Welcome to my blog and thanks for dropping by! Here you will find posts on a range of topics. From my recent photography to updates from Love Walks, a nonprofit organziation that I lead, they are all here. I will also post random thoughts or ocasionally my musings reguarding things of a more eternal nature.

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When I was in Rwanda last year one of my favorite parts of the experience was the amount of time I had in solitude. With no electricity everything settled down around 7 o’clock every evening. And so I read, and I read some more. For the first time ever I read strait through the gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke and then John. I tried to spend time on the nuances and details of each writer as they gave account to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Simultaneously I began reading through the first five books of the Old Testament. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and then Deuteronomy, looking for revelation on God’s character and connections from the Old Testament to the gospels.

During that time one of the things that began to stand out to me was the power of God and the fear that he commanded. When I became a Christian in high school I could not comprehend the idea of fearing God. It made absolutely no sense to me. Love, that made sense. I hadn’t yet learned the important correlation between the two- Fear and Love. But as I was reading I was forced to revisit this idea of fearing the Lord. I remember in all of the gospels, whenever an angel would come it would be met with a strong reaction of fear. Every time. I began to think, if the sight of an angel commanded this much fear, what must it mean for the presence of God to strike fear in us.

I am continuing to learn how intimately fear and love and interconnected. In doing so God is allowing me to see more and more of who he is. The negative aspects that I first associated with God being deserving of fear have begun to dissipate. As I learn about his other characteristics, His justice, mercy and grace, that too helps me understand what a righteous fear of God is meant to look like.

Recently I have begun to think about this again. It started a few weeks ago. A short film series called NOOMA, previously working with Rob Bell, is now working on a new series with pastor/speaker Francis Chan. The first film of this series is entitled, “Fear God.” For a buck and fifteen minutes of your time you can watch it here: http://store.flannel.org/fear-god.html

A passage that Chan quotes from Psalm 111:10 stood out to me.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”

Hmmm.

Today I was reading through Acts. I was again struck by this idea of fear, but this time not just on an individual level but on a community level. In Acts 9, after Saul is confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus and then subsequently baptized and sent out, he goes to Jerusalem. While in Jerusalem he connects with the disciples and then goes out into the city “preaching boldly in the name of Jesus.” Then, in Acts 9:31 it says:

“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”

So I wonder, have we lost an understanding of what it looks like to fear God? Are our churches built and growing upon a healthy fear of God? Not a hellfire and brimstone version, scaring people toward the cross. Rather a grounded in scripture, full view of God, humbling fear.

Probably a good question for us to ask.

I wanted to give everyone a digestible list of quick and easy ways that you can support Love Walks. Your support allows us to continue our work in Mexico and here in the valley as we strive to “provide trainings, opportunities, and experiences to young adults in Phoenix, leading them toward becoming lifelong Lovers of God and People.”

Sign up for the $1 a week program.

Our community (donors, volunteers and ministry partners) is a family. We see it as a coming of the body of Christ around a specific mission. The first step you can take in engaging Love Walks and supporting our organization as a part of that family is through participating in the $1 a week program. This small but consistent donation provides both encouragement and resources for us. But more importantly it allows us to earn a relationship with you and show you that we will steward your gifts well! Take 60 seconds to sign up here: https://lovewalks.org/1aweek/

Get Connected!

Get connected to what is happening with Love Walks. There are a number of ways to do this. Our communication goal is not to flood people with information, or to annoy them with information not relevant. Rather we have strived to set up multiple channels of communication that allow YOU to choose how you want to stay connected! From our blog to facebook, our newsletter to twitter, pick whats best for you!

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As posted @lovewalks.org/blog

As intertwined as my story is with the story of Love Walks, I’m choosing to separate the two here in order to allow you to understand how God shaped me, preparing me to lead Love Walks. My hope is for you to begin to understand the momentum behind God’s movement in my life and the happenings that have brought me to this place of leading an organization.

It’s worth noting that I didn’t grow up as a Christian. Sure we celebrated Christmas, and I loved an Easter basket as much as the next guy (especially the jelly bellies!). But these holidays held little significance outside of the gifts that they then represented. It wasn’t until I was a Sophomore in high school that I began to understand what it meant to be in relationship with God. It was at that time that he began drawing me toward him. And though I would follow, I didn’t do so without hesitation. In fact, I distinctly remember telling God, “I’ll do this Christian thing, but I don’t want to be one of those crazy people traveling to the middle of nowhere, in some distant country to talk about you.” If you know a bit of my story since then you’ll no doubt catch the humor in the plan God had waiting.

Read the rest at the Love Walks blog by clicking here.