GoOd SoiL

"Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God."

-1 Corinthians 7:17-24

We should be content with where God has placed us. God wants us to be content with the circumstances of our lives, for God Himself seems to be satisfied with them for the time being. What really matters is not what position we have, not how highly regarded we are, not how much authority we have, or whatever—but it is keeping the commandments that matters. If we are in a position, and we keep God's commandments, then it is likely that God Himself will change our circumstances for the better. He will find a way to promote us in time. This is achieved when we humble ourselves in front of God and our brothers and sisters. We are all connected to one body (1 Cor. 6:15), it is up to us to keep that body completely devoted to Gods calling on our lives. When God puts you in a certain location or position, it doesn't mean that you are to get comfortable. But, root yourself in the good soil He has put you in, ready to plant seeds in other areas as well. I myself am having to be reminded of this daily, that even though this soil He has me in now is amazing and fruitful, He has the power and authority to root me up and place me somewhere else that I am needed. Whether we are in Africa, Australia, America, Asia...we must be content in every situation, because God has a promise for us, and that promise is hope and a future. If God is for us, who shall be against us. There is nothing higher than Him, when He says that He is going to bless our jobs, ministries or callings, this means that it is going to be done. God has the authority to make it all happen, we must have faith in that authority and submit to it...no matter what the circumstances are.

As I am learning how to run a ministry and be a leader to leaders, a lot of grace and humbleness is needed. Sometimes I just want to yell and scream at people, a little righteous anger...you know...throw some tables around and crack that whip! But I am reminded when James tells us that we must "be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger" (James 1:19). This doesn't mean we lay down and be a doormat, but it means we slow down and seek God in everything. Even in those times that people drive you crazy and all you want to do is lash out. We must rest in that good soil, and know that He is faithful to answer. So many times I accuse people of making me mad, driving me to that point where I am full on anger. But anger and anxiety against our brothers and sisters are sins, we do these things to ourselves. God won't put us in those positions where we can't control our own actions, He won't temp us beyond our control (James 1:13-14). We allow ourselves to become angry and stressed out, we fall into that sin on our own, not on the account of someone else. God has given us a spirit of strength and love, anything outside of that is not of God. When I become stressed out, it's not because a situation is stressing me out, but I am just a stressed out person at that time. I just need to come to the cross and slow down, allowing God to pour His grace into me and resting in that good soil. I am hoping and praying that in my life, I am slow to speak and quick to listen to people. How are we to display the kingdom in our lives when we are just a bunch of angry and stressed out people who really don't value relationships anymore. Lately I have seen relationships dry out because pride crept in and did it's work. We must throw all those things aside and count them as rubbish (Philippians 3:8)!! Having these things in our lives would be like sitting in the sewers and covering yourselves with filth and waste. Just sitting there and allowing all this rubbish to build up on you. Think if you sat there for about a week, do you think anyone would want to come and embrace you or hang out with you. Would you feel good about yourself, would you boast about your situation...I don't think I would. Than why are we so at ease about being angry, stressed out, and counting relationships as "oh, I just don't want to talk with that person because they upset me or they did this to me"...so what!?! The kingdom is near, it is inside each of us. Let's not think that this rubbish we hold onto as attractive and "just a part of life on earth". I will not stand and think that anger and broken relationships are just part of life, I refuse...not denial...but truth in Christ. Do you think there are going to be anger and stress in heaven...of course not...than why do we bring these into our lives. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Gods kingdom will be on earth as it it in heaven, lets press in and live our lives in that promise.

For His Glory,

Ian

CreAtiVitY...SaY WhhhhhhAt

"Christianity has been buried inside the walls of churches and secured with the shackles of dogmatism. Let it be liberated to come into the midst of us ad teach us freedom , equality and love."

-Minna Canth

This past week has been epic, I hosted a team from Newcastle who I worked with at YouthStreet 5 Day Escape in the Gold Coast. This was my first team to host, so I really wanted to be obedient in the spirit. Before the team even got here, Kevo and I were praying into their week here. Trying to seek God as to what kind of things He wanted them to do while they were here. We both kept getting the word "boldness", with two evangelists together I wouldn't expect anything else. So we started to put ideas down on paper, most of them were things that we have done in the past. I kept wanting new and fresh ideas with this team, if I was going to be taking this leadership role on, I wanted to be creative. I left Kevo's house that night and sat in the prayer room trying to hear God a little more clearer. Success came while we were in Newcastle, having coffee with the leaders of the team we were hosting. I was looking at this guy who was sitting across from us, he seemed like he would have an amazing story. I was feeling tired (not the usual at a coffee shop) and really didn't want to be talking with anyone at that time...immediate conviction. Then I thought, what if God just had his story written right on his shirt so that I could just read it and save all that introduction time. After that I thought, well shoot if he's going to have his story written on his shirt, why not stand on a street corner for everyone to see, a captive audience. I kept thinking of being back in the states with a lot of broken men and women standing on street corners with cardboard signs begging for any kind of help. Gods creativity hit me, why not have the students write a few word testimony of their lives onto a piece of cardboard and have them stand on the streets of Byron Bay. Not asking for help from someone else, but offering the best thing...freedom! The idea instantly became a fire in my heart and I knew that God was going to do some amazing things with this outreach team. I quickly shared my heart with the outreach leaders and they loved it, God is SO creative!

The team arrived in Byron that Friday (9 October) and the week got kicked off with the free BBQ. Such an amazing time for students to step out in boldness and just have a good time. All the pressures are removed and people can really just be themselves at the park, and a lot of the times this is the exact case. We have had people do full on dances for us, people singing, and even the occasional drunken outburst. Making the BBQ inclusive is a value that we love, not turning people away for anything...be Jesus to the broken! This weeks BBQ was amazing, each of the students stepped out and had amazing conversations and even connected with some people that they had met previously at another BBQ. I met a gnarly dude (Clint) who was living south of Byron, he was visiting some mates and just enjoying the surf. It was good to connect with someone who knows the local spots and can actually hold a conversation about the local swell. He has traveled the world and even took a snowboarding trip to New Zealand, pretty epic story. We exchanged info and I am planning on crashing with him as I head down to Newcastle for the next couple of weeks doing an internship with YouthStreet. It was an overall good night, the students had sweet testimonies of how they prayed for people and even got rejected a few times (treasures in heaven...shhhyyyeeeaahhh). I am so proud of this DTS, they step out in boldness because they want to be stretched and strengthened, not because we ask them to...fear of God...NOT man! This past week with the Newie team has taught me a lot about be a leader to leaders. It's about being the first one up and the last to leave...making sure everyone is accounted for and things are rolling smoothly. Throughout the week we went to places around Byron Bay and worked in the town. One of the days we went to Nimbin, which is a hippie town that welcomes any form of smoking and relaxing. Police are but a distant thing, along with bad vibes and Jesus. The spiritual atmosphere in Nimbin is very heavy and depressing. You can feel the hurt and the pain that has been poured into this town throughout the years. The people here are just searching for some kind of release, a way to get away from the world and into their own. Anyways, we set up our free BBQ and went into the town screaming "FREE Bar-B!". I have learned that when someone is higher than Georgia pine, screaming is the last thing they want in their lives. But by hook or by crook, we were going to get them to the bar-b. People started to show up and fill the park that we set up in, a lot of them were backpackers who came in search of a quick score. Beginning conversations with people has become a joy to me, compared to a few months ago when it was this huge fear of man. But now I desire for these conversations to be fruitful, truthful, and peaceful. Jesus was so beautiful in the way he talked with people, there was such a peace about his speech but he spoke with authority and strength. I struggle with trying to reflect this character of Jesus, I desire to be able to tell stories like Christ did with his audience. What if we could relate to everyone we talked to, not by conforming our lives around theirs, but using scripture to reveal to them things about their lives that only God knows. So many times I feel that we make the gospel easier to preach and easier for others to hear, so that we aren't confrontational. The truth about scripture is that it is going to be offensive, no matter how you might switch things around. So let's shoulder our crosses and preach a bold gospel and not a neutered gospel, as Tony Campolo put it. After talking with several people (I was cooking that day so the conversations were usually surface level) a man approached us and you could tell that all he wanted was a hug. With arms open wide, we each embraced this gnarly looking dude and asked how his day was going. He then proceeded to tell us that he was going to kill himself that day because life wasn't worth living. My jaw hit the floor as I tried to regain my composure to de-escalate the situation. I asked him why he would ever want to end his life, especially when hope and joy are available to him. He tried to speak, but there was something wrong with his speech. I couldn't tell if he was mentally handicapped or the alcohol was kicking in, either way he was difficult to understand. The man just kept telling me that he was going to hang himself, no reservations or denying this fact. I kept thinking to myself "Jesus, what would you do, how would you talk to this man, what story would you tell him, please please please!". A couple of the boys took the man aside and started to speak with him, they told me that he was trying to give them all of his possessions. I went back to cooking, but couldn't stop praying for him. Soon I lost track of my thoughts and started talking to people as they came to get food. AHHHHHH, why didn't I anguish over that man, why didn't I just leave the bar-b and talk to the man myself. I was frustrated with myself and didn't even want anything else but to sit down with that man and possibly share some coffee with him. Paul used to anguish over those who didn't believe, why didn't I...why why why.

"I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers..." -Romans 9:1-3

The rest of the BBQ went great, the students got to pray with people and had some great chats. I didn't hear one story that didn't end in someone hearing about Jesus...yeeeeew, victory! Later on in the week, I took the team into Byron and we set up for some creative evangelism! I really feel that the more someone presses into evangelism and into prayer, God will reveal new things to them about how to reach people. This has become so true in my life, God is totally rockin up with the creativity and challenge. That day we were doing sidewalk chalk evangelism, let those artistic hearts come alive with passion! I was able to walk around and see each of the students drawings and words of encouragement. They were epic in the places that they posted up, right in the middle of the busiest parts of town. They didn't care, offensive or truthful, they were writing it all. You could tell peoples expressions as they walked past the chalk, most people just tried to avoid stepping on anything while others couldn't care less. A lot of persecution came, but the more people laughed and mocked, the more bolder they got. One of the pieces even got mopped up by a store owner who wasn't too pleased with what they were doing. The day was a huge victory and I was stoked with what the rest of the week was to bring. The next day we split into teams, one team took the beach while the other cooked pancakes (breakfast in the middle of the day, also a classy move). So many great conversations came out of making pancakes. People would always ask "why are you cooking pancakes in the middle of the day", which we responded with "why not". It was such a blessing to be able to bless the community with this, locals were so grateful and backpackers could have kissed us for the free food. Even though I got a little injury while playing rugby with some of the lads, I wasn't going to let a pull or tear or whatever it was ruin my time. I got to talk with this awesome guy from Switzerland and his girlfriend from Austria. He couldn't believe that people would cook pancakes just to be a blessing. Those are the reactions I love and hate hearing, when people are completely shocked at the generosity of another person. These kinds of things should be taken in and appreciated, not as a shocker. It just shows me how far society has come from the original. When God first planted that seed in our hearts, we have distorted it and shaped it to the liking of our desires. But I love these people so much, their hearts are so alive with Jesus that I can see Him in everyone I talk to. God placed eternity in the heart of every man (Ecclesiastes 3:11), everything else that comes out is of evil. I desperately want the eyes of Jesus, how He would see all this rubbish.

This past Thursday we had an epic VolleyBall tourney. We brought out two nets, a huge tent, sound systems, and plenty of tunes. We had been advertising this for the past week, so we expected quite the crowd to show up. There ended up being 15 teams with 4 players to each team, pretty good turn out. The tourney was kicked off and people were lovin it, a few of them even suggested that we do this once a week...shhhyyyeeeaaahhhh! One of the guys even trusted me to play for him in a game, our team ended up winning of course..ha. So much good came out of these games, people heard about Jesus and how amazing He is! One bloke even told me that "you can't be a Christian, you guys are too cool to be Christians", amen...ha! I love it, when people lose their stereotypical ideas of what a Christian is and open their eyes to something radical and true. We quickly packed up shop and made it home just in time for dinner. This night was to be classic, more creative evangelism! Both the Byron crew and the Newcastle crew teamed up for this one, we were going to do cardboard testimony night. I explained to the schools how God inspired me to be more creative with my evangelism, starting with ideas like this. I shared with them Revelation 12:11 "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony", which I remember thinking of how relevant this scripture is to evangelism when I first read it. We overcome Satan with the cross and with our very testimonies, gotta get fired up! I held up my cardboard, which simply read "Saved By Grace". I have the students a few minutes to ask God what they should write on their cardboard. I also told them not to be surprised if God asks them to write something personal and bold, which is what exactly happened to a few of them. They wrote some of their deepest and darkest secrets on cardboard for the world to see, such glory to the kingdom! We went into the town looking like a mob, hearts abandoned and ready for Jesus. One of the students (Devan) got the image of everyone lined up along the streets with about 10 yards between us. We spread out in the town and ended up doing exactly what his image was, it was epic! People would walk down the street and just stare at us, reading the signs and reacting in surprising ways. Some would just laugh and continue, some would stop and ask questions, and others completely flipped out in front of us and cursed us for what we were doing which just made us stand stronger! I got to talk with this one bloke for an hour about the fact that I am waiting to have sex. He was hilarious, but completely wrong in his beliefs. I shared with him my testimony and how I encountered God, which he was interested in. I simply told him that God wants to encounter him, this completely blew him away. "How does God want to encounter me, why?" We talked about a personal relationship with THE God of creation, and what that looks like. I didn't get to pray for Steve that night, but I know God is going to put some rad people in his life. The rest of the students had crazy stories of people thinking they were homeless and offering them money and food, but all we had to offer them was Jesus! It is so true that when you have nothing, you have everything. This makes me want to live on the streets of Byron Bay for a little while, connect with the community on a more personal level. I think I might just challenge some of the boys to go into the streets with me one weekend and just bring our cardboard signs and a bible...done! Next time you read this blog, it will be about our time on the streets...yeeeew so blessed with Gods creativity! I hope and pray that God is using you all in amazing ways, that you are stepping out in boldness and doing it all for the glory of His kingdom. We will be in His kingdom one day, how big do we want the party to be...lets go and make disciples of all the nations! Bless yaz!

For His Glory,

Ian

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant"

-Robert Louis Stevenson

Purely Organic

"The measure of the Church’s influence is found in society-on the streets, not in the pews."

Organic Church-Neil Cole

As this week has unfolded, I am realizing how epic our God really is. Finding God in the streets and in the lives of those I encounter among the lost and broken. True joy is found when we declare freedom in others, pouring out our lives until it hurts. I can't get over how genuine and organic Christ was in his ministry. So many times in my life I get foolish as to what society says I should be, what the world suggests is acceptable and good. I have been convicted with this question, "If Christ was alive today in our society, would he be worried about what looks cool or what others think of him?". The answer is no of course, than why do we worry about these things? Have we become so distant from the truth that we are now conforming to wherever or whoever we are around? I am not saying that we should go out and burn our possessions and start wearing burlap sacks, but where do our desires root from. Can you imagine that, the new hip clothes found in shops are burlap sacks and hemp (you can probably still find all that here in Byron Bay...haha...seriously). I say all this because I have seen a pattern in my life and of some of my closest crew. We are never contempt with what we have, there is always something bigger and better on the other side; new clothes, new surfboard, more more more!! Again, God will bless us with amazing gifts and it is up to us to glorify His kingdom with them. All these things are not ours to begin with, but where is our heart rooted. Is it in the glamor and popularity of looking the role, or are we truly sold out for Jesus. Truthfully, I just want to lose myself in the kingdom of God. Finding my resting place somewhere between Gods throne and the cross. You know that place where peace is abundant and you never want to leave, just resting in the spirit...that's where my heart is. Being completely radical, completely passionate, completely truthful, completely bold, completely sold out, completely saved from the normal, praying for freedom!

"But now that you know God--or rather are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?"

-Galatians 4:9

ThE LiKenEsS Of JESUS

So many times in my walk with Jesus, I always used to think that having the likeness of Jesus would be THE best thing....I was soooo right! Lately, I have been seeking that desire more and more as I press into getting this new ministry started (YouthStreet) and leading outreach teams as they come to Byron Bay. I have really had to step outside of myself and realize that it's not about what I want, it's ALL about glorifying a kingdom that is so amazing and radical that we have no other choice but to follow it's king. While I was at home these past few months, my feet were somewhat stagnant and my heart was lukewarm along the way. To be honest, I had lost my passion and fire in a lot of areas, mainly my faith. I used to wake up in the middle of the night and wonder what this all was for, why was I being so stubborn and childish. Immaturity started to creep into my mind, and I would wonder if this was even the life I wanted. Why not just pack everything up and move to Africa, where I could not help but be compassionate and loving. My attitude was sour and it started to pour out of my heart onto those I love the most. It really is miry clay that we sink into, the more we struggle with our own energy and strength, the deeper we sink. Yet, all we need to do is lift our hands and God grabs hold, lifting us up with grace and joy. I remember being asked the question "What kind of God do we serve?", loving, joyful, peaceful, kind, compassionate, strong, just, FAITHFUL! God was completely faithful the entire time, as I changed with my own struggles and trials, God was constantly waiting for me to rise up and break the chains. I swear, freedom is a heavenly drug that never gets old and never loses its flavor. If freedom was the only thing declared in my life forever...done, I'm all in! God works through it, in it, and with it. As I arrived in Australia, I still held on to this immaturity though, with knowledge that it had to go. After getting settled here in Byron, Kevo asked me to take a few days and pray into my position here. Not that we both didn't already know, we just wanted to have the likeness of Jesus and spend some time in the wilderness...some of the most rad days of my life. God rocked up and revealed things to me about YouthStreet, my own life, and the reason for all this foolishness. I couldn't believe it, it felt as though I had been taken out of the fire and placed in freedom. Freedom to arrive into any place and be used by God in an incredible way...first stop Byron Bay! I have always seen Australia as a launching pad for my journeys into the nations, how true. My home will always be the sweet south of America (Go Gators!), but my heart is lost somewhere deep in the broken and abandoned. I can't help but smile when I think of Africa and all those beautiful smiles, or Asia with their innocent laughter. Places where love and joy are a lost fruit, places where a hug means more than money itself. I just want to wrap those kids in my arms, spin around with them, and then share dinner with them over a bottle of Yoo-Hoo (every kid needs to experience one bottle of Yoo-Hoo in their lives). Anyways, I could go on about these kids for pages and pages...one day.

Over the past few weeks, I have been establishing contacts and relationships with the local council and the local community. I hooked up with the local Christian Surfer rep who teaches at the high school. Christian Surfers and high school youth, God is so epic in the way He works. I have been going into the school on Tuesdays and hangin with the kids. So many just want to talk about surfing and skating in Florida, which I am sooooo keen on! But there are a few who ask questions about God and how I encountered Him for the first time, those are the ones I know who are going to be instant YouthStreet crew! After chattin for a bit with the mob, we take a group out to wherever the surf is good that day. Usually we end up surfing for about an hour and then joking and chasing each other around with wet sandy towels for about 2 hours. The relationships I have with these kids is epic, they invite me out with them and I am even able to chat with their folks. Over this next week I am going to have all the crew over for a BBQ at the base with their families. A little time for them to get to know my crew and how YouthStreet is going to be run. I really pray that this is going to be a good time to explain to the parents my heart for Byron Bay and the local youth, no reservations but ALL boldness. I look forward to Tuesdays, it's such a rad day with gnarly kids. It's so true that we hang out with youth to become one again...except without all the homework (I like to remind them of that...suckas!). I would love to be able to spend more time with these kids than just a couple of days during the week, but ministry work is time consuming as I am learning. Besides working with Christian Surfers and the local high school, I am responsible for hosting all the outreach teams that come through Byron Bay, along with getting ready for YouthStreet.

Last week I got the opportunity to spend some time with the Newcastle YouthStreet. They were having their 5 Day Escape at Burleigh Heads (about an hour north of Byron). The 5 Day Escape is similar to summer camp, but packed into 5 days of sugar driven craziness!! I arrived to the camp a few hours earlier than the campers, so I got to go and connect with some of the local boys in the surf. Such a good time to chat with the lads, in the water where they don't want to leave, what a captive audience! I told a few boys about YouthStreet and how we are starting it in Byron, they were stoked to hear that we are going to be hosting a surf and skate tourney in late Feb. 2010. Timeout...I truly feel that to be involved in a ministry you have to be able to connect with those you are reaching out to...am I right? So, I have picked back up skating, which is being perfected through bruises and some sailor lingo. Having no shoes (a prerequisite when living in Byron) and no board, it's hard to become Tony Hawk over night. But with plenty of band-aids and finding the right board shop (cheap), things will progress nicely. OK, where was I...right...left the surf that day totally on fire for YouthStreet! The kids arrived that night with some of the Newcastle crew that I had hung out with during my trip down there a few weeks ago. Each night was filled with guest bands, games, a recap video of that day, and supper (Australia snack time after dinner is over...lovin it!!) During the day we would split off into our teams (GO WHITE Team!), and we would have certain activities already planned for us. There were about 10 youth in my group, which meant plenty of trips to the nurse and a heavy lose of sleep. One day we went canoeing (my guys were over it once they got the chance to tip the canoe and then pirate mine), another day we went to Surfers Paradise (this was a chance for the leaders to sit in a coffee shop while the kids spent their parents money), the last day we went to Dreamworld which is similar to any Six Flags back in the US. The schedule was made perfectly for the youth, because it gave them a chance to cut loose and have some fun but also get grounded during the evening. During our time in Surfers Paradise some of the lads bought purity rings and even evangelised to other youth on the streets!! One of the kids was in the cabin next to mine and I couldn't believe his boldness on the streets (future Mark Cahill). That same night, those youth came up to me with a bible and asked me to tell them about God and how I encountered Him for the first time...I almost ripped the pages as I dug into scriptures for them. They even asked if they could pray for me at the end...such legends, my heart was on fire!!! By the end of camp, my heart had been ripped open by God for the youth here, they have such passion and boldness, it blows my mind. But God also showed me a heart for a bit of the older crowd (18-25). These are the same ages as the DTS students that normally come through YWAM. I would love to be able to rise up leaders as they come through DTS, so that they might be able to lead these youth. I truly believe this is going to be the generation that shakes the nations and draws people closer to Christ than any other. After all the cabins were cleaned up (mine being the worst...so proud), the kids loaded the buses and 15 new youth were going home with tickets to the kingdom, yeeeeew! Victory was declared over those kids and they now have such a freedom!

I now know what it means to truly be in a ministry, sold out all in for Gods glory. Pressing in early each morning and late each night. Praying until you lose your voice and fall to the floor with strength. Consuming scripture because you want to be able to lead people more and more with the power of Gods word. Crying out in your weakness because calling someone or spending time on facebook just isn't good enough! Dreaming of those places that God is going to take you to (Africa!). Building relationships with complete strangers on the street. Stepping out in boldness in every conversation and creating peace with your actions. Declaring freedom in every life because that's what Jesus did. Finding joy in every situation simply because you can. Giving until it hurts. Losing it all for the kingdom but gaining it all for eternity. Living in the moment. Breaking the chains. Saved from being normal. Having the likeness of Jesus! Bless yaz!

For His Glory,

Ian

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, 'He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.' But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."

-Hebrews 10:35-39

Catch Up!

Oi!

hey mob! I don't think I am going to wait a few weeks to update this blog next time...haha, so much has gone down. Soon after the students arrived here in Byron, I shared my heart with them on evangelism, injustices around the world, and YouthStreet! It was amazing their responses to my passions, they have such a desire to spread the name of Jesus, it blows me away. During our second week, I invited them all out one night to go into town for some pizza and ginger beer (a very prized combo here in Byron). The night started out sweet, with stories and jokes about our lives back home, an epic night was just starting. As we were sitting around, I started to talk about this book called "The One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven". I told them how it ignited my passion for the lost and broken and how it instilled me with boldness and passion. I shared a few of my stories from the times I would go out into the local malls and hangout spots. All of a sudden, one of the girls stood up and started walking towards a group of kids sitting around a bench, who were drinking and smoking at the time. As she was talking with them, I was in such amazement of how an 18 year old from California had such confidence among these local Aussie youth. I got to talking to this group of local lads from Byron Bay High School, they were excited to here about YouthStreet and what it is going to be doing (mainly the surf and skate tournaments). After finishing my conversations, this girl was still talking with those kids, about an hour at this point!!! I almost wanted to go and join her so that I might connect with these youth on the level that she was, but PaPa just whispered to me to sit and wait for the victory. The group was laughing and some had even but down their drinks in order to dance with her and run around. I started to be filled with joy on how strong the spirit was moving in the lives of those kids, all because a girl decided to be obedient to Gods voice. When she returned, her smile was so contagious, I couldn't help but find such peace in the way she described her time with them. The other students had even bolder stories of their talks with some of the local hippies (love those hippies!). FAR OUT, this was just our first night going out into the town!!! We didn't see any salvation's that night, but God sure did work in the hearts of our students!

After the weekend, the students started entering their lecture phase of DTS. Chris Twinn came and spoked to them about the character and nature of God (one of my favorite topics). This was going to be the week that Kevin (base director), Paul (future staff), and myself would head to Newcastle in order to look more deeply into YouthStreet. After a few stops with some of the lads from Christian Surfers, we finally arrived in Newcastle! This is the base at which YouthStreet started, and is a very creative base when it comes to ministry, so I was already stoked for our trip. The first day was spent mainly getting to know the local staff and finding out what YouthStreet was all about. We met with a dude named Daniel, he has been with YouthStreet since the beginning and shared his heart with us. If I said I was stoked about what he was talking about, I would be understating the whole thing. He described how YouthStreet is dynamic in its ministry and is passionate to its core. The idea of this ministry is to not only equip these youth, but also send them into the nations (my exact heart!!!!). He shared stories of taking the crew (YouthStreet name for the youth) into China for a skate board ministry program, trips to Thailand, and Indonesia. This is the factor of YouthStreet that captures my heart and the hearts of the youth...adventure, danger, and fighting for a cause. The youth of today don't want to just be kept within the walls of a church or youth building, they want to break free and declare Christ's name to the nations. When was the last time you met a teenager who just wanted to live life with no sacrifices or no real adventure (if you find one, send em to Byron Bay). The next day we met with the base director of Newcastle and had some one on one time with him. All the guys at the base call him Steve-O, which I learned quickly how he lives up to such a rad name. Steve-O is a Kiwi lad who enjoys to take things to the next level...jokes, conversations, and rugby games! It was a blessing to be able to sit and talk with him and to hear his perspective on the future of YouthStreet. A total man after Gods heart, I couldn't get enough of his joy for the local youth and for the nations. That day, starting in the avo (afternoon), YouthStreet was kickin off! The kids arrived with their surf borads, skate boards, and a nice heavy dose of sugar mixed with some kind of energy drink...it was on!! We quickly split up into our groups and headed out, my car of course was the last to pull out, with keys locked in the boot and kids running around frantically...it was a sane persons nightmare. Finally made it out to the big blue where the waves were somewhat alive, just enough to paddle around and have a go. It's so peaceful just sitting in the water waiting for the swell to come in, and then you mix in the youth, and all that peace gets drowned by heavy jokes and water fights...dude I love these kids! It's so funny how they say you work with kids to become one again, soooo true! After some time in the water and doing flips off the rocks into the sand, we bolted from the beach back to the base where the fun was just getting kicked off...on to YouthStreet Live. Live is the singing/dancing/jumping up and down while flailing your body around/moshing/pushing part of the night. It was the first time I had seen any youth go crazy for the song Solution by Hillsong, maybe it was the skitzy (cool or gnarly, you'll learn em as ya go) guitars going crazy! The night was filled with sweat, praising, and a 28 year old bloke with a blonde wig on impersonating Taylor Swift...epic! They finished Live off with a testimony and a time for the youth to look at their lives and see how change is so important for their continual growth (praise God that He is never changing in the midst of our growth and stretching). By the end of the night, 10 kids stood up and expanded the kingdom! One of the lads had been coming to YouthStreet for the past 2 years, and was one of the most shut off and closed cases these leaders had ever seen. But here he was, standing with his Jesus in complete FREEDOM! I went to bed that night in complete shock on how powerful this ministry really was. The excitement and energy they created with these youth was awesome, it was so hard to even try and calm down to fall asleep. After leaving Newcastle I could tell that God was placing a major project in my hands, kinda scared but bold enough to shrug that lie off. The next day took the long road back to Byron Bay, but I don't think that car hit the ground once on the way home. All we could do was pray and worship God for such an epic week and an even more inspirational time spent with the crew!

The week when we returned Kevo (base director) decided to share with me his heart for YouthStreet and my role in YWAM Byron Bay. We sat down one night and started to bounce ideas off of one another concerning the future of Byron Bay and how that looks for the next school (January 2010). I love when I get together with this guy, he has such a heart for evangelism and the local youth here in Byron, you can imagine how late that night went with him and I (tea and cookies were of course laid out). We discussed my roles here in Byron and how they would shape this new system he wants to work with. I am now the official leader of the evangelism crew, which basically includes; YouthStreet director, Outreach Team leader for teams that come to Byron Bay, evangelism nights with the school, and leader for Schoolies and Impact Summer (two major events with the youth of Australia). I am stoked to take on these roles and stretch not only those who I work with, but myself in the process. God is definitely teaching me about pressing into Him and saving those wilderness times to just be still. It's amazing how leadership roles will really bring the trueness out of an individual, it's those vulnerable times that God blows His spirit into our hearts and tears down our understanding...love it!!! Since the school began, the students have been going on "treasure hunts" every Wednesday. Basically, our base leader has a huge heart for evangelism, which fires me up every time I talk to him. He is the kind of guy that can go on for hours when talking about something he is passionate about, yeeeeew bring it on!!! Anyways, Kevo has been reading this book called "The Ultimate Treasure Hunt", which outlines a creative way of evangelism. I can compare it to "The One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven", it gives detailed stories of Kevin Dedmon's adventures out on the streets. Dedmon's way of evangelism is incredible, they pray before going out on specific things for God to give them. One person might get a number of random things on their paper, whether it be...green, shovel, dolphin, ocean, van. You pray into things like this, random words that connect you to your next divine appointment. So many of the students have had awesome testimonies to these "treasure hunts". Kevo was at out free bbq one night, and had all the things on his list put into one guy....red, dread-locks, brown, foot. The guy had a red shirt on, dread-locks, very dark skinned, and he had hurt his foot earlier that day. Kevo was able to show him the list and how God gave him each of those items before he even met the guy, needless to say, the guy was blown away!! Kevo got to pray with him that night and even share with him the love of Christ, I freakin love how God is so creative. It is stories like this one that fire me up and instill me with boldness to proclaim His name, no matter what the cost. Evangelism has become a huge part of YWAM Byron Bay, the staff as a whole have learned that it is the most important thing for a DTS student to learn, sharing the love of Christ. A different time me and a few of the students were out having pizza and ginger beer at the beach, I saw these two guys at the pizza place who looked to be Middle Eastern. There is something about Middle Eastern culture that just draws me in, I couldn't help but go and strike up a conversation with them. They ended up being from Saudi Arabia, studying here in Australia for the next few months, their names were Zee and Mutu Alabassam. They were Muslim and were really searching for answers as to what this whole religion thing is all about, I quickly said "so am I". We talked about how religion is just mans own way of controlling his or her own life, that true freedom is found in Christ. They were quick to respond with their own view on Jesus and what His life was all about here on earth. I loved the fact that the more passionate I got, they were smiling and responding with a joyful argument...I loved these guys! We sat on the beach for about an hour talking about how the bible was written by man but inspired by God. I explained to them the first church of Acts, and how each of the members gave to one another and lived in complete community. They each loved this idea of living in complete community, loving one another with a freedom to just be. I also told them that this freedom was given to us when Christ died for our sins, they just sat back on nodded their heads. Even though they didn't renounce their faith then and there (haha, bring on the truth), a seed was planted and I know they will think of this conversation as they head back to Saudi Arabia. I can't get over how faithful God is when you are just bold in your words, its kinda like when God is talking to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:17-19. We must stand up in confidence that God is going to strengthen us and protect us in our boldness. Over the past few weeks, nights like these have become a common occurrence for the students. They will come home with stories about them hanging out with locals and completely sharing with them the scriptures. Most of the times I will go with them, but being busy with YouthStreet keeps me confined at least till Wednesdays and the free bbq. It has been such a blessing to see them go out on their own and just have a heart for the lost and the broken. A few times they have even brought home with them some people they met on the street, some of them will sleep over and then join us for dinner the next day. It's such a great way for us to connect with them and show them the love of Christ in a way that they have probably never seen before. I say we all break the stereotypes of those who love Jesus and start bringing more people off the streets into our homes for dinner or maybe even to the local market for a sandwich and a coffee. Let us pour out the love and proclaim freedom into the lives of those who are searching. Bring on His kingdom and all its glory!!! Bless yaz! Love you all!

For His Glory,

Ian

Live Courageously-Week 1

Hey Crew!

Far Out! Finally arrived here in Australia. A mad dash to the gate in Tampa, a few more plane rides, and heaps of hours later...I have officially set my feet on Oz soil. It all seems so surreal, being at the base in Byron Bay. The leadership here as changed, but this base is going to grow into something bigger than anyone could have ever imagined. With fresh ideas and new ministry opportunities, God is going to rock up and do some epic things! As being a fairly new base and a small one at that, God has plenty of room to stretch his hands.

Spending these first few days with good company and trying to catch up on jet lag and of course, my Aussie lingo. I can't believe God has brought me to somewhere so beautiful and safe. I struggled with the fact of coming to a place that is not torn by some kind of injustice. To be in a place where my life is on the line for the sake of the cross, my heart seems to leap for joy. But my best friend reminded me of the leadership and ministry growth that occurs in a community of like mindedness...and what better place than the one which challenged me and pushed me to grow in a way that I never knew was possible. This is going to be an epic year that will bring much fruit to my life and those I work with.

Headed down to the Sunshine Coast and had an amazing time. We took a van that was less than healthy. With a dead battery and a none existent alternator, we were up creek! Had to jump start the battery a few times before anything would happen, left in a parking lot in the middle of the night, slept in the very van I never wanted to see again, and broke down on my way home....this would be a trip I would never trade for anything. Regardless of all the troubles this beast of a van gave us, one of the best weekends ever. Finally arrived back in Byron Bay, driving on a prayer and holding my breath for the best. The new students were already here, I was supposed to be picking them up earlier, but the van decided to be a huge embarrassment. Enough with the van, the new mob are EPIC! Each DTS holds their own different vibe, I am diggin this school. They are passionate, courageous, and they love to evangelize!!!!!!!!! I am sooooo stoked to be able to challenge them and probably learn from them at the same time. I can't wait to tell them about "The One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven", and start handing out tracks and telling dudes and chicks about Jesus....expand the kingdom!

Took the crew out to the town and gave them a chance to get to know the people and of course, the surf. Gave a few lessons and they were rippin the waves in no time. It is such an encouragement to sit on the beach and watch as students just walk up to people and strike up a conversation about Jesus...and we haven't even started the school yet!!! I keep praying that this passion and courage keeps building in their hearts and in mine. I really believe if you can confidently evangelize in a western nation, you can evangelize anywhere! These tools will become soooooo useful to them as they head on outreach in a short 4 months. Such an amazing group, love em!

Here are their names, if you could be praying for them that would be amazing. I know on my DTS some of the hardest things were being broken to allow God to fill us up again, and just finding the time to be alone with God. Thanks heaps for all your prayers and support. Bless yaz!

-Kylie

-Elise

-Charmina

-Mimi

-Jared

-Laura

-Ezekiel

-Devan

-Amanda

-Hunter

-Jake

-Tom

For His Glory,

Ian