The Reason for the Season is...Easter



I know, this is more of an Easter song so I should probably wait a few months before highlighting this song and this concept.  I should be going more for the traditional carols and songs of good cheer...but that just got me to thinking...

When I really think about the reason for the season...

...there would be no Christmas without Easter.

The only reason Jesus's birth is significant is because of the role that He plays on Earth...

...which leads to great jubilation and celebration because we look toward that day...

That day when we reunite and the groom (Jesus) and the bride (His church) are united with no sin or hurdles to cause a divide.

There is SO MUCH (yes so so much) hope in this vision and it is one that requires great faith, and furthermore it is a story that involves love.  Not a love that chooses and is swayed by attraction, but a love that is chosen and intentional.

I have blogged much in 2012 about pain 

and suffering 

and trial 

and tribulation...

But even though those have been my themes of 2012, my word for the year is

HOPE

 In this I will always celebrate and it is for this reason that...

I AM SO EXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS!!!

This is the story of the Son of God
Hanging on the cross for me
But it ends with a bride and groom
And a wedding by a glassy sea
O death where is your sting
Cause I'll be there singing
Holy Holy Holy
Is the Lord

This is the story of a bride in white
Waiting on her wedding day
Anticipation welling up inside
While the groom is crowned as king
O death where is your sting
Cause we'll be there singing
Holy Holy Holy is the Lord
Is the Lord Almighty

Enormous Generosity: $3,000,000

The charity:ball is one of charity:water's premiere fundraising events that has done nothing but grow in popularity and influence in the past 6 years. It took a small army and a lot of planning and hours to make this event successful, and I was honored to assist for a night for such a critical cause.

"Every dollar spent on water and sanitation produces a $9 return on saved time, lessened health costs, and increased productivity" -Seametrics

More insight into this great act of generosity can be viewed here: http://www.charitywater.org/blog/charity-ball-2012/

Changing Lives/Landscape in Rwanda: $1.7 million!


<!--Image overlay 26,000 people in Rulindo, Rwanda will get clean, safe water.

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Today, we reached our $1.7 million goal for water projects in Rwanda. We couldn't have done it without you.

1,788 of you started fundraising campaigns for clean water. You went out and inspired your friends to donate. And 13,782 of them did. Today, the September Campaign hit its goal of $1.7 million raised. That means 26,000 people in Rwanda will soon drink clean water. Thank you for changing lives. - the charity: water team

     

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Blog  |   charitywater.org

200 Varick Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10014

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Thank You!!!


Check out charity:water's message below as well as this video message from Generosity Water and Sevenly!

https://www.sevenly.org/ThankYouVideo

See it here »   The holidays are almost here, and we just wanted to say thank you for another incredible year so far. We're so inspired by you, our amazing supporters who believe in the mission of charity: water and keep us going every day. We're especially blown away by the quirky, nerdy, bold and adventurous things our fundraisers do to bring clean water where it's needed most. Because of you, millions of families are drinking clean water every day. We made this video to celebrate all of you and how you're helping us change the world. Thank you for joining our movement to solve the world water crisis. --the charity: water team Blog  |   charitywater.org

200 Varick Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10014

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A Fun Post...Up, Up, and AWAY!
Lift Your House with Balloons By Movoto Real Estate

So this Thanksgiving and the holidays to come have put an extra amount of hope in my life and a little bit of an extra bounce in my step.  I have a more "playful" side that I do not share much on this blog, so since many are taking advantage of a day off from work today, I have also decided to take a respite and share a smile.

I work for an industrial gas company, one of those companies that inflates many of the huge parade balloons for events like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  While doing some research, I stumbled across the above tool.

So, I am a big fan of Pixar films and in some ways I feel I have never grown up and in others I feel that I never really want to anyway.  As such, I really enjoyed the Academy Award-nominated film UP and enjoyed the whimsy and determination featured throughout the film.

In that spirit...someone took to actually trying to lift their house off the ground with helium balloons.  To see how that turned out, check out the story here: http://betabeat.com/2012/11.

Otherwise, have some fun and send along a smile today.  A smile provides can provide hope each day and is also one of my favorite types of worship.

Transparency in Fundraising


For my birthday, on April 18th, I asked people to donate to providing clean water projects around the world through charity:water.

Only a few months later, charity:water has come back to report how the money is being used.  They will continue to provide updates in the up and coming future.

Check out the first update and how charity:water approaches transparency of donated funds during this campaign.  Do you feel like you are part of the story?

Hurricane Sandy: An Anecdote

My neighborhood...

“Am I really home?”

“Yes”

“But it’s so…different!”

            “Change happens quickly…”

            The hum of generators and windows lit singly by candles reminds me that this is not the world I left only a week ago…

            I returned home to New Jersey yesterday evening after being away for a week.  I weathered the storm only two hours north in Connecticut, where damage to the inland parts was actually quite minimal.

            Because of this, I was not exactly ready for my return.  I had been receiving updates from family, friends, and coworkers through numerous social media channels as to the happenings within the borders of NJ.  Compounded with that were the images on the news.  We are all familiar with the stories.  I have customers from work calling me from Oregon to ask me whether the sand has washed into Newark yet.  It’s an attempt at humor packed into a greater statement of concern that the NJ shorelines could actually change landscape within just a few hours.

            Packed with all this knowledge from the past few days, I embarked on my mission to leave my life of full power and hot showers in CT and head toward what was being described to me as a wasteland.  I departed with good intentions, hearing of the tremendous lines for just a few gallons of this liquid gold that comes in the form of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen bonds: gasoline.  I formulated a plan to clear as much space in my car by folding down the seats and loading my luggage into the passenger seat.  Following that, I drove to Home Depot and asked customer service for 8 jerry cans.  The representative gives me the briefest of smirks and then takes off her glasses to reveal eyes that look into mine with something that I can only interpret as sympathy.  She says that they are cleaned out, and there is something in the way she says it that lets me know that she tells this to many individuals each day.  Calling upon my experience in supply chain and realizing that Hurricane Sandy has broken the chain of reliability, I quickly calculate that this situation is not going to change for quite a while. So I stroll back to my car and rack my brains of how to work around this issue.  I feel defeated, like a hunter does when he comes home with just a bow and no arrows or food.

            I top off my tank with about $15.00 of gas, not really sure when my next visit to a station will be.  I embark on the journey and decide to take the route through NYC just to get a feeling of how things were doing.  I weaved my way down through Yonkers and the Bronx before hugging the parkway that runs along the Hudson River.  I finally arrive at one of the most grandiose structures in NYC, the George Washington Bridge.  I corkscrew my way through many on-ramps until I finally reach the bridge, and my experience in crossing the Hudson is over in 2-3 minutes. You see, there is something wrong with that picture.  Never again will I cross the Hudson at 5pm on a weekday without investing at least 20 minutes of life into such an endeavor.  So what was my overall impression of NYC? It was not the yet dark enough to see all the lights come out (or stay out) and so I did not observe the contrast between Upper and Lower Manhattan.  In fact, I did not even observe any trees that toppled over, disrupting the flow of life.  In fact, I saw minimal flow, period.  Where were all the people? Compounding minimal public transit plus gas supply issues were keeping people in their homes.

            My next story involves what I saw after I crossed the GW Bridge.  As I snaked my way onto the NJ Turnpike, there is a stretch for about ¾ of a mile that consists of only gas stations.  I heard the stories of gas lines and I anticipated the traffic back-up.  Instead, I zipped right by Mobil, Valero, Citgo, Gulf, Shell without a single customer, cones blocking any entrance into these stations.  I saw the flashing blue lights of a few police cars at a couple of stations and was wondering what their purpose may be. My only guess was possibly a drug bust for a rendezvous of a few unsuspecting individuals.

            The last part of my trip commenced with very little issue until I finally got within 5 miles of my community.  I pulled off the highway just at the time that the weather channel told me was sunset.  It was a cloudy day, so I could not confirm, but darkness was setting in.  I drove to the end of the on-ramp and the traffic light looked down at me with a hollow face.  “I thought Halloween was yesterday,” I thought to myself.  Non-functional traffic lights were being treated as 3-way and 4-way stops, so I continued on my way, only to be caught in a gas line that stretched out into the main road, blocking my progress.  I pulled a U-turn and went the other way hoping to skate around the traffic, but I was blocked by a tree. Realizing backroads were out of the question, I resigned to get back on the highway and take the track that was 5 miles longer but was sure to have no obstructions.  It is here in the story that I find Chuck E. Cheese’s.

            Yes, the arcade place, reportedly one of the few convenient places where the power is on and the kids are happy.  School has been out all week as I finally see that the nights are dark and many roads are still in repair of some sort.  Because there is no school, my cousin’s kids need an outlet of some sort.  Thankfully they get to win the grand Prix, become the next Rock Star, and show off their champion Skee Ball skills instead of chewing on erasers and figuring out long division.

            Finally, after this excursion, I begin my trek home.  By this point, I am used to the hollow faces of the streetlights and as I turn into my community, it finally hits me.  I am able to navigate the roads just fine, but there is a tree down every 2-3 houses. And I am not talking bushes, I am talking trees.  It’s like the angels went bowling and got bored in heaven, so they decided to try their hand on Earth. I think they did a pretty good job.  I wonder who got the high score.  Well whoever picked NJ as their bowling lane sure did a good job. When I finally park my car in the driveway, I see that I have 3 immediate neighbors with this tree problem and as I step out, I hear it.  It sounds like everyone is mowing their lawns, except it is pitch black and it’s November so the grass sure ain’t growin’.  I step inside the house and my uncle hands me a flashlight.  “Seven to ten days,” he says to me as I take the light from him.  I don’t have to ask for clarification.  I understand what this means…

…the stories don’t end here.

Trials/Tribulations Lead to Beauty and a Greater Story
"In the midst of the darkness, You're the light that guides me through..."  Elevation Worship

"In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world"  John 16:33

"You have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ"  1 Peter 1:7

Life is hard.  Life tries our souls.  Life is a minefield of trials and tribulations.

But in a previous blog, I have also mentioned that Life Is Beautiful.  I continue to maintain this position as well, seeing that life is also full of so many little presents that bring many smiles to faces and much happiness to the hearts, minds, and souls.  There is something to be said even for the various blessings that we each receive each and every day, no matter our circumstance.  But, I will not choose to downplay the fact that life on earth is intrinsically difficult.

Many of these difficulties arise from brokenness and the far-reaching sins of other people.  I wrote down some thoughts on why this happens in light of recent events at Penn State.  Other difficulties arise from the imperfections in creation which were brought about when Adam and Eve ate from the tree that gave them the knowledge of good and evil, which brought about cursed work (trial and tribulation) and death.  Why we continue to have to pay the price for a couple of feeble-minded people traipsing around the jungle is a thought for another time, but for now this story does feed in to the foundation of our existence.

Despite this backdrop, through all this trial and tribulation, there is great beauty and it does lead to an even greater story.  I have to first remind myself that Jesus did come to earth and demonstrated that he feels the same feelings that we do.  I would even go out on a limb and say that our trials and tribulations hurt Him exponentially more, because of his nature to care and to love.

But here is where the beauty comes in.  While we are already caught up in this story of conflict, the end of this story has been spoiled.  Just as we see the beauty in a marriage between two committed people, we will see an infinitely more beautiful wedding between Christ and his church of believers at the end of times.  I cannot wait for that reception party!

While this is a vision that is beautiful enough to bring a tear to anyone's eye.  The story is not complete with just a conflict and conclusion.  In between both stages, there is a climax and that is the sacrifice and resurrection.  In the above quote from John 16, these are among His last words on earth before He ascends back to His heavenly lawn chair.  While the trials and tribulations of this earth hurt Him infinitely more, He has redeemed ALL of it as He took all of the pains and sins of the world onto His shoulders and took them to the cross.  In doing so, He not only overcame the world by taking away the fear and power of death (turning God into a grave robber), but He mailed us an RSVP to His wedding and invited us to the greatest event that will ever take place in history or future.

How would this knowledge change your life?  How would you respond to such an act of love?  For me, it creates the most complete combination of strength, hope, and peace.  My life is tough, but Jesus feels the pain points with me.  The evil that is in the world has already been redeemed and will one day be judged.  And finally, while strength, hope, and peace follow me, my trials and tribulations bring praise, glory, and honor to the One that I love.

By the way, at the celebration party, are the barrels full of water or wine? John 2: 1-11

...The War was Won by a Baby Boy

for King & Country has just released another single, and it's brilliant!

Often, when I think of Baby Jesus, I think of a small individual born in a manger at the back of an inn. Yes, I think of Christmas, but my mind does not go much beyond those animals and wise men and hay.

This song just transforms that image into something so much greater.  First, the lyric video is brilliant as it is set in a snowy atmosphere with cold and jagged peaks protruding in many locations.  This reminds me that it is often winter/snowing in my area around Christmas, and I get such a peaceful feeling from the thought of warm fires, scrumptious food, and many presents.  However, these jagged peaks jar me into realizing that the reality into which Jesus was born was indeed hostile, possibly lonely, and altogether unique.

This reminds me of how "human" Jesus was during his time on Earth.  This seems like such an elementary statement, yet I realize how much He could have done differently to take advantage of his divine power.  First, He could have skipped being a child altogether.  Why go through those awkward years of learning?  Why not just come to Earth on a cloud and pick up the Gospel story at the Sermon on the Mount? That, however, was not the plan.

Second, why get baptized?  Jesus did not have to demonstrate that He was entering the Kingdom of God. He was the Kingdom of God.  That, however, was not the plan.

Finally, why suffer on a cross? He clearly could have chosen to save humanity with a simple sweep of His hand..  That, however was not the plan.

Jesus has a first-hand experience of what it is like to crawl, to walk, to need Band-Aids, to move away from home, to walk, to feel cold, to grieve over loss, to laugh, to share, to touch, to suffer.  The thing is, He knew these without coming to Earth.  He knew these sitting on His heavenly throne, which means that He came to Earth to do much more than save humanity.  He also came to demonstrate.  He came to prove to us  that He knows how it feels and that He has complete understanding.  We are so blessed to have an example of His divinity, all for our benefit.  We are so blessed to have an example of love, such a fleshy example of sacrifice to take on all the sin in the world.  From the first wail as a child to His final words, "It is finished", Jesus waged a war that will never be paralleled... and for our benefit

...and His glory!

Jesus was a baby.  Jesus was a human.  Jesus felt. Most importantly, Jesus is with us.

A Miracle in SARAZEN!

Thank you for your prayer for Sarazen last week.  I posted here about the story of Sarazen and how things were looking bleak for finding water and faiths were tested. I would encourage you to read this story first in order to gain the complexity and weight of the situation. http://mikepstaub.blogspot.com/2012/09/what-to-do-when-well-is-dry-message.html

1 week later, "Brandon and Jessica", posted an update: http://brandonandjessica.org/2012/09/21/a-miracle-in-sarazen/

This year, we as Living Water picked two ‘zones’/areas to work in. The idea is that we could really focus on the needs of that area, and saturate them with God’s word, health and hygiene lessons, and provide clean water. This works much better when we can work with a whole community, or area. We go in and talk with the local kasaks, or mayors, and work with them hand in hand. This helps the whole community see and understand that this is in fact their well. They decide where they have the most need in their zone, they decide who gets the first well. They work with with the local church, as we always try to drill on church property. This helps the ‘government offices’ to work with the church, and allows the church to see what we are doing as an extension of the body of Christ-in addition to church then being able to use a new well as a tool to reach the lost in their community.

All that to tell you one zone we picked this year, based on a map of where there is high need, was St. Suzane. The problem with that pick, is there is a reason it’s rated such a terrible zone for clean water-it’s way up in the mountains. So we in fact, cannot use our drill rig there. We had to contract out, with another reputable organization, who has three giant, uber manly, rough and tough drill rigs. Over the last few months, they have been able to drill SEVEN wells. That is pretty amazing. And our ‘software’ team has been working with the churches we are drilling at, and the surrounding schools holding health and hygiene lessons. It’s a beautiful thing. Something we have been working towards for a long time. To see it in action, happening the way we had prayed and hoped it would, is just, well, exciting.

But there is a place called Sarazen. It’s on the way to St. Suzane, a few miles before the heart of the little town in the mountains. Just when we thought St. Suzane was desperate for clean water, God lead one of our Haitian staff to this crevice in the mountain. Brandon describes the road as following an obscure donkey trail. The first day he went to check it out, he told me the road was sketchy. One of the worst, scariest roads he has ever been on. Time out. I have traveled some seriously intense roads with him that are on the side of mountains-one slip and we fall to our death-have to get out of the tap tap we are on because the extra weight of passengers tipped us up onto three wheels and we had to walk a few blocks while the truck drove empty ahead of us.  So for him to say that, made me a little uneasy.

And when he described the need there, my heart sank. One of the downsides of living in a very, very poor environment for a while is, sometimes your heart can be desensitized to the needs around you. They become the new normal. But in a good way, it does allow us to see the levels of poverty too. When we first came to Haiti we thought everyone was poor and destitute, but now we can see that is not the case. Believe it or not, there are varying levels of poverty. God has allowed us to find and work with the people and areas that have the biggest need. So for Brandon to say this community was in need, in major need of clean water, let me know the situation was pretty bleak.

Brandon consulted a map that shows where water may be underneath the ground. (A pretty amazing map let me tell you!!) It’s not always accurate, and just because it shows water doesn’t necessarily mean we can get to it. But this map showed a small area, in Sarazen, that didn’t have as much rock, and he thought maybe, just maybe, we could try drilling there. It wasn’t possible for the burly rigs that we contracted out to get there, the road was too narrow. So Brandon and our two head drillers, Deriber and Daniel, decided after one visit, they had to at least try it.

The next day they drove the rig on the ‘donkey trail, and thankfully made it there without incident. They set the rig up and went to it. They were able to get down about 40 feet the first day. Not huge progress in one day typically, but deeper than they thought they would get considering there is rock all around them. So the next day they went back and got down to 80ft. Things looked good and they decided to case it, and see if they had found water.

No water.

They formed a new plan. They decided to move down the road a bit. There was a very small area on the ‘water map’ that showed a possibility of water, so they knew they didn’t have much wiggle room. They went back the next day. Mind you, to drive that awful road. In addition to that terrible stretch of road, it’s about 1.5 hours from our house/office in Cap Haitian. So these poor guys were commuting three hours a day, on a road that makes any healthy back cringe.

The drilling went a little quicker in this new location, and in one day they went to 100 feet. This was great news. The next day they went back to case (the large pipe that encases the pipe that will pump the water up). They got stuck at 50 feet. After trying every trick they knew possible, it became clear that the casing wasn’t going down any further. The amazing part was, Deriber was able to get the casing back up the hole. That rarely happens! Usually they push, shove, wiggle it so much to get it to go down that it won’t ever come back up again.  And the super cool part? Deriber, on his own, decided he could not walk away from this well. He could have. He could have said, ‘we tried’, we gave it our best effort. Which they did give it a huge effort. But he wasn’t ready to give up yet, seeing the desperate need for clean water.

And so we prayed.

God is the one who provides clean water, He simply allows us to be the tools in helping to get it. So we gave it back to Him again. Trusting that if He wanted a new well here, it was no big thing for Him to make that happen. It’s been heartbreaking the few times we’ve tried and tried for a new well in a community that needs it, only to come up dry again and again. But we are reminded that God is big, He is faithful.  He has a plan for those people and of course knows their need. So when a hole comes up dry, while it can be so hard to walk away, we have to trust that God cared for and provided for them before we got there, and will continue to after we leave. But it’s not easy let me tell you.

The next day, they started fresh. They re-drilled the same hole, hoping to clean out whatever had blocked the casing. Once that was done, they once again attempted to put casing down. It went all they down, perfectly, to 100 feet. And only now, after all that, could they see if there was even any water there.

It came out gushing. It was pulsing and flowing through the casing, as the people from the community yelled, cheered, cried and praised the Lord. Brandon said it seemed like the whole community was there-hundreds of people from the beginning were there watching, waiting. It’s common to attract a crowd in our line of work, but usually the more white people we have, the bigger the crowds. Ya know, it’s good people watching fun for them! But this time, everyone was there for two reasons. One, to see a huge machine that many of them had never seen the likes of before. Second, to see if our staff really could find water.

And God provided. The water came forth and He was glorified in that place!

It’s a rare thing to get Brandon on this blog. He’ll tweet his witty 120 words, but isn’t real fond of the long posts. So here are some thoughts he put down on paper I’d love to share with you guys…

I’m not sure what to call this other than a miracle. I’m hesitant to use that word because I’m overly logical, but Jessica continues to encourage me to call it what it is, a miracle. After sending out an last email asking for prayer, we moved the drill rig about 300 meters and tried to drill again. Nothing went our way. We blew out a bearing and hydraulic seal, the hydraulic gage exploded, one of our staff crashed his motorcycle (he is ok, the only thing hurt is his pride), and it rained cats and dogs. But we drilled 100′ in sand and gravel without ever hitting a singe rock! We developed the well (photo below) and we have a good producing (30gpm) well that puts out cold,clean water.

 God is good! God is faithful.

WHAT Does It Mean To GIVE?



Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them,
for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and the streets that they may be praised by others.
Truly, I say to you, they have their reward.

But when you give to the needy, do not let your right hand know what your left is doing,
so that your giving may be in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6: 1-4

What to do when the well is dry?

The message below was first seen in: http://www.facebook.com/liquidchurch/posts/10151024055096316

We wanted to share this note from Brandon Stone today, our in-country Liquid Water partner project leader in Haiti. It will break your heart. But you will see how your support is directly serving the people of Haiti - it is literally a matter of life and death. Currently there are over 60 villages waiting to be scheduled so that new wells are drilled - that's almost two years backlog. These wells are being drilled with the rig Liquid Water was able to donate because of your support.

Will you pray right now for the men, women and children of Sarazen?
_______________________

I am asking that you please pray for the community of Sarazen this morning.

Sarazen: 19°34'33.72"N, 72° 3'45.00"W

Sarazen is a little community located in the Northern Mountains of Haiti in the commune of St Suzanne. We have repaired pumps in St Suzanne for the last few years and have selected it as one of our geographical focus regions for 2012-2015. We committed to drilling 10 wells in St Suzanne this year. Our LS300 was not capable of drilling the consolidated formations so we chose Haiti Outreach (HO) another NGO in Haiti that has large commercial rigs to drill the wells. Of the 10 sites that we selected HO couldn't not get their drill rigs to 4 of the locations due to difficult impassable roads. Sarazen was one of those areas.

The tragedy is that the people that need clean water the most are also in the most difficult areas to access. The people of Sarazen are those people, the poorest of the poor, that eke out a living planting yams and corn on the steep hillsides of Haiti. We had already formed a water committee and the community had completed their hygiene education classes when we found out that HO could not get their rig there. Against all conventional wisdom I decided we would take our little LS300T up there to try, if not only so that the community of Sarazen would know that when we promise something we do everything in our power to follow through. I prayed all the way up the mountain that God would be glorified and that a miracle would take place. We would drill a successful well for Sarazen to the Glory of God. I was full of hope and confident that the power of God would be with us. We drilled to 40 feet and hit sold granite. we were moving at less than 3 inches per hour. But above 40 feet we had hit 20 feet of good looking sand and 1/16" gravel. So I thought we might not have as deep of a well as we would like but at least we would have something. It developed bone dry. God is sovereign, I know that, but sometimes I don't like it. Why He didn't perform a miracle and use us to find water I don't know?

This morning I just found out that two people in Sarazen died this weekend from Cholera. I cried (FYI: I don't do that often ask Jess). When I hear of people dying of cholera the smells and sounds of working in a cholera clink come back to haunt me. I can hear the incessant wailing of mothers that lost their sons and the unmistakable smell of vomit, diarrhea, sweat. Too many people have died needlessly from cholera. One person is a tragedy, tens of thousands is an atrocity. We are in the midst of an atrocity! I don't know all the details yet but I know that a father and son contracted cholera and the father died and the son is alive. Who will teach that boy what it means to be a man? Who will take care of his mother and family? The boy himself? He is fighting for his life as well. Another boy from the village died too.

We are moving the rig and trying again in another location. Please join me is praying that God will be with us and a miracle will be preformed and that the people of Sarazen will come to know Jesus though his working though us and that Sarazen will be a Godly village because of God's provision for them.

Brandon Stone

We Are All Victims


We are...victims, of the sins of our own, but often more frustratingly the sins of others.  We can all name it, and we can all find something or someone that we feel has wronged us, that has caused us to be "worn".

Sin was not God's creation.  God gave man the ability to choose in order to create a more perfect love. True love is not forceful, but rather it draws one in.  So, on the one hand, we experience the effect of this perfect love, but at the same time feeling the brokenness from the wrong decisions made with the liberty of choice.

3 reminders:
1) God is not responsible for sin...however...
2) God is sovereign and accomplishes His work despite sin
3) God redeems all sin, providing strength in our weakness

The lyrics in the chorus of the above song, "Worn", reminds us that redemption does WIN.  God can heal and reminds us that one day, the struggle does end in eternity for we only labor a little while before we are reunited in full once more.

On August 21, 2012, Tenth Avenue North released its third album named "The Struggle".  Lead singer, Mike Donehey encouraged his fans with this message upon its release:

We may not have answers to our questions, but we do have promises for our souls.

And the promises of God are twofold.

We are free to struggle, and we’re also not struggling to be free.

Our desire for our upcoming album, The Struggle, is that listeners will walk away with both of these truths still ringing in their ears and burning in their hearts.

We are free to fail because there’s an ocean of grace that we fall into.

But also, we have the promise of a power so strong that it raised Christ Himself, and so we know that, mystery of mysteries, we’re also not struggling to be free.

Imagine if we believed these things so strongly that we too gave grace to those tangled in their struggles while still calling them to the promise that they can be set free from them?

This artwork hopefully communicates this theme as well.

We’re in this thing together. Some fighting the waves, some breaking backs against the oars, some just trying to hold on. But one thing we know, we have each other, and most importantly, we have Christ.

And though it seems like He may have forsaken us, that He’s forgotten us, we need only look to the scars in His hands to remember He too entered the storm. He calmed the seas we could not calm. He broke the chains we could not break.

So wherever you are, whatever struggle you’re walking through, know that you’re not alone, and there’s grace, every step along the way.

Reminiscent Lessons

Here I sit watching the sunset and watching the flies buzz about in the meadow. I sit atop a hill in the town where I grew up, sitting on a bench with just the crickets chirping and my thoughts. O yes, and one more familiar sound: drums. 

It is in this instant that I remember that the place I sit is only a quarter mile away from the high school that I once attended. Even at the ripe age of 23, this seems like an old chapter in my life. There was so much growing, so much trial, and so much celebration. It was during these years that I thought I understood everything at the fundamental and psychological level when, only 5 years later, I have discovered that I was only scraping the very edge of the complexity of humanity. 

Drums. Such a simple sound that reminds me also that my soul is wooed through music. I have grown up with the organization of simple sounds layered into a complexity that makes the mind stand in awe. This enjoyment has followed me throughout my years of maturity and it is through these sounds that I can remember where I was but more importantly who I was.

So as I listen to these drums from my high school band, I remember how much I wanted to quit after 2 weeks due to disagreements with the director. But I also remember the discipline that I learned that set me up well for more grandiose experiences with a college marching band inside of stadiums. 

It is through this point that I must remember that I had great fun and enjoyed a great many things, but only after sacrifice, discipline, and patience. So even now, as I muddle through and often staggering and groping for stability in early adulthood, I know that the time will come and the celebration will be had. 

"Be patient, take advantage of opportunity, and you will have your celebration day."

The advice that whispers softly in my ears causes me to lift my chin and focus my eyes. Yes, my day is coming for all roads lead somewhere, but you must first walk it to see where it is going.

The Road to Repair Continues Here



This is just a small peek into charity:water's September Campaign.
To get more excited: http://www.charitywater.org/september/

"What do you in a country where so many were guilty? Only the most absurd options remained: reconciliation...grace...forgiveness..." -Scott Harrison

The Condition of the Man's Heart



Facts:

• The number of women in church outweighs the number of men
• The sex industry is immense (approximate numbers)

"[The enemy] knows that if he can get men spiritually checked out, if he can addict them, if he can enslave them, then the power of the Gospel will be stifled" -Unearthed Pics

There is a gospel that exudes that love should cover the world.

...But there is a world that shows that LUST > LOVE.

This goes even beyond the church: the world needs STRONG MEN  

who LOVE, 

who don't go after selfish desires, 

who think outside themselves, 

and ultimately live through Jesus.

This is a condition of the heart, and if we are to eradicate this spiritual issue, we must go after the source and the root.  

We need awareness.  

We need healing.  

We need tools. 

We need resources.

Jesus came to earth with a message of LOVE! 

This message should be louder than any other in the history of the earth.

Please pray with me that Unearthed can communicate this message and consider joining

THE GENTLEMEN'S CLUB

...The women are waiting... 

Why don't you understand me?
I only told you 314 times...

As a follow-up to one of my latest posts regarding the Brokenness of Humanity in the midst the Sandusky scandal, it is only fitting then to comment on the latest buzz.

The Freeh report is the latest installment of buzz that has the media rooms busy and gallons of coffee being consumed as the fallout from the scandal continues.  One of the most striking statements within the Freeh report comments on the lack of care that was given to each victim by various key individuals.

Among many voices that were speaking when the news first broke in November 2011 was that of Tim Henderson, campus leader of Penn State Cru.  He was one of the first to call out the lack of care for the victims. In his talk to the Penn State campus, named Love Notices Wet Hair, Tim stated:

At Penn State, we have been asking questions about obligation all week. Who is obligated to report what to whom? Who is legallyobligated to report sexual abuse of a child, and to whom must they report it? Who is morally obligated to report sexual abuse of a child, and to whom must they report it? Is there a difference between moral obligation and legal obligation?  Jesus responded to the heart of that question in his famous story about the Good Samaritan. Surprisingly though, He didn't actually answer that question, He answered a more important one.  Who is my neighbor? is the wrong question. According to Jesus, the right question is "Am I a neighbor?" It's not "Who must I love?" It's "Am I one who loves?"

Tim went on to say that obligation was not the issue at all, but rather LOVE was the issue.  Tim was also quick to point out that although we wanted to point fingers, we as students also suffered from the same sickness of the heart.

I've heard of students questioning what this means about the value of their degree, or the future of the football program. Really? You're young. As I'd had conversations with many I've realized that your moral compasses are still being built. You're still filling in the blank spaces about what's right and wrong in different situations. But can I just poke you a little bit? Those questions should be way down your list. If it was your little brother, your son being raped in a shower by a 50 year old man, would those questions even occur to you?

So we all suffer from this lack of love.  Why is it so hard?  The word "love" appears 314 times in the bible, so it is not like it is some obscure truth.  It is one we hear a lot and it is one that shows a clear disconnect.  We all yearn for this "peace" in the world that can be achieved through love, yet it seems so difficult and to constantly evade us.

The Resurgence is an organization that serves the church on mission by creating tools, training believers, and connecting leaders. They have a very active "blogosphere" and have recently posted the provocative title "Love-Making".  This piece methodically states the double condition of the heart: the broken and sinful side that leads to a destructive world juxtaposed with a mended and loving heart through the Holy Spirit.  In relation to the aforementioned "disconnect", as bluntly stated by Justin Holcomb:

Love is our problem. Moreover, the command to love doesn’t generate in us the ability to fulfill it. We can be told over and over that we ought to love, but being told to do so doesn’t make it possible for us to accomplish it. The command to love actually condemns us, because we all fail.

There is, however, a hope in all things.  Justin goes on to say that we are freed from condemnation and are thus freed to love, knowing love from He who loved us first.

The world is broken and this brokenness is rooted in an absence of love.  We are called to restore Creation to what it once was intended, but we will always be examining and restoring our own hearts, perhaps 314 times over.

Persistence Tells Good Stories



Inspire, create, motivate, persist...

Passion, love, pressure, and drive...

DS2DIO is an organization that matches up YouTube music and dance artists to collaborate and simply create.  The results are high quality and highly enjoyable.  The documentary aspects at the beginning of each video also provides greater understanding into the story of each collaboration so that the audience feels invested in each experience.

Destorm Power and Jonathan Legacy Perez collaborate on this piece to show and provide a small window into what it looks like to first discover talent, to next pursue passion, to endure struggle, and to finally resolve in achievement.

This pattern is visible in many aspects of life, most notably in the pursuance of our "calling".  God is the original creator, of both these beautiful art forms and of the talents within each of us.  He asks us to multiply our talents and benefit those around us through love.  Finally, the Bible talks extensively about persistence and how this is a never-ending theme in humanity.  Struggles and conflicts create character and create stories and testimonies, from which we draw inspiration and power.

So develop your passion, push through the struggles, and let the world benefit from YOUR story.

The Brokenness of Humanity: A Sandusky Story




In the book of Genesis, the world was created perfectly and man was in perfect relationship with God. Honesty, harmony, peace, and abundance without greed were all part of this world.  Then, of course, something happened as this is no longer the world we live in today.  This is what is termed "The Fall".

From the beginning, man was equipped with choices, for true love does not force its hand.  For instance, in a marriage between two people, the power of this union lies in the choice made by these individuals to love and commit to each other as opposed to facing such an opportunity with obligation.  A love that chooses is much more pure, free, beautiful, and genuine.

Getting back to "The Fall", Adam and God had many years of relationship together.  God asks Adam to name all the animals before He pulls one of Adam's ribs to make a woman.  Estimates say that based on the diversity of life that was in the jungle of Eden at that time, Adam was "alone" with God for about 50 years in order to name all of the animals and plants (Genesis 2:19-20).  Therefore, Adam and God must have been pretty close.  But yet again, something happened.

The free choice to love also brought the free choice to disobey.  At one point in the Genesis story, Adam (with some outside influence) betrays his 50+ year relationship with God by disobeying His only command: not to eat from the tree that would grant man's ability to know good and evil, just as God does in heaven.  Unfortunately, man was not equipped to handle such power to know good and evil and it is here that we learn three things.  First, man will always seek power even if it a perilous journey.  Second, man was not equipped to handle such power and may often experience fallout in his pursuit. And finally, man will sin no matter the greatness of God's provision.

The first and second points can feed into the third, and it is this statement that has made our world a tough place to live.  On the one hand we live in a world filled with the beauty of God's creation that includes sunsets, rainbows, and honeybees.  On the other hand we also live in a world filled with man's sins that include greed, pride, and hate.  These only name a few, but sin creates such a divide between our relationship with God as well as hurting our relationships with those around us on the earth.

So with that knowledge of sin, my alma mater has been faced with a predicament that relates to the sin of an individual.  Jerry Sandusky has recently been convicted of very disturbing sins that create a divide between his relationship with God and have far-reaching effects on those communities around him.  It even caused others to sin around him, as brought up by Penn State Cru's campus leader, Tim Henderson, in his "Love Notices Wet Hair" series.  In short, Sandusky's actions spurred forward other actions by other people that further did not reflect Christ's love thus making the world a sea of sin, but none of which is not redeemable through Christ alone.  There were choices that were made, choices that did not include those of "love" and it is here that we can find that "The Fall" is especially ugly.

The situation is frustrating for many: parents of children, affiliates of Penn State, and defenders of justice.  These actions should have never happened, but the world is broken and people make choices.  Sandusky can go nearly no place in this world without being accepted.  Even in prisons, fellow inmates do not take kindly to these types of sins and often harass criminals like Sandusky, even to death.

He now sits in solitary confinement with only a few things to keep him company.  However, among these few things, is a prayer book.  He needs an escape from the realities of sin and from the world that no longer accepts him, and it sits in his lap.  Sandusky may never again be right with the world, but he does have a hope to be right with God.  These sins are too tough to bear in the earthly realm, but Jesus came with a purpose.  Through the faith of His followers, he redeems the lives of sinners and restores the lives of victims.

"The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair" -Relient K

It is in these moments that grace and power surpass my understanding.  My response is one of awe at simply how large my God is that reigns sovereign and provides light even in the darkest of times.  How do I feel about the possibility of a person of such sins being a fellow co-habitant in eternal life?  Yes, a little uneasy.  However, I am consoled by the fact that God is very protective of Heaven and He will not let any sin into this realm.  Therefore, I may never meet Sandusky on earth, but if his faith gets him to Heaven, he will be unlike the man that we all know today.  He will be pure and spotless, scrubbed clean by the sacrificed Son.  This is a miracle that can be achieved by no man, for no man holds or can handle this power.  I worship a God of second chances, a God who truly knows how to handle power, a God whose love passes all understanding, and a God who chooses to be with us despite our choices.