SBS Graduate!

I have officially graduated from SBS and have read and studied through the bible five times through! This school has been the most challenging experience I've ever had in my life but also has been the most valuable time I've ever invested nine months into. My eyes have been opened to a God who's love is the same yesterday, today and forever. I have seen that just as God was faithful to Abraham, King David, Isaiah, the apostle Paul, he is equally worthy to be trusted in our lives today. From Genesis to Revelation, the beginning and the prophesied end to humanity, God's heart has always been about relationship. He extends his love to mankind because he wants us to experience the fullness of what it means to be alive. The bible has given me a foundation to set my life on and created a hunger in me to seek truth and participate in the restoration God is doing in the world and in people's hearts. This school is not an end for me but a beginning. I am excited/unsure/challenged by how this is going to translate into my re-entry to Canada but I'm sitting here on my last night in Taiwan hopeful and expectant for how God wants to use me in the future.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support. I give all the glory to God for this achievement, I would have never been able to finish this school without his strength.

Can't wait to see you all in a couple days!

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock." Matthew 7:23-24

Grounded in Truth

-Jer

I love Taiwan!

These are some pictures from my english conversation club.

The last picture is with my buddy Ray. He accepted Jesus into his life the other day at church.

Thank you for your prayers.

It's going to be hard to leave here..only 14 days...ahhh

Focusing on what matters, on what's going to matter

Jer-

Prophets

Just handed in the book of Daniel with a slight sence of satisfaction I might add. Three more weeks friends. I wish could be updating you daily on all the things God has been doing in my life but 24 hours just never seems to be enough time in the day...

In the past month I' ve been spending a lot of quality time with the prophets, a very radical and passionate group of God followers in a pivitol time in Israel's history. The life of Jeremiah really challenged my definition of what success really means in the ministry. Before he even began his ministry God told him that it would not bear any fruit whatsoever. He was told that he would speak to people and that no one would listen to him, that he wouldn't be able to have a wife or kids, and that he would have to leave his home country to a foreign land. I think I realised how 'results-oriented' I am when it comes to my life. If I don't see tangible progress on a consistent basis I naturally deam myself as unsuccessful. Jeremiah wanted to his people return to God but didn't see not one bit of progress in 40 years of ministry. What really struck me was that he was not concerned with seeing the fruit of his ministry but was so focused on simply obeying God. I think it is possible to be the very best we can be for God and see absolutely no fruit from it.

Some questions I've been asking myself; Do I love God because of what he does for me? What am I hoping to get out of my faith? It seems obvious that as we seek God and trust him that he would give us things right? This shows me the value of obedience no matter what life circumstances im living in.
I think about what this would mean for me....I want to be a musician but what if God called me to China where no one would listen to me but would curse and throw things at me for 40 years? Would I still be faithful to the call God put on my life? This is soooo challenging to me. I want to say that i would serve God no matter what but this just seems a little extreme. Something our school leader said that really struck me was that sometimes we forget that God loves the lost too and wants to see them transformed. If he gives us the vision HE not ME will do it. This should bring freedom. I don't need to worry about tomorrow I just need to obey today.

I just want to report that my english conversation class continues to be a great time. I've been able to take a few taiwanese friends out and speak into their lives and this sunday i'm going to be taking a couple of them to church. Please pray for more of these opportunities in my last few weeks in Taiwan.

I'm really pumped to see everyone at Christmas when I get home. It's starting to get a little chilly here but will be a good warm up for the cold to come when I get back to Canada!

Please pray that I will finish strong and run across the finish line of SBS.

Learning to Love

Jer

Trust in God!

Just wanted to share a little about the book of Isaiah of which I've been able to get well acquainted with in the last few days. For those unfamiliar with Isaiah, he was a prophet who spent 60 years of his life preaching and prophesying to the nearly pagan, godless nation of Israel (God's chosen people). I started to put myself in Isaiah's sandals and wonder what I would do if God gave me the ability to see into the future and know that there was death and destruction coming to those who rebel against God....and then I (as I've been practicing in the last 7 months) started to copy the message of this story and place it in our present day and age. Fortunately for us we didn't have to witness our entire nation being physically destroyed and taken into exile by pagan nations but I think, in more of a spiritual sense we face the same challenges of trusting in everything BUT God in our lives. Unlike Israel, we have Jesus who came to earth and died on the cross so that we would be able to engage in the fullness of life, free from guilt or shame but I dont think it excuses us from the reality of "spiritual judgement" which to me is essentially missing out on what it truly means to live life to the full.

Unfortunately the "carved images" "false gods" and even child sacrifice (Abortion) are not some ancient sin of the bible but a startling reality in our day and age. We have creatively justified and manipulated our selfish desires to fit into a culture of "relevance" instead of trusting in God (Israel worshipped idols for the same reason). This book is really challenging me to put all of my trust in God and nothing else. The truth of the matter is, as is the theme of this book; Trust in God because he is trust worthy! All Israel had to do was trust in God that he would protect them and be enough for them but they didn't, they chose their own way eventually leading to their destruction. My prayer is that myself and whoever reading this would be able to have the faith to believe that God is worthy of our trust.

Are we willing to trust God even when it doesn't make sense? In finance, family, future?

Are we constantly trying to earn God's favour?

If we're really struggling with trusting God, do we really know who he is?

"God is my salvation; I will trust , and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation." Isaiah 12:2

Learning to trust
Jer

Wisdom

It's been getter harder to gauge which books I deem as a favourite but I think the book that has impact me the most lately would have to be the book of Proverbs. The last few weeks our class has had the privilege of having the founders of this bible school to travel from Montana USA to teach the wisdom literature books (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs) It's definitely been refreshing to listen to teachings of how to practically walk in wisdom in areas of finances, relationships and speech. I've always thought that wisdom was determined by intellect or education level but I've come to realise in these last few weeks is that wisdom is not determined by age, intellect or social condition but by the decision one makes in every day life. In Proverbs it says that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and that the reality of "fearing the Lord" begins with an emotion of hating what God hates and loving what God loves. This book has challenged me to make "fearing God" the bedrock of each life decision I make.

A couple weeks ago I began a new ministry at the local Univeristy here teaching and helping students practice their english once a week. Its been awesome to just be able to sit with people and have conversation about thier lives, what they like doing and what they want to be. I would appreciate your prayer in the relationships I'm building with these students, that I would be able to speak life into these people and be sensitive to the promptings of the spirit if God would open a window for me to say a word for him.
Only two more months of bible school and 18 books left until I will have read and studied the entire book of the bible. I cannot express how valuable this time has been in my life. I wish everyone could do this school.

God is good!

All or nothing

Jer

Our only mandate is love

In these last ten days I've been able to take a much needed break from the demands of this bible school and have been travelling around the island of Taiwan. One thing I've been able to do during this break is real a book called "The Reason for God" in which the author Timothy Keller establishes all the major skepticisms that the world carries against "Christianity" and confronts the big questions of 'Why does God allow suffering in the world? How could a loving God send people to hell? Why isnt Christianity more inclusive? How can one religion be "right" and others be "wrong"? Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God?' The majority of the book is dedicated to dissasembling the false views of God but in its last few chapters gives a point of application for the reader.

This book really challenged me to re-evaluate my motivation for being a Christ follower and humbled me to know that most people's bitter conceptions of the church are viewed for being judgemental and hypocritical. I think sometimes we catch ourselves in the mentality of believing that because "I know the truth" it gives us the authority to judge and be intolerant towards "nonbelievers." If I was to be truly honest with myself I would admit that at times my good intentions are rooted out of prideful and selfish ambition. I've learnt that this is part of the human condition and that instead of being defeated by our imperfections we need to be continually infused with passionate urgency to participate with what God is doing in the world and break the lies of "Christianity" and "religion" through the ACT of compassionate, unconditional love. I often listen to Bill Hybels Podcast series of 'walking across the room'. He totally redefines the predispositions of 'evangelism' being not a ministry or time-of-the-day but as a lifestyle. We need the heart change to believe that Christianity is not a prayer prayed but a life lived. We cannot profess to be Christians if we're not actively engaged and burdened by the wickedness in the world. People are not confused by the gospel, they're confused by us. We dont need to have all of lifes questions, we just need to love people like Jesus. Our only mandate is love.

I hope this comes together and isn't just random garble, I just feel like God is trying to raise us up to a higher standard in our faith. I've never been so close to God in my life than in these last few months. I pray that these messages would create a hunger in you for truth, draw you into a deeper intimacy with God and inspire you to live for something more as I continue to do the same through the incredible book of the bible. Don't underestimate your life. Where you are right now, you can make impact for Christ. Nothing is insiginificant when you're walking in God's will.

Learning to Love,

-Jer

"The single most greatest gift we can give another human being is an introduction to the God who loves them" Bill Hybels

"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ" Ghandi-

"A Christian is literally, "Christ's one," someone who is not just vaguely influenced by Christian teaching, but who has switched his or her fundemental allegience to Jesus. Christians understand the all-or-nothing choice that is forced upon us by the magnitude of Jesus' claims."

Lovin life, lovin Jesus

Hey guys

Since my last update I've made it through some of the biggest books in the bible; Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel and am currently studying the books of 1-2 Kings. I can say with passionate confidence that this school has been the most challenging experience in my life. A typical week for me consists of:

• An out loud read of the book
• Color code people, places, times, and themes throughout the book
• Paragraph titles (summaries of each paragraph)
• Overall outline of the book written down
• 5 hour lecture twice a week on each book
• Historical background of author and audience
• Charting (this is the most time consuming part of the school that basically consists of observing, interpreting, and applying each chapter of the book)
• Application

I am loooving this school..It feels a lot like a greenhouse effect. I'm in this perfect environment to get the maximum amount of growth and learning so much about life and what it means to follow after God with all of my heart, mind, soul and strength. It is a huge privilege to devote this nine months to the word of God and build a foundation that will guide me for the rest of my life while at the same time being able to live in Asian culture, living and studying with the Taiwanese.

Something I feel worth mentioning future-wise is my growing desire to become a worship leader. Since my Discipleship Training School in Kona, Hawaii I feel like God has placed a heart of worship in me. I've had many opportunities to lead worship for our YWAM base here and have been able to develop musically and learn from some of the talented musicians on our base. There is a School of worship in Montana that I've been praying about attending next fall so if you think of me I would appreciate your prayers as I near the remaining months of SBS and plan to continue the work God has started in me.

The last few days there has been a Typhoon going on in Taiwan. Even as i write this message there is a fierce storm going on outside..its pretty intense/awesome.

Hope everyone had a good summer back home. My prayers continue to go out to Lakeside church. Love you guys

Thanks again for your investment in my life.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." -Hebrews 12:1-2

Learning to Love

-Jer