a video from Worship Warfare Week 2010 - drama, dance, the city of nations!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=479546089375&comments

Isaiah - forgot the awesomeness of that book

someone sent me a whole box of cookie packages - heart you

when will God get what He deserves?

our friend at the park, 'Sharing and Caring' he calls himself, tells me my new name is Wolverine... he thinks I look like Wolverine from the X-Men movies... I don't really think that I do, but he walks around and tells our staff that...

saw a man set his soup on the fence and walk away... saw a squirrel climb up the fence and take a drink of that same cup of soup... then the man came back and drank the rest of the soup... ha

Met a Columbian man at the park today - he moved to NYC 4 years ago... for the first 3 years he had a job, but has now found himself unemployed... he kept thanking God because it was dangerous for him as a professor in Columbia, but here in America he has safety and peace - although he has no status, job, or a big house. Frank has found more to life. Made my day.

we're starting a new prayer watch tonight... "Men of Integrity"... God desires men of honor and purity... please pray for us, and the men of the Body of Christ

Our leader, David, speaking at my homechurch's Mission Conference in Wooster, Ohio!



We heard from missionaries that serve the Lord all over the world! A truly stirring day.

“When he meant to pray for courage, let him really be trying to feel brave. When he says he is praying for forgiveness, let him be trying to feel forgiven. Teach him to estimate the value of each prayer by his success in producing the desired feeling…” (A demon writing to a demon)

"... for his coming was like the incoming of a white light into a dark place..." (speaking of Gandalf, to rescue Faramir)

GOOD NEWS

A few of the tracts we're able to give out on the streets. Some people have committed their lives to God by reading a tract. Often I can think that handing a tract to someone is "lesser" than if I got to have a conversation with them, but I must never underestimate the powerful Word of God!

"My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11

No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and His servants will worship Him. And they will see His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:3-5)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHuTxNIpdeM



.

"the Glory of God is His character being revealed through human beings - their lives, relationships, thoughts, words..."

staff camping trip 2010

(bobby jumps back from the stove, startled)
(riley looks at him in confusion)
bobby: "it was just my shadow"

back from the staff camping trip... such awesome time.. perfect weather.. great peeps... great God.. is there a better combo?

prayer station in flushing today... we had people with us who could speak chinese, korean, and japanese - which is perfect since flushing is mostly asian... very awesome to see them relate to people and share the gospel with them in their own language.. that is definitely more meaningful to some people

put a check in an envelope today, but didn't seal the envelope... I just tucked the flap in... it got wet, or sweaty, or somethin in my pocket and the seal got stuck to the check so I had to pull the ole tea kettle steam trick to get it undone (thanks to a friend's advice)... didn't turn out perfect, but hopefully well enough

"return to your rest, o my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you."

we visited a local high school and Queens College today to participate in "See You at the Pole" w/ students... people gather at the school's flag pole to pray for the people of their schools and the people of this nation.. i think it's like a national day, once-a-year, type thing.. hopefully students will want to make it a more regular happening... prayer is crucial to our transformation

At the park, I met a man who was 39 years old. When he was 15 he shot his stepfather in the face with a shotgun. He is still experiencing great anguish from that. I have never met anyone with a story such as his.

revival is a person - and His name is Jesus

Street LIFE Ministries (summer 2010)

and tonight - Worship Warfare Week 2010 came to a close - except for a sweet cookout party extravaganza tomorrow!.... more news to come soon

Worship Warfare Week - team coming in today - then we'll be doing worship, drama, prayer stations, testimonies, and face painting in different parks (tues-fri). Please pray for us and for people to really experience breakthrough and choose to receive the hope of Christ.

this is pretty cool - a 23 year pro football player gives it up for something better!
(i can never get the links to work right.. you can copy and paste this though)

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/08/14/glen-coffee-on-sudden-retirement-ive-told-christ-its-time-to/?icid=main|main|dl4|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fnfl.fanhouse.com%2F2010%2F08%2F14%2Fglen-coffee-on-sudden-retirement-ive-told-christ-its-time-to%2F

staff pic! summer 2010

is hard, but want to only be about these things: saying what I hear the Father saying, and doing what I see the Father doing... no need for extra junk

yesterday in Harlem - a man came up to us and was asking us all sorts of questions...he was joking around about some different things and asking us about who God was and how to get saved.. he said he wasn't a Christian... we asked him if we could pray for him (Robert).. he said that he wanted to pray first.. so when he started praying he was like, "and God you know that I'm saved..." - and he started praying for us.. so he was a Christian, but he was just kind of "testing" us I guess to see what we would say.. very interesting interaction... there have been times that I've thought someone was doing that to me before, but this time was the first time it was made known

for some reason - I've totally been putting off reading some of the books in the Old Testament (Leviticus, Numbers). I seem to have memories of them being boring or hard or not super-enjoyable. Today I felt strongly that I needed to start reading through them again. I read the first two chapters of Leviticus (as well as some commentary/application notes on them) and God immediately drew connections between them and my life (the seriousness and cost of my sin, God's holiness and the call for me to be clean and pure like Him). I realized how unreasonable it was for me to keep neglecting it. Every part of God's Word has meaning and application for my life and it's always deeper and greater than what it first seems to be.

met a young Muslim man today... he seemed very sad... we handed him a tract that said "Good News" on the front... he pointed at it and said, "I'll definitely read this." Thank You Lord! Show that young man the fullness of life that is found in Your Son, Jesus.

back to Tompkins Square Park today.. hadn't been in a while... good to be back and see some of our friends - Max, Israel, "Sharing and Caring", Chazz, Selina - God touch their lives today

‎"the reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it rests satisfied..." (Proverbs 19:23)

Brazilian Worship on the Bus

A few seconds of worship with the Brazilians on the bus ride to our last night of outreach.

BRAZIL - MY EXPERIENCES

A little bit about what I experienced personally in Brazil. This one is a little longer, but it's not a story so feel free to skip around if you like : - )

BRAZIL - JOSEPH

A man I met at the park in Belo Horizonte. He was transformed that day.

BRAZIL 2010!

What to say? – The past two weeks in Brazil have been phenomenal.

Lots of rice, bread, and beans, as well as powerful outreach throughout Belo Horizonte. Many people were impacted by God’s love and many also received salvation. There is a response to God from the Brazilian people that we don’t see in America (at least not in the same way, or as much…. YET!) The Brazilian people seem to receive Truth much more readily. They understand that they need God and they choose to believe. They don’t have as many hang ups when it comes to committing their lives to God. So it was very encouraging and a great privilege to be present with a number of people who called on the name of Jesus for the first time and received His living HOPE. Several times throughout the trip I prayed and thanked God for giving me the privilege to see and experience these things with the people of Brazil. There are few things more enjoyable and enriching.

Our team of 13 ate and slept at a church in the city. We got to team up with some of the same translators from last year – which was exciting – it was great to see our friend Bruno again! (being able to speak multiple languages is a tremendous gift, may those who are able use their gift unto the Lord)

Two weeks went by fast. We worshiped at the brothel three nights and held a banquet for the prostitutes, and ministered in Praca Sete (Belo’s Times Square), rehab communities, the favelas, and under a bridge with the homeless. We also did the drama (Puppet Master – there are lots of pictures on facebook). Drama is an awesome tool to show people God’s love because it’s a universal language. When the drama doesn’t have any words, people don’t need to speak the same language to understand God’s love for them. I played Satan in the drama and wore make-up most of the days. Some people think it may be more difficult to talk and pray with people when I look like this, but it actually ends up helping because people are interested in seeing why I have make-up on.

God worked a lot on my heart as well. Spending this much time serving and worshiping the Lord definitely got me thinking about my own life. God helped me to see how much grace He gives – the fact that there are things wrong with me and issues that I’m going through, but that He still chooses to bless me and use me in spite of all those things. I also learned a lot about serving and choosing to believe and worship and pray whether I feel like it or not – and that just because I don’t have a super emotional experience every time I participate in something spiritual doesn’t mean it’s not effective or real. Being in Brazil gave me more of a burden for America too – and to keep doing what we’re doing here.

Thank you for caring and sowing into this outreach with prayer and support. The people of Brazil definitely reaped a blessing from your generosity and prayer! And the outreach is not over. We must continue to battle in prayer for our brothers and sisters who have chosen to walk with Christ because the temptation is very strong.

(THIS IS JUST A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT HAPPENED – GONNA PUT UP SOME ACTUAL/SPECIFIC STORIES SOON!)

Thanks for caring!
Love, peace
Riley

Heading to Brazil! Need all who will pray!

Hello : - )

thanks for being a part of this group. I hope that it blesses you.
I would like to invite you to please pray for our Brazil outreach (which starts today! June 29 - July 13, our team of 14 flys out of JFK at 7:40pm)

2 big prayer requests:
- that people on the streets of Brazil would KNOW and EXPERIENCE God's love for them and that they would choose to believe in Him - to allow His love to actually change their lives as it has many of ours.
- that I would continually seek God's grace for strength to endure and enjoy hard work and physically intense ministry (there's only 5 guys, and I'm the youngest so I need step up and serve wholeheartedly without complaint - and there's lots of music equipment to be moved, as well as the drama we do, and other things daily)

I hope to update more when we return (communication is fairly limited when we're down there)

YOUR PRAYER SOWS INTO MANY LIVES AND IS NEVER A WASTE OF TIME! IT HAS A GREATER IMPACT THAN WE COULD EVER POSSIBLY KNOW! BELIEVE THE PRAYERS YOU PRAY AND IT WILL BE SO, BECAUSE GOD SAYS SO. (John 15:7, James 1:5, James 5:15)

Love ya, Thanks for participating in this outreach with us! Your part is just as important.
Riley

In Need!

sad to see - a man named Edward consumed by alcohol... but others praying for him can affect his life!

King's Fellowship Tonight

Got to talk a bit tonight with a man named Danny. One of the team members met him on the street a few weeks ago and invited him to our weekly gathering (The King's Fellowship). It was cool, because we hadn't seen him in a while and we were praying beforehand that we would see Danny again tonight. 10 minutes after we prayed that he came walking down the stairs to join us for dinner and worship! We got to talk one-on-one at the end of the night. He reads a lot about many different philosophies and theories and says that he believes in Jesus. Danny asked me to pray for him to have a peace of mind. Let's also pray that his relationship with God will be real and alive! That it won't just be something he acknolwedges, but something he experiences.

Orchestration!

We had a team from Ohio stay with us at Street LIFE last week. It was cool because their church isn't too far from where my parents live and we ended up knowing some of the same people from UD and such. One of the days they were here we went to the Love Kitchen (a soup kitchen) in the Bronx to serve a meal for the poor. Long story short - there was a miscommunication and it ended up not working out (it was closed for other ministry purposes). And it was the last day of the trip so the team had already gone to all the other ministry sites planned for the week - they were the most excited about the Love Kitchen though. So there we were, 23 of us, standing on the sidewalk in front of the Love Kitchen, unsure of what the day was going to look like. It wasn't long before we started praying that God would work out the details of our day and that He would provide an even better opportunity to show His love to people in the city. The team particularly asked if there were any parks nearby. A few phone calls were made - we got some directions and the ok to go to a park. Now we had a plan, but not really. We arrived at the park and unloaded from the vans.

Here's what happened - dozens of kids were playing in the park because it was the one day of the year when their school had a field day. If it were not field day we would have went to the park and there would have been no one there. We walked inside the fence to approach the crowded area (usually people on the streets are not allowed to just go up and play with kids during school, for good reasons). Our leader finds the principal, who welcomes us to openly play with the kids, probably because there were a lot of kids and seemingly not enough staff. This is the best part - there was supposed to be someone to make balloon animals for the kids that day, but he never showed up. IT JUST SO HAPPENED that one of the girls on the team knew how to make balloon animals and brought her balloons and pump along with her. So she spent nearly 2 hours wrenching her hands making flowers, and swords and dogs for the kids (some who waited at least 10 minutes just to get one - that's a long time for a 6 year old). It ended up being one of the best days of outreach that we had that week. It may seem like a small thing, but it brought so much joy to the kids that day.

Coincidence that this all worked out the way that it did?
No.
The greatest orchestrator of circumstances and opportunities - GOD!

Talking with Terry at the park. He's a Taoist so we don't exactly believe the same things, but we did have a great convo and shared some banana bread together. And we were able to pray together too. Will hopefully see him again and be able to continue building a relationship.

My friend bought me a CD by Jake Hamilton - Marked by Heaven. AWESOME! You should get it too.

an awesome day doing a prayer station in Jamaica, Queens... the elevator to the subway was broke so some of our time was spent carrying babies in strollers (and in one case, a woman in a wheelchair) down the stairs to get on the train. The team with us this week really stepped up - even people walking by on the streets helped out! God pours out His love through the smallest of acts sometimes.

he answered, "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." John 6:68

One way that God is helping people on the streets.

Careful...

I'm a big fan of yogurt! Like to have one every day if I can. Last summer I was introduced to the concept of putting granola in my yogurt. LOVED IT! So I just bought a box of granola and started spooning it in with my yogurt when I ate one (granola yogies I like to call them). I loved it so much that I kind of mentally told myself that I would never really eat yogurt without granola again. That was a mistake. Here I sit, this very night, eating yogurt without granola... not because I don't have any granola, but because I don't want any granola. I guess it got old after a whiile. Now I'm back to regular yogurt. Perhaps one day I'll add the granola back in. And that's totally fine, but it's amazing how much or how fast my preferences, desires, and beliefs can change.

My friend told me that there are absolutes, convictions, and preferences. He warned me to be careful about what I thought to be absolute. "The longer I've lived the more things I've found to not be absolute," he said. Though he believed that there are certainly some things that are absolute and non-negotiable, he explained how there are many seasons in life and how our beliefs, convictions, and preferences may change over time as we learn and experience more. The yogurt will be a reminder to me. Just because I thought it was the best way to eat it at the time doesn't mean that it will always be the best way for me or for everybody. Or worship. Just because I worship God a certain way now and really connect with Him doesn't mean that it will always be THE way that I connect with God or THE way that others have to do it to connect with Him. I have to be careful that I don't believe something like a certain style of worship is an absolute. That probably would be putting God in a box and unrealistic/potentially damaging expectations on myself and others.

The Sherminator

Going through a video series on relationships by Dean Sherman - it rocks! Would highly recommend it.

The Facebook Group

If you're on facebook and want to follow my journeys at Street LIFE in NYC you can join the group -
"The Life of Riley in NYC w/ Street LIFE Ministries"

It keeps more pictures and such and they are better organized.

Graduation

Graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in Electronic Media (May 2, 2010).

Handing out care packs, hot chocolate, soup, and clothes at the Tompkins Sq. Park.

First day in the park

Met a couple cool guys at the park today - Bob >> He told me a lot about NYC, from the guys putting poison in the rat holes to the chaos on 9/11. Also, got to sit down and eat some soup with John >> He's been traveling the U.S. for some time. He believes in God, but doesn't want too much to do with Jesus. We did get to pray for each other though and hopefully he'll be there next week and so we can hang out and share more food and life.

Made it to NYC safe and sound. It was only an 8 hr. drive from Wooster. Thought it was gonna be a little longer. Living with Jeryl again this summer (he's pretty legit).

We're going to Tompkins Square Park tomorrow where there are many homeless people. A couple of us may take the train in since there is not enough room for the whole staff in the truck. GOD WANTS TO RESTORE LIVES AND BRING HOPE TO THE STREETS!

leaving

getting ready to leave for NYC in an hour. Prayers are appreciated : - )

Grandpa brought home a Ford Mustang to test drive. He let me drive it around for a day. Pretty legit!

Purple Ketchup

I don't want to be purple ketchup. A flare up. A grand opening and then gone. One who walks with God for a few years of my life and then is nowhere to be found. I have just started the race, but from observing older and more seasoned people in my life I am encouraged and see the importance of enduring and "finishing the race." I hope to be like them, the red ketchup. Lasting.

Kinda Crazy...

About 2 years ago, my roommate got me listening to heavy metal Christian bands. Last night, we went to a concert in Louisville, KY. 4 bands played (War of Ages [one of my favorites], Bless the Fall, Demon Hunter and As I Lay Dying). It was pretty legit. We got to the venue early so we looked for a place to eat and ended up going to Buffalo Wild Wings, a.k.a. Bdubs. It was 5:30 or 6 (not the prime dinner time for Bdubs) so we were pretty much the only people in there. Then a few 'rougher' lookin guys walked in and sat down 2 tables away from us. It was the band members for As I Lay Dying. So we went over and said hi and told them we were psyched for their show. We got to sort of meet them and such. That was cool! And then... during the show, Bless the Fall was playing and their lead singer climbed the light fixture and was hanging from the ceiling above the crowd. He jumped off into the crowd, but apparently nobody caught him. The band played the rest of the song and then announced that it was their last song since their lead singer appeared to be hurt pretty bad. Not sure if he'll do that again. Kind of a crazy night.

Did God ever or does He ever THINK about anything, or does He simply KNOW?

Turned in the key to our college house today. It's over : - (
So many great people and memories. What a privilege : - )

I woke up today and was just rolling around a bit. For some reason I kept thinking of God being the Potter and me being the clay. How the clay is on the wheel and it spins. After a while, instead of seeing myself or some unshaped clay or something I saw Earth - just spinning (as it naturally does), with God's hands around it. How He put the world and life into motion and is continually shaping, cleaning up and redeeming creation and His people to reflect His glory and magnificence. It seems we only have a taste of God's awesomeness!

IT IS FINISHED!

The last exam of my collegiate career ended today at 4pm. Marketing Test. It is over. That which I set out to do 4 years ago has been accomplished. The One Ring has been taken to Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. Will graduate from the University of Dayton this Sunday with a degree in Electronic Media. It is a tremendous feeling to be done with school (seemingly forever, but who knows). And I hope, outside of school, that I will continue to learn and study many other things in life. It's good to be free of homework and tests!

Today one of my teachers handed back my final paper. Attached at the top was a check to help support me during my time at Street LIFE. God is providing in some pretty awesome and unexpected ways!

NYC FUNDRAISER COOKOUT 2010

Here are some pics from the Fundraiser Cookout we had to raise support and awareness for my commitment to serve at Street LIFE. God is so faithful to provide. Over $700 was raised!

Your Word is so rich
I don't always get it,
but I believe what You say
and that You'll continue to make known,
the secrets of this life
Truth that transforms!
It changes my life

IF YOU WERE THERE?

This story might be one of those that's only funny if you were there... I don't know, but I felt like writing about it.

In the summer, when I was in NYC, I was watching "Live Free or Die Hard" with some friends. Part of it takes place in D.C. and there's a part where the bad guys fake an attack on the Capitol Building and blow it up on tv. I think somebody missed it and said something along the lines of, "whoa, did they just blow up that building?!?!" One of my friends responded, completely confident, "YOU MEAN THE WHITE HOUSE?!?"

Sooo funny. Good times in NYC. Will be awesome to go back in May.

Donating

Our house has been open this year for people to bring clothes and shoes and such to donate to the homeless. It's been sweet because many have been able to contribute. Every week or two someone else texts or emails me and asks if we're still collecting clothes. I tell em we are and they bring over some of their belongings they feel they could do without. Some people have even come back from school breaks and brought lots of stuff that their families collectively donated. It tremendously blesses those that are poor or on the streets. God has privileged me to see the appreciation of some of those people. Some of my friends gave me clothes to take to Street LIFE last summer in NYC. There were times when we were on the streets and I saw a UD shirt or something that I knew used to belong to a certain person get given out to someone on the streets. I wish my friends could have seen those people receiving some of their specific articles of clothing. It blesses the giver too (whether we see the result of our giving or not). There is a freedom that can't be explained, but perhaps only experienced as a result of surrendering our person and resources to God's will (whether that be clothes, time, food, money, etc.). Many have experienced that this year!

"...a righteous person falls seven times and rises again..." Proverbs 24:16

a righteous person may not be the person who is the closest to being "perfect," but rather the person who responds appropriately to sin in his/her life.

Dating?!?!

Was very blessed by a friend who sent me a book: "I Kissed Dating Goodbye." (apparently it was a pretty big deal 10 years ago or so). I had never heard of it, but I had the opportunity to read it last week. Some people think the book is phenomenal. Others think it to be too radical and that it makes dogmatic/absolute claims about dating. What it presents is a radical concept for sure, but I think the principles the book discusses are things that everyone could benefit from. Essentially the principles include: a commitment to purity, enjoying the gift that is singleness (however long that lasts), and going about dating in a way that pleases God and doesn't damage us.

The book makes a distinction between dating and courting. It seems important that we not get caught up in whether we title our relationships 'dating' or 'courting' but that we would be more concerned with the content of our relationships. Guarding our hearts must be an absolute priority because it's so easy to give away emotional and physical pieces of ourselves during (typical) dating that we may end up with little left when it's our time to marry. It's hard to be patient, (some have certainly waited much longer than others to marry), but I very much believe that if we allow God's plans for us to unfold, not trying to rush into the next season of life, that when our time comes it will be all the more richer and full. These are some of the things the book discusses.

I think the reason I enjoyed this book so much is because I could relate very specifically to it and because the gift of marriage relationships between God's people is something I love to learn about and discuss. My rebellious spirit is not usually a fan of endorsing mainstream books and such, but I would totally recommend flipping through this one (at least).

Psalm 37 encouraged me when thinking about waiting, dating, and marriage. Feeding on God's faithfulness. Delighting ourselves in the Lord and He will give us the desires and secret petitions of our heart. Committing our way to the Lord and He will bring it to pass. Being still. Resting in the Lord. Waiting for Him and patiently leaning ourselves on Him. Expecting the Lord and keeping His way. What a King.

"Spring" Break

On spring break this week (the last one ever i guess) and I'm stayin with my grandparents in my hometown. Every time I see someone they ask me what I'm doin and why I'm around, etc. So I say that I'm on spring break and pretty much everyone is like, "spring???..." or, "isn't it a little early?" It probably is a bit early for spring seein that there are 10 ft. high mountains of plowed snow in all the parking lots, but it's not too shabby of a deal since we kinda get 2 breaks which include some days off around Easter as well.

Been gettin to see lots of old friends, (as is customary to spring breaks). Apparently this is that time of life when your friends are getting/are married and having/have kids. It's pretty crazy, but exciting too. I'm happy for em.

Always seems more difficult to stay focused spiritually when I don't have a fairly regular schedule (like at school). God has certainly been testing me to see if I really do love Him as much as I maybe think I do. "If you really love Me, you will obey My commands." (John 14:15)

The 2 Greatest Epics!

Happened to read a short book this summer called EPIC, which is essentially just about the vast story God is telling throughout history and how huge and unrivaled and exciting that story is! The greatest story ever conceived and carried out is the story God has been and is telling... creation, humanity, history. Our fall and His reconciling us to Himself through Jesus. The battle between good and evil. Love. Laughter. Trial... Life. Death. Eternity. EPIC! Each and every one of us has a part in that story, to the extent that we choose to participate. And God desires all to participate, not just to give Him delight, but because our acceptance of Jesus and obedience to Him gives US joy and freedom and full life. He wants to share the glory and awesomeness that He already has with us! The real deal! I want to learn to embrace and appreciate my part more. What an honor and a privilege to be a part something so powerful. God’s selflessness to create us that we might share in the good things He is and has. And He’s the greatest storyteller of all time so the end of all things is gonna be undeniably epic... when this earthly history comes to a close (whenever that may be).

Don’t even know if this is coherent.. perhaps kinda vague and brief.. sorry.. but it definitely stirs me up.... all the epic-ness of the Good One and such.

The 2nd greatest epic is most certainly The Lord of the Rings! Read it! Watch it! Love it!

Toppers

My Favorite Movies of All Time:

The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy)
The Silence of the Lambs
Heat
Kingdom of Heaven (Director’s Cut)
American History X
The Passion of the Christ
Goodfellas
Man on Fire
The Prestige
The Rock

(of course this list isn’t agreeable to all, and there are many other fine films which should be mentioned but are not)

just saw The Book of Eli this weekend. It’s not in the top 10, but it is definitely a sweet movie worth watching. The opening shot is potentially one of the coolest things ever put on film.

"...whoever has a glad heart has a continual feast, regardless of circumstances." Proverbs 15:15

BREATHE

Sometimes I find myself ending up with every minute of my day scheduled or mapped out. I don't really like to live this way, but it's ok sometimes I guess. As soon as it becomes routine though (perhaps several days in a row) it seems to really take a toll on my mental state. I feel very burdened. I often write things down in my agenda so I don't forget them, but then I kinda get the checklist mentality (that attitude where I'm just going through the day checking everything I 'have' to do off my list and not really being thorough and present and actually enjoying life).

Thankfully, one of my professors has introduced us to the concept of doing breathing exercises at the beginning of every class. We just kinda sit there for a minute or two and take deep breaths to relax. Yeah, it was pretty awkward the first day, but now everyone's used to it and it's definitely something I have come to appreciate. Maybe I've had a crazy/busy day and my body hasn't necessarily been goin non-stop, but my mind definitley has been >>> then this practice of taking a minute to breathe deep actually affects me and provides an opportunity to be at peace. Not that peace can't be had in the midst of busyness or that I thoroughly enjoy doing nothing for extended periods of time, but that this short time of peace very much refreshes me.

Maybe it all sounds weird or lame or whatever else, but it's truly been a cool thing that I hope to incorporate more into my life. I'll have to be more careful to guard against laziness too. Very thankful to have a working mind, but rest is good. Brief periods of time spent not thinking about anything. Breathing deep. Giving my mind a break throughout the day. Not sure about everyone else, but it's been good for me.

Worship in Times Square!

During the New Year's Eve outreach, we had the opportunity to participate in open worship near the subway in Times Square. It's freeing to declare God's goodness out loud.

here's a link for the youtube video, was havin trouble with the actual link, just copy this into your URL bar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6fZ5ZJt2To

An Honor

Got back a few days ago from the New Year's Eve Outreach with Street Life Ministires in New York City. It was sweet to serve the Lord, but it was extra-awesome because I got to do it alongside my friends from UD! (Bart, Steve, Courtney, Byron, Megan). We had an amazing time passing out free hot chocolate and praying for people on the streets. It was such an honor to serve with them. There's something special about serving together. It seems that God uses it to bring a greater depth to friendships.

We met many people with many remarkable stories. It's a powerful thing to see people on the streets with little or no food and home, especially when it's freezing outside! A lot of people have very little, but they are so appreciative for every bite, every coat, every night spent indoors. The bottom picture is our friend Bill. We had an enjoyable conversation with him and prayed for his relative in the war. He also shared a bit about what he was doing on 9/11. Throw up a prayer for him please : - )