The year of 2011!

WOW!!!

Can't believe it is the end of another year!! If this blog ends up being used for only one post a year, I'm okay with that. Life's busy and blogging just hasn't been a priority for me. But for those who are actually interested, and more so just for personal reflection, I am in awe when I begin to think about this year in review. I just finished reading my last years review... and am reminded of how much change has actually occurred in my life again!

This has been a year of stretching, growing and many new discoveries. It has truly been the best year of my life. I don't just throw that around either. I have experienced more joy in life this year than I ever have and I know it is just the beginning. That's actually one of the things I have been praying for... is that God would lead me to live in his joy. Which really is just the fruit of living life with Jesus in the first place... it's joyful. It's not easy nor was it ever promised to be easy... in fact I expect life to get harder as I want to grow more this next year than I ever have. But back to the past...

The first, biggest and best highlight of the year was/is DATING LAURA SILLETTA! I'm still in awe of God's grace and his blessing... If you asked me two years ago if this would ever happen I would have definitely laughed and said no simply because this girl was way outta my league. But GOD had other plans and after having the biggest crush on her for 10 months during which I knew I wasn't the man of God I needed to be for someone... on April 6/11 the goodness began! I can't speak highly enough of this woman. I am by far a better person since we've been together... and that just says so much about her love for others and desire to see others blessed and benefited before herself.  She has such an incredible love for Jesus and the highest priority for the kingdom of God. Besides meeting Jesus she is the best thing that has happened to me. I could go on for a while... but I think you get the idea ;)

Then was the Band of Brothers boot camp again... This year I dragged a few friends along with me and we saw God do some flippin' MIRACLES in lives. One of my really close friends/mentors Roy, had severe, crippling back pains and had this insane supernatural healing experienced that he could only describe as "DUDE I SPOONED WITH JESUS LAST NIGHT!!!" Haha but yea... his back is still awesome. God heals. Straight up! Already looking forward to this weekend in 2012! A big of gold from last years notes:
A real man:
T: takes courage + initiative
R: resists passivity
A: accepts responsibility
P: presses on toward the goal of Gods kingdom in him and through him
S: seeks + loves God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength
S: serves + loves others with all our time, talent and treasure

Then came the craziest 4 months of my life. Me and Laura were away from each other for 8 weeks over the span of several months... obviously that sucked. I was away travelling with the City Youth team for 4 weeks at Nanoose Bay Teen Camp, Street Invaders Surrey + Saskatchewan and finally Imadene Sr. Co-Ed. These weeks were awesome. Definitely challenging being away from home for so long. But God moved in the lives of so many young people and for that I am so thankful. God also seems to have a way of blessing you more as you are blessing others... It's this sweet principle of giving. With God you always get more than you started with. Then I was incredibly blessed to be apart of my Adore's (my home church of GT) first album recording for two weeks in gastown Vancouver. I am still amazed at God's grace and so thankful to have been able to be apart of this project. God has created each of us for a purpose... that purpose can take shape in many different ways. For me it will always have something to do with worship, music, writing songs, developing worshipers/discipling and fighting/leading in worship. It's amazing how I can't run away from that call. Too often I forget, get distracted and too busy. But God always has a way of pushing you back to who he created you to be whether you want him to or not! All in all, great summer. Hard, but awesome. This next summer is definitely going to look alot different.

October-December was a time of rest and refreshment and lots of time with Laura. It's been fantastic. Definitely the best months in our relationship and God has grown me so much in the quietness of my bedroom. Adore also put on its first conference which was an awesome weekend. God blew me away all over the place. Definitely lots to look forward to next year!

God has been pushing me lots to be investing more into other people. One recent idea I had was to encourage someone everyday. Whether its a facebook mesage, a phonecall or just a short word... it's not hard. God's really working on making this just who I am.

I awoke today with two scriptures in my heart. I'm the type of person who can be extremely self-critical because I know I can live better than I am and theres so much in me that I dislike (similar to what Paul says.."I do exactly the things I dont want to and don't do what I do." But God reminded me Romans 4:5

5 But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it's something only God can do, and you trust him to do it-you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked-well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift.

That he is the one who transforms and will change me to be more like him. It's not in my hard work. His command to me and you is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

16 Be cheerful no matter what; 17 pray all the time; 18 thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

Live in the now. Enjoy what God has given you today. Celebrate his grace + love in your life. Be thankful.. I can truly say that every good thing in my life is a result of Jesus. Obedience to God will bring you to the most joy, fufillment, purpose-filled, fruitful life you can imagine.. 'cause he is all-good and knows what's best. Let him lead you and enjoy the beautiful adventure of 2012 :)

Fear

Well... obviously it's been way to long since I've blogged. But I'd like to think something is only dead for as long as you allow it to be. So now... officially my blogging isn't dead.

It's been an incredible few months... No time for life updates right now, but I'd love to share a few thoughts.

Gods been teaching me so much about who I am, how he sees me, the Man that he created me to be, and what my TRUE identity in HIM actually looks like. Its been exhilarating, life giving and naturally, its been bringing greater outflow to every area of my life. Alot of these lessons have been coming through time of prayer, journaling and reading "Wild at Heart - John Eldrich" Hands down one of the most beneficial books I've ever read. Every man needs to read it. Straight up.

I'm just reading galations this morning. Galations 1:10 Paul says, "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am i trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." This got me thinking alot about the fear of man... Its something I've thought about in the past for sure... But something I think God wants to remind me of and speak to you (reader) about as well. Fearing what people think about you, how they see you, what they say about you... All these things are like weights that get tied onto your soul. Right away your true self, the person that God actually created me and you to be... is strained to be who its meant to be. And this straining, or weighing on the soul, can get so severe that it will actually change the way you are seen. The fullness of Gods image purposefully imparted into who you are is unable to shine and flourish and BE the way that God intended you to be.

Fear is crippling. I've personally had to deal with some big fears that have been rooted in lies about who I am, what I am capable of, where I am going, and what I can expect for the future.

Who I am:::  Your family? Your home? Your car? Your job? Your great plan? Your money? Your status? Your position? Your intellect? Your worldview? Your discipline? Your success? NONE OF THESE THINGS DEFINE WHO YOU ARE. On the other side... Your failures... Your damage... Your weakness... Your pain... Your shame... Your guilt... NONE OF THESE THINGS DEFINE WHO YOU ARE.  "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." 2TIM1:7 As followers of Jesus, our identities are found in him. We have his power, his love... a spirit that has OVERCOME. Nothing is impossible for Jesus. The same power that conquered sin + death lives in you and me. I've been given power by the holy spirit to be BOLD and relentless in my LOVE. All of these things + so much more of who Jesus is... These are what HAVE to define us as believers. We have to DIE to all of the other things... otherwise we aren't going to be living out of a place of power.

I have much more I'd love to say. Soon. A) I dont want this to be too long. B) Time for a sweet DT sesh that involves coffee, music, dreaming, reading + writing. Yea sounds pretty good doesnt it ;)

Keep it loc,

A crazzzzzzzy year!! (Some crazy stories from my life)

ps. I highly recommend stopping and reflecting on the year past. Reminds you to be thankful for the good in your life.

I've noticed some people looking back at 2010 and I thought I'd do the same. This is really long, but really worth it... take 15 minutes and just read it.

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah is playing right now... I'm not sure if that's adding to the emotional intensity... but wow I'm also brought to tears when I think of where I was a year ago and to think what God has done in me this year.

January through March summed up the end of an 8 month escape... From mass amounts of drinking to gaming to pot, all wrapped up in lies and darkness, at the end of the 8 months came a cross roads where I saw with clarity my choice of death or life. Thank God for good friends, his grace and strength. I saw where I was headed with my addictive personality, desire to 'feel less' of the pain inside me, and it scared the crap out of me. I signed a month contract to stop my selfish lifestyle of indulgence, and pulled it off by his grace...

In May God stole my heart. He showed me his love again, and showed me his grace that I never understood growing up. THIS CHANGED EVERYTHING.

Summer was an amazing time of being refreshed in Gods grace and reminded of his call for my life... Nanoose Bay Teen camp was awesome... I love seeing people worship... especially young people. Street Invaders was also really sweet times.

Sept-Dec has been a blur. So many good things have happened. Seeing people grow and encounter God at City Youth has been so awesome... In october we also were able to record our first CY EP 'A World of Change' and play with Hillsong Youth... both big highlights of the year. Since then God has been growing my heart for what he wants at CY + with CY worship... dreaming and believing for even greater things.

Adison + Christina having kids has also been amazing... I feel like an uncle + those kids bring me big joy. Seeing new miracles of life grow is pretty incredible.

I'll share this story to finish. It's just one of the many crazy ways God has showed me grace in the past two years, but this story is a good picture of how God has kept me alive. This isn't the first time God has kept me from death...

(I had to take the story down because of certain risks with certain authorities... apparently...)

I've also been 6 months without alcohol which is HUGE... and I celebrate that.  More over, I celebrate Gods incredible grace and love towards mankind, his children; The beauty of second, third and fourth chances; how God takes a life and uses it for good... for his glory. How I can live in faith of who Jesus is and have JOY + HOPE deep within me. That I can expect AMAZING things for the future because I'm in love with an AMAZING God who loves me and has the best possible plans ahead. This is life to the fullest. This is love in its purest. This is what its all about. Don't fool yourself into thinking anything else. Nothing else compares to who Jesus is and what life with him is like. It's the greatest love we will ever see or know.

HUGE THANKS to my family for their incredible grace + putting up with my disgusting life-leeching selfishness. To Benson Hicks for his incredible loyalty as a friend when I needed someone most. To Adison Norman, Lukas Bonnett + Evan Allnutt for speaking life and being amazing dudes. HUGE THANKS to all the friends in Australia who prayed and fought for me... Jason Maynard, Logan Reinard, Rob Ricotta, Matthew Pugh and more... my sister Joy Liira who prayed for me every day for months. To Andrew Evans for his honesty and many coffees to point me in the right direction. Also massive love to Lisa + Roy Milner who opened their home and hearts... Roy Milner... you were the guy who had the guts to speak the hard truth that I didn't want to hear that brought me back to reality. I love you all so much and you'll have some sweet gifts in heaven... I can't wait for the day when we're all hanging there together. It's going to be amazing.

Sorry for the long post, there's just so much I want to say.  These have been the hardest two years of my life... But heres what I want to say. I've had hundreds of opportunities to give up this year. I've had massive battles, huge temptation, and really hard fights. GODS GRACE has kept me in the game and allowed me to move forward. Heres the deal guys... Don't settle for an average life. Don't believe the bullshit lies that are keeping you from moving forward. If you have given your life to Jesus Christ and are living for his cause... You are destined for HUGE purpose. For BIG influence. In obedience and dying to self there is TRUE JOY. In living to love others there is FULFILLMENT. If you don't live with Jesus you're missing everything and can't know or understand true love.

Instead of bullshiting some new-years resolutions that have such little value and won't amount to anything... commit to allowing your mind to be transformed by the power of the word of God. Hebrews 4:12-13 says: ^12-13God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what. Spend some time to allow God to do some surgery on your heart. If you want to see you family life succeed... spend time with Jesus. If you want to be better motivated in your work... spend time with Jesus. If you want to find that special someone this year... spend some time with Jesus. He'll change you so radically you will no longer recognize yourself, your desires or your dreams. And this is the sweetest part... God is GOOD. Plain and simple. So naturally, his way is the best way. You can't go wrong with him. Don't settle... Don't compromise... Don't give up... Keep fighting the good fight. There are good things around the corner for those who are faithful. This could be the best year of your life. Make it happen. Take my word for it, and Gods word for it: there is only one way, one truth, one life.

Proverbs 21:3

 ³ To do what is right and just
       is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. (niv)

 ³ Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors
   mean far more to God than religious performance. (message)

Conviction

Wow. Just reading 1 Corinthians 1. Unreal.

First thought:

I began to think about what I share when I start talking about my belief and more so, what I tell people about God and "Christianity" when I have an opportunity to speak into someones life. Check this out: 1 corinth 1:22-24

²⁰Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. ²²Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

"But we preach Christ crucified...."
This hit me hard. How often do I miss that fact? The fact that is everything... completely central to who I am, what I am destined to be, and where I will one day be going. Way to often do I shy away from talking about JESUS CHRIST DYING ON THE CROSS. I think I shy away because it's not what people want to hear who are living for themselves: vs18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Obviously I'm not meant to run around screaming at people telling them Jesus died for them like some ridiculous lunatic... But if I miss that fact, I might as well not say anything at all.

Second thought (ch 2)

 ¹When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.^{[a] 2}For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. ⁴My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, ⁵so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

SHOOOT! Man... I'm always spitting of "so called wisdom" and just talking way to much... How amazing is Paul... "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." That is absolutely amazing. That leaves no room for me boasting about myself... (as subtle as it may be) No room for acting like I have things figured out or have my life together (cause what a joke that is... haha)  WAY to often do I cloud the message of Christ for my fellow man with me. Its that selfishness in me that I hate... that continual sinful nature... that wants to be loved by man, seen in a good light, to be esteemed and applauded... and to be thanked for doing something for them that shouldn't be our job to do. Jesus is the only one who can save lives. As soon as we bring ourselves into that equation in a bigger way than we need to be... not only are we robbing the person we are talking to of Jesus in his fullness and giving them an ill-painted picture of what salvation is... But we are attempting to build ourselves up in our strength.

Benson just showed up I gotta head. This has convicted me bigtime. I almost wasn't going to read my bible... I only had like 15minutes... but thats the power in the Bible. Read it today! Much love,
James

passion drives you to fight for what you believe in. Jesus' way is the only way that is right to believe in you can have the passion for everything and anything and fight for it all you want and it may even seem biblical but if it isn't what Jesus wants or has called you to do... your aren't in the will of God. - Logan R

Luke 22:47-54
7While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, ⁴⁸but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"
 ⁴⁹When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" ⁵⁰And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
 ⁵¹But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him.
 ⁵²Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? ⁵³Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns."

I began talking to one of my best friends Logan this morning about some ideas/dreams/vision I've been having lately, and he shared this with me. For me it was exactly what I needed to hear. I have a natural tendency to go all or nothing with life. ie: going to the gym 4-5 times a week for a month, then stopping completely. Lately I've been trying to discover more about what it means to live a full but balanced life. I'm so guilty for finding myself 4 days into a week, in way over my head, and feeling pretty drained. The beauty in spending time resting and waiting on Jesus... I don't think I've tapped into this in the slightest yet.

Alongside spiritual rest and refreshment, I've been learning alot about the brain and how diet and lack of exercise effect our mental and emotional state of mind. As I've said before, I've had an unbelievable past year with -massive- lows and more recently quite the opposite. Another good friend Lisa Milner has tons of personal experience with diet and a good understanding of how the food we take in effects our bodies... even our brains. Swelling in our digestive system causes swelling in our brains... I don't know much beyond that, but I've been getting more intentional about eating little to no dairy, minimal to no processed foods/meats especially. I was on anti-depressants for about 10 months that I've recently come off of and am daily taking omega-3's with borage, fish, flaxseed oil, vitamin D, 5 htp, tons of fruit/veggies and doing my best to get into a regular exercise routine. In the beginning of all this, i'm certainly not expecting 7 days a week of 7am starts, but it's the attitude and desire for change that says 'hey I have an hour, maybe i'll go for a run.'

All of these areas are so complex with lifetimes of research and understanding in all of them... but like anything you have to start somewhere. There was a period of 8 months in 2009 where I was drinking waay to much as well... and I think we all know the effect alcohol has on you brain... at least to a degree.

Anyways... this has been a very scattered blog... I think I started writing it like 3hours ago, and everyonce and a while have come back to it to add a bit haha.
This summer strive to a healthy, full, and balanced life. This attitude begins to bring into understanding what it means to set aside your body as a temple for the holy spirit. After all, we only have one life to live, and this lifetime is incredibly short. Do we even have the right to treat our bodies like trash? I don't think so. I think we have a responsibility to do the opposite. This world needs to hear the heart of Jesus, and we each only have so long to do that. For us young ones... if we start good habits now, who knows, we could be adding an extra 5 years to our life from 80-85. Thats alot of extra time! Time to continue bringing hope and love to the city we live in.

Much love,

Summers Grace

Shneagles! What an awesome weekend... Got some work, chilled with friends, amazing day at church, and the potential for so many good things to happen started today, BUT most importantly, GOD'S GRACE. Check these killer verses out:

He Tore Down the Wall (Eph 2)

 ^1-6It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.  ^7-10Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Jesus the Great High Priest (Heb 4)

 ¹⁴Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,^[e] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. ¹⁶Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

The bible says it best, but God's grace has been saving my life on a daily basis, and its so beautiful and absolutely amazing, and I can do nothing to earn it, and can always come back to it no matter how selfish, prideful, angry, sinful I am. We need to know this... like more than anything... need to know his grace, and live in it. I'm still learning it's not about the things I do and don't do, but simply what Jesus has done for me.

⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

On other notes:
1) Getting super excited for

• Street Invaders (A weeklong youth spiritual bootcamp that we're (Lukas, Ad, Ben, Lane) leading worship day and night: first week of July)
• Nanoose Bay Teen Camp (Unbelievable place where God never ceases to amaze me... blessed to be leading worship there with the guys for the 3rd week of July.
• Brain training... hard to explain (check this video out... it's long but super interesting... I'm so blessed, a friend (stephen the same dude who payed for me to go to the mens retreat at capernwray) got me hooked up with the clinic he's working at!)LINK:  http://vimeo.com/7599789
• September!! Going to be onboard with City Youth (@ GT with Evan Allnutt) in a big way and I'm realllly looking forward to it. God's got massive stuff in store that I don't even know of!

So many amazing things happening this summer... it's going to be dope. Jon Brydan is an amazing man!! He's got huge vision for street ministry and the city of Victoria, and I'm so excited for God to work through him and their team in a massive way. God's pursuing our city... watch out if you're not on board, he's got your number!

PS. Go to sunday morning next week at GT, Andy is doing a series called 'forgotten virtues' He spoke about Honor this morning and it was unreal!