I'm listening to a song right now called "To The Very End" by Will Regan and The United Pursuit band. I'm listening to it, and there is a verse and it says

"Don't give up, don't let go, don't lose trust, don't lose hope"

                As I have been listening to this I have been thinking about how this is the End. My ministry on this race after 11 months ends in 1 day. I leave Bangalore and travel to meet the squad in Delhi and three days after that I'm on plane headed home. The End has come to my trip, to my seeing new countries and meeting new people, I have been a part of 11 different cultures 11 different communities and 11 different ministries. Here at the end of it all I realize how it is just the beginning of everything.

                Anyone can say that they went on a trip that shaped who they were; people can say I saw God here and it changed my life. Praise God for that, but I have realized that is not where this trip ends. Yes God has transformed me to a Man who I only imagined I could become. It has shown me things and broken chains off of me that I have held onto my entire life. But this trip will be for nothing if I let those changes stop here and now. If I let this new knowledge this new found trust and this new hope in God end here then what is the point of this. This trip doesn't just show you who you can be, it gives you the opportunity to meet that person and face your sins and realize that you have the victory in God to overcome them.

                This trip prepares you for what is next in your life whatever it may be, yes the Race is only 11 months long but that is not the end. Its 11 months of transformation and brokenness, its change and victory. That doesn't stop in your life just because you're living in the states again. It challenges you to continue this change while bringing your family and friends in to that change with you. Showing them what Christ has done in you, and what Christ has done through you.

                I DARE YOU who read this to open your mind to the thought that maybe you need some transformation in your life. I DARE the churches who read this that maybe you need a revival in your church. If we get to the point where we feel the closest to God and then begin to coast in that, there is no point in you ever trying to get close to him. You are never close enough, you can never have enough of him, and you can never worship or praise his name enough. So then what would I be doing if I thought everything I learned was ending? I'm on a trip that didn't prepare me for 11 months of being a missionary. I'm on a trip that prepared me to be a disciple of God for the rest of my Life. I DARE you to question if you are coasting or if you are pursuing God with everything you have with a reckless abandon. Are you pursuing God?

                To all future and current racers who come upon this, know that you're not about to embark upon a trip that is going to be life altering then stop. You have just signed up to be on the front lines for Christ where ever he is calling you for the rest of your lives.

                "DON'T GIVE UP, DON'T LET GO, DON'T LOSE TRUST, DON'T LOSE HOPE"

     This race is not over it has taken 11 months to start, I Dare you to be open to the challenge that you are not where Christ wants you. I DARE you to shake the world around you with the Love and Power of Christ, and I DARE YOU to follow his every word regardless of where it leads you.

     Ok so I have been talking with my mother a lot this month since we have internet and she has assured me that I have not been very good at relaying what I do each month, so mom here it is.

     So our ministry here in Bangalore, India is working in the slums at a school our contacts have started. These kids go to their schools in hope of knowledge and in search for a better life. But that's not all that is given to these kids.  After they are in school from 3 -7:30 learning Math, English and science they all get in line for dinner. Talking with our contacts they shared that many of these kids don't have places to live let alone food to eat. If it was not for the school our contacts said that the children would go out begging. Our contacts shared a story with us about one day when the school was closed and so our contacts decided they would go follow the children to see what they did if they didn't have the opportunity for this education. What they saw they said brought them to tears as they sat in their car watching their two hundred slum children, go around begging for rupees or food. Begging for whatever would be given to them. My contacts then decided that this was not going to be the fate of these children, not only because of how they felt for them but because of how God feels for these kids.

                So we go to the school at 5pm Monday - Friday and we try to help tutor the kids. I say try because there math is something I have never seen even if it is written in English. There are about 100 - 200 kids in three classrooms, with their Indian teachers trying their very hardest.  

                If I'm not at the school at night I'm either spending some time with my team playing cards or in my room arguing with A.J. Wagner about anything we can because we think its fun.  Yet the real joy is playing with the three children they have. There is Sonny who is the eldest and doesn't let his little brother Shaun forget it, and of course there is the adorable Grace who is 1 year and 8 months old. This precious girl was not actually born into the family. She was left on their doorstep and has become the third child to this wonderful family. Grace is a little stinker though don't let her adorableness fool you. Yes she may come out in a dress or be wearing a shirt with cutie written across it, but she is as crazy as her brothers.

                Playing with Grace you have to be ready for her to come to you when you're not paying attention to her and then when you do she will run from you. That is however if you're not playing music cause if you do that then she will bang on your door till you open it walk past you and start swaying on her club foot and dancing off beat course to the music your playing. Or if you have paint on your computer be ready for her to take control of your computer and just move the mouse around. Don't try to help her though because she will grab your hand as if she is throwing it across the room.

                The boys are usually very busy during the week gone at school before I get up and when they get home its homework and dinner and then more homework. The weekends though these two young guys will be set up in front of their TV with the play station 2 turned on playing Need For Speed.  Which means if A.J. and I are in our room they come down and say Uncle Come help me with my game. So we then become the pit crew for these boys as they race other cars or are trying to evade police pursuit. Then if they lose help me becomes play this game for me, and beat the things I can't. I'm not saying I don't enjoy it on the contrary I love playing with these two, it makes me laugh however that help me means do this for me. I wonder if that's what I was like when I was child, probably. 

I'm not usually one to have personal convictions when it comes to movies. Or any other form of media, one of my favorite artists is Eminem due to the personal nature of the things he writes about. But I'm not going to talk about music here; this blog is not even something that is doused in conviction. It comes from a question that God asked me shortly after walking out of a movie. The movie was the newest Harry Potter movie. I'm a Harry Potter movie fan and I will see it again, it was exceptionally well done. This blog is not about the media itself but it poses the question of where your mind while watching or listening, to whatever form of media it is.

So with my disclaimer out of the way, when I walked out of the theater after seeing the new Harry Potter I was actually saddened. Not cause the movie was bad but because the movie of my generation was now over. Since I was in 5^th grade Harry Potter had become a house hold name from either the books or the movies The wizard at the school of Hogwarts took my generation by storm.

As I continued to walk God spoke to me through a question, and asked: "is the sad thing that your generation movie is over or because that was the movie of your generation?"

So as I walked around the mall silent in my thoughts I began to ponder the question, and dissected the Harry Potter movies little by little in my mind. What is the movie based upon, it's all about wizardry and magic? But it doesn't just stop there; throughout all the movies and/or books, which ever you like more. You see everyone placing their trust in a man (Harry Potter) to defeat the evil one. But on the other side you have those who follow the evil one placing their trust in yet another man (Voldemort.) Slight spoiler alert, in the last movie Voldemort is standing before those who followed Harry and is telling them to no longer trust in Harry, but to turn and trust in Him. This movie is filled with false theology.

But once again I want to say I like the movies; they are super entertaining. It's filled with awesome cinematography, exciting story lines and really good acting. But that's where the title of this blog comes into play. As Christians, have we allowed ourselves to be blinded by all of the fun and entertaining aspect of it all and keep us from seeing the ungodliness inside? A very drastic example would be if you took a piece of garbage, but wrapped it in an awesome wrapping paper and a nice bow, would that change what's inside? Of course not! So if it doesn't then why as Christians and (including me) BLIND OURSELVES TO WHAT IS TRULY IN FRONT OF US? How much longer will we not take a stand?

I'm not saying you're not allowed to see that movie if you're a Christian; I think everyone should see the movie and make their own decision about it. My point is, the stand does not have to be "Boycott Harry Potter" (please don't do that I like the movies and I'm not going to boycott them.) Instead, go into the movies with a mindset of being ready to see the ungodly aspects in them and no longer be blinded. Seek God in everything and in the movies you watch.

Let this generation be the generation to take God everywhere, movie theaters, concerts all of it. Let our mindsets be so focused on Him that we are not blinded, but awakened by the Holy Spirit inside each of us and able to refute the lies of the devil, however they may come.

At home my family and I will watch movies together and when something unbiblical comes up my dad will always yell "BOOOOOOOOOOO!" We all look at him and tell him to knock it off, but he has the right idea. Don't be closed off to the things that are ungodly no matter how small they may be. Redwood trees start as a seed. Evil intentions and thoughts need a lot less than a seed does to make a tree for the evil idea to take root.

Defend yourselves brothers and sisters in Christ, be awakened by God, and walk a life that pleases Him.

Ok so I have been wondering what exactly to write about this month. But I have just had so much fun this month I feel blessed and honored to be not only doing the ministry of my Father in heaven but he is also blessing me with the ability to have a blast doing it. God has shown me that this trip is not about words with no beliefs it's not about love with no action and it's not without its joys.

                I have had the awesome opportunity to live this month in Tanzania at the base of this mountain. And as you can imagine I was not gonna live by this thing without heading on my way up at least once. So with the idea coming from Josh a team leader of the team that was with me this month we head up at 4:45 am in the pitch black up the mountain. An hour later we have arrived at the top of the biggest boulder on the top of the highest part of the mountain. So with the four men climbing and talking and sharing an awesome experience we conquered PRIDE ROCK for the first time. 

                The next week we get the idea to not only head up there once again but to do so in the dark of night at around 8pm and then sleep under the stars in the cold of this mountain. But this time we fly up the top of the mountain and reach where we stayed the night at. So once again I'm here by the grace of God at the top of this mountain and instead of seeing his sunrise I look up to his stars which he placed and which he knows by name and felt a since of love like I never have before. If you don't think your God loves you go look at the stars he placed in the sky and then think about how even though he did all that he wants a relationship that is more intimate than the stars he placed.

The rest of this Blog about God letting me have some amazing fun will be good ole photos because well pictures are worth a thousand words and I have no more words for ya.

In between some rocks we climbed through

Our Roaring fire that lasted twenty seconds

Good Morning Tanzania

The lights of the morning just show how many people God wants to Love

SO COLD!!!!

One month left............as the words of Harry from Dumb and Dumber

                             WELL...................SEE YA LATER!

I keep getting this thought in my head that the things i will remember the most are the things i did for someone else. How the lord used me, thats what this trip is about. Its not thought, but its more than this trip the things i have done for someone else are not the things that i remember till the end of time. Its when someone does something for you, when someone stops and takes time out of their day to spend time with you, to help you, to care for you. Those are the things that at least i always remember.

                Its funny i dont ever think its my pride that doesnt let people do stuff for me, but when you get right down to it thats exactly what it is. And the Lord showed me that this month on a crusade that we went out on. We left the town and the house we were staying in to go to a village 5 hours away from where we were staying and that is where i was truly blessed.

                The first day we were there i went and preached that night, and loved it, it was just so much fun. I stood on this wooden plat form built for the crusade and starting preaching about coming to know christ. That night while waiting to go back to where we were staying there was this lady selling meat on a stick. Now i have eaten streat meat in every country so it never crossed my mind i was eating meat cooked on a street in the middle of nowhere. That night i began to feel extremely cold, then started shaking and didnt sleep at all that night. At some time around six or seven i began to throw up, sorry but its part of the story. Still with out sleep i'm know on a mat in the grass at this house vomiting.

                While im laying there underneath this clothes line, with ants all over it, i ask my Ugandan brother Edgar if he would fill up a bucket so i could put my feet in it. He did, and then while im laying with my feet in this bucket i feel someones hands on my feet, i look and Edgar has soap and a rag and is holding my feet and he begins to wash my feet. For all of you who dont know what your feet look like after walking, driving, and living by these dirt roads your feet are nasty. He begins to give my feet eh best washing they have ever had. i mean it was like i was getting a pedicure.( NOT THAT I KNOW WHAT THAT IS LIKE)

                The next day after finding out i have malaria and getting some I.v. fluids in me, i ask someone if they could fill up a bucket so i can just pour water over myself because i was so hot. So i begin to take this cup and pour freezing cold water over myself. So just to paint a picture there is a weak white 6 foot 7 man sitting in his underwear pouring cold water over himself. Not something that goes as unnoticed as you would think in Uganda. I mean this is the place where kids are naked all day long. But no even after trying to hide my self Edgar comes back over. Seeing me he takes the cup and starts pouring the water. He then says "im gonna wash your legs and arms" i think i said no like ten times. No point. So edgar is now squating next to me with a rag and soap washing my legs and arms while continuing to pour water over me.

                I felt like peter telling Jesus not to wash his feet, " Peter said to Him, never shall you wash my feet!" Edgar didnt leave his family and his friends he didnt come on a 11 month mission trip, I did. Yet Edgar seeing me in my pain came to me and cleaned me, and took care of me and loved me like no other. I can honeslty say i have never even seen that love among friends. I have not even heard of it happening. But It was more than just between friends. Edgar was answering Gods call. He Loved someone as Christ did.

                Never in a million years would i have thought to allow someone i care about to wash my feet, to bath me. But when your hurting people dont ask your permission to make you feel better they just love you. With out eating that meat and having malaria i never would be able to say. I saw a man of God first hand drop to his knees and wash the feet of his brother, not cause he had to but out of sheer love for his brother. If someone wants to serve you in a way you cant imagine, that you dont want them to have to do that. Stop and think why they are doing, and think who gives you the authority to tell someone they cant love you?

As I went up to the front of the church the size of a storage container, I had this peace come over me like never before.  I'm always nervous right before I begin preaching here on the race.  I always get scared and start doubting whether what I'm going to say is from the Lord or just my own words. But this Sunday was different; there was nervousness but no fear. As I walked to the front, I was overcome with a sense of peace; this sense of calm I can't explain except to say it was from the Lord. I got up to the front, opened my Bible, looked down at my notes, and felt the presence of God come upon me like a wave crashing against a rock. It was a feeling I want so much more. I want it constantly. I want it every second of every day.

That's not where the feeling ended, though.  I honestly can't say that if I ever preached on that subject again it would be the same.  But that's not a bad thing. As a matter of fact, it makes that moment so much more special because I know that it was not me. I didn't preach. I didn't get up there and say words that Jake created.  They were Gods words; Gods sermon. It was God working through me.

When the sermon ended it felt as though I didn't even know what happened. I have always been so skeptical when people talk about how they had an out of body experience; when they left their body, Christ came in and took total control of them. In that moment, they just watched as Christ spoke, or worked through them. That is exactly what I went through.  Last Sunday, May 22^nd, God came in me in a way I can't explain. He spoke through me and brought words out I could not have said. He put points together I would never be able to connect. God came through, and I was His vessel for His Glory. I feel honored beyond belief that He would choose to work through me in such a powerful way. 

After I preached, Ashley Auman (a girl on my team) came to me and said, "I want to say that you did an awesome job but it wasn't you up there.  It was the Lord."  I thought, "Why was I a true vessel on that day? Did I do something different, than every other time I preached?  Why haven't I felt that every time I'm doing something for the Lord? Why do we as Christians get so excited when we experience God like that?  Why do they come in moments?  Why is it not every time? Why don't we always feel like this?" I can't speak for everyone, but as honored as I feel, and as special as a moment as that was, I hate it was only a single moment. I hate it was the first time I have felt God use me like that.

I thought and thought about what was different. I prayed right before but I always do that. But then it hit me: it was what I asked God for which was different.  I always ask for the Lord to speak through me and He has every time I have preached, but He did so much more.  I asked God to reveal Himself to the people in the church that day. I asked that Sunday, May 22^nd, would be a day God would bring Himself down and fill that church. He would show up in whatever way He wanted to and if only one person saw Him in that Church, it would be enough. I asked God to come down and fill me up with Him until I overflowed. I asked that I would not the one preaching but it would be Christ inside of me; that my words I spoke were nothing;  they wouldn't fall on deaf ears, but His words would hit the Heart.

God, I pray right now for all those who read this blog that they will come to know you and experience you in the way I did. I pray every time they hear your call to go out and do something in your Name, that You would use them as vessels. If you ask them to preach that Your words would come through. If you're asking them to build a house or clean up a field, that when people gaze upon the person working they don't see us, your servants, but they only see You. God, come fill us up to a point that we overflow. Lord, all of us are evil and You are the only good in our lives. Lord, break us to the point where we are nothing; break our pride and our stubbornness. Lord, shatter us, come in and build us up to be Your people, Your children, Your vessels. Let us always feel the way I did on that Sunday every time we go out and follow Your calling. Let us always be able to say "it wasn't me today. It was all Christ through me. I couldn't do that again if I tried because God was the One who did it." Lord, you are supreme, You are holy. Lord, let us live only to bring you glory.

In your Sons Powerful and Precious Name, Amen.

                                When you think of people who overcome adversity you think of famous people. You think of people whose names are written in history books, or novels. You think of people who have movies dedicated to their lives. You don't ever stop to think that the boy suffering from Epidermolysis bullosa who has disfigurements and difficulties in life. You don't think about how he is overcoming adversity and how he is changing peoples lives. But this blog is about one young man whom I will never forget.

            His name is Diamond and he is the most amazing person I think I have ever come into contact with. This young man is fifteen years old and his joy lights up rooms. His smiles I swear can cure broken hearts. Every time he would walk into the room that my team in unison everyone would yell out DIAMOND!!!!! He would walk in with his grin from ear to ear and just love on you. He doesn't walk normally but has a little wobble with his step. And that's exactly how God wanted his steps to be. The most amazing thing I think about when I see diamond walking down the street is he is created perfect in Gods image. So then why don't we stop to think that a boy like Diamond is worth his own page in history books. Why do we as a society look up to someone who can hit a ball 350 feet and stand in awe, but when we see a young man who suffers as Diamond suffers gets no recognition at all?

            I had one of the most amazing days here in Cambodia and you guessed it, it was with Diamond. I wanted to hear his story I wanted to know more about the Godly man that I have come to admire so much. When I asked he said with a grin that he didn't understand how to say it. So I began asking a series of questions. And the answers surprised me to the point I couldn't believe. With Diamonds permission I'm allowed to share those answers with you.

Why do you want to God in your life? "I want to go to heaven"

Why do you pray? "Because if you are in times of trouble god will help you"

What do you pray for? "I pray for an ipod, and that God will cure me of my disease. And I think he will."

What is one thing you wish you could do? Plays Drums and Guitar

Do you like living at water of life? "Yes because the worship and the discipleship allows me to get closer to God."

What do you want to be? "I want to be a pastor so that I can tell others about God so that I will see them all in Heaven with me."

What do you want to live for? "I want to live for God and wake up every morning like that."

Why do you enjoy meeting new people so much? "Because when I meet them they become a part of the one family with God, and I want everyone to be one family in God so they can see God the way I do."

Why Do you Love God? " Because He gave his son to die for me, I feel bad for God because he let someone hurt him for me. And because when I love God I know he will use me for Great things."

            The day I spent with him we laughed, we ate KFC and we talked. It's a day I will not forget because it's a day when a 15 year old young man of God showed me Christ through him. If half of the world had the faith and the love that Diamond does, this world would be a far different place.

Thank you Diamond for a day I will never forget, I Love you.

This month here in Cambodia we have been teaching English to elementary aged children in Phnom Penh. We begin our day at 9:30 and usually end around 11:30 after we serve the children there lunch of rice and soup. After that our ministry is completed for the day. So we have been having a lot of free time and that has made me question if this is where I am supposed to be? Did God really bring me to Cambodia to have me teach for two hours?

Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

The thought of what's next is coming up a lot now as we approach month 8 out of 11 everyone is begging to wonder, where am I going to live, where am I called by God, what's his next step for me? I don't know the answers to those questions not for anyone else and certainly not for me. Yet I have a strange peace about it. I'm not worrying about it, I don't know why I'm not, only to say that God has given me a supernatural peace about my future.  If God knows the plans he has for me, and I'm living my life following his direction then why should I worry. Why should I stay up pondering searching scripture for what is to come. As long as I live in his presence then I know whether I turn left or right God will be the one moving me. I'm reminded of another verse.

Isaiah 30:21 "Your ears will hear a word from behind you, "this is the way walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left."

I am reminded of John the Baptist, who preached in the wilderness wearing a garment made from camel's hair, who ate locusts and wild honey. I mean if there is a guy in the bible who believed that he was where God wanted him to be and did not worry about whether he was in the place he was suppose to be it was John. I mean can any of you tell me that if you say some guy along a trail while you're out hiking in the wilderness and you see him sitting there eating a locust and some wild honey the first thought would be, "This guy is right where he is suppose to be." Are you nuts no you would think he has a few screws loose.  Yet when you continue in Matthew chapter three it doesn't say a few people went to him to be baptized no it says "Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all of Judea and all the districts around the Jordan."

If we walk with the Lord where ever we find ourselves then we will be exactly where we need to be. What is more reassuring than that? I may not know what I'm going to do or if ill live in Washington, but all I want is to be walking in the presence of the Lord, and be totally filled with his holy spirit. Whatever that may look like Lord allow me to walk with you in everything allow my steps be orchestrated by you in heaven. 

Day 18: It seems as if when I have been questiong who God is in my life, I have been seeking light while I'm surrounded in darkness, the light I'm searching for is not in some distant land but inside of me just like God is.

Day 19: Rejoice in the Lord whether you have the things your searching for or not, for only when you continuously rejoice in Him will He give you the things you seek.

Day 20: Fasting is not just about giving up food or techonolgy, but when your body rumbles cause its hungry to seek God for He will sustain you, and when you weary and feeling alone from not being able to email or talk to family cling to God for He will be your comfort.

Day 21: How do you make yourself a light to the nations for all to see? (Isaiah 60:2-3)

Day 22: What does it mean to be blessed in the Earth? (Isaiah 65: 16)

Day 23: I ask God to let me go where He went, and say the things He said, but do I walk in that or do I get dismayed when I don’t see something happen immediately?

Day 24: Why do people continue to place their hope and trust in men and not God, because He is the only one who is able to answer prayers, only He will save us from trials and tribulations?

Day 25: The only person we should ever follow blindly is God, yet so many will follow earthly leaders without question, even if that leads them to their doom. This has to being to change!

Day 26: Isaiah said when he saw God in a vision â€Å"Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the king, the LORD of Hosts.â€' How do we become a people and a land of clean lips so that our iniquity is taken from us? Is that even possible? (Isaiah 6:5,7)

Day 27: Do we try God by not asking for signs and miracles to be done by Him in our Lives?              (Isaiah 7:10-13)

Day 28: Are we suppose to bang on doors that God has closed yet we want open, or are we suppose to walk with God in complete Brokenness  through the doors God has opened?

Day 29: Are we allowing sin to lead our lives to the point where we are so far in sin that we cannot understand what the Holy spirit is trying to say to us?

Day 30: When we are convicted of our sins, do we act out of conviction because we don’t want to feel that way anymore or do we act out of genuineness, like Christ did?

                I don’t have the answer for these questions, and the statements were not made by me. I'm not asking for answers maybe you have the answers that apply to some of these, I challenge you to ask yourself where you got those answers, and are they the answers that apply to you specifically or just generally? Let us move away form generalities and walk toward specific personal relationships with God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. Lets move to make Christianity not a religion but a Personal Faith based walk with Our savior.

I have gotten to a point because of this month away from all things that took my mind and thoughts off of God to truly come to love God. Now I'm not meaning like of God I just love you because I know so much about you now and I'm totally confident in who you are in my life. I mean I have gotten to a point where I have never known less about God, been more confused about his calling for me and because of that I have come to love him like never before. When you have to depend on God for everything, that’s when you truly come to love Him.