by Web Master | Nov 17, 2017 | Uncategorized
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=””]
Personality Tests and YWAM | How Different Personalities Experience Our Mission (ENFP)
[/fusion_title][fusion_text]
We as YWAM globally have adopted and embraced what we call our 18 Foundational Values. Things like: Know God, Make God known, Value the Individual, Function in Teams, Be International and Interdenominational, etc. YWAM is an extremely diverse organization and as you can see by the last three values mentioned, we are called to celebrate and encourage that diversity and the way it makes us strong as the Body of Christ.
Many of us know, however, that with diversity and differences of opinions, values, strategies, and giftings, come real challenges in doing life together. We strive for unity and understanding at every turn and when it comes down to it, living in such a diverse community is one of the absolute best things about YWAM.
Sometimes, however, tools are needed to help us understand one another’s unique functionality. This is why, at YWAM Redding, we embrace things like Strengths Finders and Myers Briggs, to help us grow together as a team and as a family.
Because of all this, we thought it would be fun to take a raw look at YWAM through the eyes of different Myers Briggs personalities.
Whether you are all about personality tests, or you think they’re all a hoax, most of us have heard of the infamous Myers Briggs 16 Personalities test. (And if you haven’t, you can find it here. You’re welcome.)
Now, before I go on and lose some of you who are in the hoax camp, I do want to make one important statement regarding personality tests… I fully acknowledge and agree that not every single person on earth can fit neatly and perfectly into one of just sixteen profile types. I believe that every human ever created is entirely unique because they are a reflection of our vast and complex God; a unique reflection of His never ending angles and sides and dimensions.
THAT being said. I love Myers Briggs. I love those “oohhhh” moments when you read the profile of a friend and suddenly realize why they have a certain behavior that always baffled you in the past. I really believe that this resource can give us valuable insight into others, and into who we are and how we operate without defining us and our self image or the way we view someone else. We don’t’ want to trap ourselves or others into a box, but we really can learn a lot from these tests. It’s a balance, people.
To make this simple and to be able to compare perspectives across personality “types”, I will be interviewing members of our staff who represent these different types so that we can see how they view specific aspects of YWAM life.
This week we are interviewing one of our ENFPs! (Which seem to make up the majority of our staff). If you want, you can check out their personality profile here.
So without further ado… Here are their answers:
What is the best part about the community living aspect of YWAM?
“Always having someone to enjoy a moment with! I am an extreme extrovert so I LOVE being with friends. To me life is all about relationships – with God and with others. The ability to connect and relate to other people, to share life with them, is one of the greatest gift God has given us. The staff at this base are my family, and being able to take someone out to coffee, hear how their doing, share my own thoughts, and connect on that level is just amazing. Especially with people who are SO like minded, yet totally unique in their expression of God’s love.”
What is the most challenging part of community living?
“This is a hard one to answer… I think I’m also just such an extreme optimist that anything can be turned into a positive somehow haha. Like even the challenges of understanding people who have different backgrounds and experiences and opinions are actually fun to me, and I look forward to understanding people who are different from myself.”
How do approach “striving for unity” (as described in Eph 4)?
“Have the hard conversations! In my opinion, there is nothing that two people walking in humility and love can’t overcome. As long as we are striving to understand the other person and aren’t trying to just validate ourselves or prove that we are right, we should be able to move forward in love! Even if we have to just agree to disagree, I can still fully love that other person with the love Christ has given me.”
What is your favorite thing about outreach?
“Probably getting to experience different cultures and learning how to present Jesus to different people groups. I love seeing how each culture is a unique reflection of different aspects of God’s nature. Whether it’s street preaching or sitting in someone’s home with them discussing God over tea, I love connecting with someone and seeing the change that comes as they gain revelation that Jesus truly is the Son of God who died to save them!”
What is the most challenging thing about outreach?
“Probably choosing to get away and be intentional about alone time. Outreach is always so full on and exciting and your team is so close. Sometimes it can be tough to do what Jesus did and get away with the Father. I have to remind myself that even though being around the people I love fills me up, being in His presence is always going to be the biggest thing to refresh me and fill me with what I need to keep going strong.”
How do you overcome these challenges?
“Prioritize the time and plan it ahead! It sounds funny that that would be my answer considering that a weakness of ENFP’s is practical skills and planning haha. But for me, if I tell myself that I am going to take 2-3 hours at 9am on our of
f day to JUST be with Jesus and do something fun with Him, it makes it easier to say no to other things that come up and opportunities to hang out with people.”
What tools do you use to remain healthy and thriving in busy seasons?
“Kind of what I just mentioned! I’ve learned to be really intentional about “getting away” with God. No matter what is going on in my world, if I keep my gaze fixed on Him and run to the secret place, I know I will always be rooted and steady in the strength of His love.”
How, or in what environments, do you encounter God the most?
“Part of me really loves reading my bible and journaling in a cafe or trendy coffee shop. I call it ‘introverting in public.’ But really the BEST thing for me is to be totally alone some place that I know I won’t be interrupted. And that can look like different things. I think another strength of ENFP’s is that we’re typically energetic and like adventure (it’s at least true for me) so I love changing things up and going on little adventures with Jesus. As long as I feel free to get lost in worship with Him.”
What is your absolute favorite thing about being in YWAM (in general)?
“I think it really has to be either doing life with like-minded people, or the sense of freedom and adventure. I love the fact that there’s such a sense of freedom to dream big and go after the impossible with God, and that there are always people surrounding you and cheering you on. There’s such a freedom to come alive, to be and become who God made you to be, to use and explore all your gifts and passions as you live in wonder of who God is and explore His heart! And then you get to use those gifts to carry that wonder and freedom into the nations and teach other people how to come alive in Christ! What could be better?!”
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
by Web Master | Nov 10, 2017 | Uncategorized
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=””]
Ambassadors of Joy
[/fusion_title][fusion_text]
Nehemiah 8:10 say’s “The Joy of the Lord is your strength”
Many of us are very familiar with this passage of scripture, and we often celebrate Nehemiah’s commitment to rebuild the walls of his homeland, which had been lying in ruin for 40-50 years. We are often astonished by the dedication of Nehemiah, Zerubbabel, and Ezra who rebuilt their nation and restored the lives of their fellow brothers and sisters. Those who were living in slavery for 60 years and had no hope for freedom.
In the midst of all the chaos and brokenness, the eyes of these three men never turned away from the throne of God. They were waiting for the moment when God would release them to do what they had been praying and preparing to do. When that moment did arrive, and God gave them the ‘go’, they were instantly ready to move. They began to rebuild and reconstruct. We all know the intensity of Nehemiah’s request to king Xerxes (Nehemiah 1). We can sense the emotion of that dialogue between the King and his cup bearer, who is not only faithful to his king, but even more so committed to see his people and city restored to it’s former pride and fame. Ezra on the other hand was dedicated to study the word of the Lord, to do it and to teach it (Ezra 7). Ezra left Babylon to come to Jerusalem and reestablish God’s law in his Nation. Even though he served in a pagan nation, under a pagan king, his commitment and accountability always stayed with God and His covenant.
All these men, in the midst of a national revival, when their cities were being restored, the Temple was being rebuilt, and their people were being revived, did not forget one very crucial thing. It has been reflected clearly in the very words of Ezra, ”the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
After hearing Ezra read from the book of Law, the people were ready to repent, they understood their failures and were ready to turn their faces to the Lord. But Ezra did not condemn them for their past ways, rather, he asked them to be joyful and to celebrate. Ezra, even though his ministry was under the Old Covenant, understood a very crucial fact: No one can be restored and rebuilt under condemnation. Condemnation pulls people under to where they can’t see a way out, and where they quickly get stuck in a cycle of sin and repentance. But joy, which comes out of the forgiveness received through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, brings hope and faith for God’s promise of restoration! (Nehemiah 8-10) The moment Ezra sees the change of heart in the people of Israel, he calls forward national CELEBRATION. He took a step to create hope in people, allowing them to celebrate what God has done in their lives. How often do we forget the importance of celebration!?
Repentance is not always tearing up your clothes and lying in ashes for days. Repentance is not always declaring your sin to the world. Repentance is not there to bring guilt or shame or tell you how sorry you should feel for what you have done. When our ways were sinful, we lived in condemnation, and if our repentance is also leading us towards condemnation, then we don’t have any other way to go and we are without hope.
Repentance always means renewal of the mind, a changing of the mind, which never happens with condemnation, but only with joy. It is a sense of hope and expectancy for something different than your old state; which looks so attractive to you that it literally pulls you toward change.
Ezra knew that the new nation he was leading needed hope, and that hope can be created only through joy and celebration. The people were ready to repent, but the goal was not only repentance in the sense we often think of. They needed to be given a NEW way, something to turn TOWARD, which is full of hope (John 3:17). And who can walk in this new path with the feeling of how bad they were pulling them down!? Why should they repent? Not just because of the guilt they feel, but for the HOPE that they have! They were slaves, but they aren’t anymore. They were a failure, but they aren’t anymore. They were rejected, but they aren’t anymore.
Often we lack celebration, joy, and laughter because of the familiarity of the hopeless cycle we feel stuck in. The thing that brings us BREAKTHROUGH though, is remembering all of the beautiful, loving things that God has done and desires to do! Celebration releases faith to encounter breakthrough; which has already been given through God’s ‘Yes and Amen’. You are just coming to agreement with heaven! When you celebrate, you are also adding joy to your testimony, which imparts life to the people around you. People are attracted to joy and love. If they are looking for hopelessness, they can go anywhere in the world. What make us different from the world is the joy that we carry. Jesus brought hope of eternal rest and peace through the cross. The sense that we can achieve eternal peace and joy irrespective of our circumstances brings hope in us, even in the midst of chaos.
Any moment we lose our joy is a moment where we’ve become disconnected from God’s working in us and through us. Every where God is there is light. “God is light and there is no darkness in Him” (John 1:4). It’s unnatural for light and darkness to exist in the same place at the same time. It has to be either one or the other. You cannot be in light and in darkness at the same time.
You cannot have fear and stress and consider yourself within the light of God when peace and joy are the fruits of Light.
Galatians 5:22 gives us the list of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. John 1:1-3 brings in revelation of God in our life, making the fruit of the Holy Spirit equivalent to the fruit that we experience when we are in the presence of God. So it can be described as the fruit of Light.
You cannot have fear and stress and consider yourself within the light of God when peace and joy are the fruits of Light. It is possible that we have left a
door open in a certain area of life, which is letting these fruits of darkness come in and steal our peace. It is impossible to be in the presence of God and to be without hope. Fear, Stress, anxiety, etc.. are fruits of hopelessness, which comes in the absence of joy. Fear takes away our ability to move forward, and pulls us into the dark dungeon where only loneliness is our companion. Stress breaks our health and takes our ability to connect with people and God. The reality is that, “any area of our life that is not glistening with hope, is under the influence of a lie,” is under the influence of darkness.
With the help of the Holy Spirit and the grace of Jesus Christ – which he lavishes upon us, without any boundaries and limits – we can always find our path back to joy. The Joy of the Lord is indeed our strength.
Joy activates hope in us, hope builds faith, and as the author of Hebrews writes ”Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.” Hope is a door which brings us into the atmosphere of Heaven, the very presence of God, where every impossible thing is made possible. Where mountains can be moved, dead can be raised, cities can be rebuilt and nations can be transformed. You cannot worship Jesus and be hopeless at the same time. We are called to be ambassadors of joy!
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
by Web Master | Oct 27, 2017 | Uncategorized
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=””]
What Do I Tell Mom?
(Talking to Your Parents About Your Call To Missions)
[/fusion_title][fusion_text]
There I was, my last trimester of college. The end of an era of my life. I was so excited. Over the previous years I had had opportunities to go to Israel, Jordan, and Oman; I had fallen in love with missions.
I thought back to Freshman year when I was at a small group… A girl came in 45 mins late crying about how she could no longer go to Jordan because the other girl on her trip dropped out. I was 17 at the time and when I heard this I paused for a moment, and then thought… why not? I said to her, “If my parents let me go I’ll go with you.”
I remember calling my mom with excitement that night and saying, “Mom, I have this amazing opportunity to go to Jordan! Can I go?” She was hesitant, but asked me, “How many people are going? How much is it going to cost? How long of a trip is it? Why do you want to go?” I replied, “I think about 5 people, around $4,500, I can fundraise. I want to go because I felt a stirring in my heart that I should say yes.” Looking back I can’t even begin to imagine what was going through her head. Here she was sending her 17 year old daughter off to college to get a good education and a good job, and now she wants to go to the Middle East… She handled it with as much grace as she could though and, to my surprise, said, “Let me talk to your father.”
My family are not Christians, so for them it didn’t make sense that I would want to go on a mission trip. It was only after sharing about the great commission, that Jesus calls us to go and to do what the Bible says, that they finally relented. My Mom’s biggest concern was safety. I remember having to talk with her and share that I had laid down my life for Jesus. That the only thing that really mattered to me was sharing the Gospel with the lost, and that I was willing to take any risk to go! It was within a week of when I first asked that my parents gave their blessing.
Then, the week before the trip, my Grandma was placed in hospice. My family didn’t know if she was going to make it. There was a possibility that she could die while I was in Jordan. I remember having to sit down with my mom and share Luke 9:60 with her. “Let the dead bury the dead.” I had a call from God to go on this trip and I knew that I was meant to go. I remember telling my mom and dad that I wanted to ask grandma for her blessing before I went on the trip. She gave it to me. My parents took me into my grandma’s room in hospice and she told me that I had her blessing to go and make a difference in the world. I said goodbye. She passed away while I was on that trip.
Months later, after returning home, I was at family dinner with my mom and dad. I told them that I needed to talk to them. I told them that I was no longer going to be in the teaching department at my college, and that I didn’t even know if I was going to be going back for my next semester. I shared with them that my heart had been broken for the Muslim people while I was in Jordan, and that everything inside of me now wanted them to know how to have a relationship with Jesus that was filled with hope and joy. I wanted to go into full time missions. My mom cried and my dad was disappointed.
So, Sophomore year I switched my major to religious studies and looked for every opportunity that I could find to go to the Middle East. I remember my mom asking me, “How are you going to support yourself? How are you going to make a living?” At that time I didn’t have the answers for her so I just said, “To tell you the truth, I don’t know. But I know that I have a God that loves me and has called me into missions. I know that my Bible says, ‘Go into all the nations’. It doesn’t’ say sit at home and live the American Dream.” At the end of the conversation my dad said, “At least respect me and your mom enough to finish a bachelor’s degree.” I said, “Yes.”
Fast forward to Junior year. My college opened up the opportunity to start a study abroad program in Oman. I remember calling my mom and telling her, “Mom, you know how I was planning on studying abroad? Well we have a new program! Can I go?” She said, “As long as it counts for your schooling. I know you’re going to be sharing Jesus while you are there, just honor your program and don’t get into too much trouble.” So I went! At this point she was getting used to me wanting to go on trips to reach the least of these.
Then we come to my senior year. The time where, in my parent’s mind, I’m meant to get a job or apply to seminary. I was one month away from graduation as a twenty year old. I had no idea what I was going to do. I remember my mom saying, “You should go get a nice job in a church and become a pastor! There is job security and you will not have to worry about anything.” Because I love my parents and want to make them happy… I started considering it. Then that next week I had a friend lovingly rebuke me. She said, “Meghan, since going to Jordan you’ve known you are called to this region of the world. You are making the worst mistake of your life by applying to universities.”
I remember calling my mom and saying, “Mom, you know how I’m applying for seminary… well, I’m stopping my application. I’ve actually felt like I need to go to a training program with Youth With a Mission. They train up missionaries to reach the lost.” She was dumbfounded… She knew I wanted to do missions but she always thought it was a phase and that I would grow out of it. Hearing me say that I was actively changing my plans in order to serve Jesus really threw both her and my father for a loop. She yelled and was extremely angry for the first 1.5 months after I made the decision to go. She didn’t understand. She kept asking, “Why can’t other people answer the great commission, why does it have to be you?”
I remember during this time having to spend a lot of time on my knees praying for wisdom on how to explain this to her in love. I kept coming back to the Scripture Matthew 28 where it calls us to go into the nations. It doesn’t say for just some of us to go to the nations, but is a call inviting all of us to go and partner with His work. Eventually, my mom began to understand that although my choice wasn’t logical in her mind, it was completely lead by the Lord and that nothing she argued would change my mind. In the end, I left with her blessing.
Through what felt like a long, difficult process, I learned some key tips that have helped me navigate through some tricky conversations brought on by my life of missions:
- Even if your family are not believers, always have a scripturally backed word of the Lord for why you are going. This allows you to have assurance that what you are choosing to do is right and in obedience to Jesus. He’s the One you’re aiming to please.
- Never get angry or yell back (I don’t know how many times I yelled at my mom out of frustration) When you get angry and yell and argue it is discrediting you and it is not showing the love of Christ. Love is patient, love is kind and gentle. Show this side of Christ in you. The times that I have seen the most breakthrough have been when I am walking in the peace of the Lord.
- When you can, honor your parents’ requests – But be sure this doesn’t turn into disobedience to God. For me, honoring my parents’ requests to get a bachelor’s degree has lead them to actually respect me and support me monthly on the missions field. And to clarify again, this was after I spent some time in prayer and asking Jesus if I could honor this request and remain in line with His desires for me. Jesus will always lead you the way that will produce the most fruit down the line.
- Prayer is key. In my own power I am not able to convince my family of anything. It took praying and asking the Lord to move on my behalf for my family to finally come to terms with me being on the mission field.
- Make sure you have a support group. Whether this is your friends or family, always have others praying on your behalf. For me, I have had my friends interceding for my family for every major conversation that I have had about missions with them! I fully believe that this has caused the softening of their hearts for what I’m doing.
The final word I have for you is don’t be discouraged if at first your friends and family do not understand! Sometimes it takes time. Also, know that Jesus has the perfect plan. He knows exactly how to ease your family into the idea of you stepping out into missions. So take a deep breath and lean in on the Lord! Know that the Lord is your defender.
“The Lord is your mighty defender, perfect and just in all his ways; Your God is faithful and true; he does what is right and fair.” Deuteronomy 32:4 (GNT)
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
by Web Master | Oct 20, 2017 | Uncategorized
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=””]
Embracing the Process
[/fusion_title][fusion_text]
A simple yet profound revelation hit me earlier this year: you can’t bypass the process.
I was working out with a group of friends, and as we did burpees, push-ups, and crunches… I realized my body wasn’t aching the way it usually did after a REALLY good workout. Everyone around me was barely able to breathe, yet I was doing just fine… and it SURE wasn’t because I am in that great of shape! I realized that if I did this every day for the next year, working out with the same lack-of-Vigor as I just had… I would probably lose some weight, sure, but I would definitely not build much muscle. By being lazy with my form, not stopping the coach to receive proper instruction, and just going through the motions, I could easily bypass the process, but I would NEVER get the results that I wake up at 5:30 every morning to get.
The same principles apply to our walk with Jesus. So often we want to just “keep up appearances” with all the Christians around us. We try to look the part but are afraid to actually stop and ask for help, not wanting to draw attention and risk “looking foolish”. We don’t want to take time to really focus on getting our form (or character) down, and so we end up just kind of going through the motions of Christianity with no real transformation or growth as a result.
We often try to avoid the pain that can come with growth, but the reality is: if we just commit to going through it, whatever that looks like, it would give us strong muscles that would give us great endurance to run the long-term race.
To be honest, I was actually dealing with a deeper issue at that time that really hurt, more than I wanted to admit. But God showed me that when I just put a smile on and tried to keep up with everyone, I was actually bypassing the process. I have realized that in order to get the best results (in this and every area of my life) I needed to FULLY EMBRACE the process. And just like me, The Lord actually wants you to face your pain. Not for the sake of pain, but for the sake of freedom. He is more than enough to not only “get you through”, but to truly work all things together for your GOOD!
In my life, I can truly say He has done this. It won’t be easy, in fact some times you will want to stop even in the the middle of a rep, the weight might feel a little too much for that brief moment… but you have the best Coach in the world to help you through it all. So, don’t be ashamed of where you are. In fact, embrace your process, and you will become confident and strong, full of grace and beauty in the end.
“Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish it’s work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” [James 1:3-4]
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
by Web Master | Oct 13, 2017 | Uncategorized
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_text]
The Heavenly Father wants to be in constant conversation with His children. When we have total dependency on Him, we get to watch His glory and goodness unfold before our eyes! Read this Blog to learn about YWAM Redding’s Faith Outreaches and be inspired by one of our outreach stories – we Jesus provided warm meals, places to stay, $200, divine appointments, and much needed heart-felt conversations!
What is Faith Outreach? Faith Outreach is based off of Luke 10 and Matthew 10 when Jesus sent out His disciples. He instructed them to go without money, without food, and with the singular goal to declare the coming of the kingdom of heaven. He gave them authority to heal the sick and set captives free to back up the message they were to profess: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Each person that joins staff at YWAM Redding and does our School of Supernatural Frontier Missions embarks on a one week faith outreach following the same model that Jesus gave His disciples.
Here are the rules:
-
- Pray about where to go and if there is a specific (unreached) people group to seek out. In Matthew 10 Jesus gave very specific instruction about who the disciples were to go to. We want to give the Lord opportunity to instruct our focus to a particular place or people.
- Go in faith and rely on the Father! Jesus wanted His disciples to keep their eyes fixed on the Father, as He demonstrated in His own life. He told them not to use up their energy and time worrying about provision, but to know that the Father would provide for them as they partnered with Him in His work.
- Find people of peace. The disciples were told to look for people and places where their peace could rest. If anyone rejected them they were to simply shake the dust from their feet and move on, looking for the ones who’s hearts were open.
- Proclaim, heal, and deliver! Jesus gave them authority to proclaim as they went, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” and to, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons” (Mt 10:7-8).
And so the story begins…
Day 1
As we had been instructed to do, we prayed about our trip the night before we left. As we listened for His voice, we heard important instructions that defined our time. We felt like God told us to go to San Francisco, and to a House of Prayer. We also felt that in order to get there we should go to the Redding Airport and fly down (trusting Him for the tickets). Lastly, we simply heard the number 7. When our base prayed us out, someone spoke the verse John 15:5 over us. With these words in hand, we were ready to go.
After being prayed out we waited at our house and worshiped until we felt Jesus lead us to start walking to the airport. The walk took about 3 or 4 hours, and we got to talk with people on the way. When we arrived, Jeremy and I started reading scripture out loud and interceding for everyone there. We felt like the number 7 we heard earlier meant that if we didn’t have plane tickets by 7 o’clock it was time to leave the airport and walk back to our car to drive to San Francisco. In the waiting, people came up to us and we also went to talk to others.
When 7:00pm finally rolled around the corner, we finally decided to embark on the 3 to 4 hour walk home in the dark. Our plan now was to drive to San Francisco that night and sleep on the way somewhere. But as we would soon see, God had other plans.
As we walked, we began praying against disappointment and started thanking God that we could be obedient to Him in going to the airport, even if it didn’t turn out the way we had hoped. We thanked Him for His joy, for His presence, and for every good thing. God’s joy never left us, and, despite what we thought we should have been feeling, we didn’t get disappointed!
Less than two minutes after leaving the airport parking lot, a car pulled over from the road and rolled down their passenger window. A guy inside said, “Hey, do you guys need a ride?!” We responded with, “Yeah, sure!” and hopped in our new friend M’s car. He explained to us that he had seen us on the road 3 or 4 hours ago when we were on our way to the airport. He told us that Jesus had told him to pick us up, but he didn’t because he was on his way to watch a movie with a friend. After the movie had finished though and he drove past us again, Jesus reminded him, “Remember, I told you to pick those guys up?”
This was the first of many divine appointments. He began sharing his testimony and then asked us all about who we were and what we were doing. After we told him we were on a faith outreach, he asked us if we were hungry and if we needed a place to stay. To our surprise, he even drove to the bank and told us that Jesus had told him to give us $200! Jesus overwhelmed us with His goodness through our friend M. We were provided with food, a place to stay, and extra money! Later, as we entered the room where we would be staying, M said, “There’s a scripture on the wall for you guys”. The verse was John 15:5, the exact one our base prayed over us before we left! We were in awe of the confirmation this brought to us. We ended the day with worship and we knew that God had made a perfect plan for us!
Day 2
After having breakfast with M, we drove Jeremy’s car to the train station in Richmond, California, and took this to San Francisco with our backpacks and a guitar. Once we arrived we started worshipping and soon felt God remind us to go to the San Francisco House of Prayer. It was about a two hour walk from where we were, so we started on our way and just had fun with Jesus as He led us. I wondered if there was a mosque o
n the way that we could go to and share Jesus’ love in, so we checked google maps. We saw that there was one less than 5 minutes away and since it was Friday, we were more compelled to go, considering it was the main day most people went to mosques. As we got closer, I felt more hesitant, but when I asked Jeremy if we should still go, he said, “Sure” in a very affirming manner. Despite what I was feeling physically, I knew the Holy Spirit was leading us to go. When we entered the mosque it was not crowded at all. Only two imams (Muslim leaders) were sitting in the library, and maybe three or four people were on the mat practicing the routines of Islam. The imams invited us to come have a seat with them, and after we greeted one another, they asked us, “So why are you guys here?” We replied, “We came to tell you guys about Jesus, and who He is in our lives.”
The men let me share my testimony and Jeremy was able to prophesy over one of them, encouraging him by telling him that God saw that he did a good job raising his children. The other imam was not as open to listening to us, but the older one actually asked us to stay. Eventually, before we left, I asked, “Can we pray for you guys before we go?” The fact that they gave us permission to pray after telling them about Jesus for 20 minutes in their mosque still blew my mind. I knew that God was definitely stirring up a hunger for the truth in the imam that let us pray for him. I believe our muslim friend saw the peace and light of Jesus that shined in that dark place.
Later that evening, after having countless encounters with people along the way, we finally arrived at the House of Prayer around 6 or 7pm. Immediately when we entered, the pastor greeted us and began getting to know us. After a talking for a bit, he asked me to lead the first set for prayer that night. It was funny because I had never met these people before but they still trusted me to lead them in worship and intercession that ended up going for an hour and a half. People were encountering Jesus all over the place, and the Lord was planting seeds of love deep in our hearts.
At the House of Prayer we met a new friend named Y from France, and he ended up asking us where we were staying that night. We honestly didn’t know because the train station closed around midnight and by this time it was already 2 or 3 am. He told us he was staying at a woman’s house who hosted missionaries and that she said we could spend the night! At the house of prayer we also met a woman who invited us to visit her church on Sunday.
Day 3
In the morning Y decided to join us for ministry since, in this season, he felt his life was a bit of a faith outreach. As we prayed, we felt the Holy Spirit leading us to a suburb of San Francisco called Fremont. On the way to the train station we saw a man who looked like he was in pain, so we stopped to pray for him. He said his knee was causing him trouble, and after we prayed a couple times he began jumping up and down rejoicing because all the pain was gone! He was thanking Jesus!
On the train Y asked me to start worshiping and releasing God’s presence amidst the 30 or 40 people crammed in our section. As we started ministering to the Father’s heart, we began to see God come and the atmosphere shift. At first, people started staring at us and giving us dirty looks, but Y felt the Spirit leading him to share the Gospel of Jesus and what He had done in his life. People all around the train were becoming very hostile to the Spirit, I could see in them a response of anger and rage. I felt God’s presence come upon me after he had finished and despite the crowd’s reaction, I was compelled to get up and share my testimony as I bawling my eyes out in front of everyone. God had broken my heart for all of these people who were publicly denying Him, but in the midst of that I also had deep joy from the Lord. I remember the reaction of the people listening was very unexpected because the moment I started crying, I heard a sigh from the family in front of me. As I continued sharing my testimony, people got up and crammed their way to leave the train as soon as possible because they were hostile to the Spirit of God. Matthew 10:22 even says, “and you will be hated for my name’s sake…” Regardless of the lack of physical fruit we saw in this time, the Lord encouraged us that He was the one who was going to continue to encounter those people who had maybe rejected Him in the train car. We felt the Lord show us heart to use our obedience to speak clearly to many and encounter many, reminding them of the Lover of their souls.
The rest of the evening we got to teach a small crowd of Christian students from the University Berkeley on the topics of Holy Spirit, tongues, and prophecy. This group was so receptive that they listened to us for two and a half hours, and by the end they were prophesying over each other! It was definitely an honor to pour into these students’ lives because they had literally just met us outside of a restaurant, and some of them were about to start their own ministries! After we laid hands on them in prayer, they laid hands on us and prayed for us as well.
Day 4
Sunday morning, we remembered the woman who had invited us to come to her church in Foster City near San Francisco. Once we got there, we ended up finding even more divine appointments, and after the service they took us out to lunch and coffee for about 3-4 hours. Towards the end of our time of fellowship, the worship leader asks us where we are staying that night.
We told him, “In the car.”
He shouted, “WHAT?! In the car?!”
“Yes,” we replied.
Then the pastor of the church jumps in and says, “No. You’re not sleeping in the car tonight, you can stay at my place. My family is in Canada right now.”
We stayed at his house that night! Before we went to his house, Jeremy still wanted to open air preach in the square near the restaurant were we had lunch. As he shared the gospel, people listened and were receptive! Then I felt prompted again by the Holy Spirit to share how the Kingdom of God is near and Jesus wants to be intimate with us. Then as I proclaimed the Gospel again, a man across the street started yelling at me and saying all kinds of things against me because of Jesus. All of the sudden I felt led to speak to him, to bless him, and to prophecy over him the life that Jesus is calling him to. I said I saw him breaking off chains of depression over other people, and releasing freedom over others as well. As we went to the car on the way there, we passed this man and said,
“Have a good evening, we love you!”
He said back in disbelief, “How can you love someone you don’t even know!”
“Haha.. that’s a good question” said Jeremy as he turned around.
Jesus opened the door for us to share truth in his life even though he rejected what we said. We stayed there for 30-40 minutes, worshipping and sharing Jesus’ love.
After this we went to the pastor’s home, we each had our own rooms that night! He fed us an amazing meals, and we got to talk about what Jesus had done in his life! It was an absolute honor to be able to get to know him. The church he is pastoring has three parts: one International, one Arabic and one Farsi. Which is another divine appointment, for I have been longing to connect with more Christians from Muslim nations!</span >
Through this whole journey, Jesus has shown me His steadfast love. His intense, deep compassion for His people to know and experience His love. He showed me over and over again that the most loving thing we can do for His people is share the amazing testimony of Jesus! He also taught me complete dependence on God! That even when we didn’t know where we were going to sleep, or eat or even go, we knew He was in control- and had a plan! He taught me how to have fun with my Dad!
If you are interesting in doing a Faith Outreach and/or our School of Supernatural Frontier Missions click here.
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
by Web Master | Sep 28, 2017 | Uncategorized
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=””]
Goodbye Beloved Spain
[/fusion_title][fusion_text]
Week 7
We prayed at the beginning of the week and asked God to show us what he wanted to do in our last week in this particular city. He gave us many creative ideas to spread the love of Jesus and move in the authority He’s given us. One of them was through a performance we did in the city center. Our team worshipped and did chalk art with the children who gathered around us. We then performed a drama about the prodigal son in the Bible. A couple of our team members also got to street-preach and share the full gospel to the people listening! We’ve come to know that obedience is success, and that God can do much with our five loaves and two fish!
One day each week, we participate in a Bible study for the refugees here. This last week was particularly exciting, as we had several Muslims join us and were very interactive about the passages we read. Only one of our team members speaks French, so we had been praying that God would show us how to minister effectively to people we have a heart for even through the language barrier. We surrendered to God because we knew He is always faithful. He sent another Christian refugee who spoke fluent French to come alongside and translate and disciple the others with us. Thank you Jesus!
During evangelism this week two of our team members encountered an older Algerian refugee who lives alone in a hut he built on the beach. He welcomed them into his home and began to share his story. As the conversation continued he explained how he was a Muslim, but didn’t feel like God had been answering his prayers. Our team got to share the gospel with the man, along with some words they heard from the Father for him. He had an emotional response and willingly received the Bible they offered him!
A highlight for us this week has been seeing God’s creative nature used during ministry. On several occasions we have done art with the refugees, which they’ve been super enthusiastic about! It’s so exciting to see them step out in their gifts and embracing the freedom and healing that comes from creative expression. God is known as Creator, and we carry His image, so why shouldn’t we be creative as well?
Week 8
Our team has “officially” ended ministry in Spain! Almost a week ago we left the city where we’ve been staying for the past month to debrief and spend three days ministering in another city. We love all of the people that we have built relationships with!
Outreach is not a glamorous one-time event, but it is filled with people and moments to remember for a lifetime. Yes, there are times when God shows up and encounters people in powerful ways. But a lot of our time is spent faithfully sowing seeds in people and waiting for them to allow growth. We have had so many conversations with people, steadily removing the oppressive lies this world has put on them and replacing them with the love and truth of Jesus.
Here are a couple of testimonies from our time in another Spanish city:
We have had several divine appointments clearly set up for us by God, even though we’re only spending a short time in this city. One was through a Nigerian church a few of our team attended. We were invited back to teach a Bible study for the women! Our team read and prayed through Psalm 139 with the women and got to bless and empower them with prayer!
Through a series of events, our team was also invited to be on the broadcast of a local Christian radio station. Three of our team was able to share testimonies of how Jesus met them to whoever was listening! Praise God!
We really wanted to thank you all for praying and continuously supporting us! It has been so amazing to see God work his amazing ways, we are honestly so sad to go home! We pray that reading this you will be encouraged by what God is doing for his people, and that you will step out to share the love of Christ with the people around you!
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
