Sunny Day

I awoke this morning at about 5:30am, and could not go to sleep. I was hungry, for food and for God. It was weird, I had never experienced anything like it. So I got up, got dressed and read a little in my Bible. I read 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 -- "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." I thought it was interesting that we are to be the aroma... not only the salt of the Earth (taste), light of the world (sight) but also the aroma of God (smell)... interesting.

I went downstairs to eat breakfast, and Dave was cooking some pourage. So, he made me some with coffee and a bagel. I havn't had a breakfast that early, and that good in a long time. Anyway, he told me about his quiet time, he read Genesis 14... Which I am hoping to read today sometime. Interesting stuff!

After breakfast, Janie asked to me to go on a prayer walk in Colchester. She said for me to let God open my senses and have him tell me something in stuff that I see, hear, smell, etc. Coincidence? I think not!

During my walk, I saw a lot of doors. You are probably thinking, "Duh, there are a lot of doors everywhere." Well, I think that God was telling me that Colchester is a door to greater things. I saw doors with ivy growing on them, some that were black and decaying (spiritual life of Colchester, some people are thriving and some are not).

Also while walking, I passed a group of guys around my age. Didn't really think anything of it, until I passed them another 2 times! Weird huh? So, there I think God wants me to focus on guys my age, maybe... this will take some more prayer.

Anyway... until next time!

What a place!

Oh gosh! What can I say? I absolutely love this place! After being here for about 36 hours, I am in love!

Yesterday, when I arrived, I was greeted with a very assertive immigrations officer. After being grilled with questions, he finished with giving me a "cold-pass" (I think that's what he said) to London, he was very skeptical as to why I was here. Which means that if I am not gone by my departure date, then "they" will come after me. Gary Seithel, who picked me up from the airport, said that it was probably because I have a beard... makes sense.

Anyway, Gary and I drove to Brentwood where he lives and hung out his house for an hour or so. Then David Beales picked me up and we drove to Colchester. It an absolutely wonderful, awesome, stunning, great town.

Later yesterday, after being up for more then 24 hours, Chrissy and I met Jan, a friend of ours, on Croach St. We then walked to visit a church that Jan is thinking of renting out for her art gallery. It is going to be part of her ministry here. Most of the churches here have been turned into secular venues.

Anyways, then Chrissy and I hit up the Starbucks... got some coffee, had a talk, then went back. Later that night, I went to an 18+ group. They were watching a video from Ellel Ministries. It was really good. The people in the group, all of them, John and Rosanna, Christian, Jake, and Liam were very nice and welcoming. I did not have a hard time putting my five cents in at all.

Today, I did absolutely nothing. David and I talked for a bit, I went to town to exchange some money, and took some pictures. I also watched Brassed Off and Amazing Grace. Both very good movies (and British!).

Well, I am off to bed, it is almost 11:00pm... having a great time though!

An Awesome Woman of God!

What a day!

Today, my Mom went in for a "pre-op" for her lumpectomy. Little did she know that she would find out that the cancer had spread a little during the weeks in between the two appointments. This means that she no longer go to have to have a lumpectomy, she is going to have a mastectomy.

You would think that after hearing this news, one would be mad at God or at the World... no, my Mom, although worried, is looking and waiting upon the Lord. What an awesome witness to those who do believe and even more so to those who are not believers of our Lord. She is such and Awesome Woman of God!

Tomorrow, or today rather, I am heading to England. My parents are seeing me off at the airport and then proceeding to Northside Hospital to hear about the next steps. So, here I am, wanting so badly to stay here and be there for my Mom. But she wants me to do what God wants, which is to go lay the foundation of His ministry in England. Another awesome example of how she is looking towards God in this storm.

Please pray for her as she continues down this road. Pray that she is healed by God, quickly and efficiently! Pray that the Dr.'s will have a steady hand during surgery. My family and I appreciate the prayers and the thoughts! Please contact me at J.Christerson@gmail.com

Take Peace!!!

Until next time (maybe in England? or at JFK airport)!!!

Jon

Am I really worthy?

I am reading this incredible book about recognizing our freedom in Christ, and how we have authority over everything evil on this Earth. In the section titled, "Authority Conferred," the author cites the scripture Ephesians 3:8-9...

"To me though I am the very least of all the saints, this Grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and bring light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things."

I thought this was interesting and profound and true! As I prepare to make my first trip to England, this is great encouragement. Paul was letting the people of Ephesus know that he thought of himself as "the very least of all the saints." I can't tell you how many times I have felt unprepared, not worthy enough, not strong enough to be called to missions.

I hear a voice tell me, "Who are you to go tell people about Christ? You don't even know Him yourself! You are the very least of Christians!" But here we have a Saint, Paul, who knew Christ telling himself and other people that he is the least of the Saints... but he has received the Grace of God, therefore he can preach to the unbelievers about Christ and his "unsearchable riches..."

Kind of Long... but read!

You know those things that we all think about. You know, those, "That will never happen to me," things. Well, this is one of those things. I have had friends who have had this happen, I give them pity, and we go on. But, now, it is a reality to me.

Today, my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer (in the midst of National Breast Cancer month). As far as I know, the Dr.'s caught it early enough so that the surgery next week (10/26/2007) will be an "outpatient" surgery. So please pray that is all she needs!

I am not sure if it's that it hasn't sunk in yet, or if God is totally working in my life and calming my spirit. My family is really doing ok. Ok meaning that we aren't freaking out, we are looking towards God in this storm. When I first heard the news this morning, while I was at work, I was so nervous. I couldn't grasp that it was happening to us, especially to my mom. But, after a while I was thinking to myself that it could be A LOT worse. God is going to bless us and teach us all through this experience.

I got an e-mail from my sister-in-law this morning after we got the news. She wrote:

I found this scripture this morning and thought it was so fitting for what we, as a family are dealing with at this hour. I had sent it to Mim before even learning any news and so now, I thought it would be good to share with all of you. I hope this gives you all the strength we are searching for right now and that we can all rejoice in God's glory and know that He will heal Mom/Mim. Most importantly, we are not alone and should not give any thought or recognition to the enemy. God restores everything!! I love you all! -Wendy My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they [are] life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. Proverbs 4:20-27

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. Proverbs 15:13

Pleasant words [are as] an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. Proverbs 16:24

A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:22

This is something we should all ponder on. Why should we be immersed in sadness in a time that God is right here with us. We get so bogged down in the present. Asking questions like, "Where are you God, I am in pain, I am in darkness, where are you?" In Exodus, Moses goes through the same thing that we all go through...

Exodus 33:19-23

Moses said, "Please show me your glory!" And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."

21 Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."

The part I want to emphasize on is in bold. The place that God is talking about is a cave, somewhere dark, unknown to man, but it is near to God. God says that He will put us there, cover us until He has gone. Then He will allow us to see his back, the end.

This shows us that even in the dark and painful parts of life, God is there, but He doesn't want us to see what He is doing. If we did see what He was planning or doing in our lives, we wouldn't be able to exist. If we saw His face, we would die. Jesus saw God's face while praying in the Garden. He started to sweat blood because of God's pure Glory, and Jesus was God.

Some more scripture to think of are some of my favourite verses, Isaiah 43:1-3

1 But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

3 For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush ^[a] and Seba in your stead.

Take peace!

For His Glory!

Jon

Emergining v. Emergent

This video, hopefully it posts, it by Mark Driscoll. He is the founder and pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. Many of you know Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz, Through Painted Deserts, To Own a Dragon, etc. Well, Donald Miller is a co-founder of Mars Hill Church.

Anyways, Mark Driscoll is trying to clear up what an emerging church is vs an emergent. Watch it, very insightful!

Emerging Church?

In the last week or so, I have come across a movement that a lot of people don't really agree. It's the Emerging church movement. I am still learning and wrestling with the idea, so I don't really have much to say. Watch this video by Brian McLaren.... and tell me what you think!

Click Here!

Predestination...

This is a blog I wrote a couple months ago on Facebook... let me know what you think. I am still unsure of what I truly believe about this subject. Let me know!

"So I have really been wrestling with this for a while. Predestination... what is it? Is it true? I don't know. I was recently reading in "The Westminster Confession of Faith" a chapter entitled, God Accomplishes His Soverign Determinative Purpose.

This book is awesome if any of you havn't read it. In this chapter it states, with scriptural backing, that "By the determinative purpose of God, for the expicit declaration of his glory, certian people and angels* are chosen for everlasting life. Other's are chosen for everlasting death." After that it states, "These predestined and elected people and anfels are specific and unchangeably designated. So certain adn definite is their inclusion, none can be added nor subtracted*."

These two statements really got me thinking. First off, would God really, truly pick and chose who is going to Heaven and who is not? The scripture for this is, I Timothy 5:21, Matthew 25:41, Tomans 9:22-23, Ephesians 1:5-6, and Proverbs 16:4. All these verses state that exact thing, that God predestined us to Heaven or Hell.

Now, if this is true (which it has to be because it being scripture and all), I guess it would be for His glory that He did this; to show His soverignty. So, the second statement really doesn't make any sense at all, specifically "...none can be added nor subtracted." Here are the verses for that, II Timothy 2:19, and John 13:18. This part really made me think... if none can be added, or subtracted... then what is the point of evangelizing? If no one can be added to God's predestined "list," then what is the purpose of us going out and spreading the Gospel other then because He commanded us to.

A friend of mine said to look at II Peter 3:8-10: "8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare."

This excites me because this says that by going out, we are quickening the process of Him coming back... Tell me what you think..."

Wanting more...

Have you ever wanted more out of something? A car, a relationship, anything? Well, this is how I feel with God. I want more of his never ending love. Its hard to get a grasp on how much love He has to give. The more grace I receive the more I have to receive.

But, the only thing that is holding me back from that grace and love, is me. I feel like I am fighting this fight alone. I don't have to though... Jesus laid down his life for that exact reason. He is here to fight for me. His never ending love will never let go, even though I try to fight for my self.

England or Bust!

As of yesterday, September 17, I am officially going to England for 12 days! Leaving October 25, returning on November 6. I am very excited about finally getting to go to my new home to visit! Thank you for all of your prayers!

Zen Dik? "Extremist Artists"... haha

Atlanta has been and is the home of many great cultural meetings. Many of you who live in Atlanta, and have been for a while may remember "Freek-nik," which brought a lot of culture to this wonderful city. If you don't know, "Freak-nik" is the coming together of most, if not all, the African-American schools in the United States. Basically, Atlanta becomes the Cancun of the U.S. Fortunately, Freak-nik is no longer held here in Hot-Lanta.

Now, we have the Dragon-Con Convention. Not sure what it is, but it is a coming together of a lot of interesting people; black, white, and nerds alike! Every Labor Day weekend, the biggest Anime/ Sci-Fi convention happens here in our great city!

Labor Day 2006, some friends and I stumbled upon this convention while walking downtown. It was a lot of fun to watch these people dress up as their favourite Sci-Fi character and mingle amongst their friends.

So, this year, we planned on going to Dragon-Con 2007. We didn't buy tickets, we just kind of showed up to people watch. It is great fun! Very nice, but weird people. Among these people were some "Hippy protestors" who were protesting Society in general. They approached us while we were walking around, and they started informing us of their camp in North Carolina. Their group (society) was called Zen Dik.

The guy who talked to us was an amature Zen Dik member. I asked him what they were. He said, and I quote, "We are a group of people who are tired of the way our society is, so we are living amongst ourselves to protest." That doesn't make any sense to me at all. Anyway, so I replied, "So, you're a cult?" And he said, "No, we don't drink poison and stuff..." Oh, Ok, I thought. He went on to tell me that they are extremist artists living out of the norm, bla bla bla! He gave me their website, www.zendik.org, very interesting. I ended challenging him on what they believed and he ended up giving us the website information and leaving.

They want to be out of the society, yet they are living in a mansion, wearing our clothes. I mean, their house has granite counters and an indoor pool! Anyways... weird people are funny...

A Night Like This

I don't think I have honestly had a night like this ever. There are so many things running through my mind, I can't get a wink of sleep. I have tried absolutely everything to try to get to sleep, but I am so stressed out, I just can't do it.

It is the weirdest feeling ever. My eyes are trembling, I feel sick to my stomach... my body is exhausted, but I can't sleep. When I do sleep, I toss and turn, waking up at least every hour or hour and a half. This is torture. It is 4:38 am, and I have to get up for work in an hour and a half. I have slept for maybe a total of five hours. I think the part that I am worried about the most is getting Mono again. Last year I got it from stress and lack of sleep. I cannot afford to get it again!

It's not like I can just come home and take a nap after work either. I need to go work on support, making appointments, basically filling my schedule. Is this insomnia? I don't really know.

If you are reading this, I hope you weren't expecting anything deep or philosophical, because I am just trying to pass time before work. Oh man, what a night! I hope tomorrow night isn't like this.

Maybe I will go to Waffle House, 24 hours baby!

I am working on a new newsletter... Please be patient, I want it to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible!!! Thank you!!!

Video (to save space)

Christianity Outlawed in the UK?

How long will it be before Christianity is illegal in Britain? Not long, argues Melanie Phillips. The author of Londonistan writes in the Daily Mail (September 7, 2006) that Christianity is quickly heading to extinction. It is being hounded out of existence by the forces of Political Correctness, especially the radical homosexual lobby.

Consider this example: “An evangelical Christian campaigner, Stephen Green was arrested and charged last weekend with using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour. So what was this behaviour? Merely trying peacefully to hand out leaflets at a gay rally in Cardiff. So what was printed on those leaflets that was so threatening, abusive or insulting that it attracted the full force of the law? Why, none other than the majestic words of the 1611 King James Bible.”

The leaflet talked about the need to turn from sin and to God. Nothing too horrendous there. “But to the secular priests of the human rights culture, the only sin is to say that homosexuality is a sin. Admittedly, Mr Green is not everyone’s cup of tea; other Christians regard him as extreme. But our society is now so upside-down that, by doing nothing more than upholding a fundamental tenet of Christianity, he was treated like a criminal. And yet at the same time, the police are still studiously refusing to act against Islamic zealots abusing British freedom to preach hatred and incitement against the West.”

Radical minority groups are effectively shutting down the religious majority. “The Bible is the moral code that underpins our civilisation. Yet the logic of the police action against Mr Green surely leads ultimately to the inescapable conclusion that the Bible itself is ‘hate speech’ and must be banned. This bizarre state of affairs has arisen thanks to our human rights culture which automatically champions minorities against the majority.”

Phillips gives other examples. “Author Lynette Burrows received a warning from the Metropolitan Police merely for suggesting that gay people did not make ideal adoptive parents. The former leader of the Muslim Council of Britain, Sir Iqbal Sacranie, also had his collar felt by police after he said that homosexuality was harmful. Notably, in his case the matter was swiftly dropped. If there’s one thing that terrifies our PC police even more than being called homophobic, it’s being called Islamophobic - even though Islamic fundamentalism poses a real threat to the human rights of gay people. If this wasn’t all so frightening, it would be hilarious. Christians, by contrast, get very different treatment.”

Or consider these examples: “An elderly evangelical preacher, Harry Hammond, was convicted of a public order offence after he held up a poster calling for an end to homosexuality, lesbianism and immorality. Although he had been the victim of a physical attack when a crowd poured soil and water over him, he alone was prosecuted. And Lancashire pensioners Joe and Helen Roberts were interrogated by police for 80 minutes about their ‘homophobic’ views after they had merely asked their local council to display Christian literature alongside gay rights leaflets in civic buildings.”

The PC brigade and radical secularists have declared war on Christianity: “Christianity is fast becoming the creed that dare not speak its name. It is being written out of the national script by ideologues seeking to hasten its disappearance. . . . Local authorities and government bodies are systematically bullying Christianity out of existence by refusing to fund Christian voluntary groups on the grounds that to be Christian means that they are not committed to ‘diversity’.”

The strange thing is that “Christianity is still the official religion of this country. All its institutions, its history and its culture are suffused with it; Britain would lose its identity, its values and its cohesion without it. But minority rights are now being wielded against it like a wrecking ball. What started as a commendable desire to ban hatred of the gay minority has morphed into a hatred of the Christian majority. Behaviour which was previously considered to transgress the moral norms of the Bible has now instead become the norm - and it is biblical values that are treated as beyond the pale of acceptable behaviour. This is no accident.”

Concludes Phillips: “Christianity is being steadily removed from the public sphere. Various councils have banned Christmas on the grounds that it is ‘too Christian’ and therefore ‘offensive’ to people of other faiths, and are replacing it with meaningless ‘winter festivals’. This attack on Christianity is not merely something that seems straight out of Alice In Wonderland. It is not merely a threat to freedom of speech and religious expression. It is a fundamental onslaught on the national identity and bedrock values of this country - and as such will destroy those freedoms which Christianity itself first created.”

Exactly. And the situation is the same here in Australia. Christians are being stripped of their rights on a regular basis. The question, will the church wake up and do something about, or will it stay asleep at the wheel?

http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2006/09/08/christianity-outlawed-in-the-uk/

Who loves Starbucks?

Well, after a successful year at The World of Coca-Cola, I have attained a job at Starbucks. Do you see a trend with my jobs yet? Coca-Cola (global drink company), Starkbucks (global drink company).

God really did provide me with this job. Thank you God!!! I start Monday, 8.27.07, and will be working part-time, while support raising part-time.

Thank you to all of those who were praying for this job!

"The Lord of Terrible Aspect" - C.S. Lewis

'When Christianity says that God loves man, it means that God loves man: not that He has some "disinterested," because really indifferent, concern for our welfare, but that, in awful and surprising truth, we are objects of His love. You asked for a loving God: you have one. The great spirit you so lightly invoked, the "lord of terrible aspect," is present; not a senile benevolence that drowsily wishes you to be happy in your own way, not the cold philanthropy of a conscientious magistrate, nor the care of a host who feels responsible for the comfort of his guests, but the consuming fire Himself, the Love that made the worlds, persistant as the artist's love for his work and despotic a a man's love for a dog, jealous, inexorable, exacting as love between the sexes.'

The Problem of Pain
Chapter 3

Coming together...

Well, Chrissy and I finally met! What an awesome partner to be working with! I truly can not wait to start our ministry. Thanks for taking time to come meet me Chrissy!

It's long but interesting! Read it!

Becoming Renaissance People

by Dr Andrzej Turkanik

"The term ‘Christian renaissance’ may seem contradictory at first; it may even grate on the ears. This is not unintentional. The phrase, ‘toward a Christian renaissance in Europe’ has been chosen deliberately to challenge Christians in Europe to think long and hard about their role in society. To most people, the word ‘renaissance’ (meaning ‘rebirth’) refers to the Renaissancea specific period of history in which Europe experienced a cultural rebirth. So by talking about a ‘Christian renaissance’ are we proposing a rebirth of Christianity? Of course notbut we are talking about a reborn Christian presence within culture.

European culture is at a crossroads. Many of the old forcesmodernism, Christendom, and communismhave fallen; what will fill the void? A similar cultural crisis developed nearly 600 years ago, with the breakdown of the feudal system, severe financial crises within the Roman church, and the devaluation of the papacy. Fuelled by the decline of these dominant cultural forces, the Renaissance began in Italy in the first half of the 14th century, and spread to northern Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. Centred on the world of ideas, its greatest influence was in the formation of worldviews. Renaissance was willing to ask bold questions, and was not afraid of experiments. Speculation, initiative, experiment, and exploration were rewarded. The old world order was beginning to make less sense; the accepted wisdom of the past was no longer satisfactory to the people of the day. A new understanding of reality encouraged new thoughts and ideas.

Initially the Renaissance was a movement within the arts, architecture, and literature. Realising the importance of history, scholars tried to reconcile the ideas (and ideals) of antiquity with the beliefs of Christianity. There was renewed interest in human life on earth and its significance. Artists began to represent human form with greater realism and accuracy, even when painting Christ. Literature, in a similar fashion, was enriched by the new possibilities. Poets showed a new fascination with human nature. These movements began to spread not only geographically across Europe, but also across disciplines. Space was created for people to venture to new territories.

But how does this apply to Schloss Mittersill today? And what would ‘Christian renaissance’ look like? Is it not better to speak of the ‘new Reformation’, especially since renaissance is often thought of as a humanistic movement away from God? The Reformation was a movement primarily identified with reforms within the Christian church. Our interest is wider; we long to see Christians authentically ‘living out’ faith in all walks of life and across all strata of society. We believe that as new forces surge into the cultural vacuum, Christians in all walks of life need to understand the bearing of the gospel on the decisions they make within their vocational and cultural contextsboth public and private.

It is our responsibility as followers of Jesus to proclaim the gospel as public truth, not relegate it to our private lives. As God calls people to politics, the arts, and the marketplace; we want to encourage them to be salt and light. We want to assist them by praying for them, equipping them with biblical-theological insight, standing with them, and connecting them with others.

Today’s Christians in Europe are faced with an identity crisis. On the one hand, we areas the Bible clearly showsa minority band, following an alternate Lord, on the margins of society. On the other hand, Christianity has played a pivotal role in the formation of European culture. Lesslie Newbigin points out that before Christianity, Europe was simply a peninsula of Asiaa cul-de-sac into which Asiatic people had migrated for centuries. It was in Christianity that Europe first found shared identity and common culture.

We believe that Christians can and should have a unique voice in Europe. Christians should be ‘renaissance people’, willing to ask bold questions, and not afraid of living in a way that is counterintuitive to the world around themchallenging that world with the values of the Kingdom of God in all strata of society, and across vocational and cultural contexts in all parts of Europe.

Two things will help this process. First, Christians need to become connected in order to encourage, inform, and disciple each other. Christian artists need to network with Christian artists, and Christian bankers need to meet Christian bankers, butin the cross-disciplinary renaissance spiritvital connections also need to be made across vocations and cultures. Second, Christians need to be theologically and culturally equipped to discern the bearing of the gospel upon the decisions they have to make and the priorities they have to establish within their vocations and culural contexts. We believe that as people are connected and equipped in these ways, they will become part of an avant garde that is prepared and inspired to have a voice in the marketplace of ideas.

As we seek to be faithful in our generation, we must remember that we are not only to pursue societal change, or only to seek individual conversion. As we follow Christ together, we must live out an alternative culture that fuses the eternal goodness, beauty, and truth of the Kingdom of God with a clear understanding of our times
and its challenges."

This is the website that the article came from. It is instigating a Christian Renaissance in Europe!

http://www.schlossmittersill.org/

"Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified. The body becomes stronger as its members become healthier. The whole church of God gains when the members that compose it begin to seek a better and a higher life."
- A.W. Tozer -

It's Official...

The title says it all. It is official. I am not leaving for training until Spring 2008. But, I'm content. 100%. It took a lot of prayer, and God finally said to just wait. It will be good to go in the Spring because it will give me a chance to really raise support and say my goodbyes. Prayerfully I will have 100% of my support raised and pledged before February 2008. That way I will go to CIT and then go into the field by April or May.

A couple of other good things about not going until February is that I will be able to go to CIT with my teammates, Alex and Amanda (if they end up going then...). Also I will be able to get more involved at my new church home, Perimeter Church.

I was so stressed about raising support. I felt like God wasn't responding. But, the thing is, it was me who wasn't responding to Him. I was rushing Him, and He was just sitting there saying, "Just wait." I know that it is going to be a lot less stressful from here on out.

Please pray that I find a job close to home. I would rather not go back to The World of Coke (aka Church of Coke) because it is 30 miles from home and, well yea, it's 30 miles from home.

(Great picture huh? I typed in "Contentment" in google and this is what came up...)

Unpacking before packing...

Have you ever been running somewhere you really needed to go? (Yes, I am almost sure everyone has.) Now, have you ever been running somewhere, very important, and had a backpack on, or some sort of luggage? Airport... school? Well, if you have I am sure you have the thought of, "Gosh, if I could just drop this stuff, I could get to where I am headed a lot faster!"

This is what God was telling me last night. Except I am running to Him. I have all of this baggage that I am trying to run to Him with, but I just can't do it. I really heard God telling me, as I was praying about this, to just lay it down and run full speed toward Him. Sometime I feel like I need to carry this stuff with me. But, the truth is that Christ already took care of it. I don't need to deal with it, Jesus will pick it up for me.

He gave me scripture to think about.

Matthew 19:24 says, " Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Now, I have never interpreted this verse like this, but here it goes... Rich men are rich because they have a lot of money. Some people are rich because they have a lot of things in general. When Jesus says it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God, I think He is implying to some of us that we have a lot of baggage. A lot of unneeded things.

For me, its this baggage thing. I can't enter the Kingdom of God, 100%, if I have all of these things. I just need to give them up to Him. God told me last night, as I was praying about leaving for England, that I need to unpack those bags before I start packing up or thinking about packing up for England.

Does this mean I'm not wise anymore?

I had my first surgical experience yesterday. Something that I have been putting off since I was a senior in high school. I am sure you know what I am talking about, but if you don't let me give you some hints... First off, I have 2 tea bags hanging from my mouth, also, I am on 300 mg of Codeine and 800 mg of Ibuprofen. Yep, you guessed it, my wonderful and much missed wisdom teeth have been pulled.

So far, it has been a great, euphoric process. I have made friends with many a flying pink elephants and I don't remember a thing. (If this isn't making any sense, I am blaming it on the meds.) It was at about 10:45 EST yesterday morning when the nurse came into the waiting room and called my name. I walked in the room with him and he sat me down on the very luxurious dentist chair. You know the ones with the clear plastic at the foot of the chair and the faded tan pleather? Oh yes.

Then he strapped this nose piece on me that had the faint smell of vanilla to it. He claimed it was just plain old oxygen, but to this second I disagree. About 5 minutes later, he started to ask me questions, and he was talking very slow. Little did I know that this oxygen had slowed down time, and I too, was talking slow. What a liar! He put me on nitrous! I didn't mind though, it was very relaxing. Kind of like being on the beach with a nice cold ice tea... Anyway, then came Dr. Booker. She was a wonderful lady. I asked her how she was (very slowly) and she replied in the same monotone slowed voice, "IIII'mmm, fffiiinnneee... thhhaaaannkk yyoouuu." I told her that I felt great, and that she looked great, and she laughed.

About 5 minutes after she walked in, she gave me my I.V. I closed my eyes, then opened them and I asked her again how she was, and she laughed again and said that we were done. What a great day. I don't even remember getting in the car, splling water all over myself, or getting home for that matter. But otherwise, I am in a great amount of pain! I do not recommend this process. At all!

Words from Chrissy!

"God's plan is not this end result His plan is happening right now. Right now your living the plan. England is just a small part of the plan. The plan is here! Live it."

Thanks Chrissy!

Leaving a Legacy!

So, I told you earlier that I volunteered for the Star94 American Idol auditions at the World of Coke on Friday. Well, it was a lot of fun, besides the fact that I cost the Coca-Cola company a lot of money...oops. Heres how it happened...

We were working for the event team that day, so everything was practically brand new to us. The first task they us (Scottie and me) was to put the Coca-Cola banners up. This required three things: the banner, a stake, and a rubber mallet. Two of those things no one should ever entrust me to handle. Anyway, we were told to stake the banners at the edge of the lawn on either side of the front entrance path. So, we went over there and started pounding in the first stake. Everything was going well, we put the first banner up and it was slanted. Therefore, we pulled the stake out and re-staked it. Then it was straight up, it looked great! I was so proud of myself! Then cam the second stake, I measured it precisely to line up perfectly with the other banner on the other side.

So, I started pounding in the stake. This one was a little harder to get in. Maybe it was a rock, or some cement. So I hit it even harder, and success! I got it in! Little did I know, there was a little "sizzling" sound coming from the stake. I kept hitting it in until the sizzling became audible. I asked Scottie what it was, he didn't know. I shrugged it off and gave it one more good hit to really get it in there. Then it came, the water from ground. I wasn't really sure what to do, so I pulled out the stake and there we had Coca-Cola's own Old Faithful. A geyser of water came shooting up, at least 2 or 3 feet into the air.

Apparently, they had buried the sprinkler pipes right where I wanted to put the banner. The maintenance people came over, laughed it off, and turned off the water. But, little did they know that Coca-Cola had hired some specialist plumber in California to bury and install the pipes. So, they had to call in this "plumbing specialist" to come in a fix what I did. Later that day, the same maintenance people said that I had staked the other banner 3 inches from the other tube!

What did I tell you, me + stakes + rubber mallets = BIG MISTAKES!!! (no pun intended)
The mess I made, after they covered it with sand!

To Soon...

Wow... after 3 1/2 years of being out of high school, one of my good friends got married. Is it really time for all of us to start settling down? It is so crazy to think that just 4 years ago, we were just 18 years old. And, now we are maturing, and starting to settle down with our loved ones.

My friend Lauren Alston, now Lauren Bridges, got married today... CONGRATS!!! if you are reading this! It was really great to see her, now a mature women of God, standing at the alter trading vows. I still feel like we should be 16 years old, roaming the halls of our high school, loitering at the Cold Stone parking lot, or at Katherine's house watching a movie. These past years have flown by, and we are all at a pinnacle point in our lives. Most of us are getting ready to graduate college and go into the "real" world, some are not...

My prayer is that we all would come back at a reunion and have one thing in common... that is we are all following our loving Saviour, Jesus Christ. I pray that God would show us the way to pleasing Him and trusting Him. I pray that we would drop everything we are finding acceptance in and Go with Him. He is the only way!

The Day has come

So, today was my last day at the World of Coca-Cola! After 332 days employed under the Coca-Cola Regime, I am a free man. Well, except for tomorrow... I volunteered to help out with the American Idol auditions, so I will be there for 4 hours tomorrow morning, but that will be fun!

Now I get to concentrate on God and support raising 100%! I really am excited to see how God will provide me when I focus on Him!

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2

Problems...

It's getting to that point in time, when I can barely concentrate because I am so excited and passionate about England. But, there are some things that I need to get done before I leave... some things that were planned and some that were not.

Some of you know me well enough to know that surgery scares the crap out of me. I do not like the thought of being forced to go to sleep and wake up with something gone. Luckily I have not had the privilege of having any sort of surgery in my life. Until now...

It's just a minor minor surgery, that 98% of the world has to get done. Yes, its time for me to get my wisdom teeth out. I am not too excited about this, but it has to be done. Especially since my insurance runs up in about, oh, 4 weeks. I had the consultation about 3 years ago, and never got it done. I really need to get these teeth of wisdom extracted. Hopefully all goes well!

Another minor surgery that I want/need done is the scar-tissue cyst on my knee... but you probably don't want to hear about that... just cosmetic...

An unexpected problem that I have run into is my wonderful car. It has been good to me, but I think it's tired of the long commutes downtown or of not being clean, I'm not sure what it is, but it's broken. For the last three months, it has been consistently over heating, and the mechanics couldn't figure out why. So, finally I told them to fix the problem because I am going to be going on some long distance road trips in the next couple of months.

They called me back today (2 days later) and said that they think they found a leak in the head gasket. I love cars, but I have no clue what that means. Apparently its 20 hours of work for them, and about 4 months for me , meaning it's going to cost me a lot!

But, all of this is in God's hands, and His plans... so I am giving complete trust in Him. I will keep you all updated as much as possible...

His-story of Colchester...

Exactly 450 years ago, August and September 1557, 12 men and women in Colchester laid down their lives for Christ in Colchester.

This was the era of the counter-reformation, when Queen Mary decided that England should be catholic not protestant. In a three year period 23 Colcestrians were martyred, quite brutally, mostly burned to death.

I do not believe that Christ is calling men and women to die for Him in Colchester at this point in history- rather He is calling us to be Living Sacrifices.

These men and women are your brothers and sisters in Christ, who paved the way for you to present Christ openly to people in Colchester.

Elizabeth Folkes, Helen Ewring, Agnes Silverside, Thomas Benold, William Purcas, William Bongeor - died 2nd August 1557, outside the town hall

William Munt, John Johnson, Alice Munt, Rose Allin- died at Castle Bailey

Margaret Thurston, Agnes Bongeor- died 17 Sept 1557

These are the heroes and heroines of faith who have gone before us.

What a great privilege to partner men and women like this who have shed blood for the sake of the Gospel.

This information was provided by DNA Networks. I am in process of studying and researching the Christian history of Colchester... come back for more information!

Acts 1

Well, I got to work a little early yesterday. About 30 minutes early. Even though I LOVE work so much, I didn't feel like going in that early. Luckily I had my Bible with me. So, I started to read Acts. The part that I felt God was speaking to me directly was Acts 1:14. I am sure that you know what verse I am talking about. It takes place after the disciples watched Jesus ascend back into heaven, and the angels say to them, "Why do you stand looking into heaven?"(Verse 11). So, they go back to the upper room and scripture tells us,

"All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer together with the women and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and his brothers."

"Devoting themselves" - I felt God tell me to really start devoting myself to prayer. I really don't do it enough. I need to pray for the church of England, not the denomination, the actual Body of Christ in England. I need to pray for support, so that I can be fruitful while I am in England. I also need to pray that stay focused at work, and that I am bold to talk to non-believers about what Christ has done.

"Prayer together" - This part I feel like God wants me to get a group of prayer supporters together to accomplish the above. I need your help to pray for England, my teammates, and me. Please help me pray.

Thank you again for reading, and taking your time to listen to what I feel is important. If you have any prayer requests, anything at all, e-mail me: J.Christerson@gmail.com or call me at 404.226.9605

Good song...

I wish you could see me now
I wish I could show you how
I'm not who I was

Used to be mad at you
A little on the hurt side too
but im not who I was
I found my way around to forgiving you
sometime ago
But I never got to tell you... so

I found us in a photograph
I saw me and I had to laugh
You know im not who I was
You were there you were right above me
and I wonder if you ever loved me
just for who I was

When the pain came back like a bitter friend
It was all that I could do, to keep myself from blaming you

Thinkin its a funny thing, I figured out I can sing
Now im not who I was
I write about love and such
maybe cause I want it so much
Im not who I was

I was thinking maybe I should let you know
that I am not the same
but I never did forget your name
Hello

And the thing I find most amazing in amazing grace
is the chance to give it up
maybe thats what love is all about

I wish you could see me now
I wish I could show you how
I'm not who I was

He is Good!

I remember when I used to go to the Youth group at Roswell UMC back when I was in grade school. Half of us would always scream, "God is good all the time!..." and the other half would scream, "All the time, God is good!"

Isn't that a true statement? God is good, all the time! He really is. How is he not good?

Last week, I was kind of impatient with God. I wished that He would provide the support NOW. I was looking at my schedule and wondering why it wasn't going my way. But, don't we always get like that? Aren't we always impatient, wondering why it is taking God so long? I know that He is up there, looking down at us, saying "Chill, I have got it under control... Just be patient and faithful."

Every day, I get more and more excited about leaving for the UK. I know this is in God's plan for me, because He has affirmed it so many times. I am at about 50% monthly pledged support, and still have a couple more meetings left. One with Perimeter Church and a couple more with friends and family. I know that I don't have to worry about the timing. God has it all in control. He is just testing me to see how I handle it.

Testing Faith...harder than school

So, I have been praying a lot, well for me it's a lot, about my support. So far, because of some reductions in pledges, I have 43%. Before I had 53%. I feel like God is saying, "I have gotten you this far, now let's see how much you Trust Me."

Because, with working 40+ hours a week and having minimal time to actually call, sit-down and chat with potential supporters, it is really difficult to make those connections. Therefore, I really have to trust and rely on God at all times to bring people to me. I was feeling great with having 53% combined support (Pledges plus one time gifts). Considering that in order to go to the training, I have to have 60%. Training starts in September. So I was so close... but now, I am in need of about $600 more for monthly pledges.

This is where I am having trouble. I want to go full speed on support raising, but I can't. I want to go to England as soon as possible. I feel more passionate about the ministry in England, than I have for anything, ever. I know God knows this, and He wants to see how passionate I am by testing my faith.

It's like, I know He will provide. But, waiting is the hardest part. I want to make every effort to make this happen. But, when will it happen?

Please pray that God will bring me the money to go. Please!

Go With God!

The 'Noog!

Last week, my job gave me 5 days off in a row! That is more then I had off for vacation last month... but I didn't do anything until last Monday. Me, Hilary, Lauren and Scottie wanted to do something different, something we had never done. First we thought we would go to Stone Mountain, but then we heard it was supposed to rain. So, we thought we would go caving, aka Spelunking, but we couldn't find a place. Then we thought we could drive to Chattanooga, so we did. The next day we, plus Aubrie and her boyfriend Ben, jumped in our cars and drove the hour to the 'Noog.

We had no clue what to do. We luckily parked next door to the Visitor's Centre downtown. The man there had a lot of cool facts and fun ideas. We took advantage of those and walked around the beautiful city exploring its art district, historical district and more. It was a lot of fun. Oh, the man also gave us the name of a place that does Spelunking. I am pretty sure that is the next fun trip planned for my last summer in Hot-Lanta!

For pictures of the trip, go to these websites...

• http://gsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2067639&l=b7646&id=46200095

• http://gsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2067439&l=4c829&id=46200095

Where I am going! What I'll Be Doing...

Gosh, it really is starting to hit me. I am going to pick up and move to England. Not only will I be living in England, it is one of the oldest cities in the UK! Colchester, Essex, England was the Roman Capital of England before London was established! WOW!!! And, we think that we have history here in the states, they have castles and aqueducts from the Roman Empire!

Did You Know?
Did you know that the story of Old King Cole came from Colchester? Hence the name, Colchester! Also, there is a castle there that the nursery rhyme Humpdy Dumpdy came from. But Humpdy Dumpdy was not a giant man eating egg, it was actually a canon that fell of the top of the castle. How cool is that?

Christianity in the UK...
As for Christianity being famous in England... it was. In reality, Christianity lost its fame in England a long time ago. Today, England is the most secular of the four countries that comprise the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.) Statistics say:

• 62% of the population has belief in God
• 38% that Jesus is the Son of God
• 23% that the Bible is the unique Word of God
• 16% visit a church during the course of a year
• 11% visit a church at least once a month

You see, the steady decline in belief and church attendance is of great concern. The dying congregations lead to closed churches, which lead to the churches being converted to Muslim mosques.

Why Colchester?
Colchester is the home of Essex University. Essex represents over 140 different nations. Where is a better place to start a new, contemporary church for college students, then in a city that has students from all of the world? That is what DNA Networks has started. They have successfully started a ministry targeted towards my generation with the use of The Alpha Course Phenomenon, Bible Studies, Discipleship groups, and a church.

This is where I am going. In the heart of the most secular country in the UK, at a church targeted towards college students.



Colchester Art Centre

(DNA's Church)









High Street
(Main Street in Colchester)










Essex University

Update on Support!

Again, thank you to all of you who are supporting me! Both financially and through prayer! I am so grateful!

Just a little update...

As of right now, I have about 15% of my outgoing expenses raised. My total is approximately $8,533 for airline expenses, training at CIT, a computer, immunizations, etc.

As for my monthly pledges, I have about 48% of it pledged. These pledges have not yet started giving... as for those who have, I have about 2%. I am hopefully talking to a couple of churches in the next couple of weeks to see if they will support me.

In order to go to training in the fall, I must have at least 60% of everything raised. I am shooting for 100%, so that I can leave in the beginning of 2008. The next training session is in September, and runs for about 12 weeks. I will come back home for the holidays and then start my ministry in England in January (Winter is also the cheapest time to fly.)

Thank you for all of your prayers!!!

If you have any prayer requests at all, please e-mail me at J.Christerson@gmail.com or give me a call at 404.226.9605

Please DO NOT hesitate to call me whenever!

SuperTroopers...

Well, this past weekend, I took care of my brother Tom's house while he and his family were out of town. It was Saturday night, I went to bed at about 12:30 and had to get up at about 7:00 for work the next morning. I fell asleep and was dreaming a wonderful dream about pool's full of Chocolate and trees made of twizzler's, until I was woken up by pounding at the door. When I say pounding, I mean POUNDING, not knocking. Immediately I knew something was wrong. Oh, and not to mention it was 4:30 in the morning...

So, I ran down the stairs and said at the corner of the front door, "Who is it?," and the man yells back, "It's the Police!" I instantly open the door to come face to face with a police man with his flashlight in my eyes. He said, "Yea, uh, what are you up to sir?" I replied quite rudely, "Sleeping, it is 4:30 in the morning..." He then told me that there had been some mysterious 911 calls/hangups coming from the house. He asked me if he could enter, and I let him in.

As soon as he and his partners came in, I remembered that my brother doesn't have a land line at his house. I told the officer this and he asked me, "Is this house number 3451?" I said, "NO, it 3441, your looking for next door..." He looked at his partner, smiled, looked at me, shook his head, apologized, and left.

Should I not get some sort of immunity on my next ticket? That was absolutely ridiculous. Anyway... all is well at my brothers house, and his next door neighbors were fine. Nothing to worry about.

Oh... I have 5 days off of work this week, so I will be posting more often, I hope!

Well, today is my middle brothers birthday... Numero 23! Happy birthday bro!

Last night I was hanging out with my parents, and I was telling them about a conversation I had with my discipleship leader. He and I had been reading 1 John together, and he pointed out that if you say that you are a Christian, that means that you should be sinless. Because, in 1 John 1:5-10

"5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all^[b] sin.

8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."

Here it says that if we claim to have Christ in us, and we in Him, we can't have any darkness (sin). This is because there can't be any darkness in Him at all. No sin at all.

Again in 1 John 2:6, it says,

"6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."

Now, if we clain to be in Him, we must walk as Jesus did. How did Jesus walk? Without sin, performing miracles, praying all the time, healing, etc.

So, what do you think? Let me know if you think it is out of context. I really would like to know other peoples thoughts...

"On a night like this..."

So, last night my three best friends and I decided to go out to eat after work. There was a new place across the street (Luckie St.), so we decided to try it out. I volunteered to go in and ask for a menu to check prices and what not. While I was in there, I talked to the hostess and we became fast friends (already friends on FaceBook!). The prices weren't bad, so I told Lauren, Scottie, and Hilary that we should most definitely eat there.

We parked the car back at the Aquarium, free parking for being Coca-Cola employees. And walked back over to Luckie. We walked in, and a man greeted us and asked us for my last name to see if we had a reservation. He didn't see our name, only because we didn't make a reservation. So, he apologized and said very politely, "I am sorry, this is Family and Friends night, invitation only." We agreed, very dissapointed, and started to turn towards the door, until my good friend the Hostess interrupted the man, and said, "No, they are meeting another party, come on Mr. Christerson, right this way."

Now, we got excited. As soon as we sat down, we were greeted with our server. He introduced himself as Mike and told us that everything was free! He told us that we could order anything on the menu we wanted and it was free! So after he came back, we all ordered the most expensive thing. I ordered the "Luau Steak" ($26)!...

After the wonderful dinner, we left and decided to walk towards the Westin hotel downtown. It being the one of the tallest hotels downtown, it has a wonderful view as well as very classy restaurant on the top. Because of its very popular view, you usually have to pay to get to the top. But, somehow we managed to get a free ride to the 72 floor to the restaurant! What a night! We explored the view, looked at the wonderful skyline of Atlanta, and then ventured upstairs to the "Sundial Lounge." There we had a drink and enjoyed the rotating lounge as well as our wonderful friendships.

Oh Gosh! What a night! Free things are always good to have!




Clockwise: Scottie, Lauren, Hilary and Me

Just Thinking...

So I was looking through my pictures on my computer today and I noticed this picture...
This is Laminin. Laminin is basically the building block of life. Every human has it, and can't live with out it. Laminin is a protein that is in every cell of our body. Coincidence that it is in the shape of a cross? I think not! Just another cool God thing! God has built our lives out of a protein that is the shape of a cross... we can't live without it; we can't live without the cross either. Praise GOD!!!

Go with GOD!

Thanks be to God!

Well, today I though that I would write about how Christ has changed my life...

I wasn't really raised Christian growing up. I knew the fundamentals of what Church was, who Christ was, but, I never really knew why He did what He did. Growing up, I went to church every so often with my parents, and maybe attended the youth service. This was until I got confirmed into the Church in the 7th grade.

This is where I really found my niche in the Church. I found my group of friends. During confirmation, I made my rounds, did what I was supposed to do by accepting Christ. I didn't really know what that meant. I just knew that I was supposed to do it. Throughout middle school, I called my self a Christian without really knowing what it really meant. I even helped start the FCA at the Middle School.

Then came High school... Oh, man what a disaster. High school for me was that point in time where all I wanted was to be cool. I wanted to be the popular one. During high school, I really turned my back on God and the whole "Church thing." I was hanging out with two groups of kids, one my parents approved of, and one that they didn't know of (which they would absolutely not approve of). Some nights, I would tell my parents I was hanging out with my friends, and go and drink with the other group... is this getting confusing? I will just get to the point...

As high school progressed, I started walking farther and farther away from God. Senior year was the worst of all the years in high school. During high school, my older brother James (2 years older), went to college at North Georgia, and found Christ for who He truly was. James would come home every so often and try to share what he discovered with me. I would give him the cold shoulder which made us drift apart.

When I left for college, Valdosta State University, I was planning on really going wild considering I was 250 miles from home. But, I guess God had something totally different planned out. Little did I know, that before I left for college, James had called VSU's Campus Outreach to come help me move in.

The day I moved in a representative of Campus Outreach called me and met me to help me move in. He was definitely a nice genuine guy. Later that afternoon, after my parents left, Campus Outreach took me and some other Freshmen out to eat. There, I really felt a sense of being comfortable.

They started to share the Love of Christ with me in a way I had never felt or seen before. I wanted to know more about Jesus, so I started to explore the campus for more ministry's. During the first week of school, a girl by the name of Katie Folds asked me to come to the Wesley Foundation. I thought it sounded kind of weird, but I wanted to try it out. There at the Wesley Foundation is where I really fell in Love with Christ.

I gave my life to Christ on the September Sands retreat in 2004. I remember God saying to me, "Come to me." So I did. Now I am continually trying to run the race and immerse myself in God's presence and love. Since that time, I have been on 2 international mission trips. One toto Grand Bahama Island for Hurricane Relief, and a 2 week relational mission to Hyderabad, India.

I am trying to seek Him out in different ways, and now pursuing a ministry He has called me to in Colchester, England. Please be praying for the ministry there, DNA Networks; as well as my journey.

Thank you for reading. I know it was long, but it is because of God. So... THANKS BE TO GOD!!!

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love." 1 Corinthians 16:13-14


My team in Hyderabad-
Surrounded by Indian children
(I'm on the right of the guy in the cowboy hat)

Death to Everlasting Life...

Well, a good friend of mine, Ashlee Kraft, was in a terrible accident late Saturday night. She and 6 people were in the vehicle on I-575N on their way back from a Braves game, heading to their camp in North Carolina. The vehicle, a Jeep Liberty, apparently had a power steering problem, they lost control of the car and rolled for several feet. Ashlee and the 3 other passengers in the back seat lost their lives. I was told on Sunday morning at 8:43 about this accident. It is a sad story to hear, but we must rejoice in the fact that she is home now at the feet of Christ. I know for a fact that when she arrived in Heaven, God said, "Well done, My good and faithful servant."

This whole thing has made me think about my life. Am I a good and faithful servant? Will God tell me that when I arrive in Heaven? I don't know, but I can sure try my best to make that happen.

After the funeral, I couldn't stop thinking about this. Ashlee's life has impacted so many people, even after her death. Her funeral was full of praise and worship, friends and family laughing in remembrance of her. The whole way home, my friend Lauren and I talked about how our lives could improve. How we arn't taking every moment as our last.

A lady from her church spoke about all of the quotes and sayings that Ashlee had in her room and on her mirror. The one that really caught my ear is - "I asked God the other day, 'What are you going to do about all of the poverty and sickness and non-believers?' and He replied, 'What are YOU going to do about it?'"

God works in mysterious ways, doesn't He? He taught me so much and allowed me and many other people to draw a little closer to Him through someone's death...