Thursday, October 18, 2012
The Christian life certainly includes duty, but its glory extends beyond duty and into a total, holistic salvation experience. To simply do my duty or do only what I’m commanded to do is to miss the essence of God’s desire for me, that being an all-encompassing experience of eternal life. I’m never just this or just that. I’m never just a soldier or just a bride, just a servant or just a son. For a moment or even a season I may have just one particular role, but never for my whole life am I meant to be anything but God’s. And He will lead me on a journey through love, labor, war, feasting, fasting, pleasure, pain… all of which will require of me a different role, and all of which are intended by God to show me His heart and the extravagant riches of His love and to complete and perfect that which concerns me.
thoughtsofriley.wordpress.com
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Worship Warfare Week next week (Aug. 14-17) our biggest week of the summer! Please pray for us...
this video is two summers ago (Brazil, Worship Warfare Week, etc.)
Friday, August 3, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Today a man took me across the street to check on another man who was laying by some trash and not moving. "I didn't know if he was dead or something." As we approached flies flew off of the man's body and some of the pavement was wet underneath him. I wondered if it was true... but as we bent down the man opened his eyes. We did our best to offer him help, but he assured us he was ok and waved us away. Oh God... this is not what You made us for...
Friday, July 20, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
At a bus stop in Brazil our team was playing worship music live on the streets and our leader called me to the middle of the “stage” to portray some of the things they were singing about since I was dressed as Jesus in preparation for the drama. Wearing simply a robe and red sash I came to the middle and began to extend my hand toward people circled around watching. The music team next sang about Jesus wrapping people in His arms and our leader encouraged me to approach people in the crowd and give them a loving hug. To physically demonstrate these things on the streets is the passion of my heart, but I was definitely nervous too. Some of the people I extended my arms to seemed a bit reluctant, but we embraced anyway. Then I saw a middle-aged woman next to me and I wrapped her up. Her head fit perfectly under my chin. At first it didn’t seem like much was happening until I heard and felt her weeping. I held her tight. After a minute I let her go and a woman from her team comforted her and prayed with her. The woman I hugged was a Christian, but something resonated with her that night that made God’s love real to her once again. And it was her birthday…
Sunday, July 15, 2012
One day at a favela in Brazil we gathered around a group of children to love and bless them. I approached two young boys (about 6 or 7 years old probably) and worked with a translator to see how they were doing and what they thought of the music and drama. Another smaller boy came over and he pulled his shirt up and began to rub his inflated stomach. At first I thought he was just joking with his friends, but then they began to point at him and say to the translator that he had an intestinal parasite, or stomach worm. I had never actually met a person, let alone a young boy, with such a condition. Immediately we asked if we could pray for him and he eagerly welcomed it, but afterward his head dropped and a sudden sadness seemed to come over him. Something told us there was more to his hurt than just his physical affliction. We left the young woman translator alone with him to see if she could nurture him more and hear what was really going on, but he never told. Whether it was abuse or something else we don’t know. It was incredibly difficult to walk away from a situation like that knowing that Victor, a young boy, was hurting so badly, but we believe we played our part, loving and blessing him, in the time given to us. God bless those who reach out to that community regularly, those who are a committed source of hope and love to them.
more friends...
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
off to Brazil - June 26 through July 10... please pray for us as we serve on the streets through music, drama, and personal dialogue. We'll meet the poor, the homeless, the addicted, prostitutes and everyone else... We want to share with them the One who has changed our lives... The God-Man, The Christ... always EPIC!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Went back to the eye doctor to pick up new glasses and trial contacts... As I was walking up the street I thought, "God it would be really cool if I got the hook-up today." So as the doctor and I sat down to fit the new glasses on me he asked if I was in school. I briefly told him about what we do at Street LIFE. He brought up a show he saw recently called "Secret Millionaire," where people give away money to the needy. The show deeply moved him. Then he looked at me and said, "Ya know, if you meet someone who is hurting and on the street who needs a pair of glasses - I would do it for free." Then he slid the new glasses across the table, along with some new contacts, and said, "Don't even worry about paying for these." I was blown away. God always takes care of me...
Monday, June 11, 2012
I have the opportunity to interact with a man at the park every so often... He thinks he IS Jesus... two other guys today who think all religions are right... another who is so eager to know truth but is confused by two groups' conflicting interpretations of the Scriptures... it seems that most people think that knowing the Truth will set us free... so what is truth? What is The Truth?
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Truly being human does not mean the understanding or acceptance of negative or questionable behavior, but rather the fulfillment of that purpose which we were originally intended for, namely paradise, perfection, God-likeness.
Humanity can mean natural things like thirsting, weariness, clumsiness, etc. Things like cheating, prideful competition, prejudice, jealousy, lust - SIN - are not natural just because they are common. Some people talk about sin as if someone was "just being human." Christ was not only God, but also fully human and we are told that He never sinned. So being human does not legitimately relate to sinning. Christ lived what we were made to be. He was truly human. And Adam's true humanity was displayed until his sin distorted it.
Being human didn't always mean the expectation and understanding of crooked behavior and evil occurrences because "we live in a fallen world." At one point, for however short a time, being human was so much more. The meaning of being human has less to do with our proneness to make mistakes and more to do with what we were originally created for.
I am and will always be human.
Not what is, but what was,
And what will be.
Humanity can mean natural things like thirsting, weariness, clumsiness, etc. Things like cheating, prideful competition, prejudice, jealousy, lust - SIN - are not natural just because they are common. Some people talk about sin as if someone was "just being human." Christ was not only God, but also fully human and we are told that He never sinned. So being human does not legitimately relate to sinning. Christ lived what we were made to be. He was truly human. And Adam's true humanity was displayed until his sin distorted it.
Being human didn't always mean the expectation and understanding of crooked behavior and evil occurrences because "we live in a fallen world." At one point, for however short a time, being human was so much more. The meaning of being human has less to do with our proneness to make mistakes and more to do with what we were originally created for.
I am and will always be human.
Not what is, but what was,
And what will be.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Maximo – our friend from the park – He went into the hospital for lung cancer treatment in the fall. We received word this week that he died. I remember the last real conversation we had before he told us he had cancer. It was very sincere. Maximo was legitimately concerned about his life and seemed unsatisfied. We’re planning on being at his memorial service this Wednesday in the city.
Friday, March 2, 2012
...we saw Elen tucked away in the nook on the outside of a building. "Everyone says I'm crazy," she expressed, "but I'm NOT!" Elen had tried to get help numerous times but was very wounded from the way she had been treated. At first she was laying down, but then she sat up to talk to us. Her bottom half was covered with a trash bag. She didn't have shoes and as she adjusted I saw that she only had boxer shorts on, no pants. It was February... (Don't Walk By outreach 2012)
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Victor - an alcoholic. I shared about him in a newsletter about five months ago. The first day I met him he was quoting scripture to me and was more than desirous to get into a detoxification program. He never went through with it. I see him every week and he's not getting any better. We pray for him and often ask him if he's ready to receive help... TONIGHT - someone from Don't Walk By (an annual outreach where we search Manhattan for those in need) found him on the streets and brought him back to the church for a hot meal, clothes, and an opportunity to talk with someone about his struggle. I was informed - he went to a detox! God is committed to His people. May this be a true life change for Victor.
Everyone said there wouldn't be any homeless people in a small well-to-do neighborhood at the bottom of the Manhattan island. But God knew that Ricky was on a bench in the park, hidden in plain sight. God was passionate enough to send 7 people into that area so that Ricky could get the help he needed - food, clothes, medical attention. We walked the streets for three hours looking for those in need, and Ricky was the ONE that we found. Only one. Worth it.
(Don't Walk By outreach, Feb. 18, 2012)
(Don't Walk By outreach, Feb. 18, 2012)
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
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