''We share a sense of excitement and freedom. Not a rebel freedom, rather, a deadline-free sort of peace. - Donald Miller, Through Painted Deserts

Oh how He loves us. :)

"Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides."
-Chambers

Adventure. I've been sitting here for like fifteen minutes trying to figure out some way to start this blog and I think that the word "adventure" is fitting. It's not a particularly fluid way to start a blog post, I know, but for what I wanted to talk about it fits.

I should probably give some context. I'm not going to Central Asia anymore. Sometimes it's hard to know how I feel about that. Here's what I know, I was walking towards working in Central Asia and God kind of pushed me off that path. And that's really all that I know how to say about that situation right now.

So, now I'm here wondering what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. And that's really where the word adventure comes in. The other day, I was sitting on the couch in the building that I live in praying "God, please, please reveal you will for what you want me to do next to me." I was trying to be obedient, I guess, to walk in the will of the Lord and stuff like that. And this was the thought that immediately popped into my mind, and I'm pretty sure it's from God.

"you know, really, I don't want to know what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life. That would really take all the fun out of everything."

And it would.

Following Jesus can and should take us down paths that are unexpected. James 4:13-17 says ^"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."

The Bible doesn't promise us that we're going to know exactly what the Lord's will before we make every decision in our life, look at the life of Paul... that guy did a lot of traveling just to get where he was going and get turned around. What the Bible does tell us, though, is to do the good that we ought to do.

So yeah.

Me and a few of my friends are thinking and praying about going to Hungary... I have a passion for discipleship and church planting and have a desire to work with those who are generally not embraced by the church, or society at large. And a deep rooted love for Eastern Europe and the post-soviet world.

but even so... I'm waiting to be surprised

Praise Him. :)

Taking a step back to gain some perspective on where he was going, and where he had come from a rather profound thought crossed his mind, "this isn't about me, and this isn't about us, and this isn't about them. This is about Him"

Humbled and at the same time greatly inspired he continued on in his journey, thanking his God for the grace that had just been shown him.

And that's what changed everything, what took the mundane and made it into the greatest adventure that any human being could possibly embark on.

It was Him.

Which says a thing or two about how awesome He is.

More one the adventure soon. :)

-Z

"For You delight in showing of mercy, and You desire for me to draw near, and you have caused me to come and approach You, and I am blessed among men!"

My life ìs made so great by the fact that my God does NOT need me, He doesn't need my love, He doesn't need my worship, and He doesn't need me to make him look good. If He needed me, there would be no good news. But praise God, He wants me!

Vision Statement

From Bosnia This is is a vision statement that I've been working on over the past few weeks, after the vision statement I've added the ways that God has led me to to live it out. As always, this is a work in progress, a living vision that God is ever reforming in my heart. "To bring Christ into communities among least reached peoples in the post communist world to the glory of God." Through A holistic living out of the gospel Impassioned worship of the creator God Life lived in community with other followers of Christ Placing great value on Intentionality of perusing Godliness in relationships The Kingdom of God reigning, first in my own heart and then in the hearts of others A dedication to seeking the living God through prayer. I think that over my next few blog entries I'm going to be expounding on this and how it will play out into my life and ministry. Thanks for reading!