Defined

"People allways want to define us by what we do but, I am convinced that what we do is not nearly as important as who we are." - Shane Claiborne

 What would Peter have said if someone asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up? Maybe "I was going to be a fisherman, then I met this dude and he messed that all up".

 Mother Teresa said, "don't worry about your career. Concern hourly with your vocation and that is to be a lover of Jesus!"

 Let God define you!

Outside of the lines

I desire to live a radical lifestyle.  A lifestyle that will not settle for the "American Dream" and the ideals that are engrained in us by our consumeristic selfish society.  I desire to be countercultural and ultimately to bring Glory to God!

I don't want to spend 40 hours a week at work simply to pay my bills and survive another two weeks.  I don't want to live for the weekends or for my weekly sitcom.  I want to live recklessly abandoned for God!  I want to be a part of His story transforming the lives of real people around me; the world around me.  My anticipation for the day should not be built up for dinner, a movie or sinking into a couch!  My anticipation should build up to the moment or moments that God shows up in my day.  It sucks because as much as I want to live this different life, I am a product of my environment and as I strive for this life of REAL fulfillment, my flesh, my selfishness, and my laziness drag me back into the mold society has cast for me.  I will continue to strive and continue to reach for a life that is based on truth, not the facade of comfort and viewing from a distance.  I pray that God would refine me and lead me in this path.  I pray for courage, boldness, and the strength to stand up against myself.  God is Good and He is real!

We all have the ability to share with someone the key that may release them from captivity.  We must be bold with the word of God and with his Love that He pours in and through us.  Pray for God to allow you to see with His eyes today!

Little a this Little a that

Krusteaz, eat your heart out!

Kendall and I ventured into the realm of gluten free eating about 6 months ago and have experienced multiple failures with scattered successes in our attempts at making alternative bread product.  If you search the web for how to make gluten free anything, you will find thousands of recipes and about 2 that actually taste decent.  I decided after a few attempts that I can just make due without bread.  But one thing that I could not give up on is pancakes and waffles.  If any of you know me well, you know that pancakes are an essential part of my diet.  Therefore it has become my mission to make quality gluten free pancakes.  

Although we have recently given up the gluten free diet, I have not abandoned my quest for the perfect gluten free pancake.  I am proud to say that today I believe I have have gotten a little closer that point.  The following is by far the best gluten free pancake/waffle recipe I have partaken of to date.  

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of buckwheat flour

1/4 cup of amaranth flour or sorghum flour

1 1/2 tsp of baking powder

2 eggs

2 tsp of vanilla

3 tablespoons of sugar

some cinnamon

add milk until you get the correct pancake consistency

Directions: 

Add it all together and mix in the milk to the correct pancake or waffle consistency (not too runny, not too thick)

Spice it up: 

You can add bananas, chocolate chips or pecans for an even more satisfying experience.  

It is pivotal that you use Maple Syrup while enjoying these pancakes!

Be Still

"The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of Heaven and Earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people, life and breath and all things."   -Acts 17:24-25

I didn't realize what it was that first drew me to the wilderness.  I think it was the adventure and my desire to get away from all the clutter.  I was invited on a backpacking trip through the collegiate peaks near Buena Vista Colorado when I was 16.  The only camping I had done at this point was in my back yard.  I spent that week, learning how to wipe with leaves, experiencing the effects of going from sea level to 14,000 feet in 48 hours, and falling in love with the majesty that is nature.

I was hooked!  Back in North Carolina, my best friend and I would find any excuse to escape to Pisgah National Forest.  Being naive teenagers, we would leave a party at mid night, throw some sleeping bags in the Explorer and make the 2 hour trip to Linville Gorge where a 1.5 mile hike down the mountain awaited us.  It was miserable in the moment as we hiked in the dark and pretty much stumbled down the mountain, but completely worth it to hear the rush of the river as we laid down to sleep.  The Gorge was our escape in high school.  It freed us from the world and made us feel alive.  The parties and social scene could never fill my bucket but something about the wild made me overflow.

I took another trip to Colorado then to Montana, Wyoming, California, Oregon, Idaho, and Arizona, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras.  Everywhere I go, I encounter Gods creation and I am overwhelmed, I am set free.

The clear water of the Caribbean purifies my mind and reminds me of God's perfection.

The Rockies shock me and contend that I am but a man.

The Tetons cut into the sky the way Gods truth is meant to penetrate our hearts.

I am drawn to the wilderness.  It becons me to return, constantly reminding me that all else will fail.  My computer will die, my car will breakdown, my friends will move on, and stuff will simply wear out.  The creation that is the wilderness remains.  We destroy it but it overcomes.  Look at an old farm house that has been abandoned.  It stands for a while but eventually the paint chips off, the beams rot, the foundation becomes weak and nature overtakes it.  Everything we have and the things of this world that we worship will fail.  God is eternal and I am drawn to the wilderness because He is there.

I see his creativity and joy in the sky.

I see His gentleness in the face of a child.

And His might in the strike of lightning and the roar of thunder.

He fills the depths of the Grand Canyon and the heights of the sky.

The horses of Shakelford Island remind me of His provision.

The Volcanoes of Central America cry out that God is raw and unrefined.

His love can be seen and felt by simply saying yes.

The wilderness demands this response.  You must "be still and know that He is God."

Our Trip Home

Our trip was amazing.  It was totally God ordained and Kendall and I were so blessed to be a part of his work this weekend.  After a ticket was provided for me, I shared with my dad that I would be heading to Honduras for 4 days and he insisted on buying Kendall a ticket to come as well.  God was at work from the very beginning.  I have never let go and allowed God to lead like this before.  The trip was seamless, he laid the ground beneath our feet.  We ended up being on a flight with one of our good friends from the island, April, who's husband picked us up at the Roatan airport then proceeded to cook us lunch, give us a truck to use for free and a cell phone chip so that my phone would work for the weekend.  

We arrived at the church in French Harbour at about 3pm, dropped off our things in the dormitory and proceeded to the hill where all of our friends in FH live.  As we approached Carolina's house, we were welcomed by a group of about 10 kids ages 5-10 running at us with arms wide open.  We hugged and said our hello's then spent the remainder of the afternoon sitting in homes and talking about life.  We shared stories of Hasked, got caught up on everyones lives, and began to discover why God sent us.  

Hasked was killed on a boat close to the mainland and was burried almost immediately on mainland of Honduras.  Because of this, none of the boys or relatives got any closure.  The cultural ritual is to keep the body in a home for 24hr after death for friends and family to mourn and celebrate their life.  This process was not had so our time of story telling and reflecting was priceless.  We also discovered that there is a lot of superstition that comes along with death.  Pablo, richie and a few others mentioned that they were scared at night because they believed Hasked's spirit was going to return and haunt them at night.  Pablo has been so stressed out and nervous that he has been biting himself and is unable to sleep through the night.  He has 10-12 open sores on his arms where he has bitten himself.  He deals with this by making jokes about being so hungry, he is eating himself.  In reality he is cutting without a knife.  I was able to pull him aside and address this with him as well as the superstition.  I shared with him that on Sunday as I prayed, I saw a vision of Hasked in God's arms.  I told him that Hasked is in heaven and he is not coming back here.  His spirit is resting.  I watched a peace come across his face and he asked me, "Harry, what color is God?"  I told him that I believe He is every color but to me, He appeared more like a light.   

I shared the fact that Hasked is with God with the rest of the boys as well and that they do not need to fear any spirit haunting them because they have God who is more powerful than anything else.  

The second day we walked down the street from the church and ate breakfast at a little tienda where Ken (Blankito) works and were able to talk, pray and just spend quality time with him.  He has grown a lot in the past few months and is really beginning to follow the Lord.  He is also an assistant director of the play that is being put on at the church.  After this we went back to the Hill and gave out photos of Hasked to his friends and family.  This was huge for them because very few people there have photos and no one had any photos of Hasked.  Thousands of people take pictures on the island but no one leaves any behind.  We gave out 18 pictures of Hasked and other pictures of the boys and their families.  Thank you Martha and Jessica for pictures.  We stayed there talking with the families and enjoying each others company until about 2pm then went to lunch with Gus, Pablo, and Richie.  So we got real full then I went and played a little soccer with Gus and Hubert.  I was worn out after two games and had to go so Kendall and I could visit the Orphanage before too late.  We spent the evening at the orphanage then returned to FH.  By the way on the way back our truck pretty much broke down, we added a quart of oil and barely got back to the church but we prayed over it and the next morning it ran better than it did when we got it.  Praise God!  

Saturday we got breakfast (baleadas) with Gus, Pablo, and Travis then spent the rest of the morning at the orphanage.  After this we headed back to FH and walked to the point to visit Richie's family.  Pablo and Jarbie led the way which gave us some quality time to talk and just hang out.  We spent an hour or so there talking about life and speaking truth over a young girl (Marcela) who lives in darkness and has been robbed of her childhood / innocence.  She is Richies 17 year old sister and used to live at the orphanage so Kendall poured into her for a bit and allowed the Lord to do work.  

We walked back to the church and I recorded Jarbie and Pablo rapping, doing bike tricks and dancing.  

We spent the evening with families in FH again and I was able to speak some truth over Menfi and Bebe.  Both of these guys have grown and matured so much over the past 7 months.  They both have jobs, are consistently going to church and going to school at night.  I stood with Menfi as the sun went down and God began to move through my words.  As I opened my mouth, I felt the Lord take control and the power of his spirit resting on Menfi.  I told him that I was proud of him and that even though he is surrounded by bad people, God has set him apart.  Menfi is 15 years old and pretty much in charge of his 4 younger siblings.  His mom is always on the streets, usually strung out and she leaves at night not to return.  I really cannot fully express the darkness of the world that surrounds him. I am so proud of this young man and I truly believe God has called him to great things.  

I then went to Bojangles with Bebe, Menfi, pablo, Richie, Jarbie, and Alejandro.  We ate chicken, played cards, prayed together and we shared Gods love with them again before our departure the next morning.  

God blessed this trip and I am so thankful for all the prayers.  

Much love,   

Here are some pictures from our recent trip to Honduras.  It was an amazing trip and we feel so blessed to have been a part of what God is doing on that island.  Enjoy!

My Godson Kendall

Harry and Kendall in French Harbour

Kendall and Carolina 

Kendall squared

Hanging out in French Harbour with Pablo and his family

Kendall and Harry 

Marba, Andromida and Kendall in French Harbour

Girls in French Harbour

Kendall, with the kids at the children's home

Cindy the most beautiful little girl in the world!

Walking to Richie's house in French Harbour

Enough Said

My Godson baby Kendall

I am so proud of Menfi.  He lives in such a dark place surrounded by bad people but is rising above.  The Lord has great plans for this 16 year old boy.  He has a full time job, is going to night school, and is caring for his siblings.

Pearly Whites

Girls in Los Fuertes

Hasked

 I believe Hasked was rescued by the Lord this week.  He is a 14 year old boy who lives in French Harbour.  I was blessed to spend 2 years of my life getting to know him and sharing life with him.  He loved soccer and was awesome at it.  He would play any position you asked him to but my favorite was to watch him in the goal.  He was incredible, like a brick wall.  Nothing got by him. 

            Hasked had a soft heart and would do anything you asked him to without complaint.  I worked with him through our mentoring program on the island and he was always one of the first to volunteer to help.  He was soft spoken but had the brightest smile.  He came alive when he was with his friends at the beach, on the street or playing ball on the conchita.  He also loved going to the ocean, eating fried chicken and hunting iguanas.  He impacted my life along with the other kids from Roatan more than I could ever express; I love him. 

            He was killed this weekend while riding in a boat to the mainland.  His mother had decided to send him to the mainland for unknown reasons.  He was a great student and would have graduated the 6^th grade very soon but poverty and desperate situations can drive people to sacrifice what they know is right.  Hasked’s family lived in poverty on the island and his father worked on the mainland.  Some speculate that his mother was sending him over there to work with his father while others say he was being sent by his mother to smuggle drugs.  The drug trade is very heavy through Roatan and many kids his age are recruited as movers of the drugs from place to place. 

            One of my friends who is currently on the island spent some time with Hasked the day before he left and he came up to her with tears in his eyes because he didn’t want to leave.  She pulled him aside and he cried with her while doing nothing but shaking his head to all of her questions.  The other boys tried to convince Hasked to sneak away until the boat had left so that he wouldn’t have to go but he refused because he didn’t want to disappoint his mother.  I believe these boys all knew nothing good would come of this.  Most of them are recent believers and are learning to walk out their faith together. 

            Later that night, Hasked departed on a small boat leaving for the mainland and before they were far from Roatan, the local police opened fire on the boat.  The local police regularly monitor the waters around the East end of the island because of the high volume of drug trafficking.  The police believed the boat which carried Hasked was a drug boat and opened fire, no questions asked. Not only did they open fire on the boat but they shot explosives at the boat as well which left this 14 year old boy no chance.  

            Hasked lived in a dark and desperate place with little to no support.  I believe God new what lay before him and took him now.  I believe god rescued him from what lay ahead.  He was such a sweet kid and I love him more that I can express he is my brother in Christ and today God is holding him in His sweet embrace.  Hasked is experiencing a love inexpressible.  Something he has never had before.  Pray for the other boys in Roatan and the people who loved him dearly.  Hasked is rejoicing with our God today.  Pray for those who are mourning this life cut short.       

Much Love

Be the Church

"....... there was not a needy person among them"

Acts chapter 4

In the first church, every one sold all that they had and they supported each other. If someone needed food, they were given food. If they needed shelter, they were given shelter. If they needed a doctor, they were prayed over and healed. Everyone freely gave and freely received. If you are familiar with Shane Claiborne, he has done an awesome job of recreating this type of community in what he calls "The Simple Way." These communities have popped up all over the country over the past 5 years and are built around the idea of biblical community. Its a beautiful picture and model for us to learn from and hopefully apply to our lives in some form or fashion.

I have been convicted lately of my own lack of giving and my self centeredness. I continually find myself looking at my self or mine and Kendall's life with the attitude of improvement. Now progress and improvement is not a bad thing, I believe we are supposed to work towards building something with our lives and becoming successful to an extent. But as we do that I believe we are to continually challenge ourselves to sacrifice more and to give more, to extend our blessing. Our goal should never be to become comfortable, because even if you become comfortable, you will never be satisfied and the striving will never end. I have come to realize with the help of my wife that there is so much more fulfillment and satisfaction in simplicity. God never meant for us to be comfortable or for us to get everything we want. Following His path is supposed to be a challenge and if there is no challenge clearly laid before us then we need to seek it out. I continually ask myself this question:

What is your faith costing you?

Usually the answer is "not enough, or nothing at all." I believe it is the same for most of the church, the body of Christ. It should cost you something. That can be your time, your lifestyle, your material desires, your plans, the American Dream, or money. These are easy expenses for the gift of salvation and a relationship with our creator. Others around the world and even in America occasionally pay a much higher price. 171,000 people are killed every year for their faith and hundreds of thousands more face persecution daily for the same gift. We go to church for an hour on Sunday and consider that our sacrifice while others are literally laying down their lives in obedience and pure devotion to the one and only true God. I have had to continually fight against the lies I am told by this world. Like, I need a new car, I need to buy a house, I need new clothes to look the part, I need the best phone, I need Netflix, I need, I need, I need. The world, especially America has conditioned us to believe that we need all these things when in reality what I need is to get rid of some of these things.

This has gotten very long winded and I didn't mean to write this much. My original reason for writing tonight was to express my desire for us to be like the early church. I believe we should be supporting each other, especially those who are on the front lines of the mission field. The majority of missionaries come off of the field for financial reasons and their investment into the lives of the people they serve comes to a stop. I am convicted of this because I do not give enough. I don't make much money but I have enough to go out to eat occasionally, to buy coffee, to buy wine, and to purchase other unnecessary things. We need to support our brothers and sisters in the mission field. Make a sacrifice and support someone you know who is serving God and spreading His word of life.

"If a brother of sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them 'go in peace , be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?"

James 2: 15-16

You can support my good friend Mark Hutto as he serves as a missionary in India by clicking on the link below and donating to this account: SAsia-Htt.MBH

Mark Hutto in India

Compelled by the burden

"How I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from me, and by their eyes which played the harlot after their idols" Ezekial 6:9.

This is God response to years of disobedience by the Israelites. They knew God but turned from Him to things made by human hands. I believe God feels the same way as He looks at the world around us now, especially America. We have turned to our subtle idols, tv, clothes, cars, jobs, phones, and self fulfillment. We have become comfortable and lost sight of the one and only God who has given us life. I pray for God to burden you and I for this dark world. Let us be moved by Gods heart for the lost, the decieved and the comfortable. We are the light in the darkness and Jesus is our hope!

Much love

Tongues

Let this be a blessing to all who read. God moves in amazing ways.

As we drove back to our dorm, the car was silent. My mind was racing with questions and my heart was full of joy. Tyler was still drying his eyes and wiping the snot from his nose as his girlfriend began to talk about her exams the upcoming week. She and Stephen were desperate to break the uncomfortable silence. We had just witnessed something that none of us would ever forget, especially Tyler who would never be the same.

I had only recently begun to walk with the Lord and was slowly being introduced to the power of the Holy Spirit. Tyler had turned from all forms of religion years before in his teens, stephen was raised Catholic but didn't really practice and Megan's religion was sailing. All that to say we took an eclectic group to my roommates pentecostal church that morning.

We all sat upstairs in the back row of the church, trying to be as discrete as possible. At this point, I realized how uncomfortable this was about to be and in turn began to get a knot in my stomach. my friends were going to think I was crazy for bringing them to this church where people shake tamborines, yell and speak giberish whenever they feel led. I had only been to this church once and that was my first time hearing someone speak in tongues which was a little odd to me but I was able to brush it off. This service started off pretty normal but I quickly realized this service wasn't going to be like the first one I came to.

During worship, the pastor began to pray and speak in tongues. He said he felt like the spirit was moving us to have a service of prayer and healing. I was ready to run for the door when my roommate who had invited us asked if we would be willing to go downstairs and pray with him. We were cornered. Just where God wanted us.

We circled up with my roommate, Cedric, and a few others who all began to pray at once. I couldn't stop thinking about how awkward my friends felt or what they were going to think about this. What I really needed to do was trust in God's plan. Cedric began to pray in tongues and kept it up for a solid 10 minutes. My mind was racing, Stephen was awkwardly looking around, and megan was closing her eyes and waiting for it all to be over.

Tyler began to cry and hit the ground with snot pouring out of his nose and tears soaking his palms. He cried the entire time Cedric prayed. No one understood the words Cedric was saying and no one knew why Tyler was breaking down but we all stood there waiting and wondering what was taking place. It was powerful, we all felt the presence but none of us could describe it. Cedric prayed in tongues unknown over Tyler for about 10 minutes then we were out the door.

Later that night, Tyler came to me so perplexed by the power of God. He called Cedric that night so confused. He asked, "How did you know all of that?" "You were talking about things I have never told anyone. No one knows about my dad or my childhood" "How did you know those things you prayed over me this morning?"

Cedric had no idea what Tyler was talking about. He had prayed in a foreign tongue, a language of the Spirit and had no idea what he was saying. Tyler heard the voice of the Spirit. God touched Tyler's life that morning through the power tongues. Tyler has never been the same. God captivated his heart that morning and Tyler has been following our Lord and savior ever since. We serve a great God who can meets us where we are however He wants.

I have had some bad experiences with gift of tongues being abused or misused in the past but on this God used the gift of tongues to save a life. I felt compelled to share this because I believe God wants to do miraculous things in our lives if we will let trust Him to do so.

Burdened for the Deceived

I served food tonight at the homeless shelter with an Indian woman. I had never met this woman but felt compelled to carry a conversation with her. I asked her about her life, her family, her work, why she served, if she went to a church and I shared my life with her in the process. As I spoke to her about God leading me to Honduras and calling me to serve those in need, she nodded her head with understanding but was visibly uncomfortable. I discovered she was Hindu after telling her about my best friend who is currently on his way to India as a missionary. She was not offended but she also didn't stick around for long after the food was served. Her reason for serving was because she felt good afterward, she felt like she needed to help. We all have something built into us that needs to serve. We were created in God's image and fashioned according to His will. He became the greatest servant to ever live so obviously we are going to feel good when we serve. It's what we were built to do! Our generation of 20 somethings and younger have been led astray by the biggest lie ever told, "it's all about me." We are consumed by materialism and temporary fulfillment. Even in the church, we often only participate if it works for us. We need to step it up and create a challenge. Our generation is too comfortable and content. The world around us is as dark as it has ever been but we are too focused on our video games, sports, clothes, car, job, or even growing our ministry that we miss what's right in front of us. Jesus say's "Love your neighbor." Start there, serve someone where you are. I guarantee you no matter where you live and what you do there is someone who has a need, try simply listening. You will be rewarded, there is a piece of you that is crying out to serve someone. Go out and find a challenge, do not settle for what this world has to give. Take hold of what God has for you.

As I left the shelter tonight, I felt God say that His heart breaks for the deceived. We must boldly share His message, but you may need to earn the right to be heard first.

The Way!

This is not a game.

It's Life or Death.

Truth or a Lie.

Eternal Glory or Eternal Punishment.

Jesus Christ is the only way.

Repent, Believe, and Follow the One and Only True God!

Edith

Edith is a woman who has been burned into my memory because of her loud personality and role in my life. She is a 40 year old, disabled black woman who lives in the projects of Charleston.

As I stood in the parking lot of an abandoned gas station cooking hot dogs on a portable grill, I began to wonder if what we were doing was crazy. Some friends and I had felt compelled to go to the projects of Charleston and set up a table offering free food and the love of Christ. At this point, we hadn’t gotten much more than some confused looks and a few honks from the passing cars. I began to question our purpose and if we were doing this in vain or in God’s name. My answer came soon after that from a short stocky black woman yelling at us from about 50 yards away.

Edith got our attention 50 yards out and carried a conversation all the way to us without ever changing her tone. Within minutes she realized that we really were serving free hot dogs and that we just wanted to talk to people. She said, “y’all don’t go anywhere I will be right back.”

10 minutes later we had a line of about 20 people waiting to eat with us and to here about Gods call on our lives and theirs. It was like Edith was the voice of the homeless. She was their advocate checking out the new guys to see if we were worth the trip.

This was the first of many interactions with Edith over a period of time that allowed me to get to know her life very well. She opened up to me and shared about her family and her dark situation in the projects. I will never forget what she taught me about self esteem, hope and

the confidence that can be found within.

I was driving her home one day and she told me her apartment was the one with the sunflowers. I continued driving and looking for a door with a wreath or a sunflower door mat when right there, in the line of identical public housing apartments, was a 5 foot tall sunflower. I asked Edith about it and she came alive. She told me how she had to go to the housing office to get permission, then she planted the seed and watered the seed and watched it become what it is now. She was so proud of that sunflower and for a moment she wasn’t the woman in the projects, she was the woman who grew a sunflower.

Edith opened my eyes to one of the biggest traps in poverty; Lack of motivation and self worth. If the world says you are worthless, you will be worthless. But we are all capable of something; Edith grew a sunflower. Help someone discover that something.

The Cost of Discipleship

"For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment."

- Apostle Paul

1 Corinthians 4: 9 - 13

The Apostles gave everything up for the Lord. They laid the foundation of the church which we stand on today. I am forever grateful for those who suffered and bled for Christ and for me. Without them and their choice to obey God, I may not have heard the beautiful message of salvation which so compels my life today. I read this scripture this afternoon and was once again challenged to stand up and do something with my life. We are not called to settle for comfort and Jesus never promised ease. We are called to lay it all down and follow Him no matter what the cost. I asked myself today, "what is my faith costing me?" Ask yourself the same.

"If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me"

- Jesus

I Have Everything

I met a homeless man on the street yesterday who opened my eyes to the world before me. Curtis saw that I was out of place as I walked through West Greenville yesterday and prayed for God's presence to infiltrate that dark place. He approached me and pointed me in the direction of the homeless shelter office. I told him I was interested in serving but that I was simply praying for the neighborhood at the moment. We proceeded to talk for another 40 minutes or so and I was blown away by how the Lord spoke to me there on the street. This man truly is a saint of the Lord. He spoke truths over me and shared pieces of his testimony. My eyes were opened to the Witchcraft that saturates that neighborhood and I was warned to walk lightly as I immerse myself in that environment. I was instructed to wait on the Lords direction, to follow the path he leads me on and to fear no evil when God goes before me. Curtis stood there in the street with me for almost an hour ministering to me and welcoming me to the front lines of battle against the darkness that saturates the streets of West Greenville. Curtis is the janitor of a local church and a passionate follower of Christ. He lives in a tent in the woods with nothing but a sleeping bag and a gas stove top for cooking. As I began to tell him I would pray for God to give him what he needs, Curtis interrupted me. He said, "Brother, as long as I have Jesus, I have everything." Curtis is poor by our standards but rich in the kingdom, he is on the front lines fighting for the kingdom as a light in the darkness. I want to stand beside him.

Humble Yourself

I have been here before and was hoping that I would not return. Its a difficult but powerful thing to be humbled by the Lord and your surroundings. The last time I was in this position, the Lord taught me to depend on Him and to serve no matter the circumstances. Serving bagels for minimum wage with a college degree and in a very negative environment taught me to depend on Him. God met me in my vulnerability and disappointment at work. His power was made perfect in my weakness. Again I am working in a restaurant making less money than I need and surrounded by negativity. When I listen to people's stories at work, I find very little hope. I hear of hardship after hardship along with contentment amidst the chaos. Whether its a $1 tip on a $30 check or a daycare bill that can't be paid, many of the employees that work around me are run down and they wear their burdens on their sleaves. I don't mind the work because I get to meet new people and stay busy but I am reminded daily of the brokenness of this world and the shortcomings of man. I am humbled again in this place but its where the Lord has me which is something I have only recently accepted. I believe He will keep me there until my education is complete. So far I am learning that actions speak loudly and we are called to LIVE out faith through obedience and love. Rather than focusing on my progress and how I am to succeed, the Lord has brought my attention back to the people in front of me. Three co-workers approached me yesterday to discuss Christ in my life. God is opening doors and again I am reminded of His call to simply obey.