5 Levels of a Missionary

I was thinking this morning, as I swallowed something strange in my coffee, about a joke we make sometimes. So, I thought I would share it with you guys.

The Different Levels of a Missionary

You can tell how long someone has been in foreign missions by how they react when drinking coffee. For those of you who have never thought about this I devised a list so you could tell what level you are at, and maybe see that you need to go on at least one more mission trip. Starting with the least experienced,

A bug lands in your coffee you:
1: throw it out and wash the cup getting a fresh cup of coffee.
2: just dump the coffee, new coffee.
3: pick the bug out, keep drinking.
4: did I just swallow a bug? Tell your friends, "I may have just swallowed a bug."
5: Bottoms up! Your host may have meant it to have bugs, "Best coffee I've ever had"

I guess I am still on level 4 because, well, I wrote this blog. In reality none of us have "arrived" we are all still works in progress.
So how about you what level are you on?

Lessons from Dogs

God has many ways of teaching us. In fact He is teaching us all the time if we will just pay attention and listen to His voice. One of those times happened with me this morning. 


Both Heather and I were up early this morning to send off two of our close friends who came from Healing Place Church to help Healing Hands Global with strategic planning. After they loaded on the van and left I let our dogs out to have the run of the yard. We have two very active German/Australian  Shepherd pups that were donated to the ministry here at Healing Hands Global. As puppies can be rambunctious and easily excitable I was attempting to calm them down, and Heather happened to mention that they don't listen as well as they used to. This is true as I have not spent quite as much time with them over the past few weeks. So, i decided to work with them this morning. 


Of the two pups (Molly&Abigail) Molly is the more dominate one however, Abigail is the more hyper one. So to train two dogs at once can pose challenges. When I call them and tell them to sit they, both come Abby sits and Molly waits to sit between Abby and I. (She thinks she is more important.) So because I want them both to know I am the Alpha not Molly I will make her stay and call Abby in front of her sister. 


This morning I did that. As I was petting Abby I felt God say isn't that how I work too. Many times, even doing God's work, we will get so caught up in it we feel like we are in charge. God our loving father, sits us down, brings the silly hyper one out, the one no one expected and chooses them. In His loving way He says, "I'm in charge." 
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 1 Corinthians 1:27

Left: Abigail
Right: Molly

He did it through me and He has done it to me. The Apostle Paul had it right. He did not say, "follow me because I am great!" He was a murder! Paul said, "Follow me as I follow Christ." I pray that this is my spirit always, as I lead and follow others, that I will always remember that God is really the one in charge. When all is said and done I want to be able to say, "I followed Jesus well."
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

Making coffee in the dark.

I wake up naturally around 5am. I will go start the coffee brush my teeth and get ready for the day. I come back to the coffee pot and pour a cup mixing the right amount of cream and sugar. I am out the door without ever turning on a light. Why do I do this you may ask. Why do I strain my eyes to make coffee and even dress in the dark? It is because I love my wife Heather. We live in a one room apartment and if I turn on a light she will wake up. So, I stealthily sneak around to do my morning activities then wake her later with coffee in bed.
I think God does the same thing many times. While we are sleeping and going on with our normal lives He is behind the scenes preparing things for us, because He loves us. God makes our coffee in the dark. I know it is what He did with the purchase of our truck.
We thought we had the perfect vehicle picked out and the right price, but after God had provided us with all the funds we realized it was not all it had appeared to be. So, with wise counsel and prayer we waited. All the while God was preparing our hearts, and the timing, for the sale that He had planned. When everything came together we knew it was God. We have now purchased the truck we were looking for, in better condition and at a lower price than anything we had seen previously. The man we bought it from is a great Christian man named Bobby who is sure to be a friend. God always knows what He is doing. If we don't get too frustrated with Him letting us sleep; He is sure to bring us coffee in bed.
"For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him." Colossians 1:16
So when God does, I will not put the focus on me or the coffee. I will worship Him.

Right up the Mountain Right on the Price

Car shopping can be a stressful ordeal. Looking through newspapers, used car lots, and owners front yards. Everyone wants to find the perfect car or truck at the right price from someone they trust. If we were in Louisiana this might be a little easier with friends who we know and trust like Michael Griffis who works at All Star Toyota. (Shameless plug... but really go see him.) Thankfully Jesus was looking out for us here in Honduras and we found the Griffis of the Toyota dealer in La Cieba. Chepe, a good friend of Martin Williams (our boss and founder of Healing Hands Global) has set us up with an excellent truck.
If you have never been to Europe, Japan or the third world it is likely you have never seen a Toyota Hilux. After a little time here however you can see why it is one of the most popular vehicles in the world. I won't go into details, but if you want to do a Google search you will see that it is tough economical and will go anywhere. These things are key here in Honduras.
So God has taken the stress out of searching for a truck for ministry. Now comes the other half, fundraising for the truck. As we have been praying about this for the past month or so God has given me a peace about it. Even with the peace God does not put us warming the bench just after halftime. So while we are back in the states for the next two weeks we will be fund raising and trying to complete the dream God has put in our hearts a vehicle for reaching the people of Honduras.
Will you help us?
Email us at TheYoungersGlobal@gmail.com

2006 Toyota Hilux

• 4 door crew cab
• 3.0L turbo diesel 
• Standard 5 speed transmission   
• 4 wheel drive
• Double wishbone suspension

These are the main points and what makes it one of the best vehicles in the 3rd world.

The truck cost $19,500

We have already budgeted $5,000 from wedding gifts towards this.

We currently need $14,500 to make the purchase

Life is for living!

We're going back to the states in less than a week to renew visas, legally change Heather's name and hopefully raise support for a truck. Have we really been here two and a half months? Have we really been married two and a half months!?! Time has passed so fast. They say time passes faster as you get older... Does this mean I am old? I'm married ... One day I will be a dad... Soon I will be taking my kids to buy shoes, then to college, then a vehicle, and later when they are 35 to be married! Oh lord! Don't freak out Mark!


Ok I may be exaggerating a bit, but it does seem like next week I will be changing diapers. (And let me assure you that regardless of my mother's persistence that is at least a year away.) What is it that makes time seem to be elusive? Why is the only consistent in life change? How do I keep up with it? Can I?


I believe I can. Paul said in Ephesians 5:15 & 16 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” Encouraged by this Paul says we can be wise and make good use of our time. He in fact implores it. As I look back on the time in my life when I just let time pass and did not make good use of it, I see I was being unwise. 


I love Ecclesiastes 3 where it speaks of a time for everything. There is a time for us to do many things but in the same chapter the author says, "God will call the past to account." God does not expect us to waste time nor fret over the future. Wisdom says to live each moment to it's fullest. As one of my pastors, Fernando Gutierrez says, "Life is for living!" How do we do this though?


Ecclesiastes 3 also says in verse 15 "I know that everything God does will endure forever" 
So we get behind the eternal and we have security in what we are doing. When we do God's will we are assured we are not wasting time. This looks different for many people, but one thing all of us have in common is God has called us to love. Love Him and Love others. When we do this we are assured that our time has not been in vein. Instead our life has the greatest purpose. 


So here I am seeing much has happened in my life. I have sold and am selling almost all i own in the states. Soon we hope to buy a truck here. I got married! A lot is continuing to happen; life is moving forward. These are things that signify life as I know it will never be the same. And I can look at it with joy! Isn't it amazing! God promises a changed life and that is what we get. It's what I got! Does it mean when you become a Christian that you will get married and move to another country maybe, maybe not. One thing is for sure as a Christ follower life will look different and we can have joy living it to the fullest. I can promise I will try my hardest to live every second of it as God intended, to the fullest!


You were made for this! Live life. Love God. Love Others. Don't waste a second! Life is for living!

Fame and Glory Who is it For?

One of the most interesting and greatest men I have ever known passed away yesterday. If you knew Dave Ohlerking you know what I mean, if you did not I don't think i could ever fully explain. He was a man of words with few of them wasted. He was a man of action who's validity is prevalent across the world. If you listened close enough you could hear the joy of a little boy inside. If you stayed long enough you would see that little boy cry for all of his brothers and sisters who were sick, hurting, hungry and without Jesus.

As I reflect on the legacy he leaves us all with, I look at my own life and ask God for the strength to be half the man Dave Ohlerking was. With all the victories and the stories I have had the privilege of hearing Dave tell and others tell about him I am honored to even know as little as I do about him. Something in me wells up wanting to be like he was.

While i imagined this God asked me a simple question, "Who do you want to make famous?"
Like an arrow through my soul this question shot, because I know who Dave always was desiring to bring fame to, his name is Jesus. Dave Ohlerking this wonderful father, husband, missionary, leader and friend never demonstrated a desire to be famous. With each new endeavor he brought Glory to Jesus.

In 3 John the Epistle speaks of a man named Diotrephes who always desires to be first. John warns the leaders in the church to have nothing to do with him. Later he says, "do not imitate what is evil but what is good." He says that this is evil to desire to always be first. Yet as I stood sweeping the courtyard of the hospital I was reminded of the countless times I have tried to be first when God clearly  had not put me in that position. Jesus said, "He who is the least among you all, he is the greatest" So why do I try so many times to be great when Jesus calls me to be a servant? Why do I try to go Diotrephes on everyone when Jesus said to come as a child?

Dave gave us a great path to follow because he was following Jesus. I pray we can humble ourselves and as Paul said to the Philippians "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Lets work hard and make sure Jesus is the one we make famous.

"It is amazing what we can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit." - Anonymous ;-)

Don't be that guy!

As usual a lot has been happening. We have started closing in the back wall around the hospital where the next building will be, and we have started to draw up plans for that building. I am in a learning period, in more than one way. I'm learning Spanish, masonry, AutoCAD, culture, Spanish and then just how to live here. Oh yeah, and how to live with a woman... (Any advice on understanding women feel free to share) Needless to say I have my work cutout for me.

It is fun and I enjoy it, but all the while I am learning not to be "that guy." You know, the guy that no one ever wants to be. The one you avoid, you love him... but at a distance. There are four guys I see that we sometimes can become, in one extreme or another.

1. Mr. got nothing to prove

This guy normally goes through life, just taking the blows. He figures he has nothing to prove, consequently he ends up proving nothing. He will do a little here and there if it suits him but in the end it really would not matter if he was there or not.

As a Christian I believe I do have something to prove. Not to the point that I am a pain to be around, but in that as a Christian i should strive to be the best at everything I do. I believe God has called us to excellence not mediocrity, therefore my actions stem from my love for God. 1 Peter 4:11

2. Mr. got to prove everything

There is another type of "that guy" you may find him in the corridors after church trying to tell the pastor how great his sermon would have been if he would have only incorporated the correlation between VISA credit cards and the mark of the beast. Or you may find him at a local drinking establishment gently explaining (at the top of his voice through a megaphone he stole/borrowed from his local youth pastor) how everyone within a 1/4 mile radius is going to hell.

Of course, we do have something to prove; we do want to be the light in the darkness. Sometimes, however, we Christians make something out of nothing. Not all of us do it, but seriously if you have ever seen the videos on youtube of Joel Osteen played backwards (that's right it's not your mommas backwards-masking anymore) you would see what I mean. There is too much wrong in the world for me to spend time being the guy who is afraid to buy the new Kirk Cameron movie because of what some well meaning paranoid schizophrenic saw in the flames of the house. (don't look for that one I just made it up)

3. Funny guy

Now we all know I'm funny, but sometimes I overdo it. Well if you were to ask my lovely wife, I overdo it a lot. I know I go to far, and I am learning to put it on hold when needed. Like Ecclesiastes 3 says there is a time for everything. So make sure you laugh a little but don't make the mistake I have made, don't be "that guy."

4. Mr. Super-spiritual

You know him. You love him; maybe you are him. The one you go to for spiritual advice, but you make sure you have repented before so he doesn't read your mail. You know, the one who walks in and the room just feels lighter. He is spiritual, and this is not at all who I am talking about.

I'm talking about that guy who you dare not talk about angels around, or who if you mention the weather will tell you how it is in direct correlation to the spiritual climate of the nation. Then he will tell you how he was driving to bible study this week and the devil caused him to get a flat tire. (Never-mind that his tires are 10 years old and have never even been rotated.) You may find him hanging out with some guy who is still trying to prove that the backward-mask of the new U2 is thanking all the preachers by name who mention the band in their sermons. Mr. Super Spiritual will usually be found moving from church to church because that last one was just not "deep" enough for him.

So at the end of all this I know there are the good sides of these qualities, and I am seeing more and more that the guy God wants me to be is more clearly mapped out for us in the Gospels. So instead of trying to not be each of these guys I should really focus on being the person God created me to be. In the end it can all be summed up in love. Love God, Love people, if this is my foundation all the rest falls in rather nicely.

What about you? Have you ever been "that guy"? Maybe you are him or her now. Did I miss one? What guy would you add to the list?

Perceptions

We have been in the country over 2 weeks now, and so much has happened. We took our honey moon to Utila a small island just off the coast of Honduras. It was fabulous and a lot of fun. We came back up the mountain and in two days the Williams family left for the states to bring their son to college and itinerarate. So we have been here at the Hospital for over a week running the basic operations and working on getting settled in. Things are much slower here and I like it! At the same time I feel the need to rush things. God has on more than one occasion slowed me down and reminded me that I am not here to serve my own whims and ambitions, but God's and the vision of my leaders. I am reminded that God's plans are always the best. God has me where I am He has put my leaders over me to guide me where He would have me. So again I am brought back to trusting in God. So many times I think If I can just get "over there" that is where God wants me I'll be satisfied, but I am learning (quite slowly in fact) that the only destination is Heaven. Everything else is developing us and helping others to get there also. At least thats where I'm at right now God will probably soon show me how wrong my perceptions are.

How about you? Has God ever changed your perceptions completely?

Thank You God!

So much is happening so fast! Tonight.. ehem, this morning (it is 2am) I am setting up a garage sale that hopefully will be a big help in supporting us in Honduras. The past weeks I have been working non-stop as well as volunteering at church and well talking to Heather online! haha Three things that have consumed all of my time.

After the garage sale finishes at 1pm today I will be going to my friend Benjamen's wedding where I am a grooms man. (I think that would be the singular of groomsmen again it is 2am) I am very excited for him and his new wife, but not as excited as I am for me and my beloved Heather. (Nice use of beloved right? Maybe I shouldn't blog at 2... 2:30am lol)

So on to the point. Tonight I spoke at new beginnings which is a recovery group our church has for people with destructive behaviors. I gave my testimony (seeing as how I once fit into this category.) Then I shared a scripture that had really impacted me. Hebrews 3:7-15 I will share some of that now,
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion."

(Hebrews 3:12-15)

I was so happy to encourage everyone there that they could and should be encouraging each other. That as long as they have breath it is still "today" and God is still chasing them. I truly love what I get to do weather it be teaching the weekly Bible study at Cenikor, or a special speaking engagement like New Beginnings. I enjoy teaching and encouraging and could not imagine God having me do anything else the rest of my life!
A huge Thank You to everyone who has made this possible!
A bigger Thank You to God who gives us the very breath we breathe.

Delight in the LORD

35 days until I marry the girl of my dreams and leave for Honduras. This is what has been a roller-coaster of a Dream come true and it is not over yet. Truth is it has just begun.

Psalms 37:3-4 says, "Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

In these days leading to this huge transition in my life I am trusting that i can stand on the same promise that was given to the children of Israel thousands of years ago. Our God is the same yesterday today and forever and I know He does not lead us to paths that He will not bring us through.

I love the first part of verse three where he says "Trust in the LORD and do good" So my trusting in the lord is making plans to go where he has called me. I am plowing the ground before the rain, because I know He will bring the rain where he has promised. I continue to give tithe and offerings because I know He is my source not money. I will do good and still serve the hurting and the poor because I will not make a god of my work or of anything else. I can say I am trusting in the LORD.

God is so good and so we delight in Him in everything we do. This is living a life of worship. So that when I smile at someone in the grocery line it is so that God gets glory. When I work hard at my job it is to glorify God to those working around me. The way I drive the attitude I have with my parents and friends all things I do are to delight my self in the LORD.

These ideas and subsequent actions are so liberating allowing me to worship the God who created everything. In this way the following promises are only bonuses to the joy God has already given.

I wrote this in the hopes that it would encourage each of you. You can do this thing God has called you to! He will not leave you hanging. Live a life of worship! Live a life of love! Love God and Love people!

Total Trust

I got in my car this morning, started it then drove to church. I arrived at church got out my car shut the door walked across the bridge going from the annex to our new worship space the arena. Said 'hi' to the parking guy then got into the limo golf cart that shuttles people to the building. I went in to the sanctuary and later sat in my seat.

Now some of you are content to know how my morning commute is. Meanwhile others are wondering why I would blog about how I came to church this morning. Well allow me to explain, as many of you know I am raising money to go to Honduras August first. Still confused? I am trusting God to provide finances through whatever means He sees fit. However, I am nervous at times. I worry about it frequently. I know God is in control and I am working hard to try to earn as much as possible, but that will not be enough. I will need monthly supporters for the four and one half years Heather and I are signed up for.

I trust God to provide this don't get me wrong, but how much do i really trust? How thoroughly do I trust Him? When I got in my car this morning I did not worry saying, "oh my will it start?" Nor did I pray "God please don't let the tires fall off and cause me to wreck." Maybe I should pray for these things if you have seen my car! I walked across the bridge to church I trusted it would not fall beneath me. I sat down at church and the seat did not give way like I trusted it not to, but it very well could have. God is much more powerful than my car, a bridge, a seat or the golf cart.

My prayer for my self and for you is that we start to trust God with more confidence than what we put in our cars, money, jobs or whatever we are putting our confidence in. I trust in Christ for eternal life, but God wants my confidence in every area of my life. He wants us to trust Him for every breath not just some things, but everything.

"What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." Matthew 10:29-31

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;" Proverbs 3:5

Back in the saddle

If you have followed this blog you will know I have gone missing now for over a year. This is soon to change. I realize this will be an important outlet for me to let people know what is going on with me in Honduras for the next four and a half years and beyond. So, here I go back to writing a blog. I know it will be a task, but I think I will enjoy it as much as I hope all of you do.

All about the love.

So much to talk about from amazing races, to intros for the staff, to our youth services called Refuge. With all this one would think I would talk about one of these awesome things, but yet again I am going to talk about how I failed and how God has taught me something amazing out of it. (Wouldn't it be boring if I just talked about how perfect I already was?)
Ok so amazing race day two… We arrive at one of the church's campuses and have to paint a wall. The person who is assigning our job to us makes a comment that rubs me the wrong way. Instead of letting it go and letting God deal with it; I wanted to make it a spitting contest. (Not literally.) Afterward I not only was I convicted by the Holy Spirit, but also convicted by those riding with me in the car (lol). Those in the car did not feel I was wrong, but that to joke back with my authority in such a way was wrong. I realized, I felt different, that my heart was not in the right place. The next day at the staff meeting I apologized and we made amends. With all this I learned: other people are not my basis for comparison, if they are I will live life frustrated and fighting with those I love, with those God loves. I am reminded of what Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." -John 13:34-35

Change your World!

Wow! So much to talk about; first I am starting elevate ...... (sorry, umm Healing Place School of Ministry) on Friday! If you do not know it is a full time internship and seminary at Healing Place Church. I am so excited about that. I just quit my job yesterday because I can't work while in the internship. This has been a struggle for the last two or four weeks (my boss has been increasingly hard on me) as the time for me to quit has been approaching. So yesterday the end of the day came and the whole crew wished me luck and AJ (my boss) gave me a hand shake and said I could come back to work during the year if I had any time. This means so much to me, because many times I do not know how they really feel because there is so much joking. So now my point, even when we may not think people take much stock in what we say, and in what we do, people are watching all the time. Now this is only important if you care what people think, if you are representing some thing or some one more important than you. As a Christian I represent the most high, and even though I fail others are watching how I handle it. While many times I do not care what people think about me doing the right thing, like maintaining sexual purity (there are many criticisms for following Christ). This I know, that if I continue to follow Christ and even when I fail I maintain my faith, this will be recognized by others who have the potential to change their lives. Who, in turn can have more of an impact than I could ever have.

So my Aunt recently died. At her funeral many people spoke, but her friends and her son were the most impactful. My cousin Brian said how she was always there for him. (I have seen this with both of her sons many times.) Her friends (mostly other teachers) spoke on how she made an impact on not only their lives but also the students' lives. Seeing how someone who may not have lived as righteous as some can make such a positive impact on so many people, and how some of the most righteous people I know could make such little impact on others, makes me wonder what is it that she did right? Where is that spark in my life? Is it there? One thing she loved people. She was never too busy for some one. And the individual was as important as the whole. I wish I could remember the stories to recount them for you, but I can not. These are the things I want to put more emphasis on friendships, people, what God puts emphasis on. I could build great cities but if nobody shares them with me; what have I done? Nothing! I could preach to the multitudes, but if the individual is not moved I have spoken to the air. We are but a vapor, and if we do not share our time now we will just blow away. What scares me is that I would leave this earth the way I found it.

Faith

Last weekend we had a family reunion. During which we went canoeing. We stopped at an area to swim, and there was a clay embankment across from us. As we swam we went across to the other side, and jumped off of it. My cousin swam over and as he attempted to climb the clay. When his hand slipped, his wedding ring came off, and it fell into the river. We searched for about ten minutes diving ten feet plus under water looking for the ring. Meanwhile my Mom sat on the side. While we were all catching our breath she stated that she was praying. My initial reaction was "thanks a lot" and I thought as if that would not really help. Now I am being candid with you; my faith was lacking. I realized immediately what my reaction was and began to pray myself. We did not find the ring, but I can not help but think what the outcome might have been if I had had more faith. Then, tonight Donna (a lady from our church) spoke, she was speaking on freedom. She said, that once you are free in Christ, you can see many awesome things happen. Things that she has seen such as people being healed and even rising from the dead. Now I know that God can do anything this I have seen, but when she said this my immediate reaction was doubt. NOW My prayer is that I will have undoubting FAITH in God. I pray that not only will I know my God is all powerful, but I will act in it too. I will live in it. The stories in the bible are not only stories of stuff that happened two thousand years ago. They are facts these are miracles that God is still doing today. God is not asleep. He is not dead. He is still all powerful. He cares for us more that ever before and wants to see us live in his freedom. When we do, we will see things happen that can only be attributed to a God who loves and cares for us. This is the God we serve.
Faith.
When I have it my world changes.

Challange

Challenge: To live a life worth writing about. Do I want to live today and end the day saying "I could have....." NO! I want to live life in God's will. I want to step out there so much that it not only scares me, but that others around me say, "Wow!" They say, "Look what God has done here!" So I am challenging my self and the three other people who read this (lol) to step out. To get in the middle of what God is doing and see if it is not the awesomest thing that you have ever experienced. I guarontee (a little Cajun in me) that you will not be disappointed

God What?
Ok I have not blogged in a long time. So I figured I would just give you guys an update on everything that has been going on. I just filled out an application for Healing Place School of Ministry. Yes that is right I am going to be a missionary. Crazy is it not? I never in my wildest dreams thought at age 25 or any age for that matter would I go to be a missionary or even be a Christian! Yeah so for some of you this is a surprise; and for some of you who know me well now, not so much. I had someone ask me the other day what made me stop the life I did lead to pick up and want to be a missionary. My cousin even said "you weren't a bad person before? What you did never really hurt anybody, did it?" Some would say no, I did not hurt anybody. If you asked my Mom, however, how much it hurt her you would get a different answer. If you asked some people who I used, they would give you a different answer. If you were to ask some of the people who looked up to me or that I influenced, you would get yet another answer. Hardly any of these would be real positive. They might not be negative, however if you could see the contrast between then and now (and some of you have) It is like night an day. I know this though: God has changed my life so dramatically that I don't want to go back, no one in their right mind would want to. I know where I have come from and I know where I am right now. And let me tell you it is all worth it. God is so amazing in all he does...:

Perseverance

Ok it's one in the morning and I'm thinking. About where I am in life, and how much of this I want to share with any one who may happen across myspace. But due to the great response on my previous blog I feel kind of safe. So I know this God has a plan for my life. I am pretty sure that I am supposed to go into missions also. What I am going to do beyond that God only knows. God has to prepare me for this though. And He is doing just that. I have a lot of wreckage from the past like many of us do when we turn our lives over to God. (Paul was a Christian murder how much do you think he had to work through.) Any way God has brought me through a lot of these issues already, and is now bringing me through more. I am reminded of James' words when he wrote,"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything." God has given us this promise he wants us to be complete, but we have to go through trials to become stronger. So through this I know that God is still in control and he is allowing my imperfections to put me through trials so that he can perfect me and his plan for my life.

Passion

Passion is what makes us do many things. Passion makes men build palaces for their queens. Passion makes people spend hours in a shop practicing their craft that no one may ever see. Passion makes people end their lives by fling airplanes into buildings. This makes me ask myself, "Where is my passion focused?" If I give my life the same passion that makes a man blow himself up in a crowded market, then how much of an impact can I have on my world? To live a life of passionate love for others, this is my aspiration. These are just a few of my thoughts. Let me know what you think.