So simple, it's almost stupid.

So many times I've gone to church and the topic has been about being "Mary" and not "Martha"; About being the one chillin' with Jesus, and not the one working to prove herself to Jesus. The message seems way overdone.

"...She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." Jesus answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." (KJV- My emphasis and paraphrase) Luke 10: 38-42

Woah! This is amazing! This passage clearly explains what I had felt when I first arrived at YWAM (or at least for the first two months). "God! I'm sending out all these emails, and working so hard here at YWAM, and I'm still not getting the support I need, and I'm having a hard time feeling your presence! What's going wrong, God?" I had heard the story before, but did I really get it? I thought, "Yeah, I know, put God first, my ministry second. I've heard it all before, and I'm trying my hardest."

That's the problem though - We're trying too hard. Now, don't get me wrong, I can't stand it when I meet a fellow brother or sister in Christ and they tell me, "I'm waiting for God to tell me where to go next" when they've been stuck in the same rut for years. God's probably given them many chances to move, or suggestions to act, but they would rather God plop opportunity in their lap. There's a difference between obedience and religious obligation. Obedience is what needs to be done, and religious obligations are extra.

The Shack gives a good illustration. There is a point in the book where the main character, Mac, has to rescue his children from drowning after their boat got capsized. Mac explains that it is much easier for a lifeguard to save someone's life if they aren't struggling. Once we let God do the work, and stop struggling, stop burning the candle at both ends, stop working overtime, He can save us!

It's simple - God first, everything else second. I have no idea how many times I've learned this lesson. I've forgotten time and time again, and God has had to come and re-teach this elementary, yet foundational lesson.

YWAM Promo - Joe Mills from Joe Mills on Vimeo.

“Wow, how awful the first time it felt impossible...” - John Reuben, 'Focus'

“You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its farthest regions, And said to you, 'You are my servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' ” - Isaiah 41:9-10

Yes, how awful it did feel impossible to do the work that God called me to do in Boston for the first month that I was here. Go figure, I had found myself once again drowning in feelings that I didn't know how to express or communicate, and thus secluded myself. “Share your heart with people”, I was told. How though? Usually I would start a relationship to either get something from that person, or help them until they needed my help no longer. Sharing my heart – doesn't that mean that I'll have to be vulnerable? Doesn't that mean that people can hurt me? Well, yes – but it also allows you to truly love people. Love has never been safe, logical, or easy. Take a look at the risk God took by planting the Tree of Life, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. There was a possibility that the relationship between him and his creation would be forever severed if the wrong decision was made. We know how history has played out from there. Flesh and bone laid hold of something that was not intended from them, and what came about was the great separation between God and Man. It was a risk, but God is redeeming us. He took responsibility for our actions, and offered an alternative – Jesus.

I just finished the book "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge. Fantastic book, by-the-way. God really showed me that I was built to feel, and to express my feelings. The book also talks about how men are built for adventure. So often I suppress adventure or violence, because that's how I was raised - not necessarily how I was built. If you get a chance, pick up the book. Even if you're a lady, check it out, it'll help you get a better view into the mind of men.

This past month I've been busy trying to get settled in here at the new base. I've helped remodel our kitchen – which involved moving a wall, and installing switches and lights. This next week, the guys will be moving into the girl's old house. We're working on starting Joshua Generation (JG - our summer high-school program) in Brazil this year, so we'll have JG in Pittsburgh, Boston, Peru, and now Brazil! We had an “unofficial open-house” today where we had about twenty Koreans from around the world have breakfast with us, and then pray. Oh man, the prayer was awesome! We have been hearing prophecies and visions about the Boston/New England area non-stop. It's so remarkable that God would call me from Colorado to Massachusetts to be a part of a huge revival yet to come! God is giving me a new passion for art, and I am working towards using my art to affect the artistic and academic community of Boston. Don't feel excluded, you're also involved in what's going on here in Boston. YWAM Boston would not have been able to get where we are now without your faithful prayers and support!

I'm still short on financial support. Very short. God has provided for me this last two months, in which I have been able to pay all of my fees, but I will eventually need monthly supporters. Our multimedia department is also trying to raise money to buy a better camera, which will cost about $1,500. I'm also hoping that we can get some donations so we can upgrade our Video editing systems, so we can spend more time making videos and less time waiting for the computer to render.


How can you help? Tell your friends about what I'm doing! Direct them to my facebook page, or give them my email!