Activate Blog

Day two Activate/Elevate Mission Trip.

Day Two;

We all had the opportunity to go to Rainier Avenue FM Church, wow great place to meet some Awesome people. We were a part of there youth Sunday School and there main service. During the Sunday School hour we had a couple of students share there testimony, it was well received. :)

When we came back to Ballard we all got to hang some door hangers in the community inviting people to Ballard Church for there upcoming pre-view service this Sunday the 24th. Paul Diaz and his crew have been very cool to work with. A couple of students also helped Paul with a huge playground toy that he is building In there gym area.

Tyler led us in a great time of sharing. Four of our students shared there collage/testimony with the rest of the team. It was a great time of getting to know each other and praying for one another. This group is Awesome! :)

Please be praying for our team as this morning (third day) we get to meet some kids.

Blessings,
Joe Luna

Ballard

Day One-

So we got here about 5:30pm yesterday, Unpacked and got to go throughout the whole Ballard Church, pastor Paul Diaz was cool enough to let us crash in his Church, what a guy. Students and leaders are all excited to see what this upcoming week will bring. Today we will visit Rainier Avenue Church, should be pretty Awesome! ;)

Pray that God will have his way through us this week. We have summer day camp with Urban Impact, should be a solid week.

Thanks,
Joe Luna

Are you a Fan?

Are you a fan?
What a great question, is it not? We can all understand this question pretty good, can't we? I have been a Dallas Cowboy fan for as long as i can remember, let me tell you, it's not easy. They have been a bad team for a while, none the less I am a Cowboy fan. The interesting thing about that is that I have a choice to wear the gear or not wear the gear. If they are doing great I can advertise that I am a fan, if they are doing bad I don't have to claim my fanhood. Maybe I'm the only one that does this? Nah, I don't think so, I think you know what I'm talking about.

I just finished reading this book that I pictured in my blog, good book, good read however I still have to make a decision and that decision is to be a fan of Jesus or a follower of Jesus! am I going to claim Jesus (you know wear the gear) Sunday's and maybe when I'm around people that are also fans? Or am I going to gear up and represent Jesus everyday, when He is popular with those around me only, or am I going to wear my gear even when there are those around that are complete and utter Jesus haters? We have a choice to make.

I have to make a decision to wear my Dallas Cowboy gear even when there are not many Cowboy fans around and at times I face ridicule because of this decision. Have you had to face ridicule because of Jesus and His team? Are you living out your faith on Sunday mornings only? ARE YOU A FAN...OR ARE YOU A
FOLLOWER?

Just sayin...

Joe Luna

Are we doing our job?

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

(Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

Are we participating and getting the job done? Jesus was very specific when He told his disciples what to do, are we disciples of Jesus? And if so, are we continuing the what He started? I know, I am asking many questions here however it's really basic, either we are DOING what He told us to do or we are NOT DOING. If we LOVE people and LOVE God we must act on the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

(Matthew 22:40 NIV)

Something to think about...

Joe Luna

Are you serious?

"So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective."

Colossians 3:1-2

How do you feel about this truth? I
Think we as Americans feel at times the sense of entitlement, the whole "well when I feel up to living this faith, I will" I am better than God mentality. Let me tell
you something, we need to be able to completely YIELD our life to this Awesome and Wonderful God we serve. Stop thinking of the things that are affecting you personally and set your eyes on the needs of others, those around you that need Jesus. Don't dwell in the things you have no control over anyway. If you can make a change, changer it and move on. If you can not change it give it to
God and move on my friend.

Pursue the things that matter, the things that matter to Christ. Trust me when I tell you that those things have greater implications than the things we usually pursue. Seek his presence daily, submit your will to His. As you do this He will open your eyes to the things that He wants you to pursue and you will not be disappointed in the outcome.

So..."So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides."

Joe Luna

Are you listening?

John 16:12-15

"12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you."

Words from the mouth of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. I am thankful for these words, I find it encouraging to know that I don't have to have it all figured out. that there are things that I will not understand with my own intellect (Brains). To know that there is someone that can reveal things to me? For example things that I don't get about God or the purpose of my life and dreams? You know what I'm talking about right? Thank you Jesus that you sent your Holy Spirit to guide and show me the things that I can not see or understand with out the presence and guidance of your Spirit. How about you? Do you feel that way as well? Like you just don't get things some times? Especially the things of God? Well friend, there is hope for you and I. We have the Holy Spirit, we need to seek the presence of God, A.K.A the Holy Spirit. He will reveal to us the will of God! Not only for us personally like, our purpose, our dreams, our desires and such. He will also reveal what God is up to in our world TODAY! I don't know about you, this is very exciting. Now you might be thinking...Joe I don't want to know? Really? I think that we all want to know however it demands more of us and at times we are afraid of that. Remember, God wants what is best for us, we need to trust and believe that what He has in store for us is best. I hope that you will be able to spend some time with God soon and just seek His presence and dare to ask, (Lord, reveal to me your will for my life and for our community and world) If you ask? I think He will answer. Let his TRUTH guide us, release us from our selves and the grip of this world. ARE YOU LISTENING?

:)

Prayer Life

Hello students,

I just wanted to thank each and everyone of you. Last Sunday night at Activate was epic. There is something to be said when God's people get together and pray for others, it is just plain and simply Awesome! As we continue pressing forward and growing our faith together, my prayer is that we can continue on this path of community.

Spring is in the air and the busyness of life moves forward. I hope that as we look forward to this year you will include the need for others in your life. The opportunity of serving others is a daily need and is welcomed by everyone. The building of friendships and community does not just happen just because. We need to be intentional when thinking of other and building life long friendships within community.

There you go, something to think about as yet another school year starts to wind down. Everyone is expectant of vacations and great times and good memories to be made, hey just a thought. How about if you include someone that you normally would not think of? Just a thought.

Peace...

The Most Excellent Way

As I look at the world around me, TV, Movies, Music and all other forms of entertainment. I realize that what this world needs is LOVE. As I remember my life without hope or future, I remember that as I looked all I was really looking for was LOVE. I needed to feel accepted for who I was, reminded that there is someone that really cares. Someone that regardless of all my short comings and failures still cares and thinks I am pretty darn cool. The enemy would like us to completely forget of the power of the LOVE our creator. The world needs to understand that this creator wants us. He does not need us. He wants us to acknowledge that He is Awesome to forgive and to set us free from all guilt through the LOVE He has for us, Oh how He LOVES us! So I guess the question is what are you going to do today, how are you going to share LOVE?

The Most Excellent Way, 1 Corinthians 13 The Message.

¹ 13 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

² If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.

^3–7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.

Love doesn’t strut,

Doesn’t have a swelled head,

Doesn’t force itself on others,

Isn’t always “me first,”

Doesn’t fly off the handle,

Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn’t revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

^8–10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

¹¹ When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

¹² We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

¹³ But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

 

The Real Deal

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy
And dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive what ever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on Love, which binds them all together in perfect unity"

Colossians 3:12-14

Word! :)

Jeremiah 29:11-14

I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

12 “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.

13–14 “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.

“Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree.

What a challenge, to get serious with our creator, our God. Activate students I challenge you this upcoming year to get serious with God. We need to understand that His love endures forever and as such so does He. He loves you and has great plans for you. Dream Big, don’t hold back He is on your side and you need not be afraid of anything. As you prepare to plan your upcoming party’s and get together, even as you plan for the upcoming year? I challenge you to include him in your preparations and your dreams. He is waiting for you and me to include Him in.
Just a thought...