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He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:15-19)

How cool.  Here are some more images I found.

As many of you know, I just recently returned from a five day trip to St. Louis.  The reason for my trip, Urbana 09, a missions conference for North American students hosted by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA and Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship of Canada.  A group of us InterVarsity kids in the SDSU chapter (22 to be exact) headed down late in the afternoon of the 26th.  Before we even left though, we new God was at work and had big plans for us and the world while at Urbana.  Below is my journal, as well as some reflected thoughts now that I’m back in South Dakota.

Saturday – December 26, 2009

It’s a rough ride down.  We were suppose to leave at 11 in the morning, but it ended up being much later due to the winter storm we were experiencing.  The Interstate is closed, and three members from the group are stuck on the West side of the state.  As soon as the Interstates open up, four cars decided to head on out, one stayed back to wait for those stuck still out west. We left from Brookings and made it to Sioux Falls to pick up a few more.  We soon found ourselves divided though.  Do we continue on in the bad weather, or stay there for the night.  After some discussion, and payer, we decided it was God’s will for us to move forward.  God blessed us with really good weather and safe travel to Sioux City, where we stayed the night.

Sunday – December 27th, 2009

The conference starts at 6:00 that night, so after a brief nap, we get up and head out on the road at 4:00a.  Travel is good and God blessed us all the way there. We arrive at the Hostel we are staying at.  The host was super nice and kind.  They actually gave us a night free, as well as providing free bed sheets and towels.  We quickly(ish) unloaded and started walking towards the conference.  It’s about a 4o minute walk.  We go through the registration process and head to the large group session that started at 7:00p. And wow, was it intense.  You could feel the presence of the Spirit of God.  Here there were 16,000 people from all over to worship one God.  Wow.  We started singing the song “Doxology”

Monday – December 28th, 2009

Today, we had our first Bible study.  It was a small group (read less than 100 people) study, and we dived into John 1:35-42.  Very cool stuff.  I  was reminded that in Jesus, we are given a new identity by God our Father, but I was also realized that the identity He gives us doesn’t come in fullness right away, but rather fullness in time. After the first large group session, I laid down near our group and pretended to sleep.  I was broken and just wanted to cry, so I did, and prayed.  I’d become very distracted during the worship session.  I don’t know why.  So I cried and prayed.  Finally, I was like, just keep fighting this war and things got better.

At the first seminar, we talked about sharing the gospel.  The interesting part though was when we started talking about Mark 1.

¹⁴After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ¹⁵“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

We defined near.  I always thought it meant a temporal near, but it turns out that isn’t it.  Apparently, when Jesus says the kingdom of God is near, it means that it is physically near, like you can reach out and touch it near.  How cool.

The evening large group was a full circle of emotions.  We praised and thanked God, sang in multiple languages, heard/saw Rahabs story, and heard about slavery.  Intense.

Tuesday – December 29th, 2009

Today was super intense too.  I missed all the sessions but did stop over at InterVarsity booth in the Global Connections room.  I spend about 20 minutes talking to a guy about going on staff and he asked me to come back later to do three 15 minute discipleship like meetings.  I signed up for a time slot and came back.  Each meeting ended up taking closer to 30 minutes, but it was awesome!  God really took away any reservation I had about wanting to go on staff today and I can’t wait to talk to Aimee to start going down the application process.

Break time

I think I’m going to get this part posted.  It’s almost been two months since Urbana and I want to give you all something.  I’ll do my best to get Wednesday and Thursday up sometime in the near future, but no guarantees.  I apologize for taking so long on this.

Alright, so I’ve been working on converting my Urbana 09 journal to a blog post, but it is much slower going than I thought it would be.  I’ve got 2 days done, 2 more to go.  Until I get it up though, let me just tell you, Urbana was awesomely fantastically amazing!  God was there and at work in 17,000 people.  Wow.

I’ve been thinking about my blog a bit and realize I haven’t posted much recently.  I’ve been thinking, and I think it’s about time that the purpose and direction of this blog change.  A lot is going on here at South Dakota State University since Urbana, and while I will continue to tell you about what is going on in my life, I’d like to also share with you what is going on on our campus and in the lives of people on our campus.  I probably won’t get much into it tonight, being that it is 12:30, and I’m tired, but I can tell you this.

I see a new song coming forth.  I see a generation rising up.  Something is happening on this planent that has never happend before.  It’s new, and it is real.  I can’t wait too watch it unfold through out the semester.  I heard a prayer said at iHop and this is how it went.

From the north, to the south, to the east, to the west.  Every college campus, revival!

And so that is my prayer too, as well as for the church and the nations of this world.  I believe it is coming and so I ask for your partnership in this.  Will you join in praying with me for revival for the nations.  Also, pray for us as we go out.  I thank you in advance for your prayers and support.

I am off to go sleep now.  May your morning, day, and/or night be full of blessings.

~adam

I’ve come to realize something these last few days.  Something I should have realized long ago.  There is a power out there.  It’s greater than you’re darkest of days, or your worst moment.  It’s greater than your biggest mistake.  It’s so great it will move mountains for you, cross the widest river for you.  It’s so great, that the one who wields this power would sacrifice everything for you, even one’s own life.

A friend of mine was visiting the other day.  He was talking about his daughter.  She was born into a pretty crappy situation, and her mom didn’t want that for her.  My friend adopter her.  And here is what he was saying:  ”There isn’t a thing my daughter could do that could stop me from loving her.  She might piss me off, or get herself into trouble, but I lover her.  She isn’t my flesh, begotten by me, but I love her has much as I love my own begotten son.”

I know without a doubt my friend would do anything for his daughter.  And that is the power I was speaking of.  It’s love.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately.  And to be honest, it hasn’t been fun.  You see, this week on campus, we’ve been doing a bunch of events related to human trafficking.  It hurts to know that there are at least 27 million people enslaved in the world today.  I just want to cry.  Those trafficked are sold for sex, labor, child soldiers, body parts, and who knows what else.

We watched Blood Diamond (imdb link) last night.  And all sorts of emotions started coming to me.  Thoughts of these child soldiers, who are taken, brainwashed, and trained to kill.  Thoughts of young girls (as young as 12 or 13, or younger) who are tricked or forced into prostitution.  Thoughts of how their pimps trick them into getting hooked on drugs, so the girls feel like they have to prostitute themselves to get more drugs.  Thoughts of how a 12 year old virgin girl will be sold as a virgin 2o times at $500 dollars a night, but then is sold for the normal price of $15 a night because her body is too messed up to bring in any more.

Thoughts about how in other parts of the world, you can buy a slave for $100, but can usually bargain the seller down to $50, or maybe even as little as $2.5o.  Thoughts about how people will sell a saves organ to make a quick buck on the black market, leaving their victim on the side of the road to die.  Thoughts about how this happens on the other side of the world.  Thoughts about how this happens here in the US.  Thoughts about how that happens here in South Dakota.  Thoughts about how Americans are the number one promoter for human trafficking.

It goes on and on, but I couldn’t stop there.  I started thinking about the poverty I’ve seen in Honduras and other places.  And then I started thinking about those closes to me.  I know people that have been sexually molested as a child.  Or boys who grew up without a father, even though he was just down the stairs.  At least two my close friends have experienced a suicide in their family, one heard the gun shot.

What then is my point you ask.  It goes something like this.  I see all this pain and hurt in the wold.  I see people chained to things.  I see my own pain, hurt, and chains.  And I can’t stand it.  And so I try to break free, I want to see others break free.  I’ve come to see that we can’t…at least not on our own.

Isaiah 61 keeps popping up in my life:

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,² to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.

⁵ Aliens will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

⁶ And you will be called priests of the LORD,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.

⁷ Instead of their shame
my people will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
they will rejoice in their inheritance;
and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,
and everlasting joy will be theirs.

⁸ “For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and iniquity.
In my faithfulness I will reward them
and make an everlasting covenant with them.

⁹ Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the LORD has blessed.”

¹⁰ I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

¹¹ For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise
spring up before all nations.

If you didn’t know, Jesus references this passage in Luke 4

¹⁶[Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. ¹⁷The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”^[e]

²⁰Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, ²¹and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

You see, Jesus is the Christ.  He is the only one that can free us.  He is the only one that can comfort us.  He is the only one that can heal us from our pain and hurt.  And so today, I cry out!  I’ve see Jesus do a great work in me and those friends I mentioned above.  We’re not perfect, but we know with the help of God, we can overcome anything.  But there are so many that have never even heard the name of Jesus.  Maybe you haven’t.  If you haven’t, but want to.  If you want freedom in your life, just cry out for God to come and work in your life.

If you have, then you know the power of this healing I talk about.  The rest of the world needs to hear it.  Both those that are trafficked, that those trafficking need to hear it.  Maybe it’s someone closer, your mom or dad, or maybe a sister or a son.  I encourage you, be bold!  Tell the world!