 2007 and he invited me to come there to the base in the Amazon. It just took a little while for that seed to grow.
While I was at the house of prayer a few weeks ago, I found out that a friend Steve from the International House of Prayer here in Georgia was going to do an inner-healing and deliverance school in Rey de Reyes ( King of Kings ) church in Cali, Colombia and he invited me to come with him.
I then reconnected with my friend, who is a pastor, Penn Clark and he connected me with some of his friends in Colombia. I made a contact with some of his friends in Medellin who welcomed me to stay with them. I became excited about this, I prayed, and then I decided to buy my ticket to go.
A few months ago, when I would pray, Leticia, Colombia was on my heart. I had met a friend from there, Samuel, when I was at the YWAM base in Recife back in 2007 and he invited me to come there to the base in the Amazon. It just took a little while for that seed to grow.
While I was at the house of prayer a few weeks ago, I found out that a friend Steve from the International House of Prayer here in Georgia was going to do an inner-healing and deliverance school in Rey de Reyes ( King of Kings ) church in Cali, Colombia and he invited me to come with him.
I then reconnected with my friend, who is a pastor, Penn Clark and he connected me with some of his friends in Colombia. I made a contact with some of his friends in Medellin who welcomed me to stay with them. I became excited about this, I prayed, and then I decided to buy my ticket to go.
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