Muskogee or Bust

Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever guessed that I would be spending a summer doing in internship in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

At the beginning of last semester, I started calling around to different churches looking for an internship. I have a deep passion for inner city youth, so I started calling churches in the LA area, Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta. I distinctly remember being in between calls with Downing Christian Church and Real Life Church (both in LA area), when a man by the name of Mike Havens called and asked if I would be interested in applying for an internship at his church in Muskogee. I explained him that I was looking into doing an internship in a city, but told him I would give him an application and resume anyway.

The more churches I called, the more "sorry, we just don't have enough money for an intern"s I got. What was crazy is that every other day, I seemed to be hearing about how good of a church Boulevard Christian Church (the church in Muskogee)was. I prayed and prayed that God would put me in an internship that he wants me at. And He answered.

I have been in Muskogee for close to two weeks now, and it has been a trip. I am staying with a very sweet older couple, Dave and Pat Roberts. Pat and my first conversation went something like this, "Well, I love to cook," and I replied, "Well, I love to eat" and it has been a perfect match ever since! I could, and probably will, write a blog just about Dave and Pat and all the adventures and ministries they have been apart of. They are very God honoring people that show his love with everyday that comes. The Church staff is amazing. Mike Havens and company made me feel welcomed from the first time i set foot in the office. The church runs about 800, and that staff works very hard to bring God's will, love and truth to the city of Muskogee.

I wrote down a list of things that happened to me the first week while I was here. and here is that list:

-partook in a 4 church program called "Paint the Town". 8 houses were painted by 100 teens for people in the community. I ruined 2 pairs of shoes...real smart Jim
-cleaned over 100 paint brushes with Harrison, an intern from another church in town. This took us close to 3 hours.
-People in Muskogee love alarms--and I have set 3 of them off in the first week alone. Even after putting my code into the alarm at church, 4 cops showed up questioning this "intern from Topeka, Kansas."
-I was asked "who are you" by Eve atleast 20 times in one night. Eve is a 2, almost 3, year old great granddaughter of Dave and Pat.
-The youth group does this thing called wake up calls. It is actually very terrifying. They go to kids who are "new" to CIY and wake them up in the middle of the night. However, they don't do the Momma Landis rub your back and sing you a song to wake you up...They put on terrifying gorilla masks and try to fit 5-10 people in your room and wake up by screaming at the top of their lungs. To add to the humiliation, they bring a video camera and record your reaction. I decided to participate in this event, and I can still see the terror on these poor kid's face.

It was a very fun first week, and the fun has continued.

However, I know that Mike did not want me on staff for the summer to just participate in wake up calls or to set off church alarms. And I know that God put me here for the summer for more than that.
I am working a lot with junior highers this summer, and still spending time with high schoolers. If I could bring one thing to the teens at Boulevard this summer, it would be the fact of Jesus is real. Not just that he was a real person, but he is real today. He desires a real relationship with his people, he wants us to live a real life with him. The fact is that Jesus' life and death on the cross demands a real relationship with him today.

I recently got a tattoo on my arm (irrelevant, but informational) and I got the scripture Galatians 2:20 above a cross on my arm. Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no long live, but Christ lives in me. . ." That is why I am in Muskogee. Muskogee or Bust? MUSKOGEE IT IS!

Life is a Story

Tell me your story.

What is it about stories that generate so much power, emotion, and truth that we cannot help but turn an ear to someone who is telling one? Stories are powerful, because we all have one. Real stories. Fiction stories. Personal stories. Dynamic stories. Funny stories. Short stories. Long stories. They all carry something special. Something real.

Everyone has a story. Every story has a plot, setting and characters. Events in our lives stack on top of each other; and every story has this effect on the next thing that happens in our lives. Maybe something or someone has effected your story in such a big way, that you cannot help but let it show throughout the rest of your life. Some of these are sad stories--lives ruined by divorce, changed by abuse, filled with sin, taken away by cancer, or pulled away by death. Or perhaps they are happy stories-- new lives created through marriage, changed by children, crowded with successes, filled with purpose, and lives lived by fulfilling faith. Everyone has characters in their lives that have brought joy or depression: a father, a girlfriend, a neighbor, a preacher, a friend, a stranger, or even the mail lady. If you cannot tell by now, I am a big believer that this life that we live is filled with and continues to be a story.

But there is a story that effected us all before the world began...

Whether we recognize it or not, God is the creator of the story. He created this story called life. The beauty of God is found in the fact that although he created this story in us, he loves us enough to not write it. He brought story to life--so that that story can bring real love and glorification to him. God also owns an eraser. When our stories go so wrong, and mess up so much--he doesn't count that against us. Instead, he wrote an addition to the story and called it salvation. And the main character was Jesus. (follow the cheesy analogy for now)

The main point of this blog is to get across the idea of seeing life as a story. We all have one don't we? And they all mean something. The great thing about stories is that they never end. Some may seem stagnant, but they never end because our stories carry on through out history. Every story has an effect on another story that carries on after we breathe our last gulp of air.

I have heard people say, "I hate when people ask 'what is your story'". But i cannot help but wonder why. Stories are beautiful and real. The thing about stories is they are always changing. What you decide to do today and tomorrow can and will effect other stories until Jesus returns. Your story may feel like a dead end or a wrong turn, but it only takes a decision to turn it all around. And Vice Versa, life is going so great and ONE change in the story and take a turn for the worst. Life is a story--

tell it, change it, and live it