God’s Finger in "Mystery Fun Night"

Wow. Where to even begin... Well, each week, on Monday, our DTS group does something called “Mystery Fun Night.” There isn’t really a structure for it other something mysteriously fun. It can be anything from a scavenger hunt, to a thumb wrestling tournament, to an outbreak of healings and gold dust appearing out of thin air. Wait a minute.... Yep, you read that right. Healings and gold dust. Ok, let me back up for a minute.


Ever since arrival day, just over two weeks ago, the students have been beyond anxious to know the locations for the outreach phase following this three month lecture phase. Some of the staff decided this first “Mystery Fun Night” would be a good way to do that. So, instead of just making some jazzed up announcement we watched the movie, “The Finger of God.” Whoa. I had never seen it or even heard of it before so I had no idea what I was in for...


Set up as a documentary this film is the story of a somewhat skeptic believer on a journey around the world in search of the supernatural things God was doing. The things he had heard rumors of, but never witnessed. I have to be honest, as I watched I felt a bit of skepticism myself. Jewels falling from nowhere during church services, gold dust appearing randomly on people, manna in the pages of someone’s Bible and on and on. It’s not that I didn’t believe God could do that, I guess I just couldn’t understand why. But then again, why would people lie about something like that, something that reaped no apparent physical or personal gain. I just don’t know...


As the movie began to wrap up I, and I’m sure others, glanced around the room trying to gage where others were at in response to it all. I was worried that some might be intimidated and even a bit turned off by it all. Then, just as our leader, Andrew, was about to move into announcing the outreach locations it happened. As Andrew approached the stage a small group had started to form around one of our students, Chris. Once on stage it was clear that announcing those locations just didn’t seem too important anymore. I made my way over to the crowd, and as the wall of people broke open my eyes met Chris’s. He stood there, in the middle of fellow students and staff, tears falling and arms outstretched glistening with gold dust. Speechlessness was inevitable. Awe and reverence are inconceivable understatements. “Glory,” the only word that comes close at all to explaining the overwhelming sense that swept over me, and then only if repeated multiple times on end from here on into eternity.


We spent the next hour prayer for each other and sharing in the joy as God moved among our students healing many of them of things like asthma, back and shoulder problems and scoliosis. I watched as one of the girls I meet one on one with weekly was healed from her knee problems; problems attributed to a half inch length difference between legs and something she was unaware until she saw her right foot grow that missing half inch. I was there friends. I saw it with my own eyes. God is real. God is very much alive, despite what some may think. And He is on the move. How will you receive him?


It is undeniable. God touched our group that night. He made his presence known and left us marked with the inescapably glorious imprint of his finger on our lives. I’m glad it was just a finger. I’m not sure I could have handled more ... :)

Low Enough To Notice

So, a couple weeks ago a few of us staff were at a place called Queen’s bath (as beautiful as it sounds), filming our scene for the AWAKEN DTS staff video -not quite finished yet, but a link will be up when it is:). It was a pretty nice day, a little cloudy, which I’m learning is an afternoon trend around here, but it was still enjoyable. As I was waiting to shoot my part I sat down in the sand and began to look around me, trying to take it all in; from the gentle waves to the salty breeze stopping momentarily to kiss my face before moving on to mangle my hair. My gaze began at eye level, and moved across the horizon startling with the massive cruise ship in the distance, somehow managing to float, and on to the vacation rentals cradling the shore behind me. How far from the anything in Minnesota it all was. Slowly my eyes moved down over the lava rock, tide pools and children in floaties excitedly embarking on their own adventures; screams and all. Eventually my gaze drifted down to my wrinkled pants, dirty feet and the sand around me. The sand around me. Something about it drew me in closer, and as I leaned over, low enough for my nose to nearly touch it, I saw that it wasn’t just sand but tiny shells mixed amidst the sand pebbles. I sat up slowly, raised my sand covered hands closer and began to slowly sift my fingers through the little treasures. It was incredible. Shells of varying colors and patterns, shapes and petite sizes.

I’m not sure if these pictures will show it well enough, but it blew my mind that there could be shells a small as a grain of sand. And that in those miniature shells was, or had been, tiny creatures. Creatures that I, the average person, rarely sees or even notices, and would probably need a microscope to truly see. It boggles my mind! What in the world was God thinking? Our God, a God who in all his power parts seas, calms oceans, creates the Grand Canyon and hand crafted you and I, took time in the midst of all everything to dream up these barely noticeable little creations. Why?

Most people would most likely reply, “It’s for His glory” and “because He can.” I think there’s more to it than just that. I’m not sure what exactly that “more” is, but I wonder if He did it so show His gentleness. Those tiny tiny shells He made a part of this world. Those little creatures He cared enough about to bring to life, knowing full well that a majority of his creatures would never take note. He didn’t do it for us, but he did it. Or maybe He did do it for us. Maybe He did it knowing that one day someone like me would walk on that beach, sit down and take notice. And that while taking notice that person would feel like they had unearthed a small portion of the infamous lost treasure of the sea. A treasure dreamed about. A treasure few get to see. A treasure few get to hold in the palm of their hands.

As I walked off the beach that day and packed into the van with the others I couldn’t help wondering about other things in this world that are like those shells. Treasures constantly being overlooked. Unlikely places waiting to be discovered, appreciated, enjoyed. A person waiting to be noticed, conversed with and validated for who they are as they are. Maybe it’s as simple as starting up a new conversation or as adventurous as trying new food but I can’t help but think there is so much out there out there waiting for us find it. Too many treasures waiting to be found. I going to dig up my treasure map, how about you? :)

How did I get here?

Heyo!

I wanted to give more of an explanation of how this Hawaii thing came about so if you are interested check out this vid. It's a little over 5 min long...

(It was a bit too bit to upload directly but youtube hooked me up :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktDhKlkFyY4

Oh, title of mine

Four weeks ago I made the decision to join YWAM as staff. Two weeks ago I packed up my life into two suitcases (well, two suitcases and a 45 lb carry on), got on a plane and came to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. One week ago I signed a paper committing the next two years of my life to an organization and vision I believe in, and have long desired to be a part of. Seventeen minutes ago I began writing my first blog. Thanks for being a part of it with me :)

As an English major and human being branded with an irreversible love for books I know the significance of properly chosen words. So how do I, a newborn in this world of social networking, choose a title for my blog that explains my life in its present form, while identifying the unwavering influences around me? I take two things I love, music and words, combine them, and then proceed to break them apart. Some call it parsing, but for now I will call it a harmonious union :). I took key words from the titles of two of my favorite songs, Anberlin’s Dismantle.Repair., and Yann Tierson’s Mother’s Journey. Powerful words on their own “dismantle” and “journey” become something indescribable to me when married together. The definition of these two words, according to mirriamwebster.com (yea online dictionary!), is:

Dismantle: 1 : to take to pieces; also : to destroy the integrity or functioning of
2 : to strip of dress or covering

Journey: 1 : an act or instance of traveling from one place to another
2 chiefly dialect : a day's travel
3 : something suggesting travel or passage from one place to another

When I look at my life in relation to these next two years with YWAM I want it to be a time where I am taken to pieces. A time where God is given full reign in my life and regains all control by stripping me free of the “coverings” I have accumulated over these past years; the false confidences and idols I have put my trust in over Him. It will be a journey literally and figuratively as I attempt to make passage from one place in my spiritual walk to another, hopefully of novel depth, in addition to walking through the phases of a Discipleship Training School from stateside lectures to overseas encounters. Something else I find special joy in the idea of being able to replace “Journey” in the title with my name, or yours for that matter. I am continuously moving through life, sometimes forwards, sometimes back. I am on a journey. I am a Journey. A work in progress. I like to think we all are. But rarely do we stop long enough to examine, break down and really look at where we came from or where it is we are going...

I want this blog to be an attempt of that sort, and hope to update it once a week capturing my journey as truthfully and openly as I can, presenting to this world, to you and to me, A Journey Dismantled, A Erica Taken To Pieces.

*A minor disclaimer. There will be typos and grammatical errors in the days ahead (mainly comma splices- never could figure those little guys out in college). But just as there are bumps and pot holes on the road of life I hope these little errors will remind us of the imperfections we as fallen human beings each have. Thankfully we have Jesus to redeem us, and the MLA format to fix my linguistical mistakes... :)