I am so impressed with our team of young leaders at the Freedom House. These guys are willing to sacrifice and go face-to-face with the hard challenges that most people would rather ignore. I have been so encouraged in our talks, even this morning. We sat down at Panera and while we were discussing ways to better portray Christ to the men in the home, the Holy Spirit showed up and encouraged us so much. We are not going to tolerate spiritual laziness and soft conviction. I am tired of hearing and seeing people cut corners on sin. We need to hunt sin down in our lives and destroy it with whatever it takes. I am so thankful for these men in my life, they challenge me on a daily basis.

I cracked Barry's back!

"..whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." We all know and have heard this scripture spoken by Jesus, written in the book of Mathew 25:40. I wonder sometimes if and when we serve the poor, we do it to make ourselves feel good, as if we are doing what Jesus wanted or if we are doing it because we love them. Because I am more afraid of what he says next "..whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." Could it be that if we do not love the least we are not loving God?

I met Barry today, a homeless guy with a bad case of turret's. He was looking for a place to stay for the night, he asked if we could pay for a hotel. Instead of praying a pray for him and sending him on our way, since it is not procedure to give out money without attending a service, we offered a place for him to stay. After spending about an hour with him, listening, encouraging and cracking his back, I felt the Holy Spirit making a change in me. Jesus said that we will always have the poor, and many times through out scripture tells us to care for them, give to them, invite them into your home and share meals.

I guess, what I am getting at, is that an amazing thing happens inside or our hearts when we don't just read this stuff, but we take it seriously. I want to do this more often!

The difference is easy to see, hear and feel when you encounter truth from God. Our selfishness trys to blur truth and most the time suceeds at it. We need to seek out His truth with our whole hearts and not just skip over the stuff that is painful, if we want to experience a life more fulfilling.

The coolest thing about God is that He love us all the time. I realize that I spend a lot of time trying to realign myself with His way. Today I realize that He is not tired of me, He is eager for me to come to Him again.

I had the most amazing time on the metro the other night. I was on my way home from NCC worship practice and I was listening to Johannes Armritzer's Love Miracles sermon. I am about to get on a plane for Sweden and have a lot to do, so I will be short for now. Faith and Hope are good but LOVE is the greatest. I realized that I can be a good Christian and even encounter the Holy Spirit and move in my gifts without ever having love in my heart. It is possible to be a senior pastor or a worship leader to an enormous church and still have no love in your heart. Being a person that Loves is not always easy. Especially when you are first starting out, you will have to counteract what your flesh tells you to do. You truly have to follow Jesus. I want to look around at the people on the metro with Love in my heart for them. I want the LOVE in my heart to never leave me, I want it to be the fuel for my life. I want LOVE to be the motivation that drives me to do ministry.  want the LOVE of Christ to be my desire, not just a 'now and then' experience. I dont want to just wait until there is an emergency or disaster to have compassion. I want the compassion and love of Christ all the time. We have to ask for this love. Ask God to fill you with His love and compassion for all people regardless of their make up. To see through his eyes and feel with His heart.

Listening to the voice of God, although as hard as it may be at times, has to be the most rewarding part of following Jesus Christ.  That said.

Ordering Your Private Word ( a book by Gordon MacDonald) is truly (2 weeks after its completion) recking my world, for the better. I realized recently that I have let "my" ministry run my life. I prioritize my work before my spiritual life. That's wrong! The first problem is that it makes me view that work I am doing as more of a pain instead of the pleasure that it should be. Doing the work that God has called us to should be a pleasure. The second problem is that I have neglected my personal time with God, my endless hours out in the woods, hiking with God. I know that this it is a huge temptation to think 'because we are doing ministry work that we can just burn the candle at both ends and God will somehow restore and refresh us. Now, I know that there, as well, may be times that God will refresh and we have to make a deadline. But, I think that God is jealous of us and want our time to first be His and then to the world.  I could go on, but you should just read the book (Ordering Your Private World) if you get the chance.

I was sitting down last night to type and email about all the ways God is instructing change in Shawna and I's lives but I couldn't seem to get it all out. I am still struggling but here is a little something I want to share. I will be meeting with the NCC (national community church in DC) early next week to talk about joining their worship team. I feel God telling me to enjoy some new experiences with worship and to learn from them. So far they are open to the idea in spite of the fact I will be leaving at the end of the year for Tulsa. I even told them I could only commit to one service a  month. I am very excited about the opportunity and looking forward to all the other ways God is going to open me up.