Best Day In A Long Time! (Picture Story)

And this has been my day (it's been a very long week/or two of me being in a lot of physical pain and asking for things but everything seeming to hit the ceiling and flop in front of me - ever have those days/weeks/month like this?) 

My day starts out really good as I wake up at 8am (not 4, 4:30, 5:30, 6, 6:30, etc - as I described I've had alot of physical pain in my back) and it's a good day. I'm painting on stage today during worship at school so I need to get my canvas ready and I decide I'm going to use the 5x2 ft piece of cardboard as my canvas to mix things up. My roommate has to go early and I get a ride (which I had to be there early so it was perfect.  I knew I wanted to draw an eye (I like eyes, I usually draw the right one and as blue, but I felt like I should make it green and draw the left one) so I did. It was a lot of fun but we had less than 30 minutes today due to a guest speaker so I was trying to hurry and didn't get to finish it, but I wanted a completed enough version because I knew it would sit there for another hour afterwards.

Kris Valloton teaching after worship. My painting is the giant eye on the left.

I painted the eye during worship and got to make it green. (It looks much different when your 18 inches away then stepping back a ways.) When we paint we're encouraged to ask God for a picture to paint. This way it can encourage someone else, and sometimes people will get healed of different things by looking at your painting (eyes, bipolar, elbows, back issues, even feet are all stories I've heard of) It's because God is the creator and likes to inhabit the praises of His people weather praise is in musical form or pictorial form - He's in it.

As I sat down a girl grabbed my shirt and asked to talk to me. Her left eye which is green has been irritated and inflamed for a while now and given her lots of issues. It's blurry some and she can't see out of it very well. When she saw me painting it, God said "that's your new eye, get that guy to pray for you." So she came and asked me to pray for her. I did and she said something was happened but it was about the same. I prayed again and am thanking God for the "something" and expecting to hear how God healed her. At the end I took her picture with the painting then gave it to her. Her name's Amy from Vancouver, Canada who came for a conference tonight and wanted to check out the school in the process. :)

(This is huge for me because I've been talking/arguing with God about how I hear stories like this but I never see them. God has also continued to push my art and for me to do it, but I don't see the point in it on a grand scheme. In fact, 20 min before worship I decided art wasn't as important as preaching and that's what I wanted to do for a greater impact. haha. Well... He has His ways of re-emphasizing.) 

After school it was insanely beautiful and 60ish degrees so I decided to walk home and take the long way.

The sun was setting and I was a happy camper.

I 

I had just finished talking to God at the end of school about how I wanted a friend to just go on a walk with and talk with. At this point on the walk I remembered this and realized how He knows me so well.

He highlighted these birds on the left that we're a dazzling white (picture doesn't do justice) and reminding me "I think you're that pure." I smiled.

Sunset walk along the river after a good day. Yes please.

Then I found a little trail off the trail and some beautiful scenes. He began to speak to me...

A dark pathway doesn't mean you shouldn't go there, it just means the light isn't yet getting there as much. And a dark path is still a path... meaning others have gone there before you. 

(dark path represented the darker countries -spiritually)

I found a path and walked along it. Throughout the next hour I never once turned back or had to back track. God was saying, "keep walking and I'll make a way through this." Then it occurred to me:

"There's no way this can happen" is not a good excuse, it's actually an invitation for Jesus. He doesn't need a way, He is the way. He makes the way by Him just being there. So anytime there isn't a possible way for it to happen, it means it's only Jesus that can get us there. (There was no way to get to heaven, Jesus came and now there is (John 3:16-17))

I walked along the river and the alge in the river turned the water different colors of green. Where most people would say "eeww" my thought was "How cool is my God? My God can even turn the clear water into colors. Clear into Colors!" Then He went onto explain, "Don't call anything/anyone I've created ugly or consider them gross, they're mine and I'm showing off."

I couldn't help but just be tickled and amazed as the sunset filled the trees around me. I kept walking and found a little spot by the river, but I didn't want to turn back, I wanted to see God make a way.

And He did. It was beautiful to see it along the path of stones.

As I walked along the stones I thought "smooth stones gathered by the river...David & Goliath"

Then I thought:

You're walking among giant killers. Choose your giant. 

This also came after the last talk of the day was about spiritual warfare and helping people get free from attack. The stories were good teaching lessons, but also very comical because we see the size of God in comparison and how what were once great giants are now just targets for the Holy Spirits new dwelling place. The other side of this was realizing the stature of the men and women of God that I go to school with. These people are going to change the world. They're giant killers. So the rocks and the people around me are giant killers. And God is asking "What giants do you want to kill? Choose which issue you want to take down? Sex trafficking? Pornography? Depression? Sickness? Poverty? Religion? Which one(s) do you want?

Then I found a stick. It was the perfect size stick. My fun activity for day 4 was to sword fight with my stick/sword. Except since no one was around, I returned to my enemy when I was 5 years old...other trees.  Needless to say, I'm a little stronger now than I was then and I broke my sword.

But I found another sword that made me feel like a wizard.

I realized my new stick was actually just a star collector. 

I put this one in my pocket to save for later.

Then I pretended I was growing horns like a deer.

I switched this one out for my third sword which was 10 ft long and provided to be a good dancing stick as I danced and spun it around to some good worship music jaming along. I learned a little while later that sometimes you have to put down your big stick and your big roles in life to pick up a smaller stick/smaller role/job for the next area of life. My big stick wouldn't go under the branches as I walked on slippery rocks and almost knocked me in.

Then God reminded me again how much fun He is.

To get this last shot along the river trail I could have went in front of the bridge and went up to cross it but I asked if I could go on a little further. If there was a way? I'll make a way. And the way wasn't easy but there were rocks close enough together I could hop from one to the next to make it across and God said Go whichever way you want. I'll make a way and go with you.  (A thing I've heard from many people, but I always held it in tension until I heard Him say it. He said it tonight...many times He said it.) 

As I climbed up the hill (rather than walking around it) I made it to the bridge but was unable to step over it. In fact, I had to throw my bag over then jump up and hoist myself up with my arm strength to get over it. It took a few minutes but at the end I said "That was fun" and I felt like Jesus said "Yeah, it was!" 

As I landed, I realized that should have messed up my back but my back felt almost normal (as compared to the sharp shooting pains going down my spine a few days before every time I moved my neck) and I am super excited about that. 

Then He showed me He's just that cool. 

Then He reminded me how much and why I love color.

I found another fun side street home which lead to train tracks I was walking home and I was just ecstatic at the evening of fun we had had without really any words (now that I write, I guess we said a lot but it was casual it wasn't intentional, pressing in, searching.) I felt like God was saying "but wait, we're not done yet."

I then get a call from my Dad telling me about the business meeting they had at church tonight. (I need $1875 before February 26 to go to Sierra Leone, Africa on my mission trip.) He said the church decided to give me $2,000. I was surprised by the amount, plus it was more than I needed! I told him the options for the extra and they decided to help by paying for my shots for the trip! Woohoo!

I came home and made a delicious very nutritious dinner of hot dogs and french fries. (I usually actually cook good food for dinner so tonight was a bit of a celebration to enjoy.) Then I sat down and wrote out all His goodness and marveled at His answer to prayers and am now about to go fall asleep in joy. Thanks for reading all of this. May you have a beautifully amazing day and may your eyes and senses be awakened to see all the ways He's movings.

28 Days in Eden - Day 9: Ignorant of Evil

Ignorant of Evil: The man and the woman didn't have a concept of pain. I can imagine God explaining the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to the two and Adam cocking his head sideways like a confused dog and asking "But what's a 'pain'? And what's a 'suffering'? Is that when the stars move across the sky or is that the sound the wave make when they curl and splash?... Wait, what do you mean 'doctor'? He takes care of things that are sick? What's a 'sick'? Oh, you mean, he tickles the lions too like we do?... No? I don't get it." The man and the woman were supposed to be ignorant of what evil was and all of it's effects. (That’s why they ate of “the tree of  the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” (Gen 2:17) They already understood good. (2:29-31; 3:22)) We today are still supposed to be ignorant of what evil is and its effects- but unfortunately we're still learning what evil is and how bad it really can be. 

Tomorrow, we'll look at many things that should-have-never-been. Be prepared.

28 Days in Eden - Day 8: Choices

Choices: God gives us choices, yet still will instruct us to ultimate pleasure. He says (paraphrased), "Go do whatever you want and enjoy it all, except that tree over there will kill you and bring pain and suffering. You don't want it, trust me, I know. Everything else is fair game." At this point there wasn't better and best, there was just AMAZING! and death.

This seems like a "duh" statement, but think about everything we've considered. God is everything that's good. He wants us to have what is good. He likes pleasure and wants us to have pleasure. He won't force it on us but will give us the choice to choose it or not. The option out side of awesome is death and everything that will lead to death.  If we grasp these ideas and statements and knew them deep in our heart, then we wouldn't blame God for many thing but instead we would thank Him for being so good to us and giving us these things. We also wouldn't be as rebellious or argue with Him when He says He want us to do something. We would gladly jump on it and go "Heck yes! More pleasure! Less death! I chose that!" Yet, He lets us choose. He really is as good as it gets.

28 Days in Eden - Day 7: Pleasure

Pleasure: God likes pleasure. He created everything in the world and said it's good. He told man to go enjoy everything (1:29-31) (like a kid in a candy factory without the option of diabetes later in life) except that one tree over there.(2:16-17) So pleasure isn't a bad thing like sometimes we've made it in the church. It's something that God wants us to have and to have fully and to the greatest amount. Sometimes we botch it up and think we know how to get the most pleasure out of things (3:6) rather than listening to what He knows is most pleasurable for us. You can put chocolate on your face for a facial, but God knows you'll enjoy it much more when you put it in your mouth. You can have sex with 100's of people, but He knows you'll enjoy it most when it's with one person forever.

John Piper puts it like this: Christian Hedonism - "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." So today, may you find the deepest amount of pleasure possible - which is ultimately in Him. Go enjoy and find pleasure. 

28 Days In Eden - Day 6: Created Good

Was mankind, humans created as evil? No. They were created in the image of God, so originally God created them as good. They were good to start with. This means that God doesn't restore us back to neutral or bad with good on top. That’s us saying an “dirty sinner saved by grace” which is to say evil with a thick coat of good paint on. We are restored back to being good – deep core being that’s good. 

28 Days In Eden - Day 5: Evil?

If God is good, and only good, where did evil come from? Did God create evil?

Many times we can get caught on the question of evil and how it surrounds us and affects us constantly. I don’t think we understand how good God really is because we’ve become accustomed to so much evil – (get excited for day 10 when we talk about these things you think are normal. You’ll be surprised!) So did God create evil?

With the help/copying of some online resources, I propose that evil is the absence of good. It’s the same way that a hole in the ground is nothing. A hole in the ground is the absence of dirt. If you’re hunger is nothing, hunger is the absence of food. In the way that God created us, the angels, and all living things to daily dine on His goodness – we were never meant to be hungry, have holes, or know evil. We were made to be full and daily eating goodness with extra taste buds to enjoy it all. 

28 Days In Eden - Day 4: Enjoying Me

This one is super simple. God created everything and said it was good. He looked at humans and said they were very good. God celebrates us. God celebrates me. He created me for His delight and His enjoyment. Therefore, I can enjoy myself and celebrate myself because I know I'm not the end of the celebration. As an artist receives praise from his work, so does God when I celebrate me knowing it's because of Him. I'm awesome and it's not prideful to say, it's actually worship because I know I didn't make me. He did and He did a good job. He did a good job on you too. Celebrate you today!

28 Days In Eden - Day 3: If God's good, why so much evil?

If God is good and He’s in a good mood, why does so much of life suck? Why is there evil? Why do bad things happen to good people? These are good questions, but ones we often get caught on because we miss the initial intent of how He created the world. When people ask me this question, I explain that He never intended the world to be like this. Pain and suffering weren't in the original design of what He wanted. He wanted tangible love, glory to fill the atmosphere, to walk intimately with humans, nakedness with no shame, beauty to be found in everything, only good to be known and not division, arguing, frustration, murder. Those were never in the original plans of what God wanted for the human beings He created. In fact, even from the third chapter we see God making ways to fix the issues, problems, and evil in the world (3:14-15, 21). When we see His plan for things, we realize how good He is and how much more we want to agree with His plans and obey to get His way back on earth.

28 Days In Eden - Day 2: Who God Is

He preexisted. As much as we can’t fathom it, God preexisted in three parts (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) before we ever were. That means God has characteristics that exist outside of us as human beings. God had character, quality, likes and dislikes, emotions and passions before human beings ever entered into the equation to alter or even perceive them.

He's a creator - so He likes making new things. He's inventive and super creative. He’s full of ideas – gift ideas, marriage ideas, project ideas, art ideas, fashion ideas, etc.

He's compassionate. He made something and took care of Him. He doesn't create things then leave them alone.

He likes peace. As He created everything there was peace and harmony among all living creatures and their atmospheres.

He's' not insecure. He made a being after Him - in His image to be like not just look like Him (i.e. creative, powerful, loving, sincere, intimate, merciful, just, extravagant, etc.) He doesn't need to micro-manage, part of His original plan was to give us power and authority over all the earth (1:28; 2:15, 19)

God created order but doesn't have to always fit into that order. That means God doesn't have to play by the rules of physics of what is or isn't possible (flying, moving mountains, moving oceans, transporting, etc.).

God created time but also doesn't have to fit into that spectrum we call "time." He isn't stuck in time with us, so He can go before you in time then come back and tell you information about what will happen. (That’s why you want to listen when He directs you which way to go – because He can go ahead or behind and see the outcomes.) 

28 Days In Eden - Day 1: God's Mood

If we understood the first 4 chapters of the Bible, we would understand our lives, relationships, and the way things work much better. This is important because 1) It explains how God is 2) It explains who we were created to be (purpose) 3) It explains how God interacts with us without the issue/weight of sin in between us 4) It explains how we're supposed to be interacting with each other without sin botching things up, 5) It explains how nature around us is meant to be without sin. 6) Since Jesus has taken care of sin, it shows how what God wants to restore the earth back to. 7) It shows what we can be and should be expecting and helping make a reality again. (If a computer breaks into 150 pieces, but you never saw it before it was in pieces, how would you know what it was supposed to be restored to?)

So each day for the month of February, I'm going to post an explanation of our lives that comes out of the first 4 chapters of the Bible.

Day 1: God's Mood

I grew up reading and hearing the creation account in King James Monotone. I was glad to hear the Bible, but in King James monotone this made God seem to be very serious, dull, and slightly boring. He was emotionless. We don't have the whole dialogue recorded as it happened, but what we do know is after He created something He looked back and said, "It is good" (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25) After He made humans, He said, "It is very good." (1:31). No artist or creator stays perfectly calm while creating, they get excited as to what is unfolding before their eyes. I propose to you that God was excited, He ran over and with all His love and energy proclaimed light. Then He looks back at Michael and smiles. He proclaims sea creatures and does a little dance. He proclaims the stars in the sky and the sun and the moon and then spins around to make sure all of heaven can see the glory unfolding. Then, as every angel and being inches closer to see the grand finale, He actually goes in and uses His own hands to form this "human" and with the greatest of smiles and a little chuckle, He breathes face-to-face into the being. As He steps back His heart pounding and shoulders relax with a deep exhale and He says, "It is very good." 

Why this is important: God's natural mood is a good mood. He's not naturally emotionless or naturally angry all the time. He's not bent on pins and needles ready to snap and throw the world into destruction if anything disobeys Him out of fear of losing control. He's naturally in a good mood. When He created humans, He didn't give up His whole being and natural state of delight - that's stupid to say a creation can change the creator forever. My painting can influence me, but it can't change who I am. Yes, God is jealous and angry at times, but I believe His natural state He returns to is a good enjoyable mood not one of anger or emotionlessness. Even before humans existed, God is naturally in a good mood and a fun guy to be around.