Law vs. Grace

This week the July DTS is getting a taste of the "Fear of the LORD." It is always interesting to see the different reactions to this week. We have already gone through Father heart of God week and Hearing God's voice week. So the students have a grasp on God's passionate love for them and the ways He communicates it to us. Now we are getting into the love of God that sometimes doesn't feel like love to our western minds. Being disciplined and chastened has never been the most enjoyable part of following God, but it is fully necessary. To get an accurate picture of God we cannot just say He is a God of grace without the law. "The law drives us to His grace" I have heard.

It is a pivotal time in the DTS and these next 3 weeks are going to stretch, challenge, and exhaust all of us including the staff. Please keep all of us in your prayers as we tackle some of the tough issues about ourselves and God.

Next week, we have the opportunity to go to the Gold Coast of Australia about 2.5 hours south of here and stay with the YWAM Gold Coast base. During that week which is called "Project Affwan" we have the opportunity to minister to the Muslims who are there on holiday. Many muslims come for holiday right before Ramadan. Pray that the students and staff are well equipped and prepared for this week as we share the Gospel with these people who have no idea what it is. It's a great opportunity and we are very excited to be a part of that.

India here we come!

The July DTS has been going for almost 3 weeks now and we have revealed the outreach locations to the students. One team will be going to Indonesia and the other will be going to India. I have the privilege of going to India with 9 students and another staff in September. It has been a place on my heart as of late for a few reasons. First, I sat by a man from India on my flight back from the last outreach I went on to Thailand and Cambodia. He was so kind and I really felt like there are millions of people like him back in India who need to be told about the Truth. Also, I went and saw "Slumdog Millionaire" with my girlfriend Brittany when we were both home and we loved it. It had some great imagery of what India is like. So I am very excited to be able to actually go there.

The July DTS finished "Fatherheart of God" last week and we are moving into "Hearing God's Voice." This week, we have a guy from Perth, Australia named Danny Taylor who is speaking. He is married with two kids and has a huge heart from evangelism. As we continue on in this DTS please pray for the students and staff as we live together. It is so important to have unity in the school as we prepare for these outreaches. I look forward to hearing from you.

July 2009 DTS is here and rolling...

So it has finally come and has been here for over a week now.  The July 2009 DTS has commenced and is in full swing.  In total we have 15 students.  11 are girls and 4 are guys.  We have 11 Americans, 2 Europeans, and 2 Canadians.  It never ceases to amaze me how quickly people become friends on the DTS.  At our house, the 4 guy students immediately found common ground and were laughing together from the start.  

The 1st week of DTS was orientation.  We get the students familiar with the base and our culture here.  We talk about how the weeks will go and what to expect.  Nothing can really prepare anyone for what will happen though.  There are few experiences like a DTS where students can set aside 5 months of their lives and spend time focused fully on God.  People's lives are changed and the DTS is seen as the starting point of the rest of their lives.  

This week, we are studying the Fatherheart of God.  Our focus is to get the students to understand the character of God.  So many of us come in with views that God is an angry old man shaking His fist.  Jesus describes God as a Father who has deep compassion and love for His children.  If we can start to comprehend that, it changes us.  I am always very encouraged by this week.  Our speakers are a married couple from Florida who are missionaries in Thailand.  They have a heart for counseling people and especially couples.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support as we continue on with this week.  Please pray for God to reveal His unconditional love to the students and allow it to change them.