Summer Skin.

Well, my whirl wind summer of adventures with Street Invaders has come to an end.
The beauty of this however, is that our God is adventurous. He didn't take us through 3 weeks (or in my case 5 weeks) of crazy fun Kingdom things for nothing. Everything we learn in Him has a purpose and is meant to be shared - and I don't mean just when your youth pastor asks you to talk about it in youth group. I mean whenever someone asks you about your summer you have the opportunity to brag about God and glorify his name!

A couple days after Street Invaders ended in Saskatchewan I noticed a note that Jordan Duncan (another Team Leader) had posted on Facebook. I wanted to relay it to those that might read this... so here it goes!

Hey Friends, I miss being with you all like mad.

Something neat just happened to me and I wanted to let you know because it was very encouraging for me. (and if you can think of someone I didn't tag whom this would be encouraging to, then tag them or send it to them as well)

I am stuck in Regina for couple of days and I decided to see if Adam Frost was around to go for lunch today. He was, and we ended up going to the food court in the mall downtown. After we ate and walked around for a while, we randomly ended up outside, just walking around downtown. We weren't trying to get anywhere, we were just walking and talking and eventually we ended up in Victoria Park which we had both come to previously with our Street Invaders teams to do park ministry. As soon as we started walking into the park, I felt like God probably was up to something. But I was trying to ignore that feeling. I thought: Street Invaders is done for crying out loud! I am on vacation, no stress! I don't want to have to talk to strangers about Jesus!! (horrible, I know) But I thought maybe I could get out of going to Ninevah... at least while i'm on holidays. God had other plans.

Within 30 seconds of being in the park a man named Peter stopped us and asked if we had any money for coffee. Strange thing to ask for, but immediately I felt like this was the entire reason we ended up in the park, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity. So I gave him a couple of bucks and started asking him about what he was doing, where he was from, what he wanted to do with his life... etc. After of only a couple minutes of talking to him he looked like he was a little uncomfortable with all the questions and wanted to leave. Before he could escape I thought we should pray for him. So I asked if that would be okay and I think he was a little taken aback at first, but then seemed very appreciative and asked where we went to church, so I told him where the Ap was. Then Adam and I prayed for him and he went on his way.

Maybe somewhat of an anti-climactic story... he didn't get saved or healed, however, I think God was doing something important to Adam and I. I feel now like what we had gotten used to doing on Street Invaders was able to break out of the container of Street Invaders. The boldness we had while on SI is now no longer restricted to just the three weeks of the year that SI goes on for.... which is kinda the entire point of SI in the first place!

SO, I would encourage you to keep your eyes and ears open to what the Lord may be speaking to you. Do not be surprised if you find him asking you to repeat the sorts of things you did on SI.... In fact, I would be surprised if you find he is NOT asking you to practice what you have learned. And I would encourage you to just do it!! I did not feel like talking to anyone at all, I felt like it was going to be way harder because my team wasn't there for support.... guess what? It was God supporting me in the first place, my team may have left, but God was still there for me.

So yea, get out there, do what you have learned to do. The Lord's not done using us. If you feel bored, or lonely because street invaders is over.... get off your butt and go evangelize!! You'll make some new friends hah! Or read your Bible, Pray. Man. Do whatever, just do something. God is still just as good and just as active as he was a couple days ago.

Jordan Duncan.

After this summer I know that I've been undeniably changed.
It's been a summer of laughter, love, and God serving and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

God has been talking to me about living in anticipation and expectation rather than with apprehension of what is coming next. As silly as this may be, God got the point across to me with a song called "Just Around the River Bend." It's from the movie Pocahontas, and though I disagree with some stuff in that movie, there were some lyrics that God caught my heart with...

I look once more
Just around the riverbend
Beyond the shore
Somewhere past the sea
Don't know what for ...
Why do all my dreams extend
Just around the riverbend...

Should I choose the smoothest curve
Steady as the beating drum? ...
Is all my dreaming at an end?
Or do you still wait for me, Dream Giver
Just around the riverbend?

I had never thought of God as the 'Dream Giver'. Yet he is.
Live knowing that the next step God has planned is for your benefit.
You don't have to dread what he's going to ask you to do next, because he's got your back.
Everything he asks you to do is to refine you, to encourage you, to stretch you, and to make you into a man or woman that looks more and more like Christ.

I can't wait to see what God has for us to do this year.

(p.s. The painting was eventually finished and I was hoping to share it with all of you)