Celebration Quotes

Hello once more!!

While at Celebration, I heard so many quotes that were worth writing and remembering.
Listed below, in chronological order, are my favorites.
Enjoy and may you see God in a fresh ways through these words!!


"But when we become more God-conscious than problem-conscious, we become optimists."

Dr. Tom Hermiz, Past WGM President

"God has given us three calls. He has first called us to salvation to be born again. He has second called us to be holy and live a sanctified life. He has third called us to serve Him. There is no room for bench warmers for the work of the Kingdom of God."

Dr. Tom Hermiz, Past WGM President

"Jesus is a God who goes. ... He is waiting for us to follow His movements."

Pastor Stephen Waggoner

"Sometimes, we have to be insulted first to be helped. Our sins must first be exposed before we are then spiritually healed."

Pastor Stephen Waggoner

"Martin, you are not here because you can. You are here because I can. ... The same is for you: you are not where you are because you can. You are where you are because God can."

Martin Salavar, Serving in Mexico

"I am qualified to go because I was once lost and broken. ... Through His grace and mercy I have been cleaned ... and called to serve the lost and broken."

Shushan Richardson, WGM Missionary Serving in Ukraine

"Even if changing one person's life, meant that you would need to change yours?"

Missionary Video

"I would like to see Jesus. The babies at AGC Center would like to see Jesus. The Mexicans would like to see Jesus. The Muslims would like to see Jesus. Someone has to introduce Jesus to them so they will see Him."

Robert Lang'at, Serving in Kenya

"I sometimes get the question: 'How is Haiti?' Sometimes, I don't know how to respond. ... Thousands upon thousands of people have come to Christ ... They are coping with the disaster. ... I have seen smiles and laughter again ... But [recovery] won't be over in a few months or a year. It will take years. ... So the question is: are we still going to be there when the world turns away? When they turn for help, will we be there?"

Paul Shingledecker, WGM Regional Director of the United States and the Caribbean

"Our theme this week has been Together. It is a great theme, ... because God is a corporate God, and not just in the Trinity, but He has proven this Truth with His children in the Old Testament and this Truth with His Church in the New Testament. ... What matters in life is the end of it. ... Jesus said: 'May they be brought into complete unity.' ... I am convinced that this is the heart beat of our ministry. Our ministry depends on it."

Hubert Harriman, Current WGM President

"Something with memorization has been lost when it comes to application."

Hubert Harriman, Current WGM President

"I do not want to address the future. I want to affect the future, and yes, there is a difference."

Hubert Harriman, Current WGM President

"This is the beginning of a much, much, much bigger story."

Esther Motts, Newly Appointed WGM Missionary to Japan

Esther represents the New Generation of missionaries
leading WGM in service to God for another 100 years!

Following Statues

Hey again!!

While at World Gospel Mission's 100th Celebration, I took several pictures.

In this entry, pictures and Scriptures regarding Statues are featured.

Enjoy looking through my favorites and may you encounter God today in a new way!






"Reading"

June 2010


"Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching."

(I Timothy 4:13 - New International Version)

"Speaking"

June 2010


"For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

(Acts 4:20 - New International Version)

"Molding"

June 2010


" 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?' declares the LORD.

'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.' "

(Jeremiah 18:6 - New International Version)

"Showing"

June 2010


"I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves.

Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity
and to ever-increasing wickedness,

so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness."

(Romans 6:19 - New International Version)

Light

Hello everyone!!!

While at World Gospel Mission's 100th Celebration, I took several pictures.

In this entry, pictures and Scriptures regarding Light are featured.

Enjoy looking through my favorites and may God bless you in a special way today!





"Classroom Fixture"

June 2010


"And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light."

(Genesis 1:3 - New International Version)

"Glowing Specs"

June 2010


"What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways."

(Job 22:28 - New International Version)

"Downpour"

June 2010


"He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light."

(Job 33:28 - New International Version)

"Multi-Color in Solitary"

June 2010


"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."

(Matthew 5:14 - New International Version)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ The Validity of Jesus' Testimony ]

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said,

'I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"

(John 8:12 - New International Version)

I am Choosing to Chase after Jesus ...

because after playing with kids, working with teenagers, & receiving a confirmation of my Call, I have found that it is worth it!!


Hello friends!!

A lot has happened since I talked with you last. I will try my best to fill in the gaps.

Elementary Camp II ended on Thursday afternoon of last week, but I left Wednesday morning. That was hard, because as with the first camp, I became attached to all the kids at Camp. This time around, I was a co-leader of the Bouncing Bobcats, and the eight kids in my group were absolutely incredible. These are memories I will constantly cherish!!

I left Camp early because I headed to Marion, Indiana for World Gospel Mission’s 100th Celebration. A lot of things happened there and the way there that I did not expect.

First, I did not anticipate how I literally and epically failed with several attempts of conversing in Spanish with native speakers (If you are practicing the language now, I suggest never quitting, even if it is for school or for work. When you do not use a language for a period of time, picking it back up becomes more difficult. Speaking of which, I should be studying some Thai now).

Second, I did not expect to see so many missionaries, representing so many countries, cultures, and causes for Christ. Even among our group, several people groups utilized multiple languages, including, but certainly not limited to: Spanish, French, Japanese, Navajo, and Swahili. I was surprised and even thrilled to hear so many languages in a weekend while remaining in America! But more importantly, as was mentioned, “the language of Love will be the only one spoken in Heaven.” And fortunately, we have eternity of talking with complete comprehension of one another in this special dialect!

Third, I did not plan on not attending Celebration. I know the double negative is not correct, (but wait, isn’t your major in journalism?), but bear with me. Let me explain.

When I arrived at the Phoenix airport on Wednesday morning, my heart sunk to my stomach when I discovered that my flight ticket had been mistakenly never purchased. I was stuck in the Phoenix airport without anywhere to go.

After making four frantic calls to friends and family, on impulse, I did something new that I have never done in a moment of crisis; something that I have previously and unfortunately turned to as a final resort.

I prayed.

Yes, I was still distressed and frustrated, but honestly, I could not think of doing anything else in those moments, until I felt led to open the Bible.

I flipped through to three different sections before settling down to examine Joel.
Uncertain as to what I would read, I started reading:

Rend Your Heart

“12 ‘Even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’

13 ‘Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, …’

The second after I read the word “compassionate,” Sandy Anderson called me and delivered confirmation and comfort by simply stating that a few people were in charge of attempting to get me on her flight later that day. While nothing was set in stone, and believe me, as I soon discovered, I had to jump through several hoops after that phone call, I started to receive a peace, knowing everything would work out for God’s glory.

Even though I knew the situation was now on its way to the up and up, I felt God leading me back to Joel. So I continued reading:

13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, … slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

14 Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.

16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children …

The LORD's Answer

18 Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people.

19 The LORD will reply to them: "I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.

20d Surely he has done great things.

21 Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things.

23 Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.

24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.

27 Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.

(Joel 2:12-16, 18-19, 20d, 21, 23-24, 26-27 - New International Version)

I bolded certain portions of this text for specific purposes. These portions profoundly spoke to me in the following simple ways.

Verse 14: I shed several tears after reading this verse. God had met my need and proved His faithfulness not a moment earlier. Wow! From now on looking back, I need to always remember to turn to Him, like I did in this situation, even when everything is going great and even when everything crumbles, because I will face both types of circumstances again in this life.

Verse 27: Events happen in our lives for a reason. Yeah, I sure did not want this event to happen. But I am glad that this misfortune came my way and that I learned something significant from it.

After coming back from Celebration last Monday, I watched an hour of Dr. Phil on TV. That is not how I normally spend my time, but I was intrigued by the show’s topic. A woman speaking on the show stated about something unfortunate that had happened to her. In retrospect, she stated that such events in life: “will either make you bitter or make you better.” Like her, I chose the latter at the airport, and I hope to continue choosing the latter later in my life. Despite having misfortunes, I have had and always will have God on my side.

Verse 15: I have already shared variations of this story with a number of different people. And I felt compelled to share this lesson I have learned through this medium. So I am being faithful to following this verse’s command, because I truly believe God desired for me to share this lesson with you.

So, needless to say, God has been on the move, regardless as to my geographical location. I have witnessed God moving in the life of a kid when He accepted Jesus Christ as His personal Lord and Savior at the last Camp. I have seen God speak to those youth at Celebration (Go Team Africa!) as they selected to financially raise the funds to pay for the construction of a church in Uganda by June 2011.

And I finally received more confirmation about my future: God has called me into missions. I am unsure how and where, but I am destined to incorporate this ministry into my life somehow and somewhere. Those details will come when I need to know them.

During the first Evening Session at Celebration, Dr. Tom Hermiz, a past WGM President, stated the following: “God may not reveal what He has for you now. You may not be ready for that information tonight. … [But] when God calls [where He leads] is not a suggestion, it is a command. If faith cannot take risks, it is not faith.”

For now and forever more, I will continue to follow Him, alive in faith.

Feel free to respond to this post. I would love to hear your reactions and how God has been moving in your life lately. We need the support of each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, so feel free to journal. For today, I encourage you to chase after Jesus. It is SO worth it! Just ask Peter and Andrew.

18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.

19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

20At once they left their nets and followed him.

(Matthews 4:18-20 – New International Version)

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of your day. Chase after Jesus!!

Joey

Reliving My Childhood

Hello friends!!
Today, isn't it great to be alive? I sure think so!

And the best part of being alive is that we can look back.
Recently, I have had an epiphany that from current circumstances,
I have had to grow up quickly.

Graduating from college was a huge step.
Not returning to school, at least in the near future, is a big relief, but it will also be a change.

And I have big plans ahead awaiting me after my time in Arizona.
Anticipating what teaching in Thailand will be like excites me each day.
But last Wednesday,
I had a chance to abandon both the present and future to take a trip to the past.

I journeyed back to remember my earliest, happiest memories as a kid:
celebrating my sixth birthday at McDonald's,
riding my bike up and down my neighborhood,
and swinging high to catch a glimpse of the sunset over the Rocky Mountains,
all in Great Falls, Montana.

Last Wednesday, as part of the Elementary Camp Schedule,
I had the opportunity to return to my childhood,
just for a few hours, by visiting the Childrens' Museum in Phoenix.

I enjoyed seeing our Campers enjoy their time.
And, if you know me well, I took my camera,
looking forward to capturing some images, enjoying my time in that way.

Posted below are some of my favorites from the trip.

I encourage you, after reading this post, to look at these pictures,
and remember your own memories as a child.

It is perfectly OK and natural to look back,
because from the past, we have a better glimpse as to what to do,
and also what to avoid,
in the present and future as we continue living our lives.

Embrace your childhood, reliving it is so much fun!! :)





"Sand Shows Everything Left Behind"

June 2010

"Umbrella"

June 2010

"Green Star Releases Green Beans"

June 2010

"2,700 CDs"

June 2010

Camp, The First

Hi again friends!

Last week,
nearly non-stop from Sunday evening to Thursday morning,
I participated in Elementary Camp I.

And it was an incredible blessing,
for the Campers, all the Staff, and especially for me.

At times, I wonder why I have not invested more of my time with kids in the past,
because I enjoyed myself so much last week.

I could look back and regret, but I am actively choosing not to do so.
That is what this summer is for.

I am out in Arizona, enjoying my time out here,
making new friends and contacts, and being blessed in ways I never expected.

I was one of two leaders for the Hopping Javelinas
(East Coast friends, this animal is a type of rodent that is only found out in the West).
The five kids in my group, four girls and one boy,
learned about "Walking With Jesus"
through such fun and encouraging activities and classes as:
Time with God, Recreation, Morning & Evening Sessions,
Awesome Art, Creative Cooking, Magnificent Magic, and Bodacious Bible.

I have participated in VBS,
at Mt. Olive Brethren Church in Pineville, Virginia in the past, assisting with the Music,
but I had so much fun getting to know these,
and many other, kids really well by serving as their Counselor last week.

God is so good!
This entire Camp experience is one I look forward to repeating three more times this summer.
So, now I wait, enjoying the break this upcoming week,
but joyfully looking forward to the next opportunity that Camp rolls around.
And it will roll around pretty quickly.
This one went fast, and the other three will.

For now, please join me in prayer.
My desire is for Camp to be a refreshing time of new beginning
for the Campers who just left,
and the Campers who are waiting for their turn to come.

God's blessings to you today,
enjoy the pictures (try to find, it should not be too difficult :) )
and I will talk with you later!!

Joey :)

"1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked,
'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?'

2He called a little child and had him stand among them.

3And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.' "

(Matthew 18:1-5 - New International Version)

Why Not?

This morning, I woke up to make a big decision for myself. While getting ready for the day, my mind drifted from one thought to another, as it typically does, as I wiped away sleepies from my eyes and attempted to interpret my unusual dream from the night before. During my thought process, I started dwelling on the fact that I truly desired to know more of God.

"Oh, I can start reading a passage from the Bible tonight." I initially thought.

But then, I reconsidered. "Why not start reading the whole Bible tonight?" I felt content with that resolution, for only a minute.

Finally, for my third thought, I reasoned, "Why not start the whole Bible RIGHT NOW?" School is over. I have no other excuse for NOT committing this task and its time commitment over to God.

So after applying sunscreen over my body, fixing the sheets on my bed, and tiding up the rest of my room, I sprawled out on my bed and began reading, for a good 20 minutes, to begin this morning. And I would not have wanted to start it any other way. While I did not technically start reading the Bible this morning, I discovered how intricately the New International Version (NIV) was created. I was fascinated with what I read and learned, and I look forward to going to bed tonight, to start reading Scripture and learning even more.

As more of God's confirmation, I found the following quote while starting work today.

"The more profoundly we study this wonderful Book and the more closely we observe its divine precepts, the better citizens we become and the higher will be the destiny of our nation."

William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States

God has sincerely confirmed that this is what He desires for me to do now. So I say, why not?

I have not committed finishing the Bible on any sort of deadline. I have simply committed to reading the Bible in entirety, start to finish, for the first time in my life. And I will finish when I finish. In order to make the passages more meaningful, I also plan to read the Scripture passages aloud as one of the first things I do in the mornings and one of the final things I do in the evenings. And I hope to know more of God as His Word becomes alive in new ways to me.

I share this story with you to encourage you to follow what God has placed on your heart. Start planning to save for that missions trip that you want to go on. Begin preparing whatever you need to jump-start your next ministry opportunity. Pray for God to place something on your heart. Do what God has called you to accomplish.

In fact, Scripture beckons us to do what is on our heart for Him NOW. "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). So, what is stopping you to do what God has called you to do, not tomorrow, not even tonight, but this very minute? Why not take a leap, like I have decided to take? Ask yourself, why not?

Retreat Images

Hello everyone.

These images are among my favorites
that I found especially meaningful while on Retreat last week.
I have only entitled them for my purposes.

I owe much thanks to the Franciscan Renewal Center, located in Scottsdale, Arizona,
for creating and preserving such masterpieces.

May God speak to you as you reflect upon these images.






"Remembering The Family I Remember" (Grandma Agnes, Papa, Uncle Ken, and Alvin)

June 2010

"Swooping Spirit"

June 2010

"Drips"

June 2010

"And She Looks Out, Eternally"

June 2010

Never Hike Alone - Pictures

Never Hike Alone - Text

Hello again everyone.

I just returned earlier today from a relaxing, enjoyable, and spiritually renewing staff retreat last week. While away, I enjoyed being in the midst of several incredible missionaries serving in various places around Arizona and New Mexico. Seeing them and their faiths inspires me to be like them. When I am older, I hope I am able to share stories like they did with me, where they met God in special ways while in service to Him.

My favorite pictures from our retreat will be in a later post. For this one, I wanted to focus on an event where I learned something extremely important, both physically and spiritually. Wednesday morning, I got up, earlier than usual, at 5:19 a.m., Mountain Time (Arizona does not operate on Daylight Savings Time, so we are technically three hours behind Eastern Standard Time for this summer). Still, the time of day looked like it was 9:00 a.m. in the morning. I am still getting used to that reality!

Arizona hiking is nothing I have ever experienced before. I have experience and have loved hiking trails in Glacier National Park in Montana, but they will never compare to the boulders I literally crawled up for 2.1 miles. In the post entitled: "Never Hike Alone - Pictures," the first picture show one of the multiple examples of what I climbed up on Camelback Mountain in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Sorry, but when you have to make your own path up, nothing can compare!

Half-way up this trail, I had to stop. My head started to ache. I had fallen and skinned my knees. I felt out of breathe, and I almost felt like vomiting. But, for those of you who know me, I have a hard time quitting anything. I have developed so much of a perseverance that I never want to stop until I have reached my destination.

But I was running on empty. Listening to music was not comforting. I could not imagine pulling out my camera. Nothing was helping. All I was doing was going up, with no motivation.

Then, God showed up, in the form of Megan Amberman, a MK serving in New Mexico. Seeing her encouraged me to keep going. Having someone I knew helped me reach the tip top of Camelback. The two pictures below are proof that I made it! Again from the "Never Hike Alone - Pictures,"I took the second picture, Megan took the third picture, and she is in the fourth picture.

As was mentioned several times over Retreat, we were told that we can not afford to live out our faiths as "lone rangers." This story serves as a testimony to that statement. If Megan had not joined me, I am sure that I would have turned around. But I am so glad I reached the top, and even more, I am so glad that I could share this accomplishment with someone else.

So with whatever you are experiencing today, good or bad, know that God has called you to share what is on your mind and heart with someone else. Just as God knew Adam needed Eve at the beginning of time for humanity, God has given bestowed upon you your "Eve"(s), whether that person includes your spouse, child, sibling, parent, friend, co-worker, and/or someone else. Regardless as to who it is, I encourage you to share what is going on in your life with that special someone.

In accordance to what I have learned, I want to share with you how you can partner with me in your thoughts and prayers (because I consider all of you to be "special people"):

1. The first camp begins Sunday! Just like coming out here a week ago, I am both excited and nervous. But I am ready to help these little ones, so please keep me and all of the staff here in your thoughts.

2. God moved in powerful ways within all of us who attended Retreat. Please keep us in your thoughts as we start living and serving in new ways for Him.

3. Please pray for continued protection, both physically and spiritually, for all of the kids we come into contact with this summer.

Thanks for reading. May you encounter God in a special way today!!

Joey :)

Retreat Words

Blessings to you today!!

These pictured images are among my favorites
that I found especially meaningful while on Retreat last week.

May God bless you as you discover what these words mean to you.
There are no wrong answers, except not saying anything at all.

May God bless you.

Retreat Crosses

Hello again everyone. As promised, here are a series of images
with crosses and applicable Scripture passages.

May God bless encourage you as you look at these Crosses
and remember what Jesus has offered to you.

Along with His grace, Jesus' sacrifice has given us
an ability to proclaim, an ability to follow, an ability to shine, and an ability to love.

All these Crosses appear on the campus of
the Franciscan Renewal Center, located in Scottsdale, Arizona.

May God bless you incredibly with what you see.





"I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!"

(Deuteronomy 32:3 - New International Version)

"Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:

" 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.' "

(Mark 8:34 - New International Version)

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before men,
that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

(Matthew 5:14-16 - New International Version)

"We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19 - New International Version)