with my dear allie pile. she's a bonafide little sis to me. i had the joy of experiencing new york city for the first time ever last month.
in this picture: al and me. in harlem.
at Robert Morris University near Pittsburgh, PA last month...there's a WILD story to go along with this here baptism picture...read below for details :)
there's also a story to go along with this here picture...
suffice it to say it just involves getting unknowingly stranded a few days ago in the Californian mountains. in a blizzard.
getting stranded ain't so bad when you've got a fun co-stranded-companion though.
the view from my ma's home.
a.k.a my abode currently, too.
she has like the city's largest tree in her backyard.
and this tree has these GREAT little ornament thingys on it.
i LOVE being with my family right now.
it's pretty eye opening to be around my ma, especially...
it's all becoming so very clear where i get some of my quirkiness and hippie-ness from :)
one of my best, dearest friends, dia...well, she has an additional progeny.
a fine, strapping little man.
welcome to earth william.
i like you soooo much.
oh man. congrats Christian & D.
good job making such a beautiful human.
And now...for some more words, thoughts, etc. to get you in my head a bit more.
Here's most of my latest newsletter...enjoy!
Well friends, first of all, I’m a bit stunned here that’s it’s already been almost 6 months since I last sent an update your way. Year 2009 has been wildly full of the Lord’s goodness, nearness, and transformation. It really, truly has. One of the myriad of realities that I’ve been struck anew with this year is this: this God King of ours longs to mark each of His kids with His tangible presence, peace and joy in every moment, situation, thought, and longing of each of our lives. I find Him utterly drenching with His Presence, not just “ministry times” or times set aside for “outreach”, but- & it’s a work He is doing all over the earth- He’s spilling into all our minutes & days with His beautiful Self. In fact, here in my hometown, He’s showing up. [Boy o boy it sure seems that if we can be fully true to ourselves and love well in our hometowns, with our own families, the empowerment to love others elsewhere is increased.] Just last week- my mom felt like God had given her a ‘sense’ to go to a particular thrift store for some reason. So we head that way of course and, no joke, once we’re at the thrift store, this old woman walks past me & says, totally out of the blue, “my foot REALLY hurts today.” So she got some prayer and love from our healing, loving God and I got to brag on
our good, fun God a bit :)
the last six months…
So this is where I presently find myself friends. Loving life.
In awe all over again at just how relevant, active and intertwined with the affairs of men our God is. He is much, much too large and loving to remain within the four walls of any given church building. I am utterly consumed with the reality that His Good News is indeed JUST that for every single member of humanity. It’s News that we were always meant to live this life WITH God. In a divine partnership & romance with the one & only Perfect Love, Perfect Strength and Perfect Wisdom.
I have had the honor and joy of continuing to minister occasionally on college campuses still. Most recently I met up with some ministry friends to travel and connect with students on several campuses near Pittsburgh, PA for 10 days last month. And what God proceeded to do there still feels like a dream honestly. He utterly showed off J. Our very first night together, we were invited by students to a campus bible study at Robert Morris University. Long story short, the Holy Spirit showed up in splendor and a re-enactment of Acts 2 unfolded right before our eyes among this group of hungry college students. God’s tangible Presence, prophecy, healings, etc. went forth for a couple hours. Towards the end of our evening my friend Lindsay starts sharing stories of past baptisms on campuses around the nation this year, and a couple girls chime in, “Hey! We just became Christians last week and we haven’t been baptized yet! We want to be baptized! Can we be right now?!” The answer, of course, to that question was “YES!”
So an entire group of us starts marching across campus to some dorm showers. Along the way, we see a handful of guys and gals just smoking and chatting outside a dorm. “What are you guys doing tonight?” asks one of us. “Oh just hanging out” they reply. “Well, we’re about ready to go baptize some new Christians…wanna come?!” They look at us with this confused, yet wildly curious expression and say “Yes.” So they all come along, too. Once we’re there, 4 students total are baptized that night and a worship service of unified thankfulness and adoration to God breaks out.
I am still in touch with many of the amazing college students that I’ve met over the last many months and am almost DAILY hearing from them about miracles, healings, and salvations that continue to break out on their campuses and in their cities…this Loving God King of ours is most assuredly establishing His Kingdom all around us friends. Every day. And He invites us to be a part of it. And for this I am wildly humbled and insanely thankful.
what's next...
I am absolutely soaking up this extended time with my family and old friends back home near Kansas City, MO. I will continue to substitute teach and travel occasionally as ministry opportunities arise. I absolutely love collaborating with different dear friends of mine- all active with different ministries- yet all with the same deep soul-longing and calling to see God’s Presence utterly invade every last nook and cranny of every sphere of out society- whether Education, Media, Business, Family, etc.
I am so very keenly aware of the awakening that is stirring in this beautiful country of ours. Please feel free to check in from time to time on my friends’ website at campusamerica.org for non-stop stories of the release of Heaven on the campuses of our nation. I pray this awakening and the new, raw, massive craving for the Eternal & Miraculous & True only exponentially increases and we are awakened over & over again to Reality according to our Maker. I believe so very deeply in the youth of our nation and long to continue to spill out my days and years into the arising army of youth and 20-somethings that are lovesick and fascinated by God alone. I am freshly reminded of this deep reality: where the youth of a nation go- eventually the nation goes.
Welp, I continue to be impacted & greatly encouraged by what the Lord’s doing at Bethel church out in Redding, CA [check out some of their amazing podcasts @ ibethel.org]
But I am perhaps even more excited to have seen with my own eyes this year, that little “Bethels” are springing up ALL OVER our very nation and all over the entire earth friends. The sweetness of His Self and Presence somehow seems even more accessible in recent days. In fact, right in my own backyard @ the International House of Prayer [IHOP] here in Kansas City, God is doing a brand new work of INCREDIBLE things…please take a few moments and check it out @ ihop.org.
Ahhh the distance between Heaven and Earth seems wildly thin these days, friends. Wildly thin.
Love and appreciate each of you more than you know,
smj.
