Fair Havens

I have finally arrived up on Lopez Island.  Life has been very busy and stressful lately and it feels so nice to have most of my loose ends tied up and enjoying life on this slow island.  My parents named this place Fair Havens from Acts 28.  It is a calm in the storm of life where we can come up and just be.  Already, after just a few hours I feel more at peace.  I will post part 2 of my trip preparation in the next few days.  Hope everybody had a Merry Christmas!

Many Roles...

I sit here at the Action International office, finishing up my writing for the day and knowing I should post here before I leave.  I have been incredibly busy this month as preparing for my Guatemala trip the holiday season tacks on more responsibilities to an already full plate.  My life is somewhat fragmented while I serve many roles.

I'm a swim coach.  I coach with two different teams.  Every evening I coach with a USA swimming club called Cascade Swim Club.  Every afternoon is taken up helping coach the Edmonds Woodway and Mountlake Terrace High School swim teams.  I also give prvate lessons.  I have been coaching for over five years now and it's definitely one of the most rewarding jobs I've ever had.  I enjoy playing a role in children's lives and I just pray that I'm leaving a positive imprint on them.

I'm a writer.  Okay, I'm not really a writer but I just like saying that since that's what my "title" is at Action International.  ACTION is a missions sending organization that has over 250 missionaries in 25 different countries.  It is so neat being involved with an organization that is doing God's work in so many different places.  My role is to update the news portion of the website.  As such, I am able to read about all the different ministries happening all over the world.  It is an encouragement and I feel so blessed to have stumbled into working with such a God fearing organization.

I'm a missionary (well, not yet).  I'm currently raising support and preparing for my trip to Guatemala.  The trip is coming fast and I'm excited to see what God will do.

I'm a bible study leader.  Every Sunday I lead a bible study at my apartment.  It has been neat to grow in faith with others.  I used to attempt to live my faith by myself in isolation.  It seemed too personal to share with others.  Now, however, that's my favorite part of the week.  I love leading others in God's word and prayer.  I have also learned guitar so I can lead others in worship as well.

I'm a boyfriend/father figure.  I'm dating a single mom with a 19 month old.  She is a sweet woman that has had her prodigal years but now loves the Lord.  I am still very much in prayer about that, trying to discern whether that is the path God wants me to take.

Recently, I looked at my distribution of hours, how much time I spent with all my activities.  Those things above took a lot of time as well as things like personal bible study, reading, etc.  What came as a shock to me however was when I put praying on the list.  I estimated I prayed about one hour per week.  As I run around performing all my obligations, sometimes I can begin to lose the center, which is my relationship with God.  This is the case even when doing so-called "religious" activities.  It became clear that setting aside time to commune with God needs to be a bigger priority.  So pray for me, that I would slow down and find the time to do this!  

Holding On or Letting Go?

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? " - Jesus (Luke 9: 23-25 NKJV)

In my walk, I have found that when I feel farther away from God, it's because I'm seeking my own way.  I try to control my life and then wonder why it feels empty.  Then I realize that I'm choosing my life, my comfort, my stuff, my worries, over God.  He gave us something so powerful, the power of choice.  We can choose to pursue Him or we can choose to pursue ourselves.  We can choose to pursue Heaven or choose to pursue our own heaven on Earth.  We can choose to control our own life or we can choose to let it go and give it to God.  Giving up our lives and placing it in God's hands should be a no-brainer because as David says:

"An entire lifetime is just a moment to You, human existence is but a breath. We are merely moving shadows and all our busy rushing ends in nothing." (Psalm 39:5-6)

So what exactly are we holding on to and why is it so hard sometimes to let go?

Trip Preparation, Part 1

This past week has been very busy as I finally begin to prepare, in earnest, for my trip in January. It feels like I've added another part time job to the mix. I had to get a new passport. My last one got a little beat up after 8 months traveling through South and Central America and last time I came from out of the country, the customs guy said I had to get a new one before I travel again. The normal processing time for a passport is 4-6 weeks. I went to the City of MLT to apply for a new passport on December 1st, exactly 6 weeks from then is January 12th, the day I leave. So lets hope and pray my application is processed fast!

I have also finished writing, printing,and folding my prayer/support letters and am in the process of sending them out. It's hard and awkward for me sometimes to send those letters out because frankly, I'm afraid of what some people will think. Pray for me, that I will let God take control and stop concerning myself with selfish things. The main purpose of the letter and my blog updates is to let people be a part of what God will do. It is amazing to know that I have a team of friends supporting me through prayer, that truly care, and are reading the updates. That means way more to me than financial support. I know the Lord will provide me with enough each day.

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:31-34).

If you do give, do so with joy! Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians:

"So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7).


Thank you all for your love and support!
     

Upcoming Trip to Guatemala

This January, I will be heading to the Guatemalan highlands for three months.  In the 1980s, the people there were caught in the middle of a terrible civil war.  Both the Army and Guerillas turned against them and they are still recovering to get back on their feet to this day.  These villagers live in poverty, sustaining themselves mostly on corn.  Education is a huge need, with the majority of the people unable to read or write.  There are several non- profit organizations on the ground in this region all doing tremendous things.  I will go down representing WIND of God Ministries.  WIND is an acronym for When It Needs Doing.  The organization began in early 2007 when on a vision trip, the four founders (including my parents) visited with Mike and Sharon Harvey of ASELSI at their training center in Chichicastenango.  Sharon told them of a vision of God’s mighty “wind” blowing through the region, breaking down the strongholds of despair and pouring forth His love and His Word into the hearts of the people.  

Since WIND of God Ministries has been established, a little Bible institute near to closing its doors has seen an explosion in enrollment.  Qualified teachers are being put in place, and God’s Word is being taught to pastors and lay people alike.  My dad gives some perspective after watching a student graduate from the Bible program:  

“Jacinto Perez has been the pastor of the Methodist Church for six years. He is a married man with six children. Every Sunday and Wednesday, in front of 50 – 60 of his flock, he preaches a sermon at his church. He is a man of very little education whose only requirement for acceptance into the program at Jorai was the ability to read (some) and write (some). His education the last three years at Jorai is the only formal education he has ever had. The degree he received, the Diplomado, is the equivalent to a sixth grade education. The Diplomado program offers very basic fill-in-the-blank Bible teaching. It is provided to pastors and individuals in the church who wish to obtain a greater understanding of the Bible. It does not offer any deep theological training. For Jacinto, the past three years has opened his eyes to the Bible which he has been teaching. By any standards of man, he is under prepared to lead his growing congregation. He remains hungry to learn more, but his economic situation does not make this possible. Through WIND, he was able to get some initial training and has a strong desire to continue if finances make it possible in the future. He sends his deepest appreciation to all the WIND supporters, and as he looked at us with emotion of the day written on his face he said, ‘You are an answer to my prayers.’”

WIND of God is in need of support to continue its role in providing education to church leaders like Jacinto as well as responding to other needs in this community.  While I’m there I will get to know pastors in the program and record their stories.  I will look to volunteer at a Christian school in the area.  I will provide a liaison and a face for WIND of God in the community while raising awareness of the needs to supporters in the United States and around the world.  Most importantly, I will go down with the heart of a servant and see where God leads me.  Please pray for Sharon Harvey’s vision to come to pass, that His love would continue to break the bonds of despair.  Pray for me, that I would be God led and not lean on my own understanding. I understand that dollars are tight in this troubled economy; if you wish to support me financially please know that any gift, however small, is greatly appreciated and helpful. WIND of God Ministries is a 501c3 non-profit, and all donations made are tax deductible.  If you wish to donate please send a check, made payable to WIND, to the address below and attach a note indicating it is for my support (please do not put my name on the check).  Three months of living and travel expenses in Guatemala will cost around $2000.

You can learn more by visiting http://windofgodministries.blogspot.com or http://www.windofgod.org

WIND of God
259 Coyote Lane
Lopez Island, WA  98261

All for His Glory,
                  Jordan

When You Feel that God Cannot Use You...

Here is a bit of encouragement from Action International founder Doug Nichols:

"When you feel God cannot use you, it is helpful to remember that Noah was a drunk, Abraham was too old, Isaac was a day dreamer, Jacob was a liar, Leah was ugly, Joseph was spoiled, Moses had a stuttering problem, Gideon was afraid, Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer, Rahab was a prostitute, Jeremiah and Timothy were too young, David had an affair and was a murderer, Elijah was suicidal, Jonah ran from God, Naomi was a widow, Job went bankrupt, Peter denied Christ, the disciples slept through prayer, Martha worried over everything, the Samaritan woman was divorced more than once, Zacchaeus was too small, Paul was too religious, Timothy had a stomach problem, and Lazarus was dead.”

"But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29, nasb).

Walking the Path You Can't See

Behind my apartment, there is a tiny trail that shoots up a hill.  From there is a trail system that almost nobody knows about, unless you happen to live close by.  I have had many walks on those trails but some of my best walks happen at night.  As I go up the hill, the darkness envelops me until I can't see anything.  I walk the trails without being able to see where I'm walking, just trusting I'm still on the path.  I start out walking very slow.  I am unsure of the path and don't want to take a wrong step.

As my eyes adjust to the darkness and my feet find good footing, I begin to see the path.  It is not clear like in the day, but I see enough that I begin to walk with confidence.  I can make out the tree branches where I need to duck, the roots that could trip me up, or the fallen tree that I need to step over.  On these walks God teaches me about the eyes of faith.  "For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7)

At first you stumble around in the darkness and you are unsure of every step.  But with practice and action, the trail becomes more clear and the journey is breathtaking.  You are confident because God is with you, you know He is by your side.  You feel His presence so clearly.  But you have to start walking first.  Those first few steps of faith will be like walking a narrow path in pitch black.  But as you take each step of faith, your spiritual  eyes will adjust and you will begin to see the path that God has prepared for you.

Thoughts from a Graveyard

Sometimes, to clear my head, I wander somewhere in the outdoors.  One day a while back, I was wandering through a graveyard close to where I live.  I had been studying the book of Ecclesiastes at the time and it played heavily in my thinking as I sat down and began writing:

"Love knows not its depth until the hour of separation" - A random gravestone in a graveyard

The older gravestones have no flowers.  A generation passes and these people are forgotten by the world.  There is nobody left to remember them or how they lived.  Everybody they had known in their life are now gone with them.  Vanity.  Our time here is only borrowed.  We are here for a short time and then we die.  Everybody I'll ever come in contact with will die with me.  Whatever difference I make in their lives, they will still die like the rest.

We can't handle that.  Something in our souls pine for eternity.  Death in this world is a certainty.  But what of our souls?  Every face is different.  Every personality.  The Lord meant something specific when He made each of us.  Our souls long for freedom but we are trapped in these decaying bodies.  Jesus overcame death and raised others from the dead!  While many things have been forgotten by the world, this has not.  His resurrection sparked a revolution that continues 2000 years / 25 lifetimes later!

Back Log

It has been over five months since I've written here.  But I have been writing plenty in my journals.  I will share some things from there for a few weeks to get me back in the habit of updating this blog.  Sometimes, there is so much I want to share that it feels overwhelming and then I don't share anything at all!  But I will start small and humbly with this little post and we will see where this blogging goes from here. ;)  

I am leaving for Guatemala on January 12th.  Look for information on that too!

The one thing God is after...

God does not NEED your money.

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's. 


God is not concerned with the amount of your giving.

Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.


God is not concerned with great works of men.

Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.


God is after one thing, your heart.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

Stop concerning yourself with your works because God's not.  Stop putting the weight of the world on your shoulders and make sure your heart is right with the Lord.

Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men - extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 'I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'   I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.

I say all this as a reminder to myself but I hope others will read and be reminded as well.

Stop trying to do good things.  Let love and peace of Jesus fill you up.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: 
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.



**Scripture verses:
Luke 20:25
Luke 21:3
1 Corinthians 13:3
Matthew 6:33
Luke 18:10-14
Psalm 37:5-6,

3:00 Northgate

I am angry.  The walls of my apartment suffocate me.  I yell at God.  Why?  What's the point?.  Some things don't ever seem to work out for the craziest reasons.  Now I begin to wonder if God isn't toying with me.  I sit angrily by my bed, refusing to sleep until God gives me some sort of answer.

3:00 Northgate

That pops up in my thoughts.  I wonder where it came from.  Usually these random thoughts, I don't heed.  But this time, I had to know, what happened if I listened?

The next day, I drove down the interstate.  I park my car at about 3:05 on a street near the bustling Northgate mall.  Now what Lord?  

I get out and begin walking.  I ask God to reveal who I'm supposed to meet today.  I look around at the people nearby.  Not that one.  Not that one.  I keep walking with faith, that God would reveal who I was to show His love to this day.  There's a reason I'm here.  A guys walks beside me, talking to himself.  He has a hitch in his step and looks clearly drunk, high, crazy, or possibly all three!  He is dirty and looks like he hasn't had a bath in months.

This one.

Lord, but this one's crazy!

He walks behind me as I cross the street and I pray.

Lord, if he follows me, then I will know he is the one.

He follows me.  Then I switch directions and wait by a light post.  I test the Lord yet again.

Lord, if he turns this way, then I will greet him at this light post.

He looks like he is about to enter the mall but then all of a sudden he changes directions and walks directly toward me.  Yep, this is the one alright.  I introduce myself and invite him to lunch.  He calls himself "John Paul."  He eats with lightning speed.  I try to ask him about his life but he responds with short answers.  I ask him if he has kids and he doesn't know.  He says he may have had some before.  

"Before what?," I had asked.  

"I mean...when I was younger...," he stammered.

I fed him, I served him, but I felt like I failed to connect with him.  I don't get much time with him before he downs his lunch.  I ask if I can pray for him with anything and he says to pray that he gets more money.  Then he got up to leave.   

"Thank you," he said.  I could tell he meant it.

I responded with "Yep."

Yep?!  It's amazing God desires to work through me, or any of us, at all.  After he left, I knew the correct response would have been: "don't thank me, thank the Lord, he's the only reason I'm here."  That was the absolute truth.  I would have never gone to that place, at that time, and had lunch with that individual if it wasn't for the Lord!  

He left to go back to his addictive life, living from drink to drink and hit to hit. 

Lord, why him?

I knew two things.  One was that I found the right guy.  The other is I would have no idea why God sent me to him that moment until I got to heaven. 

Through that experience, the Lord taught me about being truly open to His leading.  In my daily life, I am too often closed in my own plans to what He would have me do each moment.  How many opportunities am I missing along the way?        

9/11 and bin Laden: What is True Victory?

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:21

I watched on the news as my fellow countryman celebrated a man being killed.  It left me with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.  True, he was a mass murderer.  True, he was probably planning future attacks on our country.  After 9/11, hearing all those stories of sacrifice, the way everyone united in an effort to help one another, I was proud to be an American.  But I was not on this day.  I thought of al Qaeda members who loved bin Laden watching the news of people celebrating his death.  What must they be feeling?  Our hate for that man will fuel their hate for us.  The world has not become a better place, on the contrary more hate has been sowed.  I think Gandhi may have put it best: An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

Maybe I'm an idealistic fool, but I believe true victory would have looked something like this:

        

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        The towers fall.  The people come together to mourn.  A sense of togetherness envelops the nation.  Citizens pray for the victims and their families of the terrible tragedy. 

        And they pray for the terrorists.  They pray their hearts would be changed.  They pray for the orchestrator of the attacks, Osama bin Laden.  We seek out al Qaeda…to forgive them.  We want to tell them of our loss, how much it hurts, and we want to show them love.  We want to show them love because that is the only way to fight terror.  Love shames the enemy.  Members of al Qaeda begin coming out, admitting their crimes, admitting their wrongs.  The peace army of the United States of America embraces them, forgives them, and calls them brothers.  Ten years after the fateful attacks, all across the nation, the headline reads: OBAMA FORGIVES OSAMA.  Osama bin Laden comes out and finally admits he was wrong and pleads for forgiveness for his actions.  Obama and Osama eat together as brothers at a White House dinner.  The war on terror is over, love drove out the hate, light dispelled the darkness.

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I didn’t lose anybody close to me on 9/11.  I can’t imagine the pain some people went through on that day.  Maybe putting the word forgive and Osama in the same sentence makes you cringe, and maybe it should.  I think true forgiveness is supposed to be difficult.
While people celebrated bin Laden's death, I was encouraged by a quieter reaction going on.  I went onto Facebook and as I scrolled down, quotes from Martin Luther King, scripture verses, and the like lit up my screen.  It made me smile.  While the people celebrating on the streets may have gotten the news coverage, there were scores of others who went to quiet reflection and prayer.  It may not have been particularly newsworthy but the ways of love usually aren't.  If you are reading this, here's something you can do right now.  Pray for bin Laden's family.  Pray for members of al Qaeda, that God would work on their hearts.

But I say to you, love your enemies and bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you... - Jesus (Matthew 5:44)

A lady at a coffee shop

I study the Bible, deep in understanding, attempting to shut out the rest of the world.  I grab my cup of coffee and with an awkward jerk, spill some of it on my pants, and on my bible.  A lady sitting across from me at the little coffee shop witnesses my clumsiness.  With a look radiating with empathy, she quickly gets napkins and hands them to me.  I don't know anything about this woman but God used her to remind me what is important.    

"...though I understand all mysteries and all knowledge,...but have not love, I am nothing."

I study the Bible to what end?  Knowledge without love?  Without love, all Bible study, all learning is utterly worthless.

Fair Havens

Seeking the Lord in daily life can be difficult.  It's not that He goes anywhere.  My mind just becomes cloudy.  Selfishness seeps in and before I know it, my eyes are filled with logs.  I pray with my mind and try to seek Him, but something is missing within my soul.  Then I come to Fair Havens, a calm in the storm.  Something in my soul stirs.  I am awaken.  I wait for Him and there is clarity.  The logs are gone and then I begin to remember something.  My soul knows but I can't put it into words.  What I thought were problems before now seem like specs of dust in the ocean.  I walk with the Lord.  His peace envelops me.  My soul sings. "Praise the Lord!"  Nothing else matters in that moment.  Purpose becomes more clear.  I feel the Lord directing my steps.  But I feel dust beginning to seep back in my eyes.  Doubts linger on the fringes of my mind.  "Trust Me," He says.  The voice seems distant now.  Trust in the Lord.  The battle awaits.