Imagining A Day with God

When talking to God have you ever thought about asking Him how His day was? What would a day in the life of God look like? If He were to open up to us about His day what would He say? How would He even begin?

Maybe He would start with His closing words of the bible, “Yes, I am coming soon.” In this way He would acknowledge that He sees, hears, and experiences the pain that we feel, but make clear that this hurting and these tears will not last forever.  Perhaps He would start with the closing sentence of the Signs of the End of Luke 21:28, “Stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Whatever He may say must be understood through the paradigm that He is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He is a God who is Himself familiar with pain, and that He is not only loving, He is Himself the very essence of love.  If we were to listen what might we hear?  How does God relate to suffering, and what emotions does He have when humans blame Him for it?  How does it feel to be so misunderstood?  If given the chance how might He respond?

Consider the following stats. And think about them from the perspective of God, who is Himself intimately connected with our pain. According to January 2011 statistics there is an estimated 6,928,198,253 people in the world. How many of these people have been to a funeral? Know someone who has cancer? Experienced the pains of divorce? Or have themselves been touched in a way that no little child should ever be touched.

According to 2009 stats 53.4 million people die each year.  146,357 people die each day.  6098 people die each hour.  102 people die each minute, and almost 2 people die each second. Imagine God’s interaction with this plethora of pain. To God these are not stats only understood as data as a result of the latest census bureau report. No these numbers are people, God’s children, who He knows by name! Suffering to God is experienced in a ubiquitous way. The pain we experience in a lifetime, God experiences in a nanosecond (one billionth of a second (10^-9 s). Imagine experiencing the worst day of your life every second of every day.

If God were to talk about His day I don’t think He would dwell on the above statistics. Although never ignorant of them I think He instead might say something like this, "Have you seen my servant Job." He would point out the stories of  the Oscar Schindler's in the world who provide love and refuge in the midst of a Holocaustic storm. The apostle Paul with similar reasoning writes, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:21). God is love, and He longs to communicate that love with us “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world”(C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain).

If God were to talk about the earthquake and tsunami that just happened in Japan He would do so with a tear in His eye, but those eyes would nonetheless be hope inspiring. Perhaps he would talk about it in the context of the Signs of the End and say “On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:25-28). But if He were to talk about the earthquake in Japan and the turmoil in the Middle East, He would probably conclude like this, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33)

40 years ago John Lennon wrote a song that envisioned a world in which no God existed. 4 decades later Lennon’s earthen utopia doesn’t have much zing. Humanism is dead and it is humans who have killed it. Reverse the lyrics to that song and imagine there is a heaven, a world to live in filled with peace. Imagine all the people living for that day. You may think that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

While on earth Jesus wept. I imagine those emotions that made Him cry then, He still has today. His thoughts may still be “O America, America how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”(Matt 23:37) or “'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel? (Eze 33:11). 

If I had a day with God I would want to comprehend the sacrifice, the pain, the why, the love. Imagine the implications of the love represented in this statement from Desire of Ages, “Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His. "With His stripes we are healed."

It has been said that in prayer we can talk to God as to a friend and that when we pray God does not come down to us but we are lifted up to God. When I pray I want to talk to my friend who understands my pain, and I want to thank Him for the pain that He went through and goes through for me.

O Love that wil not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be

Not Jehovah's Witnesses?

For the last month we have been going door to door to pray with people in the community, and to offer bible studies to those who are interested. Doing this creates opportunity for some interesting experiences and encounters. Yesterday our friend Henry discovered that if a door was about to be slammed on him, that saying, “I am not a Jehovah’s Witness” would sometimes reopen the door and conversation. However true that may be, it perhaps isn’t the most technically accurate and appropriate statement to use. I find it funny that one of our teacher’s David Asscherick, says that when Jehovah’s Witnesses come to his door, he invites them in and says, I am Jehovah’s Witness too. As Christians we are all God’s witnesses. We have a responsibility to represent the true meaning of the name Christian, that has been secularly warped and blurred into a misconstrued insignificance. Although technically I am Jehovah’s Witness, I don’t readily identify myself as such because of the negative connotation associated with the term. And unlike “Jehovah’s Witness's” I have no problem with non “Jehovah’s Witness's” praying in my presence. 

People are understandably hesitant to have strangers knock at their door, but we have found that most people are friendly, and many are hungry to have someone to talk to and to pray with. 

We prayed with a lady who’s husband is about to die, and is living out his last days in the hospital. She was appreciative of our genuine concern and a loaf of Danelle’s home-made bread. We shared in her tears and attempted to convey, that God cares, and understands her pain.

We knocked on Joe’s door rather hesitantly. He was blaring his music, and it was about time for us to go home, but we went ahead anyways. Joe opened the door and invited us in, he turned down his music and opened up to us. He is a carpenter, he understood that Jesus was a carpenter, he figures that maybe Jesus will have some work for him to do in heaven. He said he that he would maybe be interested in bible studies, we said that we would come back. 

The next time we came back, Joe was again blaring his music, this time it was obvious that he was having a party, we decided to go in anyways. We talked and listened to Joe and his friends who said they wouldn’t tell anyone if we had a few beers. At the end of the conversation just before we were about to leave Joe asked us to pray, we did and we said that we would come back. Joe’s friend Danielle seemed to be especially appreciative and she gave us her number.

The third time we came back there was even more cars than before, Joe was having a garage band concert in his home. We went in and were offered food and were told to make ourselves comfortable. People were just starting to leave when we arrived and eventually there was only about 6 of us left in the home. I had the impression that maybe we should sing a song. Danelle played on the guitar and I sang with her a song called “You said” This was a break through. They told us that we had a gift and that we should play that music more places, so that people could hear. The song moved Joe’s friend Danielle to tears, and a guy named Dave said that he heard 4 part harmony. We weren’t singing any harmony.  

Music is a language and it opened them up to God more than talking about bible verses were able to do. I know that I can’t sing especially well, but I also know that God can use our feeble attempts to accomplish great things. A few days later Danielle called us up to meet up, and we spent all of last Friday singing, praying, and studying the bible with her. She is open, she is hungry, and she says that it wasn’t a coincidence that we met her at Joe’s house; we agree. Please pray for her, she is a seeker and she wants to use her talents to glorify God. She sings with a band in local bars, and she recently told us that she refused to sing a song called “Voodoo Woman” even though her band pressured her to do so. She has convictions, and she desires to grow closer to God. 

Last night we met Tom. He is homeless and an alcoholic. He said he used to be a professional guitarist that played in a blues band. His eyes are deep and penetrative, and it is obvious that he has experienced some things. I asked him what he thought about God, and why God didn’t just destroy the devil...he said its because of free will. It was such a quick and insightful answer that it caught me be surprise and all I could say was, “I agree” I told him that the reason I asked the question was that we were having a meeting on that very topic that night, I invited him but he said he wasn’t interested.   

While I was talking to Tom I was also in periodic conversation with a man named Doug whom I had met before. Doug is smart, philosophical, and he enjoys reading his bible. He is no longer homeless and he seems to be on track. He told me that at one point in his life he made 100,000 dollars a year. I am not sure exactly what happened to cause his fall into poverty, but it is obvious that he is spiritual and finds significance in the bible. I invited him to the meeting as well but he also wasn’t interested. However as we were saying good bye he changed his mind, and decided to come. And just as surprisingly Tom also at the last minute decided to come.

They both enjoyed the meeting and expressed genuine gratitude that we took them. Tom was drunk, but cognizant even in the meeting. He told us that he was sorry that he is an alcoholic. We told him that there is hope, and our friend Neilus was able to share with him his own story of being hospitalized because of his drinking, but that he is now sober because of the bible and the promises in it. We told Tom that we will be praying for him, and that God does answer prayer. 

These are just some of the continuing stories and experiences we are having while we go door to door. There is so much pain in this world, and we see only a small sampling of it. We did a bible study in home where the 12 year old girl we study with saw her mom, and her mom’s boyfriend shot in the house while she was hiding under the covers. God doesn’t just see a sampling, of pain. He sees, and, experiences it all! He promises that He will put an end to it, and there will be a day where there will be no more tears. I am not embarrassed to pray for and give people hope for that day. And in that sense I am not ashamed to be Jehovah's Witness after all... Are you? 

Declaration, Manifestation, Confirmation, Revelation: Part 2

The following accounts are blips of stories from some of our new found friends while here at ARISE:




He was being raised by his grandparents, but he was on the streets. He was in a gang and going no where. One day he was picked up by a young evangelist. “Man, you’re going to come live with me.” The evangelist told him. He has been for the last year or so. He is so full of joy. What a cool guy Lord. He’s smart and is easy to like by everyone. His whole life is changed. He’s just amazed at his life now and is so thankful that You are in it.

At 11 years old, he hung out with the boys seven years older than himself. He learned fast how to make fast money. Along with the drugs he was selling and doing, he had 2 daughters by the time he was 23. He was deep into his gangster lifestyle. He had his pack of people who worked with him and one day he was going to go “handle” a situation for some of his pack with a “friend”. His friend backed out last minute. He was so angry about it. But thankfully that stopped him from murdering someone. He was getting sick of this life with friends that didn’t stick. When his wife was birthing his third daughter, a different woman than the other two, there were complications. Something was going wrong with the birth. His wife called her uncle and he immediately came and showed the most genuine concern that he had ever seen. Her uncle’s compassion and care surprised him and he knew there was something there that he needed. Her uncle knew You, Jesus.  He was introduced and his life will never be the same. He’s learned a better way and wants to teach others the better way.

He was like the other troubling percentage of the population of teenagers and men, in the church and out of the church, leaders and  non leaders; he was addicted to porn and was addicted to masturbation. He had recently met you Lord, and understood that his addictions were keeping a wall between You and him. His battle was as fierce as they come. He needed extreme measures for extreme times. He couldn’t do it on his own. He couldn’t fight the battle in private. He constantly was asking You to change his heart. He kept Your word close to his heart and in his mind. As he told his story of victory today, tears still gripped him and his voice still shook as he remembered how difficult the battle was. Lord he gave You so much credit for helping him. He said he wants to continue to have you lift him up in victory. He said he loves You and wants to follow only You.


He was just randomly looking at YouTube. He came across some presentations given by one of Your men, Lord. As he continued to watch that series, he decided he needed to get more of them. He realized that what he knew as truth was contrary to Your character and found out the real truth. He studied it out. He didn’t want to be deceived. So many websites went against and belittled what he had just learned. People that came from where he was going bashed and gave soil for seeds of doubt to grow. But he pressed on in his search for truth. He found out that Your word is consistent. Your character has been deeply skewed by all of the world. Lord, he said he found truth that keeps being true the more he studies it. He has such a confidence in You.


What is all of this about? What  made these different situations have the same outcome? There must be life to these words. The bible is living and  powerful. It is living because it still has relevance for today. It is powerful because as Paul explains, it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. (Rom 1:16) We can hear about these things our entire lives and miss it. What about this evidence? There is so much of it if we look for it. God knew we’d need hard evidence. But something else is included in all of this. A testimony. Lives being changed. Personal evidence to harmonize with hard evidence. What’s your testimony? If you have a hard time answering this question, ask God what He is doing in it.

Declaration, Manifestation, Confirmation, Revelation: Part 1

The following accounts are blips of stories from some of our new found friends while here at ARISE:

She was on her way to Broadway. Seven years of her life had been devoted to training for this. Music lessons, voice lessons, countless hours practicing. This had been her dream since she was a little girl. Her daddy always new she make it big singing. She was going somewhere. Then she met God. Her new knowledge shook up her world. What would become of her dreams? Auditions were making her nervous. She felt a little stuck. She knew too much to give up the new found truth she had. Her lifelong dreams were knocking at her door. The three agents were interested in only her auditions out of her group. Her daddy didn’t understand when she turned them down. Her teachers shook their heads. God, what are You doing in her life? She turned down her dreams. What new dreams will You give her? She’s not sure, she said. But she told me she was sure that You are leading her. She told me she knew You were holding her hand. I can’t wait to see.


His arms were tattoos. His shaved head and goatee and broad thick build made him look tough.  He said he’s been clean and sober for 3 months.  “God’s been working in my life” he told me. His marriage had taken hard hits. His kids had taken hard hits. He told me he had a social worker pray for him. He says he is learning amazing things about You every day, God. He says he’s wants You for good. His wife came and picked him up today. His three boys were there too. He kissed her and picked up his youngest boy and kissed him too. Once he was all packed up and ready to leave he came in to say goodbye to everyone. “Thank you everyone! This has been the most powerful 2 weeks of my life. God bless all of you!” God I would love to meet him again.




Her daughter just had a breakdown. She is 15 and her older sister, 20, called her mom to tell her that her sister was so drunk. Dangerously drunk. She was crying for her to come home to help. Later, the 20 year old daughter was living with her dad when one day he dropped her off at her mom’s house and said that was it, he couldn’t handle this trouble making 20 year old. But her mom had just met God through the last breakdown of her other daughter. She went to a counselor because she was too stressed to deal with her daughters. She found out that she was a lot of the problem. Her counselor asked her what she thought of  God. She believed there was a God, but nothing further.  Then her counselor asked her if she would like to do bible studies.  She started them and her life changed. So when her 20 year old was dropped onto her porch she had some new tools. Now her daughter is involved with the church and health ministries. Her other daughter loves academy and is making amazing friends. God, she told me the last 4 months have just been amazing. She said she can’t believe the transformation in her whole family. She’s so excited God. She is a new mother, a new person. She has new kids. It’s amazing to see.

She grew up in the church. She has an amazing family and went to an amazing school. She’s heard bits and pieces of what she’s “believed” her whole life. She never looked outside of her faith, but she never looked into it very deeply either. She never “fell away” but she wasn’t ever very connected. She is discovering for the first time truths that she should know by heart. She says they are changing her life. She says her faith is finally her own. She has new questions, and she is finding answers. She said she can’t understand why so many people within her church miss it. She is falling in love with Jesus and is more sure about the character of God than ever. She says she has such purpose in life. God, keep leading her.

The Road to ARISE

Two weeks ago, just outside the little town of Waitsburg, I saw what no driver wants to see. In my rear view mirror, I saw following close behind me a cop, and then a couple seconds later that cop flashed on his lights. We pulled over and I gave him the necessary documents.

This was not the way we wanted to start our trip to California. Danelle was sleeping, and woke up to the unpleasant site of flashing lights. I told her what happened and we waited for the cop to return to our car with the verdict, the sort of process that always seems to take an unnecessarily long time. Through the rear view I saw him walk back to our car, and then he simply returned our papers and said, "make sure you slow down, I'm just going to give you a verbal warning."

I love warnings! We don't have the money to throw away on speeding tickets right now. We would not have been able to enjoy the drive to California as much if we would have gotten the speeding ticket. We were planning to do some camping on the way to California and the first place we stopped at was Crater Lake National Park.

Crater Lake is gorgeous, it has to be some of the bluest water I have ever seen. From Crater Lake we drove to Redwoods National Forrest and then to Bethany and Gill's new house to spend some time with them and get cleaned up before heading to the ARISE program. It was great being with them, and biking along the lake path. We look forward to spending more time with them and the rest of the family there on Thanksgiving break.

We arrived at Arise last Monday, it is beautiful here. There are 49 students in the ARISE class. The students come from South Africa, England, Australia, and North America. Many of them are at the program by the providence of God. For example there is another student here also named Kevin. The reason he is in the program is because he was on youtube and by "chance" he came across a Discover Prophecy Serries that David Asscherick was presenting. This was so persuasive to him, he spent a year studying and reading nonstop. He is convinced, and wants to be baptized. There is numerous stories like this of the different students who are here from all sorts of backrounds, religions, and belief systems.

We are in class Monday through Thursday and also will be doing community outreach on the weekends. The daily schedule is busy, but we also have time to unwind. Danelle and I have rediscoverd our love for tennis and Saturday night we played from 8 PM until 1 AM in the morning. Our teachers Matt Para and David Asscherick played with us.

Today we went swiming at a place called Candy Rock. I never knew California was so preaty. Next weeknd we are planning on visiting Yosimitie National Park. We are so thankful for the opportunity to be here and be apart of this church. A church is more than a building it is a community of believers whose passion it is to represent Christ. 

First Month Back

We are back in the US. Despite the delays Delta did eventually get us home, and they did so with first class style. However we only had one first class seat so Danelle and I shared it. I was able to experience life on the other side of the blue curtan. I was just starting to feel like I was fitting in, when Danelle came to inform me that my five hours were up and that it was her turn. She had somehow slipped past the dividing wall, the security that separates the classes, so I reluctantly gave up my seat and found my way to coach.
First class didn’t end on the plane though, in some ways it began when we re entered the United States. Clean air, clean restrooms, and a plethora of restaurants to choose from, greeted us in the San Francisco airport. First class living is a privilege and a lifestyle and is something that in many ways North America seems to have a monopoly on.
We aren’t complaining. Fridges, soft beds, and real fruit popsicles, have never looked, felt, and tasted so good. Upon arriving at her parents home in Pomeroy one of the first thing’s Danelle did was open the fridge and say, “wow.” This first month back has been full of a lot of “wow’s” it is really good to be home and our parents have treated us so good!
This month has been a whirlwind of activity. The first thing we did upon returning was drive to Port Hardy, BC to see my parents. We camped, kayaked, and explored some of BC’s pristine beaches with them. A week in Port Hardy goes by much to fast and we are all ready looking forward to the next visit.
After Port Hardy, we flew to Michigan for a re entry program. This program is designed to allow missionaries to transition smoothly back to their home culture. While there we stayed with my friend David Sandvick and his wife Brittany. They are about to head out as carrer missionaries to India. Being at the training facility is amazing because everyone there is a missionary. The atmosphere is so God centered, and in many ways it is like a little preview of what the fellowship part of heaven will be like. These three days in Michigan went by so fast but they were very valuable.

From Michigan we flew back to Spokane and were able to stay with our good friends, Jeff and Vicky. We celebrated Danelle’s birthday with them by flying their remote control radio transmitted helicopters and playing pool badminton. We got to see many of our friends in Spokane, it was good to catch up and be back in a place that feels like home.
The final week was spent with Danelle’s family in Pomeroy. This was the first time all the sisters and their husbands were together as husband and wife. We camped, boated on the river, and ate a lot of good food! On Sabbath Danelle and I were able to share pictures from our time in Palawan. Time spent with friends and family goes by much to fast. Our first month back has been a true first class experience

Flight Delays

We were supposed to be out of Manila by now but our plane had mechanical issues and we weren't even able to board the airplane. No one likes to hear that their flight has been canceled, and international flight cancellations are especially frustrating. When the announcement went out across the loudspeaker, a unified grown of displeasure was heard amongst all in Gate 11.

One man even yelled "that's not fair"! To which the flight attendant calmly replied "I am sorry sir" and the man again yelled loudly, "No that's not fair". He then went on to advise them that they should get another plane, but they informed him that they had all ready thought of that.

These people that get so irate forget how childish they come across. No one likes canceled flights, changes in plans, and prolonged uncomfortable waiting. Life is like that sometimes though, isn't it. When they don't accept the inevitable they only make a mockery of themselves.

I felt really bad for the poor flight attendants that had to deal with this man, as well as the hundreds of other hot headed people. It was easy to see that though they were stressed they were doing the best they could.

Because of the delay they sent us to a hotel in a high rise in downtown Manila. We are on the 21st floor, and are reveling in our unaccustomed luxury. And we thought we were spoiling ourselves last week. Not all situations have good in them, but it must be remembered that not all situations are all bad. We are enjoying fine dining, and comfort of a high class hotel. A situation only has to be as bleak as we choose to paint it.

We do however feel a little awkward eating and dining in a 4 star hotel in our raggy clothes. Because we slept in the airport the night before, all we were wearing was sweat pants and hoodies. Very out of place in an environment were we are being serenaded by the piano as we eat our food and served water by uniformed waiters.

In any case, we are thankful to have good food in our bellies and a hot shower and bed to enjoy. We hope we can come home soon, but if we have to get a delay or cancel, this is the way to do it. And we're thankful that we didn't get on board a plane that could have been dangerous!