This past weekend, I had the incredible privilege of hearing Vince Antonucci, the founding pastor of The Verve church in Las Vegas, speak at Kensington Community Church in Troy, MI. I was excited because I had previously heard of Vince and the church plant and wanted to learn more about what God is doing through this project.

While I found Vince’s message to be relevant, energetic, and entertaining as I listened to it, it has taken a few days of processing time for his heartfelt stories to have begun impacting my life in an intensely powerful, emotional way.

Increasingly over the past several weeks, I have been encountering more and more people who are turning away from God and denying His power, rejecting His grace, and even refuting His very existence. I generally enjoy meeting people with different beliefs and taking the time to hear their life stories and engage with them on their journey, no matter what they believe or in what direction they are heading. It is always my prayer and hope that in developing a relationship with them, I would serve as a mirror reflecting God’s love and joy in my life onto them, giving them the opportunity to re-encounter God and have the opportunity to return to Him in God’s own perfect timing. I reject pushiness and do not endorse anyone pushing others to believe certain things, whether true or not. Just as God gave people the free choice to believe and trust in Him, my intention remains to always act in the very same manner and with a patience fueled by trust that God is actively pursuing their restoration to Him and will do things in His own time.

Essentially, my desire for people to experience God’s life-transforming power and healing in their own lives is something I look forward to as we develop a relationship, but is something I leave up to God. My focus is just to love them the best that I can and continue developing our relationship with the hope that they would be able to experience how incredible my life is because God is in it.

However, it has been becoming increasingly painful to watch people who I love, who belong to and are loved by God, explicitly deny their only hope for salvation. I’ve been trying to determine why this has been progressively becoming the case, and finally can see that it’s because I’m beginning to realize time is very short.

It’s almost like I’ve been looking at the world through some fantasy lens until this realization. I’ve been getting caught up in how some good things are happening, for example, at places like Kensington – where people are being reunited with God. And, of course, God’s Word makes it clear that it is our responsibility to seek after the lost until Christ returns, no matter how near we feel the end may be. However, the realization that time is very short brings about a definite urgency – that is very unsettling and extremely uncomfortable. And it’s impossible to look around the world and deny that it is turning against God on a very mass scale.

Vince told a story about how he and his wife went to a theme park with their children, and one of their sons got lost attempting to go over to his mom at the other side of the park. When Vince made his way back over to where his wife was and realized that their son was not with her, he jumped into a frantic mode that he vividly described – he looked everywhere for his son, shouting across the park whenever he saw a child he thought might be him. The feelings he described can only be defined as excruciating – not knowing where his son was or if he would ever find or see him again.

That very feeling is the same feeling God feels about each and every one of His lost children. Vince made this statement during his message, but it has taken a while to finally hit me. It’s that same feeling that makes God leave all his sheep to go after just one who is lost. It’s that same feeling that God feels about every single one of His children who have wandered away from Him.

I think the changes I’m noticing are me beginning to experience that very feeling more and more intensely. The Bible is very clear that people will either spend eternity with God, or eternity in flames (Matthew 25:40-46). I don’t want that to happen to people who I love and care about, and want more than anything for them to be in a relationship with God. And the reality check of just how quickly the world is turning against Him is scaring me for the sake of my loved ones’ future.

I guess the only thing I can end with, regardless of whether you believe in Jesus or not, is that I love you, and God loves you, and that’s the most important thing I could possibly tell you. In the end, nothing else really matters nearly as much.

Hey everyone! I returned from South Africa a few days ago and have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off in attempt to try and catch up with my life back in the US. True, I’d much rather be back in eSikhawini, but the reality is that I’m here now and so I must now do what I must do.

Over the next few weeks, expect to see lots of materials from the mission trip (snippets from journal entries, pictures, spiritual reflections, etc) as well as to hear about my thoughts on a return visit. Unfortunately, my camera broke, so I don’t have as many pictures as I wanted, but there’s still lots of great photos to share.

For now, I’d like to encourage you to check out my entirely revised about me page (just did it today) as well as the all-new Internet Goodness page with some of my awesome internet findings.

Dear friends,

For many of you, this is just one of several notes from me that you’ve been reading during the past few months. For some, this may be the first. For some, you may barely know me, or perhaps not have a clue who I am! Regardless of how you’ve ended up here, I hope you’ll spend a few minutes reading. However you may have arrived, I believe that you’ve ended up here for some reason. Please pass it on (links are good) if you feel there are other people who should read it as well.

In just 20 days, I will board a plane with 17 other college kids from Kensington church, headed to do mission work in eSikawini, South Africa. Many of you have been following along with me during the incredible journey I’ve been on leading up to this trip, through my letters, emails, and website. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your support and encouragement. Thank you to all of you who have given donations, as well as to all of you who desired to contribute but simply cannot with today’s grim financial conditions. I understand that times are very tough now and simply wish to express my deep, sincere gratitude for your willingness and desire to help me in all the ways that you have as I strive to follow where God is leading my life.

This past Wednesday, our New Community service featured the commissioning of many mission teams, including the one I will be working with. The pastor teaching during the service was Dr. Craig Mayes, very arguably my favorite, who himself is also embarking on an exciting journey with God this summer as he leads a church plant team to New York City. I would like to invite you to view the service online by visitng the following link: http://kensingtonchurch.org/message_video/index.asp?id=1771&zzwa=2008-06-04M . Craig’s sermon was absolutely remarkable this past Wednesday, and I would like to highly encourage you to set aside some time to listen to it using the above link. If you look closely, you can see me up on stage a few times!

The remainder of this note will serve as a status update for the different aspects of this very soon upcoming trip.

Spiritually, God has been thoroughly preparing me for the mission through my study of the scriptures as well as through sermons I have been hearing over the past several months. I have also been attending meetings with the mission team and leaders as well as a short retreat this past weekend in Port Sinclair. I feel that I have grown a tremendous amount in the time I have spent preparing for the trip, and look forward to much spiritual growth to take place through serving the Zulu people.

Financially, I am not nearly as prepared for the mission as I had hoped to be. I still need just under $2000 in order to be able to go, and will need to pay for whatever I am unable to raise by myself. If you would be willing to make a tax-deductible donation to this trip, please contact me as the deadline is extremely soon. I would very greatly appreciate your help! I will also be selling Africa t-shirts, available for $15. If you are interested in one or more of these shirts, please contact me.

I wish to thank you again for all the support you have shown me in any way, and ask for your continued prayers as I go through the final countdown before I leave on this mission. Thanks again, and God bless all of you!