Gooood day

So, I'm in Wyoming now. I just got done with my first shift at work. I'm a cashier at the local General Store. This place is so incredible. In the past 3 days, I've seen more elk than I can shake a stick at, a moose, lots of antelope, and two black bears. And the mountains are quite literally in my backyard. It's so amazing. The place I'm working at is so relaxed and down to earth. Contrary to my facebook status recently, I cannot in fact ride my longboard to work. It's against the law to ride a skateboard, longboard or rollerblades in the national park. Apparently, someone told me, but I didn't listen. Oh well...
God has been so amazing lately. I've met a lot of people, some definitely non-christian and some surprisingly christian. This is such a huge place where my generation resides. Living in the spirit is so so so hard. I just typed up a huge paragraph on a topic and at the end, I had an answer. Kind of funny how life works out like that.
Blessings: (this is where I count them)

Meeting several guys in my hall already and getting to know their stories
Finding a pair of black leather steel toed boots for $10.
Getting paid for orientation (10 hours at $7.56 an hour for sitting in a class room and taking a tour)
Having a good job that I've picked up quickly on
Seeing Drew struggle through things and allowing God to reveal truth to him
Thanks for listening!

Duuuddes God is so good

When God chooses to reveal truth in our lives, there is such great joy! And especially when it is truth that disproves satan's lies in our lives...ahhhh how much joy there is in that! 1 John 3:1-10 talks about Christ coming into the world with the purpose to destroy satan's work and lately this is what that has looked like in my life.
Basically I want to hear God's voice so I seek to understand the nature of God....this is a very delicate matter that takes much discernment and so much patience.....this is been a struggle for me lately because in my attempt to understand God's nature I think about people of the Bible, like Job or David and the example they set in pursuing God's will and I want to attach a formula to it so that God can speak to me too. But really although we can discern a lot about the nature of God by examing how He interacted with other believers, we need to be very slow to think that we can immediately apply the same actions of Job and David and expect the same result of God.
Honestly I know that trying to plug a formula into God's plan and expecting to get a result is soo foolish! But at the same time its so hard for me (and I believer many others) because we don't want the patience required to follow the Holy Spirit's leading. What we want is the answer of how to know Him. If you humor me, we want a Discernment for Dummies book. We want to know a how to to hear the Spirit. But again, the truth of God is a blessing that is spoken in our lives when He chooses to reveal it to us. Amen to that. Don't get me wrong, practicing disciplines like fasting and prayer obviously are very beneficial to our faith, but we must avoid doing them with expectation. Our relationship with God is too unique for us to expect that He will work the same way twice, and He will not let us fall into a pattern that turns our relationship with Him into that of a vending machine. All we are to do is to make ourselves available to Him, and as open to His Spirit as possible.

The mountains make me feel small...

I can't even begin to describe to you how incredibly beautiful this landscape is. The final leg of the journey to the resort was the best part. We grilled out, saw tons and tons of antelope, an elk or two, some buffalo (bison...same thing) and even a black bear by the side of the road. It's been wild.

We're here now. I am extremely tired from all of the travel. I lost count somewhere around 20 hours. It's 9:30 right now which transates to 11:30 Indiana time. Two hours can make a difference. I've included some pictures that Mark Goodwin took. They tell just a smal part of the story. God has truly and incredily blessed us already. We're meeting people, and we were all able to live in the same dorm house (the north dorm). We've gotten settled in and now it's time to begin our jobs (orientation is tomorrow).

Our address out here is P.O Box 606 Moran, Wyoming 83013. Just include our names and the mail will be sent to us. Just a heads up, I am very excited to write hand-written letters to anyone who wants one. Just get on my facbook and send me your address. Or, send me a letter first and you'll be sure to get a reply.

Thank you for your prayers. My prayer for this week is that our team begin to meld. I'm starting to see tensions buildin already and personalities clashing. If this summer is to work, we need to be a body, to work spiritually as one.

Hearing His Voice

Discerning the Holy Spirit is hard for me, I so want to hear God's voice in my life on a regular basis and I struggle with distinguishing between His prodding and my inclination. Pray for strength and unrelenting persistence as I pursue this above all else.

This Year of "New"

I'm open Lord...

When this year started, my mindset had been assured by my God that this is going to be a "New" year. New teachings, new mindsets, and new relationships were the first thing that God was hammering into my heart. I can feel it deep in my soul, and I can yearn for it every day. This trip so far has been an experience I never would have ever thought it would be. Pretty much...It is a new experience. We arrived in St. Louis last Thursday and training for this internship started last Saturday. A lot of amazing principles were given for me to wrestle and chew on, and I can honestly say that it is challenging me to look deep down inside me and become the true person that Christ has called me to be. Sunday night we had the opportunity to ask the Holy Spirit to baptize us...and I can honestly say that I asked for it, but something was blocking me. Something needs to happen before I truly see this new role that Christ has for me. I am hoping that you all can keep me in you're prayers this summer, because this will be challenging, and brokenness will haunt my heart every day and night out there. I am 20 something odd hours away from my family who I miss a lot, and new experiences can take it's toll on anyone. As I pursue the spirit and living in it this summer, I pray that you all do the same. Examine your lives and rid yourselves of anything that might hinder you from the spirit leading you completely.

On a side note...the trip out here has seemed to go by pretty quickly. We are in Rock Springs, Wyoming right now about 5 hours away from our destination at the lodge. Tomorrow we get acquainted with our jobs and housing for the next few months...so tomorrow will be a long day. Tomorrow starts another new part of my life...and it could be for you too.

God Bless,
Jeff

5:00a.m

We woke up at 4:30...or right around there. I had to put on some loud music (Underoath) to stir Drew and Jeff. I enjoy it. We're being picked up in 25 minutes ( we were threatened, in love, to be ready on time.) I am so excited at this point. With everything God has been revealing to me through the Holy Spirit, I cannot help but ask, "How deep does this rabbit hole go?" And the exciting thing is this now sustains a burning fire, a buring desire within my heart that I wasn't aware existed. The depth to His love, His wisdom, His heart cannot be seen which excites me so much. Imagine always able to go deeper, but never actually able to hit the end? This is truly about the journey, in light of the destination (eternity) that I never need to worry about striving for.
If i were to ask for one thing, it would be that my heart would still be open. Over the past few days, God has revealed deep hurts and pains that have not been hard to see, but hard to look back on and release the guilt and shame and be able to forgive myself. I truly believe there are still deep rooted issues hindering me from going deeper with God, and those simply need to go. There is and will be no compromise for these things. Satan has sought to separate me from my God and this will NOT do. I thank you for your continued support through prayer.

Heartburn

Friends,

*Exhale* It has been quite the few days past, let me tell you. You see below a couple of posts from other interns and their experiences. I couldn’t be more thrilled for them and love how God has been blessing their willingness and humility (two things I feel are lost among people of known spiritual authority and leadership). As it is though, God has poured Himself out on them and I look forward to seeing just how God is going to continue revealing His love and heart to them this summer! The others are having differing experiences as well, some have been challenged, others broken, others affirmed, etc. I myself am simply coming to a point of desperation. I was privileged to share much of my journey with this group last night, but I do even so feel His call to go deeper. I want to know my Lord’s heart. I feel that, though I know His thoughts sometimes and though our relationship is intimate and personal, I cannot recognize His heart when it is before me. This has truly brought me to my knees these past few days. Pray for this. I am heavy. I know His calling for me, but I feel His desire to show me something I have never known before and I am terrified. I am glad for this discontent, but am impatient with His revelations (I know you sympathize). I know He has placed this desire to see His heart in me, and with that I know He will not disappoint what He Himself wants to see happen. I want to see His heart… whatever it may be... and soon. Even so, I rejoice at being in His presence even now.

*Inhale* God is good. The training went very, very well and I was reminded of so much that the circumstances of the past five months had dulled in my life. I am excited to be going through everything in the midst of so many others who want to wrestle in prayer and conversation with me. The Lord has truly been living and active among us thus far. Tomorrow we depart for Kearney, Nebraska. It’s finally time. As of 72 hours from now we will be in Wyoming looking at our first day of employment. We’re leaving at 6:00am and will have a bit of a leisurely excursion out. Pray for our safety and sanity in travel. Many wonderful and challenging conversations can be had in nine ours of confined space and I have no doubt that the Holy Spirit will be seeking to build unity and intimacy in even such a way. That being said, I am even more certain that our enemy will be seeking to build division and isolation throughout as well. I am praying for patience and discernment in all things, keeping in mind the joy of this company and continuing to ask the Lord to reveal to me what He wills. I know that I get rather irritable when I do not understand things, my mind and heart are both at a place of loss right now in all honesty. I trust Him to reveal what He wants me to see in His timing, yet I must remain content with His gentle guidance in the moment as well. Many of you reading this know that is a huge challenge :D, but it will be good. Thank you for your prayers, friends. Keep them rising and alighting on the ear of our wonderful Lord. May He continue to look favorably upon us. May we continue to seek His face and long for His glory. I thank Him for you even now. Press on.
*Sigh*

In Him,
Greg

Affirmation

Tonight, we learned about what it means to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, basically it's to encounter God in some way that prepares you for ministry. I asked God that He would show up and He did! There were things I needed to confess beforehand, but really the main thing was me giving up the control of my career. If you know me, you know that all I've wanted to do for the longest time is be a chiropractor, so I can make lots of money and do missions....but I feel God pointing me to some other ministry. I began praying for God's spirit to show up and for whatever reason I was crying and I felt a huge weight on me, I realized in my head I was thinking that I had been counting the cost, but in my heart I hadn't. I never really in my heart had given it to God and it was because I was believing a lie that God's plan was somehow not going to be good, by the end of my prayer, my crying turned to laughing because I realized how Great and Good God's plan is! I might have to give up my career, relationships with friends, family, or the pursuit of a wife but in the end, God's way will always be greater. I can't wait to see what God will do in Wyoming.

Baptized with Fire

Isaiah 6

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."

⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

⁵ "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

⁶ Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Tonight was a night that has changed me in ways I have not yet fathomed. I was baptized with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord came upon me and I experienced The Lords Joy.The Holy Spirit came and moved on the interns tonight. We experienced a time of public confession. Many of us laid our burdens at the feet of Jesus, removing those things that were keeping us from God. We then asked to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Each have their own story which is not mine to share. I only know that I am standing here, knowing God has trusted me, only by His grace, to bless me with this gift so that I can further the ministry in which He has enstrusted to me and has yet to show me. I have given my life for this. I have given up the idea of a wife. My future wife has been a big deal in my life. I was worshipping the idea of marriage and I gave that to God. Thank you for all of your prayers. Thank you so much.