It was about three weeks ago when it all began unfolding. Andi and I were driving in the car on our way to Detroit for an art exhibit and were blasting the music. In between songs, we had short conversations about the Race and upcoming squads. It wasn't anything serious or long, just casual talk as the thoughts crossed our minds.
The song finished and I asked her about the upcoming August squad and who we thought would be leading it. The August squad is by far our biggest group to be sent out on the race, with over 80 racers gearing up. It was inevitable that two squads would be launched which meant double the number of squad leaders. We were two weeks out from their training camp and were all starting to wonder what God was going to do.
I'm not even sure what exactly the question was, but next thing I know my mind was going down this long rabbit trail over the thought that maybe....just maybe...I was meant to go out with them. Andi was clueless of my internal trail. The next twenty minutes consisted of trying to think of all the reasons why this wouldn't work out and was just a crazy trail of "what ifs." And yet, despite my best efforts to convince myself to stop wondering, I couldn't come up with anything.
Those next days were filled with a lot of prayer and searching for a word in the sky to tell me exactly what I was to do. I wasn't resistant because I didn't want it. I was resistant because it seemed too crazy a time line for me. I was just beginning to settle into life in Michigan and the thought of leaving it so quickly was hard to grasp. The truth is that I am really happy right now and, in my opinion, am living in the most challenging, spirit-filled community with people I love some of the most in life. And yet, despite everything I wanted to hold onto, God was pushing me into a new territory I had yet to step foot into.
I was on the phone with Michael Hindes, my spiritual Dad, a few days later talking about what I was thinking. Two things happened that day on the phone. First, he told me the last thing I needed was the affirmation of others. There will inevitably be times out on the field that I will find myself wondering why in the world I am there and I need to know, without a doubt, that it is because the Lord called me and that I didn't ride the wave of nice words of encouragement from people. The second thing that happened was when Michael was praying for me. He was asking the Lord to quiet the voices of friends, family, and influences in my life. Right as he asked for the silence of spiritual parents, the phone instantly shut off. He called back minutes later saying God was clearly speaking: this was my decision to be made.
Those next days were crazy. I didn't talk with anyone about it and wouldn't let myself speak anything out until I was sure. I refused to commit to something if I wasn't going to keep my hand on it. Two days later I called Michael back and said point blank, "I want it." And I meant it. During the course of those days, excitement was flooding me over the idea of going back out with another group. I wasn't saying yes to something I felt I "should" do; I was stepping into something I really wanted to be a part of.
Instantly something happened in the spiritual realm. I physically felt the transfer of the responsibility of this August squad upon my shoulders. What was bound in the physical realm by my decision to step into leadership had been equally bound in the spiritual. No longer was I just responsible for myself and my own spiritual growth. Now there were forty plus people who would be relying on the leadership of the awesome co-leader Aaron Bruner and me to press in, step up, and walk out of the deepest depths of intimacy with our Father.
My decision in this wasn't by a huge word in the sky. I never got a direct yes or no from the Lord on this one, but I did get a revelation about intimacy. There comes a time in all of our walks that we need to grow past the need for a direct word and start moving out of the intimacy of who He is. Do I know Him intimately enough to know where He is, what pleases Him, and what He desires for my life? It is out of my own pursuit for intimacy with Him that I chose to step into this new land, trusting that knowing Him was everything in leading me to this place and it will be everything in sustaining and growing me through this new season.
This is new territory for me. I don't know what exactly I am doing, but I don't think I need to. In the midst of the thoughts and questions of what in the world this will look like, there is a divine assurance that I am exactly where I am meant to be. Dependency always leads to empowerment, and I don't think I could be in a place of greater dependency then where I am today. Following Him is about progressing forward, pioneering into new territory, and moving towards the reality of manifest Kingdom invading the barren lands of this world. And so here I go, moving into some new land that I have, up until now, never entered before.
It has been a long time. Some of the reason for the lapse in blogging has been intentional and other not as much. Mainly, these last five months have brought a lot of processing, and often times I found myself staring at a blank screen not sure what I wanted to say. I just didn't know how to put into words my own process of re-entering back into a place I used to know so well and now struggled to find placement in. It's an interesting process coming back from a year of living in third world countries with your closest 25 brothers and sister with you non-stop to a place of luxury, freedom, and lots of space.
I struggled to find my voice in the midst of my own questions and confusion and processing.
But then something happened.
I hit the five-month mark and a huge revelation hit me – a key to this whole post-race journey is my own activation. I realized it was time I took responsibility for activating myself. Men and women literally sweat blood and tears to mobilize people my age into destiny, something I saw firsthand last year out on my own race. And now that I am home, I realized it was time I took my own activation seriously. Something switched that day. It was time to get my eyes once again refocused on the world out there who is crying out for the eternal touch of the One who is invading the depths of this earth.
And so here I am, moving forward, still believing in the dream of awakening to sweep this world. Exciting things are happening right now. In my own life I am again being sent out and pushed into a new realm of leadership I have yet before to step into. I am terrified and more excited than I can tell you, all wrapped into one messy package. I'll be writing more about that soon.
the june squad at their training camp in march. they launch in 10 days in guatemala.
Another big thing happening is the arrival of 90 new racers at training camp here in Georgia today. They'll be launching in August and are coming down for 10 days of intense training and impartation. They're passionate for the "more" of life and are ready to leave everything behind for His sake. Needless to say, it's going to be an incredible time down here and one we desperately ask your prayers over.
Ireland boasts a heritage of Christianity through Catholicism. Yet
the lifeless display of faith reveals that this nation is farther from
God than ever. Rampant alcoholism and suicide rates reveal a desperate
need for hope. Through sports, children's outreach, and the
relationships that just happen along the way, World Race hopes to
reintroduce a life-giving faith to this beautiful, historic culture.
Romania
The northern regions of Romania are home to the gypsy people of
Romania. Strangers in their home land, they are segregated, ostracized
and forgotten. Yet, they are a strong, proud and colorful people who
are beginning to embrace the light of Christ in a whole new way.
Teaching English, leading sports camps, and planting churches are but a
few of the tasks set before us as we enter this area of the world.
Egypt
Egypt is a country rich in historical significance. The Egyptian
people are no less rich in their cultural goings-on today. A country
shaped by the past and under religious bondage, the people of Egypt are
hungry to hear of the freedom brought through Christ. While pyramids
and palaces give the land a romanticized veneer, under the surface lie
hearts in need of relationship and hope.
Jordan and Israel
The Holy Land attracts Jews, Arabs and Christians alike to be a part of
a location so rich in our combined religious roots. Serve the people
of Israel while walking the paths trod by Christ. Serve in this new
World Race location while walking the paths that Christ Jesus once did.
Kenya
The Masai bush, the Nairobi metropolis, the Kiberra slums...comprise a
country diverse yet unified in history. The Kenyan people are
colorful, musical, artistic and hungry for the love of Christ. As a
new era dawns in Kenya, so does the Gospel of truth and faith. By
meeting felt needs in the bush and the city, we hope to leave lasting
fruit and lasting ministries to carry on beyond us. Watch more...
Uganda
From the Ugandan islands to the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, the African
people of these nations share a common bond. Through the wild lands,
home to Africa's "Big Five" animals coexist people, reached and
unreached with the Gospel of Christ. Through evangelism, church
planting and discipleship, we will be a part of a movement to further
the kingdom of God in this precious region of the world. Read more...
Pioneer Africa
During your World Race, your team will take a month to "Ask the Lord"
for a new mission field. He may lead you to a location developing,
growing and booming or He may lead you to a land untouched by the World
Race or even Christianity as a whole. It will be a time to listen to
the voice of the Lord and, with true abandon, follow Him into the wild
blue yonder.
Vietnam
Leaving the Caribbean, the team will cross the Pacific and land in a
whole new world. The country of Vietnam has been under communist rule
for decades and the oppression has taken its toll through seasons of
warfare and rebuilding. The government is adamantly against religious
freedom and as the country suffers in Buddhist bondage, the light of
the Christian remnant shines as a candle in the darkness. Read more...
Cambodia
Fifty years ago, Cambodia saw one of the most devastating genocides in
history. The Khmer Rouge slaughtered nearly two million people � 1/3 of
the country's population at the time. In 24 hours cities were emptied,
left to be ghost towns. The nation has been in constant upheaval until
recently. The strength and resiliency of the Cambodian people is
inspiring. Be a part of holding orphans, born into a new era; meeting
felt needs in some of the worst slums in the world; and church planting
with an adolescent generation on the verge of religious revolution. Read more...
Thailand
Even though the official law states that prostitution is illegal, it is
estimated that nearly 2 million women and men engage in this practice
daily thus creating the lucrative sex industry of Southeast Asia. In
addition to reaching out to the rural communities of Thailand, we go to
the streets, into the darkest of spiritual environments to share what
is most needed: hope. By helping women learn practical vocational
skills and providing an alternative form of income, the face of
Thailand's premiere sex industry is being changed one life at a time. Watch more...
Want to know more about the World Race? CONTACT US!
Interested in going on the World Race? APPLY HERE!
I just finished watching this video and find myself totally speechless.
As I sit here at my nice desk looking out the window onto the safe neighborhood I live in, I can't stop thinking about the children, the nine and ten year-old children out there, who are forced into a world of brutality and slavery that was never meant for them. While I danced around outside at the age of ten dreaming of what I could be when I grew up, these children are living in the midst of true evil, wishing to die over having to live their lives paralyzed by fear. Their reality is like nothing I can relate to. They have seen their families killed right before their very eyes. They have been forced to take the lives of innocent people with their own hands. They don't know what freedom or carefree living is. And they have lost all hope of ever knowing a world apart from the one they were forced into.
They are soldiers of Joseph Kony's army.
They are the children in the rebel army known as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), with Joseph Kony as leader. The LRA has "terrorized northern Uganda for almost 20 years from the late eighties, killing and maiming more than 10,000 people, abducting 20,000 children to use as soldiers and sex slaves, and forcing at least 2 million civilians to live in camps."
Between September and December 2008, it is estimated that the LRA killed 800 people and abducted 500 children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A genocide of mass proportion, and with no end in sight, is continuing on today throughout all of central Africa. But in its midst, a voice of awareness and activation is resounding. This is what living out Kingdom is all about -- actively getting our hands dirty in what is going on in this world today and choosing to play a part in seeing real change come to manifest.
Click here to watch the video that is putting a voice to the invisible children who are
unnumbered,
unknown,
and unseen.
* Below is an excerpt from the film. The above image is from invisiblechildren.com.
There were critical moments of real wreckage in my life that happened on the race this past year. They were moments where I was totally broken because of the reality of the situation I found myself to be in and the helplessness of myself apart from Christ. Below is what came out of such a moment. We were leaving after a month of ministry in the bars of downtown Bangkok. We had just taken two girls to visit "The Well," a ministry to women who want a way out of prostitution, and the two girls were genuinely interested in joining.
And then we left, knowing that the cycle of prostitution would continue and not knowing how to keep playing a part in seeing its end. That day was heavy for me. I was utterly torn between the extremes. On one end was immense joy for the two who were planning to walk away from it all and choose the better road. And on the other end, I was heavy, really heavy, thinking about the thousands who are still there, not knowing there is a road of life for them to travel on.
Below is a video my sister Kim put together that was made in the midst of such tension.
If there is one thing I learned this year, it was the all-encompassing, foundation-shattering, dead-raising power of Christ. And here is the truth I continue to choose to stand on: the minute that such power and love so invade the darkness, the darkness cannot, will not, remain. Light will always come by way of love. And light will always outshine the darkness.
The hope for places like the bars of Bangkok and the hope for the girls caught in such tangled places is always the power and love of Christ. Out of it no darkness will stand. No child will be uncalled or unloved. And this hurting, despaired world where the trafficking of innocent girls is a current reality will be transformed into a glorious place of restoration and redemption.
Life will burst forth from death....
....and light will shine out of darkness.
The Kingdom of Christ will always only be released by way of love.
I find myself in church this morning singing over and over again, "Break our heart for what breaks yours..."
Or in my room at night praying for vision and purpose and understanding.
Or asking for His heart to awaken mine to what moves His.
And then it comes. The things that break His heart begin coming into view and there's a choice to be made. Do I turn a supposed blind eye and pretend I didn't hear the statistics or am too consumed in my own world to care? Or do I stop and listen and pray, seeking how I can play a part in ministering reconciliation to a world that is longing for more than just human relief work -- that is longing for wholeness and restoration that only One can bring.
Swaziland is crying out at a crisis point, with the statistics highlighting the reality of the situation that they, as a country, are in right now.
50% of the 24-29 year-olds are infected with HIV/AIDS.
32 years old is the average life expectancy
2050 is the projected year the entire Kingdom of Swaziland will cease to exist.
When it comes down to it, it is the church that must answer the cry. It is the church that must enter the tension between what life looks like here and what is happening out there in places like Swaziland. It is the church's opportunity to go minister in the gap and be an active vessel of change to a country that is literally dying without it.
This is where we have to choose. Do we enter that place of discomfort and out of it begin to seek how we can minister hope to a nation that is heading towards death in our own lifetime? Or do we forget it -- assume it is someone else's responsibility -- and continue on with our own problems?
Below is a video created by two July '08 racers who are out on the field in Swaziland having their hearts broken for the people of this country. I pray that this video would activate all of us to begin seeking how we can play our own part...
...so that by 2050, Swaziland isn't the country that has ceased to exist, but the country that is thriving spiritually, economically, and socially in this world.
That's a God-sized dream that only a God of real power, compassion, and presence can take from dream to actual manifestation in this world.
...and for some reason, He always chooses to let us partner with Him in fulfilling such visions.
We need to be awakened to start dreaming again. And I mean dreaming real dreams. Too many have been caught up in the place of dreaming the supposed dreams that were adopted from their parents or the responsible voices of society and we've allowed such suggestions to become limitations to those true dreams we were born with. Too many of us find ourselves in a place where we might feel we're ‘dreaming' but it's mostly just feeling stuck in a box of boundaries, responsibilities, and hindrances.
And so it's time for a breakthrough, out of that false dreaming that keeps us stuck in a place of mundane routine and passionless living. The awakening comes when we destroy the fear, insecurity, and doubt that are holding us back and begin diving into the depths of burning inspiration and authentic, God-given, live-shattering dreams for this world.
Put simply, we just have to get over ourselves. The truth of the matter is that our dreams really have nothing to do with our own abilities and have everything to do with the all-encompassing power of the Living God. We will always be called to do the things that we cannot do and never just to the things we can do. The real, God-birthed dreams will always take us beyond ourselves and beyond our abilities into a realm of total dependency and complete empowerment by the Lord alone.
It's time for a movement into that large-scale, world-changing dimension of dreams where we go in knowing we could never do it on our own. Right now it seems that fear captures us when we enter the land of unknown and way-over-the-head dreaming. But I wonder what would happen if we changed our perspective. What if we became less terrified by the fact we've entered a place beyond our own ability and more exhilarated by the possibility in that moment that it could only be done by the presence and power of God manifesting itself?
I wonder if when we began living face-to-face with those dreams, if all of a sudden more orphans than ever would be loved and cared for, if girls involved in the sex industry of Thailand would be rescued out like never before, if forgotten, neglected children would come under the love of fathers and mothers ready to love them into a land of true kingdom identity and security.
Really, it's about sowing - sowing into a generation that is arising, sowing into a world that is desperately crying out for His sons and daughters to come alive, sowing into demonstrating the power of the real God who is living and moving all over this world. So I challenge you to start dreaming in the way that goes beyond yourself and beyond your own gifts to begin living for something greater. Because let's be honest....we all want to know that there is more to live for than just what we see day-in and day-out. We all want to believe that change can really happen in this world. And we definitely all want to play a part...don't we?
...in the great, freezing-cold, snow-covered state of Michigan that as of last Thursday, is officially home. From the moment I walked inside and saw the people who I spent the last year coming alive
with on the race, my spirit ignited once again.
As I've been adjusting into a new home in a new place, I can't help but constantly think back over the past year and wonder how I got to be where I find myself today. I'm living with people who are deeply ingrained in my life. They're the stubborn kind of people, who aren't settling for less and are pushing their way against the current to get to a place of real Kingdom in this world. Almost daily we have conversations about mobilizing a generation and seeing the World Race become a viral movement of awakening and empowerment. Through all the conversations, all the meals, all the time together I keep coming back to a place of awe that this is where I find myself today. It is far better than the best plan I could have put together for my life. And somehow I find myself living it out.
My time up here in Michigan isn't bound into a nice one-year program. In fact, it is messy and passion-filled and focused on the vision of mobilization. This is life for me and this is my dream that I'm getting to live out. I'm getting to see before my eyes people my age cross into a land of action, kingdom, and inheritance. And the more I see it, the more I'm willing to give up whatever needs be to play a part in all of it.
In order to do all of this, I'm trying to raise my own support for the year, something I'm in real need of right now. To get a full picture of the vision of this whole thing, check out this blog. There a few different ways you can get involved in all of this. The most important thing I'm trying to build up is a solid base of warriors who will help battle this out in prayer. If you want to receive periodic e-mails with an update of prayers, leave a comment at the end with your e-mail address and I'll add you. If you want to receive a newsletter I'll be sending out every couple of months, click "Contact me" to the left and let me know what your address is. And finally there's the financial support. I know times are tough financially right now, but I hope you see it as far bigger than just me. It's an investment into a generation – into mobilizing that generation – and the outcome is eternity invading earth. So would you consider signing on to support me monthly or giving a one-time (tax-deductible) gift? All you have to do is click the "Support Me" tab.
This thing, all of the change and moving and mobilizing and life in Michigan, remain about one thing. And always one thing.
There were so many of you who battled for and with me in
prayer, who took up your armor and fought on the frontlines against spiritual
attacks so all of us out there could keep going. Your faithfulness through it all humbles me like I cannot
express. As I was spending a year
abroad of untamed adventure, His body was fighting for our squad every day, day
in and day out, from where they live.I feel honored to have walked this year out with you. Many of you took hits for me that I'll
probably never know about. Many of
you sacrificed the luxury of some extra income to support me. You loved me, you covered me, you
encouraged me, you fought for me, and you sent me.
Thank you. It sounds so little for all that you
endured and did.From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
The investment you put in me this past year through finances
and prayers has not returned void.As I've said many times, the year that you played a huge part in making
happen did something in me. It
began a stirring within, a fanning of sorts, that is intensifying with the
passing of days. And I can't
ignore it. Like I said in my last
blog, I just want to go. I want to
do this thing, this Kingdom thing, and I want to see what just might come to be. This past year I scratched the surface
of seeing Heaven come to earth and it's time to keep going.
Those 322 days out on the field opened my eyes to the life
of the church in Acts that we rarely see today. I don't need an entire doctrine on the Spirit's movement to
know that it's moving. I saw with
my own eyes. I saw people
instantly healed. I saw chains
fall to the ground from the bondage that has held too many of us captive for
far too long. I saw His Kingdom
manifest itself with power, presence, and most of all love. I experienced how the Lord used the Race
to awaken 27 people into fullness of life and of power by taking us out to 11
months later bring us back in again.
And I want to be a part of the movement that is continuing.
Despite a lot of stubbornness on my part, my next move is
set. Come mid-January, I will be moving
to Michigan to endure the coldest (and longest) winter of my life alongside a
few other equally-crazy people who think that the winter won't be "that bad." I
guess any amount of below-zero weather is worth it when you think an anointed
generation is manifesting itself in this world.
There are a handful of us who will be relocating up there
for this next year. I'll be in the presence of some pretty incredible kingdom people who are serious
about this and who are gifted in all sorts of things. Writing. Storytelling. Artistic expression.Speaking. Teaching.Worship. We're coming
together as His body of individuals who have the same heartbeat to keep diving
in. We'll be under the spiritual
authority of Michael Hindes, director of the World Race, and we'll be digging
deep into life together. We'll be dreaming
up what the World Race could become as a viral movement for this generation by
awakening them out of a place of passionless slumber and into people who are contagious
fire-breathers.
We'll be doing things both locally within the states and
globally out on the field, all based around the vision of seeing an anointed
generation come to be in this world and seeing Kingdom come to manifest in the
darkest, most horrific places.
Here are the details:
Stateside:
* Speak at universities, youth
groups, and churches, sharing the stories and vision of the World Race.
* Recruit more potential racers to
come on the pilgrimage. Help with marketing of the Race to get the story out to
more people.
* Interview potential applicants. Help run training camps. Prepare upcoming racers for the
pilgrimage ahead.
* Bring awareness to the global
issues that are plaguing our world as we speak. Issues like the horrific reality of human trafficking that
is just as much an issue here in America as it is abroad, the AIDS epidemic in
Swaziland that is currently wiping out an entire nation of people. Get people aware of what's going on and
involved in bringing change.
Internationally:
* Travel to debriefs to encourage,
exhort, counsel, and light a fire under current world racers out on the field.
* Connect with new ministries as
potential places for future teams.
* Lead short-term teams back into the
places that broke our hearts and awakened our spirits this past year, like
Malawi, Thailand, and Swaziland.
* Get our hands dirty in the issues
of this world. Human trafficking
is a huge kingdom issue that we want to play a part in bringing awareness to, and ultimately stopping. We want to keep going back into those
places of injustice and be a presence, proclaiming freedom and light
into the darkness.
This whole upcoming journey is a rabbit hole of sorts. I don't really have any idea what's
going to happen this year or where it's going to take me, but I'm ready to find
out. All I really know is that I'm
being sent out into the nations to continue on. I know we're not all sent out and that many of you are
exactly where you are called to be, impacting your communities with Kingdom everyday.
There are some who are called to stay and some who are
called to go. Some of us are sent
out and some are called to send. If you feel called to send, I'm asking if you would
prayerfully consider sending me. There
is a lot of Kingdom work to be done out there and I'm ready to get dirty diving
into it.
As excited as I am about what is to come in 2009, I know I can't
go alone. If I learned one thing
this last year on the race, it's that I definitely can't do it without you. So I am asking you if you would
consider coming along this next year with me. In order to do this, I am in need of raising $20,000 to
cover the basics of travel, ministry, and living expenses. I will keep you constantly aware of
what is happening out there through this blog, videos, phone calls, and
emails. And together we can see
what just might come to be.
To support me on a monthly or one-time basis, all you have
to do is click the "Support Me" tab to the left of this page. If you have questions, you can send me
a message through the "Contact Me" tab.All donations are
tax-deductible.
The goal is 500 young people on the race in 2010. And 1000 in 2011. That's 500 awakened, fire-breathing
young people re-entering the states in two years to be sent out into this world
to bring kingdom impact wherever they step. The potential is eternal; eternal, kingdom presence all over this world.
I just can't stop
wondering what could be. What
actually might come to manifest itself in this country and in this world? It is the potential for a viral kingdom
movement to erupt all over this earth that I cannot walk away from.
Thank you for reading this. Thank you for walking out this journey with me. And most of all, thank you for being part of
the Kingdom journey He has us all on.
I think that's the best I can do to explain these last
eleven months of my life that led me around the world alongside over crazy
radicals.I don't know how else
really to describe the year in all that it was.It's those holy moments in each of our lives that we
struggle the most to explain to another person because, for the most part, if
they weren't there, they probably won't be able to understand all that
happened.So I struggle to write
what this year meant to me because the year was so intimate and had such depth
of impact in my life that it's hard to put it into coherent words.
I'm different.I knew that walking on that plane eleven months ago would change
everything.I don't think I
realized the fire that would have to be undergone to come out more
refined.But I knew it was going
to happen because, if nothing else, I am stubborn enough that I wasn't going to
let eleven months go by without change.
The year did just that; it changed me to the very core.I became alive in the Spirit and began
living by its leading and voice.I
learned that the kingdom is about life and death, and not right and wrong.That we have the power, authority, and
opportunity to change this world and invade it with Kingdom.That foremost we are here on earth to
be loved by the one who is Love.That there's a battle to be fought and in the end we win this thing,
guaranteed.That community is one
of the hardest and most incredible gifts God gives us.That we need to begin living as sons
and daughters of a God who is living, active, and manifesting all over this
place.That it is the unseen,
spiritual realities of this world that we need to focus on.That I need to channel my emotions and
life into things that really matter so I get less angry at the person cutting
me off on the road and more enraged with the fact Indian girls are sold for 75
dollars into slavery...and then go do something about it. That you'll always be called by God to do the things that you could never do on your own. That a generation is arising all over this world who is living filled and anointed by
the Spirit of God and is forcefully advancing the Kingdom, taking back the
territory unrightfully controlled by the enemy and claiming their rightful
inheritance of Heaven invading earth.
More than anything, I learned that this is what I am giving
my life to.Not a successful
career track, a huge bank account, the understanding of peers and people of
influence in this world, or a comfortable home and secure life.
Just one thing. Kingdom.
Now that I'm home, I've often been asked about how hard and
difficult the transition must be.There are definitely the moments of pure frustration and feeling
overwhelmed by the conversations and surroundings of this place.But really, I'm just ready to GO.The
blogs I wrote this year about my heart that is dreaming of seeing an awakened
generation come to be didn't stop the minute I returned to America.In fact, the dreams have all but
intensified now that I'm here.
I'm serious about this.
I want to play my part in it.I don't want to look back five years from now wondering what
"could have happened" if only I had stepped out and kept going after the race was
finished.The race was incredible,
but it's not the pinnacle experience of my life from here on out.I want to keep going on this wild
journey and it's the question of "what could be" that stir in me the most
right now.What really could come
to be if only we started living life alive and fulfilling our destinies?
I'm stirring with a restlessness that just wants to keep
doing this thing, seeing where God leads, and walking sensitively to the Spirit's
guidance. I know I've only
scratched the surface and there is so much more to all of this to be discovered.And at the end of the day, I want to
know what the "more" of life and kingdom is more than pretty much anything
else....
So...
I'm going.
I'm walking this thing out.I'm going to keep praying forth kingdom from this place and
see what happens and what comes to be. This year was a holy year for me.A year of face-to-face intimacy with my
Abba.And ultimately, it was about
one thing.
Ireland
Romania
Egypt
Kenya
Uganda
Vietnam
Thailand
Swaziland is crying out at a crisis point, with the statistics highlighting the reality of the situation that they, as a country, are in right now.
We need to be awakened to start dreaming again. And I mean dreaming real dreams. Too many have been caught up in the place of dreaming the supposed dreams that were adopted from their parents or the responsible voices of society and we've allowed such suggestions to become limitations to those true dreams we were born with. Too many of us find ourselves in a place where we might feel we're ‘dreaming' but it's mostly just feeling stuck in a box of boundaries, responsibilities, and hindrances.
It's time for a movement into that large-scale, world-changing dimension of dreams where we go in knowing we could never do it on our own. Right now it seems that fear captures us when we enter the land of unknown and way-over-the-head dreaming. But I wonder what would happen if we changed our perspective. What if we became less terrified by the fact we've entered a place beyond our own ability and more exhilarated by the possibility in that moment that it could only be done by the presence and power of God manifesting itself?
Those 322 days out on the field opened my eyes to the life
of the church in Acts that we rarely see today. I don't need an entire doctrine on the Spirit's movement to
know that it's moving. I saw with
my own eyes. I saw people
instantly healed. I saw chains
fall to the ground from the bondage that has held too many of us captive for
far too long. I saw His Kingdom
manifest itself with power, presence, and most of all love. I experienced how the Lord used the Race
to awaken 27 people into fullness of life and of power by taking us out to 11
months later bring us back in again.
* Speak at universities, youth
groups, and churches, sharing the stories and vision of the World Race.
As excited as I am about what is to come in 2009, I know I can't
go alone. If I learned one thing
this last year on the race, it's that I definitely can't do it without you. So I am asking you if you would
consider coming along this next year with me. In order to do this, I am in need of raising $20,000 to
cover the basics of travel, ministry, and living expenses. I will keep you constantly aware of
what is happening out there through this blog, videos, phone calls, and
emails. And together we can see
what just might come to be.
The year did just that; it changed me to the very core.
I want to play my part in it.