Hmm...
Chicago was a very interesting event for me.
On one side it was great for two reasons, Chicago pizza, and friends I haven't see in a long time. LOTS of friends I haven't see in a while. It was great to see them again. I missed them so much and it was good to just simply see their faces and hang out with them.
On the other end, this event was super different and stressful! Our team wasn't getting along, it was a church event so the building was SUPER crowded and made my job way harder, and I also had to run another camera. It was just way stressful and chaotic. And honestly, I'm still kind of stressed due to some things that happened this weekend lol.
But of course, the Lord moved despite those things. His presence fell like honey. It was so sweet and so thick.
Here's the highlight video for Chicago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7k-7VMq-Rs&feature=plcp
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Toronto, Canada
Oooooh Canadaaaaaaaa.
Well, my second Canadian experience has been very well. :)
We had to sneak people into the country, we got to walk around the city of Toronto, got to see Niagara Falls again, and I felt the Lord in an overwhelming way and learned once again how faithful He is to answer prayer.
The Lord put a deep, deep hunger and thirst and desire for His presence this weekend. I felt like David when he said in the Psalms, "As the deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you, oh God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go meet with God?" My heart was literally being broken because I wanted His presence so desperately.
Fast forward to Saturday night. ... I couldn't handle it anymore. I needed Him. So we get into worship, and about halfway through the worship set, we start singing You Won't Relent.
The screens were black.
And I got extremely overwhelmed by the presence of God in the room. So overwhelmed that I just sat down on the stairs going up to the stage and just cried my eyes out. I didn't even get camera shots. After ten minutes of crying, I got up, went up the stage to get some shots, and got even more overwhelmed and started crying even harder lol. It was totally insane. The Lord is so good.
Another quick testimony for the weekend, there was this kid in a wheelchair that was at the front of the concert line every single concert and worship set. The Lord really put Him on my heart as soon as I saw him. I didn't get any opportunities to go pray with him, but something cool did happen regardless. He didn't get healed or anything, but at the very end of the event, the speaker calls the attendees to live their life for Christ in such a way that is relentless. To relentlessly pursue Him, the things of Him, and His people. As I was watching the crowd one by one stand to their feet, he stood out to me, even though he was pretty far out there. I watched him grab his friends shoulders around him, drag himself out of his chair and stand to his feet. His friends had to hold him up, but none the less it was still an answered prayer. I wanted to see him stand up.
The Lord did some great things up here in Canada! There's a lot more, but I'm not going to list them all off for you. :)
I am now here in my teammates hometown of Gwelf(?), Ontario(?) lol. The next few days are going to be full of rest. Praise the Lord because I am pretty dang tired. We also get to lead a youth service tomorrow night!
Well, if you have any questions, go ahead and ask them. :)
And here's the highlight video!
Well, my second Canadian experience has been very well. :)
We had to sneak people into the country, we got to walk around the city of Toronto, got to see Niagara Falls again, and I felt the Lord in an overwhelming way and learned once again how faithful He is to answer prayer.
The Lord put a deep, deep hunger and thirst and desire for His presence this weekend. I felt like David when he said in the Psalms, "As the deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you, oh God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go meet with God?" My heart was literally being broken because I wanted His presence so desperately.
Fast forward to Saturday night. ... I couldn't handle it anymore. I needed Him. So we get into worship, and about halfway through the worship set, we start singing You Won't Relent.
The screens were black.
And I got extremely overwhelmed by the presence of God in the room. So overwhelmed that I just sat down on the stairs going up to the stage and just cried my eyes out. I didn't even get camera shots. After ten minutes of crying, I got up, went up the stage to get some shots, and got even more overwhelmed and started crying even harder lol. It was totally insane. The Lord is so good.
Another quick testimony for the weekend, there was this kid in a wheelchair that was at the front of the concert line every single concert and worship set. The Lord really put Him on my heart as soon as I saw him. I didn't get any opportunities to go pray with him, but something cool did happen regardless. He didn't get healed or anything, but at the very end of the event, the speaker calls the attendees to live their life for Christ in such a way that is relentless. To relentlessly pursue Him, the things of Him, and His people. As I was watching the crowd one by one stand to their feet, he stood out to me, even though he was pretty far out there. I watched him grab his friends shoulders around him, drag himself out of his chair and stand to his feet. His friends had to hold him up, but none the less it was still an answered prayer. I wanted to see him stand up.
The Lord did some great things up here in Canada! There's a lot more, but I'm not going to list them all off for you. :)
I am now here in my teammates hometown of Gwelf(?), Ontario(?) lol. The next few days are going to be full of rest. Praise the Lord because I am pretty dang tired. We also get to lead a youth service tomorrow night!
Well, if you have any questions, go ahead and ask them. :)
And here's the highlight video!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Amherst, Massachusetts
Well, what can I say. I'm sitting here at a bed in breakfast in Capecod, Mass, and yesterday I spent a day in Boston. I am extremely blessed to do this. :)
Now down to the subject worth writing about....
For six weeks me and my team have spent sleepless nights, tearful days, and brain cramming days training for this tour...
It was long...
It was hard...
It was exhausting...
And it was extremely emotional...
For me, those six weeks were the Lord chipping off the death and the stone from my heart and soul. It was a time where my empty lungs were being resuscitated by the breath of God. It was an Ezekiel 36: 24-27 season.
“For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."
When we arrived at The Mullins Center a week before the event, I was excited. ... Five days later, I was exhausted and sick. I was annoyed at everyone on my team and was even questioning why I stayed on the ministry team again. I spent about 30 hours out of that week failing and having to tackle big projects over and over and over again. The only thing I clung to, and even after a while was hard to cling to, was that this hardship is worth what will happen on Friday and Saturday.
After all that failure.
After all that frustration.
After all those sleepless nights.
That truth became real...
My job this year is camera 4. That means I am a camera operator running around on stage getting shots for concerts, worship, skits and the live action drama we do every year. This means I have a very clear view of the attendees faces.
During our Saturday night worship set, I could not believe what I was seeing.
About 25-30 teenagers on my side of the stage were WEEPING. Not just some, but my whole side of stage. They were on their faces CRYING OUT TO GOD. They were hugging and getting prayed for and getting completely overwhelmed by the love, mercy and grace of God while these lyrics were being sung by 2,000 some teenagers.
"Your love never fails
It never gives up on me,
in death and life,
I'm confident and covered by the power of your great love."
It was unbelievable.
One lesson that is learned on the ministry team is this...
God moves despite your inadequacy at your job, lack of prayer, or maintaining a good attitude, and does not need you to move hearts. He is not a dependent God.
Now down to the subject worth writing about....
For six weeks me and my team have spent sleepless nights, tearful days, and brain cramming days training for this tour...
It was long...
It was hard...
It was exhausting...
And it was extremely emotional...
For me, those six weeks were the Lord chipping off the death and the stone from my heart and soul. It was a time where my empty lungs were being resuscitated by the breath of God. It was an Ezekiel 36: 24-27 season.
“For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."
When we arrived at The Mullins Center a week before the event, I was excited. ... Five days later, I was exhausted and sick. I was annoyed at everyone on my team and was even questioning why I stayed on the ministry team again. I spent about 30 hours out of that week failing and having to tackle big projects over and over and over again. The only thing I clung to, and even after a while was hard to cling to, was that this hardship is worth what will happen on Friday and Saturday.
After all that failure.
After all that frustration.
After all those sleepless nights.
That truth became real...
My job this year is camera 4. That means I am a camera operator running around on stage getting shots for concerts, worship, skits and the live action drama we do every year. This means I have a very clear view of the attendees faces.
During our Saturday night worship set, I could not believe what I was seeing.
About 25-30 teenagers on my side of the stage were WEEPING. Not just some, but my whole side of stage. They were on their faces CRYING OUT TO GOD. They were hugging and getting prayed for and getting completely overwhelmed by the love, mercy and grace of God while these lyrics were being sung by 2,000 some teenagers.
"Your love never fails
It never gives up on me,
in death and life,
I'm confident and covered by the power of your great love."
It was unbelievable.
One lesson that is learned on the ministry team is this...
God moves despite your inadequacy at your job, lack of prayer, or maintaining a good attitude, and does not need you to move hearts. He is not a dependent God.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
What A Successful Event Looks Like...
If you look at other large arena events like sports or concerts or anything of those sorts... Success is measured by an awesome light show, no equipment going haywire, all the merchandise being sold, all the seats being sold out, camera people getting awesome shots.
... But I don't measure a successful event by those. I wouldn't even measure a successful event by things going smoothly.
....I measure an event on if God shows up or not...
If things like THIS don't happen. It's all worthless. The drama doesn't matter. The speakers don't matter. The merch doesn't matter. The team doesn't matter. The headcount or the amount of money we make doesn't matter. The worship band doesn't matter. The lights, the video, the audio... Doesn't matter. His presence is what makes a successful event...
... But I don't measure a successful event by those. I wouldn't even measure a successful event by things going smoothly.
....I measure an event on if God shows up or not...
If things like THIS don't happen. It's all worthless. The drama doesn't matter. The speakers don't matter. The merch doesn't matter. The team doesn't matter. The headcount or the amount of money we make doesn't matter. The worship band doesn't matter. The lights, the video, the audio... Doesn't matter. His presence is what makes a successful event...
Sunday, September 9, 2012
How You Can Help
So I did the math, and I figured out that if I get a donor to donate a certain amount of money each month, I'd be covered for my whole year. How much is that amount you ask? Well it depends on the day! Let me explain. There are 31 days, maybe 30 days in a month. I need a donor a day. Depending on what day you pick, is how much money that day is.
Example: Say you pick the 15th. Every 15th of the month you'd donate $15.
If you pick the 1st, every 1st of the month you'd donate $1.
This way I can keep track of who my donors are and keep in touch with them and send them regular updates on tour. :)
If you'd like to help, please message me on here or on Facebook!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Unconditional Love
"I mean... I remember being of the world. Being a drug addict. Being a mess. And all my friendships were around that common addiction. And they loved me unconditionally and were always there for me. Now that I'm saved, you'd think that because of our one common addiction, Jesus, it'd be the same but even more so. But for some reason, I'm not finding that." - Anonymous friend of mine
... Dang.
Being on the ministry team is so full of opportunities. Loving people is one of them. One thing the Lord is teaching me is just that. When you think about the conditions that a ministry teamer lives in, you'd think we'd all hate each other. Well, that is true. If you choose it.
I live on a bus full of 40 people for eight months. I work with them, I live with them, I spend all my days in those eight months, and well, even a year with them, really. Within those 40 so people are different personalities, different quarks, different insecurities, different downfalls, different sins, different stories.
I have already heard, "OH MY GOSH! I WANT TO PUNCH ______ IN THE FACE BECAUSE SHE DOES THIS!" Or, "Oh my gosh... Did you know that ____ has these thoughts?"
Well let me tell you something... Did you know that sometimes the words I use to talk to some people aren't so Christian like? Did you know that I have anger in my heart sometimes? Did you know I have jealousy in my heart sometimes? Did you know that sometimes my shoes smell bad? Did you know that I can get lazy and slow down the work process and cause some people to get less sleep? Did you know that sometimes I might lash out in anger or frustration at you?
Well, if you didn't... You do now. And I hope you still love me despite of those things.
If you're thinking, "Wow. Why would I still love you?" I'd check your heart.
Oh, and did you know that I am working on those things with an open heart with God?
... Being on the ministry team allows you to see your teammates imperfections, insecurities and sin. It also gives you the choice to look past them and see a imperfect child of God, just like you are and love them. ... Or not.
Here are some scriptures on unconditional love.
Romans 5:8
1 John 4:8
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
1 John 4:18
Luke 6:27
"Unconditional love is a term that means to love someone regardless of their qualities or actions."
... Dang.
Being on the ministry team is so full of opportunities. Loving people is one of them. One thing the Lord is teaching me is just that. When you think about the conditions that a ministry teamer lives in, you'd think we'd all hate each other. Well, that is true. If you choose it.
I live on a bus full of 40 people for eight months. I work with them, I live with them, I spend all my days in those eight months, and well, even a year with them, really. Within those 40 so people are different personalities, different quarks, different insecurities, different downfalls, different sins, different stories.
I have already heard, "OH MY GOSH! I WANT TO PUNCH ______ IN THE FACE BECAUSE SHE DOES THIS!" Or, "Oh my gosh... Did you know that ____ has these thoughts?"
Well let me tell you something... Did you know that sometimes the words I use to talk to some people aren't so Christian like? Did you know that I have anger in my heart sometimes? Did you know I have jealousy in my heart sometimes? Did you know that sometimes my shoes smell bad? Did you know that I can get lazy and slow down the work process and cause some people to get less sleep? Did you know that sometimes I might lash out in anger or frustration at you?
Well, if you didn't... You do now. And I hope you still love me despite of those things.
If you're thinking, "Wow. Why would I still love you?" I'd check your heart.
Oh, and did you know that I am working on those things with an open heart with God?
... Being on the ministry team allows you to see your teammates imperfections, insecurities and sin. It also gives you the choice to look past them and see a imperfect child of God, just like you are and love them. ... Or not.
Here are some scriptures on unconditional love.
Romans 5:8
1 John 4:8
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
1 John 4:18
Luke 6:27
"Unconditional love is a term that means to love someone regardless of their qualities or actions."
Friday, August 31, 2012
Real Superheroes (Old Writings From Last Tour)
On May 6th, 2012, exactly 7 days from tour ending, my team and I went to go see the high action superhero movie, "The Avengers." To say the least, it was a phenomenal movie. It had all the qualifications for a great movie. Action, adventure, comedy, a great story line, a bad guy and his minions, and of course, the hero. Well, in this case, ... Hero's.
... Hero. In specific terms, superhero. Something I think every child and even adult longs to be at least once in their life. I mean admit it, we've all put on a sheet for a cape, a mask, or even a pair of undies over our pants at least once. We've all pretended to fly, made the swoosh noises, and we've all felt awesome while doing it.
And when I thought about the why behind the reason we're all so attracted to superhero's, it all came down to one reason... Well, maybe two. The costumes are pretty hardcore. But skin tight clothing and armor aside... They fight against some sort of force with the powers they have been given. And as I was watching this movie, I couldn't but help to glance down from the screen to a group of people I have loved, lived and adventured with. I couldn't help but see the resemblance from this team of superhero's on the screen, to this team of weak, yet powerful individuals in the seats surrounding me. I couldn't but help but laugh at the similarities in the fact that Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Nick Fury and Maria Hill didn't always agree, didn't always get along, didn't always have the most perfect of moments. But they fought against something as a team. They each had their strengths, they each had their weaknesses, and together, they were warriors. In Joel 3:10 it says, "Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears, and let the weak say, "I am a warrior."
For 23, soon to end with 24 events, for EIGHT months, I have been traveling with, living with, and fighting alongside with my own group of Avengers. Hero's. I would even be bold and silly enough to call them superhero's. Just like the one's in the movie, they all have their own specialties, they all have their own weaknesses, and they all... WE all, have been fighting against a force. Was it an alien race? ... Not quite. But it was something much more real called Satan and the gates of hell.
... And I can say by the means of this tour, we have came out victorious. Sure, we've been hit in the face, thrown to the ground and kicked a few times, but in the movies, we all know that happens to the good guys, and we also all know that they always win in the end.
I have seen thousand, if not tens of thousands of people come to Christ in these eight months. I have seen healings, miracles, and the Kingdom of Heaven come down in these eight months. I have seen this team TRAMPLE the gates of hell and the devil in these eight months. And all of it for the glory of God. I get the privilege of standing with real superhero's... Men and women of God. And when I look at these superhero's in the movies, and in the comics, the majority of them are not just superhero's for a season. Just as this team is not just full of seasonal superhero's that only do God's work during an eight month tour.
I know and expect that whatever comes after this tour, just like The Avengers, we will always remain... Superhero's.
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