Who am I ?

I am not worthy to even mention the name of Christ. Why He chooses to love me and use me is still a mystery to me. I know a few things about this life; I will fail on my own, and HE is always faithful. WHen I try and add these things up logically - it does not make sense. Thankfully We have a great equation on our side!

My sin + disobedience + lack of passion ..... should equal = Wrath, death, and no hope

however

there is an AMAZING extra to that equation

My sin + disobedience + lack of compassion + Jesus sacrifice = Love, forgiveness, redemption, and mercy

Awesome - THERE IS MORE TO READ AFTER THE PICTURE....

Anyway This weekend with Tim Hughes was amazing! I loved hearing him sing and getting involved in worship! Good stuff! Things here are up and down, as most of life is. I never can seem to get "it" right. Thankfully there is forgiveness. Today I was told to move all of my stuff out of my "office" because it was needed for something else. HA - for those of you who dont know - I moved a computer into a small CLOSET sized room in the office so that I could have a place to study the word, work on stuff, and email. I was told today that it was going to be used again now that I am in there... lol - gotta love it when you pray in the morning that God would keep you humble.... lol now I am moved into my supervisors office - He is on vacation - can't wait to see his face when he returns to see me at his desk hahaha. Anyway I LONG for your prayers and I want to hear from you ! I want to know that this blog is being viewed. haha so feedback would be great!

much love

andrew

Life in the fast lane

So those of you who haven't heard, I recently went to Beijing. This means I left Hong Kong and took a 25 hour train ride up to the north. The distance between Hong Kong and Beijing is approximately 2,300 kilometers ( 1,409 miles. ) Anyways, to put that into your mind, imagine driving from Orlando Florida all the way to Montreal Canada. Yeah that's about how long the trip was. But I must say it was all worth it! Beijing is amazing! I mostly enjoyed hanging out with other Americans and getting to hear their stories and enjoy our time together. There was never a dull moment. From the Great wall, to the forbidden palace, all the way to the Beijing "African" safari, I had so much fun! (Ps. the safari was awesome - we sat in a caged vehicle and they threw live chickens outside the van and the lions attacked them.) My time there was amazing and I honestly hope to return soon.

Life back in the city has been more than interesting. I recently obtained my own office (converted closet) and am now sitting in my own office at my own computer semi-working / semi-fooling around. I am currently taking over 500 cassette tapes, recording them onto a computer, and then editing them and turning them into mp3's so people can put them on an Ipod. cool idea - boring work. I also went to campus today and met with two friends. I need you to pray that I hear clearly what Father wants me to do this summer here.

To end things, Tonight was amazing. Our worship leader (Tim Hughes - THAT'S RIGHT) was awesome! we are attending the Worship Central conference and it has been amazing! Father is really moving in the hearts of people through music, worship, scripture, and love. I can't wait to hang out with our friend Tim Hughes more and enjoy learning from the Word. (Ps. Tim Hughes = Here I am to Worship / Happy Day / Beautiful One and so many more)

With Love

Andrew

Forgive me

So it has literally been a month since my last post. I am sorry guys. I honestly forgot I even had this blog. Well I will begin by saying that life is tough. I'm not talking about life in Asia, but life in general. We live in a battle zone. Always facing an enemy, whether it is a foreign enemy, or the enemy within ourselves. I must say that I am in the midst of redemption. I feel like I have collapsed to the floor at the doorway to reconciliation. As if I am so close I feel as though I am about to have a revived heart. No more fear, no more selfishness, no more bondage. I can no longer live a double life. I have to come clean before Christ. I know that its either Him or me... and all I can say is I have to choose Him. I look back on life and I see times when I could feel Him, hear Him, and almost reach out and touch Him. Why would we ever want to go back to a time before Christ?

Romans 6:11a (The Message)
"Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us."

To be honest, we all struggle with sin, but most of the time I feel all alone in my battles. As if everyone around me is doing fine. As if I am the only one on planet earth who claims Christ, but yet can't get it right. I know what your probably thinking - "Me too." Why is it that we feel as though we are all alone in our struggles?

I am here today to cry out for true redemption. God I need you. I need your love. I need your forgiveness. I need a new heart. Take this heart of stone and give me Your heart. Secondly I am here to say that you are not alone in your struggles. One thing I can never get enough of is accountability. I need people to hold me accountable. People who will ask the tough questions and will hold me accountable. Questions like "Are you staying in God's word?" "Are you striving for holiness?" "What areas in your life need change?" These questions are just a start.

I just want to say today, here and now, that I am asking for you to hold me accountable. I am also offering my accountability. Why not help each other out in the battle called life? I need Him. I need your help. I need accountability.

With Love,

Andrew